A romantic island

"Not sure. From what people online are guessing, it should be Shen Yanci." Meng Ruo yawned and adjusted the U-shaped pillow around her neck.

Silver hair covered the young man's eyes, hiding his expression.

Song Yunxing handed the phone back to Meng Ruo, cleared his throat twice, and forced himself upright. "So stupid... I still have one shot to film. I'm heading off."

The young man seemed to be in a good mood. His steps were light, and all his exhaustion had vanished.

Meng Ruo shook her head, closed the car door, and drifted toward sleep.

After all these years, he was still the same. The moment Shen Yanci made a fool of himself, Song Yunxing perked right up. What kind of weird habit was that?

Time flew, and before anyone knew it, Thursday evening had arrived.

Online, countless fans and casual viewers waited for the first edited episode of "True or False Lovers," leaving comments under the official Weibo accounts of Pear TV and Wind News Video.

[Thursday is a wonderful day!!]

[My Mutual-Dislike CP! Time to feast on the sweetness!]

[It's starting, it's starting!]

"True or False Lovers" premiered simultaneously on Pear TV and Wind News Video, and the number of viewers online shot straight up.

The video opened on an indoor setting, where the commentators, Ren Chao, Qin Jinyao, and Yue Hua, sat before the camera and greeted everyone.

Bullet comments immediately flooded the video.

[It really is those three! They all know each other so well!]

[Hahaha, Yaoyao's here for the gossip!]

[Yue Hua: a front-row seat to watching my friends fall in love.]

After exchanging polite greetings, they officially began watching the edited footage.

Unlike the single viewpoint of the livestream, the edited version used multiple perspectives, highlighting the details of the guests' interactions.

Both the affection and the subtle friction between the guests were amplified, and the smooth editing made it impossible to stop watching.

When the video reached Song Yunxing and Shen Yanci's citrus-picking competition, the editors even added high-energy background music, showing their separate shots and slow-motion footage. The rivalry was practically explosive.

Yue Hua couldn't help laughing. "When I found out those two were coming on this show, I knew this would happen."

"They trade barbs whenever they meet. They once appeared together on a variety show I happened to be hosting. The punishment was supposed to be purely symbolic-just splash a little water. But those two went and drenched each other like drowned rats. After that, they never appeared on the same variety show again," Ren Chao said helplessly.

Qin Jinyao rubbed her chin without saying anything.

The video continued, and the production team deliberately included several shots of Shen Yanci helping Song Yunxing carry his fruit basket, leaving the commentators rather surprised.

Apparently, their relationship wasn't as bad as they made it look.

However, when the video reached the surprise early-morning visit, the two male commentators stared at Song Yunxing lying in bed, momentarily unable to process what they were seeing.

"Huh?"

"No way. Shen Yanci made his move..." Yue Hua sprang to his feet, his narrow eyes widening until they were almost round.

Startled, Qin Jinyao looked up at him.

The camera immediately swung toward Yue Hua, capturing every flicker of expression on his face.

Bullet comments covered the screen. The CP fans: ?!!

[Aaaah! What does that mean?! Shen Yanci's been planning this all along?]

[Th-this! Confirmed by a close friend-they really are together!]

[Quiet, I'm thinking!]

Yue Hua realized he had let something slip and immediately sat down, clamping his mouth shut.

The unaired commotion at the morning market was also included in the edit.

The footage had been kindly submitted by a fan. Amid the noisy crowd, someone grabbed the hem of the young man's clothes, leaving him panicked and at a loss.

Then a tall figure shielded the young man, blocking the camera's view.

The man's sharp warning rang through the crowd. Even through the screen, his intense anger was palpable.

He firmly clasped the young man's hand and led him running out of the crowd.

Paired with romantic background music, the scene really did have a tender, lingering sense of romance.

The commentators all wore expressions that said, "So that's how it is," unable to hide their smiles.

"Ahem, this couple seems to really enjoy letting people misunderstand them! Now they finally can't hold back anymore."

"The scene might be clichéd, but he really did look cool!"

"It's rare to see Shen Yanci's emotions fluctuate that much."

With confirmation from their close friend Yue Hua, the Mutual-Dislike CP fans had gone completely wild. Over in their Weibo super topic, they were already preparing a veritable feast of fan content.

The video kept playing, and the commentators analyzed it frame by frame.

For the final truth-or-Daring Challenge segment, the production team deliberately displayed the couples' heart rates on-screen.

The risqué challenges had the commentators exclaiming over how thrilling it all was, especially the final segment where Song Yunxing and Shen Yanci gazed into each other's eyes.

The commentators were all getting swept up in the pairing, indulgent grins spreading across their faces.

Ren Chao watched their intimate contact with considerable shock and satisfaction.

Yue Hua's expression was a little contorted, as though the cheesiness had given him goosebumps, and he kept rubbing his arms.

Qin Jinyao's face was bright red as she hugged a cushion and peeked at the screen excitedly.

[Hahaha, Jinyao is literally me!]

[I was so excited when I watched the livestream!]

[If I were there, I'd push their heads together and make them kiss!]

[Keep acting, you two! With heart rates that high, there's no way I believe you don't have feelings for each other!]

The recording session for the edited episode wasn't long, but all three commentators filled several pages with notes as they awaited the footage for the second episode.

When the show ended, fans were left wanting more, and all kinds of fan-made videos sprang up.

Every scrap of content involving the two was dug up, and the official website of Dreamfloat perfume, which had just announced them as its endorsers, had already crashed.

All its perfumes sold out. Sharp-eyed fans even discovered its new fragrance, Precious Chinese Oud, available for preorder, and sales of that new fragrance alone had already topped 80,000.

Dreamfloat urgently shut down its official website and started a livestream to reassure customers.

The show's popularity far exceeded the production team's expectations, and it never stopped trending.

#"True or False Lovers"#

#Mutual-Dislike CP#

In no time, "True or False Lovers" topped Wind News Video's viewing chart, becoming the country's first dating reality show to break into the mainstream.

Only a few hours after the episode's release, stars across the entertainment industry were left baffled.

Song Yunxing and Shen Yanci, once notorious for their terrible relationship, had entered everyone's minds in an entirely new light.

Was this whole world just part of your roleplay?

All was peaceful online, with fans of every pairing enjoying their own couple's sweet moments.

"True or False Lovers" struck while the iron was hot and immediately announced the filming plans for the next episode.

["True or False Lovers" official Weibo: A romantic island, a honeymoon paradise. Next episode, we'll head to the Maldives peninsula, where our rumored couples will spend three days and two nights of romance on the island.]

Several beautiful photos of the island's scenery were attached below.

The moment the Weibo post went up, fans and viewers began leaving comments.

[As if we'd believe you. You're trying to trick the guests into working again!]

[You might as well rename it Travel and Work Diaries!]

[Director Guo, have a heart. Let the guests actually fall in love!]

[The show made money, and now they're going straight overseas to film!]

[We demand sweet moments from the Mutual-Dislike CP!]