FLME Ch101

Chapter 101: Extra Episode of “Love Reality Show” (Part 4)

The final result was two wins and two losses. Among the four couples, only Yu Wen and Chu Han successfully hid, and the punishment was, as expected, that dreaded “nickname.”

Yu Wen emerged from the water wearing a little monster diving suit, removed his headgear, and his hair and brows were wet, giving him a pure, fresh look, like a lotus rising from the water. The PD’s eyes brightened, and he rushed to capture the shot.

The divers lined up to exit the pool, and Yu Wen lingered at the back. Xie Heyu was standing by the edge of the pool, crouching to talk to him.

Yu Wen wasn’t wearing a microphone, but they were close enough that the microphone on Xie Heyu’s collar picked up some faint sounds. The PD could only hear a few unclear words from their conversation.

“Where did the penguin come from…”

“Exchanged.”

“Did you see the words I wrote?”

“Mm.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, this is mine…”

Suddenly, Yu Wen took a step back, staring at Xie Heyu with an expression of disbelief. Xie Heyu couldn’t hold it in and turned his face away, laughing. They playfully tugged at each other and whispered for a while. Using the penguin doll as cover, they exchanged a brief kiss.

The penguin doll, no matter how big, could only block one side. The PD, standing a few steps behind, tried to minimize his presence, using the camera to capture the interaction between them.

It was still going on. The PD sighed as he filmed.

Since the recording began, this couple—so mindful of boundaries—had never shown any overly intimate moments in front of the camera. Most of their interactions were simple, subtle exchanges, their sweet moments hidden in the mundane. Audiences loved the relaxed, easygoing couple dynamic, but sometimes, a little bit of affection to stir emotions was needed.

To capture these moments of closeness, the PD had learned how to be stealthy and blend in, almost becoming a battlefield journalist.

After taking off his diving gear, Yu Wen hugged the penguin doll and made his way to join the other guests.

He was the last to arrive. The time it took to remove his gear and change his clothes meant the others had already gathered and were chatting. The topic of conversation was none other than the slightly distressed, seemingly ready to die inside, Chu Han.

Bai Yuan: “Teacher Chu, where were you hiding? President Feng yelled into the megaphone for over ten minutes, didn’t you hear it?”

“…I heard it,” Chu Han closed his eyes, his heart dead inside, “I was in the second-floor restroom.”

Bai Yuan marveled, “Teacher Chu, you’re so smart, I didn’t think of hiding in the bathroom.”

When playing hide and seek as a kid, the bathroom was always the most invincible hiding spot. Though Chu Han didn’t have the advantage of hiding from the opposite sex, in a huge Oceanarium like this, most people wouldn’t think of such a simple, back-to-basics location.

…This also indirectly proved just how much Chu Han didn’t want to be found by Feng Chengzhou.

Zhao Feiyang laughed, “When President Feng was calling, I was thinking, wow, that’s impressive. If I were the one looking for someone, I’d do it like that.”

With Feng Chengzhou out settling the bill for the patrol car, the others grew bolder in their teasing. Bai Yuan said, “Straight man logic. Didn’t you see Teacher Chu’s face? Ask your girlfriend—if you did this to her, would she let you off the hook?”

Zhao Feiyang’s girlfriend gently replied, “If it were this embarrassing, I’d just break up.”

Zhao Feiyang was stunned: “It’s that serious?”

He genuinely felt that the whole thing was brilliant!

Bai Yuan patted Chu Han’s shoulder and said solemnly, “Teacher Chu, life is short, it passes in the blink of an eye.”

Just as he was speaking, Yu Wen and Xie Heyu walked over. The attention quickly shifted to them, and everyone began asking about their experience. The focus of the conversation shifted again.

Chu Han finally got a chance to breathe, but when he saw the giant doll in Yu Wen’s arms, he immediately fell into another bout of emo.

He had embarrassed himself, failed to catch a doll, and now what was the point of the victory?

Yu Wen noticed the longing look in his eyes and kindly handed over the penguin doll for Chu Han to hold for a while. But once Chu Han had it, he wouldn’t let go.

Yu Wen: “…Give it back.”

Chu Han pouted: “Call it ‘Master,’ and if it doesn’t respond, it means I’m its dad.”

Well, you really know how to use your skills.

In terms of nonsense, Chu Han was still no match for Yu Wen. After a bit of tugging, Chu Han was eventually worn down and obediently returned the doll.

But it was obvious to everyone how reluctant he was. When Feng Chengzhou came back, Chu Han continued staring at the penguin in Yu Wen’s arms.

Feng Chengzhou paid the remaining balance for the patrol car and returned with two A3-sized posters.

The director asked what they were for. Feng Chengzhou, unashamed, proudly displayed the posters and said openly, “A missing person notice needs a photo. The Oceanarium didn’t have a printer, so I sent someone to a nearby print shop. Unfortunately, we arrived too late.”

The posters showed two highly retouched photos of Chu Han.

At the bottom right corner, in cursive, it read: “Missing Person Notice. Accurate information reward: 100,000; Specific location: 200,000; Escort to the patrol car: 500,000.”

The guests erupted in laughter. Bai Yuan couldn’t help but say, “Bro, the production team is playing a game with you, but you’re playing with their money!”

Yu Wen smirked: “If there wasn’t a time limit, Teacher Chu would probably have been dug up by the tourists.”

Whenever Chu Han thought he had reached the peak of social death, Feng Chengzhou would deliver a new, small shock.

He glanced at the posters, closed his eyes, and dramatically “died” on the spot.

The punishment for the game started the moment they got into the car.

Chu Han felt a bit comforted. After all this trouble and embarrassment, at least it wasn’t a complete loss.

But Feng Chengzhou vividly demonstrated the concept of “as long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s the others who should be.”

“Master, which one of these two posters do you think is better?”

“Master, do you want some water? I think you look a little pale.”

“Master, sleep for a while, I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

During a break, the production team stopped to buy drinks for the staff. Feng Chengzhou stood in front of the supermarket freezer, surveying the wide variety of ice creams. He turned and asked, “Master—what flavor do you want?”

Half the supermarket turned to look. The crowd quickly assembled, staring at the dignified Feng Chengzhou, then glancing at the business car, trying to catch a glimpse of what “Master” looked like through the tinted windows.

Chu Han: “…”

The word “Master” sounded so simple coming from Feng Chengzhou, like asking about food or drink. The more casual he was, the more the person on the receiving end felt their feet digging into the ground.

At the end, the other guests couldn’t handle it anymore. Bai Yuan said painfully, “Stop, stop… I have ‘Master’ shame syndrome, Director Feng, please let me go.”

Feng Chengzhou raised an eyebrow and finally restrained himself a bit.

Compared to him, Xie Heyu was truly the perfect boyfriend.

Yu Wen had no PTSD towards the term ‘brother’, but he was very averse to showing affection in front of others, like performing a monkey show. Xie Heyu understood his thoughts and would always restrain himself in front of others, occasionally pretending not to care about Yu Wen’s movements, even though his clingy nature was already well-known online.

His strategy for dealing with this punishment was to keep his words short and ignore the address.

The director’s team had no choice but to let him be; the essence of this punishment was to spread sweetness, but if he didn’t want to, they couldn’t force it.

However, the microphones occasionally captured small surprises.

Xie Heyu wouldn’t say much in front of others, but when they were alone, it was another story.

Lunch was prepared by the guests themselves. Yu Wen and Xie Heyu were in charge of cleaning the seafood. The kitchen was crowded, so they moved their work to the yard.

Xie Heyu was responsible for cleaning the lobsters. After cleaning one, he would hand it over, saying, “Here, brother.”

Every time he cleaned one, he would call out ‘brother.’

At first, Yu Wen could still pretend to be calm, but as time went on, he said less and less, burying himself in washing seafood. The fixed camera caught the whole process of his ears turning red.

While cooking, they realized they were missing some seasonings, so they were sent to the nearby supermarket to buy them.

When selecting seasonings, Xie Heyu picked up another bottle and said, “Brother, this flavor is better.”

At checkout, when the cashier asked who would pay, Xie Heyu pressed Yu Wen’s hand, saying, “Brother, I’ll do it.”

By the evening, Yu Wen still felt like bees were buzzing around his ears.

These bees were called Xie Heyu, and with every flap of his wings, he called ‘brother.’

In the evening, another major punishment for the couple’s game appeared.

The director raised a megaphone: “In today’s game, only two couples successfully found their partner and won a special dinner for two. The remaining two couples don’t have food quotas, but the program group has decided to give you another chance—”

Bai Yuan and Zhao Feiyang were taken away by a business car, heading to the special hotel first to taste the special food. Before leaving, Bai Yuan advised Yu Wen, “Teacher Yu, it’s just a game. Let your boyfriend win, what’s the harm? There’s a special dinner to be had, don’t be stubborn later.”

She said the same to Chu Han.

The business car drove away, and Yu Wen and Chu Han exchanged a look, each more determined than the other.

Yu Wen: “This is not just a game.”

Chu Han: “It’s a battle for dignity.”

Yu Wen: “We must win.”

Chu Han: “There’s no room for mercy.”

Xie Heyu/Feng Chengzhou: “…”

Seeing their serious expressions, the director knew they were in for an exciting overtime.

They were taken to separate rooms and randomly selected three mini-games.

Two wins, one loss, and before the overtime started, each drew a ‘with/without special dinner’ slip, which would determine whose slip would be opened in the end.

It was time to test their luck.

Yu Wen and Xie Heyu were taken to the third-floor reception room. After drawing their slips, they handed them to the production team.

The first mini-game they drew was ‘Shy Sticky Notes.’

As the name suggests, the couple had to cover each other with sticky notes. The goal was to remove the most sticky notes from each other in three minutes.

It was a common game. Yu Wen had seen it on variety shows a few times, but he had never participated in it.

“Let’s go.” He rolled up his sleeves, confident.

He hadn’t played, but Xie Heyu had never played either. With Xie Heyu’s flexibility not being as good as his, it seemed like a guaranteed win.

The production team had naturally prepared some small tricks. When sticking the sticky notes, they went for the more… delicate areas.

Chest, waist, thighs, buttocks…

They stuck the notes where the romantic sensations were.

With their hands tied behind their backs, Xie Heyu’s shirt collar was undone, revealing subtle lines and the contour of his chest muscles. The staff pulled his collar open and quickly stuck a yellow sticky note on his left chest.

The sticky note was yellow, and under the loose white shirt, only a corner of it showed. It could only be removed by biting open the collar.

Yu Wen: “…”

He stared in disbelief and immediately looked down at his own outfit. His mind eased—he wasn’t wearing a shirt, but a T-shirt with no buttons to undo.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, the staff lifted the hem of his T-shirt and efficiently stuck a sticky note on his side waist.

They exchanged a silent, stunned look.

Clearly, they were both a bit awkward and at a loss. When the PD yelled to start, they both stared at each other, frozen, not knowing where to begin.

After a long pause, Yu Wen made the first move.

There were many sticky notes placed on sensitive spots, but there were also some on ordinary spots. Yu Wen glanced around, bent down, and started by removing the sticky note from his forearm.

Xie Heyu didn’t move, letting him do it. When Yu Wen’s attention shifted to his chest, he finally snapped out of his dazed state. Lowering his gaze, his canine teeth caught the sticky note on Yu Wen’s ear.

Yu Wen felt the shift in the air and suddenly looked up, his eyes widening as he saw the sticky note clutched in Xie Heyu’s mouth.

…An ambush! Young people these days don’t follow the rules!

He immediately stepped back, but Xie Heyu, relying on his height advantage, stepped forward and pushed him into a corner, quickly biting off three or four notes.

Yu Wen’s early advantage was now gone.

From this moment on, the roles were completely reversed.

Yu Wen watched helplessly as Xie Heyu crouched down to bite the sticky note on his inner thigh. This person had such a strong competitive drive… he hadn’t noticed before.

There was a camera tent in the room, and a few PDs were hiding inside. At that moment, the few pairs of eyes peeking out glowed with green light.

The sticky notes were stuck on more embarrassing areas.

Xie Heyu chewed for a moment, unable to reach it. He stopped, panting, his voice low and hoarse from the exertion: “Yu Wen, spread your legs.”

Yu Wen subconsciously obeyed, then immediately realized—this wasn’t doi-ing, this was outside, in a recording setting.

He suddenly slammed his legs together. Xie Heyu retreated quickly, but still got his nose pinched, letting out a soft sound.

Yu Wen stammered, “Are you okay? Stand up, let me see.”

Xie Heyu shook his head, indicating it was fine.

He raised his gaze again, his nose slightly red, his eyes wet, as if it had just rained. His pupils were dark and deep, like a black hole that could swallow everything.

That look was so full of emotion, Yu Wen was very familiar with it. His brain, driven by habit, fell into chaos for a moment. In just a brief lapse, Xie Heyu had already cleanly and decisively removed most of the sticky notes from his body.

The director poked his head out of the tent, announcing that the time was up.

The staff quickly came to free their bound hands. Yu Wen was lost in thought when he suddenly felt soft lips on his forehead. He looked up to see Xie Heyu leaning down to kiss the corner of his eye, silently showing affection.

…Yu Wen decided to forgive him for the shameful ambush.

Caught off guard, Yu Wen swore in the second round that he would win no matter what.

The second mini-game was ‘East asks, West answers.’

The rules were simple: one person asks, the other answers, but the answer must be completely unrelated to the question. They would alternate roles, and Yu Wen asked first.

He rubbed his hands together: “What do you want for dinner?”

Xie Heyu: “It’s very cool.”

Xie Heyu: “Are you tired today?”

Yu Wen: “Penguin.”

Both of them were quick-witted, and after more than ten rounds, the score remained zero-zero.

The director interrupted the tense situation, saying that if no one scored in one minute, it would turn into a rock-paper-scissors contest.

Yu Wen secretly steeled himself, thinking that he had to use a special tactic.

After a moment’s thought, he suddenly said, “I love you.”

“……”

Xie Heyu was stunned.

Yu Wen’s heart skipped a beat, it worked!

He repeated, “I love you.”

Xie Heyu opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond. His gaze slowly stirred with unreadable emotions.

Yu Wen quietly began counting with his fingers: three, two, one…

“This round ends, Yu Wen wins.”

Yu Wen let out a small cheer and, out of the camera’s sight, made a face at Xie Heyu.

A victory of the mind, winning was now within his grasp.

Xie Heyu froze, then smiled in amusement, letting out a barely audible sigh.

The last game was called ‘You advance, I retreat,’ a variation of the King’s Game.

The rules were simple: ten cards in total. The person who drew the higher number advanced one step, while the person who drew the lower number retreated one step. The game continued until someone was backed up against the wall, at which point the game was over.

Drawing the spade king not only made the opponent retreat one step, but also allowed the player to command the opponent to do anything, such as returning to their original position.

Yu Wen was a bit hungry and was eager to finish the game and go eat. He secretly whispered to Xie Heyu: “Let’s finish quickly, I want to eat.”

Xie Heyu chuckled softly: “Don’t want to beat me?”

Yu Wen, in a good mood, replied: “Winning one round is enough. Losing this time means I don’t have to call you ‘brother.'”

Xie Heyu: “Drawing cards is random, I can’t control it.”

Yu Wen: “Let’s make a gentleman’s agreement. Whoever draws the king, let’s not use it. That way, we can finish quickly.”

Xie Heyu raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor refusing.

The conversation was perfectly captured by the microphone. The director heard it clearly but didn’t mind; after all, it was a couple’s game. The win or loss didn’t matter. If they could later edit it to show that they couldn’t bear to make each other retreat, it would make the show even more interesting.

The staff made the decision, and the game began.

Yu Wen drew a card, getting an 8. Xie Heyu drew a 10.

Yu Wen pouted, feeling that his luck wasn’t great.

As he took a step back, Xie Heyu took a long stride forward, and their distance was less than a fist’s length.

“…” Yu Wen looked up at Xie Heyu, sensing the determined competitive spirit in his boyfriend’s eyes.

What’s this?

Did I provoke you?

If Xie Heyu in the first round was just proactive, Xie Heyu in the third round had a completely unyielding competitive attitude. Every time he moved closer to Yu Wen, the pressure seemed to follow him like a shadow.

It seemed that the pressure had overwhelmed him, and his luck had worsened as well.

Yu Wen drew five times and lost five times.

On the sixth draw, Xie Heyu drew the king.

He casually held the card, glancing at Yu Wen out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly smiled. Yu Wen’s heart skipped a beat, feeling a strong premonition of bad things to come.

“Use it.” Xie Heyu said, holding the card. His fingers, defined and slender, flipped the card over. The spade king was right in front of Yu Wen’s eyes, almost like it had a magic of its own.

Drawing this card almost guaranteed victory, because Xie Heyu could directly force Yu Wen to retreat to the wall.

The director had already prepared to announce the victory, but then Xie Heyu said: “Repeat the last thing you said in the previous round.”

Yu Wen froze.

The room fell silent.

The director, ready to emerge from the tent, paused, looking back at the assistant director, signaling: What’s going on?

The assistant director was also confused, shaking his head.

Yu Wen blinked, taking a while to remember what the “last thing” he said was.

“…… I love you.”

Xie Heyu held the king card and smiled at him.

Yu Wen’s heart seemed to be poked by something sharp, a mixture of sweetness and itchiness.

The director took three seconds to react and immediately ducked back into the tent, silently not daring to make any noise that might break the atmosphere.

Once inside, he signaled the rest of the crew to remain quiet.

Xie Heyu continued to draw, and once again, he drew the king.

Even Heaven seemed to be favoring him.

Yu Wen didn’t draw a card; with the king of spades appearing, it no longer mattered whether he drew a card or not.

Xie Heyu: “Say it again.”

Yu Wen smiled bitterly.

“I love you.”

The room was silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The staff pretended to be potted plants, holding their breath, eyes darting everywhere. Occasionally, they couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at the two of them, and their lips immediately lifted into an aunt-like smile, harder to suppress than the AK.

The director sat inside the tent, hands clasped, looking devout.

More, more! Don’t pity me, this delicate flower. My fame in history will depend on you two…

The third card was also the king.

Xie Heyu: “Say it again.”

Yu Wen: “I love you.”

He was only a step away from the wall, with just one final chance left.

Xie Heyu: “This time, do you want to draw first?”

Yu Wen shook his head.

“You draw.”

Winning or losing no longer mattered.

Even if the next card wasn’t the king, he would still say to Xie Heyu: “I love you.”

The fourth card, the king of spades again.

Yu Wen even suspected Xie Heyu had tampered with the cards, because there was no way to explain drawing the king four times in a row. Who would get the king of spades four times?

A brief, chaotic thought crossed his mind, but he quickly regained his focus. Whether or not there had been cheating didn’t really matter.

Xie Heyu held the card and looked directly into his eyes.

Yu Wen’s back touched the cold wall, and “I love you” lingered on his tongue, waiting for Xie Heyu to say “Say it again.”

But this time, things were different.

Xie Heyu smiled and, with the last king of spades, didn’t ask anything of Yu Wen. Instead, he subtly moved his fingers and put the card away.

“I love you too,” he said.

“……”

Ahhh—!

The director inside the tent silently screamed.

It’s guaranteed! The low income guarantee is in the bag!

My future glory and wealth are secured!

Thank you, little couple, thank you, world.

Yu Wen’s throat moved, but he couldn’t speak.

He suddenly… really wanted to kiss Xie Heyu.

—

While one group was earning a low income guarantee for the director, the other group was in chaos.

Feng Chengzhou refused the second chance the program offered, sneaking away with Chu Han.

The responsible PD struggled to find the two of them, only to discover that their location was just a street away from the seaside cabin.

As soon as the camera turned on, Feng Chengzhou noticed their figures and waved slowly, smiling: “Sorry, we can start recording now.”

He had left for an hour, leaving Chu Han at a restaurant on this street for dinner. Even Chu Han didn’t know where he had gone during that hour.

After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, Chu Han looked at him with a friendly expression and leaned against the wall, asking: “Why did you call me out?”

His car was parked by the street, not listed in the program’s backup, and no one knew where it had come from.

Feng Chengzhou came down the steps and said, “I’ve prepared some gifts for you.”

He propped up the trunk and suddenly asked: “It might be a bit cheesy. Do you want the program to record it?”

Chu Han: “… Do you think this is some variety show? This is a dating show.”

If he really hated showing affection on camera, he wouldn’t have signed the contract in the first place.

He just had a slightly thinner skin than Feng Chengzhou.

Feng Chengzhou took off his coat and casually leaned against the trunk.

“Well, I’ll open it then.”

Chu Han nodded indifferently.

In fact, Feng Chengzhou was someone who really liked creating romantic moments. Although his romantic gestures were… quite unique, most of the time, out of respect for his intentions, even if Chu Han didn’t like them, he would still show a little happiness.

He had no idea what nonsense Feng Chengzhou was going to give him this time… Chu Han braced himself. The trunk opened to reveal numerous gift boxes.

“Wow…” he pretended to be surprised.

Feng Chengzhou: “…You haven’t even opened the boxes yet.”

Oh.

Chu Han moved closer and opened one of the gift boxes. The packaging was exquisite, but it took him a bit of effort. He quietly muttered about these useless but good-looking things…

However, once he finished opening it, he froze.

It was a penguin plush.

Feng Chengzhou observed his expression and thought to himself, he hadn’t been mistaken earlier—Chu Han had been eyeing Yu Wen’s penguin plush.

“Yu Wen’s is a limited edition, it’s sold out, but I just called Bian Ce, and there’s a project at the aquarium that’s lacking investment. That penguin… It should be available next month, and I’ll get it for you then.”

Chu Han took the plush out of the gift box, fiddling with it, a smile unknowingly appearing on his face. Looking at the numerous gift boxes in the trunk, he asked: “Are these all plush toys?”

Feng Chengzhou nodded, “I wasn’t sure which one you’d like, so I bought them all. It’s easy to get them from the claw machine, but putting them into gift boxes was a real hassle.”

Chu Han rummaged through two or three gift boxes, squatting on the ground to open them. Upon hearing this, he laughed: “You could’ve just not put them in the boxes.”

Feng Chengzhou squatted down as well.

The PD team finally arrived at the scene, and the camera focused on the car full of gift boxes and the two of them squatting at the back of the car, opening gift boxes.

“They’ll get dirty if they’re not in boxes,” Feng Chengzhou said.

Chu Han paused while opening a box.

He glanced at Feng Chengzhou, then smiled.

Sometimes, Chu Han felt that love was like a cup of water.

When disappointed, you pour some out; when moved, you fill it up… and just keep filling and emptying. Maybe one day, the love will be completely drained, and the container won’t exist anymore—that’s when the relationship should end.

But Feng Chengzhou… always had a way to refill it with a lot more water just as he was about to pour it out.

Throughout their time together, Chu Han had cold wars with him, and they had fought.

But Chu Han had never stopped loving him.

It was like a karmic relationship.

“How did you know I wanted this plush?”

Feng Chengzhou looked down at the gift boxes and raised an eyebrow: “You were practically drooling over Yu Wen’s penguin plush. I’m not blind.”

He spent some time finding the source of the penguin plush, then contacted the aquarium, and finally spent a bit of time carefully placing these plush toys into the gift boxes.

An hour felt long, but it was the shortest time he could manage to compress.

Chu Han: “What I want isn’t Yu Wen’s plush. It’s the ones you gave me.”

Feng Chengzhou: “That one’s easy to get.”

Chu Han: “I’m not lying to you. I don’t need the investment. I just want these.”

Feng Chengzhou looked up at him, saw the seriousness in his eyes, and spread his hands: “Okay, I’ll contact Bian Ce later.”

He hurriedly started putting each plush toy that Chu Han had opened back into the boxes, careful not to let any dust get on them. Chu Han watched his focused side profile and suddenly smiled: “Feng Chengzhou, I forgive you.”

I forgive you for being so embarrassing.

Even if it’s embarrassing.

I can forgive you for a lifetime.