The answer boards were neatly arranged, and all six guests' answers were displayed clearly before everyone.
Naturally, everyone also noticed that Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's answers were almost identical.
Their answers to the final question were rather subtle, too.
Shen Xingcan said he wanted to assess Xie Linchuan's acting skills.
Xie Linchuan said he wanted to find out whether Shen Xingcan had actually lip-synced.
[...Are you two serious about being sworn enemies?]
[...Never mind having the same answers, even the order is practically the same...]
[So here's the question: which of these two has a problem?]
[Xie Linchuan.]
[Shen Xingcan.]
For a moment, everyone's expressions kept shifting.
Bai Lin stared at the answer boards in astonishment. How could Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan have the most similar answers? He had clearly based his answers on Xie Linchuan's past interviews!
"Now, let's tally the scores."
Song Tiantian naturally found Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's answers unbelievable, too. Under normal circumstances, she would have teased them a little at this point.
But considering their status as sworn enemies, Song Tiantian chose a safer approach to hosting. She didn't want to send the actual subjects of her ship off-screen just yet.
Soon, the staff put up another whiteboard with the guests' names attached.
And because Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan had been far too in sync, the tally marks beneath their names were miles ahead, leaving everyone else far behind.
Anyone with eyes could see that Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan would definitely be paired together.
Looking at the tally marks beneath Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's names, Lin Cen remarked, "If it weren't for the measures the production team had in place, I'd suspect Linchuan and Xingcan of cheating."
Bai Lin said, "Actually, there wouldn't be any need to cheat. Linchuan and Xingcan were in the same group. It's perfectly normal for them to know what the other likes after spending every day together."
Yes, Bai Lin had figured out why their answers were exactly the same.
Because Shen Xingcan wanted to be paired with Xie Linchuan! He had watched Xie Linchuan's interviews, so naturally, he could tell that half of their answers were things Xie Linchuan had said he liked. As for the remaining half, those were clearly also Xie Linchuan's preferences, just ones that weren't as widely known.
Heh. He acted like a genuine young master all the time, but wasn't he still insisting on clinging to the Xie family's crown prince for publicity?
Hearing Bai Lin's words, Shen Xingcan spoke with a hint of puzzlement. "So, Bai Lin, you think one of us is deliberately clinging to the other for publicity?"
Who was he trying that green tea act on? Wouldn't it be a disservice to that whole string of insulting nicknames if he didn't snap right back?
Bai Lin's expression stiffened. He clearly hadn't expected Shen Xingcan to be so direct.
Seeing Bai Lin's ugly expression put Shen Xingcan in an excellent mood. Hah. He dared provoke him? Did he think those insulting nicknames had come out of nowhere?!
If he wasn't domineering, what kind of young master, what kind of Crown Prince Shen, would he be?
[Isn't Shen Xingcan going a little too far? Our Bai Lin only told the truth. Does he have to be so aggressive?]
[Our crown prince has always been like this. Besides, if your precious idol hadn't provoked Xingcan, Xingcan wouldn't even have bothered with you, okay?]
[Who are you trying that green tea act on? I suggest Bai Lin and his fans all buy a copy of "How to Speak Like a Human."]
[I'm dying. Why would you provoke him? If you'd left him alone, none of this would have happened.]
Bai Lin looked awful, but he still put on an innocent air as he spoke. "That's not what I meant. I just thought it was strange. There's no need for such a big reaction, Xingcan."
The smile on Shen Xingcan's face didn't fade in the slightest. He nodded solemnly. "True. Reacting so strongly makes me look guilty, like I really am throwing myself at Xie Linchuan. Ah, after today, I'll have another insulting nickname: the desperate clinger~"
Bai Lin: "..."
Xie Linchuan was just about to speak when Jiang Yifeng beat him to it. "Those answers were things both of them liked in the first place. Of course they'd be similar."
Each of them liking half meant both of them liked them. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Although Jiang Yifeng still hadn't figured out what his captain and youngest member were doing, that didn't stop him from backing them up.
Ye Ran smoothed things over with a smile. "It's actually perfectly normal. Like Little Lin said, Linchuan and Xingcan spent so many years in the same group. They're bound to share plenty of habits and preferences."
[If Bai Lin knew how to talk like Ye Ran, he wouldn't have been left speechless by that comeback. When it comes to the art of speaking, Ye Ran really does have the highest EQ, hahahaha.]
[Have they rubbed off on each other? That's very married-couple of them.]
[Shen Xingcan, I love you (๑′ᴗ‵๑)Ｉ Lᵒᵛᵉᵧₒᵤ❤]
[Well, we're doomed. I can't even imagine how chaotic things will get with these two on one team.]
[Ah, I strongly suggest both their fans buy some heart medication.]
[Hahahahahahahaha, I knew it, you two. Boohoohoo.]
[It's perfectly normal. I really don't know what you're all so surprised about.]
The moment Shen Xingcan's and Xie Linchuan's answers were revealed, a long-dormant supertopic sprang to life.
Other people might not know, but as Xie/Shen shippers, they knew these two's preferences very well, so naturally, the shippers could tell at a glance that the answers came from both of them.
Loves Eating Durian Candy: Boohoohoo, you both actually want to make up, right?
Celery Tastes Bad: Over those past few years, they didn't have the slightest contact. Even when they occasionally mentioned each other, they were always at each other's throats. Seeing them like that broke my heart. I thought my ship had ended in a total BE.
Working Hard to Earn One Hundred Million: Actually, the fact that they're appearing on a variety show together says a lot already. If they didn't want to, who could force them together? They're both top stars, after all, and they have shares in the company, too. If they really didn't want to, no one could force them to come.
Thirty Years Left Until Retirement: Boohoohoohoohoohoohoohoo, fam, it's New Year's!
Soon, the scores had been tallied.
Song Tiantian looked at the whiteboard beside her. "Now, I'll announce the scores for this pop quiz. Shen Xingcan, fifty-nine points. Xie Linchuan, fifty-nine points. Bai Lin, thirty-three points. Jiang Yifeng, twenty-six points. Ye Ran, twenty points. Lin Cen, nineteen points. Based on the scoring rules, our six members will be grouped as follows: Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan, Bai Lin and Jiang Yifeng, and Ye Ran and Lin Cen."
Shen Xingcan was in a very good mood. He had achieved his goal.
Song Tiantian said, "The three pairs will be spending a long time on the island. To help each pair get along better, the production team has prepared some little props to improve your rapport. If you use a prop for twenty hours, you'll earn the number of points marked on it. If you don't choose a prop, twenty points will be deducted. And let me mention again: points really are important. Without points, you'll struggle to get anywhere on the island."
Jiang Yifeng looked as though he'd been struck by lightning. "Twenty points deducted? Isn't that a bit much? How many points do Bai Lin and I even have combined? Only our youngest and the captain could take a deduction like that!"
Song Tiantian smiled slightly. "That's why you need to choose a prop."
Soon, the staff laid out the production team's rapport-building props before everyone, one by one.
There were all kinds of props, each marked with a different number of points according to its difficulty.
Shen Xingcan's gaze swept over the props one by one before finally settling on a chain. It was marked as worth twenty points, neither too high nor too low, and its effect on daily life was negligible.
As for the restriction the chain would place on the distance between them, that was entirely negligible. He and Xie Linchuan had shared a bed more times than he could count.
"Now, each pair will choose in descending order of points. Team One, please choose your prop."
Shen Xingcan said, "We'll take that chain."
Xie Linchuan said, "None of them."
The two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Shen Xingcan: "..."
What happened to being brothers with perfect rapport?
Shen Xingcan turned his gaze toward Xie Linchuan, utterly puzzled. "Isn't it just being tied together twenty-four hours a day? I've got everything you've got. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Xie Linchuan's expression remained cold. "I'm not embarrassed."