The Bigger Picture

Zhong Ming looked like he really wanted to punch Wen Shuang.

Wen Shuang's danger radar was top-notch, and he was especially good at reading people's expressions. Seeing this, he ducked farther behind Li Junshan, unable to come up with a suitable explanation for calling him "Dog Bro."

Zhong Ming clenched his back teeth hard. "What do you mean?"

"Back in my hometown..." Wen Shuang began making things up, "we call anyone who gives people an overwhelming sense of security at first glance Dog Bro..."

Zhong Ming was solidly built, visibly "reliable," with nothing of the slender, jade-like elegance about him. He looked less like a rich young master and more like a fitness coach.

Clearly not buying that bullshit excuse, Zhong Ming lifted a hand to signal Li Junshan to move aside.

"What's the big deal?" Li Junshan did not move. Smiling, he said to Zhong Ming, "This guy has no filter. He says whatever comes to mind. Brother Zhong, don't take it to heart."

Wen Shuang was speechless. Li Junshan was speaking up for him.

The confrontation quickly caught Xuan Zhe's attention. The man strode over, then pulled Wen Shuang in front of himself. A trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes. He did not like seeing Wen Shuang rely on anyone other than him. Wen Shuang noticed and discreetly scratched Xuan Zhe's palm.

Li Junshan was instinctively intimidated whenever he saw Xuan Zhe, while Zhong Ming's half-step backward did not look any better.

"What happened?" Xuan Zhe asked in a low voice.

"Nothing." Wen Shuang guessed Zhong Ming must have learned something. Given how much he liked Lu Li, there was an eighty percent chance he had classified Wen Shuang as an "enemy." But when Wen Shuang had read the original novel, he had felt that Zhong Ming was not bad by nature. He was simply impulsive and easily exploited. Rather than let Xuan Zhe teach him a lesson and leave trouble behind, it was better for both sides to take a step back. If Zhong Ming continued to pursue the matter afterward, that would be another story. "Is the auction about to start?"

It was clearly a change of subject, but Xuan Zhe was quite willing to indulge his little boyfriend. "Mm. I'll take you over."

Li Junshan watched their retreating backs. He had always been surrounded by beautiful women; how could he not understand what this represented? In the past, his first thought would definitely have been: Is President Xuan blind? But now, all he could think was that if even President Xuan regarded Wen Shuang differently, perhaps this person had truly changed for the better.

Xuan Zhe sat in the front row, and Wen Shuang followed along, giving him an unobstructed view of every auction item. The effect of seeing them up close was indeed different. Even the blue-green patterns on the first Glazed Jade Lamp were clearly visible. Xuan Zhe had been silently watching Wen Shuang's expression. Seeing that he was merely excited and showed no real fondness for it, he gave up on bidding.

Wen Shuang quietly watched through the entire event, treating it as an eye-opening experience. When a jade pendant sold for thirty-eight million, Wen Shuang sucked in a sharp breath. President Xuan perked up. Did he like it? Then he heard his little quail mutter, "So expensive! It doesn't look any different from the ones I saw at a street stall last time."

Xuan Zhe: "..."

He had seen business partners bring male and female companions before, speaking in syrupy tones while trying to fleece them at every turn. What was going on with his own?

The auction host kept glancing at Xuan Zhe, hoping one or two items might catch President Xuan's eye and sell for a high price. Yet President Xuan kept a dark expression from beginning to end and could not be bothered to say a word.

At occasions like this, anyone with even a little status would usually bid on something to display their standing and wealth. But Xuan Zhe had long since stepped out of that strange cycle. After the auction ended, he seemed to spot an acquaintance. Patting Wen Shuang's shoulder, he asked, "Want to look around, or wait for me in the car?"

Wen Shuang said, "I saw there's a garden behind the venue. I'll wait for you there."

Xuan Zhe said, "Okay."

Li Junshan and Wen Shuang seemed particularly fated to run into each other today. Earlier, Young Master Li had still been concerned with saving face, but now he was holding a plate of pastries and eating. When he saw Wen Shuang approach, he made some room for him. It was a signal. Thinking of the hostility Li Junshan had shown during their first meeting, Wen Shuang took a pastry, and the two of them smacked away together.

"Yu Feng has learned to rein in his edge this time. He's no longer as high-profile as before. Not only is his company recovering, he'll most likely monopolize this market next year," Li Junshan suddenly said.

Wen Shuang nodded. "That's good."

Li Junshan's eyes were deep. "You never thought about explaining anything to him?"

"There's no need." Wen Shuang gently shook his head. The betrayal and harm Yu Feng had suffered had indeed been caused by the original owner of this body. Unless Wen Shuang got rid of this identity, he could not explain it away.

Li Junshan seemed to understand. He stopped discussing it. "I didn't expect you to enter the entertainment industry."

"I originally just wanted to earn some extra money to buy a house." Wen Shuang sighed. "I thought I'd save enough money, then make a run for it."

Li Junshan chuckled. If only it were that simple.

The two were just about to finish dividing up the plate of pastries when something suddenly stirred overhead. From the corner of his eye, Wen Shuang saw a dark shadow plunge down toward them. He and Li Junshan both swiftly dodged to opposite sides. The thing did not fall. More accurately, it was a person. Somehow, this person had toppled down from the second floor, only for his collar to catch on a protruding decoration. He was now a genuine "clothes hanger" dangling in midair. The scene was inexplicably comical.

"Holy shit..." Influenced by Wen Shuang without realizing it, Li Junshan asked in shock, "Dog Bro, what are you doing?"

"Fuck!" Zhong Ming flushed bright red in embarrassment. He kicked his feet, but could not find anything to brace against. Afraid that more people would see him, he could only beg the two below him, "Help, help me!"

Wen Shuang and Li Junshan looked at each other.

Five minutes later, the two had finally hauled the large Zhong Ming up with tremendous effort, leaving them panting for breath.

Zhong Ming was too ashamed to face anyone. He had just noticed Li Junshan and Wen Shuang standing there. Thinking of some things Lu Li had once said, he naturally harbored hostility toward Wen Shuang and felt he might overhear some incredible "secret." But the two spoke quietly, so he bent forward a little. Who would have thought he would be so cursed? His foot slipped, his center of gravity tipped forward, and he lost control as he fell. The second floor here was not high, and even if he had dropped, he would not have been hurt. Yet he had somehow gotten caught there!

"Dog Bro." Li Junshan was earnest. "Try a different entrance next time."

Wen Shuang held back a laugh.

Zhong Ming's neck was bright red, veins bulging. "Don't call me Dog Bro!"

Li Junshan: "..." Fuck!

Zhong Ming gave Wen Shuang one last look, then lowered his head and left, looking both furious and as though he were fleeing in defeat.

Wen Shuang was completely different from what Lu Li had described. It left Zhong Ming with nowhere to vent his anger, making him inexplicably irritated. Just now, Wen Shuang had desperately grabbed his arm because he had genuinely been afraid Zhong Ming would fall.

By the time Xuan Zhe came to pick up Wen Shuang, Li Junshan had already left. Once the two got into the car, they kissed as usual, only separating after quite a while.

Xuan Zhe gently wiped the moisture from beneath Wen Shuang's lips. "Recording the show tomorrow?"

"Mm." Wen Shuang was a little dazed. "Sister Zhu said they'll be doing a livestream to meet the audience's demand."

"Stay away from Jiang Ning." Xuan Zhe's voice was low and hoarse, a full-fledged warning. "I'll be watching too, with the comments on. You'd better pray there aren't too many Shuang-Ning or Ning-Shuang comments."

Wen Shuang chuckled and leaned against Xuan Zhe's shoulder. "I'm on Team Shuang-Zhe."

Xuan Zhe slightly raised his brows, utterly oblivious.

If Wen Shuang had known what price he would pay someday for that momentary loose tongue, he would definitely have beaten up his current self.

Things were different now. During previous recordings, Wen Shuang had either squeezed into a corner of Chen Zong's nanny van or found his own way there. This time, the company had assigned him a car, and it was quite new. The moment Wen Shuang got in, he could smell a faint leather scent. Water sat in front of the seats. When he picked up a bottle, the label was entirely in foreign languages. The cap was unique too, marked with a crown. Wen Shuang twisted it open and took a sip, his eyes immediately lighting up. It was delicious!

He immediately messaged Xuan Zhe to share it: [What an upgrade, boyfriend. Even the water's different now. It's super refreshing, with a sweet aftertaste.]

Cao Nanyu stood right beside Xuan Zhe and saw everything clearly. At once, he rolled his eyes so hard the security cameras could probably barely contain them. Wasn't that obvious? A bottle of mineral water cost four figures, and the nanny van had the best safety rating in the world. President Xuan had personally arranged all of it. Was he raising a prince or something?

Put bluntly, Xuan Zhe was someone who could not tell the five grains apart and remained untouched by worldly matters. Other than money, he had little else. It was his first relationship. He looked calm on the surface, but privately he had read countless relationship guides and even watched two idol dramas from start to finish with a frown, despite everyone's backs. He had been influenced to some degree. Without making a fuss, he was replacing the things around Wen Shuang with the very best.

The weather was bright and clear today, and the filming location was outdoors.

The others might not understand, but Jiang Ning knew his stuff. The moment he saw Wen Shuang's nanny van, he internally went, Holy shit. The cameraman, meanwhile, perked up the moment he saw the two of them and immediately shoved the camera in their faces.

The car door opened, and Jiang Ning poked his head in. Before he could greet him, Wen Shuang waved a hand at him, clearly meaning stay away from me.

Jiang Ning: "?"

"So love really can disappear, right?" Jiang Ning asked mournfully.

"If love doesn't disappear, then I will." Wen Shuang leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Xuan Zhe's blood pressure spikes whenever he sees CP content about the two of us." Jiang Ning had been among the first to learn about Wen Shuang and Xuan Zhe. Back then, they had howled about it on WeChat for ages.

What they did not know was that the livestream had already connected, and the viewer count was rapidly rising. The shot on camera looked like this: Wen Shuang showed half of his handsome profile, standing very close to Jiang Ning. The two looked as if they had not seen each other in a long time and could no longer hold back, about to pour out their feelings. Jiang Ning, meanwhile, was practically about to fall into the car.

[Holy shit... Are we starting out this sweet? Mom, I'm in love!!]

[Jiang Ning, go for it! You can kiss Wen Shuang right from the doorway, can't you? Fucking go for it!]

[Is this something a mere mortal like me gets to see? Come on, open up the membership.]

After hearing Wen Shuang's explanation, Jiang Ning immediately snorted. "And staying far away from me will prevent this? Wake up. You're my civilian partner. As long as we appear together, CP shippers will come out and bombard us."

Wen Shuang stared at him for a moment, then deflated.

He could not refute that.

Just as Jiang Ning had said, the moment the two appeared on camera together, the comments were instantly flooded with dense rows of "Aaaaaah," to the point their faces could barely be seen.

Cao Nanyu trembled nervously. "President Xuan, how about we stop watching?"

Xuan Zhe answered with silence, which meant refusal. No. He wanted to watch. He wanted to watch it all.

Wen Shuang wore clothes provided by a sponsor today. Xuan Zhe had thrown away the pants from last time, so Zhu Lian had no choice but to request another set. The young man's hair had been carefully styled. He still looked like himself, but a little grooming made him different. Like a gemstone already gleaming from beneath the sand, once the grains covering it were brushed away, it became so beautiful one wanted to claim it for oneself.

The other artists gradually arrived. Wu Tan, once the most attractive civilian contestant, could no longer stir up any interest. The camera did not even want to linger on his face for more than two seconds.

Lin Nuan wore a coat that reached her knees, zipped up in the front and revealing a pair of pale calves. Though her haters were everywhere, there were still plenty of people thirsting over her legs. She had excellent natural conditions. If she had never gone through those events, she would have been a female artist no less popular than several of the current leading actresses.

Lin Nuan smiled as she greeted Wen Shuang. Her gaze held less purpose than before, and even Jiang Ning vaguely sensed something different about her.

After everyone had arrived, the production team gave them a route. More precisely, it was a relatively obscure tourist route. Some props would be hidden at each attraction along the way. The guests would never know in advance what the props were; only after obtaining them would the system notify them.

It sounded simple, but it was not. The number of props was tied to the difficulty of the next mission. Whenever the production team planned to go easy on them, it meant they had decided to be ruthless in the next round.

The director stepped forward and announced loudly, "Since this recording will be livestreamed, we'll interact with the viewers every hour. The method is simple: we'll draw a question for you to answer." He paused. "Now, let's draw the first question."

The director casually hit the pause button. Seeing something, he laughed before anyone else. After composing himself, he asked, "Here is the first question. If someone gave you ten million and asked you to run naked around a track while wearing the mask you're holding, would you agree?"

Some viewers burst into laughter, but more were sighing in disappointment. Why was it not a relationship question?! For example, "Wen Shuang, do you like Jiang Ning?" or "Jiang Ning, when are you going public with Wen Shuang?" Things like that.

The director gestured. "Please answer."

Chen Zong took the lead. "I think dignity is above all else. No amount of money could make me agree."

Artists valued their reputation. It was a standard answer.

[Wuwuwu, the serious look on my Chen Zong's face is so handsome!]

[Chen Zong really is a model artist. Some bottom lines must be upheld.]

Chen Zong's fans seized every opportunity to wildly praise him in the comments.

The other artists gave more or less the same answers. At last, the camera settled on Wen Shuang and Jiang Ning, both wearing unreadable expressions.

No wonder the two of them got along so well.

Jiang Ning cleared his throat twice and asked weakly, "Do you want the honest answer?"

The director's eyes lit up as he signaled for Jiang Ning to speak freely.

Wen Shuang gave a soft sigh. "You're thinking too small."

Everyone: "?"

Jiang Ning tactfully continued, "For ten million, I wouldn't even need the mask..."

Wen Shuang said, "I'd start with a marathon!"

"..." The director said, "Hahahaha!"

Comments: [Hahahaha!]

Cao Nanyu: "Hahahaha!"

Xuan Zhe slowly turned his head. "Is it that funny?"

Cao Nanyu's shoulders trembled as he covered his mouth. "No, no."

Xuan Zhe continued staring at the screen, but something in his eyes spread uncontrollably. A moment later, he smiled softly too. Ten million for a naked run? Easy enough. He had plenty of ten millions, and Clear Day Manor was large enough.

As expected of a businessman, his mental abacus clattered loudly.

Wen Shuang's ability to avoid danger was unmatched, but his ability to dig himself into a hole was no worse.

And #ThinkingTooSmall quickly climbed the trending searches.