Yun Chuan Laughed in Exasperation

Yu Xiuyuan was hardly afraid of her. He was completely unbothered.

"Don't worry, Sis Lin. I'm just having some fun. It's nothing serious, and it'll give our show a little more buzz."

There was nothing wrong with calling her "Sis." He was so polite!

If he hadn't pulled this move, he might have become a pervert who liked going out in women's clothes to scare children before half a day had passed.

He could already see it in Lin Qingnuan's eyes.

Off-camera, Director Liu's eyes brimmed with tears. Yu Xiuyuan was such a good kid, always finding ways to generate buzz for the show. He appreciated the thought.

Lin Qingnuan's blood surged at being shut down. She knew arguing on the spot wouldn't be smart.

But Yu Xiuyuan was provoking her with his eyes!

She smiled and returned his challenging look. "So Xiao Yu was joking. Then anyone who finds those photos is going to be disappointed."

Yu Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow at her and explained very politely, "You've misunderstood, Sis Lin. It's only a song. That's hardly worth breaking my word over."

Then he turned toward the camera and winked his right eye. "But disappointment is inevitable. After all, as far as I remember, I've never worn women's clothes."

Lin Qingnuan was about to say something else when Yun Chuan interrupted her.

"The steamed sea bass is good today. Very fresh. Try some."

Yun Chuan used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of fish in Yu Xiuyuan's bowl, drawing his attention away.

Looking at that piece of fish, Lin Qingnuan nearly snapped her chopsticks.

Why did Yu Xiuyuan have to bring everything out into the open?

Wasn't he afraid of putting the viewers off?

Yu Xiuyuan genuinely wasn't afraid. He wanted to retire.

And the viewers weren't put off at all. Everyone was rubbing their hands together, eager to join the fun.

After the meal, the director announced that there were no other scheduled activities. Each pair could arrange their own date.

Nobody had any particularly good ideas, so they simply sat around chatting in little groups.

Yun Chuan sat beside Yu Xiuyuan with perfect composure. He said nothing, only occasionally gazing at him in a daze.

Yu Xiuyuan looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was ready to fall to his knees.

My dear God Yun, please rein in your powers. We're only acting. There's no need to be this dedicated.

Your gaze is practically dripping with desire!

Just as Yu Xiuyuan was about to fall apart, Su Ziming came over.

"My manager said we should hurry up and record the song after we finish filming this episode, so we can release it as soon as possible. What do you think?"

Yu Xiuyuan thought it sounded wonderful.

My brother, your timing couldn't be better!

"I think that's great. Anything works. This song is definitely going to be a hit." Yu Xiuyuan gripped Su Ziming's arm and spoke sincerely.

Seeing his confidence, Su Ziming smiled a little shyly. "I think so too."

Once they finished talking, Su Ziming wanted to leave, but Yu Xiuyuan wouldn't let go.

Su Ziming glanced at Yun Chuan's expression, forcibly pulled his arm free, and left.

He regretted ever coming over...

Seeing that Su Ziming was determined to leave, Yu Xiuyuan took the initiative and went over to chat with Li Rou and Lin Xi.

Lin Xi glanced at Yun Chuan, who had been left behind, and shot Li Rou a meaningful look.

As usual, Li Rou failed to take the hint.

When Yu Xiuyuan came over, she covered her microphone and asked furtively, like a thief, "Have you seen Wen Lin's trending topics?"

Yu Xiuyuan shook his head. He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him.

Seeing that he knew nothing about it, Li Rou leaned toward his ear and whispered, "All his negative trending topics were taken down. They were removed this morning."

Yu Xiuyuan wasn't surprised. Wen Lin was the Protagonist Shou, after all. With his protagonist halo, he couldn't possibly be crushed so casually.

Fortunately, Yu Xiuyuan had reclaimed all the good reputation Wen Lin had gained from the original owner of his body.

He had also added some scandals that couldn't be scrubbed away, which counted as getting a little payback.

With those stains on his record, who knew whether his path to becoming a "wealthy family's pampered spouse" would still go smoothly?

At that thought, Yu Xiuyuan felt conflicted. In the original novel, Yun Chuan would eventually become Wen Lin's brother-in-law.

Although the plot had changed somewhat, what if Yun Chuan's older brother still had terrible taste? The thought put him off a little.

Forget it. There are plenty of men in the world. Pick another one.

If one won't do, pick a dozen.

Yu Xiuyuan spent the entire afternoon in torment before it was finally time to turn in for the night.

After getting ready, Yu Xiuyuan took a deep breath and went to knock on Yun Chuan's door.

As for the camera in the living room, there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he was only going in for a brief chat. He would leave as soon as he cleared things up, so it wouldn't damage God Yun's reputation.

Yun Chuan soon opened the door. His hair was half dry, and he had already changed into pajamas. Clearly, he had showered and was getting ready for bed.

"I need to talk to you," Yu Xiuyuan explained, not wanting to cause any unnecessary misunderstanding.

Looking at Yu Xiuyuan's flushed face, Yun Chuan tightened his grip on the doorframe until blue veins stood out on his hand. Then he released it and invited Yu Xiuyuan inside.

Once inside, Yu Xiuyuan looked up at the camera. After confirming it had been switched off, he breathed a sigh of relief.

That made Yun Chuan, who had been watching him the entire time, breathe faster.

Veins bulged in his neck too as he rapidly talked himself around.

Coming to my room this late... what does he want to do?

If he... should I turn him down?

He'd feel humiliated if I refused, wouldn't he?

But this isn't the right place. We can't be so hasty.

Yun Chuan thought he could soothe him first, then wait until later...

Yu Xiuyuan knew nothing of what he was imagining. He pulled over a chair, sat down, and got straight to the point.

"We might need to change our plan."

Yun Chuan's breath caught. He looked a little bewildered. "What plan?"

"The one where I cooperate with you on dates, and you use me to scare your family out of pressuring you to marry."

"While I get through this dating reality show in peace without interfering with the other guests' romances, then retire comfortably without ever pestering you."

Yun Chuan carefully searched his memories and confirmed that he remembered no such thing.

From beginning to end, he had only said one thing: "You can give me your confession letter tonight."

The veins in his neck subsided, then bulged again. He chose his words carefully.

"How did you know I wanted to scare off my family?"

"In the first episode, wasn't the reason you agreed to room with me that I was weird and scary enough? Later, when I changed my look, you even seemed sorry about it."

Yun Chuan fell silent. Should he praise him for being perceptive?

"You want to change the plan?" Yun Chuan asked cautiously.

Yu Xiuyuan nodded. "Our original plan was just for me to cooperate with you on dates. Now I think that isn't foolproof enough. We have to change it."

"Is that so..."

Yu Xiuyuan even raised his voice a notch, hoping to make his words sound more convincing.

"Of course. After all, my image has improved a little now."

Actually, that's not it. Your acting is too good, God Yun, and you're handsome too. I'm afraid lust will cloud my judgment.

Feeling guilty, he added, "If I keep obediently cooperating with you on dates, what if your family has a moment of madness, approves of us, and starts pushing for marriage again?"

Yun Chuan looked straight at Yu Xiuyuan. "Then what do you suggest?"

What he really wanted to say was: If they approve, you're mine. What else would we do?

Yu Xiuyuan missed the predatory gleam in Yun Chuan's eyes. He felt he was close to succeeding.

"That's why I'm saying I should change my strategy and stop cooperating. Like when we bought gifts today, I only gave you a freebie. Or how about I simply switch to a different dating partner?"

Yu Xiuyuan secretly rejoiced. As long as I don't cooperate and stay far enough away, those feelings won't catch up with me.

Yun Chuan laughed in exasperation.

He had merely told him to give him his confession letter, and this man had automatically dreamed up an entire elaborate plot.

And had even updated it to a second version all by himself?

What he had thought were dates had actually just been part of a plan?

What he had thought was a tacit understanding, like a girl giving someone a hair tie to stake her claim, had actually been the insult of only being willing to give him a freebie?

Yun Chuan rubbed the red cord around his wrist. To think he hadn't even taken it off to shower.

No wonder Yu Xiuyuan had asked whether his family was pressuring him to marry. The moment he said yes, Yu Xiuyuan had agreed to give him the confession letter.

The letter had even mentioned... a date.

Was he really that eager to help?

With an imagination like that, it was a shame he hadn't become a screenwriter.

Since he was so eager to help, Yun Chuan could only make him see it through to the end.

Yun Chuan sneered. "Not a chance."