After the filming of the pilot episode, the production team would proceed with editing and post-production before moving on to promotion. During this time, the guests didn’t need to cooperate further.

Ji Chengyi and Lin Jindu went back to their respective busy work lives. Due to the initial days of filming requiring their attention, they had work piled up to catch up on. With Kao Company launching new products, Ji Chengyi found himself in back-to-back meetings for two days, outlining the work plan for the following week.

On Thursday afternoon, just after Ji Chengyi finished a meeting, Song Luoyun called. It was nothing urgent; he simply informed him that the pilot episode would be broadcast nationwide at 7:30 p.m., asking him to take note.

Ji Chengyi acknowledged the information, but amidst his busy schedule, he ended up forgetting about the pilot episode. It wasn’t until later in the evening, almost 11 p.m., while on his way home, that he remembered. Checking his phone, he realized there were no messages from Song Luoyun.

Ji Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back further into his seat, relaxing. He relaxed so deeply that he didn’t even realize when he fell asleep.

When the driver woke him up, he still had a dazed look in his eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The driver informed him, “President Ji, you’ve arrived home. You can go rest.”

Ji Chengyi blinked his sleepy eyes several times before finally understanding what the driver was saying.

“Oh…” He dragged his weary body out of the car and went home.

Opening the door, he found the living room on the first floor empty. However, the warm floor lamp emitted a soft, hazy glow. Ji Chengyi walked across the beautiful warm light and took the elevator to the second floor. He was too tired to climb the stairs.

The elevator door opened, and Ji Chengyi dragged his heavy body out. As he rounded the corner of the hallway, he saw Lin Jindu standing at the study door, holding a black water cup.

“President Lin?” Ji Chengyi spoke, and the fatigue on his face instantly vanished, replaced by his usual gentleness and calmness, “Still up so late?”

It was as if the exhausted person from before wasn’t him.

Lin Jindu observed this transformation in Ji Chengyi, then replied casually, “Just finished working.”

He paused for a moment and added, “Why did President Ji come back so late?”

“I just finished working too,” Ji Chengyi smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, instead, it accentuated the weariness in his gaze.

Lin Jindu noticed this and nodded, saying, “You’ve worked hard. President Ji, go back to your room and rest.”

“Okay.” Ji Chengyi was genuinely tired. After responding, he turned and walked towards his room.

However, as he reached the door, he heard Lin Jindu call out to him again, “President Ji.”

Ji Chengyi stopped and turned, “Yes?”

Lin Jindu asked, “Did you watch the pilot episode?”

Ji Chengyi felt a little embarrassed, “Ms. Song reminded me, but I forgot. I’m sorry, President Lin.”

Previously, Lin Jindu had admired Ji Chengyi’s impeccable manners, but at this moment, he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why Ji Chengyi would apologize for such a small matter.

However, Lin Jindu didn’t express his bewilderment. He simply said, “No problem. I watched it.”

Ji Chengyi was surprised, “President Lin, you actually had time to watch it?”

Lin Jindu didn’t respond to that question. Instead, he asked Ji Chengyi, “President Ji, do you know that Yu Heyan is participating in this show as your ‘practice couple’?”

Ji Chengyi: ?

Ji Chengyi didn’t understand, “What?”

Lin Jindu didn’t repeat himself. He changed the subject, saying, “President Ji, if you don’t want to be on the same stage as Yu Heyan, you can directly tell Ms. Song that you want to withdraw. It counts as a breach of contract on her part.”

……

Back in his room, Ji Chengyi didn’t immediately go to the bathroom or pick up his phone to check on Yu Heyan. He simply slumped into the sofa, staring blankly into space.

After about five minutes of zoning out, Ji Chengyi finally mustered enough energy to sit up from the sofa. He grabbed his phone and opened Weibo.

As Ji Chengyi opened the trending page, he noticed his and Lin Jindu’s names at the top of the list. Ji Chengyi didn’t dwell on why they were trending number one. Instead, he clicked on the adjacent entry for Yu Heyan and Chi Xingwen.

The most popular post in the entry was a short video clip edited from Yu Heyan and Chi Xingwen’s pilot episode, enhanced with various filters and slow-motion effects. Ji Chengyi watched it expressionlessly, confirming that Yu Heyan did indeed participate in the show.

Ji Chengyi didn’t have a habit of malicious speculation. He didn’t know about Yu Heyan’s participation, just as he felt Yu Heyan might not know about his own involvement. Half a month ago, he hadn’t expected to join a marriage reality show himself. Therefore, he chose to believe that Yu Heyan was unaware and had no ulterior motives.

As for whether he should continue with the show…

While Lin Jindu mentioned that terminating the contract could be seen as a breach by Song Luoyun’s side, Ji Chengyi knew that legally, he could end the contract without any penalties. However, doing so would mean losing the sponsorship rights from Kao. He could retain the rights by paying an additional fifty million, but it would tarnish his reputation as a businessman to abruptly terminate the contract. Any negative implications could impact future collaborations and the brand’s reputation if exploited by ill-intentioned individuals.

After giving Song Luoyun a call, Ji Chengyi decided to take a proactive approach and sent a WeChat message to Lin Jindu: “[President Lin, regular filming tomorrow.]”

After sending the message, Ji Chengyi assumed Lin Jindu might not reply immediately, so he planned to put his phone down and go take a shower. However, before he could set the phone aside, a new message popped up in the chat box: “[Got it].”

Seeing the neutral three-word response, Ji Chengyi couldn’t shake the image of Lin Jindu’s expression when mentioning Yu Heyan earlier. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt there was a faint hint of… animosity in Lin Jindu’s demeanor.

Ji Chengyi dismissed his thoughts and replied, “[President Lin, rest early. Goodnight.]” before finally setting his phone down and heading for a shower.

……

The pilot episode of “Romantic Journey” was a success. While each couple received some negative feedback, overall, the majority of comments were positive. The audience tuning in for celebrity marriage reality shows mostly sought some sweet moments, and the edited clips were filled with high-sugar content. Even the formulaic scenes of Ji Chengyi and Lin Jindu garnered a small group of fans.

Initially planned as a pre-recorded show, “Romantic Journey” made a bold move to switch to a live broadcast format, which posed more challenges. Live shows exposed various issues for both guests and the production team, but the decision was made to cater to the fast-paced modern era where viewers lacked patience for weekly updates. The audience, however, was willing to wait for live broadcasts.

Despite the official announcement that the live room would open at 2 p.m., over three million viewers were already eagerly waiting before noon.

【Woke up to a lively chat – it’s only around 10 a.m. Yawning.jpg】

【Ah, I woke up all pumped, thinking I’d see my Yan-ge as soon as I opened my eyes… Crying.jpg】

【Am I the only one waiting for the handsome CEOs?】

【Ah, found my squad! I adore President Ji so much, his looks make me want to lick my screen! He’s so gorgeous! President Lin is so lucky!!!】

【Um… but it seems like President Lin doesn’t really like President Ji, right?】

【Talking about liking is a bit presumptuous, I doubt the two CEOs even know each other… Who calls their spouse “President X” after getting married?】

【Exactly! Come savor the sweetness with us at Deep Color! It’s free if it’s not sweet enough!! (Loud)】

【If it’s too much, let’s check out Big Lun-ge and Little Tong-sao!】

【Haha, really, the CEOs’ sweetness is too overwhelming, I’d rather indulge in the industrial fake sweetness of the practice couple.】

【I’m laughing so hard, we’re not here for the sweetness, we’re all about the visuals, haha!!!】

【Damn, I’ve almost finished my morning work! Why haven’t these working folks started yet!!! (Going crazy)】

The barrage of comments didn’t know that the guests had already started their work. The reason they hadn’t appeared in the live room was that they were still on the plane. Since this variety show involved travel, the guests had to wake up early to catch their flights.

Ji Chengyi had slept late the night before and almost didn’t wake up in the morning.

Lin Jindu knocked on the door for a minute, finally bringing Ji Chengyi back from his dreamland. When Ji Chengyi woke up in a daze, there was a moment where he didn’t know who he was or where he was.

It was Lin Jindu who reminded him, “President Ji, it’s time to head to the airport.”

Realizing that they were flying to a foreign island to start filming the show, Ji Chengyi quickly freshened up, grabbed the luggage that Guan Yun had packed in advance, and left with Lin Jindu to catch the program team’s car to the airport.

Ji Chengyi wasn’t accustomed to working on the plane, so shortly after boarding, he drifted off to sleep.

Upon waking up, he noticed a blanket draped over him. Ji Chengyi glanced at the blanket, then at Lin Jindu beside him, who was focused on the stock market on his laptop. Ji Chengyi softly spoke, “Thank you, President Lin.”

Hearing his voice, Lin Jindu turned to him, “Awake?”

“Yeah…” Ji Chengyi sat up, “What time is it?”

Glancing at the time, Lin Jindu informed him, “It’s 9:34.”

They had boarded the plane a little after 7 a.m. In other words, Ji Chengyi had only slept for a little over two hours.

Feeling a bit unsatisfied, Ji Chengyi was used to sleeping solidly for five to six hours on long flights. Today, however, he just couldn’t seem to doze off peacefully.

As he drifted in and out of sleep, he couldn’t shake the feeling of someone watching him, a strange sensation that lingered without reason.