Chapter 30 Our relationship is like this...

Fang Xin knew he should stop flipping through the photos, but his hand kept flipping forward uncontrollably.

He saw photos of himself hiking in Tierra del Fuego, photos of himself watching the Yegraz Lighthouse from a boat, photos of himself taking pictures next to landmarks in Ushuaia... so many, but when he tried to recall those scenes, he couldn't remember at all where Jing Yitong had taken those photos, yet he hadn't even noticed it.

If someone else were standing here right now and found out that they had been secretly photographed without their knowledge, they would probably break out in a cold sweat. But the person being secretly photographed is Fang Xin Gu, and the person taking the photos is Jing Yi Tong.

Fang Xingu didn't feel offended. The only thing that puzzled him was what Jing Yitong was thinking when he took these photos.

After finishing the call, Jing Yitong came to his senses and saw Fang Xingu frowning as he looked at the camera. At first, he thought he had taken a bad picture, but when he looked down, he found that Fang Xingu was looking at a photo he had taken a few days ago.

That must have been a photo he took yesterday afternoon when they were riding the little train in Tierra del Fuego National Park, showing Fang Xingu looking out at the lake.

Jing Yitong then realized that, in the eyes of the other party, there were many photos in his camera that shouldn't exist.

...Now that Fang Xin has seen these photos, what will he think?

The sea breeze blew gently, and the two remained silent for a long time before Fang Xin finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at Jing Yitong, saying quietly, "Are you a pervert? Taking so many photos of me without my consent."

Judging from Fang Xingu's tone, Jing Yitong knew that he was at least not angry. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and joked, "Then call the police."

Fang Xingu was speechless at his "what's the use of this?" attitude: "I caught him red-handed and he's still so self-righteous."

Jing Yitong: "There's nothing I can do. Teacher Fang has a face that attracts the camera. Every time I raise the camera, it automatically focuses on your face."

Fang Xingu shoved the camera back into his arms and muttered, "Stop with the sweet talk. Who gave you permission to take pictures of me?"

Jing Yitong defended herself: "Isn't it good to have a free travel photoshoot?"

"I've already had enough 'travel photography' sessions. Aren't the cameramen on the show just doing travel photography for me?"

Jing Yitong snorted: "When we went on trips before, I took plenty of pictures of you, so why didn't you stop me from taking pictures back then?"

Fang Xingu raised an eyebrow: "Since there were no cameras before, of course we could only use you."

"Are you kicking away the bridge after you've crossed it?"

The two bickered, then simultaneously changed the subject, tacitly skipping over why Jing Yitong had secretly photographed Fang Xingu. Neither dared to delve into the underlying reasons at this moment, fearing they might receive an answer they didn't expect.

People are always so hesitant and timid when it comes to emotions, but when Fang Xin Gu lay alone in bed at night, he still thought of those photos in the camera.

Why did Jing Yitong take so many photos of him?

Fang Xin wanted to guess but dared not, so he tormented himself in his heart until he finally fell asleep in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Fang Xingu was still asleep when he was woken up by a knock on the door. He thought it was Zhou Xiaoyou coming to urge him to get up. He opened his eyes groggily and found that it was only five o'clock.

Fang Xingu, who had only slept for three hours, rubbed his hair and sat up irritably. When another knocking sounded, he realized that the sound was coming from the balcony door, not the main entrance.

Fang Xin's mind cleared up in an instant; the only one who could walk onto the balcony was Jing Yi Tong Le.

Why did Jing Yitong come to see him so early in the morning?

Fang Xingu opened the balcony door, still half asleep: "What's wrong?"

"Wake up!" Jing Yitong said with surprise. He grabbed a coat from the side and wrapped it around Fang Xingu, pulling him outside. "Come and see, there's an iceberg!"

Fang Xingu was stunned for a moment, and following Jing Yitong's gaze, he saw a huge iceberg appear in front of him. It was floating in front of the ship, as steady as if it had been standing on the sea for thousands of years. This behemoth silently examined the Affogato, which had come from another world.

After two days of sailing, the Affogato finally crossed the Drake Passage and arrived at the long-awaited Antarctic Circle.

As the ship continued to sail towards the iceberg, Fang Xin felt his heart beating faster and faster. He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart at that moment, but it seemed to be more than just admiration for the wonders of nature; it was a kind of devout reverence.

The appearance of this iceberg was so abrupt that its existence always felt unreal. Fang Xin could not sense any connection between this iceberg and this world. It stood alone, clearly white, yet exuding a faint blue hue. Even its existence seemed like an illusion.

To avoid colliding with the iceberg, the Affogato deliberately adjusted its course. Jing Yitong and Fang Xingu leaned against the railing as they got closer and closer to the iceberg, finally seeing the bottom of the iceberg, which was unfathomably deep below the sea level, through the clear water.

No one knows how big the iceberg that sank to the bottom of the sea is. Fang Xingu breathed lightly: "It really is just the tip of the iceberg."

Jing Yitong nodded in agreement: "Unfathomable."

The two gazed silently at the iceberg, and simultaneously a thought crossed their minds: their journey had officially begun.

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In the morning, Fang Xin got her hair and makeup done, changed into the green windbreaker provided by the production team, and began today's recording.

The first landing will be this afternoon, so the seven guests are all wearing the same style of windbreaker but different colors. When the seven of them stand together, everyone finds it a bit funny: "What's going on? Are we the Rainbow Team?"

Rhoda pointed at the colors on the group's clothes: "Who replaced our Rainbow Team's cyan with pink?"

Wearing a pink windbreaker, Meng Hui said helplessly, "Don't blame me, it's all Director Yan's weird sense of humor."

Liang Jiyan smiled and said, "Sister, Director Yan said that pink isn't just for young girls. Look how well the color suits your complexion."

Li Wenyu wholeheartedly agreed: "A woman is a girl until she dies, and any color is always appropriate for her."

Yan Tu waved to everyone: "Hello friends, congratulations on passing the test of the devilish Roaring Forties and successfully entering the Southern Ocean, officially stepping into the mysterious Antarctic region!"

The other six people applauded and cheered, but Li Wenyu said with a bitter face, "It seems like we didn't have a very smooth experience either? Anyway, I threw up so much I almost died."

Luo Da laughed and said, "If that's the case, I feel that only Yi Tong and Xin Gu are doing well, while the rest of us, including Director Yan, have all failed."

Wang Peiyang gave a look of lingering fear, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a good time these past two days either. He cast an envious glance at Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong: "Brother Xingu and Brother Jing must have had a pretty comfortable time these past two days, right? What have you been doing? I've just been sleeping in my room the whole time."

Fang Xin felt guilty, thinking that he had done a lot of things, including watching movies, listening to lectures, playing the piano, and watching the sunset, and he had done all of them with Jing Yitong.

Fang Xin replied ambiguously, "I participated in several activities organized on the ship, which were quite interesting."

Jing Yitong recalled Fang Xin's absent-minded and disruptive behavior during the photography lecture organized on the ship. This didn't seem like "fun" at all.

He almost laughed as he recalled it, but a sharp glare from Fang Xingu made him suppress his laughter.

Meng Hui smiled wryly: "You two have really hit the jackpot."

Yan Tu cleared his throat. He had also spent the whole day in bed feeling dizzy and nauseous yesterday, and he didn't really want to relive that nauseating feeling. He said, "Although the Drake Passage is terrifying, it is precisely because of the existence of the domineering Antarctic Circulation that it isolates the warm water vapor and ocean currents, ensuring that Antarctica has its own unique light. Let's thank the Antarctic Circulation together."

No one agreed with him at all. Only Rhoda laughed it off: "Even if you've elevated it a bit, we are still seasick, and we don't really want to thank you."

“You guys are too serious,” Yan Tu pointed at them. “How can you fully immerse yourself in appreciating the Antarctic scenery like that? For example, we passed by an iceberg around five in the morning, did you see it?”

Li Wenyu stared wide-eyed: "I was still dreaming at five in the morning, and I finally managed to fall asleep."

Jing Yitong raised his hand to answer the question: "I saw it, a very large iceberg, very spectacular."

Wang Peiyang exclaimed in shock, "Brother Jing, you're really energetic! Is Iceberg pretty?"

Fang Xingu nodded: "It's very dreamlike."

Wang Peiyang turned to look at him again, his expression even more shocked: "Xin Gu Ge, you saw it too? No, the iceberg at five in the morning, how did you two find it? I don't remember there was any notification on the ship, right? Did you two agree not to sleep and just wait there for the iceberg to appear?"

At this point, Fang Xingu was also a little confused. He could see the iceberg because Jing Yitong woke him up in time, so how did Jing Yitong discover the iceberg?

His gaze drifted to Jing Yitong, who said, "I slept too much the past two days, so I couldn't sleep this morning and got up a little early, which is how I saw the iceberg."

The others nodded in agreement, guessing that Fang Xingu might be in the same situation. Only Fang Xingu was more puzzled. No one knew Jing Yitong's recent itinerary better than him. He hadn't slept much these past few days, and his schedule was packed.

Is he having trouble sleeping because he's been sleeping too much, or is he having something on his mind?

Yan Tu clapped his hands together, the crisp sound of which once again drew everyone's attention: "Alright, don't be too disappointed if you missed the iceberg. After communicating with the crew, we learned that the Afghantor will be sailing to a relatively open and safe area of ​​water later, where there are only some small icebergs and thin ice floes. Passengers who are interested can sign up in pairs to participate in the kayaking activity later—it's a double kayak, so you can only paddle by yourself."

Liang Jiyan was a little worried: "Paddle by ourselves? What if the boat capsizes?"

Yan Tu: "Don't worry, for safety reasons, we've also invited a few experts to our team, but we can only assign five of them to you guys. The others will be carrying cameras."

Five, how do we divide them?

Upon hearing Yan Tu's words, Fang Xingu had a bad feeling. When he looked at Yan Tu, Yan Tu was also looking at him. When their eyes met, Fang Xingu saw Yan Tu, taking advantage of being off-camera, give him a cheeky and smug look. Fang Xingu immediately felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

Luo Da said incredulously, "Director Yan, you can't be this stingy, can you? There are seven of us, and five teachers, how are we supposed to play?"

Yan Tu chuckled and said, "According to our prior knowledge, two of you seven should have rowing experience, so you don't need anyone to teach you."

The guests looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong.

Li Wenyu squinted at them. She was certain that these two people's expressions were completely different from the other five. Her intuition told her that these two people definitely had something going on and were hiding a lot of secrets from them.

The truth will eventually come out; one day these two will be exposed.

Finally, Luo Da nudged Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong, saying, "You two stop pretending. Among this group, it can only be you two."

Jing Yitong smiled and admitted, "Okay, I do have some experience, but I wonder about Teacher Fang?"

Li Wenyu chimed in with a cheeky, off-key tone, "Yeah, yeah, what about Teacher Fang?"

Fang Xingu sighed: "Okay, I did paddle, so I won't compete with everyone for the instructor."

"Yeah, I knew it!"

By this time, Fang Xingu already knew what Yan Tu was planning.

Before Yan Tu learned about his relationship with Jing Yitong, he was still somewhat hesitant, fearing that the two of them might have had a past conflict, and dared not let them interact, lest it cause a lot of trouble. But ever since Yan Tu learned that he and Jing Yitong had known each other since childhood, he immediately became unrestrained, not only arranging activities for the two of them, but also wanting to bring them up to generate buzz.

So what if the fans argue? Being infamous doesn't mean he's not famous. He's already gained popularity, so he won't lose anything either way.

Jing Yitong extended his hand to Fang Xin: "Teacher Fang, it seems we'll have to team up for rowing later."

The camera faithfully recorded this "harmonious" scene, and Fang Xingu gritted his teeth and shook Jing Yitong's hand: "It is my great honor."

An hour later, the Affogato came to rest as scheduled on a calm stretch of sea. Most of the icebergs in this area were no more than a meter tall, and the taller ones were no more than three or four meters tall. They were scattered on the sea surface, and were more like large blocks of ice than icebergs.

Fang Xin and Jing Yi put on their protective gear, listened to the staff's explanation, and then prepared to disembark with their action cameras.

Jing Yitong habitually sat in the back seat. He was a bit heavier than Fang Xin, so sitting in the back made the boat feel heavier.

Fang Xin followed behind, preparing to board the boat. He and Jing Yi had rowed together many times, in sampans, covered boats, and kayaks. They had rowed in all of these before, but mostly in the summer. This was the first time the two of them had rowed in such cold weather.

Fang Xingu was bundled up so tightly that he could hardly move. When he got off the boat, Jing Yitong reached out to help him, but Fang Xingu refused: "Look down on me? I can still walk."

Jing Yitong reluctantly withdrew his hand, then gestured for him to proceed: "Alright, alright, please go ahead."

Fang Xingu snorted, braced himself in the middle of the boat with one hand, and stepped into the kayak with a long stride.

Jing Yitong took in his clean and efficient movements: "Not bad, Teacher Fang."

Fang Xin took the oar from the crew member: "It's been a long time since I rowed. Looks like I'm still got some skills."

"How old are you? Of course you're not old. I should be the one to say that."

Fang Xin replied in a friendly, business-like manner, "Teacher Jing isn't much older than me, and his skills are at their sharpest."

Although they hadn't rowed together in recent years, their tacit understanding remained, and their oars didn't clash, allowing them to smoothly paddle the kayak out.

They rowed their boats across this vast expanse of land and sea. It was early summer in Antarctica at this time of year, and the snow on the distant islands had not yet melted. Many ice floes and ice shards floated on the sea. Sometimes their kayaks would forcefully smash through the thin ice floes, thus passing through the continuous ice floes. Other times, they would run over the ice shards floating on the sea surface. The sound of the kayaks hitting the ice could be heard all around.

At first, they could see other tourists around them. Many people were circling around this area because there were the fewest icebergs. Tourists who were new to kayaking were not very familiar with it, so most of them would cautiously choose to practice here in order to prevent the boat from capsizing due to ice contact, and to ensure that they could get rescued in time if any problems occurred.

Fang Xin and Jing Yi both grew up by rivers and lakes and were quite skilled at rowing. They had worked together many times and were not afraid of the small icebergs at all. They unanimously chose to row in the direction with fewer people but more icebergs. In the end, they even left the cameraman far behind, and there was no one else around.

At this moment, the world quieted down. He could no longer hear the voices of other tourists, and even the elusive cameramen disappeared. Fang Xin Gu finally felt relaxed.

The weather was not good at the time. Thick dark clouds once again covered the sky, and even the seawater was blackened. Looking into the distance, it was impossible to distinguish whether the shadow under the iceberg was a reflection on the sea surface or the massive iceberg base submerged in the seabed.

The two men, skilled and daring, continued to drive close to the iceberg as it drew ever closer. Fang Xin Gu couldn't resist taking off his gloves and touching it; the cool, smooth texture on his palm was intoxicating. Was this the Antarctic world he had longed for?

"Finally, I touched it!"

He turned his head and looked at everything in front of him with admiration, his tone filled with uncontrollable joy. This time, unlike in the early morning when he could only look at it from afar on the balcony, he was actually getting up close. Although the iceberg was rather tiny, Fang Xin was still full of excitement.

Seeing his smiling eyes crinkle, Jing Yitong imitated his gesture and stroked the iceberg: "Don't you think these icebergs look a little eerie?"

Fang Xingu understood what he meant: "Isn't it particularly smooth, with a 'flesh-like' texture, and also fluorescent blue?"

Under this gloomy weather, the sky and sea were both gray and black, as if all the colors in the world had been absorbed. Only these icebergs emitted a fluorescent blue light, which was out of place in this empty black, white and gray world. Whenever Fang Xin saw these blue icebergs, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with his vision.

Jing Yitong nodded: "Yes, and they are strangely shaped, some even smaller at the bottom and larger at the top, and they look completely illogical. I can't figure out how they stand up. They look like they were created by AI."

Fang Xin joked, "I saw someone online say that it's because fewer players go to the map's edge that the modeling there is rougher."

Jing Yitong pondered for a moment and found the comment quite interesting: "Now it really is Earth Online, and we are all NPCs."

"Then forget it. As an NPC, you have to follow a fixed routine every day, right? It's better to be more free."

It started snowing at some point. The snowflakes weren't big, but they fell very densely. Before long, the kayak and the two people were covered in a layer of snow.

All Fang Xingu could hear was the rustling sound of falling snow and the splashing of oars cutting through the water. The icy snowflakes landed on his eyelashes and nose. Fang Xingu shook his head, and the snowflakes hanging on his hair fell down one after another, eventually clinging to his shoulders. But Fang Xingu was not bothered at all; on the contrary, he enjoyed the silence.

The two rowed quietly, moving in perfect harmony even without saying a word. After drifting on the sea for an unknown amount of time, Fang Xin suddenly called out softly, "Brother."

Jing Yitong brushed some snow off him from behind and replied, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Fang Xingu turned to look at him, a rare smile of ease and joy on his face: "It's so quiet, it feels like only you and I are left in this world."

Jing Yitong was infected by his smile and smiled too: "You like it?"

Fang Xingu's smile widened, and he nodded solemnly, "Yes, I like it." If he could continue like this with Jing Yitong, he thought being an NPC wouldn't be bad.

Jing Yitong pointed to the action camera on his body and laughed, "Aren't you afraid of being recorded now?"

Fang Xingu was startled. Because there was no one else around, he momentarily forgot that he was still recording a program, and the action camera fixed to his chest was still filming.

He scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "It's okay, I can just export the video, delete it, and return it to Director Yan and the others later."

Jing Yitong was amused by his seriousness: "Is our relationship so shameful that it can't be made public?"

Fang Xingu silently turned his head away. Although there was nothing shameful about their relationship, his secret crush on Jing Yitong seemed to be something that couldn't be made public.

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Author's Note: Here's a modern BL (Boys' Love) pre-order. My next book will be about this. Readers who are interested are welcome to add it to their favorites!

"Mr. Xie, how could you fall in love with a body double!"

A seemingly respectable but actually ruthless and controlling top (Xie Sui) × A hedonistic, reborn bottom who doesn't care what kind of play you play as long as he's happy (Lu Mingwei)

(Main character is the receiver; the text and title are still being worked on.)

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Ever since he hired a new assistant, Xie Sui has noticed that the way his colleagues look at him has changed.

Every day as he walks around the company, he can hear the employees whispering amongst themselves, even though they think it's being discreet.

"How could President Xie find a substitute for President Lu to keep by his side?"

"This stand-in looks so much like President Lu, from appearance to personality. Could this be a scam?"

"I really misjudged President Xie. President Lu has only been gone for a few years and he can't hold back anymore? No, it's been eight years."

"Sigh, men really are all fickle."

Xie Sui turned a deaf ear and only showed great care for the "stand-in" assistant.

Not only did he let the stand-in move into his home, but he also personally took care of the stand-in's daily life. He even became so infatuated with love that he wanted to give his shares to the stand-in.

Upon hearing the news, Mingsheng employees erupted in a shrill outcry: "President Xie, how could you fall in love with a body double!"

Mingsheng is President Lu's life's work, and now you actually want to use Mingsheng to curry favor with the substitute? How can you face President Lu?

Xie Sui stubbornly insisted: "Stop arguing, I can tell whether he's a stand-in or not."

staff:……

Oh no, Ming Sheng is really doomed now!

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In his previous life, Lu Mingwei worked diligently for the company, but died of illness at the age of twenty-eight, only to be met with countless cries of "Heaven is jealous of talent" at his funeral.

When Lu Mingwei opened his eyes again, he found himself eight years in the future.

This time, he was reborn as a penniless man who looked very similar to his original self. However, he was unloved by his parents, owed a huge amount of money to loan sharks, and was even coerced and lured by his creditors to become someone else's substitute.

Creditor: "As long as you infiltrate Mingsheng Group and become Xie Sui's stand-in for Lu Mingwei, stealing Mingsheng's internal secrets, our debt will be wiped clean."

Lu Mingwei: ?

Mingsheng, isn't that my company?

Xie Sui, isn't that my student?

Lu Mingwei... isn't that just me?!

Lu Mingwei is not suitable as a typical stand-in.

But he definitely wants to see how outrageous it is that someone would infiltrate his own company and act as his student's double. :)

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In order to find out the details of the creditors, Lu Mingwei disguised herself and rejoined Mingsheng, becoming Xie Sui's assistant.

However, Lu Mingwei believed he knew Xie Sui very well and thought that Xie Sui would never be deceived by the so-called "stand-in" trap.

However, upon returning to Mingsheng, Lu Mingwei discovered that Xie Sui's attitude towards him, his "stand-in," was becoming increasingly strange.

She not only tricked him into living with her at home, but also took care of his food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and even tried to lure him into bed.

Lu Mingwei fell into deep thought: Something's not right. Does Xie Sui want to sleep with the substitute or with me?

Lu Mingwei sensed something was wrong and packed her bags, preparing to flee Xie Sui's house that very night.

As soon as he opened the door with his suitcase, he was blocked at the door by Xie Sui, who looked like a ghost.

Xie Sui looked at him with a gloomy expression: "Teacher, are you going to leave me alone again?"

Lu Mingwei's Adam's apple bobbed. Before he could even think about when he had been exposed, he felt a chill creep up his back.

Wait... so Xie Sui wants to sleep with me? ???