Xu Chun had never noticed before, but Xie Jianyuan seemed to love physical contact. He was always slinging an arm around someone's shoulders, and sometimes he even made intimate gestures toward Xu Chun himself.
Xu Chun's gaze slowly traveled up to Xie Jianyuan's face, and he offered his opinion unhurriedly.
"You're a little clingy."
Xie Jianyuan seemed completely unprepared for that answer, and his expression shifted slightly.
Feeling his body stiffen, Xu Chun couldn't help smiling. He patted him on the back.
"Relax, I was joking." He paused, then said thoughtfully, "But if I didn't know you were straight, I'd think you were interested in me."
He said it teasingly, but hearing it made Xie Jianyuan feel a little guilty.
"I used to live abroad," Xie Jianyuan lied without so much as a change in expression.
"I almost forgot."
Xu Chun couldn't help smiling. That explained it. People abroad were more open and accustomed to physical contact, so he thought no more of it.
When rehearsal ended, Xie Jianyuan was in the corridor on the phone.
"What did you say?" Wei Jiahe's surprised voice came from the other end. "That's killing me. You said you like physical contact?!"
"Shut up. You're so annoying." Xie Jianyuan clicked his tongue impatiently, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.
"So how did you get away with it?" Wei Jiahe asked, gloating.
"I said I'd studied abroad." Xie Jianyuan leaned lazily against the wall and took a drag.
"Hahahahaha, did he believe you?"
"He did."
"Holy shit, he really is easy to fool."
Xie Jianyuan lazily lifted his eyelids and said evenly, "Watch what you say."
"Oh, you're already getting protective." Wei Jiahe gave a sarcastic huff. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, his tone turned serious. "Are you serious about him? I thought you were just messing around."
Xie Jianyuan absently toyed with his lighter and gave a quiet hum of assent.
Wei Jiahe fell silent for a moment. It took him a while to speak again. "There's something I need to tell you."
Hearing his serious tone, Xie Jianyuan thought it must be something important. "What is it?"
"Xu Chun doesn't like people who smoke."
The last time they had gone to a variety show together, Wei Jiahe had noticed during a meeting that Xu Chun kept deliberately or otherwise avoiding the director when he smoked.
"?"
"So there's no chance for the two of you. I'd advise you to give up."
"..."
Meanwhile, in the break room, Xu Jin was looking around furtively. Only after making sure that the big star with a habit of eavesdropping wasn't there did Xu Jin sneak over to Xu Chun.
"Bro."
"What is it?" Xu Chun was a little concerned to see that Xu Jin looked constipated.
"What's your relationship like with that guy Xie Jianyuan?"
"?"
"He said he was going to beat me up."
"..."
Xu Chun couldn't help looking at the figure in the corridor outside. Xie Jianyuan was smoking while talking on the phone.
Xie Jianyuan turned his head slightly and, noticing Xu Chun looking at him, froze for a moment.
Their gazes met in midair, and they looked at each other in silence.
Suddenly, Xie Jianyuan couldn't help moving. He silently stubbed out his cigarette and dropped it on the floor. Then, as if he had remembered something, he silently picked up the butt and tossed it into the trash can.
Watching the cigarette butt trace a graceful arc through the air before landing neatly in the trash can.
Xu Chun: ...
Chapter 20: Jealousy [typo fixes]
As expected, the talent show's first episode drew impressive ratings. The youthful, handsome boys each had their own distinctive personality and were particularly good at stirring up the enthusiasm of their female fans.
After the episode aired that day, views of related topics reached a record high. One trending search, "Xu Chun cried," ranked near the top.
In the show, Xu Chun had been sitting among the guests, watching his younger brother sing and dance before the camera with rapt attention, tears glistening faintly in his eyes. It had immediately attracted quite a bit of attention.
"Xu Chun must have been really moved and proud to see his little brother onstage."
"Xu Chun's little brother is pretty handsome, but how come he doesn't look anything like Xu Chun? Xu Chun and Xie Jianyuan look a lot alike instead. Could they be the real brothers?"
Of course, there were also plenty of sour comments.
"Having a celebrity for a brother really does make a difference. He got a trending search as soon as the show aired, while the poor other contestants could only serve as background."
"They might as well rename this show 'Xu Chun and his little brother.' Why bother watching a talent show? We might as well just watch the two brothers perform."
There were also quite a few provocative comments like these.
But contrary to what those comments suggested, Xu Jin wasn't the show's main focus. Xu Chun and Xu Jin were both merely tools used to generate buzz and stir up public opinion.
After patiently reassuring his parents and repeatedly promising to talk some sense into Xu Jin, Xu Chun finally hung up the phone with a sigh.
Heaven knew how unfairly he'd been treated.
During filming, he had simply gotten something in his contact lens. His eye had been unbearably sore and kept watering, but the production team had edited it into his reaction to his brother's performance and cut out the part where he rubbed his eye.
He felt terribly wronged.
He also knew why Xu Jin had entered the industry. Xu Jin had acted entirely out of momentary spite, wanting to prove himself, but he had thought things would be far too simple.
Being an entertainer was no easy profession.
Xu Chun walked out of the company, thinking about how to talk to Xu Jin. If Xu Jin still wanted to enter the entertainment industry after he had explained the stakes and Xu Jin had calmed down, then he would have nothing more to say. He would naturally help persuade their parents.
"Chun... Brother Chun," Luo Yao, Xu Chun's assistant, suddenly called out to him softly.
Xu Chun came back to himself and saw a black sedan parked not far away. The door slowly opened, and a finely made black leather shoe stepped out, followed gradually by the rest of the person.