[Ahhhh, muted??? Yamete! No way!]
[LMAO, I told you Nan Zhou was bolder than his apprentice. He straight-up called Lu Zhou a filthy rat.]
[Please, it's just a publicity stunt. A knockout punch? I bet Brother Zhou released his song and this guy has no idea what to do now.]
[How did rat fans get into our stream? Quick, put out some rat poison.]
[I'm fucking dying. Breaking news from next door: Lu Zhou is in the bathroom right now.]
There had never been such a thing as muting the audio on a live dating show.
Naturally, the on-site coordinating director couldn't make such a major decision, so he hurried to discuss it with Pei Feng.
Nan Zhou muted his mic and joined the discussion too. After a round of sparring, he won them over by guaranteeing he would deliver something big-or forcibly kiss Huo Xingye on the livestream if he didn't.
And so, his stream remained muted for the entire afternoon.
Time flew by. The sun sank below the horizon, and night fell once more.
Huo Xingye came to pick Nan Zhou up after work, and they rode to the bar together, while the other members of SIXGO took another vehicle provided by the production team.
The drive was short, less than ten minutes.
Even so, Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye's interactions were very sweet. But Huo Xingye still hadn't given him his gift, leaving the viewers anxiously waiting.
In the car, their cameraman told them that, thanks to the popularity of the livestream over the past two days, foot traffic at Soul Bar had now surpassed its usual peak.
Worried about chaos, the bar had even restricted entry. Anyone who wasn't a regular or a member couldn't get in tonight.
Even so, fans who had heard the news still packed the areas in front of and behind the bar.
The moment the car door opened, a tidal wave of screams flooded Nan Zhou's ears.
"Baby Zhouzhou, you've got this!!!"
"Huo Xingye, I love you! Ahhhh!"
"Xingzhou is real! I brought the Civil Affairs Bureau to you. Get married!"
Security held the crowd back as Huo Xingye hurried through the bar's back entrance with an arm half around Nan Zhou.
While they were changing in the changing room, Nan Zhou heard Huo Xingye say, "I heard you offered a condition this afternoon to get the audio muted?"
"Yeah. Do you trust me?"
"Of course. It's just..."
"It's just that I used you as a wager without your permission?" Nan Zhou said as he buttoned his shirt. "How about this, then? You can set a condition too."
Huo Xingye turned around and stared at him for a long moment.
"What? Don't worry. As long as I can do it, I'll agree." Fastening his last button, Nan Zhou stuffed his clothes into the locker.
Huo Xingye had finished changing too. They had changed together today, and his movements were much more efficient than Nan Zhou's.
He reached out, took out the clothes Nan Zhou had balled up, and quickly folded them before putting them back. "I didn't mind."
Then what was the "it's just" about?
Nan Zhou was puzzled.
Huo Xingye closed the locker door with a soft bang, then reached out and pushed Nan Zhou against it.
His tall frame pressed against him from behind, warm breath falling against his ear as he said quietly, "I just felt it was a bit of a shame."
"What was?" Nan Zhou turned his head.
The distance between them shrank in an instant, the tip of his nose almost touching Huo Xingye's thin lips.
Those deep eyes darkened slightly, and a kiss as light as a cicada's wing landed on Nan Zhou's nose.
Warm breath brushed his face along with the alpha's sexy voice. "The kiss."
Nan Zhou froze, then understood.
He turned around in the narrow space enclosed by the locker and Huo Xingye's arms, rose slightly onto his toes, and pressed his lips to the sharply defined jaw before him. His voice was low and seductive. "Then ask me for it."
[Ahhhhh, these two! What are they doing in the changing room behind our backs again?]
[Shit, this conversation sounds suspicious. I'm about to combust, girls!]
[I'm a distinguished VIP! Pei Feng, take a hint and put a camera in the changing room, will you!!!]
[A kiss? Steady? What are they even talking about? I don't understand, but their voices sound so intimate!]
[There's plenty of material for a smut edit tonight. Our editor's definitely going to make a new one, right? Right?]
Huo Xingye gave a low chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Let me think."
With that, he stepped back twice, giving him room.
Nan Zhou didn't understand, but he was more concerned about the upcoming performance at the moment and didn't pursue it.
After they left the changing room, Huo Xingye went behind the bar to mix drinks as usual, but Nan Zhou wasn't assigned to serve the booths.
He went to the lounge where SIXGO was to join them for a final practice before the performance.
But just as they picked up their instruments, someone pushed the lounge door open from outside, and a young, long-haired girl who looked not quite twenty walked in with her head held high.
A middle-aged man in his forties and the bar manager entered with her.
The girl's gaze swept over them one by one before quickly settling on Nan Zhou. Surprise flashed through her eyes, but it was soon replaced by another emotion.
She gave a soft huff.
The manager introduced them, explaining that the man owned Soul Bar and the girl was his daughter.
"She's a fan of W-xie. When she heard you were rehearsing here, she wanted to come take a look." As soon as the manager finished, the girl corrected him. "I'm not a fan of the whole group."
Then she looked at Nan Zhou again, scrutinizing him for a while with a critical gaze before saying haughtily, "I heard you stole my favorite's song?"
Tang Yang frowned and was about to snap back, but the drummer beside him stopped him.
"I think you're desperate to get famous! You have no talent of your own, so you steal other people's work!"
"And you too, Dad! Inviting someone like this to sing here. You really don't care about anything as long as it makes money!"
"Should I leave, then?" Nan Zhou suddenly asked.
Everyone's eyes widened at his words.
The owner waved his hands repeatedly, while the manager hurried to smooth things over. "Not at all. Please don't take it to heart, Mr. Nan Zhou. That's not what she meant. The rumors online have just gotten out of hand, and she wanted to clear things up."
What a joke. Their bar's immense popularity today was entirely thanks to its collaboration with You Make My Heart Flutter.
Besides, Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye were currently the hottest celebrity pairing on the internet. Wherever they went, the traffic followed.
This incredible windfall had landed in their little bar. They couldn't let it fall apart.
"I didn't take it to heart." Nan Zhou grinned and tugged at his pocket. "I took it here."
"You're way too greedy!" the girl cried.
"That's right. I'm an artist who loves money." Nan Zhou pointed at the manager. "So remember to pay me extra."
The manager: "..."
The girl stamped her foot in anger and was about to say more when word came from out front that the stage was ready and they could get into position.
Hearing this, the owner hurriedly told the manager to take Nan Zhou and SIXGO over near the stage to prepare.
He really didn't dare keep him here any longer.
The girl puffed out her cheeks, took out her phone, and opened the fan group chat. "Nan Zhou is seriously awful! He's so greedy!"
The people in the fan group immediately chimed in, practically wishing they could bury Nan Zhou in spit.
"Zhizhi, didn't you say you were at Soul? Have you seen Nan Zhou, then?" a Lu Zhou fan suddenly asked. "Is he not good-looking at all in person?"
Lin Zhi's typing paused. Unbidden, she recalled the moment she had pushed the door open: Nan Zhou's indifferent glance in her direction and his slightly raised head.
It had only been a casual movement, yet somehow it had looked so handsome.
Her cheeks suddenly flushed, and she quickly replied, "What good are looks when he's that vulgar!"
Before you continue