SH – Chapter 8

“Hello, everyone.” In the GoPro footage shot by Jian You, Yun Chu greeted the camera, full of energy. “It’s so cold today. I heard it’s going to snow tonight.”

Jian You said, “The weather forecast says it won’t.”

Yun Chu: “Then it definitely will.”

Jian You: “?”

“But that’s okay! Let’s open the Strive app and work out together, then we won’t be cold!” Yun Chu forcefully changed the subject. “Teacher Jian, have you ever used the Strive app?”

Jian You also directed commercials, so product placement was a perfectly normal part of the job. Inserting it naturally required skill.

But the product placement script the director had given them while they were in makeup was clearly subpar. It was not only forced but also awkward. It was only thanks to Yun Chu’s acting skills that it came off as endearingly awkward.

Jian You said, “I have. I’ve used it at home.”

Yun Chu: “…Teacher Jian, you like to exercise?”

Jian You: “I do. Do you?”

Yun Chu: “The only exercise I do at home is rolling over in bed. We’re not compatible.”

Jian You: “?”

“Just kidding!” Yun Chu lightly bumped her shoulder and continued speaking to the camera. “So let’s exercise together! Teacher Jian and I are exercising right now on our way to find ingredients. I hear we’re having hot pot for lunch, right?”

She turned her head to look at Jian You.

Jian You rubbed the shoulder she had bumped and hummed absently. “First, we need to find the treasure chest.”

“Oh! Right!” Yun Chu explained to the camera, “We have to find the treasure chest the production team prepared. They said the team that doesn’t find one will be punished. Now-follow us on our task!”

Jian You asked, “Do you know where the treasure chest is?”

“It’s simple,” Yun Chu lifted her chin at Jian You, a hint of smugness spreading from her brows to the corners of her lips. “I’ve seen through the production team’s tricks long ago. Even though this village is full of cameras, the task location is bound to be the one with the most.”

Jian You understood immediately and praised her, “Clever.”

Yun Chu gave herself a thumbs-up. “I didn’t watch all those variety shows for nothing!”

Jian You said, “Then let’s look.”

Yun Chu: “The GoPro?”

Jian You: “I’ll film, you search.”

It was a director’s basic skill set: a steady hand, an eye for composition, and the ability to find the most flattering angles for the person on camera. Although the GoPro and the fact that Yun Chu kept running out of frame hindered her performance, Jian You’s professional habits kicked in, compelling her to strive for perfection.

Once she got serious, she forgot she was still filming a variety show.

The production team had no choice but to send a staff member to hide in the roadside bushes and call out, “Teacher Jian! Teacher Jian!”

Jian You looked around, her brow slightly furrowed. “Production team?”

The staff member nodded frantically.

Jian You pointed the camera at her.

Staff member: “You’re a guest!”

Jian You stopped adjusting the angle, as if she had suddenly realized. “Oh.”

The staff member facepalmed. “Look at what Yun Chu is doing!”

Jian You looked over, turning the camera in that direction as well.

The small northern village in winter was like a black-and-white painting. Mist coiled around the distant mountains, while smoke from ordinary homes drifted from chimneys in the foreground. The main road was paved with asphalt, with old snow piled on either side. Beyond it lay a boundless expanse of fields, pressed down by heavy snow, awaiting the return of spring.

Yun Chu had already run into the fields. Her retreating figure grew smaller and smaller, then she suddenly stopped, turned, and waved at her. “Teacher Jian! This tree has several cameras on it!”

Jian You started walking. “Coming.”

But Yun Chu made a gesture to stop her. “Wait!”

Jian You asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yun Chu shouted, “The path here is too muddy! Don’t come down!”

Jian You accepted her kind offer.

Yun Chu was too far away for the GoPro to be useful. Jian You borrowed a camera from a cameraperson hiding in the fields, set it up, and zoomed in. There was a tree every few meters in the field, and right now, Yun Chu was circling one of them.

After watching for a moment, Jian You suddenly asked, “She’s not going to grab the clue and run, is she? I’ve seen that kind of trick in a lot of reality shows.”

The cameraperson: “This is a dating show…”

Jian You turned her head slightly, but her gaze didn’t leave the monitor. “Hm?”

The cameraperson said, “All of our tasks and activities are designed to foster your relationship, to help your feelings for each other grow, not to make you compete… Teacher Jian, do you understand what I’m saying?”

Jian You said, “Oh,” and smiled at the camera. “My apologies.”

Her not smiling was one thing, but when she did, it was like a refreshing spring breeze, making the cameraperson momentarily lose her bearings. She even felt the urge to play matchmaker and asked, “Teacher Jian, what do you think of Yun Chu?”

On the monitor, Yun Chu had already found the treasure chest and was squatting on a ridge between the fields, reading the words on the envelope. Jian You nodded in satisfaction. “She’s a very good actress.”

The cameraperson: “…”

This wasn’t a recruitment show!

Jian You took two steps toward Yun Chu, her shiny boots sinking into a snowdrift. She frowned slightly. In the camera’s view, Yun Chu was already running toward her, shouting as she ran, “Teacher Jian! I’m back!”

There was an upward slope from the field to the main road. Yun Chu looked up at her, panting. “How did you become the cameraperson?”

Jian You returned the camera to the staff member and walked over. “Their equipment here is pretty good.” As she spoke, she extended a hand to Yun Chu. “Give me your hand.”

Yun Chu claimed she didn’t like to exercise, but once she started moving, she couldn’t stop. From the moment Jian You started filming, she had let herself go, running all over the place. She had worked up a sweat in the middle of winter, and her palm was warm. When Jian You suddenly grabbed it, the coldness startled her, and she blurted out, “Your hand is so cold.”

Jian You pressed her lips together and didn’t let go of her hand. “Help me warm it up a bit.”

The cameraperson: “???”

Was this the same Director Jian who killed every conversation just a moment ago? Time to ship… no, time to roll, colleagues!

Yun Chu had just run a lap around the field ridge. The path there was difficult and had drained a lot of her energy, so she didn’t have the spare mental capacity to overthink things. All she could think about was warming up Jian You’s hand quickly. She hurriedly cupped it with both of her own, lowered her head, and gently blew a warm breath onto it.

After blowing, she suddenly realized something was off.

Was she being too forward?!

What would Jian You think of her!

But-

Yun Chu thought, Jian You’s hands are so soft and beautiful! Her fingers were long and fair. Chilled by the wind, her knuckles were tinged with a faint red, giving them a fragile beauty. Under Yun Chu’s gaze, her little finger curled up slightly.

Jian You pulled her hand back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Yun Chu gave a dry laugh. “By the way, Teacher Jian, this is the envelope I got from the treasure chest. The production team said not to open it.”

In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the cameraperson, who hadn’t left and was watching them with a knowing, auntie-like smile.

Yun Chu: “…”

Shipping a couple from the front lines must feel great, huh?

Jian You took the envelope. The opening was sealed with wax, bearing the production team’s conspicuous logo. Written on the envelope was: Please open this task card only after completing the ingredient-finding task.

Seeing Jian You holding the envelope up, her hand exposed to the howling north wind, Yun Chu’s heart ached. She directly cued the next step, “Should we go find the ingredients first?”

Jian You didn’t move.

Yun Chu asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jian You said thoughtfully, “We don’t necessarily have to follow the production team’s tempo, right?”

Yun Chu: “?”

The cameraperson: “??”

Yun Chu: “Teacher Jian…”

Jian You opened the envelope.

The cameraperson: “Teacher Jian!”

Jian You was unmoved. She pulled out the actual task card from inside and scanned it, her expression changing slightly. Yun Chu said, “What’s wrong?” and tried to crane her neck to see, but Jian You turned to the side, blocking her view.

Yun Chu’s curiosity was killing her. “What does it say? Let me see.”

Jian You looked at her with a complicated expression. “I’ll read it to you.”

Yun Chu was baffled. “…Okay.”

Jian You opened her mouth, then seemed to deflate before speaking. She looked at the cameraperson. “Isn’t your post somewhere else?”

The cameraperson knew the production team’s tricks and had been hoping Jian You would ignore her so she could get some front-row gossip. She hadn’t expected Jian You to remember her. She just grunted reluctantly.

Jian You: “Go back.”

The cameraperson: “…Remember to keep the GoPro on.”

With that, she regretfully went back to hiding nearby, the camera aimed at Yun Chu and Jian You. The village wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. After the group tasks were assigned, the guests had all gone their separate ways and hadn’t run into each other.

The path Yun Chu and Jian You had chosen led to the forest and was rarely traveled. Now, on the long, empty road, the two of them just looked at each other in silence.

Jian You looked as if she were facing death. “I’m going to read it.”

Yun Chu looked expectant. “Go ahead.”

Jian You asked again, “Do you really want to hear it?”

Yun Chu sensed Jian You’s predicament. After a thought, she said, “Teacher Jian, if you don’t want to read it, I’m actually literate. I can read it myself…”

Jian You lowered her eyes. “I’m reading it.”

Yun Chu: “…Fine.”

Jian You took a deep breath, but what came out was a question: “Do you know why I’m so active?”

Yun Chu: “?”

She was puzzled. “Are you active?”

Jian You: “Because every moment, my heart is moved by you.”

Yun Chu: “…?”

Huh? What the heck?!

Jian You: “Guess what I want to eat?”

Yun Chu hesitated. “Aren’t we having hot pot for lunch?”

Jian You: “To gaze foolishly at you.”

Yun Chu: “!!!”

This isn’t appropriate!

Wait! The production team’s tricks…?

Jian You asked again, “What are you to me?”

Yun Chu was numb. “The person in your heart.”

Jian You: “?”

Yun Chu spread her hands. “Cheesy pickup lines! The production team is so old-fashioned, aren’t they? This stuff is years old! Is that all that’s on the task card? Let me see!”

Jian You dodged her again. “Let me finish reading.”

Yun Chu asked, “Is there a reward for finishing?”

Jian You hummed in agreement and glanced at the last paragraph on the card: Now, please look your partner directly in the eyes and read the following sentence in your most affectionate tone. Upon completion, you will earn one opportunity to invite the person you admire for dinner.

Jian You thought to herself that she didn’t like eating with strangers. She had to get this chance to choose for herself.

So she raised her head and looked at Yun Chu, gazing deep into her eyes. Affection radiated from her pupils, making Yun Chu so nervous she clutched the hem of her clothes and stammered, “Teacher Jian, you-”

“Can’t you just put up with it?” Jian You began.

Yun Chu blinked.

She knew Jian You was acting. They had come from the same school, and half their curriculum had overlapped. Jian You would only be more proficient in everything they were supposed to learn, and her acting skills were exceptionally outstanding.

But even so, when such an affectionate gaze fell upon her, she couldn’t help but feel her heart stir.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heart was pounding like a drum.

Jian You raised a hand, the pad of her finger brushing through Yun Chu’s soft, short hair and tucking it behind her ear. She leaned in slightly, her voice low and bewitching. “Put up with it, and fall into my hands, okay?”

I’ve already fallen for you a thousand times over.

Yun Chu thought.