Chapter 130: A Clash of Masters

8:00 PM, Country M.

The eight guests arrived one after another at Defu Valley in Laibei City, each taking a brief rest in their designated hotel rooms. Though all had reached the gathering point, they remained unseen to one another. Some were anxious to meet the others, some collapsed onto their beds in a deep sleep, some hummed happily while washing up, and others were busy with their minds racing at full speed.

Two hours later, all guests received a notification from the production team and were driven separately to the Fills Basin, not far from the hotel.

After a long and busy day of travel, the guests finally gathered together. As Lu Zhou stepped out of the car and saw the other six guests—whom he hadn't seen for the better part of the day—he felt a sudden, surreal sense of displacement. These faces, at this very moment, appeared excessively familiar.

What should he do? How should he act? With every step Lu Zhou took toward them, he was lost in thought.

Li Jiayan was gazing at Lu Zhou with deep affection. Despite her efforts to restrain herself, a hint of sorrow lingered in the depths of her eyes. How did his date go today? Was he happy? Satisfied? Did his heart stir? She felt incredibly uneasy. Although Zhang Chen had told her that Lu Zhou’s type was someone like her rather than Ye Fangfei, she still felt insecure, for Ye Fangfei was simply too outstanding. Did she still have a chance? She wanted to rush over and demand to know what he was truly thinking. Yet, his expression seemed inexplicably stern. And what about the way he looked at her? It was so profound that she couldn't decipher his thoughts. Why was he looking at her like that? Could it be that he was struggling with whom to choose? Perhaps? If he was struggling, it at least suggested she was still on his mind. As long as he still had her in his heart, that was enough, Li Jiayan told herself.

The look on Li Jiayan’s face did not escape Xu Junze. It was clear as day to him: she hadn't spent the day with Lu Zhou. He turned his gaze toward Chu Yao, whose expression was calm, a faint, ambiguous smile at the corners of her mouth as she watched Lu Zhou. What did that mean? He couldn't quite tell. His gaze shifted to Ye Fangfei; she, too, wore a blank expression, looking at no one in particular.

*So, did Chu Yao invite Lu Zhou on a date?* Xu Junze wondered. That didn't seem right; Wen Yiming had been with them all day. If Chu Yao had truly been the first-place winner with the opportunity for a helicopter date, then Wen Yiming should have had the right to invite another female guest, and he shouldn't have been traveling with them. Wait—the first-place winner has the right of choice... Could it be that Wen Yiming invited Chu Yao, was rejected, and then she invited Lu Zhou instead? What was going on? Chu Yao inviting Lu Zhou? Xu Junze felt his head spinning. He rubbed his temples, thinking he was losing his grip on the romantic entanglements of this show. *Best to just focus on my own career and watch how things unfold,* he decided.

Meanwhile, Chu Yao and Wen Yiming—whom Xu Junze had assumed were the winners—were in a completely different frame of mind. Wen Yiming noticed the flicker of anger in the eyes of Zhang Chen, the wealthy heir, directed at Lu Zhou. He was puzzled: why the anger? Looking at Li Jiayan, he saw the affectionate yet jealous gaze she cast toward her ex. *Oh? So these two didn't spend the day together either?* Could it be that Zhang Chen, as the first-place winner, failed to secure a date with Ye Fangfei? Was he rejected, and did Ye Fangfei turn around and invite Lu Zhou? As Wen Yiming pieced it together, everything suddenly became clear. So, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei had gone on a date! But why would Ye Fangfei invite Lu Zhou? Was she interested in him, or was she just trying to avoid Zhang Chen? The latter seemed more likely. Both were in the entertainment industry and would have plenty to talk about; if she didn't want to be pestered by Zhang Chen, inviting Lu Zhou made perfect sense.

As for Chu Yao, she was observing Lu Zhou’s expression. He seemed somewhat preoccupied, and she couldn't figure out why. Looking at Li Jiayan, she sensed a feeling of unwillingness; Chu Yao suspected that Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan had spent the day together and perhaps had some sort of falling out. Qi Jiajia shared the same sentiment. She didn't care who had taken the helicopter; she only cared about who Lu Zhou had spent his day with. Seeing the awkward tension between him and Li Jiayan, she guessed they had likely had a disagreement. This realization brought a small, secret sense of joy to Qi Jiajia.

Ye Fangfei remained calm, watching no one, silently savoring the strange sensation rising within her. It had only been two hours since they parted, yet she felt a subtle, fluttering excitement at the thought of being in the same space as him again. It was all too magical. How strange—she was acting unlike herself.

As everyone gathered, they greeted each other with practiced, casual smiles.

"Everyone, please look up at the sky," the production staff announced.

They all tilted their heads toward the night sky. In the deep darkness, stars glittered like a feast for the eyes, so beautiful it took one's breath away. Any photo taken here would look like a cinematic masterpiece.

"This is the Fills Basin, the best spot for stargazing," the staff explained. "You will spend the night here. How does it feel to sleep under the Milky Way? Isn't it romantic?"

The guests laughed. It would only be romantic if they were with the person they loved. With exes, third wheels, and competitors all around, how could it be romantic?

"We have prepared two large tents for you. You'll need to set them up yourselves. You'll be sleeping here tonight."

"We are quite close to Zali Cape, the best spot to watch the sunrise. For those interested in catching it, you can rest early tonight and head out around five tomorrow morning."

With instructions delivered, the staff stepped back. Next came the tent-building segment, where the male guests displayed their chivalry, taking on the labor so the women could rest.

Zhang Chen was unusually proactive, choosing to set up a tent with Lu Zhou, while Wen Yiming and Xu Junze took charge of the other.

"Where did you go today?" Zhang Chen asked in a low voice while working on the tent's rainfly.

Lu Zhou knew his intent. He smiled silently and replied, "Take a guess."

Zhang Chen was even more infuriated, wanting to pick up a tent pole and knock him out. "I know who you were with today."

"It's no surprise that you know," Lu Zhou replied, focusing on his work.

Zhang Chen gritted his teeth and paused, glancing at Ye Fangfei. The female guests were sitting in a row, chatting and watching the stars, unaware of the tension. He leaned toward Lu Zhou and whispered, "Why did you invite her? You denied being interested in her before, but now the truth is out, isn't it? This is a cowardly move—sneaking around and digging for someone else's treasure."

Lu Zhou turned to look at Zhang Chen. It was an open secret among the guests that Zhang Chen was a wealthy heir. Lu Zhou hadn't known exactly which tier of wealth he belonged to and hadn't cared to ask, only guessing his background was complex. But now, Lu Zhou knew—the two biggest investors in this program were the families of Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei. He had never understood why Zhang Chen, after only dating Ye Fangfei for three days, would keep pursuing her despite her clear rejections. Now he understood: it was a marriage alliance. Armed with this knowledge, Lu Zhou heard Zhang Chen’s accusations differently.

"Whose 'treasure' am I digging for? Isn't everyone here single?" Lu Zhou smiled at Zhang Chen and bent down to secure the pole.

Zhang Chen had no response. *Damn it, this is infuriating.*

"Don't slack off. Go secure that side," Lu Zhou directed.

Zhang Chen stomped over, secured the corner, and returned to Lu Zhou’s side. "Did you two have a good time today?"

"It was fine."

"You aren't right for her," Zhang Chen said, pouring cold water on the situation.

Lu Zhou hammered a stake into the ground, glanced at Ye Fangfei—who was lost in thought while looking at the sky—and replied with a low, "Oh."

*What he actually thought was: You are even less right for her than I am.*

Zhang Chen felt brushed off. What did "oh" mean? Was he admitting it? Admitting he wasn't right for her? Or was he being dismissive? *I hope Lu Zhou has some self-awareness.*

*Live stream comments:*
*[Lu Zhou: Oh, I think we're a perfect fit.]*
*[Lu Zhou: Whether we're a fit is none of your concern.]*
*[Zhang Chen: I'm going to die of anger.]*

Over by the female guests, Li Jiayan suddenly looked at Ye Fangfei and asked with a sweet smile if she would like to go for a walk. Ye Fangfei sensed that Li Jiayan wanted a private conversation and agreed.

They walked along the salt flat. In the dark, there was nothing to see but the stars. They couldn't see each other's expressions clearly, but Li Jiayan took the initiative to link arms with Ye Fangfei. Ye Fangfei was slightly stunned but didn't pull away. Her mood was complex, and she couldn't quite describe it. She guessed Li Jiayan’s motive for the walk easily enough. Throughout the show, Ye Fangfei hadn't been particularly close to any of the female guests, perhaps with the exception of Qi Jiajia. She and Li Jiayan had rarely chatted one-on-one. Today, she had gone on a date with Lu Zhou, and now his ex-girlfriend was seeking her out—Li Jiayan clearly knew who Lu Zhou had spent his day with.

"The bustling city skyscrapers by day, the starry sky of nature by night—this day has been quite dreamy," Li Jiayan sighed, looking up.

"Did you go shopping today?" Ye Fangfei asked with a smile.

"Yes, went to a shopper's paradise and bought a bag I liked." Li Jiayan turned to look at her. "Guess who I spent the day with?"

The implication was clear. "Zhang Chen?" Ye Fangfei played along.

"Haha, you're so smart, you guessed it right away." Li Jiayan praised her, then began to probe: "When he was with me today, he couldn't help but bring you up. His mind was full of who you were with, asking why you didn't get off at the station you agreed on... Haha, I've discovered he really likes you."

Ye Fangfei smiled slightly. "Is that so?"

"Yes, Zhang Chen is quite devoted to you; everyone has seen it. Actually, I'm a bit curious..." Li Jiayan hesitated, squeezing Ye Fangfei’s arm, and asked with a smile: "Since he’s so good to you, why did you only date for three days before breaking up? Logically speaking..."

"So, was he not good to you back then?" Ye Fangfei interrupted.

"Huh?" Li Jiayan was caught off guard. "Zhang Chen to me? You must have misunderstood..."

"Lu Zhou," Ye Fangfei said.

Li Jiayan froze, bit her lip, and after a moment of consideration, smiled sweetly. "He was very good to me—always, even now."

*Even now.*

Ye Fangfei looked up at the brightest star in the sky. "If he was so good, why did you break up?"

Li Jiayan fell silent. She realized the woman in front of her was not so easy to dismiss. "We didn't break up because of a lack of feelings. On the contrary, we were very close. We were just too young, and there were external factors. We had to part ways." She felt that if she wanted to win Lu Zhou back, she had to emphasize this, but she didn't want to reveal on air that their parents had opposed the relationship. Actually, she was grateful to Lu Zhou; in all his interviews, no matter how the staff pressed, he had never revealed the real reason for their breakup. He had clearly been protecting her family from public scrutiny. Such thoughtfulness made her believe he still cared for her.

"Zhang Chen and I didn't break up because of our feelings either," Ye Fangfei said, pulling her gaze from the stars.

In the darkness, Li Jiayan wore an expression that was hard to describe.

*Live stream comments:*
*[You really know how to play the game, haha.]*
*[Ye Fangfei: Because I had no feelings for him at all.]*
*[Zhang Chen: That stings.]*

Li Jiayan decided to stop beating around the bush. "Well, fate between men and women is hard to explain. Like Lu Zhou and me—our separation was forced. Before coming on the show, I thought years had passed and our feelings had faded into friendship. But after spending time together, I realized that wasn't true. The person who made your heart race back then will still make it race years later. That must be what they call 'destined fate'." Li Jiayan’s eyes overflowed with happiness. She patted Ye Fangfei’s arm. "Because I have such deep feelings, I told you about Zhang Chen today. I wanted to remind you not to let certain fates slip away, or you might regret it later."

Ye Fangfei smiled silently, finding it quite interesting. "You're right," she said, looking straight into Li Jiayan’s eyes.

*Live stream comments:*
*[???]*
*[Damn, Li Jiayan is a pro.]*
*[Ye Fangfei, you've been brainwashed, don't be silly!]*
*[Please don't break up the 'Fei-Zhou' couple!]*

They walked for a while longer, and upon hearing the commotion from the tents, they returned.

Lu Zhou looked at the two women. "The tents are ready. Ladies first, please pick one."

Ye Fangfei glanced at the two large tents and laughed. "Is there any difference between these two?"

Lu Zhou smiled. "The color."

Ye Fangfei: "..."

Li Jiayan giggled. "A huge difference."

Ultimately, the women chose the pink tent, leaving the blue one for the men. Before entering, Li Jiayan quietly approached Lu Zhou and poked his arm. "Are you going to get up for the sunrise tomorrow?"

"Not sure yet," Lu Zhou replied.

"You should. I heard it's beautiful," she said.

"If I can wake up, I will." Lu Zhou turned and entered the tent.

Li Jiayan watched his back. She had wanted to talk to him tonight, but she feared her emotions might get the better of her, so she let it go.