QTMWSFC Chapter 26

“Alright, stop hiding. She’s gone.” Xu Xinghe walked to the lounge door and pulled on it.

“Who is hiding? I was… I was putting on concealer! It’s all your fault!” A coquettish voice came from behind the door.

“My fault for what?” Xu Xinghe laughed and forcefully pulled the sliding door open.

Xia Qingmeng quickly covered her neck. “Look what you did! Now I can’t even cover it up!”

Xu Xinghe pulled her hand away, examined her neck carefully for a moment, and then said nonsense with a completely straight face, “I think it looks fine. Not obvious at all.”

Xia Qingmeng’s skin was fair and smooth. She used thin and light makeup, so it couldn’t be covered that much. The hickey on her neck was still fresh. It really was a bit hard to conceal.

“I’m done talking to you!” Xia Qingmeng huffed and continued trying her best to cover it up.

“Wear this.” Xu Xinghe found a scarf in the closet and handed it to Xia Qingmeng.

Xia Qingmeng hesitated. “Isn’t it a bit too early to wear this?”

It was still late autumn and not yet winter. It was the middle of the day, the sun was nice, and almost no one on the street was wearing a scarf.

But her concealer really wasn’t doing the job. After hesitating for a few seconds, Xia Qingmeng took the scarf. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? It’s all my fault anyway.” Xu Xinghe smiled smugly, his expression seeming to savor the memory of what had just happened.

Xia Qingmeng slapped him lightly and shot him a glare that carried no real threat. “Don’t think about it anymore!”

She was really something else. She actually agreed to mess around with him…

Xu Xinghe, brimming with satisfaction, wrapped the scarf around her neck.

Xia Qingmeng looked down at the scarf and thought about what he had just said to Yin Xinya. Did he just say that he would marry her?

Could she take that seriously?

“Xu Xinghe…” Xia Qingmeng couldn’t help but call his name.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Xu Xinghe bent down slightly to look at her.

“Nothing…” Xia Qingmeng hesitated and shook her head, not asking anything.

She trusted Xu Xinghe. No one knew better than her how good he had treated her these past few days, so there was no need to ask any more questions.

Xu Xinghe ruffled her hair. “If you want to ask something, just ask.”

Xia Qingmeng smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat! I want hot pot, okay?”

Xu Xinghe thought for a moment but didn’t force her to ask and agreed. “Sure, hot pot it is.”

As they left, the receptionist watched their retreating figures and sighed with admiration. Now that was a well-matched couple!

Who was that woman who had come striding in so arrogantly looking for Chairman Xu? She might have been some kind of wealthy young lady, but she had no class at all. The boss’s wife was so much better. She even gave them autographs! They just hope that the boss’s wife will become famous someday! With looks like hers, it would be a tragedy if she didn’t!

…

“All The Way With You” quickly arrived at its official filming day. Before filming began, the production team released a promotional trailer and the official Weibo account announced the guests of each group.

Because all of the previous season’s couples had either broken up or divorced, a huge number of passerby tuned in for the new season just to eat melons.

Whenever “All The Way With You” was mentioned, the reaction was pretty much the same.

Huh? That breakup variety show got a second season?

Then I have to join in the fun!

Just in time to see what other weird married couples or dating pairs show up!

Especially this season with its trending CP¹Chinese internet slang for imaginary couples and Xia Qingmeng, who was covered in black materials and rumored to have hooked up with a company chairman. How could anyone not take a look?

Although it didn’t follow the variety show’s original intention, the traffic was secured, and Director Chen was very happy. Even before the show aired, generating buzz was still very important.

The show continued the format from the previous season, inviting four couples in total—two dating pairs and two married couples. The entire show used a live broadcast + edited replay format to capture the most authentic side of each CP.

Of course, even with live broadcasting, there was still plenty of room for acting. After all, everyone was an adult and more or less wore masks, not to mention this kind of full live broadcast.

Among the two dating couples, one was Xu Xinghe and Xia Qingmeng. The other was a currently popular CP: the male was Xiang Ran, and the female was Shen Xichun. They were said to have gotten together after falling for each other on set, but whether it was real or just a publicity stunt was for anyone to guess.

The two older couples were both legally married. One was a well-known athlete couple: the husband was Fang Chengle, and the wife was Qin Xuan. They had always kept a low profile, and their relationship was very stable. Clearly, the production team didn’t want to continue the previous season’s breakup curse. They were very eager to avoid that.

The other couple was also famously low-key in the entertainment industry. The husband Wang Zhengzheng came from a theater background, and the wife Deng Yuanli was singer-turned-actress. Both were seasoned veterans who had fought their way up in their era. They had clean private lives, had been deeply in love for nearly thirty years, and were now older and gradually stepping back from the spotlight.

Their reason for joining the variety show this time was partly to have an excuse to travel and also to give their fans one last treat. They would only appear less frequently in front of the camera in the future. No one knew if this would be their last time showing their faces on screen, so their fans were cherishing every moment.

The variety show would be filmed over about three weeks, which was neither too long nor too short. After the live broadcast, edited versions would be released every Wednesday and Saturday.

The production team planned to surprise each couple by showing up at their homes early in the morning to start filming and deliver the mission cards. Of course, this had been explained in advance. Xia Qingmeng originally thought Xu Xinghe wouldn’t like it, but to her surprise he didn’t object.

The production team didn’t say what time in the morning they would arrive. Who knew they would show up as a surprise before the sky had even fully brightened?

Xu Xinghe and Xia Qingmeng were woken up by knocking at the door. Xia Qingmeng frowned at first and wanted to go back to sleep, but then she remembered today was the variety show recording and immediately jolted awake.

Xu Xinghe got out of bed to answer the door and told her to take her time. There was no need to rush. He casually glanced at the time on his phone.

Good guy, they really knew how to pick a time. Five o’clock in the morning. It was getting colder now. At this hour, the sky outside wasn’t even bright yet…

He opened the door, and sure enough it was the production team. Two dark camera lenses were shoved in his face the moment the door opened. Xu Xinghe took the mission card handed to him. It outlined the first task: all participants needed to reach a designated location within a set time. Any couple that arrived late would receive a corresponding penalty.

The production team deliberately chose a meeting point at the geographic center of the four couples’ homes to ensure fairness in travel time.

After Xu Xinghe took the card and read the task, the production team followed him inside to film.

It was too early. There weren’t many people in the live chat yet, but that didn’t stop some viewers from already losing their minds.

Rice Lover: [Ahh! Too bad I’m uncultured, all I know is swearing!]

Melon-Eating Foodie: [Is this face for real? Really didn’t turn on the filter?]

Hahaha: [The lighting is this dark, it doesn’t seem like a filter is on…]

Struggling Tomato: [Bro, it’s a crime that you’re not in the entertainment industry to grace humanity!]

Human Who Wants to Lie Flat But Keeps Doing Sit-Ups: [Damn! Is it reasonable for a CEO to be this handsome? What kind of novel setting is this?!]

What Am I: [I’m not jealous of Xia Qingmeng at all! Really!]

Salted Fish Is Me: [Drooling.jpg] Seriously, this guy looks so abstinent. Why is his collar so conservative? He could unbutton a few more. I wouldn’t mind. Really!]

…

The production team knew their boundaries. They only stayed in the living room and didn’t wander around. They didn’t even go to the second floor to film, but some viewers in the chat weren’t happy about it and urged the team to follow upstairs.

The production team couldn’t just barge into areas they weren’t allowed to enter without permission, so they didn’t respond to the viewers’ requests. The viewers eventually let it go.

Xu Xinghe walked back to the bedroom. By this time, Xia Qingmeng had already washed up and changed into a simple casual outfit. Xu Xinghe handed her the mission card, ruffled her hair, and then went in to wash up himself.

[So this is what they mean by a bad relationship???]

[This might actually be a real couple…]

[What do you mean might be? Didn’t they announce it ages ago? They are a couple…]

[But didn’t people say Xia Qingmeng slept her way to the top?]

[Then why don’t you say Xu Xinghe was looking for a stand-in!]

[Don’t listen to rumors! Don’t believe rumors! Don’t spread rumors!]

[Why are you fighting? You’re over here arguing, and their lives go on just the same. Isn’t shipping them more fun?]

[Why do people earning a few thousand a month care so much about rich people’s love lives? What does it have to do with us? Just watch for entertainment, isn’t that enough?]

[Is nobody going to mention that Xia Qingmeng looks really pretty without makeup??? Xu Xinghe has good taste~]

…

Xu Xinghe moved quickly. The two of them worked together to make a simple breakfast, then double-checked all the luggage they had packed last night. After making sure the house was in order, they headed out quickly.

They moved so fast that the viewers barely had time to react.

[Mengmeng, you’re a female celebrity after all. Aren’t you going to put on makeup???]

[This is a case of relying on good looks to commit violence…]

[These two are acting like the cameras aren’t even there because they know they’re good-looking!]

[Camera: Thanks, I feel offended…]

…

Meanwhile, the other high-profile couple was scrambling to pack their things in a panic. The messy home was littered with clothes everywhere, forming a stark contrast to the spotless and overly tidy home of Xu Xinghe.

Their lives together clearly weren’t very well-coordinated, and just packing their luggage took a lot of time.

[Why do I get the feeling… they don’t seem like a couple, more like roommates?]

[Sigh… this is stressing me out… never mind… watching them pack for ages, I think I’ll just go check out the other couple…]

[Ahhh! Is this what daily life looks like for a dumb handsome guy and a dumb beautiful girl?]

[Pfft… stop pretending… go ahead, show us your bare faces… If you have time to put on makeup, why didn’t you pack your luggage earlier? Do you have no common sense?]

[You’re just a hater pretending to be a passerby, aren’t you? What did our big brother and big sister ever do to you to deserve this attack!]

[Ahhh! My CP is the sweetest in the world!]

[Genuine passerby: Where is the sweetness? Scratching head…]

…

The live chat suddenly became a battlefield for fans. Their fighting spirit was impressive at five o’clock in the morning. Many regular passersby couldn’t stand it and moved to Xia Qingmeng’s and Xu Xinghe’s livestream instead. They needed a clean chat environment and a clean visual appearance. Unexpectedly, they ended up shipping another couple.

The two older couples had been married for years. They didn’t draw as much traffic, so their chat rooms were relatively quiet. But at least they were harmonious. Without much traffic, there wasn’t as much drama and fighting.