Chapter 3: The Three Pairs Least Likely to Become Friends Have Been Formed…

Jiang Yizhe completely believed what Shang Que had said. So, when he saw Lin Jinyi sulking alone in the corner, he wisely chose not to disturb her. Instead, he turned to Shang Que and complained, “Shang Que-jie, you have no idea how terrifying Lu Zhixu is! Before you arrived, he was constantly testing my basic acting skills. It felt like I was back in school, being called on by the teacher to perform on the spot.”

Hearing this, Shang Que glanced at the man sitting on the opposite sofa. Unlike Ji Jingchuan, who had strikingly sharp and aggressive features, Lu Zhixu had a classic, refined Chinese handsomeness. His features were well-proportioned, exuding a calm and dignified aura. Upon hearing Jiang Yizhe’s complaint, the corners of Lu Zhixu’s lips lifted slightly into a faint smile, clearly teasing his younger colleague.

Their eyes met mid-air, and Shang Que immediately understood the situation. Pretending to be mature, she asked, “Really? What did he test you on? Show me what you’ve learned with an impromptu performance.”

Jiang Yizhe looked horrified. “Shang Que-jie, how could you turn into one of those boring adults too?!”

【LMAO, little Golden Retriever’s world just collapsed.】
【To be fair, Lu Zhixu’s scenes with him earlier were actually quite good. Jiang Yizhe’s performance clearly improved under his guidance.】
【The weight of a senior’s love, LOL.】
【Shang Que also loves teasing him—confirmed little brother of the group!】
【Who doesn’t love a sunny golden retriever-type guy? Unlike some people whose personality is so terrible that everyone dislikes them.】
【Doesn’t matter if you like him or not, geniuses always stand against the world.】
【Ji Jingchuan’s fans are so easy to spot. They sound just as cryptic as he does.】
【Speaking of which, why haven’t Ji Jingchuan and Ning Sheng arrived yet? Did something happen on the way?】

At that moment, the director’s voice came through the walkie-talkie: “The other two guests have arrived at the next task location. Please head over to meet them now.”

Although no one understood what was happening, they got up and set off. On the way, they learned that the driver had taken a wrong turn and dropped Ji Jingchuan and Ning Sheng off at a neighboring villa. When the mistake was realized, the driver rushed back to pick them up, but Ji Jingchuan, having wandered aimlessly for half a day trying to find the recording location, had lost all patience and was now refusing to get in the car.

Fortunately, the next task location was nearby, so the director decided to skip the planned ice-breaking session at the villa and send the rest of the group over instead.

When they arrived, Ji Jingchuan was sitting slouched on his suitcase, arms crossed, brows furrowed, exuding an aura of pure frustration that could probably scare a passing child.

But there were no children around—only Ning Sheng, who had been dragged into this mess.

She stood across from him, dressed simply in a white shirt and jeans, her gentle features now carrying a faint expression of despair. When she saw the rest of the group arriving, she nearly teared up in joy and quickly waved. “Lu Zhixu! Shang Que!”

Shang Que was slightly surprised to hear her name but quickly realized why. Considering Ji Jingchuan’s infamous temper, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for Ning Sheng. Half amused, half pitying, she asked, “Did the director tell you what our next task is?”

Ning Sheng shook her head and hurriedly pulled her suitcase over, immediately blending into the group.

Even the live-stream viewers were surprised by their interaction.

【Since when were Ning Sheng and Shang Que so close? I thought they barely knew each other?】
【Oh my god, Ning Sheng is so enthusiastic towards Shang Que, who literally wrote CP fanfiction about her and Lu Zhixu. And she’s never denied the validity of that fanfic… Think about that. My hands are shaking as I type this.】
【?? CP fans have the most abstract thought processes.】
【Honestly, if anyone spends even a few minutes with Ji Jingchuan, everyone else must seem warm and lovable by comparison.】
【Bro, if Xu Xu and Sheng Sheng get married, you’re sitting at the bride’s side.】

Ji Jingchuan finally turned around at the sound of voices. The sunlight made him squint briefly, and when his vision adjusted, his gaze immediately landed on the fluffy brown-haired boy standing next to Shang Que.

So this was the guy who shamelessly commented “Jie! Jie!” under someone else’s sister’s Weibo posts? Ji Jingchuan scrutinized him with a critical stare, quickly coming to a conclusion:

Not even a tiny resemblance to Shang Que. Anyone who claimed they looked like real siblings needed to take advantage of hospital discount days and get their eyes and brains checked.

His lips tightened into a straight line, his cold expression looking like an incoming storm. Seeing this, the director quickly spoke up.

“Welcome, everyone, to Friendship’s Little Boat! Originally, we had a mini-game planned where you could choose your own partners. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, the production team will now assign the teams randomly.”

Of course, whether it was truly random was debatable—because they conveniently grouped the most controversial pair, Ji Jingchuan and Shang Que, together, along with the fan-favorite CP, Lu Zhixu and Ning Sheng.

The livestream chat was quick to respond.

【The show paired the two people least likely to be friends with each other and the two people least likely to be friends with each other.】
【Such profound use of Chinese.】
【One pair for romance, one pair for a lifelong grudge.】
【And one pair for a fan club meeting.】
【Not much better—Lin Jinyi is a solo stan and hates CPs.】
【Okay, I declare the formation of the three least likely friendships of the century!】

Once the teams were confirmed, the director immediately introduced their next task.

“As you can see, there is a small artificial lake ahead. Each team must row across to the other side. The order in which you arrive will determine your dinner for tonight. Important note! The last team will only get two plain steamed buns.”

The camera panned across the lake, showing three inflatable boats neatly docked by the shore, with a red banner marking the finish line on the opposite bank. The lake was man-made, with clear water and a shallow bottom—more like a large outdoor swimming pool.

Staff members handed out life jackets while the director emphasized, “There are no food supplies at the villa, so your dinner will entirely depend on your efforts.”

Ji Jingchuan remained motionless, making no attempt to cooperate. Jiang Yizhe tilted his head. “Aren’t you coming?”

Shang Que, now wearing a life jacket, walked past and casually answered, “He can’t swim.”

“Who said I can’t swim?!” Ji Jingchuan immediately shot back.

Jiang Yizhe, completely ignoring him, caught up to Shang Que and said earnestly, “Then Shang Que-jie, you should team up with us! I can swim. If you fall in, I can save you!”

Hearing that, Ji Jingchuan grew even angrier. “Who needs you to save her?! Shang Que is with me! Just take care of yourself!”

“But… you don’t know how to swim, right?” Jiang Yizhe scratched his head, genuinely concerned. “The water may be shallow, but it’s still dangerous if you can’t swim. Maybe you should just sit this one out. If we win, we’ll share our dinner with you.”

“Can’t Swim, Can’t Swim—Do You Have to Say It Twice? Scheming Broom-Head!”

Ji Jingchuan sneered. “This is a rowing competition. Are you already planning to drag Shang Que into the water? Besides, who can’t swim? Isn’t it just a matter of having arms and legs?”

Lin Jinyi, standing nearby, felt like she’d been hit by stray fire. Her face darkened instantly—so what if she had arms and legs but still couldn’t swim? Ji Jingchuan was truly insufferable!

Hearing him talk such big nonsense, Shang Que couldn’t help but turn her head and glance at him. Ji Jingchuan immediately puffed up his chest and spoke even louder. “I won a swimming competition back in elementary school!”

When Ji Jingchuan started elementary school, he shot up in height and quickly outgrew his peers. During a school swimming competition, the teacher, noticing his long arms and legs, selected him to represent the class.

There were eight second-graders competing. One tripped before even entering the water and withdrew, clutching their bruised backside. Two others had poor sense of direction and started swimming back the way they came halfway through the race. Among the remaining five, Ji Jingchuan took full advantage of his height, stood up in the 80cm-deep pool, and waded to the finish line while holding onto the lane divider. Miraculously, he placed third.

The process didn’t matter—what mattered was that he won a medal. Ji Jingchuan smirked smugly, waiting expectantly for praise.

But Shang Que completely ignored him. Instead, it was Jiang Yizhe who humored him. “Really? That means you have natural talent! I was so clumsy as a kid—I took three months just to learn how to stay afloat.”

Ji Jingchuan, who had actually spent three years trying and still couldn’t swim: …

A few minutes later, everyone else had boarded their boats. Ji Jingchuan, now wearing a life jacket, stepped up to the shore. He looked out at the shimmering lake, and his chest tightened slightly.

He stiffened his neck, took a few deep breaths to suppress the fear creeping up, clenched his fists, shut his eyes, and then—mustering all his courage—leaped toward the empty half of the inflatable boat.

Splash—

The boat dipped down with a jolt, sending a spray of water straight into Shang Que’s face. She wiped her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Did you just get those legs installed today? Are you here for physical therapy?”

Ji Jingchuan’s expression stiffened. He immediately shifted the blame. “What do you expect? My legs are too long! You’ve never had to deal with this kind of problem, have you?”

Shang Que sneered, lifting her oar. “If they’re too long, I can shorten them for you.”

“Hey—” Ji Jingchuan’s voice took on an infuriatingly teasing lilt. “Are you jealous that I inherited superior long-leg genes?”

[The friendship boat hasn’t even set sail yet, and it’s already sinking.]
[We used to watch them fight online, but seeing them bicker in person… why does it feel like an elementary school playground argument? Hahahaha!]
[Are they about to become the fastest pair in variety show history to fall out?]
[No way. Hate lasts longer than love. So many celebrity friendships fall apart in the industry, but Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan have been cursing each other out for two years straight.]
[Honestly, even if Shang Que tried to ignore him, Ji Jingchuan would still find ways to annoy her. There’s never a cooling-off period—it’s always high-energy aggression.]
[I hate to admit it, but this dynamic is kind of addicting.]
[You can ship other celebrities and people will call it ‘CP fandom,’ but if you ship Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan, people will just call you dumb.]

Sensing that their bickering was about to escalate, the director quickly announced the start of the race, adding a bit of extra motivation. “Everyone, do your best—for the big dinner tonight!”

The other two boats gently drifted away from shore, gradually getting the hang of rowing toward the finish line. Meanwhile, Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan were still locked in their standoff, using their oars as makeshift water-splashing weapons against each other.

The director, feeling a headache coming on, suddenly had a stroke of genius. He shouted, “The last-place team has to hold hands and make a heart pose for a photo!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the two who had just been fighting froze in perfect synchronization. Then, without another word, they jammed their oars into the water and began rowing with unmatched intensity.

[AHHHH I’M DYING LAUGHING. These two are truly sworn enemies.]
[Director, you’ve unlocked the ultimate cheat code for controlling them. Such a simple yet effective strategy!]
[Shang Que/Ji Jingchuan: Hold hands? Make a heart pose? And take a picture? ABSOLUTELY NOT!]
[In a way, their teamwork is terrifyingly seamless.]