"Not spicy." His stomach was burning uncomfortably, but he didn't show it.
After leaving the inn, Yu Wanwan felt inexplicably uneasy. She had been the one to hint at him taking on the 'Soul-Crushing Wings' challenge, yet now that he had actually succeeded, she felt a strange sense of guilt—a feeling she had never experienced before.
She took a bite of her ice cream, the cool sweetness spreading in her mouth. Her voice came out light and airy, like the cold vapor she breathed: "Let me teach you a lesson in social skills: when someone makes an unreasonable request, you need to learn to say no. Don't be a fool and agree to everything."
"Oh." Sensing that she felt guilty about the challenge, Zhang Jingxu comforted her, "Actually, I volunteered for that challenge. I just suddenly wanted to test my spice tolerance."
Yu Wanwan didn't respond, walking forward in silence.
After a while, she suddenly looked up at him and noticed that apart from looking a bit disheveled while eating the wings, he now looked as energetic as ever. Even his lips didn't seem very swollen.
She deliberately tilted her head to look at him, then burst out laughing.
Zhang Jingxu was a bit taken aback by her sudden change: "What's wrong?"
Yu Wanwan smiled brightly: "I thought you'd end up with sausage lips from the spiciness."
Zhang Jingxu: "..."
He instinctively touched his lips, not knowing what to say, but seeing her suddenly happy, he couldn't help but smile.
Returning to her usual carefree and cheerful demeanor, Yu Wanwan took the initiative to steer the conversation: "I checked the footage from yesterday this morning, and I noticed we were both very stiff around each other, not at all like a newlywed couple. It'll be easy for netizens to see through us."
"So what do we do?" he asked, while inwardly feeling relieved: she finally remembered this!
"Hmm..." Yu Wanwan frowned slightly and looked up at him. "You need to act with me. Act like we're very much in love."
Zhang Jingxu looked ready to follow her orders: "How?"
"Simple." She began explaining her filming requirements. "Just time it right—confess to me one second before the fireworks start."
Hearing this, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in Zhang Jingxu's eyes.
Yu Wanwan continued in a professional, no-nonsense tone: "Just call my name and say 'I like you.' That's the line. Can you do it?"
Zhang Jingxu paused, listening to the line she'd given him. Inside, he was already bursting with excitement. After all these days of acting as her stand-in for videos, this was the first time he'd been given a specific line—and not just any line, but a confession scene, the highlight of any romantic drama. He suddenly felt like he'd gone from being a background prop to the male lead.
Since he had a specific line, did that mean she would allow him to show his face in this footage?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, but he kept his cool on the surface. He nodded firmly, as if accepting a billion-dollar project: "Okay."
Yu Wanwan crossed her arms and got into strict rehearsal mode: "Show me a demo now."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingxu immediately grew nervous. They were starting rehearsals already?
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He felt like he was in a solemn bride-and-groom vow ceremony. Maybe it was because of the super-spicy 'Soul-Crushing Wings' he'd just eaten, but his voice came out hoarse and dry: "Yu Wanwan, I like you."
Yu Wanwan listened with a frown. His delivery was even less emotional than when he'd played truth or dare with her in the hot spring last night. She directly rejected it: "No, that's too flat. The acting is too obvious. Can you add some emotion?"
Zhang Jingxu cleared his throat, trying to get into character, then tried again: "Yu Wanwan, I... like you."
Yu Wanwan was still unsatisfied: "Can you be smoother? No stuttering!"
She demonstrated: "Your tone should be joyful, like you've got the whole world. Act like you're really confessing to your girlfriend. And louder, like this: 'Yu Wanwan, I like you!' Got it?"
Zhang Jingxu clenched his hands nervously, obediently nodding: "Got it."
"Then do it again."
Zhang Jingxu took a deep breath. This time, he looked deeply into her eyes and said earnestly, word by word: "Yu Wanwan, I like you!"
His third 'confession' was clearly better than the first two, with eye contact and a tone that sounded solemn and sincere.
Yu Wanwan was taken aback. He learns fast, huh?
After a moment of silence, she finally approved: "Yeah, that's about right. Just aim for a Japanese drama vibe."
Mentioning Japanese dramas, she worried he might not fully understand, so she asked, "Have you watched any Japanese dramas?"
Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and replied seriously, "I've watched anti-Japanese dramas."
Yu Wanwan: "..."
Great. It felt like she was talking to a wall! She was talking about atmosphere, and he was talking about machine guns. It was hopeless!
Speechless for a moment, Yu Wanwan decided to let fate take the wheel: "Just practice it in your mind a few times. This firework show isn't every day, so we have to nail it in one take. No retakes, and no ad-libbing, got it?"
"Oh."
He followed behind her like a faithful attendant, then asked with a playful tone, "So... for helping you film this, do I get any compensation?"
Yu Wanwan stopped and looked at him: "Haven't I already given it to you?"
Zhang Jingxu was puzzled: "You have?"
Her voice was smug and shrewd: "The ice cream you just ate—that's your entire compensation."
"Huh?"
Yu Wanwan smirked at him: "You think I'd just treat you to ice cream for no reason? Hilarious. I'm stingy, you know."
With that, she strutted forward like a proud Persian cat, head held high.
Watching her confident back, Zhang Jingxu shook his head with a helpless smile and quickly caught up.
They arrived at the Magpie Bridge, which had a romantic legend. The area was empty, with hardly any pedestrians.
What a godsend.