Download DownloadThe program Ye Shanshan participated in, although named “Challenge 48 Hours,” basically concluded its recording by the late afternoon of the second day. Especially since there was plenty of material to edit for this episode, the director was satisfied and decided to wrap up and descend the mountain early.
By the time it was past 4 PM, the assistant director called people over to record the “final five minutes.”
As a regular guest, Xu Luoyang had to participate in this “soulful monologue” at the end of each episode, and the routine had become familiar.
“Shanshan, everyone’s style is similar, just talk about the emotions, insights, and regrets of these two days. If you really don’t know what to say, you can start by thanking the program team and expressing that it was a very enjoyable experience. That should cover about half the time. Don’t worry; I’ll assist you from the side.”
After saying this, Xu Luoyang found himself still quite nervous. He truly feared that Ye Shanshan might express something about not being able to passionately chase ducks or feed piglets, like a “countryside male god” type of sentiment. Going back, they would definitely be ridiculed by Zheng Dong.
Ye Shanshan nodded, indicating that he remembered, while continuing to pack his things.
Standing aside, Xu Luoyang casually noticed a thermos, and he asked,
“This thermos is quite big. How come I don’t remember it from before?”
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Ye Shanshan quickly stuffed the thermos into his bag, blinked, and affirmed, “Manifested through ideation.”
“Huh?” Xu Luoyang was perplexed. Have a generation gap already developed between me and Shanshan? What’s the meaning of ‘manifested through ideation’?
When it was Ye Shanshan and Xu Luoyang’s turn to enter the crude “soulful broadcasting room,” the two sat down facing the camera. The director behind the camera gestured, indicating they could begin.
Xu Luoyang smoothly began, “This time, I suddenly asked Shanshan to come over and help in an emergency. I was truly moved. He agreed without asking anything, making me feel that he is a true brother! The biggest feeling in this episode is…”
After smoothly finishing his part, Xu Luoyang winked at Ye Shanshan, signaling it was his turn. Ye Shanshan received the signal and started following the outline Xu Luoyang provided,
“I’m very grateful for the program team’s invitation; these two days have been very enjoyable…” After expressing gratitude, it was time to talk about regrets. “Just regret that I didn’t get to eat stir-fried pork with pickled vegetables—”
Xu Luoyang, staying alert on the side, heard this and had a feeling of “as expected.” Estimating that once stir-fried pork with pickled vegetables was mentioned, the serious version of the soulful monologue was impossible to continue. So, he looked at Ye Shanshan with a disdainful and exaggerated tone, prepared to shift towards a humorous direction,
“You’re just rattling off a list; this doesn’t count. Retry, say something with substance.”
Feeling that Xu Luoyang’s “assistance” had deviated from the planned route, Ye Shanshan’s mind went blank, unsure how to proceed with the change in tone. However, since he was asked to say something substantial, Ye Shanshan thought for a moment and began listing various nutrients, “Vitamin A, protein, amino acids…”
He continued listing over a dozen nutritional substances before stopping.
Watching Ye Shanshan’s serious demeanor, Xu Luoyang was initially frozen by this answer, which was akin to a cold joke. After locking eyes with Ye Shanshan’s innocent and bewildered expression, he couldn’t hold back his laughter, almost falling off his chair. Even the director sitting across was shocked by Ye Shanshan’s magical thought process, struggling to contain his laughter.
So talented!
After finally finishing the shoot, everyone began packing up to leave. Ye Shanshan got on Xu Luoyang’s assistant’s car, preparing to hitch a ride back to City B.
On the return journey, Xu Luoyang sighed and complained, feeling tired at the thought of changing partners for the next episode. He couldn’t help but think that these days of not getting lost and not going hungry were definitely not coming back.
At this moment, he really wanted to cling to Ye Ge’s thigh, letting Ye Ge continue to lead him in the entertainment industry.
After expressing his reluctance to Ye Shanshan, he saw Ye Shanshan contemplate for two seconds and then comment, “Indeed, only after losing do we truly understand the value!”
“…” The conversation had reached its limit.
Later that night, when Ye Shanshan arrived home, it was almost midnight. He handed his luggage to Uncle Hawk waiting at the door. Without stopping, he quickly went upstairs, reached the door of Gong Yue’s study, pushed it open, and said, “I’m back—”
The room was pitch-black.
Feeling a bit lost, Ye Shanshan stood at the door, looking into the empty room. Suddenly, he remembered that Gong Yue had flown to Vancouver this morning, and now, they were separated by the entire Pacific Ocean.
Blinking, Ye Shanshan quietly completed the last word, “—now,” then repeated it more fully, “I’m back.” He didn’t know who he was saying it to.
Loosening his grip on the doorknob, he couldn’t clarify what he was feeling right now. It was as if all the strength in his body had drained away, and the blossoming flowers of joy that had flourished upon returning home had withered.
Rubbing his fingers against the doorknob, Ye Shanshan glanced around the dark study—how he wished the power of ideation could make Gong Yue appear in the room in the next second.
At that moment, his phone suddenly played the notification sound. Ye Shanshan took a few seconds to pull out his phone and saw the display read “Mount Everest Cold-faced: Video Call.”
——Huh? His fingers tapped “answer” faster than his thoughts. The next second, Gong Yue’s face appeared on the screen.
Ye Shanshan’s eyes widened slightly—thoughts really work!
Gong Yue noticed that Ye Shanshan was staring at him but not saying anything. He felt a bit strange. “Shanshan?”
“Ah!” Ye Shanshan immediately snapped out of it, a bright smile spreading across his face, like flowers blooming, and the dimples at the corners of his mouth revealed themselves. “Ge!” His voice couldn’t contain the suppressed excitement.
“Yeah,” Gong Yue saw him smile, and his voice softened, “Just got home?”
Ye Shanshan nodded repeatedly, “Yes, I hitched a ride back with Xu Luoyang, oh, and I brought the thermos too. But when I got home, I forgot you weren’t here and ran to the study to find you.” As he spoke, his eyes lit up, “Ge, how about I come find you now?”
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his idea was practical. He even wanted to drag his suitcase to the airport immediately.
“I’ll finish things here and come back. It’s too tiring to fly over. You rest well today.” After saying this, Gong Yue noticed Ye Shanshan’s disappointment and couldn’t help adding, “You can sleep now. When you wake up, you’ll see me.”
After taking a shower and changing into pajamas, lying in bed, Ye Shanshan rolled around several times, feeling that the feeling of coming home was indeed wonderful. However, because one person was missing, he felt a bit lonely and cold.
Lying on the bed, he sniffed around, finally burying his nose in the pillow, discovering Gong Yue’s scent. Ye Shanshan hugged the pillow tightly, and his eyes curved with a smile.
Unable to fall asleep with his eyes closed, Ye Shanshan thought for a while and took out his phone to update a Weibo post, “His Majesty personally leading the troops, unsure when he’ll return triumphantly.” After sending it, he remembered that Gong Yue didn’t use Weibo. He instantly felt discouraged, turned off the phone, and tossed it aside.
Hugging the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling, Ye Shanshan found that the aroma of Gong Yue was indeed on the pillow. He hugged the pillow tightly, and his eyes smiled even more.
Unable to fall asleep with his eyes closed, Ye Shanshan thought for a while, then took out his phone and updated another Weibo post, “His Majesty personally leading the troops, unsure when he’ll return triumphantly.” After sending it, he remembered that Gong Yue didn’t use Weibo. He instantly felt discouraged, turned off the phone, and tossed it aside.
Hugging the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling, Ye Shanshan found that the aroma of Gong Yue was indeed on the pillow. He hugged the pillow tightly, and his eyes smiled even more.
Just as he was wavering between these thoughts, his phone showed a new message. Ye Shanshan opened it and found that it was from Gong Yue. The content was just three words, “Be good, go to sleep.”
Repeating this sentence ten times, Ye Shanshan felt the domineering aura leaking from the Demon King and hugged the pillow, arranged his posture, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
The last thought before falling asleep was, how did the Demon King know what I was thinking in my heart? A mystery!
※※※
Ye Shanshan had been dreaming. In his dream, he had a cute little dog, but for some reason, the dog kept chasing him non-stop, making him extremely nervous. Just when he felt he could no longer run, he suddenly woke up.
However, at the moment of waking up, he didn’t dare to open his eyes.
Although Gong Yue said he could see him when he opened his eyes, what if—right at this moment, Ye Shanshan suddenly heard the familiar sound of breathing.
Carefully opening his eyes, he saw Gong Yue sleeping about two fist-lengths away, his brows slightly furrowed, and a bit of stubble on his chin. Even while asleep, he looked quite exhausted.
Ye Shanshan stared at him for a while, a sour feeling spreading in his heart. The Demon King running back and forth like this was truly tiring.
Suddenly, he felt very distressed.
Touching his own forehead, Ye Shanshan also wanted to express his pity and love for Gong Yue. So, slowly and carefully, he moved closer, then lightly kissed Gong Yue’s forehead.
After the kiss, Ye Shanshan slowly retreated, and he even licked his lips with his tongue. Hmm, there didn’t seem to be any special taste! But his heartbeat was so fast, and his ears were burning—could it be that the Demon King’s skin secretes hormones?
Quietly listening for a while, Ye Shanshan found that Gong Yue was sleeping soundly, too tired to be disturbed by him. Only then did Ye Shanshan feel relieved.
After that, Ye Shanshan didn’t move at all, maintaining his posture, and earnestly counted how many eyelashes Gong Yue had. However, eyelashes were finite, and after counting them once, he counted them again and found that Gong Yue still hadn’t woken up. So, let’s do it again!
When Gong Yue opened his eyes, he met Ye Shanshan’s eyes. Gong Yue’s head still felt a bit heavy. He lightly called out, “Shanshan.”
“One hundred and seventy-five.”
“Huh?”
Hearing this questioning sound, Ye Shanshan felt that his little heart trembled abnormally for the second time in a row—maybe he really had some arrhythmia! But the voice of His Majesty was really hoarse and pleasant to listen to!
Realizing he was acting foolish, Ye Shanshan ignored the previous sentence “one hundred and seventy-five” and softened his voice,
“Do you want to sleep a little more? There are many bloodshot eyes in your eyes, and you look tired.” As he spoke, Ye Shanshan subconsciously reached out and gently touched Gong Yue’s eyelids with his fingertips. “Sleep, I’ll accompany you.”
Gong Yue stared at Ye Shanshan attentively, taking a while before responding, “Okay.” His voice was low and hoarse. Then, he raised his hand, holding the fingers that Ye Shanshan placed on his eyelids, directly pressing them to his chest, before closing his eyes.
Ye Shanshan noticed that the fingertips touching Gong Yue’s skin were getting hot, almost like they were burning!
Taking a deep breath, he felt he could count Gong Yue’s eyelashes tens of dozens or hundreds of times again!
※※※
The moment the “Challenge 48 Hours” production team concluded filming, a storm started brewing online.
At six in the morning, Xu Tian’s agent promptly posted a Weibo, “Never seen a contract signed and then abruptly broken to replace someone. Are they bullying Xu Tian’s good character?” and directly tagged the official Weibo accounts of the production team and Ye Shanshan, making the target quite clear.
With the help of pre-purchased online influence, by eight in the morning, various news headlines pushed by different platforms had transformed into “Xu Tian’s agent condemns the behind-the-scenes manipulation of variety show’s last-minute replacement, suspecting pressure from a certain newcomer with the surname Ye.”
The detailed article explained the whole situation.
Originally, the “Challenge 48 Hours” production team at Starlight TV had signed a performance contract with Xu Tian more than half a month in advance. The appearance fee was all settled, and Xu Tian had turned down other engagements, deliberately freeing up his schedule. However, when it came to shooting, the production team suddenly changed their minds, directly removing Xu Tian and substituting in a newcomer with the surname Ye, without any explanation from start to finish.
Without specifying Ye Shanshan’s name throughout the article, the most captivating part was the “whether to disclose or not.” So, before nine o’clock, the Haijiao Forum had constructed another tall building named “Seeking Information about the Background of the Newcomer with Surname Ye! Is She Really Being Funded and Kept by a Middle-aged Wealthy Man?”
The number of comments skyrocketed rapidly.
-“They’re still talking about being funded and kept? Guide to Hes Master’s piano concert opening, goodbye. By the way, what does the Weibo post by the OP mean? Are they taking on a period drama?”
-“Reply to the above, already watched it, but who said piano players can’t be kept? The classical music circle is just as dirty, who is nobler than who!”
-“Front row selling sunflower seeds and soda, another big show is starting! By the way, I organized some relevant information, feel free to browse . Speaking of which, Ye OP is really popular; I compiled it, and there are tons of posts related to him in the forum!”
—”The production team’s shady dealings, this Ye surname newcomer can’t just stand idly by! Those who support the unethical practices better leave soon. Little Tian wants to settle things peacefully, but we Little Tian’s fans won’t let anyone bully him!!”
The rhythm was well-timed, and three hours later, Xu Tian’s agent swiftly followed up with a second Weibo post.
“I admit that our Little Tian might not be as good-looking as this Ye surname newcomer, but over these years, Little Tian’s hard work has been evident to everyone, presenting many outstanding works. I ask @Challenge48Hours production team, for the sake of a newcomer who has just debuted with only one work, why replace our Little Tian? I won’t rest until I get an answer!”
By putting themselves in a disadvantaged position, playing the victim while self-deprecating, they could effectively stir up fans’ protective instincts and fighting spirit.
Shortly after, a wave of fans first flooded Xu Tian’s Weibo comments, expressing concern for their idol countless times. Then, they confidently headed to the production team’s official Weibo, flooding the comments section, demanding an official explanation, or else they would continue to criticize.
Just as the annual drama of online battles was about to unfold, the “Starlight Tower Fan Support Club” official Weibo posted an unusual long message with a lengthy title:
“Could the agent please clarify things before speaking? Who said our OP only has one work?”
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
