TSBDRA 54: [Yan Yushan has withdrawn a message]

The atmosphere inside the van turned subtly tense.

Before she could let out a scream, Yan Yao clamped a hand over her mouth, faking a cough while silently screaming inside—her CP was alive again! Up front, Yu Shudie’s face twisted with a flicker of irritation, but she quickly smoothed it over, turning to look at Xu Xishuang with barely concealed hostility.

Shen Youlian glanced between Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan with growing interest, clearly sensing something out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, the ever-stoic Xiang Yao wore his usual poker face, utterly confused by the situation.

Xu Xishuang almost couldn’t keep his composure. In those two seconds of eye contact with Yan Yushan, he tried to use his gaze to get the man to change his mind and go sit back beside Xiang Yao.

Yan Yushan made his intention crystal clear through his actions—he remained standing there, head slightly lowered, staring at Xu Xishuang with the same predator’s intensity he’d been showing these past few days.

A slight chill ran down Xu Xishuang’s back.

Noticing the standoff between him and Yan Yushan, Xiang Yao frowned and was just about to step in and defuse the tension—when Xu Xishuang moved.

Without a word, Xu Xishuang slid inward and sat against the window, giving up the aisle seat.

Xiang Yao swallowed whatever he was about to say, watching as Yan Yushan’s lips curled briefly into a smile before he sat down beside Xu Xishuang.

Yan Yushan was tall and broad-shouldered, his long legs barely fitting in the cramped space between the rows. He leaned slightly toward the aisle, subtly creating a buffer of space for Xu Xishuang, who looked like he was on the verge of snapping.

Xu Xishuang turned his head to the window and let out a quiet breath.

He hadn’t expected Yan Yushan to be this bold—pulling something like this on a livestreamed variety show. But if he’d refused, it would’ve made him look guilty instead.

Yan Yushan knew exactly what he was thinking, deliberately backing him into a corner, certain he would give in. That’s why he acted with such confidence. Xu Xishuang didn’t even want to imagine what the livestream chat looked like, or what the others in the van were thinking.

The flood of chaotic comments had finally settled down, but the viewers were still far from calm.

【Help. What is Yan Yushan doing?? Publicly showing affection??】

【No because when he said “can I sit inside,” I thought I was watching a dating show】

【Is it just me, or did Xu Xishuang look reluctant? Are they really just friends?】

【I think Xishuang was just surprised. He probably thought Yan Yushan would sit next to Xiang Yao too—not that he’s unwilling】

【Let’s be real, we all know what this is—love!!】

The comment section was almost entirely overtaken by CP fans. No one could explain why Yan Yushan had passed up the open seat next to Xiang Yao and insisted on squeezing into the double seat with Xu Xishuang.

The other guests in the van kept quiet. Director Fei Yuan had no choice but to jump in and try to lighten the mood by revealing their travel destination.

On this show, both the destinations and guest surprises were kept secret until the journey began—even the audience didn’t know. Only when the cast was seated would Fei Yuan announce it.

Fei Yuan climbed aboard, signaled the driver to go, then turned to the six guests. “Hello everyone, I’m Director Fei Yuan. I’ll now announce the first stop of our journey. Anyone want to guess where we’re going? There’s a reward if you guess correctly!”

Before the guests could respond, the comment section exploded with guesses.

【I bet it’s a resort】

【I’m guessing the Pacific】

【I say the green grasslands】

【I’m calling it—Happy Planet!】

Watching the guesses get more and more ridiculous, Fei Yuan couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Then Yu Shudie spoke up, “I think it might be the snowy mountains. Isn’t it super romantic to see snow in winter?”

Fei Yuan nodded and clapped. “Congrats, you guessed it!”

“See those two big black bags on the back seats?” he said to Yu Shudie. “Those are mystery items prepared by the crew. Now one of them is yours. Once we arrive, the crew will bring it to your room and you can open it then.”

Yu Shudie smiled sweetly at the camera. “Thank you, Director.”

【Little Die is so smart and so pretty!】

【…This feels a bit scripted. And isn’t it freezing in the snow this time of year?】

【Wait a sec—I just realized. All six of them are actors. Is this a secret actor retreat??】

As if anticipating this doubt, Fei Yuan added, “Don’t worry, the mountains aren’t at their coldest yet. The lowest temperatures won’t hit until mid-January, and we’ll be done filming before then.”

“The snow is beautiful right now. I’m sure none of you would want to miss it,” He continued, “We’ve arranged cozy cabins in the forest for you. It was close to the mountains, with fireplaces inside. You don’t need to worry about staying warm.”

After finishing his speech, Fei Yuan paused, hoping for a reaction from the guests but all six of them remained muted. Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan said nothing, Yan Yao was used to being quiet, and Xiang Yao just stared at him expressionlessly. Only Shen Youlian and Yu Shudie responded.

Yu Shudie let out an enthusiastic “Wow” and asked, “Forest cabins? Like the kind Santa Claus lives in?”

Fei Yuan nodded. “Exactly.”

Shen Youlian asked, “Are the cabins free for us to stay in? Or do we have to complete some brutal mission to earn them? I’ve seen other shows do that.”

“Not at all,” Fei Yuan quickly waved his hands. “The tasks are easy. The show will cover all travel expenses, unless you want to buy something more private. In that case, you’re free to use your own money.”

He pulled out a whiteboard. “Today’s first checkpoint is reaching the forest cabins. It’s an easy one—you’ll finish it soon, so no need to worry.”

【This travel show’s setup is amazing. No wonder it’s a healing slow-stream series】

【LMAO. With Xiang Yao, Shen Youlian, and Yan Yushan on the cast, do you think the crew would dare mess with them?】

“Everyone can see there are two bags in the back. One’s already been claimed by Ms. Yu,” Fei Yuan said. “The second will go to whoever can guess our mystery flying guest for this episode.”

Fei Yuan added, “Here’s a hint—the guest has recently worked with three of you.”

Before the comment section could react, Yan Yao, sitting in the back, said, “Is it Bai Keke?”

Fei Yuan blinked, then nodded quickly. “Yes, it’s Ms. Bai Keke! The second bag goes to you, Ms. Yan—congratulations!”

【Yan Yao baby nailed it!】

【Why is Xu Xishuang staring out the window, and why is Yan Yushan staring at him??】

【Leave them be, just your average couple dynamic】

【LOL did anyone catch Yu Shudie rolling her eyes when Yan Yao got it right? The fake friends energy is real】

【She’s definitely going to stir up drama】

Once everyone was sure the cameras wouldn’t film their phone screens from above, the six guests instinctively pulled out their phones, each absorbed in their own world, with no intention to chat.

As soon as Xu Xishuang opened his phone, a news push popped up. He clicked it and saw the words “car accident” jump out from the headline.

It was about Yan Yushan.

Only then did Xu Xishuang realize that Yan Yushan had been late because of a near car accident on the way over. He stared at his phone, replaying Yan Yushan’s entrance in his head, trying to recall if there were any signs of injury. In the end, he couldn’t help but glance to the side.

And met Yan Yushan’s gaze.

Like he’d been burned, Xu Xishuang quickly looked away and went back to swiping at his screen—just as a new message popped up.

Yan Yushan: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Xishuang hadn’t planned to reply, but saying nothing would only make his earlier glance seem more suspicious. It’s like he had been caught sneaking a peek.

So he typed, “If you’re hurt, don’t do the show. Go home and rest.”

Stop following me.

Yan Yushan replied quickly: “I’m not hurt.”

Yan Yushan: “The gossip blogs exaggerated. My car wasn’t even that close to the crash site. I’m fine.”

With the camera right in front of them, under the eyes of millions of viewers, and without anyone else in the van noticing, the two of them quietly messaged each other.

Yan Yushan: “Don’t want to do it with me?”

[Yan Yushan has withdrawn a message]

Yan Yushan: “Don’t want to sit with me?”

Though he retracted it quickly, Xu Xishuang still saw the original message and his hand trembled so badly he nearly dropped his phone.

Once he calmed down, Xu Xishuang stared at the screen, wondering if Yan Yushan had done that on purpose but he couldn’t prove it.

Xu Xishuang: “No. I’m not used to having people sit next to me.”

Yan Yushan: “Mm. Then get used to it.”

Xu Xishuang: ???

He was fuming.

What was wrong with Yan Yushan? Did he take the wrong medicine? Why was he suddenly so shameless?

Xu Xishuang typed, deleted, typed again, edited… and in the end, sent nothing. He figured whatever he sent, Yan Yushan would have a comeback for it anyway. He might as well say nothing at all.

He had just closed their chat when Yu Shudie called out to Yan Yushan from the front.

“Senior Yan,” she turned to him with bright eyes, “I watched your film Bitter Summer. I loved the color design—I even saved a bunch of stills as wallpapers. Your switch to directing has been such a success! The box office has already passed 100 million!”

Yan Yushan replied flatly, “Thank you.”

That two-word answer clearly disappointed her. She wanted to keep the conversation going, but Yan Yushan had already lowered his head again, focused on his phone, obviously not interested.

【What is Yu Shudie doing? Desperately clinging to someone who’s ignoring her?】

【Isn’t she Yan Yushan’s fan? She likes and reposts all his Weibo posts】

【LOL even Xu Xishuang looked up just now. And they made eye contact again!!】

【A love rival appears! Hang in there, Shuangshuang baby!】

Yu Shudie bit her lip, not wanting to leave a bad impression on Yan Yushan. She gave up and turned to look at Xu Xishuang instead.

“Xu Xishuang,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “I thought you and Chi Siyuan were amazing. You really brought out that subtle tension in your performance. It must’ve been easy to catch feelings on a set like that…”

“Yu Shudie.” Shen Youlian cut in sharply, “Sit properly.”

Yu Shudie froze, suddenly remembering her aunt was also in the car. She quickly shut up and sat back down.

Shen Youlian gave Xu Xishuang an apologetic smile. He blinked, said nothing, and didn’t respond to Yu Shudie’s earlier comment. Instead, he turned back to his phone.

【??? Does Yu Shudie even have a brain? Who asks something like that? She had to be doing it on purpose, right?】

【Told you, Shen the film queen is here to clean up Yu Shudie’s mess—just watch】

【Why is Yu Shudie so hostile toward Xu Xishuang? Is it just me?】

【Not gonna lie, Yan Yushan’s face went cold just now—tsk tsk, protective hubby alert】