Chapter 35 Chapter 35 They won't even write me a letter to a dog? ...

As soon as Jing Yitong finished speaking, the whole room fell silent.

Jing Yitong seemed to only realize what she had said at this moment, and felt a little embarrassed: "Did I exaggerate a bit too much?"

Rhoda rubbed his arms: "Ugh, that's so cheesy."

Meng Hui sighed, "Ah, it's so good to be young."

Li Wenyu's gossip instincts were already burning brightly. Anyone could tell that there was more to the story than met the eye in that phrase "bewitched." She probed, "Brother Jing, this relationship of yours is quite something. Who's got you so infatuated? And how did it end? Tell me!"

Jing Yitong, whose love story is still ongoing, smiled and pushed Li Wenyu away, saying, "I have the right to refuse to answer."

Li Wenyu pursed her lips, inwardly thinking that it must have ended badly... No, if it was a relationship that ended tragically, then Jing Yitong should not have such a nostalgic expression on her face when recalling it.

So this is probably just another unrequited love that ended without a trace?

Each of them had their own thoughts, and Fang Xin's heart was in turmoil.

He thought he knew Jing Yitong very well, and their social circles largely overlapped. But after thinking through everyone Jing Yitong knew, he found that he couldn't think of anyone who could so deeply move Jing Yitong's heart.

If Jing Yitong really had someone he liked that much, why didn't he realize it at all?

Jing Yitong was always very polite and kind to everyone, but Fang Xin had never noticed that he had such a strong emotional intensity towards anyone else.

No, there was a gap in their relationship. During the year Jing Yitong went to take the art exam, Fang Xingu was studying at a boarding school and couldn't even bring a cell phone. Their contact suddenly decreased... Could it be a classmate he met during the art exam?

Fang Xingu recalled the scene when he visited Jing Yitong in the art exam class, but at that time he was only focused on Jing Yitong and did not pay attention to the other classmates in his class. Now he can't remember any of their faces at all.

Fang Xingu tapped his head twice in frustration. Liang Jiyan noticed his movement and, thinking he was still struggling with writing the letter, asked, "Still haven't figured out what to write?"

Fang Xingu replied absentmindedly, "Yeah, I'll go out and take a look."

The wind chimes on the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound. Jing Yi looked up and saw Fang Xingu push open the door and walk into the snow.

Jing Yitong looked at his lonely figure and couldn't help but wonder, "Why did he go out alone? It's snowing so heavily outside."

Liang said, "It seems he doesn't know what to write in the letter. It's okay, let him wander around by himself."

Fang Xin walked to a bench by Lockley Harbor. He brushed the snow off the bench and sat down alone, gazing into the distance. The surroundings were so quiet that only the howling of the wind and snow could be heard, but his mind was already in turmoil. There were too many things he couldn't understand, too many people he couldn't understand, and even a relationship he couldn't understand, which always made him feel both happy and sad.

Before this journey began, he wanted to completely let go of this relationship, but when Jing Yitong appeared, he couldn't bear to part with her anymore.

Giving up sounds disheartening, but it takes the most courage and determination to actually do it. Perhaps he wasn't prepared to give up on this love at all, which is why all his pretense crumbled the moment he saw Jing Yitong.

Jing Yitong plays the roles of elder, brother, and friend in Fang Xingu's life. He even allows Fang Xingu to see the shadow of his ideal lover in him. How can he easily give up someone who has completely integrated into his life?

Many times before, he had thought about giving up on this doomed unrequited love. He tried to distract himself, but after several years, he would still think of Jing Yitong in the quiet of the night. Jing Yitong would watch the stars with him late at night, accompany him to chase the waves aimlessly on the beach, remember all his quirks and dietary restrictions, and even do things that his parents couldn't.

Fang Xin once thought he understood Jing Yitong as well as Jing Yitong understood him, but today, he suddenly realized that he might not understand Jing Yitong that well. He had not participated in Jing Yitong's entire life as he thought, and he didn't even know who Jing Yitong liked.

The gap between reality and his expectations plunged Fang Xin into a long silence. He sat gazing at Lockray Harbor for a long time, lost in thought, until the wind gradually subsided. Only then did he take out the letter paper and slowly write in the swirling snow—

Jing Yitong,

Seeing this letter is like meeting you in person.

By the time you read this letter, we should have already left Antarctica and returned to the normal course of life.

Thank you for your constant companionship. I was destined to be a drifting, adrift ship, forever searching for a harbor to dock in. But you existed, and for a time I thought you were my Murmansk harbor.

But then I realized that only stranded ships remain docked forever, while I will set sail again tomorrow to embark on a new journey—because the meaning of life is to wander, not to find a harbor.

Fang Xin Gu

After writing it, Fang Xingu looked at the letter many times before folding it and putting it into the envelope.

When writing the mailing address, Fang Xingu subconsciously wrote down Jing Yitong's address in Jiangcheng, but when writing the recipient's name, he hesitated.

Although the letter was written in an obscure style, and he hid all his unspoken emotions behind metaphors, one can still guess his thoughts after reading it a few times.

But should we really let Jing Yitong know?

If Jing Yitong likes him, then there's no need to let Jing Yitong know about his inner turmoil; if Jing Yitong doesn't like him, then there's even less need to add to Jing Yitong's troubles.

Fang Xingu's courage suddenly dissipated again. In the end, he changed the address of Jing Yitong's house number "22" to his own house number "23". As for the recipient line, Fang Xingu looked at the character "Jing" that he had already written and simply wrote "Jing Quan Quan" as the recipient.

Forget it, there's no need to let Jing Yitong know.

Fang Xin brushed the snow off the letter and put it in his pocket when he heard Jing Yitong calling from behind: "Teacher Fang, come back to record."

Fang Xin turned around and, through the snow, saw the red door of the post office behind him open. A familiar figure stood behind the door, quietly watching him. The warm yellow light inside shone on him, making him look so gentle.

Fang Xingu got up and walked back. Jing Yitong came out to meet him. Seeing that he was in a low mood, he brushed the snow off him and asked, "Why are you sitting outside like an idiot? Aren't you cold?"

Fang Xin deliberately evaded the question, saying, "It's alright, I was just trying to find some inspiration for myself."

Jing Yitong noticed the corner of an envelope peeking out of his pocket: "Finished writing the letter? Who is it for?"

Fang Xingu stroked the letter: "Written for a dog."

Jing Yitong thought he was joking, so he jokingly replied, "You won't even write a letter to a dog?"

Fang Xingu didn't know how to respond. Actually, the letter was originally written to Jing Yitong. He could only silently put the letter into the mailbox.

After a busy day, the group returned to the Affogato late at night. They had only had a light dinner, so they decided to head straight to the restaurant for a late-night snack.

As usual, Yan Tu gave his closing remarks during lunchtime: "Everyone worked hard today. The mission was completed very well. Tomorrow we will take the supplies to visit the research station."

Rhoda wolfed down a piece of beef and asked indistinctly, "Where are the supplies? I can't see them."

"Don't worry, you'll see it tomorrow," Yan Tu said, then added, "Not only will there be supplies, but also a surprise we've prepared for you."

Everyone was tired and sleepy after a long day, and they were all pretty low on energy. But when they heard about the surprise, they instantly perked up: "What surprise?"

Fang Xin Gu was clearly no longer trusting Yan Tu's words. He chewed on a plate of salad and muttered, "Is there going to be nothing but surprises and no joy?"

Yan Tu said mysteriously to Fang Xingu, "Teacher Fang will definitely be surprised and delighted tomorrow... Okay, I won't tell you the specifics, let's leave some suspense for tomorrow."

His pretentious act drew glares from everyone, who lowered their heads to eat, ignoring him completely.

As everyone prepared to leave after finishing their late-night snack, Yan Tu called them back: "By the way, we've already rushed to release the special feature. Remember to promote it when you have time."

The seven people listlessly agreed. Fang Xingu returned to his room and collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Remembering the special episode Yan Tu had mentioned, he still curiously clicked to watch it.

The special episode begins with him being called to the conference room by Yan Tu that day. The camera starts from him pushing open the door, and the picture looks a bit shaky, which makes the comments section full of complaints about whether the cameraman has not eaten breakfast.

Fang Xingu smiled, because he remembered that this part seemed to have been filmed by Jing Yitong carrying a camera. It wasn't until Fang Xingu saw through Jing Yitong's disguise and reached out to try to take off his mask that the scene switched to a third-person perspective.

The audience, finally understanding everything, immediately flooded the screen with ellipses. Some couldn't help but sarcastically praise Yan Tu's clever methods, which made Fang Xingu chuckle.

The entire special is not long, only about twenty minutes long. Of course, it's impossible to only film Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong. The focus of the special is actually on the seven people distributing windbreakers at the end, but the shots of Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong undoubtedly sparked the most discussion.

Especially after Fang Xingu finished fooling the other five people, he and Jing Yitong smiled at each other. The scene immediately attracted a barrage of comments like "It's as easy as breathing to ship Tong Xinyuan." Fang Xingu closed his eyes, embarrassed, and threw his phone aside, pretending to be dead and not daring to watch anymore.

The following morning, the Affogato arrived near Festus Island, where they were to visit the Chengshan Research Station.

Yan Tu somehow managed to establish connections with domestic research institutes, so his earlier statement about delivering supplies to researchers wasn't a joke; he had genuinely accepted the commission to transport living supplies to the researchers stationed there.

When they boarded the ship and arrived at Fest Island, there were already bundles of supplies piled up on the ground. Everyone looked shocked. Wang Peiyang's eyes widened: "Where did you get so much stuff from?"

Liang commented: "The production team is really good at hiding things, aren't they?"

They had never seen staff members move so many supplies on their way here.

Just as the group was surprised, two people came over from the research station pushing a snow cart. One of them explained, "These supplies did not come with your ship. They were transported here by our 'escort' team."

Upon hearing the voice, Fang Xingu stared blankly at the speaker, then surprisingly recognized him as an old acquaintance: "...Captain? What are you doing here?"

Lu Changning, the former captain of Nebula, smiled and put down the stroller, then walked over and gave Fang Xingu a brief hug: "How was it? Surprised? Unexpected?"

Fang Xin was still a little dazed: "So you're the surprise Director Yan was talking about?"

"I guess so? I'll be a guest star for two episodes," Lu Changning said, then added uncertainly, "Uh, I'd say it's more of a surprise than a shock, right?"

Li Wenyu was also stunned. She stepped forward and greeted Lu Changning: "Brother Lu, how did you get here?"

Can you have guest stars when filming a TV show in Antarctica? It's not a place you can just come to whenever you want.

Lu Changning: "We came by plane."

"Airplanes?" Li Wenyu's voice rose eight octaves. "Then you won't have to suffer through the Drake Passage anymore?"

"Yes, we flew directly to King George Island, then took a boat here, and returned the same way, without having to go through the Devil's Forties."

Li Wenyu was furious. She turned around and loudly questioned Yan Tu, "Director Yan! Why can't we just fly in? Do you know how miserable I was those two days when I was seasick!"

Hearing Yan Tu's laughter behind him, Fang Xingu pondered, "Maybe it's because they're 'flying' guests, so they have to fly in."

Li Wenyu: ...

Lu Changning was also taken aback by his coldness. He patted Fang Xingu's shoulder and said, "In this kind of weather, don't tell lame jokes."

Fang Xingu asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Lu Changning quickly distanced himself from the matter: "This is not my fault, Director Yan asked us to keep it a secret."

Fang Xingu frowned. This seemingly familiar sentence made his gaze turn to Jing Yitong not far away. Coincidentally, Jing Yitong's gaze also fell on him, but it seemed that he was looking at Lu Changning's hand on his shoulder.

After a while, Jing Yitong noticed Fang Xingu's gaze. He looked up and met Fang Xingu's eyes, then gave him a smile that Fang Xingu couldn't quite understand, a smile that seemed forced and insincere.

But soon, Jing Yitong was also pulled aside to exchange pleasantries. Fang Xin squinted at the other guest who was talking to Jing Yitong and was even more surprised—that person was Tan Zhi.

Fang Xingu remembered that Qi Qiu had told him that before he joined "The World Is So Big", the program team had originally decided on five regular guests, and Tan Zhi was one of them, but he later inexplicably withdrew.

So why are you here as a guest star now?

Tan Zhi was smiling and exchanging pleasantries with Jing Yitong, but the atmosphere between them was much more distant than that between Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong.

Tan Zhi: "Yi Tong, it's been so many years since we last saw each other!"

Jing Yitong replied politely, "Yes, it's been a long time. Welcome, Teacher Tan, to our team."

Tan Zhi is 52 years old this year and is a well-known singer-songwriter. His songs were once popular all over the country, but he has fallen out of favor in the last ten years. For a long time, he did not produce any songs that were popular, and people said that he had run out of ideas.

Until six years ago, Jing Yitong starred in a suspense film with a juvenile crime theme. Although he was only a supporting actor, Jing Yitong's acting skills brought the character back to life. This was also Jing Yitong's breakthrough role, which eventually helped him win his first two film awards.

Although it was only for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer, it was the Golden Rooster Awards, one of the three major film awards in China, a height that many actors can only dream of reaching in their entire lives.

Tan Zhi wrote a song for the character Jing Yitong. This song is a perfect portrayal of the character's pitiful, tragic, and lamentable life. It complements the character perfectly. Whenever this song is played, it reminds people of the scene when the character commits suicide, which is very touching. Many people even say that without this song, there would be no Best Supporting Actor award for Jing Yitong. This song also swept many music awards that year, giving Tan Zhi's music career a strong boost.

But in reality, Jing Yitong and Tan Zhi didn't have much of a relationship. They chatted casually for a few minutes, while Fang Xingu watched them coldly the whole time.

It wasn't until Lu Changning called him several times, "New or old?"

Fang Xingu finally snapped out of his daze: "Huh? What's wrong?"

Lu Changning chuckled and said, "Why are you still like this? You get distracted while chatting with people. I asked you why you haven't been talking to us in the group lately, and we all thought you weren't going to talk to us anymore."

The group Lu Changning mentioned was Nebula's seven-person group. The seven of them had a good relationship, and since Nebula had just disbanded, their friendship was still strong, so they often chatted in the group. However, Fang Xingu was always very quiet and rarely chatted with them.

Fang Xingu looked suspicious: "You guys didn't create a small group of six people to gossip about me in private, did you?"

Lu Changning didn't know how he could make such a judgment, and stared at him, saying, "Is that what I meant?"

Fang Xingu laughed, and Lu Changning couldn't help but laugh along with him.

They loaded the supplies delivered by the program crew onto a cart and headed towards the research station. Fang Xin said, "I haven't been ignoring you. You called me a while ago, and I answered, didn't I?"

Lu Changning sighed, "If I could still call you, I would have thought you didn't want me to pay you back."

“No way, you still have to pay back the money you owe me,” Fang Xin said jokingly, before explaining, “I went home to recuperate and write an album a while ago, so I was offline for a period of time. I’ve also been quite busy recording shows here recently, so I haven’t been checking the group messages much.”

Lu Changning nodded knowingly: "You're planning to develop in the direction of a singer? That's great. I believe that with your strength, you will have a better future than in Nebula."

Fang Xin blinked: "Then I'll accept your kind words?"

During his years in Nebula, Fang Xingu and Lu Changning, a kind-hearted man, maintained a good relationship. After not seeing each other for a while, they shared their recent situations. On the way back at noon, Lu Changning and Tan Zhi returned to the Affogato with them.

Before lunch, Fang Xingu went back to his room to change his clothes. Just as he took off his coat, he heard Jing Yitong knocking on his balcony door.

Fang Xingu let the person in, and Jing Yitong sat down on his sofa without saying a word, just staring at him.

Fang Xingu felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze: "What's wrong?"

Jing Yitong: "...Did you know we were having a guest appearance today?"

Fang Xingu shook his head: "I don't know, no one has told me."

"You really didn't know?" Jing Yitong's tone was a little sour. "Lu Changning came to record 'The World Is So Big,' how could he not tell you?"

Fang Xingu got angry when this was mentioned. He glared at Jing Yitong and said, "How dare you talk about others? It's like you told me everything just because you came to record 'The World Is So Big'."

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Author's note: Let's introduce some new characters to advance the romance!

There should be a forum-style section in the special feature, but I don't have time to type it out today. I'll add it tomorrow.