Part 2
“Oh,” Tang Mian said. He didn’t say anything else. After Tang Yue put him down, he ran off to find Yao Xuanyu.
By the time Tang Yue and Miu Shuhuai reached the bonfire, Tang Yue realized that the entire disbanded group, UL, was there. No wonder the staff had been so excited all along.
“Where’s our leader?” Liu Xichao asked.
“Someone came to see him,” Tang Yue replied, looking through the group assignments provided by the show.
“Eight adults and two kids, but only four tents? That’s brutal,” Liu Xichao complained.
“So, do you want to share a tent with Second Brother?” Tang Yue asked.
“How about I share with you?” Liu Xichao suggested.
“Have you got no sense?” Yao Lixin interjected. “The leader already said they’re shipping a CP.”
His comment was met with a wave of laughter. The other three members of UL looked like they understood immediately. They were all old acquaintances. Even though their groups had disbanded, they still ran into each other. Only Tang Yue, who had disappeared for five years, was a bit of a stranger to them now.
UL’s youngest member, Fu Simiao, was a year older than Tang Yue and had been out of the idol scene for three years. He smoothly added, “Well, if you’re going to ship, you might as well ship more than one.” He tilted his chin theatrically. “Yue, have you considered our leader?”
[Why do these guys say whatever they want when they’re together?]
[Looks like they have their own internal shipping factions.]
[Isn’t Fu in a stable relationship with his girlfriend? UL’s average age seems a little older than Away’s.]
[Only Miu Shuhuai is still so wild at thirty.]
Tang Yue had just taken a pack of cookies from Liu Xichao. Before he could even open it, he heard the question and let out a surprised “Huh?”
The bonfire was arranged by the crew. Once the tents were set up, the program would likely move on to the next segment. Off-camera, a wooden platform was being built, looking like a makeshift stage. Even microphone stands were being set up. The tourists in the distance were curious, many of them wandering over to watch.
Tang Yue shook his head. “Doesn’t Mr. Miu have a boyfriend?”
“How did you know that?” Liu Xichao asked, intrigued.
“I saw it on Weibo a while ago.”
Liu Xichao asked Tang Yue to show him. Tang Yue found the user ID from memory, only to be corrected on the spot by the person in question.
“We broke up a long time ago,” Miu Shuhuai said. “Why else do you think I’d come on this show?”
The way he said it was ambiguous, making it sound like this was a dating show.
The other two members of UL went to set up their tents. Yao Lixin saw that Yao Xuanyu’s tent was collapsing as he built it and went over to help. Liu Xichao stayed behind to look at the schedule. Turns out, there was another live Q&A session that night.
“Oh,” Tang Yue said. “Are you here to find a husband?”
Liu Xichao couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
[I’m dead.]
[Is he being dense for real or just pretending?]
Miu Shuhuai didn’t forget the task the production team had given him: to be a proper CP intervener. He knew a few tricks about shipping CPs in the industry, but he never expected a show that claimed to have no script or personas to assign him a mission. The investor was certainly paying well.
An “intervener.” No matter how you looked at it, it sounded like a third wheel in a relationship.
Are Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue really together? If they weren’t, he couldn’t intervene; he could only play wingman. Miu Shuhuai still had his doubts. His feelings for Tang Yue weren’t the romantic kind rumored online; at most, he just found Tang Yue genuinely fun to tease. Plus, he was pretty, the kind of person you always wanted to look at twice.
As for anything else… to a player like him, someone that pure was dangerous. It felt like once you took a step forward, there was no turning back. It would be hard to tell who was the hunter and who was the prey, but you’d end up completely tied down either way. Miu Shuhuai wasn’t at that stage in his life.
But it was very interesting.
Tang Yue’s reactions were hilarious.
“Are you looking to get married?” Miu Shuhuai asked. “Perhaps I could sign up.”
Liu Xichao, still looking at the livestream schedule, raised an eyebrow. He felt this was a bit too blatant.
[This is too direct!! Has this turned into a dating show?]
[This is so funny. Boy bands disband and then go on variety shows to find a partner.]
[Miu Shuhuai is handsome, but he has a different vibe from Jiang Shulu. Sigh, not trying to compare, but based on Tang Yue’s reaction, we all know which stock to buy, right?]
“I already have a child. You’re different,” Tang Yue answered, very seriously. “Your fans would definitely want you to find someone without kids.”
Miu Shuhuai was speechless.
He tried to recover. “Isn’t that even better? I get to be a dad, no pain involved.”
[Hahahaha damn, why are these kinds of scenes on a variety show!]
[Isn’t a bonfire supposed to be for pure love stories? Why is this so realistic?]
“Your parents wouldn’t want me to be with you, bringing a child along,” Tang Yue said.
The firelight danced on his face. From every angle, he looked completely serious, though the person he was thinking about probably wasn’t Miu Shuhuai. He suddenly thought of Jiang Shulu’s parents. Tang Yue had previously thought Mrs. Jiang would be incredibly difficult to win over. He wanted to try, but it felt like mission impossible. She didn’t even approve of men being with men.
Tang Yue had even fantasized about Jiang Shulu not being part of the Jiang family. It would be fine if he were just a poor man without a penny to his name; Tang Yue could write songs to support their family.
But that night, tucked in bed, Jiang Shulu had told him many things, even mentioning an ace he had up his sleeve. He kept telling Tang Yue not to worry, that none of it was a problem. He said, Our Little Yue just needs to enjoy this trip.
Jiang Shulu was so steady in everything he did. It seemed like he never took risks, as if every step he took had a pre-planned solution. Just like his decision to join this show—he was already prepared to win Tang Yue over, regardless of whether there was someone else in his life or not.
Thankfully.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too late.
“My parents aren’t Jiang Shulu’s parents,” Miu Shuhuai said. “They’re very open-minded. They don’t care if I date a man or a woman.” Not only did he say it, but he also took a blatant shot at Jiang Shulu, a smug grin on his face. It reminded people of the infamous awards ceremony where Miu Shuhuai wore the same style as Jiang Shulu and was completely and despairingly overshadowed.
[He’s using this for personal revenge!]
[It’s hilarious how these guys can be so catty.]
[Tang Yue, I feel like you’re talking about someone else.]
[Bro Miu, I think you’d have a better chance of getting Tang Yue’s attention if you pulled a puppy out of your jacket.]
Seeing Tang Yue fall silent, Miu Shuhuai grew bolder. “I’m right, aren’t I? Instead of shipping, you should consider me.” The key phrase of the day was probably “shipping,” and everyone was throwing it around shamelessly. “I can even have a flash wedding with you and get the license. Can Jiang Shulu do that?”
Just as the words left his mouth, a child’s voice cut in—
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