RSDH CH10

The pre-trip vows to one’s partner on the eve of the journey were akin to wedding vows, where both parties had to recite from a script. It was a traditional ceremony of Companionship Along the Way, only this season added an extra line compared to the last: “I love you.”

Duan Xingye seemed to have a mental block in this department.

“Just put yourself in the shoes of a couple passionately in love,” Sister Yu was still trying to persuade him on the way to Vanke Metropolis. “Isn’t this kind of thing pretty romantic?”

Duan Xingye: “I’m allergic to romance.”

“…”

Sister Yu felt utterly hopeless: “Is there anyone on earth who can tame you, my living ancestor?”

In the afternoon, the crew from Companionship Along the Way was coming to install cameras to prepare for the evening’s livestream, so someone needed to be home.

Cheng Duzhou hadn’t said anything in the work group chat, and Duan Xingye couldn’t be bothered to contact him, so he simply clocked out early.

Not long after Duan Xingye arrived home, the technical team knocked on the door.

The follow-up director for their pair arrived as well, greeting him immediately: “Teacher Duan, is the cue script all right?”

The indoor air conditioning and underfloor heating took time to warm up the place, so Duan Xingye held a mug to warm his hands: “Can guests improvise their vows freely?”

“Of course, absolutely,” the follow-up director agreed eagerly. “As long as you don’t forget to add ‘I love you’ at the end, that’s all that matters.”

“…” Duan Xingye said deadpan, “To be frank, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

The follow-up director was taken aback: “Why, Teacher Duan?”

Amidst the rising steam, Duan Xingye lowered his eyes and said, “There are some things Cheng Duzhou understands even if I don’t say them. Besides, I can’t bring myself to say it out loud.”

If there’s no love, there’s no love.

Say “I love you” to Cheng Duzhou? In his wildest dreams.

Duan Xingye’s words were intentionally misleading, and sure enough, the director misunderstood: “Aiya, you youngsters are still so reserved…”

Before he could finish, the director suddenly looked toward the front door, his eyes lighting up: “Hey, President Cheng, perfect timing!”

Duan Xingye froze. Without looking back, he cleared his throat to prevent the director from running his mouth: “Never mind, I…”

But the follow-up director had already raised his booming voice, loud and resonant enough for the entire apartment to hear:

“Teacher Duan loves you so much it’s hard to put into words!!!”

“…………”

The crew members bustling back and forth carrying cables all stopped dead in their tracks, turning to look over.

Duan Xingye turned to stone, cracking on the spot.

Unhurried, steady footsteps approached from behind.

Cheng Duzhou walked up beside him and glanced at him.

The follow-up director said earnestly to both of them, “In intimate relationships—whether as lovers, family, or friends—never be stingy about expressing love. If you don’t say things out loud generously, the other person won’t know. Our vow segment isn’t just a gimmick for the show; more than that, it’s so guests can truly feel each other’s affection. Couples like you two, who clearly love each other but are too shy to speak up, should cherish an opportunity like this even more.”

Duan Xingye pressed his lips together, keeping silent.

Cheng Duzhou said, “Understood.”

“Looking forward to your performance tonight.” The director excused himself to oversee the setup and left first.

Clutching his mug, Duan Xingye turned and walked into the kitchen to pour water—even though his mug was still completely full of hot water.

A moment later, Cheng Duzhou stepped in.

A matching mug slid across the marble countertop, coming to a halt right by Duan Xingye’s hand.

—Asking him to pour a cup while he was at it.

The rest of the crew was outside, the sound of plastic shoe covers scuffing against the floor echoing everywhere, leaving only the kitchen peaceful and quiet.

With his lower back leaning against the counter, Cheng Duzhou asked, “Why can’t you bring yourself to say it?”

Cheng Duzhou must have overheard plenty just now.

“Don’t just talk about me. What about you?” Having poured the water, Duan Xingye shoved the mug into Cheng Duzhou’s hand, his upturned eyes edged with biting mockery: “Could you say it to me?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Duan Xingye stared at Cheng Duzhou. After smoothing over the subtle stir of emotions, his dark pupils flickered, and he looked away.

Suddenly, he felt drained of enthusiasm.

To Cheng Duzhou, it was nothing more than delivering a line, yet here he was clinging to the weight of those three words—looking almost ridiculously pure-hearted by comparison.

“Fine,” Duan Xingye said, his voice flat. “Let’s leave it at that. If you say it, I’ll say it.”

Cheng Duzhou: “I love you.”

Duan Xingye’s heart skipped a violent beat, like a pump ramped up to maximum horsepower, forcing blood straight to his head as heat rapidly swept across his face.

Cheng Duzhou’s eyes were pitch-black; holding his gaze for too long gave one a suffocating feeling, like drowning in the deep sea.

Duan Xingye’s raven-black eyelashes fluttered and drooped, casting a shadow over the small mole beside his nose as he muttered nonchalantly, “Oh.”

Then, he moved to skirt around Cheng Duzhou and head out the door.

“What does ‘oh’ mean?” Cheng Duzhou blocked his path with a step. “Backing out, are you?”

“Are you crazy?!” Duan Xingye panicked, darting a nervous glance toward the kitchen doorway as if being walked in on would be the ultimate humiliation, practically rambling incoherently: “I meant during the filming tonight! Wh-Why are you saying it now… in broad daylight? Who told you to be in such a rush to say it?”

Cheng Duzhou looked at him for two seconds, his sharp, fierce brows cooling down as he turned back to face the prep counter: “Fine, keep picking on an honest man.”

“…”

Duan Xingye pretended not to hear and headed toward the door.

Cheng Duzhou lowered his head to take a sip, but the moment his lips touched the water line, he was scalded and set the mug down. Frowning, he licked his stinging upper lip, his voice dropping low: “You love the motherland, you love the snows beyond the Great Wall, but you just don’t love me.”

“…” Pushed past his limit, Duan Xingye snapped, “Keep blabbering and you can go back to the film set.”

Each episode of Companionship Along the Way opened with the celebrity guests’ home life on the eve of departure. Starting at 9:00 PM, the two-hour livestream served as a prelude to the official trip the next day.

Because the stream would end late, Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye showered in advance and changed into pajamas so they could go straight to bed once offline.

The production team also encouraged the guests to take it easy; the more casual they appeared, the closer they would feel to the audience.

Duan Xingye’s team chose to stream in front of the dining table. Only the couple remained inside the apartment, while the crew set up a workstation in the hallway outside.

While there was still time, Cheng Duzhou asked, “Do you know how to livestream?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Duan Xingye shot back a “don’t look down on me” glare. “Isn’t it just chatting with fans?”

Cheng Duzhou: “You know how to chat, right?”

Duan Xingye: “…Who are you saying can’t chat?”

Listening in from outside, the crew member burst out laughing: “Pfft.”

Seeing it was almost 9:00 PM, he alerted the room through the walkie-talkie: “Teachers, we’re about to start.”

Duan Xingye straightened his expression and adjusted his collar, unable to resist warning Cheng Duzhou in a low whisper: “Don’t you dare piss me off later!”

In Cheng Duzhou’s eyes, he looked just like that snarling rabbit from The Secret Life of Pets.

Making one want to tease and pet him until he cried.

When Duan Xingye lowered his hand, he brushed against the lapel mic pinned to his chest, sending it tumbling to the floor.

Just as he bent down to pick it up, the livestream automatically went live.

In an instant, bullet comments flooded the screen, filled with fans checking in.

Xiao Dai’s earlier concern about creating CP fan groups to boost stream traffic had been completely unnecessary. While Lu Ye Shu Huai had relatively few CP shippers, both leads possessed top-tier solo fandoms. With the premiere of episode one underway, even fans who didn’t ship the CP showed up in droves to support their idol’s new variety show. There was zero chance the stream wouldn’t be bustling.

Consequently, the second the clock struck nine, viewership in the couple’s stream surpassed one million, firmly securing the number one recommendation slot among all the guest couples.

“Tired of saying it, but President Cheng is drop-dead gorgeous!”

“He’s even more handsome in real life than in promotional stills! Begging President Cheng on my knees to take on some romance films!”

“So a domineering CEO wears printed cotton pajamas at home too.”

“Why is President Cheng the only one there? Where’s Teacher Duan?”

Before Cheng Duzhou could even greet the chat, seeing someone ask about Duan Xingye, he subconsciously shifted his leg and glanced under the table.

Bullet comments:

“??????”

“Mister, there is something very suspicious about that look.”

Right at that moment, Duan Xingye straightened up and entered the frame.

Because he hadn’t gauged the distance properly, his lowered head was quite close to the lens. Under the raw, unenhanced camera without beauty filters, his skin was snowy, smooth, and delicate. His thick black eyelashes drooped down, the folds of his double eyelids unfolding like delicate fans. Even the charming little mole beside the bridge of his nose was crystal clear, his red lips lightly pursed in crisp, clean lines.

“Ahhhhhhh! Wifey!!!”

“This god-tier visual just made me pass out!”

“Licking the screen, frantically licking the screen.”

“Wuuuu, this is the closest I’ve ever been to Teacher Duan, suddenly I understand President Cheng’s joy.”

Duan Xingye was still clipping his mic when the back of his collar was tugged, pulling him back against his seat.

He turned his face and asked, “What?”

“Sit properly,” Cheng Duzhou said. “I don’t like sharing my joy.”

“?”

Duan Xingye looked ahead at the monitor. The stream was jammed with meaningless screens of “Ahhhhhhh!”, leaving him completely baffled, feeling just like someone who dropped an eraser and somehow missed half a math class.

The two exchanged simple greetings with the audience.

The comments rolled past too fast. Adopting an attitude of doing a proper promotional job, Duan Xingye tried his best to pick out legible ones to read aloud: “Teacher Duan, does President Cheng put in a lot of hard effort when working…”

Duan Xingye snapped his mouth shut, slapping the table: “Where are the moderators? You’re keeping people like this around without banning them? Ban them immediately!”

Bullet comments:

“Hahahahahahahaha! Teacher Duan understood in a split second!”

“Turning flustered and angry is so cute, awww!”

He continued: “‘Will participating in a romance show disrupt your usual frequency—’ Mods, don’t leave, ban this one too.”

Duan Xingye had never witnessed a spectacle like this. Whether in real life or online, nobody had ever dared to make such suggestive jokes to his face.

Silently chanting in his mind to be generous to others, work diligently, and not crash and burn, he quickly steadied his emotions and resumed interacting:

“‘Teacher Duan, have the claw marks on President Cheng’s back faded yet—’ Cheng Duzhou, you do it. I’m going to get some water.”

On camera, Duan Xingye actually stood up and left his seat.

Cheng Duzhou watched him walk away the entire time, amusement visibly washing over his eyes.

Bullet comments: Hahahahahahahaha…

Downing half a bottle of mineral water in the kitchen, Duan Xingye furrowed his brows in deep thought.

Could it be that his persona had crumbled too drastically lately, becoming way too approachable and down-to-earth?

Who did these fans think they were grinning and clowning around with?

__

Author’s Note:

Fans: A down-to-earth Teacher Duan is simply too tempting not to tease.