Yin Beilin shot Lu Ren a sidelong glance.
Before the Great Demon King Yin could even speak, Lu Ren, his skin crawling, snatched Zhou Zichuan’s arm and pulled him up with a grave expression.
“Um… Zichuan, I need to use the restroom,” Lu Ren stammered, swallowing hard under Yin Beilin’s high-pressure gaze. “Come on, let’s go together.”
“Huh?” Zhou Zichuan blinked. “Wait for me, I need to grab my clothes.”
Leading the bewildered Zhou Zichuan, Lu Ren hurried toward the manor’s bathroom.
Like every other corner of the manor, the bathroom was a testament to extravagance. Gilded, naked, white-winged cherubs adorned the space, and a statue of David, looking rather scandalous, stood by the door.
But none of that mattered. The important thing was that the bathroom had no cameras or microphones. It was safe!
Only then did Lu Ren finally breathe a sigh of relief, ready to discuss the separate beds with Zhou Zichuan.
But when he turned around, Zhou Zichuan was already taking off his pants!
Lu Ren gasped, his eyes widening. With lightning speed, he stepped forward, yanked Zhou Zichuan’s pants back up, and pulled him back to where he had been standing.
Zhou Zichuan looked down at him, utterly confused.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t we here to use the restroom?”
“No, no!” Lu Ren shook his head frantically. “Not that.”
“??”
Lu Ren quickly straightened up and said, “Zichuan, actually, I… I came here to talk to you about the bed arrangements.”
Zhou Zichuan looked completely bewildered.
“What’s wrong with the bed arrangements? You and I share one bed, and Teacher Yin has a single bed of his own. Isn’t that perfectly fine?”
“…” Lu Ren choked. He wracked his brain to squeeze out a sentence: “But… Zichuan, look at that single bed. Don’t you think the double bed next to it looks smaller?”
“…Huh? A little, I guess,” Zhou Zichuan nodded. “But isn’t a single bed supposed to be smaller than a double bed?”
“…That’s not the point!”
Lu Ren stammered, “Look, Brother Lin is the tallest of the three of us, right?”
Zhou Zichuan nodded again, very cooperatively.
“Exactly!”
“The bed is so small,” Lu Ren said with righteous indignation, “how can we let Brother Lin sleep in a bed like that! He’s so tall, he obviously needs to sleep in the larger double bed. Don’t you agree?”
After saying this, Lu Ren finally nodded in satisfaction, looking at Zhou Zichuan expectantly.
Now you should finally get what I’m trying to say, Brother Zichuan, right?
For example… since that’s the case, why don’t we ask Teacher Yin if he’s willing to squeeze into the double bed?
Or for example… Oh, then I’ll sleep in the single bed, but it doesn’t seem like the single bed can fit two people, does it?
No matter what Zhou Zichuan said next, Lu Ren clenched his fists inwardly, ready to face it all!
Just as Lu Ren had predicted, Zhou Zichuan’s face lit up with understanding.
“I get it now.”
Lu Ren’s spirits instantly soared!
The next second, he heard Zhou Zichuan say in a moment of realization, “You mean, you and I will squeeze into the single bed, and we’ll give the double bed to Teacher Yin, right?”
Lu Ren: “…”
Lu Ren: “…”
“What I mean is, you’re the second tallest person here. I’m shorter and thinner than you, so it won’t be crowded if I share the double bed with Teacher Yin! You sleeping in the single bed by yourself is just right, do you understand?!”
With no other choice, Lu Ren blurted it all out in one breath.
Seeing Zhou Zichuan’s bewildered and shocked expression after hearing his explanation, Lu Ren himself was dying of embarrassment.
He’s definitely going to be traumatized by me rushing to share a bed with the male lead… Lu Ren’s head ached with pure frustration.
If he can’t understand, there’s nothing I can do.
This, this is all for the sake of survival!
With this thought, Lu Ren gloomily patted Zhou Zichuan’s shoulder, turned around, and walked out the door.
Thud.
The bathroom door shut.
Zhou Zichuan stared blankly at the closed door.
His mind seemed to still be echoing with Lu Ren’s voice, his face flushed red as he rapidly delivered his long explanation without even pausing for breath.
Zhou Zichuan’s expression was a mix of confusion and shock. “…”
He hadn’t processed it at the time, but thinking about it now, although it was great for him to have a bed all to himself, Teacher Yin had a germaphobia, didn’t he?
If Lu Ren had tried to sleep with Teacher Yin and been rejected in front of the cameras, how embarrassing would that have been?
Zhou Zichuan sighed and scratched his head.
When he finished washing up and pushed the door open, the worried Zhou Zichuan was immediately met with the drawn pink bed curtains.
Although the curtains were mostly closed, two lumps could still be faintly seen through the gap.
One of the lumps rolled over.
The next second, Lu Ren’s muffled voice came from the direction of the double bed, “Zichuan, turn off the lights, please.”
Zhou Zichuan, “…”
Zhou Zichuan, “…???”
After Lu Ren asked him to turn off the lights, he waited for a full two minutes before the “click” of the light switch finally sounded.
Lu Ren’s lips twitched. Without even thinking, he knew Zhou Zichuan must be stunned by the fact that he had successfully shared a bed with Yin Beilin.
It wasn’t like he wanted this!
But didn’t you feel how black Great Demon King Yin’s face was just now? Lu Ren wept. This was a case of circumstances being stronger than the person!
Despite trying to comfort himself, Lu Ren’s heart still flooded with sorrow at the thought of Zhou Zichuan’s gaze tomorrow, a gaze that would be a mix of shifty eyes, ambiguity, frustration at his failure to be a man, and indignation.
How can there be such a lawless male lead in the world… He even had the audacity to ask me, a grown man, to be his body pillow on a dating show!
…Dongfang Zhuzhu, you and I are sworn enemies!
With these thoughts, Lu Ren rolled over, turning his back to Yin Beilin, and sullenly pulled the quilt higher.
Just as he made this small movement, the arm wrapped around his waist tightened, and a gentle bite was pressed into the nape of his neck.
“Stop tossing and turning,” Yin Beilin’s voice, lazy and slightly hoarse, sounded in his ear. “Go to sleep.”
Before Lu Ren could even respond, Zhou Zichuan’s voice came from the next bed, sounding exceptionally awkward and constrained. “Yes! Teacher Yin, I understand!”
Yin Beilin: “…”
Lu Ren: “…”
Lu Ren’s ears flushed red as he buried his head deeper into his pillow in the darkness.
What’s with this feeling of being eavesdropped on… Hey, what is going on!!
In the middle of the night, Lu Ren dragged himself out of bed, bleary-eyed, to use the bathroom.
He’d only just woken up and was still a little groggy.
After finishing, he felt a bit more alert, and that’s when he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from downstairs.
Lu Ren’s drowsy eyes snapped open, and he was instantly wide awake.
The hallway was dimly lit, with only a single, unshaded bulb casting a faint glow.
The portraits that had seemed so elegant and serene in the morning now looked utterly terrifying in the gloom, one after another. The black-and-white photographs, in particular, exuded an indescribable, eerie malevolence.
Lu Ren lightened his steps, descending the stairs one by one.
Sure enough, the rustling grew louder as he went down.
Following the sound, Lu Ren crept closer, finally coming to a halt behind a dark figure.
The figure seemed to sense his presence, stiffening abruptly before shooting to its feet.
Click!
Lu Ren flipped on the light.
Staring at the person before him, Lu Ren was a little puzzled.
“Young Lady Xu, are you looking for a snack? Why didn’t you turn on the light?”
Xu Qingqing: “…”
Three seconds later, Xu Qingqing roared in humiliated fury, “Who said I’m looking for something to eat! I’m just… I’m here to get a drink of water!”
The man opposite her nodded good-naturedly, said nothing, and went back to the kitchen to tinker with something.
Xu Qingqing huffed through her nose, her jaw clenched tight, remaining silent.
But after a moment, her delicate nose suddenly twitched.
She turned her head and saw Lu Ren, wearing gloves, carrying a bowl of steaming hot rice.
Xu Qingqing’s ears perked up, and her beautiful eyes stole a nearly imperceptible glance.
It really was that bowl.
She had seen it earlier; it had rice and vegetables in it, but she’d poked at it and found it ice-cold in the refrigerator, completely inedible.
Now that it had been heated and brought over, the “inedible” food smelled indescribably fragrant.
There was pineapple, beef, and something that looked crispy and golden-brown but she didn’t know what it was, and it smelled exceptionally delicious.
Xu Qingqing couldn’t help but take a step forward.
Lu Ren set the bowl on the table and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He gave a sheepish smile. “We saved some food for you. If you’re in the mood, why not have a couple of bites as a late-night snack?”
“…” Xu Qingqing swallowed hard, but kept her chin held high and her voice cold. “I’m not eating anyone’s leftovers!”
Lu Ren patiently explained, “These aren’t leftovers. We set this aside specifically for you, no one has even touched it.”
Xu Qingqing fell silent.
Five minutes later, she rubbed her stomach, her brow furrowing as she stared at the nearly empty bowl.
She looked down her nose at Lu Ren and commanded, “I heard you guys had steak. Where’s the steak?”
Lu Ren broke into a sweat. “…Uh, the steak is gone.”
Xu Qingqing’s face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot. “That’s all? You said you specifically saved this for me?!”
Lu Ren rubbed his nose, speaking cautiously. “…The production team didn’t give us much food. We ate it all at dinner.”
Xu Qingqing snapped, “So you’re telling me you’re seriously offering me a few pieces of pineapple and fish?”
Lu Ren flinched from her outburst, involuntarily wiping sweat from his forehead. “How about this,” he stammered, “I… I brought a few packs of instant noodles upstairs. I can… make you a bowl?”
“What kind of person do you take me for?!” Xu Qingqing slammed the table in fury. “How could I, Xu Qingqing, ever eat such low-grade food!”
Lu Ren trembled. “Then… then there really is nothing else.”
Xu Qingqing fell silent.