CHAPTER 11: Does It Hurt Yet

Even Gu Sheng was stunned by the system’s new move.

“‘Like taking a blow’? Are you kidding me—HAHHAHAHAHA!”

She almost wanted to give this cheeky little system a round of applause. “Truly talented. So talented.”

The system’s voice rang out righteously:

“We are a humane system. But a beautiful CP must not be torn apart!”

Gu Sheng: I’m dying.

She really had figured this system out.

Jiang Luwei failed before she even got started—what an unforgettable entrance she made. At the very least, she probably succeeded in leaving a deep impression in Wen Heng’s heart.

Inside the terminal, the on-site fans were still worried and reluctant to leave. To maintain order and avoid disrupting airport operations, Gu Sheng gave Wen Heng a hand. “Are you okay?”

As soon as she came closer, Wen Heng caught a whiff of the light floral scent of the body wash from home. For a moment, his mind went blank, and then—the pain from that punch vanished like the wind.

Wen Heng instinctively reached out and grabbed her, steadied himself a little, then said, “…I’m fine now.”

Although the pattern of the pain wasn’t entirely consistent, in general, the more intense the pain, the shorter the relief period.

Wen Heng was holding Gu Sheng’s slender wrist beneath her sleeve, but quickly let go.

Because there were many bystanders, the news of #Jiang Luwei hit Wen Heng at the airport# still spread. But the story was so absurd it could’ve been submitted to a fake-news bot, so for a while, no one dared believe it.

Before even passing through the boarding gate, Wen Heng had already gotten a call from the Wen family. Once they confirmed he was okay, they stepped in and contacted the Jiang family, and together they suppressed the matter. Before long, the rumors online were almost entirely erased.

Of course, Jiang Luwei still had to face a round of reprimanding.

In the airport security office where she was being held, Jiang Luwei broke down. “I didn’t! I really didn’t!”

In the end, Jiang Luwei didn’t get on the plane with Wen Heng.

Meanwhile, Gu Sheng was able to enjoy a peaceful nap on the flight and landed in X City feeling completely refreshed.

…

The X City film base covered an enormous area and was a nationally certified 5A-level tourist attraction in the province. Inside were several large-scale real-life sets and professional indoor sound stages, with multiple film crews currently at work.

The set selected by the Laws of Happiness crew was the largest of them all—“Liang City.” Nestled at the foot of the mountains, with a river running through it, the city had an imposing grandeur. “Liang” was a fictional dynasty, with architectural elements reflecting the Tang and Song periods, though with fewer restrictions.

On Friday night, the couples arrived one after another at the theme hotel arranged by the crew inside the base. Except for Wang Lü, who couldn’t make this shoot due to scheduling issues, the Qingtian and Shanlu couples had already arrived, along with guest star Du Yanzhi. They were just waiting on Jiang Luwei.

Naturally, the production team had already heard about the bizarre incident at the airport. Jiang Luwei’s rescheduled flight wouldn’t land for over another hour—no matter how anxious they were, there was nothing they could do. Someone from the casting coordination team quietly approached Chang Yan to ask whether Mr. Wen had any personal conflict with Jiang Luwei and whether they needed to avoid letting them interact on the show.

Wen Heng’s reply was simply, “…I’m fine.”

It was a long story—not worth explaining.

Yuzu TV’s trailer announced the live broadcast would begin at 8 p.m., but even before then, many viewers were already camping in the livestream room. The screen was flooded with comments:

[Here for Wen-ge!]
[Came for Qingtian~]
[Shanlu go go go!]
[Wensheng is real!!!]

No one expected that halfway through waiting, the crew would suddenly release a notice: “Due to a guest’s delayed flight, the livestream will be postponed to 22:00. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”

The internet exploded. Very quickly, #‘Laws of Happiness’ livestream delayed# shot up the trending list, and the speculation flew in all directions.

The other guests could only head to the hotel restaurant to have dinner first.

When Song Qingzhi walked in and saw Wen Heng, her eyes lit up involuntarily.

The auditions for Tracing Back would begin soon. Everyone in the industry had their eyes on this golden opportunity—especially after it was confirmed that Wen Heng would be playing the male lead. Over the years, he had only acted in one or two TV dramas, and every one of them was a hit.

This was practically a fast-track ticket to stardom! If Song Qingzhi could get on Wen Heng’s good side and have him put in a word for her with the producer or casting director, her chances of landing the role would increase significantly!

Whether for that reason or for the sake of stirring up a CP buzz, this episode—filmed on location at the film base—was an opportunity she had to seize to showcase her abilities.

She absolutely couldn’t let things go the way they did last time, where Gu Sheng completely stole the spotlight, and she got chewed out by her agent afterward.

…

Before 10 p.m., Jiang Luwei finally arrived at the film base with her team.

The director’s team let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed the flowchart to start the livestream.

The viewers, who’d been waiting for two extra hours, flooded into the platform like a tidal wave. The online viewership numbers skyrocketed.

[Finally!!!]
[Aaaah we’ve been waiting forever!]
[Since you’re late, make sure the sugar is worth it!]

All the guests stood beneath the city walls of Liang City, facing the camera. The director gave a welcome speech, briefly introduced the city behind them, then segued into introducing the guest star.

The sound system played a tune, and Yu Shanbei was the first to recognize it. “That’s Unchanging Through the Years, right?”

“Correct! This song expresses a girl’s hidden crush. After launching on NetEase Rain, it received over a million plays and climbed multiple charts. And the artist behind it is our flying guest today—Jiang Luwei!”

Jiang Luwei walked out to the music, smiling as she greeted the other guests. She had originally planned to stand beside Wen Heng, but unfortunately, he was already surrounded at center stage—with Gu Sheng standing right next to him, such an eyesore.

After everything that happened at the airport that day, Jiang Luwei kept feeling like Gu Sheng’s calm and indifferent expression was mocking her!

Gu Sheng noticed her gaze and even smiled at her, politely.

After all, she knew Jiang Luwei had been wrongly accused—would she really have the heart to hit Wen Heng?

That one smile from Gu Sheng sent her beauty fans in the livestream into a frenzy, while making Jiang Luwei feel even more irritated.

She may have lost this round, but she’d win in the ones to come!

After Jiang Luwei’s introduction, the director moved on to the next guest. This time, instead of playing a song, he read a line of dialogue.

—“General, you’ve arrived.”

As the words fell, a figure stepped out and answered in a low, calm voice: “I’ve arrived, though I am indeed late.”

Just like that, Du Yanzhi brought the entire atmosphere of a scene to life. It was a famous moment from one of his works—a general returning triumphant, speaking with the emperor and his consort. The director team had cleverly chosen it as a welcome line, and it immediately won the audience’s applause.

[Aaaaah instant flashback to The General!]

[President Du brings the drama every time, yyds!]

[I’ve rewatched this iconic scene a hundred times! The next line is—]

“Though the mountains are far and the road is long, still I… cannot hide my joy.”

A cool, clear female voice rang out, picking up the line left hanging and subtly echoing the welcome to Du Yanzhi. Her delivery carried a quiet rhythm and strength; the way she picked up Du Yanzhi’s line felt seamless, as if she were part of the play.

The system shrieked, “Aaaaah! No wonder she was chosen! A born actress, I’m sick of saying how perfect they are!”

The online audience paused—then the barrage of comments exploded—

[Wait what?? That was Gu Sheng just now??]
[Was that her real voice?! My god it sounded amazing!]
[That line reading is better than a lot of top-tier actresses out there?!]

Wen Heng was the closest to Gu Sheng—her voice landed right by his ear. It rang like jade pendants colliding, crisp and clear, brushing lightly over his eardrums… almost ticklish.

The first thought that rose in his mind was—Had Gu Sheng trained in line reading? That was… impressive.

Then a second thought followed—

Why could she recite a line from Du Yanzhi’s drama?

Even Du Yanzhi himself seemed slightly surprised, studying Gu Sheng a bit more closely before praising her, “Well done.”

The production team hadn’t expected Gu Sheng to have this level of skill either, and suddenly, the little twist they’d planned hit its peak.

Behind the scenes, the director’s assistants, producers, and various lowkey Wen-Gu CP shippers were already clinging to each other: No wonder Wen Heng likes Gu Sheng! It all makes sense now, aaahhh!!

Only Song Qingzhi and Jiang Luwei were visibly displeased—Gu Sheng memorized lines in advance just to show off? What a scheming little snake.

After introducing all the guests, it was finally time for the main event of the live broadcast.

The director held up a round, old-fashioned toy bell with a mischievous grin:
“Tomorrow’s livestream will be a test of everyone’s relationships—the show has hidden a number of these ‘clay bells’ throughout Liang City. The guests will find them by playing games or searching. The number of bells you collect will determine your costumes, transportation, and even your sleeping arrangements for tomorrow night~~”

[Here they go again! This production team is evil!]

[Liang City’s huge, it’s gonna be a workout tomorrow hahaha]

All the guests cooperated with exaggerated expressions of despair.

To showcase their upcoming struggle, the cameras gave the audience a rough tour of the main filming areas around Liang City.

Once the walk-through ended, the director announced:
“Clay bell searching will start today at 5 a.m., and at 10:00, we’ll have the first costume and styling selection. Good luck, everyone~”

[Wait—5 a.m. today? Holy crap, it’s already past midnight!]

[The director’s a menace! Just call it the “No Sleep Challenge” already!]

Reality shows often pull stunts like this. Fans might feel bad for their idols, but let’s be honest—they’re getting paid more than most people make in a lifetime, so watching celebrities suffer through sleepless nights has its own kind of entertainment value.

Since the results would affect their outfits and appearances, many guests made up their minds on the way back to the hotel—not sleeping at all.

Yu Shanbei: “Sleeping only to wake up again? That’s worse! I might as well just stay up—”

Lu Yiyi: “Then if you fall asleep later, should I shake you awake?”

Yu Shanbei broke down crying. The audience was dying laughing at this duo.

Qin Tian held Song Qingzhi’s hand and said dotingly, “Don’t worry, I won’t sleep. I’ll make sure you have enough bells.”

Song Qingzhi was moved. “I’ll stay up with you.”

Gu Sheng looked at all these people and thought: This is too intense!!

But when it came to competing for resources, speed really mattered. She remembered in the original novel, the original Gu Sheng didn’t want to lower herself to go hunting or play games, lost every challenge, and ended up with zero props. During the costume selection, she was dead last—everyone else wore period costumes while she had to wear a clown suit.

…No way Gu Sheng was letting that happen.

Worried, she returned to the hotel and noticed that Wen Heng also looked a bit preoccupied.

The cameras in the room were already on, and fans had long since flooded their livestream feed.

[I’m here, I’m here, slurping this up]
[Place your bets—will they sleep or not tonight?]
[Better not, or Wen God’s getting kicked again tonight]
[LOLOLOL]

Since they were partners, Gu Sheng thought to discuss with Wen Heng whether to stay up or wake up early. If this dog of a man could be a little proactive and pull an all-nighter like the other male guests, she’d definitely help relieve his pain tomorrow with enthusiasm!

But unexpectedly, after a long silence, Wen Heng suddenly recited a line:
“A bird cannot spend its whole life chasing empty skies—unless he’s gone mad—”

The words hung in the air, waiting for someone to pick up the next line.

[“But I am mad. Mad enough to love you.” Aaaaahhhhhh!]

[Aaaaaahhhh He Zhinan! My He Zhinan!!]

[Mad Bird is a forever classic—hearing Wen God say that line again, I’m sobbing!]

The comment stream exploded. Gu Sheng finally realized—Wen Heng had recited a line from Mad Bird, clearly waiting for her to complete it.

Gu Sheng: ?? Using this to promote yourself again? No way I’m playing along.

Wen Heng waited a moment, saw those clear peach blossom eyes remain unbothered, and his lips pressed into a straight line.

She could recite Du Yanzhi’s lines.

But not his.

…Even though he had won more awards.

Just then, the comment section caught on too, and the CP fans went wild.

[Wait… is he jealous? He’s jealous, right? RIGHT?]
[Because she recited President Du’s line, now Wen Ge wants her to say his!!]
[Aaaaahhhh I’m dying this is too good!!!]

Wen Heng said nothing more.

Even after they finished getting ready for bed and lay down on either side of the large bed, neither of them spoke.

Meanwhile, in the other rooms—

The guest stars were doing their best to stay awake.

The Mountain-Road couple played games together through the night to stay conscious.

The Sunny couple? Full-on traffic bait. Song Qingzhi whispered, “These days apart… I really missed you.”
Qin Tian smirked, “How did you miss me?”
Their audio mics picked up everything loud and clear—and the viewers screamed they were basically getting pay-per-view content for free!!

It was only two or three hours until five o’clock.

Gu Sheng was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, when suddenly the system let out a “ding—”.

Both of them instantly tensed, then heard the system broadcast: “Level 1 pain: tightness in the chest.”

Gu Sheng: ? What the hell

Wen Heng silently turned over.

Gu Sheng thought: Fine, she hadn’t wanted to use this method, but this dog of a man refuses to communicate! Then don’t sleep!

She turned to him and said proactively, “Actually, I heard something really shocking.”

In the dark, Wen Heng opened his eyes, tracing her silhouette in the faint light.

Seeing that he was listening, Gu Sheng stifled a yawn and continued, “And you even know the person involved.”

Wen Heng: ?

He unconsciously leaned a little closer.

The live chat was now completely hooked by curiosity.

Gu Sheng’s voice got softer and softer, “Don’t tell anyone I told you…”

Wen Heng waited a moment and gave a quiet, “Mm.”

[So who is it? What happened!]
[What kind of gossip is this, just tell us already! Please!]

But Gu Sheng had already fallen silent. After a while, Wen Heng leaned closer—and realized she’d fallen asleep.

Wen Heng: “……”

…

Five in the morning.

Wen Heng’s eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night.

—So, what the hell was it?!

Live chat: [Damn it, what was it!!]

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