If it's all a hot mess, drink it while it's hot

After everyone returned to their respective rooms, the livestream displayed the page showing the romantic messages they had sent.

[Oh my, oh my, I'm kind of excited to see what they'll send.]

[Calling it now: "Taro Balls" will pick each other!]

[Guaranteed, guaranteed. "Taro Balls" will definitely pick each other, and I'll throw in "Broken Dew" keeping their cool and picking each other too.]

[Am I the only one curious about what "Gleaming Starlight" will send?]

[Wait, are people seriously shipping Shen Siyi and Song Nianxing already? I still feel like they don't suit each other. It feels as weird as shipping Chen Mingyi and Du Yuesi.]

Just as the comments were eagerly speculating, the screen flickered a few times, and two romantic messages popped up.

(Qiu Bailu chose Jiang Jingzhe as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: I want us to stay together from here on, too.)

(Jiang Jingzhe chose Qiu Bailu as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: I'm very happy we could reunite on the show.)

[Aaaah, I knew "Broken Dew" would keep their cool and choose each other. So sweet.]

[Hmm... am I the only one who thinks Jiang Jingzhe's message is a little formal and forced? He doesn't seem all that willing.]

[Yes, these two feel more and more like artificial sweetener to me.]

[?? What's wrong with you people above? Are you "Gleaming Starlight" or "Taro Balls" shippers? Pure jealousy. Just wait until your ship doesn't pick each other and see how I mock you.]

[Heh, don't worry. My "Taro Balls" are guaranteed to choose each other, so you artificial-sweetener shippers don't need to stick your noses where they don't belong.]

Immediately afterward, the second set of romantic messages appeared.

(Du Yuesi chose Chen Mingyi as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: If I said I didn't know who to choose, you'd believe me, right?)

(Chen Mingyi chose Yuan Man as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: I feel like your smile is really beautiful, familiar, and warm.)

(Yuan Man chose Yu Xinyan as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: Big brother.)

(Yu Xinyan chose Du Yuesi as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: Everything you do feels familiar to me and draws my attention.)

The livestream instantly erupted.

[??? What the hell is Du Yuesi choosing Chen Mingyi?? Even if she didn't know who to choose, she could've sent it to anyone instead of her rival Chen Mingyi.]

[And what the hell is Chen Mingyi choosing Yuan Man? So bold. She actually thinks she can come between "Taro Balls"?]

[Wait, what do you mean, come between them? Your "Taro Balls" didn't pick each other!]

[Yu Xinyan chose Du Yuesi? Holy freaking moly!]

[Is who chose whom really the point? The point is that the four of them are in a love quadrangle, holy shit. It's all a hot mess. Drink it while it's hot, everyone.]

[Waaah, Yuan Man chose Yu Xinyan. Aaaaah, this is so sad. Did what he said himself actually come true? She loves her, she loves him, then he loves him, but he loves her!!]

[Heh, where are the people who just mocked our cool-headed "Broken Dew" as artificial sweetener? Hilarious. Now your own ship doesn't even qualify as sweetener, does it?]

[Exactly. In a bit, "Gleaming Starlight" might get slapped in the face just like "Taro Balls." Let's see how cocky you two ships can be then.]

Just then, the screen flashed again and revealed the final set of romantic messages.

(Song Nianxing chose Shen Siyi as today's romantic interest.)

(Message: Thank you for looking after me today, Senior Shen. Really, thankies, thankies (◍＞◡＜◍))

At the same time, the prop phone the production team had given Song Nianxing vibrated twice in his hand.

(Guest Shen Siyi has sent you a romantic message.)

(I want to build a safe fortress for you.)

The livestream was instantly flooded with groundhog shrieks.

[Everyone, flatten your cheeks immediately. Right now.]

[Aaaaah, I say "Gleaming Starlight," you say-]

[Sweetness overload!! Let's see who dares defy this "Gleaming Starlight." Shen Siyi has already put his cards on the table! Pure, direct, open flirting. Waaah, suddenly I want to inhabit Song Nianxing's body.]

[Song Nianxing: Thank you, senior. Shen Siyi: You're welcome. Want to date? The kind where I build you a fortress.]

As he looked at the words on his phone screen, Song Nianxing's eyes trembled again and again, and his arms unconsciously tightened considerably around the star plush.

A safe fortress?

Shen Siyi really did seem to always understand what he needed.

Recalling Shen Siyi's concern and care over the past few days, along with that occasional flirtation, a bold thought actually surfaced in Song Nianxing's mind: Did Shen Siyi like him?

But barely a moment after that thought surfaced, he rejected it.

How could he? How could someone as outstanding as Shen Siyi possibly like him?

But what if...

No, no.

Song Nianxing felt as though he had split in two, sweetness filling his heart one moment, then mournful sighs the next. The two emotions twisted and tangled together as he curled up under the covers, his fingers unconsciously kneading the star plush.

Meanwhile, Shen Siyi had switched on the sensory link device early on.

At first, what he felt was Song Nianxing holding him, and he could still endure it, closing his eyes to "savor it carefully."

But the repeated "kneading" that followed made him open his eyes, unable to remain composed any longer.

He narrowed them slightly, his eyes instantly brightening, and an unconcealed, vivid curve spread across his lips.

It felt so good...

His Ah Xing made him feel so good, he was almost going to die from it~

He picked up the tablet and looked. The entire screen was filled with the expanse of pale skin inside Song Nianxing's slightly open collar, captured by the camera in the plush.

He really wanted to smell his Ah Xing, really wanted to bury himself in there, inside Ah Xing's clothes... between his legs... he was sure to smell so, so good.

Why didn't this world have phones and tablets that could transmit smells? What a trash world!

Shen Siyi's breathing gradually grew heavier. He walked into the bathroom, and before long, it was filled with mist.

A long while later, a trace of red tinged the corners of Shen Siyi's eyes, and scattered, glistening beads of sweat clung to his forehead and temples.

When he finally freed his hand and braced it against the cold glass bathroom door, Shen Siyi's smile grew even more unrestrained. His straight, white teeth showed, making him look just like an insatiable beast still craving its prey.

He had originally promised that, as long as his Ah Xing slept holding the plush tonight, he wouldn't scare him.

But now he rather wanted to go back on his word.

So good and obedient. That meant he should be "bullied"~

Tsk, what should he do?

His finger gently traced across the tablet, and then the sound of running water rose in the bathroom again...

Song Nianxing did not sleep peacefully that night.

He had a dream.

In the dream, a giant python coiled tightly around him. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't escape; instead, the more he struggled, the tighter it wound around him.

So he had to wake up early, afraid that if he went back to sleep, he would dream of the same scene again.

After quickly getting ready, he headed to the living room.

The first thing he saw was the building-block castle on the table, which he had painstakingly put together last night only for it to collapse again.

Now the castle had been fully assembled and stood on the table.

A ray of sunlight slowly streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window and fell on the castle, making it gleam.

I want to build a safe fortress for you.

Shen Siyi's romantic message from last night appeared before his eyes again.