Huo Xiao Was Acting a Little Strange

They arrived at the hot pot restaurant.

The three of them had prepared baseball caps and masks beforehand. Only after entering their private room did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The pot had not been brought out yet.

A single dish of sunflower seeds sat on the large round table.

The three sat down and looked at one another.

Big eyes staring at big eyes.

Si Di took out his phone first. "Huo Xiao, let's add each other on WeChat."

Huo Xiao gave a quiet hum and pulled out his phone, opening his QR code.

Ding.

The moment Si Di scanned it, Huo Xiao's WeChat profile appeared on the screen.

His profile picture was a cool cartoon little boy.

His nickname was an upside-down number eight—the infinity symbol.

His status was a simple English sentence: why can't it be me.

—Why couldn't it be me?

It had an arrogant tone, which did suit Huo Xiao's style.

Yu Ning leaned closer for a look, then asked timidly and curiously, "Huo Xiao, did you pick this profile picture yourself?"

Huo Xiao raised a brow. "Is there a problem?"

Yu Ning shook his head. "N-No problem. It just feels a little strange. I thought you'd use one of those totally black pictures that looked especially gloomy and violent, or maybe a skull, a cross—anyway, something with a darker style."

Huo Xiao's brow creased slightly as he listened.

Seeing him frown, Yu Ning shrank back into his chair and swallowed hard.

"N-No, I didn't mean anything else, Huo Xiao. No, no, Brother Xiao, don't misunderstand. I absolutely wasn't trying to put you down."

The little cutie was scared out of his wits.

But Huo Xiao grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and said while cracking them open, "I'm a person, not a ghost. Why are you so afraid of me? My stage style might be more aggressive, but I myself—"

His gaze turned toward Si Di.

Huo Xiao narrowed his eyes. "I'm actually easy to get along with. Onstage, I'm wild and unruly, and I dare to try any style. But in daily life, I don't eat spicy food, I don't like overly bizarre outfits, and I keep regular hours—I'm not used to staying up late. I'm just like you two. I like making friends too."

Yu Ning sucked in a breath.

Didn't eat spicy food, didn't wear strange clothes, didn't stay up late.

Was this really a rapper with an eccentric style?

This was an old cadre, wasn't it?

More importantly, although Huo Xiao was sitting straight-backed and looked cool with one leg crossed over the other, cracking sunflower seeds was way too out of character for him!

Yu Ning was so stunned that he could not speak.

Si Di nodded calmly. "That's great. With such a healthy lifestyle, Huo Xiao, you'll definitely live to a hundred."

That compliment was pretty strange too.

Yet Huo Xiao was very pleased. The two exchanged a look and bumped fists in tacit understanding.

The soup base arrived, followed by dishes that filled the table.

Nothing was more satisfying than eating hot pot in cold weather.

The three chatted as they ate.

Once they had all set down their chopsticks, Huo Xiao pulled out a tissue and handed it to Si Di.

His eyes shifted.

Seemingly casually, he asked, "By the way, Si Di, what exactly is going on between you and Producer Qin? I only knew from the trending searches that you two had a conflict, but I never found out what started it."

Qin Wei.

Those two words were like blazing summer flames and biting winter wind.

The smile vanished completely from Si Di's face.

Yu Ning glanced at him and took the conversation over himself. "Come on, it's not easy to get a day off. We came out to eat and relax, so let's not bring up people or things related to the competition."

After sharing a meal, Yu Ning was no longer afraid of Huo Xiao.

That teasing remark successfully shut the subject down.

Huo Xiao rested an elbow on the table and propped his chin on the back of his hand.

His wolfish gaze swept over Si Di.

Then, seemingly offhand but with clear intent, he said, "I think Producer Qin actually takes pretty good care of you. It doesn't seem like he has any hostility toward you."

No one there was stupid.

Huo Xiao kept asking because he clearly wanted an answer.

Yu Ning could not keep cutting him off, so he merely licked his lips, poured himself a glass of juice, and drank quietly.

Only the bubbling sounds of the hot pot broth remained in the private room.

Si Di let out an annoyed breath and said frankly, "There's no deep-seated grudge or anything. We're just incompatible by nature. We've disliked each other since we were kids."

That one sentence contained a wealth of information.

Huo Xiao's sharp gaze suddenly lifted. "So you don't hate Qin Wei because love turned into resentment?"

"???"

Si Di was full and a little sleepy to begin with.

At those words, his eyes flew wide open.

His eyes were big, but his confusion was even bigger.

Si Di turned to Yu Ning, who wore the exact same expression, and said in astonishment, "Yu Ning, did you hear what Huo Xiao just said?"

Yu Ning nodded emphatically.

Si Di furrowed his brows in speechless disbelief. "Huo Xiao said I hate Qin Wei because love turned into resentment. What do you think?"

Yu Ning rolled his eyes. "I think people really shouldn't eat too much sometimes."

They really had gotten familiar with each other.

Yu Ning had once stammered just trying to greet Huo Xiao, yet now he actually dared to mock him to his face.

After saying that, Yu Ning proudly lifted his chin at Si Di, as if asking for credit.

That little expression.

Si Di snorted with laughter, successfully amused.

Huo Xiao did not argue with Yu Ning. He stared directly at Si Di's smiling face.

The corner of his lips rose, and he abruptly said something completely unrelated. "Si Di, does the contract you signed with your entertainment company include a clause forbidding relationships?"

Si Di paused. "Entertainment company? You mean Well-Fed and Sturdy? There are only two people in the entire company. If I told you I never signed a contract, would you believe me?"

At that, Yu Ning grew interested. "How could you not have signed a contract? Di Bao, are you messing with us?"

"..."

Si Di blinked and explained simply, "Come to think of it, my signing was no different from kids playing house. I had just graduated from college then, and my boss-slash-manager, Wu Biao, had just switched careers and opened an agency."

"We ran into each other on the street. He came right up and shoved a business card into my hand, saying he wanted to sign me as an artist and make me famous. So many trainees suffer and struggle without ever making it. Would a talent scout really drag people in off the street these days?"

Si Di shook his head. "I thought he was a scammer and ignored him completely. Who knew he was so persistent? He followed me all the way home and stayed there for three days. After we got familiar with each other, we went out for dinner, got drunk, and casually agreed verbally that it counted as signing a contract."

Yu Ning asked, "Then how many years is your contract for?"

Si Di answered with a straight face, "He covers all the investment, and we split the money fifty-fifty when we earn it. As for terminating the contract, we never talked about it. Maybe if he doesn't want to be a manager anymore, or if I flop so badly that I can't keep going, we'll just part ways and go back to our own homes and find our own moms."

For artists—

Signing a contract was absolutely a matter of utmost importance.

One careless move could land them in a trap set by a shady company. Not only would their future be bleak, but terminating the contract would also require paying an enormous penalty.

It was Yu Ning's first time seeing a signing arrangement like Si Di's. His jaw nearly dropped in shock.

Huo Xiao was relatively calm.

He propped his chin on the back of his hand and stared without moving at Si Di's animated expressions as he spoke.

Once Si Di finished, Huo Xiao nodded and said meaningfully,

"What a coincidence. My company doesn't have any rules forbidding artists from dating either."