The wind shrieked in their ears, but Shao Yinan's voice cut through it, steady and low as ever.
"Happy."
Wen Yin's normally cool, unreadable black eyes narrowed just slightly; the faint crescent of a smile made her look unexpectedly playful. The satisfaction in her tone spread warm and full, and it filled Shao Yinan up like sunlight into a hollow.
The sled came to a slow stop. Both of them were pink-cheeked from the cold—and from the thrill; a fine film of sweat had gathered at the bridge of Wen Yin's nose. Shao's hand twitched, then he let go, smiling softly. "Let's go back. It's freezing out here."
Live chat blew up at once:
- What kind of celestial ship is this?!
- Right?! Wen Yin glanced once and Shao just knew. This is the ultimate filial boyfriend!
- Love them so much!
- Get married. Right now. On the spot.
- You can see how hard Shao's trying to win her over!
- Let's all scream: Be together! Be together!
He helped her off the sled and they walked side by side toward the little cabin. Wen Yin tucked half her face into her scarf; only her bright eyes were visible, fixed on Shao without blinking.
"Thank you." Her cheeks were still warm.
When she said his name—"Shao Yinan"—it landed soft and intimate. For a breathless second his heart missed a beat. He'd never heard his name sound so good.
By the time they reached the cabin, the other guests were already gathered. A chunky toy crocodile sat on the round table like an awkward centerpiece, and behind them a projector screen hung black.
Qian Shuzhi immediately went on the attack the moment she saw Wen Yin and Shao walk in, her tone all syruped-acid. "Wen, what a good mood—you two were out playing forever."
"And you made Yinan late getting back."
Wen Yin didn't dignify the jibe with a response; she let Qian stand there and look foolish. That only made Qian angrier. She forced a tight smile, teeth clenched. "Wen, you really are lucky."
The director, cheerful as ever, announced the rules. "Each guest will press one of the crocodile's teeth in order. If the croc bites you, you'll have to pick a question from the live chat to answer. Fans, type your questions in the chat now—the guests will draw from them at random."
- OMG they're letting fans pick questions?!
- Love this!
- I'm already thinking of what to ask!
- Hope everyone loses so we can grill them all hahahaha!
- When will Wife Wen marry me? [doge]
- Don't be delusional—ask Shao Yinan when he's going to marry Wen Yin!
- 'Only Heart' has to be real!
- I wonder if Zhizhi will draw mine hehe
Wen Zhi picked the crocodile up to inspect it. It was a popular toy—press the teeth and the croc's bite timing was unpredictable. Pure luck.
They started in order. Li Xiangwei pressed a tooth; nothing. Wen Yin pressed hers gently and avoided being snapped. Shao scanned the remaining teeth, picked one at random—then the crocodile snapped shut.
Lu Ziqiu raised an eyebrow, teasing. "Looks like your luck's not great, Shao."
Shao didn't flinch. "You'd judge my luck on a single bite?"
His calm comeback had the room leaning; Lu bristled but had nothing to fire back.
The projector flickered to life, a stream of comments rolling across the screen faster than the eye could follow. According to the rules, whoever drew the screenshot had to answer the third question on it. Shao, squinting at the blur of chat, said "Stop." A screenshot froze on screen.
He read the third question, lips low. "Is the 'Only Heart'—the whole 'one true spark' idea—real?"
Shao checked the live comments sometimes himself; he knew exactly what that label meant for fans. His gaze dipped toward Wen Yin without thinking. Wen Yin was still considering the question, apparently puzzled by it—she didn't surf fan forums the way the others did.
Qian's face went a touch pale when she saw where Shao's eyes landed. Shao gave a soft, amused chuckle and answered smoothly, keeping things measured. "We haven't reached the end of the show yet. You'll just have to wait and see."
Instant explosion in chat:
- He's smiling! It must be true!
- I second that! He looked at Wen Yin automatically!
- Marry them now!!!! [screaming]
Before Wen Yin could react, Qian plastered on a grin and shoved the game along. "Next round, next round."
The round ended quickly. Now it was Wen Zhi's turn. She wore an innocent, doe-eyed smile, about to read her question aloud—until she saw it. The smile froze.
"Please ask Wen Zhi how she manages to be dating three men at once? As a diligent student of love, I must know."