In that instant, Song Qingchi felt as if everyone’s gazes were simultaneously glued to—his chest, eyes burning with intensity.
It made Song Qingchi feel an impulse to cover his chest…
He rarely felt at a loss for a smile, the curve of his lips freezing in place. After a long moment, he coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his fist, and said awkwardly, “Well… I’m not really sure.”
Ji Xingzhu wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. Immediately, with the enthusiasm of someone who loves watching the drama unfold, she cheered, “Not sure? No problem! We can just measure it right here on the spot!”
Song Qingchi: “…”
“Wow~” Cen Xuan couldn’t help but let out an excited yelp, her smile completely uncontrollable as she joined in the teasing. Bai Zhiyi’s face was a bit flushed, looking quite embarrassed, but her eyes kept darting towards Song Qingchi.
No matter how mature and composed Song Qingchi usually appeared, he couldn’t withstand a group of people staring at his chest with such eager, anticipatory expressions. Especially the “mastermind” Ji Xingzhu, whose gleeful schadenfreude seemed about to spill over.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Song Qingchi looked at Ji Xingzhu with a probing gaze. He felt very puzzled inside. Why would Ji Xingzhu ask such a… peculiar question? Could she be plotting something again?
It couldn’t possibly be that she was genuinely interested in his chest measurement, right?!
Just as Song Qingchi was hesitating and pondering, a voice filled with provocation echoed in his mind: “Host! Your fiancée is extremely rude! How dare she ask such a private question about your chest measurement!”
“Quick! Immediately put on a stern face, reprimand her, scold her! Getting into a fight with her works too!” Ji Xingzhu fanned the flames vigorously.
Song Qingchi: “…” Are you sure you want to incite me to hit you?
The next second, Ji Xingzhu inadvertently revealed her true intention: “You shouldn’t have stopped Shao Rui for Ji Xingzhu earlier. If you hadn’t, the audience wouldn’t be shipping you two again. Hmph, how could a vicious woman like Ji Xingzhu be worthy of you? You absolutely must untangle yourself from her!”
“Now is a perfect opportunity~ You should quickly accuse her of being rude and personally dismantle your own CP!”
Song Qingchi raised an eyebrow slightly, a knowing smile curling his lips. So that’s why she was inciting him so enthusiastically—she wanted to sever their connection.
Originally, Song Qingchi had been thinking of finding an excuse to avoid the awkward “chest measurement” situation. But now…
He deliberately sighed as if troubled, then, facing everyone’s gossipy and intense stares, he directed a gentle, charming smile at Ji Xingzhu and said obediently, like a meek bride, “If Xingzhu really wants to know so much… I’m willing to go get it measured.”
Ji Xingzhu: “…”
Wait, seriously? You actually agreed? You’ve completely thrown me off.
Ji Xingzhu’s mouth twitched slightly, feeling like she was riding a tiger—unable to get off even if she wanted to. She could only force herself to nod and say, “Fine! Go measure it now!”
Song Qingchi stood up leisurely, generously taking off his suit jacket and casually draping it over the back of his chair. Dressed in his dress pants and black shirt, he stood amidst the crowd, allowing himself to be looked at.
Every single female guest present was staring intently at Song Qingchi. Those broad shoulders, that slender waist, those long legs… Even Ji Xingzhu felt her cheeks grow warm from watching.
Guiltily, she averted her gaze, because she realized that whenever she looked at Song Qingchi’s body, inappropriate thoughts easily flooded her mind—like the time she had accidentally stumbled upon him bathing…
Amidst her distracting thoughts, Song Qingchi had already taken the measuring tape from the program staff. Smiling, he handed it forward and said meaningfully, “Xingzhu, come and measure it for me.”
Ji Xingzhu’s mouth twitched again as she shot him a glare. “Don’t you have hands yourself?”
Song Qingchi replied innocently, “It’s inconvenient for me to do it myself.”
Ji Xingzhu retorted irritably, “Then find someone else to measure it for you.”
Song Qingchi raised an eyebrow and said casually, “Then let’s skip it.” He made as if to sit back down.
Ji Xingzhu: “?”
She glared at him angrily, a wave of defiance surging within her. She strode forward, snatched the measuring tape from Song Qinghi’s hand, and snorted coldly, “Fine, I’ll do it!”
A triumphant smile flickered in Song Qingchi’s eyes. Facing Ji Xingzhu, he spread his arms wide, in a gesture of complete surrender, and lowered his voice, “Go ahead.”
Song Qingchi was very tall, nearly one meter ninety, and Ji Xingzhu, at one meter sixty-eight, only reached just up to his chin. Standing so close now, Ji Xingzhu could see his solid, broad chest with just a glance. She could even smell the scent of his cologne, mixed with his body heat, creating an atmosphere of intimacy that made her feel quite uncomfortable.
Song Qingchi’s deep, magnetic voice sounded above her, urging, “Go on.”
Ji Xingzhu looked up blankly and immediately met those deep, dark eyes, sharply catching the teasing glint within them.
Instantly, her fighting spirit was roused. With a cold face, she moved to wrap the tape around his chest. And then…
Holy crap!
Ji Xingzhu was stunned. As she reached her arm around his back to encircle his chest with the tape, she nearly ended up burying her face right into it.
Ji Xingzhu felt deeply shocked—was the male lead’s chest really this big?
Feeling a bit dizzy, she didn’t notice just how intimate her posture had become. The slender, graceful girl was encircling the man’s chest, almost held within his embrace. And although Song Qingchi’s arms were spread wide and he wasn’t actively touching her, his gaze remained fixed on her.
Those dark eyes were deep and bright, filled with scattered points of gentleness and amusement.
At that moment, a strange, intense intimacy brewed and swelled between them in the quiet air, making one’s heart race and cheeks flush.
Ji Xingzhu was oblivious to Song Qingchi’s focused stare; she was busy seriously studying the tape measure in her hands. She had successfully wrapped it around his chest and was now aligning the measurement.
As she adjusted, her fingers inadvertently brushed against his chest. She instantly felt the muscles beneath her touch tense up.
Ji Xingzhu’s expression turned even more peculiar—so this is what the male lead’s pectoral muscles feel like…
Feeling a bit guilty, Ji Xingzhu silently chanted a few “Amitābhas” to clear her mind and quickly focused on the scale under her fingers.
“1…108?” Ji Xingzhu softly read out Song Qingchi’s chest measurement and then fell into deep shock.
108? One hundred and eight!!! The dog male lead really is… endowed! Ji Xingzhu was dazed, lost in her astonished thoughts.
Watching her distracted expression, Song Qingchi raised an eyebrow with interest. He couldn’t help but glance down at his own chest. Was there something wrong with this measurement? He hadn’t specifically trained his chest much. Was it really that surprising?
Just then, a shocked “Holy crap!” came from beside them.
Ji Xingzhu turned her head and saw Cen Xuan covering her mouth with a completely red face.
The talented actress was desperately covering her mouth, muttering an apology through her hands, “I’m so sorry, I was just so shocked… How embarrassing, how embarrassing.”
Ji Xingzhu: “…” Sister, I understand, really.
Bai Zhiyi beside her wasn’t in much better shape. Her pure, beautiful face was somewhat contorted as she desperately tried to suppress the corners of her mouth, looking like she wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.
Ji Xingzhu cleared her throat lightly. When she turned back, she was startled to realize how close she was to Song Qingchi—so close they could almost feel each other’s breath. She quickly stepped back a few paces to create distance and averted her gaze, as if trying to cover up something.
Ji Xingzhu took a few covert deep breaths, trying to cool down the unnatural heat on her face.
Song Qingchi lowered his arms, adjusted his posture leisurely, and raised an eyebrow. “Satisfied now?”
Ji Xingzhu coughed lightly, a little uncomfortable. “It’s… It’s okay, I guess…”
This usually flamboyant young lady was now showing a rare hint of shyness. Her pretty face was flushed, and her bright peach-blossom eyes occasionally, uncontrollably darted towards Song Qingchi’s chest before quickly looking away, like a cat secretly up to mischief.
Song Qingchi watched her with a smile, his hand hanging by his side moving unconsciously, but he quickly controlled it, pretending nothing had happened.
For a long moment, neither spoke. They eventually returned to their seats one after the other, and the scene fell into a brief silence. No one said a word.
Finally, it was the straightforward Lin Yifei who broke the silence. He stared at Song Qingchi… or rather, at his chest, with an expression of admiration and envy, exclaiming, “Brother Song, how do you train your chest muscles? That’s seriously impressive. Can you teach me?”
With one person speaking up, the others quickly chimed in.
Cen Xuan’s face was still a bit red, but her tone was excited, “Your chest measurement is bigger than any of us girls’. That’s just… amazing!”
Bai Zhiyi nodded in agreement. “Indeed.”
Wen Yajun also stole a shy glance, then another.
Ji Xingzhu leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, with the air of a ruffian. She casually remarked, “I wonder what they feel like, though.”
Everyone: “…” Sister Ji is incredible!
Even Ji Xingzhu felt a bit guilty after saying that. She kept stealing glances at Song Qingchi while complaining to 999 in her mind: “Why isn’t he getting angry? No way, he can tolerate this?!”
However, Song Qingchi merely raised an eyebrow slightly and curled his lip at her meaningfully. “I’ll let you find out sometime.”
Ji Xingzhu: “…” Th-this is a bit too much…
Cen Xuan had already had a couple of drinks and was feeling a bit tipsy. After the stimulation of the chest measurement incident, she slowly began to let loose.
She tilted her head back and sighed, “A 108cm chest is truly a man’s best dowry. Support male body standards getting more competitive!”
“Exactly.” Bai Zhiyi used her pure, innocent-looking face to utter something shocking. “Some guys are nothing but skinny twigs, yet they go around thinking they’re so manly. It’s laughable.”
Even Wen Yajun unconsciously joined the discussion. “When I was filming before, the director asked this actor to carry me in a princess hold, but he couldn’t even lift me. He even blamed me, saying I was too fat. I only weigh 90 jin, you know?!”
Ji Xingzhu clicked her tongue upon hearing this and turned her attention to Jian Xingzhi, advising him earnestly, “Little Jian, you’re a bit on the thin side too. You should start working out. You’ll look better on camera.”
Jian Xingzhi smiled wryly. “…Okay.”
Since Jian Xingzhi was about to sign with her company, Ji Xingzhu’s first thought was to have him maintain his appearance so he could smoothly earn more money for her.
Song Qingchi, unaware of this context, furrowed his brow slightly and quietly observed the two of them, falling into deep thought. Why would Ji Xingzhu suddenly urge Jian Xingzhi to exercise? Could it be… that something had progressed on their date today?
Lin Yifei quickly raised his arm to show off his bicep, boasting, “What do you guys think of my muscles? Sure, my chest isn’t as big as Brother Song’s, but I’m not small either!”
Song Qingchi: “…” There’s something weird about the way this kid talks.
Cen Xuan approached with interest, gave his arm a couple of light squeezes, then patted his shoulder encouragingly. “Keep at it, Xiao Fei.”
Bai Zhiyi also joined in, offering a fair assessment. “It’s just average.”
“However…” Bai Zhiyi’s gaze swept over Shao Rui, her disdain unconcealed. “Still way better than certain skinny twigs.”
Shao Rui: “…” What did I do to deserve this?!
For a while, the female guests were enthusiastically discussing the male guests’ physiques and offering constructive advice on how they should work out.
The male guests all felt somewhat peculiar and deeply uncomfortable. They felt the conversation was straying further and further off course…
Was this the female gaze?
Finally, the evening came to an end. Lu Xuguang clutched the footage he had captured, grinning from ear to ear: Haha, the ratings are secured!
The next day, the first episode of Love on the Journey concluded. The guests would temporarily return to their real lives and reconvene a week later to film the second episode of the dating show.
Ji Xingzhu boarded her return flight early, even paying extra to upgrade to first class—her principle was to never put herself out.
And then, on the first-class cabin heading back to the imperial capital, she ran into Song Qingchi unexpectedly.
Mindful of her role as the vicious female supporting character, Ji Xingzhu gave him a light roll of her eyes and followed it with a cold snort to show her disdain.
However, Song Qingchi seemed completely unaffected by her hostility. Instead, he walked up to her with a smile. He leaned down slightly, bringing his mouth close to her ear, and whispered, “Didn’t you want to find out how they feel?”
“How about right now?” Song Qingchi’s gaze was profound.
Ji Xingzhu was stunned for a moment, taking a while to process his meaning.
Ji Xingzhu: “…!!!”
Ji Xingzhu asked 999 seriously: “9, if I sexually harass the male lead, will I get arrested?”