Sleepless Night

After Li Yu finished washing up and came out, Chi Yan went into the bathroom as well.

Unlike yesterday, this room had two beds, so Li Yu no longer had to share one with Chi Yan.

Still, Li Yu thought it was pretty good. Otherwise, if he woke up tomorrow morning clinging to Chi Yan again, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

With that thought, Li Yu drifted off to sleep in a daze.

When Chi Yan came out again, he found Li Yu sleeping especially soundly.

Half of Li Yu's face was buried in the blankets, the hair over his forehead slightly messy, and his eyelashes fluttered restlessly. Chi Yan leaned closer and could even hear Li Yu's soft breathing.

Little Fish looks so well-behaved when he's asleep...

Afraid of waking Li Yu, Chi Yan hastily dried his hair and lay down on his own bed.

He was having a little trouble falling asleep. The scent of Li Yu's body wash seemed to still linger in his nose; he had smelled it the moment he entered the bathroom. It was very fragrant.

So fragrant that his body was heating up.

Chi Yan sighed. He felt like a pervert right now.

Xie Jingming was also unable to sleep that night. He tossed and turned several times, his mind filled with what had happened that afternoon.

The second Li Yu met his gaze, his heart had wavered uncontrollably.

Shen Zhonglou was such an asshole. A guy as good as Li Yu liked him, yet he didn't cherish him.

But Xie Jingming knew he wasn't much better himself. He had approached Shen Zhonglou with a scheme from the beginning—but that didn't stop him from criticizing Shen Zhonglou.

How could he have known Li Yu existed back then? That old scheming bastard Shen Zhonglou had kept him hidden away, flirting ambiguously with Xie Jingming while stringing Li Yu along at the same time.

Xie Jingming had only learned of Li Yu a few months ago. If Shen Zhonglou weren't still useful to him, he would have stayed far away from that self-righteous scumbag long ago.

Thinking of this, Xie Jingming rubbed his brow and checked his phone.

One unfamiliar text had just arrived. Expressionless, Xie Jingming opened it, as though he already knew what it said.

"Son, your father and mother are out of money. Could you send us some?"

Xie Jingming acted as if he hadn't seen it and blocked the number immediately.

Son?

Did the people who had sold him to some old bastard's bed for money deserve to call him their son?

Crazy.

Xie Jingming pressed the lock button and gave a cold snort.

Perhaps because he had gone to bed too late last night, Chi Yan woke up rather late the next day. Li Yu was the one who woke him.

But Li Yu had a rather unusual way of waking people up. With a mischievous smile on his face, he used his "evil hand" to pinch Chi Yan's nose.

Chi Yan had already been close to waking up. With his breathing cut off like that, he opened his eyes at once.

He instinctively grabbed Li Yu's wrist, only releasing it after realizing who it was.

"Brother Chi, you really are strong. That grip hurts when you pinch someone." Li Yu shook his wrist.

Just keep being naughty. You'll hurt even more later. Chi Yan thought.

When that time came, he definitely wouldn't go easy on him.

"Isn't the official announcement press conference at ten? It's already almost eight," Li Yu said.

"Yeah. Go downstairs first. I'll change clothes."

Chi Yan made as if to get up and change, and Li Yu tactfully left. Before going, he didn't forget to close the door behind him.

Only after the door shut completely did Chi Yan relax.

Last night's dream resurfaced in his mind. Though the details had become somewhat blurry, his face still grew hot.

Chi Yan lay back down and calmed himself for a while before getting out of bed.

The venue the production team had chosen for the official announcement press conference was not far from South Jade Mountain Ancient Town, around half an hour away by car.

The moment the guests got out of their cars, they were stunned by the spectacle—people were packed everywhere as far as the eye could see, surrounding the place inside and out. Reporters from numerous outlets rushed to the front carrying cameras with long lenses, afraid of missing some sensational headline.

But on second thought, with both Liang Meichen and Shu Menglan in this show's lineup, the fans' enthusiasm was perfectly understandable!

"Ahhh! Goddess Liang! Goddess Liang in the flesh!"

"Menglan, my daughter! Be happy every day! You're the best!"

"Teacher Xiang! Teacher Xiang!"

"Zhou Yanqing! Why the hell are your legs longer than my life!"

"Yu Lin, Yu Lin, Yu Lin! Look over here—ahhh!"

"Jingming, Jingming, fly forward! Little Lanterns will follow forever!"

"I can't live without Li Yu! Otherwise, I'll be impossible to reason with!"

"Holy shit, Chi Yan is so handsome in person."

The overwhelming screams made Chi Yan somewhat uncomfortable. Li Yu had anticipated this situation, so he stayed by Chi Yan's side the entire way, giving him some reassurance.

After walking partway down the red carpet, each guest signed the customized backdrop prepared by the production team, bringing the first part of the event to an end.

Next came the reporter interview session. According to the director, more than eighty entertainment media outlets had come this time. The sheer number made it clear that this morning would be another tough battle.

"Um, may I ask what Director Zhong Su's original intention was in creating this variety show?"

As the representative of the directing team, Zhong Su was naturally a key target for questions. Holding the microphone, he said, "Well... in this internet age, many people are addicted to their phones and all kinds of electronic devices, so they rarely go out and take a look at the scenery beyond their doors.

"One reason I made this show was to encourage everyone to go out more. And the other reason, of course, is to promote the unique customs and cultures of each place."

"Liang Meichen, after participating in this variety show, will you release any more works?"

"Probably not. I knew beforehand that this was a travel-themed show, which was why I wanted to participate. After all, I really like traveling myself," Liang Meichen said.

"Chi Yan, as Leming's CEO, why did you choose to participate in this variety show?"

"The company invested heavily in this show, and I'm personally interested in traveling as well, so I came."

Chi Yan spoke very seriously in front of the reporters' cameras, making everything he said highly convincing.

The corner of Zhong Su's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Others might not be able to see through Chi Yan, but couldn't he?

He had been sitting behind the monitors for so long. Every day, Chi Yan's eyes practically stuck to Li Yu.

Tsk, tsk. No wonder people said the rich and powerful knew how to play. He had even chased the person he liked right onto Zhong Su's show.