The surprise on Shen Xingcan's face froze in place. He stared in disbelief at the man standing beside the bed.
After staring at Xie Linchuan's face for a long while, Shen Xingcan suddenly rose from the bed and lunged at him, reaching for his face.
"No, I need to feel your face. I suspect something has replaced my nemesis."
Shen Xingcan muttered as he felt his face.
"Knock, knock, knock! I'm coming in! Let me see what Brother Xingcan and Brother Linchuan are doing... uh."
Song Tiantian's voice cut off abruptly, because she saw Shen Xingcan touching Xie Linchuan's face.
The bed wasn't particularly high, so Shen Xingcan was kneeling on it.
To keep Shen Xingcan from falling off, Xie Linchuan had to hold an arm partway around his waist.
From Song Tiantian's angle, Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan were locked in a tight embrace. One of Shen Xingcan's hands was still stroking Xie Linchuan's cheek, while Xie Linchuan's head was slightly lowered. They looked as though they could kiss at any moment.
[Xie Linchuan, get lost! Can you stop taking advantage of our Xingcan all the time?]
[The stream just started and this is what we get? I have reasonable grounds to suspect that if Tiantian hadn't come in, these two would've kissed the next second.]
[What kind of nemeses act this intimate? Sure enough, this so-called rivalry is just their little kink.]
[Shen Xingcan, have you lost your mind? Do you know what you're doing?! I fucking knew something was off with you. You spent all those years abroad, and once you came back, you wouldn't go on any variety show except the one with Xie Linchuan. You even pulled that surprise addition stunt. Do you love him that much?]
[I thought something was off about these two before TS even disbanded. Looks like my instincts were right. That ugly fallout earlier might've just been a breakup fight.]
[Aren't these two afraid their solo stans will come after them if they keep acting like no one's watching?]
[Do you think the young master of the Konoh Family cares about that, or the young master of the Xie Group?]
[Xingcan fan here. My fave has the freedom to date. We just want what's best for him. If he really likes you-know-who... he has our blessing.]
Even when he saw who had arrived, Shen Xingcan didn't withdraw his hand. Instead, he continued feeling Xie Linchuan's face, looking determined to find something on it.
It took Song Tiantian a few seconds to find her voice. "...Xingcan, what are you doing?"
These two haven't gone so crazy that they'd come straight out of the closet, have they?
Probably... not.
Shen Xingcan's tone was serious. "I'm looking for the human-skin mask on Xie Linchuan's face."
Xie Linchuan: "..."
Song Tiantian was stunned. "Huh? A human-skin mask?"
For an instant, Song Tiantian even wondered if something was wrong with her hearing. Otherwise, why couldn't she understand what he meant?
Shen Xingcan explained, "Xie Linchuan said some things that were out of character for him, so I now suspect this Xie Linchuan is an impostor."
Song Tiantian said, "...Is that so? Have you found anything, Xingcan?"
[Huh? Huh? Huh? Out of character? What exactly did Best Actor Xie say?]
[Here he goes again, acting cute in front of his husband again.]
[Guys, does anyone get me? Shen Xingcan looks so adorable saying he's looking for a human-skin mask with a completely straight face. This kitty's cuteness has knocked me out.]
Shen Xingcan looked grave. "No. Technology must be too advanced these days, so it's hard to find any clues."
Song Tiantian: "..."
He would rather believe technology was too advanced than accept that the person in front of him was real. What on earth had Best Actor Xie said?
"...Was what Best Actor Xie said really that strange?"
Shen Xingcan sighed. "Yes. It was every bit as horrifying as Lin Daiyu punching a hundred Siberian tigers to death!"
Song Tiantian said, "That really is horrifying. Now I'm even more curious about what Best Actor Xie said. I'm sure everyone watching the livestream feels the same."
Shen Xingcan sighed. "I know everyone wants to know what Best Actor Xie said, but it was far too inappropriate for children. If I said it on the livestream, I could easily corrupt the kids."
Song Tiantian desperately wanted to say that she was an adult, and that if it wasn't suitable for the livestream, he could tell her privately, but she managed to hold herself back with difficulty.
Xie Linchuan lowered his eyes to Shen Xingcan. "We have to meet at the camp square in fifteen minutes. Shen Xingcan, are you sure you don't want to use that time to fix that bird's nest on your head instead of staying here making things up?"
Shen Xingcan protested, "How am I making things up? You said it yourself!"
Xie Linchuan countered, "Oh? Then tell us what I said."
Shen Xingcan opened his mouth, then closed it, then glared viciously at Xie Linchuan. "How am I supposed to say something like that out loud?"
Xie Linchuan's lips curved. "If you can't say what I said, then you're making things up."
Unable to voice his grievance, Shen Xingcan could only rage helplessly. "Xie Linchuan, you absolute bastard!"
[Hahaha, so what exactly did Xie Linchuan say that Shen Xingcan finds so hard to repeat?]
[I strongly suspect it was something filthy. Otherwise, Shen Xingcan wouldn't find it this hard to say.]
[That's possible. After all, he's teased his husband into burning with desire. It couldn't be more reasonable for him to say something dirty.]
At five o'clock sharp, the six guests gathered in the camp square.
Song Tiantian said, "I hereby announce the official start of our audience interaction segment! A friendly reminder: to preserve the interactive nature of this segment, the production team hasn't screened the questions. There may be some repetitive or rather pointed questions among them."
Seven chairs stood around a huge table. The innermost section of the table was covered with disposable cups of bitter melon juice and beer, while the outer section held Western-style dinners prepared for the guests.
Separating the two sections was a circular train track, along which a little train loaded with colorful balls slowly traveled.
Still angry, Shen Xingcan had no intention of sitting beside Xie Linchuan. He simply shoved Jiang Yifeng between them.
"I don't want to see Xie Linchuan. Sit between us."
Jiang Yifeng, serving as a divider: "..."
Weren't they all lovey-dovey at noon? Had they fought again in the space of an afternoon?
Though he didn't quite understand the shifts in his captain and their youngest member's relationship, Jiang Yifeng, who was very obedient to his captain, chose to do as he was told.
But before he could act, someone had already pressed his cursing captain into a chair.
Forced into the chair, Shen Xingcan sounded ferocious. "Didn't you hear me say I don't want to see you?!"
Xie Linchuan said, "I'll blow-dry your hair for four days."
Shen Xingcan, who wasn't particularly keen on blow-drying his own hair, felt that he really needed this labor.
Shen Xingcan shifted, then snorted. "...It's not like I can't do it myself, but since you're being reasonably attentive, I suppose I'll reluctantly sit with you. As you know, Shen Xingcan has always been magnanimous."
[Blow-dry his hair for four days? For a moment, I can't tell whether Xie Linchuan is helping Shen Xingcan or rewarding himself.]
[Rewarding himself.]
[So scheming. If you want to blow-dry your wife's hair, just say so.]
Jiang Yifeng sat beside his captain, once again marveling inwardly that the shifts in his captain and their youngest member's relationship were as changeable as March weather.
Song Tiantian said, "The staff have put all the top one hundred most-liked questions into colorful balls and loaded them into the train's carriages. I'll draw the first ball, and then the guests will take turns clockwise drawing balls for their fellow guests. If the person addressed by the question in a ball doesn't complete the task, the guest who drew that ball will receive a guaranteed reward of five points."
"No punishment?"
"No punishment."
Jiang Yifeng rubbed his chin. "I originally thought Captain and our youngest would be tonight's biggest winners. Now it looks like that won't be the case."
Ye Ran nodded. "Given Brother Xingcan and Brother Linchuan's popularity, more of the top one hundred most-liked Weibo posts are bound to be questions for them. Asking questions doesn't earn as many points as completing them, but it's guaranteed income. Maybe the production team is worried we won't have enough points to get to Paris."
Song Tiantian said, "...I'm starting now! Attention, guests! Let's see who the first question is for. I'll pick a pink ball. Pink is my favorite color."
As she spoke, she picked a pink ball from a carriage.
Song Tiantian quickly opened the pink ball. "This one is for Xingcan. Weibo user Celery King asks: Xingcan, were you really a last-minute addition to A Fruit? If so, why did you join this variety show?"
Shen Xingcan said, "To answer the first question, I did only return to the country a few days before the show began airing. Strictly speaking, I stole this guest spot from Tiantian. Sorry, Tiantian, for shoving you into the initiator position."
Song Tiantian waved a hand. "What's there to apologize for? I was only going to be a guest because the station couldn't find a suitable celebrity at the time. When they heard you were joining, it was practically New Year's at the station. Our director's been telling everyone he meets that his ancestors must be blessing him. Besides, I'm still on the show, aren't I? Being the initiator is much easier than what you're doing."
Over the past few years, Shen Xingcan had kept to himself and rarely gone out. Aside from concerts, he hardly ever appeared in public, and his influence alone was not to be underestimated.
Not to mention his connection with Xie Linchuan.
Shen Xingcan drew out his words. "As for the second question, with the show having aired this far, hasn't everyone already figured it out?"