Chapter 26 Part 2

[Yi Chen: Thanks?]

[Yi Chen: Doesn’t sound like you. Shouldn’t you snap back at me, pick a fight like usual?]

Looking at the barrage of messages, Yu Xi rubbed his brow.

[Yu Xi: What’s there to snap back about?]

[Yu Xi: Guessing you wanna ask: Masochist?]

[Yu Xi: Guessing you wanna ask: Bored? What to do?]

[Yu Xi: Guessing you wanna ask: Too full? How to fix?]

Amid this pointless back-and-forth with Yi Chen, the car arrived. Xiao Chen was driving—he’d just gotten his license and itched to drive. He’d wanted to chauffeur Yu Xi for ages, but the past few days, Yu Xi was always rushing between schedules or the regular driver was available.

Finally, with the driver off, Xiao Chen volunteered eagerly.

Yu Xi hadn’t told Xiao Chen about the hospital, so he had him park nearby at the intersection.

New drivers were always tense but steady. Yu Xi relaxed in the back seat, scrolling his phone.

The entertainment industry was always full of ups and downs. Some people stirred up scandals, while others cleared their names. The auditions for Chasing Shadows were in full swing, with quite a few somewhat famous actors publicly announcing their interest in joining. The drama hadn’t even started filming yet, but it had already garnered massive attention from the public.

Several other dramas were also gearing up to start production, while some crews had their funding pulled, halting projects entirely. A video surfaced online of a director kneeling on the ground, groveling in the dust, begging investors not to withdraw their support. The poster hadn’t even blurred the faces, but since the director wasn’t well-known and the script hadn’t caught much interest, the comments under the video were sparse.

【What a shame. He’s a good director.】

【All the works he’s produced are quite refined.】

【Hope the director pulls through…】

At that moment, on the other side, Yi Chen suddenly received a message from Luo Qin.

【Luo Qin: Bro, are you still hung up on your ex?】

【Yi Chen: ?】

【Yi Chen: No way! We’re rivals—bitter enemies, irreconcilable to the death.】

【Luo Qin: Got it.】

【Luo Qin: In that case, I’ll advise him to stay away from you. He’s in a state right now where he should avoid unrelated Alphas as much as possible anyway.】

【Yi Chen: Watch out or I’ll chop you up. [Smile][Smile][Smile]】

【Luo Qin: You won’t.】

【Luo Qin: Not only won’t you chop me up, you’ll thank me.】

【Yi Chen: ?】

【Yi Chen: What did you do?】

【Luo Qin: I have a patient. To alleviate his symptoms, he can take Medication A or use Method B. But Medication A builds tolerance, while Method B only feels a bit weird and might cause some emotional distress—otherwise, no side effects. So, as a responsible doctor, I recommended Method B to my patient.】

【Luo Qin: Guess what? After hearing my advice, which do you think my patient chose—Medication A or Method B?】

【Yi Chen: !】

【Yi Chen: Do I know your patient?】

【Yi Chen: I get it.】

【Yi Chen: So, what’s Method B?】

Luo Qin didn’t reply.

【Yi Chen: ? Where’d you go?】

【Yi Chen: Answer me!】

【Yi Chen: Teasing me on purpose, huh? Hah, I don’t even care anymore!】

Half an hour later.

【Yi Chen: You bastard.】

【Yi Chen: Aaaahhh!!!】

–

Two days later, the second episode of Weekend Go Where officially aired.

The camera first focused on a massive castle, then slowly pulled back to reveal the faces of several guests.

“Dear viewers, welcome to the second episode of Where to Go This Weekend!” the host greeted the live stream audience enthusiastically. “This episode’s itinerary is a surprise visit to Chase Dream Star. Of course, the trainees have no idea this visit is being live-streamed.”

“Those tuning into the live stream are in for a treat! No interruptions today—you’ll get to see your faves in their most authentic moments. G-G-G-Get excited!”

The live comments were buzzing.

【Holy crap!】

【The production team came up with another genius idea!】

【After checking criminal records and credit histories in the preview, now they’re doing undercover visits!!】

【Oh man! I’m nervous and excited at the same time!】

【Everyone support our Mengmeng!!】

【Why isn’t Mengmeng here this episode?】

【Heard he’s not feeling well and took leave, but no worries—one we’ll head to the dorms, we’ll see him!】

【Are my CP and my fave finally sharing a frame?!】

【OMG! Live surprise visit! Can we see Captain Geng?! Geng Army, assemble!!!】

The filming location for Chase Dream Star was incredibly luxurious. A vast garden stretched before the castle, requiring a shuttle along a designated route for a full twenty minutes to reach the main entrance. Pushing open the ornate doors revealed a massive group photo of a hundred people—all the trainees lined up in four rows, with Yi Chen and three other mentors standing among them.

It was a rest day for the show, and the other mentors hadn’t been informed in advance, so only Yi Chen was present.

“This photo was taken on the first day everyone arrived—a group shot of all the trainees,” Yi Chen explained. “They’re positioned according to their rankings at the time.”

Wu Zhiqi leaned in close. “Wow, Mengmeng started pretty far back!”

Wen Yimeng had ranked forty-third when he first joined the show, but his real-time ranking was now fourth—a jump of forty spots.

“Wow, Geng Nian was already first from the start!” Wu Zhiqi peered at the man standing front and center in the first row, her expression thrilled. “Eee, he’s so handsome. Finally getting to meet Geng Nian today!”

Geng Nian was Chase Dream Star‘s top popularity king, the group’s all-rounder ACE, incredibly good-looking, gentle in personality, approachable, and always snagging the center position and captain role in every performance.

“Wow, Teacher Yi Chen? You’re here?”

“It’s not just Teacher Yi Chen—Teacher Yu Xi’s here too?!”

“Uncle Peng?! Sister Zhiqi!? Oh!! And that crybaby rich young master—what’s his name, Fu something?—he’s here too!”

“Oh my god!”

Some trainees passing through the hall spotted them and looked stunned. “What are you all doing here!”

“We were invited by the production team for a special rest-day episode recording,” Yi Chen said. “It’s a rest day today, so everyone’s around, right? Let’s call everyone out to hang out together.”

Besides the main live and edited versions, Chase Dream Star also had special episodes featuring guests interacting with contestants—like gameshow-style segments in a studio setting. These boosted the trainees’ personal exposure and were always filmed on rest days. As a mentor, Yi Chen’s explanation sounded perfectly natural, so the trainees didn’t suspect a thing and quickly spread the word.

Before long, all the trainees gathered in the hall.

The first episode of Chase Dream Star had started with a hundred contestants; now, only twenty-five remained.

The guests’ arrival was so sudden that the trainees organized a simple welcome ceremony on the spot. Everyone pulled out personal gifts from their dorms, with Geng Nian leading the way in presenting them to the visiting guests and teachers.

“It’s an honor to meet all of you teachers in person,” Geng Nian said with a gentle smile, conducting himself with poise and grace throughout.

Tiny cameras hidden in the guests’ collars captured every handshake and bow in crystal clarity, sending the live stream fans into a frenzy.

【Wuuu, our Captain Geng is too handsome!】

【OMG, that face is perfection!】

【Didn’t get Geng Nian’s looks during the show, but now I do—HD zoom and he’s still flawless!】

【Captain Geng, look over here!!】

【I’m so happy!! Captain Geng!】

【Heard Captain Geng’s a rich second-gen? Does that mean if he doesn’t debut, he’ll inherit the family business?】

The morning passed with the guests interacting with the trainees—chatting, playing games.

Normally, live streams used official cameras mounted high up, giving an overhead, distant view. But this time was different. The mini-cameras in the collars provided first-person perspectives, immersing viewers right into the roles. The interactivity and immersion skyrocketed exponentially, and the live comments screamed nonstop.

Among the barrage, the most-mentioned besides the five guests like Yu Xi and Yi Chen were Geng Nian.

Geng Nian was handsome, great at games, full of memes, quick to catch and toss jokes, and masterfully hyped up the crowd. Participating in a show with him was incredibly comfortable. During the live visit, his real-time votes kept climbing.

The morning flew by, and soon it was mealtime.

Wu Zhiqi remarked, “It’s a shame Mengmeng couldn’t join the fun today. Wonder how he’s doing.”

“Teachers, head to the Dining Hall first,” Geng Nian said softly. “I’ll check on Yimeng. He’s been under the weather lately, always heading to the hospital. He really wasn’t feeling well this morning, so he’s resting in the dorm. I asked the dorm supervisor to grab some medicine for him. I’ll go see how he is now.”

“Aww, Captain Geng and Yimeng are so close.”

The surrounding trainees teased.

“When’s Captain Geng gonna treat me that nice?”

“So jealous of Yimeng.”

“Haven’t been online in ages—anyone shipping Captain Geng and Yimeng CP?”

“Doesn’t matter if others are—I’m shipping it first!”

Geng Nian smiled and waved at the crowd before heading into the dorm area.

With everyone gathered in the hall, the path to the dorms was deserted, out of sight. Once away from the others, the warm smile on Geng Nian’s face vanished instantly, replaced by utter contempt.

He pushed open the dorm door.

The top-ten trainees had double rooms. At that moment, Wen Yimeng lay weakly on one of the beds, facing the wall.

Geng Nian closed the door and locked it.

“Yimeng, get up. It’s time to eat. Feeling better?”

Wen Yimeng didn’t respond.

Geng Nian walked to the bedside, leaned down, and seized the back of Wen Yimeng’s neck, yanking him up entirely and forcing him to face him. “I’m talking to you. Why aren’t you responding?”

Wen Yimeng’s expression twisted in agony. He stared at Geng Nian, his eyes brimming with disgust and revulsion.

“Aiya, did I hurt you? But I didn’t do anything yesterday, did I?” Geng Nian reminisced about the night before. He really hadn’t done much—just wrapped a scalding-hot iron chain around Wen Yimeng while listening to his screams, doing the fun things with him.

It wasn’t that excessive, right?

“Get lost.”

Geng Nian’s expression turned icy. “Is that how you should talk to me?”

He released his grip, and Wen Yimeng crashed back onto the bed. His wounds hadn’t healed yet, and the intense pain from the impact made him curl up.

“Get up already.” Geng Nian stood tall, looking down at him. “Clean up the marks on your face and body. Your colleagues are here visiting.”

Wen Yimeng didn’t move.

Geng Nian grabbed a fistful of Wen Yimeng’s hair, forcing eye contact. “I’ve told you so many times—when I talk to you, what should you do?”

Wen Yimeng glared at him with hatred, gritted his teeth, and barely propped himself up. He tilted his head back and pressed a kiss to Geng Nian’s lips. “Okay, I got it.”

“Hahaha, hahahahaha!” Geng Nian suddenly burst into laughter, growing more delighted by the second. He let go, and Wen Yimeng tumbled back onto the bed, trembling in pain. But he stubbornly refused to make a sound, even as he bit his lip until it bled, enduring Geng Nian’s mocking laughter from behind like an insult.

He merely clutched the heart-shaped necklace at his chest tightly, ever so tightly.