Eight people sat in a circle with cameras placed from every possible angle. Both Lin Wang and Chi Yuan were experts at managing their expressions. Even when they looked at each other, nothing could be read on their faces.
As for what they were thinking inside, who knew?
After observing the brilliance in Lin Wang’s eyes, Chi Yuan turned back and casually dismissed the interaction with a light, “Just kidding.” He then leaned against the sofa to fiddle with his phone, leaving Lin Wang alone to ponder.
From two days ago until now, Lin Wang’s attitude toward Chi Yuan had been consistently awkward. According to the deep contemplation Lin Wang had been doing in his head every day, he thought he had hidden it well, acting as if nothing had happened.
But Chi Yuan had seen through it long ago.
He saw it but did not say anything, standing to the side and watching coldly as the man who had been hugging him and calling him “Xiao Chi” the night before now turned around and kept his distance, acting as if they were not familiar at all.
Since his “brother” was no longer being affectionate, Chi Yuan stoked the fire himself. Like teasing a rabbit, he would prick at Lin Wang whenever he had the chance, reminding him not to think he could just wipe his mouth and leave after having his fill.
As long as the person was right under his nose, Chi Yuan’s patience was at an unprecedented high. If Lin Wang kept dodging him, he could not guarantee whether this fire would end up burning them both.
With Chi Yuan no longer speaking, Su Xi could not ask him anything more for the moment. The topic was successfully diverted, and Lin Wang finally found a moment of peace.
He listened to the others as they took turns talking to Chi Yuan, trying to get on his good side.
Chi Yuan was not as cold or difficult to approach as Lin Wang had imagined. He just did not talk much, but he was not completely silent.
Just as Chi Yuan had expected, Lin Wang’s mind was occupied with too much, far too much.
He was used to it. Before doing anything, he would think about it a hundred or eighty times. If he felt there was only a 50 or 60 percent chance of doing it well, he would let it go. If he ended up messing something up, he would just let it be a mess and go far away to reflect on it himself.
It was the same with Chi Yuan. The contract was very clear. Lin Wang felt that if he developed any inappropriate feelings, it would be wrong of him.
Therefore, Lin Wang thought a lot, but once his thoughts reached certain boundaries, he simply stopped thinking about them.
In order to boost viewership and engagement, the variety show format adopted the currently most popular “editing + livestream” model. There was a fixed livestream period every day, and the edited version would be released on the platform a week later.
Approaching 12:00 PM, Director Lu came to announce that it was time for lunch, and the livestream would officially begin with the meal.
The production team provided lunch for free, but for dinner, the guests would have to fend for themselves.
Once the cameras were set, Director Lu cheerfully suggested that they chat more at the table. On the surface, it was to help them get to know each other since they would need to rely on one another over these three days. Behind the scenes, he was hoping they would spill some earth-shattering news.
Apart from the genuine couple and the pair of Lin Wang and Chi Yuan, the other eight people could be considered strangers. Because of the live broadcast, everyone was cautious, making the initial meal and conversation inevitably awkward.
Since everyone was there for the screen time and popularity, they had to keep the conversation going even if they had nothing to say. Tao Yunqing took the initiative to introduce her situation, and others began to introduce themselves one after another.
The internet often jokingly said, “Director Lu’s shows do not hire idle people.” Those invited were either well-established or had immense traffic. Everyone present was currently popular in the industry. While their self-introductions were superficially humble, their underlying confidence could not be hidden.
Liu Linjia held a cup of orange juice in both hands and smiled modestly, “I think Qinghe and I are the youngest. We are both 21. Everyone can just call me Linjia.”
After a quick discussion, they realized Fang Yue was twenty-eight, Su Xi was thirty-nine, and surprisingly, the oldest among the rest was Lin Wang, who was only twenty-five.
Miao Qinghe debuted at eighteen through a talent show and formed a group. Of the ten members, he was the only one who had remained popular until now. He was tall, had long legs, was handsome, and was excellent at both singing and dancing. Aside from Chi Yuan’s freakishly large fanbase, he had the most fans in the livestream, a true top-tier idol.
He smiled, revealing a canine tooth, while sitting on Lin Wang’s right. He first addressed “Sister Su Xi, Brother Fang,” then turned to look at Lin Wang and called out, “Brother Lin.”
“Hey,” Lin Wang was focused on eating and only spoke his first sentence now. He looked at him while holding his water glass and smiled, “No need for formalities. Talking to me comes with risks, so watch out next time.”
Lin Wang was the only one there with a terrible reputation among the general public. Everyone present was cunning; they knew Lin Wang and Chi Yuan had an obvious connection, but no one mentioned it, as nobody wanted to stir up trouble. Now that Lin Wang brought it up himself, it actually made the situation seem less heavy.
Tao Yunqing was amused by him. The young girl was twenty-two this year, covering her mouth and giggling like a blooming flower.
Miao Qinghe directly raised his glass to toast with Lin Wang and said, “I was the first to speak, Brother Lin. Keep that in mind, you have to look after me from now on.”
That was a clever thing to say, intimate, enthusiastic, and socially adept. If Lin Wang did not respond, it would have been rude.
Chi Yuan, sitting to Lin Wang’s left, speared a piece of watermelon. When Lin Wang looked over, he curled his lips and stared at him, “Why look at me like that? Does not Brother Lin want to look after him, but wants to look after me instead?”
They say singers have good voices for a reason; he made the words “Brother Lin” sound meaningful, lingering, and tender.
Lin Wang felt his ear tips flush. He lowered his eyes, chuckled, and clinked his glass with Chi Yuan’s, “Spare me, I cannot look after anyone.”
A while ago, Chi Yuan had repeatedly taken Lin Wang to events and even called out to him on Weibo using his main account. Although his studio had explained it away, anyone with a discerning eye could guess that the situation was not simple.
The livestream had already surpassed several million viewers, including both fans and the general public, and most were waiting to see Lin Wang and Chi Yuan. Aside from their celebrity status, everyone present was just a person, and their thirst for gossip was no less than that of the public.
Director Lu had tipped them off beforehand. Chi Yuan was the one who paid the most, so he had urged the other guests to put more effort into Chi Yuan to extract as much as possible so the money would not be spent in vain.
Song Minqin, with her wavy hair, had a strong queen vibe. She followed the conversation and teased, “Brother Lin, why do you keep looking at Chi Yuan when you talk? Are your eyes naturally glued to each other?”
If this topic continued, it would inevitably trap Chi Yuan. Lin Wang just smiled, shook his head, took a sip of water, and did not speak.
Chi Yuan was picking watermelon seeds out with his chopsticks. He was extremely picky about food and had not taken a single bite for a long time. Hearing this, he did not even lift his head, instead nudging Lin Wang with his arm and lazily calling out, “Brother.”
Having eaten three meals a day with Chi Yuan for a month, Lin Wang had developed a conditioned reflex. Without even thinking, he picked up Chi Yuan’s fork, speared a seedless piece of watermelon, and placed it on his plate.
The two of them were so natural that the comments in the livestream were scrolling by rapidly.
【I’m serious, has Director Lu lost his mind inviting Lin Wang? He’s so normal, I’m not used to this.】
【Holy sh*t, is Chi Yuan’s studio being serious? Are they actually good friends?】
【My good friends don’t even fork watermelon for me, I’m dying.】
【Please, don’t arrange the seating like this, I just want to watch the two handsome guys Chi Yuan and Miao Qinghe.】
【Agreed, can we photoshop Lin Wang out?】
【Agreed, Lin Wang’s face is so gross, ahhh.】
【There are seven other people besides Lin Wang, can you guys talk about someone else? Speechless, it’s like Lin Wang is the only top-tier star here.】
The livestream prohibited comment control, but everything else was fair game.
Director Lu had arranged for many staff members to manage the stream, and a livestream free of fan-policing attracted a large wave of general viewers; the audience count was still rising.
The guests were not allowed to watch the livestream. The group chatted and ate, appearing quite harmonious for the moment.
Lin Wang did not volunteer to talk, but if someone asked him, he would answer appropriately, leaving no room for criticism. Lin Wang was quite used to these occasions, a group of people engaging in hypocritical social interaction, smiling on the surface while what they really thought did not matter.
After a few rounds of conversation, the others also caught on. As long as they did not push or bind him to Chi Yuan, Lin Wang would chat with you, and he was actually very comfortable to talk to.
He was different from the Lin Wang they had imagined. This thought crossed everyone’s mind by the end of the meal.
After eating, Director Lu told them to divide themselves into groups. There were four rooms for the eight people, with two beds in each room. As long as they dared, any combination was fine.
Fang Yue smiled shyly, grabbed Su Xi’s hand, and said, “I will be with Sister Xi.”
They were a proper couple, so they were obviously staying together. Of the remaining six, there were four men and two women. Tao Yunqing hugged Song Minqin’s arm and said with a smile, “I’m in a group with Minqin.”
Lin Wang did not say anything, Chi Yuan remained silent, and Miao Qinghe looked at Lin Wang, then at Liu Linjia, eventually forming a group with Liu Linjia.
The last two people remaining were left in a somewhat awkward grouping.
Director Lu took out a small box and shook it, “Now, one person from each group come to draw lots. The infrastructure of the four rooms is completely different. The best has everything you could need, while the worst does not even have a place to take a shower.”
Hearing that they might not be able to shower, Tao Yunqing’s eyes widened, “Director Lu, it is all down to luck? We are not competing?”
Director Lu’s shows always had a high degree of freedom, so he replied, “That works too. What do you want to compete in?”
Fang Yue suggested, “Let’s compete on luck.”
That one sentence hit someone’s funny bone. The whole room started laughing, and Lin Wang could not help it either, laughing until he had to take a sip of water to suppress it.
When Chi Yuan laughed, his body naturally leaned toward Lin Wang’s side, his arms and legs pressing against his. He was almost half-leaning on Lin Wang. Just as Lin Wang was about to remind him to be mindful of the cameras, Chi Yuan sat straight up again, acting as if nothing had happened, and picked up a piece of cantaloupe from his bowl to eat.
In the end, it was still decided by drawing lots. Su Xi’s group sent Fang Yue, who drew Room No. 2, which was not bad. Tao Yunqing drew Room No. 1, which definitely had a shower, and she smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.
Miao Qinghe looked at Lin Wang and Chi Yuan, “It is over, it is over. One is left for the bad room and one for the worst. You guys go first?”
Chi Yuan said indifferently, “You guys go first.”
Miao Qinghe stood in front of the box and hesitated for a good minute before drawing one. As soon as he opened it, his face fell.
Director Lu announced for him, “Room No. 4.”
Miao Qinghe sat down and immediately confessed his mistake to Liu Linjia, “I’m sorry, Linjia, my luck is terrible. We will not be able to shower.”
Liu Linjia seemed a bit distracted; he froze for a moment before comforting him, “It is fine, we can go borrow a bathroom from the other rooms.”
After the drawing, Director Lu told them to head upstairs for free time. The cameras dispersed to follow the four groups into their respective rooms, and the livestream was split into four segments.
The Room No. 3 assigned to Lin Wang and Chi Yuan was less than 40 square meters, decorated like an average apartment hotel in a fourth-tier city.
To the right of the entrance was a bathroom, to the left were a wardrobe and shoe rack, and further in were two single beds. Opposite the beds was a television on the wall, and beneath it was a table where they could eat.
Lin Wang habitually knocked on the table and smiled at the cameraman, “There are not even chairs provided. Are we supposed to eat while standing?”
Chi Yuan tested the television with the remote, raised an eyebrow, and said, “The television is broken. Is Director Lu poor to the point of insanity?”
Lin Wang took Chi Yuan’s cue and walked around the whole room.
There was no air conditioning, refrigerator, or washing machine in the room. The water heater in the bathroom was broken, and the water was not ice-cold, but it only had a tiny bit of warmth.
Room No. 3 lived up to its name. It only had the advantage of a shower compared to Room No. 4.
The camera followed Lin Wang as he strolled around. Chi Yuan just stood leaning against the table, his eyes following Lin Wang’s every move.
Lin Wang came out of the bathroom and walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window to touch the curtains. They were quite thick and offered good shading. While bending over to flip through the luggage Xu Wenyang had brought up, he asked Chi Yuan, “Which bed are you sleeping in? Either side is fine with me.”
Chi Yuan glanced at the camera that was still livestreaming, walked over to crouch down next to Lin Wang, and said casually, “Too small, I am not used to it. Let us push them together.”