The only one you need to focus on is me

The familiar scent, and the voice exactly like the one from that night, brought memory and reality together, making Nan Zhou feel as though he were back in that place of dizzying passion.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

His breathing began to grow heavy and moist.

His heart jolted, and he abruptly let go. The next second, however, his wrist was caught.

The hand caressing his cheek settled on his shoulder, then stroked down his arm and stopped at his waist over his hoodie, its thumb rubbing suggestively.

Huo Xingye leaned forward slightly, his breath falling on Nan Zhou's neck as he chuckled softly. "Your ears are red too."

His sexy, low voice was like a cello being played.

Nan Zhou felt that, in that moment, both his body and his heart had been captured.

He was like prey held by the neck in the other man's jaws, unable to do anything but breathe. And the hunt had begun the instant he pushed open the door.

The dimly lit room was so quiet that their breathing was audible.

By the light, the livestream viewers could vaguely make out their figures, but not their faces or the details of their movements.

In the shadows on the floor, the man sitting on the barstool seemed to envelop Nan Zhou completely. They looked incredibly intimate.

[What are you two doing!!!]

[Aaaaaah, is this really something I'm allowed to watch on a livestream?]

[Mom, I can't take it! Going this hard right out of the gate-who could survive this? So swoonworthy!!!]

[Which day? What day? What did you do that day? Could you please elaborate?]

[Sorry, my brain is full of filthy thoughts. My face is practically glowing yellow.]

[Beep. Adult pass.]

The broad chest in front of him and that scent he couldn't get enough of made Nan Zhou's waist go weak against his will, but it felt wonderful.

He simply indulged himself and leaned against Huo Xingye's shoulder. "Why?"

The sudden closeness and question out of nowhere made Huo Xingye's thumb stop moving. "What?"

"Whenever I get close to you, I feel so comfortable."

Reaching out to embrace the trim waist in front of him, Nan Zhou nuzzled him like a lazy cat and laughed softly. "This show's pretty good."

It had given him an electric guitar right away, and it could even make his body, which had felt uncomfortable for so long, feel much more at ease.

"Is the show good, or am I?"

"Mm, I guess... it's good because of you?"

[????? Is this really Nan Zhou????]

[Oh my god, he's so good at flirting, so good at sweet talk!]

[I've already imagined a hundred-thousand-word sweet romance with nonstop explicit scenes.]

[So swoonworthy, so swoonworthy! Just hearing his voice and seeing his shadow, this mystery guest has already made my knees buckle!]

[Most people with nice voices look... emmmmmm.]

[Impossible, absolutely impossible! I don't believe it! Something must be wrong with my ears. It absolutely cannot be him!]

[Who, who? If you recognized him, type his name so the rest of us girls know too, aaaaaah! The suspense is killing me. Damn you, Pei Feng!! He's got us right where he wants us again!]

In the show's main livestream room, where Nan Zhou and the others had started out, the other three pairs of guests had gradually gathered under the production team's guidance.

Seeing Lu Zhou and Wen Yu walk in together, Gu Tang set down the show sponsor's milk in surprise.

"Wen Yu, your partner really is Lu Zhou!"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lu Zhou shot him a rather aloof glance.

"We originally thought the electric guitar represented you, Lu Zhou." Gu Tang pressed his lips together awkwardly, his voice growing quieter. "Wen Yu was going to take the electric guitar at first, but Nan Zhou..."

"I wasn't going to take the electric guitar," Wen Yu interrupted.

Gu Tang froze.

"Nan Zhou? What did he do?" Lu Zhou's expression closed off as he asked coldly, with a hint of disdain, "Did he think the electric guitar was my token and grab it straight away?"

Gu Tang said nothing, but the subtle shift in his expression seemed to say yes.

Because they were somewhat related, ever since he was old enough to understand things, he had been madly jealous of Nan Zhou, jealous that he had everything Gu Tang longed for.

That jealousy had reached its peak when Nan Zhou differentiated into an Omega at sixteen.

But what happened to Nan Zhou afterward had quickly brought Gu Tang happiness, and over these past two years, he had even developed the satisfying sense that the person he was now had already trampled Nan Zhou underfoot.

What good was a privileged background? Without brains, even immense wealth went up in flames.

"If he treats Wen Yu like that, he and I can't even be friends," Lu Zhou said coldly.

"He's probably really regretting it now too," Gu Tang added. "I wonder who the guest he has to face is?"

Hmph, some last-minute stand-in the production team found. Maybe it was just some ordinary person.

Zhang Shi draped an arm around his shoulders. "Who cares who it is? The only one you need to focus on is me."

Gu Tang lowered his head with a bashful smile and gave him a shove. "Just focus on your instant noodles."

[Subtly staking his claim, huh? So sweet. Our Candy couple really is the sweetest!]

[...Sorry, that was so greasy.]

[Okay, but what Lu Zhou said just now was such a turnoff.]

[Nan Zhou's fans are pretending to be neutral viewers to smear our fave again. Like idol, like fans-no talent, just a love of making things up.]

[Look at God Xu and Jiang Zhen beside them. Those two are completely absorbed in their own world.]

[God Xu practically has his eyes glued to Jiang Zhen. Now that's truly "I only have eyes for you."]

[Does this Gu Tang have some kind of grudge against Nan Zhou? Why is every single thing out of his mouth stirring up trouble?]

[Our sweet Tang isn't that kind of person! These shows are all scripted. Boohoo, Pei Feng is so evil, giving my baby the villain script.]

[So am I the only one wondering why a rich second-generation heir's token is instant noodles?]

This was exactly the effect Zhang Shi wanted.

He had chosen instant noodles as his token because he wanted to craft a down-to-earth persona for himself.

Before coming to film the show, he had already discussed it with Gu Tang, which was how this little scene had come about.

"What's wrong with instant noodles? They're quick and convenient, and pretty tasty if you make them well. I'll make some for you when I get the chance," Zhang Shi smoothly picked up the thread.

A wave of comments began scrolling across the screen, saying how down-to-earth he was and that they had suddenly become fans.

Just then, the door to the main livestream room was pushed open again, and a tall, straight-backed man appeared on camera.

With handsome features as perfect as a digitally modeled face, an air of aloof refinement, and long, sleek legs, he instantly exuded an oppressive presence that was impossible to ignore.

Even the camera operator seemed stunned by his looks, the shot appearing to freeze at that instant.

The next second, exclamation marks flooded the screen.

[Oh my god!!!!!!!!!!]

[This has to be fake!!!!!!!!!!]

[Pei Feng, I'm on my knees. You're my dad, my actual dad!]

[No, no, no, this absolutely cannot be real. How could he possibly come on a dating show?]

Not only the livestream viewers, but even the guests there and the crew members who hadn't known the mystery guest's identity in advance stared wide-eyed in shock.

Gu Tang couldn't help crying out, "Film Emperor Huo!"

Lu Zhou reacted as well, his pupils abruptly trembling.

"Whoa, what's going on? Director Pei, you invited Film Emperor Huo to be a guest?" Jiang Zhen looked toward the directors in delighted surprise.

This was Huo Xingye!

The biggest of the biggest stars, the youngest Best Actor in film history, a box-office guarantee, and the darling of the fashion world.

If the production team really had invited him as a guest, wouldn't this show become a massive hit?!

Surely that was impossible. After all, Film Emperor Huo had never appeared on any variety show, much less made his variety debut on a dating show.

Of everyone present, only Xu Xiao noticed that Huo Xingye had come alone, without Nan Zhou.

So he asked, "Where's Nan Zhou?"

On camera, Huo Xingye, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray cashmere coat, went from looking aloof to utterly tender in that instant.

The corners of his lips lifted as he said, "He went to hide his treasure."