Chapter 8: The First Day of Filming

A month later, “Shall We Swap? Exes” officially began filming.

The night before shooting, Lu Zhou was packing his luggage when he received constant reminders from Zhao Xing. Helpless, Lu Zhou paused, opened his phone, and saw a flood of new messages in the notification bar—all from Zhao Xing, mostly about important details for tomorrow’s shoot.

“Good evening, Xiao Zhou, have you finished packing?”
“Tomorrow, arrive at the B entrance of Jiaqing Plaza at 9:00 sharp. There’ll be a dedicated car to take you to the Pink Cottage. Don’t be late.”
“It’ll be the first meeting for all guests. My advice: dress handsomely—first impressions matter. Good luck!”
“Also, let me emphasize the program’s rules again, just in case you forget.”
“After checking into the Pink Cottage, unless the show’s official team cues the process, you can’t disclose personal info to others except your name.”
“If other guests are present, you must pretend you and Li Jiayan aren’t exes. Remember! Control your expressions—time to show your acting skills!”
“Before the final selection day, you can’t establish explicit romantic relationships with any guest or share your contact info.”
“This is every guest’s responsibility. No violations, or it’ll be treated as breach of contract.”
…

Lu Zhou read through each message carefully. There were quite a few rules to keep in mind. He replied with a simple “Okay,” then hummed a tune as he continued packing.

After waiting so long, he was finally about to embark on his true calling. Lu Zhou had to admit—he was in high spirits.

Before the show, he felt no nervousness, only anticipation.

In his previous life, Lu Zhou was a genius cut short at twenty-something. Before leaving that world, he’d made a wish to the heavens: If there’s a next life, let me fully enjoy the stage.

That night, as he slept, he dreamed of returning to the dazzling scenes of his glory days—at concerts, tens of thousands waving luminous placards bearing his name, fans screaming at his every move.

The next day—Saturday.

Lu Zhou arrived at Jiaqing Plaza’s B entrance at 8:30. When he got there, Zhao Xing and other staff were already waiting.

Zhao Xing clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. “I like your professionalism. You look especially handsome today.”

Clearly, it was just polite talk; Lu Zhou hadn’t dressed any differently for the shoot.

His outfit: a black T-shirt with a music motif, patchwork washed jeans, and a simple hairstyle—casual, everyday style, yet it still looked striking. He was handsome by nature.

“Are your eyes filtered?” Lu Zhou joked.

Zhao Xing laughed, fitting Lu Zhou with a hidden mic.

Once done, he tidied Lu Zhou’s clothes, then spoke into the walkie-talkie, “We’re ready here. Lu Zhou, stand by.”

At nine sharp, guided by the staff, Lu Zhou boarded a pink minibus.

He muttered inwardly: This special car… With just him headed to the Pink Cottage, the number of seats seemed excessive.

And the pink paint—words failed him. Couldn’t they use a black car instead?

While silently complaining, he boarded, chose a window seat in the second row, and glanced around. Hidden cameras were everywhere.

Shooting just him—was it necessary to have so many angles?

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Was it really just him?

Before, Zhao Xing only mentioned a dedicated car at Jiaqing Plaza B entrance to take him to the Pink Cottage, no extra details.

But observing everything, Lu Zhou sensed things might not be as simple as he first thought.

Sure enough, after sitting on the bus for over ten minutes, there was no sign of the vehicle starting.

Were they waiting for someone else?

Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow. Could other guests also be riding this bus to the Pink Cottage?

As he pondered, the entrance stirred.

Someone was arriving.

Lu Zhou turned his head—and his gaze froze.

The one boarding was Li Jiayan, whom he hadn’t seen in over six years.

She wore a white, fitted spaghetti-strap dress, accentuating her striking figure.

The moment their eyes met, both were stunned.

Li Jiayan clearly hadn’t expected to find Lu Zhou on board after stepping in.

They’d joked they wouldn’t recognize each other if they met again—yet Lu Zhou recognized her instantly.

Truth be told, she hadn’t changed much in six years… Well, perhaps she had—her figure had fully matured.

She used to have a fresh, innocent style; now she was obviously more mature and open, but her features remained much the same.

A familiar yet estranged old acquaintance…

Li Jiayan stood at the doorway, unconsciously raising a hand to cover her lips, a surprised and awkward smile on her face.

“It’s you…”

Lu Zhou rose from his seat, smiling at her. “Yan Yan… Long time no see.”

He realized, as he spoke, that he’d instinctively used her old nickname.

“It really has been a long time.”

The awkward tension eased. Li Jiayan walked over, stopping at a socially proper distance.

“After so many years, should we shake hands and reintroduce ourselves?” she said, smiling as she held out her hand gracefully.

Though they weren’t strangers who couldn’t recognize each other, their relationship had grown distant enough that a handshake felt appropriate—a sign that all emotional entanglement had faded.

“Hello, I’m Lu Zhou. And how should I address this beautiful lady?”

Lu Zhou smiled, extending his hand to gently touch her fingertips.

“I’m Li Jiayan. Nice to meet you. Haha!”

They played their parts, but soon laughter broke through, and the mood lightened.

Lu Zhou moved aside, offering the seat next to him. “Would you like to sit here?”

“Will more people be joining us?” Li Jiayan glanced around the bus, not sitting immediately.

“Possibly,” Lu Zhou replied.

“If we’re supposed to pretend not to know each other, I’d better not sit next to you. That would be too obvious.”

She chose a seat across the aisle. “I’ll sit here.”

“Fine.” Lu Zhou nodded and sat back.

They spoke across the aisle.

“I thought we’d only meet at the cottage, didn’t expect this arrangement…” Li Jiayan said, fixing her hair.

“I sat here for ages and the driver didn’t start the bus. It dawned on me others might be joining.”

Just then, the bus door slammed shut, and the pink minibus started up.

“Oh? It’s moving!” Li Jiayan exclaimed.

Lu Zhou met her eyes. “Seems like there aren’t any more passengers. Just us, then?”

Li Jiayan shook her head, puzzled. “Maybe they’ll board at the next stop?”

“That’s possible,” Lu Zhou replied.

The bus set off; inside, apart from the driver, there was no one else. They felt more at ease.

Li Jiayan sized up Lu Zhou. “I’ve noticed you’re even more handsome than when you were eighteen.”

“Is that flattery or truth?” Lu Zhou joked.

Li Jiayan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, responding shyly, “A bit of both.”

Lu Zhou clutched his chest in mock pain.

“You used to be more youthful; now you’re more mature—seem more dependable, perhaps?” She paused, fixing her gaze on him, asking seriously, “Have you? Have you become more reliable?”

Lu Zhou hadn’t expected such a question.

On reflection, was there a hidden meaning? Was she implying he’d been unreliable back then?

“Your question makes me wonder,” Lu Zhou met her gaze.

“Wonder what?”

“Wonder if you want to get back together with me?” Lu Zhou said, half joking.

Li Jiayan’s eyes widened in surprise, then she burst out laughing. “What? That’s quite the misunderstanding.”

“You applied to join this show first, didn’t you? Doesn’t that mean you might want to reconcile? That’s why I asked—have you become more reliable…”

Li Jiayan smiled apologetically. “You know, if you’re still like you were back then, it wouldn’t work.”

…

This time, Lu Zhou got the full meaning.

She thought he wanted to reconcile, so she asked if he’d done better than before—if not, they’d have no future.

Quite the misunderstanding.

With the cameras rolling, should he state his true thoughts directly, or offer a tactful explanation?

As Lu Zhou pondered, Li Jiayan suddenly spoke again:

“Are you still in the entertainment industry?”

She was curious about his current profession. After so many years, how had he fared?

Before joining the show, she’d searched online for info about Lu Zhou and found nothing—maybe he’d changed careers?

“I don’t think I’m allowed to say,” Lu Zhou replied with a question.

“Huh? Why not?” Li Jiayan didn’t get it.

“They said we can only reveal our names.”

“Oh… right! I almost forgot.” Li Jiayan remembered the show’s rule, patting her head.

“Jiayan,” Lu Zhou said seriously, “there’s something I want to clarify, so we avoid unnecessary misunderstandings later.”

Li Jiayan paused, then smiled and cut him off, “I guessed it! You don’t actually want to get back together, do you?”

Surprised that she’d said what he meant to, Lu Zhou nodded in confirmation.

“Relax, I’m not stupid. I was joking before!”

Li Jiayan shrugged, speaking lightly.

“If you truly wanted to reconcile, you wouldn’t have gone six years without contacting me. That’s not how a man acts when he wants to get back together.”

“Besides, I didn’t join this show to reconcile with you.”

Why, then, did you agree to participate? For fame? Or genuine interest in matchmaking? Lu Zhou wondered, but didn’t ask.

Once everything was clear between them, they both relaxed.

The bus rode for twenty minutes, then stopped at a transfer station.

Their phones buzzed with messages from the production team, instructing them to disembark and then each take a separate vehicle to the Pink Cottage.

Now, Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan realized the twenty minutes on the bus had been arranged for them to be alone.

Before officially checking in, the production team wanted them to meet as “exes” and clarify their intentions for joining.

After getting off the bus, they’d each have to compose themselves and prepare to interact in a new state within the show.

“See you later,” Li Jiayan waved to Lu Zhou.

“See you soon—make sure your acting’s convincing,” Lu Zhou smiled.

“No worries, my acting’s good. You’ll be a stranger to me, absolutely. But you—don’t slip up!”

Laughing, the two got off the bus, pushed their luggage, and went their separate ways.