Chapter 71: Thoughts Before Departure (Including Reflections on Academic Results)

Compared to the musical revelry inside the villa, the interview room was an entirely different scene.

“While you were dating your ex, did the two of you ever go on a long trip together?”

In the isolated, enclosed interview room, a staff member hidden behind the camera asked the first question, notebook in hand.

Zhang Chen, sitting in front of the camera, swallowed and tried to control his expression.

“We’d only been officially together for three days. Where do you think we could have gone for a long trip?” he replied, answering with a question of his own.

“… Fair point,” the staff muttered.

“Then did you ever travel together at all? Short trips count too.”

“No, all three days of our dates took place within the city,” Zhang Chen answered truthfully.

The staff glanced down at their notebook, realizing this couple’s situation was too unique—many questions suddenly seemed pointless.

“You’re leaving tomorrow. How do you feel right now?”

“Very excited. I hope tomorrow comes quickly.”

“So do you think you and your ex might grow closer during this trip?”

“Of course. To be honest, I haven’t traveled with her before, but I love traveling. I believe this trip will warm up our relationship.”

“In this age of advanced mobile internet, do you think you’ll feel anxious without your phone or the internet for a day?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never gone a whole day without them. If the journey is too dull, I’ll probably get anxious, but I doubt your trip will be boring, right?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

With that, Zhang Chen’s interview concluded.

In the adjacent interview room, another guest was being questioned: Wen Yiming.

“A long trip?”

Wen Yiming smiled when he heard the first question. “Of course. We traveled together quite often. In fact, we met by chance during an overseas trip.”

“Were you two in sync during those travels?” the staff continued.

“Very much so. Our travel memories are some of the sweetest—more nostalgic than daily life.”

As Wen Yiming recalled those days spent traveling with Qi Jiajia, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Did you ever have disagreements on your trips?”

“Of course, but not often. I think we only argued once, and we made up within an hour.”

He remembered these details quite clearly.

“If you find that you still get along seamlessly on this trip, do you think you might get back together?”

Wen Yiming paused, his smile turning a little bitter. “I don’t think so. We make great travel partners, but life isn’t always a journey. How we interact when we return to everyday routine is what really matters.”

His clarity about their relationship was unmistakable.

“You’re leaving tomorrow for a trip without phones or the internet. How do you feel? Which female guest are you most looking forward to seeing during the journey?”

“Truthfully, I’m a little nervous. I’m addicted to my phone and have never been without it for long. As for who I’m most looking forward to—my feelings aren’t settled, so I’m curious about everyone.”

With that, Wen Yiming’s interview ended.

He returned to the main villa, finding everyone singing excitedly in the living room. Was this a burst of adrenaline before the journey?

He had been deep in thought on his way back, and now, wanting to talk privately with Qi Jiajia, he found she wasn’t there.

At that moment, Qi Jiajia was being interviewed by the staff.

Her answers to similar questions matched Wen Yiming’s, except for the question about being without a phone, where her perspective differed.

“Maybe it’s a professional habit, but I often set aside my phone—while studying or working intensely on translation projects, I’m often completely cut off from my phone and the internet.”

“So, for me, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”

Meanwhile, Chu Yao was also being interviewed in the adjacent room.

“We traveled together before, but it was mostly for work, so technically, those were business trips,” she replied when asked about traveling with her ex.

“Why not plan a sweet, personal trip for just the two of you?”

“We thought about it, but work kept us busy, so we put it off, and eventually… we broke up,” Chu Yao admitted honestly.

“Did you ever have disagreements while traveling?”

“Work-related ones, yes; otherwise, rarely.”

“Were your trips domestic or overseas?”

“Domestic.”

“How do you feel about this upcoming international trip?”

Chu Yao pondered for a while before smiling. “No special expectations, really—just hope to have fun.”

“Do you think travel is a test for a couple’s relationship?”

“It depends on the difficulty. If it’s a relaxed trip, I don’t think it tests much. If it’s full of challenges, then it’s definitely a test.”

“Do you think our show’s journey will be relaxed?”

Chu Yao laughed. “I have a feeling it won’t be.”

Her interview ended there.

On her way back, she bumped into Xu Junze, who was just being called in for his interview.

“What kind of questions? Are they tough?” Xu Junze greeted her casually.

“They’re fine,” Chu Yao replied with a smile as they passed each other.

Xu Junze sighed and entered the interview room. The questions and answers were much the same—this pair of exes seemed quite in sync, judging by their responses.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Lu Zhou was being interviewed.

“Back then, we were only eighteen or nineteen and flat broke. How could we afford long trips? At most, we visited local attractions.”

“But you know there’s such a thing as budget travel, right?” the staff countered.

Lu Zhou paused, then laughed. “Of course I know, but back then, I wasn’t planning to break up.”

“Huh? What does that have to do with it?”

He raised an eyebrow. “At eighteen or nineteen, you’re craving romance. Budget travel is tough—it can easily wear down a sweet relationship with hardship and arguments. So, yes, it does relate to breaking up.”

“…True.”

“Of course, some people find budget travel more romantic and think it strengthens relationships, but it’s a risk I wasn’t willing to take back then.”

“Just so you know, our trip is a bit like budget travel. Think you can handle it?”

“I think I can—I’ve grown up, after all.”

“Are you looking forward to traveling abroad with your ex?”

“I’ve never been out of the country before. I’m excited.”

“What if you and your ex get along really well during this trip? Would you consider getting back together?”

“You’re asking this now? Doesn’t that clash with the final episode’s theme?” Lu Zhou pointed out.

“…Good point.”

Seeing he had no more questions, the staff let him go.

At the same time, Li Jiayan’s interview was underway.

Asked about traveling, she smiled. “We never traveled far together—it’s a regret. But this show gives me a chance to make up for it.”

“Aren’t you worried about arguing with him during the trip?”

“Argue? If we do, I’d actually look forward to it—I’ve never had a real argument with him,” Li Jiayan laughed.

“Never?”

“Not that I remember. Even when we broke up, we just made the decision, hugged, and cried—there was no argument.”

“Sounds like your relationship was pretty sweet.”

“It was our first love—we hadn’t faced real-life worries yet,” she replied, smiling.

“You leave tomorrow. How do you feel?”

“Happy, excited, nervous, and expectant,” she answered, eight words in total.

“You’ll have to put your phone away for this trip. Think you’ll adapt?”

“Maybe not, but it’s fine—we’ll have everyone together. I think it’ll be fun.”

The last to be interviewed was Ye Fangfei. Hers was brief.

“Are you looking forward to traveling with Zhang Chen?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you’ll have disagreements during the trip?”

“Absolutely.”

“Why so certain? You might get along well.”

“Just a feeling.”

“…If you have a great experience with him, would you consider getting back together?”

“That’s a question for my future self.”

The staff struggled to get any sparks from this conversation and ended the interview.

On her way back to the villa’s main house, Ye Fangfei happened to notice Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia speaking quietly together in a dim corner outside. She only raised an eyebrow, uninterested in gossip, and went inside.

There, in the shadowy corner, Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia stood side by side without looking at each other. Wen Yiming had asked her to come out.

“The show will be livestreamed soon. Once it’s out there, there’s no taking it back,” Wen Yiming said softly, glancing around.

“I hope we can behave peacefully during the trip—give each other some dignity. There’s no need to escalate things just because of the breakup. It does neither of us any good, don’t you think?”

“Are you implying I was the one escalating things on the show before?” Qi Jiajia raised an eyebrow, turning to question him.

“That’s not what I meant! See, you’re twisting my words again.”

Annoyed, Wen Yiming’s voice rose before he caught himself and lowered it.

“Everyone’s seen the main episodes by now. Whether it’s pre- or post-interviews, our interactions don’t look good to the audience. You can’t deny that.”

Qi Jiajia took a deep breath, then nodded.

“If we make a scene on camera, it’ll hurt our online image. Let’s be honest—not many people join this show just for love. Everyone has their ambitions—including you, including me.”

He leaned a little closer, voice dropping again.

“If we want more attention, we need to manage our image. Don’t you agree? Because we’re exes, anything you say about me on the show affects me, and vice versa. Livestreaming is no joke. I hope we can agree on this. You can chase whoever you want, but when it comes to me, let’s show each other some respect—I’ll do the same.”

Qi Jiajia listened in silence for a long while.

“Why are you quiet? You don’t agree?” Wen Yiming frowned.

She sighed, looking up at him. “It’s not that I disagree. You’re right. I’m just… a bit emotional.”

“About what?”

“Are you forgetting we used to be the best travel partners?” Her words stung a little.

“We haven’t even left yet, and you already assume we’ll clash? But when we traveled before, we hardly ever disagreed.”

“You’ve forgotten,” she concluded.

Wen Yiming rubbed his forehead, sometimes frustrated by how unpredictable women could be.

“I haven’t forgotten. I just said in my interview that our happiest memories were from traveling together. If you don’t believe me, watch the show.”

“But being in sync in the past doesn’t mean we always will be. This trip is different—it’s arranged by the show. Who knows what they’ll throw at us? Everything’s unknown. I just wanted to remind you.”

“Don’t use your assumptions to draw conclusions. And right now you’re biased against me—don’t you realize?”

He was getting worked up again, barely holding back.

Qi Jiajia bit her lip, disliking his accusatory tone.

“You’re right—anything can happen. Many things may be out of our control. But I agree: as long as we can, let’s give each other some face. You should, too.”

“Good. We have an agreement, then.”

She murmured her assent and turned to go inside.

Upstairs, Ye Fangfei had called Lu Zhou out onto the balcony for a private conversation.

Lu Zhou was puzzled.

Ye Fangfei’s outfit was youthful and vibrant—she seemed entirely approachable, with none of the airs of a superstar.

Not knowing what she wanted, Lu Zhou picked a chair, and they sat down together. In the distance, the pool glowed faintly. Lu Zhou suddenly remembered their first meeting beside the pool—a scene that hadn’t made it into the main episodes.

Lost in thought, he was brought back by Ye Fangfei’s pleasant voice.

“My management contract is with Huaxuan Music. You knew that, right?”

Lu Zhou hesitated, even more confused, and nodded. “I knew.”

“Hmm…” Ye Fangfei twisted a lock of her wavy hair around her finger, as if unsure how to continue.

He smiled. “Just say it.”

Finally, she stopped playing with her hair, looked straight at him, and said bluntly, “Fine, I’ll just be direct. Huaxuan Music wants to sign you. They asked me to see what you think.”

Lu Zhou raised his eyebrows. “I thought I’d made myself clear in my previous talks with them?”

“Oh, so you already turned them down once?” She hadn’t known that.

“Yes, I did.”

“I see.” Ye Fangfei nodded thoughtfully, then said, “You know Huaxuan Music is top-tier in the domestic entertainment industry, right?”

“I know.”

“Aren’t you short on resources?”

“I am.”

“Then why refuse? You must really value your freedom.”

Lu Zhou chuckled, glancing at her. “You’re not very persuasive, you know.”

She laughed, a little exasperated. “I’m really not good at convincing people. I don’t know why they gave me this task.”

“Rumor has it that you never blindly follow your company’s orders. So why take on a task unrelated to your own business?” he teased.

“So that’s what people say about me?” she replied, sprawling out in her chair, giving up on persuasion altogether.

“I honestly wouldn’t have bothered, but seeing you play piano earlier really impressed me. Then I remembered the company’s request, so I thought I’d just ask if you wanted to join Huaxuan as my junior.”

Now that she knew Lu Zhou’s attitude, she relaxed completely, her tone gaining a playful edge.

Hearing the words “junior,” Lu Zhou’s lips curled into a smile.

“Aren’t you afraid of getting old?” he joked.

“What?” Ye Fangfei blinked, not following.

“Calling you ‘Senior Ye’—wouldn’t that make you feel old?”

She finally got it, let out a tiny snort, stood up, and said, “Then you’d better not join Huaxuan, Brother Lu!”

With that, she headed back inside.

Lu Zhou watched her leave, the corners of his lips lifting unconsciously.

This scene was caught by Zhang Chen, who happened to be passing the living room on the second floor and saw them through the floor-to-ceiling window.

To all the dedicated readers, a quick report on the book’s launch performance: our first subscription count is 2,300! For such a niche book that hasn’t even reached 10,000 total collections, this sub rate is enough to move me to tears. Thank you so much for your support!

Because the book didn’t make it into the previous round of promotion, I would have had to wait two more weeks to launch if I’d waited for the next round. With negative comments piling up in the reviews, I lost confidence and decided not to wait. When I got the notification, it was so last minute that I had no time to prepare extra chapters in advance. I’ve been writing day by day, with no stockpile—so I launched without warning, knowing I couldn’t do a big update burst. I’m a bit embarrassed, but I snuck the book online anyway.

I wanted to do more, but even at full effort, I could only manage 8,000 words a day—my mind and hands just can’t keep up! I hope you won’t mind the slow updates. Please keep supporting this struggling writer. Thank you again to everyone who’s tipped, voted, and subscribed. Love you all!