Chapter 83: Touch and Part

Chapter 83: Touch and Part

Five minutes ago, due to the continuous bombshell revelations throughout the afternoon, the number of live viewers in the "Travel Together" program's livestream reached new heights.

Despite the lack of explosive content at the moment—fans' newly formed Qin Ye couple forcibly separated, one group playing cards in the living room, another cooking in the kitchen—the viewership continued to climb, even if the scene seemed dull at first glance.

The barrage of comments was abuzz:

"Aaaaaah, so tell me, Heo Yan, why did you have to keep Ye Le Yao? Couldn't you let her cook with Qin Yao instead?"

"Yeah! I want to see the couple cooking together qwq."

"Darn it, Heo Yan must be jealous, right? He's definitely jealous!"

"Hahaha, how could Heo Yan not be jealous? After all, his brother found such an excellent partner like Qin Yao right after turning eighteen, now look at Heo Yan's ex—"

"Cough cough, don't mention Su Rui, if you guys keep bringing up Su Rui, Heo Yan will really get angry!"

"I didn't mean to mention Su Rui, I hope Heo Yan won't get mad just because I mentioned Su Rui once. Sorry Heo Yan, I won't mention Su Rui again."

Netizens couldn't help but burst out laughing at this point:

"Alright, alright, so this is how you fans play, huh?!"

"What do you mean?!"

"Oh, wait, what's Li Siyuan doing in the kitchen?"

At any sign of movement from the guests, the comments would stir with excitement, fearing they might miss another juicy scoop.

When they heard Li Siyuan's face-to-face confrontation with Qin Yao, followed by his clash with Song Zhehan and then Duan Tingyan and Song Zhehan, the netizens couldn't help but cackle.

But as they laughed, everyone suddenly heard Shen Chong's enthusiastic "Right," and their laughter came to an abrupt halt.

In the next second, Liu Yan's scream echoed through the entire livestream, with a flurry of question marks appearing in the comments.

"???"

"Huh?"

"Shen Chong, what were you agreeing to just now?"

"Li Siyuan said there were three couples here, and Shen Chong said 'right'..."

"So he just admitted that he and Liu Yan are a couple?"

"Huh? Did he just confess? That's intense!"

"Hahahahahahaha, my god, am I allowed to hear this?"

"Hahahahahahaha, I can't take it anymore, Shen Chong, use your head! How could you fall for such an obvious conversational trap?"

The netizens' laughter was loud, but the other guests reacted even faster.

Ye Le Yao forgot to put down the card in his hand and quickly walked toward the kitchen.

Liu Yan stood rooted to the spot, her face clearly saying—doomed.

Shen Chong still held a green onion in his hand, standing stiffly in place. The moment his gaze met Liu Yan's, he felt guilty, hurriedly averting his eyes, opening his mouth as if to explain something, but the words stuck in his throat.

Ye Le Yao's eyes scanned back and forth between the two, asking, "What happened?"

Heo Yan and Wen Xiangyue, along with Wen Huai, arrived at that moment.

Heo Yan's gaze swept over the few people in the kitchen before he asked, "What's going on?"

The expressions of everyone in the kitchen varied.

Among them, Liu Yan and Shen Chong looked the most uncomfortable, suggesting they were the main characters of the situation.

Ye Le Yao thought of something, his eyes lighting up:

"Liu Yan is so agitated, could it be that Shen Chong slipped up and said something?"

Qin Yao's gaze fell on Ye Le Yao, the corner of his mouth slightly curving upward.

Ye Le Yao had guessed correctly.

But guessing was one thing; Ye Le Yao still wanted to know exactly what had happened.

His eyes swept over the others present.

Li Siyuan's expression was complicated; he glanced at Liu Yan, then at Shen Chong, realizing he might have said the wrong thing. A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Duan Tingyan's gaze remained fixed on Li Siyuan. Seeing this, he couldn't resist speaking up to explain on his behalf, "He didn't mean to..."

When Li Siyuan got worked up, he tended to speak without thinking.

Li Siyuan clenched his jaw, glaring fiercely at Duan Tingyan as if to say, Do I need you to explain for me?

Duan Tingyan cleared his throat, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Ye Le Yao already had a good idea.

"So Li Siyuan said something, and then Shen Chong slipped up?"

Looking at Song Zhehan, he had the most relaxed expression among everyone. Hearing Duan Tingyan's words, his eyebrows raised slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"It's probably just as I imagined..."

Ye Le Yao felt that he was pretty sure of the situation, but whether to confirm it or for some other reason, he still walked over to Qin Yao.

"What's going on?" Ye Le Yao naturally reached out to hold Qin Yao's hand.

Qin Yao's hands were still wet, and he said softly, "Wait a moment."

Ye Le Yao's hand hung in mid-air.

Qin Yao wiped his hands dry and quickly took Ye Le Yao's hand.

Only then did the corners of Ye Le Yao's mouth curve up.

The live chat upon seeing this:

"!!!"

"Aaaaaah, I'm living for this!"

"It's too much to handle! Do you two have to be so open about it? Liu Yan and Shen Chong are right there!"

"Yeah, He Yan is also watching right beside them!"

Qin Yao couldn't see the live chat, and even if he could, he wouldn't distance himself from Ye Le Yao because of it.

When Ye Le Yao stood next to him, Qin Yao slightly bent down, leaned close to Ye Le Yao's ear, and lowered his voice to briefly recount what had just happened.

They were close enough that Ye Le Yao could feel Qin Yao's breath on his earlobe, making him tingle.

After hearing the entire story, Ye Le Yao couldn't control the corners of his mouth, which kept curling upwards.

"So this is Li Siyuan inadvertently digging a hole for Shen Chong, and then Shen Chong stepped into it without any guard?"

Ye Le Yao couldn't help it; she turned her head and rested it on Qin Yao's shoulder, laughing out loud.

He Yan heard Ye Le Yao's thoughts and roughly guessed what had happened. He was about to laugh along, but as soon as the corners of his mouth curved up, he saw Ye Le Yao and Qin Yao together.

His eyelids twitched, and without thinking, he walked over to Ye Le Yao and Qin Yao. "What are you guys talking about?"

Ye Le Yao was still laughing and didn't notice that He Yan had already approached.

Qin Yao had originally been holding Ye Le Yao's hand, but when he noticed He Yan coming over, he let go of Ye Le Yao's hand. His arm circled around Ye Le Yao's back, and he gently pulled Ye Le Yao closer, embracing her shoulders.

It was an obvious move, done right in front of He Yan.

It was practically a direct provocation!

The fans in the live stream screamed again:

"Is Qin Yao being a bit too bold?"

"Hahaha, but I love it!"

"Well, I enjoy this kind of plot. Give me more of it!"

"Couples who openly date are just sweet!"

"+1, it would be better if He Yan didn't often disturb them."

"Huh? That's how you feel? But why do I just want to see He Yan get flustered?"

"??? Hahahahaha, you're naughty, upstairs commenter!"

Shifting their gaze back to the screen, He Yan witnessed Qin Yao's subtle move. Veins bulged on his forehead, clearly indicating his anger.

The netizens laughed even louder.

He Yan couldn't bear it anymore and glared fiercely. "Qin Yao, you—"

"What are you all still standing around for?" Song Zhehan suddenly spoke up, interrupting He Yan. He looked at Shen Chong and Liu Yan with a faint gaze. "Aren't you thinking about what to do next?"

Ye Le Yao stopped laughing and lifted her head from Qin Yao's embrace.

He Yan also stopped walking and looked at the people involved.

Shen Chong was still frozen in place, not putting down the scallion in his hand, looking dazed.

Wen Xiangyue stood beside Liu Yan, gently supporting her. Hearing Song Zhehan's words, she thought for a moment. "Actually…"

"It's my fault," Li Siyuan suddenly spoke up. His face was somewhat unnatural as he explained, "I was just joking. Should I help explain for you?"

Indeed.

If Li Siyuan came forward at this time to declare that it was just an unintentional joke, the matter could be glossed over.

Of course, the credibility wasn't very high. After all, Shen Chong and Liu Yan's reactions had been too intense. The netizens of today weren't fools. Moreover, the audience and fans of their show had been following the drama all along, making it harder to brush off!

"It depends on what Liu Yan decides to do."

Ye Le Yao's gaze fell on Liu Yan.

Liu Yan had calmed down considerably by now. She took a deep breath before lifting her eyes to look at Li Siyuan and smiled. "No need, it has nothing to do with you."

Li Siyuan's brows furrowed slightly, and he opened his mouth as if to say something else, but Duan Tingyan suddenly patted his shoulder.

Li Siyuan was taken aback.

Then he heard Shen Chong whisper, "It was my fault for not hiding it well. I…"

He was just too happy. From the moment he saw Liu Yan, he had gotten a little carried away, forgetting that his relationship with Liu Yan hadn't been made public yet.

"Don't take all the blame on yourself," Liu Yan said helplessly after hearing Shen Chong's words. She gently pressed her temples and whispered, "If there's any fault, it's ours together. We were the ones who kept it from our fans, but..."

Liu Yan suddenly smiled. "It might not be so bad to go public today, right?"

Upon hearing this, all the guests looked at her in disbelief.

Shen Chong shuddered.

"So Liu Yan is ready to admit it?"

Ye Leyao was also surprised, but then he thought about it and muttered to himself,

"It might actually be good to admit it now."

【After all, when they got into the car earlier, Shen Chong was like a sieve. Although some fans were still stubborn, the public's eyes are sharp. The audience and netizens had already guessed, and with Shen Chong's "yes" just now, it would really be treating them like fools if they tried to clarify that they had no relationship now.】

"Although admitting their relationship now will indeed have a short-term impact on their respective careers, this impact isn't permanent. And who knows, they might even gain some goodwill from passersby as a result."

Ye Leyao thought it through and said with a smile, "I also think it's good to go public now."

Liu Yan and Shen Chong both turned to look at Ye Leyao, and then they heard him continue, "After all, there have been quite a few melons in our show today. One after another, maybe the netizens watching live are already full and won't have the energy to eat your melon anymore."

Upon hearing this, all the guests present couldn't help but chuckle.

The viewers in the live stream almost burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright, you're going to talk like that, Ye Leyao?"

"Aren't you underestimating my melon-eating abilities? Although this melon isn't much of a surprise for me since I've already had a taste this afternoon!"

"Yes, yes, even if Liu Yan and Shen Chong don't admit it now, we've already figured it out!"

Netizens had keen eyesight, and with Shen Chong's obvious behavior in the afternoon, they could guess what was going on. So when they heard Liu Yan say she was going public, they weren't surprised at all.

One wondered how Liu Yan's fans were doing now?

Thinking this, the unscrupulous netizens started tagging Liu Yan's fans in the comments.

They tagged them for a long time without seeing any fan reply. It wasn't until the netizens urged again that one fan spoke up: "Stop tagging, please. The corpse is feeling a bit uncomfortable. I just want to lie down now!"

Seeing this, the unscrupulous netizens laughed even louder:

"Weren't you saying this afternoon that you didn't believe it?"

"You shouldn't be stubborn now, right?"

"I told you, following our Melon King, every melon is guaranteed to be ripe!"

"But don't be too sad, fans. Although you've lost a wife, you've gained a brother-in-law now!"

"Hahahaha, the comment above, you're too mean!"

Understanding that Liu Yan's fans were heartbroken, the netizens only chuckled lightly before quickly consoling them:

"In all seriousness, I think Liu Yan is very honest. There aren't many idols like her. Don't be too sad, fans."

Others chimed in:

"Yes, it's better than those who still deny it even when caught, right?"

"Right, and Liu Yan is seriously dating. You can tell from her reaction that she really likes Shen Chong."

"And Shen Chong likes Liu Yan too! If he didn't like her so much, how could he have fallen into Li Siyuan's verbal trap?"

"Well, but to be fair, I'm really stuffed from eating melons today!"

"Who said otherwise?"

"Wait! I suddenly thought of something. Doesn't that mean our travel variety show has now become three pairs of couples?"

"More than three, don't forget the two people chasing their wives to the crematorium!"

This remark instantly elicited the same sighs from countless viewers and netizens:

"So our show isn't really a dating show?"

"Change the name directly to 'Let's Go on a Date'!"

"I agree!"

The atmosphere in the comments was harmonious and jovial, and the atmosphere on the filming site was even more relaxed and pleasant.

Qin Yao followed Ye Leyao's lead and said to Liu Yan, "What Ye Leyao said is true. There's no better time than today."

After all, including the guest stars, there were eleven guests in this episode, and seven of them were already trending. Two more wouldn't make much difference.

Upon hearing Qin Yao's nickname for Ye Leyao, Huo Yan's expression changed. "What? Who gave you permission to call him that?"

Even he, as an older brother, hadn't called him that!

Qin Yao was simply too much!

Qin Yao pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

Ye Leyao couldn't resist and tilted his head to look at Huo Yan. "I like it when President Qin calls me that. What's the problem?"

"Second Brother is acting strange today!"

Huo Yan's face turned ashen. He was about to confront Ye Leyao fiercely when Zhou Zijian, who knew when to intervene, came over and stopped him.

"All right, all right, we're still discussing serious matters!" Zhou Zijian said.

Song Zhehan watched the commotion with a smile, turning to Liu Yan and cutting straight to the point: "See, this is why the audience might not have the energy to indulge in your relationship drama."

Unable to hold back any longer, Liu Yan burst out laughing.

Shen Chong, seeing Liu Yan's smile, finally let out a sigh of relief, knowing that today's incident was over. He quickly approached her eagerly: "I..."

"Enough, you should put down that scallion already!" Liu Yan couldn't bear it anymore; how long was Shen Chong going to carry that large scallion?

Shen Chong blushed and hastily put down the scallion: "Then we..."

"I'll contact my agent, and you contact yours," Liu Yan rolled her eyes at Shen Chong, "it's that simple."

Shen Chong stared at Liu Yan for several seconds, his eyes suddenly reddening as he reached out to tightly embrace her: "Okay! I will... sniffle, sniffle, I'll contact my agent now..."

The more he spoke, the more aggrieved Shen Chong felt, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The other guests were taken aback.

"How did he start crying?" Zhou Zijian couldn't help but ask.

Shen Chong, growing increasingly frightened by his thoughts, choked out: "I was scared to death... sniffle, sniffle, I thought it was over. It took me so much effort to win her over, if Liu Yan broke up with me because of this... sniffle, sniffle..."

"For such a trivial matter, how could Liu Yan break up with you?" Wen Xiangyue asked, amused.

Zhou Zijian also comforted him: "It's alright, everything's passed now. Just issue a statement and you'll be fine."

Ye Leyao looked at Shen Chong, then glanced at the slightly bewildered Liu Yan, sighing: "Still lacking security."

Qin Yao looked at Ye Leyao.

Liu Yan shivered, looking at Ye Leyao in slight shock.

Lacking... security?

Truthfully, Liu Yan hadn't expected Shen Chong to shed tears over this incident.

For celebrities, hiding relationships was actually quite normal.

After all, no one could guarantee that their relationships would last a long time, nor did they want their private lives to become the focus of netizens' attention.

So naturally, after entering the industry, Liu Yan hadn't considered making her relationship with Shen Chong public, even planning to keep it hidden indefinitely.

She had never considered Shen Chong's feelings.

Seeing Shen Chong cry like this, she suddenly realized that she hadn't provided Shen Chong with enough security.

That was why he had stood frozen after his slip-up, why he had forgotten to put down the scallion in his hand, and why he had broken down in relief after she suggested going public.

Liu Yan's eyes also welled up: "I... I'm sorry."

"You did nothing wrong!" Shen Chong suddenly released Liu Yan, his eyes still red, but his tone very earnest, "It has nothing to do with you. Okay, I feel much better now. Let's go find our agents..."

With that, Shen Chong took Liu Yan's hand, ignoring the other guests present, and directly led her out of the villa.

Only when the two had run far away did the villa fill with a wave of relieved laughter.

Soon, Liu Yan and Shen Chong simultaneously posted statements on Weibo, publicly announcing their relationship.

Shen Chong had only just debuted, and with fewer fans, the acceptance of his relationship announcement was very positive.

However, Liu Yan had debuted as an idol, and her fan base was significantly larger than Shen Chong's. Seeing her post, many fans initially struggled to accept it, and some even threatened to unfollow her.

But these comments didn't stay in the trending section for long, as netizens soon discovered that the guests from "Travel Together" were successively forwarding Liu Yan and Shen Chong's Weibo posts.

Ye Leyao forwarded and commented: "Congratulations, congratulations. Can we have wedding candy tonight?"

Qin Yao simply forwarded Ye Leyao's Weibo post.

Shippers cried out in delight.

Qin Yao, you little devil, don't be too skilled. Ye Leyao forwards Liu Yan's official announcement, and you forward Ye Leyao's post. Your intentions are too obvious!

But upon reflection, since the young couple had only confirmed their relationship today, this was indeed normal.

As for Huo Yan, he directly forwarded Qin Yao's Weibo post, along with an emoji of seething anger, sarcastically captioning it: "Whose wedding candy am I preparing to eat?"

Netizens laughed again at this:

"It's clear that Second Brother-in-Law isn't very satisfied with Qin Yao."

"@Qin Yao, go for it! I'm rooting for you and Ye Leyao!"

Qin Yao even replied to this comment: "Thank you."

Upon seeing this, netizens screamed again.

Was today's melon a bit too delicious?! They even felt happier and more content than the main characters themselves!

This happiness reached another peak when they saw Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan's Weibo posts—

Li Siyuan also forwarded Liu Yan's Weibo post, simply adding: "Congratulations, and sorry."

He not only expressed his blessings for Liu Yan and Shen Chong but also conveyed his apologies.

Duan Tingyan followed closely, forwarding Li Siyuan's Weibo post and adding: "Congratulations to you both, but I wonder when I'll hear your congratulations for me #CatSighs#."

The two posts were sent out with a one-second interval, making it hard not to suspect that Duan Tingyan had timed his post to follow immediately after Li Siyuan's.

As netizens screamed and flooded the comment section with inquiries about Duan Tingyan's progress in winning his wife back,

barely a minute later, Duan Tingyan suddenly posted another Weibo update, this one notably brief:

"@DuanTingyan: Blocked #CryingFace."

Netizens instantly lost their composure.

"Alright, no need to ask anymore hahahaha—"

"It's clear that the road to winning her back is long!"

"Tingyan, oh Tingyan, take your time chasing after her! Remember to let us know when you succeed!"

"Today's laughter is all thanks to Tingyan hahaha—"

"Come on, Tingyan, we're rooting for you!"

Amidst the laughter, a netizen asked, "Hey, how's our progress with Teacher Gou?"

Someone suggested, "Should we send someone to ask Teacher Gou on Weibo?"

A swift reply came: "I asked, and I've just been blocked by Teacher Gou hehe."

Everyone:

"On the count of three, two, one, laugh together!"

"Hahahahahahahaha—"

"It's obvious that there's not much progress with Teacher Gou either!"

The fourth episode's filming lasted for three consecutive days, during which the popularity of the eleven guests remained high across live streams, Weibo, and other platforms.

In the blink of an eye, the recording for the fourth episode was over.

That very evening, Ye Leyao was being pulled by Huo Yan to prepare to go home.

Ye Leyao was quite unhappy about it: "Can't I wait until President Qin goes back tomorrow?"

Huo Yan's face was cold: "No!"

Ye Leyao frowned: "Second Brother, why don't you like Qin Yao?"

Huo Yan: "I don't dislike him; I dislike you being with him."

Ye Leyao: "…"

"You're surprisingly honest."

After packing his luggage, Qin Yao personally sent Ye Leyao to the pier. They didn't take a small boat back but instead boarded a small sightseeing ferry.

After stowing away the suitcases, their tightly clasped hands had yet to part.

Under the heavy night sky, the streetlights stretched their shadows long.

Suddenly, Ye Leyao didn't want to leave anymore, unable to hold back a long sigh.

"Second Brother is acting crazy for some reason."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yao couldn't help but smile. He squeezed Ye Leyao's hand. "Wait for me to finish my work and then I'll come find you?"

Ye Leyao nodded vigorously: "Okay."

Qin Yao asked again, "Your university semester is about to start, right?"

Ye Leyao replied, "Yeah, it's about a week or so away?"

"Then when you start school, I'll accompany you to register?" Qin Yao said.

Ye Leyao's eyes curved into a smile, nodding without hesitation: "Okay."

A sudden gust of wind swept across the lake, stirring up ripples on its calm surface.

Ye Leyao tilted his head slightly, suddenly noticing the warmth of Qin Yao's palm.

He looked down at Qin Yao's hand, then raised his gaze to meet Qin Yao's with a smile.

Qin Yao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his gaze intense.

Just then, Huo Yan's voice echoed from the cabin: "Ye Leyao, hurry up!"

Ye Leyao hummed, lifting his head to tell Qin Yao he was leaving, when suddenly a pair of hands covered his eyes.

Ye Leyao blinked, and in the next moment, he felt a gentle touch brush against his forehead, fleeting.

"Go on, send me a message when you get home." Qin Yao released his hand covering Ye Leyao's eyes, his gaze fixed on Ye Leyao.

Unable to resist, Ye Leyao reached up to touch his forehead.

Huo Yan's voice sounded again.

Only then did Ye Leyao wave to Qin Yao: "I'm off first."

Qin Yao nodded: "Mm."

Boarding the sightseeing ferry, the wind on the lake grew stronger, cooling Ye Leyao's face pleasantly.

But even so, it couldn't dissipate the warmth on Ye Leyao's cheeks.

The ship started moving quickly, and Huo Yan took a seat opposite Ye Leyao. Just as he was contemplating how to broach the subject for a heart-to-heart talk with her, he suddenly heard Ye Leyao's inner monologue, her tone brimming with regret—

"Why did President Qin only kiss my forehead?"

Huo Yan: "…?!"

What?

He dared to kiss your forehead?!

When did this happen? How come he didn't see it?!

That old fox Qin Yao has gone too far!!!