Chapter 118: Who Do You Actually Like?

Everyone had assumed that after this dinner, which lasted nearly two hours, the production team would have more activities lined up. As it turned out, there were none. Suddenly left to their own devices, the guests were momentarily at a loss.

With the night already deep, the guests dispersed to spend their time as they pleased. Most chose to return to their rooms to rest, both to conserve energy for tomorrow's travels and to sort through their own thoughts in solitude.

The day had been lighthearted and pleasant for everyone, but the unexpected film screening that evening had forcibly dragged up memories of their exes, leaving some feeling unsettled and heavy-hearted. Troubling questions resurfaced in their minds, inviting deep contemplation: Would the next person really be better? Were things with an ex truly beyond repair? Did they still love them? How much? Should they try to mend things? If they didn't try to reconcile, would they end up like characters A and C in the film, spending the rest of their lives in regret? And if they did try, would they simply repeat the same mistakes like character B?

As these thoughts flooded their minds, some found clear answers, while others remained caught in an internal struggle.

After the film ended, Ye Fangfei chose not to return to her room. For some reason, her chest felt tight, and she wanted to go to the beach to get some fresh air. Seeing her head toward the exit of the guesthouse, Zhang Chen curiously followed.

"Where are you going?" he asked, catching up to her.

Ye Fangfei didn't look at him, continuing straight ahead as she tossed back, "Don't follow me. I want to be alone for a while."

Zhang Chen stopped in his tracks. Seeing the seriousness in her expression—it was clear she didn't want to be disturbed—he didn't pursue her further. He was just curious; what was wrong with her? Was she affected by the movie? Had she started to seriously consider whether or not to get back together?

Thinking it over, Zhang Chen felt this was a good thing. Before, Ye Fangfei had been stubbornly dismissive, judging their relationship as dead with prejudice before she had even thought it through. That she was now willing to reconsider was a good sign. It seemed the movie had served a purpose, or perhaps his heartfelt words from the previous night had finally taken root.

Deciding not to disturb her, Zhang Chen rubbed his still-sore thighs and headed back to his room. On his way, he bumped into Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan, who were heading out. Zhang Chen’s brows twitched—oh? Were these two going for a private chat?

"Where are you two headed?" Zhang Chen asked with a hint of gossip in his smile.

Li Jiayan, having cried quite hard during the movie, had noticeably red and swollen eyes. Hearing his voice, she didn't look at him, instead turning her head slightly and brushing her bangs to cover her eyes, hoping to hide them from view.

"Just going for a stroll," Lu Zhou replied casually, continuing toward the door without stopping. Li Jiayan followed closely behind, remaining silent the entire time.

Watching their retreating figures, Zhang Chen suddenly remembered that Ye Fangfei was also outside. He felt a bit uneasy about Lu Zhou, but seeing him leave with Li Jiayan, he brushed it off, feeling he was overthinking, and went back to his room.

Lu Zhou had actually been preparing to wash up when Li Jiayan knocked on his door, saying she wanted to talk. Seeing how emotionally volatile she had been that day, he thought a conversation might be good, so he went out with her.

Once outside, they walked along the coastline in silence. The sea breeze was strong, and Li Jiayan, wearing a dress, had to keep pressing down her hem. Noticing this, Lu Zhou asked, "Do you want to sit for a while?"

A warmth spread through Li Jiayan; she was moved once again by his attentiveness. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

They sat down. The moonlight was bright, pouring down so clearly that they could see each other's faces without any artificial light.

"Do my eyes look terrible right now?" Li Jiayan asked, tucking her legs in and looking at Lu Zhou with a slight pout.

Lu Zhou took a look in the moonlight and laughed, "How am I supposed to answer that?"

Li Jiayan was stunned for a moment, then let out a low, soft laugh. "Do you remember how you used to answer when I asked you things like that?"

Lu Zhou shook his head. "It’s been so long; I don't really have much memory of those little things."

"Back then, you loved to brush me off by saying, 'Where do they look bad? You’re clearly just as cute as ever.'" Li Jiayan smiled, her eyes curving into crescents at the memory.

"Is that so?" A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Lu Zhou's mouth. "So I was that good at coaxing girls back then?"

Li Jiayan scoffed, gently patting his shoulder. "Only a silly girl like me would fall for that."

Lu Zhou smiled silently, recalling memories of those years. He looked at her in the moonlight; the innocent girl from back then had long since transformed.

"Lu Zhou," she said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"When we broke up back then, did you ever have any regrets?"

Li Jiayan turned to look at him with earnest eyes, her heart fluttering with a mix of anxiety and expectation. Lu Zhou scooped up a handful of sand and let it slip through his fingers.

"Regrets? Of course I had them," he said.

Li Jiayan’s eyes lit up, but the next second, she heard him add, "But looking back now, it doesn't really matter. Isn't that what life is? It wouldn't be life without regrets."

The light in Li Jiayan’s eyes dimmed slightly. She bit her lip and, after a moment of silence, said, "I had regrets too. When we split up, I was so sad I didn't eat for two days. I just locked myself in my room and cried every day."

"I liked you so much back then, Lu Zhou."

"I don't know why I liked you so much. People would ask me what I saw in you, and I’d snap back at them every time: 'Does liking someone have to be about what you can get from them? Can’t it just be pure liking?'"

"Looking back now, I really admire the version of myself from back then—loving bravely, unburdened by the world." As she spoke, she gave a helpless smile, her eyes turning red again.

Lu Zhou brushed the sand from his hands. Hearing her mention these past events, his expression grew solemn. Loving bravely, unburdened by the world—but in the end, she had been burdened by the world, hadn't she?

Facing the world, how many people in this life can truly resist until the end? Very few. Even if the roles were reversed, he probably would have made the same choice she did. So, their problem wasn't about who was forced to compromise; the problem was that from the very beginning, they were faced with worldly issues that were difficult not to be burdened by.

"Youth, right?" Lu Zhou said with a faint smile and a sigh.

"Yeah, youth," Li Jiayan laughed brightly. She looked at Lu Zhou and said, "Speaking of which, you were my first love."

"Who wasn't?" Lu Zhou replied, lifting his lips.

"Back then, we didn't even get to say goodbye properly before we split up." Recalling the past, Li Jiayan felt a sense of melancholy. Her parents hadn't allowed her to see him, and their breakup had happened over the phone.

"True," Lu Zhou said, pressing his lips together as he looked at the churning sea. He had no intention of dwelling on the painful memories of that breakup, so he joked, "Let the past be the past. Replaying it won't rewrite history. The moonlight is so beautiful tonight, why don't we talk about something more pleasant?"

Li Jiayan was taken aback. She had intended to use this opportunity to confess her feelings, but seeing his reaction, she lost her nerve. He didn't seem to want to bring up the past, perhaps because of the humiliation he felt due to her parents' interference. If she wasn't certain he would accept her, expressing her heart now might cause him to distance himself for the rest of the show.

She had misplayed her hand. She shouldn't have picked at his scars. To get back to him, she needed to build a new, positive impression. Thinking this, she swallowed her words. She had wanted to ask if there was any chance they could make up for the regrets of the past, but it seemed it was not the time to probe.

"Do you think we'll be paired up tomorrow, or will we keep playing as a group like today?" Li Jiayan asked, changing the subject with a smile.

"They'll probably split us into groups. Tomorrow might not be as leisurely as today," Lu Zhou said.

"I wonder who I'll end up with?" Li Jiayan stretched, the wind catching her hair. She leaned slightly toward him and asked with a smile, "If we do split into groups, who would you want to be with?"

Lu Zhou laughed. "Why do I feel like you're setting a trap for me?"

"Huh? I'm being wronged! I didn't," Li Jiayan puffed out her cheeks, refusing to admit it.

"If I asked you the same question, how would you answer?" he said.

"Hmm..." Li Jiayan tapped her chin with her index finger, drawing out the tone.

Lu Zhou glanced at her, and seeing she was actually thinking, he laughed and interrupted, "I'm not asking you to answer. Don't stress over it."

"I'm not stressing," Li Jiayan laughed, her eyes wide. "I want to be in your group tomorrow."

The smile on Lu Zhou’s face froze. "Oh? Why the sudden interest in being in my group?"

"It's not sudden! We've been on this show for so long, and we've never teamed up to go anywhere. Even when we were dating, we never took a trip this far together." Li Jiayan wore a look of regret, her voice tinged with sadness. "Now that we're on this show, if we get the chance to team up, it would be a way to make up for those regrets. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Li Jiayan’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she spoke in a lighthearted tone. "How about it, classmate Lu Zhou? If there's a chance tomorrow, could you help me fulfill this little wish?" She blinked, her face full of an innocent smile.

Lu Zhou stared at her for a long time. He was the one who had invited her to the show. If asked why he chose to participate, it was for the exposure. But why did she agree to come? He had never asked her that to her face, nor did he intend to. But regardless of her reasons, on some level, her participation had helped him.

Now, she was asking to do something they hadn't been able to do back then to make up for a small regret. It was true that they hadn't said a proper goodbye, and she seemed to care deeply about that.

Lu Zhou pondered for a long time, making Li Jiayan’s heart pound wildly.

"Sure. Let's see if we can make it happen tomorrow."

Ultimately, Lu Zhou gave her a positive answer. Li Jiayan let out a breath of relief, her heart blossoming with joy.

*Live stream comments:*
*[Wuwuwu, my favorite CP is finally feeding me!]*
*[Placing bets, placing bets, they're going to get back together]*
*[Is it possible they're just trying to fulfill a past regret? The last season had a situation like that, and they didn't end up together...]*
*[You were only just adults back then; you're mature now, why not try again?]*
*[First love, wouldn't it be best if they ended up together?]*

The night grew late, and the dew became heavy. The two finished their private chat and headed back toward the guesthouse. Walking along the coastline, Lu Zhou noticed a figure lying on the sand not far ahead. The light was poor, so he couldn't tell who it was, but there were camera crews nearby, so it was clearly one of the guests.

Li Jiayan seemed to notice too. "Oh? Who's that?"

"Can't tell."

"Lying there all alone... they must have something on their mind. Better not to disturb them," Li Jiayan said.

"True."

They didn't check to see who it was and returned to the guesthouse. After washing up, Lu Zhou went to get the first-aid kit to treat his wounds. He suddenly thought of Ye Fangfei and decided to knock on her door to suggest a warm compress for her bruise to help it fade faster. However, after knocking, there was no response.

Lu Zhou thought of the figure on the beach. Could it be Ye Fangfei?

After tending to his wounds and lying in bed for over half an hour, he checked the time—12:15 AM. For some reason, he couldn't fall asleep. Tossing and turning, he finally got up, threw on a thin jacket, and went out.

*Live stream comments:*
*[???]*
*[Where is he going?]*
*[I have a bad feeling about this]*

Lu Zhou followed the coastline back in the direction they had come. He really did see Ye Fangfei lying on a beach mat, her hands behind her head, staring up at the moon. The cameraman nearby was yawning from boredom, and upon seeing Lu Zhou, he gave him a look, hoping he would urge Ye Fangfei to head back.

However, Lu Zhou didn't rush to disturb her. He stood nearby and watched quietly for a while, wondering what she was thinking.

*Live stream comments:*
*[Holy crap, he really was looking for Ye Fangfei]*
*[Mind blown. I was just shipping him and Li Jiayan, and now he's looking for her]*
*[What's the meaning of this? I'm lost]*
*[I told you, Lu Zhou is the real master player!]*

What was Ye Fangfei thinking? Actually, she wasn't thinking of anything in particular. She just felt a tightness in her chest and wanted to feel the sea breeze, listen to the waves, and empty her mind. She couldn't quite pinpoint why she felt so low. Perhaps it was the movie, which suggested that no choice in life was without its flaws—a truly depressing thought. But that didn't seem quite right either.

It seemed more like it was because when they watched the movie, the other female guests could shed tears over their past loves, while she had felt nothing. The atmosphere at that moment had made her feel like something was wrong with her. That seemed to be it. They were either angry or crying—especially Li Jiayan, who had cried so hard—did they really love that deeply? What was that feeling like?

She didn't know. She had never experienced it and had never really wanted to. Yet, tonight, she felt a strange flicker of envy toward the other guests. Even if they had broken up, even if the reasons were varied, even if they had suffered or hated—at least they had loved. They had tasted love.

As for her, she had once had a boyfriend for a three-day trial period, but she had felt nothing when they broke up. She didn't think Zhang Chen was a bad person; as a friend, he was fine. But as a partner, she felt it didn't fit after just three days. Everything felt off, and the obvious ulterior motive behind their short-lived relationship made her feel even more repulsed. He didn't meet her requirements for an ideal partner. She couldn't feel that "love" for him. Or perhaps, she found it difficult to feel that kind of romantic love for anyone.

That was her problem. She had plenty of suitors; so-called "good catches" were a dime a dozen. But strangely, she had never felt that legendary "heart-pounding" sensation. She sometimes wondered if she had felt it but couldn't distinguish it. But wasn't that "heart-pounding" feeling supposed to be addictive? She hadn't felt it. Never. She was addicted to music, but not to men.

Her friends said she might like women. But she didn't seem to have that addictive, heart-pounding feeling for any woman either. Well, she decided, she didn't need love. None of her own songs were about love. She never envied her friends being all lovey-dovey with their partners. Yet, tonight, a strange feeling emerged—a sudden envy of others' ability to experience love. She thought that if she could, she might be able to pour true emotion into singing love songs, rather than relying so frequently on technique.

But what was the use of envy? She stared at the moon, forgetting the time, lost in her thoughts for a long, long while.

*Live stream comments:*
*[Feifei has been lying there for so long... what is she emo about?]*
*[Maybe she's comparing Zhang Chen to the exes in the movie]*
*[I bet she's jealous because she saw Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan being close!]*
*[Could she be thinking about a song?]*

Lu Zhou watched her quietly from not far away for a long time, but she never noticed. The wind was picking up, carrying moisture, and as the night deepened, the temperature dropped. She was still wearing the same outfit she had worn all day—a sleeveless crop top and a knee-length denim skirt. He worried she would catch a cold.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to walk over.

"Planning to spend the night out here?" he asked, looking down at her with a smile.

A tall, dark shadow suddenly appearing in her field of vision startled Ye Fangfei. She instinctively covered her chest and sat up. Seeing who it was, she said, "You... why do you walk so quietly?"

Lu Zhou laughed. "I'm not a ghost. You were just too lost in your thoughts to notice the outside world." He asked, "What are you thinking about? Is something bothering you?"

Ye Fangfei smoothed her messy long hair and looked up at him with a smile. "I guess so."

"'Guess so'?" Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow, surprised by the answer.

"Yeah, I guess," she said, shaking the sand from her hair, standing up, and brushing off her clothes. She looked at him and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Looking for you," Lu Zhou replied.

Ye Fangfei was slightly stunned. "Looking for me? What for?"

"I wanted to suggest you use a warm compress on your bruise, but I saw you weren't in your room. It's almost the middle of the night, and I was worried, so I came to check."

Ye Fangfei felt a strange sensation in her chest. She gave a low, "Oh. Thank you."

"Let's go back. It's not good to stay out in this wind all night," Lu Zhou said.

"Yeah, time to go," Ye Fangfei said, folding her mat and walking with him toward the guesthouse.

A gust of wind whipped up some sand. Ye Fangfei squinted, shielding her eyes and sniffing.

"Are you cold?" Lu Zhou asked, glancing at her as he walked through the sand.

"A little, but it's okay," she said, facing the wind.

Lu Zhou thought for a moment, then took off his thin jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Ye Fangfei stiffened slightly and turned to look at him. "Aren't you cold?"

Lu Zhou gave a short "uh," finding a random excuse. "I'm a guy; I can handle the cold better."

"Pfft," Ye Fangfei let out a low, dismissive laugh.

Lu Zhou: "Really."

Ye Fangfei smiled, pressing her lips together. "Then why did you wear a jacket when you went out?"

Lu Zhou: "..."

Catching his expression, Ye Fangfei laughed. "Do you want to race back?"

"Let's go."

And so, under the moonlight, two figures began to run, followed by several camera operators.

*Live stream comments:*
*[Smiling like an auntie]*
*[Sweet enough to cause diabetes]*
*[Please, just get together!]*
*[Lu Zhou, who do you actually like?]*
*[Zhang Chen: Trying to hit on my woman? Draw your sword!]*
*[This is getting more and more exciting!]*