With someone already smoothing things over, the best way for Jiang Yue to handle it was actually to play dumb.
Neither admit nor deny it.
That way, his fans would automatically treat "Jiang Yue went to the Raising House livestream and specifically asked to watch Chi Li do a girl group dance" as a rumor, successfully brainwashing themselves and passersby.
Who would have thought he actually intended to admit it?
"Just say you've known each other for ages, and him watching your girl group dance was really just him pranking a friend." Li Ming sounded positively cheerful.
Chi Li: "?"
Chi Li: "Do you have something on Jiang Yue?"
Otherwise, how had they come up with an explanation that so obviously benefited Chi Li more?
"Huh? What kind of person do you take me for?" Li Ming sounded righteously indignant. "If I had something on him, would I have waited until now to use it?"
Chi Li: "..."
Chi Li: "Sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."
Li Ming sounded smug. "His side proposed this plan. I just accepted it."
"Oh... so what do I need to do?" Although Chi Li had no particular interest in this wave of attention, he knew he couldn't turn down something that benefited him like this.
"Jiang Yue should add you on WeChat after he finishes filming later. Once his side puts out the announcement, you two can discuss how to follow each other and interact," Li Ming instructed seriously.
"Sure." Chi Li had no objections.
After hanging up, Chi Li quickly showered, then sat in his chair and looked through the reports Gu Nan had sent that day.
So much had happened that day that Gu Nan's messages were far too numerous and densely packed. Chi Li simply didn't have the patience to read through them carefully.
Figuring there probably wasn't anything he absolutely needed to read, he simply scrolled straight to the bottom, replied with a cold "Read," and transferred him 200 for his trouble while he was at it.
Gu Nan unleashed another barrage of rainbow flattery.
Chi Li couldn't be bothered with this treacherous courtier.
After browsing a few other apps, he still hadn't received Jiang Yue's friend request. Instead, he heard a knock at the door.
He instinctively glanced at the time.
10:50.
It wasn't yet the time he and Shen Xunye had agreed on. Had he come early?
-That was right. To keep fooling Zhou Yang, Shen Xunye still had to spend two hours in Chi Li's room that night.
He had originally wanted to stay for three hours, but Chi Li had firmly refused.
A man caring too much about saving face was no good.
Tossing his phone aside, Chi Li went to answer the door in his slippers.
But the person standing outside wasn't Shen Xunye. It was Wei Xuan, with whom he had barely exchanged more than a few words in total.
"Need something?" Chi Li raised his brows slightly.
"Uh, well... I'm here to pass on a message." Although Wei Xuan still belonged to Xie Weishui's camp, he had no ill feelings toward Chi Li, who had helped him make quite a bit of money, so he was fairly polite. "Xie Weishui wants you to join him in the media room for a meeting."
"Again?" Chi Li was a little puzzled. "I'm pretty sure I already turned this down on the first night."
"The first night was the first night. Tonight is tonight." Wei Xuan rubbed the back of his head.
He had disliked Chi Li on the first day, too, but hadn't that changed afterward?
Of course... probably nobody would dislike their own God of Wealth.
"All right, then I'll turn it down again." Chi Li didn't have the nasty habit of volunteering for overtime after clocking out. "Go tell him."
"Sure!" Wei Xuan immediately turned around without another word of persuasion.
Wei Xuan took several breaths to steady himself before pushing open the media room door.
Xie Weishui, sitting upright inside, immediately looked over.
"Ah... so he refused after all?" A mocking smile curved Xie Weishui's lips. "Just as I thought. Nobody takes me seriously anymore."
Wei Xuan entered and closed the door behind him. "Jiang Lele asked for leave, and you were the one who wouldn't let Zhou Yang come... as for Fang Jin, after what you said today, it's understandable that he didn't come."
Xie Weishui looked at the empty sofas in the room. "It's fine. People will sit here again."
It was only a minor setback. What did it matter?
Wei Xuan braced himself and comforted him. "Yeah, yeah. They will."
"I just don't know when." Xie Weishui sounded dejected.
Wei Xuan felt a little bad for him, and a little awkward. "How about I go ask again?"
...Even after being a simp for so long, he really, truly was extremely uncomfortable being alone with Xie Weishui.
So he urgently needed someone else present.
"No need." Xie Weishui abruptly stood. "Since he won't come, we'll go to him."
Meanwhile, Shen Xunye, wearing pajamas hanging wide open, knocked on the door before him.
There was no response from inside.
He patiently knocked another three... four, five, six, seven... times.
"Coming, coming! What are you knocking so urgently for?" an impatient voice called from inside.
A few seconds later, the door was pulled open from within.
"Why the fuck are you knocking on my door?" Zhou Yang glared at Shen Xunye. "Are you sick?"
"Nothing much." Shen Xunye maintained his gentlemanly smile. "I just came to tell you I'm heading to Chi Li's room now."
"Then just go..." Halfway through, Zhou Yang stopped short and raised his voice in disbelief. "You're going again?"
"Mm." Shen Xunye nodded lightly, putting on a troubled expression. "He wants it. I can't exactly say no, can I?"
"Fuck your **." Zhou Yang immediately launched into a tirade. "Shameless bastard!"
"You really have no manners." Shen Xunye cheerfully tossed out the remark and left Zhou Yang's door, humming a tune.
Zhou Yang immediately rushed out after him. "I'm going too!"
At 11:02, the two groups converged outside Chi Li's door.
"...What's this supposed to mean?" Chi Li came out to answer the door and was rather baffled by the crowd.
"I want to talk to you," Xie Weishui spoke first, looking straight at Chi Li.
Chi Li raised his brows slightly. "Go ahead."
Xie Weishui glanced at the others present and said, "In private."
"We're all family. Why talk in private?" Chi Li had no desire to argue with Xie Weishui. "Let's all talk together."
Xie Weishui considered it for a moment. "Then let's go to the media room."
"No." Shen Xunye squeezed in beside Chi Li. His reply was directed at Xie Weishui, but his eyes looked provocatively at Zhou Yang. "We'll talk right here. The sooner we finish, the better. Chi Li and I have other things to do."
"Do you even know how to do it properly? Why not let me do it instead?" Zhou Yang said darkly.
Shen Xunye's expression didn't change. "I'm certain nobody here knows how to do it better than I do."
Chi Li shot them a cutting glare. "Both of you, shut up."
At the slightest disagreement, they had started making innuendos.
"Then let's talk here." Xie Weishui suddenly became very accommodating.
Wei Xuan took the hint. "...I'll go get some chairs."
"No need. Let's just stand." Xie Weishui stopped him. "Let's not hold up their business."
"Okay." Wei Xuan obediently stood behind Xie Weishui.