The next morning, Yu Xi received a message from Ji Ruiou.
【Ji Ruiou: Are you free today? Want to grab a meal?】
Yu Xi was a bit busy that day. He needed to complete his filming tasks, and in the afternoon, he had to catch a plane to the live broadcast location for Weekend Go Where. But since it was an invitation from Ji Ruiou, he made time without a second thought and agreed to meet.
When Yu Xi arrived at the restaurant Ji Ruiou had chosen, Ji Ruiou was already there.
It was three in the afternoon, not a great time for a meal, and there were few people in the restaurant. With screens blocking the view, it felt very private.
Ji Ruiou looked listless. When he saw Yu Xi, he forced a smile and waved at him.
Yu Xi had just come from the set. He took off his mask and asked, “How’d it go? Are you here to tell me good news?”
“Of course!” Ji Ruiou nodded with a smile. He called the waiter to serve the dishes, then said to Yu Xi, “The contract’s already signed. They should make the official announcement in a couple of days.”
“That’s great.” Yu Xi was genuinely happy for Ji Ruiou. “So, which production team is it? Can you tell me now?”
Ji Ruiou looked into Yu Xi’s eyes.
He recalled what Ruan Yan Shan had said to him the night before.
“Good boy, you did very well. You don’t need to feel bad about something like this.”
“How do you know your good friend Yu Xi didn’t get resources this way too?”
“Yu Xi came to our audition and clearly showed he wanted to join the team, but I didn’t choose him. I chose you because you’re obedient and listen well. You won’t disappoint me, right?”
“You’ve heard of it too.” Ji Ruiou said word by word, “Chasing Shadows.”
Yu Xi froze, his expression changing abruptly. He said urgently, “What did you say? You went for Chasing Shadows? You’ve met Ruan Yan Shan?”
Ruan Yan Shan was the biggest investor in Chasing Shadows. To lock in the male lead overnight and sign the contract, his involvement was a given.
Yu Xi knew what kind of scum Ruan Yan Shan was. The man had openly drugged him at a dinner, so he wouldn’t act normally toward anyone else.
Yu Xi looked at Ji Ruiou seriously. “What did he do to you?!”
Ji Ruiou didn’t answer his question. He propped up his chin and countered, “Shouldn’t you be happy for me?”
Ji Ruiou’s reaction sent a chill down Yu Xi’s back. “What deal did you make with Ruan Yan Shan? Ruan Yan Shan isn’t human! You can’t go!”
“But I finally beat you once.” Ji Ruiou’s expression turned a little sad. “Why didn’t you tell me you were auditioning for Chasing Shadows too? Why didn’t you tell me you wanted in?”
“If you’d told me, I wouldn’t have gone. I’ve been avoiding your…”
Yu Xi was somewhat surprised.
They’d only been apart for a few days, but why did Ji Ruiou seem like a completely different person?
“I don’t want to keep being overshadowed by you.”
Ji Ruiou looked at Yu Xi. “You should be happy for me. It’s a great production with high buzz. The results after airing will be amazing. Cheer me on!”
“Did Ruan Yan Shan tell you that?” Yu Xi understood. “As long as you go with him, he’ll give you the lead role?”
“We’re good friends.” Ji Ruiou looked at Yu Xi expectantly and grasped his hand. His palm trembled nonstop. “You’ll support my decision, right? This is something I achieved on my own, a resource I got myself. I didn’t rely on you. I’ve never relied on you…”
Yu Xi suddenly grew furious, anger surging from his chest.
That bastard.
He met Ji Ruiou’s gaze with deadly seriousness. “Ruan Yan Shan isn’t human. I can’t let you get trapped.”
Ji Ruiou was momentarily stunned and slowly let go of his hand, his expression crumbling bit by bit.
Just then, a voice cut between them.
“Looks like you two are arguing over me.”
It was Ruan Yan Shan.
He had arrived at the restaurant at some point and entered the screened-off booth. He placed a card on the table and pushed it toward Ji Ruiou. “I’ll cover this meal. You don’t mind an extra seat, do you?”
Ruan Yan Shan called the waiter and added a few more dishes. With a wave of his hand, Ji Ruiou understood. He picked up the card and went out with the waiter to pay.
Only Yu Xi and Ruan Yan Shan remained at the table.
Yu Xi no longer hid the disgust in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Just here to eat.” Ruan Yan Shan smiled. “No need to be so guarded.”
Yu Xi sneered. “What did you do to Xiao Ou?”
“Me?” Ruan Yan Shan’s face still held a gentle, gentlemanly smile, but his words were chilling. “We just spent a pleasant night together. It was all consensual.”
Yu Xi shot to his feet, slamming his palms on the table. “What did you say?”
“Though he’s just an ordinary Beta, it was his first time on the bottom. So soft! I was very satisfied with his reactions!”
Yu Xi grabbed Ruan Yan Shan’s collar directly. “You bastard, say that again?”
Yu Xi used full force, wrinkling Ruan Yan Shan’s neat collar. He felt short of breath, but the sensation only excited him more. His eyes gleamed with agitation as he looked at Yu Xi. “You’re feisty. I like you even more now.”
Ruan Yan Shan dropped all pretense. In front of Yu Xi, he didn’t need to pretend anyway.
Yu Xi knew he’d been drugged—he’d surely known what kind of person he was from the start.
He was like a vicious beast, baring its bloody maw, toying ruthlessly with the prey under its claws.
“Why did you reject me? How could you reject me?”
“Even while sleeping with your friend, I was thinking of you.”
“Why don’t you come with me? If you do, I won’t touch your friend anymore.”
Yu Xi’s mind buzzed, his reason snapping. He clenched his fist and swung it down toward Ruan Yan Shan’s face. At the moment it was about to land, someone knocked his hand away. Ji Ruiou stood in front of Ruan Yan Shan. “What are you doing?!”
He pushed Yu Xi away and straightened Ruan Yan Shan’s collar. “President Ruan, I apologize to you on his behalf.”
“Xiao Ou?!” Yu Xi couldn’t believe it.
Ji Ruiou had already made his choice.
“Hahahahahaha.” Ruan Yan Shan let out an extremely delighted laugh. “No need to eat now. This is too fun. Let’s go, Xiao Ou.”
Ruan Yan Shan draped an arm over Ji Ruiou’s shoulders. “Leave this table for your friend to enjoy alone, okay?”
“Mm, sure.” Ji Ruiou said, “I have to head out first. You don’t mind, right?”
Yu Xi’s expression froze. He didn’t answer Ji Ruiou. Instead, he asked, “What happened to the pride you were so proud of, Ji Ruiou?”
Pride?
At those two words, Ji Ruiou couldn’t help but laugh.
He could no longer maintain the innocent good friend persona. His face twisted into an uncontrollable, mocking smile. “I lost it long ago.”
When his good friend was trending on hot searches while he scrambled from crew to crew, getting kicked around like a dog by the staff; when his good friend tossed him scripts like charity, lording over him with advice on what to do; in the day after day of jealousy, the endless resentment.
He’d lost his pride long ago.
“Don’t say you can help me anymore. Don’t help me anymore.”
“The more you help, the more I envy you.”
“We started out exactly the same.”
Ruan Yan Shan and Ji Ruiou left.
Yu Xi didn’t know how he got out of there. By the time he reached his place, Xiao Chen had already packed his luggage, prepared survival essentials and personal documents, and taken him to the airport. He apologized, “Sorry, Brother Yu. I can’t go with you this time—family emergency back home. Take good care of yourself.”
In the waiting lounge, Guan Zifan called. “You’re going alone this time. Be safe, and most importantly, watch your mouth!”
“Got it.”
Guan Zifan was too busy to notice Yu Xi’s subdued tone. He kept typing on his keyboard, phone wedged between shoulder and ear as he said to Yu Xi, “Oh, right—remember that lawsuit against the platform for the rumor-mongering accounts a while back?”
Yu Xi had massive traffic, so rumors were plentiful. To prevent the echo chamber from snowballing, Guan Zifan periodically sued black fans and rumor-spreaders.
The process was lengthy: first sue the platform for account real-name info, then sue the individuals.
The judgment against the platform had come down, requiring them to provide the account details within a deadline.
“The account info should come through in a day or two. I’ll forward it to you then.”
“Got it.”
Yu Xi ended the call with Guan Zifan.
His phone kept buzzing.
The Weekend Go Where group chat was lively.
【Wu Zhiqi: [Picture][Picture]】
【Wu Zhiqi: Taking off! First time going somewhere so far.】
【Fang Peng: [Picture]】
【Fang Peng: I’m in the lounge too. Hope this trip doesn’t tax these old bones too much.】
【Wu Zhiqi: By the way, what’s our Plan B? Was too busy yesterday, forgot to ask the director.】
【Director: If the rainforest is a no-go, we’ll head to the border tourism area for some sightseeing.】
【Wu Zhiqi: Doesn’t that require a border pass?】
【Director: Yes, make sure to bring all materials before departure.】
Yu Xi didn’t say anything in the group.
He wasn’t in a good mood right now. He felt exhausted. The plane wasn’t boarding yet, so Yu Xi closed his eyes to rest.
It wasn’t noisy around him—everyone played on their phones orderly—but the lights were too bright, making it impossible to sleep. Yu Xi’s brow furrowed tightly.
The next moment, a shadow suddenly fell over his head. Something covered his face.
Yu Xi jerked upright, yanked off whatever was on his face, and looked around warily.
“It’s me.”
Yi Chen’s voice.
Yu Xi hadn’t noticed himself, but Yi Chen had. After hearing his voice, Yu Xi’s tense body visibly relaxed.
Yu Xi said irritably, “What are you doing here? What’s this?”
He held a cap—the one Yi Chen had just placed over his eyes.
“Saw you weren’t sleeping well. It’s to block the light.” Yi Chen sat beside Yu Xi. “Unhappy?”
Yu Xi didn’t respond. He put the cap over his face, clearly not wanting to talk to Yi Chen.
Yi Chen continued, “Because of Ji Ruiou?”
Yu Xi lifted the cap and sat up straight to look at Yi Chen, his gaze puzzled.
“Ruan Yan Shan was bragging about it himself.” Before Yu Xi could ask, Yi Chen explained first. “Word’s spreading in the circle.”
Yu Xi’s fingers tightened, gripping the brim hard.
Yi Chen gently took Yu Xi’s hand. It was cold and stiff. He held it and guided it to cover his eyes with the cap again.
Darkness descended softly, blocking the dizzying white lights.
“That was his choice.” Yi Chen didn’t let go, just rested his hand on Yu Xi’s.
Yu Xi didn’t struggle or pull away.
“Honestly, I’m jealous.” Yi Chen added, “When will you worry about me like you do Ji Ruiou?”
“I do worry about you.” Yu Xi said. “I’m worried one day you’ll lose an argument and use your capital to punish me.”
“Just admit it—did you have a burner account behind all those ‘Yu Xi always wins arguments’ posts online?”
Yu Xi recalled the wild, unfiltered posts under 【Really Don’t Eat Corn】 and paused briefly. “…No.”
“I don’t believe you.” Yi Chen said. “I’ve dug up several suspected burners of yours.”
“Don’t look at mine.” Yu Xi shot back. “Who knows what’s in your burners.”
Yi Chen thought of the CP-stanning, sugar-posting, commission-requesting, screaming, deranged, love-fueled fights in 【Geng Shanglou】’s account, but kept smiling. “I don’t have any burners.”
Yu Xi: “Let me see?”
Yi Chen: “No way.”
“Heh, liar.”
“Pot calling the kettle.”
They chatted sporadically until boarding. Yu Xi was prone to motion sickness anyway, and with his bad mood, the flight felt even worse. Fortunately, it was smooth, and they arrived on time.
The production team had sent people to pick them up at the airport. Once the guests gathered, to everyone’s surprise, Wen Yimeng had returned for this episode.
“Dreamy!” Wu Zhiqi bounced up to Wen Yimeng. “You’re here too! How’ve you been these past few days? Feeling better? Is the baby okay?!”
Wen Yimeng still wasn’t used to Wu Zhiqi’s enthusiasm, but this time he didn’t dodge. His voice remained cool. “Signed the contract. Not coming means breach.”
Wen Yimeng had gotten a doctor’s evaluation before coming, confirming his body could handle the intensity of the production team’s plans.
Weekend Go Where was essentially a travel variety show that aimed to showcase natural scenery to the audience through the guests’ footage. It wouldn’t truly make the guests survive in the wilderness. The production team had made thorough preparations, selecting artificially developed areas, hiring professional guides, equipping each person with a signal transmitter, contacting rescue teams in advance, and arranging emergency doctors. As long as they didn’t encounter severe weather, the live stream could proceed smoothly.
The next day, the live stream started on time.
“Before we set off, do you have any words for the audience?” the host asked.
Wu Zhiqi showed the camera her full set of mosquito repellent gear. “I hope the jungle mosquitoes go easy on me.”
Fang Peng said, “I hope there’s more time to rest. Oh, I’m actually pretty excited. At my age, it’s my first time coming to the rainforest.”
Wen Yimeng said, “Nothing much to say. It looks pretty fun.”
Fu Le chanted, “No rain, no rain, no rain.”
The camera turned to Yu Xi.
Fish Fish Teacher doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood?
Yi Chen explained, “He got motion sick on the plane yesterday and didn’t sleep well.”
He doesn’t look great. Is it suitable for him to go into the rainforest? I’m so worried. Fish Fish Teacher, please don’t have any accidents.
“Don’t worry.” Yi Chen placed his hand on Yu Xi’s shoulder. “I’ve got him. I won’t…”
Before he finished speaking, Yu Xi’s expression sharpened. With a standard defensive move, he flipped Yi Chen’s arm outward, twisted his body halfway, and pinned him so completely that he couldn’t move. “I’m fine. I’m just sleepy, not that my combat ability has dropped to zero.”
The first day of the third episode live stream of Weekend Go Where went very smoothly.
Back at the camp, the production team immediately arranged a sumptuous dinner. The director raised his glass. “Everyone rest well tonight. There’s still a full day of itinerary tomorrow. I hope the second day goes just as smoothly!”
After dinner and washing up, Yu Xi returned to his tent.
The rainforest camp consisted of tents. Except for Wu Zhiqi, who was female, and Wen Yimeng, who was an Omega and pregnant, each having their own tent, the other guests paired up two per tent.
Unfortunately, Yu Xi’s tentmate this time was again Yi Chen.
After walking all day, Yu Xi just wanted to rest. He and Yi Chen hunkered down in their sleeping bags, each scrolling on their phones.
To be honest, although the production team had brought signal transmitters, the internet speed at the rainforest camp might have been faster than home Wi-Fi—extremely smooth.
His phone vibrated, and a message from Guan Zifan popped up.
[Guan Zifan: Here it is. I’ve forwarded the list of rumor-mongering accounts to you. I haven’t had a chance to look yet. Check the content first. Later, we’ll need to organize rebuttals based on the parts with the widest spread.]
It was routine work. The internet was a mixed bag of dragons and snakes, full of brainwashing scripts and outrageous rumors that couldn’t be fully debunked. But they couldn’t be ignored either. Periodically suing the rumor-spreading troll accounts, forcing them to delete content, and issuing targeted rebuttals was the most efficient method.
Yu Xi tapped into the list.
The platform had organized it very clearly: one file per person, with account ID, real-name information, and account content neatly arranged.
Yu Xi clicked through them one by one.
Some accounts had pretty foul language, and many rumors were utterly disgusting. At first, Yu Xi cursed while working through them, but now, he was very calm. Filthy words no longer stirred any waves in his heart—unless someone said he lost to Yi Chen.
Yu Xi skillfully clicked into an account, highlighted the content, edited it, and compiled it into another document.
A merciless rumor-debunking machine—that was how he positioned himself.
But at that moment, his hand suddenly froze. His pupils contracted sharply, and his gaze locked dead on a particular troll account.
[Account ID: 368722]
[Account Nickname: Kill the Whole World]
[Real-Name Information: Ji Ruiou]
