"I don't think he did anything wrong." Xie Weishui could never accept Chi Li's suggestion. "What's between Fang Jin and me had better not involve anyone unrelated."
"So..." Chi Li seemed a little troubled. "You want to enjoy the best of both worlds... ah, no, you want a threesome... uh, that's not right either, but I can't find the right expression right now... anyway, you know what I mean, right?"
[How to throw shade with a perfectly straight face.]
[Crude wording, sound reasoning. That's obviously what Xie Weishui's thinking.]
[Dating one, stringing another along. Aren't you pleased with yourself.]
[I like watching shura fields. What did threesomes ever do to you?]
[Shura fields and threesomes are fun to watch, but with these three... all I can say is they're bland and tasteless. No sexual tension.]
[↑To put it bluntly, they're not quite good-looking enough.]
Xie Weishui was furious, but he could only pretend he hadn't understood Chi Li's overt and covert mockery. "Of course I hope Zhou Yang and Fang Jin can get along peacefully... in fact, they don't have any conflicts, do they?"
After all, what they presented to the public was "friendship," and "friendship" didn't require fidelity.
Without the need for fidelity, naturally, the more people who got involved, the more exciting it would be.
"If that's what you want... I'll persuade Fang Jin to agree," Chi Li said very understandingly.
Fang Jin: "..."
Xie Weishui didn't particularly want Chi Li meddling with his "script." "How are you going to persuade him?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Chi Li was brimming with confidence. "I guarantee... Fang Jin won't argue with you over this again."
Xie Weishui glanced at Fang Jin and said, "If you can really do that, I'll be very, very grateful."
To give Chi Li room to "persuade" Fang Jin, Xie Weishui left first.
Fang Jin ate unhurriedly. "Actually, I'm curious how you're going to persuade me."
"Let's talk somewhere else." Chi Li stood up and motioned for Fang Jin to follow him.
Fang Jin rose hesitantly. "The only place here without cameras is the bathroom, and I'm eating right now."
"It's fine. I know another place without cameras. Follow me."
"Oh..."
A moment later, Chi Li knocked on Shen Xunye's door.
The door opened almost immediately, as though he'd been waiting beside it in advance.
Without asking anything, Shen Xunye simply motioned for the two of them to come in.
"Give us some privacy." Chi Li tipped his chin up, signaling for Shen Xunye to leave.
"I definitely can't leave." Shen Xunye closed the door, looking innocent. "If it's just the two of you, there's a pretty good chance some unsavory rumors will start, right?"
Viewers always loved making up strange rumors when they couldn't see what was happening.
Chi Li countered, "Wouldn't having three of us here lead to even worse rumors?"
Shen Xunye turned the accusation back on him. "People with filthy minds see filth in everything."
"Didn't you start it?" Chi Li laughed in exasperation.
"Anyway, this is my room. I'm not leaving." Shen Xunye planted himself squarely in a chair, wearing an expression that said, "What are you going to do about it?"
Chi Li: "...Suit yourself."
Fang Jin didn't interrupt to make his presence felt. He simply held his food and ate politely.
"Well..." Chi Li rested a hand against his head and thought for a moment. "Fang Jin."
Fang Jin answered, "Right here."
"Xie Weishui probably won't approve of you agreeing to 'get along peacefully' with Zhou Yang, right?" Chi Li got down to the conversation.
Fang Jin nodded. "He already sent me a message warning me just now."
Chi Li said, "But you'll agree."
"Why?" Fang Jin was puzzled.
Chi Li... seemed utterly confident in everything he did.
But they hardly knew each other, did they?
"Don't you want to be the lead in the 'script'?" Chi Li raised an eyebrow slightly, a certain smile lifting the corners of his lips.
Fang Jin said, "What... do you mean?"
"I mean, you don't have to go to all that trouble to escape Xie Weishui's script." Chi Li analyzed it for him in a low voice. "All you have to do is agree to get along peacefully with Zhou Yang, and the lead in the script will naturally shift from Xie Weishui to you."
Fang Jin seemed to understand a little, but not quite.
Chi Li continued explaining, "Most viewers sympathize with the weaker party. In any given situation, the more you lose out and the more unfairly you're treated, the more attention you receive, and the more people speak up for you."
"If you choose to get along peacefully with Zhou Yang, from the viewers' perspective, you'll be the one making concessions to keep the peace. Naturally, the public will protest on your behalf."
"But if negative emotions like sulking and arguing are pinned on you, only other people benefit."
Fang Jin chewed his rice more and more slowly. "...Xie Weishui won't agree."
If he rashly changed Xie Weishui's script after a private chat with Chi Li, even an idiot would realize something was going on.
"You should get to be the lead whenever you want, not only after getting his permission." Chi Li corrected his thinking.
Fang Jin stared blankly.
Although he disliked the various ways Xie Weishui had behaved later on, there was no denying that, without Xie Weishui, someone with his personality would have struggled to stand out in the Raising House.
"This isn't 'betrayal.'" Chi Li knew what Fang Jin was hesitating over. "And you don't owe him anything."
"Even if you say that..."
"How about this? Let's do an experiment." Chi Li had never expected to split their little group apart with a few glib words. "Do as I say first, then see what he says and does at your 'meeting' tonight."
Fang Jin said, "...What do you think he'll say?"
Chi Li smiled. "You should already have an answer in mind, right?"
Only after a long silence did Fang Jin speak. "All right. Let's try the experiment."
After seeing Fang Jin off, Chi Li finally had time to look around Shen Xunye's room.
...Though there didn't seem to be much to look at.
Shen Xunye had probably done nothing beyond transferring the clothes from his suitcase into the wardrobe.
"What have you been staying in your room for?" Since he was already here, Chi Li decided to show his fanservice partner a little care.
Shen Xunye said, "Waiting."
Chi Li asked, "For what?"
"What do you think?" Bracing his hands on his thighs, Shen Xunye slowly rose and came to stand before Chi Li, his shadow enveloping him completely. "For you to need me, of course."
Chi Li tilted his face up, his eyelashes fluttering slowly. "I won't need you all the time. You can... do something you like."
"There's nothing else I like doing."
Shen Xunye lowered his eyes, his gaze tracing Chi Li's brows and eyes in fine detail like fingertips.
From his long eyelashes to the faintly red corners of his eyes, and the tiny mole tucked at the corner of one eye, difficult to notice.
And the two tiny versions of himself reflected in those clear eyes.
"This feels a little flirty." Chi Li raised a hand to cover Shen Xunye's eyes. "Don't look at me like that."
The corners of Shen Xunye's mouth lifted slightly. "Flirty is right."