Things were indeed just as the netizens had said.
Number one on Weibo's trending list was #Ye Qingzhou says Chu Ci is his romantic partner#, number two was #Ye Qingzhou makes a surprise appearance on a dating show#, and number four was #Ye Qingzhou calls Chu Ci "Teacher Chu"#.
The top trending topic on Weibo had already surpassed ten million clicks.
Chu Ci had already received the candy prepared by the production team, and the topics #Ye Qingzhou's first on-screen kiss# and #Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci share an indirect kiss# had also appeared near the bottom of Weibo's trending list. Both were getting more and more clicks, even showing signs of overtaking the fifth-place topic.
At the filming location.
Chu Ci picked a mint candy at random.
All the candies the production team had prepared were intact, which meant Chu Ci had to eat the candy before he could use its wrapper.
The mint's refreshing sweetness and coolness spread over his tongue. Chu Ci narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, their outer corners curving slightly upward.
For some reason, Ye Qingzhou thought Chu Ci looked like a pampered ragdoll cat.
He needed careful tending before he would let down his guard.
"Come here."
Chu Ci chewed and swallowed the mint candy, then pressed the wrapper against his lips. Looking at Ye Qingzhou a short distance away, he curved his eyes slightly and beckoned him over with a smile.
Ye Qingzhou froze for a moment.
Seeing Chu Ci like this, the first phrase that flashed through his mind was actually "bewitching."
[Oh, does anyone else get that smile of Chu Ci's? It's seriously bewitching.]
[I suddenly get why people think Chu Ci is good-looking.]
[For a moment, I actually don't know who to be jealous of.]
[Does Chu Ci really not have a single notable work to his name? That handsome face, that bewitching smile-he was practically born to act. Any directors considering working with him on something?]
[If I don't get to kiss Chu Ci within a minute, I'm blowing up Hebei.]
[Aaaaaah! Chu Ci's smile is so gorgeous. I genuinely feel the urge to take Ye Qingzhou's place and kiss him...]
Seeing Ye Qingzhou standing there dumbly without moving, Chu Ci simply walked toward him. The distance between them closed in an instant, and before Ye Qingzhou could react, Chu Ci pressed his lips against his through the thin candy wrapper.
-Bang.
As though a burst of fireworks had exploded in his mind, Ye Qingzhou felt as if he were floating in the clouds. Everything felt a little unreal, and Chu Ci's kiss had sent his thoughts spinning.
So soft.
Even softer than the softest jelly he'd ever eaten.
The netizens were also stunned by Chu Ci's sudden move. The livestream's barrage paused for a few seconds before surging to a peak.
[Aaaaaah! They kissed! They really kissed!]
[Just like that, Ye Qingzhou's first on-screen kiss is gone?!]
[Did you notice the look in Ye Qingzhou's eyes? The Ye Qingzhou I remember has always been the mastermind who could do anything. This is the first time I've ever seen him look this dazed...]
[I'm dying from the sweetness, I'm dying from the sweetness. Watching those two kiss is such a feast for the eyes.]
[Even with the candy wrapper between them, it's so sweet. I almost feel like Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci are filming an idol drama...]
[Now this is a dating show! This is the good stuff dating-show fans should be watching! All the other dating shows need to step up their game to this level!]
[Quick, look at Ye Qingzhou's cheeks, neck, and earlobes. Hahahaha, I've never seen him look this shy.]
[As both a mom fan and a girlfriend fan of Ye Qingzhou, I'll just go die now.]
[They're both men, but they're still so shippable.]
The camera operator deliberately gave Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci a close-up.
Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou were so close that they could even feel each other's hot breaths. Their breathing kept mingling, and an intimate atmosphere gradually spread through the air.
Chu Ci had only pressed the candy wrapper against Ye Qingzhou's lips to finish the task as quickly as possible. But looking at his trembling lashes and flushed cheeks, he belatedly realized his actions had been a little abrupt.
"Counting down. Ten, nine, eight..."
Ye Qingzhou's breathing grew a little heavier.
Chu Ci also felt somewhat awkward.
The production team's countdown continued.
"Five, four, three, two, one."
The moment the word "one" sounded, Chu Ci instinctively took two steps back, and the candy wrapper slowly fluttered to the ground.
Ye Qingzhou had yet to react and instinctively took two steps forward.
Chu Ci hurriedly reached out to steady Ye Qingzhou. "Are you okay?"
Looking at Chu Ci's thin, beautiful lips, Ye Qingzhou faintly recalled that soft sensation, and his face suddenly burned.
"...Thank you."
Ye Qingzhou hurriedly took two steps back to hide his loss of composure.
[...I'm just saying, Ye Qingzhou really looks like a little wife.]
[Ye Qingzhou, could you show a little backbone? Just kiss him.]
[Those of you who don't get Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou, you're in trouble.]
"Congratulations on completing the task."
A staff member took out the hundred yuan they had prepared and handed it to Chu Ci with a bright smile. "Good luck with your next tasks~"
"Thank you."
Chu Ci accepted the hundred yuan prepared by the production team. They were now three hundred yuan short of their target amount.
"Let's go."
Seeing how Ye Qingzhou's mind had wandered off somewhere, Chu Ci waved his fingers in front of his eyes. "We've finished our task."
"Oh, right..."
Only then did Ye Qingzhou come back to his senses. Seeing the concern in Chu Ci's eyes, he instinctively licked his lips. "...Let's go."
Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou prepared to head to the next task location.
But just as they stepped out through the entrance of the task location, Ye Qingzhou stopped. There was a hint of guilt in the young man's lovely peach-blossom eyes. "I just remembered I forgot to take something..."
"Hmm?"
Chu Ci looked at Ye Qingzhou in puzzlement. "Is it important?"
He had been with Ye Qingzhou the entire time they were doing the task, and he hadn't noticed Ye Qingzhou leaving anything behind.
"It is."
"Then I'll wait here for you."
Chu Ci had no interest in prying into other people's private affairs. Since Ye Qingzhou didn't seem inclined to elaborate, he didn't ask any more questions.
"Okay."
[What is it? Let me see?]
[Why is Ye Qingzhou being so mysterious today?]
[Didn't Ye Qingzhou come to the show empty-handed this time? What's so important that he has to take time out of the task to get it?]
[Maybe we just didn't see it? The camera operator wasn't filming Ye Qingzhou every second, after all. It's normal to miss something.]
"What brings you back?"
The staff member looked at Ye Qingzhou, who had doubled back, and asked in surprise.
"Could you get me two more candies?"
Ye Qingzhou explained gently, "I have low blood sugar, and I was in a bit of a rush when I left today, so I didn't bring any..."