Gu Jingchuan: "..."
—"Hahahaha I knew it! Shen Sizhan’s sharp tongue is hereditary!"
—"What a 'well-proportioned' figure—don’t force your way into a lane that doesn’t fit you!"
—"I choose Old Gu as my poison!"
—"The award-winning actor is thrilled—he can finally invite Li Huanyu!"
Shen Sizhan turned around and gagged, "Yuck!"
The Director couldn’t bear to look at Gu Jingchuan and continued, "To ensure everyone understands the punishment, let’s have the Black-Clothed Persons demonstrate first."
Two towering Black-Clothed Persons stepped forward, fully covered except for their eyes.
Lin Mo glanced at them, feeling a sense of familiarity but unable to recall where she’d seen them before.
Without warning, the two Black-Clothed Persons aimed their water guns at the Director and blasted him.
The Director flew straight into the water.
Director: "..."
He climbed out, wiping his face and glaring. "I said demonstrate, not soak me!"
Who hired these reckless idiots?!
The two Black-Clothed Persons exchanged a glance and stepped aside.
Suddenly, Lin Mo remembered—they were the same two men who’d intervened in a fight she’d witnessed before. She’d even run into them while swimming in the wild.
Makes sense—water-based work requires strong swimmers. They’d found the perfect job.
Since they were on duty, Lin Mo didn’t greet them.
The Director wiped his face. "For the first round, the male contestants will compete. Netizens have one minute to vote and decide the order in which the men choose their female partners!"
The mention of voting sent fans into a frenzy.
But with only sixty seconds, there was no time for mass campaigning—just quick clicks.
—"Screw it, I’m Team Gu-Li! Gu Jingchuan picks first!"
—"Same! Shut down those rumors about him being into Lin Mo!"
—"I’m voting for Xie Guanyan—I wanna see who he chooses!"
Results came swiftly.
The Director announced, "First pick goes to Gu Jingchuan, second to Xie Guanyan, and third to Shen Sizhan."
Gu Jingchuan suppressed a smirk.
Xie Guanyan’s deep eyes dimmed slightly.
Shen Sizhan frowned. "Where the hell are my fans?"
Given the internet’s speed, they’d probably already dug up his connection to his sister.
Though his sister had vanished from public records for over a decade, earlier traces remained—top scorer in the national exams, prodigy classical dancer, youth swimming champion, even a campus singing contest where she cleared the audience with one note.
Every time she was interviewed, he’d linger in the background, desperate for people to know: That’s my sister!
But fans had no idea his hatred for Gu Jingchuan stemmed from her.
Still, it wouldn’t take long for them to uncover that she and Gu Jingchuan had once dated.
Li Huanyu’s lips curled faintly.
Of course Gu Jingchuan would pick her.
She’d humor him for this round.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, nearly buried her face in the ground.
Stay away from me, you walking red flag!
The Director asked, "Gu Jingchuan, who’s your choice?"
—"Aaaah, finally some sugar for my ship!"
—"Team Gu-Li, charge!!!"
After a day of silence, the Gu-Li shippers erupted, flooding the chat.
Then they watched as Gu Jingchuan smirked and declared, "I pick Lin Mo."
Lin Mo: "..."
Li Huanyu: "..."
Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull.
How?! HOW?!
—"Lin Mo’s got tricks up her sleeve."
—"Ruining our ship! What a snake!"
—"Bruh, this is Gu Jingchuan’s fault! The world’s just one giant Edinburgh!"
—"Men are trash—time to grind them all to dust! (Except pure-hearted high school hunks over 185cm.)"
—"OMG, I once said I liked tall schoolboys, and my family set me up with a 30-year-old high school dropout."
Lin Mo felt the sky collapsing. Before she could protest—
The Director cut in, "No rejections today. It’s just sharing a boat—it’s work."
Since this was a job, Lin Mo had no choice.
She shot Xie Guanyan a glance, her peach-blossom eyes telegraphing: Relax, my heart’s yours.
Shen Sizhan’s expression darkened, his fists clenching unconsciously.
She came here for me. I can’t lose control.
Gu Jingchuan wasn’t intimidated. If Shen Sizhan swung first, the backlash would crush him.
He glanced smugly at Xie Guanyan—only to find him eerily calm.
What an act. He’s seething inside.
Xie Guanyan noticed the taunt.
Just like the old days.
Back then, it had eaten him alive.
Today, it still hurt—but Shanshan (Lin Mo) had just reassured him.
She loves me.
And if he acted too jealous, she’d feel trapped.
—"Can someone explain why Gu Jingchuan switched to Lin Mo? Genuinely curious."
—"She’s pretty. Men are visual creatures."
——"Wrong! The correct answer is that Gu Jingchuan and Lin Mo dated. He pursued her for three whole years, put on a grand fireworks confession, and she agreed—only to get into a car accident the very next day!"
——"Holy crap, holy crap! What kind of bombshell is this?!"
——"So Lin Mo is Gu Jingchuan’s long-lost white moonlight from eleven years ago? Who could handle that kind of twist?"
The barrage of comments exploded with discussions, and leaks spread across Weibo and Douyin.
Meanwhile, the live event continued with the game.
Jiang Wan leaned closer to Xie Guanyan and whispered, "Pick me. I’m not interested in you, but I’ll help swap Lin Mo in midway!"
She’d never tried rafting before but had seen videos online.
Capsizing mid-course was common, and in the chaos, just getting back on the raft would be an achievement.
Xie Guanyan replied, "Thanks."
Jiang Wan grinned. "No need. Just make sure you step aside when I go to hang out with Lin Mo later!"
Xie Guanyan: "..."
Seeing Jiang Wan talk to Xie Guanyan, Li Huanyu knew she stood no chance with him this round.
The teams were quickly decided.
Shen Sizhan, forced to partner with Li Huanyu, looked visibly irritated.
The three teams put on their life jackets and boarded their rafts.
The race covered only one segment of the rapids, featuring a near-vertical cliff drop.
The entire course would take about half an hour.
All three rafts lined up at the starting point.
At the Director’s whistle, the male contestants began paddling.
Lin Mo and Gu Jingchuan sat on opposite sides of their raft, the distance between them as vast as the Milky Way.
The river roared violently.
Lin Mo gripped the raft’s handles, remaining unshaken no matter how turbulent the ride.
Gu Jingchuan, however, was tossed around wildly. Seizing an opportunity, he "accidentally" lurched toward Lin Mo.
Lin Mo raised her paddle, pressing it against his chest to push him upright.
Gu Jingchuan: "..."
His chest throbbed in pain. Frowning, he complained, "Lin Mo, how could you do that?"
Lin Mo arched a brow. "Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?"
Gu Jingchuan’s face darkened as they continued downstream.
At another rough patch, the force of the rapids sent him flying—straight toward Lin Mo’s lap.
Caught off guard (she’d never rafted before), Lin Mo was about to kick him away when—
Two powerful jets of water blasted Gu Jingchuan off the raft.
The next second, he plunged into the river with a loud splash.
Gu Jingchuan, dazed, yelled, "What the hell?! I didn’t even break any rules!"
The two Black-Clothed Persons said nothing, their water guns still at the ready.
The Director, following nearby on a boat, shot them a glare.
But since they were already hired, he could only explain, "They preemptively blasted you because they predicted you’d try physical contact."
——"LMAO, getting zapped on credit!"
——"I’m convinced these two are Gu Jingchuan’s anti-fans!"
——"Wait, he even has fans for his skin tone now?"
Soon, they reached the cliff drop.
By chance, all three rafts arrived at the same time, hurtling downward as water surged over the sides.
For a moment, the livestream was filled with nothing but "glug glug glug" sounds.
As expected, all three rafts flipped.
The six contestants scrambled to find their boats.
Lin Mo, a strong swimmer, quickly hauled herself back onto the raft.
Gu Jingchuan surfaced nearby, reaching out. "Glug—Lin Mo—glug glug—help me up!"
Lin Mo rolled her eyes.
Pulling him up would cost her points!
Before Gu Jingchuan could say more—
Someone kicked him hard, sending him flying several meters away.
Lin Mo’s raft suddenly rocked. She looked up to see a drenched, strikingly handsome man already seated across from her, slicking back his hair as he met her gaze.
