Chapter 69: Sixty-Ninth Day as a Salted Fish
Inhaling the faint, subtle fragrance radiating from Zhou Shaoli’s body, Qin Jiaojiao drifted off into a sweet, peaceful sleep.
Zhou Shaoli buried his head against the crook of her neck. As a man accustomed to an intense daily work schedule, he rarely took afternoon naps. Yet for some reason, holding her soft, fragrant body in his arms, sleepiness gradually washed over him.
When they woke up from their afternoon nap, a message arrived from the production team. To show consideration for how hard the guests had been working, the crew had arranged for them to ride camels across the desert to experience its magnificent, breathtaking scenery.
To make the most of it, the production team had specially prepared exotic, traditional attire for the guests to take photos in the desert, complete with professional makeup artists to craft gorgeous looks for everyone.
Shen Xiaoshan was still trending on the hot searches because of the noon livestream, with countless netizens locked in heated discussions. The vast majority of comments were blaming Shen Xiaoshan for forgetting something as vital as her husband’s severe food allergy.
Consequently, the production crew issued an apology to fans that afternoon, postponing the live broadcast activity and continuing to let camera operators film the guests’ desert excursion offline.
The production team brought in professional stylists to prepare all the guests.
The male and female guests were separated.
Several male guests declined the stylists’ offers for makeup, opting only to put on their exotic-style clothing before waiting in the living room for the female guests to finish their styling.
The three male guests hadn’t interacted much since the show began recording and weren’t very familiar with one another. With little to chat about, they sat around individually scrolling through their phones.
When the female guests finally emerged from the dressing room, the production crew focused their cameras on the male guests, aiming to capture their reactions upon seeing their wives dressed so differently from usual.
Qin Jiaojiao was dressed in a red strapless top embroidered with intricate, ornate golden thread patterns, revealing her slender waist and belly button. Below, she wore a flowing red gauze skirt, her long, graceful legs faintly visible beneath the sheer fabric—an utterly mesmerizing, bewitching sight.
Zhou Shaoli’s eyes flickered slightly. He stared at her enchantingly made-up face for a moment before his gaze paused briefly on the red gemstone adorned near her belly button. Sweeping his eyes back up to her face, he met her gaze.
Qin Jiaojiao tugged at her sheer red skirt with the hand hanging by her side and walked up to Zhou Shaoli, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Does it look good?”
Zhou Shaoli lowered his eyes, his voice deep and magnetic. “It looks gorgeous.”
She was extraordinarily suited for charming, dazzling attire—like a exquisite red rose blooming in the dark night, carrying a captivating charm that could steal one’s soul away.
As for the other two female guests, Jin Mingzhu wore a Dunhuang-inspired blue outfit. She looked dignified, elegant, and possessed the sacred aura of a heavenly goddess. Chen Feihong was so spellbound by her beauty that he couldn’t take his eyes off her, clutching Jin Mingzhu’s hand and refusing to let go.
Shen Xiaoshan wore an ornate, traditional red-and-yellow outfit. Her facial features couldn’t quite carry such heavy, dramatic makeup, giving her an indescribably awkward appearance from head to toe.
Meng Zi’ang didn’t like her heavy makeup, yet he forced a pleasantly surprised expression. “Baby, you look truly beautiful.”
Shen Xiaoshan lowered her head bashfully. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” Meng Zi’ang lied through his teeth. He felt quite displeased with how revealingly Shen Xiaoshan was dressed. Had it not been for the sake of filming the variety show, he definitely would have given her a piece of his mind.
Director: “Dear guests, the camels are waiting outside the inn. You may ride them across the desert and take in the beautiful natural scenery.”
Qin Jiaojiao ran back upstairs to grab a camera, intending to take plenty of gorgeous photos while riding camels over the desert dunes.
The other guests had already set off. Zhou Shaoli stood in the courtyard waiting for her. As Qin Jiaojiao walked up to him, she handed him the camera. “Hold onto this. Make sure to take lots of pretty pictures of me later.”
“Alright.” Zhou Shaoli took the camera, slung it across his torso, and led her out of the inn by the hand.
The camels were crouching in front of the inn, their backs sitting a bit high off the ground. Qin Jiaojiao had never ridden a camel before and felt a little scared. Zhou Shaoli scooped her up and placed her gently onto the camel’s saddle. “Hold tightly onto the saddle.”
Qin Jiaojiao obediently gripped the camel saddle, raising her eyes to look at him.
Dressed in exotic attire, Zhou Shaoli looked somewhat like a handsome king from an ancient realm—unmatched in elegance and striking looks. The outfits chosen by the production team were truly top-notch.
Romantic Lovers really lived up to its hit status. Aside from occasionally asking the guests to complete tasks, its styling and wardrobe were even more refined than those of certain television dramas.
Zhou Shaoli turned to the staff member holding the camel’s lead rope. “Hand it to me.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked down at him. “Aren’t you going to ride a camel?”
Zhou Shaoli met her gaze and said calmly, “No. I wouldn’t feel at ease leaving you.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt a sweet warmth blossom in her heart. She hummed in agreement and said in a light, playful tone, “Attendant Zhou, let’s move out.”
Her tone was playful and utterly adorable.
A faint smile flashed across Zhou Shaoli’s eyes. Leading the camel along the route pointed out by the staff, he stepped into the sands, slowly advancing along the desert trail.
The weather was somewhat hot, so Qin Jiaojiao held a small portable fan to blow a cool breeze over herself. She lowered her eyes and chatted with Zhou Shaoli, “Have you ever ridden a camel before?”
Zhou Shaoli shook his head. “Never.”
The world was vast, and there were many things he had never found the time to do. It was only because he was recording this variety show with Qin Jiaojiao that he finally had the leisure to enjoy these moments.
The desert wind felt warm. Qin Jiaojiao pulled a wet wipe from her handbag, unwrapped it, and handed it to Zhou Shaoli. “Wipe off your sweat.”
Zhou Shaoli extended his distinct, well-defined hand, took the wet wipe she offered, and dabbed away the beads of sweat on his forehead. The wipe carried a fresh mint scent, dispersing a hint of the sweltering heat.
The camel trail spanned roughly three kilometers. A distance like that was something Zhou Shaoli could usually run in a dozen minutes, so walking it didn’t feel tiring at all.
It was just that trekking through sand was tricky, coupled with the hot sun overhead.
Yet with his wife sitting atop the camel and the lead rope in his hand, Zhou Shaoli found it entirely sweet and worthwhile.
Journeying across this mysterious, magnificent desert, another beautiful memory had been added to the journey of their lives.
Qin Jiaojiao asked Zhou Shaoli for the camera, picking it up to capture the stunning desert landscape. She then glanced down at Zhou Shaoli walking up ahead.
His wardrobe usually consisted mostly of dark colors, but today he wore a completely different light-colored outfit, which gave him an air of elegant purity.
The man had refined facial contours and a tall, upright posture. His handsome appearance caused many camel-riding tourists passing by to sneak repeated glances in his direction.
Sitting atop the camel, Qin Jiaojiao aimed her camera and secretly snapped several photos of him. Without needing any filters, he looked purely, flawlessly handsome.
Having covered most of the camel trail, evening approached. The setting sun in the distance painted half the sky in brilliant shades of red—exceedingly grand and spectacular.
Qin Jiaojiao sighed in awe, “It’s so beautiful.”
Zhou Shaoli turned his head, raised his eyes to look at her, and said, “It really is.”
Qin Jiaojiao asked him to stop so they could find a spot with great lighting, beautiful scenery, and few people to take photos.
Zhou Shaoli brought the camel to a halt and reached his hands out to her. “I’ll carry you down.”
Trusting him completely, Qin Jiaojiao opened her arms and jumped into his embrace without the slightest hesitation. Zhou Shaoli caught her steadily and set her down on the sand to stand securely.
“Here’s the camera. Make sure you take pretty pictures of me, okay?” Qin Jiaojiao instructed.
Zhou Shaoli took the camera and adjusted the settings. Back in college, he had taken some landscape photos using Xiao Rui’s camera. Although he didn’t have time to pursue photography later on, his aesthetic taste and composition skills were excellent—he just wasn’t very experienced with portraiture.
After returning from Nancheng, he had watched some online tutorials, hoping to take better photos this time than he had in Nancheng.
Qin Jiaojiao stood in the desert posing, deliberately showing off her long, fair legs. The blazing evening sun cast a soft, golden halo over her, making her look like a celestial Dunhuang apsara goddess with exquisite grace.
With a serious expression, Zhou Shaoli continuously adjusted his angles to capture her. Through his lens, Qin Jiaojiao appeared enchantingly gorgeous—just like the most breathtaking goddess in the world.
After posing for a while, Qin Jiaojiao grew tired. Stepping through the sand, she trotted over to Zhou Shaoli’s side to check his shots.
“Wow, these look amazing!” Qin Jiaojiao hadn’t expected him to take such incredible photos. The mysterious desert served as her most magnificent backdrop.
Seeing her face filled with pleasantly surprised joy, the corners of Zhou Shaoli’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Do you want to take a few more?”
“No need,” Qin Jiaojiao held the camera, her face beaming with happiness. “These are more than enough.”
After going through all the photos, she raised her eyes to look at him and asked, “Did you secretly go learn photography behind my back?”
Looking at her smiling eyes, Zhou Shaoli said, “I just watched a few photography videos.”
“Did you learn it for me?” Qin Jiaojiao stepped a little closer to him.
Zhou Shaoli gently tucked a stray strand of hair blown across her cheek behind her ear, his voice soft and tender. “Last time in Nancheng Ancient Town, I didn’t take good photos of you.”
So he really DID learn it for me.
Qin Jiaojiao’s heart felt intensely sweet. Standing on tiptoe, she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Zhou Shaoli naturally wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest. Nearby stood the camel in the distance, bathed in the hazy glow of the setting sun, as he lowered his head to press his lips against hers.
Holding the camera in one hand, Qin Jiaojiao wrapped her other arm around his waist, tilting her head back to return his kiss.
The accompanying camera operator’s lips curved upward madly as they hurriedly pulled the zoom lens closer to capture the shot. Qin Jiaojiao looked like a delicate, lively princess, while Zhou Shaoli resembled a noble king from a neighboring realm. As the two embraced and kissed in the desert, the wind blew and sent the camel’s bells jingling—a picture-perfect, romantic scene.
When the gentle kiss came to an end, Qin Jiaojiao’s fair face was painted with a delicate crimson blush, her eyes shimmering with liquid light. “Zhou Shaoli, I don’t think I’ve ever told you this… but I like you.”
In that split second, Zhou Shaoli felt as though he could hear the flowers blooming in the desert. An overwhelming joy rushed through his entire body as he gazed deeply down at her.
Qin Jiaojiao met his eyes.
Zhou Shaoli briefly doubted whether he was suffering from auditory hallucinations. Holding her hand, his voice sounded deep and low: “Say it again.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked into his eyes with bright, serious eyes and said, “I like you.”
Zhou Shaoli pulled her by the hand, drawing her firmly into his tight embrace. “I like you too.”
Even the rough desert wind seemed to carry a honeyed sweetness. Deep in his heart, Zhou Shaoli thanked his past self—because he had harbored a slight affection for Qin Jiaojiao, he had agreed to participate in this celebrity couple variety show.
For the rest of his life and all the years to come, he wanted to be with her forever.
Riding their camel back to the inn, they found that the other two guest couples had already returned. Dinner was provided by the production team, so the guests didn’t need to cook it themselves.
After the guests returned, the production team shared the photos taken by the camera crew in the group chat, asking the guests to select a few pictures. The crew intended to post them on their official Weibo as a fan benefit, while also promoting Episodes 5 and 6.
The camera operator’s photography skills were superb, capturing the most handsome and stunning side of every guest. Qin Jiaojiao casually picked a few photos and sent them to the production team.
On the sofa, Shen Xiaoshan looked at the photos taken by the production crew, feeling extremely displeased inside. The camera crew had actually captured her looking so unattractive; compared to Qin Jiaojiao’s lively and radiant photos, she looked just like an ordinary passerby.
Shen Xiaoshan privately contacted the production director, demanding that her photos be heavily retouched and edited.
The production director gave a verbal agreement but didn’t instruct the designers to perform heavy edits. After the massive uproar caused by the reckless photo editing last time, they didn’t dare stir up any more trouble. All guest photos were uniformly given minor retouches and light filters before release.
Since there was no livestream in the afternoon, fans of Romantic Lovers Season 2 were closely monitoring the updates on the official Weibo. When eight o’clock in the evening arrived and the official Weibo posted the photos, everyone was utterly stunned and broke into wild praises.
【AHHH AHHH AHHH SO GORGEOUS! This styling is absolute perfection!】
【The Yueli CP is actually taking the C-position for this promotional post!】
【The sweetest couple in the whole world is the Yueli pair! The princess and the handsome young king are such a match!】
【Wu wu wu wu wu, we’ve finally made it! The Yueli CP is so freaking sweet!】
【So breathtakingly beautiful! Drools I wanna lick baby Jiaojiao’s legs, looking at her is making me drool!】
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