"Seems like it..." Jiang Lele showed no embarrassment at being exposed. Instead, he nodded solemnly. "Then from now on, I want to say whatever I want, too."
Chi Li didn't quite believe him, but he didn't pour cold water on his enthusiasm. "That's how it should be."
"Hey." Gao Yuan left the still-angry Zhou Yang behind and hurried to catch up with them. "It's boring tonight. Why don't we play something?"
Jiang Lele nodded eagerly. "Sure, sure!"
"Anything you guys want to play? Let's get Shen Xunye, too," Gao Yuan asked.
Zhou Yang followed them over with a sour face. "I want to play, too."
In the end, apart from Xie Weishui, the other seven people in the Raising House all gathered in the living room.
But everyone talked over one another, and even after they had all been there for ages, they still hadn't decided what to play.
"How about... something where we can interact with the viewers?" After several board game suggestions were rejected, Gao Yuan simply proposed something unusual.
Wei Xuan leaned back on the sofa, peeling himself a banana. "Interact how?"
"It's easy." Gao Yuan started brainstorming. "For example, we could help viewers with relationship problems, or play little games where the losers have to fulfill a viewer's wish, or answer a viewer's question."
Zhou Yang was displeased. "Why can't the viewers fulfill my wishes?"
Jiang Lele hesitated for two seconds before speaking. "...What kind of pipe dream are you having? Do you think the viewers are all philanthropists?"
After saying that, he secretly clenched both fists and inwardly said, Yes.
Chi Li glanced at him and casually gave him a thumbs-up.
Zhou Yang: "..."
What, so he had to be the practice target while Jiang Lele learned to clap back?
Gao Yuan didn't notice any of this. The more he talked, the more feasible he found this "game." "Let's give it a go. The viewers have way more ideas than we do."
Wei Xuan nodded. "We could let the viewers decide the punishments, too..."
[Stop talking and get started!]
[Aaaaaah, I want to talk to my wife! Nobody can stop me-]
[Can I get my ship to kiss in front of me?]
[If you can think of it, go ahead and ask!!]
[My wish is really dirty. Is that okay, too? [eager to try]]
[Let's keep our pants on, sis.]
The livestream had already been lively that evening. The moment this suggestion came up, it erupted.
Some impatient viewers had already started sending messages to the official account, urging them on.
Gao Yuan was still thinking about how they should play when the doorbell rang-
The production team had issued a new notice:
[Start the game as soon as possible]
"Pfft..." Gao Yuan, who had gone to collect the message, couldn't help laughing. "This is the first time I've received a notice telling us to hurry up."
Jiang Lele was a little excited. "Looks like everyone really likes this game."
"But there's still one problem." Gao Yuan helplessly spread his hands. "How exactly are we going to play?"
"Let the viewers decide," Chi Li said around the lollipop in his mouth. "Pick a lucky viewer first, then let her decide for herself. Whether she wants help with relationship problems, wants to see a punishment, or wants a reward, she can choose."
Wei Xuan said, "Then which one of us the viewer picks depends on our luck, too?"
"Right. Let's make this a pure luck round tonight." Chi Li's eyes curved with his smile.
Gao Yuan nodded firmly. "Okay, I'll get the tablet and log into the official account."
"Lele." Chi Li turned to Jiang Lele. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you ask Weishui again if he wants to join?"
For a game like this that involved interacting with viewers, it was best not to leave anyone out.
Jiang Lele immediately stood up. "Okay."
Before long, Jiang Lele, Xie Weishui, and Gao Yuan, who had gone to get the tablet and log into the official account, all returned.
Gao Yuan cast the screen onto the television so everyone wouldn't have to crowd together to watch.
"All right, enough talk." With everything ready, Gao Yuan began setting the giveaway keyword. "We're starting right now. Get those hands moving and send [666] to enter the lucky viewer draw-10, 9..."
The second he finished speaking, the screen filled with 666s.
Soon, the first lucky viewer was selected.
"Viewer 'Pincers to Be Willful,' get ready. We're about to call you." Gao Yuan filled the host's role perfectly. "I wonder which of us she'll choose as the lucky one?"
The call rang for a few seconds before connecting.
"Aaaaaah-it's really me!!!" Unsurprisingly, the first thing they heard from the other end was a burst of screaming.
"It's you, Miss Pincers to Be Willful." Gao Yuan covered his ears briefly. "What would you like to ask for?"
"I'm a career fan of Shen Qiang's!" She quickly declared her allegiance. "I'm sure everyone knows our Master Shen has started feeling the stirrings of love... So I came on to ask Chi Li on his behalf: what's your ideal type? Would you mind a partner who's eight years older than you?"
Every gaze instantly focused on Chi Li.
He held a fist to his mouth and gave a light cough, seemingly a little embarrassed. "I don't really mind a partner's age..."
[Aaaaaah, there's a chance, there's a chance, there's a chance!!]
[Career fans... you worry about way too much.]
[I'm calling him little sister-in-law first.]
[Don't put Shen Qiang on the spot.]
Shen Xunye glanced at the comments floating across the screen and clicked his tongue almost inaudibly.
Next time, he'd rather report to Shen Yu than ask Shen Qiang for help.
"But I've never seriously thought about what my ideal type would be like," Chi Li answered quite earnestly. "Probably just someone on the same wavelength, someone I can talk to day to day?"
"I don't believe it's that simple." Pincers to Be Willful wasn't very satisfied with this answer. "How about this? I'll ask, you answer, and we'll work through it properly."
Chi Li straightened up. "Now that you've put it like that, I'm feeling the pressure."
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm very gentle." Pincers to Be Willful laughed heartily twice, then immediately turned serious. "First, let's establish one thing. You wouldn't mind dating someone of the same sex, right?"
Chi Li was as well-behaved as an elementary school student being questioned by his homeroom teacher. "Mm... I wouldn't mind."
If he didn't want to get tangled up with Shen Qiang, his best answer would be "I would mind."
But as an entertainer living in the public eye, he couldn't hide his sexual orientation forever.
"Very good. Next question... do you have any requirements for looks?"
Chi Li thought for a few seconds before answering. "I'm not too picky. As long as they're human-shaped."
If his standards were high, he couldn't possibly have fallen for Zhou Yang before.
[That's way too un-picky!]
[Actually, his standards are high. He specified a species. [crying]]
[↑What do you mean??? You're not human?]
[I am human, but I want to be my wife's dog...]
"But here's what I think." Pincers to Be Willful insisted on steering things back. "A beautiful face should have another beautiful face beside it. It's only satisfying when they're evenly matched."