A faint scent of red wine hung in the dining room. Everyone except Song Yunxing and Shen Yanci had drunk at least a little.
Lu Ran grabbed a few brand-new, unopened card game boxes from the living room bookshelf and set them on the table. "Let's play cards! It's still early!" she said excitedly.
They had nothing else to do anyway, and everyone agreed, hoping to get some more screen time.
Just then, Shen Yanci's assistant waved frantically behind the camera. Song Yunxing turned and tapped Shen Yanci.
Shen Yanci looked up, his gaze passing over Song Yunxing before settling on his assistant off-camera.
"Sorry, I'm heading upstairs. Keep chatting." Shen Yanci gave a slight nod, rose, and left the dining room.
The others didn't mind and waved him off.
People in the industry saw Shen Yanci as cold and arrogant, but he was a good actor, chose good scripts, and had powerful financial backing. No one dared cross him. Even if he quit the show right then, no one would have found it strange.
In other words, his participation in the show had already shocked plenty of industry insiders. Even Shi Jinyan, who also worked in film, had been surprised that he would appear on a variety show like this.
Song Yunxing had just come back from the restroom and hadn't turned his mic on yet.
"Yunxing, how exactly did you two meet?" With Shen Yanci upstairs, Lu Ran couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.
"Him?" Song Yunxing let out a breath, his lashes lowered. "We just went to the same middle and high school."
"Really? So you were schoolmates!" Lu Ran's eyes lit up, and she pressed on. "When did you start dating, then? Middle school? High school? Or after graduation?"
Song Yunxing glanced at her with a hint of disdain. "Since when were you this nosy? There's nothing between Shen Yanci and me."
The woman sitting at the far end of the dining table lowered her head, her fingers clenching excitedly beneath the table.
"Hmph, I don't believe you. If there was nothing going on, why would you come on the show with him?" Lu Ran's expression plainly said, "You're definitely hiding something from me."
Song Yunxing shook his head helplessly, yawned, switched on the mic behind him, and sat down at the table.
By then, the livestream comments were buzzing.
[People dug up the fact that they were schoolmates ages ago. We just haven't had anyone in the know explain what happened back in school!]
[I know! It was Xinyue Secondary School in Jin City, with automatic progression from middle to high school. Two hundred thousand yuan a semester! An elite school for rich kids!]
[Looks like they both come from pretty well-off families!]
[Holy shit, someone spilled the tea on Weibo! Go look!]
Someone in the livestream pointed the way, and fans left in droves to check out the post on Weibo.
A user claiming to have attended Xinyue Secondary School had posted Song Yunxing's high school graduation photo along with a lengthy account.
{I went to the same school as Song Yunxing and was a year above him. He wanted to start training early, so he skipped a grade and took the college entrance exam ahead of schedule. That's why he was in our graduation photo.}
{When we first started there, Shen Yanci was the school heartthrob and star student. But after Song Yunxing enrolled, the heartthrob title went to him.}
{Our school had automatic progression from middle to high school. Those two were huge names on campus back then. They even had fan clubs!}
{There were all sorts of rumors about them, some true and some false. The wildest was that they both fell for the same girl who hadn't differentiated yet and fought in a downpour. Supposedly, Song Yunxing went abroad early for training because he failed to win her heart.}
{The funniest part is that the girl they were supposedly both pursuing was in my year. She's an alpha now and has a foreign boyfriend. They're already planning to get engaged.}
After reading the post, fans and casual onlookers eagerly left comments.
[Holy shit! What kind of love-rivals-to-lovers story is this?!]
[Of course they're sworn rivals. Their connection goes all the way back to childhood!]
[I can't even imagine how cheerful and outgoing I'd be if I were that girl!]
[What is this, an idol drama come to life?!]
The topic had already climbed onto the trending list. Solo fans and shipping fans each had their own interpretations, and Weibo erupted once again.
Meanwhile, back in the villa's dining room, Song Yunxing was leaning against his chair, nearly asleep.
A full stomach made people sleepy, especially after a tiring day spent on his feet, now that he was sitting in a warm room.
"Yunxing! Song Yunxing! Play your card!" Lu Ran shouted at him.
Song Yunxing opened his eyes groggily and pulled out a card at random.
"Oh, come on, Yunxing! Look how badly you're playing. Hurry upstairs, shower, and get some sleep! You can barely keep your eyes open!" Lu Ran took the cards from his hand and pushed him toward the stairs, grumbling, "Seriously, you're only twenty-five! How can you fall asleep at your age?!"
"Mm... Sorry, everyone. I'll head up and get some rest." Song Yunxing looked back as he spoke.
"It's fine. We're going to turn in after this round too. Go ahead," Yu Wan said gently.
Shi Jinyan and Luo An nodded as well.
Song Yunxing removed his mic, trudged upstairs, and pushed open the bedroom door.
A warm light glowed inside. Shen Yanci had just stepped out of the bathroom.
Water still dripped from the ends of his hair, soaking into his bathrobe. The white robe hung loosely on him, secured only by a belt at his waist.
The loose neckline gaped open. In the warm light, Song Yunxing could make out his sexy collarbones, well-developed honey-toned chest, and perfectly defined muscles trailing down to his lower abdomen...
Song Yunxing froze for a moment, then swiftly looked away, the tips of his ears growing warm.
"Put your bathrobe on properly! If you want to show off your body, go strut around somewhere with cameras!"
Shen Yanci leisurely pulled his robe closed and retied the belt.
"How was I supposed to know you'd come back now? I only just finished showering."
The floral scent of body wash, mingled with a faint trace of alcohol, drifted into Song Yunxing's nose. He looked up and met a pair of fathomless eyes.
"Besides, by your own reasoning, we're both men. What does it matter if I show a little skin?" Shen Yanci took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
The rich scent of alcohol filled the space around them, and Song Yunxing instinctively sensed danger.
Warm light fell over Shen Yanci's lowered profile, light and shadow tracing his striking features. One eye was lit, the other shadowed, making him look both dangerous and alluring.
Song Yunxing suppressed the urge to flee. He neither backed away nor dodged, standing his ground with his chin lifted high. "Exactly! What have you got that I haven't?"
He kept looking up at him like that. At first, he could hold his gaze for a few seconds, but Shen Yanci's robe had such a wide neckline! A stray glance was enough to reveal his overly developed chest and the light-brown points of his nipples!
Song Yunxing's gaze flickered involuntarily, and his ears turned scarlet.
"You! At your age, you're still playing these staring games! I don't want to talk to you. Move aside and stop blocking me from taking a shower." Irritated, Song Yunxing shoved him away and slipped straight into the bathroom.
A click came from inside-the bathroom door had been locked.
Shen Yanci straightened, the faintest smile curving his thin lips.
Good. He wasn't completely uninterested in me.
Before you continue