Chapter 81: The Gap in Boyfriend Material

The requirements for the photo: the girl leans on the boy’s right shoulder, the boy carries her forward, the photo captures the boy’s back and the girl’s face, with the check-in backdrop being a vast field of yellow flowers by a deep blue lake.

This time, the physical interaction demanded was even more excessive than the last. The production team truly had no bottom line. They were using every trick in the book to stimulate the participants’ hormones.

Such a pose was bound to be awkward, especially in front of an ex, though some people clearly weren’t fazed at all…

Xu Junze suggested arranging the order in advance and giving each pair some private space when it was their turn. He proposed this because he’d felt extremely uncomfortable earlier with Chu Yao staring at him and Li Jiayan taking their photo together.

His suggestion was quickly accepted by everyone. The four pairs decided to take their photos based on the order in which they arrived, and those not up yet moved further away to wait.

The first to go were Wen Yiming and Chu Yao; the others wandered off to enjoy the scenery.

Seizing the rare opportunity, Zhang Chen detached himself from his current companion and made his way over to Ye Fangfei.

Qi Jiajia was used to this sort of thing and quietly found a place to sit and rest.

Looking around, the scenes were bittersweet. In the distance, her ex-boyfriend was taking sweet couple photos among the yellow flowers with another girl. He was tall and muscular, and lifting the petite Chu Yao onto his shoulder was effortless.

Meanwhile, Xu Junze and Li Jiayan were chatting and laughing by the lakeside, watching the lively birds, and Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei had wandered off to admire unfamiliar trees along the lakeside slope.

Only she was left alone. A wave of loneliness washed over Qi Jiajia.

Why had she come on this show? She wasn’t as popular as the other girls—maybe she just wasn’t likeable enough. She started doubting herself, feeling a little sad.

A small bird flew past, chirping twice. Qi Jiajia watched it soar free across the sky, and suddenly she wasn’t so upset.

Why was she here? For more followers, to open up new ways to make money! Don’t be discouraged—maybe tomorrow she’d be paired with a guy she actually liked!

She told herself this, pulled her hat down to cover half her face, and lay back on the rock wall to nap.

The viewers in the livestream felt a pang of sympathy at this scene—

[Hugs for Jiajia, don’t cry]
[Zhang Chen is really something else, only has eyes for his ex]
[If he had eyes for both his ex and other girls, you’d call him a player]
[It’s just because Jiajia isn’t Zhang Chen’s type, if it were someone else, this wouldn’t be happening, believe it or not?]
[People are just like that]
…

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei were chatting when suddenly Zhang Chen appeared at their side.

Lu Zhou: “…” This guy is something else.

“What’s this tree? Looks weird,” Zhang Chen chimed in, feigning casual interest.

“No idea,” Ye Fangfei replied, glancing at him before turning to look at Qi Jiajia, who sat alone, a slight frown crossing her face.

“Why’d you leave your partner?” she asked.

Zhang Chen glanced back at Qi Jiajia, who was napping with her hat over her face. He shrugged and grinned, “She was tired and wanted to rest. I just came over to see the trees.”

At that moment, the livestream chat—

[???]
[lol]
[Are you sure you came to see trees, not people?]
…

After failing to figure out the tree, the three of them walked back along the slope.

“If I lived nearby, fishing at this lake would be a great pastime,” Zhang Chen said, searching for conversation.

“You like fishing?” Ye Fangfei asked.

“I do. How about you?” Zhang Chen was pleased she’d asked about his interests.

“Not really, I find it a bit boring,” Ye Fangfei admitted.

“Is it because you’ve never caught a fish? Next time, let’s go sea fishing—now that’s exciting, you won’t find it boring at all. I just got a new yacht recently, I could take you out for a spin.”

Zhang Chen got carried away in his excitement.

Lu Zhou: “…”

The chat—

[Wow, impressive]
[Rich people are something else, yachts and planes, huh]
[Take me with you, Zhang Chen!]
[With that kind of money, I could overlook a bad temper]
…

“I get seasick,” Ye Fangfei replied simply to his enthusiastic offer.

Zhang Chen: “…”

Lu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh silently. Seeing that Zhang Chen wanted to chat more with Ye Fangfei, he tactfully left them alone, using the excuse of getting some water.

Li Jiayan and Xu Junze were leaning on the railing talking; when they saw him pass by, she asked with a smile, “Where are you off to?”

“Getting water,” Lu Zhou said, pointing toward where the backpacks were left.

“You just reminded me I’m thirsty too—could you bring mine over?” Li Jiayan asked, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

“Which one’s yours?” Lu Zhou asked.

“Never mind, I’ll go with you.” Not wanting to explain, Li Jiayan jogged after him, calling back, “Junze, do you want some water?”

Watching them walk off together, Xu Junze pressed his lips into a smile and replied, “Sure, thanks for grabbing one for me.”

Li Jiayan and Lu Zhou found their backpacks and took out their water bottles.

“Hmm?” Li Jiayan struggled to open hers, smiled awkwardly at Lu Zhou, and handed it over. “Could you help?”

Lu Zhou took a drink from his own bottle, then easily twisted open hers.

“Thanks,” Li Jiayan said, taking a sip. Her voice was soft as she sighed, “Today’s exhausting. I wonder how much more we have to do. I can barely keep going.”

Lu Zhou smiled, “Hang in there. At this pace, you might lose a few pounds today.”

Li Jiayan nearly choked, and smacked his arm, “Annoying! Are you saying I’m fat?”

He hadn’t expected that, and laughed, “You have gained a little, honestly.”

With that, he bent down to get a bottle from Ye Fangfei’s bag, then headed back.

Li Jiayan followed. “So you’re saying I don’t look as good as I used to?”

“Not at all. I told you the first day—we met, you’ve become even prettier.”

“Isn’t that contradictory? You say I’m prettier but also hint I need to lose weight?”

“When did I hint at that?” Lu Zhou was exasperated.

“You just said I might lose ten pounds today…”

Lu Zhou could only laugh—what kind of logic was that?

“I see so many slim girls around me always talking about dieting. I thought it was just something girls subconsciously like—to be thinner,” he explained.

“Haha, that’s just an expression,” Li Jiayan laughed, “Most girls would like to be slimmer, but I’m lazy, I don’t like working out, so I can’t keep my figure like before.”

There was a hint of regret in her voice.

“Well, isn’t today the perfect opportunity?” Lu Zhou thought her logic had circled back again. Did she want to lose weight or not? Sometimes, women’s minds were impossible to figure out.

“I suppose so,” Li Jiayan replied.

Viewers watching this exchange in the livestream found it odd—

[Is it just me, or is Li Jiayan acting a little different toward Lu Zhou?]
[There’s a strange hint of chemistry here]
[Could these two actually get back together?]
[No, I’m shipping Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei now, waah]
…

By now, Wen Yiming and Chu Yao had finished their photo and gotten the next location clue. They waved goodbye and left in the show’s vehicle.

Qi Jiajia, having dozed off, was jolted awake by their farewell, sitting up in confusion.

Lu Zhou happened to walk by, and seeing her like that, couldn’t help but tease, “You managed to sleep in this sun? That’s impressive.”

Qi Jiajia’s cheeks were flushed from the sun. She rubbed her eyes. “What’s happening now?”

“Yiming and Chu Yao finished. It’s your turn with Zhang Chen,” Li Jiayan replied.

“Oh.” After a stretch, she perked up. Zhang Chen ran over, and together they headed to the field of yellow flowers.

“So, what do we do?” Qi Jiajia asked Zhang Chen in front of the camera.

“I just pick you up, walk a bit for the photographer,” Zhang Chen said, looking at the sample shot. He squatted, patted his shoulder, “Get on.”

Qi Jiajia felt awkward and hesitated a long time before leaning onto his shoulder.

“You—” she began, meaning to ask him to give her a warning before standing. Before she got the words out, Zhang Chen suddenly stood up.

Unprepared, Qi Jiajia was hoisted up, her head pointing down, and she shrieked in fright.

The shout was so loud, everyone turned to look.

Now she was truly angry. “Zhang Chen, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhang Chen was baffled. “What did I do?”

“You could at least have told me you were about to stand up!”

“I thought you were ready.”

“How would you know if you don’t ask?”

Qi Jiajia’s frustration was clear.

Zhang Chen, still carrying her, was starting to get worked up too. She wasn’t exactly light, and he was doing all the heavy lifting. He set her down.

“Fine. We’ll wait until you say OK before I move this time, alright? Happy?”

The photographer: “…” Could someone explain what was going on? They’re arguing?

Zhang Chen’s reaction left Qi Jiajia stunned.

Now I really wonder, she blurted out, when you dated girls before, were you always this clueless and inconsiderate?

The question caught Zhang Chen off guard.

Dating before? He’d always been the one being cared for by girls, never the other way around. Ye Fangfei was a rare exception—he’d tried hard to please her, but it never seemed to work out.

Qi Jiajia’s pointed question suddenly made Zhang Chen realize—maybe he really didn’t know how to be considerate.

If that’s the case, perhaps Qi Jiajia could be his guide in winning over Ye Fangfei!

His eyes lit up. “Am I really so clueless?” he asked sincerely.

“Extremely,” Qi Jiajia replied honestly.

Zhang Chen nodded, “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

He apologized? Qi Jiajia was stunned—it was a miracle.

Her anger vanished. After a pause, she said awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to take it out on you…I was just really startled.”

“I get it now,” Zhang Chen said, squatting down again. “Let’s try again.”

His sudden change in attitude made Qi Jiajia a bit self-conscious.

She hesitated, then leaned onto his shoulder again.

“Are you ready?” Zhang Chen actually asked this time.

“Yes.”

“Alright, here we go.”

This time, he lifted her up smoothly. The anxious photographer hurried to capture the shot, afraid they’d start arguing again.

“If you notice me being especially clueless or doing something girls don’t like while we’re partners, could you point it out?” Zhang Chen asked.

Qi Jiajia: “…”

Now she understood his sudden change—he wanted to use her as a tool to improve.

“Fine,” she agreed. Tool or not, it was better than enduring his behavior for the rest of the trip.

In the livestream—

[Sooner or later I’ll die laughing at these two]
[They’re both infuriating and hilarious together]
[Zhang Chen didn’t seem this clueless with other girls. Why is he like this now?]
[When someone can’t rely on money’s perks, all their flaws stand out]
…

The bickering pair finally finished their task and left together.

Next was Xu Junze and Li Jiayan.

This pair was relatively in sync; Xu Junze was considerate, a stark contrast to Zhang Chen’s roughness.

But when Xu Junze tried to pick up Li Jiayan, he realized his core wasn’t strong enough—when he squatted and stood, they nearly fell.

Xu Junze: “…”

Li Jiayan: “…”

Photographer: “…”

“Sorry, are you alright?” Xu Junze was so embarrassed his neck turned red.

Li Jiayan shook her head and joked to lighten the mood, “Haha, Lu Zhou was right, I really should lose weight.”

“You’re not heavy, I just lost my balance,” Xu Junze said quickly.

She suggested standing on a rock so Xu Junze wouldn’t have to squat, making it easier for her to lean on his shoulder.

That worked, and they succeeded.

But originally, the show had designed this photo to spark chemistry between the pairs; with these two, it didn’t have the intended effect—there were a few bugs in the system!

As Li Jiayan and Xu Junze got their next clue, they noticed Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei already taking their couple shot.

The cooperation between those two was so smooth that Li Jiayan and Xu Junze wondered if they were just comic relief.

That’s what real chemistry looked like!

But the more perfect they seemed, the more Li Jiayan felt uneasy.

In the yellow flower field—

“Are you afraid of heights?” Lu Zhou asked.

“A little,” Ye Fangfei replied.

“Then close your eyes,” he said.

Ye Fangfei laughed, “I’m not scared of a meter eighty. You are 1.8 meters, right?”

Lu Zhou raised a brow. “What, do I not look it?”

She glanced at his shoes, “Unless you’re adding height, then yes.”

Lu Zhou chuckled, knowing she meant lifts.

He squatted and patted his shoulder, “Get on. I’ll let you feel what being over 1.8 meters is like.”

“Lower, or I won’t get my stomach over.”

He laughed, crouched all the way down, “How about now?”

“Perfect,” Ye Fangfei climbed up, “I’ve got nothing to hold onto, you’d better hold me tight…”

Lu Zhou’s arm circled under her knees, and before she finished her sentence, he effortlessly hoisted her up and strode forward.

“Yikes!” Ye Fangfei squealed, looking down at the sea of flowers now far below. She burst out laughing, “Hah! I’m 1.9 meters tall now.”

Lu Zhou was amused by her.

His tall, handsome figure, and the radiant smile on her face—together, they made a picturesque scene.

The photographer was so engrossed, he forgot to call “cut.”

Livestream chat—

[If I keep watching, I’ll get diabetes]
[Ahhh! Lu Zhou’s boyfriend appeal is maxed out!]
[I predict they’ll end up together!]
…

Having completed the task and gotten the next clue, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei got into the show’s vehicle and set off.

Unbeknownst to them, their story was rapidly trending back home.

Special thanks to Happy Little Leaping Frog for 300 coins;
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