Because Mu Ye still has work to handle, Song Jianchu has decided to return to the country the day after tomorrow.
On the last day on the island, Song Jianchu was in a good mood and decided to do a kind deed. He went out alone to shoot a travel vlog and randomly treat his fans.
In the morning, when the alarm clock rang, Song Jianchu quietly moved in Mu Ye’s embrace.
Mu Ye still buried his head in Song Jianchu’s shoulder, groggily asking, “Are you going out to shoot a video?”
“Yeah,” Song Jianchu tried to remove Mu Ye’s arm around him and said, “You can keep sleeping.”
Mu Ye let go of his hand and opened his eyes, looking at him. “I’ll go with you and be your assistant.”
Song Jianchu sat up and uncovered the blanket. “No need, I can handle it on my own. I’ll be going back to work in our country tomorrow. Rest well.”
Mu Ye also sat up, holding his shoulders with both hands and burying his face again. He repeated, “I’ll go with you.”
Song Jianchu hesitated for two seconds.
If it wasn’t for shooting the video, it wouldn’t be a problem to bring Mu Ye along.
It’s just that taking selfies with someone else watching feels awkward.
Watching a vlog seems interesting and natural, but actually filming it is just talking to oneself in front of a camera. It’s fine when shooting indoors, but once you’re outside, it’s like speaking to oneself while holding a camera amidst the strange looks from people around.
Song Jianchu doesn’t care about strangers, but being watched by Mu Ye…
Song Jianchu closed his eyes and firmly refused, “I’ll go by myself, you stay and accompany Peppermint.”
Mu Ye lifted his head from his body. “Take me with you. I can help you carry things and hold the camera for you. If you don’t want me to speak, I’ll be like air. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
“No need, I can handle it myself,” Song Jianchu coldly removed the lover’s pendant stuck to his body, got out of bed, and went to wash his face.
Getting up too early, Song Jianchu couldn’t fully open his eyes yet. He lazily stood in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth with drooping eyelids.
Mu Ye, wearing pajamas, followed him to the doorway, supporting himself on the doorframe with a resentful gaze.
Mu Ye lowered his eyelashes, a faint smile hanging on his lips, and spoke lightly, “I know, I’m just your secret lover, can’t be seen in the light, can’t be displayed in your beautiful life. I don’t expect to appear with you on camera, I’m just worried that you’ll feel lonely without seeing me all day.”
Song Jianchu remained calm, rinsed his mouth with water, and didn’t say anything.
After washing up, Song Jianchu opened a can of food for Peppermint and went to the kitchen to make a ham and cheese sandwich.
Mu Ye stood beside him, secretly taking a cherry tomato and saying desolately, “I envy it, being eaten by you and carried away in your stomach. Don’t worry, I won’t cause a scene. I don’t want to be a troublesome lover.”
Song Jianchu took the cherry tomato back, sliced it, and put it in the sandwich, still ignoring him.
As they had breakfast together, Mu Ye finally became quiet.
Song Jianchu breathed a sigh of relief, sipping his coffee and browsing through his social media. Just as his finger was about to swipe up, he paused.
Mu Ye had posted a social media update one minute ago.
Seeing the content in the Moments, Song Jianchu paused with the coffee cup in his hand near his mouth, his eyes gradually becoming perplexed.
[Mu Ye: It’s fine to get used to it. People are always lonely. A lonely heart becomes a lonely person, and a lonely person shouldn’t be too bothersome [smile].]
Soon, there were many comments from mutual friends in the Moments.
[Pei Shinian: Brother? Has your account been hacked?? [wiping sweat]]
[Kun Yu’an: Is this the new lyrics written by Teacher Mu? Haha, it’s great…]
[Bai Xingyu: Going crazy so early in the morning [rolling eyes]]
[Lu Shen: .]
[Qin Fang: Made me cry, Mu Ye’s lyrics always touch the heart [crying]]
[Gu Jiaming: You’re drinking again?!]
[Director Cui: Great lyrics!! I’ll repost!]
After finishing breakfast together, Song Jianchu went to the wardrobe to change clothes. The temperature on the island had dropped today, so he casually put on a thin hoodie and jeans.
Mu Ye lightly tugged the drawstring of his hoodie, looking at him and smiling faintly, “We look really good in hoodies, it must be very photogenic. It’s a pity that I can’t help handsome Song Jianchu shoot from the perspective of a boyfriend. After all, I’m not Song Jianchu’s boyfriend, I’m just a lover who can only be hidden in the villa.”
Song Jianchu remained calm, lowered his head, and put on his hat.
Under the brim of the hat, the corners of the boy’s mouth subtly curled up for a moment.
Ready, Song Jianchu sat in the car with the camera.
Mu Ye held Peppermint by the car, like a father and daughter abandoned by a pair of runaway wives.
Mu Ye had a gentle and feigned strong smile on his face. He waved at Peppermint’s pink paw pad and said, “Go and have fun, don’t worry about us. Although every day without Song Jianchu feels a bit long and lonely, I won’t call and disturb you. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Song Jianchu started the car, looking helpless as he glanced out of the car window. The man was wearing a white pajama set with black trims, and his smile appeared particularly gentle in the morning sun.
He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and hesitated for a few seconds. “Or…”
Mu Ye’s lips curved up a little. “Hmm?”
He used his finger to touch his forehead lightly, and Song Jianchu made a difficult decision, closing his eyes and sighing, “Let’s go together.”
“Wait for me, I’ll be right there.” Mu Ye immediately turned around and went back to change clothes.
Song Jianchu leaned back lazily against the driver’s seat, watching the figure swiftly entering the house, unable to help but smile lightly.
Surprisingly, it didn’t seem as awkward as Song Jianchu had imagined.
Wearing a mask and a hat, Song Jianchu carried a crossbody bag and held a selfie stick with a mirrorless camera. The handsome young man with the camera was clearly an internet celebrity, attracting frequent glances from girls on the roadside.
Mu Ye followed beside him with a camera bag on his back, wearing a somewhat excited smile as he watched the filming process of the super popular vlog.
“Today, we’re going out without any plans, just wandering around and going wherever we like.”
The nearby area was the most famous beach on the island, with many hot and fit blond bikini beauties, as well as people playing sailboats and surfing.
Song Jianchu turned around with the camera and roughly filmed the people sunbathing on the beach.
“Hey!”
The foreign tourists who were captured on camera were all enthusiastic and waved and blew kisses towards this direction.
Song Jianchu said calmly, “It’s not recommended to sunbathe at the beach in such strong UV weather. Even if you apply sunscreen, exposing your skin to intense direct sunlight can significantly increase the chances of developing skin cancer.”
The Chinese tourists nearby had just taken off their sun-protective clothing and were about to rent lounge chairs. Upon hearing this, they turned their heads slowly, puzzled.
The way this young man spoke… it felt strangely familiar?
Song Jianchu then aimed the camera at the surfers showing off on the sea and said lightly, “Surfing is a sport with certain risks. There are many invisible currents in the sea, and once you’re caught in them, it’s difficult to resurface. Even people with excellent swimming skills find it hard to escape. Every year, many people lose their lives because of this. Those without athletic talents or unlucky people shouldn’t blindly learn it.”
Just bought surfing lessons, the Chinese tourists said, “…”
Mu Ye raised his eyebrows slowly, his lips tightening.
Leaving the beach, Song Jianchu continued to walk aimlessly, passing by a seafood stall crowded with tourists, and stopped.
Song Jianchu lifted his camera and turned around, roughly capturing the island’s most famous milk oysters. Almost every table ordered a portion, and everyone ate them raw, savoring the delicious taste of the oysters.
The staff, seeing the two of them lingering, enthusiastically asked in English, “Would you like to dine with us? Our oysters are locally produced and very fresh.”
Mu Ye also thought Song Jianchu was hungry and was about to ask with his eyes if they should go in and eat something.
Song Jianchu frowned as he watched and said, “Eating raw oysters can easily cause bacterial infections and parasites, leading to diarrhea. It is not recommended to eat any seafood raw.”
Mu Ye: “…”
It was already noon, and Song Jianchu found a nearby restaurant that appeared to have the best sanitary conditions and had lunch with Mu Ye.
When ordering, Song Jianchu placed the camera on the table, facing their side, and the waiter said, “We currently have a food challenge called the Big Eater. If the two of you can finish a specially prepared super-sized portion of pasta within twenty minutes, you can enjoy a free meal and also receive a $10,000 prize for being a big eater. If you can’t finish it, you only need to pay the original price. Would you like to participate?”
Song Jianchu and Mu Ye looked over at the neighboring table where a young couple was struggling with the challenge.
The plates on the table were impressively large, and the pasta was generously portioned. It looked tasty, but the people eating it didn’t seem happy.
The girl was already feeling nauseous from overeating and angrily said to her boyfriend, “It’s all your fault! It’s obviously a money-making scam, but you insisted on taking the challenge. Hurry up and eat! You must finish it for me!”
The boy looked pained, but forced himself to shove the noodles into his mouth.
Mu Ye shook his head sympathetically. Fortunately, his little one at home was mature and rational, so they wouldn’t fall for such tricks.
The composed voice of his little one came from across the table, “Sure.”
Mu Ye turned his head slowly, using a surprised gaze to ask, “??”
Are you sure we can finish it?
The waiter smiled slightly, thinking they had found another sucker, and said with a smile, “Okay, please wait a moment.”
Song Jianchu had no expression on his face as he spoke coolly into the camera, “These dishonest businesses that engage in malicious marketing must be punished. It’s unfortunate that they encountered me today.”
Mu Ye raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
Soon, Mu Ye understood why Song Jianchu had said that.
They had eaten together so many times, and Mu Ye knew that little fan had a big appetite, but he didn’t expect that what he had seen before was only a tenth of Song Jian Chu’s true eating capacity.
Mu Ye also tried to eat quickly, but he couldn’t help but look over at the opposite side.
The guy on the opposite side had a graceful way of eating. He had already elegantly and quickly finished more than half of the plate of pasta, with no change in expression on his face.
The foreign couple sitting beside them had just paid the exorbitant price for their failed challenge and hadn’t left. They stared at Song Jianchu, their eyes wide open.
The staff and customers in the restaurant gathered around, luckily there were no Chinese people in the restaurant, so no one recognized them.
“Amazing!”
“You’re almost there! Keep going!”
The boss nervously glanced at the timer, which still had plenty of time left.
This restaurant had a hidden location and didn’t have many customers on regular days. Professional eaters would never discover this place, so the boss thought of this way to make a quick profit with limited customers, planning to end the activity in a few days.
The eating challenge was actually selectively offered to potential customers. If the waiter noticed that a customer had the potential to be a professional eater, they wouldn’t recommend it to them.
As the pasta in the plate dwindled, the boss’s face gradually turned grim.
The activity hadn’t been going on for long, and he had only made less than ten thousand dollars from it. He was about to lose it all!
Gracefully cleaning his plate, Song Jianchu put down his fork and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth. He looked at the boss indifferently and asked, “Did I succeed?”
The boss had a dark expression on his face and said, “…Yes, you succeeded. Congratulations.”
The customers in the restaurant applauded and cheered, and the staff was enamored with this handsome guy who could eat. They all enthusiastically clapped along.
Song Jianchu received the prize money and, as he left the restaurant, he saw the angry boss throwing the promotional board for the activity directly into the trash can.
Mu Ye couldn’t help but speak, worriedly asking, “Are you okay?”
Song Jianchu temporarily stopped filming and put the prize money into his shoulder bag. “I’m fine.”
The guy had a relaxed expression on his face, a slight smirk formed at the corner of his mouth, displaying satisfaction after winning.
Mu Ye couldn’t take his eyes off that adorable expression and smiled, saying, “Now I finally understand why your schoolmate wanted to collaborate with you. We’re just as good as those mukbang influencers.”
Song Jianchu put away the money and looked up. He casually replied, “An Ran lost to me when we were in school, so she came to challenge me. But I don’t think it’s necessary because she still can’t beat me.”
Mu Ye couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “You two used to compete over who could eat more?”
Song Jianchu’s expression froze.
Damn, he accidentally revealed his own embarrassing history.
He quickly regained his calm expression and turned his gaze away, saying calmly, “It happened once.”
Mu Ye’s heart swelled, and he lightly bit his lip.
Continuing their spontaneous journey, they reached a crosswalk where a small duck suddenly darted out from Song Jianchu’s feet. The duck had a pink ribbon tied around its neck and seemed frightened as it swiftly ran toward the fast-flowing traffic.
Mu Ye hadn’t reacted yet, but Song Jianchu quickly released his raised camera and chased after it.
Mu Ye’s heart skipped a beat. “Chu Chu!”
There was still some distance between them and the traffic, and Song Jianchu managed to grab the little yellow duck with one hand.
The duck kept struggling, and Song Jianchu didn’t dare to hold it too tightly. He exerted force in his hand and straightened his back. Just as he relaxed, his hoodie was grabbed, and the strong force pulled him back a few steps.
Mu Ye was getting anxious and directly grabbed the hood.
Gazing into the deepening color of his eyes, Mu Ye’s heart was still pounding fast. He furrowed his brow and said in a deep voice, “It was dangerous.”
A little girl with blue eyes and a young foreign woman ran over.
The child raised the small box with the duck inside. “Thank you, big brother! It’s my duck!”
The child’s mother apologized, “Thank you so much. It’s our duck. It accidentally ran away.”
Song Jianchu put the duck back in the box and said seriously in English, “Be careful and don’t let it escape again.”
After expressing their gratitude several times, the child and her mother left together.
With the pedestrian light turned green, Mu Ye tightly held Song Jianchu’s wrist as they crossed the zebra crossing.
On the other side of the road, Song Jianchu tried to pull his hand back, but when he tugged, Mu Ye didn’t loosen his grip.
Song Jianchu looked up in confusion, meeting Mu Ye’s darkened eyes filled with a cold aura. It was a bit intimidating. Song Jianchu was stunned, bewildered as he stared back at Mu Ye, unable to speak for a moment.
Fortunately, Mu Ye’s cold expression only lasted for a moment, and he quickly returned to his usual gentle appearance. Mu Ye released his wrist, but instead, he held Song Jianchu’s hand and interlocked their fingers.
Mu Ye glanced at him for a few seconds, his gaze slowly sweeping over his face, and he helplessly smiled, saying, “Remember for next time, don’t run off like that.”