Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 39

The final grouping results on the scene were:

Xia Jin’s group: Ke Yun, Xu Lingqing.

Qin Yu’s group: Chen Suihe, Jiang Qingli.

The six of them boarded the program’s designated bus directly, heading to the next location.

Xu Lingqing stood by the bus door, making way for Xia Jin: “President Xia, you go first.”

“Alright.” Xia Jin didn’t stand on ceremony.

The employees of Lelai were also quick on the uptake, stepping aside to let Qin Yu board first.

Thus, Qin Yu once again ended up sitting next to Xia Jin.

After everyone had boarded, Chen Suihe asked curiously, “Are we just leaving the villa like that? Where are we going next?”

Jiang Qingli laughed, “Maybe the program’s half-day rental period for the villa expired.”

Director Zhang, caught off guard by Jiang Qingli’s remark, chuckled awkwardly, “How could that be! That villa was just to reassure everyone, to show our guests that with our program team around, we’d never let you suffer!!!”

“The place we’re heading to next is one we’ve spent months carefully selecting. For the next week, all our guests will be staying there.”

Jiang Qingli stared at Director Zhang with deep suspicion.

Xu Lingqing was equally distrustful, “You’re not planning to dump us in some remote mountain village, are you?”

Director Zhang gave a sheepish smile, “Not to that extent, not to that extent. At most, it’s a return to simplicity!”

[What the hell does “return to simplicity” mean? The program team is clearly up to no good!]

[Hahahaha I can’t wait to see Qin Yu’s expression in a mountain village. A rich young master like him has probably never been to one, right?]

[Chen Suihe’s expression is already looking grim. She just got back from filming in the mountains last month, and now she’s going back again this month!]

Xia Jin, on the other hand, looked excited. She had never really had the chance to properly explore the mountains.

Well, except for once.

That time, she had gone with Shen Du to one of his mountain estates to retrieve something.

Though it was technically in the mountains…

The place was packed with cutting-edge technology developed by Shen Du’s company.

It had completely blown the mind of Xia Jin, who had just graduated from university at the time.

The bus hadn’t been on the road for long before Xia Jin started nodding off, unable to fight her drowsiness.

Noticing the movement beside him, Qin Yu chuckled softly and reached out to guide Xia Jin’s head onto his shoulder.

Half-asleep, Xia Jin caught a familiar scent from Qin Yu and, mumbling softly, adjusted herself into a comfortable position before drifting off to sleep.

Chen Suihe and Jiang Qingli, sitting in the front row, had been chatting across the aisle when Jiang Qingli suddenly turned and saw her boss asleep.

Startled, she quickly nudged Xu Lingqing with her elbow and gestured for her to check her phone.

[Jiang Qingli: Holy shit? What’s going on between our President Xia and President Qin?]

[Xu Lingqing: ?]

[Jiang Qingli: Look behind you!]

Xu Lingqing leaned forward slightly and saw the surprisingly harmonious scene of Xia Jin and Qin Yu behind her.

[Xu Lingqing: No idea! I’ve known President Xia for years, and she’s never been this close to any guy before, let alone sleeping on someone’s shoulder!]

[Jiang Qingli: Remember when President Qin bought milk tea for Stellar Cube last time? Do you think it was because of President Xia?]

[Xu Lingqing: Unlikely, right? What’s the direct connection between sending milk tea and President Xia?]

[Jiang Qingli: You don’t get it, do you? It’s called staking a claim, letting everyone know that he, Qin Yu, is the future ‘master’ of Stellar Cube!]

[Xu Lingqing: …]

[Xu Lingqing: You’re overthinking it.]

At this moment, Ke Yun, sitting next to Chen Suihe, noticed Xu Lingqing’s movement and subtly glanced at the reflection in the window.

In his memory, President Qin had always been cold and stern, but now he was gently cradling Xia Jin’s face with his hand, as if afraid that any sudden movement from the bus might jostle her awake.

The real explosion, however, came from the online audience who weren’t even present.

[What did I say! What did I say! QinJin is real!]

[Stellar Cube × Lelai, does this mean the entertainment industry is about to become their playground?]

[Holy crap, one’s the heir to the Qin empire, the other’s the ultimate underdog heroine. What are we waiting for? Daddy and Mommy, here I come!]

[Xia Jin, have you forgotten me? We weren’t childhood friends, and you never visited my house, but I’m your long-lost, unrelated little sister!]

[What kind of dream is the person above having?]

The bus ride lasted over an hour.

At first, Jiang Qingli was yawning out of boredom, but soon she dozed off, leaning against Xu Lingqing.

Xu Lingqing sighed helplessly, adjusting her junior sister into a more comfortable position before resting her own head against the window and falling asleep.

With Jiang Qingli asleep, Chen Suihe had no one to talk to. He glanced at Ke Yun, who was silently watching the scenery outside, and found no motivation to strike up a conversation. He had little fondness for this overly ambitious junior, so he leaned against the seat in front of him and pretended to sleep.

Unexpectedly, he soon drifted off for real, only to suddenly lose his balance and slump onto Ke Yun’s lap.

Ke Yun was startled by the sudden weight and nearly cursed out loud.

The commotion also woke Xia Jin, who sat up and met Qin Yu’s gaze.

“Sleep well?” Qin Yu asked softly.

Xia Jin laughed awkwardly, had she really been leaning on him the whole time?

“Hahaha, yeah, slept great, really great.”

She awkwardly shifted her gaze to the window, only to freeze.

Wait… this road looked familiar!

She quickly turned to Director Zhang sitting behind her and whispered, “Are we going to Yunjin Manor?”

Director Zhang was shocked. “How did you know?”

Xia Jin facepalmed. Speak of the devil.

Before the trip, she’d just thought about Shen Du’s Yunjin Manor and now here they were, heading straight for it.

But…

There was no way Shen Du would lend out his manor so easily.

Director Zhang added excitedly, “Don’t worry, Teacher Xia, the manor is absolutely stunning! The owner is also a great guy, he waived the rental fee as long as he could experience the dating show firsthand!”

Xia Jin: “…”

So… Shen Du was joining the show?

This was a disaster. She’d thought he wouldn’t return for another two weeks, but now he was already right in front of her.

Jiang Qingli, now awake, teased, “Director Zhang, you’re just in it for the free rental, aren’t you?”

Chen Suihe sighed. “President Qin, did Lelai not approve the budget for this show?”

Director Zhang huffed. “This is called frugality! Do you even know what frugality means? Besides, the manor owner is ridiculously handsome. If he weren’t so against entering the entertainment industry, I’d have added him as a guest in a heartbeat!”

Jiang Qingli stroked his chin and said, “I still trust Director Zhang’s taste. Usually, when he praises someone as handsome, they really are.”

Xia Jin sighed inwardly. Handsome or not, Shen Du was genuinely crazy.

Now that Shen Du knew about Qin Yu’s existence, wouldn’t the next seven days of recording instantly turn into a battlefield?

Xia Jin stole a glance at Qin Yu, who noticed and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you also curious about his looks?”

Xia Jin forced a smile. “Not really…”

She was truly in danger now. She could only hope Qin Yu would save her skin for the sake of their contract.