Sweet as honey

The live comments kept flooding in:

-Holy shit, Su Yue's so strict. Shivering hornily here.

-Did that last comment make a typo?

-Aaaaah, once Su Yue makes his move, he really is on another level. I'm rooting for you! Let's call them the Crispy Porridge Duo. Sounds pretty tasty (¯﹃¯)

-Then what about Xie Jiali and Shi Zhou's "Power Couple" CP?

-Sigh, now they're just the "Powerless Couple." All their strength and tricks are gone.

-Asta's CP is worth a taste too. He's starting to turn into a clingy puppy.

Xie Jiali lay in bed, his jet-black hair resting on either side of his face. His complexion was pale as porcelain, with a faint, feverish flush adorning his cheeks like forlorn little beads.

Propping his head up with one hand, he watched the comments stream past and gave a cold laugh.

He had found an excuse to get a Mindnet from the production crew. The staff member's hesitant expression had already told him something was off.

You really couldn't judge Su Yue by his appearance.

He had used Xie Jiali's illness as an excuse to skip the two-person date.

Then he had pulled the rug out from under him, seizing a chance to go straight to Shi Zhou's side?

If Xie Jiali hadn't been the one left in the lurch, he would have applauded and praised the clever strategy.

Quiet and unassuming, but he knew how to bite.

Glancing at his chat with Bai Shen and seeing that his message had been read, Xie Jiali smiled, peeled the fever patch off his forehead, and got out of bed.

His face was still a little pale, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

Meanwhile, the directors were excited too. "Good, good! Now it feels like a romantic battlefield!"

Faced with Asta's question, what else could Shi Zhou say?

He could only hurry to appease them both.

First, he said that without Asta, he never would have had a chance to try pool, let alone learn such an interesting game.

Besides, Asta had taught him very well, explaining the basic rules clearly and making them fun.

Su Yue was a little strict, but strict teachers produced good students. In such a short time, Shi Zhou had already learned to pot a ball.

To his surprise, neither of them seemed impressed.

Asta folded his arms. His brows slanted upward, tapering to sharp points, and his long eyes drooped slightly at the outer corners without looking soft in the slightest. His earrings gleamed beneath the lights as he gave a quiet, somewhat annoyed "Oh."

"So you mean I taught you too slowly, and that's why you couldn't get it?"

"Looks like Su Yue's the better teacher after all. Isn't that right, Zhouzhou?"

-He really is a spoiled princess, huh? He even needs coaxing over this.

-Who said he was being clingy? Get out here! This is clearly him being tsundere.

Shi Zhou stammered.

Su Yue glanced at Shi Zhou, who had lowered his head and fallen silent, then rubbed the chalk dust off his fingertips and said casually:

"We're just playing around. Do we really have to decide who teaches pool better? As long as he learns, that's enough."

"Right, Zhouzhou?"

Shi Zhou was crying inside.

What do you two even want from me?

This trick always worked on all my friends when they were sulking.

Do you have to be harder to handle than everyone else just because you're the novel's male leads?

He could only force a smile. "You're both good, both good. You each have your strengths, haha."

Fortunately, a shout from behind saved him just then.

"Zhouzhou, we're over here!"

Shi Zhou looked back and saw Yu Manman and Bai Shen. When she saw him turn, Yu Manman quickly waved.

Su Yue and Asta exchanged a glance and set the matter aside for now.

"What brings you here too?" Shi Zhou jogged over to greet them, asking with a smile.

"It's raining outside, and there's nowhere to go, so we figured we'd just come here!" Yu Manman replied.

Wait, what did he mean by "too"?

A moment later, they saw the two tall young men behind him approach. Yu Manman and Bai Shen froze.

Why was Su Yue here too?

Bai Shen frowned.

Yu Manman looked around and asked hesitantly, "Are we still playing?"

Whether it was because of the three handsome men or because it was already past dinnertime, there were quite a few people here. Some had even recognized Yu Manman, the popular streamer, and were looking her over.

Picking up on Yu Manman's desire to leave, Shi Zhou smiled and said, "We've been playing for a while. We're done."

Let's get out of here. I'm never coming back to this place before the Dating Reality Show ends.

*ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh.*

A staff member came over and told them, "If you're going to eat, why not wait a little? Jiali will be here soon too."

Su Yue glanced at the smiling staff member but said nothing.

Yu Manman and Shi Zhou, however, were delighted. More people meant more fun.

"But is Brother Xie feeling better?" Shi Zhou asked.

The production crew had originally arranged for a doctor and a caregiver to look after him and make him some light food.

Leading them outside, the staff member smiled and said, "He says he's all better. He's bored just lying there."

Yu Manman linked arms with Shi Zhou and walked at the front. "Then ask Yu Xi and Zheng Yu if their pair wants to come too. We might as well all get together."

The staff member agreed.

-Hehehe, finally, everyone's going to be together.

-Compared with the other two pairs, Zhouzhou's group really delivered today! I've had my fill of romantic drama!

-Yeah, Bai Shen and Yu Manman were so polite with each other, and they didn't have much to talk about.

-Yu Xi and Zheng Yu were okay, but it was basically a girls' day out. Zheng Yu keeps calling himself "this queen." He's stopped pretending altogether. Total mean gay.

With Yu Manman and Bai Shen there, Shi Zhou relaxed considerably. Facing the other two male leads on his own had been a little too difficult.

Once Xie Jiali arrived, he was even more like a little bird that had found its mother, fluttering around the gentle Brother Xie.

Today had really put him through the wringer, making him miss the days when he and Brother Xie did things together.

"Brother Xie, want some water?"

Xie Jiali covered the rim of his cup, his expression carrying a touch of theatrical helplessness. "Zhouzhou, stop pouring. Otherwise I'll be full of water before we even eat."

Shi Zhou had chosen to sit beside him today, and he said, a little embarrassed:

"I just thought you should drink more water when you're sick..."

Everyone laughed on the surface, but only they themselves knew what they were really thinking.

Xie Jiali still picked up his third cup of tea, hiding his smiling lips behind it.

As long as it comes from you, it tastes sweet as honey.