Task Release

Si You and Jiang Tingxu had been paired up as a CP.

Jiang Tingxu's popularity with the general public, meanwhile, was the complete opposite of Si You's. Since his debut, he had only let his work speak for itself, never courting hype or marketing himself. Whenever some malicious rumor about him made the trending searches, his fans only needed to guide the comments a little, and passersby would jump in to defend him. Then the tide would turn.

The moment the news broke, Si You was torn apart on the trending searches within fifteen minutes.

Antis and fans of rival celebrities exaggerated the story and swarmed Si You's Weibo. He had not set any comment restrictions, so everyone was free to speak their minds. Among the spectacular hundred-thousand-plus comments, there was nothing but insults and attacks. Naturally, Si You gave no response. He had long since lost his fans' support, and not a single person spoke up to refute the accusations or defend him. The crowd charged in mightily to tear him apart, only to find they had punched cotton.

They were furious!

Meanwhile, the director arranged Jiang Tingxu's room right next to Si You's.

The guests all wore varying expressions, never expecting the production team to go this far.

As for the two people involved, each was calmer than the other.

Si You did not dare show any weakness in front of more than a dozen cameras, lest it be used against him, while Jiang Tingxu was simply willing to cooperate.

Before Jiang Tingxu became hugely popular, he had encountered stars on set who loved throwing their weight around. He would patiently wait, then reshoot take after take. His pursuit of acting was like meticulously carving a work of art. Later, when that extended to advertisements and variety shows, Jiang Tingxu was still the least pretentious person there, yet that did nothing to diminish the air of nobility about him.

Jiang Tingxu watched Si You make his bed, his thoughts drifting.

He had been resting for the past half year. At first, he had not planned to take on Spring Action, but one glimpse during Horror Livestream had made him decide. Yet when he examined the reason more closely, his mind was blank.

Si You was a little taller than he had appeared on camera. His features were refined and fair, and he was quiet but highly vigilant.

It seemed Si You was well aware that his role this season was much like a living target.

Compared to the familiarity and warmth of the other CPs, Si You said little, and Jiang Tingxu said even less. Even the cameramen felt somewhat stifled by the silence.

[My heart aches for Jiang, the Movie Emperor QAQ. He'll probably have nightmares for several nights in a row.]

[What on earth is Sister Chen doing?!]

Sister Chen, his manager, fell silent when she saw that comment. Inside, she was screaming frantically, I want to know too! Your Movie Emperor volunteered for this from beginning to end, okay?! I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen!

"Done." Si You stood up.

Jiang Tingxu said, "Thank you."

Jiang Tingxu stood right behind Si You, far too close. Si You could even smell the faint mint scent coming off him. Those two brief words seemed to scrape sharply across his eardrums.

Even Si You was shocked at himself. What sort of people had he not encountered before?

Fine. Jiang Tingxu's type really was rare.

He was a match for his former self!

After a short break, everyone headed to the living room to receive their mission.

The moment Si You came downstairs, he heard Xu Ke ask weakly, "Director, can we at least eat something first?"

"No," the director said.

Xu Ke: "?"

"You only get food after completing the mission." The director smiled pleasantly.

Everyone let out a chorus of wails.

Seeing that Jiang Tingxu and Si You had come down as well, the director began announcing the mission. "In today's game, players must follow designated routes and search for NPCs hidden among ordinary people. Once you identify them, you will receive clues to the next location. Each NPC you find will also earn you the corresponding ingredients." At this point, the director's smile became increasingly deranged. "That's right, you'll receive ingredients rather than finished food. Players will have to cook for themselves. The first to reach the finish line will receive a generous reward. Good luck!"

Xu Ke nearly fainted. He was genuinely about to starve to death.

A strange expression flashed across Si You's face, and he could not help turning to glance at the kitchen.

Jiang Tingxu noticed and asked softly, "Hungry?"

A dating show was a dating show. Everyone knew what CPs implied. The other guests had already spent a season getting used to one another and got along well, while the two of them had to start from scratch. If Si You was wary and cautious, Jiang Tingxu felt he could be a little more proactive. Otherwise, if the recording did not turn out well, Si You would still be the one criticized in the end.

Si You leaned back slightly. Jiang Tingxu was a head taller than him and bent down to listen.

"Not hungry. What about you?"

"I'm fine," Jiang Tingxu said.

At least three cameras were pointed directly at them.

Setting aside Si You's dark history, the two of them standing together without even the slightest physical contact were somehow... remarkably pleasing to the eye.

[I just slapped myself to wake up.]

Once the guests had left, the assistant director opened the refrigerator with a puzzled expression. "Why are two tomatoes missing? I remember the carton of eggs being full too..."

Si You was still savoring the fragrance of noodles in his mouth.

He was not hungry. Heh, hehehe.

It was not Si You's fault either. When he woke up, he had not known there would be a mission. Everything had been utterly quiet.

The mission began—

The guests all started from the same point. Along the coastline and through an old town, the production team had set out seven routes leading to the finish line. How many NPCs were there? Were they men or women? Nobody knew.

When they reached a crossroads, they discovered three main roads. Their choices began here.

Shao Ancheng led Song Yalin down the far-left route. Zhang Jianlin's pair joined up with Xu Ke's group and chose the middle route, leaving Si You and Jiang Tingxu with only the third route. Since information and supplies obtained from NPCs could not be shared, the more people there were, the fiercer the competition. It was better to take the less crowded route.

Everyone looked at Jiang, the Movie Emperor with more or less sympathy. They all knew Si You had none of a young master's fortune but all of a young master's temper. The weather was hot today too, and they feared he would start throwing a tantrum halfway through.

"Um..." Xue Boyu asked Si You and Jiang Tingxu, his face slightly red, "Can I come with you?"

[Little bro, you fool!]

[Don't put it like that. Si You may be useless, but Jiang, the Movie Emperor is the most reliable.]

[And my Movie Emperor doesn't have an endless temper either. Just look at that young actor who almost made it into the top tier but is now wandering around the eighteenth tier. If Si You goes too far and pisses off my Movie Emperor, he might have to pack up and get lost, smile jpg.]

[Can't wait!]

Once the groups had been assigned, everyone immediately set off.

Xue Boyu walked beside Jiang Tingxu, keeping a slight distance from Si You. It was not because he held any prejudice. Rather, during the previous season, the original owner had never treated Xue Boyu kindly. To put it bluntly, it was jealousy. They were close in age, yet they lived completely different lives. Shen Chuan, in particular, took extra care of Xue Boyu.

But in Si You's opinion, the original owner had been sick in the head. Nobody could choose the circumstances of their birth, and taking it out on innocent people because of that meant he would either be angered to death in this lifetime or be on his way there.

When your heart was narrowed down to a crack, your life would be filled with pain.

Xue Boyu spoke quietly with Jiang Tingxu while Si You listened in silence.

The sun gradually became scorching.

Suddenly, Si You stopped walking.

Xue Boyu's heart skipped a beat. Was it starting...

But Si You was staring at a fruit farmer by the roadside.

Jiang Tingxu asked, "What is it?"

"Is it normal for a fruit farmer to have hands that fair and clean?" Si You said, then strode toward the fruit farmer.

The way to identify an NPC was through a coded phrase. Si You would say the first half, and if the person really was an NPC, they would respond with the second half like a program. Naturally, if it was an ordinary resident, they would only look confused.

The number of times the guests could use coded phrases on each stretch of road was limited, so they had to be reasonably certain before trying.

[Holy shit, what is this asshole doing?]

Si You crouched before the fruit farmer. The man merely smiled without speaking.

Si You turned to exchange a look with Jiang Tingxu. Jiang Tingxu had come to the same conclusion and nodded lightly.

"A plate of pig head meat," Si You said.

"Two liang of strong baijiu," the fruit farmer replied without hesitation.

He really was an NPC!

Even Jiang Tingxu was astonished by Si You's powers of observation. There were many people on this street, and the riot of colors was highly distracting, yet Si You had spotted the fruit farmer at once.

The fruit farmer took out a card for Si You to choose from.

Without asking anyone, Si You chose two cucumbers and two bottles of water. The director had said earlier that there would be no prepared food; bottled water was already a mercy. Si You had actually wanted to exchange for three bottles of water, but the NPC refused.

The fruit farmer opened the basket by his feet and took out what Si You wanted.

Si You accepted the items. After standing up, he tucked a bottle of water each into Jiang Tingxu's and Xue Boyu's arms, then gave each of them a cucumber as well. "Drink the water slowly. We can't exchange for cooked food, so just make do with the cucumbers. Let's see if the next NPC has anything good."

Jiang Tingxu felt strangely unsettled. He was usually the one taking care of juniors; this was the first time a junior had fed him.

Xue Boyu simply felt that Si You, standing there with one hand in his pocket and a slightly unruly expression, looked cool!