[Judging by Chongshan Island's location and their speed... I think I know which harbor they're heading to. Gotta go, fam. I'm taking my electric scooter.]
[Girl above, tell us exactly where before you leave!]
Ten minutes later, the entire production crew arrived at their destination harbor.
The harbor was still some distance from the market they were going to, so each of the three teams received a handcart to transport their mangoes.
Shen Xingcan tried out the handcart, and his eyes lit up when he discovered that pulling a hundred jin of mangoes took no effort at all.
"Xie Linchuan, once we find a stall, could you push me around in this cart a few times? Not too many. Just a few laps."
A perfectly measured hint of surprise appeared on Xie Linchuan's incomparably handsome face. "Would that fit our current sworn-enemies script?"
Shen Xingcan said, "...You can break character once in a while."
Xie Linchuan said, "Really? But I think I need to give that some serious thought. Breaking character really affects my reputation as an actor."
Annoyed by Xie Linchuan's affected reluctance, Shen Xingcan threw a tiny tantrum. "Then don't! As if anyone even cares. Hmph!"
[Now that's professional dedication.]
[If you won't push him, I will. Send me the address. I'm coming!]
[How dare you, Xie Linchuan! You actually refused Princess Cancan's request!]
Having overheard their conversation, Jiang Yifeng cut in. "If our youngest won't push you, I will. Wait for me, Captain. I'll come play with you once I've sold my mangoes."
Shen Xingcan immediately beamed. "Sure, sure! We can take turns pushing each other."
After making this friendly arrangement with Jiang Yifeng, Shen Xingcan looked haughtily at Xie Linchuan. "Don't need you anymore!"
Hah. Did he really think Shen Xingcan needed him that badly?
Xie Linchuan raised his brows slightly at the mildly furious Shen Xingcan. "Really?"
Shen Xingcan replied coldly, "Really! Go spend your life with that stupid character of yours!"
Xie Linchuan nodded, then said something completely out of the blue. "This cart can carry five hundred jin."
Shen Xingcan remained cold. "So?"
Xie Linchuan's lips curved. "So you can get in right now. I can push you and the mangoes all the way to our stall."
Shen Xingcan said, "..."
Shamefully, he was tempted.
But a person had to have some backbone.
"Still no. I'll wait for Jiang Yifeng."
Xie Linchuan said, "But I don't need you to push me. You can just enjoy the ride."
Beside them, Jiang Yifeng chimed in. "I can push Captain without asking him to push me too."
Xie Linchuan glanced at Jiang Yifeng, then said lightly, "Haven't you been agonizing over where to hold your grandparents' birthday celebration? I think a private cruise ship would be quite nice."
Jiang Yifeng instantly changed his tune. "Actually, I can't..."
Shen Xingcan was shocked. "...You're abandoning your dearest, cutest captain for a cruise ship? Jiang Xiaobai, I really misjudged you!"
Jiang Yifeng said, "...Sorry, Captain. Our youngest's cruise ship is just too tempting. It's my grandparents' eightieth birthday this year, and I wanted to give them a different kind of birthday celebration."
Shen Xingcan said, "I have a cruise ship too! You don't have to suck up to him. If his ship can host an eightieth birthday celebration, why can't mine?!"
"Yours is overseas. Even if it could enter the country, it wouldn't be able to sail freely."
Shen Xingcan argued his case. "...Then your grandparents can go overseas! They can enjoy scenery completely different from what we have here!"
Xie Linchuan glanced sidelong at Shen Xingcan. "They're already eighty. Are you sure they could withstand such a long flight? And don't say you could send a private jet to pick them up. A private jet wouldn't be any faster."
Shen Xingcan said, "But your cruise ship suggestion isn't reliable either. What if your grandparents get sea... Aaaah, Xie Linchuan, I hate you!"
[Huh? Why did Shen Xingcan stop halfway through his sentence and start hating his husband?]
[I'm not surprised Xie Linchuan owns a private cruise ship, but Shen Xingcan has one too? Doesn't he have a yacht? Or did he mix the two up?]
[Fun fact: there's no rule saying you can't own both a yacht and a cruise ship.]
[Isn't the key point his husband telling him not to suggest sending a private jet? What's the prerequisite for picking someone up in a private jet? Shen Xingcan having a private jet!]
[...Based on the above, I can pretty much conclude that Shen Xingcan is Empress Shen's son.]
[Now let's jump back to the first day of the show, when Shen Xingcan said he often stayed on islands. Those islands he mentioned could very well be private islands.]
[He isn't necessarily from a rich family. Shen Xingcan is so good-looking, he might have hooked himself a sugar daddy.]
[Keep spreading rumors and your whole family might go straight to heaven.]
Song Tiantian asked, "Why did Xingcan stop halfway through?"
Jiang Yifeng said, "Because Captain suddenly remembered that both my grandparents served in the navy, so they're not likely to get seasick."
For a moment, all they could hear was everyone's mingled laughter.
Bai Lin found the laughter around him unbearably grating, but what alarmed him even more was what Xie Linchuan had said. How could Shen Xingcan possibly be that rich?
Even he didn't have that kind of money. How could Shen Xingcan?!
[Pfft, hahaha! Both Jiang Yifeng's grandparents were in the navy? That's impressive!]
Shen Xingcan stayed silent, calmly considering the feasibility of kicking both Xie Linchuan and Jiang Yifeng into the sea to feed the sharks.
"Now, let's head to the market! May all three teams enjoy booming business! Go, go, go!"
Unlike the other two teams, Xie Linchuan didn't immediately push his cart away. Instead, he cleared a space among the mangoes and spread out the jacket that had changed hands again because it hadn't helped.
Once he was finished, Xie Linchuan looked at Shen Xingcan, who stood there sulking with his head lowered. "Sit down. We're leaving."
Shen Xingcan turned his head away. "I'm not sitting!"
Xie Linchuan checked again. "You sure?"
Shen Xingcan stood firm. "I'm sure."
Xie Linchuan said, "All right, I'll sit, then. Sorry for the trouble, my sworn enemy, but please push me and the mangoes to the market."
With that, Xie Linchuan sat on the cart.
With his commanding presence and incomparable good looks, he appeared effortlessly noble even sitting on a transport cart. If not for the mangoes surrounding him, Xie Linchuan would have looked more like he had ascended a throne.
Shen Xingcan stared openmouthed at Xie Linchuan, who had sat down without hesitation. Wasn't asking only twice a little insincere?!
Xie Linchuan reminded the person still standing motionless, "There's a fifty-point gap between third and first place. Without points, Shen Xingcan will have nothing but plain congee and pickles three meals a day."
Not particularly eager to eat plain congee and pickles three times a day, Shen Xingcan had no choice but to swallow his anger and start pushing, secretly hoping to find some little stones to make Xie Linchuan suffer a bit.
But the road ahead was clearly in excellent condition. Even after pushing for quite a while, Shen Xingcan hadn't found a single small stone, much less any potholes. He could only continue pushing in frustrated silence.
[These two really are something, hahahaha.]
[You can actually bear to make such a pretty wife push your cart?? Have you lost your mind, Xie Linchuan?]
[Let's see how the shippers ship this!]
"Stop for a second."
Shen Xingcan didn't stop. His tone was fierce. "What for? I don't want to go back to plain congee and pickles."
Xie Linchuan said, "Don't you want me to push you anymore?"
Shen Xingcan's expression instantly changed. "I do!"
He hurried around to stand in front of Xie Linchuan and considerately held out a hand. "I'll pull you up."
Xie Linchuan gave him a look of amusement. "Who said he wouldn't sit just now?"
Shen Xingcan replied shamelessly, "That was Shen Dacan. I'm Shen Xingcan."
"Shen Dacan, you're getting more and more thick-skinned."
Ignoring Xie Linchuan's mockery, Shen Xingcan finally sat down on the little handcart he had been longing for, then instructed Xie Linchuan behind him to speed up a bit, because he needed his hair to fly.
"Shen Xingcan, you're so hard to please."
[Did anyone notice they switched places just after finishing the downhill stretch? Are you that worried about tiring your wife out?]
[His tone says disdain, but his feet quietly pick up speed, and his eyes are full of laughter.]
[Now I can finally be sure these two have really made up. Sob, sob.]
Chongshan Island was warm and rainy, making it ideal for growing mangoes, so the market had a particularly large number of mango stalls.
After finding an empty stall, Shen Xingcan asked several other vendors about their prices and finally settled on fifteen yuan per box.
Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan had attracted plenty of attention as soon as they arrived at the market. Their looks alone were eye-catching enough, and the staff carrying all kinds of equipment beside them drew even more eyes.
But attention was all they attracted. No one came over to buy anything.
Shen Xingcan glanced around, cleared his throat, and began calling out loudly, "Mangoes for sale! Mangoes for sale! Fifteen yuan for five jin of mangoes, with a free folding fan!"
His sweet, clear, ethereal voice carried extremely well. Despite the bustling market, it reached everyone nearby with unerring precision.
[You're using that supposedly angel-kissed voice to shout "fifteen yuan for five jin of mangoes"?]
[That one shout put Shen Xingcan's abilities on full display.]
[When's your next concert? Can you do a few more shows this time?]
[Now that these two have made up, can I dream of Best Actor Xie guesting at Cancan's concert?]
Shen Xingcan's call produced immediate results. Once the people watching nearby heard that they were selling something, they promptly gathered around.
"You get a fan with the mangoes? What kind of fan?"
"Just an ordinary folding fan, but it has our Chongshan Island mango mascot on it."
"Why do I think you look a bit like that big star my daughter likes, Shen Xingcan?"
"I am Shen Xingcan. Since your daughter likes me, I think you should definitely buy a box of mangoes. I personally designed this fan merchandise, and I packed the mangoes myself too. You'll definitely get your money's worth."
"Xingcan, Linchuan, I've liked you two for years."
Liked the two of them for years? Was this a fan of him and Xie Linchuan as a couple?
Shen Xingcan smiled. "Thank you for liking us. Did you bring your phone? Would you like a picture with us?"
Xiaodie's face flushed with excitement. "Wow, really?"
Shen Xingcan said, "Of course."
People tended to follow the crowd, especially when shopping, so Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan sold out of their twenty boxes of mangoes almost in the blink of an eye.
Some bought them for the fans, some simply wanted to join the fun, and some were fans themselves.
[Compared with these two's efficiency, the other teams are doing downright miserably. Now you can see how important Shen Xingcan's shout was.]
[It really was important. All three teams' mangoes are wrapped up tight. If people don't even know what you're selling, how can they buy anything?]
They sold out so quickly that many fans who rushed over after hearing the news arrived too late.
Still, their trip wasn't wasted. At least they got pictures with their favorites.
The atmosphere was rather delicate. Their behavior made it easy to see that they fell into three groups: Xie Linchuan's solo fans, Shen Xingcan's solo fans, and their CP fans.
The ones whose happiness was tinged with coldness, and whose coldness carried a whiff of gunpowder, were Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's solo fans.
The ones grinning foolishly with delight were Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan's CP fans.
[Hahaha! You curse me, I curse you, but our boys sleep together. I declare the CP fans the ultimate winners.]
[Aaah, I want to join this group gathering too, then tell the solo-fan ladies we're all one family, so stop fighting.]
[This looks so much like a blended family. Dad brought a child, Mom brought a child, then Dad and Mom had another child together.]
To keep a larger crowd of fans from disturbing the surrounding area, Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan left the market after taking pictures with the fans there.
Shen Xingcan said, "How about we go check in first, then find somewhere nearby for breakfast?"
Xie Linchuan said, "All right."
Without question, Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan were the undisputed first-place team.
Shen Xingcan sighed. "Xie Linchuan, I suddenly feel like a life of always coming first is so boring."
Xie Linchuan responded, "Then we can come third next time."
Shen Xingcan immediately changed his tune. "Then let's stay lonely at the top."
He didn't want plain congee and pickles!
Xie Linchuan smiled without speaking.
The two wandered over to a nearby little shop for breakfast, then took a long stroll around the area before returning to the harbor.
They didn't say much, but their every movement revealed the rapport that came only from spending a long time together.
Seeing Xie Linchuan and Shen Xingcan returning from the distance, Jiang Yifeng, who was ahead of them, charged toward the directors at practically a hundred-meter sprint.
"Director, check me in! I'm first! I'm first! I finally beat Captain!"
Watching Jiang Yifeng's retreating figure, Shen Xingcan said pityingly, "Jiang Xiaobai must think he's first. Little does he know we've already walked around and had breakfast too. Hahaha."
The excited Jiang Yifeng soon suffered a crushing blow.
"You and Bai Lin came second. Xingcan and Linchuan came first."
Jiang Yifeng gaped. "Why? I spent ages shouting at the top of my lungs to sell them faster!"
Shen Xingcan's voice drifted over from behind Jiang Yifeng. "Because your captain will always be your captain."
Jiang Yifeng let out a wail.
Shen Xingcan said, "Stop wailing. I brought you breakfast. Eat."
Jiang Yifeng's expression instantly changed, and he turned around beaming. "Hehe, I knew Captain loved me best."
Shen Xingcan handed Jiang Yifeng the bag he was carrying, then looked at Bai Lin. "Bai Lin, would you like some?"
Bai Lin's voice was warm. "I prefer a cup of coffee in the morning, but occasionally having some..."
Shen Xingcan interrupted him with a smile. "I knew you wouldn't be used to this food, so I thoughtfully didn't bring you any. What I'm holding is breakfast for the ladies."
The smile froze on Bai Lin's face.
Jiang Yifeng nearly choked to death on his soy milk.
[Hahahaha! You didn't bring him any and still asked? What a little brat.]
[Such a naughty, naughty kitty.]