CHAPTER 20: An Argument

Gu Sheng didn’t know whether it was “romantic” or not.

What she did know was that flick felt damn satisfying.

“Ding—”

“Congratulations, host. Pain relief successful √ Random reward dropped: [Increased Wealth Luck]~”

Gu Sheng: “Oh? Not a duo reward this time?”

The system pretended to twiddle its fingers and look away.

Gu Sheng remembered the last reward she got—‘the legendary cringe moment that went down in history’. Sure, it made her go viral, but it was still pretty painful in its own right.

This new wealth luck one was way more practical. That forehead flick had definitely been worth it.

She glanced at Wen Heng, who was silently rubbing his forehead.

—What? Not happy?

Last time after filming Farewell to You, netizens were raving about “battle-damaged Wen Heng forever yyds.” She was just giving them what they wanted! Manually gave him a damage buff!

Wen Heng, his forehead still red and swollen: “…”

This time the pain level was pretty mild—being unconscious dulled the sensation. But the fact that Gu Sheng had clearly chosen the most violent way to wake him up instead of anything else… Wen Heng now wasn’t just doubting whether she still loved him.

He was starting to wonder if she had ever loved him at all…!

When the CP fans finally calmed down, they also noticed something strange—their expressions didn’t look anything like two people who had just kissed. Both faces were perfectly composed.

And considering Wen Heng’s red and swollen forehead… based on their height difference, could Gu Sheng even reach that spot to kiss it??

[So what the heck happened under that umbrella!]
[There’s no way Voice-jie hit him, right hahaha]
[Please, just release the footage already, I’m begging qaq]

Of course the production team wanted to release it—but if Wen Heng hadn’t brought them to that hidden lake behind the hotel, they wouldn’t even have known about it, let alone had time to set up cameras!

But honestly, this kind of ambiguous, foggy, maybe-something-happened feel was even better. Just look at the barrage of comments flooding the livestream—exactly the kind of buzz the directors wanted.

CP fans had the most vivid imaginations. They’d invent the sugar themselves!

—

After Wen Sheng’s segment, the other couples started arriving at the hotel. Wang He and Lü Yuzhuo were next. Their old-school romance was steady and low-key—they didn’t say much sweet talk to the camera, nor did they do anything particularly heart-fluttering. But when they simply thanked each other for so many years of companionship, the audience was genuinely touched.

When all four couples had arrived, everyone gathered again at the hotel entrance. The rain in Lotus City was still falling, but it didn’t dampen the viewers’ excitement.

“Welcome everyone to the beautiful seaside city of Lotus! Our third livestream recording of The Four Laws of Happiness officially kicks off tonight~ After the earlier segment, you’ve probably gotten a feel for this episode’s theme! This time, we’re creating romance—going on dates in the city and letting your partner truly feel your love~”

Song Qingzhi was holding a few flowers, gazing affectionately at Qin Tian: “I already feel it.”

Qin Tian looked back with equal tenderness: “Qingzhi, this is nothing.”

The two of them lived up to the romance reality show label. Wang He laughed and teased, “You two are definitely the sweetest.”

But standing beside them, Lu Yiyi glanced at Song Qingzhi and Qin Tian. It was obvious to her that they were a business couple, just like her and Yu Shanbei. And frankly, the whole “flowers in the trunk” thing was pretty cliché too.

Her hair was still wet, and she looked over at the equally dripping idiot beside her—Yu Shanbei—then sighed internally, and couldn’t help but scream in her heart: Look at Gu Sheng-jie and Wen God, okay?!

Lake-side dates and everything! It’s like a scene out of a fantasy!

Now look at the two of them, soaked like stray dogs!
They didn’t deserve to be in the same frame as Wen Sheng!

The camera caught all the expressions from each couple, and the director continued laying out the rules: “I wonder if any of our guests—or our viewers—have thought about why this episode’s theme is ‘Creating Romance’ instead of just ‘Romance’?”

[Oh right! I always thought that wording was weird]
[I figured it meant they had to ‘perform’ romance lol]

The production team played coy for a moment before revealing the twist: “It’s because romance really does need to be created! For this round of ‘dating,’ each couple will only be allowed to use the funds provided by the show. You can’t use your own mobile payment!”

The initial amount would be drawn right away.

As soon as the guests heard the rule, a wave of groans swept through the group.

—With this show’s usual antics, someone was definitely gonna draw a pitiful amount of money! And now they had to live and be romantic on basically nothing?! Romantic your ass!

The fans in the livestream chat quickly caught on and started “casting spells” online:

[Wen God, you wouldn’t let your wife go hungry, right?! Please be lucky, ahhhhh!]
[I’m begging you, Mama’s good son, please have a good hand! Don’t make our girl eat dirt!]
[Please please please [hands clasped in prayer]]

Wen Heng didn’t react much, but beside him, Gu Sheng slowly revealed a mysterious smile.

— Fortune! Wealth! She understood it now!

“But everyone, don’t worry too much,” the director continued, “Besides the starting funds, there’ll be games and missions during filming that can help you earn more money~” He waved to his assistant, and several staff members walked over holding boxes. “Now, let’s begin our lucky draw! There are eight envelopes in here, and the amounts inside are all different!”

The guests all looked tense—after all, this would directly affect their survival over the next two days.

As they drew envelopes, the director explained to both the guests and viewers, “Our money distribution goes like this: the highest and lowest amounts differ by a factor of a thousand. Only the person who draws the envelope will know the exact amount, and whether couples choose to share that information is totally up to them~”

[WTF! This show is savage! A thousand times difference?!]
[Don’t tell me someone’s gonna draw just ten cents??]
[They wouldn’t be that heartless, right?? What if both people in a couple draw super low? Are they supposed to starve?!]

The atmosphere immediately grew weirdly competitive.

Those who had already drawn their envelopes peeked quickly at the amounts and then swiftly tucked them away, doing their best to keep a neutral expression so no one else could guess. Viewers were all tearing their hair out trying to guess the amounts—this was peak entertainment.

Finally, it was Gu Sheng and Wen Heng’s turn to draw. Wen Heng glanced at his amount and casually put the envelope away, his expression calm as ever. Gu Sheng, watching him, thought: This dog of a man sure hides things deep. Can’t tell at all whether it’s a lot or a little. She couldn’t help but purse her lips.

Then it was her turn. Even though she had a hunch, she still felt a little nervous.

She drew an envelope, turned away from the others, opened it—

[5000 yuan]

Gu Sheng: ohhhhhhhhhh——!!

System! You finally did something right!

But she didn’t let even a hint of emotion show. Instantly switching on her top-tier expression control, she acted out the perfect combination of “I don’t have much money, I’m so worried, but I’m trying not to show it.”

[Noooo, sis must’ve drawn a tiny amount]
[Damn this show, don’t let my girl go hungry!!!]
[Hope Wen God got a big one, sob sob, make sure wifey eats well, drinks well, and lives well!]

All four couples had finished drawing, and everyone had a different look on their face. Meanwhile, on livestreams and Weibo, fans were placing bets on who got how much. The hashtag #TheLawsOfHappinessLuckyDraw shot up the trending chart purely from organic buzz.

“Has everyone looked at their amounts?” the director smiled at the group. “Then listen carefully to the next requirement: after receiving your funds, each guest must fulfill three wishes from their partner~ Of course, if you don’t have money, they can be non-monetary wishes~”

[LOL this is worded so sadly]
[The guys can be poor, but don’t blame us if we lose respect for you lmaooo]

“A friendly reminder: on the final night, for ‘Couple’s Night,’ your accommodation and dinner standards will depend entirely on how much money you’ve saved. Whether you can spend a romantic night together and win over the entire internet audience… will be up to you~”

[Ohhh I can’t wait for this]
[I’m skipping straight to my CP in bed [BEEP]——]
[Girl up there, be bolder, same here!]
[AHHHHH!!!]

…

The guests, who had been holding it in all the way from the draw, finally returned to the hotel, envelopes in hand. As soon as they got into their rooms, the masks came off.

Yu Shanbei was bouncing around the room—he absolutely radiated “sudden riches” energy and couldn’t hide it at all.

—He had drawn 800 yuan!!

Even if it wasn’t the highest, it definitely wasn’t low either. So even if Yiyi only had a few dozen bucks, the two of them could at least live decently!

He ducked away from the room’s fixed camera, turned off his mic, and secretly asked Lu Yiyi, “How much did you get?”

Lu Yiyi looked at his 800, finally let out a long sigh of relief, then pulled out her envelope:

[8 yuan]

Yu Shanbei: ???
Lu Yiyi: bitter smile.

In the room next door, Song Qingzhi and Qin Tian had also just revealed their amounts.

One had 200, the other had 50.

Combined: a neat 250.

“….” Song Qingzhi closed her eyes, trying not to lose her temper. But inside she was cursing Qin Tian for being useless. He didn’t even have luck on his side!

The 200 was hers! Qin Tian’s 50 was just dead weight!

She immediately began thinking about how to pull off romantic displays of affection without spending money, and secretly prayed that Gu Sheng didn’t get too much—otherwise, she’d be stressed beyond belief!

She tried to recall Gu Sheng’s expression during the draw. Vaguely remembered that it was a bit complicated—so probably not that much, right?

Meanwhile, Gu Sheng was strolling along at a relaxed pace, wearing a perfectly sorrowful look on her face.

The camera crew followed only up to the hotel room door; once they entered, only the fixed camera inside would remain. Just before going in, Gu Sheng left the viewers with a subtly troubled but stunning profile shot, then swiped open the door.

[Sis, don’t worry!]
[Quick, quick, time to combine funds as a couple!!]
[Looking at how calm Wen Ge is, it probably wasn’t a small amount!]

Gu Sheng was holding onto a massive fortune, but had no intention of coming clean to Wen Heng—are you kidding? If that dog of a man found out how much she had, he might make outrageous demands for those three wishes, and then she’d totally get ripped off!

Scheming in her heart, Gu Sheng sighed dramatically and asked in a quiet voice, “Did you… get a lot?”

At that moment, Wen Heng had just received a cold pack from the crew’s medical team to reduce the swelling on his forehead.

His black hair was pushed back, revealing a pale, smooth forehead. The icy pack pressed against it only made him seem more like a frozen lake high in the mountains.

Gu Sheng rarely felt a trace of guilt, but quickly stiffened up again—if she hadn’t smacked him just now, that damn man would still be unconscious!

Besides, she’d drawn five thousand! Five thousand! She could totally do whatever she wanted these next two days. Wen Heng would have to rely on her for food—watching her mood!

With that in mind, Gu Sheng immediately felt justified and confident again.

Putting her acting skills to good use, she lowered her long lashes and said firmly with a face full of resolve, “It’s fine. I won’t ask for anything over the top.” —So you better not either! Not a word!

Wen Heng looked at her wilted expression and, for some reason, raised a finger, wanting to poke her cheek. But then he remembered he’d been holding an ice pack—his fingers were still cold—so he put it down.

He asked, “What, did you draw a really small amount?”

Gu Sheng was a little surprised at his tone. She thought, Huh, this dog of a man sounds like someone with money?

She kept a low profile, drooped her head and said, “It’s okay, I guess.”

—“Okay,” as in, couldn’t be worse.

Wen Heng nodded, not asking for the exact number. He took off the ice pack and gently patted Gu Sheng on the head. “It’s fine.”

That one motion sent the audience reeling.

[Ahhhh head pat!!]
[I wanna be head-patted by Wen Ge tooooo]
[So sweet so sweet! That feeling of being cherished 55555]

Gu Sheng blinked.

She was a little taken aback by Wen Heng. Wait a second—could it be that Wen Heng really drew more money than she did?

She had thought five thousand was the max. Assuming there was a thousandfold range, the lowest could be five yuan, which kind of made sense.

But looking at Wen Heng’s calm demeanor—and considering he’s the male lead, basically the king of good fortune—it wasn’t impossible that he’d drawn the highest amount, right…?

So Gu Sheng asked uncertainly, “Then… I’ll be counting on you?”

“Mm,” Wen Heng said. “Count away.”

…

That night, the couples drifted into sleep, each with their own thoughts.

Gu Sheng slept pretty soundly, but she had a dream. In it, there was a pale-skinned, devastatingly handsome vampire who sank his teeth into her neck.

Gu Sheng said, “Don’t suck my blood!”

The vampire said, “But you’ve got a lot of it.”

Gu Sheng grabbed his hair and tried to hit him, but the guy was too tall. In the end, she jumped up and smacked him in the forehead.

The vampire let out a pained groan: “You hit my head again.”

And then Gu Sheng woke up.

Daylight was already pouring in. A new day had begun.

She sat up and looked at Wen Heng, who was still sleeping on the other side of the bed—pale skin, handsome face, and a small red spot on his forehead.

For some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to kick him.