After a D-List Celebrity and Their A-List Ex-Partner Join a Travel Reality Show - Chapter 11

“Tsk.”

Meng Yichun had thought he really discovered something.

Shen Shiqin went straight to the bedroom after returning to the homestay.

He had expended a lot of energy playing games all morning. Moreover, he had not eaten seafood in a long time and had ended up eating quite a bit without holding back, which left him feeling a bit unwell. He decided to change into his pajamas and rest for the afternoon.

However, the style of his windbreaker was somewhat unusual, and it was difficult to take off, layered as it was. To prevent wind and snow from blowing in, the elastic cord at the waist had been tightened and tied behind his back by the staff.

Shen Shiqin studied it in front of the mirror for a long time but could not untie it. Exhausted and feeling sleepy, he gave up, simply put on his pajama pants, and walked out to the living room.

He scanned the room and locked his gaze on the only tatami-style lazy sofa.

He carefully wiped the remaining water droplets off his windbreaker with a tissue, then pulled up the hood. After doing all this, he walked to the small sofa, bent over, and pushed it with both hands, struggling to move it to the side.

Once he finally pushed it to the fireplace, he stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sank his entire body into the tatami. He fell asleep shortly after.

This was the scene that greeted He Lan when he came in.

The fireplace was burning warmly, bathing the room in a layer of warm-toned light. The small sofa that should have been in the center of the living room had been pushed to the side of the fireplace, and now, someone was huddled on it.

The person was curled up on the sofa, wrapped up tightly, not exposing a single inch of skin from head to toe. Although He Lan could not see, he could guess that this person was likely hugging himself with his arms, knees curled up to his chest.

He Lan moved quietly, taking off his coat and shoes before entering the living room.

He walked closer and noticed that Shen Shiqin was not wearing slippers, only thick thermal socks. He bent slightly and nudged Shen Shiqin’s hood, revealing half of his face.

Perhaps due to the fireplace, Shen Shiqin’s face looked flushed. His skin was actually very fair, and the messy bangs scattered on his forehead were a light chestnut color. The black windbreaker and the dark green sofa engulfed Shen Shiqin’s body, making him appear even paler.

Watching him like this, He Lan uncontrollably remembered the night Shen Shiqin had clung to him like an octopus.

He subconsciously reached out, acting on an impulse to pick off a stray hair on Shen Shiqin’s cheek. However, just as he was about to touch him, Shen Shiqin sensed an itch. Without opening his eyes, he spoke in a voice thick with exhaustion: “You are back?”

“Ah? Oh, yes, just got in.” He Lan retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted, noticing his voice was a bit hoarse. He stood up straight and cleared his throat before continuing, “Why are you sleeping here?”

Shen Shiqin opened his eyes but did not move from the sofa. He saw that He Lan had already taken off his windbreaker, so he paused and asked, “How did you take it off?”

“What?” He Lan had not fully processed the situation and did not understand the question.

Shen Shiqin pointed a fingertip at his own windbreaker and asked again, “This. How do you take it off?”

He Lan realized then that he had not been able to remove the windbreaker. Because of his clean-freak nature, he did not want to lie in bed wearing outdoor clothes, so he had come to sleep on the sofa.

Thinking that Shen Shiqin had probably studied it in front of the mirror for ages, failed to take it off, and did not want to go out and bother the staff, He Lan pictured him wearing thermal socks, bending over, and pushing the small sofa to the fireplace. He thought he looked like a cat or some small animal, so he bowed his head and smiled.

Seeing that the other person did not answer but instead laughed, Shen Shiqin kicked out at He Lan’s lower leg without thinking, though he only barely grazed him as the distance was too great.

He became a bit more alert and asked, “What are you laughing at? Can you not do it?”

He Lan gave verbal instructions while gesturing at the air: “Just do this, and then that, and it comes off.”

Shen Shiqin: “.”

He blinked, obviously not understanding.

He Lan sighed dramatically on purpose: “Sigh, Teacher Shen.”

After saying this, he ignored Shen Shiqin’s impatient glare, moved to his side, and unknotted the elastic cord in a few quick motions.

“There,” he said, standing up straight. “Do you want me to help you unbutton the front too?”

“No need.” Shen Shiqin stood up, unbuttoned the windbreaker, and took it off. He glanced at He Lan and said, “Teacher He’s fingers are indeed very nimble.”

Listening to these words that sounded like a compliment but not quite, He Lan looked down at his own hands. Hearing the crisp sound of the bedroom door closing, he muttered, “Why does that sound so strange?”

He Lan did not follow him into the bedroom to sleep because he had promised Yu An and the others to go for a walk in the forest in the afternoon, so he planned to nap on the sofa. He curled into the sofa and wrapped a thin blanket around himself.

The sofa seemed to still retain some of Shen Shiqin’s warmth. If he sniffed carefully, it seemed to linger with a very faint, fading fragrance.

However, the sofa was a bit too small for He Lan, and he could not curl up entirely to sleep. Just a moment ago, watching Shen Shiqin sleep so comfortably there, he now found he could not fall asleep at all.

Just after closing his eyes, his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered. Zuo Jiaxi’s voice popped up: “Teacher He, the production team says the local guide has arrived. We are going to the forest by car together. Are you guys awake?”

He Lan stretched and stood up. He looked toward the bedroom and replied, “Yes, I will be there in a moment.”

After hanging up, He Lan drank some water to clear his head. As he reached the door, he suddenly thought he could take his camera to snap some photos. The camera was still in the bedroom, so he turned back, gently turned the doorknob, and entered.

The camera was on the nightstand. He Lan walked over slowly and picked it up.

Shen Shiqin was still sleeping, his quilt pulled over his head, leaving only a bit of fluffy hair visible. Seeing the person wrapped up like a silkworm, He Lan thought for a moment, halted his departure, and turned to the bedside, reaching out to pull the quilt down a bit.

The movement was felt by Shen Shiqin, who subconsciously shrank inward, covering most of his face again. Sleeping with his face covered had always been Shen Shiqin’s habit, but it was somewhat dangerous, especially in Norway during winter, where the homestay quilts were very thick.

He Lan had to pull the quilt down again and asked, “Teacher Shen, do you intend to smother yourself and then frame me?”

Shen Shiqin must have heard him, as he only frowned and did not move again. Seeing he had stopped retreating into the quilt, He Lan prepared to leave with the camera.

He had taken only two steps when a sleepy, drowsy voice drifted from behind: “Are you going to the forest?”

He Lan’s movements paused. He turned around and saw the person on the bed had not opened their eyes yet. He could not tell if this person was talking in their sleep or if they were already awake.

He asked, “Yes, are you coming?”

Shen Shiqin paused, rubbed his cheek against the pillow, and muttered something with his eyes closed that He Lan did not quite catch.

He Lan walked to the bed, bent over slightly, and asked up close, “Teacher Shen?”

Shen Shiqin’s breath hit his cheek, bringing warmth. He Lan suppressed the urge to lean back. After waiting a while, he heard him mutter, “Haven’t woken up. Not going. Take photos, if there are moose.”

This was clearly a half-asleep state, but He Lan understood his meaning. However, he frowned slightly and feigned ignorance: “What do you mean?”

Shen Shiqin, disturbed and unable to sleep, opened his eyes and reached out to brush away the bangs that were obstructing his vision. He desperately wanted to ask angrily if He Lan was pretending not to understand on purpose, but after seeing the hint of a smile in He Lan’s eyes, his anger suddenly evaporated.

They had been apart for too long; it was normal not to understand what he said. He did not need to get angry.

He Lan saw him suddenly looking frozen, waved a hand in front of him, and asked with a smile, “What is it?”

But Shen Shiqin just looked at him as if he were still not fully awake, his eyes seeming to be covered by a layer of mist, making it hard to see clearly. Meeting those eyes, the hint of a smile in He Lan’s eyes slowly faded.

He retracted his hand, still locking eyes with him. Shen Shiqin did not speak. After staring at him for a while, he suddenly turned over, back to him, and lay down again to continue sleeping.

He Lan was stunned and straightened his posture slightly. He clearly was not used to this sudden truce; his eyes followed Shen Shiqin’s movement and landed on the quilt.

He looked at the bulge that rose and fell slightly with the person’s breathing. After a long while, he turned and left.

The moment the bedroom door was closed, a “click” echoed through the silent, empty room.

Shen Shiqin’s body trembled slightly. It was a bit stuffy under the covers. He poked his head out, looked toward the door, and said in a very soft voice: “If you do not want to take photos, then do not. No one wants to see them anyway.”

The room was dark with the curtains drawn.

Shen Shiqin pressed his stomach lightly under the covers and sighed. The stomach is an emotional organ; he felt that his stomach was even more uncomfortable after being stirred up by He Lan.

The location of their homestay was far from the city center hospital, and since today was the weekend, the pharmacies were basically closed. It would be very troublesome if he fell ill.

Thinking this, he reached out, felt around the bedside for the air conditioner remote, and turned it up by two degrees.

By the time He Lan reached the meeting point, the others had all arrived and were preparing to board the bus. Because this was considered a private outing and would not be edited into the main episode, the production team only arranged a few devices to capture some material for the behind-the-scenes footage later.

Seeing that only He Lan had come over, Yu An asked, “Where is Shen Shiqin? He did not come with you?”

He Lan followed them onto the bus and replied, “He is resting. He said he is not going.”

Yu An nodded. Suddenly remembering that in the recording room, Shen Shiqin had looked unwell when he left, she remarked casually, “Looks like he is exhausted. He did not look very well when recording ended today.”

He Lan paused upon hearing this and did not respond.

The group boarded the bus. A staff member took a headcount and said, “Teachers, everyone is here. Let us prepare to depart.”

He Lan was sitting in the back by the window. Hearing this, he looked up and felt that someone seemed to be missing.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Zuo Jiaxi ask, “Where is Brother Kuanglun? Is he not going either?”

Duan Nan looked at the empty seat and said, “Yes, he has a live stream this afternoon, so he is not coming over for now.”

Zuo Jiaxi: “A live stream?”

Duan Nan: “Yes, it seems to be a live stream to promote the movie Qian Sui Yuan.”

Ke Tongtong asked with stars in her eyes, “Ah, I know. Is it the movie Teacher Shen starred in a while ago? I went to watch it. Teacher Shen is super, incredibly handsome, and his acting is excellent!”

He Lan, who was about to fall asleep in the back seat, woke up when he heard the three words “Teacher Shen.” He straightened his back slightly and looked out the window.

Seeing that no one else was speaking, He Lan was silent for a while before asking, “Then, do other people not need to do live streams?”