Xie Wanxing had confirmed his participation in the popular variety show “Unexpected Encounter” a month ago.

The style of this program was quite flexible, inviting several guests each episode. One episode might feature a wilderness survival scenario, while the next could take guests to a luxurious party, known for catching its participants off guard.

Since its launch, “unexpected encounter” had maintained consistently high ratings, backed by Dongqing Entertainment. With its topics and hype, the selection of guests was always intriguing, and several episodes had gone viral.

When Lian Dan secured this variety show, she had made a point to remind Xie Wanxing to perform well before the program team arrived.

Xie Wanxing had just finished shooting a commercial, so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open, nodding off like a chick pecking at grains.

The “Unexpected encounter” program team had sent a car to pick him up, but the agents of all the guests couldn’t accompany them. So, Xie Wanxing waved to Lian Dan and Wang Xiaoming and climbed into the car by himself.

Once in the car, Xie Wanxing struck up a conversation with the cameraman. He was wearing a blue hoodie that day, and being only in his early twenties, he looked particularly youthful.

“Ge, do you happen to know who the other guests on our show are?”

The production team of “Unexpected Encounter” had always been adept at setting up interesting scenarios for the guests. Until filming began, the guests had no idea who their teammates would be for the four-day, five-night journey.

In a previous episode that garnered particularly high ratings, two A-list actresses were invited. They were known for their rivalry and competition for roles and resources. What made it even more dramatic was that they were the former and current partners of another male celebrity. As they say, enemies meeting was a sight to behold. The tension between them escalated from on-screen drama to off-screen confrontation. However, strangely enough, after the show, the two actresses reconciled and even teamed up to ditch the guy.

So Xie Wanxing was curious about who the other five guests would be.

In the industry, he didn’t have any particularly hostile relationships, but he couldn’t underestimate the production team’s inclination for drama. Selfishly, he hoped to see familiar faces among the guests to make these few days more enjoyable.

The cameraman behind the lens chuckled and shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Xie Wanxing felt a bit regretful but didn’t inquire further.

He pulled his cap down and began to relax with his eyes closed.

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Upon reaching their destination, Xie Wanxing was surprised to find that he was the first to arrive. In the room, besides him, there was only the host, Han Jiujin. Han Jiujin was quite talkative, and Xie Wanxing knew him. The two of them huddled in a corner, munching on melon seeds while waiting for the others.

The cameraman filmed them for a while, feeling a strange sensation—as if he wasn’t filming two glamorous stars but two old men chatting in the village.

About twenty minutes later, the second person arrived.

It was Zhou Ying, a member of the popular idol group River. At 19 years old, he debuted on a talent show and was known for his cute and innocent appearance. He was not only a favorite among fans but also a frequent guest on variety shows.

Xie Wanxing raised his hand in greeting. He and Zhou Ying had appeared on a show together before and were considered old comrades.

Zhou Ying dragged a large suitcase over and plopped down next to Xie Wanxing, immediately joining in the conversation. “It was not easy for me to come out. The production team insisted that I keep my whereabouts secret. I had to lie to my teammates, saying I was going abroad for a photoshoot… I’ll probably get beaten up when I go back.”

However, Xie Wanxing sensed something amiss from his words. “They made you keep it a secret from your teammates? Aren’t any of them coming with you?”

“Nope,” Zhou Ying innocently munched on melon seeds. “Xiaoqi and the captain are filming, and Wu Ran… Wu Ran said he’s going for closed training?”

Han Jiujin chuckled nearby.

Xie Wanxing laughed along.

They both knew who the third guest was.

Five minutes later, the door of the room was pushed open again, and the rumored “closed training” Wu Ran walked in wearing all black, carrying a suitcase similar to Zhou Ying’s. He calmly greeted everyone.

Zhou Ying almost dropped his melon seeds.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in closed training?” he yelled at Wu Ran.

Wu Ran glanced at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going abroad for a photoshoot?”

Zhou Ying fell silent.

He begrudgingly continued munching on melon seeds, finally understanding. “You guessed I was coming on this show too, didn’t you?”

Wu Ran sat down beside him, a hint of a smile finally appearing on his face, not denying it.

Zhou Ying felt even more annoyed.

After all the effort he put into hiding, what was the point?

Xie Wanxing watched this pair of teammates chatting and understood that they were the ones who would drive the topic for this episode.

Although Zhou Ying and Wu Ran were teammates, their fans were complete opposites. Both of them were of similar age and popularity within the group. Fans would often get into conflicts on their behalf. What made matters worse was that during a previous filming, although they weren’t shooting at the same time, their schedules clashed. Their character designs were also similar, leading to constant comparisons by marketing accounts. While fans publicly claimed to support both, behind the scenes, they engaged in heated arguments.

In the same month, rumors surfaced that they were competing for the same endorsement deal. There were even reports of them getting into a physical altercation at the company. Fans were thoroughly brainwashed into believing that the two were not on good terms, and any harmony between them was just for show.

This feud had already begun.

Whenever the two appeared together, fans would engage in heated arguments.

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The fourth and fifth guests were two actresses: one was the up-and-coming actress Xiao Jia, who had been in the spotlight recently, and the other was the model Yuan Xier, who was transitioning into the film industry.

Although Xiao Jia had been embroiled in numerous scandals, she was actually quite lively and easy to get along with. On the other hand, Yuan Xier appeared much colder and had barely spoken since she arrived.

Xie Wanxing glanced at the time, estimating that the last guest would arrive soon.

Resting his chin on his hand, he waited with boredom, not expecting the last guest to bring any surprises. The key personalities were already present.

However, he was soon proven wrong by the production team.

When the last guest arrived, everyone displayed anticipation, speculating about their identity. Han Jiujin even provided a hint, saying that this guest was a first-time participant in variety shows.

Xie Wanxing joined in the random guessing with everyone else.

Before he could finish speaking, the door was pushed open once again.

A tall figure emerged from behind the door, with a buzz cut and wearing a thin black trench coat. With long legs and a well-built physique, coupled with a sharp and handsome face, he appeared very intimidating.

Han Jiujin enthusiastically announced, “Let’s welcome our final guest—Fu Wenshan!”

Xie Wanxing crushed a sunflower seed with a click.

And Fu Wenshan also locked eyes with him amidst the crowd.

The air suddenly grew quiet.

Fu Wenshan’s hand was still on the door handle, his face expressionless as he met Xie Wanxing’s gaze. But inside, he wanted to slam the door shut and check if he had walked into the wrong room.