Shen Xingcan's voice was low, deliberately seductive, as his other hand brushed Xie Linchuan's Adam's apple with the lightest touch.
Xie Linchuan's breath caught. The next second, he pulled the man in front of him off the sofa and locked him firmly in his arms.
Shen Xingcan cried out in surprise as he was swept without warning into a scorching, solid embrace. The arm around his lower back held him so tightly that he could barely move at all in Xie Linchuan's arms.
"Xie Linchuan, what the hell has gotten into you! Let me go."
Shen Xingcan's chin was lifted, forcing him to meet the eyes of the man before him.
Xie Linchuan's thumb lightly traced his soft lips. The dark flames churning in his eyes looked ready to erupt at any moment, and his voice was cold and hoarse. "Isn't seeing me lose control exactly what you wanted?"
Shen Xingcan could even feel his scorching breath. He wanted to turn his head away, but the grip on his chin kept him from moving.
He could only watch that face draw closer and closer, until their noses touched and their breaths mingled completely, their lips less than half an inch apart.
Shen Xingcan's eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and his breathing grew erratic.
Just as he was about to struggle again, Xie Linchuan suddenly released his chin. His eyes dark, he looked at the man in his arms and mocked, "You started the teasing, and now you're panicking? Shen Xingcan, aren't you terrible at this but addicted anyway?"
Shen Xingcan glared at Xie Linchuan and stubbornly retorted, "I'm not! You're the one who's terrible but addicted!"
Unfortunately, since his entire body was leaning against Xie Linchuan, that look seemed more like a coquettish pout than anger.
Xie Linchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're not? Not teasing me, or not panicking?"
Shen Xingcan was extra loud. "Neither!"
Xie Linchuan tipped Shen Xingcan's chin up again. "Oh? Really? I'm finding that a little hard to believe."
The perceptive Shen Xingcan quickly sensed danger. He slapped Xie Linchuan's hand away and swiftly changed the subject. "Go take a shower. Once you're done, we'll go get our things from the staff. I want to find a nice pair of sunglasses."
"Heh."
Xie Linchuan responded to Shen Xingcan's change of subject with a single mocking syllable.
The magnanimous Shen Xingcan declared that he couldn't be bothered quibbling over something so trivial. He was an hour older than Xie Linchuan, after all. There was no need to stoop to the level of a youngster like him.
Xie Linchuan soon finished showering and got fully dressed.
Meanwhile, Shen Xingcan took the opportunity to quickly change out of his bathrobe. Teasing Xie Linchuan was fun, but driving him out of his mind wasn't.
Before coming on the show, Shen Xingcan had considered how strong the island sun would be, so he had brought plenty of sunglasses.
But even after searching every suitcase, he still couldn't find his sunglasses case.
"...Xie Linchuan, lend me your sunglasses. I forgot mine. Aaargh, I spent so long picking them out!"
He had chosen them so carefully!
"Sure, but whose item allowance will they count toward?"
Shen Xingcan was shocked. "You're going to split hairs with me over this too?"
Xie Linchuan countered, "Why shouldn't I? We're sworn enemies."
Shen Xingcan was left somewhat speechless.
He even desperately wanted to demand, Then why didn't you remember we were sworn enemies just now, when you were holding my chin and practically kissing me?
Shen Xingcan ground his teeth. "Mine."
Xie Linchuan said, "They can count toward mine too."
Shen Xingcan narrowed his eyes, watching the man in front of him warily. "Are you plotting something? I'm warning you, Xie Linchuan, you'd better not go too far!!"
Xie Linchuan asked, "What could I possibly be plotting?"
Shen Xingcan pointed out the problem. "You were splitting every last hair just now, and then you changed your tune in a blink. How could you not be plotting something?!"
Xie Linchuan's expression didn't change. "I suddenly remembered I'm still guilty, so I ought to do something to get into your good graces."
Shen Xingcan mulled over his words and found they made some sense. "Fine, then. But don't think doing this means I'll forgive you. Shen Xingcan is very hard to please."
Xie Linchuan's voice was very soft. "Of course I wouldn't think that. Shen Xingcan is hard to please, so I'll do it little by little, for years and years to come."
Shen Xingcan was hard to please, but his heart also softened easily.
The gaze that had always been cold grew gentle.
Shen Xingcan lifted his chin. "At least you know what's good for you. Where are your sunglasses? Let me see. You're LOTOS's brand ambassador, if I remember right? Luckily, I don't have a sunglasses endorsement, or I really couldn't wear them."
Xie Linchuan handed Shen Xingcan two cases. Shen Xingcan tried on both pairs in front of the mirror and finally picked a broad pair that was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.
As a brand ambassador, Xie Linchuan had specially customized sunglasses. What fit his face perfectly looked a little too large on Shen Xingcan.
But they also made that beautiful little face look even more delicate and small.
Shen Xingcan said, "I'll use all three of my slots for clothes, then... Hmm, I should bring another bathrobe. Grab one for me while I pick out clothes."
"Okay."
Shen Xingcan browsed through his choices, picking two versatile pieces, a top and a pair of pants, before standing up. "Have you picked what you're bringing? If you're done, let's go back to sleep."
"I'm done."
Xie Linchuan bent down naturally, waiting for Shen Xingcan to climb on.
Holding their things, Shen Xingcan settled onto Xie Linchuan's back with practiced ease.
"Go, go, go! Which bathrobe did you pick for me? Don't tell me it's the black one. It has to be..."
Shen Xingcan chattered away on Xie Linchuan's back, but he abruptly stopped halfway through when he saw the bathrobe for what it truly was.
Shen Xingcan had brought five bathrobes in total: two conventional ones, one that could wrap him up from head to toe, and two particularly breezy ones.
Yes, Xie Linchuan had picked one of those two breezy styles.
From the front, the bathrobe looked unremarkable, seemingly just a little shorter than an ordinary one. But there was no fabric at all across its back, only a whole panel of pearl-colored gauze.
Shen Xingcan stared at the bathrobe in Xie Linchuan's hand for a while. "Weren't you so proper before? You practically wanted to wrap me up from head to toe."
Xie Linchuan remained calm. "You kept complaining about the heat."
Shen Xingcan said, "Ha-ha. Like I'd believe that nonsense. Give up now. I'm not wearing it."
In the end, Shen Xingcan didn't wear that very breezy bathrobe, because under the current circumstances, it was a little too dangerous.
Early the next morning, Xie Linchuan woke Shen Xingcan ahead of time. Even after he used an egg to soothe his eyes, those peach-blossom eyes of his, which had cried for so long, predictably remained swollen.
Shen Xingcan finished washing up before the production crew arrived, then put the oversized sunglasses on his face.
Song Tiantian paused slightly at the sight of Shen Xingcan wearing an enormous pair of sunglasses, then smiled. "You look so handsome, Brother Xingcan."
Shen Xingcan raised his eyebrows. "Thanks for the compliment."
[He does look really handsome, but something feels off. He's wearing sunglasses this early in the morning?]
[His eyes are probably swollen... His eyes were red when he left camp yesterday.]
[Waaah, it's all that awful Xie Linchuan's fault. How dare he make our pretty kitty cry.]
[Those sunglasses really are cool, but aren't they a little too big?? And they look kind of familiar...]
Just then, the camera gave the sunglasses on Shen Xingcan's face a close-up.
[...Aren't those the fucking sunglasses LOTOS custom-made for Best Actor Xie? I remember he trended for days because of that sunglasses look.]
[They don't make just one pair of sunglasses. Maybe these belong to Shen Xingcan.]
[Did the people saying they're Shen Xingcan's not see the mark on the side of the frame? That's a symbol LOTOS designed specifically for Best Actor Xie, so those sunglasses are Xie Linchuan's.]
[What's wrong with wearing his husband's sunglasses? Why are you all so nosy?!!]
Song Tiantian said, "Mangoes aren't easy to store, but the various products made from them make up for that very well, such as mango juice, dried mango, and canned mango. So today's task is to find the mango products hidden in the mango orchard."