"Since you're all full, forget it." Huo Wenye's expression remained blank, but when he turned, his eyes burned unusually bright. "You still look hungry. Keep me company while I eat."
Xie Chen: "..."
Which eye of yours saw that I was still hungry?!
Oh, was it because I'd been too eager when grabbing the meat earlier?!
How about we rewind and I change that?!
--
Outside the restaurant, Xie Ran was still sniffling when he saw the production crew carrying dish after dish inside. He asked in confusion, "What's this?"
"Brother Ye is treating everyone to dinner," a staff member replied absentmindedly. "Director Li approved it."
The moment Xie Jinran heard that, he grew even angrier and turned to rush back inside, but Xie Ran grabbed his sleeve. "Third Brother, I don't want to escalate the conflict any further."
Xie Jinran calmed down.
That was right.
He had joined this variety show to help Xie Ran win over the other guests, not to end up isolated like this.
Something that had originally been so simple—why had it become so complicated?!
Seeing that Xie Jinran had fallen silent, Xie Ran looked even more aggrieved. "Third Brother, I really don't know what I did wrong to make everyone hate me so much. Is it because I took Brother Xie Chen's place? If that's the case, I can give it back to him!"
"Don't say that." Seeing Xie Ran's pitiful appearance made Xie Jinran's heart ache. "You were the real young master of the Xie Family all along, without a doubt. If you hadn't been abducted back then, why would we ever have adopted Xie Chen?"
Exactly!
Xie Chen had stolen everything from Xie Ran, yet he still acted as though he had been wronged.
Someone like that wasn't worth pitying at all!
"But..." Xie Ran lifted his face, tears slipping from the corners of his eyes. "Brother Wenye seems hostile toward me."
At that, Xie Jinran's expression darkened. "I don't know why Huo Wenye has been acting so strangely either."
They clearly had some acquaintance, yet he kept openly turning against him.
Could it really be for Xie Chen's sake, because he wanted to stand up for him?
That made no sense.
The two of them had never crossed paths at all!
"Third Brother, those photos..." Xie Ran trailed off, looking reluctant to bring it up.
Xie Jinran immediately understood what he meant. "Big Brother knows what he's doing. He'll probably release them at the right time."
Xie Ran said, "Actually, I don't want to..."
"I know you're kind." Xie Jinran patted Xie Ran's shoulder and pulled him into his arms. "But what Xie Chen has done has already pushed the Xie Family beyond its limit. If we don't act soon, he'll think he can do anything!"
The two brothers were being all lovey-dovey in the courtyard, and even the cameraman could not be bothered filming them.
He headed straight back into the restaurant to find a chance to mooch a meal.
Come on!
Brother Ye was treating them!
He had heard it was the best restaurant in town, with incredibly authentic farmhouse cuisine!
Who would still want to film these two?!
Just then, the surroundings quieted down, and Xie Jinran and Xie Ran finally noticed the boisterous noise coming from somewhere nearby.
The two turned their heads at once, their expressions instantly turning ugly.
"If you're a man, down three in a row! Can Li Sifan even handle it?!"
"How can't I?! You think I'm scared of you? Whether I can handle it or not, I'll prove it with my strength tonight!"
"Where's Xie Chen? Weren't you talking big? Come on, come on—let's see how I drink you under the table today!"
"Hehehe, I'm so scared. How about we switch to baijiu?!"
"No, no, my alcohol tolerance is terrible. Sister Jingfei, spare my life!"
"This lady hasn't even admitted defeat yet, and you're already opening your mouth to say you can't do it?!"
Bullet comments: [...]
[The vibe changed a little suddenly, didn't it?! Weren't they all shy just now, saying they were full and planning to go back to their rooms to sleep?!]
[Has it even been ten minutes? It feels like they all transformed?! Especially Luo Mingyu—he's practically back on home turf, looking like a little prince of the nightclub!]
[I'd like to interview Brother Ye, who's sitting upright amid all this crying and wailing. How does he stay so calm?!]
[More than calm?! I think I saw a faintly indulgent smile at the corner of Brother Ye's mouth. Who was that for?! Don't tell me it was Xie Chen?!]
[So annoying! Can you stop dragging my Brother Ye into everything?! Is Xie Chen even worthy?!]
[He's just an obscure nobody from the eighteenth tier. Our Brother Ye is simply too kind and is only being polite!]
[Then why isn't he polite to Xie Ran?! Can someone explain that?!]
Director Li, sitting behind the monitors, had also taken advantage of the chaos to drink a couple of glasses. Seeing the comments before him, he could not help slurring, "Forget the netizens suspecting something between Xie Chen and Huo Wenye—even I fucking think something's off!"
He turned toward his assistant, his gaze unfocused. "Xie Chen does look pretty good, and I admit he's the visual of the group, but judging people by appearances is a little..."
"Director Li," the assistant said softly, "don't you think Xie Chen is pretty outstanding?"
"Outstanding my ass!" Director Li spat. "He, he... his temper's terrible, he has no manners, he picks fights with everyone he sees, and he even breaks the variety show's rules!"
"But Xie Chen helped the village solve its water problem," the assistant cut in, raising his voice.
Director Li glared at him. "You've learned to talk back now too?!"
"Is it really that hard to admit someone else is outstanding?!" The assistant looked displeased.
"You're drunk, aren't you?!"
Director Li got to his feet to kick him, but the latter darted far away in an instant.
The guesthouse dining hall remained lively until quite late.
No one knew who suggested playing truth or dare.
They made Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan kiss.
The two, drunk out of their minds, actually obediently hugged each other. But the instant their lips touched, they sobered up on the spot and each bent over to spit repeatedly at the floor. "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
"So disgusting!"
"I can't drink this anymore. I'm going back to my room to sleep!"
Xie Chen swept them a glance and saw an unnatural flush on both Luo Mingyu's and Li Sifan's faces. He could not tell whether it was the alcohol or whether they had truly been disgusted.
"Let's call it a night. We still have a task tomorrow." He stood up, intending to pretend he was drunk and stagger back to the dormitory.
But a warm palm closed over his wrist, and it felt as though faint currents of electricity ran across his skin.
"Wait." A low, magnetic voice came at the same time.
Xie Chen's entire body stiffened. After half a second, he lowered his gaze. "What?"
Huo Wenye lifted his face. "Stay with me for a while."
After a pause, he muttered, "You left too early last time."
"What?!" Xie Chen had not heard clearly, but he had an instinctive feeling that the latter half of that sentence was extremely important.
Huo Wenye's expression became even more unreadable. He pressed his lips together, and as his Adam's apple bobbed, he was about to speak—
But someone beside them interrupted. "Brother Ye, Director Li asked me to let you know that filming starts again early tomorrow morning..."
Huo Wenye looked back, frost spreading over his incomparably handsome face.
The staff member was terrified, looking as though he might cry.
I told them I didn't want to come, but they insisted on sending me. Now look what happened?!
I ruined Brother Ye's chances. Would he still let me off?!
My career is over!
He inwardly panicked and cursed, only to see Huo Wenye rise to his feet. Standing nearly one meter ninety tall, he seemed as imposing as Mount Tai bearing down on him.
"Dismissed."
The moment he spoke, Xie Chen and the staff member took off running. In the blink of an eye, only one person remained in the restaurant.
The tall figure slowly walked to the window. His hawk-like gaze fell into the darkness, locking firmly onto that glimmer of light. His pale lips moved closer to the phone's receiver as his voice drifted out softly.
"I know what I'm doing."
"I just don't want to scare him..."
Before you continue