Chapter 79 - Roses
In the afternoon, everyone gathered on the yacht for the return trip.
The meticulous Ling Jun took a headcount. “Huh? It seems like someone’s missing. Where’s Meng Yao’er? Didn’t she come with Qingyao?”
“She had some important personal matters to attend to and couldn’t continue with the program. The production team regrets her departure but has made the necessary adjustments. Since Su Qingyao is now without a teammate, her score for the second round won’t be recorded, but she can stay at the Love Cabin tonight.”
“The rest will have their scores and votes calculated according to the rules, and rooms for tonight will be assigned based on the rankings.”
“Please rest assured, there won’t be any snakes this time, even for the lowest rank.”
The mention of the infamous snake room brought everyone back to the last time Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan stayed there. Later, President Jiang used her financial power to convince the production team to ensure such absurd accommodations wouldn’t happen again.
The program rules dictated that rankings were determined by a combination of vote counts and livestream popularity. Since different streams had varying viewership, simple vote counts wouldn’t be fair. For instance, Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan’s stream, with the highest popularity, had 7 million viewers but only 4 million votes.
Tang Yuan stared at the camera in confusion. “Three million people watched but didn’t vote?”
Meanwhile, Guan Zi’an and Ling Jun’s stream had 5 million viewers and received 4.3 million votes, placing them first. Ling Jun explained, “We frequently remind viewers to vote during the stream, so they’re quite proactive. Thank you, everyone!”
An Zichu and Xie Xin’s stream ranked second due to their high voting ratio, leaving Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan in third place.
【Hahahaha, serves you right for not engaging with us!】
【I knew it! Showing off your love, and now you’re paying the price!】
【I confess, I was so engrossed that I forgot to vote. Oops.】
【They’re a rising CP; their fanbase hasn’t solidified yet.】
【Sorry, my faves! I’ll do better next time!】
Tang Yuan comforted Jiang Zi. “It’s okay, Sister. At least we’re not last.”
Indeed, last place went to Du Shu Huai and Deng Pei Luo. Unlike experienced variety show veterans Ling Jun and Xie Xin, these two lagged even further behind Jiang Tang.
Tang Yuan, feeling no guilt, found satisfaction in their misfortune. “We won’t have it worse than them.”
Deng Pei Luo cast a resentful glance her way, completing the “only one suffering” narrative.
They each drew their rooms.
Back at the Love Cabin by 6 PM, the diligent cooking duo, Qi Hong Qiao and Xiu Lu Zhou, had prepared a feast. The dishes were so flavorful and aromatic that, if not for the slightly amateurish plating, one might mistake them for restaurant-quality meals.
After dinner, everyone cleaned up together before heading off to their assigned theme hotels. Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan were allocated an ocean-themed couples’ hotel—not bad for third place.
The ocean-themed hotel wasn’t actually underwater. The exterior of the hotel was modeled after a whale, with its wide-open mouth serving as the entrance. Upon entering, guests would find themselves in the lobby, as if stepping inside the belly of the whale, which was roughly three stories high.
Their room was numbered 222.
Tang Yuan handed the room card to Jiang Zi. “Sister, you open it. Let’s make sure it’s not full of electric eels and seaweed.”
Having experienced the snake room, her trust in the production team was zero.
Jiang Zi used the room card to swipe the door, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tang Yuan’s tense and focused gaze. Her heart stirred, and she didn’t push the door open immediately. Instead, she withdrew her hand. “I can’t, I’m scared too.”
“Huh? Then… what do we do?” Tang Yuan’s mind blanked.
Jiang Zi, feigning innocence, shook her head. “No idea.”
“How about we sleep in the hallway? It seems safe here.”
The live stream comments erupted:
【If Sister Jiang is scared, then so am I. Therefore, I am Sister Jiang.】
【Good job, Tang Xiao Yuan. That’s one great suggestion.】
【Sister Jiang is such a trickster, she only pretended to be scared to tease Tang Yuan because she saw her scared.】
【Honestly, that snake room was traumatizing. This reaction is valid.】
Jiang Zi rejected the hallway idea. “No way. I’d be scared there too.”
Tang Yuan glanced at the clock—8:30 PM. Half an hour until the livestream ended. Maybe they could check the room and request a change if necessary.
Determined, she grabbed Jiang Zi’s hand and led the way. Jiang Zi swiped the card again, and the door beeped. Tang Yuan pushed it open decisively. The room was dark, but there were no ominous noises.
Jiang Zi inserted the card into the power slot, illuminating the room. Tang Yuan instinctively closed her eyes but quickly opened them when she felt Jiang Zi’s hand pull away. Before her was a bouquet of pristine Taylor roses.
The white flowers radiated elegance, and their fragrance filled the air, intoxicating her senses. Slowly, her gaze moved from the bouquet to the woman holding it.
“Tang Yuan, they say a proper relationship begins with flowers and a heartfelt confession. I’m sorry it took me so long to prepare the first bouquet for you.”
“These roses symbolize pure, flawless love. I am worthy of you, and you are the only one who is worthy of me. You’re my one and only, my irreplaceable light.” Jiang Zi handed over the bouquet, adding, “You’re the white moonlight that I would go to any lengths to pursue and protect. The white moonlight that I will be with for the rest of my life.”
She feared that the phrase “white moonlight” would remind Tang Yuan of painful past memories. She had once heard Tang Yuan mention that she had played the role of a prematurely lost white moonlight, and perhaps, in her heart, “white moonlight” was a deeply unlucky term.
Jiang Zi immediately regretted using that phrase. She quickly changed her words, “What I mean is, you are like the bright and clear moon in my heart…”
“Jiang Zi.” Tang Yuan interrupted her words, taking the bouquet from her hands and holding it to her chest. Her eyes were completely overwhelmed with joy. “Sister, hug me.”
“The bouquet is so big. You should hug me from behind. I feel like, in this moment, we should hug.”
[I really, really like you, sister!]
[From now on, the white moonlight will no longer have any shadow, because in this life, I will definitely be the white moonlight that lives to a hundred years~]
[I’m so happy, so happy.]
Jiang Zi hugged her from behind, burying her head in her neck, then tilted her head to kiss her neck, moving up to her face. She whispered in her heart, “So cute.”
Tang Yuan turned around and pressed her lips against hers, their lips meeting in a kiss, the meaning of the flowers paling in comparison to the passionate love in their hearts.