Lin Meng feigned displeasure. "What about us, then? Are we supposed to plan our own dates?"
The director laughed, adopting a completely hands-off attitude. "Of course. How boring would a date planned by someone else be? The whole point of our show is to be real, spontaneous, and unscripted."
Lin Meng shot back, "Yeah, right. Sasha, where are you planning to go? Want to go together?"
Zhu Sha didn’t seem to mind, but Zhou Jintang’s expression soured. A third wheel on their date? "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
Zhuo Yan quickly jumped in. "I agree, it’s not a good idea. They’re on a date, why should we tag along and cause trouble? Where do you want to go? How about the zoo?"
"I’ve already checked. It’s Saturday, so there are no driving restrictions in the area around the zoo. We can spend the whole day there and come back."
Lin Meng was easygoing about it. "I’m down. So, we’re going to the zoo? Sasha, where are you and your date going?"
Zhou Jintang had already pulled up a map. "Where would you like to go? You like quiet places, so we could go to a café, an art gallery, or a museum. A teahouse is also an option."
Zhu Sha thought for a moment. "Let’s go to the museum, then. I really enjoy them. There happens to be a café nearby with highly-rated pastries. We could check it out after we’re done at the museum."
Zhou Jintang glanced at the map. "Sounds good. Is that a plan?"
Zhu Sha nodded. "Yes. Let’s get going."
The group made their decision and left quickly, leaving Huo Feng, Yun Lan, and the others to exchange uncertain glances. Lu Mofeng grit his teeth. After scanning the map, he realized the zoo Zhuo Yan had mentioned was the closest location to the museum. He immediately picked up the photo for the zoo.
"I’m going here. Anyone want to join?"
Yun Lan was the first to respond. "I’d like to go to the zoo."
Ji Ying shrugged indifferently. "I guess I’ll go to the aquarium, then. Brother Huo, I’ll be in your care today."
Huo Feng was just as gracious. "Sounds good. I’m counting on you as well."
Everyone went their separate ways. Once they were in the car, Zhu Sha grew quiet; she wasn’t very talkative by nature. Zhou Jintang, on the other hand, pointed out things he saw along the way, striking up small conversations with her.
Gradually, Zhu Sha started to open up, and the effect was noticeable. By the time they got out of the car, the awkwardness between them had dissipated.
"You like museums?" Zhou Jintang asked, walking beside Zhu Sha with one hand in his pocket. He watched her gaze intently at every exhibit, reading even the simplest descriptions with rapt attention.
"Mhm," she said, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from an exhibit to glance at Zhou Jintang. "I’m a pretty quiet person, and I don’t have many people to confide in. When I’m feeling upset, I like to come to a museum and just walk around."
"It’s so quiet here. As I wander through the halls, my mind calms down too."
Zhou Jintang asked gently, "Were things... difficult in the past? Did you have to deal with your emotions all on your own?"
"A little," she admitted, "but it wasn’t as pitiful as you make it sound. It’s all in the past now." Zhu Sha tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "In any case, I’m doing great now. I’ve thrown off my old burdens, and I feel better than I ever have before."
"As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters," Zhou Jintang said softly. "If you ever find yourself unhappy again, you must promise to leave the person who’s making you feel that way without any hesitation."
Zhu Sha fell silent for a moment. "I didn’t understand that before, but I do now. I’ll have a much better life if I stay away from people who drain my energy."
As they toured the museum, Zhu Sha would point out artifacts she recognized and explain them to Zhou Jintang. Over the past year, she had visited countless museums around the city, large and small, and she had a general knowledge of which collections were housed in which ones.
Sometimes, she would even eavesdrop on a tour guide’s lecture. It was clear Zhu Sha was a person of hidden talents and intellect. She just rarely showed that side of herself, which made her appear shy and introverted.
Zhou Jintang simply followed by Zhu Sha’s side, and the two of them ended up spending the entire morning in the museum. The cameraman following them couldn’t help but complain internally, ’Seriously, who goes to a museum on a date?’
’The main issue is that they’re acting like they’re at an academic conference, all professional and serious. I haven’t been able to capture a single hint of romance or any lovey-dovey atmosphere. All I can do is pin my hopes on the café later. Hopefully, their conversation there will finally create some sparks.’
"It’s about lunchtime. Should we get something to eat? What are you in the mood for? Chinese?"
Zhu Sha replied, "I’m not a picky eater, so Chinese is fine. It seems like you might have a sensitive stomach, so we should eat something easy to digest."
A smile spread across Zhou Jintang’s face unconsciously. "How did you know I have stomach problems?"
Zhu Sha seemed puzzled. "Is it that strange? You just have to pay a little attention to notice. Almost all four of the male contestants have stomach issues."
Zhou Jintang’s smile faded. "You’ve been observing the other guys?"
Zhu Sha said, "It’s not like I was paying close attention to everyone on purpose. Anyone with a bit of observation skill would notice. Is this just a common problem for executives or something?"
Zhou Jintang instantly brightened up. "It’s a lingering issue from working myself to the bone when I was younger."
Zhu Sha didn’t say much more on the subject. It wasn’t until they were seated in the restaurant that she spoke again. "I’m surprised you decided to come on this show. I don’t know much about you, but I’m sure that if you wanted to date or get married, you wouldn’t have a shortage of women interested in you."
Zhou Jintang was candid in his reply. "You’re right. If I wanted to date or get married, I wouldn’t lack for options. But I don’t want that. I find it meaningless when everything feels transactional, as if it all has a price tag."
"Everyone’s intentions are just too transparent. I don’t like it."
"So, what about you? Why did you decide to join the show?"
Zhu Sha said, "I asked you first, but I don’t have anything to hide."
She sighed. "Divorcing my ex almost killed me. Do you know the feeling? When the love and the family ties you worked so hard to maintain all suddenly collapse overnight, and you realize nothing was ever truly yours."
"Have you ever heard the saying about the ’white moonlight’ and the ’cinnabar mole’? Well, it turns out the white moonlight will always be the white moonlight. But the cinnabar mole... that just turns into a smear of mosquito blood on the wall. And in that war, I lost utterly and completely."
Zhou Jintang said softly, "If he truly loved you, he would never have let you lose."
Zhu Sha replied, "I understand that now. I didn’t before. I was young and thought that if I just kept giving, I could eventually warm his heart. But it turns out, not everyone is capable of being warmed."
"His ex had just returned from overseas, and he couldn’t wait to ask me for a divorce to make room for his ’white moonlight.’ But do you know what hurt the most? It was the child."
Zhou Jintang asked, "What about him? From what I recall, you took very good care of him."
Zhu Sha put down her chopsticks. "He told me I wasn’t his mother. He said he had his own biological mother, and that she was a thousand, ten thousand times better than me. How laughable is that?"