At around eight in the evening, Qi Xiao saw a new notification pop up in the show’s WeChat group chat.
Tapping in, he saw that Shen Ye had extended a date invitation to Jiang Fei for tomorrow.
Given what had happened earlier during class, Shen Ye’s choice wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Still, Qi Xiao found it a bit puzzling. If Shen Ye had given up on Song Mei because she gave a ring to Liang Yi, wasn’t switching to Jiang Fei essentially the same thing? After all, Jiang Fei clearly had feelings for Lu Xingliang.
After Shen Ye sent the message, the director directly tagged Jiang Fei in the group. However, she probably hadn’t checked her phone yet, as she hadn’t responded.
When Qi Xiao mentioned this to Su Mei, she found it entirely normal. “Sexual orientation isn’t something that easily changes,” she remarked. “If he kept pursuing Song Mei, the audience would probably tear him apart.”
Her words left Qi Xiao deep in thought. He had never really considered the topic of sexual orientation before; even during his solo interview in the first episode, he had just answered off the top of his head.
Qi Xiao asked, “How do you figure out someone’s sexual orientation?”
He hadn’t thought about it before, but now he felt a bit uneasy. The production team was having him hype up a CP dynamic with Zhou Chongyu. If Zhou Chongyu happened to be straight, it must be really uncomfortable for him. Zhou Chongyu had always been gentle and considerate around him, so even if he felt offended or put on the spot, he probably wouldn’t say it out loud.
Su Mei, however, misunderstood his concern. “That’s hard to say, but you don’t need to worry about it. Everyone on the show knows where to draw the line—nobody’s going to catch real feelings.”
After giving it some thought, Qi Xiao sent a message to Zhou Chongyu: I have a question I want to ask you.
Ever since they added each other, they chatted occasionally like ordinary friends. Contrary to his initial impression, Zhou Chongyu was actually very adept at socializing. At least for Qi Xiao, he was a great conversationalist.
Zhou Chongyu: What is it?
Qi Xiao: Do you like boys or girls?
After sending the message, realizing this was a rather private topic after all, Qi Xiao quickly added: I mean, does being paired up with me make you feel uncomfortable?
The chat displayed “typing…” for a short while before Zhou Chongyu replied: If it’s with you, I don’t mind at all.
Qi Xiao let out a sigh of relief. That was wonderful news.
About twenty minutes later, Jiang Fei finally replied in the group chat: Sorry, I was caught up with something just now.
She immediately followed up with: Sure, I’ll be there on time.
Shen Ye replied with a happy emoji: See you tomorrow.
Tuesday.
Having gone to bed early the previous night, Qi Xiao woke up feeling completely refreshed.
This morning, he had an appointment to shoot an in-stream commercial for Qise.
Although he wasn’t particularly thrilled about the job, how could he let personal feelings get in the way of making money? That was Qi Xiao’s exact train of thought until he got into the car, and Su Mei revealed the filming location.
“Did I not tell you? I must have forgotten in all the rush,” Su Mei said with a hint of excitement. “Because they want to highlight their brand’s unique character, a few shots will be filmed right at Qise’s headquarters. I heard their corporate building is super high-tech. If it weren’t closed to the public, it would definitely be a trendy hot spot for influencers.”
This wasn’t Qi Xiao’s first time visiting Qise HQ. He had been there as a child, though he rarely visited after growing up. At this point, the only person in the company who would recognize him was likely Yu Ye’s personal secretary.
Once they arrived, a manager promptly came out to greet them. The reception was polite and courteous as they guided Qi Xiao toward the shooting location.
Thanks to his prior experience with commercial shoots, the work went smoothly. After wrapping up, Qi Xiao and the team took the elevator down together. Just as they reached the ground floor, the adjacent elevator doors slid open, and a man dressed in a sharp suit stepped out.
Before Qi Xiao even noticed, Su Mei reacted first: “Good morning, President Yu.”
It was clearly an executive-only elevator, and since Yu Ye frequently appeared on the covers of finance magazines—with plenty of photos circulating online—Su Mei recognized him instantly.
The moment Yu Ye spotted Qi Xiao, his brows instinctively knitted together. Just as he was about to speak, he seemed to realize the setting was inappropriate, swallowed his words, and offered a polite nod of greeting to the group.
Even after walking out the main doors, Su Mei was still talking about it. “If only President Yu could retain some impression of you. Who knows, there might be a chance to collaborate in the future.”
Qi Xiao thought to himself: Far more than just ‘some impression’—I’ve been around him since the day I was born.
However, he had zero desire for any long-term collaboration with Qise. One of the terms in his original agreement with Yu Ye was that he couldn’t rely on any of Yu Ye’s resources—not even using the family name. That was why Qi Xiao had been so careful to keep his identity hidden.
As for Yu Ye personally arranging for him to shoot this Qise ad, Qi Xiao figured it was mostly meant as a warning.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his phone chimed with a text from Yu Ye: Have lunch together.
Qi Xiao knew the place without needing to ask—it was a tacit agreement between them. Turning to Su Mei, he said, “Sister Su Mei, a friend invited me for lunch.”
“Where at? Make sure you aren’t spotted by paparazzi,” Su Mei warned, her concern well-founded. With the show premiere right around the corner, media outlets were hyper-focused on the high-profile cast members, eagerly waiting to dig up gossip.
Qi Xiao reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s that restaurant in the north part of the city.”
Hearing that, Su Mei relaxed. That restaurant was indeed in a secluded location—so hidden that even a local like her had never heard of it before. She had no idea how Qi Xiao’s friend had even found it, but the two of them occasionally met up there.
Speaking of which, she had never actually met this friend of Qi Xiao’s. When she asked once, she was told it was a childhood friend. Since Su Mei didn’t like to over-interfere in her artists’ personal lives—and Qi Xiao had always been low-maintenance—she hadn’t paid much mind to it.
Su Mei had the driver drop Qi Xiao off near the restaurant before leaving, agreeing to pick him up after he finished.
Stepping through the door, a staff member immediately guided him inside. “Mr. Yu is already waiting for you.”
Upon entering the private room, he indeed saw Yu Ye sitting there with a rather sour expression.
Feigning ignorance, Qi Xiao called out, “Brother, I’m here!”
Yu Ye got straight to the point: “What’s going on between you and Zhou Chongyu?”
Realizing there was no dodging the subject, Qi Xiao told the truth: “It’s the production team’s arrangement. CP hype is really popular right now, so the director wanted the two of us to interact more.” Fearing Yu Ye might ruin things, he quickly added, “It’s all fake! Once the show wraps up, we won’t have any connection at all.”
Yu Ye pressed further, “Do you like him?”
That question caught Qi Xiao off guard. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Brother, what kind of ‘like’ do you mean?”
Zhou Chongyu was quite good-looking, and he had a nice voice. From that perspective, he did like him.
Hearing this, Yu Ye grew even angrier. “How many kinds are you planning to have?”
Just then, a waiter arrived to serve the dishes, forcing Yu Ye to temporarily drop the subject.
This restaurant didn’t offer a menu; what was served depended entirely on the owner’s mood that day. Yet every meal Qi Xiao had here was delicious, making him a loyal fan of the place.
Adhering strictly to the rule of “no talking while eating,” Yu Ye refrained from lecturing him during the meal. Qi Xiao took full advantage of this to savor the food. Yu Ye barely touched the spread of dishes, most of which ended up in Qi Xiao’s stomach. The few dishes Qi Xiao didn’t care for, Yu Ye helped finish.
Midway through the meal, something suddenly struck Qi Xiao. Mumbling through a mouthful of food, he asked, “Oh right, arranging for me to shoot the Qise ad doesn’t count, right?”
Yu Ye set down his chopsticks. “What?”
“We agreed back then that I couldn’t rely on you or the family, but this time you initiated it yourself. So, it doesn’t count as me breaking the agreement,” Qi Xiao turned to look at him. “Brother, you can’t play dirty.”
Yu Ye snorted coldly. “You think I’m like you?”
When he first learned Qi Xiao was entering the entertainment industry, Yu Ye was displeased to the extreme. He hadn’t asked a single question about the agency contract or subsequent acting gigs, leading to a cold war between them. It was only after half a year that their relationship gradually thawed, making this the very first time Yu Ye had actively interfered in Qi Xiao’s career.
Pondering for a moment, Qi Xiao probed cautiously, “Brother, look at me now—I’m doing pretty well. How about that agreement.”
Yu Ye knew exactly what he was thinking and sneered on the spot. “What, realizing now that you can’t fulfill it?”
Qi Xiao puffed out his cheeks in dissatisfaction. “Your requirement was completely unreasonable in the first place! Besides, what era are we living in? What kind of family guardian acts like you? I already said I didn’t want to, but you insist on forcing me.”
The core dispute between him and Yu Ye was simple: Yu Ye wanted him to join the company and eventually move into management, but Qi Xiao had never had the slightest interest in business. Furthermore, in his view, having his brother manage the company was more than enough—there was no reason for him to join as well.
However, even their father, who usually doted on Qi Xiao, had rarely sided with Yu Ye on this matter. No matter how much Qi Xiao pleaded, neither would yield, leaving Qi Xiao with no choice but to agree to a pact with Yu Ye.
Yu Ye said sternly, “Even if you can survive in the entertainment industry right now, what about five or ten years down the line? You are completely unsuited for this circle.”
Qi Xiao argued back, “Our family has so much money anyway—we could never finish spending it all! Why do I have to go work at the company?”
Though saying it sounded a bit shameless, he genuinely felt his brother was worrying over nothing. Over the past few years, Qi Xiao had saved up quite a bit of pocket money. Even if he stopped working entirely, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Hearing this, Yu Ye remained silent for a long moment before speaking again: “With Dad and me around, you naturally don’t have to worry. But Dad is getting old now, and if something unexpected ever happens to me what will you do then?”
It was rare for Yu Ye to bring up such a heavy topic, leaving Qi Xiao momentarily at a loss for words. Truthfully, he had been protected by his brother since childhood. If there ever came a day when his brother wasn’t around. Thinking of this, his nose stung slightly. Just as he was about to say, “That day will never come,” Yu Ye continued:
“When that time comes, with the family and company both collapsed, you’ll be forced into a business marriage with a man you don’t love just to clear the debts. And after marriage, he’ll treat you terribly and even harvest your kidney to save his white lotus true love.”
Qi Xiao: “??”
There’s really no need for your imagination to run that wild.
*
“The food here is good, isn’t it? Not just anyone can get a table here, either. The owner only serves two tables a day—I had to wait over half a month just to get a reservation.”
Lu Xingliang glanced at him. “You’re the only one who obsessively tracks stuff like this.”
The speaker was Ji Liaoyang, whose family was long-standing friends with Lu Xingliang’s. The two had grown up together as childhood buddies. Recently, Ji Liaoyang was planning to direct a project of his own, which was why he had invited Lu Xingliang over to consult today.
Once they finished discussing official business, Ji Liaoyang recalled the dating show Lu Xingliang was currently participating in and couldn’t resist teasing him: “So, found anyone who catches your eye on the show yet?”
Lu Xingliang didn’t even bother lifting his eyelids. “No.”
“I saw the cast list—there are non-celebrities on there too. None of them do it for you either? Man, your standards are just way too high.”
Lu Xingliang didn’t respond, quietly keeping his thoughts to himself.
“Oh right, that Qi Xiao is on the show too, isn’t he? How is he as a person?”
Lu Xingliang gave him a side-eye. “What, planning to recruit him for a role?”
“How could I? If I cast him in my directorial debut, I might as well forfeit any chance of joining the ranks of acclaimed directors,” Ji Liaoyang laughed. “It’s my younger sister. She’s a huge fan of Qi Xiao. Sigh, you have no idea—she treats him like her own son. She worries every single day that her ‘baby’ is getting bullied by you. She’s complained until my ears have grown calluses.”
“By the way, do me a favor,” Ji Liaoyang said, pulling out a small notebook. “Next time you film, get his personalized autograph for her.”
Lu Xingliang didn’t reply, but Ji Liaoyang knew his silence meant tacit agreement. He placed the notebook on the table and asked, “How’s your relationship with Qi Xiao anyway? Judging by what they said online earlier, did you really give him a harsh scolding?”
Lu Xingliang let out a scoff. “You actually believe what’s online?”
“I figured it was fake, too. If you were really going to scold someone, there’s no way you’d let yourself get caught on camera,” Ji Liaoyang chuckled heartily. “Listening to you, it sounds like you don’t dislike him at all?”
Since they had been friends for over two decades, Lu Xingliang didn’t bother hiding his thoughts from Ji Liaoyang: “He’s pretty pure-hearted. He’s not like what the rumors online make him out to be.”
“Oho,” Ji Liaoyang grinned playfully. “I get it now. Turns out you’re into the innocent ‘white lotus’ type! Why didn’t you say so earlier? I could’ve introduced a few non-celebrities to you. Why bother sticking to an empty eye-candy?”
Lu Xingliang couldn’t be bothered to respond to him.
After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the private room together. Ji Liaoyang lagged a couple of steps behind, texting his sister to let her know the autograph was taken care of. He didn’t expect Lu Xingliang, walking ahead, to suddenly come to a dead halt, nearly causing Ji Liaoyang to crash right into his back.
Just as he was about to complain, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice call out:
“Senior?”
Ji Liaoyang peered over Lu Xingliang’s shoulder to look ahead. As it turned out, someone had just stepped out of the private room opposite theirs. The person appeared to be of student age and was looking at the two of them with curiosity.
Most notably, he had an exceptionally gorgeous face.
Ji Liaoyang’s eyes lit up instantly. Stepping up beside Lu Xingliang, he whispered, “You know him?”
Lu Xingliang gave a brief hum of assent before addressing the youth: “What are you doing here?”
“I came here for lunch with a friend,” Qi Xiao replied. He had just received a text from Su Mei saying the car had arrived. To avoid being seen by her, Yu Ye was still waiting inside the room and would only come out after Qi Xiao left.
Lu Xingliang fell silent. Beside him, Ji Liaoyang nudged him discreetly and urged in a low voice, “Introduce me, quick!”
“My friend,” Lu Xingliang said, pointing at the man beside him with succinct brevity.
Ji Liaoyang: “?”
Realizing he couldn’t count on Lu Xingliang, Ji Liaoyang took two steps forward on his own. Drawing a business card from his breast pocket, he offered it with a friendly smile: “Hello, I’m Ji Liaoyang. I wonder if you’d be interested in joining the entertainment industry? Perhaps we could collaborate in the future.”
Qi Xiao took the offered card and glanced down at it. It turned out he was a director—though he looked quite young, seemingly around Lu Xingliang’s age. Qi Xiao nodded politely: “Hello, Director Ji. I’m Qi Xiao.”
Upon hearing the name, Ji Liaoyang froze on the spot. Soon, however, a realization dawned on him and his smile returned. “So you’re Qi Xiao! My younger sister is a huge fan of yours! Oh, right.”
Since they happened to run into each other here, he figured he might as well get the signature right away. He turned around, signaling for Lu Xingliang to take out the notebook. To his dismay, Lu Xingliang completely ignored the hint, standing there with an expression of utterly detached indifference.
Fearing that delaying any longer might cause his brother to walk out, Qi Xiao quickly spoke up: “I have something to attend to, so I’ll head off first. Let’s chat more if we get the chance.”
Ji Liaoyang had no choice but to bid him goodbye.
Once Qi Xiao had walked away, Ji Liaoyang couldn’t help asking, “Why didn’t you pass me the notebook just now?”
Lu Xingliang replied smoothly, “I forgot.”
Ji Liaoyang rolled his eyes at him. Watching the boy’s receding back, he muttered with a hint of regret, “Why did it have to be Qi Xiao? Otherwise, I’d really love to work with him.”
Coming back to his senses, he bumped his elbow against Lu Xingliang’s shoulder, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now I get you.”
Then, a sudden thought struck him, and his expression turned into one of concern. “Though, a friend who can bring him to eat at a place like this is definitely no ordinary person. You’d better watch out—don’t end up getting scammed out of your heart and money by a younger guy at your age.”
Lu Xingliang glanced at him, uttering a single, expressionless word: “Scram.”
Because this restaurant was in a secluded location, there were no parking spaces nearby. Ji Liaoyang had parked his car on the main avenue ahead, so he went off first to bring the car around, leaving Lu Xingliang to wait.
Less than two minutes later, Lu Xingliang noticed the door of the private room Qi Xiao had just exited being pushed open.
He had assumed Qi Xiao’s friend had already left, but to his surprise, the person was still inside.
Their eyes met in midair across the hallway, and an unusual tension settled over the space.
Lu Xingliang quietly appraised the man. The clothing and accessories he wore were all astronomically expensive—just as Ji Liaoyang had said, he was certainly no ordinary person.
His face also looked somewhat familiar, and the look in his eyes gave Lu Xingliang a distinctly uncomfortable sensation.
It seemed to be hostility.
Not long after getting into the car, Qi Xiao received a message from Lu Xingliang:
“Forgot to mention earlier—my friend’s sister wants your autograph. I have the notebook with me. When are you free?”
Qi Xiao thought about it. He had a brand event later this week, followed by the show recording on Saturday. He asked: “Will you be attending this week’s class, Senior?” That would be the most convenient option and save them an extra trip, especially given how busy Lu Xingliang must be.
“Not sure yet. I’ll let you know in a couple of days.”
Lu Xingliang’s fingers hovered above the keyboard for a moment, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to type out the question: Who was the person you had lunch with just now?
After another ten minutes or so, Qi Xiao’s phone vibrated again.
Unlocking the screen, he saw that Lu Xingliang had forwarded him an article from an Official Account, titled:
“Modern Rules of Friendship: Be on Guard Against These Types of Friends, Or Risk Being Scammed!”
Qi Xiao: ?