Chapter 125 Why Did You Ask Me Out?

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The long night finally passed, and the eastern horizon greeted the pale light of dawn.

Li Jiayan had woken early. She got out of bed and tried on a whole pile of clothes from her suitcase, eventually choosing the one she felt looked best. Then she spent a long time applying an exquisite makeup look.

At that moment, her heart was fluttering with excitement and anticipation, though there was also a faint trace of confusion.

Wasn’t she supposed to take a helicopter today to whichever city she wanted for a date? Why hadn’t the production crew come to ask her which city she wanted to visit?

Could something have changed?

Yet after she had chosen Lu Zhou as her date for the day the previous evening, she had received no further notice from the production crew.

Lu Zhou had also come in first and possessed the right to choose. Logically speaking, if he had not chosen her for the date, the production crew would certainly have come and told her, wouldn’t they?

But they hadn’t.

Since no one had informed her otherwise, Lu Zhou must have chosen her too.

Perhaps the production crew intended for them to meet in secret first and then decide together where to go?

After sorting through the possibilities, Li Jiayan decided there was nothing wrong with the arrangement and waited eagerly for the production crew’s next announcement.

At seven-thirty, all the guests gathered outside the guesthouse with their belongings packed.

Apart from those looking forward to their secret dates, none of the others knew what they were about to do. They all covertly observed one another, trying to guess who might be going on a date that day.

Yet every single person wore an expressionless face. Their acting was so good that they were impossible to read. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought that the people standing there were all accomplished actors.

“Your journey on Black Island has come to an end today. You are about to embark on a new journey.”

A staff member’s voice rang out, interrupting the guests’ detective work.

“Today, each of you will travel alone on a comfortable express train that will pass through several cities. During the journey, you may choose any station that interests you and get off there.”

“Please note: guests who get off at the same station will travel together for the rest of the day. The production crew will provide you with a certain amount of travel funding, which you may use to plan your own activities.”

“If you are the only person to get off at your chosen station, you will begin a solo journey today.”

After the rules for the day’s trip were announced, the guests all frowned.

Li Jiayan: “???”

Was she supposed to do this too? Wasn’t she meant to take a helicopter to a secret date with Lu Zhou?

The more she listened to the rules, the more uneasy she became.

“According to what you just said, if everyone gets off at the same station, won’t we all end up spending the day together?” Zhang Chen asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the staff member replied. “If you all happen to be that perfectly in sync, it would be a shame not to spend the day together.”

Zhang Chen: “…”

He had wanted to beat up this staff member since yesterday.

Zhang Chen suddenly approached Ye Fangfei and said softly, “Fangfei, why don’t we agree in advance to get off at the first station together?”

Ye Fangfei pressed her lips together without replying.

Under the staff’s arrangements, all the guests were driven separately to the train station. Holding their tickets, they boarded different carriages.

Li Jiayan found the situation increasingly strange. What exactly was going on?

But when she boarded the train, she saw that Lu Zhou had boarded it as well.

Everyone was on the same train, only in different carriages.

Not knowing what the production crew was plotting, they could only follow the arrangements.

The train departed. The staff then gave everyone a map showing all the stations along the route so that they could decide in advance where they wanted to get off.

“Do I have to choose a station myself too?” Li Jiayan finally asked the staff member about the question that had been troubling her.

“If you haven’t received any other instructions, then yes,” the staff member filming her replied.

“What other instructions? I didn’t receive any.” Li Jiayan’s brows drew together slightly. Although she already had an answer in mind, she was unwilling to believe it and continued pressing for clarification. “I came in first yesterday, and I invited Lu Zhou on a date today…”

“First place gives you the right to choose,” the staff member reminded her.

“So you’re saying that he didn’t choose me.” A flash of disappointment crossed Li Jiayan’s eyes. “Who did he invite?”

The staff member did not answer.

Li Jiayan pressed her red lips tightly together, gave a bitter smile, and sank back against the train seat.

She gazed out of the window, finding the sight somewhat ironic.

Lu Zhou had invited another woman on a secret date while rejecting her invitation.

Who had he chosen? Li Jiayan ran through the names of all the other female guests in her mind.

Where the camera could not see, her five fingers curled slightly.

Perhaps she had pursued him too aggressively. It had made her seem cheap, while giving him a greater curiosity about the other women.

It seemed that men still needed to be kept on a little suspense.

Her gaze returned to the route map. Now that she knew the truth, Li Jiayan had lost all interest in the day’s trip.

She suddenly wanted to be alone for a while, so she decided to get off at the first station. She thought most people would not readily choose the first stop.

The others on the same train, however, had different ideas.

Following the agreement he had made with Ye Fangfei before departure, Zhang Chen chose Goyadon Station, the first stop.

He wasn’t sure which station Ye Fangfei would choose, so he thought it safest to stick to the first stop they had agreed on. Hopefully, she would listen and choose it too.

But when the train reached the first station, the person Zhang Chen saw after getting off was Li Jiayan.

The two stared at each other for a moment, both rendered speechless by the way fate had arranged things.

“Why did you choose this station?” Li Jiayan asked irritably. She had misjudged the situation too many times today and only wanted to be alone in peace.

“I agreed with Fangfei that we would get off at the first station.” Zhang Chen looked at the train as it gradually disappeared into the distance.

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“Clearly, you didn’t agree on anything,” Li Jiayan said, glancing at the rear of the train.

Your Ye Fangfei probably isn’t even on this train anymore, she thought.

Zhang Chen felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart. His emotions surged, and he couldn’t help retorting, “It seems you didn’t agree on anything either.”

Li Jiayan: “…”

Would they be able to enjoy the day peacefully at all?

A staff member handed the two of them an envelope containing all their travel funds for the day. They would have to decide for themselves where to go and what to do.

“Where do you want to go?” Li Jiayan asked.

“Me? I’m sick of Goyadon. There’s nowhere in particular I want to visit. Honestly, I’d rather find a hotel and sleep.” Zhang Chen yawned. “You decide. Go wherever you want. I’ll let you handle the money.”

“Why don’t we split it in half, then? You can find your hotel and sleep, while I wander around somewhere else,” Li Jiayan suggested.

Zhang Chen stared at her in astonishment, his mouth falling open slightly.

Livestream comments—

[Hahaha, Li Jiayan, you really are something!]

[There’s something strangely entertaining about these two together.]

[They’re both still hung up on their exes.]

[I used to ship them when the show first began. What a pity…]

[I’m suddenly feeling like this couple might still be worth shipping.]

…

“You just don’t want to spend time with me, do you?” Zhang Chen asked angrily. What was wrong with him? Why did none of the women want to spend the day with him?

He was Zhang Chen, for heaven’s sake. Was he really being excluded by women on a dating show?

This was something he never thought he’d live to see. He was actually being rejected by women?

“That’s not what I meant.” Since they were live, Li Jiayan couldn’t very well admit it to his face. She smiled and said, “Today is supposed to be arranged freely. You want to sleep in a hotel, while I have no need for that. It wouldn’t be right to force you to accompany me to attractions you’re already tired of. So wouldn’t it be best for us to split up?”

“Split up? What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear the rules? The people who get off at the same station have to travel together.” After hearing her explanation, Zhang Chen’s anger eased a little. “I was only saying I wanted to sleep in a hotel. You actually took me seriously? Wherever you want to go, I’ll go with you.”

“Oh.” Once Li Jiayan realized she could not get rid of Zhang Chen, she gave up. She unfolded a tourist map of Goyadon and stared at it in bewilderment. “But I don’t know what there is to do here either.”

Zhang Chen smiled, slipped both hands into his pockets, and headed out of the station.

“Come on. I’ll show you around properly today.”

Li Jiayan: “…”

Livestream comments—

[Why do I hear a hint of indulgence in his voice?]

[Without Ye Fangfei beside him, Brother Zhang’s aura is overwhelming.]

[Zhang is suddenly so charming now that he’s not acting like a lovesick puppy.]

…

The express train continued on toward its next station: the City That Never Sleeps.

Wen Yiming was the first to get off. He had not bothered to wonder who else might choose this station. He simply wanted to spend the day exploring the city.

Yet the choices made without much thought were often the ones chosen by the greatest number of people.

Xu Junze also got off at this station. The moment Wen Yiming saw him, he let out a snort of laughter.

“No way. Are the two of us big men really going on a date today?”

Xu Junze laughed as well. “The chemistry is explosive!”

However, before long, the smile on Wen Yiming’s face stiffened slightly, because he saw Qi Jiajia getting off from another carriage.

When Qi Jiajia saw him, she had not yet noticed Xu Junze. Assuming that she and Wen Yiming would be the only two spending the day together, she frowned. Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Xu Junze standing not far from Wen Yiming.

Xu Junze saw Qi Jiajia too, and an awkward look crossed his face.

Uh… One ex-couple with him stuck in the middle. He had to admit, this fated arrangement was something else.

…

The train continued forward. Chu Yao sat for a long time, eventually falling asleep on board. When she woke up, the train had already reached its final station.

She got off at Saniton and discovered that she was the only person who had chosen the station.

With the funds provided by the production crew, Chu Yao began a solo journey. She suddenly felt incomparably refreshed. She could take her time, without worrying about anyone else’s feelings, without letting an ex disrupt her mood, and without having to guess what other people were thinking.

She felt as though she had regained her peace.

…

Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei initially boarded different carriages of the train. But shortly before the train departed, they each received another notice from the production crew instructing them to get off and take separate cars to the airport.

When they arrived, Ye Fangfei saw Lu Zhou waiting beside a helicopter in the distance. His hands were tucked into his pockets, the corners of his lips curved in a handsome smile, and his gaze was fixed in her direction.

She paused slightly, her willow-shaped brows lifting gently.

So it really was him.

For a moment, she could not quite describe what she was feeling. Her emotions were tangled and complicated: there was a small joy at having guessed correctly, a calmness born of expectation, a trace of confusion, and even a hint of disappointment at seeing through his little scheme.

“What? You didn’t expect it to be me?”

Seeing her hesitant steps, Lu Zhou smiled and walked toward her, breaking the silence between them first.

“I had a feeling.” When he approached, Ye Fangfei cast aside the jumble of thoughts in her mind. “So did you two clear the Claw Valley Maze directly yesterday and come in first?”

“Yes.”

“You two are impressive. We couldn’t clear it and had to switch locations in the end.” Ye Fangfei shifted her gaze to the helicopter behind him and replied casually.

Her answer was decidedly perfunctory.

Lu Zhou lowered his eyes to study her expression and caught the way she avoided his gaze.

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From the time they had been assigned as partners yesterday until this morning, the two of them had barely spoken. Lu Zhou wondered whether it was merely his imagination, but he felt that she was no longer as relaxed and uninhibited around him as she had been before.

A faint, indescribable tension seemed to linger between them.

“So what place did you get?” he asked with a smile, trying to open the conversation on a lighter note.

Ye Fangfei looked back at him. “Weren’t the rankings supposed to be kept secret?”

“You’re already out traveling with the person who came in first. How much meaning does secrecy still have?” Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow.

“Humph.” Ye Fangfei inexplicably felt that he was being smug. Yet what he said was not without reason, so she lifted her chin slightly and said, “I came in first too.”

Lu Zhou gave a helpless laugh. “Got it.”

“Shall we go?” Ye Fangfei turned and prepared to board the helicopter.

“We haven’t even decided where we’re going.”

“Hm?” Ye Fangfei looked back at him. “Wasn’t it the City of Angels?”

“Where in the City of Angels?” Lu Zhou shook the map in his hand. “It’s a huge city. We need somewhere specific to land, don’t we? Or did you want to tour the whole city from the air?”

“I thought you had already decided.” Ye Fangfei took the map from him and skimmed it. “Don’t you have any ideas? Where do you want to go?”

“I want to go wherever you want to go,” he replied without hesitation.

Ye Fangfei paused. Without changing expression, she continued studying the map and answered without looking up, “You certainly know how to use words.”

Lu Zhou pressed his lips together in a quiet smile, his gaze fixed on every subtle change in her expression.

A moment later, Ye Fangfei raised her index finger and circled a location on the map.

“Then let’s go to Haribu Harbor.”

With that, she stuffed the map back into Lu Zhou’s hands.

“All right.” Lu Zhou took the map, found the corresponding location, and studied its position. “May I ask why you chose this place?”

“Beautiful, comfortable, and relaxing.”

Ye Fangfei answered with three adjectives almost without thinking.

“There’s nothing much to do downtown, and it’s crowded. The surroundings here are more pleasant.”

“If you’re okay with it, we can request an RV and drive all the way along Highway Nine. The scenery is beautiful, and it’s a wonderful place to find inspiration.”

“Okay.” Lu Zhou gave his answer with a direct smile.

Ye Fangfei looked at him for a moment before raising an eyebrow.

“Why do I feel that something isn’t quite right?”

“What?”

“I chose the city, and I planned the route. So who exactly asked whom out today?”

“I asked you out.” Lu Zhou’s lips curved into a smile. “The important thing is that we have fun. It doesn’t matter who makes the plans.”

“By the way, why did you invite me?” Ye Fangfei suddenly asked.

The question caught him off guard. Lu Zhou froze slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

The air fell briefly silent.

The silence made Ye Fangfei realize that she had asked an awkward question. A smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

“Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have asked that. I take it back.”

As she spoke, she turned around and prepared to board the helicopter.

“Because I feel happiest when I’m with you. I want to have a good day today, and I hope my choice hasn’t affected your mood.”

Lu Zhou’s voice rang out at that moment—not loud, not soft, just enough for her to hear.

Ye Fangfei’s figure stiffened slightly. Then she slowly turned back to look at him.

They gazed at each other for a moment.

“It has affected me.”

Then she added, “But in a positive way.”

The corners of her lips curved upward.

“Thank you for letting me go somewhere I wanted to visit today.”

Ye Fangfei left him with that sentence, then turned and boarded the helicopter without hesitation.

Behind her, Lu Zhou smiled silently.

Livestream comments—

[Ahhh! They’re about to start showering everyone with romance!]

[It’s mutual!]

[Does this count as confessing their feelings?]

[I’m shipping them first and asking questions later!]

…

Thanks to reader 20220519143852253 for the reward of 100 starting coins.

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