My Deceased Wife Came Back and Joined Me in a Romantic Reality Show - Chapter 20

His emotions were seen through.

“I didn’t say I wanted to see it.” Luan Yi felt a momentary embarrassment. His gaze avoided the phone screen in front of him, but he still caught a glimpse of the enthusiastic greetings that waited for a reply on the screen.

With the same profile picture, the content sent to Luan Yi was clearly polite and courteous, while the one sent to Wen Yang showed a genuine interest and a desire to get to know each other.

Luan Yi took a sip of tea, then lifted his gaze and met Wen Yang’s slightly amused eyes. It seemed like Wen Yang had been looking at him while he averted his gaze, and this speculation made him even more uneasy.

Meanwhile, the phone continued to vibrate intermittently, contrasting with Wen Yang’s calm attitude.

Even though Wen Yang eventually retracted his gaze, the subtle atmosphere lingered, making Luan Yi’s inner turmoil feel like a fireworks display.

As the tension built up within him, Luan Yi finally pushed back his chair and stammered, “I’ll go back to my room first.”

Once in his room, he submerged himself in the bathtub. The bathroom was the only place in the entire villa without surveillance cameras, providing Luan Yi with a rare and private space to release his emotions.

The situation didn’t escalate instantly; Luan Yi simply hadn’t initially realized it.

He repeatedly immersed his head in the pool of cool water, occasionally lifting it out, blowing bubbles like a fish, and his eyes appeared unusually dark and glossy due to the water. The wet lashes clung together as Luan Yi blinked, occasionally entwining with each other.

Did Wen Yang actually like him a little? Or was he just teasing and playing with him?

Luan Yi pondered. He couldn’t be certain about it.

The online and offline worlds were interconnected yet different, and their past communication had been years ago.

Luan Yi stared at the ventilation outlet on the wall, lost in thought. How did he and Wen Yang interact online? How did they become so familiar with each other?

Since it had been such a long time, Luan Yi couldn’t recall the specific conversations they’d had. But with Wen Yang’s face in mind and recalling his own attitude at the time—playful, enthusiastic, and even clingy, addressing him as “husband” with a trendy mindset—Luan Yi couldn’t help but feel that it would be better to drown in the bathtub than to dwell on those memories.

As the online world merged with reality, the roles of the two seemed to have reversed. From this perspective, Luan Yi couldn’t help but think that Wen Yang was mostly teasing him.

Unable to find a clear answer after pondering for a while, Luan Yi finished showering and picked up his phone. He noticed a WeChat message from Chen Fangfang, asking how he was doing at the villa recently.

Luan Yi was somewhat surprised by her sudden concern. After a moment of thought, he replied, “Not bad.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he sent the message, Chen Fangfang called him. Luan Yi paused for a few seconds, cleared his throat, and then answered.

“Hello, Jie.”

Chen Fangfang’s voice carried a hint of fatigue, and it seemed like she was still at the company based on the background noise. However, her tone of speaking to Luan Yi was slightly gentler than before. She immediately asked about Wen Yang, “Is there any progress between you and Wen Yang now?”

Luan Yi didn’t expect her call to be about this. The emotions that had been pushed aside almost resurfaced, but luckily it was a voice call, so he instinctively twisted the bedsheet he had placed on the bed. Guessing that this part wouldn’t be included in the show, Luan Yi replied, “There isn’t much progress, I would say.”

In their current awkward state, what progress could there be?

He didn’t know who Chen Fangfang was talking to on the other end, but she replied, “Okay, wait for me. I’ll be right with you as soon as I finish.”

Intuitively, Luan Yi felt that Chen Fangfang’s call should not have been just about this one question. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked, “Jie, is there something you need?”

Chen Fangfang sighed lightly on the other end of the line, seemingly frustrated by something and unable to find the right words to say it. Just as she was about to speak, a voice urging her came from the background, saying, “Chen-jie, the documents over there have been sent. We’re waiting for you to come and take a look.”

Chen Fangfang had to interrupt her conversation with Luan Yi, saying, “Forget it, let’s leave it at that. Just do your best, and we’ll see how things go.”

Luan Yi was left a bit dazed after ending the call, but Chen Fangfang’s call had indeed shifted his attention to some extent. He put down his phone and picked up the book “Illusionary Dream” from the bedside, flipping through its pages.

The announced audition date for the new program didn’t conflict with the filming schedule for “Time Difference In Love”. It was scheduled just after the end of the show. With such a highly anticipated IP, Luan Yi knew his chances were slim. But as long as he put in the effort and prepared well, even if he ended up not being selected, he would have no regrets.

Another night passed.

The next morning, the program team informed the guests that they would be organizing a camping activity in the evening. This would be the last group activity with the six guest members before the arrival of the new guests.

The camping site was located nearly 20 kilometers away from the villa, in a protected forest area surrounding S City, adjacent to the neighboring urban area. It had lakes, mountains, and beautiful scenery. In recent years, it had become a popular spot for RV camping activities, attracting urban dwellers looking for relaxation and gatherings.

The guests themselves were also part of the target audience, so they were happy to participate in this arrangement by the program team. They set off for the designated camping site together after 2 p.m.

The program team’s minibus carried all the guests, and Luan Yi was the second-to-last to board. Almost everyone had taken their seats. There was an empty seat next to Wen Yang, and one next to Meng Qiuyan as well.

It would be more relaxing and comfortable to sit with Meng Qiuyan. However, behind Luan Yi was Yun Chi, who had once voluntarily chosen Wen Yang. After a brief hesitation, Luan Yi decided to sit next to Wen Yang.

He was just considering that the atmosphere between Xiao Meng and Mr. Yun Chi was good after their date, and he didn’t want to ruin it. Luan Yi reassured himself with this thought.

However, even though he chose the seat himself, Luan Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous after sitting down.

Even without saying a word, Wen Yang’s presence was very strong, and Luan Yi couldn’t help but think about their conversation from last night, which made him even more nervous.

To prevent any other situation from arising, Luan Yi took out his phone and searched for information: “Let me see what the place we’re going to is like.”

He buried his head in his phone and looked for a while, actually getting engrossed in it. The location chosen by the program team was indeed nice. There were plenty of beautiful RVs in the photos. Luan Yi excitedly shared with the other guests, saying, “There are several types of RVs there, and they all seem interesting.”

Chi Xingyi leaned over from the back seat to look at Luan Yi’s phone and enthusiastically discussed with him which type of RV was better.

Yun Chi said, “I also wanted to buy an RV to travel around the country, but work has been too busy, so I can only put it on my to-do list for now.”

Everyone more or less expressed their opinions, and only the cameraman from the program team, with his round face blocked by the camera, quietly smiled and remained silent.

As expected, when they arrived at the camping site, everyone was dumbfounded. There were no RVs as they had imagined; instead, the program team had prepared a bunch of tents for them.

Chi Xingyi exclaimed as he realized a worse possibility and pointed at the pile of tents. He asked the staff, “Are there enough tents?”

Everyone followed his gaze and looked at the staff, who still maintained a smile without saying a word, leaving the guests to set up the tents themselves.

Although the program team seemed to have some mischievous intent, they had already arrived, and camping in tents was better than camping outdoors.

Looking around, even though they weren’t sure if there were enough tents, they felt that the situation was manageable. Returning to nature with its gentle breeze and fresh air hardly dampened anyone’s spirits over small matters.

Hence, Luan Yi optimistically spoke up, “It’s okay, even if there aren’t enough tents, we can always squeeze together, right? Besides, I sleep really well; I won’t move even when I’m asleep.”

Luan Yi had a look of sincerely inviting roommates, but as everyone looked at him, they also noticed the silent presence of Wen Yang standing behind him. As a result, they all turned their heads away, as if they hadn’t heard what Luan Yi had just said.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward and silent.

Chi Xingyi quickly ran over to count the materials for setting up the tents, and fortunately, the program team didn’t have such a mischievous intent after all. There were enough tents for each person.

Luan Yi was completely puzzled. When he turned around and saw Wen Yang standing silently behind him, their eyes met. Forgetting about the strange reactions from the others, he immediately took two steps forward and said, “I’ll help too.”

In addition to the tents for camping, they also prepared a barbecue for the evening. The guests split into two groups to get busy; four of them stayed to set up the tents, while the other two went to a nearby supermarket to buy the ingredients.

Responsible for purchasing the ingredients was Meng Qiuyan, and Yun Chi went with him, so the two of them left together.

Left behind were Chi Xingyi, Qu Yanbo, Wen Yang, and Luan Yi, the four of them working on setting up the tents.

Although the program team’s tents were not too difficult to set up, it still required some effort, and by the time they were all pitched, everyone was somewhat sweaty.

Qu Yanbo, who had exerted the most effort and was feeling hot, simply took off his jacket, revealing his muscular upper body with only a tank top on.

Although Qu Yanbo had retired competitively, he was still passionate about sports and maintained a high level of physical activity every day. His physique was very well-defined and attractive.

With his jacket off, revealing a slightly tanned skin tone and his muscles flexing from the recent exertion, he became even more eye-catching.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, he had an impressive figure.

Without much thought, Luan Yi exclaimed, “Wow.”

It was a compliment, an admiration, and a hint of envy that came from being a salted fish.

However, the moment his voice fell, it seemed to ring loudly in the brief pause in everyone’s busy activities.

As a result, Wen Yang’s gaze shifted from the side to look at him with a cold and displeased expression.

Qu Yanbo hesitated, still holding onto the jacket he hadn’t put down yet, feeling conflicted about whether to put it back on or not.

【Barrage loading】

“Hahaha, look, the wife is shy from being stared at.”

“I really hope Wen Yang and Luan Yi stay sweet until the end of the show!! This kind of ‘from beginning to end’ relationship is so satisfying to watch.”

“Hahaha, everyone’s reaction to the wife saying they can all sleep together is hilarious, the mysterious silence.”

“I caught a detail!! After the wife spoke, everyone looked at the wife first and then at the boss, which means the guests also know that this couple is locked in! They are definitely real!”

“Hahaha, so funny, who dares to squeeze in with you, probably won’t survive after the show.”

“Don’t exaggerate with ‘won’t survive’, it’s a legal society now, at most a broken bone, hahaha.”

“The wife is so adorable when not in the know, what a cute dork!”

Octopus Platform’s camera magnified all the details that might have been overlooked, including the expressions the guests often revealed in passing.

Thus, Wen Yang’s cold displeasure was not missed but showcased directly to the audience through a close-up shot.

“Hahaha, the boss’s eyes have a murderous aura.”

“But Mr. Qu’s muscles, not to mention the wife, even I’m a little envious just looking at them through the screen…”

“Hahaha, wifey is brave!”

“Don’t you think Wen Yang looks like the type who is steady and restrained? I feel like he always exudes a sense of abstinence, very virtuous.”

“Hahaha, ‘virtuous’, I’m dying. Sister, don’t you know this type of person can be wild when they go crazy? 【Pervert】【Pervert】.”

“Wen Yang, don’t lose! Hurry and show off in front of wifey too!”