If The Persona Is Wrong, Everything Else Is In Vain - Chapter 23

The mountain breeze was slightly cool. The sun hung just above the peaks, preparing to sink westward as the day’s golden splendor drew to a close.

The last rays of the setting sun gilded the mountains in red-gold, igniting the emerald greens and dark jades until they lost their original hues.

A gentle breeze fanned Lin Luo’s long eyelashes. The light in his eyes flickered, and wiping the smile from his face, he lightly patted Gu Ning’s hand.

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” he said. Then, he repeated, “I’m already feeling much better.”

By dusk, supported by Lin Luo and Song Ranyu, Zhou Wan, wheelchair and all, finally made it to the summit.

Zhou Wan could technically step onto the ground and move around a bit now, but he couldn’t bear weight for too long. Along the way, everyone took turns supporting him, stopping and starting, occasionally letting him take a few steps on his own as “rehabilitation training.”

The person who came up with the idea of having Zhou Wan climb a mountain was a genius. When this episode aired, it would probably rake in a massive wave of views; it was practically the definition of “physically broken but strong-willed.”

Though, Zhou Wan was only responsible for being “physically broken,” while everyone else jointly carried the “strong-willed” part.

Following behind them were Gu Ning and Ming Songqin. Gu Ning was worried but strongly disapproved of Lin Luo’s seemingly pointless, energy-wasting actions, showing his typical sharp tongued but soft-hearted nature.

“What are you doing here?” Gu Ning shot a sideways glare at Ming Songqin.

“Naturally, I can’t help but worry about my own artist,” Ming Songqin replied.

“Save it. If you were really worried, why didn’t you volunteer to accompany him yourself? Why did you drag my artist into this mess?” Gu Ning countered sarcastically. “Stop being so hypocritical.”

Ming Songqin froze for a second, then said as if it were a matter of course, “I won first place. The punishment doesn’t apply to me.”

Gu Ning: He silently gifted him a very friendly hand gesture.

After a whole day of shooting, both the guests and the production crew were completely exhausted. Song Ranyu, however, acted as if nothing had happened, still bursting with energy.

He looked like an entirely different person compared to the guy who used to huff and puff after climbing just twenty stairs.

Upon reaching their destination, Lin Luo caught his breath and asked him, “Aren’t you from the props department? Why did you tag along too?”

Song Ranyu smiled and shook the camera in his hand. “I’m in logistics. Wherever they’re short-staffed, that’s where I go.”

In short, he was the ultimate backup player. Song Ranyu was like a brick, wherever he was needed, he was moved.

“An opportunity like this is hard to come by. Working overtime in the mountains at night is something most people aren’t willing to do, even if they don’t say it out loud. So, I volunteered to help.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a professional,” Song Ranyu said with a wink.

Lin Luo suddenly remembered the backpack full of certificates Song Ranyu had shown him before. He let out an awkward laugh. “I know.”

Zhou Wan was leaning against the back of his chair with his eyes closed, resting while waiting for the crew to prepare so they could officially start filming inside You Shan Cavern.

Lin Luo dug out a thermos from his backpack, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to him. “Drink some.”

Zhou Wan took it, casting a fleeting glance at the hot water steeped with red dates. “Thanks.”

The warm liquid slid into his stomach, heating him up from his core to his limbs. He looked down, took another sip, and asked, “Why did you offer to come with me?”

“Mutual aid,” Lin Luo said.

“Since when did you become someone who meddles in random affairs, Luo-ge?” Zhou Wan noted. “That’s an excuse.”

“Alright,” Lin Luo pursed his lips, conceding. “Gu Ning and I schemed together to rope you into the competition. Although his method didn’t succeed, the result was the same. You participated, and because…”

His gaze drifted to the bandage wrapped around Zhou Wan’s hand before he continued explaining, “…the result was that you lost. So, I share some responsibility. I don’t like owing you.”

Zhou Wan didn’t look at him. After a moment of silence, he stated flatly, “That’s also an excuse.”

“Otherwise, what else could it be? Because…”

“The decision came first, and then the excuse was chosen to fit it.” Zhou Wan finally lifted his head to look at him, his sharp gaze laced with an undercurrent of emotion.

Lin Luo knit his brows because Zhou Wan had guessed correctly.

Lin Luo did indeed need an “excuse” to convince himself to accompany Zhou Wan, who was destined to enter this trap and destined to lose, into serving the punishment.

But had that excuse unknowingly formed the very moment he agreed to help Gu Ning scheme against Zhou Wan?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lin Luo said.

Promptly, he grabbed Song Ranyu and asked him to find some work for him to do. Within moments, he had blended into the crew, bustling about and refusing to stop for even a second.

Song Ranyu glanced at Zhou Wan, nudged his way next to Lin Luo, and helped him twist open a prop that Lin Luo had been struggling with for a while. He winked playfully. “Did you two have a fight?”

“No.” Lin Luo kept his head down, focusing on his work.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Still denying it? It’s perfectly normal for young couples to squabble, I get it~” Song Ranyu teased.

Lin Luo stopped what he was doing and said to him with utmost seriousness, “Nothing is wrong, really. Don’t overthink it.”

Song Ranyu wasn’t listening at all. Completely immersed in his own world, his face was plastered with a knowing smirk that screamed, ‘I understand everything.’

After a brief thought, he declared, “Don’t worry, leave it to me! I will protect the ship I sail! I will definitely get you two back on good terms.”

With that confident vow, he scurried off to another spot, giving Lin Luo zero chance to explain.

Lin Luo shook his head, thinking that Song Ranyu wouldn’t do any real harm anyway, so he just let him be.

The interior of You Shan Cavern was winding and intricate, with numerous branching paths that made it look like a closed-off labyrinth.

After walking straight for about five hundred meters from the cave entrance, they arrived at the first fork in the road, branching left and right.

According to the map the crew had obtained from a local guide, the left path should lead to the village’s ancestral sacrificial site mentioned earlier, which was later converted into the village ancestral hall.

It wasn’t open to the public, and the iron gates were usually locked to prevent outsiders from wandering in by mistake; it was only opened during sacrifices.

Even when it was open, guards would be stationed at the door to guide lost tourists away and protect that “pure land.”

The map largely matched the actual conditions, with even the minor inner branches specifically marked as a warning.

The area they were set to explore this time was the space accessed through the right fork.

Unlike the sacrificial site, which was spacious but could be taken in at a single glance, the tourist route on the right was narrower and more profound. Naturally formed stalactites and stalagmites stood in clusters. Combined with the commercial lighting installed for tourism, it offered a distinct aesthetic.

Lin Luo moved his flashlight closer to the map, studying the layout. He turned it around, but still couldn’t quite make sense of the labyrinthine terrain ahead.

He glanced at the dim light filtering from the right cave entrance and unconsciously took a step back, his back bumping right into the shoulder of the person behind him.

Gu Ning propped him up with his shoulder, snatched the map from his hands, tossed it to a spaced-out Zhou Wan, and grabbed Lin Luo to turn around and leave.

“You!”

The words died in his throat. Lin Luo was stunned by the sheer seriousness in Gu Ning’s eyes, and his hand, which had automatically pulled back, went still.

“Enough, come with me,” Gu Ning demanded.

Lin Luo looked around helplessly at the crew, only to find that their expressions were even more strained than his own, all of them looking too intimidated to speak up.

Combined, the entire production crew couldn’t muster half a person brave enough to stand up to unreasonable behavior or say “No!” to the “tyrants.”

Lin Luo threw a pleading look at Ming Songqin and joked half-earnestly, “President Ming, you’re the most impartial person here. Surely you won’t just watch a show you personally spearheaded get ruined, right?”

To his surprise, Ming Songqin dropped his usual compliant, eager to please attitude toward Lin Luo. He even took hold of Lin Luo’s other arm and said, “I think President Gu is right.”

Flanked by the two men, Lin Luo was marched outward like a rootless weed. The crew didn’t dare step in to persuade them, merely watching him go. Lacking a firm grip on the ground, he could only let himself be pulled away, unable to stay.

Lin Luo hastily looked back. Zhou Wan was standing right at the boundary where the dim glow of You Shan Cavern met the production crew’s studio lights. The dim light behind him seemed ready to swallow him whole, while the stark white light in front tried to pull him out of the abyss, half in light, half in shadow.

His expression was awful, and he stood there quietly as if he had lost his soul. In fact, ever since they started climbing the mountain, Lin Luo had felt that something was off with him. Or rather, he had been off the entire day.

A young cameraman whispered to the director, “So… are we still shooting this or not?”

Lin Luo bit his lip, broke free from the restraint, and walked back, pulling Zhou Wan further away from the cave entrance.

“Haven’t you thrown enough of a tantrum?” Gu Ning’s sudden voice echoed through the exceptionally quiet space. “Wake up, will you?”

A tense silence lasted for about five minutes. Everyone stood at the cave entrance. The “main characters” were locked in a stalemate, while the “supporting cast” was stuck in limbo. Everyone was waiting for someone to issue orders on what to do next, but no one knew who the “commander” was, so they could only wait out of patience.

After an unknown amount of time, it was Ming Songqin who broke the silence. He said, “Let’s continue.”

Having finally received a definitive green light from someone who could make the call, the director whispered back to the young cameraman with undisguised joy, “Continue, continue!”

Gu Ning immediately glared back at Ming Songqin, pointed a finger at him from across the distance, but said nothing more as he turned and walked out on his own.

Lin Luo was about to chase after him, but the moment he moved, his coat hem was caught by Zhou Wan, who was staring at him blankly. Zhou Wan didn’t say a word, but those clear eyes said everything.

Lin Luo frowned. He had seen this look on Zhou Wan before, wasn’t it just like that time in the underground garage?

Both infatuated and dazed.

During the months they had been at odds, Zhou Wan seemed to have acquired secrets Lin Luo didn’t know about. Or perhaps, Lin Luo had never truly understood him from the start.

“I’m not leaving.” Lin Luo gently pressed his palm against Zhou Wan’s forehead.

Only then did the faint trace of worry between Zhou Wan’s brows ease up.

After a brief thought, Lin Luo took off all the lighting gear he was carrying and handed them to a staff member who was close with Gu Ning. He asked the worker to pass them to Gu Ning and whispered something into his ear.

Once the staff member walked out with the gear, Lin Luo’s mind finally settled a bit.

The camera turned toward them, zooming in. The director’s voice prompted softly from off camera, “It’s time to follow the map inside.”

Lin Luo picked up the map again. He still couldn’t make heads or tails of the twists and turns. However, compared to that, his fear of stepping into that dimly lit cave entrance seemed to be the more severe issue.

Gu Ning’s worry wasn’t without reason. What he truly feared wasn’t the burden on Lin Luo’s shoulders, but…

“What’s wrong?” The director waved a hand in front of Lin Luo’s eyes, asking.

“Let me take a look.” Ming Songqin naturally took the map and stepped into the camera frame.

Moving from the very back of the line to the front of Lin Luo, he positioned himself closer to the cave entrance. Pointing at the map, he said, “Go in from here first. Turn left, then go straight, turn right, and then turn left and go straight. You should see a spring.”

With that, he took the lead and walked ahead. He kept his pace slow, always maintaining a distance of about one person ahead of Lin Luo and Zhou Wan.

Lin Luo forced himself to walk forward, his breathing gradually growing heavy. Sensing this, Zhou Wan squeezed his palm. The warm contact sent a faint wave of heat through his chilled blood.

Yet, how could a tiny spark of warmth completely thaw a bone-chilling cold that swept through his entire body?

Lin Luo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. His hands trembled slightly as he tightly gripped the hand Zhou Wan extended to him, like a drowning man clutching onto a sole piece of driftwood. His legs remained weak, every step he took felt like sinking into a swamp.