Chapter 119: Keep the Ex, or Choose Another?

Today, the guests were no longer permitted to sleep in until noon as they had the day before. By seven in the morning, the production crew was already urging everyone to get up.

Ye Fangfei had stayed up late the night before, and the moment she was roused from her slumber, she felt the full weight of her sleep deprivation. She struggled to pull herself out of bed with her hair a chaotic mess, yawning incessantly as she shuffled toward the bathroom. "Ye Fangfei," she grumbled to herself, "what on earth were you thinking last night? Now you're paying the price."

Once inside the bathroom, she turned on the tap and splashed a handful of ice-cold water onto her face, which instantly refreshed her. As she brushed her teeth, she found herself inexplicably replaying the moments with Lu Zhou on the beach the previous night. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. A second later, she caught her own expression in the mirror and froze. She took a sip of water, spat out the toothpaste foam, and looked at her reflection again, muttering, "You are acting very strange."

After freshening up and tidying herself, Ye Fangfei left her bedroom. Everyone was gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Lu Zhou was distributing warm milk to the others. Seeing Ye Fangfei approach, he greeted her with a smile, "Morning!"

Ye Fangfei looked at his sunny, handsome face, and a smile blossomed on her lips. "Morning!"

As soon as Zhang Chen saw Ye Fangfei, he quickly set down his bread and eagerly pulled out the empty seat next to him. "Fangfei, sit here."

"Thank you." Ye Fangfei sat down and glanced around the table, noticing that Li Jiayan was eating breakfast while wearing sunglasses. She found it a bit odd.

Li Jiayan caught her gaze and, before being asked, explained with a laugh, "A side effect of the movie last night. I woke up to find my eyes terribly puffy, so I'm wearing these to avoid scaring you all."

Wen Yiming teased, "Take them off and let me see if you really could scare me. You might even look cuter, who knows?"

Qi Jiajia felt an inexplicable chill; the noodles she had just swallowed caught in her throat. She covered her mouth and let out a small retching sound. Lu Zhou, sitting right next to her, heard the noise and his lips twitched. *Jiajia, you really are something else,* he thought.

The live broadcast camera caught a close-up of this moment, sending the audience into fits of laughter as they flooded the screen with thumbs-up emojis.

Li Jiayan scoffed at Wen Yiming, "Do you think I'm still a little kid? You think you can trick me with that kind of nonsense?"

Scattered laughter broke out around the table.

"So, did you sleep well last night?" Zhang Chen asked Ye Fangfei during the meal.

"Quite well. How about you?" Ye Fangfei replied with polite interest.

"I slept well too. I actually set an alarm for an hour before bed, intending to wake up and see if you’d returned from your walk, but I passed out the moment my head hit the pillow. I didn't even hear the alarm; when I woke up, it was already daylight." Zhang Chen spoke with a suggestive tone, reaching over to pick up a plate of ham and eggs and placing it in front of her. "Would you like some?"

Ye Fangfei picked up a fork, skewered a piece, and placed it on her plate. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling today? Any better?" Zhang Chen scrutinized her expression, testing the waters.

Ye Fangfei took a sip of milk and smiled at him. "I'm doing great."

Zhang Chen nodded. "That's good."

Once the guests finished breakfast, the production crew directed them to gather on the beach outside the guesthouse. The setup clearly signaled a new activity.

"A new day, a new beginning. Yesterday, we let you experience a group leisure trip. Today, we won't be doing group tours; we will continue with the partner model for today's new journey." The staff member stood before the guests and announced the rules for the day's activity.

"Who will you be traveling with today? Will it be the person you're hoping for? The power of choice lies in your hands—and in the hands of others."

"Next, we’ll play a game we call: The Ex-Partners' Tango."

"In this game, you will work together with your ex-partner."

"How exactly do you play? Let’s take a look at the demonstration on the screen!"

As they spoke, the staff pointed to an electronic screen, which began playing the rules and gameplay. The video showed four pairs of men and women standing on the same line. After a short dance segment, the four pairs began to mimic the movements in the video, dancing wildly. When the music stopped, it signaled they could move forward.

Each pair consisted of a man and a woman, with the woman stepping onto the man's feet. The two had to hold onto each other’s arms or shoulders and move forward together. Halfway there, they would reach a table. Once they arrived, they could not let go of each other. One of them would then have to bend down, pick up a paper cup with their mouth, and go to the water dispenser to fill it, without using their hands.

After filling the cup, the pair would head to the finish line. The first pair to arrive, provided they had at least half a cup of water remaining, would earn the priority right to switch partners.

After seeing the rules, some guests were secretly pleased, some were frustrated, some were strategizing how to win, and some felt the game was unfair.

Just then, the staff member's voice rang out again:

"Note: Members who earn the priority right to switch partners can choose to keep their current partner or invite any other guest of the opposite sex to be their travel companion for the day. However, this requires the other person's consent to finalize the pairing."

"If you extend an invitation to switch partners and are refused, you will become a 'pending' member, waiting for the other winners to finish their selections before your final partner is determined. Therefore, please consider carefully!"

As the words fell, the guests looked astonished. This game rule was truly... a challenge.

Li Jiayan poked Lu Zhou's arm and whispered, "What a coincidence. We just said last night we should try to pair up today, and now the opportunity seems to have come."

Lu Zhou looked down at her and nodded.

Staff: "Any questions about the rules? If not, let's get started!"

And so, the four pairs of ex-partners stood at the starting line.

On the electronic screen, the dance music began. The guests took off their shoes and, barefoot on the sand, started twisting their bodies to the moves in the video.

"Do it properly! No slacking off to save energy for the run. Wen Yiming, Zhang Chen, your movements are too perfunctory. Please, larger motions!" The staff member observed their actions and called them out directly.

Zhang Chen and Wen Yiming: "..."

Criticized, the two gave it their all, flailing their bodies wildly. Their dance moves were so eyesore-inducing that they sent the live-stream audience into fits of laughter.

Just as everyone was getting into the rhythm, the music stopped abruptly, signaling that they could set off.

Wen Yiming was the fastest to react. He shouted "Jiajia," and without waiting for her to react—to save time—he grabbed her under the arms and lifted her onto his feet as easily as if he were picking up a chick.

Qi Jiajia: "..."

She knew that being coy would be a waste of time, and she was determined to win today, so she didn't argue. She gripped his sturdy arms tightly and began to move forward in sync with his steps.

The second person to realize the music had stopped was Lu Zhou, but he wasn't in a hurry. He told Li Jiayan they could stop dancing, and they figured out how she should step onto his feet.

"I'm a bit heavy... you might have to bear with me." Li Jiayan lifted her right foot, hesitated, then placed it on his, though she didn't dare put her full weight on it. "I'm stepping on, okay?"

"Hold onto me first, then shift your weight," Lu Zhou said, seeing her hesitation.

"I'm afraid of hurting you." Li Jiayan grabbed his arms, muttered something, and then placed both feet on his, shifting her full weight onto him.

The moment she stepped up, Lu Zhou’s lips tightened into a straight line. *Must admit, she’s actually quite heavy...*

"Does it hurt?" she asked, tilting her head up.

"Not really, but... it’s hard to move."

Lu Zhou tried to take two steps forward. With the weight on his feet and someone blocking his path, it was truly difficult.

*Which planner came up with this grueling PK game? I want to drag them out and beat them up.*

...

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen suddenly let out an "Ouch!" "Is she this heavy?"

He had been immensely looking forward to this activity because he had hardly ever had such close contact with Ye Fangfei! But when she stepped onto his feet with both of hers, Zhang Chen couldn't help but cry out in pain, leaving him with no mental capacity to savor the ambiguity of their proximity.

"Heavy?" Ye Fangfei raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.

Zhang Chen swallowed the word "heavy" back down and smiled at her. "Not heavy, not at all. I just wasn't prepared."

"Your flushed face betrays your honesty."

"..."

Zhang Chen refused to admit it, laughing, "What flushed face? I'm just shy."

Ye Fangfei didn't believe his nonsense. She shifted her hands from his arms to his shoulders, gripped firmly, tightened her core, and tried to keep her feet slightly hovering to lighten the pressure on his.

"Turn around, let's walk sideways," she said.

"Why?"

Zhang Chen looked at the other groups. Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia, as well as Chu Yao and Xu Junze, were already a short distance ahead. They were all walking forward; no one was walking sideways, and the previous game video also showed forward movement. He wanted to walk forward, too—the subtle, intimate closeness of almost bumping into her could maximize the atmosphere! He had finally gotten a chance to get close to her; he had to make the most of it!

"Trust me, walking sideways will be much faster," Ye Fangfei replied.

"The video didn't show walking sideways. Wouldn't that be a violation?" Zhang Chen resisted to the end.

"It won't be. They didn't explicitly forbid it. Hurry up, they've already started; if we wait, they'll win," Ye Fangfei urged.

As soon as Zhang Chen heard others might win, he thought of Lu Zhou. He couldn't let that guy win ahead of him! That kid was bold; he had insisted on choosing Ye Fangfei even after being warned multiple times! Thinking of this, Zhang Chen couldn't care less. He followed Ye Fangfei's lead, and the two turned their bodies and started moving like crabs.

It turned out that this movement was indeed much faster. Before long, he had completely overtaken the other groups.

Wen Yiming had been in the lead, but seeing that he had been surpassed by Zhang Chen, he was unwilling to accept it. He noticed their walking posture, realized it was a shortcut, and immediately learned. He picked up Qi Jiajia and turned ninety degrees, mimicking the crab walk.

Being long-limbed and strong, he basically lifted Qi Jiajia halfway up, moving even faster once they took the shortcut. In no time, he left Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei behind and was the first to reach the table.

"You grab the cup," Wen Yiming said.

Qi Jiajia complied, leaning down to pick up a cup from the table, then walked to the water dispenser.

But the cup she grabbed was tilted, making it easy for water to spill. The rules strictly forbade using hands to touch the cup, so she asked Wen Yiming to help adjust the angle.

The two didn't feel awkward at all. Wen Yiming leaned down, bit the other side of the rim, and helped her straighten the cup.

At a glance, they were inches apart, biting the same cup, in a pose that was... quite suggestive.

The audience in the live stream was ecstatic—

[Whoa~~ their lips touched the same cup! Essentially, they kissed!]
[The cup is kind of redundant.]
[As expected of the most taciturn playmates, their chemistry is great.]
[The "Jia-Jia" couple is really making me swoon today.]
[It's only been half a year since they broke up; this level of closeness is just routine for them.]
...

Zhang Chen, following behind, saw Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia's move and immediately came up with a brilliant plan.

After he and Ye Fangfei reached the table, Ye Fangfei was about to pick up a cup herself, but Zhang Chen said he would do it. Being so proactive, Ye Fangfei didn't fight him for it and left the task to him.

Zhang Chen nimbly leaned down to bite a cup to fetch water, intentionally tilting it so it would spill, then laughed and said to Ye Fangfei, "The cup is crooked, it won't fill up. Help me adjust the angle."

Ye Fangfei looked at the cup by his lips and frowned, "How am I supposed to adjust..."

"Use your mouth, bite the other side to steady it, and I'll adjust the direction," Zhang Chen laughed.

"..." Ye Fangfei pointed her chin toward the table and said, "If you put the cup on the table and bite it again from a different angle, wouldn't that be easier?"

Zhang Chen: "..." *Why is her brain so different from everyone else's?*

With no other choice, he had to go back to the table...

The two trailing groups, Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan, and Xu Junze and Chu Yao, also arrived at the table. In both groups, the women self-consciously went to bite the paper cups to fetch water.

Once filled, they had to rush toward the finish line. This required teamwork; it wasn't just about who ran the fastest, but about staying steady to ensure the water didn't spill too much.

After Xu Junze and Chu Yao got their water, they also started learning the crab walk. But because Xu Junze was anxious, he took steps that were too large, and Chu Yao couldn't keep her balance. The cup in her mouth shook violently, spilling a lot of water and wetting her clothes.

With her clothes clinging to her chest, Chu Yao felt inexplicably annoyed. She gave his arm a little push and made two "Hmm! Hmm!" sounds, trying to hint for him to go slower.

With the cup in her mouth, she couldn't speak clearly.

But because their group was constantly struggling at the bottom, Xu Junze was anxious. His attention was entirely on catching up, and he didn't notice the condition of the cup. Sensing Chu Yao's movement, he turned to look at her, thinking he had been pulling her arm too tightly, and loosened his grip.

Chu Yao, focused on the cup, wasn't holding on well. As she was moving, Xu Junze loosened his grip, causing her to stagger. Most of the water in the cup spilled out.

Chu Yao: "..."

Only then did Xu Junze notice the cup was nearly empty, and he felt ashamed.

On the other hand, Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan moved at a steady pace. They didn't care if others were overtaking them; their priority was stability. They didn't take large steps, so the water in their cup remained steady and didn't spill much, though they were the slowest so far.

The leading pair, Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia, reached the finish line.

Following them were Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei. Since Zhang Chen was the one biting the cup, his attention was fixed on it, fearing it would spill, so he was cautious with every step.

Finally, they reached the finish line as the second group.

Xu Junze and Chu Yao arrived third, both looking uncomfortable.

Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan arrived last.

Once they arrived, Li Jiayan immediately took off the cup and bent down to check Lu Zhou's feet. "You're all bruised, and you said it didn't hurt."

Lu Zhou: "It's fine."

"I really need to lose weight," Li Jiayan muttered, puffing out her cheeks.

The staff began to check the remaining water in each cup.

Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia were cutting it close, with exactly half a cup left, successfully securing first place.

Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei had more than half a cup left, but due to their time, they took second place.

Xu Junze and Chu Yao's cup had only a little water left at the bottom, failing to meet the requirement and missing out on third place.

Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan had the most water remaining among the four groups, and despite taking the longest time, they still secured third.

Chu Yao looked displeased as she wiped her wet clothes. Sensing her low mood, Xu Junze went to find a pack of tissues from the staff and handed it to her.

"Sorry about that. My steps were too hurried, and I didn't coordinate well," he apologized softly.

"It's fine, it's just a game," Chu Yao replied as she wiped her clothes.

It was just a game, but it concerned their travel partner for the day. Xu Junze knew that even though she said it was fine, she wasn't happy. Actually, he wanted to win too; losing didn't feel great, but it was what it was. He just wondered, why was Chu Yao so unhappy? Did she have a specific partner she wanted to win for? Who?

After the staff announced the results, the partner selection segment began.

"Wen Yiming, Qi Jiajia, you are in first place and have the first opportunity to choose your travel partner for the day."

Both Wen Yiming and Qi Jiajia smiled upon hearing this.

"Wen Yiming," the staff member looked at him, "do you want to keep Qi Jiajia as your partner today, or do you want to switch and invite another female guest to be your travel partner?"

This suffocating question hung in the air among all the guests. Qi Jiajia appeared calm on the surface, waiting in silence for Wen Yiming's answer.

"I want to switch," Wen Yiming answered without much thought.

Everyone wondered who he would want to change to.

Staff: "Please extend an invitation directly to your intended guest."

Wen Yiming scanned the others and then looked at Li Jiayan, who was standing next to Lu Zhou.

"Jiayan, you chose me as your partner before, and we had a great time playing together that day. I’d like to invite you to join me for another day. Would you be willing?"

Wen Yiming's eyes were filled with warmth, and his voice softened. Qi Jiajia felt goosebumps all over; *My goodness, he looks exactly like he did when he was chasing me.*

Li Jiayan was surprised by the nomination. She instinctively looked at Lu Zhou, then apologized to Wen Yiming, "Yiming, thank you for choosing me, but... sorry..."

The smile on Wen Yiming's face stiffened, then he feigned a heartbroken gesture and laughed, "Alright, no worries. Don't feel sorry."

Staff: "Wen Yiming, you’ve been rejected and are now pending. Qi Jiajia, do you want to switch partners? You can also continue to choose Wen Yiming."

Qi Jiajia twitched her lips, thinking: *Who would want to continue to choose him...*

"I'd like to invite Lu Zhou."

Qi Jiajia focused her gaze on Lu Zhou and flashed a bright smile.

Wen Yiming licked his teeth—*Fine, stabbing each other, are we?*

Li Jiayan pursed her lips, a trace of displeasure flashing across her face before she quickly wiped it away. She looked at Lu Zhou with a smile, as if hinting with her eyes: *Don't forget our agreement.*

Zhang Chen looked at Lu Zhou as if watching a show. Ye Fangfei looked down at the sand, kicking it lightly, looking at no one.

The staff looked at Lu Zhou and asked, "Lu Zhou, are you willing to be Qi Jiajia's partner for the trip today?"

Lu Zhou turned to Qi Jiajia and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I’ve already agreed to go out with Jiayan today."

Li Jiayan's lips curled into a smile; at that moment, a warm current flowed into her heart.

A flash of disappointment crossed Qi Jiajia's eyes, and she smiled, biting her lip. "Oh, alright..."

A gust of wind blew by, and Ye Fangfei narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Lu Zhou with a hint of inquiry.

"Qi Jiajia, Wen Yiming, you are both currently pending. Please wait for others to make their choices."

The staff's voice broke the awkward silence.

"Second place, Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei, it's your turn to choose. Will you stay as you are, or choose someone else?"

Zhang Chen didn't need to think at all, answering immediately: "I'm not changing! I'll continue to choose Ye Fangfei as my partner!"

Everyone had already stopped expecting anything else from his answer. What they were waiting for was Ye Fangfei's reply.

Ye Fangfei, the center of everyone's attention, raised a hand to shield herself from the sun. Having been on the show for so long, this was the first time she realized how dramatic it could be. Human nature was truly interesting.

Seeing Ye Fangfei didn't respond, Zhang Chen cleared his throat and whispered to her where only they could hear, "Just choose me, okay?"

Ye Fangfei turned to the staff and said, "I'm not changing either."

Her choice surprised many guests on the scene, and even the viewers in the live stream. *Eh? Is there a new trend emerging?*

"Third place, Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan." The staff looked at them and asked, "You guys..."

Li Jiayan smiled brightly and answered directly: "We're not changing either."

Since Lu Zhou had already made that public declaration, there was no suspense for everyone else.

The staff's gaze fell on the final group. "Xu Junze, Chu Yao, what about you? Keep the status quo or choose someone else?"

Xu Junze hesitated for a long time. His first choice was actually Li Jiayan, but unfortunately, she was locked in with Lu Zhou today. So... who else could it be? Either keep the status quo, or choose Qi Jiajia.

*Keep it?*

He turned to look at Chu Yao, but she wasn't looking at him.

In the end, he gritted his teeth, shifted his gaze to Qi Jiajia, and invited, "Jiajia, want to hang out today?"

Qi Jiajia was still immersed in her "emo" mood after being rejected by Lu Zhou. She had assumed she would be tied to Wen Yiming today, but she hadn't expected to be cued by Xu Junze. *Fine, fine,* she thought, *this isn't bad either—it’s better than staying with Wen Yiming and looking at each other with mutual disdain.*

"Sure!" Qi Jiajia readily agreed.

Chu Yao took a deep breath and finally looked at Wen Yiming, "Yiming, I guess it’s you and me again."

Wen Yiming made an OK sign and smiled, "Old partners."

With that, all the travel partners for the day were decided, and a new journey was about to begin.