Chapter 5: The Next Day (Part Two)

As a popular idol, grooming oneself is a necessity.

After reading through the film script for a while, Su Shengxin retrieved his skincare tools from his suitcase. He didn't particularly care about his face, but in this industry, "caring" is also a part of professionalism.

The beauty device was mask-like. Once fastened to one's face and powered on, the special blue light within the mask would shine continuously. However, the areas around the eyes and lips were shielded by sponges to ensure safety.

The device was rechargeable, allowing the user to move freely away from the power source.

Su Shengxin sat for a while before realizing he had left his water glass in the living room. He stood up, turned the doorknob, and stepped out.

As it happened, Shang Yin had just finished a meeting and was heading to the restroom before bed. In the pitch-black hallway, the two collided, and Shang Yin was instantly stunned.

Su Shengxin’s face was covered by a white mask, looking bizarre, with an eerie blue light emanating from within.

Shang Yin blurted out, "You—"

Su Shengxin replied, "It's a ghost."

Shang Yin: "............"

He stared straight at the other man. After a few seconds, he was so struck by the absurdity that he laughed in annoyance, shook his head, and walked toward the restroom.

He could feel a face still glowing with blue light watching him from behind.

Because of their unauthorized interaction, the Shang-Su couple received a warning; they would be the last to go on the show tomorrow.

...

The next day, the four couples gathered once again at the activity site, which remained the grand villa.

In the morning, they were all required to head out for their first date as couples—a trip to the local market.

A town not far from here held a market every Saturday.

Before departing, as per the show's regulations, each couple had to describe their impressions and imagination of the market, phrased as if it were a scene or a video clip.

"Hmm..." Surprisingly, the celebrities' responses were either mundane and cliché or completely out of touch with reality. They couldn't even describe what might be sold at a market; it seemed they had been detached from the lives of ordinary people for too long.

Even the world-renowned director failed to come up with anything fresh.

Finally, it was Shang Yin and Su Shengxin's turn.

The producer reminded them, "It should be like a painting or a video clip."

Shang Yin asked with feigned gentleness, "Shengxin?"

"Hmm." Su Shengxin sat on the carpet, hugging a pig-shaped pillow with his legs crossed. His gaze was slightly unfocused as he looked past the living room at the television screen. "The market is bustling. There are people selling food, handicrafts, ornaments, paintings, clothing, and hair accessories. The aroma of food lingers in the air. Girls who aren't wealthy but love pretty things are busy browsing and picking through items."

It was ordinary enough so far, yet because of his voice, everyone was unconsciously drawn in by his description.

Su Shengxin continued, "There are students who have brought their own work to sell—paintings, though no one stops to look. There is also a man of unknown origin playing the violin in the market. His music isn't particularly pleasant, but he is completely absorbed, while the people around him hurry past. There is a girl selling clothes and accessories, and at the same time, she is selling roses from a basket beside her stall."

Su Shengxin paused. "A vendor walks by in a hurry, carrying fresh fruits and vegetables; water droplets roll off them, sprinkling all the way along the path. A female food stall owner is chopping garlic with a rhythmic *thump-thump*, looking rather disgruntled, and a piece of garlic lands in her messy hair, trembling in time with her movements."

Everyone was listening.

Shang Yin also watched him quietly.

"On the main street at the end of the market," Su Shengxin added, "a group of boys and girls are riding bicycles, out for the weekend. Suddenly, the road ahead opens up, and the boys lean low over their handlebars, pedaling with all their might, launching themselves forward like arrows. The world is full of sunlight, their ears are full of the sound of the wind, and the road stretches on endlessly beneath their wheels. They are dreaming of a magnificent future; they are going to the ends of the world."

Shang Yin was still looking at him, but his gaze was uncharacteristically soft.

Su Shengxin continued, "The girls behind them call out for them to wait, but the boys only want to show off more. Suddenly, they let go of the handlebars, straighten their bodies, and spread their arms wide, gathering the world's sunlight into their embrace."

Everyone seemed immersed in these images.

As Su Shengxin spoke, a scroll of the market slowly unfurled.

After a few more full sentences, the international director sighed, "Such imagination. In a single scene of a market, there are over a dozen three-dimensional characters and a dozen human stories. Just from listening to this imagined scene, I know you are definitely a great actor. It has such cinematic visual quality and narrative depth."

The girls who aren't wealthy but love beauty and accessories; the young man who loves the violin and wants to be heard but lacks talent; the parents who support their children in selling items as a life experience; the small-time vendor who sells accessories but loves flowers and beautiful things; the male vendor who is late due to fatigue but still washed his vegetables; the female vendor exhausted and frustrated by her children; the boys and girls "dreaming of a magnificent future, going to the ends of the world"...

"Thank you, Director Jin." Su Shengxin smiled. "I am still far from enough, but I will continue to work hard. I love the world, and I love humanity."

"I love the world, and I love humanity"—Shang Yin had never actually felt this. In the past, he hadn't been interested, even disdainful. He stood too high, and everyone else appeared as uniform, fawning figures with blurred faces.

But for the first time, looking at Su Shengxin, he felt that this emotion seemed to carry a certain beauty, even a certain charm.

...

Around ten o'clock, all four couples set off for the town market.

The market was already crowded, and it truly was as described: "selling food, handicrafts, ornaments, paintings, clothing, and hair accessories; the aroma of food lingers, and girls who aren't wealthy but love pretty things are browsing."

The guests were celebrities, and many residents recognized them, shrieking, taking photos, and calling their friends.

The cameramen filmed each couple's date; Su Shengxin and Shang Yin were the last in the order.

Afraid of touching, they kept a significant distance between them. Occasionally, they would stop at a stall to look, and sometimes they would buy something.

As they walked, near a clothing and accessory stall, there really was a large wooden barrel filled with flowers of various colors.

Recalling Su Shengxin's description from the morning, Shang Yin smiled gently and, feigning doting affection, gestured: *Shengxin, shall we buy one?*

Su Shengxin nodded: *Okay. Thank you.*

He bent down, carefully examining the barrel. When he moved the flowers, he took care not to touch them, finally picking a single pink Eustoma.

Shang Yin scanned the code to pay. The female vendor wrapped the flower, tied it with a ribbon, and handed it to Su Shengxin.

Su Shengxin took it and looked at it, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. This wasn't entirely acting; he truly loved these things.

Flowers, animals, humans—he loved them all.

The rise and fall, the joy and sorrow, the glory and shame—all were deeply moving.

As they walked, one of Su Shengxin's shoelaces came loose. He squatted down. Just as Shang Yin reached out to take the flower, he saw Su Shengxin, completely forgetting about him, simply holding the flower stem between his teeth as he lowered his gaze to tie his lace.

Shang Yin: "..."

Still, the scene was quite beautiful.

When they reached a clothing stall, the show's staff suddenly pointed to a few items and told them, "Today, although you still cannot touch each other, the production team is showing mercy and allowing you to hold hands while wearing gloves as you walk through the market."

"..." Su Shengxin looked at the pairs of black gloves on the stall and remarked to the staff, "That's ridiculous."

Seeing his own show reach this point, Shang Yin chuckled softly.

But being here, under such rules, the couples naturally couldn't refuse to hold hands if they wanted to appear sweet.

Shang Yin asked with his eyes again: *Shall we?*

Su Shengxin realized once more how well Shang Yin could pretend—acting serious in the office, acting gentle on a dating show, yet in reality, he was full of a desire for control.

But Su Shengxin didn't mind and answered with his eyes: *Okay.*

His gaze was just as tender.

Shang Yin put on a glove.

His movements were measured; his thick, long fingers slid into the glove, filling each space one by one, stretching out the previously limp fabric.

Afterward, Shang Yin used his other hand to pull the fabric at the back of the hand up to his wrist and adjusted it. That hand immediately took on an air of serious abstinence.

He offered that hand to the other.

"..." Su Shengxin looked at the hand, put on his own glove, and placed his hand over it.

Their hands fell, naturally interlocking.

The next second, Shang Yin’s fingers slid through the fabric, slipping into the gaps between Su Shengxin's fingers.

As that hand slid down, Su Shengxin felt an itch at the base of his fingers as they rubbed against each other.

Soon, their fingers were fully interlaced.

Yet the cotton fabric blocked out many sensations—the delicacy of the skin, the warmth of the body.

Without thinking, both of them instinctively pressed their finger roots together, tighter and tighter.

Of course, something was missing.

It was blocked.

Their hands felt firmly imprisoned by two layers of fabric, unable to break free.

Tighter still.

Shang Yin knew he was acting out a sweet scene, yet it didn't feel entirely like acting.

Shang Yin's hands were very large. As Su Shengxin felt his fingers being entwined, he even had a strange sense of being controlled.

It was very unfamiliar.

The cameras followed them.

They filmed their backs, and even more often, the tightly clasped, black-gloved hands.

Walking along, fingers interlocked.

There were numerous close-ups of the two hands taken from behind.

The two of them dawdled, looking at this and then that. Su Shengxin's flower hung by his pant seam, swaying.

A group of boys ran past, their laughter innocent, like countless little rubber balls, rolling from one side to the other in an instant.

When they passed Su Shengxin, Shang Yin noticed first; he tightened his left hand, which was interlaced with the other’s, and gave a gentle tug, pulling Su Shengxin a little closer.

"..." Su Shengxin looked at Shang Yin but said nothing.

After walking through all the stalls, buying a few small souvenirs, and eating some local snacks—even feeding each other bits of food with toothpicks—the end of the market was finally in sight. The other guests were already waiting there.

At this point, their interlaced fingers separated.

With the object gone from his palm, Shang Yin felt a strange sense of emptiness.

The market tour was over. In this show, the eight guests became independent individuals once again, including Shang Yin and Su Shengxin.

The two of them took off their gloves, each pulling at the fabric at their wrists to peel them off.