Following the principle of knowing both yourself and your enemy, Shen Xingcan had watched a little of the show before his rebirth.
The show was much like a wilderness survival program; on Chongshan Island, they had only simple shelters they built themselves to use.
Thunderstorms were frequent on autumn nights on Chongshan Island, and, as luck would have it, Xie Linchuan was very afraid of thunderstorms.
Once a thunderstorm came, he would spread his arms, and the timid, thunder-fearing Xie Linchuan would fling himself into his embrace. Everything would fall into place.
So he, Shen Xingcan, was determined to get Xie Linchuan as his partner!
Once all the guests were seated, Song Tiantian began announcing the rules for the upcoming quiz.
"The chemistry pop quiz consists of ten questions, with two minutes to answer each question. There's no limit on the number of answers. Any answer that appears twice or more earns one point. Those with similar total scores will be paired together. These points can also be used to purchase living supplies once you reach the island, so if you want more points, you'd better write more answers. Now, please put on your headphones."
Shen Xingcan put on his headphones as Song Tiantian instructed. Leaning back in his chair, he mulled over the rules while considering exactly how he should answer.
He knew everything about Xie Linchuan, but that didn't mean Xie Linchuan would answer the way he expected.
Then... how would Xie Linchuan answer?
Judging by how Xie Linchuan had cried like a complete idiot at his funeral, that tsundere's answers would probably be very much "saying one thing while meaning another."
The beautiful young man's lips curved slightly. Beneath his long, curled lashes were a pair of peach blossom eyes whose shifting glances seemed capable of stealing souls.
As though sensing the camera drawing closer, the beautiful young man lifted his eyes and smiled.
Under the high-definition camera, nothing could hide, beauty included.
[That face... oh, my nose is bleeding. As expected of our great beauty Shen.]
[How does Xie Linchuan spout all that crap to that face? Is there something wrong with his eyes?]
[How do you know he isn't bitter because his love went unrequited?]
[I get it now, fam.]
[Can Shen Xingcan's fans stop gilding their idol? Would it kill him to stand on his own without his former colleague?]
Shen Xingcan idly twirled his pen between his pale, slender fingers. Mm, it's been ages, but I'm still just as nimble. That's me for you!
Song Tiantian's voice came through the headphones. "The quiz is starting. Please get ready. First question: what are your favorite foods?"
Shen Xingcan had already decided how to answer, so he wrote without the slightest pause.
After his hand paused for a few seconds, Xie Linchuan also began writing answers on his board.
Shen Xingcan had no intention of writing lots of answers just to earn points. Instead, he kept things balanced and wrote six answers for every question.
His reasons for writing six answers were simple: first, Shen Xingcan thought the number was lucky; second, it divided up perfectly-three for him and three for Xie Linchuan. Three each was just right.
As for why he didn't write eight, naturally, it was because Shen Xingcan couldn't be bothered to write that much.
"What foods do you hate?"
"What music do you like listening to?"
"What animals do you like?"
The production team had screened the guests off completely with partitions, so they couldn't see what answers the people around them were writing on their whiteboards.
But the livestream viewers, who could watch through cameras at multiple angles, clearly had no such limitation.
By the time the guests reached the fifth question, the viewers, who could clearly see the answer boards from various angles, finally sensed something was off.
[...What's going on with Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's answers...]
[With questions this broad, some overlap is normal, but you two having exactly the same answers is a bit hard to explain, isn't it? What is this? A telepathic connection between sworn rivals?]
[Maybe they just have the same tastes. Ahem.]
[...So you two sniping at each other on Weibo was just flirting, and we netizens are part of your little game too, right?]
[Can Shen Xingcan stop dragging our Xie Linchuan into his publicity stunts? Can he stand on his own?]
[Who knows how many times Xie Linchuan's watched our Cancan's interviews? Tsk, tsk. Is he really that eager to be a simp?]
The livestream chat erupted over Xie Linchuan's and Shen Xingcan's answers, and other social platforms weren't idle either. A closer look revealed that half the news on the trending charts across major social media platforms was related to One Fruit.
Song Tiantian read out question after question. For a while, the only sound was the scratch of the guests writing on their whiteboards.
Song Tiantian said, "Final question. Please write on your whiteboards which entertainers you most want to work with."
Shen Xingcan swiftly wrote several names on his whiteboard, then added a note in parentheses after the name "Xie Linchuan."
(I'll help everyone determine whether this youngest-ever three-gold best actor actually has any real talent.)
Song Tiantian said, "Time's up. Everyone, please take off your headphones."
Shen Xingcan took off his headphones, then heard Jiang Yifeng beside him declare smugly, "Even with the production team guarding against us at every turn, the brotherly bond between Xingcan and me is sure to come out on top."
Shen Xingcan: "..."
Suddenly, his nonexistent conscience hurt a little.
[...What bitter rivalry? What irreconcilable hatred? It's just those two bastards getting their kicks. Poor little fool.]
[Their answers are just the same, that's all. What's so surprising? Those are all common answers, okay?]
[Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan are one step away from throwing punches on camera. Who exactly thinks these two get along?]
Song Tiantian said, "Now, everyone, please place your answer boards on the answer wall so we can all score them together."
Following Song Tiantian's directions, Shen Xingcan quickly put up his answer board, then returned to his chair and sat down, the partitions now removed.
Whether he was walking slowly or deliberately stalling, by the time Xie Linchuan went to put up his board, everyone else's was already in place.
Xie Linchuan placed his answer board in the last empty spot. As he turned, his gaze happened to sweep over the board hanging at the very top, and he froze.
Shen Xingcan had been watching Xie Linchuan the whole time, so naturally, he didn't miss that brief flash of astonishment. Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?