"Will this work?" Shen Xunye asked.
"Yes, yes, absolutely—" The CP fan was so happy she nearly fainted. "I declare that I'm now the happiest little girl in the world."
"And you?" Shen Xunye lowered his head to look at the person nestled in his arms and teased, "Can you still handle it, Chi Li?"
Chi Li's ears were as red as ripe pomegranate seeds, vivid color showing through skin so thin it looked almost translucent under the bright indoor lights.
He clutched the fabric over Shen Xunye's chest, his little face tense as he said coldly, "...Of course I can."
He was the one being carried. He didn't have to exert himself, so what was there he couldn't handle?
But... how was this man carrying him so effortlessly? He was a grown man. He had to weigh something, right?
When he had dated Zhou Yang, that guy hadn't even lasted three seconds.
"As long as you can."
The words had barely left his mouth when Chi Li felt his body lift, his field of vision shifting violently-
Shen Xunye had hoisted him over his shoulder.
Chi Li: "..."
He hadn't even discussed it with him first, making him think he was about to fall.
He grabbed Shen Xunye's back and scratched hard twice to vent his anger.
A dull sting spread across Shen Xunye's back. He resisted the urge to smack this restless person's ass and merely asked the camera, "Will this work?"
The CP fan was deeply moved. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."
[Oh my god, that figure, that strength, that sexual tension... I'm begging you two to stop streaming and go back to your room and wrestle in bed, okay?]
[He looks like a bandit chief who's stolen a little wife to take home. Is the bridal chamber next?]
[Sure enough, truly destined CPs always come out of nowhere...]
[I honestly think even Shen Qiang isn't as good a match for Chi Li as this guy..]
[Haha, I guarantee this guy's caught real feelings. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so anxious today.]
[Who cares whether his feelings are real or fake... I'm feasting first. [Head down, eating hard]]
[Does nobody support taking both dicks?]
"That's enough. Put me down." Chi Li scratched Shen Xunye's back hard twice more. "Can you show a little restraint?"
If he went this hard with the fan service now and spoiled the CP fans' appetites, how were they supposed to sell it later?
Would they have to kiss right in front of the camera?
"Mm, all right..." With one hand supporting Chi Li's thigh and the other guarding his waist, Shen Xunye crouched and let him slowly slide off his shoulder. "I'll show some restraint."
When his feet touched the floor, Chi Li trembled slightly.
An inexplicable tingling spread through the thigh that big hand had gripped tightly.
...This man kept putting his hands in dangerous places.
Chi Li couldn't help shooting him a glare.
Shen Xunye widened his eyes to indicate his innocence.
"All right." Gao Yuan hurried to move things along. "We're ending this call now."
The CP fan, who had already eaten her fill, naturally had no objections. "Thank you, thank you! I'll remember this historic moment forever!"
Gao Yuan offered her a few well-wishes, then ended the call.
"Okay, now we'll draw our fourth lucky viewer..."
There were no surprises in the lucky viewer draws that followed.
The others besides Chi Li also received requests by name.
One viewer disliked Zhou Yang's earlier remarks and made him put on a down jacket and run laps around the villa.
One made Gao Yuan perform a freestyle on the spot.
Another wouldn't let Fang Jin sing, but sang "Happy Breakup" to him instead.
And one acted as host and played a round of lateral thinking puzzles with the guests.
By the end of the evening, whether the guests had enjoyed themselves was unknown, but the viewers certainly had.
Not only had they enjoyed themselves, they were even left wanting more.
When the livestream ended at ten that night, none of the eight could be bothered exchanging pleasantries, and they dispersed on the spot.
Xie Weishui strode over to Fang Jin and said quietly, "Come to the meeting tonight after all. We'll properly discuss the script going forward. I can let you be the protagonist."
Fang Jin was a little surprised. "...Did I hear that right?"
Xie Weishui was actually willing to let him be the protagonist?
"You did. I said I can let you be the protagonist." Obvious reluctance showed on Xie Weishui's face, but he still gave an affirmative answer. "After all, plenty of people love a husband-chasing crematorium."
"I really do admire you." Fang Jin stepped onto the stairs. "No matter the situation, you always seem able to find a suitable... script. Do you hide under the covers reading novels every day?"
Xie Weishui: "...No."
He really didn't read novels.
He was just obsessively lurking in fandom spaces.
"But I really can't attend this meeting of yours today."
"Why? I've already agreed to let you be the protagonist!" Not expecting Fang Jin to refuse, Xie Weishui immediately grew anxious. "Or do you dislike the current script?"
From some distance away, Fang Jin looked toward Zhou Yang. "Why don't you ask him? Couldn't think of a suitable script?"
Xie Weishui's expression instantly soured, undisguised disdain on his face. "He's too stupid."
Although he had lost control of his emotions today and said a few things he shouldn't have, he could at least still salvage things.
But the bullshit Zhou Yang had spouted during the "relationship problems" segment... was bound to cost him a great deal of goodwill among casual viewers.
An idiot like that wasn't suitable for a long-term partnership.
"I see. But I'm still going to refuse." With his curiosity satisfied, Fang Jin still turned him down.
Xie Weishui asked again, "Why?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Fang Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks and directed his gaze toward Chi Li, who was walking with Shen Xunye not far away. "Who the protagonist of Raising House is stopped being something you-or we-could decide a long time ago."
Xie Weishui followed his gaze, his expression gradually dimming.
Fang Jin continued forward. "Some people were born to be the protagonist."
Chi Li's ass had barely touched the chair in his dorm room when his phone's relentless ringtone rang out.
He didn't even need to look at the screen to know who was calling.
"Hello?" He put the phone on speaker and tossed it onto the desk.
"Chi Li, you're really amazing!" Li Ming's excited voice came through the phone. "Your paid numbers jumped by a huge amount again today! You outright broke the all-time record!"
"For that, we have to thank those two top stars for being so helpful." Chi Li wasn't excited in the slightest.
"Haha, that still takes you being amazing yourself!" After that awkward compliment, Li Ming got straight to the point. "There's something important I need to tell you."
Chi Li said, "Go ahead."
"Jiang Yue's manager contacted me and said they really appreciated us not embarrassing their Jiang Yue."
Chi Li found it funny just remembering everyone covering for Jiang Yue. "Mm... I think they were probably just afraid of getting cyberbullied."
Li Ming continued, "But his voice is very distinctive. His fans knew it was him as soon as they heard it, so he's still planning to post an announcement later explaining the situation."
"What's he going to say?" Chi Li couldn't imagine.