When We Were Little, I Played at My House and You Played at Yours

Put-down after put-down-in just one short minute, Chi Shuran had reduced a handsome young man like Song Wenjing to someone utterly worthless.

After several deep breaths, Song Wenjing looked around. Once he confirmed there were no cameras, he roared, "Chi Shuran! Just see if I let you off today!"

"Ooh, getting worked up again? Think that scrawny little body of yours can land a hit on me?"

She turned and ran. Hesitating for even a second would have been disrespectful to her own body. As she ran, Chi Shuran turned back to taunt him. "You can't be this weak, can you, big guy~? How are you losing to someone in heels~?"

[So what if they're covered in scandals? Nobody can fault the Chi siblings' looks! And this handsome Ultraman guy, too! Investigate! Your emperor commands it!]

[I've kept the empress's throne vacant just for you two. My beloved consorts! Come into my arms!]

[I'm a full-grown man, but so what if I bottom for you two? As long as I'm the one underneath you, nothing else matters!]

[So Chi Shuran was actually the victim in this scandal, and the whole thing started because Song Wenjing was too full of himself?]

[My heart's breaking. As a fellow worker, I completely understand how she feels. Work is annoying enough already without someone getting the wrong idea about you. Anyone would lose it.]

[Commit every evil in your past life, get up early for work in this one. What sins did us workers commit in our past lives?!!!]

[Well, well. No cameras, and they're all showing their true colors, huh? Those personas are falling apart. Listen to them running their mouths-you really couldn't tell before.]

[Their real personalities are clearly fun, so why force personas on them?]

[Chi Shuran really has nothing in common with that cool, mature woman image. And Lin Yuxuan, where's my sweet baby gone?! Give me back my sweet baby!!!]

[Song Wenjing, I'm seeing you in a whole new light. My cool, untouchable heartthrob-you actually got chased by someone carrying a shit-stirring stick. I... hahaha!!! A shit-stirring stick! Hahaha!]

[The girl upstairs has lost it.]

Song Wenjing and Chi Shuran were still arguing, even looking as though they might start fighting, while Lin Yuxuan pulled Gu Zijin along to cheer them on from the sidelines, seemingly adding fuel to the fire.

Over here, though, everyone could sense a silent war just from the way the other two looked at each other.

Somewhat uncomfortable under the man's burning gaze, Chi An turned to look for Chi Shuran. He had only just turned sideways when someone caught the hand hanging at his side.

"You're still fucking pretending?!"

The man tossed the costume head aside and gripped Chi An's wrist tightly. With a slight tug, he pulled him straight into his arms. "Long. Time. No. See! Huh? Isn't that right?"

The man practically ground the words out through clenched teeth. He lowered his head to look at Chi An's expression, only to find him wearing an "idiotic expression."

His eyes crossed toward the middle, his gaze wandering with no telling what he was looking at. He turned a deaf ear to Fu Yanci's words, openly playing dumb.

"...Talk. A hundred per sentence."

"Okay." His eyes instantly cleared. Smiling, Chi An spoke at top speed. "BluePay or GreenChat? You won't default, will you?"

Only an idiot would turn down money. Hesitating for even a second would have been disrespectful to money.

Fu Yanci took a deep breath and ignored the looks coming their way. "Want to take a look at who's sitting on your blocklist?"

Oh, right. This guy was still on his blocklist.

"Then let's write up an IOU first."

After giving it serious thought, Chi An offered what he considered a very workable answer.

Fu Yanci nearly had a heart attack on the spot.

"Quick! Film this! Hahahaha! Headlines! It's all headline material!!! This year's award is definitely mine!!! Hahaha!"

"Get ten cameras up and pointed at them! Hahaha!"

Not far away, somewhere none of them could see, the director planted one foot on a rock, pointed one hand at the sky, and threw his head back in wild laughter.

Who could have imagined this batch of guests would be so cooperative as to think there were no cameras?

Watching the livestream's viewer count shoot up, the director's grin grew wider and wider.

His gaze piercing, Fu Yanci stared steadily at Chi An, as if trying to see right through his eyes.

Only after a long while did he let out a slow sigh. "Come back once you're done filming this."

Then he changed tack. "Bring that lousy agreement of yours."

"Lousy agreement? You're insulting my talent."

"You can insult me with money, but if you-"

Fu Yanci said, "A hundred thousand."

"You got it. I'll throw that lousy piece of paper away when I get back."

Without their noticing, everyone else had quietly edged closer, secretly listening to their conversation.

The more Chi Shuran listened to Chi An, the stranger she found it. Meeting Song Wenjing's probing gaze, she rushed over without a second thought.

"Chi An!"

She had just caught Chi An's sleeve and tried to pull him to her side, but her first tug failed to move him. Only when she looked up did she notice that Song Wenjing had also rushed over at some point and grabbed Chi An's other sleeve.

"Why do I feel like you look familiar?"

Faced with Song Wenjing's question, Chi An answered without missing a beat. "Oh~ So it's you. We didn't know each other when we were little. When we were little, I played at my house and you played at yours."

"Really?"

Not sensing anything wrong, Song Wenjing let go and thought back carefully, completely missing the look of disdain Fu Yanci gave him.

Chi Shuran said, "I told you I never miss when I size someone up. He's truly hopeless."

[This guy's ability to spout nonsense is unmatched, and his double standards are just as impressive.]

[What's the relationship between Fu Yanci and Chi An? From the way Chi Shuran and Song Wenjing are acting, they had no idea their older brothers knew each other?]

[Fu Yanci said "long time no see" earlier, right? He sounded like he'd been abandoned.]

[...Let's be a little bold here. Is it possible, perhaps, maybe... it's exactly what we're thinking?]

[Bro, that's a dangerous thought, but-I agree!]

After taking Chi An aside and stopping, Chi Shuran crossed her arms and scrutinized him. "Talk. Who's that man?"

"Can't you tell? My rich backer."

That seemed right.

The thought had barely arisen before she shook her head. "Don't think you can fool me!"

"There's... definitely something going on between you two!"

"There is. I'm his creditor."

Without the slightest hint of guilt, Chi An cast a sideways glance, his gaze coming to rest behind them.

"Um... hello, everyone."

A timid voice reached them, and everyone turned to look. A man and a woman stood awkwardly in front of the car, clutching their suitcases, looking very much as though they were ready to turn tail and run.

"Hello! Come on over! It's so much fun here."

Lin Yuxuan strode forward, took their suitcases with one hand, and draped his other arm over the man's shoulders, steering him forward.

"Wenwen, you're a girl, so I shouldn't put my arm around you. This must be your older brother, right? I'll put my arm around him instead."

As Lin Yuxuan led him forward, the man struggled to turn his head and stared pleadingly at his younger sister, but Wenwen only gave him a helpless look in return.