Want me to carry you?

Although Nan Zhou knew he was on a dating show, he was still a little surprised that they were getting this intimate right off the bat.

A few meters away, Wen Yu also frowned almost imperceptibly.

Only Gu Tang eagerly gave himself more screen time. "A bridal carry is nothing for our Shi."

As a rich second-generation internet celebrity, Zhang Shi had posted plenty of muscle shots. Now that Gu Tang had spoken, he certainly wasn't going to pass up the chance to show off.

"Want me to carry you?" With that, he gave a wicked smile and scooped Gu Tang up in his arms, signaling for a staff member to hand him the Pocky.

Beside them, Jiang Zhen patted Xu Xiao. "What are you standing around for? Hurry up. If you don't get the room you want and start crying later, I'm not comforting you."

Xu Xiao's ears were red. "I won't cry."

Lu Zhou coughed and opened his arms to Wen Yu. "Xiao Yu, don't worry. I won't let you stay in a lousy room."

[Awww, so sweet! Carry me! Young Master Zhang is so manly!]

[What kind of innocent husky is God Xu?! You've been dating so long, I refuse to believe you haven't slept together. How are you still blushing?!]

[Brother Zhou is so doting! Such a gentleman!]

[Wait, am I the only one who thinks Zhang Shi is a little sleazy?]

[Nan Zhou, stay away from my idol!!!]

Compared with the others, Huo Xingye and Nan Zhou seemed much calmer.

Nan Zhou even asked, "Am I carrying you, or are you carrying me?"

Then he compared their builds on his own and arrived at an obvious but unwelcome answer-Huo Xingye was a size bigger than him and much stronger.

In fact, he had already experienced that during those two nights before.

Nan Zhou tugged at the corner of his mouth and draped an arm around the man beside him with perfect ease. "Fine. You're stronger, so you carry me. I'll do the eating."

Huo Xingye chuckled, wrapped an arm around his slender waist, and lifted him with one hand.

A familiar, warm presence enveloped Nan Zhou. The instant he met those deep eyes, his mind went blank again against his will, and a faint pink rose to his ears.

His hand at Huo Xingye's neck tightened instinctively, drawing them closer.

Huo Xingye paused almost imperceptibly, his Adam's apple bobbing.

[A one-armed carry!!! I'm fainting!! What is this flood of testosterone?!]

[Fun fact: our Film Emperor Huo can casually deadlift 240...]

[Carry me, carry me! Don't carry that fake-innocent little bitch Nan Zhou!]

[Whose Adam's apple just bobbed, and whose ears are pink as he clings tighter? I'm not telling. Hehehe, I ship it!]

A staff member handed over the Pocky at just the right moment. "Nan Zhou, please take this."

Nan Zhou came back to his senses, took the Pocky, and held it to Huo Xingye's mouth. "Open up. Don't bite off too much, only a tiny bit. And be gentle."

The man beneath him obediently parted his thin lips and held the Pocky between his teeth, his eyes tender with a trace of doting amusement.

Nan Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He had no idea his ears had turned even pinker.

He focused all his attention, keeping one arm around Huo Xingye's neck and one hand on his shoulder as he parted his lips, bit the other end of the Pocky, and began chewing quickly.

The camera zoomed in on their handsome, flawless faces, the steadily shortening Pocky, and their lips drawing ever closer.

Even through their screens, the viewers seemed able to hear their low breathing and the crunch, crunch of the biscuit.

[Ahhh, I'm dead! With Film Emperor Huo's godly face and that look in his eyes, who wouldn't lose their mind?!]

[Open up, don't bite, be gentle. What are you saying, Nan Zhou?! My mind is in the gutter!]

[So sweet, too sweet! I'm switching sides. I ship these two! Nobody stop me!]

[Look at Lu Zhou next to them. Fuck, I'm dying of laughter! Taking two seconds to feel sorry for Wen Yu.]

Beside Huo Xingye and Nan Zhou, Lu Zhou had picked Wen Yu up, then had Wen Yu hold the Pocky in his mouth while he bit the other end and began eating.

But with his clothes and movements restricting him, he looked like a large pet dog desperately trying to nuzzle its owner.

Worse still, some biscuit crumbs fell onto his face. Very conscious of his idol image, he instinctively tried to brush them off, but with both arms occupied by the bridal carry, he couldn't move his hands.

In the end, Lu Zhou made the most muddleheaded decision: shaking his body.

And so the viewers saw him holding Wen Yu, eating the Pocky while gently shaking both their bodies.

It wasn't so much unattractive as downright comical.

In the end, the Pocky couldn't withstand the ordeal and snapped early.

After Wen Yu was set down, his expression looked rather unpleasant. It was unclear whether that was because the Pocky had broken early or because being carried had been uncomfortable.

Over on Nan Zhou's side, by contrast, the scene was as beautiful as an idol drama.

Before long, he had eaten almost all the Pocky, and their lips were extremely close.

Amid the light and shadow, Nan Zhou's eyes were clear and bright, his rosy lips slightly parted.

Huo Xingye held him effortlessly with one arm, his gaze fixed on his face. His expression seemed both casual and quietly pleased, as though he were enjoying himself, while his eyes seemed to hold endless tender affection.

As though Nan Zhou could do anything to him if he wanted.

Finally, on camera, just before their lips touched, Nan Zhou bit through the Pocky.

The moment the Pocky snapped, he inwardly let out a soft breath of relief.

God only knew how much restraint it took not to kiss those lips before him.

"Wow, looks like we'll need a ruler to find out who won!"

Among the pieces on the plates, Gu Tang and Zhang Shi's was clearly a good bit longer, securing them third place in advance. Xu Xiao and Jiang Zhen's, meanwhile, looked about the same as Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye's to the naked eye.

Huo Xingye set Nan Zhou back on the ground, and the staff immediately brought over a ruler to measure the Pocky.

In the end, Xu Xiao and Jiang Zhen won first place by a tiny margin, earning the first choice of rooms.

"God Xu, that high-spec computer is absolutely perfect for you."

"Exactly. Sure, the conditions are a little worse, but what's a little hardship when you're chasing your dreams?"

Gu Tang and Zhang Shi began aggressively trying to sway Xu Xiao.

Zhang Shi had his eye on the third room, the very futuristic single room. Gu Tang, however, preferred the last room, the twin room, for selfish reasons.

He didn't want to sleep with Zhang Shi.

Going on a variety show together for publicity was one thing, but sleeping together on the show would really hurt his image as a streamer.

Though it wasn't as if he hadn't slept with Zhang Shi before.

Lu Zhou didn't want to stay in the worst room either, but since he had come last and had his idol image to maintain, he had no intention of speaking up.

A role like cannon fodder should go to these non-celebrities, of course.

"Smart home features throughout, simple and modern, clean and tidy. I can't think of a reason you wouldn't pick it. Or do you have your eye on the twin room?"

Nan Zhou's voice suddenly rang out. "If it's the twin room, I think they're all about the same."

"Nan Zhou, are you only looking at the amenities and not how well it suits them? The rules say our roles are determined by the rooms we choose," Gu Tang said.

He's doing this on purpose, isn't he?!

He came second, so even if Xu Xiao and Jiang Zhen chose the third room, he could easily pick between rooms two and four.

Leaving the two bad rooms for us, huh?!

Jiang Zhen squeezed Xu Xiao's hand. "I'm fine with anything. Pick the one you like."

"Then we'll take the third room."

Almost the very second Xu Xiao finished speaking, Nan Zhou swiftly took down the key to the first room.

"Then this one's mine."