Chapter 32

It had to be mentioned, so I briefly described this stage here first. Everyone just needs to know it was awesome and looked great too _(:з"∠)_

-

Thanks to the little angel who threw a landmine: Bubu Bu, 1;

Thanks to the little angels who provided nutrient solution: LXT, 18 bottles; Juzi and Ashi Heyin, 10 bottles; Bubu Bu, 5 bottles; Heng╯^╰, 2 bottles; Songjing Zhengyun and Tangcuyu, 1 bottle;

Thanks, my darlings!!!

Chapter 33

Chen Bei abruptly turned around.

His gaze briefly met Sheng Chi's in midair, and for an instant, it was as though invisible sparks flew between them.

Then he quirked a corner of his mouth and smiled. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask this youngster whether you'd consider choosing our Shooter for the upcoming team collaboration."

When he spoke to Sheng Chi, he toned down his playful manner a little, as though he really were asking a purely business-related question.

Gu Zhijing was taken aback.

Had he been serious about the question he'd just asked him?

His thoughts turned.

Looking at it objectively, if they chose Shooter as their partner for the collaboration, the two popular groups joining forces could very well produce a winning combination. They would be practically impossible to beat.

If he were the captain, there seemed to be no reason to refuse-

"Not for the time being."

Sheng Chi said, "Thank you for the offer, senior."

Under Chen Bei's suddenly inscrutable gaze, he paused, then continued, "The staff are urging us to hurry, so may I take my teammate with me?"

Chen Bei spread his hands and lifted his chin, signaling for Gu Zhijing to leave.

But before Gu Zhijing and Sheng Chi left, he called after them, "What I said just now..."

He smiled. "Perhaps you could give it some serious thought."

Gu Zhijing's heart skipped a beat.

Hearing that, Sheng Chi would probably think they had been discussing the collaborative stage.

But it was obvious that the words were really meant for him.

The secretive, ambiguous confession still lingered in his ears.

Gu Zhijing rubbed the tip of his nose, his heart pounding as a jumble of complicated thoughts intertwined in his mind.

So absorbed was he in thinking about Chen Bei that he didn't notice where Sheng Chi was leading him.

He only came back to his senses when they rounded a corner and he bumped into Sheng Chi's back.

Gu Zhijing rubbed his forehead and looked around in confusion. "Did you take a wrong turn? This isn't the way either-"

Before he could finish, Sheng Chi turned around, seized his wrist, and pulled him forward.

They were close to the emergency exit, in a place with no cameras and where no staff would pass by.

Gu Zhijing stumbled, nearly falling into Sheng Chi's arms, and his eyelid twitched.

His heart was beating much faster than before. He stumbled over his words before saying, "What's wrong, Brother Chi? Didn't you say the staff lady was urging us to hurry-"

"I lied to him."

"I'm the one who wanted to come find you."

Sheng Chi stared into Gu Zhijing's eyes, his voice tinged with a barely suppressed jealousy he wasn't even aware of himself. "Go on. What did Chen Bei say to you?"

Sheng Chi didn't understand what was happening to him.

But ever since Chen Bei had taken Gu Zhijing aside, an uncomfortable feeling had risen in his chest.

As time passed, that discomfort gradually turned into anxiety and irritation, until the moment he finally saw Chen Bei corner Gu Zhijing against the wall. Then it transformed into tongues of jealous flame that licked wildly at his stomach, burning away all his reason.

Sheng Chi's gaze swept over Gu Zhijing's earlobe.

If he hadn't seen wrong just now, Chen Bei also had a stud in his right ear.

Was this some special way for the two of them to connect?

What could Chen Bei have said to him in private?

What else could he have said?

When he'd gone over just now, he'd seen Chen Bei corner him with his own eyes.

They'd been so close together.

So close that Chen Bei had practically only needed to lower his head to kiss him.

And now Gu Zhijing stood before him with his wrist caught in his grip, confusion in his eyes. The corners of his eyes were slightly red from staying up for hours, with a natural watery sheen.

His makeup had smudged a little, but he was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Had he looked at Chen Bei like this just now too?

Sheng Chi's own thoughts made his stomach ache with anger.

Without waiting for Gu Zhijing to answer, Sheng Chi gripped his wrist tightly and looked at him as he spoke, enunciating every word, each syllable as cold as if it had just been pulled from an ice cellar.

"You should remember that I said idols can't date."

Sheng Chi's mind was in chaos, with only instinct clamoring in his head.

No.

He can't date.

The clamor in his head made his eardrums ache, and Sheng Chi instinctively tightened his grip.

Gu Zhijing: "!?"

He looked up and met Sheng Chi's deep, unfathomable gaze, and his brain froze for a second.

He thought his captain had discovered his alt account. After a long moment of stunned silence, he said quietly, "...I'm sorry."

Sheng Chi felt as though a bucket of ice water had drenched him to the bone.

After a long moment, he forced the words out through clenched teeth. "So it's true?"

"And the person you've been dating online these past few days is him too?"

Gu Zhijing had been about to nod at the first part, but he immediately stopped himself when he heard the words "dating online."

"What... what online dating?"

He looked up, his eyes widening abruptly. "When did I start dating anyone online?"

"You've been checking your phone constantly these past few days."

Sheng Chi said coldly, "Haven't you been in contact with Chen Bei?"

"Take my advice: that Chen Bei doesn't look like a good person. I've asked around, and plenty of people in the idol circle have messy private lives. You can like anyone, but don't

like someone like him."

Gu Zhijing: "?"

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "No, that's not it."

He fought to clear his name. "I don't even have his contact information!"

Sheng Chi stiffened.

After a pause, he asked a little awkwardly, "Then what have you been doing on your phone these past few days?"

Gu Zhijing: "..."

I can't exactly tell him I've been acting as his girlfriend fan.

He spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face. "I've been observing and researching the online activities of contemporary young women."

Sheng Chi: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "In plain English."

"...Lurking in the fandom."

"No, I don't mean contacting them privately. I just... I wanted to see what they thought of us, so we could make appropriate adjustments. After all, as idols, we should actively listen to our fans' suggestions, right?"

Gu Zhijing blinked, his tone innocent. "I didn't join in or interfere, much less violate the idol code. Really."

Sheng Chi froze, then immediately released Gu Zhijing's wrist, his expression softening considerably. "So you really aren't dating him online?"

"Of course not!"

Gu Zhijing breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his wrist, then hurriedly added in a plaintive tone, "I'm not dating him offline either."

Sheng Chi felt warmth finally return to his body.

Coming back to his senses, he hurriedly looked down at Gu Zhijing's wrist. "Did I hurt you?"

Gu Zhijing shook his head. "No."

He glanced at Sheng Chi's expression tentatively and smiled. "So that's what you were worried about?"

Thank goodness.

His alt account was still safely under wraps. That was good.

Sheng Chi brushed his fingertips over the spot on Gu Zhijing's wrist where he'd gripped it. "Sorry. I read too much into it."

He rubbed Gu Zhijing's head, his listless, agitated mood instantly swept away. "Come on, it's time to film."

-

After learning that Gu Zhijing wasn't dating anyone online, much less dating Chen Bei, Sheng Chi suddenly found himself in a wonderful mood.

So, while they were waiting to film, Sheng Chi suddenly considered checking out what the fans were saying too.

He rarely read what fangirls said, believing that idols only needed to do their jobs well and didn't have to pay too much attention to fans' comments.

But since Gu Zhijing was so keen on it...

It wouldn't hurt to take a little look.

And so, as Sheng Chi took out his phone to check Weibo from time to time,

Gu Zhijing kept receiving notifications from X Fantuan.

[Your special follow @Color4-Sheng Chi is online on Weibo.]

[Your special follow @Coloe4-Sheng Chi is online on Weibo again.]

After receiving a dozen or so notifications in succession, Gu Zhijing finally couldn't take it anymore. He turned to Sheng Chi beside him. "Brother Chi."

"Don't you know fans can see how often you come online and what you're doing?"

Seeing Sheng Chi stiffen, Gu Zhijing couldn't help laughing. "You should make an alt account. Or you could buy one? Want me to show you?"

Sheng Chi: "..."

Sheng Chi: "...No need. I know how."

After registering a new alt account himself and preserving the last of his dignity, Sheng Chi casually asked Gu Zhijing, "What's your alt called? I'll follow you."

Gu Zhijing's fingers paused.

A moment later, he quickly put away his phone and pretended nothing was wrong. "I'm not telling you."

Sheng Chi: "?"

About forty minutes later, it was finally Color4's turn to film their backstage interview.

The staff member across from them smiled. "The game Color4 drew is rapid-fire truth. We'll start on the left and go down the line. Each person has five seconds to answer a question."

She jokingly threatened, "No lying, or I'll bring out the lie detector."

It was a fairly common interview game.

None of the four had any objections. They nodded obediently, ready to begin.

-"Do you prefer cats or dogs?"

Gu Zhijing: "Cats!"

-"Do you prefer Pepsi or Coke?"

Jiang Yu: "Pepsi!"

-"Do you prefer hot pot or barbecue?"

Xu Linyuan: "Hot pot."

-"Which of your teammates do you like more, Gu Zhijing or Xu Linyuan?"

Sheng Chi: "..."

What kind of lousy question was that for his turn?

Beside him, Jiang Yu clapped, delighted to watch the fun. "That's a question sure to offend someone. I like it!"

He urged him on. "Come on, pick one!"

A hint of a smile unconsciously appeared in Sheng Chi's eyes. "Gu Zhijing."

Jiang Yu: "Nice and decisive! I like it!"

Xu Linyuan also knew the two of them were close, so he just joked, "I didn't expect you to be this kind of captain."

"Next round. Back to Xiao Jing: in stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, do you prefer more tomato or more egg?"

Gu Zhijing had been slightly taken aback by Sheng Chi's answer and almost failed to come back to his senses. It took him two seconds to respond. "Tomato."

-"Do you prefer sweet or savory tofu pudding?"

Jiang Yu: "Savory." -"Do you prefer sunny days or rainy days?"

Xu Linyuan: "Sunny days."

-"Which of your teammates do you like more, Gu Zhijing or Jiang Yu?"

Sheng Chi: "..."

Sheng Chi's eyelid twitched, and he laughed. "Is the production team targeting me? Why do I get this kind of question every time?"

This time he didn't hesitate for long. "Gu Zhijing."

Jiang Yu clutched his chest and wailed, "Captain! I'm always so good to you! And this is how you repay me!"

"All right, next round."

"Back to Xiao Jing: do you prefer summer or winter?"

"Xiao Jing? Xiao Jing?"

"Ah."

Gu Zhijing remained dazed for a while. After a long moment, he looked at the camera and pinched his fingertips together, his ears turning red. "Sorry. Summer."

After Jiang Yu and Xu Linyuan's questions, it was Sheng Chi's turn again.

"Which teammate do you like better, Jiang Yu or Xu Linyuan?"

The teammates chorused, "Ooh."

Sure enough, what was coming had to come.

They'd set up the triangle question plain as day, determined to force him to rank them.

Jiang Yu egged him on. "Losing to Gu Jing was understandable, but losing a second time would be too much, wouldn't it?"

Xu Linyuan smiled too. "Captain, you decide what to do."

Gu Zhijing looked over as well and met Sheng Chi's gaze squarely.

He instinctively looked away.

But Sheng Chi suddenly gave a faint smile.

Then.