The next day arrived quickly.
The previous night, Gu Jingchuan's calls had gone unanswered, and he had nearly been slapped by Shen Sizhan again.
Shen Sizhan said his sister was already asleep and shouldn't be disturbed.
The livestream began on the second day.
As soon as Shen Sizhan saw Xie Guanyan, he stared at him for a long moment.
Hmm, good—no signs of coercion.
Then he glanced at his sister.
Also good—she looked refreshed, clearly having slept well!
Lin Mo had indeed slept soundly the night before.
She hadn’t even needed her sleep aids.
Dr. You truly was a miracle worker!
The director announced the day’s rules: "Today, male and female participants will pair up and go to different locations to have fun. The rule is that once paired, you can only speak to your assigned partner of the opposite sex—no talking to other members of the opposite sex!"
Shen Sizhan raised his hand. "How are the pairs decided?"
The director smiled. "Today’s pairings are random. Everyone will draw a numbered ball from me, and those with matching numbers will form a team."
There was no way around it—it all came down to luck.
Lin Mo drew number 4 and turned to see who else had drawn it.
It was Xu Yan.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
It wasn’t hard to tell that Xie Guanyan had been jealous yesterday.
If she spent the day alone with Xu Yan today, he’d definitely be jealous again.
Last night, he’d ended up pitifully taking a cold shower, and the thought made her heart ache.
She was about to speak to the director when he cut in, "No refusals today. It’s just about having fun together."
Lin Mo had no choice.
The other pairings were quickly decided:
Xie Guanyan and Jiang Wan, Shen Sizhan and Qiao Yinyin, Gu Jingchuan and Li Huanyu.
—"The ‘Expose-the-Flaws’ couple is back together! Can’t wait!"
—"I’m kinda worried they’ll end up pulling each other’s hair out today. Old Gu doesn’t have much hair left to begin with!"
The director continued with the program’s agenda. "There are four locations, also randomly assigned. The female participants will draw them."
Lin Mo drew the aquarium, Jiang Wan got the zoo, Qiao Yinyin the amusement park, and Li Huanyu the water park.
Xu Yan felt fortune had smiled upon him and grinned at Lin Mo. "Let’s go."
Shen Sizhan clenched his fists. "I’m warning you—stay away from my sister!"
Xu Yan had reflected on the past few days and pieced many things together.
He met Shen Sizhan’s gaze. "Understood. I’ll keep my distance."
Xie Guanyan glanced at the blue-dressed girl standing beside Xu Yan.
Behind his silver-framed glasses, his eyes darkened uncontrollably.
His breathing grew uneven.
He hadn’t even been to the aquarium with Lin Mo yet!
What kind of memories would she and Xu Yan create together today?
The four pairs boarded separate cars.
All the staff followed them out, leaving the villa empty.
No one noticed someone slipping inside.
Since being paired with Xu Yan was unavoidable, Lin Mo quickly stopped overthinking it.
She’d often visited aquariums as a child but hadn’t been in eleven years—there were bound to be many new creatures to see.
At the entrance, Xu Yan received a guide map and said, "This place is huge, divided into many zones. Oh, and there’s a special mermaid performance."
Lin Mo blinked. "Special?"
Just how special was it?
Xu Yan missed her implication and cheerfully explained, "It’s unique to this aquarium in Jiangcheng. Let’s explore the other areas first, then head there."
Soon, Lin Mo noticed Xu Yan had reverted to his chatty childhood self, talking nonstop.
Treating him as just a friend, she didn’t hold back either.
The atmosphere between them was relaxed.
Watching the livestream at home, Xu Zunlong shed tears, his voice rough with emotion. "Xu Yan hasn’t laughed like this in so long."
He clipped the moment and sent it to his wife.
She replied quickly: Don’t cry. Our Xu Yan will get better.
Xu Zunlong rewatched the video several times but couldn’t hear his own sobbing. Puzzled, he asked: How did you know I cried?
Her response: Darling, I know you too well.
The esteemed Xu Zunlong completely broke down, clutching his phone as he bawled.
If only Xu Yan had never fallen ill—or could recover—how happy their family of three would be.
By afternoon, Lin Mo and Xu Yan had covered most of the aquarium and arrived at the special mermaid performance area.
Behind the massive glass, marine life swam gracefully, including two stunning women in fishtails, waving at the audience.
"Wow! Such beautiful mermaids," Lin Mo gasped.
Suddenly, the water rippled violently.
From the distance, another figure swam toward them—
Not a mermaid, but a merman.
Lin Mo blinked, taking a closer look.
The well-defined muscles of this merman looked awfully familiar...
