Chapter 111: Midnight Heartbeat

"It's getting late, and everyone has had a long, tiring day. Get some rest and recharge your batteries. We'll continue the fun tomorrow."

After wrapping up the dramatic compatibility questionnaire segment, the staff member directly announced the end of tonight's filming.

This took all the guests by surprise.

Was that really it for tonight?

Tomorrow's travel partners hadn't even been decided yet.

Previously, they had always played a game the night before to determine the next day's travel companions. Skipping this segment tonight felt rather jarring.

What was the production team playing at? Did this mean they would keep today's pairings for tomorrow's activities?

Everyone was left puzzled.

If that were the case, it would certainly be a cause for celebration for those who didn't want to change partners.

But for those who did want to switch, it made them want to curse the production team.

Why no changes? Depriving them of their choice without even letting them play a game was bound to cause resentment. It was simply too unfair.

After two consecutive days of running around, the guests were indeed physically exhausted. Since the production team had no other tasks planned for the night, they headed back to the luxury guesthouse, each lost in their own thoughts.

On the way back, just before entering the door, Zhang Chen stopped Ye Fangfei, asking if they could have a private chat.

Ye Fangfei hesitated for a moment, but seeing his solemn expression, she eventually agreed.

The two left the guesthouse together and strolled down toward the beach.

Lu Zhou glanced back at them. From the looks of it, were they planning on having a deep, late-night discussion?

During the compatibility questionnaire earlier, Ye Fangfei's answers had clearly displeased Zhang Chen. By the second half of the segment, his frustration had been written all over his face.

Those two really did need to talk.

Lu Zhou withdrew his gaze and stepped inside the guesthouse.

The guesthouse had plenty of rooms tonight, so there was no need to share. With a room all to himself, Lu Zhou didn't have to worry about being woken up in the middle of the night when Zhang Chen returned.

On the sandy beach.

Zhang Chen had asked the crew for two wooden chairs and set up a lantern between them.

The cameraman began setting up his gear nearby.

Zhang Chen cast a speechless, sideways glance at the cameraman. "We're just having a quick chat. Do you really have to film this?"

The cameraman nodded with a dull but resolute expression.

Zhang Chen: "...Is it still live?"

The cameraman nodded silently again.

With a dark, impatient expression, Zhang Chen scanned the crew in the distance, trying to spot Director Lin.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was buzzing:

[Why doesn't he want them to film? What is he planning to do?]

[I'm a bit scared. Does he have anger issues or something?]

[Anger issues? That's a bit dramatic, isn't it? They only dated for three days, what kind of foundation do they even have? Zhang Chen just got his ego bruised and is feeling annoyed, that's all.]

[Everyone has private matters they don't want exposed. He probably wants to talk openly. It's normal not to want to be filmed.]

[Hang in there, cameraman! We want to watch!]

Ye Fangfei sat down on one of the chairs and crossed her legs. The sea breeze was strong, sending her hair whipping wildly through the air. She raised a hand to keep it out of her face and looked at Zhang Chen.

"What did you want to say to me?" she asked softly.

Hearing Ye Fangfei speak first, Zhang Chen glanced at the camera again and ultimately gave up on trying to get the crew to leave.

Zhang Chen sat down, turning slightly to face her. His Adam's apple bobbed as if the words were caught in his throat.

Ye Fangfei didn't rush him. She watched him quietly, waiting for him to gather his thoughts.

After a moment, Zhang Chen toyed with his watch and said, "There are just a lot of things I can't seem to figure out. I want to know what you're really thinking. Can you be honest with me?"

Under the dim light, Ye Fangfei looked into his dark eyes. "I don't recall ever being dishonest with you. Go ahead and ask. I'll be completely upfront. I just hope you actually listen and accept the reality of our situation."

"I've always seen things clearly. If anything, I think you're the one who isn't seeing straight." Zhang Chen picked up a can of beer he had brought along from the barbecue stand, popped it open with a sharp click, and took a sip.

Ye Fangfei's eyes drifted to the beer in his hand, but she remained silent.

Zhang Chen swallowed the beer and said, "We met through a blind date. People in society today, especially successful ones, instinctively reject set-ups. Tell me the truth, do you also believe deep down that a relationship started through a blind date can never work out?"

"To be honest, I do dislike blind dates right now," Ye Fangfei admitted without hiding her true thoughts. "But I don't believe they never work out. It just depends on the individuals."

Hearing her admit this so candidly eased the tension in Zhang Chen's chest.

He looked up to study her face. She was at the peak of her youth and beauty.

At her age, being pushed into a blind date for marriage would make any ordinary woman balk, let alone someone of Ye Fangfei's standing.

Sometimes he could understand her actions. But understanding didn't stop the sting of being repeatedly rejected.

His current mission was to win her over. He didn't care if she was young or in her prime.

Ye Genghua wouldn't offer his precious daughter in marriage without wanting to gain something from the Zhang family in return.

But how had the situation devolved into him practically begging the Ye family on his knees? Besides, when he ran into Gao Ting'an on the yacht today, Gao Ting'an had even told him that his father had paid a heavy price to secure his match with Ye Fangfei. What kind of rumors were spreading out there?

Zhang Chen suddenly found this pill too bitter to swallow.

"At first, I felt the same aversion to blind dates as you do. I didn't think much of it. I thought, 'It's not like I can't find a girlfriend on my own, so why bother?'"

"But after getting to know you, I realized I really liked you, and my prejudice naturally vanished."

"Maybe I didn't make a good first impression, which is why you seem to hold a permanent bias against me... though I still don't know what exactly I did to displease you."

At this point, Zhang Chen took another long swig of his beer.

"I feel like you approached our interactions with colored glasses from the start. Before we could even get to know each other properly, you immediately labeled me as 'incompatible.' After that, no matter how hard I tried, you never gave me a fair chance."

"I don't think that's fair. Since we agreed to do this show, shouldn't we give each other a real chance? Do you honestly think I'm not good enough for you, Ye Fangfei? Just give it to me straight."

Perhaps the alcohol was starting to go to his head, but Zhang Chen stopped filtering his words, blunting out whatever came to mind.

"Wasn't today a perfect opportunity? What other chance do you need?" Ye Fangfei looked at him earnestly. She didn't buy into his self-pitying tone, but she didn't bother calling him out on it either. "Zhang Chen, after spending the entire day together, do you honestly feel that you had a comfortable and happy day today?"

"When we broke up, I only said we were incompatible. When did I ever say you weren't good enough for you?"

Zhang Chen choked on his words, his mind clearing slightly. His gaze flickered away, avoiding her direct stare. He brushed back his wind-blown bangs, pausing for a moment before speaking again.

"Then where exactly is the incompatibility?"

Zhang Chen met her gaze once more. In the dim light, her eyes were still incredibly bright. *Damn it,* he thought, *she looks beautiful even when she's being serious.* A sudden urge to kiss her surged within him.

At this moment, he couldn't quite tell what his true feelings for her were.

Having played the role of the devoted ex-boyfriend for so long, he had fallen too deep into character. He almost believed it himself. His current feelings for her seemed to have nothing to do with the vague prospect of a family alliance or proving himself to his father—it felt like pure, genuine attraction in this very moment.

"Can you be specific? Where exactly do we not fit? Don't tell me it's a clash of values. I don't want to hear such a vague, abstract reason, and I don't think our values clash at all."

His voice lost its edge, softening into something almost tender.

Ye Fangfei let out a soft laugh and slowly turned her gaze toward the dark, rolling waves ahead.

"That itself is where our perspectives differ. Take today, for example. How do you think we worked together?" she asked.

Zhang Chen thought back and said, "I think we worked great together. We got second in surfing! That shows great chemistry, doesn't it? And later, when we collected the money bags to exchange for boat tickets, we were the second group to succeed. The other two groups didn't coordinate nearly as well as we did."

"Those are just the results. What about the process?" Ye Fangfei raised an eyebrow. She wanted to point out that she had practically carried them to that second place, and it had been exhausting.

"The process..." Zhang Chen hesitated. "Sure, there were a few minor disagreements, but I think minor friction is inevitable between any two people. It's not a big deal, but you seem to blow it out of proportion."

"Like tonight's questionnaire. You actually wrote that you were dissatisfied with my performance today, and that you didn't want to partner with me again tomorrow!"

At this, Zhang Chen's anger flared up again.

"Was my performance really that disappointing to you today? What exactly were you unhappy with?" he pressed, his tone growing urgent.

Ye Fangfei rubbed her temples and let out a soft sigh.

"You want specifics?" she asked.

Zhang Chen nodded firmly. "Yes. The more specific, the better. I hate it when you brush me off with vague, generalized excuses. That's exactly what you did when we broke up."

Ye Fangfei pursed her lips, remaining silent for a brief moment before replying, "Fine. Then I won't hold back. I'll lay it all out."

Zhang Chen: "That's all I want. Otherwise, I'm getting blamed for no reason."

"For no reason?" Ye Fangfei chuckled. "Zhang Chen, do you still not realize that I was practically carrying us through the entire activity today?"

Zhang Chen frowned slightly and fell silent.

Ye Fangfei turned to look at him, her expression serious.

"If we were in a relationship, your behavior today, from my perspective, fell far short of what I expect in a partner."

"You just asked me if I was really that dissatisfied with you today." Ye Fangfei curled her lips slightly. "To be honest, yes, I was."

"Since you want specifics, let me list them for you."

She leaned back against the chair, recalling the day's events.

"You seem to be rather controlling, you get jealous easily, and you try to set ridiculous boundaries for me."

"When it mattered and I needed your input, your judgment of the situation and your perspective clashed completely with mine."

"We had quite a few disagreements, though you seem to have forgotten them."

"For example, our argument over whether the girl should sit in the front or the back of the surfboard. Our debate over the ticket exchange amount. Whether the speedboat or the cruise ship was more comfortable. Even whether it was worth it for me to work so hard collecting money bags just to upgrade to the cruise ship..."

"Did it ever occur to you that if my partner had been reliable, I wouldn't have had to dive down by myself to retrieve seven money bags? The only reason I had to push myself so hard was because my partner wasn't strong enough, wasn't considerate enough, and didn't understand me..."

At this point, Ye Fangfei didn't even bother looking at Zhang Chen's face. She didn't need to check to know it would be unsightly.

But he was the one who had demanded specifics.

Ye Fangfei took a deep breath and continued to speak her mind candidly.

"The partner I actually hoped for was someone who would behave in the exact opposite way of how you did today."

"So yes, I was dissatisfied, and I was honest about it on the questionnaire."

"Furthermore, looking at it from a deeper level—from the perspective of choosing a boyfriend..."

"...I believe I still have plenty of time. There's no need for me to settle or force myself to accept a man who falls short of my standards. I just need to follow my heart. I want a partner who is closer to my ideal. That's why I have no qualms about saying no, and I hope my refusal helps you see clearly that we are simply not right for each other."

Having finished, she looked at Zhang Chen.

Sure enough, his face was pale with embarrassment.

The livestream chat exploded:

[This is suffocating!]

[This honesty session is brutal! I thought this was the season finale for a second!]

[I feel bad for Zhang Chen, but Ye Fangfei isn't wrong at all.]

[Fei-bao is so incredibly clear-headed! I love her so much.]

[Are they really done for good?]

[Can she really read all that into just one day? Women are terrifying.]

Zhang Chen drank in rapid gulps, emptying the can of beer in no time.

Hearing the specific reasons for her dissatisfaction—which were actually quite logical—left him feeling numb.

"I admit that some of my behavior might be a bit dense. I failed to pay attention to the details and look out for your feelings today. It probably has to do with the environment I grew up in. I'm really not great at taking care of girls. That's a flaw of mine."

Zhang Chen remembered that when he was partnered with Qi Jiajia, she had also mentioned he was rather insensitive.

Now, hearing Ye Fangfei accuse him of being inconsiderate, even though he felt he had paid a lot of attention to her... it seemed his cluelessness was worse than he thought.

His past girlfriends had never brought this up, which was probably just them saving his face. The fact that he was tripping up in front of Ye Fangfei now was partly his exes' fault for not training him properly!

Then again, it had always been him setting the rules for them. Since when did a woman get to train him?

"But I'm already trying to change. Trust me."

"It's just that today's activities weren't my strong suit, so I struggled to keep up and ended up neglecting you in some areas. That was my bad, and I apologize."

Zhang Chen shifted into self-reflection mode.

"If we get the chance to partner up again tomorrow, let's give it another shot, okay?" he said, his voice softening as he rested his hand on the armrest of her chair in a placating gesture.

Ye Fangfei fell silent, feeling as though she had wasted her breath.

She had made herself crystal clear, yet he was still persisting...

It seemed his family was putting considerable pressure on him regarding this alliance.

"Just be yourself, Zhang Chen."

"I'm really tired. Let's stop here. I'm going back to sleep."

Leaving him with those words, Ye Fangfei stood up and headed back toward the guesthouse.

Since she hadn't given him a direct answer, Zhang Chen stared at her retreating figure against the wind and suddenly called out.

"Who is the partner you'd rather work with tomorrow?" he asked.

Ye Fangfei paused slightly, but still didn't answer, walking straight back to the guesthouse.

By the time she returned to the guesthouse, it was already quite late. There wasn't a sound to be heard inside; everyone had clearly gone to bed.

She changed into her slippers, rubbed her stiff neck, and dragged her exhausted feet inside. But as she passed the living room, she was startled to see someone still sitting on the sofa.

Looking closer, she realized it was Lu Zhou.

"Not asleep yet?" Ye Fangfei stopped, asking in surprise.

Hearing her voice, Lu Zhou looked up and smiled. "In a bit."

Ye Fangfei walked over. "What are you doing?"

"Applying some medicine," Lu Zhou said.

Only then did Ye Fangfei notice the bottle in his hand. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

She sat down beside him and leaned in to inspect his injury.

"Just a minor scrape on my leg," Lu Zhou smiled. He used a cotton swab dipped in antiseptic to clean the wound, then pulled his trouser leg back down.

"When did you do that?" Ye Fangfei frowned.

"I didn't notice. Probably got scraped when I wiped out while surfing."

Lu Zhou smiled as if it were nothing. He glanced toward the entrance and noticed that Zhang Chen hadn't returned with her.

"Water sports make it so easy to get hurt," Ye Fangfei said sympathetically. She lifted her left foot slightly, pointing to her ankle. "I got hit here too, though I have no idea when."

Lu Zhou looked down at the spot just above her ankle. A sizable dark bruise came into view.

His brow furrowed instantly. "Have you... treated that?"

Ye Fangfei shook her head. "The skin isn't broken, so there's not much to do. I'll just let it heal on its own."

"It's close to the joint. You should ice it, otherwise it might swell tomorrow and affect your walking."

As he spoke, Lu Zhou put the medicine back into the first-aid kit, stood up, and went to the refrigerator to look for an ice pack.

Ye Fangfei blinked in surprise. By the time she realized what he was doing, Lu Zhou was already back with the ice pack.

"Thanks," she said, reaching out to take it.

"Don't touch it yet, it's freezing." Lu Zhou kept it out of her reach. He sat down, pulled a roll of long gauze from the kit, and tapped the sofa. "Put your foot up."

Perhaps because his tone had suddenly turned slightly commanding, Ye Fangfei put her foot up on the sofa as if under a spell.

The living room camera adjusted its angle, and the livestream chat went wild:

[Ahhh, I'm dying!]

[Why did the sweetness level just go off the charts?]

[High alert ahead! Zhang Chen is about to walk in!!!]

[Damn, is the drama finally starting?]

Lu Zhou cut a piece of the gauze and laid it over her ankle. Then, he cut a larger piece to wrap the ice pack, twisting the excess gauze together so she could hold it without freezing her hand.

Once done, he gently placed the wrapped ice pack over the bruised area on her ankle.

The sudden burst of cold sent a tiny shiver through her heart—a strange, fluttering sensation.

"Keep it on for fifteen to twenty minutes. Make sure to move it around occasionally so you don't get frostbite," Lu Zhou said.

Ye Fangfei took the wrapped ice pack, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"How are you so good at this? Do you get hurt a lot?"

Lu Zhou brushed the condensation from his hands. "I used to get injured all the time when I danced. Of course I'm used to it."

Ye Fangfei smiled. She also got injured frequently—an occupational hazard for dancers. But she had a devoted assistant who took care of everything for her, so she rarely had to tend to her own minor injuries.

Yet Lu Zhou was so practiced. He must have had to look after himself every single time.

A faint pang of sympathy touched her heart.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Lu Zhou glanced at the wall clock and asked, "Are you bored? Do you want me to stay and keep you company?"

"No, it's fine. Go get some rest," Ye Fangfei replied.

Footsteps sounded at the entrance, and Zhang Chen walked in after changing his shoes.

The sight of Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei sitting close together in the living room instantly cleared his slightly tipsy head.

A mocking sneer touched his lips, and a surge of hot blood rushed to his chest.

"Didn't you just say you were exhausted? Now you suddenly have the energy for a late-night heart-to-heart?"

*Women's words are nothing but lies!*

Zhang Chen strode in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ye Fangfei: "..." She didn't want to engage with him.

Lu Zhou glanced back at Zhang Chen and pointed out, "She hurt her ankle. It needs to be iced."

With that, he stood up and headed upstairs.

Zhang Chen froze. Hurt? Since when?

The anger on his face vanished instantly as he rushed forward. "Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Why didn't you tell me? Do we need to see a doctor?"

The questions tumbled out in a frantic rush.

He was being too overbearing, giving Ye Fangfei a headache. "It's fine. Just a little bruise."

"Let me see," Zhang Chen said, leaning in.

Ye Fangfei expressionlessly lifted the ice pack and gauze to show him.

"It's bruised that badly? Does it hurt? Where did you hit it?" Zhang Chen stared at the dark mark against her fair skin. The stark contrast filled him with sudden concern.

"I don't know where I hit it, and it doesn't hurt that much. It's fine, I'm not that fragile."

Ye Fangfei didn't want to get dragged into another exhausting conversation with him. She put her foot down and stood up, deciding to finish icing it in her own room.

"Wait, you're not going to ice it anymore?"

"I'm tired. I'll do it in bed."

"Are you sure? Can you walk? How about I carry you to your room?" Zhang Chen followed her, suddenly struck by what he thought was a brilliant idea.

"..." Ye Fangfei looked at him, utterly speechless. "Do I look like I'm crippled and can't walk?"

She quickened her pace, returned to her room, and shut the door with a firm click.

Zhang Chen: "..."

The livestream chat flashed:

[Bro, there's a reason you're single.]

[The contrast is brutal.]

[Stop trying to make a move and put some actual heart into it, bro.]