Secrets

On Saturday morning, the True or False Lovers production crew drove up to the entrance of an upscale residential complex.

On an unremarkable little road stood a young man in a simple white athletic hoodie, with a pair of cream-colored headphones hanging around his neck.

A breeze swept past, sending his silver hair fluttering in the sunlight as light and shadow traced his exquisite features.

Spotting the camera, the young man curved his peach-colored lips into a smile. Brilliant light shimmered in his pale brown eyes as he pushed his suitcase and ran toward the lens.

[Holy shit! Mom, there's an angel here!]

[Song Yunxing, don't come any closer! My heart can't take it!]

[There are three ways to die: of old age, of illness, and of this gorgeous man being criminally hot!]

[Hello. First meeting. Joint burial.]

Song Yunxing stopped in front of the camera, his bare face fair and fresh, his eyes bright and his teeth pearly white.

The female Beta director beside him stared for a full two minutes before finally recovering. Her cheeks flushed as she said, "Good morning, Mr. Song."

"Good morning." Song Yunxing's eyes curved into crescents. After greeting the camera, he lifted his luggage into the trunk.

The director peered behind him, but there was still no sign of Shen Yanci.

"Where's Mr. Shen?"

Song Yunxing paused in the middle of getting into the van and looked back at the director in confusion. "How would I know? Hasn't he contacted you?"

"It's just... the other couples are getting into their cars together," the director stammered.

All four livestreams were running simultaneously today, and almost every pair of guests had appeared on camera together.

Award-winning actor Shi Jinyan and Yu Wan, who had openly announced that they lived together, were enjoying a romantic breakfast for two in their pajamas.

Downstairs from their apartment complex, Lu Yiyi and Luo An were acting out a romantic scene of running toward each other.

Even the least popular couple, Lu Ran and Gu Nianzhi, had met up early and were sweetly sharing breakfast.

The other couples had been serving up all sorts of affection first thing in the morning. Only their livestream remained utterly uneventful.

Song Yunxing knitted his brows. "I don't know. I don't want to see him this early. He annoyed me all night yesterday."

The director: ...!!!

Just then, the camera swept past the side of his neck. The dark red scratches stood out vividly against his fair skin.

The livestream chat instantly exploded.

[Ahem, is this what I think it is?!]

[Looks like our award-winning actor Shen really went at it last night~]

[So you two were the wildest ones all along!]

[Why does Xingxing have red marks on his neck? Pass it on! The Mutual-Dislike CP went at it hard last night!]

Song Yunxing had no idea they had gotten the wrong impression. He and Shen Yanci had traded barbs all evening yesterday, and when he got sleepy afterward, he had simply blocked Shen Yanci on WeChat.

The filming location was some distance from the city center, leaving just enough time for an interview.

Once Song Yunxing settled into the van, the director took out her prepared list of questions and began his solo interview.

"Mr. Song, why did you want to join our show? We heard you've been preparing an album lately. You must be very busy."

Song Yunxing answered frankly, "I am a little busy, but what could I do? We got caught on camera."

The director wore an indulgent smile as she continued, "A lot of fans saw that trending video of you two and said they were shocked. After all, you're always taking digs at each other on variety shows. Nobody ever imagined anything like this."

Song Yunxing said expressionlessly, "Honestly, neither did I."

If he hadn't let himself go after drinking, he would never have ended up on the same variety show as Shen Yanci!

"Does that mean he wasn't originally your ideal type?" the director asked curiously.

"Exactly!" Song Yunxing nodded emphatically, gazing into the camera with utter sincerity.

The viewers and fans grew even more curious. How on earth had those two gotten together?

"Well, here's a question from a fan. We hope you'll answer honestly." The director glanced down at her list, raising an eyebrow as her smile turned a little wicked.

"Go ahead."

By then, the van had stopped. The director slowly asked, "A fan wants to know: what does it feel like to kiss Shen Yanci's lips?"

Song Yunxing froze for two seconds. Scarlet spread across his gorgeous face, and his long lashes fluttered wildly.

What kind of questions were these?! How would he know?!

The fans were already howling on the other side of their screens.

[Aaaaah! Xingxing's blushing!]

[Ah, my innocent Xingxing! This takes me right back to his debut!]

[He gets embarrassed so easily, and he's so pretty. If he were actually in bed, aaaaah! @Shen Yanci, you've got good taste, man!]

"I don't remem..." Before Song Yunxing could finish, the van door suddenly opened.

Outside, the shadows of trees swayed, and dappled sunlight fell across the newcomer.

The man had sharply defined features. His long lashes lowered, casting shadows beneath his eyes.

He wore a simple white shirt and dress pants, his collar buttoned all the way up. A neatly folded casual jacket rested over his arm.

An air of refined restraint surrounded him, and he was almost inhumanly handsome.

"Mr. Shen." The director looked slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected to pick Shen Yanci up so soon.

It hadn't even been five minutes since Mr. Song got in!

"...Mm." The man gave a cool acknowledgment, his gaze settling on Song Yunxing's face.

For an instant, Song Yunxing panicked and averted his eyes.

The man sat down on the rear bench and shut the door.

With a click, the van door closed, sealing off the space inside.

"What's on your mind, superstar Song? Your face is so red." His voice was low and resonant, with a faint note of teasing.

Song Yunxing flushed even deeper. Clenching his fists, he whipped his head away.

[I know, I know! He was thinking about you!]

[Aaaaah! Shen Yanci, you're so good at this!]

[Have you noticed?! Our award-winning actor barely gives anyone else the time of day, but the second he sees Song Yunxing, he goes over to tease him. Though I used to think he was picking a fight.]

[+1]

[You got in one right after the other, barely a few minutes apart, and there's only one residential complex around here. I'm calling it: you came out of the same front door!]

[Aaaaah! Why are you still pretending? You've already trended!]

The two sat in the same row, and Song Yunxing immediately put some distance between them.

Shen Yanci didn't move. His expression remained calm; he was already used to this.

The van was exceptionally quiet. The microphones could even pick up passersby's voices outside.

The director could also sense the stiffness between them. They were nothing like the inseparable pair the rumors described.

"Ahem, we still have a little way to go before we reach the filming location, so let's answer a few couples' questions. Both of you need to answer seriously, and you can earn extra points!" The director took the initiative to break the awkward silence.

"Just a reminder: your daily necessities and tasks over the next two days will all depend on your points, so please take this seriously." The director took out her list of questions for couples.

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Song Yunxing answered without mercy, "A pretty face and nothing else. A beast in human skin!"

Shen Yanci raised his eyebrows and considered for a moment. "Moody and full of nonsense."

Song Yunxing scoffed and folded his arms.

Shen Yanci lounged back against the seat, a glint of mischief flashing through his dark eyes. "I'm joking, of course. Our superstar Song has a face like fine jade and a voice so pure it's positively heavenly~"

He deliberately drew out the last word. To Song Yunxing, that compliment sounded like nothing but sarcasm!

Song Yunxing: ...Hypocrite!

[Host: I asked for your first impressions, not for you to insult each other...]

[Their relationship feels pretty much the same as before!]

[Wrong! They're madly in love. They know every single one of each other's flaws!]

[Words can lie, but videos and reactions can't!]

[Shen Yanci: Guys, can you believe this? I only went a little harder last night, and now my wife is calling me a beast in human skin!]

"Next question!" Song Yunxing immediately changed the subject.

The director glanced at the question in her booklet, suppressed her smile, and cleared her throat. "When was your first kiss?"

The question caught Song Yunxing completely off guard, and his body went rigid.

Shen Yanci watched Song Yunxing's flustered reaction with interest. When he noticed the faint pink spreading across his neck, his eyes darkened slightly.

How could Song Yunxing possibly say it out loud? That had been his very first kiss!

Having enjoyed the spectacle enough, Shen Yanci straightened, looked into the camera, and said evenly, "That's a secret. We choose not to answer."