Gu Qichi: “???”

Gu Qichi: “…”

Never in his life had Gu Qichi felt this speechless.

Especially since Bo Yu was still holding his hand, his little finger lightly hooking around Gu Qichi’s. That only made him feel even more exasperated.

He turned his head to look at Bo Yu. A faint smile rested at the corner of the other man’s lips as he opened his arms toward him.

“Should I hold you now?”

Bo Yu asked softly.

The accompanying PD immediately signaled the cameraman to move in closer and hurriedly said, “Teachers, please do it now, since it’s a penalty.”

Gu Qichi glanced at the director and PD, who were clearly enjoying the show and only cared about ratings, then sighed helplessly. Just as he was about to let go of Bo Yu’s hand and let Bo Yu pick him up—

The accompanying PD poked his head out again, coughed, and awkwardly added, “Teacher Gu, the penalty from the previous round required you to hold hands the whole time, so you still can’t let go.”

Gu Qichi frowned at that and turned to the PD. “Even while being held, we still have to keep holding hands?”

The PD nodded.

Speechless, Gu Qichi raised their clasped hands, his meaning obvious. “If I only have one hand, I’ll fall.”

The PD hesitated. He was just about to agree that maybe they could let it slide as long as they only let go for this one minute, when Bo Yu—who had remained silent until now—suddenly scooped Gu Qichi up.

One arm around his lower back.

As if it took no effort at all, Bo Yu lifted Gu Qichi clean off the ground in the blink of an eye, without even breathing harder.

Caught off guard, Gu Qichi’s center of gravity shifted. Instinctively, he tightened his legs, which landed perfectly at Bo Yu’s waist. One hand was still locked with Bo Yu’s, while the other grabbed at Bo Yu’s collar in alarm.

It was a perfectly standard koala carry.

Gu Qichi glared at Bo Yu.

Reflected in the man’s eyes was Gu Qichi’s current appearance—a stunning beauty who was a little angry, irritation spilling from those richly beautiful brows and eyes, even the loose hair at the back of his head puffing up slightly like an ahoge sticking straight up.

Bo Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he smiled. “No need to let go. I can carry you with one arm.”

The PD cheerfully answered, “Great,” and called for the cameraman to get a close-up of the two of them.

Among all the guest pairs today, these two were especially unusual, because they were the only people present who weren’t wearing makeup.

To ensure Gu Qichi got enough sleep, Bo Yu had specifically declined the makeup artist the production team had arranged.

Not only that—even the hair and makeup stylist who had come for Bo Yu himself had been turned away at the door.

The two of them appeared entirely bare-faced on camera. Even their washing up and getting dressed had been recorded by the show from start to finish, without the slightest fakery.

And yet, even so, their looks were absurdly high-tier.

Bo Yu had deep-set eyes, cold and sharply defined features. As he tilted his head back slightly, his jawline tightened, drawing a clean, elegant line down toward his Adam’s apple.

Gu Qichi, cradled in his arms, was a little taller than him in this position. He glared down at Bo Yu from above, his features lush and striking, peach-blossom eyes slanting upward with a sharp edge to them. But somehow, in the audience’s eyes, that sharpness transformed into something else entirely—tenderness, affection, like spring water rippling softly.

Among the staff, those who shipped the two of them were practically grinning their mouths apart. Some of them were too far away for a good view, so they simply opened the livestream on their phones to watch the close-up. The barrage of comments below was practically exploding.

Barrage comments:

“Who died? Turns out it was me. I was killed by how hot this is.”

“They’re not wearing makeup, right? And they still look this good? Why wasn’t Nüwa this careful when she made me?”

“With faces like this, forget just among the guests—these two are top-tier even in the entire entertainment industry. Absolute ceiling level.”

“Gu Qichi and Bo Yu are seriously a match made in heaven, okay? I’ve never seen a married couple more suited to each other. [drool]”

“Just a random passerby, but I think Wen Sui and Xie Hanshu could maybe compare. [doge]”

“Don’t mention that flirty thing Xie Hanshu. Even his own fans feel embarrassed. [husky]”

“Yu-Qin-Gu-Zong is real! I’m dying from shipping them! [KSWL]”¹

“Pin Gu Qichi down against Bo Yu. Right now. I’m not joking. [drool][drool]”

“This position is seriously perfect for getting absolutely wrecked. [overheated face][overheated face]”

“Bo Yu is acting so smug, but damn, his muscle lines really do look good.”

“I was wondering why it was suddenly so hot. Turns out Bo Yu’s burning up.”

“Bo Yu, don’t go too far—take your hand off my wife’s waist. [soybean-smile]”

“Am I seeing things, or did baby Chi seem to slide down a little? [pitiful]”

…

The netizens hadn’t seen wrong. Gu Qichi really had slid downward a little.

Because Bo Yu had deliberately loosened his hold.

And the hand restraining his lower back had unconsciously moved lower as well.

Gu Qichi shot him a glance, moving his hand from Bo Yu’s shoulder to his collarbone, pressing his thumb against his neck as he warned in a low voice, “Don’t push it.”

Bo Yu merely lifted a brow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Seeing that he still had no intention of reining himself in, Gu Qichi pressed harder with his fingertips. It was a piece of cartilage there, and having it suddenly pressed hard by someone else was distinctly unpleasant—a pain difficult to describe.

That one minute felt exceptionally long, long enough that Gu Qichi found it almost unbearable.

When he was finally set down, Bo Yu lowered him slowly, and a light sheen of sweat had even formed on Gu Qichi’s forehead.

Facing Bo Yu, with his face almost buried against his chest, Gu Qichi said in a muffled voice, “Go get my coat.”

The tips of his ears were obviously red.

Seeing him like this, Bo Yu’s Adam’s apple moved again in a way that wasn’t entirely natural. He turned to the staff and said, “Please bring my overcoat as well.”

The staff very tactfully kept their eyes down and framed only the upper halves of their bodies, then quickly went to fetch the coats the two of them had left near the campsite.

The game continued.

Perhaps because Gu Qichi’s terrible luck had somehow spread to the other guests, something rather miraculous happened: three more pairs also drew the koala-hug-for-one-minute penalty. Only Best Actor Han Hao and Han Li lagged two spaces behind and drew the punishment of carrying one’s wife piggyback across a balance beam like Zhu Bajie.

The awkwardness Gu Qichi and Bo Yu had just experienced began replaying itself on the other guests. The few people who had been gleefully gloating just moments ago now picked up their own partners, and their reactions were no less dramatic.

Damn.

There was no way this show could continue filming like this.

Sixteen eyes met. Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence.

As if by unspoken agreement, they all turned their faces away and fixed their gazes on different places.

Only Bo Yu kept staring directly at Gu Qichi, without shifting his eyes even half an inch.

…

“So annoying. Who the hell gets it? Ever since this show started airing, I haven’t seen Bo Yu’s full face even once. [soybean-smile]”

“Is Gu Qichi really that good-looking, Bo Yu???”

“Don’t forget your name is Bo Yu—‘thin desires.’ What exactly are you doing here?!”

“Are we unworthy of seeing your face? Is it really so great to be rich and have a wife? Bo Yu, I command you, I beg you on my knees, show me your face. [pitiful]”

“Help, why are these guests suddenly just staring wide-eyed at each other? Why are they all just standing there???”

“Ahem. I don’t know if it’s what I think it is. [pushes glasses]”

“It’s probably exactly what you think it is. [pushes glasses] The guests are all young married couples, it’s normal. [pushes glasses]”

“What do you mean normal? Why are you all speaking in riddles?”

…

By the time everyone’s agitation had finally been cooled by the cold wind, Best Actor Han’s penalty still wasn’t over, and everyone had more or less begun watching the two of them.

Gu Qichi politely looked over too.

But Bo Yu didn’t.

Bo Yu was still looking at Gu Qichi.

From his soft black hair, to his long thick eyelashes, to the bridge of his nose, to his full lips, to the slim waist that could be encircled in one hand, and then to the legs that had just been wrapped around him…

When the cold wind blew over, not only did it fail to calm Bo Yu down, it instead spread like wildfire, growing stronger and fiercer.

The flying chess board was already two-thirds complete. They’d be able to wrap up and go home soon.

Bo Yu lowered his eyes.

Gu Qichi suddenly turned his head and realized something about Bo Yu seemed a little off.

His gaze settled on Bo Yu’s face. Bo Yu’s expression was completely calm and composed.

But lower down, that was another matter.

Gu Qichi glanced downward.

Oh.

Little Bo Yu was still very spirited.

“Congratulations to Team Han for completing the task!”

A burst of cheers sounded nearby. Han Hao finally set Han Li down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and started walking toward the others.

Seizing the moment, Gu Qichi moved close to Bo Yu, shook off his hand, and buttoned up Bo Yu’s overcoat for him, making sure everything was covered up tightly. Only then did he rise on tiptoe and lean to his ear.

His voice carried a smile, the tail end of it almost seductive.

He said, “Hubby, hang in there—”

He made no effort at all to avoid the audience.

…

“Holy crap, that ‘hubby’ from baby Chi was so teasing.”

“Will I ever get the chance in this lifetime to hear baby Chi call me ‘hubby’ even once? [tears][tears] That was way too alluring.”

“Wifey, my fated wife—how did that dog thief Bo Yu snatch you away from me? [tears][tears]”

“I hereby declare I’m making that one ‘hubby’ my morning alarm ringtone and putting it on loop!!!”

“Hi wife, yes, that’s right, I’m your husband now. (turns into a monkey) (flies into the primal forest) (swings on vines) (knocks away passing monkey Bo Yu who came to steal wife) (becomes monkey king who monopolizes wife)”

…

Gu Qichi could no longer remember exactly how this game of flying chess ended.

What he did remember was one absurd stroke of bad luck after another.

Every single large-scale, high-intensity penalty landed on him. Not a single exception.

The biscuit-biting game, holding hands the whole time, kissing to guess the candy flavor, the koala hug, blowing into the ear for thirty seconds…

He had successfully added even more fuel to Bo Yu’s already-thin self-control, turning it into an instant wildfire.

But oddly enough, Gu Qichi and Bo Yu’s progress was also the fastest, and they were only one step away from victory.

He was, in every sense, Schrödinger’s unlucky person.

The game quickly entered the final two rounds, with everyone scattered across different squares of the board.

The die was handed to Gu Qichi. Standing in first place, he became the focus of the entire group.

He only needed one more space to reach the finish line.

And the final square just happened to be: kiss for thirty seconds.

It was the last time, after all. Surely he couldn’t be that unlucky again.

Gu Qichi closed his eyes briefly and threw the die hard into the air. It spun several times before rolling all the way to the PD’s feet.

The cameraman zoomed in.

There, reflected clearly, was a bright and unmistakable 1.

So it really was true—you fear what comes true.

Gu Qichi laughed in exasperation, unsure whether to blame his own terrible luck or the production team’s suspicious die.

Bo Yu was tall—189 centimeters tall—and no matter the occasion, he stood out strikingly.

Gu Qichi tugged him downward. Bo Yu bent at the waist toward him, not rushing to kiss him right away. Instead, he first bit lightly at Gu Qichi’s ear, then trailed a kiss across his sideburns before finally kissing his lips.

Thirty seconds.

Far too short.

Bo Yu thought that once they got back tonight, he would definitely make all of it up.

The penalty ended quickly. Gu Qichi stepped back, adjusted his clothes, and buried his face into the scarf around his neck as though casually. But if one looked closely, the roots of his ears were completely red.

Seeing this, the PD teased, “Looks like Teacher Gu is shy. It’s okay, we’re about to win anyway.”

Han Hao, who was still at the back, wasn’t in any hurry. Instead, he even had the leisure to join in the teasing. “Little Gu, don’t be shy! It’s just a kiss, no big deal! Your sister-in-law and I—”

“Ow—”

Before he could finish, Han Li twisted the flesh at his waist, making the muscles there ache sharply.

“I don’t want to kiss you, so behave yourself,” Han Li snapped.

Han Hao just chuckled at her. “I’m absolutely going to kiss you. You’d better roll that option later.”

The joking and banter from the actor couple eased the somewhat stiff atmosphere considerably. Gu Qichi, meanwhile, no longer felt particularly embarrassed. He stood there openly holding Bo Yu’s hand, waiting for the final round of dice.

This round, aside from Han Hao—who had unexpectedly caught up and actually rolled the same option as Gu Qichi—not a single guest pair reached the finish line.

Schrödinger’s bad luck struck again.

Gu Qichi rolled a six and successfully reached the finish line.

He became the champion of this flying chess competition.

---

1. Means I’m dying from shipping them ↩︎