Hearing Lu Songtao say this, Qiu Xin Xue rolled her eyes in anger: such a clueless straight man.
Things were thus settled, and the formal heart-pounding date commenced early the next day.
This time, the heart-pounding date only involved filming crews; there were no synchronized live broadcasts, so viewers would have to wait until the official airing date to catch it.
Despite fan protests, everyone understood; after all, if it were live-streamed throughout, viewership data would surely plummet during post-broadcast playback.
Fortunately, fans had gathered plenty of footage over the past few days, and with some editing, several short clips featuring romantic moments could be produced to satisfy their cravings.
Tong Nian Zhe had diligently prepared extensive research the night before. The next day, while accompanying Ji Mei Na to the wildlife park, he took on the role of a tour guide.
The two got along splendidly, with a minor incident occurring just before lunch break.
As Tong Nian Zhe and Ji Mei Na were feeding the giraffes.
Amidst a cluster of leafy branches, a giraffe bit down on Ji Mei Na's collar and lifted her entire body into the air.
Everyone was stunned.
Before the zookeepers could even react, Tong Nian Zhe grabbed the railing of the enclosure with one hand, using the leverage to leap up and snatch Ji Mei Na's hand. With a powerful pull, he yanked her into his embrace, holding her protectively.
With a tearing sound, Ji Mei Na's top was ruined, revealing a large expanse of her fair white back.
Tong Nian Zhe immediately draped his jacket over Ji Mei Na and shot a glare at a middle-aged male tourist attempting to sneak a photo.
Ji Mei Na trembled in Tong Nian Zhe's arms, her hands tightly gripping his lapel like a little rabbit just pulled from the water.
The zookeepers and park management rushed over to apologize.
Tong Nian Zhe's face was a dark storm, while Ji Mei Na, despite her fright, managed a smile and even went on to comfort the wildlife park staff, urging them not to worry.
Seeing Ji Mei Na still concerned about others' feelings at such a moment, Tong Nian Zhe's expression darkened further.
In the end, the wildlife park staff not only refunded their entrance fees but also assigned escorts to accompany them for the remainder of their visit. As a final apology, they arranged for close-up interaction with giant pandas.
Donning special attire, gloves, and masks, Ji Mei Na excitedly trembled as she petted and hugged a panda cub, laughing incessantly.
Witnessing Ji Mei Na's joy, Tong Nian Zhe's somber expression finally softened. He even posed for many photos with Ji Mei Na and the adorable panda cubs.
The park also presented them with numerous souvenirs as a further apology.
Afterward, their day's excursion concluded under the twilight glow.
Ling Feng Han and Lin Yi Rou's pairing also had a delightful time at the Natural History Museum. They not only experienced a lecture on the mysteries of the starry sky firsthand but also purchased many souvenirs to present as gifts to other guests.
Coincidentally, that day also coincided with an academic lecture on astronomy.
The two found a corner seat and attended the lectures for the entire day.
They listened to talks ranging from "Human Destiny and Astronomy" to "Cosmic Killer: Pulsars."
Both felt a sense of lingering fascination even after all the academic lectures concluded. While dining at the museum's restaurant, they engaged in lively discussions.
Their interactions were natural and harmonious, but perhaps a little too harmonious, lacking a certain spark of romantic excitement.
It felt more like two close friends with compatible values and shared interests conversing.
Of course, if one were determined to find romantic undertones, it was believed that the devoted CP fans could conjure sweet moments from their calm interactions during the show's broadcast.
Xia Qing Tian and Ji Jun's pairing also had a lively and enjoyable outing. They visited the amusement park that Qiu Xin Xue and Lu Song Tao had gone to previously, but this time they had a more substantial budget.
Xia Qing Tian, not being particularly fond of sweets, instead queued up to buy some highly-rated skewers and German sausages online.
"The meat is good quality, just a bit greasy. I can't finish it," Xia Qing Tian said regretfully, looking at the remaining half of the sausage.
"Then just discard it. We'll be going on rides soon, and I don't want you to throw up again," Ji Jun advised.
"Indeed," Xia Qing Tian agreed, nodding as she threw away the half-eaten sausage. Afterward, she and Ji Jun began discussing what to ride next.
Their interactions were natural, and they were quite uninhibited while playing. Except for the extremely heart-pounding rides, they were eager to try everything else as long as Xia Qing Tian could handle it.
Ji Jun was also very relaxed, and the two had a wonderful time both playing and eating.
For their final dinner, they ascended to the highest point of a castle, dining while admiring the sky full of fireworks.
"It's so beautiful," Xia Qing Tian exclaimed, cupping her face as she admired the display.
"Mm," Ji Jun also nodded.
"Let's find a chance to bring Rou Rou here in the future. She'll definitely love it too," Xia Qing Tian whispered, covering the lavalier microphone at her collar and leaning towards Ji Jun.
Upon hearing this, Ji Jun's lips curved into a subtle arc, and he nodded in agreement, seemingly looking forward to bringing Lin Yi Rou to witness the magnificent spectacle of fireworks.
That evening, as everyone returned to the villa, they shared their experiences from the day and exchanged souvenir gifts.
It was evident that everyone had a very enjoyable time.
Ji Mei Na, in particular, who had petted a panda, chattered excitedly, "I always thought panda fur would be very soft, but it was a bit prickly!"
"That's great!" Lin Yi Han and Xia Qing Tian couldn't help but express their envy.
What girl wouldn't want to hug a national treasure?
"And we didn't spend much money today at all; we didn't even pay for tickets, and we received these small gifts from the park. We had a whole day of fun for free, so cost-effective!" Ji Mei Na chirped.
"Why is that?" Lin Yi Rou asked, perplexed. "You didn't even have to buy tickets, and you got to hug a panda? Plus, all these gifts? Was it because of your good looks, or was there some promotional event with the park due to filming?"
"Ah? This..." Ji Mei Na stammered. After a pause, she gave an awkward laugh and said, "You'll know when it airs, hehe."
Hearing Ji Mei Na's response, Lin Yi Rou didn't press further.
However, Xia Qing Tian turned to look at Tong Nian Zhe and found him trying to suppress a laugh, his face turning red.
Although it had been truly dangerous at the time, and he had indeed been somewhat angry, looking back now, it was rather amusing...
As they were chatting, Qiu Xin Xue and Lu Song Tao returned.
The two appeared to be in good spirits, chatting and laughing.
This time, they had learned their lesson and specifically reserved enough money for their return journey.
The 3,000 yuan they had for the old street outing went quite smoothly, though the old street itself wasn't particularly interesting.
Fortunately, Qiu Xin Xue managed to find a treasure in the end, which served as some compensation for her.
Seeing everyone giving her small gifts, Qiu Xin Xue's expression turned a bit awkward. "I'm sorry, we spent all our money today. As you know, we only had a 3,000 yuan dating fund, so we didn't get to bring back any gifts for everyone."
"You spent all 3,000?" Ji Mei Na asked, surprised. Last time, she and the other two had 2,000 yuan and still had 600 left?
"Yes, today we were originally going to a famous century-old tea house on that old street. We met an uncle at the entrance who was selling gemstones." Qiu Xin Xue then showed the gemstone bracelet on her wrist. "It's beautiful, isn't it!"
Upon hearing Qiu Xin Xue mention an uncle selling gemstones, Ji Mei Na and the other two exchanged subtle glances, and no one spoke.