ASFSODS 39

With Jiang Siheng acting as a walking GPS, they quickly knocked out one checkpoint after another.

Though, whenever they asked passersby to help take photos, they were constantly given suggestions like, “Try this pose!” or “How about that one?”

Let’s just say—foreigners really were passionate and extremely outgoing.

Main Livestream:

[They only have one checkpoint left!!!]

[Come on, come on! You can do it!]

[Meanwhile, while everyone else is still grinding, Tian Yang and Zhou Ruoyao are already having afternoon tea]

[President Qin and Xiao Bai only have two left to finish!]

[Yu Qing and En’en just need one more!]

On the way to the last checkpoint, Wen Chi was sipping fruit juice when he turned and saw Tian Yang and Zhou Ruoyao relaxing in a restaurant over afternoon tea.

Zhou Ruoyao noticed Wen Chi first. He stood up and waved excitedly.

Tian Yang looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Why are you acting like you just won the lottery?”

“I saw Chi Chi!”

Wen Chi waved back, then turned to Jiang Siheng. “I just saw Yang Ge and Ruoyao.”

Jiang Siheng: “Hm?”

“Come on, come on—maybe we can mooch some snacks off them.” Wen Chi pushed Jiang Siheng’s back and headed inside, all fired up.

Tian Yang finally noticed them. “Oh, you guys made it all the way here.”

“Are you guys done with your tasks? Why do you look so relaxed?” Wen Chi asked, eyes glued to the fancy pastries on the table.

“Wanna try one?” Zhou Ruoyao picked up a mini cake and held it up to Wen Chi’s mouth. “This one’s really good—orange flavor.”

“Yes please.” Wen Chi took a bite right from his hand. The cake melted in his mouth, bursting with citrus flavor.

Seeing the way Wen Chi’s eyes lit up, Zhou Ruoyao’s voice softened indulgently. “Good, right? Have another. You can have them all.”

Tian Yang watched helplessly as the cakes he ordered were all kidnapped by Wen Chi.

Jiang Siheng looked at Wen Chi, half exasperated.

Wen Chi just laughed sheepishly, chewing while asking, “So are you guys finished with your checkpoints?”

“Nope,” Tian Yang said. “Ruoyao and I had a serious discussion and decided to give up.”

Wen Chi froze. “Wait, you can do that?”

Tian Yang faltered a bit under Wen Chi’s look. “I—I mean, can’t you?”

Zhou Ruoyao added, “Sure you can. No one said you couldn’t just quit.”

Wen Chi: “……”

Jiang Siheng decided not to let this go on, lest the child actually be corrupted.

Wen Chi, clutching a bag of mini cakes, was dragged out of the restaurant by Jiang Siheng. Once in the car, he took a dramatic gulp of juice and grumbled, “Unbelievable.”

“We’ve got one checkpoint left,” Jiang said. “Once we’re done, we go back to the inn—rest, sleep, game.”

Every word hit Wen Chi’s sweet spot. His energy came back. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Wen Chi Livestream:

[LMAO if Jiang Siheng hadn’t dragged Xiao Chi away, he probably would’ve joined the slacker duo]

[Xiao Chi: What? You can just give up???]

[Tian Yang’s a gaming streamer and Zhou Ruoyao’s a rich kid—of course they don’t care about tasks]

[True]

[Then what about Wen Chi…?]

[He just takes every chance to slack off]

[WTF—Xian’en’s team already finished!!]

Tong Xian’en and Xu Yuqing were the first to return to the inn. They sent the task photos to the staff.

The director flipped through the photos one by one, and once everything checked out, he announced in the main group chat that Tong Xian’en and Xu Yuqing had finished first, earning one point each.

When Wen Chi saw the message, he froze for a second and stopped walking.

Jiang Siheng asked, “What’s wrong?”

“They already announced the first-place team,” Wen Chi said. “Does that mean we don’t have to keep going?”

Just as he said that, the small group chat blew up:

【Zhou Yunbai: OMG Yuqing and En’en are insane】

【Zhou Ruoyao: Huh? It’s over already?】

【Zhou Ruoyao: Yang Ge and I were heading back then. Does anyone want cake? I’ll bring some】

【Tian Yang: That orange one’s good, highly recommend】

【Tian Yang: [photo]】

【Qin Xiyu: You guys are having afternoon tea?】

【Tian Yang: Yup, Qin Ge, Ruoyao and I gave up】

【Xu Yuqing: No thanks [grinning teeth]】

【Zhou Ruoyao: Chi Chi, want any cake? There’s other flavors too】

Wen Chi showed the chat to Jiang Siheng. “So… are we still eating out?”

Jiang Siheng looked at it and asked back, “Did the production team ever say they’d be providing dinner tonight?”

Wen Chi thought about it seriously, then shook his head. “I don’t think so,” He looked at Xiao Zou. “Do they cover dinner?”

Xiao Zou, trying not to laugh, also shook his head.

“Let’s go, Teacher Jiang—let’s eat out!” Wen Chi mentally calculated his budget and, after confirming he had enough, slapped his waistband and declared, “Xiao Zou, cameraman Ge, you guys come too. I’m treating you!”

“What do you want to eat?” Jiang Siheng asked Wen Chi.

Wen Chi didn’t know. Smiling brightly, he leaned in. “Teacher Jiang, any recommendations?”

Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Yeah, you definitely know the good spots around here.”

Jiang Siheng looped an arm around Wen Chi and led him off. “You caught me.”

Wen Chi, like a baby bird hiding under big wings, beamed proudly. “I knew it.”

Wen Chi Livestream:

[What are these two even talking about lol]

[Weirdly cute and confusing]

[Not gonna lie, turns out Chi Chi is way shorter than Teacher Jiang]

[Looks like at least half a head shorter]

[Teacher Jiang is tall]

[Chi Chi’s really adorable]

[I’m dying. The second someone else wins first place, they just give up on the task entirely]

[So real]

Jiang Siheng casually said, “My parents are in the next city. Want to go see them? We can make them treat us to dinner.”

Wen Chi’s whole body stiffened. He turned to Jiang Siheng, stunned. “What?”

Jiang gave him a sideways glance. “I’m taking you to meet my parents.”

Wen Chi: “……”

Feeling the tug on his sleeve from behind, Jiang Siheng figured Wen Chi was silently reminding him we’re filming, and clicked his tongue. “Alright, fine—Teacher Wen’s buying dinner.”

Wen Chi breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing that both of their livestream chats were blowing up—everyone was screaming for Jiang Siheng to just drag Wen Chi off to meet the parents anyway.

Elsewhere, Wen Chi’s agency was practically fuming.

The CEO sat at his desk. Manager Jin stood across from him, both staring at a large flat-screen on the wall—currently mirroring Wen Chi’s livestream.

The CEO pointed at the screen. “You see this?”

Manager Jin played dumb. “See what?”

“If Jiang Siheng doesn’t like Wen Chi, then why the hell is he treating him this well?” The CEO picked up a binder and chucked it. It missed Jin Ge by a hair. “I told you to tell Wen Chi to ride Jiang Siheng’s popularity. Otherwise, he’ll stay that no-name loser no one remembers and what did you say back then?”

Honestly, Manager Jin couldn’t remember what excuse he gave at the time, so he said nothing.

Their agency didn’t have any recognizable names left. The closest was Li Zhimiao, who’d gotten a bit of fame from a talent show two years ago but even that had faded.

Wen Chi joining Heart’s Confession 2 and getting paired up with Movie Emperor Jiang Siheng had been a stroke of luck. The CEO immediately told Jin Ge to tell Wen Chi to be smart and grab the opportunity.

Clearly, neither of them took it seriously—one ignored it, and the other brushed it off.

The CEO stared at the screen, as Wen Chi pressed close to Jiang Siheng, looking more stunning than ever. Then he looked back at Manager Jin, eyes sharp, and made a decision.

“Forget it. I don’t care anymore,” the CEO said with a tone of fake helplessness. “You can go. Oh, and tell Wang Yue to come in—I need to talk to him.”

Wang Yue was the CEO’s personal assistant.

“Okay.” Jin Ge nodded.

Just before leaving the office, Jin Ge glanced back, an odd feeling creeping over him. For a second there, the CEO’s expression had looked… off.

He called Wang Yue in. Whatever they discussed after that, Jin Ge had no idea.

—

Later, when Jin Ge relayed all this to Wen Chi, the latter was eating steak and barely listening. “Mm-hmm, got it,” he mumbled, mouth full.

Hearing the half-assed tone, Jin Ge grew frustrated. With the boss gone, he let loose.

“I’m telling you, you know how petty our boss is. He might go around me and contact you directly. If that happens, stall him and call me immediately. Got it?”

“Got it,” Wen Chi replied seriously this time. That finally reassured Jin Ge.

Jiang Siheng had no clue who Wen Chi was talking to. He glanced over earlier and didn’t sense anything unusual. Even after the call ended, Wen Chi didn’t say a word about it.

“You’re done eating, Teacher Jiang?” Wen Chi looked at the steak still left on his plate.

“Not yet,” Jiang replied, calmly cutting into it with graceful precision.

Wen Chi watched in awe. Thinking of how he’d hacked at his own meal like a butcher, he suddenly felt like hiding.

Mid-meal, Wen Chi’s phone lit up with a video call—【Mom】.

He glanced at the local time, then thought of the time back home. When he answered, he was surprised. “Mom? You stayed up late watching dramas again?”

Lin Huixiu had a face mask on, and the sound of a TV drama played behind her. “Just two episodes left. I’ll sleep after this. Are you eating?”

“Yeah, we just finished our tasks. Now we’re eating,” Wen Chi flipped the camera to show the table. “Look.”

She nodded, satisfied. “Good. You should eat well when you’re out.”

Then her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the man across from him. Even though it was just a sliver of the frame, she asked, “Who are you eating with?”

“Teacher Jiang.” Wen Chi tilted the camera up slightly.

Jiang Siheng looked up, not catching on. “Who?”

“My mom—Madam Lin, who believes in reverse aging.”

Jiang Siheng Livestream:

[Wait WHAT??? So Jiang Ge is the first to meet the parents??]

[Mother-in-law alert!]

[…Are we all just assuming Jiang and Wen Chi are together now?]

[Uh, yeah?? It’s all for “program effect,” obviously]

[Doesn’t matter. As long as this show isn’t over, HengWen CP is alive and thriving]

[It’s rare for Jiang Ge to actually like someone. Of course we’re gonna support it]

[Exactly. And Wen Chi’s great—he’s cute and sweet]

[He’s just… kinda unknown]

[Oof, as a passing Wen Chi fan, that one hurt]