RSDH CH24

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the production team dispatched a private car to pick them up.

Duan Xingye scrambled into the back seat, quickly claiming a spot to continue sleeping.

He was thankful he had pinned Cheng Duzhou down last night; otherwise, waking up this early to hit the road would have completely wrecked them both.

Someone got in and sat beside him. After the soft rustle of fabric rubbing together, silence fell.

Duan Xingye tilted his head against the window, slowly opening his eyes to peek over.

Cheng Duzhou leaned back against the headrest with his eyes closed in rest, his face unable to conceal his exhaustion.

Not a trace remained of his vigorous, lively energy from last night; when sleep-deprived, everyone ended up out of commission.

Toward the end of last night, Cheng Duzhou had radiated a gloomy, low pressure over his rejection. Thinking back on it now, Duan Xingye found it hilarious.

He lightly nudged Cheng Duzhou’s knee with his own.

“Thank me.”

Idiot.

“I thank you indeed,” Cheng Duzhou snapped his eyes open at once, drooping his eyelashes as he cast a subtle sideways glance without looking directly at him. “I thank you for playing with such a massive fire only to leave me to fend for myself in the end.”

“You…”

Duan Xingye’s expression tightened.

Right at that moment.

The driver, having loaded the luggage into the trunk, pulled open the car door.

With rare tacit understanding, the two shut their mouths at the exact same time, dropping the topic.

Cheng Duzhou closed his eyes to sleep.

Duan Xingye tucked his hands away, squeezing closer to the door to put distance between himself and the man beside him.

No matter how many times he had argued it out last night—that he wasn’t seducing him, wasn’t seducing him, wasn’t seducing him—Cheng Duzhou stubbornly refused to believe it and had even thrown a tantrum over it.

Duan Xingye bit his lower lip, letting out a cold sneer that suppressed his irritation.

This mission would end eventually. When that moment came, he would lay every single thing out in excruciating detail to make Cheng Duzhou see just how outrageously mistaken he had been!

Old Xu called from behind the car: “Driver, could you make a bit of room for the equipment?”

The driver stepped out again.

The air in the back row froze, sinking into quiet.

“Right,” Cheng Duzhou suddenly piped up, turning his head the other way, thoroughly despondent. “A donkey dick requires no pity.”

“…………”

The destination this time was called Xi Village, a renowned ancient town scenic area in the country. Situated on a plain with mountains at its back, the town boasted abundant waterways. It was a four-hour drive from Shanghai.

Initially, Duan Xingye propped the pillow against the window to sleep. Just as the car got onto the expressway out of the city, Cheng Duzhou asked him, “Want to come over here?”

Duan Xingye’s consciousness drifted between dreaming and waking, sleeping restlessly. Opening his eyes to squint at Cheng Duzhou, he deliberated for only a fraction of a second before abandoning the pillow, leaning over to nestle into a comfortable spot against the man’s chest.

Naturally, they hadn’t buried the hatchet—it was purely for the sake of a sound sleep.

The livestream was running:

“So well-behaved, going over the second he’s called, totally melting my heart~”

“For a moment, I don’t know whether to envy President Cheng or envy the little kitten.”

“Since joining this romance show, Teacher Duan has changed so much; the cat ears last night left a deep, profound shock on my soul.”

“Maybe it’s not a huge change, but how he’s always been? Look at him in private: scratching backs, licking milk, meowing—he does it all.”

“Hahaha, putting myself in President Cheng’s shoes, it’s genuinely impossible not to fall in love.”

“Today, I’m joining the Cult of Meow!”

Oblivious to the netizens fantasizing about him the entire way, Duan Xingye enjoyed a peaceful, sound sleep.

The car set off at 6:00 AM and only slowed to a halt around 11:00 AM.

Woken up, Duan Xingye rubbed his eyes and looked out the window.

The sky was an overcast, bluish-grey tint, the distant mountains enveloped in misty rain that hung heavy, poised to fall at any moment. Beneath the mountains stretched vast woodlands and fields, already donning a light green coat ahead of spring’s arrival. The scenery before them was rich with rustic freshness and pristine nature, clearly far removed from commercialized, influencer-heavy tourist spots.

Duan Xingye realized that the filming conditions this time might be harsher than imagined.

Having leaned against Cheng Duzhou the entire ride, he sat up and lazily stretched his waist.

Cheng Duzhou discreetly took hold of his own wrist to knead it.

Thinking of today’s mission, and then of Cheng Duzhou whose mental wavelength never seemed to sync with his, Duan Xingye was speechless for a beat. Though knowing it was probably useless to say, he still cast an aloof, noble glance sideways: “You’d better watch my cues and act accordingly today.”

Cheng Duzhou silently hung his head, his voice subdued: “Do I ever watch your cues any less in daily life?”

“…”

Bullet comments:

“Hahahahaha! What’s with that sudden burst of grievance from President Cheng?!”

“Cheng Duzhou, you’re the publicly recognized Alpha CEO!”

“Understood: henpecked husband.”

“You can tell at a glance he spoils his wifey.”

Right at that moment.

Cheng Duzhou’s wrist was pulled over by another hand.

Nestled in his seat, Duan Xingye cradled Cheng Duzhou’s left hand with both of his, massaging his wrist and kneading his fingers with a touch that wasn’t particularly gentle.

Cheng Duzhou looked at their intertwined hands, the sore, numb ache traveling along the meridians straight into his heart.

The bullet comments that were just bursting with laughter instantly turned into weeping coos.

“Teacher Duan spoils his hubby too.”

“President Cheng held Teacher Duan the entire way without shifting posture, his arm going numb, and here I thought Teacher Duan hadn’t noticed.”

“Teacher Duan talks tough, but his heart is exceptionally soft.”

“With rings on, holding hands feels completely different!”

“I love this couple so much; they rarely look at each other, but their hearts are entirely on each other.”

While massaging Cheng Duzhou’s hand, Duan Xingye looked outside the window.

The vehicles carrying the other guests arrived as well, pulling over one after another.

Before long, the head director made a gesture indicating everyone could get out of the cars.

Duan Xingye tossed Cheng Duzhou’s hand aside, adjusted the mic at his collar, and pushed open the door.

Freezing air rushed against his face, clashing with the blasting warmth of the car’s heater.

Duan Xingye paused for a beat, stepping one foot down.

The chilly wind swept past, stinging his knees.

Duan Xingye pulled his foot back and shut the door.

The livestream flooded with massive waves of “hahaha”:

“Cat tests the waters, cat retracts paw.”

“The countryside is colder than the city; Teacher Duan clearly underestimated that.”

“You can tell Teacher Duan is used to living in air-conditioned rooms.”

“Isn’t it time to miss those long johns?”

Looking like he was holding back a smile, Cheng Duzhou asked knowingly, “What’s wrong?”

Duan Xingye stared ahead in silence for a moment, pressing his lips into a tight line, saying, “Nothing.”

Then, gathering his resolve, he pushed the door open and stepped down.

Having spent the previous week together, the guests had largely grown familiar with one another, their banter taking on a warm and natural ease.

Spotting Duan Xingye, Wu Enqi’s eyes curved into smiling slits: “Hi Teacher Duan! Where’s President Cheng?”

Duan Xingye glanced back, failing to spot Cheng Duzhou on the first pass. Looking around, he finally caught him by the open trunk of the car, doing who-knew-what.

He answered Wu Enqi: “He’ll be here in a sec.”

Upon arriving in an unfamiliar setting, Duan Xingye habitually surveyed his surroundings first.

On the open ground ahead stood an erected cardboard wall, likely related to an upcoming segment designed by the show; not far away were four pitched tents for guests to rest.

Looking further into the distance lay scattered clusters of villages. At this hour, curling plumes of smoke were already rising from some rooftops, resembling poetic illustrations from middle school textbooks.

Only then did Duan Xingye realize that although this place was remote and desolate, from whichever angle or vista one looked, everything within sight carried a subtle, freehand elegance reminiscent of a Chinese ink wash painting—resonating deeply with his sensibilities as a lyricist.

Except for the cold. Bone-chilling cold. Cold to the point where he didn’t want to stay for another second.

Otherwise, Duan Xingye would have thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

Yet Duan Xingye showed none of it. Having explicitly rejected long johns last night, he couldn’t slap his own face now, so he silently bore the freezing chill alone.

Right at this moment, Cheng Duzhou closed the trunk, rounded the car, and walked over, carrying a long down coat in his hands.

Duan Xingye looked at him, then at the down coat.

Looking up, Cheng Duzhou met Duan Xingye’s eyes, rimmed red from the wind. The tip of his fair nose was red as well; set against his snowy complexion, he looked somewhat shivery, yet his face remained stubbornly pulled taut.

Stubbornly putting on a brave face.

Cheng Duzhou let out a barely audible sigh, giving him a subtle beckoning wave: “Come here.”

Duan Xingye dropped the act. Hunching his shoulders with frozen-stiff knees, he hopped and bounded over, crowding right against Cheng Duzhou’s chest to soak up the man’s warmth, hissing through his teeth in exasperated complaint: “You didn’t say it would be this cold!”

“…” Cheng Duzhou unzipped the down coat to bundle him up, swapping out his overcoat. After a brief silence, he resigned himself to his fate: “Right. My fault.”

Bullet comments:

“Ahhhhh that hopping, bouncing manner is so cute, like a little bunny!”

“So cute that President Cheng is willing to shoulder all the blame alone, hahaha, he really knows how to coax his wifey.”

“Is Duan Xingye a drama queen?”

“You don’t get it—that’s being a sweet little spoiled brat seeking comfort!”

After putting on the ankle-length down coat, while it wasn’t as stylish as a wool overcoat, it fended off the freezing wind; he decided he was never taking it off again.

Cheng Duzhou even stuck a heat pack near his knees inside the coat, then peeled open two more, reaching inside to stick them to Duan Xingye’s lower back, smoothing his hands over them to accelerate the warmth.

Duan Xingye shuddered lightly, resting his chin on Cheng Duzhou’s shoulder as his body finally relaxed.

He hadn’t packed this down coat into his suitcase last night; Cheng Duzhou must have brought it along additionally before setting off.

He thought of their two years of marriage—Cheng Duzhou was always busy. In the first year, Cheng Duzhou took on three film projects, and the days he spent at home could be counted on one hand. In the second year, filming was overseas, meeting only once every four months.

They were childhood friends who grew up together, but after reuniting following a five-year gap, they jumped straight into registering their marriage. Their relationship was already awkward, and spending more time apart than together inevitably fostered emotional distance.

Only after joining this romance show did they have more opportunities to interact. Gradually, Duan Xingye could sense Cheng Duzhou’s thoughtfulness and attentiveness; on this trip, he seemed to have been cared for by Cheng Duzhou the entire time. Showmanship or not, at least right now, Cheng Duzhou had rescued him from the bitter cold.

“Thank you.”

Teasing aside, Duan Xingye wasn’t someone ungrateful.

Cheng Duzhou tilted his head slightly: “Hm?”

Duan Xingye pursed his lips, not spelling it out: “You brought this coat.”

Cheng Duzhou lowered his head again and said, “You should say ‘Thank you, hubby.'”

Duan Xingye pulled a cold face: “That’s enough from you.”

Bullet comments: Hahaha! President Cheng really knows how to dance on a minefield!

Up ahead, the head director picked up the megaphone and announced:

“Thank you everyone for traveling so far, and welcome to the filming site of Season Two, Episode Two of Companionship Along the Way. This noon, we will hold an outdoor picnic cook-off. However, whether you work alone, work in pairs, or can collaborate with your own husband or wife will depend on whether you share sufficient tacit chemistry.”

Bullet comments flooded: What kind of nonsense is the production crew pulling this time???

The head director continued: “Specific items have been placed behind the cardboard wall. The production crew will divide everyone into two groups. You will go behind the wall to select an item. Those who choose the same item will become partners; if no one matches, you must cook outdoors alone.”

Everyone understood; this was yet another couple chemistry test.

The head director said: “The production team will prepare ingredients and cookware for you, while everything else must be handled by yourselves within a time limit. What you cook will not only serve as your own lunch—in this episode, we are also introducing a points system, where everyone’s culinary skills will be evaluated and scored.”

Jiang Li was the first to ask: “What are the points used for?”

The head director played coy: “When the time comes, you’ll find out.”

At that moment, the staff wheeled out a scoreboard, already listing the CP names of all four guest couples.

The various couples spontaneously began discussing among themselves.

Jiang Li remarked, “The final points will probably determine tonight’s room assignments.”

Xiao Jiahui smiled with slight guilt: “Is that so?”

Among the four guest couples, only the partners who had received the secret missions knew that points had nothing to do with room distribution; the unaware partners naturally linked the current tasks to the final accommodations.

Over on Lu Ye Shu Huai‘s side.

Cheng Duzhou said, “Let’s still be in a group together, yeah?”

Duan Xingye couldn’t cook, and he was worried, so he wanted to be paired together if at all possible.

Duan Xingye thought to himself: No shit.

They were partners to begin with, not to mention Cheng Duzhou’s culinary skills were top-notch; for the sake of the points, he had to tie himself to him.

Duan Xingye remarked casually, “Even if you weren’t my hubby, I’d still fight to be in a group with you.”

Cheng Duzhou looked at him, his gaze deepening: “I am your hubby.”

“…” It had purely been a slip of the tongue; Duan Xingye diverted the topic, saying, “When the time comes, guess what I’ll pick, and then choose that one.”

Cheng Duzhou hesitated a moment: “What if…”

Duan Xingye immediately glared daggers at him: “There is no what if!”

“…”

The bullet comments burst into laughter, witnessing Duan Xingye’s domineering side once again.

The guests were divided into two groups, separating the spouses and husbands as they walked behind the cardboard wall together.

The audience could see with crystal clarity: behind the wall, it was partitioned into left and right sides. Each side had a table laden with an assortment of chaotic, random items—cookware, spatulas, raw meat, cabbage, broccoli, spicy gluten snacks, towels, and even plushies.

The more items laid out, the greater the difficulty of the challenge for the guests.

Bullet comments:

“Lu Ye Shu Huai must be paired together!”

“TAT Separating Lu Ye Shu Huai for even a second hurts my soul! Begging President Cheng and Teacher Duan to come through—mainly President Cheng, think about what Teacher Duan actually likes!”

“Given how well President Cheng knows Teacher Duan, it should be fine, right?”

“Teacher Duan made his choice!”

“He really loves blue so much!”

“President Cheng, charge charge charge!”

A wall away from Duan Xingye, Cheng Duzhou’s gaze swept over the cluttered table, looking pensive, before finally settling back on the deep-blue whale plushie in the corner for several seconds.

…

A minute later, all guests had finalized their selections.

The head director counted down: “Three, two, one.”

Next, the crew members dramatically pulled the entire cardboard wall down.

Behind it, the eight people stood in a row, what each had taken clear as day.

Duan Xingye was holding a whale plushie.

Stepping forward, he craned his neck to look at Cheng Duzhou on the other side of the partition.

And Cheng Duzhou was craning his neck to look at him as well.

Duan Xingye’s gaze drifted downward, his face darkening.

Cheng Duzhou was holding a head of broccoli.

“…”

[Lu Ye Shu Huai] livestream room:

“Wuuuuuuu, how could this happen?! I watched with my own eyes as President Cheng picked up the plushie, only to put it down in the end. Why choose broccoli?!”

“Teacher Duan’s expression looks grim. Lighting a candle for President Cheng in advance.”

“Is Teacher Duan really going to be okay cooking alone? I’m already worried.”

The final result was that Duan Xingye and Xiao Jiahui ended up unpaired, while Cheng Duzhou and Jiang Li had both chosen broccoli.

The other two couples had with great tacit understanding picked the exact same items, remaining together.

The head director called for everyone to collect their cooking ingredients.

Clutching the broccoli in his hand, Cheng Duzhou lowered his head and walked toward Duan Xingye.

Duan Xingye didn’t spare him a single glance, turning on his heel to walk away from the area.

“…”

Cheng Duzhou stood where he was, his towering figure looking slightly bleak in the biting wind.

While Duan Xingye was collecting ingredients, the staff member behind the table took advantage of no one being around to slip a card into his basket like a secret operative making a drop, saying, “Please guide President Cheng into saying the line on the card.” Checking their phone, they added, “Three hours left until check-in.”

Duan Xingye arched a brow.

Yesterday’s mission had felt utterly insurmountable to him, so much so that at this point, he felt nothing could possibly be harder than yesterday’s line.

Brimming with confidence, Duan Xingye opened the card, only to see written on it:

[You’re so cute today.]

“…………”

Thud!

Duan Xingye slammed a palm against the tabletop.

The staff member jumped in fright.

Fortunately, no one else was nearby.

Since today’s secret wasn’t hidden from the livestream, the audience figured it out quickly.

“So that’s how it is! Teacher Duan drinking milk and dressing up as a cat last night were all because of a secret mission!”

“I was wondering why he suddenly clung to President Cheng acting all cute and coy!”

“Hahaha dying of laughter! Thinking back now, was Teacher Duan about to explode from rage last night? My heart aches for my Teacher Duan.”

“Wonder how President Cheng will react once he finds out the truth.”

Knowing he had been played by the production crew, Duan Xingye held back his temper in public, carrying his ingredients into the tent.

Bullet comments:

“Are we going to see a super cute Teacher Duan again in a bit?”

“Looking forward to it! Where’s President Cheng? Hurry, President Cheng! Your wifey is about to unleash his ultimate move!”

Meanwhile, Cheng Duzhou was still outside, sluggishly walking up to the tent belonging to their pair. He stopped, hesitating to step inside.

Duan Xingye was very angry right now.

He had messed things up, failing to pick the same item as Duan Xingye, leaving Duan Xingye to tackle the cooking mission completely alone.

That wasn’t even the worst of it. With Duan Xingye’s cooking skills, the score would most likely hit rock bottom. When that dragged down their points and cost them first place—meaning they wouldn’t get House #1—he’d be giving him the cold shoulder all over again.

Cheng Duzhou swallowed slowly, kicking a loose pebble on the ground.

In truth, he wasn’t afraid of Duan Xingye—unless he felt he was genuinely in the wrong, in which case the pressure became uncontrollable when facing him.

Passing by at that moment, Xiao Jiahui chuckled and asked, “Why aren’t you going in?”

Licking his lips, Cheng Duzhou lifted the tent flap with an uneasy heart.

Duan Xingye stood by the table organizing the ingredients, his eyelashes lowered in thought.

After last night’s failure, he had to adjust his strategy today.

Acting cute in front of Cheng Duzhou was useless; Cheng Duzhou didn’t buy that act.

So what was cute?

Cute meant worthy of love. At the end of the day, cuteness wasn’t necessarily confined to appearances; if one’s personality was lovely and endearing, it could still move someone.

Duan Xingye paused his hands.

Given Cheng Duzhou’s depth of thought, maybe he valued inner beauty instead.

He wasn’t seen as cute perhaps because he always acted too domineering.

Right at that moment.

The tent flap was lifted, and Cheng Duzhou ducked his head as he stepped inside.

The two came face-to-face.

A two-second pause.

Duan Xingye blinked and said, “Back?”

Just as he was searching for a conversation starter, his eyes landed on the broccoli in Cheng Duzhou’s basket.

Duan Xingye swiftly composed himself, curving his lips as his brow and eyes melted like snow in an instant: “Picking broccoli is actually pretty good too. It’s not like we had to be in the same group.”

A chill instantly crept up Cheng Duzhou’s spine to the back of his neck; internal sirens of danger blared to life.

He could recognize sarcasm when he heard it. Furthermore, the sweeter Duan Xingye smiled, the more furious he was on the inside—currently sitting at maximum rage.

Cheng Duzhou wanted to say something, but lowered his eyes, sitting uncomfortably by the table. After some thought, he said, “I was overthinking things at the time… I’ll help you when cooking later.”

“No need,” Duan Xingye poured a cup of water from the kettle, a gentle, cloying sweetness unconsciously slipping into his tone. “I’m fine. It’s just a game anyway. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Cheng Duzhou lifted his eyes to dart a quick glance at Duan Xingye, his heart turning half-cold, suddenly realizing this round was grandmaster-tier psychological warfare.

“Tired, right?” Duan Xingye handed him the disposable paper cup. “Have some water.”

Cheng Duzhou fell silent for a moment, accepting with both hands the steaming boiling water that could scald a layer of skin right off with a single sip: “Thank you…”

Duan Xingye then rounded behind Cheng Duzhou, placing his slender, pale hands on either side of Cheng Duzhou’s neck.

Instantly, he felt the muscles beneath his palms rigid as iron.

“Relax. I’ll massage you a bit.”

“…”

Cheng Duzhou’s heart was practically in his throat; finding it impossible to relax, he kept his mouth shut.

Unable to knead Cheng Duzhou’s rock-hard shoulders, Duan Xingye exerted force with both hands to push forward.

Jolted forward, the hot water Cheng Duzhou was gently blowing on splashed onto his lips. Pursing them against the sting, he set the cup down.

The taut string wound up inside his chest finally snapped in that very instant.

“Duan Xingye.”

Duan Xingye looked at him: “What is it?”

Cheng Duzhou grabbed Duan Xingye’s hands, pulling him around to the front. With his head bowed, the crisp line of his jaw shifted. After a long while, a breath caught in his throat:

“If I’ve wronged you, please whip me with the ruler of morality. Don’t torture me like this.”

Duan Xingye: “?”

Me, torturing you?!

The livestream caught their entire interaction in plain view, the screen completely plastered with “hahahahahaha”:

President Cheng, looks like one really shouldn’t be too nice to you!

__

Author’s Note:

Teacher Duan flips the table in fury: Dropping the act, laying all cards on the table.