Connecting Live

"Why are your lips all torn up?"

Lan Xiangxian leaned over, looking at Chu Xinghui's mouth in confusion.

Chu Xinghui had bitten his lip while receiving the suppressant injection because he hadn't wanted to make a sound, injuring it.

"Mm, I probably bit it by accident. I'll put some ointment on it when we get back."

He covered his lips and smiled at Lan Xiangxian.

Wedged between them, Wen Liangtian's eyes went wide. Can you just say that? Why would you bite your own lips? Didn't that obviously come from kissing??

"Come on, everyone's finished eating, right?"

The director clapped his hands, gathering everyone sitting by the roadside.

"Let's take a photo up here on the mountaintop. All eight of you together."

After taking the photo, the director posted it on Weibo.

The show had now become the most-viewed livestream among variety shows airing at the same time.

Many eyes were on the guests on the show.

Especially Chu Xinghui.

More discussion meant more buzz, which meant more money to be made.

His company had probably already received plenty of invitations.

"All right! Since you're all so tired, we'll take it easy for our next activity and connect live with viewers!"

This activity had been announced in the livestream two hours beforehand, and many fans were eagerly waiting in the stream, hoping to connect with their favorite celebrities.

The eight of them now sat lazily by the roadside, dusty and disheveled, each playing on a phone.

Man Feiluan was even nestled in Yuan Zhanpeng's arms, leaning back against him.

[Gu Kai: Huihui, I've almost scraped together enough for the contract termination penalty. When should we tell the company?]

Even with all the attention Chu Xinghui was getting, the company boss still disliked him and had even told Gu Kai to remind Chu Xinghui not to forget his bully persona.

Unable to put his mind at ease, he had eavesdropped on a conversation in the main office. The company boss even wanted to pay to get negative topics about Chu Xinghui trending.

Who treated their own artists like that?!

Only then had Gu Kai seen the company's true colors. He kept messaging Chu Xinghui nonstop, hoping they could leave the company as soon as possible.

[Gu Kai: The company seems to be preparing to pay for negative trending topics about you, Huihui! We have to hurry!]

Chu Xinghui didn't know whether the company had photos from the time he was drugged. He only knew the company had been behind it.

If they used those photos to push negative topics onto the trending list, it might actually work.

"What are you looking at?"

Pei Hanmo brought his face close to Chu Xinghui's shoulder, his gaze briefly sweeping over his phone.

He had been frowning and typing for a while now, writing and deleting who knew what. One look made it clear it wasn't good news.

After glimpsing the words on Chu Xinghui's phone, Pei Hanmo pressed his lips together.

Chu Xinghui immediately switched off his phone:

"What? Snooping on my screen?"

Pei Hanmo raised both hands beside his shoulders, his face full of innocence:

"No, I'm just worried about you, big brother~"

Hearing that from beside them, Wen Liangtian nearly threw up.

The first viewer they connected with was a fan of Man Feiluan. The instant the connection went through, the microphone on the other end practically exploded:

"Baby Lamb!!!!!!!!!"

Man Feiluan couldn't help laughing and answered:

"What is it?"

"Waaah, you have to be happy with Wolfie. No sulking! If Wolfie bullies you, you have to tell us!!!

What happened today was so sudden, but our fan club is completely prepared to handle PR for you. Don't worry!!!"

"Okay, okay! I will!"

Seemingly swept up by his fan's voice, Man Feiluan shouted at the camera too.

The young man in front of the camera had his eyebrows raised, but his eyes were smiling crescents, happiness shimmering in them. A gust of wind came, stirring his hair in the breeze. He was so radiant that it made people feel happy for him from the bottom of their hearts.

Behind him, Yuan Zhanpeng watched him dotingly, as though the whole world belonged to the two of them.

[Waaah, my corpse spots have faded so much...]

[How can there be such a lively little lamb!]

[Lambie, give Mommy a kiss... I can't beat Wolfie. Forget it, all I can do is wish you two forever. (Wipes tears)]

[Forever and everrrrrr. (Wipes tears)]

[Damn it! You'd better both be happy! (Wipes tears)]

Looking at the radiant Man Feiluan, Chu Xinghui couldn't help his own lips curving into a smile.

The two of them had a good relationship, and they stood on equal footing, so there wouldn't be any disagreements.

Back then, Pei Hanmo hadn't understood why he had asked to break up. In truth, it was because of this sense of distance.

He was just someone from an orphanage scraping by, while Pei Hanmo was the president of the Pei Group. If not for Pei Hanmo's family circumstances, the two of them would only have been like parallel lines, never able to intersect.

He would only be a stumbling block for Pei Hanmo.

They were better off not having too much to do with each other. Chu Xinghui lowered his head and decided to ask Wen Liangtian for a loan.

Seeing the person beside him hanging his head out of the corner of his eye, Pei Hanmo knew he was overthinking again.

Pei Hanmo moved a small step closer to Chu Xinghui, hoping his pheromones could comfort him.

At some point, Chu Xinghui had started overthinking like this, and every time he did, he pushed Pei Hanmo farther away.

He clearly hadn't been like this before.

In Pei Hanmo's memories, Chu Xinghui was still that cheerful, laughing boy who had led the Pei Hanmo of those days out of the gloom.

Pei Hanmo admitted that he was intensely possessive, so possessive that even now, he wanted to shut Chu Xinghui up at home and chain him to the bed, keeping him from seeing anyone else so he would look only at him.

But he knew he couldn't.

After the call ended, Man Feiluan still had a smile on his face as he sat beside Yuan Zhanpeng, beaming.

The next caller was a fan of their group, and a career-focused fan at that. Their voice sounded very rational.

"You need to focus on your careers. You're both still so young. Even if you're dating, you can't forget to practice."

"Yes, sir!" Man Feiluan saluted. "We'll carry out the mission, sir!"

"Very good."

With that, the caller hung up, leaving the director no time at all.

"Hahaha." The director laughed awkwardly and connected the next call. "Let's see who's next..."

"Hello, is this Let's Travel Together?"

A boy's soft voice came from the other end.

"Yes, yes. Who would you like to speak to?"

Hearing that well-behaved voice, the director immediately nodded.

He sounded very polite. He was probably a well-behaved boy.

"Mm... I'm a junior colleague of Chu Xinghui and Wen Liangtian. Hehe, I'm so happy I got through. Looks like I'm pretty lucky!"

Wen Liangtian's expression changed dramatically upon hearing the voice.

He knew that voice all too well.

It belonged to the person the boss had sent to befriend him on his first day at the company.

Through that person's "casual" introductions, Wen Liangtian's dislike of Chu Xinghui, whom he had never met, had multiplied.

The next second, the caller began spouting lies without hesitation.

"Xinghui always takes such good care of us at the company. He usually likes to build up our strength by having us carry water for him.

Seeing Xinghui working so hard in the fields, I suddenly feel like he must have his reasons for training us."

[Seriously, Chu Xinghui, you...]

[I was just starting to like you a little. What a joke. Turns out I'm the clown.]

[Don't make baseless accusations, okay? Do you have proof?]