Chapter 91: The Former Lover's Dignity

This sudden accident cast a heavy psychological shadow over those who had yet to cross the bridge. Xu Junze, who hadn’t even set foot on the bridge, could already feel his legs growing weak in anticipation. Although Li Jiayan wasn’t particularly afraid, she was distracted, her mind replaying the scene between Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei over and over, unable to shake it off.

Originally, she and Xu Junze had planned to walk side by side, but after witnessing the mishap ahead, neither dared to attempt such a method. They could only proceed one after another, with Li Jiayan in front and Xu Junze behind.

Before stepping onto the bridge, Li Jiayan had asked Xu Junze if he was afraid. He put on a brave face and replied, “No.” After all, men have their pride—unless the fear becomes truly unbearable, like it had for Zhang Chen. Yet even Zhang Chen had managed to cross in the end, so Xu Junze believed he would perform much better.

He saw nothing wrong with his bravado. What he hadn’t expected, however, was how bold Li Jiayan would be.

Her attention was entirely on Lu Zhou across the bridge. Watching as he and Ye Fangfei composed themselves and prepared to move on in search of the tower, Li Jiayan was seized by the urge to catch up quickly. With that thought, her steps unconsciously quickened. Since their legs were tied together as partners, Xu Junze was forced to speed up as well.

His trembling legs and tense mind, combined with a relentless pace that left no room for hesitation, caused cold sweat to seep down his back, soaking his shirt. He looked at Li Jiayan with newfound respect, though in that moment he rather wished she weren’t quite so fierce. Her steely nerves were nothing like her delicate appearance.

Not far behind them, Chu Yao and Wen Yiming also stepped onto the bridge. Seeing their devilish pace, they were momentarily stunned. Wen Yiming smiled, thinking to himself, No wonder—it’s Li Jiayan. Not only is she a haunted house champion, she’s a suspension bridge warrior too! So delicate on the outside, such a tough girl inside.

Chu Yao, however, had a different perspective. She noticed the sweat-soaked back of Xu Junze and deduced that he was actually terrified. She knew his prideful nature—he would swallow his fear rather than shout it out to the world, especially in front of a woman he liked.

The thought made Chu Yao angry. She was upset with Xu Junze’s stubbornness and even more so with Li Jiayan for ignoring her partner’s feelings. Clearly, Li Jiayan wasn’t afraid of heights; crossing this jungle suspension bridge was a breeze for her. But how could she be so oblivious to her partner’s wellbeing?

Chu Yao felt a stifling discomfort in her chest. She had shared a room with Li Jiayan, and after these days together, they had developed some friendship. But now, her feelings toward Li Jiayan had grown complicated.

“Jiayan! You need to wait for your partner up front! If you walk too fast, the person behind you can’t keep up—safety first,” Chu Yao finally couldn’t hold back and called out loudly.

Her words startled Xu Junze, stirring a strange emotion within him. She had always been attentive and must have noticed his fear to speak up. He was surprised she could still care for him at such a critical moment.

Li Jiayan, jolted by the unexpected reminder, finally slowed her pace. Glancing back at Xu Junze, she noticed his pale complexion and immediately asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

Xu Junze breathed a sigh of relief, forcing a weak smile. “I’m okay.”

Li Jiayan could tell his condition was worse than he let on, and felt a bit exasperated. Since when did men start saying the opposite of what they meant?

“I’ll slow down. If you’re having trouble, just let me know,” she said.

“Let’s keep going. I’m fine for now,” he replied with a smile.

She nodded. As she turned, her gaze brushed over Chu Yao, who was not far behind. Although she felt apologetic for neglecting Xu Junze’s feelings due to her absent-mindedness, she was slightly annoyed by Chu Yao’s earlier outburst. It was clear from her tone that she was upset—there was anger and displeasure in her voice. Was she trying to exert some ex-girlfriend authority? Li Jiayan found it baffling. Hadn’t Chu Yao always been indifferent toward Xu Junze? Just last night, she’d rejected his invitation publicly—so what was with this tone now?

Shaking off her thoughts, Li Jiayan moved on, and in the end, she and Xu Junze crossed the bridge safely.

Wen Yiming and Chu Yao followed closely, handling the bridge with ease. They were the most harmonious pair to cross so far.

“Aren’t you two afraid at all?” Zhang Chen asked Chu Yao and Wen Yiming, admiration shining in his eyes.

Yes, Young Master Zhang was still waiting at the starting point, not yet willing to complete the task with Qi Jiajia, since Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou hadn’t left.

“I’m not afraid of heights, so it’s nothing for me,” Wen Yiming replied with a relaxed shrug.

“I enjoy adventurous activities,” added Chu Yao.

“So it’s just me and Fangfei who are afraid of heights,” Zhang Chen concluded cheerfully, turning to Ye Fangfei. “What a coincidence, we even share our fears.”

Ye Fangfei said, “Is that really something to be happy about?”

“From a certain perspective, maybe it is? If we were partners, neither of us would have to force ourselves to overcome our fear,” Zhang Chen replied.

“And then the two of us would end up begging for a place to stay as we walked back to the hotel tonight,” Ye Fangfei retorted.

Zhang Chen fell silent. Don’t worry, the production team wouldn’t dare. We’re the sponsors, after all!

But with the cameras rolling, he didn’t say it aloud.

Their banter drew laughter from the others.

Li Jiayan glanced at Lu Zhou and, almost by accident, noticed a fresh, red wound at the base of his right thumb.

“Oh, you’re hurt,” she exclaimed, instinctively grabbing his hand to inspect the injury—a three-centimeter gash, the blood already dried.

She bent down and blew gently on the wound, frowning with concern. “Does it hurt?”

Her actions drew everyone’s attention.

On the livestream, the comments poured in—

[???]
[Whoa]
[Now that’s a love triangle]
...

Lu Zhou was completely caught off guard by Li Jiayan’s gesture. Once he realized what was happening, he quickly withdrew his hand.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch,” he said with a smile.

Ye Fangfei hadn’t noticed his injury before, but now she saw the wound on his hand. She recalled that he must have scraped it while trying to pull her up during the earlier mishap.

“Is it serious?” she asked, frowning.

“It’s just a small cut, nothing to worry about,” Lu Zhou replied, glancing at his hand. He hadn’t even felt any pain; it just looked worse than it was because the blood had dried.

“You should disinfect it, just in case,” Ye Fangfei said. She turned to the nearby staff and called out, “What are you waiting for?”

Soon enough, a staff member scurried over with a first aid kit.

Lu Zhou was at a loss for words.

The others, apart from Zhang Chen, were equally baffled. Why did it feel like Ye Fangfei was in charge of the show?

Zhang Chen pressed his lips together, his expression clearly reading, “I’m not happy about this.”

On the livestream, the comments flashed by—

[Awesome]
[I’ve heard Ye Fangfei is a big shot in the entertainment industry—guess the rumors are true]
[Hurry up, or the wound will heal itself!]
...

And so, under the watchful eyes of the group, Lu Zhou obediently let the staff tend to his wound, disinfecting and bandaging it with great care.

It was the first time in his life he’d gotten such a minor injury and received such high-level treatment from the production team—it was a little overwhelming.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Lu Zhou couldn’t help but sense a strange undercurrent in the quiet air while he waited for his wound to be treated.

Finally, when it was all done, Lu Zhou quickly suggested that they move on to complete their final task for the day.