TSBDRA 56: I’m Currently Pursuing Him

After a few minutes of steady driving through the snow, the van reached its destination.

The cabin was surprisingly large for something in the woods. It had two floors, a steep gabled roof to keep the snow from piling up, and a warm brown exterior wrapped in strings of soft yellow lights, giving it a dreamlike glow.

The three women in the van lit up the moment they saw it. They jumped out eagerly and hurried toward the cabin. Xu Xishuang followed behind them, wrapping his scarf another turn around his neck until nearly his entire face was buried in it.

It really was cold.

【What a beautiful house! Does anyone know where this is? I want to travel too!】

【As long as the production team doesn’t pull any cheap stunts, this show is actually pretty chill.】

【Xu Xishuang’s face is frozen white… can the next episode be in a warmer place, please?】

The chill vanished the moment they stepped inside. Shen Youlian looked around the interior and jumped slightly when her eyes landed on a mounted deer head. After a pause, she commented, “Very Nordic in style.”

The guests walked through the cabin with the cameras following them to give viewers a good look. The first floor was spacious, featuring a cozy plush sofa and a fireplace—though currently unlit, the underfloor heating made it perfectly warm. There was also a kitchen, a bathroom, and three bedrooms on the first floor. The second floor had six more rooms, easily accommodating the seven guests. Since the other three hadn’t returned yet, no one claimed a room right away—they just explored and then returned to the living room to sit on the couch.

“It’s snowing again!” Bai Keke exclaimed, looking out the window. “It’s really coming down… why aren’t they back yet?”

Shen Youlian stood by the window and frowned at the whiteout. “They didn’t bring umbrellas, did they? They’re probably getting soaked out there.”

Since the production team hadn’t entered the cabin with them, there were fixed cameras installed inside for the livestream and none of them could see how the three who’d gone out to collect firewood were doing.

Yan Yao was just about to mention that they could use split-screen mode on their phones to check on the others, but before he could speak, Xu Xishuang stood up from the couch.

He rewrapped the scarf he’d taken off upon entering and turned to the three women. “I’ll go.”

【I knew it! Xu Xishuang is worried about Yan Yushan. He’s going out to meet him!】

【He’s panicking! He’s jealous! It’s so obvious!】

【Xu Xishuang would rather freeze than let anyone else pick him up. That’s not love, what is it?】

【Okay but like… he’s the only guy inside with three women. Who else would go?】

Xu Xishuang went to the shoe rack by the door to change his shoes, then grabbed a few umbrellas. Just as he pushed the door open—

Someone was standing right outside.

Xu Xishuang froze, and the wind and snow carried in by Yan Yushan slammed into him.

Unmelted snowflakes clung to Yan Yushan’s hair, and his shoulders were already damp. Noticing Xu Xishuang looking like he was about to leave, Yan Yushan seemed a bit surprised. “You were heading out?”

Snapping back, Xu Xishuang took a step back. “…Not anymore.”

He quietly put the umbrellas back, changed his shoes, and walked back to the sofa.

Yan Yushan stepped inside first, a faint smile on his lips. He took off his damp outer coat and hung it by the door, then went over to the fireplace. Picking up the dry firewood stacked beside it, he placed it inside and lit the fire with practiced ease.

Once the flames were burning steadily, he returned to the door, grabbed his coat, dragged a chair over to the fireplace, and draped the coat across the back to dry. Xiang Yao followed suit.

Yu Shudie glanced at her own coat, now stained from when she’d slipped in the snow, curled her lip in disdain, and decided to throw it away.

Shen Youlian looked around. “Where’s the firewood you collected?”

“In the woodshed behind the cabin,” Xiang Yao replied. He added, a little annoyed, “There’s a ton back there. What we picked up was wet and can’t be burned right away so it’s useless. The crew just wanted to mess with us.”

【Yan Yushan lights fires like a pro. No wonder—he lived on a snowy mountain for almost a year.】

【LOL I knew the crew couldn’t resist trolling the guests.】

【Yan Yushan sat next to Xu Xishuang again. Seriously, the couch is huge—can’t they sit a little farther apart?】

【Wait, wait—guys I just learned you can split-screen the livestream?! I’ve only been watching the cabin cam. What did I miss with Yan Yushan??】

As if she heard the comments herself, Shen Youlian turned to Yu Shudie. “Xiaodie, how’d your coat get dirty?”

“I slipped,” Yu Shudie mumbled, not wanting to bring up the embarrassing incident. “I’m fine.”

Coincidentally, as if she’d seen the comments scrolling by, Shen Youlian turned to ask Yu Shudie, “Xiaodie, what happened to your coat?”

“I slipped,” Yu Shudie muttered, not wanting to bring up something so embarrassing. “It’s nothing.”

Physically, she was fine—her clothes were thick, and the snow was soft. But emotionally, it stung. When she got off the van, she had been thinking she finally had a chance to spend time alone with Yan Yushan. Yet he had stayed close to Xiang Yao the entire time, only replying to her out of politeness, never continuing the conversation.

Even when she tripped over a rock hidden beneath the snow, she had looked up at him, thinking he would definitely help her up. Maybe she could pretend she had twisted her ankle, and he would carry her back—

But what she saw was Yan Yushan holding out a stick.

【I’m crying laughing—if you saw her face when Yan Yushan gave her a stick to pull herself up… priceless.】

【He really said “no touching,” huh.】

【So gentlemanly it hurts.】

“Everyone’s here now, let’s divide up the rooms,” Shen Youlian said. “I’d like to stay downstairs. What about the rest of you?”

She was the oldest and most senior among the seven guests, and naturally took on the role of the “head of the household,” directing the group.

“I’m fine with anything,” Xiang Yao said.

Xu Xishuang touched the scarf draped over his knees and spoke up, “I’d like to stay downstairs too.”

“I’ll take a room downstairs as well,” Yan Yushan added immediately.

With that, all three downstairs rooms were taken. Yu Shudie pressed her lips together and looked at Shen Youlian pleadingly, clearly hoping her aunt would switch rooms with her.

But Shen Youlian had already made up her mind to limit Yu Shudie’s time around Yan Yushan. If she didn’t step in now, things could spiral out of control by the time Yu Shudie came to her senses.

Once the rooms were settled, everyone headed outside to unload their luggage from the production van and went to their rooms to unpack and change.

There was a camera in the room too, but to protect the guests’ privacy, only one had been installed, and it didn’t face the bathroom. Xu Xishuang draped a black piece of clothing over it, then slowly unpacked his things. Afterward, he stood by the window for a while, watching the snowfall outside. Once he figured enough time had passed, he pushed open the door and returned to the living room.

Yan Yushan had come out earlier and was by the fireplace, sorting through his clothes. When he saw Xu Xishuang walk in, he asked casually, “What do you want for dinner?”

【Yan-ge… folding clothes and asking about dinner… do you know you sound like a perfect housewife right now?】

【Wait… did I ship the wrong couple this whole time?!】

Xu Xishuang hadn’t answered yet when Shen Youlian came out of her room. Seeing both Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang still standing, she raised an eyebrow and said, “Why are you two still up? Go sit on the couch.”

“Oh, right,” she added after a moment, “we’ll be staying here for about ten days, and the production team definitely won’t be cooking for us. We’ll need to figure out our own meals. Let’s wait for everyone else to come down and then decide together.”

Not long after, the others came downstairs. They gathered around the fireplace, settling into the sofas, and Shen Youlian brought up the cooking arrangements again.

Bai Keke looked a little embarrassed. “Um, I don’t know how to cook.”

She had been discovered to have musical talent at a young age and was sent to learn various instruments—cello, violin, piano… Her hands were treated with extreme care, and her family never let her do chores. The only thing she knew how to make was boiled water.

Since Bai Keke was just a guest for this episode, the fact that she couldn’t cook didn’t matter much.

Xu Xishuang hesitated. “I can cook. But… it tastes really bad.”

Calling it “bad” was being generous—only he could stomach his own cooking. If he didn’t add seasoning, it was at least edible. But once he tried to flavor it, the taste turned strange and borderline inedible.

“It’s fine,” Xiang Yao said reassuringly. “I’m not a good cook either.”

Xu Xishuang: ……

He really wasn’t just being modest.

In the end, Shen Youlian decided to draw lots to determine the cooking pairs. She wrote the names of the six permanent guests on scraps of paper, tossed them into a small cardboard box she found in the house, gave it a shake, and pulled out two names at random, “Yan Yao and Xu Xishuang.”

Then another two, “Me and Xiao Xiang.”

Which left the final pair—Yan Yushan and Yu Shudie.

【Ahhh how did this happen! Is fate just messing with us now?!】

【Hehe, this just proves our little Die and Movie Emperor Yan are meant to be~】

【Can you not try to force the ship? Please.】

The results of the draw caught everyone off guard. Shen Youlian paused for a second, then turned to Yan Yao and Xu Xishuang. “You two go first tonight, then?”

Ever since the names were drawn, Yan Yao had been sneaking glances at Xu Xishuang, but Xu Xishuang barely reacted. He knew Yan Yushan was gay, and his official pairing was with Chi Siyuan—Yu Shudie didn’t stand a chance.

Xu Xishuang nodded. “Okay.”

It was time to start preparing dinner. Xu Xishuang and Yan Yao headed into the kitchen. Outside, Xiang Yao had somehow found a set of Ludo pieces and set up the game on the table, calling the others over to play.

In the kitchen, the water was freezing, and Xu Xishuang’s fingertips turned red from the cold as he washed vegetables. Yan Yao saw this and, overwhelmed by her mama-bear instincts, took the veggies from him and pushed him aside. After washing for a bit, she suddenly remembered the livestream and turned quickly to the camera to clarify, “Xu Xishuang and I are really close friends. He doesn’t do well with cold water—it makes him sick… Right, Xu Xishuang?”

Xu Xishuang nodded, expressionless, and looked straight at the camera. In a tone as flat as if he were commenting on the weather, he said, “Correct. I’m into men.”

Yan Yao almost dropped the frozen cabbage in her hands.

Inside the cabin, everything—both inside and outside the kitchen—fell silent.

The barrage of bullet comments that had just started speculating whether Xu Xishuang and Yan Yao might have something going on instantly stopped. Several seconds of stunned silence passed, and then the empty screen exploded with a flood of bullet comments.

【Holy shit, holy shit!!】

【Is… is that something you can just say?? Am I even allowed to hear this?!】

【Xu Xishuang isn’t joking, right? Did he really just come out like that, just… like that???】

【That’s not the kind of thing you joke about—and honestly, he never seemed all that straight…】

【! Wait, does this mean there’s actually something going on between Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan?!】

Even though same-sex marriage had been legal for years now—and several celebrity couples had even gone public—very few people openly stated their orientation on live television. Xu Xishuang had just dropped a bomb out of nowhere, leaving many viewers completely stunned.

“But don’t overthink it,” Xu Xishuang continued. “Yan Yushan and I are—”

Just friends…

Bang!

The sudden bang of the kitchen door cut Xu Xishuang off mid-sentence. Yan Yushan stepped in, his expression dark, and picked up right where Xu Xishuang had left off. He looked straight at the camera and said, “We’re in a pursuer and pursued relationship.”

“We were friends for a while,” he continued seriously, “but now, I’m pursuing him. I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to pressure him.”

Now, he realized staying silent wasn’t helping. Xu Xishuang’s attempts to distance himself had become too obvious. Just now, he’d even tried to draw another boundary on camera—to make sure Yan Yushan would keep his distance during the rest of the trip.

If Xu Xishuang truly didn’t feel anything, then what was he running from? Why avoid something that didn’t exist?

Xu Xishuang stared at him in shock, fingertips trembling. He never imagined Yan Yushan would break the boundary so directly—right here, right now, in front of everyone.

…What is wrong with Yan Yushan lately? He’d never been like this before!

This time, the frozen cabbage in Yan Yao’s hands finally slipped, crashing into the sink with a loud clang.

She shakily raised a hand to cover her mouth, trying not to scream.

Outside the kitchen, the other guests sitting around the table were equally stunned. Yu Shudie’s face was so grim it was hard to describe. Shen Youlian and Bai Keke, who had somewhat seen it coming, managed to keep their composure. As for the oblivious straight guy Xiang Yao—he was still frozen in place, Ludo piece in hand, completely dazed.

The livestream comment feed stayed blank for over ten seconds—then burst into chaos, messages flooding in so fast they layered over each other, filling the entire screen. Most of them were garbled spam, and only a handful actually expressed coherent thoughts.

【?? Did I hallucinate that? I must’ve imagined it, haha】

【Holy sh*t!!! Am I even allowed to know something like this??】

【This livestream is absolutely wild!】

【Who gets it, gets it—my CP is REAL, ahhh Yan Yushan actually likes our baby Xu Xishuang!】

【Are Yan Yushan’s fans okay right now??】

The viewership for A Trip on a Whim began skyrocketing. Yan Yushan’s words had already hit the trending charts, climbing at lightning speed—and in record time, the topic was marked as explosive.

In the kitchen, Xu Xishuang finally found his voice. “…Leave.”

Yan Yushan nodded and obediently walked out, even closing the door behind him to give Xu Xishuang time to process everything.

Xu Xishuang let out a shallow breath and turned back to the ingredients in front of him. On the surface, he looked calm—no different from usual—but if one looked closely, they’d notice his eyes were completely blank. He ended up adding salt to the seasoning… again, even though he’d already salted it once.

Yan Yao’s gaze wandered, the corners of her mouth twitching up. She quietly turned on the faucet and continued washing the cabbage. Outside the kitchen, the other guests sat around the table, silently playing ludo. Not a single word was spoken. The only real commotion came from the livestream viewers and CP fans—along with the two managers on the verge of a breakdown.

Xu Xishuang dropped the chopped radish into the pot, closed the lid, and spaced out.

It hit him belatedly: his whole back was numb. Yan Yushan’s words kept replaying in his ears. His ears were burning so hot he didn’t even need to look to know how red they were.

Everything was a mess now.