Qin Fang's arrival at the production set had been rather sudden. By the time dinner was ready, the guests had all returned from work.
This week, they were taking turns cooking and washing the dishes, divided into several groups.
Xie Zhuzhou was responsible for odd jobs. There really wasn't much he could do, and sometimes, when traffic delayed his return, there was nothing left for him to do.
He could take off his mask during prerecorded filming. Whether that footage made the cut was up to the director. In any case, the netizens still didn't know what Xie Zhuzhou actually looked like, and he was happy to enjoy the freedom.
When Qin Fang finally saw Xie Zhuzhou's face, he couldn't help staring in a daze. Perhaps "a face like polished jade" and "a refined air of classical elegance" were descriptions meant for him.
Yet his demeanor was the polar opposite. He radiated coldness and distance, as though warning strangers to keep away. Whenever Qin Fang met Xie Zhuzhou's eyes, he felt as though he had mistaken him for someone else.
Before they met in person, they had chatted freely late into the night. Xie Zhuzhou had liked indulging him, flattering him, and praising him.
But now, on the show, they seemed like two strangers...
The enormous discrepancy unsettled Qin Fang, and he also wondered whether they were even still good buddies.
The ends of Xie Zhuzhou's hair were getting a little long. That morning, a maid had swept up the loose strands over his forehead, giving him a simple but handsome hairstyle.
Having often seen his own face in bronze mirrors since childhood, Xie Zhuzhou only knew he was reasonably good-looking. He had no idea just how handsome this face was.
An unwitting humblebragger, Xie Zhuzhou couldn't help feeling a little displeased at Qin Fang's unblinking stare.
There were other people at the table, too, all watching Xie Zhuzhou sit obediently on his stool and eat.
It just felt... like today's Xie Zhuzhou wasn't real!
Who would have thought he would listen to the director so obediently! Or had the director threatened him?
Everyone had their own thoughts. It wasn't that they liked people who wore cold expressions. In fact, people who constantly gave others the cold shoulder weren't well liked in social life, and might even end up without friends!
But with a face like Xie Zhuzhou's, a little arrogance seemed acceptable.
Yet the moment Qin Fang appeared, Xie Zhuzhou seemed to split into two completely different people. If Bai Shankui hadn't recently come across videos and heard Xie Zhuzhou laughing and chatting with Qin Fang while gaming, she would have wondered whether he had a split personality.
So they knew just how hard Xie Zhuzhou had simped for Qin Fang before.
And now... the atmosphere between them was so bizarre.
Had some unspeakable secret come between them, causing Xie Zhuzhou to see through the mortal world and undergo a drastic change in temperament?
Xie Zhuzhou calmly finished his last mouthful of soup.
He didn't have to wash the dishes tonight. After dinner, he would head home.
Everyone watched as Xie Zhuzhou ate and drank his fill, then ran off again! He treated the production set as either a hotel or a restaurant. No one had ever done this before!
There wasn't a single chance to build a connection with him!
Qin Fang had joined the show specifically to stick close to Xie Zhuzhou. The moment Xie Zhuzhou got moving, he couldn't sit still anymore and followed him.
Wen Ruohuai had never seen a background extra with such a strong presence, either. It was as though every guest revolved around Xie Zhuzhou. Who knew what charm the man even had!
Bad-tempered, rude, arrogant, unwilling to follow the production team's rules...
Were all these people blind to his many faults?!
Was the director really that useless?!
He had originally intended to trip Xie Zhuzhou up and make him yield, but despite days of planning, he hadn't found a single opening!
He had wanted to spread dirt on Xie Zhuzhou, only to discover that Xie Zhuzhou's reputation online was already bad enough. Qin Fang's girlfriend fans had smeared him so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him!
There were all sorts of ridiculous scandals!
The problem was that none of them had evidence. They simply kept spreading rumors so obviously fake that even casual onlookers couldn't stand it, turning Xie Zhuzhou into a pitiful victim of baseless attacks.
Ha. He was pitiful?
He was so arrogant on the dating show. Were the netizens blind?
Just when he had thought he would have to give up, things had taken an unexpected turn. Qin Fang had actually come knocking.
Now, all he had to do was get someone to capture some dirt on Xie Zhuzhou, and he could trample him underfoot, couldn't he?
He really hoped to see even a trace of anger on that face. He wanted to see him regretful, furious, and begging for mercy.
With his bag on his back, Xie Zhuzhou put on his mask. The skull bracelet around his fair wrist had been chosen by the maids to match his outfit. They had actually said it suited him very well.
Qin Fang still couldn't believe that the Xie Zhuzhou before him was his true self.
"Xiao Zhou, where are you going?"
"Home." Xie Zhuzhou glanced at his watch without looking up at Qin Fang. Instead, he took out his phone and sent Xiao Nan a message asking him to pick him up.
"Where do you live? Why don't I drive you home?" Qin Fang had assumed Xie Zhuzhou would be staying at the dating show's accommodations. Hearing that he was going home left him feeling a little disappointed.
"No need. My assistant is coming."
The moment he finished speaking, a black Bentley pulled up in front of them. Xie Zhuzhou didn't want to say anything more. He simply said goodbye, got in, and left.
The sight of Xie Zhuzhou distancing himself again and again stung Qin Fang's eyes, leaving him irritated and miserable. He thought it over. He hadn't done anything wrong lately, had he? It felt as though Xie Zhuzhou was angry with him.
Was it because of the dirt online, or was he angry that Qin Fang hadn't stepped forward to clear things up?
In all his life, no one had ever shown him so little respect, let alone Xie Zhuzhou, who had once shamelessly fawned over him.
He had been his fan for so long. Why had he suddenly stopped?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He suddenly wanted to drag him back. No matter what kind of sour expression Xie Zhuzhou wore, he only wanted to keep him by his side...
So what if the other man had money? As someone doted on by the Qin Family, how hard could it be for him to get one Xie Zhuzhou?
At that moment, half of Xiao Nan's brain was focused on driving, while the other half couldn't stop his thoughts from running wild. Could someone tell him what had happened?
He knew the young master's love life was messy, but he hadn't expected it to be this messy!
If he remembered correctly, that man just now was the Qin Family's most favored youngest son, wasn't he?
He had heard that whatever he wanted, he got. Even when Qin Fang wanted to enter the esports scene, they let him have his way. Not only did they support him, they even bought him a team specifically so he could play his way to a championship.
"Young master, do you know about Qin Fang's family background?"
"Is he that powerful?"
"Powerful, though probably not as powerful as your family."
After being pestered by so many people, Xie Zhuzhou was getting irritated, too. He wanted somewhere quieter that wouldn't feel deserted.
Xie Zhuzhou called Chu Yanzhang to ask whether it was a convenient time. If not, he would go home and sleep. After all, once he woke up, he would have another whole day of happiness ahead.