Chapter 95: Choosing Between Interests and Feelings

After several rounds of the game, the results were finally announced.

Among the female contestants, Qi Jiajia answered every question correctly, securing first place—a result that left her overjoyed. At last, she had a chance to prove herself! Last time, because she had to cooperate with her ex, Wen Yiming, she’d been seriously dragged down, leaving her in a passive position. This time, going solo, her knowledge and quick reflexes brought immediate positive feedback.

The next highest accuracy among the women went to Li Jiayan. In the first round, Li Jiayan and Chu Yao had tied, but after a tiebreaker, Li Jiayan narrowly won. Chu Yao took third place, while Ye Fangfei, for some reason, kept getting bizarre word-formation questions and, too lazy to cooperate, gave up on quite a few of them.

Since the choice tonight lay mainly in the hands of the women, the men’s side only needed to select a single winner. In this game, Zhang Chen, ever the bold competitor, finally took the lead, winning the right to refuse once—a small but meaningful gain in autonomy, even if it might not matter much.

Zhang Chen knew full well that Qi Jiajia wouldn’t choose him this time. But! Ye Fangfei had come in last, and ahead of her were Li Jiayan and Chu Yao—both of whom had previously chosen Zhang Chen enthusiastically on the show and had shown strong interest in him, even sparking some ambiguous chemistry. If both of them wanted to choose him, and he only had one chance to refuse, then he wouldn’t be able to partner with Ye Fangfei! That was the source of Zhang Chen’s anxiety.

What he didn’t realize, however, was that his worries were quite unfounded.

“Now it’s time to choose your travel partner for tomorrow,” the staff announced. “Ladies, please make your selections based on your game rankings.”

“Qi Jiajia, as the top scorer, you go first.”

The staff member’s voice echoed in the study. The men stood in a row opposite the women, both sides facing each other. Qi Jiajia, having been called, let her gaze fall sequentially on the four men before her.

There was no question—Zhang Chen was immediately dismissed in her mind. That left Wen Yiming, Xu Junze, and Lu Zhou.

Wen Yiming was her ex-boyfriend. She knew full well that they had a high degree of tacit understanding when traveling together; it was something they had proven before. As for Xu Junze and Lu Zhou, she’d gone on dates with both, but those outings had been too ordinary—just a single relaxed date was not enough to judge how well she might click with either of them as travel partners.

If it came down to attraction and chemistry, Lu Zhou was her natural first choice. From their very first date, he had made her feel at ease, and now, with a deeper understanding, she liked him even more.

But tomorrow’s journey would test the compatibility of each pair. Today’s reward for the most in-sync duo was a cover feature on EsBazaar Fashion Magazine. Who knew what tomorrow’s prize might be—it would likely be just as tempting.

And so, the dilemma: should she go with the partner whose compatibility was certain and maximize her chances for the prize, or follow her heart and risk missing out on the reward to see if another man was truly right for her?

Qi Jiajia was torn between gain and feeling—a classic conundrum. All eyes were on her, waiting for her decision.

The live-stream chat scrolled:

[It’s just a choice—does she have to think so hard about it?]
[Maybe she still doesn’t know where her heart lies.]
[Is she struggling over whether to pick Zhang Chen?]
[I think she’s debating about Wen Yiming.]
[This time it’s different—the show is dangling real incentives.]
[Such a test of human nature is fascinating.]
...

Qi Jiajia’s prolonged silence made Li Jiayan uneasy. She remembered the night before they’d left for M Country, when all the contestants had gathered in the Pink House, and Qi Jiajia had been so enthusiastic toward Lu Zhou. A woman’s intuition told her that Lu Zhou was most likely on Qi Jiajia’s shortlist.

Li Jiayan regretted not doing better in the game and missing out on first place—otherwise, she could have chosen Lu Zhou herself.

The staff prompted Qi Jiajia a second time. She intertwined her fingers and took a deep breath.

“Lu Zhou,” she said, raising her eyes to meet his, making her final choice.

The moment Li Jiayan heard Lu Zhou’s name, her heart thudded. She’d guessed right—Qi Jiajia liked Lu Zhou.

Her own gaze dimmed as she sighed quietly. Missing out on Lu Zhou twice in a row left her inexplicably frustrated.

After making her choice, Qi Jiajia finally felt at ease. She stopped worrying about rewards or chemistry and started looking forward to tomorrow’s journey with Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou, with no right of refusal, was simply assigned. He smiled at Qi Jiajia and nodded. “Looking forward to working with you,” he said.

Ye Fangfei slowly glanced up at him. Sensing her gaze, Lu Zhou turned and smiled at her. At that moment, Ye Fangfei realized that this man, though outwardly calm and unruffled, was not so easy to read.

The “Fei-Zhou” shippers in the live-stream chat wailed in agony:

[Ugh, why did Qi Jiajia have to pick Lu Zhou!]
[Boo hoo, Lu Zhou belongs with Ye Fangfei!]
[Sigh, my happiness is gone.]
...

“Li Jiayan, it’s your turn to choose,” the staff announced.

Her preferred partner taken, Li Jiayan was in a foul mood. She looked up at the remaining three men.

Xu Junze, her partner today, had performed quite well—he was considerate, though their physical stamina didn’t match. Today’s journey had made it clear to Li Jiayan that she was physically the weakest among the women. Xu Junze, for his part, was not the most robust among the men. As a pair, they always struggled with physical challenges and never really gained an advantage.

Since the man she wanted was already chosen, she decided to aim for tomorrow’s prize. She would pick the man most likely to help her win the award for best teamwork.

Her gaze passed over Xu Junze, then to Zhang Chen and Wen Yiming. At that moment, she noticed something amusing: as her eyes fell on Zhang Chen, he turned his head slightly and avoided her gaze.

Li Jiayan knew exactly what Zhang Chen meant by this little move. She almost laughed—he was being unnecessarily cautious, as she had no intention of choosing him. Everyone knew Zhang Chen was here to win Ye Fangfei back—why would she pick him?

“Wen Yiming,” Li Jiayan announced.

Xu Junze: “...”

He had assumed that with Lu Zhou gone, Li Jiayan would choose him. Her decision not to made him feel inevitably disappointed.

Wen Yiming looked over in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be chosen. Since learning about tonight’s team prize, Wen Yiming had shifted his focus; winning rewards was now just as important as creating buzzworthy romantic storylines. Qi Jiajia’s decision not to pick him, despite their proven compatibility and the high odds of winning, was a letdown—it showed she had feelings for Lu Zhou. Her hormones had overpowered her rationality, making her willingly forgo such a valuable prize.

Qi Jiajia, you really do have a one-track mind when it comes to love, he mused. And so, Wen Yiming concluded, the other women would likely do the same.

He and Chu Yao had worked together well today; if not for Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei’s better performance and larger fan base, he thought they might have won the award themselves. But Chu Yao seemed preoccupied with her ex, so he doubted she would pick him. As for Li Jiayan, she’d done well with Xu Junze today and had previously shown interest in Zhang Chen—choosing Wen Yiming seemed out of the question.

Wen Yiming had been prepared to be left unchosen, so when Li Jiayan said his name, he was both surprised and delighted. Of all the women, she was the one he liked best! She’d chosen him! He flashed her a brilliant smile, echoing Lu Zhou’s earlier words: “Looking forward to working with you!”

Li Jiayan smiled back. “Looking forward to working with you!”

The live-stream chat:

[Isn’t this a dating show? Why does it feel like business negotiations?]
[Li Jiayan’s smile looks tinged with disappointment—is it just me?]
[She must’ve wanted to pick Lu Zhou!]
...

“Chu Yao, it’s your turn to choose,” said the staff.

Only two men remained: Zhang Chen and Xu Junze—her ex and the man she’d liked early on in the show. Whom to pick?

Chu Yao didn’t look at them, her gaze unfocused as she pondered. Today, she’d caught herself feeling jealous seeing Xu Junze be so attentive to Li Jiayan. The thought that a man she’d once loved might have his heart stolen by another woman was hard to swallow.

Although she had no intention of getting back together with him—her pride wouldn’t allow it—that didn’t mean she hadn’t, in a moment of weakness, wanted to win him back. People are possessive by nature, and she recognized this as her own possessiveness at work.

Now, calmer, she thought she had acted rashly. Since they’d broken up, he had every right to pursue his own happiness. She’d refused to reconcile—she should let go with grace. If he liked Li Jiayan, or anyone else, it was no longer her concern. Yet today she’d failed to be so detached, even hinting to Xu Junze that she still had feelings for him... The cold, heartless image she’d built up was about to collapse.

If she chose him now, how would she save face? No, she couldn’t do it.

Having made up her mind, she answered, “Zhang Chen.”

As soon as she spoke, Zhang Chen looked up in surprise. He’d guessed right—Chu Yao would pick him! Thankfully, Li Jiayan had understood his intent and hadn’t chosen him, or things would have been risky indeed.

“Zhang Chen, you have one refusal. Will you accept Chu Yao’s choice, or do you have another preference?” the staff asked.

“Sorry, I refuse,” Zhang Chen said, glancing apologetically at Chu Yao but remaining firm.

Chu Yao: “...”

Everything had gone exactly as she expected.

“Chu Yao, your choice has been refused. Please choose again,” the staff prompted.

Xu Junze: “...”

“No need, right?” Chu Yao smiled. “Junze.”

Xu Junze forced a smile, feeling the situation was almost absurd. Yesterday he’d chosen Chu Yao and been rejected; today Chu Yao picked Zhang Chen, was refused, and he, the last one left, was passively paired with her. Even scripted variety shows wouldn’t dare write something so ridiculous.

“And finally, Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei automatically become tomorrow’s travel partners,” the staff announced.

Zhang Chen clenched his fist in excitement, resisting the urge to pump it in the air—it felt a bit foolish. Ye Fangfei merely arched a delicate brow, her face expressionless.

Meanwhile, Director Lin Jiale, watching from behind the cameras, finally relaxed and let out a deep sigh of relief. At last, those two were paired together! He could give an account to the sponsors. He’d been worried that if they couldn’t pair up after this, he’d have to privately arrange some scripts with the other contestants. Thankfully, Zhang Chen had finally pulled through. The opportunity was there—how things progressed would depend on Zhang Chen’s own efforts. Lin Jiale couldn’t help but look forward to their performance the next day.

In the live-stream chat:

[Tearing up—how long has Brother Zhang waited for this chance!]
[Effort pays off! Go, Zhang Chen!]
[His almost-smiling expression is too funny.]
[Finally, he’s made it!]
[Curious to see their dynamic together.]
...

With the game over and all the travel partners decided, the live broadcast ended, awaiting the next day’s journey.

After a tiring day, the contestants quickly headed to their rooms for a well-earned rest. Sore muscles and the boredom of being without their phones sent everyone to sleep swiftly.

Lu Zhou had a strange dream and woke up in the middle of the night, unusually alert. Melodies flitted through his mind, inspiring but chaotic. The night was still; from the neighboring bed, Zhang Chen’s low snores hinted at exhaustion.

Lu Zhou rubbed his eyes, got up, and decided to get some fresh air. As soon as he left the presidential suite, a cameraman followed him at a discreet distance. Show rules allowed contestants to wander, but not to go far or access the internet.

He wandered to the hotel’s main entrance. At that hour, the place was deserted. He sat by the fountain, gazing up at the night sky, lost in thought.

“Lu Zhou?”

He was startled by a familiar voice behind him. Turning, he saw Nan Qiao in a denim dress at the hotel entrance, accompanied by Deputy Director Liu Wenjie.

“???” Lu Zhou looked puzzled.

He stood up and greeted them politely. “Sister Nan, what brings you here?”

“I happened to be passing through Orgone today and heard your show was filming here, so I dropped by to visit the directors,” Nan Qiao replied with a smile.

“What a coincidence,” Lu Zhou said.

“Indeed.” Nan Qiao looked at him and asked, “Why are you out here alone so late? Can’t sleep?”

“I woke up suddenly and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I came out for some air,” Lu Zhou replied.

Deputy Director Liu Wenjie teased, “With today’s strenuous activities, you still have energy left? Or are you worrying about how to win over your beloved?”

Lu Zhou smiled. “Director Liu, you do like to joke.”

Nan Qiao laughed along, glancing at Lu Zhou. Not wanting to intrude, Lu Zhou chatted briefly, then excused himself and left.

As he walked away, he overheard Liu Wenjie’s low voice to Nan Qiao: “You have a good eye for people. The one you recommended for our show is outstanding—he’s surprised me.”

Nan Qiao chuckled softly. “Of course. If he weren’t promising, would I have bothered to trouble you? I wouldn’t want to make you look bad. I hope you can continue to look after him.”

“You’re quite the talent scout, aren’t you?”

“Haha, not at all.”

Before heading back inside, Lu Zhou glanced back at Nan Qiao, gratitude in his eyes. At that moment, Nan Qiao looked over too, and their gazes met. She gave him a radiant smile.

Suddenly, Lu Zhou felt her gaze had changed from before, though he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

Thanks to Neighboring Beast for tipping 300 Qidian coins.