Tell the director, if Jian Li takes the role, so will I

Hearing Huo Xiao's ambiguous sound, Jian Li visibly froze.

He was puzzled, but he didn't let go.

After all, on the battlefield, you could never underestimate your opponent.

If the other man was deliberately tricking him, wouldn't he be done for?

So not only did he hold on, he gave an experimental squeeze.

Huo Xiao let out a muffled, "Mm-"

This time, the groan was much more distinct. Jian Li finally realized something was wrong and hurriedly pulled his arm back, looking over awkwardly. "A-are you okay?"

Huo Xiao lifted his eyelids. "What do you think?"

Jian Li stopped attacking. "I really didn't mean to. I just grabbed down there."

"Excellent grab." Huo Xiao's expression was strange. "Don't do it again."

By now, the livestream chat was howling with laughter.

[Guys, I'm dying! Jian Li actually went for the family jewels?! Huo Xiao clearly couldn't handle it!]

[Hahaha, "excellent grab"? Huo Xiao actually has a sense of humor!]

[Does this count as flirting? Huo Xiao's ears are so red!]

[How could it not?! I hereby declare that this ship is one step closer to tumbling into bed!]

[...]

"That's enough for you two. Next pair." Feng Dayuan broke the awkward silence and pointed at the group. "Shi Huayi, Zhou Nan, you're up."

Seeing Huo Xiao head toward the dorm, Jian Li hesitated for a moment before turning to Feng Dayuan. "Instructor, I'll go check on him."

That vital area was awfully fragile.

If something went wrong, wouldn't it ruin his sex life forever?!

"Go ahead." Feng Dayuan waved him off and turned his attention to the next pair of guests.

He had thought he would be lucky to find even one or two entertainment industry stars as agile as Jian Li and Huo Xiao. He hadn't expected the next pair to be just as impressive, with the air of people who had received formal training.

If they were all at this level, winning another field battle wasn't impossible!

After so many humiliating losses to the red team's commander in combat exercises,

was he finally going to even the score on a variety show?!

The more Feng Dayuan thought about it, the more excited he became, as though victory were already beckoning to him...

Huo Xiao hadn't expected Jian Li to follow him, and his steps grew faster and faster.

"Hey, wait." Jian Li felt a little guilty. "Does it hurt that much?"

"I'm going to the restroom," Huo Xiao said.

Jian Li paused. "You're not going to have the medical staff take a look?"

"The medical staff can't help with this," Huo Xiao said. I have to handle it myself.

Jian Li fell silent. Looks pretty serious.

As he entered the communal restroom, Huo Xiao stopped and glanced back at Jian Li. "Are you sure you want to come in with me?"

"Not that sure." Jian Li flashed an awkward grin and turned to leave, inexplicably embarrassed, only to find the cameraman blocking his way.

He lost his balance and stumbled backward, instinctively grabbing whatever he could reach.

Then his entire body went rigid...

No wonder Huo Xiao needed the restroom. If the camera caught this reaction, it would probably hit the trending list immediately.

The hashtags would probably read something like:

#Best Actor Huo gets teased into XX during close-quarters combat#

#How many years single does it take to X at one touch#

"Could you let go now?"

The low, strained voice sounded beside Jian Li's ear, accompanied by hot breath that sent an electric tingle through him.

"Sorry. Collateral damage."

Jian Li pulled his hand away and immediately left, not daring to look at the reaction of the man behind him.

Even back when he had gone on missions with teammates who were constantly running around naked, he had never encountered anything this mortifying.

This was just too... humiliating!

He ran a long way before stopping at a corner in the corridor, leaning against the wall to collect himself.

For some inexplicable reason, he raised his arm and stared blankly at his palm.

Gotta admit, that was an impressive size.

Worthy of a gorgeous, powerful, tragic villain...

After Huo Xiao came out of the restroom, he returned to the dorm and changed his clothes.

Just as he was about to head back to training, his phone rang.

He glanced down, saw it was his manager, and swiped to answer. "What is it?"

"Huo Xiao, there's a web drama adapted from a novel that wants you in it. I've vetted it. It's a good role, and it already has a fan base. The budget isn't high, but the director has a lot of potential..."

"My schedule's too full right now. Turn it down for me."

Huo Xiao distractedly interrupted his manager, his gaze falling on the view outside the dorm window.

On the training grounds, a sweeping movement lifted a shirt, revealing a stretch of cool, pale waist.

"I see. I'll let them know." His manager nodded in understanding and continued talking. "It's fine if you don't take it. They're all newcomers anyway. Especially Jian Li-he's been getting too much attention lately, and that isn't necessarily a good thing."

Huo Xiao's expression shifted slightly. "Who did you say?"

"Jian Li," his manager repeated. "He's playing the other male lead, but I don't think they've finalized the deal yet. Lu Siqi's probably meddling behind the scenes again."

Originally, he had been rather biased against Jian Li, but as filming for the adventure variety show continued, his deeply rooted opinion had gradually begun to change.

Mostly because Lu Yuanhang was such a drama queen, while Jian Li was so damn impressive.

With that contrast, it was impossible not to become a fan!

"Tell the director, if Jian Li takes the role, so will I." Huo Xiao kept it brief, then hung up.

His manager stared blankly at the screen, unable to process it. Since when had Huo Xiao and Jian Li become so close?

Huo Xiao put his phone back on the upper bunk and started toward the door.

Lu Yuanhang, who had been lying there playing dead, suddenly scrambled down and blocked his path. "Huo Xiao, I didn't realize you liked my brother's leftovers."

Huo Xiao's expression darkened. "What does that have to do with you?"

"Nothing." Lu Yuanhang's smile looked thoroughly cheap. "I just wanted to give you a friendly warning. A pauper like Jian Li is incredibly vain. No matter what you do for him, he'll never be loyal."

"He's trying every trick he can to latch onto you just to pay off his debt."

"After all, three million is no small sum!"

Huo Xiao glanced at the hidden cameras around them and curled his lips. "Three million? You seem to know an awful lot. You're not just making it up, are you?"

"Of course not!" Lu Yuanhang puffed out his chest, looking quite proud. "I'm a shareholder in the company he owes. I've even seen the IOU. How could I be making it up?!"

"Oh, that explains it." Huo Xiao feigned sudden understanding. "But I have to ask-is that kind of company legal? Doesn't it involve exorbitant interest rates and violent debt collection?"

Lu Yuanhang smiled dismissively. "Microloans are everywhere these days. I've never seen one with low interest and no violent collection."

"Sure, you're not allowed to spam everyone in their contacts anymore, but for every policy, there's a workaround."

"Just don't mention your company or platform's name when you call. Problem solved!"

Huo Xiao's lips twitched. "You're pretty clever. Let's hope the regulators don't see this livestream."

Lu Yuanhang froze. "Livestream? There aren't any cameras in the dorm. How could this be livestreamed?"

As soon as he said it, he sensed something was wrong and began frantically looking around.

Behind the monitors, the director helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Call Lu Siqi and tell him to take this idiot home!"