Yan Qing was a character who enjoyed sharing, so he voluntarily handed his coffee to Wen Jueli. Just as he was about to mention that his cup was untouched, a production assistant rushed over with another coffee in hand. She interrupted their conversation, saying, “Yan Qing, we accidentally made an extra coffee. I noticed Wen Ge didn’t get one, so this cup should be his, right?”
Yan Qing was taken aback. Did that mean Wen Jueli wasn’t interested in his coffee and just hadn’t received one yet? His earlobes turned slightly red as he felt a bit embarrassed.
Trying to reassure himself, he thought that there was nothing wrong with a bit of romantic playfulness between spouses. However, under Wen Jueli’s gaze, he couldn’t help but feel like his ears were burning like charcoal, and he blushed uncontrollably.
With a sheepish smile, he accepted the coffee, saying, “Thank you…” He then handed it to Wen Jueli, saying, “Here, your coffee.”
Wen Jueli responded with a hint of teasing in his tone, “Thank you.”
[What’s wrong with that little assistant? Haha, she has no sense of observation at all!]
[These two lovebirds seem pretty cute together, why interrupt them?]
[Look at his face turning green, hahaha!]
There were still forty-five minutes until the plane took off. After Director Zhang explained all the procedural rules, he clapped his hands and concluded with a smile, “Now, I hope everyone will enjoy the 28-day journey in a foreign land!”
In this era of rapid technological advancement, internet engineering could fully support uninterrupted 24-hour live streaming from cameras on the plane. The program explained that due to budget constraints, they arranged for everyone to travel in economy class.
Yan Qing had never flown economy before. In the past, he’d been taken directly to the aircraft through a VIP channel and transported in exclusive shuttle cars.
Following the dense crowd, they passed through security and queued up for the shuttle bus. It was a new experience for Yan Qing, and he felt somewhat reserved. In the midst of the crowded conditions, he reached out and tugged at Wen Jueli’s coat hem.
Wen Jueli stopped and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yan Qing’s expectation of Wen Jueli’s care for him was taken for granted. He simply said, “There are so many people. Are we going to take the shuttle bus with everyone later?”
Wen Jueli nodded, “Yes.” He seemed lost in thought.
Because Yan Qing was still holding onto him, Wen Jueli unconsciously slowed down, matching their pace side by side.
Finally, when they arrived at the airplane, an airline crew member checked Yan Qing’s ticket, pointed in a direction, and said, “Wishing you a pleasant journey.”
Yan Qing responded politely, saying, “Thank you.”
Yan Qing realized that his seat had been arranged by the aisle. The first-class seats were individual compartments with a high level of privacy, unlike their current seats, which were open and exposed to the view of everyone.
Yan Qing noticed that Wen Jueli had already placed his backpack on the overhead compartment. Wen Jueli was quite tall, and due to his regular workouts, he had a strong and muscular physique, though not overly exaggerated. Standing by Yan Qing’s side, he cast a shadow that blocked out most of the overhead lights, creating a dark shade above them.
Wem Jueli asked, “Why don’t you take your seat?”
As everyone was still searching for their seats on the plane, Yan Qing whispered, “My seat is on the outside.”
Wen Jueli replied, “Hmm, why don’t you go ahead and sit inside?”
Yan Qing was somewhat surprised. “Really?” He smiled and whispered happily, “I happen to like sitting inside.”
“Do you like eating egg whites?”
Wen Jueli didn’t react immediately, but with Yan Qing’s sparkling eyes and a hint of a smile, he nodded quickly.
Yan Qing exclaimed, “See, we’re a perfect match! You like egg whites, and I prefer egg yolks.”
Wen Jueli’s expression remained unchanged. He watched as Yan Qing turned and took his seat by the window. Only then did he straighten his lips and avert his gaze somewhat awkwardly. He said in a soft and airy tone, “If you want to go out, just let me know.”
Yan Qing replied, “Okay.”
Although sitting in economy class was a novel experience, Yan Qing began to find it a bit dull after a while. In first class, the computers were connected to the internet, but in economy class, they didn’t have that luxury. The in-seat screens only offered a limited selection of movies to watch. Yan Qing was a movie enthusiast, and he had seen nine out of ten movies available, so during the first part of the flight, he passed the time playing Minesweeper.
The live-streaming cameras were capturing footage both in front and behind the seats, so the audience could see Yan Qings actions and the mines on the screen being systematically detonated.
After getting bored with Minesweeper, Yan Qing selected the one movie among the ten that he hadn’t seen before—a French film with its original audio. Wrapped in a small blanket, he tilted his head and began watching.
[Does anyone know which country’s movie Yan Qing is watching? I can’t understand it. Is it English?]
[It’s French! I just searched the title online, and this movie seems to be an old one from the 90s.]
[Regardless of whether it’s English or French, it sounds like gibberish to me. /doge]
[Is Yan Qing really watching this seriously? Could he know French?]
[Oh no, my hair is falling out for real. French-speaking people, come and soothe me!!! My head is really going bald.]
[Whether it’s English or French, I can’t believe you’re deducing that Yan Qing knows French just from him watching a movie. It’s hilarious.]
[Please, the people in front, don’t spoil the fun. Is anyone watching this movie without subtitles?]
[No subtitles, so what? As long as you stare at the screen without talking, you can pretend you understand French.]
The cabin was dimly lit, with a soft, slightly bluish glow emanating from the screens, casting a play of light and shadow on Yan Qing’s exquisite and beautiful face.
The plane flew smoothly through the night sky. After some time, Yan Qing noticed that no more light was coming through the curtain’s gap, and outside the window, the sky was filled with brilliant stars.
Travelling without a smartphone could be quite boring. Occasionally, Yan Qing would pick up a small camcorder and aim it out the window, sharing the view of the sky from thousands of feet up with the audience, along with Wen Jueli, who was peacefully asleep.
He accidentally captured a shot of Wen Jueli. At this moment, Wen Jueli was wearing an eye mask that covered his brows and eyes, leaving only his handsome nose and pale pink lips visible. He slept soundly, surrounded by a unique, refreshing fragrance that wasn’t overpowering but exuded a sense of tranquility and calmness.
As if awakening long-forgotten memories, Yan Qing suddenly sensed that he might have encountered this fragrance a long time ago… Had he smelled it before? He couldn’t quite recall.
Even with the eye mask on, Wen Jueli’s looks were still striking. Among the people Yan Qing had seen, Wen Jueli was undoubtedly second to none. Moreover, he was Yan Qing’s beloved partner, so love is blind, after all. Yan Qing blushed slightly and turned the camcorder away, whispering, “I’ll just enjoy it by myself.”
[!!!!!!]
[Darn it! I feel like a stray dog kicked to the curb all of a sudden!]
[Yan Qing, you’re being too stingy. No, this won’t do!! I want to see more of Mr. Wen!]
[You see him every day, can’t you share a little with us? Don’t play like this!]
Unfortunately, Yan Qing couldn’t see the protests from the live-stream audience.
*
The plane’s engines roared, and in the vast night sky, it flickered with red and blue signal lights. After a multilingual announcement from the flight attendants, the plane, which had been in the air for fourteen hours and eighteen minutes, finally landed smoothly at the airport.
Local time: 9:09 PM.
After the long journey, everyone was exhausted. Upon disembarking, Yan Qing grabbed his bag and followed Wen Jueli and the others to collect their luggage.
Yan Qing had already been suffering from jet lag, and his previous coffee consumption had left him wide awake throughout the flight. Now, he felt drained and weary, occasionally yawning and struggling to walk. He was nearly leaning on Wen Jueli for support.
Apart from acting, it was the first time that Wen Jueli had been held so affectionately by someone. He was slightly stiff and asked, “Are you very tired?”
Yan Qing nodded sluggishly, as slow as a snail. “I shouldn’t have had coffee… Jueli, I really want to sleep… Ah…”
Possibly due to extreme exhaustion, both his tone and energy had softened, and he resembled a fluffy, tired kitten rolling onto its back.
Wen Jueli, in front of the camera, diligently maintained their image as a loving couple. He thought for a moment and didn’t pull his hand away, which wasn’t that uncomfortable, as he said, “We can rest at the hotel once we get there.”
In the end, Yan Qing finally woke up.
It was due to Xia Xingchen that he got a bit of a scare.
Xia Xingchen had a white face mask on his face, swaying in the dark night, looking half like a person and half like a ghost.
He humorously called it image management, saying, “Flying on a plane is so exhausting, of course, I need to take care of my skin. I’m a singer, and my face is my livelihood!”
Yan Qing teased him, “Is the entertainment industry so demanding these days?”
[HAHAHA, what the heck is this “image management”!]
[Wait, do they know each other?]
[I suddenly remembered! Wasn’t Yan Qing the teammate that Xia Xia posted about last year?]
[Hey, how can you say that? I don’t know anything.]
[This happened a long time ago… I’m a longtime fan of Xia Xia. Last year, he posted several game performance charts, and we noticed someone named “yqsdyp” in them. Later, Xia Xia said this was his friend, called Yan Yan.]
[So, that “yqsdyp” person is Yan Qing?]
[Can someone decode what that ID means?]
Xia Xingchen and Wen Jueli’s luggage appeared on the conveyor belt first.
Gu Siwei checked his watch and suggested, “Jueli, how about you and Xiao Xia go find a car first? I looked at the travel guide, and we need to get to the hotel ourselves. You can ask whether it’s more cost-effective to rent a car or take a taxi.”
Gu Siwei was one of the older and more mature ones among the eight, so everyone naturally accepted him as their temporary leader.
After all, with only £2,000 and eight people, they did need to be frugal for a week.
Yan Qing volunteered, “Then leave your luggage here, and I’ll bring it over later.”
It was indeed difficult to move around with a large suitcase, and Wen Jueli nodded in agreement.
Because it wasn’t a tourist city, and it wasn’t the peak travel season, the airport wasn’t crowded. Before long, Yan Qing saw the other suitcase belonging to Wen Jueli on the conveyor belt. He pushed a trolley over and placed both suitcases on it. Just as he did this, He Zijia walked over.
To be honest, perhaps due to initial prejudice, Yan Qing really couldn’t figure out this He Zijia among the six guests. Although Kan Hai said he didn’t like him, he seemed quite amiable. It’s just that… the way he looked at him was a bit strange.
Maybe it’s best not to speculate about others like this.
Yan Qing cut off his speculation about He Zijia.
He Zijia pushed his own suitcase over, smiling genuinely, and stated, “Can you do me a favor?”
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.
She continued, “It’s too stuffy on the plane, and I feel dizzy. I want to step outside for some fresh air. We’ve only just met, and you’re the one I’m most familiar with… Yan Qing, you will help me, won’t you?”
Before Yan Qing could respond, Sang Ning walked over, looking puzzled, and asked, “What about Lingchen? Why isn’t he helping you with your luggage?”
He Zijia’s face stiffened slightly, and she looked innocently at the camera before shifting her gaze. “I don’t know where he went… Anyway, Yan Qing, can you help me watch the luggage for a while? I’ll be back soon.”
[What is Sang Ning asking? Doesn’t she know that Lingchen and our Zijia had an argument a few days ago?]
[Why is your tone like that? The guests can’t go to the live chat, and unless He Zijia says it, how would Sang Ning know?]
[Huh? An argument? Weren’t they sweet together five years ago, at least in my memory?]
Arguments between them seemed quite frequent these days.
This couple, who transitioned from the screen to real life, had garnered tremendous attention before the show, thanks to their roles. However, their popularity plummeted as soon as the show announced the participation of Wen Jueli and Yan Qing. It disappeared completely, suppressed beneath the waves, until the live broadcast cameras magnified their real-life conflicts and disputes, capturing the audience’s attention and gradually reigniting their popularity.
So some people speculated that they staged these arguments themselves for publicity.
Indeed, human nature is to enjoy drama.
Everyone was well aware that even though Lingchen and He Zijia had previously starred in highly popular movies, they were still just second or third-tier actors now.
Even with constant controversies, comments from fans still declared:
[This is what a regular couple looks like; who doesn’t argue? Even if Wen Jueli and Yan Qing next door look so loving, they might argue later too.]
Yan Qing thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”
He Zijia’s lips curled up, and she said, “You’re still as helpful as before.”
Yan Qing felt a bit embarrassed about his boast, “Well, I do have several ‘Citizen of the Year’ awards at home.”
He Zijia: “…”
