If I Had a Choice, I'd Live Off Someone Else

On the surface, Li Weizhou had left because he was furious and beneath arguing with Xu Su any further.

In reality, he was worried that if he stayed any longer, Xu Su, whose love had turned to hate, would lash out and say something that ruined his image.

After all, as far as he was concerned, Xu Su had only become so unreasonable because his love for him had gone unrequited.

[??? He's just leaving???]

[What romantic showdown? This was a total steamrolling.]

[Bullshit! That's not what happened! Zhouzhou and Luoluo just couldn't be bothered arguing with someone as shameless as Xu Su. That's why they left. They weren't steamrolled!]

[Person above, could you get them to bother for once? I want to see.]

Shen Chuanzhu and Lu Jing had quietly taken their baskets and gone off to pick apples back when Xu Su had left Zhuang Luo speechless. Now, only Xu Su and Huo Yuchen remained in the shade.

Watching Zhuang Luo and Li Weizhou abruptly walk away, Xu Su looked a little stunned. "They're just leaving?"

Huo Yuchen slipped his phone back into his pocket and took two steps to stand beside him, gazing into the distance. "People with something to lose fear those with nothing to lose."

Xu Su raised an eyebrow. "You're saying I'm the one with nothing to lose?"

Huo Yuchen's lips curved, his low, mellow voice blending into the breeze. "I thought you were the one who didn't care whether he lived."

Xu Su frowned slightly, then sighed. "Clearly, you've deeply misunderstood me. I'm a flower of our nation in the prime of my youth, so beautiful the moon hides and flowers blush, fish sink and geese fall, refined in spirit, pure of heart, handsome as jade, and peerless in appearance. How could I possibly be someone who didn't care whether he lived?"

Huo Yuchen turned to look at him. "Really?"

Xu Su nodded. "Of course."

[Tsk, tsk, tsk. Huo Yuchen actually didn't dispute that whole string of fancy descriptions Xu Su gave himself.]

[What does that tell us?]

[That he thinks Xu Su's self-assessment is spot-on!]

[What does that mean?]

[It means he really is interested in Xu Su!]

[Case closed!]

[Throw the confetti!]

Having rested enough, Xu Su picked up his empty basket and headed deeper into the orchard again, planning to keep picking until time was up.

Huo Yuchen followed without needing to be asked.

The six of them stayed in the orchard until six that evening.

The staff arrived right on time to weigh their harvests.

A little over ten minutes later, their phones notified them of changes to their points:

Xu Su gained 74 points, bringing his total to 144;

Huo Yuchen gained 72 points, bringing his total to 128;

Li Weizhou, who had arrived later, earned a total of 70 points; Zhuang Luo earned 60; Shen Chuanzhu earned 67, and Lu Jing earned 64.

The group returned to the production team's villa to exchange their points for food.

Shen Chuanzhu seemed to have decided already. He went first and chose a prepared meal set, spending 35 points.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Jing also chose a prepared meal set-the version with less meat-and spent 30 points.

Once those two had finished, Li Weizhou and Zhuang Luo followed, choosing the 35-point meal sets.

Then it was Xu Su's turn.

After thinking it over, he decided to make do with a meal set too. Once he had more points later, enough to scrape by until the show ended, he would eat something better.

With that calculation in mind, he took out his phone to make the exchange.

But the next second, Huo Yuchen blocked his way. "What do you want to eat?"

Xu Su: ?

What kind of question was that?

"Food, obviously."

What else would he want to eat, shit?

Huo Yuchen pushed his phone down. "I know. I'm asking what kind of meal you want."

Xu Su tilted his head slightly. "If I had a choice, I'd live off someone else. But clearly, right now, I can only live off rice."

"..."

Huo Yuchen took a deep breath, doing his best to suppress the urge to slap someone.

[Now I've seen everything. This is the first time I've seen a celebrity openly say he wants to live off someone else.]

[Some people need to quit the snide comments. Just tell me, if someone offered to support you, would you take it?]

[I've even begged for food. Why wouldn't I take a free meal? I'd wolf it down!]

Having watched their conversation go completely at cross-purposes, Zhuang Luo stepped forward to explain on Huo Yuchen's behalf. "Xu Su, Mr. Huo wants to know whether you want to order a prepared meal or ingredients to cook yourself."

Xu Su glanced at Zhuang Luo, then back at Huo Yuchen. "Just what I'd expect of the crown prince. You even bring your own interpreter when you go out."

Zhuang Luo: ??

Huo Yuchen glanced at Zhuang Luo, then back at Xu Su. "I don't know him."

Zhuang Luo: ?!

[Holy shit, what's going on???]

[Everyone, try seeing this from Huo Yuchen's perspective. Doesn't it feel like, "My darling little husband doesn't like this two-faced bitch, so I need to distance myself from him"?!]

[Yes!~!~!~!~!~!]

[+1111111]

[Right now, Zhuang Luo really looks so unnecessary. Can someone haul him out of the frame?]

The atmosphere immediately grew a little awkward.

Zhuang Luo hadn't expected Huo Yuchen to be so blunt, actually saying he didn't know him in front of so many people and the cameras.

Of course, they really hadn't known each other before.

But they had all introduced themselves together yesterday. How could Huo Yuchen still not know him?

Clearly, Huo Yuchen had done it on purpose.

"Mr. Huo, Luoluo only wanted to help explain what you meant. He didn't mean anything else."

Li Weizhou walked over to the embarrassed Zhuang Luo, trying to smooth things over.

But Huo Yuchen refused to oblige. "Do I not have a mouth? Do I need him to explain for me?"

Li Weizhou was instantly at a loss for words.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew even more awkward.

It was Xu Su who kindly spoke up to defuse things. "All right, all right. If you have something to say, just say it. Stop making things difficult for the servants."

Li Weizhou: ?

Zhuang Luo: ?

Everyone else present: ?

The comments: ?

Who were the servants?

Only Huo Yuchen's expression remained unchanged. Whether he hadn't heard the word or was used to hearing it, he showed no reaction whatsoever.

After Zhuang Luo's interruption, however, he was no longer in the mood to talk in circles with Xu Su. He said plainly, "Order raw ingredients to cook."

"?"

This time, it was Xu Su's turn to have a question mark pop up over his head. "Me?"

Huo Yuchen gave a slight nod and said, "Use my points."

He answered without the slightest hesitation, as though he had planned it all along.

Xu Su raised his eyebrows slightly. "That generous?"

Huo Yuchen folded his arms, his posture languid. "If you don't want to, you can refu-"

Whoosh-

Before he could finish, Xu Su had vanished from his field of vision.

The next second, a familiar voice rang out behind him. "Director, one serving of sea shrimp. You heard him, right? Use his points. Also, the shrimp can't be small. They have to be as big as the ones on the screen, or I'm reporting you for false advertising..."

Huo Yuchen chuckled softly, an indulgent smile curling his lips without his even noticing.

[Aaaaah, he smiled! He smiled!]

[The Huo Family's butler: It's been so long since I've seen the young master smile so happily.]

[Fuck! He's spoiling him rotten!]

[I strongly suspect this is a dating show. Unfortunately, I have no proof!]

[Sister above, don't worry. As long as you have a ship in your heart, you can ship them anywhere!]