It was Lin Sen.
Yu Xiuyuan didn't look up, thinking this was another person trying to cozy up to Yun Chuan.
Sure enough, Yun Chuan gave a rather cool "Mm."
Lin Sen wasn't deterred by his coolness. Instead, he took another two steps forward, glanced between Yu Xiuyuan and Yun Chuan, and smiled.
"It looks like Xiuyuan's doing all the work." He tilted his head, concern in his voice. "Are you tired, Teacher Yun?"
Yu Xiuyuan stopped mixing the bait.
"If you're tired, you can go back to your room and rest. We understand, considering how busy you are with work." Lin Sen's smile deepened as he turned toward Yu Xiuyuan, his tone gentle. "I can help Xiuyuan. I won't hold him back."
Everything suddenly went quiet. Yu Xiuyuan looked up at Lin Sen's buzz cut, feeling deeply unsettled.
With that buzz cut, why was he playing the sweet, innocent manipulator? Wasn't he supposed to be a meathead?
And he was actually trying to cozy up to him by putting Yun Chuan down. Was there something wrong with his brain?
Only then did Yun Chuan turn to look at him. He propped up one leg, draped an arm casually over his knee, and gave a mocking smile. "What do you say, Mr. Yu?"
Yu Xiuyuan immediately joined the attack. "You've misunderstood, Mr. Lin. Fishing's only fun if you do it yourself. Besides, I've never fished before, so I was just asking God Yun to teach me. If you send him back, who's going to teach me?"
Yun Chuan tilted his head, his smile turning genuine.
Lin Sen chuckled awkwardly, but he wasn't annoyed. He remained enthusiastic. "Really? What a coincidence. I'm pretty good at fishing. I could teach you."
Yun Chuan stopped smiling, and Yu Xiuyuan grew serious too.
Why was he so persistent? What was he after?
Yu Xiuyuan was certain he'd never had anything to do with this man before. Why was he suddenly coming after him?
He hadn't even dealt with Lu Jinming yet, and now there was Lin Sen?
"No need. Yun Chuan's all the teacher I need. Since you're good at fishing, Mr. Lin, we won't help you. Good luck," Yu Xiuyuan said solemnly.
"All right, I won't disturb you two, then. Good luck to you too, Xiuyuan." They'd expected him to be hard to shake off, but Lin Sen didn't keep pestering them. He took the hint and walked away.
Yu Xiuyuan watched him leave, then looked suspiciously at Yun Chuan, wanting to ask whether he knew what that had been about.
Instead, he found Yun Chuan looking quite pleased, his chin resting on the back of his hand as he smiled at him.
Yu Xiuyuan's brow furrowed. "What are you smiling about?"
"Call me Yun Chuan from now on." He was still smiling.
"Huh? I asked what you're smiling about!"
"You finally called me by my name. Not God Yun, not Teacher Yun. Isn't that worth being happy about?"
Yu Xiuyuan's heart skipped a beat. Yun Chuan's smile nearly dazzled him.
Wasn't this guy afraid he'd actually fall for him and refuse to let go?
He glared at him, then went back to kneading his bait in a huff.
Meanwhile, on his way back to the guesthouse, Lin Sen silently cursed Wen Lin for being an idiot.
Before he came on the Dating Reality Show, Wen Lin had told him that all he needed to do was act gentle and kindhearted, speak up for Yu Xiuyuan, and do him a few little favors. Then Yu Xiuyuan would pour his heart out to him and consider him a close confidant.
He hadn't believed it at first, but Wen Lin had sworn it was true.
Reality had proved that Yu Xiuyuan didn't fall for any of that. He was plenty smart and knew whose coattails to ride.
It seemed he'd have to try another approach if he wanted his help.
Lin Sen had come on the Dating Reality Show specifically for Yu Xiuyuan.
It all went back to "The Lonely Brave," the song Yu Xiuyuan had given Su Ziming.
Although the song hadn't officially been released, Lin Sen did have connections. One of the sound engineers involved in recording it was on good terms with him. The man had told him that "The Lonely Brave" was one of the best songs of the past two years, and everyone involved in the recording agreed that it surpassed "Listening" from back then.
Lin Sen hadn't had a major new hit in the past two years either. He'd been coasting on his old success. If Su Ziming was allowed to release his new song without a hitch, he might well overtake him.
How could he let that bastard Su Ziming overtake him?
That bastard had nothing. No backing, no connections, no resources, not even a family. Just a laughable little bit of talent.
And he refused to submit, refused to service the boss.
He had powerful backing, countless connections, and a family who supported him wholeheartedly. He had everything, yet he kept losing to an orphan who had nothing?
He couldn't accept it. So, at that crucial juncture two years ago, he had contacted Wen Lin. Together, they had set Yu Xiuyuan up and leaked damaging information about Su Ziming. In the end, he had successfully gotten his hands on "Listening."
It shouldn't have required so much trouble, but Qu Jinzhi was a self-righteous glory seeker who wouldn't take money or bow to power. He'd had no choice but to resort to a few tricks.
And "Super Sound Hero" had specifically asked for Su Ziming in the first place, but he'd still snatched that opportunity away.
This time, he would get "The Lonely Brave" just as he had before.
Even if he couldn't get it, he would destroy it.
In the vegetable patch behind the guesthouse, Fang Yi stayed close to Su Ziming. Something was off about him today, so Fang Yi needed to keep an eye on him.
He wondered whether Lu Jinming had gone to harass Yu Xiuyuan yet. He really wanted to go watch the fun. It was bound to be entertaining.
Never mind. If anything exciting happened, he could watch it once the show was edited, or simply watch clips online. There was no rush.
Close to eleven, beside the fishpond, Yu Xiuyuan baited his hook and cast it into the water for the eightieth time.
Make no mistake-he hadn't caught a single fish.
For some reason, every fish that went for his hook was exceptionally crafty. They never bit down properly, only sneaked up from the side and sucked away his bait.
Things were different for Yun Chuan. He'd already caught four.
Yu Xiuyuan snorted. Hah! Fishing wasn't a respectable activity at all! Neglecting your duties! Squandering your ambition on idle amusements! Making no effort to better yourself!
Was this something a promising young man like him should be doing? No!
For the rest of his life, he would have nothing more to do with fishing.
Seeing that they were almost out of time, Yu Xiuyuan flung his fishing rod aside. "I'm done! This is a complete waste of life! No sane person should be doing this!"
Yun Chuan couldn't hold back any longer. Holding his fishing rod, he turned his head away to laugh in secret, afraid to make a sound and get caught. But the harder he tried to suppress it, the more he wanted to laugh. Finally, both his shoulders and the rod were shaking so much that he couldn't hide it anymore. He simply gave up and burst out laughing.
He didn't know what had gotten into him. He just found this man adorable. Adorable when he puffed up in anger, adorable when he baited his hook, and even more adorable when he threw his fishing rod.
Yu Xiuyuan wasn't having it. Coming away empty-handed wasn't so terrible, but if someone beside you kept reeling in fish and then mocked you for it, there was no letting that slide.
"Do you have a death wish?" Furious, Yu Xiuyuan grabbed the front of Yun Chuan's shirt with both hands and practically hauled him right up to his face.
Looking at the face that had suddenly drawn close, Yun Chuan struggled to stop laughing. His gaze unconsciously began drifting down, from those wide, glaring eyes to his flushed cheeks, all the way to his rosy lips. There, it stopped dead.
Those lips were red and looked soft, so very kissable. He just didn't know whether leaning in for a kiss right now would get him hit.
If getting hit was all he had to worry about, he wasn't afraid.
He was only afraid that the owner of those lips would never speak to him again.
After shouting, Yu Xiuyuan watched Yun Chuan's gaze inch downward until he was staring at his lips in a daze. For some inexplicable reason, his lips felt a little stiff, a little itchy. He couldn't help pressing them together, catching a bit of his lip between his pointed canine teeth.
The smile vanished from Yun Chuan's face, and his eyes grew darker.
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