Chapter 45

Stir it, and a cotton candy spirit would be born.

And if that cotton candy spirit no longer wanted to live in the sky and fell to earth, it would become a little fellow like this, wearing a white fluffy coat over a white sweater.

Sheng Chi's world fell silent in that instant.

Only the sound of his pounding heart remained.

In fact, Gu Zhijing's look was meant to create the image of the clingy younger puppy-boy from their new song.

But to Sheng Chi, when he lifted his eyes from beneath his curly brown bangs, looking up with a questioning, sparkling gaze, he looked just like a little polar bear asking for candy.

The little polar bear ran toward him.

Sheng Chi instinctively moved to catch him, only to see the little polar bear stop short, look at the person behind him, and call out in a strong voice, "Hello, Sister Yu!"

Sheng Chi: "..."

He rubbed the tip of his nose, turned around, and echoed, "Hello, Sister Yu."

"You've all finished getting styled, right?"

Yu Wenwen looked them over and said with satisfaction, "You all look good. All right, we'll stick with yesterday's groups. Jiang Yu, you two go to the amusement park. Sheng Chi, you two go to the aquarium. Get ready; we're leaving at nine thirty."

Actually, after Sheng Chi exercised his authority as captain yesterday, the other two naturally refused to accept it and insisted that Gu Zhijing decide for himself whom he belonged to.

Gu Zhijing naturally had someone in mind.

But what was the purpose of this outing? It was to help the four of them, lifelong singles who knew nothing about romance, find that so-called feeling of being in love.

If he chose Brother Chi, it would be a textbook case of using public business for private gain.

Gu Zhijing already felt guilty, so he suggested deciding in the fairest, most impartial and transparent way possible-rock, paper, scissors.

In other words, leaving their fate to heaven.

But in the end, they never got to play.

Because Yu Wenwen made the final decision on the groups.

The reason was simple, too.

Privately, this project was of course meant to help them find the feeling of being in love for their new song, but when it aired, it would ostensibly be promoted as an episode giving fans boyfriend-style fan service.

That meant they had to consider the fans' feelings.

Not just the girlfriend fans'.

But the CP fans' as well.

The Shengjing CP fans were especially formidable. This time, the Shengjing CP fan guild had even ranked fourth in album purchases, which showed their status as the group's top CP.

It would be unreasonable not to give them some fan service.

"Can't we really clear the place out?"

Jiang Yu still wouldn't give up. "There are so many people at the amusement park. We'll definitely get mobbed."

Gu Zhijing scoffed. "As if the aquarium won't be crowded."

Yu Wenwen spread her hands. "The company's budget is insufficient. That's not under consideration."

Jiang Yu muttered, "If I'd known, I would've gotten Brother Fei drunk one more time."

Yu Wenwen: "..."

"Your Brother Fei has been single for years too. I'm entirely responsible for planning this song."

She added another merciless blow in passing. "Don't think too highly of yourselves. Get a grip. Do you really think you're top stars and every person you pass on the street will recognize you?"

Jiang Yu protested, "You're kidding! With a few handsome guys like us brothers walking down the street, even if we were ordinary people, someone should come up and hit on us!"

Xu Linyuan frowned, apparently giving it serious thought. "And with camera operators following us around, we'd stand out too much. It'd be hard not to get noticed."

Yu Wenwen raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression that said she'd been waiting for him to say that. "So, this episode will be broadcast as a self-filmed vlog."

"Each group gets a camera. You have to film yourselves and your teammate. Figure out for yourselves how to do fan service and what direction to take it in."

"Oh, and remember not to shake your hands too much. If the footage shakes, they won't be able to edit it."

Color4: "???"

As the four stared at her in horror, she smiled and said, "Don't be scared. Assistants and bodyguards will be following you too. Just tell them if anything happens."

"Come on, get in the cars and go on your dates."

The two groups had different destinations, so they took separate cars.

Before getting into the car, Jiang Yu blew Gu Zhijing an exaggeratedly affectionate kiss from a distance. "Although we can't be together this time, there'll be other chances. See you tonight, Gu Jing. Don't miss me too much."

Afterward, he asked Xu Linyuan, "Did you get that? Did you?"

Gu Zhijing: "..."

The way straight men did fan service was truly so gay.

He shuddered, then instinctively glanced at Sheng Chi beside him.

His expression seemed even darker. He grabbed Gu Zhijing and shoved him into the car, blocking his view of Jiang Yu. "Let's go."

The amusement park and aquarium had also been assigned by drawing lots.

Gu Zhijing naturally wanted to go to the amusement park.

But unfortunately, in a run of bad luck, he had chosen to draw first.

With the luck the four members of Color4 had, whoever drew first was doomed.

The one consolation was that, since it was New Year's Eve, there were bound to be fewer people at the aquarium than at the amusement park.

And as Sister Yu had said,

they still hadn't reached the point where just anyone on the street could recognize them.

Sheng Chi raised the camera, adjusted it slightly, and said, "We can start the fan service now. Gu Zhijing, look at the camera."

"Hello, everyone. I'm Gu Zhijing of Color4."

"The way What Is Color4 Doing Today is meeting everyone today is a little special."

In the viewfinder, Gu Zhijing walked backward, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the camera. "Mainly because I'm out alone with our captain for some time just for the two of us-just kidding. We're taking you to see the world inside the aquarium here."

Sister Yu had said they could film however they liked.

But without a doubt, shots like this from a girlfriend's perspective were the best way to give fans what they wanted.

After all, solo fans would think the perspective was so realistic, as if they were on a date with their idol.

And CP fans would think, The older one is filming the younger one, so the younger one is looking at him the whole time he talks-that's so sweet!

Two birds with one stone.

But at that moment, Sheng Chi stared at the person in the viewfinder, suddenly setting all other thoughts aside as he fell into a slight daze.

The weather was exceptionally cold that winter.

Gu Zhijing was already sensitive to the cold, and the area they were passing through was outdoors. His exposed fingers, the tips of his ears, and his nose were all red with cold, yet his expression remained lively and bright as he looked at the camera, without a trace of displeasure.

As an idol, he naturally admired his professionalism.

But as his teammate-

Sheng Chi lowered the camera and suddenly asked, "Are you cold?"

Gu Zhijing paused, then instinctively said, "I'm okay."

Sheng Chi said nothing. He simply reached over and touched his fingertips.

They were icy.

"How is that okay?"

Sheng Chi tossed him the camera and unfolded the map himself. A moment later, he said, "Go sit inside and wait for me."

Without another word, he put on his mask and ran off into the distance.

Gu Zhijing: "?"

Utterly bewildered, he obediently found a place to sit, fiddled with the camera for a while, then asked the assistant for a stand so he could film himself.

Gu Zhijing had never done anything like this before. After filming alone for a while under the odd looks of the people around him, he felt he must look like an influencer doing a livestream.

Fortunately, Sheng Chi returned before long.

"Here."

Sheng Chi handed him a cup of milk tea. "Warm your hands."

"You went out of your way to buy this?"

Gu Zhijing's eyes lit up. He smiled, glanced down at the label, and his brows immediately drooped. "Thirty percent sugar."

Sheng Chi took the camera back, expressionless. "As an idol, you should consume less sugar."

"Let's go."

He turned around and heard the little polar bear patter after him, muttering in great dissatisfaction that he'd said he wouldn't gain weight anyway. Sheng Chi couldn't help the slight curl of his lips.

They made their way to the beluga whale area ahead.

Gu Zhijing stared at the belugas in a daze, his face almost pressed against the glass.

Sheng Chi couldn't help laughing. "Are you a fish too?"

"Yep."

Without blinking, Gu Zhijing spun nonsense on the spot. "I'm a little grass carp, the kind that goes blub blub and blows melancholy bubbles."

He tilted his head and asked, "Aren't you going to look, Brother Chi? How about I hold the camera and film you for a while? What if there's no footage of you when they edit it later?"

Sheng Chi shook his head, unperturbed. "I'm not very interested in this."

"That won't do."

Gu Zhijing said, "Sister Yu gave us a task."

Sheng Chi suddenly raised an eyebrow.

He looked at Gu Zhijing and asked, as if deliberately, "What task did Sister Yu give us?"

"Uh..."

Gu Zhijing looked baffled, but answered anyway. "Film our group variety show ourselves."

Sheng Chi pointed at the phone's camera. "Isn't that what I'm doing?"

Gu Zhijing: "...And prepare for the new song's performance, find... find the feeling of being in love?"

Sheng Chi kept staring into his eyes, making him sound especially unsure as he spoke.

Sheng Chi lowered his head slightly and pinched his ear.

Then he leaned close, his voice tinged with barely suppressed laughter. "Aren't I playing the role of a dutiful boyfriend right now?"

Author's note: I was so stuck on the writing that my teeth hurt. Sorry, everyone QAQ

Thanks to the little angels who gave nutrient solution: Meng Fuzhou, 12 bottles; Jiang Ting Is My Bottom, 4 bottles; T#T*^O^*, Songjing Zhengyun, and Sweet and Sour Fish, 1 bottle each;

Chapter 47

Sheng Chi's warm breath brushed over Gu Zhijing's ear and neck as he spoke.

Gu Zhijing's mind went blank for a moment.

To Sheng Chi, it might have been an ordinary, inconsequential little joke between guys, neither improper nor excessive.

But Gu Zhijing alone remained immersed for several seconds in the ambiguous atmosphere the joke had created, unable to react.

Seeing that he hadn't responded, Sheng Chi probably thought he had taken the joke too far. He stepped back a little and asked, "Not good enough?"

Gu Zhijing finally came back to his senses.

Holding his milk tea, he looked up with his beautiful peach-blossom eyes, blinked slowly, and said, "Not good enough."

Sheng Chi: "?"

"You've got the wrong persona."

"According to the roles assigned in our song, the thoughtful, warm guy is obviously Xu Linyuan."

Gu Zhijing wore a serious expression, but his tone was clearly joking. "Stick to your own script. Don't go mixing up your roles."

Sheng Chi: "..."

He clicked his tongue softly, hooked a finger into the collar of Gu Zhijing's coat, and pulled him back in one move as he hurried away out of guilt. Staring into his eyes, he pressed, "Say that again. Who's not good enough?"

Gu Zhijing: "..."

He glanced guiltily to the side.

Though there were fewer people here, it wouldn't do for passersby to see them caught up in this.

Gu Zhijing understood all too well that a wise man knew when to yield, so he hurriedly put on an obedient act. "No, no. I'm not good enough. I'm the one who's not good enough, okay?"

Sheng Chi narrowed his eyes and, as if deliberately, continued pressing him. "How are you not good enough?"

Gu Zhijing: "..."

Sheng Chi was so close that he could barely think straight. He let loose and started talking nonsense. "...I'm not good enough because I haven't played the girlfriend role you want?"

After he said it, both he and Sheng Chi froze.

Gu Zhijing suddenly lowered his eyes, then muttered, "Well, that can't be helped. I can't play that role."

Sheng Chi felt the conversation had gone off track. "That's not-"

Without waiting for him to finish, Gu Zhijing glanced at him and suddenly smiled. "Deep down, you actually think Sister Yu's plan is pretty unreliable too, right? After all, finding the feeling of being in love... who looks to their own teammate to experience it?"

He paused, then said quietly, "If you really want to experience it, the girl group next door welcomes you. Whatever type you like, they have it."

Sheng Chi frowned, noticing that something was wrong with his mood, and tried to coax him. "Gu-"

"Oh, right. We haven't filmed the music video for this song anyway. If you like, we can ask one of them to be the female lead when the time comes-"

Sheng Chi spoke a little more firmly. "Gu Zhijing."

Gu Zhijing fell silent.

He was obviously a little upset, though not much, and it had come on for no apparent reason.

Sheng Chi was naturally rather slow to perceive emotions and had always been too lazy to puzzle them out or coax people.

But now he fell silent for a moment, curled his fingers, then sighed and, patient-