The second day's filming progressed on schedule.
Shen Shuangjian did not even dare linger any longer. He hurried away, and even when he ran into Gu Xuanlin greeting him on the way, he merely gave a perfunctory nod.
Only once he got into the car the production crew had arranged to take him home did Shen Shuangjian barely manage to calm down.
Yet after he left the filming location, several people somehow got hold of his contact information and searched his phone number to add him on WeChat.
Including the guide, there were now seven people on the show. Excluding himself and the guide, Li Yi, a full five people had now sent him friend requests.
Shen Shuangjian could not tell which one was Xie Qingchi at all, so as he looked down at WeChat's constantly appearing friend request notifications, he felt the urge to retreat for the first time.
Shen Shuangjian pressed his lips together and turned off the screen, ultimately choosing to ignore them all.
Since the production crew's convoy was taking Shen Shuangjian home this time, he no longer had to flag down some random car on the road, so he finally did not have to walk a long way to get home.
Past the long entrance hallway, the enormous Shen Residence remained just as Shen Shuangjian remembered it: cold and silent as a magnificent ice cavern.
"Young master."
When Shen Shuangjian returned, quite a few servants were still attending to their duties in the main building of the Shen Residence.
When they saw Shen Shuangjian, they would politely address him with an honorific, but how much respect they actually held for him, and what they really thought, was very hard to say.
"Young master, dinner has not been delayed today. It will still be served at around five thirty."
The Shen Family's three daily meals were served at essentially the same times throughout the year. Unless the family gave instructions, the chef never delayed them.
In the past, however, Shen Shuangjian would deliberately avoid sharing a dinner table with Shen Sixian by appearing about forty minutes late.
But by then, the food would invariably have gone somewhat cold.
The phone's friend request and text message notifications popped up at regular intervals, as though reminding and urging Shen Shuangjian.
But Shen Shuangjian did not want to pay them any attention, so the first thing he did upon returning to his bedroom was drift off to take a leisurely bath.
The steam from the hot water gathered into wisps of white mist, warming the body that had been troubled by the chill all last night while also steaming away Shen Shuangjian's clear head.
An hour later, Shen Shuangjian pushed open the bathroom door. He had changed into a dry, lightweight, pure white fuzzy top, his half-blow-dried long hair hanging loose.
An occasional drop of water fell lightly onto his neck and shoulders, pale as jade porcelain, where a faint pink flush spread into a broad expanse of allure.
Bzz-
The phone lying all alone on the bed began to vibrate with a continuous buzzing.
Having just soothed himself with a bath, Shen Shuangjian had completely forgotten his wariness of an hour ago. Almost without hesitation, he tapped to answer.
"Shen Shuangjian-!"
The instant the voice rang out, Shen Shuangjian's eyes trembled, and he instinctively flung the phone away.
"Shen Shuangjian, are you even a modern person? What dynasty did you transmigrate from? What's the meaning of reading my texts and not replying?"
The phone that had fallen beside the bed continued stubbornly broadcasting Xie Qingchi's loud demands.
Shen Shuangjian hurriedly dropped to his knees and tapped the hang-up icon without hesitation. As though even that were not enough, he decisively blacklisted the number.
At last, silence returned to the bedroom.
Shen Shuangjian let out a breath. He knelt on the soft shag rug, his long hair spilling down, his slender, fair nape faintly visible.
He picked up the phone from the floor and, still shaken, checked the blacklist again. Only after making sure he had indeed blacklisted that number did he exit it in relief.
Yet in the very next second-
With a buzz, his phone vibrated again. A completely new number was calling.
Shen Shuangjian's scalp instantly prickled. His fingers went limp, and the phone dropped to the floor again with a clack.
At that very moment, if Shen Shuangjian had been a cat or dog rather than a person, even his fur would probably have stood on end.
The vibrations continued for several seconds before Shen Shuangjian picked the phone up from the shag rug again, looking hesitantly at the caller ID on the screen.
Xie Qingchi probably hasn't realized I blocked him that quickly, has he? Shen Shuangjian thought.
After much hesitation, Shen Shuangjian finally pressed his slender finger against the answer icon.
"Shen Shuangjian-!"
Before the last note of that drawn-out, furious, earth-shattering roar could even fade, the call was instantly cut off.
Without hesitation, Shen Shuangjian deftly blacklisted this number as well.
At the same time, to prevent Xie Qingchi from trying the same trick again, Shen Shuangjian even held down the power button and shut his phone off, afraid Xie Qingchi might come at him with some other underhanded trick.
Only when the screen went completely black did Shen Shuangjian make a token effort to move his calves, which had gone numb from kneeling. Bracing himself against the foot of the bed, he stood and tossed the phone aside.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Xie Qingchi heard the announcement that the other party's phone was switched off and, unable to contain his anger, slammed the phone down.
"Does he think I'm some kind of savage beast?!"
Looking at the other phone he had thrown into the corner, Xie Qingchi was livid. He irritably rubbed his hair, unable to understand what Shen Shuangjian was trying to do with this sudden attitude.
Xie Qingchi did not understand. Whether he sent a WeChat friend request or a text, the other party coldly left him on read.
He called, only for Shen Shuangjian to blacklist him. When Xie Qingchi tried another phone, he got the full three-part treatment: hang up, blacklist, switch off.
What, was he some heinous murderer?!
Xie Qingchi sat at his desk, too angry to say a single word, yet at that very moment, new Weibo notifications kept popping up on his phone.
Even more irritated, Xie Qingchi tapped in. The first thing he saw was the Weibo post he had made last night, whose comment section had completely blown up.
The most popular pinned comment was about him and Shen Shuangjian.
[Xie Qingchi, you really are the fastest man. Fast on the racetrack, fast at quitting the show, even faster at rejoining after quitting, fast at catching people in games, and most importantly, even your "so fragrant" turnaround was that fast (smirk)]
Replies:
[Admit it. He's totally in love.]
[I'm seriously begging Shen Shuangjian's husband fans, can you stop pouncing on everyone you see and forcing random ships? We're really not interested.]
[Thanks for the invite. Our wife isn't interested either, but your crown prince changed his tune so fast, getting handsy, hugging and holding him, and even deleting his Weibo post.]
[Leave me alone.]
[Xie Qingchi, the fastest man in history!]
[The best part is, wifey barely even bothers with him (smirk)]
Xie Qingchi: ...
Already angry, Xie Qingchi instantly flew into a rage at these half-teasing, half-insulting comments.
His fingers swiftly typed a few words into the text box.
Xie Qingchi V: You're the one eating your fucking words!
After cursing them out, he angrily made that private Weibo post public. To express his anger and deny that he had eaten his words, he even added another comment.
Xie Qingchi V: Please avoid me like I'm a savage beast!