With much effort, Lin Ran resisted the urge to rush up and embrace him.
As Xu Qichen watched Lin Ran’s expressions change from a frown back to his professional smile, his heart felt uncomfortable, but he did not know what to say.
This was his first time recording this kind of reality show and he was feeling somewhat anxious, so he subconsciously stood in an overlooked corner.
He had not even stood there for a second when he was pulled to the centre by Yang Cheng, the main MC. “Mengze, stand here. To start with, we are really grateful to Mengze. You might have already seen it on the news, Mengze’s left eye is seriously injured, but he contacted the programme group yesterday and said that he would definitely not be absent today. We’re really touched.”
Everyone applauded accordingly, making Xu Qichen feel embarrassed. He waved with a smile, “It’s really no big deal, don’t worry.”
Zhao Qi on the other side pushed Lin Ran to the middle, right next to Xu Qichen, and teased, “You two are already here, why are you still acting like strangers?”
Everyone laughed accordingly. This was not the first time Lin Ran went on such a show. He threw an arm around Xu Qichen’s shoulder in an exaggerated manner, “I’m just afraid that if we act too familiar the directors will split us up mah~ Did you think I don’t know your tricks?”
Once he said that, all the MCs laughed. Yang Cheng joked, “Yo, you don’t want to be split up that badly? Directors, did you hear that? What’s our show’s principle? If we can split them, we’ll split them! Every couple must be broken up!”
“No, no, your phrasing…” an MC called Ran Yun spoke up, “They’re just in a regular working relationship~”
Their conversation was like a machine gun. Xu Qichen had no idea how to contribute to it. He felt like his entire consciousness was focussed on his shoulders, unable to feel nor care about anything else.
“Let’s begin. First, let’s welcome our two guests, Lin Ran and Ji Mengze,” the director read the script from behind the monitor. “The theme today is cyber currency. As we all know, with the rapid development of technology, cyber currency has become increasingly common. All your expenses today will be paid using the cyber currency set by the programme group.”
Jiang Ziheng, the MC standing beside Lin Ran, asked, “You’ll be sending us money?”
“Through battles of strength and wits, those who emerge victorious will receive Confrontation Dollars. You can use this to purchase food, water and other resources, or exchange for information with other teams.”
Xu Qichen who was listening very seriously suddenly asked: “So there will be more than two teams today?”
The director gave a positive answer: “Yes, today there will be four teams, two per team.”
Zhao Qi: “No! It’s too difficult with only two people!”
Yang Cheng: “Just don’t put me with Zhao Qi.”
Ran Yun: “Can we choose our own teammate?”
Jiang Ziheng: “The directors definitely won’t let us be with the partner we want.”
The director once again spoke: “This time, based on the principles of fairness and transparency, the teams will be decided by…” He took out his mobile phone and waved it, “the netizens’ voting on Weibo.”
“No!” Yang Cheng began hugging his head. “Directors, you’ve gone too far!”
Once the director said ‘netizen’s voting’, Xu Qichen felt the hand on his shoulder relax significantly.
“According to the voting results, we have decided on the following teams. The first team: Yang Cheng and Zhao Qi. Second, Ran Yun and Jiang Ziheng. The third team will be our guests today, Lin Ran and Ji Mengze.”
With a bitter expression, Zhao Qi said, “Will you not let me partner with a peak beauty even once!? It’s rare that we get two guests so handsome, but they end up in the same team! If we have to go on the streets for missions later, wouldn’t all the passersby be pulled away by them?”
“I’m done!” Yang Cheng mimed removing his microphone.
Ran Yun rushed up to him to hold him back: “Ge, ge, don’t be like that! We can’t lose you!”
These people are so interesting. Although Xu Qichen did not know how to fit in with them, he was very amused. No wonder everyone enjoyed watching reality shows.
“In order to facilitate the activities, everyone should change into their team uniform now. We’ll gather back here in a while.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Thinking of this, Xu Qichen was a little distressed.
The clothes distributed by the programme group were short-sleeved cotton t-shirts. Upon getting them, Xu Qichen felt even more awkward.
They were purple.
Two men wearing purple team colours. It would really look very gay.
After changing, Xu Qichen walked out and saw Lin Ran standing and waiting for him, so he walked up and stood beside him silently.
Lin Ran turned to look at him. After a long pause, he finally asked, “Are your eyes better?”
This is the first thing Lin Ran has said to him since the afterparty.
Xu Qichen stared at Lin Ran for a while.
Then he shook his head.
“I’m fine.”
Seeing that Xu Qichen was still as unwilling to speak as usual, Lin Ran’s lips moved, but in the end he did not say anything else.
The first mission after the programme began was a puzzle game. The challengers are first spun at high speeds on a chairoplane. Then they have to walk across a plank. Finally, they have to solve a Rubik’s cube. The fastest challenger will get 200 Confrontation Dollars while those who fail will be punished with a roller coaster ride.
After the directors had announced the mission, the three pairs began discussing who would undertake the mission.
“You should do the Rubik’s cube.” Without waiting for Xu Qichen to say anything, Lin Ran had already decided on their roles. “Cross the plank slowly, don’t rush. It’s fine to lose.”
Xu Qichen did not say anything. He knew Lin Ran did not want him to take the roller coaster. The feeling of weightlessness might put some pressure on his eyes.
When the other teams had also concluded their discussions, Xu Qichen and the others got onto the chairoplane.
The game started.
The high-speed spinning made Xu Qichen immediately dizzy.
The five minutes of spinning felt abnormally long to him. When the ride stopped, he was practically unable to get up from the chair quickly.
Xu Qichen tried his best to stand up. The dizziness made his feet seem to be stepping on cotton, and he could only see out of one eye, which seriously affected his sense of balance. After taking two steps, he deviated. Seeing that Yang Cheng and Ran Yun, who also undertook the mission, had already stepped on the single wooden bridge, he was a little anxious.
Ran Yun was young and healthy and had an extraordinary resistance to dizziness. He practically ran across the plank, but got stuck at the Rubik’s cube.
Yang Cheng, on the other hand, walked across the plank steadily, and was seriously solving the cube.
Xu Qichen stumbled across the plank. With only one functional eye, his depth perception was drastically lacking, and his sense of direction had not yet recovered. He took a long time just to make it to the middle of the plank, then he saw that Yang Cheng was almost done and nearly fell off.
As he was swaying, he heard Lin Ran’s voice. He turned to see him shouting, “Stop, let’s surrender this round!”
Xu Qichen looked ahead. Indeed, there was no hope of victory this round. Even if he made it to the end, he would still lose to Yang Cheng. So turning back now and saving energy for the next round was more practical.
Lin Ran and Jiang Ziheng ended up having to ride the roller coaster. The highest point in this amusement park’s roller coaster was about thirty metres high. Even just looking at it from far was frightening. Jiang Ziheng was cracking jokes as he got in, but Lin Ran’s smile seemed a bit forced.
When the ride started, Xu Qichen suddenly recalled that according to Lin Ran’s setting, he was afraid of heights.
He suddenly stood up. Beside him, Yang Cheng asked concernedly, “Mengze, what is it?”
Only then did Xu Qichen realise he was still on the recording set. He slowly sat down, “No, nothing.”
His heart was pounding, as if the one experiencing the heights was himself.
The punishment soon ended. Lin Ran got off the roller coaster and sat on the steps with his head down. Jiang Ziheng helped him up. Face white, Lin Ran kept his smile on, “This show is too intense, the first thing on the itinerary early in the morning is a roller coaster ride.”
Everyone laughed except Xu Qichen. When Lin Ran walked over weakly, he glanced at him, and Xu Qichen very quickly avoided his gaze.
The second round started, and Xu Qichen sat on the chairoplane again. To be honest, he never had much desire to win on Sports’ Day, races, or any competitions since childhood, but he really wanted to win this round.
He did not want him to have to take the ride again.
Under the staff’s operation, the chairoplane began spinning again. Xu Qichen closed his eyes in an attempt to minimise his dizziness.
It turns out that doing so was not just a psychological comfort. When it stopped, Xu Qichen still felt a little nauseous, but he was able to stand up smoothly. Ran Yun was still the first one to step on the plank, but his real problem was the magic cube. This time, Xu Qichen didn’t lag behind Yang Cheng too much. He was getting used to judging with one eye and kept his weight down, steadily making his way to the other end.
He arrived a few seconds behind Yang Cheng and picked up the Rubik’s cube. Although he was still dizzy, his mind was very clear. He really wanted to win.
Because he was quiet and often not in good health, games like the Rubik’s cube, which one played by oneself, accompanied him through the years, from school till now.
He glanced at the two people next to him, basically brute forcing their way through. Xu Qichen observed the Rubik’s cube in his hand, and the formula began to appear in his mind.
Quickly, he also began. About halfway through, Ran Yun gave up. The Rubik’s cube was a game that tested one’s patience. Although Yang Cheng persisted, the difficulty of his cube this round was visibly higher than last round.
Just as his palms were beginning to sweat, he heard the sound of the gong ringing.
Xu Qichen had completed the mission.
The director’s team blew a whistle.
“Ji Mengze has completed this mission with a timing of 17 minutes and 46 seconds, so Zhao Qi and Jiang Ziheng will face the punishment.”
Across the plank, Jiang Cheng said, “Mengze, you’re good. You played the Rubik’s cube before ba.”
Xu Qichen nodded, “A little. I just happened to get an easy one.”
Zhao Qi and Jiang Ziheng groaned and walked to the entrance of the roller coaster. Xu Qichen made his way down. Probably because the sequelae of high-speed rotation had not completely subsided, when he went down the steps, he missed a step. He thought he was going to fall, but was firmly caught by an arm.
Lin Ran looked panicked while Xu Qichen felt uncomfortable. As usual, he quickly backed out of Lin Ran’s arms and opened a distance of 20cm between them.
The atmosphere became awkward.
The two of them looked away, then subconsciously looked at each other, and their eyes met. They then simultaneously spoke.
“Are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
After that there was another awkward pause.
Xu Qichen shook his head. Lin Ran’s face was still very pale. He had seen how difficult it was for those who fear heights to overcome their fear. “I’m fine, sorry for making you ride the roller coaster earlier.”
“Stop apologising to me all the time, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Lin Ran’s tone was a little helpless.
The cameraman following them had to leave because of some technical issues.
Xu Qichen smiled at him, and Lin Ran sighed again, “You don’t have to smile when you don’t want to, you can lose your temper when you’re angry, and when you dislike something you can voice it out. Just say something.” Saying, Lin Ran laughed to himself, “Even just a hint is fine, and I will keep my distance. Your lack of rejection makes me hold onto the idea that I have a chance, and that might push you away further.” His voice became smaller as he spoke, “I don’t want to cause that…”
Xu Qichen thought, this laugh of yours is not much better. “Actually, I…”
But before he could speak, the cameraman came back, huffing and puffing. The latter half of his speech had to be swallowed back.
While looking at Xu Qichen who had bit back his words and then lowered his head, Lin Ran realised that his eyepatch had come loose. So he reached out and undid the eyepatch, surprising Xu Qichen, who instinctively whirled around.
With the eyepatch in his hand, Lin Ran explained, “It was about to drop, I just wanted to help you re-tie it….”
Thanking him softly, Xu Qichen turned his head around. Lin Ran helped him re-fasten the eyepatch’s string and Xu Qichen adjusted it over his eye. “It’s okay now.”
Lin Ran nodded. In the end he could not resist asking, “Does it hurt?”
Xu Qichen smiled, “Not anymore. It hurt yesterday.”
For the first time, Lin Ran felt like he did not know what to do with his arms, if he could not hug him.
But he could not do it.
After all, they were in a place surrounded by cameras that left no corner uncaptured, not like the bay in Nice at 4 AM.
Xu Qichen had heard before that recording reality shows was hard, but he only experienced it for himself now. They began early in the morning, and it was 1.30 PM now.
Director: “The Confrontation Dollars you have now can be used to buy your lunch, but please be reminded that whether you win in the end depends on the amount you have left.”
“That’s too cruel.”
“Ai, Yang Cheng, let’s just have a plain bun each.” Zhao Qi counted their cyber currency while grinning broadly.
“Let’s just ask for food. Maybe my fans are here.”
Director: “You have to buy it. If you cheat, all your currency will be deducted.”
Everyone sighed.
They were recording on a commercial street. There were not many people on weekday afternoon, but the appearance of several celebrities attracted the attention of many onlookers.
Xu Qichen and Lin Ran had 600 Confrontation Dollars, which was equivalent to less than 100 yuan.
When they reached the food street, they were immediately recognised by the passersby who rushed up with their mobile phones. Soon, they were surrounded.
A young lady was pushed to the front and bumped into Xu Qichen’s arm. He subconsciously retracted his arm, instantly recalling yesterday’s assault.
Physiological fear surged up in him.
Suddenly, a comforting arm was wrapped around his waist and a palm shielded his face.
Xu Qichen turned around and saw a smiling Lin Ran.
“Apologies, he’s injured, please keep some distance and don’t squeeze him, okay?”
I’m really looking forward to finding out what exactly Lin Ran thinks he’s doing.
+1
+1 :/
He thinks he was rejected,,,
Arghhh these two, i swear!!
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
I’m glad they are getting closer,, i don’t really understand what Lin Ran is doing tho
Thank you for the chapter!!! ❤️❤️
It really feels like LR also transmigrated in. Maybe originally who XQ based that character on subconsciously? Anywho, I keep feeling like LR is operating under a misunderstanding due to something that happened before the story, like there’s some baggage there? 🤔
He is, according to the description. They have history from before he went in to change the bad endings.
Thanks for the chapter! ^^)❤
Don’t really like how the ML is acting right now. I easily drop people who act cold towards me for no reason at all, plus MC even approached him and apologized without even knowing what he did wrong. MC is already very insecure and reluctant to be in a relationship, I feel like if the ML continues the way he’s acting right now, MC would be even more distant.
Omg I’m sorry for replying, It was meant to be a comment (╥﹏╥)
Omg, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to reply. It was supposed to be a comment (╥﹏╥)
thanks for the chapter! <3
Ehhhhh, Lin Ran, whatcha doin?
Thanks for the chapter~
❤
Aww (／≧ω＼)
Thank you for the chapter 🥰
thanks for the chapter! ♡
Yay, some connection! Looking out for each other so obviously at least makes it clear that they care, although anything more straightforward can’t exactly be done on camera. There’s a difference between doing things fans can gush over and actually having a relationship, sadly. Still, you can really feel how much they’re both just not meshing in terms of what they think is happening, even when they’re trying. I appreciate how much this author has done to show how messy trying to actually set up a relationship is
Thank you so much for translating! <3
Lin Ran… I regret praising you for being straightforward. What exactly is going on in that thick skull???
💜💜💜
Laozi wants to pull her head off of frustration, laozi thought that this was a sweet arc. But laozi didn’t expect misunderstanding, laozi’s heart is bleeding and laozi’s head is numb, maybe laozi is a masochist after all. QAQ