In the observation room, Lü Ruosi looked at Qin Wunian and clicked her tongue: “So he does smile! I spent seventy days on set with him, and I never saw him laugh once. Luckily, he played the cold-faced prince. Had it been another role, I’m not sure he could’ve kept it up.”
Su Yu wore a face of amusement, speaking to Lü Ruosi while his eyes remained glued to the glass: “Still, you can’t say that. Qin Wunian’s acting is undeniable. On stage, one face; off stage, another. Acting is like a split personality. Isn’t that even more fun?”
The atmosphere between Yang Qing and Zhao Feifei was a little awkward. Since returning, they hadn’t really spoken much. Zhao Feifei straightened her back and joined the conversation:
“Don’t you think it’s strange? I might not remember the exact dates I dated someone, but I can remember the general timeframe. Why did Xiao Song answer so uncertainly?”
Somehow, someone called out “Xiao Song” first, and the others followed suit, even Su Yu joined in. Yet Su Yu was only twenty-five this year, two years younger than Song Cheng.
Liu Yanchu propped up his face and said slowly, “Everyone’s story is different. What really happened, only the two of them know.”
If Song Cheng could hear Liu Yanchu, he would have tearfully explained: no, some stories are too convoluted, even the people involved only understand fragments.
Meanwhile, Gan Yawen had already asked the second question.
“One year is neither long nor short. So, for the two of you, which day do you remember most vividly?”
As usual, Qin Wunian looked at Song Cheng, patiently waiting for him to speak first.
Song Cheng: “…”
If he hadn’t known that Qin Wunian was unaware of his amnesia, he might have suspected Qin Wunian was doing it on purpose.
After a moment, Song Cheng said, “It should be… the first day we met.”
Qin Wunian’s eyes flickered.
Song Cheng lowered his head and recounted the scene from his diary:
“I was so young then. I’d never seen anyone like Qin Wunian—so handsome, so mature. It was like a backward, impoverished world suddenly met a noble prince. From the moment he stepped in, the yellowed sky brightened, the dilapidated buildings seemed renewed. And I… I clearly realized we weren’t from the same world, yet I still wanted to have him. After all, he was so perfect.”
Qin Wunian listened, stunned for quite a while.
His expression was one of genuine surprise, but because Song Cheng didn’t dare look up at the mirror, he didn’t notice. Gan Yawen, however, grew intensely interested, leaning closer to Song Cheng:
“So… it was love at first sight with Mr. Qin?”
Song Cheng finally looked at Qin Wunian. He wasn’t sure if he had ever told him before. Judging by the diary, probably not. Now he wanted to seize this chance to let Qin Wunian know.
Pressing his lips together, Song Cheng’s face flushed slightly, but he nodded with absolute certainty.
Qin Wunian stared at him steadily. The shock on his face faded; he lowered his eyes, no longer looking at Song Cheng, and remained silent.
Gan Yawen exclaimed, seemingly ignoring Song Cheng’s embarrassment, then turned to Qin Wunian:
“Mr. Qin, what about you? Is it the same day Song Cheng mentioned?”
Qin Wunian: “No.”
He paused for a moment, then continued:
“It was five years ago, in autumn. I was filming outside, staying at the crew hotel. The weather was very cold, and a once-in-a-decade downpour hit. Traffic was jammed in the suburbs, power outages everywhere, and many low-lying roads were flooded.”
At this, the six people in the observation room held their breath, waiting for him to continue. The two in the truth-telling room stared without blinking, fully focused. Gan Yawen caught a glimpse of Song Cheng in the mirror, whose expression was even more serious than his own, and was momentarily taken aback.
But he didn’t dwell on it and pressed Qin Wunian: “And then?”
Qin Wunian lifted his eyelids slightly: “What ‘and then’? That’s it. That day itself is the one I remember most.”
The collective reaction of the eight: “……”
You’re showing us this after taking your pants off?!
Song Cheng was extremely disappointed. He had wanted to hear more details. Compared to Qin Wunian’s account, the diary felt like a dry loaf of bread—completely flavorless.
The observers were equally at a loss. Liu Yanchu exhaled:
“Now I understand why Qin Wunian has so many haters.”
Next to him, Lü Ruosi looked over. Liu Yanchu slapped the sofa: “Now I want to be one too!”
Lü Ruosi: “……”
Shaking her head, she ignored him. She spoke with Zhao Feifei, while Su Yu discussed with Yue Yuran. Liu Yanchu was left unheeded, and Yang Qing couldn’t care less about anyone else.
She stared at the two on the other side of the glass, eyes widening. Suddenly, she stood up and exclaimed dramatically:
“I remember that day!”
Her voice was loud enough that even Qin Wunian and Song Cheng heard it through the not-so-soundproof truth-telling room.
However, they couldn’t hear exactly what she said, only curiously looking toward the mirror. Since they couldn’t see anything from that side, they soon turned back.
Meanwhile, the observation room exploded with excitement.
Su Yu was stunned: “Yang Jie, how do you know the exact day?”
Zhao Feifei frowned: “You were there too?”
Liu Yanchu: “My goodness, what a coincidence! Xiao Yang, tell us—tell us in detail!”
Yang Qing didn’t immediately answer. She first glanced at the two across the room, showing a hint of hesitation:
“This… maybe I shouldn’t. This is their business. If I tell, what does that make me…”
Lü Ruosi: “Did you see something you weren’t supposed to?”
Yang Qing shook her head repeatedly. “No, no. I was staying at that hotel too. Do you remember the doctor drama I filmed? Blazing White Coat? Our crew shared the same set with Qin Wunian’s crew. On that day of the heavy downpour, we were supposed to film outdoor scenes, then switched to indoors, but in the end, the power went out, and we couldn’t shoot anything. I went back to the hotel to rest.”
She paused thoughtfully, recalling the memory. Everyone watched silently, hesitant to speak. Zhao Feifei finally said, “Could you stop breathing so hard?”
Yang Qing: “……”
She added, a little annoyed:
“I was just afraid of remembering it wrong. Qin Wunian’s room was on the same floor. When I returned, I saw hotel staff delivering medicine to his room.”
As she finished speaking, the five onlookers were left staring blankly.
“Just… I mean, this is a primetime variety show, right? Surely something this explosive won’t actually be aired…”
Yang Qing realized after a few seconds that their expressions weren’t what she expected. She quickly clarified, “What are you thinking! It’s not that kind of medicine! It was just iodine, gauze, and tweezers. I thought Qin Wunian was injured, but the next day he came out filming as usual. I even praised him to my manager for working while hurt.”
Even after her explanation, their expressions didn’t improve much. They stayed silent, except for Liu Yanchu, who boldly said, “Just because it’s not that kind of medicine doesn’t mean… well, this setup looks familiar. Ex-wife, what do you think?”
Lü Ruosi’s expression didn’t change. She lifted her leg and stomped on Liu Yanchu, making him yelp in pain without a sound.
The others: “……”
Meanwhile, in the truth-telling room, Gan Yawen continued with a few more questions. Song Cheng answered what he could; what he couldn’t, he improvised. Qin Wunian never gave anything away, remaining calm no matter what Song Cheng said.
Finally, Gan Yawen asked the last question:
“You two are different from the other guests. The entire country knows that you haven’t seen each other for four years. After such a long time apart, what would you most like to say to each other?”
Song Cheng listened, said nothing at first, and looked at Qin Wunian.
Qin Wunian met his gaze.
He suddenly asked, “Do you go first, or me?”
Gan Yawen: “Only the host asks questions in the truth-telling room…”
Song Cheng: “You go first.”
Qin Wunian: “Fine.”
Gan Yawen: “……”
After a pause, he stopped worrying about being ignored and quietly waited, just like Song Cheng, for Qin Wunian to speak.
Leaning back, Qin Wunian had to admit—the effect of so many mirrors was impressive. He didn’t want to see his own expression, yet he couldn’t avoid it. He noticed the mocking curve of his own mouth and Song Cheng’s subtle reaction, seeming to anticipate that what he was about to say wasn’t exactly sweet.
In the small space, Qin Wunian’s voice finally rang out:
“What I want to say is, Song Cheng, you’re a liar.”
Author’s note: Special forces king is a special forces king, compared to the cook from a couple of days ago, this counts as an upgrade.