Cheng Ye and Jiang Shi were trending again. This time, the search term was simple, direct, and reeked of something risqué.

#ChengYe, Condoms.#

When Liu Heping called to demand an explanation, Cheng Ye was squatting at the threshold, slurping noodles from a sea bowl bigger than his face. The topping was leftover braised pork from yesterday, mixed with minced meat and green beans. In one bite, he could eat half of Jiang Shi’s portion.

Jiang Shi was also eating noodles, but his had a freshly made soup base of tomato and minced meat, accompanied by vibrant green baby bok choy, served in a pumpkin-shaped bowl, steaming hot.

Liu Heping said on the phone, “My two ancestors, what are you doing now?”

“Having lunch. We have to catch a flight after we eat.”

The words that had rushed to Liu Heping’s lips were swallowed back down. He asked Jiang Shi, “Have you seen the news online?”

Jiang Shi took a bite of noodles. “Haven’t had the chance yet. What’s wrong?”

Thinking of the carnival of the yellow race under that trending topic, Liu Heping silently closed his mouth. Forget it, forget it… better to be risqué than to be cold.

He reminded Jiang Shi, “Don’t check your phone unless you have to, so you don’t see the hate comments and get in a bad mood.”

He emphasized again, “Absolutely do not say what you shouldn’t. Don’t treat netizens like they’re not outsiders.”

“Don’t worry…” Jiang Shi said, “Cheng Ye and I are behaving ourselves. We haven’t said anything.”

Liu Heping: “…”

His heart was tired.

In the time it took to make a phone call, Cheng Ye had already finished a sea bowl of noodles. He held the bowl, drank even the soup, and ate it all cleanly.

“What did Liu Heping call you for?”

Jiang Shi had woken up late this morning and wasn’t hungry yet at this hour. After eating half, he couldn’t eat anymore and pushed the bowl towards Cheng Ye.

“Nothing much, just a couple more reminders.”

Cheng Ye slurped down the rest of Jiang Shi’s noodles.

Jiang Shi’s gaze fell, looking at the man’s flat stomach. He really couldn’t understand how his stomach could hold so much.

Cheng Ye finished the noodles in two bites and was using his chopsticks to fish out the minced meat inside. Jiang Shi found it amusing. “CEO Cheng, was this morning’s sandwich not satisfying enough for you?”

Faced with his teasing, Cheng Ye’s hand movements paused, his expression a little gloomy. “It was disgusting. Two pieces of bread with some half-cooked stuff and a few rotten vegetable leaves inside, and they charged me fifteen for it.”

“Now you’re complaining. What about your overbearing CEO persona?”

Cheng Ye said, “There’s no rule that says an overbearing CEO can’t sit on the threshold and eat noodles.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Their flight was at 1 PM. They would leave after lunch. Coincidentally, the filming location for this variety show was in Lincheng, but in a small mountain village in the opposite direction of Xiliu Village.

Jiangcheng was not very far from Lincheng, so they had a flight on the same day.

The filming location was called Xizhuang Town, even more remote and backward than Xiliu Village. After getting off the plane, they took a train, and then got into the production team’s car.

The camera was set up in the car. Logically, they should be talking to get some screen time, but Jiang Shi was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he got in the car. Cheng Ye took out his phone to handle business.

The driver in the front seat glanced at them and thought to himself that these two probably wouldn’t get much screen time.

As they drove on, the sky grew darker, and Jiang Shi finally woke up. He rubbed the back of his head, looked outside, and asked, “How much longer until we arrive?”

The driver said, “We’re almost there. But Teacher Jiang, you’re probably the last group to arrive.”

Jiang Shi began his “business mode” and smiled. “What, is there a punishment for arriving last?”

The driver put on a mysterious act. “You’ll know when you get there.”

With that, the car stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye got out. The production team was already waiting at the intersection. The director held a megaphone. “Welcome, Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye. The sky is already dark, we’ve been waiting for you two.”

Jiang Shi played along, “Who told you to pick such a remote place? If we got kidnapped, we wouldn’t even know the way back.”

The director said, “Before you go up the mountain, you two need to cooperate with the production team to check your luggage. Considering the professional issues of some guests, Cheng Ye can bring his phone, but yours, Jiang Shi, will be confiscated. Also, you can’t bring any food up.”

Jiang Shi already knew this rule before he came, so he hadn’t hidden any personal items in his suitcase. He generously pushed his luggage forward. “You can look.”

A staff member came up to check his suitcase and was a little surprised after looking. He really hadn’t brought anything.

Then it was Cheng Ye’s turn.

They looked at Cheng Ye’s black suitcase, which was identical to Jiang Shi’s, and for some reason, they were a bit silent. From their expressions, it seemed they were afraid of finding something they shouldn’t.

The director coughed. “CEO Cheng, there’s nothing in your suitcase that shouldn’t be seen, right?”

Besides them, everyone else was from the production team. The director lowered his voice. “If it’s inconvenient for you to have it checked, we can skip it.”

Jiang Shi: “???”

Wait, why?

Cheng Ye was also a bit puzzled. Those looks made him a little uncomfortable, so he simply pulled his suitcase forward.

“Go ahead and look.”

When he had no expression, his features were cold, and his gaze always made people feel a lot of pressure. The staff member braced himself and took a look, but didn’t find anything he shouldn’t have.

They were a little disappointed.

The director coughed again. “The production team has arranged a house for each couple. The houses are first-come, first-served. Since you two were the last to arrive, only one is left. And because you arrived too late, the ingredients have all been distributed, so your dinner ingredients…”

Jiang Shi didn’t mind.

Before he could say anything, the director stepped aside, revealing a winding mountain path behind him.

“This is the only path leading to the village. The journey is about twenty minutes. As you can see, the production team’s cars can’t go up, so you can only climb it yourselves.”

Jiang Shi looked up. The path was winding, with a slope of at least forty-five degrees.

“…”

Even though he was usually very Zen, at this moment he couldn’t help but curse, “Director, you guys are too inhuman. It’s so high, and we’re carrying luggage. How are we supposed to climb up?”

The director smiled. “There’s no other way. The other guests went up like this too.”

“Of course…” his tone changed. “We can also provide a luggage carrying service, five hundred yuan per trip. This money will be deducted from the money you earn in the next three months.”

He was being openly black-hearted.

Cheng Ye squatted down beside Jiang Shi and began to close the suitcases.

Jiang Shi asked the director curiously, “Did anyone buy it?”

The director smiled mysteriously. “That’s a secret.”

Cheng Ye said, “Let’s go, or we won’t be able to eat dinner on time.”

He was holding a jacket in his hand. He had wanted to put it on Jiang Shi, but there were too many people around, so he could only hand it to him. “There are a lot of mosquitoes at night. Put on a jacket.”

Jiang Shi reached out and took it, watching as Cheng Ye carried a suitcase in each hand and started up the winding path.

He quickly followed behind him. “Let me take one.”

Cheng Ye wouldn’t let go. “It’s not heavy.”

The path was full of stones. Jiang Shi had to watch his step. “Then why do you have that long face?”

Cheng Ye’s steps faltered. “I’m just unhappy. You’ve been tired all day, you should be resting well.”

Jiang Shi smiled. “You know the nature of variety shows. This is probably just an appetizer. It will only get more tiring later.”

The afterglow of the sunset faded behind them. The sky was in that state between dark and not-quite-dark. In the dim light, Jiang Shi’s face, smiling, made Cheng Ye’s heart skip a beat.

Cheng Ye stared at his face. “How about I carry you? If you hold on to my neck tightly, you won’t fall.”

Jiang Shi pointed to the two large suitcases in his hands. “Are you saying… you’ll carry two suitcases and me?”

Even a landlord wouldn’t dare to exploit a peasant like that.

Cheng Ye thought for a moment. “That’s true. This road is too steep. It’s not safe to carry you with the suitcases.”

He dropped the suitcases on the ground. “I’ll carry you up first, then come back down to get them.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Anyone who didn’t know would think he was disabled.

Jiang Shi said, “滚犊子 (gǔn dúzi).”

Cheng Ye was aggrieved. Cheng Ye silently picked up the suitcases.

The cameraman followed them from a distance. Someone was holding a light, so the road didn’t seem so dark.

Jiang Shi walked in front, and Cheng Ye followed closely behind him.

“Are you tired? Want to rest for a bit? We can walk slowly, or drink some water?”

Anyone who didn’t know would think Jiang Shi was the one carrying two suitcases up the slope.

Jiang Shi couldn’t take it anymore and gave him a shove. “CEO Cheng, what about your aloof persona?”

Cheng Ye said, “My persona is not as important as your comfort.”

“…”

Really, he couldn’t maintain it for a second. But Jiang Shi felt a warmth in his heart. He reached out and patted the man’s shoulder soothingly. “I’m not tired. Don’t you always tell me to exercise? This is just good exercise.”

It was a lie that he wasn’t tired. Jiang Shi was still a little weak. After climbing for more than ten minutes, he started to pant, but looking at the person beside him, he felt he could persist a little longer.

Persisting like this until he reached the top of the mountain, one look at the only house the production team had left for them, and Jiang Shi felt his world collapse.

To be honest, the dilapidated state of this house was no different from Cheng Ye’s old place.

Fortunately, the sponsor had provided bedding, and the bed inside was quite comfortable.

When the other guests arrived, they first complained about the environment for a while, and only thought about tidying up and eating after they had rested enough.

As soon as Cheng Ye arrived, he put down the luggage, glanced at the bed, settled Jiang Shi on it, and drank half a bottle of water. “I’ll go find something to eat.”

Jiang Shi hadn’t even caught his breath yet, and the man had already turned his back on him.

He glanced at the drafty window, couldn’t be bothered with anything, fell back, and felt like he and the bed were a couple.

For the guests’ reactions to be authentic, only cameras were installed in the house, with no staff around.

Reason told Jiang Shi that he should be following Cheng Ye’s steps now, going to find the other guests to beg for some food for the sake of the variety show’s effect.

But his body had already become one with the bed, and he couldn’t separate them at all.

He stayed there until he heard a sound at the door.

Jiang Shi had rested enough and struggled to get up.

This dilapidated house had no kitchen. The stove was in the yard. The light at the door was on, and Cheng Ye was squatting in front of the stove, starting a fire.

Jiang Shi came out, draping a jacket over his shoulders. “You got ingredients?”

Starting a fire, a task as difficult as climbing to the sky for others, was a two-minute job for Cheng Ye. He clapped his hands and showed Jiang Shi the bag in his hand.

Inside was a bag of flour, a piece of beef, and two tomatoes.

“Who did you ask for it?”

“Next door, I think his name is Sun Jiayu or something.”

“They were that kind?”

Cheng Ye said, “I told him I can cook.”

“…”

That was very tempting.

From a distance, a figure approached with a flashlight. Jiang Shi first saw his head of small curls, then a baby face.

Sun Jiayu smiled, revealing a canine tooth, and held a bowl in his hands. “Hello, Teacher Jiang. Hello, Brother Cheng. Is there anything I can do?”

Cheng Ye’s brows were furrowed. “Trouble you to find a stool in the house for me.”

Seeing the fire burning, Sun Jiayu felt that tonight’s dinner was definitely secured. He put down the bowl and scurried off to find a stool.

He handed the stool to Cheng Ye, who in turn placed it under Jiang Shi’s butt. “Sit.”

Jiang Shi, who was being pushed down by the shoulders to sit, and Sun Jiayu, who was standing in front of him, stared at each other.

Sun Jiayu wasn’t embarrassed either. He found a stool and sat next to Jiang Shi. “CEO Cheng seems a little different from what I imagined.”

His eyes were shining. “I didn’t expect him to be able to cook. Zhao Chuan and I arrived late and were only given this bag of ingredients. We were at a loss with that bag of flour. We were thinking of just lighting a fire and roasting that piece of beef.”

Jiang Shi smiled. “He is indeed a little different from others.”

In the time it took to say two sentences, Cheng Ye had already kneaded the dough.

At least the production team had some conscience. There was cooking oil and seasonings by the stove. Cheng Ye put the beef in the pot to cook first, covered it with a lid, washed his hands, and said, “If you want to eat dinner, help me watch the fire. Don’t let it go out.”

These words were clearly directed at Sun Jiayu.

Jiang Shi asked him, “Where are you going?”

Cheng Ye said, “No vegetables. I’ll go find some for you.”

In the middle of the night, Jiang Shi felt bad seeing him so busy. “Forget it. This is fine. As long as we can eat our fill.”

Cheng Ye went back into the house and came out with a bottle of mosquito repellent. He sprayed it on Jiang Shi, who was under the light. “It’ll be quick. I’ll be back in ten minutes. It’s too dark, the road is hard to walk. I won’t take you with me. Be good and sit here.”

Sun Jiayu obediently watched the fire, and only after seeing Cheng Ye’s back disappear did he say, “Is CEO Cheng going to ask the other groups for vegetables? They’ve probably all finished eating by now.”

Jiang Shi didn’t know where he was going to find vegetables. The direction he went didn’t seem to be towards the other groups’ places either.

After a while, Zhao Chuan also came.

Jiang Shi knew both of them, just not that well, so it wasn’t too awkward to be around them.

The big iron pot bubbled, and the aroma from the wooden lid made Sun Jiayu pace around in circles.

“It smells so good. When is Brother Cheng coming back?”

Cheng Ye’s phone was in Jiang Shi’s pocket. He checked it—one minute left until the ten-minute mark. He looked up. The production team’s light lit up not far away, and under the light, a tall man was walking over.

Jiang Shi stood up and saw a bag of green vegetables in Cheng Ye’s hand. Behind him was a cameraman with an indescribable expression.

“You really got vegetables?”

Cheng Ye’s expression was as usual. “Didn’t ask for them. Picked them myself.”

“Ah? You stole someone’s vegetables?”

“Wild vegetables. I saw them on the side of the road when we were coming up just now.”

Jiang Shi liked to eat vegetables. Cheng Ye couldn’t stand noodles without vegetables.

He squatted by the sink, washing the vegetables, his favoritism very obvious.

“This one is delicious. I’ll put it all in your bowl later. This one is bitter, give it to them. This one is old, the texture is not good, also for them.”

Zhao Chuan, who was just about to come over and help: “…”