The next day.

The temperature in Xijiang continued to drop, yet the sky remained clear, as if it had scooped up seawater to wash its face while everyone was sound asleep—rinsing away the gray gloom to reveal a deep, sapphire backdrop.

Counting the day the teaser aired, this divorce reality show had only been broadcasting for two full days, but its popularity remained sky-high. In particular, the entire editing team had fought for every second to splice together several highlight clips. Once released on the program’s official account, the repost count cleared 10,000 in no time.

The friction over daily habits between the young couple Xu You and Duan Feiwen; the flat, estranged dynamic between the old senior Cheng Shuohang and his wife Shao Lin; and the other couple that drew immense focus and controversy—

Shi Linchuan and Xie Jinghe.

【Amateur Bro is way too bold, right? Installing a location tracker on the Movie Emperor’s phone? Is this hype for the sake of traffic? I was completely dazed when watching the live stream yesterday. He’s really not afraid of being flamed to death. The Movie Emperor is also facing a wave of criticism right now; his fans all want him to hurry up and divorce.】

【Real-life version of #MyHorrorHusband】

【The Movie Emperor doesn’t want to divorce, but the other party is resolutely determined to.】

【Marketing, right? Don’t forget which company produced this reality show. There is a huge probability that this couple personally entered the fray to manufacture topics. Let’s make a bet: they are absolutely not divorcing in the end. If they do, I’ll eat this table.】

There were plenty of topics, with comments of every sort.

However, in a certain online space where the follower count was surging rapidly, a crowd of people was reviewing a specially clipped, few-second-long short video over and over again. The frame was pitch-black, looking as though it were merely an empty scene the cameraman recorded on a whim. The sky was very dark, the stars and moon obscured. In the background, the wind howled fiercely, clamoring in the ears.

【Dammit, why is it so dark! I specifically took a screenshot and dragged the brightness up, but I still can’t see that blob of shadow at the corner of the wall very clearly. Are those two actually stacked together and kissing? Please!! This point is exceptionally important to me, I’m dying to know!】

【Suspicious, truly way too suspicious. [Dumbledore shaking his head.jpg]】

【And I pulled the volume to the maximum and listened back and forth over a dozen times. I think I heard the sound of gasping for breath, but it’s blurry. Don’t know if it’s my auditory hallucination or if I’m overthinking it.】

【The broadcasting director truly cut an excellent angle. [Smile.jpg] [Gnash teeth in secret]】

【I really want to crawl into the post-production computer and steal the raw footage!】

【It’s almost 10:00 AM, getting ready to camp in the live stream.】

【…】

Shi Linchuan woke up.

When he opened his eyes, it was just dawning outside. However, winter days were shorter and the sky broke later, making it completely unapparent that it was already nearly 7:00 AM.

Xie Jinghe was sharing the exact same pillow with him, their bodies tightly pressed together beneath the quilt, resembling every past night they had slept together in a tender embrace.

Out of habit, his palm slid beneath the hem of Xie Jinghe’s pajamas, his palm resting against the left side of the other’s chest to feel the pulse beating underneath. As his fingertips relaxed, they accidentally hooked against a spot where the swelling had already gone down.

Before pulling away, Shi Linchuan subconsciously massaged it twice.

Xie Jinghe had likely broken out of deep sleep; due to this slight movement, his closed eyelids instantly fluttered a few times, looking as though he might wake up the very next second.

Recalling the private reminders from the program staff the night before, Shi Linchuan had no choice but to turn sideways to gather the person into his embrace, soothing in a small voice: “It’s still early, go back to sleep…”

“Be good.”

While speaking, one hand lightly patted his back. Xie Jinghe’s breath brushed against his neck, tickling slightly.

Shi Linchuan felt the other party’s breathing rhythm shift from erratic to even. Waiting a brief moment longer, he finally untangled himself with light hands and stealthy steps, getting out of bed soundlessly. Turning around, he saw the lone pillow they had flung onto the floor last night still lying there, solitary and dusted with a layer of grime.

Shi Linchuan picked it up, shook it out, and placed it on a chair.

He first changed into his clothes inside the bathroom, then took his toiletry bag downstairs, generating absolutely no sound throughout the entire process. When pulling the door shut behind him, Shi Linchuan’s gaze pierced through the narrow slit of the door, landing on the mounded silhouette on the bed, dazing slightly.

The moment he arrived at the first floor, the low courtyard wall failed to block his vision. Shi Linchuan caught sight of the program staff and his personal cameraman already waiting at the courtyard gate. Upon seeing him, they immediately offered a greeting:

“Teacher Shi, morning.”

Shi Linchuan nodded his head, responding: “Give me a moment, I’ll go wash up.”

“Alright, alright.”

The program team split the entire recording cycle into four stages, changing the filming location each week and setting a theme for that week. This week’s theme was titled ‘The So-Called Marital Solitary Island,’ aimed at shattering the barriers between divorcing partners and rebuilding core emotional communication.

Therefore, today’s itinerary was formulated based on the personal choices made by the divorcing guests last night.

Shi Linchuan was the party who had chosen to divorce. According to the program team’s arrangements, he would be hidden away, while Xie Jinghe—who had chosen not to divorce—had a task today which was:

To find his vanished partner.

On the way to their departure, the segment director interviewed the man from behind the camera. Due to the limitations of the live stream format, the program team would release an edited version in a timely manner, which would incorporate plenty of content never shown in the live stream.

Such as right now.

“Teacher Shi, do you believe Teacher Xie will be able to find you?”

The morning dew felt chilly, pricking at one’s face like needle tips. Shi Linchuan had changed his clothes, his upper body still bundled inside that black short-style cotton jacket. This type of attire was fluffy and puffy, yet it didn’t look the least bit cumbersome on him. The plush ball at the collar blew upward, brushing against his jawline time and again.

“How would I know?” Shi Linchuan followed the staff members leading the way ahead, responding carelessly. “Shouldn’t that depend on whether you guys make things intentionally difficult for him?”

The segment director’s ears twitched slightly, catching a specific phrase. “Intentionally difficult? Are you worried about Teacher Xie?”

Shi Linchuan: “I didn’t say that.”

The segment director smiled, asking again: “Then do you hope Teacher Xie finds you?”

Shi Linchuan stated with an unaltered countenance: “This question is meaningless.”

Several questions were quietly deflected by the man. Soon, this interview met its final question. The segment director asked him, “Then, Teacher Shi… to you, what kind of day is today?”

The moment the words fell, the man’s footsteps paused slightly. For a split second, time seemed to freeze.

The man canted his head to look straight into the camera lens. Those narrow eyes concealed behind the transparent lenses resembled a bottomless black hole, cold and deep. Yet his face bore a polite smile, the corners of his lips arching into a pleasing contour.

He said, “Today is a very special day.”

At exactly 10:00 AM in the morning, the live stream’s countdown hit zero. The screen flashed accordingly, and a face filled with blank bewilderment and anxiety abruptly surfaced within the frame.

It was a very beautiful face, with deep-set eye sockets and pitch-black eyes. It was merely somewhat dazed.

Thus, the staff member outside the frame repeated once more: “Teacher Xie, your partner has already left. Do you wish to find him back?”

When Xie Jinghe woke up, he was the only person left on the bed. He was sleeping on a single pillow by himself, yet it felt exceptionally empty and lonely. He couldn’t resist calling out:

“Linchuan—”

But the man was neither on the bed nor inside the bathroom. Xie Jinghe searched everywhere but couldn’t find a trace of him. When he asked the other staff members, the other party merely shook their head in silence. It wasn’t until the clock hit 10:00 AM that someone finally told him: Shi Linchuan had left.

However, the man’s suitcase was still resting in the corner of the bedroom. Xie Jinghe understood in an instant that this was a segment arranged by the program team, yet he still couldn’t resist letting out a long sigh, immediately responding: “Of course I want to search for him! Where did you guys hide him?”

The segment director countered, “He left on his own.”

The next second, the segment director held out a letter sheet, presenting it in front of the lens from a first-person perspective, stating: “Before your partner left, he left behind a clue for you. Teacher Xie, you can open it and take a look.”

Xie Jinghe accepted the letter sheet, pouring out a white card from inside.

There were no words on the card, only a doodle the man had drawn casually. His brushstrokes were highly concise, outlining two manga-style little figures in a few strokes. One figure was slightly shorter with slightly wavy short hair; from the facial characteristics, it was discernible as Xie Jinghe.

The other manga figure only exposed half a profile, its frame tall and lean, with a pair of glasses faintly visible on its face. The two little figures held hands, their faces entirely covered in smiles.

It was a very cute scene, a very warm scene. Yet as Xie Jinghe stared at it, he suddenly felt a touch of incongruity. It was just that he currently lacked the peace of mind to probe into this fleeting sliver of incongruity, instead pinching the card and lifting his head to ask the segment director behind the lens:

“How should I look for him?”

At this point, a staff member held out an empty base frame for a jigsaw puzzle, beginning to explain the rules: “It’s like this, Teacher Xie. You need to locate NPCs to complete challenges in succession to obtain puzzle clues. Only after the puzzle is completed will you obtain your partner’s current location…”

The exact same scene was playing out in front of the other two guests.

The choices made by the three groups of guests last night were exceptionally uniform: one party chose to divorce, while the other party chose not to divorce. Although the program team had taken all possible choices into account and formulated appropriate proposals, the current situation saved a lot of trouble.

The one from the Sunrise Group who chose divorce was unexpectedly the blabbering Xu You. He truly couldn’t integrate into Duan Feiwen’s highly intellectual family and shared fundamental value clashes with Duan Feiwen himself, already weary of trying to smooth things over.

The one from the Twilight Group who chose divorce was the opera artist Shao Lin. The two had no children and had been living apart for many years, each possessing their own career and social circle, to the extent that they barely met a few times throughout the year. The lover of yesteryear seemed to have become a stranger.

At this point, the screen shifted. The frame displayed the other three guests who had chosen divorce.

The three were unexpectedly sitting in a neat row inside the observation room, a massive silver screen set before them. Just like all the viewers, they were observing their partners across the screen—surpassing ordeals to sprint toward them.

When the screen cut to the bashful Duan Feiwen doing things he was previously entirely unwilling to do just to obtain a puzzle piece, the wild, uninhibited rock singer’s heart filled with mixed emotions, the rims of his eyes turning slightly red. Let alone Shao Lin, who had been companions with Cheng Shuohang for over a decade.

Only the man sitting at the dead center maintained a calm, indifferent expression from start to finish.

The contrast was truly tragic, and the bullet comments discussed it fiercely.

【This guy truly wants to divorce. The Movie Emperor is really giving it his all to find him. The NPC challenges are quite tough; he has to run back and forth on stone steps. I see the Movie Emperor is looking a bit weak.】

【Standard operation, stars all lose weight, the Movie Emperor is still quite dedicated.】

【A certain point hit me.】

【Blind guess: is it that part where the Movie Emperor pulls out the clue card left by Amateur Bro to steal a glance at it from time to time? That gaze truly hits hard! Previously, a bunch of CP fans shipped them just from being in the same frame, even saying the Movie Emperor’s gaze was so affectionate that he absolutely had something going on with so-and-so… Now I just want to say, only contrast reveals the truth.】

【Ah, though that’s true…】

【His man has a face full of indifference!!】

【Dating show the previous day, did you suddenly remember today that this is a divorce show, bro? [Plop down on knees.jpg]】

Right at this moment, an unexpected twist suddenly cropped up within the frame!

Deep in the mountain forest, Xie Jinghe misstepped during the challenge task, taking a fierce tumble. Fortunately, his reaction speed was relatively fast, bracing the ground with his hand to avoid major injuries, yet he still clutched his wrist with a pained expression.

His cameraman scrambled forward to ask, “Teacher Xie, are you alright?”

The viewers in front of the video couldn’t resist feeling a bit tense as well.

【Holy crap, the two guests beside him both looked shocked, but Amateur Bro didn’t even blink an eye. A person can’t… at least shouldn’t…】

【In front of the camera, one should display a modicum of concern, right? Even if there isn’t a shred of emotion left, at least put on an act for the occasion? Truly not afraid of being flamed to death?】

【Highly curious about the current mood of Xie’s fans.】

【Emm, always feel it’s a bit too calm. Is he faking it?】

The discussion continued, and the footage within the frame continued as well.

The staff members assisted Xie Jinghe up. Following a telephone communication, the accompanying doctor hired by the program team rapidly arrived.

Since the accompanying doctor was a non-celebrity, the lens shifted slightly away. The individuals within the observation room and the live stream could only catch sight of the other party’s back—the man’s frame was long and slender, looking highly sharp in a sand-colored woolen overcoat. When bending over to speak to Xie Jinghe, his voice was exceptionally gentle:

“Hello, is it convenient to let me examine the injured area to confirm the condition?”

While speaking, the man lifted his hand slightly, only to lower it again quickly. Like he had performed a gesture of adjusting his glasses.

Shi Linchuan was explicitly familiar with this gesture.

He stared at the footage broadcasting on the silver screen, his expression as calm as always, his breathing even, looking as though he possessed no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.

The system—which had kept its mic off for a long time—chose this exact moment to speak up. The long-lost electronic voice echoed inside his brain, every single word pregnant with deep meaning, making Shi Linchuan feel exceptionally annoyed:

“Oh wow, Host… Today really is a special day, huh.”

Yes. The protagonist of the book had finally encountered his destined true love.