After a D-List Celebrity and Their A-List Ex-Partner Join a Travel Reality Show - Chapter 1

If one were to ask, what is it like to meet an ex-partner whom you have not seen for years, and find yourself bitter and frustrated?

Early spring, just after a heavy snowfall. On such a freezing day, the best thing to do is stay in a warm, cozy home to play some intense video games or sleep the day away.

It is certainly not the time to be scolded.

At that moment, He Lan was huddled on the sofa, still in the middle of shoving a potato chip into his mouth, staring dumbfounded at Zhong Wei, who had just kicked open the door.

He swallowed the chip and asked the furious man in front of him, “Brother Wei, what happened? Even if the world were ending, you would not have to be this urgent, would you?”

His words were cut short.

Zhong Wei snatched the bag of snacks from his hand and roared, “Don’t call me brother!”

He Lan only managed to salvage a few chips from his hand and asked with a smile, “Oh, then may I ask what earth-shattering event is worth you breaking into a private residence?”

The person on the sofa had deep, well-defined features and sharp brows. He was currently lounging with his legs spread, leaning back against the sofa, and even took a moment to smooth out the messy strands of hair on his forehead.

“Why did you leave the brand business dinner last night before even half the time had passed?” Zhong Wei said, trying to steady his temper. “Do you have any idea what a rare opportunity that was?”

“There was only one piece of high-end luxury jewelry,” He Lan said, sitting up slightly. “It sold, so that is that. Why did I need to stay any longer?”

“You are being so benevolent, are you not? You sold the piece for the brand and then just walked away without doing any of your own publicity,” Zhong Wei sat down, looking at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment. “Are you really treating yourself like a salesperson now?”

He Lan said nothing and leaned back against the sofa.

Of course, he had not gone there just to sell jewelry.

At last night’s business gala, a portion of the actors would only arrive in the latter half of the evening, and as per tradition, the event would arrange for top-tier celebrities to make their appearance in the grand finale.

He had checked in advance; of course, he knew who would be making that final appearance. Otherwise, he would not have skipped such galas for two years, only to make a rare, unprecedented appearance this year.

However, he had to admit one thing.

He was still a coward. He only dared to take a glimpse from afar, like a deserter fleeing the battlefield. Once he felt his mission was accomplished, he rushed back to his nest without a moment’s hesitation.

Naturally, he could not tell Zhong Wei any of this.

After he and Shen Shiqin broke up, the company had originally intended to wait for the heat to die down before slowly reversing public opinion. But the heat did die down, and everything went eerily calm.

Shen Shiqin stayed low-profile for half a year and then, in less than three years, transformed from an idol star into a serious, hardworking actor.

Meanwhile, He Lan stopped accepting any acting roles and avoided participating in public events as much as possible.

The entertainment industry changes rapidly; in three years, a whole new batch of young idols had emerged.

Three years ago, He Lan and Shen Shiqin had stood side-by-side at the peak of the industry.

The company wanted to push He Lan to stardom again, but every time they proposed an activity, He Lan turned it down. After so many rejections, the company eventually stopped wasting resources on him.

However, everyone knew clearly that given the weight He Lan once carried in the industry, it would never have been difficult for him to return if he really wanted to.

Thinking of how Shen Shiqin had won the Best Actor award a few days ago, Zhong Wei said, “It is not just me saying this; can you pull yourself together? Look at Shen Shiqin, he is a Best Actor now. He has been acting non-stop for years, like a revolving wheel. Look at you! Look at how you have absolutely no desires or ambitions left!”

Almost the instant that name left Zhong Wei’s lips, He Lan uncontrollably clenched his fists and shot his gaze toward Zhong Wei.

Stung by the coldness in those eyes, Zhong Wei realized he had spoken without thinking; he had said something He Lan could not bear to hear. Just as he was about to open his mouth to diffuse the tension, He Lan turned slightly and covered his face with a cushion.

A muffled voice came from beneath the cushion: “If he keeps spinning like a wheel, it just means he is talented. Hah, no one is more diligent than he is.”

“Don’t give me that,” Zhong Wei let out a quiet sigh of relief and tossed the variety show materials onto the person who was playing dead. “This show has high ratings, and the first season was well-received. It is an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.”

He Lan let the documents fall on him and mumbled into the cushion, “Not going. There must be a trap.”

“What kind of trap could there be? This show focuses on promoting domestic and foreign culture during travel. Do you know how many nasty rumors there are about you? This is the perfect chance to rebuild your image.”

“Besides, I have to remind you, there are rumors that you are being kept by someone, living the life of a canary!”

He Lan joked, “That would not be so bad.”

He had not deliberately paid attention to news about himself in a very long time, but every once in a while, when he heard these smears, he still found them quite amusing.

“You are laughing?! What is so funny?! Let me tell you, the pay for this show is the highest you can possibly get right now.”

He Lan was extremely sensitive to the words “highest pay.”

Yesterday, he had calculated his remaining assets and felt heartbroken to realize that because he was too young and naive back then, he had practically squandered half his life’s savings on that relationship.

He picked up the travel show documents and saw that filming was scheduled to start in five days.

Fine. Sometimes a person has to bow to reality.

Thinking this, He Lan rubbed his face messily and flipped through the documents again. After reading it twice from top to bottom, he asked Zhong Wei, “Is the list of permanent guests for this show finalized?”

Seeing that there was hope, Zhong Wei immediately said, “As of now, the confirmed news is that the two veteran stars from the first season are still anchoring the show. The other permanent guests will be announced in real-time across the internet as you all fly to the filming location.”

“As of now? The guests are not even allowed to know each other beforehand?” He Lan immediately shot him a suspicious look.

“Yeah, that is the specialty of this show. It aims to have everyone focus on the scenery and local culture. Although the director for this season changed at the last minute, do not worry; compared to the last season, there will not be any major changes!”

“You sure?” He Lan was still half-doubting.

Zhong Wei knew what he was worried about. He had heard vague whispers about the internal drama behind the breakup between him and Shen Shiqin, but he only knew that the two had parted on very bad terms.

Both chose to make their relationship public when they were at the peak of their careers, coming out to the world.

Yet, when they finally broke up, they did not hold back at all. One publicly stated on social media that collaboration was impossible, and the other made harsh remarks about never seeing each other again.

With the main parties involved going at each other on their main accounts for three days and three nights, both fanbases had, naturally, gone full war-mode.

Thinking of the intensity of those trending topics back then, he rubbed his temples and glanced at He Lan, who was back on the sofa, preparing to open another bag of snacks. He let out a low sigh.

Zhong Wei really could not understand just how deep the heartbreak must have been to drag him from an A-list star to his current awkward position.

Although the entire internet was curious, over these years, Zhong Wei had come to see it clearly: every time the name “Shen Shiqin” was mentioned, He Lan would visibly wither.

If someone were to claim He Lan was not over it, he would definitely get angry with that person.

Zhong Wei pointed his fingertip at the list. “Besides the two fixed permanent guests, the remaining spots are usually filled by moderately famous newcomers or guests like you who are currently lukewarm.”

The implication was clear: do not worry, someone of Shen Shiqin’s status would never lower himself to participate in their program.

He Lan rolled his eyes. Who was worried about whether that person would come?

He scanned the show description again. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he handed it back to Zhong Wei. “Fine, I will participate.”

“Great. Make sure you prepare well over the next few days. Before the official filming begins, the crew will have all the guests meet up to shoot some posters and get familiar with each other.”

He Lan gave a perfunctory agreement and then shooed him out of the house.

A travel show meant both high pay and a trip on the production team’s dime.

The more He Lan thought about it, the more he felt this was a fantastic deal; it was killing two birds with one stone!

And so, over the next few days, he packed his luggage in a rush and finalized the contract.

He flew directly to the first stop of the variety show, Let’s Go! Check-in Around the World: Norway.

The flight from the country to Norway took over ten hours.

Having been a homebody for so long, by the time He Lan stepped off the long-haul flight, his limbs felt sore and his throat hurt.

He was still dazed when he arrived at the filming location, until a shrill phone ringtone broke the silence.

He Lan answered, asking in a raspy voice, “Hello?”

“Hello, my foot! Have you seen the trending topics?”

Zhong Wei’s urgent voice erupted from the phone.

He Lan yawned. “What trending topics? Mine? I can still make it to the trending list?”

“You will see when you look; no, do not look yet! Wait until you reach the recording location! Let me state in advance, I truly know nothing. I was also scammed! It has nothing to do with me!”

Zhong Wei hung up the phone immediately after saying this, as if he feared being beaten to a pulp by He Lan if he were a second late.

He Lan rubbed his eyes and tapped on his account, which he had not opened in ages. As soon as it opened, a flood of messages exploded onto the screen.

#He Lan Shen Shiqin# The two names were locked together, hanging prominently at the top of the trending list.

In the next second, He Lan flipped his phone face down.

What is this?

After all these years, why were his name and Shen Shiqin’s linked together again?

Nothing good ever comes from this; surely.

He Lan looked at the approaching filming location and took a deep breath.

No, no. He was here for a paid trip. He could not let the trending topics ruin his mood. Besides, whether it was good or bad, Zhong Wei would handle the PR for him.

Just kidding! Appearing together with Shen Shiqin, and being number one on the trends, how could that ever be good?

Aside from the year they first broke up, they used to be frequent guests on the hot search list, but that was years ago.

He had not been on the trending list in eight hundred years; it was a place that was usually synonymous with bad news.

Holding onto the mentality of what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve over, He Lan turned his phone off.

The production crew’s car soon arrived at the location.

Passing through highways and crossing piers.

Everything was white as far as the eye could see; it was as if the world had no end.

The filming site was chosen to be a guesthouse with strong local characteristics.

It sat against a forest, facing snow-capped mountains.

The guesthouse was a row of red wooden cabins, wrapped in silver snow, completely silent. The heavy snow had covered the entire town.

The cold wind swept by, which actually served to dispel his fatigue.

He Lan inhaled the crisp air and finally felt a sense of relaxation, as if he had truly escaped the big city.

Following the instructions, he entered the guesthouse, put down his luggage, and began to look around out of boredom.

There were no staff members inside, only a few cameras hidden in the shadows.

As the first one to arrive, He Lan was quite bored. He went to observe the intensity of the flames by the fireplace, then sat by the window to gaze at the distant snow mountains, contemplating the possibility of hiking them.

Until the doorbell rang. He immediately walked to the door, flashing a smile, ready to welcome his travel partner.

However, the moment he opened the door, he froze in place.

The next second, with a bang, he slammed the door shut.

No, he thought, I must have had a dream just now.

How could his eyes be failing him just from a long trip?

Could it be that because he had not seen him in so long, he was actually hallucinating in a foreign land?

It must be that the way he opened the door was wrong. He Lan rubbed his eyes and opened the door again.

He saw the person outside, tall with long legs, skin fair.

That face, which could only be described as stunningly beautiful, was half in light and half in shadow.

The face was truly beautiful, but the expression was so sour that it made He Lan reflexively takes half a step back.

And the person outside, dragging his luggage, was staring at the person inside the door without blinking.