Lin Weiluo was the first to sort herself into a team, and naturally, everyone else had to choose their own allies too.
Because of Xie Qingchi's sudden appearance, the production team changed the competition format at the last minute, so Li Yi, who had originally been persuaded to participate, took the opportunity to withdraw from what had been an unfair game to begin with.
"Shuangjian, since we've decided to pick teams first, who do you want to team up with?"
Yu Sheng spoke with absolute conviction, having already demonstrated his advantages right at the start. He was confident that Shen Shuangjian had at least a fifty percent chance of choosing him.
Beside them, Gu Xuanlin, who had barely spoken, also shifted his posture quite naturally, silently reminding them of his presence.
Beneath this seemingly peaceful scene, the smoke of battle had already begun to rise, but Shen Shuangjian failed to notice. His lips parted slightly, yet before he could utter a sound, Xie Qingchi, who had been standing silently to one side with his arms folded, interrupted him.
"What a hassle."
His gaze settled slowly and imperiously on Shen Shuangjian, as though his words were merely a casual remark, yet also an order that brooked no argument.
"He's on my team."
With that, Xie Qingchi stepped between the two of them and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Shuangjian.
"You two can team up. That way, you can't say I'm bullying you." Xie Qingchi tipped his chin, a trace of pleasure inevitably coloring his voice. "Is your production team still not starting the livestream? Are you waiting for me to personally invite you?"
Perhaps it was the confidence his privileged status had given him since childhood, but Xie Qingchi never left anyone room to refuse when he spoke.
And that was indeed how things stood. The Xie Family was the show's biggest investor, and as the Xie Family's crown prince, Xie Qingchi had an entire business empire to inherit in the future.
So who would dare deny him his wishes?
In another few years, never mind standing in the same place and talking to him-he would probably be like his youngest uncle, and people would have to consider whether they were qualified even to meet him.
"..."
After a brief silence, Gu Xuanlin and Yu Sheng, forced to stand together, glanced at each other almost simultaneously. Neither spoke, but their dissatisfaction went without saying.
Shuangjian was choosing his teammate. What were you barking orders for?
But no matter how speechless they felt or how much they wanted to snap back, they remained silent on the surface.
After all, so what if the people here were big names in the entertainment industry? So what if they had countless fans? In the end, an arm could never overpower a thigh. They would only be creating more trouble for themselves.
[Yay, yay, yay! We're live! I'm so happy!]
[Fuck, I forced myself to stay awake from this morning until now just to watch this livestream. Director Wang, how are you ever going to repay what you owe me?!]
[Why does my wife still look so unwell? Is he feeling sick?]
[Girl, how about taking a look at who's standing next to your wife?]
[Holy shit, Xie Qingchi??! I was wondering why my wife looked so awful. Turns out Xie Qingchi's standing beside him.]
[Xie Qingchi: What's that supposed to mean?]
[Xie Qingchi: I've been fucking standing here forever, and you're telling me you couldn't see me?]
[Hahahaha, Xie Qingchi: Is that polite?]
[No, no, no. With Xie Qingchi's personality, I think he'd say: Polite? Where's your fucking mother?]
[Wait, wasn't today's livestream supposed to have them in teams of two? The way they're standing... does that mean Xie Qingchi's teamed up with my wife?]
[Aaaah?! Noooo!]
[Evil Xie Qingchi, let go of my wife!]
[Everyone, don't let this Xie Qingchi get away with it! He deserves to die for fighting us over our wife!]
[Down with capitalism!]
Perhaps because the shock of first learning that the person he had caught that breathtaking glimpse of was the very pursuer he had despised and targeted had been too great, Xie Qingchi had not actually noticed many other details last time.
But that was not his fault.
If anything was to blame, it was the boundless, captivating tenderness hidden in Shen Shuangjian's sidelong glance, the red thread in his hair that was too striking, and his cool, distant features that were far too aloof.
So only now, with Shen Shuangjian standing beside him, could Xie Qingchi notice a little more.
For instance, Shen Shuangjian was actually much shorter than him, far too slender and frail compared with himself.
And the fragrance on Shen Shuangjian had not been picked up from a thousand-acre garden of roses in full bloom. It belonged to him alone, a subtle scent that defied description yet wound tightly around him.
"You look unwell."
Of course, Xie Qingchi had also noticed his complexion today, which seemed a little paler and wearier than yesterday.
But such a caring tone inevitably sounded deliberate, so after speaking, Xie Qingchi did not forget to stress a point or two to cover for himself.
"I'm worried you'll hold me back. For the sake of whether I win or lose, if you feel unwell later, I don't mind pulling some strings for you and using a few extraordinary methods to win."
Xie Qingchi showed not the slightest hint of guilt as he spoke.
As the future head of the Xie Family, he had always been taught by his parents and his youngest uncle that there was no shame in possessing privileges.
Within controllable limits, he should use controllable power and methods to obtain the victory he wanted, because fairness had always rested in the hands of those who made the rules.
So whether on the racetrack or in any other competition he entered, when Xie Qingchi sought fairness rather than privileges, it was not because he was particularly upright or egalitarian.
It was because he needed to find the head-on clashes and evenly matched opposition he had never been able to experience in all the years before.
He, Xie Qingchi, had been born to make the rules. Did he need to feel guilty about changing rules he had made himself?
The answer was obvious.
Unfortunately, Shen Shuangjian had no need for his extraordinary methods, nor did he understand that his words belied his intentions.
"Thank you, but there's no need."
Shen Shuangjian raised his eyes, the indifference in his gaze always filled with an earnest distance.
"If you think I'll hold you back, I won't mind if you choose another teammate."
There was not the slightest possibility that Shen Shuangjian was speaking out of anger, because he knew very clearly that his sickly body really would hold others back.
In his previous life, whether taking part in academic coursework or seminars, Shen Shuangjian had always been granted some leniency because of his frail health.
He always received the easiest tasks, even enjoying the final results without contributing, yet because of the sharp edges of his withdrawn nature, he could not even offer sincere thanks.
So Shen Shuangjian had never complained when others deliberately avoided him or kept a respectful distance.
That had been true before, and it was even more true now.
And Shen Shuangjian's attitude was tantamount to a silent slap across Xie Qingchi's face-an extremely earnest slap that left him no room to maneuver.
"You-"
Xie Qingchi instinctively knitted his brows. He wanted to say that Shen Shuangjian did not know what was good for him, that he could not understand what he was implying, that he had offered him face only for him to reject it and insist on throwing it to the ground and trampling it.
But when he truly met those pale, tea-brown eyes...
His heart gave a helpless flutter instead.