I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

At 7:30 p.m., the lights on the beach came on, and the final live stream feed officially switched to the main channel.

The camera pans across the entire area, illuminating the round table and sofa on the beach at night, while the sea breeze continues to rustle the shadows of the trees in the distance.

The speed at which real-time bullet comments flooded the screen caused lag on the large screen at the venue, with tens of millions of viewers pouring in within minutes.

"Good evening, viewers. This season has finally come to its finale."

Wu Zheng stood in the center of the stage, holding a red handheld microphone, his shiny face full of a triumphant smile.

"Since it's a live broadcast, let's skip all the fancy editing and just say what we have to say today."

Deng Chao and Chen He were assigned to sit on two low stools on the left side; neither of them even got a chair with a backrest.

Lu Han and Dilraba sat on a bench in the audience area on the right. Lu Han was chewing on a bag of potato chips.

Dilraba crossed her arms over her chest, her back straight, and stared expressionlessly at the two-seater sofa in the center of the room.

Song Yuqi was sitting on the left side of the sofa, her hands folded on her knees and skirt, her palms sweaty.

She had mentally prepared herself, but when she actually saw the comments scrolling rapidly on the big screen, her heart started racing uncontrollably again.

Jiang Che sat less than a fist's width away to her right, his black T-shirt making his expression appear extremely indifferent.

He didn't speak, or even look at the camera, but was fiddling with the edge of his phone, yet his overall imposing presence overwhelmed everyone else present.

"Then let's cut to the chase and get to the punishment part."

Wu Zheng moved the megaphone to the left and waved towards the low stool.

"Please welcome our third-place winners, Brother Chao and Brother He, to reveal the deepest secret you've kept hidden to our 30 million viewers."

Deng Chao wiggled his hips on the stool, his face contorted in a bitter expression, and looked to Chen He beside him for help.

Chen He turned his head to the side, muttering to himself, "Why are you looking at me? You're the eldest brother, you should go to the front line first."

"We're both in the same boat, and neither of us is getting away today!"

Deng Chao grabbed Chen He's arm, and the two started shoving each other in front of the camera, which made Lu Han in the audience laugh out loud.

The comments scrolled rapidly across the screen, urging them to quickly reveal some shocking information and not to try to fool them with those little scripts.

Deng Chao scratched his hair hard and glanced at the group of staff members in the audience who were full of anticipation.

"Fine, I might as well tell the truth today, since I'm already facing the consequences."

He picked up the spare microphone that was handed to him, cleared his throat, and then turned to look at Jiang Che, who was sitting on the central sofa.

"Old Jiang, I really have no way out today, I have to apologize to you."

Upon hearing his name, Jiang Che slowly lifted his eyelids, remained silent, and turned his gaze back to Deng Chao's face.

Do you know why I'm confessing at this crucial moment?

Deng Chao sighed deeply into the camera, his tone filled with a sense of tormented helplessness.

"Actually, I realized a long time ago that Lao Jiang had feelings for Yuqi, but I never dared to say it out loud in front of the camera."

The staff were silent for a few seconds, followed by a huge gasp of surprise.

The live stream screen went blank for a moment, followed by a dense barrage of question marks and celebratory words.

"Brother Chao, don't talk nonsense!"

Song Yuqi's ears turned bright red, and she almost jumped up from the sofa.

"Which of my statements was wrong? I was looking for an opportunity to tease you guys in the car that day, but Lao Jiang shut me down in private."

Deng Chao stood up abruptly, pointing in Jiang Che's direction and complaining, "He threatened me, saying that if I dared to talk nonsense, he would hire more foreign teachers to supervise my pronunciation!"

Chen He slapped his thigh wildly beside him: "So that's why Lao Jiang has been so well-behaved lately, turns out he had something on him and was locked up!"

"What do you mean by 'always noticed'? Brother Chao, explain the timeline clearly!"

Lu Han couldn't help but shout out from her chair, forgetting to wipe the potato chip crumbs in her mouth.

"I noticed it a long time ago! Not just from this stop, but even in the first two days after we met and started filming, he was acting strangely!"

Deng Chao's move can be described as speaking very frankly, leaving no room for concealment for the parties involved.

Song Yuqi sat there, her already flushed face growing hotter and hotter, her thoughts completely in disarray.

Very early, in the first two days after filming started, Deng Chao actually said that he had figured it out so early?

During that period, she used the guise of being a work partner to cover for him every day, and Jiang Che also maintained a cold and aloof demeanor, speaking little and doing nothing that concerned him.

Why is it that even someone as oblivious as Deng Chao can see through Jiang Che's thoughts?

Jiang Che didn't interrupt during this bombshell revelation. After Deng Chao finished speaking, he merely raised his chin slightly.

He simply shifted his gaze slightly to the left, quietly focusing on the side of Song Yuqi's flushed face.

Without needing any verbal feedback, his gaze itself was the biggest tacit agreement with Deng Chao's remarks.

That gaze was clearly visible in the high-definition lens of the camera, and the screams on the screen could almost penetrate the screen.

Dilraba remained seated in the audience, her lips slightly upturned, and she remained silent.

"Brother Chao, with this kind of revelation, Lao Jiang is probably going to tear your stool apart tonight."

Seeing the entire audience in an uproar over this secret, Chen He felt a sense of relief.

"What do you know? I've already revealed this important matter, and Old Wu will definitely have no reason to deduct my appearance fee!"

Deng Chao plopped back down in his low seat, looking completely relieved.

"Alright, since Brother Chao has even gone so far as to expose his brothers' dirty secrets, then I'll be the honest guy too."

Chen He picked up another microphone, his small eyes glancing furtively at the sofa area.

"That night we were filming in Jiangcheng, didn't you guys see Lao Jiang carrying a paper bag home late at night?"

"Those weren't props; they were roasted chestnuts that Lao Jiang specially ran two streets to queue up for for Yuqi."

Song Yuqi turned around and looked at the man in the black T-shirt next to her with some disbelief.

That did happen that night, but when she woke up, there was only an empty cardboard box on the table.

She initially thought it was a snack shell that Jiang Che hadn't thrown away after finishing it, and even mentally complained that he was a sweet tooth.

"And then, where did that bag of chestnuts go?"

Wu Zheng urged from behind the camera, clearly unaware of this detail beforehand.

"That day I was so hungry I was looking for a late-night snack all over the place. When I passed a table, I didn't care whose it was, so I just tore it open, peeled off all the pieces, and ate them all."

Chen He spread his hands, his face plastered with his signature smug, "I'm not afraid of boiling water" smile.

"To prevent you from noticing that I was sneaking food, I even carefully folded the empty bags and put them back in their original positions."

The scene erupted in deafening laughter; this was indeed the kind of despicable act that Chen He would do.

"Chen He, are you even human? Those were meant to replenish someone's energy, and you didn't leave a single one!"

Deng Chao kicked Chen He in the shoulder, but Chen He nimbly twisted his waist to dodge it.

Jiang Che finally made a move. He turned his head to look in Chen He's direction, his eyes radiating an ever-increasing coldness.

"You'll have to swim back to land by yourself tonight; my boat won't take you."

As soon as Jiang Che said that, Chen He immediately shrank his head into his collar, and his hands and feet awkwardly huddled together.

"Old Jiang, don't hold a grudge. At worst, I'll treat Yuqi to two large pounds of food tomorrow—no, ten pounds!"

The humorous interlude successfully bought Deng Chao a moment of buffer time before his bombshell revelations.

The intense emotional tension caused by the revelation of her secret crush was smoothly resolved with the tired trope of roasted chestnuts.

After everyone burst into laughter, the atmosphere in the center of the venue, which was about to experience even greater turmoil, intensified.

This is the most perfect way to drive emotions within the logic of variety show live streaming.

If you relax too much, what often follows is the decisive blow that everyone is waiting for.

Wu Zheng took the main microphone and walked step by step back to the center of the camera, gradually silencing the chaotic chatter on set.

"Thanks to Brother Chao and Brother He for not only saving my life today, but also for contributing so many hidden Easter eggs."

As soon as Wu Zheng spoke, the previously lively discussion in the live chat slowed down instantly.

All the viewers gripped their devices tightly in front of their screens, knowing that the next segment was about to begin.

"No matter how lively the discussion was, that was just an outsider's perspective. We still need to hear the thoughts of the people involved."

Wu Zheng stopped in his tracks, a very professional and serious expression on his face.

"Now, we're about to begin the most crucial and anticipated part of tonight's season finale."

"The first pair who finished the race today and set the fastest record have the exclusive right to speak."

Following his gestures, all the fill lights on set changed their settings and focused on the large sofa in the center.

Song Yuqi's hands began unconsciously to twist the front of the floral dress.

Dilraba's somewhat harsh warning was still lingering in her mind, and now she had nowhere to retreat.

Should she speak up first to find a way out, or should she go with the flow and reveal the truth? All eyes were on her.

Jiang Che leaned back on the sofa, maintaining his posture of strong control, and made no move to help out of the predicament.

He said this morning that he would wait until tonight, but now the situation has been arranged into an open conspiracy with no way out.

Whoever speaks first will be giving a positive response to this decade-long tug-of-war.

Wu Zheng stepped forward and placed his red microphone, which had excellent sound recording capabilities, neatly on the small round table between the two of them.

The microphone casing bumped against the glass table, its echo reverberating through the tranquil nighttime space.

The director's camera was positioned perfectly on the two people, capturing every subtle emotional change around their eyes in full frame.

After arranging the props, Wu Zheng took three steps back, retreating directly from the core area of ​​the main camera.

"Gentlemen, we have finished explaining the rules. There are no restrictions on the format of the live stream."

The director gave a practiced yet slightly urging smile and raised his chin slightly.

"The time is yours; you can begin anytime."