RSDH CH50

Cheng Duzhou took his phone back to check.

The Weibo post he had manually reposted just seconds earlier sat right at the top of the feed.

The profile picture was a photo of the two of them from the romance show, framed by a circle of photoshopped pinkish-purple hearts.

The handle was [Ye Du Xing He], unverified.

Currently, the account followed only one person: [Duan Xingye Seen].

Anyone with eyes could tell the account belonged to a die-hard fan.

Because yesterday’s video had gone viral, both notifications and new follower alerts at the bottom of the screen displayed 99+, which was why Cheng Duzhou had failed to distinguish it from his official account in the first place.

Now things were excruciatingly awkward.

The exposure had happened live in crystal-clear high definition; there was no walking this back.

Right at that moment, beneath the reposted update, a comment section that had been completely empty seconds earlier suddenly refreshed with over a thousand comments out of thin air.

Tapping to expand, a uniform string of comments appeared below:

“President Cheng, is that you?”

“…”

All of them had migrated straight over from the livestream.

Duan Xingye had never imagined Cheng Duzhou was still logged into an alt account. A burner used for shipping your own couple was something you discarded after posting one video; why keep it logged in? Did he plan to keep operating it as a fan account going forward?

Infuriated to the point of a near coronary by Cheng Duzhou’s idiotic blunder, Duan Xingye shoved him, completely ignoring the fact that the camera was filming right beside them.

Cheng Duzhou let him shove, his ears flushing red, quickly deleting the reposted Weibo to prevent it from rocketing up the trending searches.

By now, the livestream chat had detonated.

“Holy crap! Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed the voice actors were President Cheng and Teacher Duan themselves!”

“Rolling around screaming! My ship literally feeds itself!!!”

“A couple editing their own shipping videos, that has got to be one of a kind among top celebrities, right?”

“LMAO, too shy to show PDA on his main account, so he made an alt pretending to be a rookie. I knew this couple was low-key.”

“Let’s see anyone claim Lu Ye Shu Huai doesn’t interact on Weibo now; just slam this video right in the anti-fans’ faces!”

“Wuwuwu, this is amazing. They really love each other so much.”

Marketing accounts scrambled into action as well.

Bitter Tea Seed: The creator of the video that blew up yesterday in the Lu Ye Shu Huai Super Topic was none other than Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye themselves. It is clear the two did not want to use their relationship as a publicity gimmick, but who does not like to share their joy? Hence, quietly setting up an alt. Both leads personally stepped in to dub the video. How many points would you rate this level of interaction?

Lord Bai at Your Service: I knew that video was not simple. The editing did not look like an ordinary shipper’s perspective; it felt more like a compilation of their memories from Companionship Along the Way so far. My guess is that it was a gift from President Cheng to Teacher Duan, and Teacher Duan’s voiceover at the end was essentially a unique way of signing for the package. With this kind of private back-and-forth, it is a hundred times sweeter than any staged PR stunt. Truly worthy of the top couple on the CP charts; they really know how to show affection.

Daily Melon Eater: Lately, many Douban posts have been analyzing and claiming this couple is fake, arguing that their PR is just milking the CP benefits. Now everyone gets a slap in the face. Facts prove that while Lu Ye Shu Huai is not keen on making flashy public displays on social media, they interact constantly in private. Not only do they have a dedicated burner account to ship themselves, but they also visit each other’s sets. If that is not true love, what is?

Every platform was buzzing over the top star’s exposed alt account, swiftly sending the hashtag #YeDuXingHe# to the number one spot on the trending charts.

The livestream for Companionship Along the Way was still rolling. Awkward as it was, the two subjects had to face the camera and respond, or the audience interaction could not continue.

Seeing Cheng Duzhou’s thoroughly flustered look, Duan Xingye suppressed the urge to kick him, draped the blanket over his lap, and straightened his back to look at the screen.

At times like this, he still had to step up.

The audience remained in a frenzy, comments scrolling at blinding speed, mostly revolving around the same few questions.

Comment: Did President Cheng and Teacher Duan edit the video together?

“He edited it,” Duan Xingye said with a cool expression. “I just helped record a line of audio at the end.”

“The aloof Best Actor actually knows how to edit videos.”

“Teacher Duan must have been so touched when he saw it, right?”

“Ahhh! I love Lu Ye Shu Huai! Why didn’t you post such a great video from your official accounts?”

Propping his slightly warm cheek with one hand, Duan Xingye kept his tone firm: “Are official accounts meant for flaunting romance?”

“Hahahaha! Teacher Duan is a total career fanatic!”

“He separates work and personal life so cleanly.”

“You two don’t happen to have more than one alt, do you?”

“Career fans are rejoicing!”

Although Duan Xingye and Cheng Duzhou had an enormous CP fandom, they both had plenty of solo career fans as well. Many of them had opposed their appearance on a romance show from the start, not because the couple was not sweet, but because they disliked heavy pairing tie-ins, fearing a romantic image would hinder their professional work.

However, appearing on the show had not derailed their primary careers at all; in fact, it had promoted both of their trajectories. Seeing how clearly Duan Xingye drew the line between public and private, Cheng Duzhou’s career fans grew significantly fonder of him. Among the rushing comments, remarks like “Mrs. Cheng is completely clear-headed” occasionally surfaced.

Comment: Please, please show more PDA on the Ye Du Xing He account from now on! Pretty please! Everyone loves to see it.

“No,” Duan Xingye stated coolly. “A relationship is a very private matter. I decline excessive public exposure.”

The livestream practically flipped a table:

“Where is the excessive exposure! You two keep everything under wraps and never let it see the light of day!”

“If President Cheng hadn’t slipped up and blown his cover, we would’ve thought you two had zero romantic life at all!”

Ignoring the fans’ grievances, Duan Xingye instructed Cheng Duzhou, “Log out of that account.”

Cheng Duzhou tapped into the profile page. In just that brief conversation, the follower count had reached three hundred thousand and was still climbing.

He logged out and switched back to his official account.

At the very top of his feed sat the preview post from Companionship Along the Way that Duan Xingye had reposted.

Cheng Duzhou gave it a like, then hit repost.

Livestream:

“Saw it, saw it! President Cheng reposted Teacher Duan!”

“This is their first interaction on Weibo since officially announcing their marriage. Two years, it hasn’t been easy.”

“Haha, even after getting exposed, he still insisted on logging into his main account to repost it again. President Cheng really loves interacting with his wifey~”

That night, the entire internet was inundated with Duan Xingye’s name.

First, his performance of the classic song on Singer-Songwriter went viral, followed by Cheng Duzhou’s exposed alt, which dragged him into the spotlight along with it.

The fan-edit had only been popular within the fandom yesterday, but today it trended across the whole web.

Anti-fans had no choice but to shut up. Anyone who watched that video and heard the closing voiceovers that sounded just like mutual confessions could never call them a fake couple again.

Not only were they not fake, but their love was passionate and full of playful romance. They simply did not care about the traffic that PR brought, as neither possessed a personality that liked being flashy.

Once again, the couple won over fans purely on their own merits.

Before going to sleep, Duan Xingye lay in bed, his mind wandering to tomorrow’s show preview.

“The Wedding Battle.”

He remembered that when visiting the set yesterday, Lao Xu had asked during the interview whether he would be willing to marry Cheng Duzhou again.

Based on that, he guessed this upcoming episode would stage a wedding ceremony for the guests.

Duan Xingye rolled over.

When they got married, he and Cheng Duzhou had merely registered their marriage license; who would have thought filming a variety show would end up giving them the missing ceremony.

It was just a requirement for the show anyway, nothing to feel awkward about.

While his thoughts drifted aimlessly, Cheng Duzhou emerged from the bathroom.

Cheng Duzhou was not wearing a shirt. Duan Xingye let his gaze drift over his body twice, lingering particularly on his distinct, sculpted abs.

Due to acting requirements, Cheng Duzhou’s physique was more athletic and muscular than his. Still, Duan Xingye did not think he fell short; he had whatever muscle he needed, just without Cheng Duzhou’s aggressive visual presence.

Duan Xingye sat up, kneeling by the edge of the bed: “Let me see.”

Holding his pajamas, Cheng Duzhou looked confused: “See what?”

Duan Xingye hooked an arm around his neck to pull him down, inspecting the side of his throat where two faint scratch marks were visible.

They had been left yesterday on the sofa when, due to the position, Duan Xingye had hooked an arm around him from behind.

Duan Xingye looked at him: “Did anyone see?”

Cheng Duzhou glanced toward the side of his neck and shook his head: “My shirt collar covered it.”

Duan Xingye said, “Wear a shirt tomorrow, too.”

Cheng Duzhou: “…Okay.”

Duan Xingye: “Hey.”

Cheng Duzhou: “What?”

Releasing him, Duan Xingye sat back: “If it accidentally gets seen during filming, don’t say I did it.”

“Should I say I fell?” Cheng Duzhou touched the scratches with a hand. “Will the viewers believe that? It’s not like they can’t tell.”

“Use your head,” Duan Xingye said, drawing out the corners of his eyes. “Say Matchmaker left them while kneading paws.”

“…” Looking at Duan Xingye with an indescribable expression, Cheng Duzhou said, “She’s just a baby.”

“…”

Outside the bedroom, the kitten Matchmaker slept with her little head twitching slightly, taking the blame for something she did not do at less than a month old.

…

Just before 7:30 the next morning, a knock sounded on the door from Companionship Along the Way.

Cheng Duzhou got out of bed to answer it.

Lao Xu entered with the camera, giving the couple only ten minutes to wash up before gathering in the living room.

Still in their pajamas, having returned late and slept late the night before, they were not fully awake.

Lao Xu reached out a hand to them: “Please hand over your wedding rings.”

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye exchanged a look, immediately catching on that this was a planned segment. Without showing any surprise, they slipped their rings off their fingers and handed them over.

An assistant took two velvet boxes, storing their rings inside one by one.

Only then did Lao Xu announce: “Today, both of you will participate in Companionship Along the Way as single individuals. We hope you will fully enjoy the freedom of being single.”

Bullet comments:

“If I had a marriage like President Cheng and Teacher Duan’s, I wouldn’t want this single freedom at all!”

“The production crew is not allowed to break up my ship!”

“Today’s theme is marriage, so naturally they have to revert to being single first. Looking forward to this!”

Lao Xu continued: “The crew has prepared four distinct date routes with themes: Pastoral Journey, Adventure Journey, Mountain Forest Journey, and Water Journey. President Cheng, please draw a lot.”

Cheng Duzhou asked Duan Xingye, “Which kind of date do you prefer?”

Duan Xingye considered it and said, “As long as it’s a date, I probably won’t like any of them.”

“…”

The comments burst into laughter: Hahaha, Teacher Duan is ruthless.

The crew made a big mystery out of it, specifically calling Cheng Duzhou outside to draw the lot.

In reality, it was just an excuse to get Cheng Duzhou out of the room.

Once he stepped out, Lao Xu hurriedly brought out a tablet: “Teacher Duan, please watch this Korean drama clip carefully.”

Feeling baffled, Duan Xingye hit play: “Why?”

Lao Xu: “There are some interactions between the leads in here that you and President Cheng need to complete during your date, but you cannot let President Cheng realize you are acting.”

“…”

Another secret mission.

Outside.

Cheng Duzhou drew the Adventure Journey theme, but remained completely in the dark about everything else.

A staff member told him: “Please propose to Teacher Duan at the designated location using a standard posture. If unsuccessful, you will be unable to enter the hall of marriage. Only guests who successfully register their marriage before sunset today will be allowed to stay in the bridal suite.”

Cheng Duzhou: “…And if we don’t?”

Staff: “We will issue you a tent.”

“…”

Visible on the livestream, viewers grew hyped up first thing in the morning.

“Both of them have secret missions!”

“Can’t wait to see President Cheng propose!”

“That’s definitely going to succeed, no doubt!”

When Cheng Duzhou returned to the apartment, he informed Duan Xingye of the theme he had drawn, then headed to the bedroom to change.

Dressing in the walk-in closet, Cheng Duzhou was still thinking about the proposal.

He had never proposed before.

Their arranged marriage had skipped straight to obtaining the marriage certificate.

Yet the moment Cheng Duzhou pictured kneeling before Duan Xingye to propose, his heart began racing for some reason.

He was not sure if Duan Xingye would agree. He might assume it was a joke and decline, or simply refuse without any reason at all.

After all, Duan Xingye was allergic to romance.

Even a sudden kiss would get him hit.

Having finished changing, Cheng Duzhou adjusted his cuffs and pushed open the closet door to leave. Glancing aside unintentionally, he spotted the full-length mirror.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Duzhou turned toward the mirror and dropped onto one knee.

He hoped that when the real moment came, his posture while kneeling before Duan Xingye would be completely impeccable.

Just as Cheng Duzhou reached a hand out toward the mirror,

Duan Xingye entered the bedroom looking for a phone charger.

Passing the walk-in closet with the door ajar, he casually peeked inside, only to see Cheng Duzhou kneeling on the floor in a picture-perfect proposal pose.

Duan Xingye halted his steps, leaning against the doorframe, regarding him with relaxed amusement.

“…”

Behind him, Lao Xu’s camera followed.

“…”

Cheng Duzhou glanced at Duan Xingye. Then, stretching both arms straight up at a forty-five-degree angle, he stood up, pressed his hands against his knees, straightened his legs, bent at the waist, squatted down with bent knees, stood up again, and took a deep breath.

He had just performed a brief routine of middle school broadcast calisthenics.

“…”

Duan Xingye asked,

“Finished?”

Cheng Duzhou: “Yeah.”

Tilting his head slightly, Duan Xingye said, “Then step outside, I need to change.”

Without batting an eye or blushing, Cheng Duzhou walked right past him.

Knowing full well what Cheng Duzhou was actually doing, the bullet comments erupted into helpless laughter.

“President Cheng seems a bit cowardly. Can he actually pull off the proposal smoothly?!”

Author’s Note:

Teacher Duan telling the truth: Seeing him do broadcast calisthenics in the closet, I really didn’t want to admit he was my husband.