Reading guide:
1. A background CP appears only in chapter 97, and neither character accompanies the main cast before or afterward. If you consider that a secondary CP and can't accept it, please leave. This novel is free, so let's part on good terms. No writing advice, please.
2. I chose this title because this was always going to be an all-pairings story. If platform policies get in the way, it'll have an open ending instead. But I'll write alternate routes, so if you're backing a particular pairing, sweeties, go straight to that route. You can also read the pairings you don't ship as friendships, because everyone is genuinely a wonderful person.
3. If you see horny comments flying across the screen, that's because the author herself is here for the horny stuff. (Proudly puffs out her chest.)
Also, please savor every little movement the characters make, hehe.
Hope you enjoy the feast (*^▽^*)
The story begins below:
The bedside lamp cast a warm yellow glow. The constantly heaving covers suddenly slipped off.
The man above moved, his sharply defined muscles rippling, slick with sweat and brimming with the explosive power of a cheetah. Beneath him, the other man's snowy back was covered in red marks. Panting helplessly, he reached out, only to grasp another hand with prominent knuckles-
"Bzz, bzz-!"
The alarm rang, jolting Shi Zhou awake.
The system prompted him: [Zhouzhou, it's time to leave.]
Moisture still shimmered at the corners of Shi Zhou's eyes. His long, curled lashes fluttered as he sat up and shook his head, as though trying to shake that memory out.
According to the system, the plot had taken control of his body for the past few years because the story required it. The jumble of dreams he was having now probably depicted events from the original novel, so he needn't dwell on them.
Twenty minutes later, Shi Zhou sat in the back of a hovercar, his slender figure straight and poised. He held a Mindnet between his long fingertips, watching with relish.
The video was filled with a clamor of voices.
A pair of thin-soled leather shoes stepped lightly across a polished floor. Next came long legs encased in impeccably tailored trousers, striding through a crowded, bustling stock exchange.
The scene silently shifted into slow motion-at some point, a lilting violin melody had quietly begun to flow.
Then the view abruptly opened up: a pale blue Mecha rose into the air behind an ancient castle, scattering a flock of white doves as it soared toward the daylight and pierced the clouds!
The next instant, time and space shifted again.
A peach grove stretched across the scene like rosy clouds. A man with flowing black hair wore white robes in the ancient Huaxia style. Sword light shimmered around his graceful figure as he danced a captivating sword dance amid falling blossoms and the wind.
This promo was so well shot! The mystery, the atmosphere, the charm, the sheer handsomeness-it made you want to scream!!
Countless scrolling comments and animated gifts packed the screen. At its center appeared the variety show's title, four large characters written in one flowing stroke of an ancient Huaxia ink brush-"Heart-Pounding Expedition."
The host of Blue Star One's special broadcast leaned forward slightly and asked:
"Director Zhang, we all know the first three seasons of Heart-Pounding Expedition were household names, wildly popular across the stars. You've also publicly stated that season three couldn't be surpassed, so you had no plans for another season. Why have you suddenly announced season four?"
Shi Zhou watched the comments flooding past:
"I knew they'd make season four. Even the guest stars became huge after appearing on the show. Who could resist that much traffic?"
"Can't wait, can't wait! I've rewatched the first three seasons over and over. I'm absolutely watching season four, and I'll get my friends and family to watch too!"
"God, all those guy/guy, girl/girl, and guy/girl CPs fed me so well back then. Every single face was divine. The season four promo has such a vibe. Fine, I admit it, I'm hooked. Serve it up already!"
"But season three's cast was already the ceiling. Can season four really top it? Don't churn out a steaming pile for cash and ruin Director Zhang's lifelong reputation, lol."
Naturally, Heart-Pounding Expedition was no ordinary show, having fought its way to the top in an Interstellar Era overflowing with entertainment programs.
The Dating Reality Show was created by a production team from Blue Star, and its concept was exceptionally bold. Not only did it combine dating with leisurely travel, it also paired "untouchable elites vs. ordinary people"!
The moment it launched, it detonated across the stars like a nuclear bomb.
Each of the first three seasons brought something new. Viewers stubbornly insisted they wouldn't watch, but their actions said otherwise. Nothing delighted them more than watching privileged heirs eat their words and fall hopelessly in love. They never tired of it-the satisfaction was unparalleled!
Season three went even further, drawing countless gossip-hungry viewers and fans with the outrageous pairing of "A-list celebrities vs. ordinary people." It was an all-out CP battle, a happy home for seasoned ship enthusiasts everywhere.
Every major app became a bloodbath, a burial ground for countless heartbroken fans and veteran shipping warriors.
But the production team knew how to pace things. Although only one CP got together by the end of the previous season, its finale had tears, laughter, and a happy resolution. The cast remained close friends to this day, making Expedition Three a treasured Dating Reality Show that everyone fondly revisited again and again.
Two years later, Expedition Three still held the number-one spot in the variety show category on the Interstellar Network. If someone claimed they'd never watched any of it, people would practically assume they were an alien.
Even Director Zhang himself thought it couldn't be surpassed, so the viewers' concerns were understandable.
Seeing the comments, Director Zhang hastily said, "We've made some innovations this season. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised."
The commenters were skeptical. "Really?"
Shi Zhou, who already knew how the story would unfold, answered inwardly with a blank face: Nope.
If anything, did an unpleasant shock count?
After all, not one of the CPs carefully arranged by the production team had worked out. A perfectly good Dating Reality Show had been turned into a slice-of-life series about sports and work, leaving viewers utterly exhausted when they tuned in after school or work.
That alone would have been fine. The men were handsome, the women were beautiful, and the production team was still solid, so the ratings remained decent. The problem was-
This was actually a novel from a certain web-fiction site.
The novel told the story of three male protagonists dominating different fields across the stars:
Take male lead number one, Bai Shen: a rising tycoon in AI android technology and a renowned venture capital heavyweight in interstellar commerce. He had sharp brows and brilliant eyes, stood over 196 centimeters tall, and boasted nine-head proportions, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. His muscles were clearly visible even through his clothes. Last year, a technology magazine featuring his profile on its cover, dressed in a suit and wearing a luxurious wristwatch, had sold out completely. It drew in droves of thirsty girls and boys who knew absolutely nothing about stocks. People called him hormones on legs.
Then there was male lead number two, Su Yue, the young scion of an established wealthy family. Cool and aloof, with an ascetic air, he was of mixed heritage, with exquisite bone structure and a beautiful figure. He could play both the violin and piano, and videos of him riding horses and fencing had gone viral countless times. But the internet was merely a pastime for him. He was currently a third-year student at the most prestigious university in the interstellar world, an institution that had produced many core members of interstellar leadership. Su Yue was one of the finest students in this year's Mecha department and would certainly serve the Federation after graduation.
And then there was male lead number three, Asta, a rebellious, untamed athlete in the niche sport of Startrack Downhill. A tiny human wearing only simple gear, riding a magnetic board through storm eyes and planetary belts-the dangerous, violent beauty of it was unforgettable once witnessed. Not to mention his family, Caius, an illustrious yet low-profile dynasty whose lineage had continued unbroken since ancient Earth, with members in every industry across the stars.
With such successfully crafted characters, each shining in his own field, why were the readers still dissatisfied?
Because a successful protagonist was supposed to win at both love and work, of course! They had their careers, but where were their beautiful romances?
Under pressure from her readers, the author, Someplace Little Burger, hurriedly added extra chapters, planning to develop the protagonists' romantic storylines.
In other words, Expedition Four was actually an extra story written by Someplace Little Burger: a dating show meant to find partners for the three elite male leads.
Upon learning this, Shi Zhou had pressed the system: "Then who are their respective CPs?"
The system: [Hmm, that hasn't been decided yet.]
Shi Zhou: ?
The system replied helplessly: [Because the author abandoned the story again...]
Perhaps she had written too many fight scenes, or perhaps she simply couldn't write romance. The extra story wandered further and further off course until she finally buckled under the pressure, packed up, and fled.
The novel's readers, stood up over and over again, could bear it no longer. Not only did they invent endless ways to curse Someplace Little Burger, but their resentment grew so intense that it brought the novel's world into physical existence!
The system: [Our task now is to give the novel a satisfying, logical ending and dispel the readers' resentment.]
Otherwise known as finishing an abandoned story.
[The readers' demands are: we want melodrama and romantic rivalries! More, more! We've already read millions of words of hot-blooded action!]
That was what Little Burger had promised her readers, but unfortunately failed to deliver. So the system chose Shi Zhou and placed him in Expedition Four to bring about that ending.
As his recollection ended, the hovercar happened to glide to a stop.
The darkened Mindnet reflected half of a mesmerizingly beautiful face. Shi Zhou smiled faintly, and the light flowing through his eyes immediately softened his lush beauty, making him look resolute and confident instead, his gaze bright as stars.
"We're here," Shi Zhou said softly, watching the staff coming and going outside the window.
"Don't worry, System. I'll definitely be a good plot device and do my best to get the novel's CPs together."
And the reason he had accepted the task without much deliberation wasn't any noble dedication to helping others, nor was it because he was some important character in the novel.
Shi Zhou was just an unlucky cannon fodder extra whose family was on the verge of bankruptcy, who was buried in debt, whose relationships with friends and relatives had fallen apart, and who faced expulsion from school-someone desperately in need of a change in fate!
Before you continue