This lunch persisted for nearly 1.5 hours.

Through a continuous succession of question-and-answer competition and conversational small talk, the awkward atmosphere between several of the guests was thoroughly shattered. Everyone’s state during their chats relaxed significantly, and they no longer minded social distancing as much.

Throughout the conversation, the personalities of the crowd began to emerge for the first time.

The husbands Xu You and Duan Feiwen had the shortest marriage duration and the lowest average age; one was a blabbering social butterfly, while the other possessed an introverted, bashful literary temperament. On the other hand, the two industry seniors treated everyone with utmost modesty and decency, yet an air of polite estrangement lingered between themselves.

In the eyes of the live stream audience, the most intriguing group remained the “Noon-to-Midnight” couple, who had been married for 3 years.

Xie Jinghe naturally required no further elaboration. This was the very first time the Movie Emperor—who had molded multiple classic, highly popular roles—was participating in this type of marriage observation reality show. This fact alone was completely brimming with gimmicks, making people unable to resist wanting to probe deeper.

However, at this very moment.

The subject discussed the most within the comments section and the bullet comments was, instead, his husband. Among the six guests, Shi Linchuan was probably the most out of place.

Of course, this wasn’t to say his attitude was coldly rigid or unfriendly.

Even though the man’s features and demeanor appeared highly stern and his gaze was similarly indifferent, he did not skimp on polite smiles when interacting with the other four guests, nor was he the taciturn sort. It was merely that the contrast between the man’s internal and external conduct was simply too massive, to the extent that anyone with eyes could spot it.

【Amateur Bro, he really… he clearly has the face of a domineering CEO, yet everything he does belongs to a primary schooler! One second he’s smiling and nodding politely to the seniors, and the very next second he turns his head to glance at the Movie Emperor, then straight-up lifts his chopsticks to eat the spicy shrimp out of the other guy’s bowl! Inside your own bowl! Isn’t there more left! Let him eat it!】

【And then the Movie Emperor even helps him peel the remaining ones】

【My guy, you are truly this [Thumbs-up.jpg]】

【Amateur Bro, what exactly are you doing? I can’t bear to look directly anymore. In the first half he was pinching his nose and pinching his cheek with such heavy force, giving me a hallucination of the bratty kid who sat behind me in primary school and frantically yanked my hair!】

【But the Movie Emperor proactively tilted his face closer, you know.】

At this point, another cluster of ellipses floated across.

【This collaterally proves that the Movie Emperor’s face is entirely all-natural, no plastic surgery. [Sipping tea and watching the drama]】

【Don’t know why, but I also really want to tilt my face closer to let him pinch it. The expression of canting his head to glance at people completely has the style of a master, and that glasses chain is entirely in my strike zone!!】

【Wake up, they haven’t divorced yet; as of right now, he’s still a married man.】

【They can’t divorce, right? Pinching back and forth didn’t delay these two from answering questions in the slightest. Throughout the entire process they only got one question wrong, making them the group with the best score among the three. Either there’s a script or there’s a foundational emotional basis. I’m starting to suspect this reality show is a little trick for the two of them to announce their relationship publicly and torture their fans. Don’t forget that Amateur Bro is the NO.1 boss, and the Movie Emperor is currently an artist under his banner as well as the boss’s wife.】

【Then they definitely won’t be able to divorce; it’s a relationship of tied financial interests.】

【…】

After the meal, it was already 2:00 PM.

What came before was merely the program team’s warm-up segment, aimed at letting the audience further understand each group of guests as well as pushing the guests to break through social barriers, paving the way for the upcoming highlight.

The director held his small megaphone, instructing the crowd to move to the adjacent venue.

Beneath the banyan tree by the cliffside, a tent capable of accommodating multiple people had been propped up. At the center stood a round table adorned with snacks and beverages that exposed their commercial logos, alongside an empty glass bottle. Surrounding the table were six folding chairs. The scene was arranged to feel leisurely and comfortable, highly suited for an afternoon activity.

Once everyone took their seats, they heard the director continue using a teasing tone to say, “Previously, it was the program team posing questions to each group of guests, and the questions were also entirely focused on the couple themselves, which feels somewhat limiting. I believe everyone is also highly curious about the other groups of guests…”

“Therefore,” the director took a massive pause, intentionally leaving them in suspense.

However, the rock singer Xu You, who had drifted through bars and nightlife scenes for years, spotted the clue in an instant. He immediately raised his hand high to grab the chance to speak: “We’re playing Truth or Dare, right? Are there any content restrictions?”

Hearing this, the director’s expression turned stern as he stated with absolute righteousness, “As long as it complies with laws and regulations and doesn’t get our live stream banned, anything goes!”

Xu You chimed along with him in perfect sync, letting out a long, theatrical sigh as if to predict failure. The entertainment value of the show was maximized.

Nevertheless, the program team had considered everything thoroughly, having formulated a set of rules long in advance.

The rules were as follows: The guest pointed to by the bottle had to accept a Truth question from the other individuals, while their partner possessed no qualification to ask questions. If the guest couldn’t provide an answer, the partner would instead have to accept a Dare punishment on their behalf.

After listening to this, Xu You complained, “Implementing collective punishment, are we? We originally wanted to get a divorce, so isn’t this just aggravating the conflict? Director team, you guys are truly far too malicious!”

The director smiled like a fox, remaining completely unfazed as he said, “Before the game begins, I’ll trouble the guests to follow me in taking an oath. One sentence from me, one sentence from everyone. Everyone must say it, you know.”

“I swear—” The crowd followed along, chanting.

“In the upcoming Truth segment, I will absolutely not tell any lies—”

The director held his megaphone, the volume deafening: “Otherwise, I will lose the thing I consider most important in this lifetime, never to find it back again!”

Once the six individuals finished chanting in unison, the director immediately explained, “This isn’t feudal superstition; it’s merely providing a bit of psychological suggestion to everyone to guarantee the authenticity of the game. I believe the content auditors and the audience will all understand.”

【Understood, we know you’re terrified of getting banned!】

【Hahahahaha, the desire for survival is fully maxed out. Do reality shows need to stack armor like this too?】

【Live streaming, saying these things. [Dog-head.jpg]】

After explaining the rules, the game rapidly entered the main topic.

Xu You naturally took over the role of the game host. Bending over to extend his arm, he gave a shoosh sound as he spun the bottle placed at the dead center of the tabletop. The glass bottle spun at high speed, its afterimage blurring into a circle. A few seconds later, it decelerated, releasing a clatter-clatter rubbing sound.

Finally, the bottle opening pointed toward one of the seated individuals like the needle of a massive roulette wheel.

The gazes of the crowd followed suit, looking over with glittering eyes.

At the focus of their vision, Shi Linchuan merely glanced calmly at the mouth of the glass bottle facing himself. Hearing the few individuals swiftly deduce the questioning order in a clockwise direction based on their seats, they pushed forward the first guest to ask a question.

The opera professor sitting diagonally opposite was the sole female present. Her demeanor was gentle and elegant, yet the tips of her brows bore a resilient strength. The cadence of her speech rose and fell rhythmically, entirely different from everyone else and highly pleasant to hear.

“Xiao Shi, let me ask you,” she pondered for a few seconds before asking, “In your household, who calls the shots?”

The question wasn’t particularly sharp, nor was it hard to answer. Shi Linchuan stated cleanly and decisively, “Me, I suppose.”

After speaking, he even twisted his head to look at the person sitting by his left hand, throwing a counter-question back: “I’m saying it like this; do you have any objections?”

Xie Jinghe was leaning back in his wooden folding deck chair, focusing his entire attention on staring at the man. Hearing him suddenly shift the conversation topic toward himself, he took 2 seconds to recover his senses before hastily shaking his head, the tips of his hair trembling slightly.

Shi Linchuan turned his head back with satisfaction to welcome the next question.

Cheng Shuohang’s gaze shifted left and right across the two individuals sitting side-by-side. He opened his mouth to ask, “During lunch earlier, I heard Xiao Xie mention that you guys encountered each other in a small roadside bar. Can you talk about your first impression of your partner?”

It was still a conservative question. Yet the man unexpectedly became stuck.

Shi Linchuan stared at a bug climbing up a table leg, his thoughts abruptly snapping back to three years ago when he had just traveled through worlds. At that time, having patiently finished reading the original novel, he had found himself exceptionally unable to tolerate the book’s protagonist, [Xie Jinghe], his mind brimming entirely with dark thoughts.

Right at that moment. The system reminded him that the protagonist had appeared, and the first task was beginning.

Shi Linchuan followed the system’s reminder to look toward a certain direction, catching sight of a person who had covered their face securely while sitting on a roadside bench. The clothing on his body possessed a distinct sense of design, exposing two sections of long, slender arms while a silver chain flashed at his waist, looking exceptionally young and outstanding.

The reality was exactly so. At that time, Xie Jinghe was only 24 years old.

The street was highly bustling, yet he sat there entirely alone, his eyes concealed beneath the shadows as he gazed intently at every single person passing by, fiddling with a lighter in his hand.

Click.

Snap.

A small flame ignited, only to be extinguished time and again by the silver cap.

Approximately 2 minutes later, he held up the lighter with one hand while using his other hand to quietly yank open a slit in his face mask. The firelight dispelled the darkness beneath the brim of his hat, igniting two tiny clusters of firelight within those pitch-black eyes, bright like stars. Yet he failed to discover that not far away, a man holding a briefcase was staring at him like a tiger watching its prey—resembling a wild beast crouching in the dark, enveloping him within a cold, icy gaze.

With a swift whoosh, the flame was blown out by him, exactly like blowing out birthday candles. Then he stood up, patted his trousers, and strode forward with large steps.

This was the very first meeting. It was even earlier than the bar Xie Jinghe assumed it to be.

Occasionally, a sliver of a thought would flash through Shi Linchuan’s mind: In that corner where no one cared, what exact wish did the still-young Xie Jinghe make?

No matter what the wish was… Che. He didn’t care.

Shi Linchuan reined in his mind, briefly summarizing his first impression of Xie Jinghe: “An immature little brat.”

And then, he slept with that immature little brat that very night.

Cried for half the night, bedridden for three days.

Hearing this response, the two seniors smiled without a word. The screenwriter Duan Feiwen possessed an introverted personality, pressing his lips together to spectate, while Xu You was highly uninhibited. Proactively driving the atmosphere of the game, he teased, “Brother Shi, doesn’t this response of yours carry a bit of a ‘daddy’ flavor?”

Shi Linchuan’s face remained unchanged as he stated calmly, “He lacks paternal love.”

Listening to the muffled laughter of the others, the sharply critiqued Xie Jinghe didn’t argue back. He merely silently held up a bottle of juice drink to block his eyes, his ears feeling somewhat hot.

Next, it was Duan Feiwen’s turn to ask a question.

The screenwriter’s mind was relatively delicate. Sinking into contemplation for a brief moment, he asked softly, “If you had known long ago that both parties would reach the step of divorce, if you could do it all over again, would you still choose to marry your partner?”

This was a question with a touch of philosophical thought. But to Shi Linchuan, it possessed no meaning whatsoever.

Because of the tasks. He had married Xie Jinghe precisely for the sake of getting a divorce.

He uttered a neither-hot-nor-cold “Mhm.” At the same time, he canted his eyes to look at Xie Jinghe, discovering that this person was indeed using the beverage bottle as cover to steal glances at him. His eyes were completely filled with pure joy, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t resist curling upward, subtle yet sweet.

A fool who remembered the food but forgot the beating.

Shi Linchuan felt unaccountably displeased, glaring at him fiercely. Go ahead and smile. Let’s see if you can finish today with a smile.

The final person for this round of questioning was Xu You.

Xu You possessed an extroverted personality and an abundance of variety show sense, creating excellent chemical reactions with the program team. He would even proactively throw out hooks, only to see him abruptly twist his head to look at the director behind the camera, raising his voice:

“Director, I feel everyone is far too constrained. Can I ask a slightly more explosive question? If the show gets banned on the very first day it airs, I won’t get into trouble, right? Let’s agree in advance, I can’t afford to pay the compensation fees, you know.”

Hearing this, the director walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, bearing an expression that craved the topic yet struggled with it. Finally, he let out a long sigh and waved his hand at Xu You, clearly adopting an attitude of letting him play it out freely.

This interaction amused the audience in front of the screens to no end.

Xu You talked a big game, but in reality, he was also somewhat embarrassed. Taking a sip of water, he pinched the bottle to block his mouth, speaking at a rapid pace: “Brother Shi, please state a secret that you have hidden from your partner and haven’t let him know to this day.”

There were simply far too many.

Shi Linchuan remained completely calm, picking out the most inconspicuous one from a full basket of secrets, stating in a slow and unhurried tone, “Every year, the new phone he changes into is gifted to him by me. Before placing it into his hands, I installed a location tracking monitor inside the phone. He doesn’t know.”

The moment the words fell, it brought a full house of absolute silence.

Whether it was the guests present, the staff members, or the audience in front of the screens, everyone was stunned by this sentence—which contained an information load so massive it practically blew past the charts. The atmosphere remained frozen for several seconds before anyone could recover.

The scene was still dead silent, but the bullet comments had already exploded.

【Did I hear wrong??】

【Holy crap, is this something that can be stated on a show?! Amateur Bro truly doesn’t treat us like outsiders at all! I see that Xu You’s pupils are shocked out of his head; he probably never expected in his wildest dreams that the question he raised would get such an explosive answer】

【This is truly explosive. Don’t you see that even the two grand seniors can’t even pick up the conversation anymore.】

【Good lord, who is the broadcasting director of the program team? Truly a divine person, to still be able to react rapidly at this kind of moment to cut the camera angle into a close-up of the Movie Emperor—you completely deserve to earn this money!】

【Ahhhhhhhh, frantic screaming!!】

【Ahhhhh, what did I just hear! Movie Emperor, what did you just say!!】

Rewinding the time to 1 minute ago.

Shi Linchuan had straightforwardly hurled a bomb, blasting the entire ground into billowing smoke with no one uttering a peep. However, no one could have imagined that after the secret was exposed, the other involved party suddenly lowered the hand covering his eyes, allowing the beverage bottle to lie flat on his lap. He then dug at his fingers on his own accord, opening his mouth to say:

“I know, though.”

Only at this point did Shi Linchuan’s expression alter by two fractions, his countenance becoming somewhat cold.

“When did you find out?”

Xie Jinghe didn’t lift his head, responding, “Probably March or April of last year, not long after you had just given it to me. At that time, the phone accidentally dropped into the water, so I immediately had Leyan send it over to be repaired, and then…” He paused for an instant before continuing, “…and then it was discovered.”

The moment he was notified of the phone’s anomaly, Xie Jinghe suspected there was an issue with his ears—even suspecting that the phone had been tampered with by someone with ill intentions. He was then informed by the repair personnel that this hidden setting had been installed right from the very beginning, which was why the user couldn’t detect any abnormality in the battery life.

The truth was abruptly ripped open at a corner.

However, when the repair personnel inquired whether to clear the tracking system, Xie Jinghe had subconsciously instructed the other party to maintain it exactly as it was. He couldn’t state a reason.

Somewhat dazed, he ended his work ahead of schedule, subsequently sitting blankly inside the car for half the day. He discussed it for a long time with his closest work partner and friend, Leyan. Originally, he had planned to have an open and honest chat about this matter with the man after returning home, but…

Late at night, after returning home.

Xie Jinghe pushed open the door, bumping into the man currently sitting on the sofa watching a television drama he had starred in. The other party subsequently followed the sound to look over, standing up with a gentle expression to gather him into an embrace. Afterward, he dropped a soft kiss upon his forehead, smiling as he asked, “It just so happens that I haven’t slept either. Didn’t you mention earlier that you wouldn’t be able to make it back tonight?”

The main lights in the living room were turned off, and the wall lamps cast a warm yellow glow.

The surroundings were completely quiet, making the television volume in the living room seem a bit loud. It was somewhat bustling, yet somewhat desolate.

Xie Jinghe held the man, a bottomless black hole generating inside his heart. He possessed a gentle and considerate lover who was upright and open. Would this kind of lover silently install tracking on his phone?

Thinking up to this point, Xie Jinghe couldn’t resist lifting his head, his vision happening to collide with the gentle gaze the man cast down as he lowered his eyes. In that split second, he suddenly felt a surge of dread.

In the end, he opened his mouth several times, yet merely stated a line amidst the man’s concerned gaze: “I missed you.”

“…”

Xie Jinghe closed his eyes to sniff the scent on the man’s body, thinking silently without a sound: Actually, it doesn’t really matter, right? Linchuan is merely relatively lacking a sense of security, and he doesn’t want to have an unpleasant row with the other party over this trivial, insignificant matter either…

Therefore, as long as the two of them are happy, that’s enough!

Consequently, this ‘secret’ still existed in the form of a secret. Until this very moment. It pierced through the window paper cloaking its body with an earth-shattering posture.

The secret was no longer a secret;

The secret had also never been a secret;

Yet the secret remained a secret.

The name of the secret was called: You don't know that I know your secret.

The game of Truth or Dare met a severe challenge in its very first round.

It was still Shi Linchuan himself who handled the flow of the process. The man who had obtained his answer desisted from nagging further, instead nodding his head with understanding. Choosing to continue the Truth segment of the game, he asked with absolute composure, “Then this matter doesn’t count as a secret anymore. Do I need to state another one separately? I still have more.”

The initiator of the question, Xu You, was sweating profusely, hastily waving his hands. “No need, let’s move to the next round!”

The man offered no objections. The bullet comments, however, felt somewhat unappeased.

【Too shocking. Actually, I still want to hear Amateur Bro expose more information】

【Family, it’s hit the trending searches.】

【Within expectations, within the realm of reason. If even this doesn’t hit the trending searches, then I don’t know what else in the entertainment circle deserves one. It’s this explosive on the very first day; are you guys not planning to live through the remaining twenty-nine days!! [Dazed dog.jpg]】

【Wishing to draw another round for Amateur Bro, or the Movie Emperor.】

【This official seconds the motion!】

【…】

Unfortunately, during the subsequent few rounds up until the end of the game, neither Shi Linchuan nor Xie Jinghe was drawn ever again. Furthermore, due to the shocking opening of the first round, the questioning intensity of the other guests reined in significantly. Fortunately, the highlights for the day were already secure—even exploding in popularity.

Dinner that night was highly peaceful, without any other game segments mixed in.

The circular sun dropped at the western horizon like a ball of fire, burning the edge of the sky for a while before darkness rapidly invaded. Accompanied by an increasingly fierce night wind, it blew the withered leaves into a rustling shree-shree noise.

After dinner, it was time for the divorcing partners to spend time alone together.

The moment the sky turned black, the village darkened completely, and the streetlamps alongside the roads were few and far between. Shi Linchuan and Xie Jinghe maintained absolute silence all the way, stepping deeply and shallowly as they walked toward their residence. Their pace remained very slow, yet a distance that was neither long nor short separated the two.

Strictly speaking, it was actually less than half a meter wide. Yet it resembled a natural chasm.

The specific time was unknown; they only knew that the sky was very dark and the road was very long. Xie Jinghe suddenly reached out his hand to hook onto his fingers, stating in a small voice, “Are you angry?”

Shi Linchuan: “No.”

Xie Jinghe: “…”

A long silence ensued.

Xie Jinghe spoke again: “I’m not angry.”

Shi Linchuan understood the interpretation of this sentence: Regarding the matter of him installing tracking on his phone, he actually wasn’t angry, nor did he possess any intention of blaming him.

Yet he should have been so. Or perhaps, he had felt anger and perplexity, but had already dissolved it entirely on his own.

Shi Linchuan: “…”

The residence lay a few meters ahead, a lamp lit inside the courtyard, its illumination weak like a firefly. Shi Linchuan’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt, causing Xie Jinghe to likewise halt his steps in this patch of darkness, rendering even each other’s faces blurry and impossible to see clearly.

Not being able to see clearly was just right.

Shi Linchuan reversed his grip to squeeze his wrist, leaning his upper body forward slightly to ask, “To be able to play deaf and dumb for so long… Xie Jinghe, I truly underestimated you. Since you endured it without speaking previously, why choose to confess now!”

Xie Jinghe: “In the past, I was a bit afraid of getting into a dispute with you.”

What if things couldn’t be wrapped up after laying the cards on the table?

What if it reached the point of divorce?

Hearing this, Shi Linchuan let out a cold laugh, pressing further: “Then you aren’t afraid now?”

Xie Jinghe: “I’m afraid now, too.”

Shi Linchuan: “Afraid of what.”

Xie Jinghe’s lips trembled for an instant, his breathing becoming slightly unsteady—seemingly terrified of disturbing this patch of silent night scenery. Consequently, he made his volume exceptionally light, the trailing sound dissipating into the wind: “Afraid that you, having been together with me for so long… might have never been truly happy.”

The night wind blew apart the thick clouds.

Shi Linchuan abruptly gave Xie Jinghe a shove, pushing the other party against the earthen wall behind him. He pinned the person against the wall, leaning down to stamp a ferocious kiss upon him!

Almost at the exact same time, Shi Linchuan tasted the iron-rust flavor of blood dispersing between his lips and teeth. He couldn’t distinguish whether it belonged to him or to Xie Jinghe, but it was rapidly swallowed down into their throats by the two of them as if starving and thirsting, thereby releasing heavy swallowing sounds.

Gulp. Gulp.

Xie Jinghe was the water he required when thirsty, the meat he required when hungry. Shi Linchuan detested him, yet he didn’t detest sampling his flavor—even wanting to chew it finer, devouring every single drop of flesh and blood.

Just like that, taking one bite after another, tearing, chewing to pieces, and eating clean.