As for the buzz across the internet that night, while the parties involved had their suspicions, they weren’t entirely clear on the specifics. This was because the guests had all their communication devices confiscated before boarding the plane, and they were required to remain without phones throughout the duration of the livestream. This was to ensure they remained free from outside influence, striving to have them face their partners with their most authentic selves during the thirty-day “divorce cooling-off period” mandated by law.

This point was explicitly written in the contract.

However, the production team wasn’t being completely rigid. After all, in today’s era of ubiquitous electronic communication, being disconnected from the outside world for even three days would be considered a fantasy. Furthermore, every guest was an adult with a social identity, so certain special circumstances—such as family emergencies—had to be taken into account.

Therefore, the production team set up a “backdoor” for communication for the guests.

Before filming officially began, the production team had already coordinated with every guest. Thus, the reason Shi Linchuan had been working day and night to handle his affairs during this period was to clear his schedule for the upcoming month of disconnection.

Of course.

To him, recording the reality show was simply a job. Xie Jinghe was his colleague. It was just that this job required the two of them to live and eat together, complete tasks assigned by the production team, and then present all of this in front of the cameras.

It wasn’t difficult.

Around two o’clock in the afternoon, the plane landed.

The production team planned to film in four different locations over four weeks. The shooting location for the first week was chosen to be this small seaside city named “Xijiang.”

Compared to Tongcheng, Xijiang was warmer, and the air wasn’t as dry; it was damp and warm, smelling of a faint, cool freshness akin to new sprouts after rain. It was a tourist city with pleasant scenery and a mild climate.

Shi Linchuan and Xie Jinghe were the first pair of divorcing guests to land in Xijiang. The production team had arranged a car to pick them up and take them directly to the pre-booked hotel.

At this point, the filming of the teaser had concluded.

Before getting into the car, the audio equipment on both of them was removed, and the following cameras were moved away. A staff member politely reminded them, “Teachers, the rest of the time is for rest. However, the planning team will come by in the afternoon to communicate the precautions for tomorrow’s broadcast, so please do not leave the hotel.”

Calling it “rest” was actually far from relaxing.

In order to pull off a long-term multi-person livestream, the entire variety show team was massive. The staff responsible for just Shi Linchuan and Xie Jinghe’s group occupied an entire floor of the hotel, and they had used several rooms just to store the equipment.

In the car, the two remained silent the whole way.

The production team was quite perceptive; before the broadcast, they had prepared two adjacent rooms for him and Xie Jinghe. Shi Linchuan dragged his business suitcase into his hotel room, thinking this to himself.

Following that, the entire afternoon passed.

Several members of the planning team came by to knock on the door a few times. The same happened in the next room.

A young planner holding a tablet gave a simple explanation of the itinerary for the coming week: “Teacher Shi, this week’s theme is ‘Isolated Island.’ The environment is relatively enclosed, and the process may test the survival skills of you and your partner.”

“You are staying at the hotel today. We will wake up at six o’clock tomorrow to prepare. A car will come to pick up you and Teacher Xie, and it will be a one-hour drive. You will meet up with the other guests at the shooting location.”

“I suggest you get some rest early tonight.”

Shi Linchuan gave a grunt to signify he understood.

Time passed quickly.

The sun moved westward, and the sky over Xijiang darkened.

The entire production team was as busy as if they were in a war, with everyone running around on their feet. However, their treatment of the guests was still quite thoughtful, as they had specifically ordered dinner from a high-end restaurant.

Knock, knock.

When the door was knocked upon, Shi Linchuan thought it was the staff coming to deliver dinner.

To his surprise, when he opened the door, he saw Xie Jinghe standing outside, his head slightly lowered, his hair whorl facing him.

Small and slight.

The hotel corridor and the room were not as cold as it was outside. Xie Jinghe had already taken off that blindingly white cotton-padded jacket. He slipped through the gap of the half-open door and quickly latched it behind him.

Click.

In just a second, there was another person in the room.

To this, Shi Linchuan merely arched an eyebrow, folded his arms across his chest, tilted his head to gaze at Xie Jinghe, who was leaning against the door, and asked in a flat voice: “What are you doing here?”

Xie Jinghe looked up at him and replied silently:

“I have something to tell you.”

Shi Linchuan let out a scoff and asked again:

“What kind of thing is so important that you had to specifically avoid the cameras and microphones to tell me?”

Xie Jinghe looked at him for a long while, pursed his lips, and said, “You’d better be careful in front of the camera later. Don’t deliberately pick fights like you did today. You might get scolded for it.”

Shi Linchuan: “You’re already on a divorce variety show, and you’re still afraid of being scolded?”

Xie Jinghe: “I’m afraid of you being scolded.”

Celebrities being scolded was a common occurrence. He had many fans, and also many haters. But Shi Linchuan hadn’t been active in the entertainment industry before, and furthermore, Xie Jinghe was afraid his own fans might vent their anger on him.

The air was quiet for two seconds.

Xie Jinghe thought of something, couldn’t help but take a deep breath, and said in a low voice: “I didn’t want to do this show in the first place…” He paused, then added, “It was you who made me come.”

That wasn’t wrong.

Shi Linchuan didn’t deny it, but he didn’t say anything either. He just looked at him quietly, and then he saw Xie Jinghe’s gaze drift over his shoulder, landing on the suitcase in the corner of the room.

It wasn’t very big; it didn’t look like it could hold many things.

After a long while.

Xie Jinghe asked: “You only brought this much stuff?”

Shi Linchuan followed his gaze, looked back for a moment, and then turned back. He still didn’t say anything, just gave Xie Jinghe a cold look, as if casting out a question mark.

Xie Jinghe received the question mark.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: “It will be cold.”

At the same time, his gaze drifted downward, falling on the man’s hands resting at his sides—cold, white, and jade-like, with joints showing a hint of thin, light pink.

The pink brought on by the cold.

“I asked Le Yan to buy a few sets of warm clothes at a nearby mall this afternoon,” Xie Jinghe pursed his lips, then raised a hand to touch the back of his neck, and said softly, “I’ll bring them over to you in a bit.”

Shi Linchuan hadn’t expected him to be here to talk about this.

After quite a while.

He asked: “Why?”

Xie Jinghe struggled for a long time before saying:

“Just pretend I bought the wrong size.”

Shi Linchuan carefully recalled everything that had happened today—they had been bickering and having a cold war, the atmosphere was really not good—and found it somewhat funny. “Xie Jinghe, what’s wrong with you? Weren’t you arguing happily with me this morning? A cold war in the afternoon, and now you’re running over to bring me clothes at night?”

“Do you have a split personality?”

Xie Jinghe was silent, looking at him with a very subtle expression.

Shi Linchuan: “Tsk.”

Another long silence.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of two shallow breaths. Outside the door, the noise of the production crew walking back and forth could be heard from time to time. Shi Linchuan watched as Xie Jinghe’s left index finger tapped against the seam of his trousers again and again, his movements faintly signaling something.

He didn’t want to leave right now.