CHAPTER 6: It Hurts

Room 1 was the last to emerge, but the impact? Absolutely explosive.

Before them, each couple’s “school-themed” outfit reveal had their own surprises.

The Shanlu couple played it safe. Lu Yiyi rocked a retro denim jacket and a mini skirt, and Yu Shanbei even managed to find her a cowboy hat to match. She dressed him in coordinated colors too, but unfortunately, the clothes were clearly too small—he looked like he’d been squeezed into them. The comments section erupted with fans calling him “mama’s oversized baby boy!”

Wang He and Lu Yuzhuo came out next, clearly regretting everything. Wang He looked like a try-hard boyband member, with chunky rings and silver chains, while Lu Yuzhuo went full-on girl group mode with a tight top and a micro mini. The awkward mismatch was so intense it had the audience howling with secondhand embarrassment.

So when Song Qingzhi finally stepped out of her room and saw everyone else, she was smug as hell. She wore a button-down shirt layered under a knit vest, paired with a plaid mini skirt—classic schoolgirl look. Qin Tian had a matching shirt and slacks, giving them textbook “campus couple” vibes.

[“Ahhh they’re perfect together!”]
[“Qingzhi and Qin Tian are human candy dispensers! Look at how lovingly he looks at her!”]

The livestream chat was blowing up with praise for the #QingTianCouple… until the door to Room 1 opened.

Wen Heng and Gu Sheng stood side by side, completely expressionless, staring into the live camera.

Instantly, the comment section was annihilated with:

[“HAHAHAHAHA” spam fills the screen]
[“Wen bro what the hell lmaooo”]
[“Is this supposed to be Japanese style?? Hahahahaha”]
[“Did they get into a fight or something??”]
[“This has to be sabotage—who styled who??”]

[“Wait, are we just gonna ignore that Gu Sheng drew a mustache on my guy??”]
[“It’s just a meme, chill. Also, let’s be real, neither of them is acting normal today lol”]
[“Anyone still pushing the ‘Gu Sheng is obsessed with Wen Heng’ narrative, please sit down HAHAHAHA”]

On set, the reactions were no different. QingTian and WangLu couples looked utterly stunned. Shanlu’s expressions were exactly what everyone online was feeling.

Lu Yiyi bit her lip, trying desperately not to laugh, then glanced at Yu Shanbei—who was clearly losing the same battle. The moment their eyes met, it was over.

“Pffft—”

They both burst out laughing, and Lu Yiyi even gave him a few playful punches, trying to get it under control.

The screenshot of them stifling laughter—ShanluHoldingItTogether.jpg—immediately became a meme across the internet. Just seeing it reminded everyone what had them cracking up in the first place.

Gu Sheng couldn’t see the bullet comments, but she could hear the system’s excited voice.

CP System: “I’m SHIPPING this so hard!! Love-hate power couples forever! Sksksksk—”

Gu Sheng: “…Is something wrong with you?”

Once every group had shown off their looks, it was time for promo shots.

“Mr. Wen, Miss Gu,” said the cameraman as he walked over—then paused, clearly struggling not to laugh. He turned his head, chuckled, and finally added, “I’m here to get your shots.”

Even though they were both annoyed, Wen Heng and Gu Sheng were professionals.

So in the official photo, neither of them used their actual expressions: Gu Sheng turned sideways, hand covering half her face like a bored teen. Wen Heng crossed his arms, all aloof and icy, trying to cancel out the cutesy vibe of his outfit with pure unapproachable energy.

Everything about them screamed “This is not me.”
But weirdly enough… they still nailed the theme.

The cameraman was shaking with suppressed laughter the entire time.
The director’s team? Cackling like hyenas.

Wen Heng and Gu Sheng’s completely unhinged outfits had taken the show’s entertainment factor to the next level. Watching the live audience go absolutely feral, the director thoughtfully stroked his chin.

Had audience tastes changed? Were people over the sweet, perfectly packaged love stories? Did they actually prefer these… spicy weirdos?

Nearby, the assistant director clutched their mouth, silently screaming what every shipper online was thinking:

This is candy. THIS IS CANDY!!

Who else but Gu Sheng would dare give Wen Heng a meme makeover?

Who else could get the nation’s top star to sacrifice his dignity for “fashion” in the name of art?

This wasn’t just banter—it was a declaration.

Only you. It could only ever be you.

AHHHH!!

—

Because the show was livestreamed, the Four Laws of Love production team moved lightning-fast. Edited highlight clips were already up on the official account, and voting was open to the public. The audience felt like they were truly part of the action. In no time, viewers were flocking to vote en masse.

Back in the room, Wen Heng had already scrubbed his face clean—particularly scrubbing that one very targeted area.

Gu Sheng had changed too, back to her usual laid-back style.

Their eyes met across the room for a brief second—then they both looked away.

Gu Sheng: Tch. Men.

Wen Heng: …Does this woman even like me that much?

As they waited for the voting results, the director’s voice came over the intercom with the next activity rundown.

The first recording spanned two days, and now only half a day remained. Though Four Laws of Love was branded as a slow-paced romance show, its real goal was to show down-to-earth glimpses into celebrity couples’ daily lives. And nothing screams “relatable” like a group cooking task.

Yep, the good old reality show classic.
Time to show off kitchen skills, flirt while chopping veggies, bond over meals, and wrap up the episode with emotional reflections.

Gu Sheng let out a dramatic sigh. She’d seen this formula a thousand times.

A few minutes later, the director’s voice returned:

“Everyone, the results of the vote are in, and I have them in my hands!”

Wen Heng, meanwhile, had completely made peace with life.

Sure, the look had been… rough. But maybe that was for the best.

If they’d won and had to do a couple’s magazine cover together, his career might’ve taken a bigger hit than the mustache ever could.

Just then, Wen Heng’s phone chimed with a new WeChat message.

Agent: [You two just blew up the vote count.]

Wen Heng: ?

Right on cue, the director’s voice rang out over the loudspeaker:
“…Let’s all congratulate Wen Heng and Gu Sheng!”

Wen Heng & Gu Sheng: “…”

….

It took Wen Heng a moment to process what had just happened.

“Don’t worry too much about the quality,” his agent said over the phone. “Sure, some fans are grumbling, but landing a ‘Golden September’ cover isn’t a bad thing. I’ll give a heads-up to the VOL team—we’ll have Mr. Xu do the shoot. He can help guide Gu Sheng a bit.”

Honestly, this was exactly why Wen Heng’s fans were upset.

He’d always done solo covers unless it was with A-list collaborators or international supermodels. Fans loved collecting his spreads, appreciating his sharp fashion sense and clean visuals.

But Gu Sheng?

Some girl who probably only knew how to use Meitu filters? Now she was going to share a frame with him? Was she trying to embarrass herself and drag him down while she was at it?

When Wen Heng returned to the room and saw Gu Sheng lounging around looking unbothered, he frowned.

“If we’re going to be working together,” he said, breaking the silence—the cameras were off at the moment—“I hope you’ll take the time to learn some basics about studio shooting. Otherwise, that cover won’t be worth the fans’ money.”

Gu Sheng blinked.

Then, to the system: “Excuse me? I’m a cover queen myself and he’s looking down on me? This guy gets one night without pain and suddenly he thinks he’s invincible!”

System: “Um… technically, it hasn’t been that long.”

Wen Heng stood there, looking down at her like a judge with that cold, unreadable expression. “Also, just to be clear, this joint cover doesn’t mean anything. Don’t read too much into it.”

He’d barely finished when—

BEEP——

Wen Heng froze.

His gaze happened to land on Gu Sheng, who blinked her pretty peach blossom eyes at him, innocent as can be. She seemed completely unaware of what had just happened.

But Gu Sheng heard it loud and clear:

[Affection Level: 0.5. Throat inflammation. Pain Level: 4.]

Ha! Serves you right, you smug bastard! she thought gleefully. Keep acting like you’re all high and mighty! See where it gets you!

Wen Heng shut his eyes for a brief second, managing to keep a straight face.

Then he opened his mouth and tried to speak—
“E—”

Gu Sheng: “?”

Silence.

After a moment, Wen Heng clenched his fists. Pain Level 4—manageable.

But…

Now he couldn’t talk.

Fuck.

….

That evening, all the guests gathered in the kitchen and dining area.

Song Qingzhi hadn’t managed to stir up much buzz this episode, so she was betting everything on her cooking. She’d guessed this segment would show up and had secretly practiced several dishes—specifically so she could outshine Gu Sheng.

After all, someone like Gu Sheng, pampered heiress of a rich family, couldn’t possibly cook for herself… right?

“I’ll handle the whole meal,” Song Qingzhi offered cheerfully. Wang He and Lü Yuzhuo, both decent cooks, were relegated to kitchen assistants. The rest of the guests rushed to help with washing veggies, peeling, chopping—no one wanted to get called out by viewers for slacking off.

Gu Sheng didn’t fight to join in.

To be exact—she didn’t care to.

Song Qingzhi casually glanced her way while carrying a spice rack, then flashed a sweet smile. “It’s totally okay if you don’t know how to cook, Gu-jie. I’m not great either—hope you won’t mind if the food isn’t perfect.”

A classic white lotus move—painting herself as humble while implying Gu Sheng couldn’t cook and was just sitting around waiting to eat. It also planted the idea that Gu Sheng, as a rich girl, would probably be picky and hard to please.

In the original storyline, the old Gu Sheng had taken the bait and insisted on a cook-off. But her food turned out so bad that no one touched it, and she became the butt of internet jokes for weeks.

This time, Gu Sheng stayed quiet. She glanced around the room—and got an idea.

“Where’s Gu Sheng going?” Lu Yiyi craned her neck, watching her leave.

Song Qingzhi’s smile deepened. “Maybe she didn’t want to get in the way, so she stepped out.”

Lu Yiyi shrugged, then turned around—only to see Yu Shanbei scurry back into the kitchen.

“Where did you run off to?” she asked.

Yu Shanbei: “I went to pick some scallions and ran into Wen-ge!”

But seriously, Wen-ge was terrifying!

Just stood there without saying a word. Even when spoken to, he didn’t respond.

Creepy!

….

An hour later.

Five dishes and one soup were set on the table.

Though not all of them were made by Song Qingzhi, she had clearly done the lion’s share and was basking in the praise.

She gave a modest smile. “They’re just simple home-cooked meals, nothing fancy…”

“You did great!”
“Yeah, you really worked hard!”

“Everyone’s here, let’s eat—wait, where’s Gu Sheng?”

As people looked around and realized she wasn’t there, all eyes instinctively turned to Wen Heng.

But he remained silent, as if Gu Sheng’s absence meant nothing to him. To the others, it looked like he didn’t care about her at all.

Song Qingzhi was secretly thrilled, but outwardly she put on a worried face. “Gu-jie wouldn’t be skipping the meal just because she didn’t help, right…?”

Just then, someone swept into the room from the corner.

Gu Sheng strode in like she owned the place, holding something in her arms. “Sorry I’m late—I was prepping dessert.”

She walked up to the table and placed her masterpiece down with a flourish.

It was a watermelon.

But not just any watermelon—this one had been carved with incredible precision, sliced into delicate, petal-thin pieces. The red flesh and white rind had been arranged into a stunning, blooming peony.

The entire room went silent, then—

“Holy crap,” Yu Shanbei gave her a big thumbs-up. “Sis, that’s insane!”

The live audience, who had watched Gu Sheng carve it in real time, went wild:

[66666]
[Who said heiresses can’t contribute in the kitchen lmao]

[Why does this home-cooked meal suddenly look so fancy?]

Gu Sheng glanced over at Song Qingzhi, whose expression had completely frozen. Seriously? What’s the point of making delicious food if the audience can’t smell or taste it?

It’s all about the visuals. That’s what sells on variety shows. √

…

Once everyone was seated, dinner officially began.

Wang He passed out the utensils, handing some to Wen Heng, who simply nodded in thanks without a word.

Gu Sheng stole a quick look at him—and suddenly realized something was off.

Level 4 pain, by Wen Heng’s standards, shouldn’t be a big deal. But he’d barely touched his chopsticks. Just drinking water the whole time. The others were eating and chatting away, and whenever someone brought him into the conversation, all he did was nod or offer a faint smile.

It wasn’t that Wen Heng didn’t want to talk.

He literally couldn’t. With his current vocal cord situation, all he could manage were one-syllable grunts like “mm.”

Song Qingzhi asked, “Wen-ge, are you not eating? Not your taste?”

“…” Wen Heng went silent, then responded with a simple, “Mm.”

Song Qingzhi: “……”

Gu Sheng almost burst out laughing.

She suddenly realized—Wen Heng’s lost his voice.

This dog of a man had the nerve to lecture her earlier about not getting any wrong ideas, and now here he was, paying the price. Instant karma.

The table fell into an awkward silence. Wang He tried to smooth things over when he noticed Wen Heng’s expression. “Maybe Wen-ge’s not feeling well? Honestly, I think Song’s cooking is pretty good.”

Wen Heng nodded again. “Mm.”

Still couldn’t eat. Just kept sipping water.

Eventually, he reluctantly lowered himself to munching on the watermelon Gu Sheng had carved.

Gu Sheng whispered to the system, “Ugh, this tension is unbearable. I’ll help him out.”

The system practically burst into tears: 「Aww! You’re finally making your move! Go! Hold his hand, now！」

And Gu Sheng did reach out.

To take the watermelon right out of Wen Heng’s hand.

She said sweetly, “Honey, you’re not feeling well. Better not eat too much cold fruit.”

Wen Heng had been silently enduring, but his brow suddenly twitched.

Experience told him: Never let Gu Sheng try to “help.”

But with no voice and no way to stop her, he was powerless.

And then Gu Sheng, in front of everyone, blurted out at full volume, “Otherwise you’ll end up running to the bathroom again!”

“?”

“???”

Wait… is that why Wen Heng’s not feeling well? Because of… that?

Wen Heng: “…”

Wen Heng: sjd#%es*

Who gave you the right to use the word “again”?!!