Chapter 26: I’ve Got You

With a “swish,” the staff removed the large partition in front of the guest.

Ji Ansheng’s pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively took a step back.

The man before him was not Jiang Zijin, but a bearded foreign uncle.

The uncle’s beard was unkempt, with breadcrumbs still clinging to it.

The uncle smiled at Ji Ansheng, revealing several gold teeth.

Ji Ansheng’s face immediately darkened, and he instinctively shook off the man’s hand, his mind going blank.

The live broadcast room was also stunned by this close-up shot, and the comments section instantly became lively.

【Holy crap, who said they were setting up a CP? I was actually looking forward to it!】

【I’m dying of laughter! What kind of script is this?】

【Whispering, no wonder I felt a sense of security. Judging by his age and build, he’s definitely the oldest one here!】

【Hahaha, Ji Ansheng is really panicking. This can’t be part of the show’s plan. Did they switch him out last minute?】

Jiang Zijin was sitting right next to the uncle, propping his chin with one hand, watching their reactions with great interest.

“Hello, I’m a local guide from Venice. Today, we’ll be travel companions,” the uncle said excitedly, extending his hand.

Ji Ansheng’s face remained cold, and he had no intention of engaging with the uncle.

Jiang Zijin, never one to miss an opportunity to stir the pot, raised an eyebrow and casually translated for Ji Ansheng, “He said he’s a local guide, and today he’s your travel companion.”

Hearing this, Ji Ansheng’s expression worsened, and he turned to glare at his assistant.

The assistant looked flustered, hurriedly flipping through the seating chart he had just recorded.

No mistake! Jiang Zijin was clearly supposed to be in seat number 9.

How did he end up in seat number 10?

Jiang Zijin glanced at the assistant’s notebook, too lazy to expose their little game.

The show’s partition mechanism had been installed temporarily, and everyone had taken their seats before the partitions were closed.

He had indeed felt someone watching him earlier, but he assumed it was someone from the production team. He hadn’t expected it to be Ji Ansheng’s assistant.

He had initially sat in seat number 9, but there was quite a commotion outside the partition, and as soon as he touched the hand, he knew it wasn’t Lin Xingmian.

After he explicitly refused, they still chose him—it had to be intentional.

If they were openly cheating, then it wasn’t too much for him to switch seats, was it?

Ji Ansheng completely ignored the uncle, whose expression shifted slightly as he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

【Come on, even if Ji Ansheng doesn’t like the guy, he should at least show basic manners!】

【This is the first time I’ve seen an artist so blatantly show their displeasure. Is he really here to enjoy himself?】

【It’s obviously the show deliberately making things difficult for An Sheng. Why are you all blaming him?】

【Are you kidding? If you were paired with a Day Husband like this, could you even smile?】

【You’re all his maids, aren’t you? He’s here to work, not to actually fall in love! This activity is part of the job! Even if he doesn’t like it, he should at least show basic courtesy!】

“Alright, since you personally chose him, you’ll have to take him with you to complete today’s sightseeing and assigned tasks,” Director Wu interjected, his voice carrying a hint of warning.

If it weren’t for the live broadcast camera, Ji Ansheng would have really wanted to lose his temper on the spot.

However, the person was indeed chosen by himself, and it was he who requested the project to be expedited! Now, he could only swallow this bitter pill in silence.

Ji Ansheng, with a dark expression, sat with the “very secure” foreign uncle in the viewing area on the other side of the hall.

Jiang Zijin slowly stood up, surveying the surrounding lights.

He needed to find a spot with good lighting to sit, so he could showcase his perfect beauty to his wife.

……

“The first contestant, Ji Ansheng, has completed his selection. The next contestant may now enter,” came Director Wu’s voice over the walkie-talkie.

A staff member opened the door for Lin Xingmian, “Mr. Lin, it’s your turn.”

Lin Xingmian nodded and pushed the door open.

The room was quiet, except for a sharp reprimand.

In a corner not far away, Ji Ansheng sat on a chair with a displeased expression, scolding his assistant who was half-crouched beside him.

To Ji Ansheng’s right was a foreigner, whose expression was also not great.

What was going on? Did he not choose Jiang Zijin?

“Mr. Lin, there are 14 male contestants in front of you. You need to determine who your partner is from among them,” Director Wu reminded.

Lin Xingmian nodded and walked back and forth in front of the table.

To be honest, he was also quite confused.

He hadn’t carefully observed Jiang Zijin’s hands before, but he vaguely felt that they should be larger than his own.

Being of mixed heritage, his bone structure was larger than that of most locals.

He glanced around and locked onto a few targets.

He directly sat down in front of the 9th seat and carefully examined the other person’s hands.

Under the camera, Lin Xingmian’s eyelashes lightly drooped, his pale pink lips slightly pursed.

His slender, pale fingers moved back and forth over the other person’s hand, seemingly very serious in his observation.

【Mianmian is so serious, it seems he really wants to find “sister-in-law”】

【As a face and hand enthusiast, I don’t know where to look! So beautiful!!】

Lin Xingmian had observed the hands of the first three “suspicious individuals,” and now only seats 11 and 12 remained.

To eliminate faster, Lin Xingmian sat down in front of seat 11 and directly took the other person’s hand, his fingers sliding into the gaps between theirs.

The other person didn’t hesitate at all, naturally clasping his hand in return.

Lin Xingmian frowned slightly, let go of the hand, and sat down in front of seat 12.

The hand of seat 12 had distinct knuckles, and the fingernails were neatly trimmed, looking particularly pleasing.

The large hand naturally lay open on the table, the index finger’s knuckle unconsciously tapping the surface.

Lin Xingmian tentatively touched his fingers.

The other person’s fingers stopped moving.

Lin Xingmian continued, his fingertips sliding from the other person’s fingertips, across the webbing between thumb and index finger, to the palm.

There were thin calluses on the fingertips and the webbing, and the skin of the palm was rough.

In an instant, his mind flashed back to that hazy night.

He was held by a warm, rough hand, instantly stimulating him to shiver all over.

After just a few moments, he was lost in the misty white fog.

As if electrocuted, Lin Xingmian withdrew his hand.

But the next second, the large hand accurately grabbed his fingers, forcefully squeezing into the gaps between them and holding on tightly.

The other person’s temperature, the texture of their palm, the aggressive sense of intrusion actually gave him an unprecedented sense of certainty.

It was him.

A faint blush appeared on Lin Xingmian’s ears, and he coughed unnaturally twice.

He actually found the person based on this memory, wasn’t that a bit too absurd?

Under the camera, the usually aloof man showed a rare hint of shyness, his eyelashes fluttering.

Their pale, slender fingers intertwined with the other’s, the healthy wheat-colored skin starkly contrasting with the snow-white complexion.

【Damn, how can holding hands be so suggestive! That skin tone contrast!】

【Ahhh, the beauty is blushing!】

【For a moment, I couldn’t tell if it’s because I have too much dirty thoughts or if they’re just too innocent!】

They held hands for quite a while, and Lin Xingmian tried to break free.

However, the other person seemed to have no intention of letting go, firmly gripping the back of his hand, unmoving.

After several attempts to pull away, Lin Xingmian still couldn’t free himself.

He had no choice but to sit back down and reluctantly said, “Alright, it’s him, no changes.”

【Hahaha, is this some kind of forced sale?】

【This clinginess, there’s a 95% chance it’s Brother Jiang!】

【I’m not so sure, this person might just be here to cause trouble!】

“Alright then, Teacher Lin, move your face closer to the partition, we’re about to reveal it! Lin Xingmian’s travel partner for today, 3, 2…”

The partition lifted and quickly retreated.

His hair fluttered, those lazy eyes seemed to hide stars, and a confident smile hung on his lips.

“I’ve caught you.”