Just like the established phenomena of rain falling from the sky or the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, certain things are simply destined to happen.

For instance, one protagonist is bound to eventually meet the other protagonist.

Setting aside a few minor details that were unimportant and did not affect the main plotline of the story, Shi Linchuan had maintained a firm grip on the overarching direction of events from start to finish, ensuring everything unfolded exactly as it did in the original novel—and the footage captured by the camera just now had proven this point.

In the original novel, the first encounter between the protagonist, Xie Jinghe, and his true love, the rightful male lead, took place at this exact moment.

Right when Xie Jinghe was recording the divorce reality show and crying himself to sleep every single night from the torment inflicted by his scumbag ex-husband, his true love and rightful male lead had already made a quiet entrance, crossing paths with him and planting the seeds for their future mutual affection.

In stark contrast to the superficial persona Shi Linchuan had maintained for three years, the rightful male lead was a genuine gentleman through and through—gentle in temperament, refined, and completely untainted.

He hailed from a wealthy, elite family and was the youngest son; during his university years, he had traveled far abroad to pursue dual doctoral degrees in surgery and psychology. Having just returned to the country, he originally intended to take a good, long rest, but he never expected to be half-tricked and half-coerced by his own biological older sister into taking up a position as the accompanying doctor on a divorce reality show.

His sister had claimed under the guise of high-sounding reasons: “I want you to experience the sinister nature of marriage firsthand, so you won’t stand on the same side as Mom and Dad to pressure me into getting married in the future.”

This rhetoric had left the rightful male lead somewhat caught between tears and laughter.

However, since the employment contract had already been finalized, he had no choice but to come over, treating it simply as a way to clear his mind.

And after that…

He encountered Xie Jinghe on the show and watched with his own eyes as the other man struggled repeatedly amidst the ruins of a wrecked marriage, before painfully yet resolutely choosing to transform himself, causing ripples of emotion to involuntarily stir within his own heart.

This was the cause and effect behind the meeting of the two protagonists.

As the actor playing the role of the scumbag ex-husband who had read the original novel, Shi Linchuan understood this perfectly, and now he was witnessing it happen with cold detachment, as if watching a scene from a third-rate urban romance drama whose plot had already been completely spoiled from top to bottom.

There was nothing to be surprised about.

If anything, it fell exactly in line with his wishes.

Right at this moment.

The redundant noise inside Shi Linchuan’s mind began to chirp and chatter once again, its electronic voice fluctuating with dramatic inflections as it said, “Since the system is soul-bound to the host, I can receive some of the intense emotions overflowing from the host, you know! According to the background data, the host’s current emotional state is fluctuating quite wildly. Why is that, huh?”

Shi Linchuan responded wordlessly in his mind, “None of your damn business.”

A silence lasted for two seconds.

The system pretended as if nothing had happened, continuing in an enticing and guiding tone, “If the host can’t let go of the protagonist, you can actually pursue him all over again after completing the divorce mission! According to this system’s observations, as long as the host coaxes him even a little bit, there is a very high probability that the protagonist won’t be able to resist at all, oh!”

Shi Linchuan’s expression grew even colder, “Stop being so disgusting.”

The system: “…”

Keep trying!

Inside the system space.

The main system N001 stared at the man’s cold, sharp face on the light screen, its small tuft of hair curling into a tight ball as it made a forceful fist-clenching gesture, though its tone remained light and upbeat, “Aiya, host, you clearly don’t care at all about returning to your original world, right? You only need a hundred points to stay in this world permanently, you know! It happens to be exactly equivalent to the reward the host receives after completing the mission!”

“Anyway, host, no matter which world you’re in, you just work yourself to death like a lunatic, so it makes no difference…”

Shi Linchuan—

Shi Linchuan ignored It completely.

In the virtual space, the white glowing orb raised its fist-shaped hair high into the air and, with a puji sound, slammed it viciously down onto the ground, “Damn it! I hate pretentious, stubborn hosts the most. You really don’t listen to reason at all!”

Having said that, It suddenly put its hands on its hips, switching its tone on a dime,

“It doesn’t matter. If I can’t fix you, can’t I just fix the protagonist?”

“The timing is just about right anyway.”

In the corner.

The blue glowing orb that had been held hostage for three years looked thoroughly weathered by life: 【…】

Let’s offer a second of sympathy to the host in advance.

He really had the worst luck to be picked up by such a ghost.

However, the host, Shi Linchuan, had no idea that another kidnapped glowing orb was hidden within his consciousness. He masterfully ignored that noisy electronic voice, his face completely serene as he continued to watch everything unfolding on the screen.

Just like a mere bystander.

In fact, the system was right about one thing.

He truly did not possess much of an obsession regarding returning to his original world.

But It was also wrong about something.

Because the issue standing between him and Xie Jinghe had never been those hundred points, and it didn’t even have much to do with the divorce mission he was forced to complete. Rather, it was—

Shi Linchuan himself.

This tumble had happened far too suddenly.

Xie Jinghe was a tall and long-limbed adult male, and the direct consequence of using his right hand to brace himself against the ground was a sharp, piercing pain radiating from his wrist, which swelled up visibly to the naked eye.

The camera operator grew very anxious, causing the lens to shake slightly.

Several surrounding crew members quickly swarmed forward, asking him in gentle, overlapping voices whether his injury was serious, while others mentioned that they had already notified the doctor to come over. Seeing how genuinely anxious they were, Xie Jinghe smiled after being helped to his feet and said a word to reassure them,

“I’m fine, the bone shouldn’t be broken.”

As he spoke, his face was somewhat pale, and fine beads of sweat broke out across his forehead.

Fortunately, within just a few minutes, the accompanying doctor hired by the production team arrived.

The man had black hair and black eyes, with refined, handsome facial features and a gentle, cultured temperament; the pair of glasses resting on his face added a touch of scholarly air to his appearance. He was dressed in casual attire that was warm yet elegant, and the simple lines of his warm-toned, sand-colored trench coat—

The hem of the coat was lightly lifted by the wind, looking exceptionally striking.

The cadence of his voice was also mild and slow, carrying a strong sense of approachability.

Xie Jinghe dazed out for a fraction of a second, the strange sensation within his heart growing stronger.

Seeing that the person across from him had his eyes fixed on his face and hadn’t made a move for a long time, Li Huan held his elbow to lift his forearm along with his wrist, asking curiously, “Mr. Xie, is there something dirty on my face?”

Xie Jinghe snapped out of it abruptly, quickly pulling his hand back a bit to evade the camera.

“No.”

He responded a beat late.

Largely considering that displaying injuries in front of the audience would not make for a good viewing experience, coupled with the director’s prior reminder that the accompanying doctor should not show his face, the camera operator proactively switched to a different angle, even lowering the lens slightly.

Only then did Xie Jinghe cooperate with the other man’s movements, gently pulling up his right sleeve to expose the injured area.

When he had woken up this morning to change clothes in the bathroom, he had specifically checked—the marks wrapped around his neck and wrists had nearly faded completely. As long as someone didn’t pull his hand right in front of their eyes to stare at it from point-blank range, it was basically unnoticeable.

Strangely enough, there was still a bit of redness on the left side of his chest.

It looked as though it had been pinched and ground down.

It had to be an illusion; there was no way Linchuan would have pinched him there.

The man cradled his wrist with one hand while using his other hand to manipulate his palm for examination. Hearing Xie Jinghe catch his breath sharply from the pain, he proactively initiated a conversation to distract his attention, “Mr. Xie, you don’t seem to be very photogenic? You look much better in person than you do in your movies…”

As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to look at Xie Jinghe, continuing:

“My older sister is a fan of yours. I’ve watched many of your film and television works with her.”

The moment those words left his mouth.

The man holding Xie Jinghe’s wrist suddenly gave it a sharp pull and a twist, resulting in a faint geba snapping sound. Immediately after, he flashed a slight smile, “Alright, the situation isn’t too severe—just a dislocation and soft tissue contusion. Fortunately, there’s no fracture. I’ll apply some medicine for you; do not remove the gauze for two days, and do not let it touch water.”

Everything had transpired with incredible speed.

With a pale face, Xie Jinghe nodded a beat late, “Alright, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, this is just my duty.”

During the interval while the medicine was being applied and the gauze wrapped, Xie Jinghe was somewhat preoccupied, still thinking about the half-finished mission he had left uncompleted. Suddenly, he heard the man ask in a soft voice, “I apologize, Mr. Xie, what I am about to say next might be somewhat rude and overstepping the line—”

Turning his back to the camera.

The man’s fingertip tapped lightly against Xie Jinghe’s wrist, while his gaze fell squarely on his face, asking with meaningful intent,

“May I ask, do you require any help?”

Xie Jinghe froze for two seconds before catching on instantly, responding immediately, “I don’t need any.”

Meeting the man’s well-intentioned gaze, he didn’t offer any explanation; he simply couldn’t help but recall that crazed night with the man, the corners of his mouth lifting unconsciously into a very faint smile as the pale, white sunlight poured into those deep eyes—

Glinting and flickering, bright and intoxicating.

He repeated himself once more, his tone incomparably resolute.

“I really don’t need any.”

Because Xie Jinghe’s right hand was injured, the subsequent challenge missions were not quite suited for his current condition. The production team adjusted the content on the fly, which allowed him to complete his tasks early and successfully learn the final location where his partner would appear from the director’s mouth.

At this time, it was only just past three o’clock in the afternoon.

On the other side.

The staff members standing on standby outside the exclusive observation rooms for the three guests received the notification. Gently knocking on the door, one walked up to the side of the only man remaining in the room, reminding him in a low voice, “Teacher Shi, your partner has successfully cleared the challenges. Do you wish to head to the meeting location now?”

Despite having sat there for most of the day, Shi Linchuan still kept his spine perfectly straight, maintaining an aura of leisurely elegance.

Hearing the question that the staff member had repeated several times, he shook his head without a shred of hesitation, parting his thin lips slightly to decisively spit out two words.

“I’m not going.”

Seeing this state of affairs.

The comment section and the bullet comments in the live broadcast room were already a storm of vitriol and curses.

【Wow, this guy…】

【I can see it now, there’s really not a single shred of affection left.】

【I’m getting anxious just watching this. Good grief, he can really sit there without moving a muscle!】

【Perhaps in the eyes of someone who doesn’t love you, nothing you do matters [smile]】

【When people are stabbed, they die. Just so everyone knows.】

【…】

Today’s itinerary was quite interesting.

The six guests were divided into two groups. Whenever a guest who chose not to divorce completed a mission and obtained a fragment, a staff member would enter the observation room to ask their partner, ‘Do you wish to go search for your partner now?’

The guests who chose to divorce could refuse, or they could leave the observation room to head to their partner’s side, facing the subsequent trials together before finally returning as a pair.

Among the guests who chose not to divorce, Xie Jinghe was the very first to complete the trial; yet among the guests who chose to divorce, only Shi Linchuan remained in the room until the very end.

Xu You and Shao Lin had both chosen to return to their partners’ sides midway through the viewing.

At this exact moment.

On the screen.

By the seashore, amidst a cluster of jagged rocks.

Xie Jinghe stood alone atop a pitch-black reef, a deep blue expanse of ocean stretching out behind him as gusts of wind whipped up shimmering ripples across the water. He was wearing the short white padded jacket from the day of their reunion, with one hand stuffed into his pocket and his other hand wrapped in gauze, the pure white fabric extending from his sleeve to cover half of his palm.

At this hour, the sky was very bright, and the sunlight was abundant.

The wind was also incredibly fierce.

Xie Jinghe’s hair was blown into a wild mess, and the plush pom-poms at his collar looked as though they had broken free from gravity, wanting to fly straight up into the sky. Yet, he merely stood there peacefully, waiting for Shi Linchuan.

Meanwhile, the person he was waiting for sat squarely in the observation room, watching him across a screen, never moving an inch.

Time slipped away, drop by drop.

It was as if some careless troublemaker had spilled a cup of ink across the sky; the celestial canopy turned dark and deep, and the wisps of clouds turned a dusty gray. Then, as if another mischievous brat had tossed a lit match, half of the sky was set ablaze into a roaring orange-yellow, surging grandly like a raging wildfire.

The perfectly round ball of fire plummeted into the depths of the sea with a sudden xiu sound.

The very last ray of light hovered on the verge of extinguishing.

The sky grew dark, incredibly dark.

Xie Jinghe still stood atop that reef, his entire body shivering uncontrollably from the wind, the tip of his nose frozen to the point where his breathing was no longer clear. He stamped his feet, when he suddenly caught a faint sound coming from behind him, causing him to subconsciously look back.

A blurry yet familiar silhouette stepped into the darkness, walking briskly toward him with large strides.

Xie Jinghe smiled instinctively, but quickly reined the smile back in as his eyes grew suddenly wet. He couldn’t help but strain his vocal cords, hollering at the figure from afar,

“Where on earth have you been the entire day? Why are you only showing up now! I’m almost frozen to death!”

The sandy shore was uneven; that person took uneven steps, moving at a rapid pace, and also bellowed back at him in a furious rage,

“Xie Jinghe, do you have a screw loose in your brain?!”