Chapter 43: Little Fish

Fu Yanzong held the card between his fingers, flipping it over to glance at it with a faint smile. Before he could say anything, Su Tang, who was seated in the middle of the right side in the first row, waved at him familiarly and called out loudly, “Brother Fu, I’m right here!”

The bus had pairs of seats on one side and triples on the other. As Su Tang spoke, Cheng Yan, who had been sitting beside him and gazing out the window at the passing scenery, turned his head coldly. He lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Fu Yanzong for a silent moment, an inscrutable look in his eyes.

Fu Yanzong had reviewed Cheng Yan’s profile. Cheng Yan was actually a touch younger than Su Tang, but his pure jet-black eyes and sharp features lent him an air of ruthlessness and maturity that far outshone Su Tang’s contrived innocent stupidity.

When Fu Yanzong said nothing and offered no opinion, Cheng Yan furrowed his brows and gave a slight shake of his head.

“Senior Brother, you and Teacher Fu see each other every day on set. Why don’t you leave him to us fans now—”

Shen Yuan, who was in one of the double seats on the left, clearly picked up on Cheng Yan’s reluctance. She seized the moment and chimed in with a sweet smile.

Shen Yuan had come from a survival audition show herself. Shortly after debuting, she had been signed by Dongyu’s agent. Though still a newcomer, her potential was boundless, making it perfectly reasonable for her to address Su Tang as “Senior Brother.”

She fixed a beaming smile on Su Tang and made a cute pleading gesture, all while rolling her eyes at him inwardly.

After all, Su Tang had been cozying up to Cheng Yan from the moment he boarded the bus—first claiming he had forgotten his water and asking for Cheng Yan’s, then deliberately inquiring about Cheng Yan’s ideal type. He was one step away from scrawling “We’re head over heels and ready to go viral” across his face.

Everyone here was out for hype. Su Tang’s tactics weren’t wrong in themselves, but roping in the two biggest trending names right off the bat and leaving no room for anyone else? That just invited pushback.

Sure enough, Shen Yuan’s words prompted the other guests to join in with cooperative small talk. On the surface, the vibe seemed warm and harmonious, but their remarks deftly boxed Su Tang out.

“Damn… this girl’s such a green tea bitch, trying to steal our Tang Tang?”

“Our Tang Tang getting targeted again just ’cause he’s too popular? So pitiful…”

“Cheng Yan’s jealous, huh? Fu Yanzong looks like he wants to sit next to our Tang Tang too, aaaah so juicy, what a heartthrob our baby is!”

Shen Yuan had barely finished one sentence when the live chat barrage exploded with these clashing attacks.

She might be a newbie with few fans, but serving up drama like that rubbed plenty of casual viewers the wrong way.

“Can we not drag Shen Yuan? She’s an actual beauty at least. What even is Su Tang?”

“Uh, which eye saw Fu Yanzong being into it? He hasn’t budged. Who’s the one yelling ‘I’m here!’ first…? Isn’t that awkward for Cheng Yan?”

There were no single seats on the bus, so Fu Yanzong had to sit with one of the guests. After a few pointed comments like that, Su Tang blinked his big eyes at Fu Yanzong with feigned innocence and murmured, “I didn’t think that far ahead. I just missed Brother Fu. You guys won’t hold it against me, right?”

“So low-rent green tea energy. Can’t stomach it.”

“Such a faker, does she have to talk in that cringy pinched voice?”

“Our Tang Tang’s natural voice is pure honey—stop forcing the hate, yeah? Know the weight of #Domestic Entertainment’s Chosen Sweetheart Tang#?”

“Huh? Isn’t Su Tang a guy? Did he get work done in Thailand? Ballsy. I don’t stan idols much—is this for real?”

“Quick-Lie Sister, spare us the coy giggles. That vibe ain’t you.”

Su Tang seemed oblivious to how his usual flirty routine was bombing this time. All he saw was Fu Yanzong’s eyes crinkling with a gentle smile as he said, “Then just think a little more next time.”

With that, Fu Yanzong casually took the seat beside Shen Yuan.

Su Tang’s face cracked for a split second, the camera catching it perfectly. But he recovered fast, ducking behind Cheng Yan’s shoulder with an embarrassed look. Cheng Yan, however, didn’t even glance his way, simply leaning against the window with his eyes closed in repose.

This left Su Tang plastered awkwardly against Cheng Yan’s side in a rigid pose, like someone who’d nodded off with a crick in their neck—weird and hilarious.

He sneaked a peek toward Shen Yuan, where she was chatting animatedly with Fu Yanzong, telling him she’d seen every one of his movies.

“Thanks,” Fu Yanzong replied simply. Then, with perfect politeness, he added, “Could you pass me the pen beside you?”

Shen Yuan hurriedly handed over the program’s pen from her side and dropped any bold follow-ups.

Romance variety shows thrived on audacity for the views, but shipping couples had to respect star power. Shen Yuan knew full well that glomming onto Fu Yanzong would get her torn apart by his fans.

Her opening sally had just been irritation at Su Tang. Now she knew her lane: adoring fangirl. Anything but plastering her intentions on her sleeve like that walking cautionary tale Su Tang.

The others were still clutching their cards and chatting, undecided on what to write or whom to give them to.

Su Tang had planned to kick off some icebreakers like Pictionary, but after the earlier jabs, he couldn’t step up. Instead, he hovered behind Cheng Yan like some clingy ghost, dialing the creepy factor to eleven.

The drive from the city to the program’s rented villa wasn’t too long or too short. Without games, one round of chit-chat would pass the time just fine… except now, as they talked, everyone kept stealing glances at Fu Yanzong.

No mystery why: he had a clear target in mind. The moment he sat down, he started scribbling on his card. Everyone could guess it was meant for someone specific.

The live chat buzzed with curiosity about what he was writing, demanding close-ups. The director delivered, zooming right in on Fu Yanzong’s pen tip.

To everyone’s surprise, there was no text on Fu Yanzong’s card. He merely flicked his wrist, tracing a smooth curve before pulling back. In that simple motion, the silver-white card came alive with a lively line drawing of a little fish—playful strokes that oozed charm and whimsy.

“Cute little fishy—why this?”

“So adorable! How does Yanzong draw something this cute? Total mismatch for that face!”

“Who’s it for? Anyone here got a fish mascot?”

“We’ve got monkey, chicken, dog, pig reps here—no fish cutie…”

“Tang Tang? Obvious—they’re tightest. Plus, sweet-and-sour carp? Tang + fish = chef’s kiss!”

“I’m deceased. Quick-Lie Sister pulling sweet-and-sour carp out her ass? Y’all wild.”

The barrage bickered nonstop over this mystery fish, barely registering the other guests’ chatter.

Su Tang’s fans spammed “For Su Tang!” relentlessly, while others pegged it for Shen Yuan—water in her name, and Fu Yanzong had parked right next to her.

Neither theory held much water, though. Most viewers were just hooked on Fu Yanzong’s move. Before any consensus, the bus pulled up to the villa’s grand driveway.

“We’re here!” The host, riding shotgun up front, stood and made his way to the middle aisle. He paused dramatically for the camera until the guests obligingly clustered at the windows, then announced in high spirits, “This is the place where we’ll all be living together—”

The camera panned with his words over the sweeping white complex outside the windows: an infinity pool gleaming like a sapphire on the cliff’s edge, waves crashing below a glass skywalk. The live chat and the few regular guests in the back row let out unfeigned gasps of awe.

“No way? This season’s budget this fat? Light-years beyond the old villas…”

“Leyuan’s loaded—this screams luxury nature resort, not those toxic off-gassing influencer-trap sets. Leyuan, give back our subscription fees—you hoarding?”

“Leyuan, return my hard-earned money…!”

“Begging for the rural feed back. Villa envy hitting hard. Heartthrob Game, didn’t we farm together in season one?”

“Fair enough—you splurged on Fu Yanzong. Don’t forget the little people when you’re living large.”

The production team clearly reveled in the shock value. The host cleared his throat to refocus everyone, then grinned and said, “Alright, time to exchange cards!”

The guests exchanged glances. Those with mutual crushes or prearranged swaps traded quickly. The rest—still brainstorming their hype partners—went for the safe play: Fu Yanzong’s card. Big star, zero backlash.

In the end, only Cheng Yan and Su Tang remained seated, along with Fu Yanzong holding his little fish card.

“Aww, this season no backstabs?? Lame!”

“Fu Yanzong shows up and kills all the card suspense. Miss those days of ugly folks fake-jealousing, barely hiding their disgust.”

“Who on earth is Fu Yanzong going to give that card to? I’m dying to know who he’s interested in!”