ASPWL Ch83: Split at the Touch

Five minutes ago, due to a series of shocking revelations that afternoon, the online viewership of the live stream for the show Let’s Travel Together hit a new record high.

Even though there wasn’t any particularly exciting content in the live stream at the moment—fans’ newly shipped couple, Qin Yao and Ye Leyao, had even been forced apart—one group was playing cards in the living room while another group was cooking in the kitchen. At a glance, the content seemed quite dull, yet the number of viewers kept rising.

On the live chat, people were fervently discussing:

—“Ahhhhh! So, Huo Yan, tell me, why did you keep Ye Leyao behind? Couldn’t you have just let him cook with Qin Yao?”

—“Exactly! I want to see the couple cooking together! qwq”

—“Darn it, Huo Yan must be jealous, right? He’s definitely jealous!”

—“Hahahahaha, how could Huo Yan not be jealous? After all, his little brother just turned 18 and already found such an amazing partner in Qin Yao. Meanwhile, look at Huo Yan’s ex—”

—“Ahem, let’s not talk about Su Rui anymore. If you keep mentioning Su Rui, Huo Yan is really going to get mad!”

—“I really didn’t mean to bring up Su Rui. I hope Huo Yan doesn’t get mad at me for mentioning him. I’m sorry, Huo Yan, I won’t bring up Su Rui again.”

At this point, the viewers couldn’t help but burst out laughing:

—“Okay, okay, is this how you fans want to play it?!”

—“No way!”

—“Hey, wait, what’s Li Siyuan doing in the kitchen?”

The moment one of the guests made any move, the chat would light up with excitement, fearing they’d miss another juicy scoop.

Hearing Li Siyuan get close to Qin Yao’s face, getting called out by Song Zhehan, and then teasing Duan Tingyan and Song Zhehan, the viewers couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

But as they were laughing, everyone suddenly heard Shen Chong’s cheerful “Yes,” and the laughter abruptly stopped.

The next second, Liu Yan’s scream echoed throughout the entire live stream room, and the chat was flooded with question marks.

—”???”

—”Huh?”

—”Shen Chong, what did you just say ‘yes’ to?”

—”Li Siyuan said there were only three couples here, and Shen Chong said ‘yes’…”

—”So, did he just directly admit that he and Liu Yan are a couple?”

—”Huh? Did he just expose himself? That’s intense!”

—”Hahahahahahahaha, oh my god, did I just hear this?”

—”Hahahahahaha, I can’t take it! Shen Chong, come on! How could you fall into such an obvious trap?”

The viewers burst into laughter, but the other guests reacted even faster.

Ye Leyao didn’t even remember to put down the cards in his hand as he quickly stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

Liu Yan stood frozen in place, with two words written all over her face—It’s over.

Shen Chong, still holding a green onion, stood stiffly, and the moment his gaze met Liu Yan’s, he felt guilty. He nervously averted his eyes, opened his mouth as if to explain, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn’t say anything.

Ye Leyao’s eyes darted between the two of them and asked, “What’s going on?”

At this point, Huo Yan, along with Wen Xiangyue and Wen Huai, also walked over.

Huo Yan scanned the people in the kitchen and asked, “What happened?”

The expressions of those in the kitchen varied. Liu Yan and Shen Chong looked the worst, clearly the center of attention.

Ye Leyao thought of something, and his eyes lit up:

[Liu Yan seems so flustered—could it be that Shen Chong just let something slip?]

Qin Yao’s gaze landed on Ye Leyao, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

Ye Leyao had guessed correctly.

But a guess was still a guess, and Ye Leyao wanted to get to the bottom of it.

He glanced around at the others present.

Li Siyuan’s expression was complicated; he glanced at Liu Yan, then at Shen Chong, realizing he might have said something wrong. His face showed a rare hint of embarrassment.

Duan Tingyan, who had been watching Li Siyuan, couldn’t help but explain for him, “He didn’t mean to…”

When Li Siyuan lost his temper, he often spoke without thinking.

Li Siyuan clenched his jaw and glared at Duan Tingyan, as if to say, “Do I need you to explain for me?”

Duan Tingyan coughed lightly and stopped speaking.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao started to get a clearer picture.

[So, Li Siyuan said something, and then Shen Chong let it slip?]

Then there was Song Zhehan, who seemed the most relaxed of all. Hearing Duan Tingyan’s explanation, he raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly.

[It’s probably just as I thought…]

Ye Leyao was almost certain, but whether to confirm it or for some other reason, he still walked over to Qin Yao.

“What’s going on?” Ye Leyao naturally reached out to hold Qin Yao’s hand.

Qin Yao’s hands were still wet, so he said softly, “Wait a moment.”

Ye Leyao’s hand hovered in the air.

Qin Yao quickly dried his hands and then held Ye Leyao’s hand.

Only then did Ye Leyao’s lips curve into a smile.

Seeing this, the chat exploded:

—”!!!”

—”Ahhhhh, I ship them so hard!”

—”I can’t watch this! You two, do you have to be so blatant? Liu Yan and Shen Chong are right next to you!”

—”Yeah, and Huo Yan’s standing right there too!”

Qin Yao couldn’t see the chat, and even if he could, he wouldn’t have distanced himself from Ye Leyao because of it.

Once Ye Leyao stood beside him, Qin Yao leaned slightly, whispered in his ear, and in a low voice recounted what had just happened.

The two were so close that Ye Leyao could even feel Qin Yao’s breath on his ear, making him tingle.

After hearing the whole story, Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back his grin, which kept spreading wider.

[So Li Siyuan unintentionally dug a hole, and Shen Chong just fell right into it without any defense?]

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but tilt his head and rest it on Qin Yao’s shoulder, laughing out loud.

Huo Yan, guessing what had happened from Ye Leyao’s reaction, wanted to laugh too. But just as the corners of his mouth began to rise, he saw Ye Leyao and Qin Yao standing close together.

His eyelid twitched, and without thinking, he strode toward them. “What are you two talking about?”

Ye Leyao was still laughing, completely unaware that Huo Yan had already walked over.

Qin Yao, who had only been holding Ye Leyao’s hand, noticed Huo Yan approaching. He let go of Ye Leyao’s hand, wrapped his arm around Ye Leyao’s shoulder, and pulled him slightly closer.

The movement was obvious, and he did it right in front of Huo Yan.

It was practically a direct challenge!

The viewers screamed again:

—”Qin Yao, are you being too bold?”

—”Hahahahaha, but I love it!”

—”Exactly, I love watching this kind of scene. More, please, more!”

—”A couple that openly shows affection is just too sweet!”

—”+1. If only Huo Yan would stop interrupting so much.”

—”Huh? Is that what you all think? But why do I just want to see Huo Yan freaking out?”

—”??? Hahahahaha, the person above, you’re so bad!”

Back on screen, Huo Yan saw Qin Yao’s little move with his own eyes, and veins throbbed on his forehead. It was obvious he was very angry.

The viewers laughed even harder.

Huo Yan couldn’t hold back anymore and glared at Qin Yao. “Qin Yao, you—”

“What are you still standing here for?” Song Zhehan suddenly interrupted, looking indifferently at Shen Chong and Liu Yan. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do next?”

Ye Leyao stopped laughing and lifted his head from Qin Yao’s embrace.

Huo Yan also halted and looked at the involved parties.

Shen Chong was still frozen in place, holding the green onion, looking dazed.

Wen Xiangyue, standing beside Liu Yan, lightly supported her. After hearing Song Zhehan’s words, she thought for a moment and said, “Actually…”

“It’s my fault,” Li Siyuan suddenly spoke, his expression a bit unnatural as he explained, “I was just joking. How about I help you explain it?”

Indeed.

If Li Siyuan stepped forward and released a statement saying it was just a careless joke, the matter could be brushed aside.

Of course, the credibility would be low. After all, Shen Chong and Liu Yan’s reactions were too intense, and modern netizens aren’t fools. Moreover, the viewers and fans of this show had followed along, catching every bit of gossip, so it wouldn’t be easy to fool them!

[It all depends on how Liu Yan decides to handle it.]

Ye Leyao’s gaze landed on Liu Yan.

By now, Liu Yan had calmed down considerably. She took a deep breath, looked at Li Siyuan, and smiled. “No need, it has nothing to do with you.”

Li Siyuan frowned slightly, about to say something more, but Duan Tingyan suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

Li Siyuan froze.

Then they heard Shen Chong mumble, “I didn’t hide it well, I…”

He had just been too happy. Ever since he saw Liu Yan, he had been a little carried away, to the point where he forgot that their relationship wasn’t public yet.

“Don’t take all the blame,” Liu Yan sighed when she heard Shen Chong, rubbing her temples as she softly said, “If there’s any fault, it’s on both of us. We were the ones who hid it from the fans, but…”

Liu Yan suddenly smiled, “Revealing it today isn’t so bad, is it?”

Her words left all the guests in disbelief.

Shen Chong shuddered even more.

[So Liu Yan plans to admit it directly?]

Ye Leyao was a little surprised too, but upon second thought, he mused to himself:

[Honestly, I think admitting it now isn’t such a bad idea.]

[After all, since we got in the car today, Shen Chong has been as obvious as a leaking sieve. Even though some fans are in denial, the public isn’t blind. The viewers and netizens had already guessed, and with Shen Chong’s earlier “yes,” if they tried to deny it now, it’d really feel like they were taking everyone for fools.]

[Though admitting the relationship might impact their careers in the short term, it’s not a long-term issue. They might even gain some favor from casual viewers.]

With his thoughts settled, Ye Leyao smiled and said, “I also think it’s a good time to come clean.”

Liu Yan and Shen Chong both looked at Ye Leyao as he continued, “After all, there’s been quite a lot of drama on our show today—scandal after scandal. The viewers in the live stream might already be full from all the gossip and not have the energy to feast on yours.”

As soon as he said this, all the guests couldn’t help but laugh.

The live viewers nearly lost it with laughter.

—“Okay, Ye Leyao, is that how you’re gonna talk?”

—“Are you underestimating my capacity for gossip? Sure, this one wasn’t a big surprise, because I already had a taste of it this afternoon!”

—“Exactly! Even if Liu Yan and Shen Chong don’t admit it, we’ve all figured it out!”

Netizens, sharp as ever, had already pieced things together from Shen Chong’s behavior that afternoon. So, hearing Liu Yan admit it now wasn’t much of a surprise.

But the question remained—how were Liu Yan’s fans taking it?

With that thought in mind, some mischievous viewers started tagging Liu Yan’s fans in the comments.

After a long series of tags, there was no response from any fan. Only after some more prompting did a fan finally comment: “Please stop tagging us! The body feels a bit unwell. I just want to lie down right now!”

Seeing this, the mischievous netizens burst into even louder laughter:

—“Didn’t you say you didn’t believe it this afternoon?”

—“Not so tough now, huh?”

—“I told you, follow our melon king, and all the tea will be perfectly served!”

—“But don’t be too sad, fans. Even though you lost a ‘wife,’ now you’ve gained a ‘brother-in-law!’”

—“Hahahahahahaha, don’t be so mean!”

Knowing that Liu Yan’s fans were heartbroken, the netizens only laughed lightly and quickly offered some comfort:

—“Honestly, I think Liu Yan is being very honest. There aren’t many idols like that left, so don’t be too upset.”

Others chimed in:

—“Yeah, it’s way better than those who get caught and still won’t admit it.”

—“Exactly. Plus, Liu Yan is seriously in love. You can tell from her reaction how much she likes Shen Chong.”

—“And Shen Chong likes Liu Yan just as much! If he didn’t, how could he have fallen into Li Siyuan’s verbal trap so easily?”

—“Ah, but honestly, I’ve had my fill of gossip today!”

—“Who hasn’t?”

—“Wait! I just realized something—doesn’t this mean we now have three couples on this travel show?”

—“Not just three! Don’t forget about the two people stuck in the ‘chasing love cremetorium!’”

As soon as this was said, countless viewers and netizens expressed the same sentiment:

—“So, is this really not a dating show?”

—“Just change the name to Let’s Go Dating!”

—“I’m down!”

The atmosphere in the comments was harmonious and joyful, and the mood on set was equally light and relaxed.

Qin Yao followed Ye Leyao’s lead and said to Liu Yan, “Leyao’s right. There’s no better time than now to make it official.”

After all, including the guest stars, this episode had a total of eleven participants, and already seven of them were trending. A couple more wouldn’t make a difference.

When Huo Yan heard Qin Yao’s way of addressing Ye Leyao, his expression changed: “What? Who gave you permission to call him Yaoyao?”

Even as his brother, he had never called him that!

Qin Yao was just too much!

Qin Yao pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back anymore and tilted his head toward Huo Yan. “I like it when President Qin calls me that. What’s the problem?”

[Second brother is acting weird again today!]

Huo Yan’s face instantly turned livid. Just as he was about to storm over and have a serious talk with Ye Leyao, Zhou Zijian suddenly stepped in and stopped him.

“Alright, alright, they’re still in the middle of discussing something serious!” Zhou Zijian said.

Song Zhehan, watching this little drama unfold, turned to Liu Yan and hit the nail on the head: “See, this is why the viewers probably don’t have the energy to care about your relationship gossip.”

Liu Yan couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

Seeing Liu Yan laugh, Shen Chong finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that today’s situation had passed. He quickly scurried over: “I…”

“Enough already, just put down that green onion!” Liu Yan couldn’t take it anymore. How long was Shen Chong planning to hold on to that green onion?

Blushing, Shen Chong quickly put the onion down. “So, we…”

“I’ll contact my agent, and you’ll contact yours,” Liu Yan said, giving Shen Chong a helpless glare. “It’s that simple.”

Shen Chong stared at Liu Yan for several seconds, his eyes suddenly reddened, and he immediately pulled her into a tight hug: “Okay! I’ll… I’ll go contact my agent right away… sob… I’ll go now…”

The more he spoke, the more aggrieved Shen Chong became, and tears started streaming down his face.

The other guests were dumbfounded.

“Why is he crying?” Zhou Zijian couldn’t help but ask.

The more Shen Chong thought about it, the more scared he became. Through his sobs, he explained, “I was so scared… sob… I thought it was over. I worked so hard to win her over, and if Liu Yan broke up with me because of this… sob sob sob…”

“Liu Yan wouldn’t break up with you over something this small, right?” Wen Xiangyue asked, amused.

Zhou Zijian also tried to comfort him: “It’s fine now, everything’s settled. You just need to release a statement.”

Ye Leyao glanced at Shen Chong, then at the somewhat bewildered Liu Yan, and sighed, “Still lacking a sense of security, huh.”

Qin Yao glanced at Ye Leyao.

Liu Yan shuddered, staring at Ye Leyao in shock.

Lacking… a sense of security?

To be honest, Liu Yan hadn’t expected Shen Chong to cry over something like this.

For celebrities, hiding relationships is quite normal.

After all, no one can guarantee their relationship will last a long time, and they don’t want their private lives to become the focus of netizens’ attention.

So after entering the entertainment industry, Liu Yan had never thought about making her relationship with Shen Chong public. She even considered hiding it forever.

Liu Yan had never considered Shen Chong’s feelings.

Seeing Shen Chong cry like this, she suddenly realized that it was she who hadn’t given Shen Chong enough security.

That’s why Shen Chong had been frozen in place after his slip-up, why he had forgotten to put down the green onion, and why he had cried in relief when she said they’d go public.

Liu Yan’s eyes suddenly reddened too. “I… I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault!” Shen Chong suddenly let go of Liu Yan. His eyes were still red, but his tone was firm. “It’s not about you. I’m okay now. Let’s go find our agents…”

With that, Shen Chong held Liu Yan’s hand, ignoring the other guests, and dashed out of the villa with her.

It wasn’t until the two were far away that a burst of relaxed laughter filled the villa.

Not long after, both Liu Yan and Shen Chong posted statements on Weibo, officially announcing their relationship.

Shen Chong was still relatively new to the industry and didn’t have many fans, so they were generally accepting of his relationship reveal.

However, Liu Yan, who had debuted as an idol, had a much larger fanbase. Upon seeing her Weibo post, many fans were unable to accept it, and quite a few even threatened to stop following her.

But those comments didn’t stay popular for long, as netizens soon noticed that the guests from Let’s Go Traveling Together were all reposting Liu Yan and Shen Chong’s Weibo posts.

Ye Leyao reposted and commented: “Congratulations, congratulations! Can we have wedding candies tonight?”

Qin Yao directly reposted Ye Leyao’s Weibo.

The CP fans were ecstatic.

—“Qin Yao, you’re too smooth! Ye Leyao reposts Liu Yan’s official announcement, and you repost Ye Leyao’s? Your intentions are so obvious!”

But on second thought, considering the two had just confirmed their relationship today, it seemed normal.

Huo Yan, on the other hand, reposted Qin Yao’s Weibo and added an angry face emoji along with a sarcastic caption: “Who’s wedding candy are we talking about?”

Netizens burst out laughing again:

—“Looks like the brother-in-law isn’t too happy with Qin Yao.”

—“@QinYao, keep going, I’m rooting for you and Ye Leyao!”

Qin Yao even responded to this comment: “Thank you.”

At this point, the netizens were screaming with excitement.

Is today’s gossip just too good?! They even felt happier than the people involved!

This joy peaked when they saw the Weibo posts from Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan—

Li Siyuan also reposted Liu Yan’s announcement, simply adding: “Congrats, and my apologies.”

Not only did he express his well wishes to Liu Yan and Shen Chong, but he also apologized.

Duan Tingyan quickly followed by reposting Li Siyuan’s Weibo, also adding: “Congrats! I just wonder when I’ll hear congratulations from you #CatSighs#.”

The two Weibo posts were published one second apart, making it hard not to suspect that Duan Tingyan had timed it just to follow Li Siyuan’s post.

Netizens screamed while asking about Duan Tingyan’s current progress in pursuing his love in the comments.

Barely a minute had passed before Duan Tingyan suddenly posted another Weibo, and this one was particularly short:

“@Duan Tingyan: I got blocked #crying#.”

The netizens instantly lost it.

—”Alright, no need to ask anymore, hahaha—”

—”Clearly, the road to winning her over is long!”

—”Tingting, Tingting, take your time! Let us know when you succeed!”

—”Today’s laughs are courtesy of Tingting, hahaha—”

—”Keep it up, Tingting, we’re rooting for you!”

After the laughing subsided, another netizen asked: “Hey, how’s Teacher Gou Shi doing?”

Someone replied: “Shall we send someone to ask on Gou Shi’s Weibo?”

Soon after, someone responded: “I asked, and I just got blocked by Teacher Gou Shi, hehe.”

Everyone:

—”I’ll count down, three, two, one, laugh together!”

—”Hahahahahahahaha—”

—”It’s obvious Teacher Gou Shi hasn’t made any progress either!”

The filming of the fourth episode lasted for three consecutive days. During these three days, whether in the live broadcast room, on Weibo, or other platforms, the popularity of the eleven guests only continued to rise.

In the blink of an eye, the recording of the fourth episode came to an end.

That night, Huo Yan dragged Ye Leyao, ready to head home.

Ye Leyao wasn’t happy about it: “Can’t I wait for President Qin and go back tomorrow with him?”

Huo Yan’s face was cold: “No!”

Ye Leyao frowned: “Second Brother, why don’t you like Qin Yao?”

Huo Yan: “It’s not that I don’t like him, I just don’t like you being with him.”

Ye Leyao: “…”

[You’re strangely honest.]

Once Ye Leyao finished packing, Qin Yao personally escorted him to the pier. This time, instead of taking a small boat, they boarded a small sightseeing cruise ship.

After stowing their luggage, the two of them still hadn’t let go of each other’s hands.

The night was deep, and the streetlights cast long shadows of the two.

Suddenly, Ye Leyao didn’t want to leave anymore, and he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

[Second Brother must be going mad for some reason.]

Qin Yao found this amusing and squeezed Ye Leyao’s hand. “Shall I come visit you after I’m done with work?”

Ye Leyao nodded repeatedly. “Okay.”

Qin Yao asked again: “Isn’t your university starting soon?”

Ye Leyao replied: “Mm, in just over a week.”

“Then how about I take you to your registration?” Qin Yao offered.

Ye Leyao smiled, his eyes curving with delight, and nodded without a second thought: “Okay.”

A breeze suddenly blew across the lake, causing ripples on the calm water.

Ye Leyao tilted his head slightly, suddenly noticing that Qin Yao’s palm felt a bit warm.

He looked down at Qin Yao’s hand and then smiled up at him.

Qin Yao’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his gaze intense.

Just then, Huo Yan’s voice rang out from the cabin: “Ye Leyao, hurry up!”

Ye Leyao snorted. Just as he was about to tell Qin Yao he was leaving, a pair of hands suddenly reached over and covered his eyes.

Ye Leyao blinked, and in the next moment, he felt a warm touch press lightly against his forehead, then quickly withdraw.

“Go on, message me when you get home.” Qin Yao released Ye Leyao’s eyes, his gaze never leaving him.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but touch his forehead.

Huo Yan’s voice sounded again.

Only then did Ye Leyao wave goodbye to Qin Yao: “I’m off.”

Qin Yao nodded: “Mm.”

As the sightseeing boat set off, the wind over the lake became stronger, cooling Ye Leyao’s face pleasantly.

But even so, it couldn’t disperse the warmth on Ye Leyao’s face.

The boat quickly started moving. Huo Yan sat across from Ye Leyao, ready to have a serious talk with him. But just then, he heard Ye Leyao’s inner voice, filled with regret—

[Why did President Qin only kiss my forehead?]

Huo Yan: “…?”

What?

He even dared to kiss your forehead?!

When did that happen? How did I not see it?!

Qin Yao, that old fox, is simply too much!!!