I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

Director Liu cleared his throat, holding the task card high in his hand, as if he wanted to stick it right in front of the camera:

"Today's mission is—heart, movement, dating, and meeting!"

He slammed the task card on the table. "Each pair of partners has to go to different places to complete the dating task. The locations include the campus, amusement park, beach, and botanical garden."

Now, I'll announce today's group assignments and meeting locations:

"Gu Yan and Shu Zi are in a group, at the amusement park;"

Shen Yihuai and Han Jingxue were in a group at the beach;

Yu Shize and Fang Yutong are in the same group, on campus;

Jiang Yunyou and Su Yanhuan were in the same group at the botanical garden.

Director Liu put away the task card and resumed his usual crisp tone: "The car is already waiting at the door. We'll depart in half an hour."

[Director Liu, you really know how to grab attention with this group assignment. You're amazing, otherwise you wouldn't be a director.]

As soon as Director Liu finished speaking, Jiang Yunyou raised his hand, his expression sincere: "Director Liu, may I request to switch teams?"

Director Liu glanced at him, his eyes clearly saying, "You're probably just daydreaming."

What do you think?

Jiang Yunyou stared at Director Liu's uncompromising face for two seconds, silently swallowed his "I think it's possible" back down, and dejectedly moved out.

The group got into different cars and went to different mission locations.

The entrance to the amusement park was bustling with noise.

Colorful balloons crowded together above the entrance, swaying precariously in the wind.

The roller coaster tracks shimmered silvery-white in the sunlight, and screams crashed down from above in waves.

Shu Zi stood at the entrance, looking up at the huge Ferris wheel. The sunlight was so bright that she squinted one eye. She took out a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and put them on.

Shuzi wore a white short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts, and canvas shoes today, with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She looked like she was on a spring outing.

Gu Yan stood next to her, wearing a thin black sweater and dark trousers, which was completely out of place in the amusement park.

The sleeves of the sweater were rolled up to the forearms, revealing a section of well-defined wrists.

The cuffs were casually rolled up to the forearms, revealing a clean-lined wrist.

Shu Zi tilted her head, scanning him from head to toe, her brows furrowing: "You came to the amusement park dressed like this?"

Gu Yan looked down at himself: "Is there a problem?"

Shu Zi pointed to a little boy next to her who was wearing a dinosaur onesie and was excitedly screaming:

"Look at them, and then look at you, in over 30 degrees Celsius, wearing a sweater? Mr. Gu, aren't you hot?"

Gu Yan tugged at his sleeve casually: "It's not hot."

[Gu Yan: As long as I don't feel hot, the heat can't catch me]

[With that outfit, I'd believe it if you said he was there to buy out an amusement park]

[“President Gu” Hahaha, Shu Zi’s switching between these titles is so smooth!]

Shu Zi stared at him for two seconds, shook her head with a "hopeless" expression, and turned to walk inside.

When they arrived at the bottom of the roller coaster, a long queue had formed at the ticket gate. Shu Zi's eyes lit up as she looked at the winding steel tracks, and she eagerly glanced at Gu Yan.

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, a slight, ambiguous smile playing on his lips: "Are you sure?"

He remembered it clearly: on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, after this young lady had played with him once, her legs were so weak that she couldn't even stand up, and he was the one who carried her back.

All the way there, she buried her face in his chest, not uttering a sound. Afterwards, she swore to the heavens that if she ever touched that thing again, she would be a dog.

Shu Zi was inflamed by his meaningful glance. She raised her chin and shouted, "Who do you think you are! Things are different now, understand?"

Gu Yan nodded, readily agreeing: "Okay."

After waiting in line for more than twenty minutes, it was finally their turn.

Shu Zixiong confidently chose the last row, plopped down, and sat down decisively.

She reached for the safety bar, pulled it once, but it didn't budge. She tried harder, but it still wouldn't budge. Her expression gradually changed from "I can do it" to "Is this thing broken?"

Gu extended his hand and gently pulled, and with a "click," the bar landed steadily.

The roller coaster began to slowly climb.

Shu Zi leaned back unconsciously, gripping the armrest tightly, and began to mutter to herself, her voice growing softer and softer:

"I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm really not afraid... This is just psychological suggestion... Science proves that fear can be overcome... Ah, why haven't we reached our peak yet..."

Gu Yan turned his head to look at her: "If you're scared, close your eyes."

Shu Zi's voice trembled slightly, but she stubbornly insisted, "Who, who's scared! I'm just having a friendly conversation with the roller coaster! I'm asking it to be gentle with me! It's a communication skill, you know!"

The roller coaster reached its highest point and paused for a fatal second.

Shu Zi closed her eyes tightly and uttered her final "last words": "Roller Coaster Bro! I was wrong! Please be gentle—"

Then, a feeling of weightlessness suddenly struck.

Shu Zi's scream finally came out, but it wasn't an ordinary scream; it was the kind that included words:

"Ahhhhhh!!! Why did I come up here?! Help me!!!"

"Gu Yan, didn't I say I'd never play this again?! -- Ah! Why didn't you stop me?! -- Ah! Why didn't you stop me?!"

A piercing scream, complete with specific lines, echoed through the sky.

Gu Yan sat next to her, his expression calm. He even turned his head slightly to look at her profile, which was distorted by the wind, and the corners of his mouth curved up.

After coming down, Shu Zi's hair was all puffed up like a vibrant dandelion, her ponytail was askew to one side, and stray hairs covered her face.

But he still remained defiant.

"It's...it's alright," she gasped, her voice trembling. "It's nothing special, just average, not particularly scary."

A staff member approached with a smile: "Would you two like to see some candid photos?"

Shu Zi leaned closer to take a look—

On the screen, her face was sculpted by the raging wind into an abstract art form, her mouth wide open enough to swallow a whole fist, her eyes tightly closed, her expression one of agony as if she were going through a life-or-death ordeal.

Beside her, Gu Yan remained calm, even slightly turning his head to look at her face.

Shu Zi remained silent for a full two seconds.

His facial expression shifted from shock to terror, and then to a look of resignation to death.

"...This photo," she said, enunciating each word clearly and in a chilling tone, "absolutely cannot be leaked."

After saying that, a sharp glare shot out at the cameraman next to him.

The cameraman, carrying his equipment, silently took a half-step back, looking completely innocent.

This is a live broadcast, glaring at me won't change anything, the whole country has seen it.

Gu Yan glanced at the screen and commented, "Pretty cute."

Shu Zi suddenly turned her head and glared at him, her eyes wide open: "Gu Yan, are you blind?! Which eye of yours saw anything cute?! Tell me! Your left eye or your right eye?!"

Gu Yan didn't reply, but the smile on his lips deepened a little. He turned to the staff member and said, "Excuse me, could you print one copy?"

Shu Zi: "You—!"

The staff worked incredibly fast; the photos were already printed.

Gu Yan took it, glanced at it, and then slowly put it into his pants pocket.

Shu Zi reached out to grab it, her fingertips brushing against the edge of his pocket: "Give it to me!"

Gu Yan raised his hand and gently pressed down on her hand, which was trying to cause trouble, through the fabric of her clothes.

Shu Zi's fingertips unexpectedly touched the muscles of his thigh.

She recoiled as if burned, her ear tips turning bright red, the blush quickly spreading to the base of her neck.

"Why...why are you keeping it!" she shouted, but her voice lacked conviction.

Gu Yan put his hands back in his pockets, looked at her leisurely, and uttered two words: "Collect."

Shu Zi: "..."

She raised her foot to kick him, but her legs went weak and she fell forward.

Gu reached out and caught it steadily.

One arm encircled her waist, the other rested on her shoulder. He looked down at the person in his arms, the smile still lingering in his eyes, his voice languid:

"What, throwing yourself into my arms?"

Shu Zi struggled in his arms for a moment, but couldn't break free. She looked up at him, her face flushed crimson, and squeezed out a voice through clenched teeth: "...Screw you! Let go!"

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his chest heaving slightly. He released his grip, but his gaze remained playful: "Want to play again?"

Shu Zi steadied herself, hurriedly tucking the stray hairs that were sticking to her face behind her ears, raised her chin, and stubbornly said, "Play!"

Gu Yan's gaze slowly drifted down, landing on her slightly trembling legs.

Shu Zi followed his gaze and looked down, then abruptly brought her legs together, standing ramrod straight, her voice rising eight octaves: "I wasn't shaking! That was an accident! My legs have their own minds!"

Gu Yan smiled and looked away from her legs, returning his gaze to her forced composure on her face. He nodded and said, "Yes, you've improved."

[Shu Zi, the "King of Stubbornness": Legs can be soft, but mouth must be hard!]

[Haha, "It's like the leg has its own ideas"—what a new way to shift blame!]

[I gave her a hug! Even though it was only for three seconds, I took a screenshot!]

[I was so smitten when Gu Yan said "collect"! He's so good at it!]

After getting off the roller coaster, Shuzi's ponytail came undone, with the hair tie hanging precariously at the end.

Gu Yan reached out, gently hooked the black hair tie off, and then very naturally put it on his left wrist.

Shu Zi touched her disheveled long hair, turned around, her gaze falling on the black mark on his wrist, and reached out: "Give it back to me."

Gu Yan put his hands behind his back.

Shu Zi couldn't reach him, so she stood on tiptoe to reach him again, almost pressing her whole body against him.

Their faces were very close, close enough to see the tiny, faint mole on the tip of her nose.

"Give it back to me." She lowered her voice, glaring at him, trying to kill him with her eyes.

Gu Yan didn't move, looking down at her with a slight smile on his lips. His voice was soft but clear: "I won't return it."

Shu Zi glared at him for two seconds, then withdrew her hand, turned around, and muttered under her breath, "...childish brat."

But she didn't ask for it again.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying gently in the breeze of the amusement park.

Gu Yan stood behind her, the black rubber band on his wrist reflecting a faint light in the sunlight.

He glanced down, the smile on his lips widening, and put his hands back in his pockets.