"Friend?" Ji Yaozhi murmured the word, recalling the phone call from the day he had gone out to eat with Gu Nian'an.
Ji Baiwei's eyes flickered. Anyone who could buy something like this must have excellent connections.
Fu Xiuyuan had picked Gu Nian'an up from the hospital that day. She had looked into it afterward and confirmed that the boy had indeed grown up in an orphanage, and that Fu Corporation was indeed its sponsor.
Fu Xiuyuan had also said that they were friends, so it was obvious who had bought this.
She looked up at the boy sitting quietly and obediently in his chair, a trace of scrutiny passing through her eyes. She knew something of Fu Xiuyuan's methods. With his personality, why would he be so attentive to a friend?
After a while, she shook her head. Never mind. She could not make sense of these young people's affairs.
[I remember that mosquito repellent! It was newly developed overseas. It isn't even on sale abroad yet, so how did Gu Nian'an get it?]
[Didn't he say it was a friend? His friend just gave it to him.]
[Okay, but whose friend keeps mosquito repellent on hand all the time? You wouldn't need this at all if you normally lived in the city, right?]
[I'm just going to say it: Gu Nian'an's friend found out he was going into the mountains and went out of his way to get it for him.]
[Nice. Socialist friendship for the new era, huh?]
[I'm curious how well this repellent works and when it'll go on sale on the mainland.]
[It's incredibly effective. Apparently, apply just a little and mosquitoes won't come near you all day.]
[As someone who has to go back to my hometown every summer and winter break, I'm praying it goes on sale on the mainland soon.]
[Same.]
Night fell quietly, and everyone lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, chatting.
Just then, the floor director came over and waved to everyone, smiling as he brought out a box. "We have a little game tonight. We'll play pass the flower: pass this little ball around while the drum beats. Whoever is holding it when the drumming stops has to draw a card from the box and answer the question on it."
As he spoke, he handed them a small ball and set the box in front of them. A staff member stood waiting nearby with a drum.
He then added, "The production team collected the questions on the cards online and from fans. There will be six rounds in total. Go ahead and begin."
Watching the monitor, the director secretly rejoiced. The questions on the cards were all highly controversial. Having a group of stars with such huge followings answer them would surely send the show's traffic soaring.
The ball passed from person to person to the beat of the drum. Soon, the drumming stopped, and the ball ended up in Ji Yaozhi's hands.
Ji Yaozhi casually drew a slip of paper, opened it, and paused.
Everyone looked over in puzzlement. Written on the slip was, "What is your ideal partner like?"
The camera also focused on the slip in his hand.
[Production team, you're doing the Lord's work!]
[I want to know! I want to know! I want to know! Tell us already.]
[Oh my god!!! I've always wanted to know the answer to this!]
[My blind guess: a sexy older woman.]
Ji Yaozhi raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile curling his lips as he counted on his fingers and answered without hesitation, "Someone gentle, very accepting, with a nice voice."
For some reason, Gu Nian'an suddenly flashed through his mind, and he instinctively added, "A good cook, too. Fair-skinned, cute, like a kitten."
He paused himself after saying that, his gaze involuntarily flicking toward the boy watching him. For a moment, the tips of his ears grew a little hot.
[Is this... Gu Nian'an????]
[At first I just thought this guy liked gentle older women, but the second half left me speechless. Isn't he basically reading out Gu Nian'an's ID number?]
[Like a kitten. Who remembers when Ji Yaozhi and Ji Baiwei went to wake Gu Nian'an up last episode? Gu Nian'an and the cat on his bed got up in sync, and Ji Yaozhi froze on the spot.]
[This guy can't keep a cat, so he's finding a substitute, huh?]
[Amitabha! Buddha, send him to the next life for me! I'll bite, bite, bite, bite, bite! How dare he fight me for my wife?]
[My fave wasn't necessarily talking about Gu Nian'an. Plenty of people fit those conditions, right?]
[Comment above, your fave even instinctively glanced at Gu Nian'an after saying it. His eyes practically had "it's him" written in them, okay?]
[This is pure gold.]
Hearing his answer, an indescribable emotion surfaced in Ji Baiwei's eyes, and her gaze moved back and forth between Gu Nian'an and Ji Yaozhi.
After the last episode ended, she had watched the show again on her own. No one understood the thoughts of this child she had raised better than she did.
Although she had no requirements for his choice of partner, and privately thought Gu Nian'an was a good boy, she remembered the scene she had witnessed at the hospital last time.
A trace of worry involuntarily crossed her eyes. She did not want her boy getting entangled with that man, Fu Xiuyuan.
Everyone began the second round of pass the flower. This time, the ball landed in Mu Chen's hands. He opened his slip and smiled faintly as he read it.
The slip read, "Your opinion of Gu Nian'an."
Gu Nian'an also looked over curiously, wondering what award-winning actor Mu thought of him.
Mu Chen cleared his throat softly and, after a moment's thought, slowly said, "Before I met Gu Nian'an, I was somewhat prejudiced against him because of some rumors I had read online."
Quite a few of those present paused. Indeed, they had been the same during the first episode's filming, but he had later disproved those rumors himself.
"After getting to know him, I discovered that he's a very gentle, lovely person. He's attentive and considerate toward the people around him, and he's a wonderful cook. I'm really happy to have become his friend." Having said that, he seemed to remember something else.
He looked up at the boy beside him and said with a touch of distress, "But he's also someone who doesn't take very good care of himself. And I hope he can pay more attention to his own feelings instead of thinking of everyone else at every turn. Being so considerate of others that you often neglect your own feelings isn't a good habit."
With that, Mu Chen chuckled softly, watching the boy beside him with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Gu Nian'an was briefly stunned. He lowered his eyes to hide the complicated emotions in them. Was this what having friends felt like?
Ji Yaozhi took in their entire exchange and wanted to say something, but seeing the boy's reaction, he decided he had better keep quiet.
Yun Bingxia chimed in, "Exactly! Me too! Gu Nian'an really is super sweet! I just hope Gu Gu can take better care of himself."
She had grown up pampered, but that did not mean she was a fool. She could tell who treated her well and who did not. At the start of the previous episode, she had thought that even if he turned out to be a bad person, it would be fine. At worst, she could simply ignore him.
But afterward, whenever he cooked, he catered to their preferences. He had even specially made her eggs in brown sugar when she was on her period.
Seeing Gu Nian'an sitting with his head lowered without speaking, Yun Bingxia stood up, walked over to him, and lifted his head.
Making him look straight into her eyes, she said earnestly, "I, Yun Bingxia, really like having you, Gu Nian'an, as a friend, so please be a little more confident."
Before you continue