ASFSODS 8

After receiving private messages from the production team, each guest showed a different expression. Before long, Tong Xian’en was the first to stand up and say he had something to take care of and needed to go out. Since the planned game for the afternoon had been canceled, the guests were free to do as they pleased.

The others more or less guessed what Tong Xian’en was going out for, so no one asked any questions.

Zhou Yunbai stole a glance at the tall, long-legged man sitting across from her, as if trying to read some clue from his face.

Everyone had their own thoughts and their own strategies.

Wen Chi had just finished ordering a bunch of random stuff he liked—things he wasn’t even sure he’d use once they arrived. Still fretting over his phone, he saw Tong Xian’en wearing a cap and heading out. He quickly called out, “Tong Xian’en!”

Tong Xian’en paused when he recognized Wen Chi’s voice and looked up to see the boy jogging over, a little out of breath.

“You’re heading out, right? Let’s go together.”

Tong Xian’en looked slightly conflicted. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, but eventually nodded. “Sure.”

Wen Chi turned and ran upstairs to grab his things. When he came back down, he was carrying a crossbody dumpling-shaped bag.

Main livestream:

[Wen Chi and Tong Xian’en are going out together?]

[Ugh, I was hoping for some onscreen drama between them…] 

[Same here.]

[Are you nuts? This is a dating show.]

[Exactly why drama is expected! Love triangles, jealousy, tension.]

[…I just don’t like drama.]

In addition to the crossbody bag, Wen Chi was holding a little yellow duck water bottle with a strap, filled with warm water. Tong Xian’en already felt a little weird going out with Wen Chi, and when he saw him looking like an elementary school kid on a field trip—especially with that bottle—his lips twitched.

Jiang Siheng, who had been sitting on the sofa, got up as soon as he saw Wen Chi come down. He walked over and helped tidy up Wen Chi’s short-sleeved shirt. “Go grab a jacket. It’s windy outside—you might catch a chill.”

Wen Chi heard his gentle voice right next to his ear, and a wave of numb tingling rushed over his ears. It was ticklish and warm. He had to fight hard not to raise a hand to rub them.

“Okay.”

Tong Xian’en: “…”

Tian Yang looked at Jiang Siheng, then at Tong Xian’en, and hesitated for a second. “Xian’en, maybe you should grab a jacket too.”

Tong Xian’en looked down at his long-sleeved shirt. “…” Then he glanced up and met Tian Yang’s eyes. “…Alright.”

Standing beside Jiang Siheng, Wen Chi glanced between Tong Xian’en and Tian Yang, a hint of gossip in his eyes. Honestly, at this point, the pairings were obvious enough that even the livestream audience could easily guess them.

Before leaving, Jiang Siheng told Wen Chi again, “If anything happens, call me.”

Wen Chi was now better at handling Jiang Siheng’s gentle tone and calmly nodded. “Okay.”

The show had designated drivers for the guests. After Wen Chi and Tong Xian’en got in the car, it drove off quickly, disappearing into the distance.

In the production team’s monitoring room, Sang Sang sat in a corner, her phone on her lap playing Wen Chi’s livestream.

When she saw Wen Chi take the initiative to go out with Tong Xian’en, she was completely shocked.

He’s going out.

Going out!

Wen Chi is willingly going outside!!

Knowing Wen Chi’s personality, Sang Sang nearly wanted to light incense in celebration.

Suddenly, a hand patted her shoulder. “Hey, hi!”

Sang Sang was so startled she threw her phone. It hit the floor with a clatter. “Oh sh*t.”

Little Fatty¹this is xiao du from chapter 2, Jiang Siheng’s assistant, hurriedly picked up the phone and handed it back to her, wearing a sheepish smile. “Sorry—did I scare you?”

Still a little spooked, Sang Sang recognized him at once. “It’s fine. Just a little.”

“…Sorry, I just saw you here and wanted to say hi.”

Sang Sang said, “No worries.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of his phone screen—it looked familiar. “You’re watching the livestream too?”

Little Fatty glanced at his screen. “Yeah.”

Sang Sang said, “Looks like even we assistants can’t help but worry about our artists. But with Teacher Jiang, I guess there’s not much to worry about, right?”

In her memory, Jiang Siheng had no scandals—just the occasional gossip about him dating someone, but those were always debunked within half an hour by his company.

Hearing that, Little Fatty laughed awkwardly.

No, girl. You really have no idea how much of a handful my Jiang Ge is.

…

It took about half an hour to get to the nearest large shopping mall. During the ride, Wen Chi and Tong Xian’en barely spoke. The car was dead quiet.

There were cameras in all four corners of the vehicle.

Main livestream:

[I’m cringing just watching this silence…]

[Can’t argue with that.]

[Help! Can someone please say something? This is so awkward!]

[Wen Chi was the one who asked to go with Tong Xian’en, and now he’s totally ignoring him. Wow.]

[Wow, such enlightenment. Buddha himself couldn’t be more detached.]

[Lol. Tong Xian’en was picking on Wen Chi this morning, and now he expects Wen Chi to chat with him?]

Wen Chi turned away from the window when he felt a gentle nudge on his arm.

“Hm?”

Tong Xian’en handed him a mint candy. “Want one?”

Wen Chi looked at it curiously. “Mint?”

“Yeah.” Tong Xian’en pulled out another one and popped it in his mouth.

Wen Chi watched him peel the wrapper and asked, “How many of those do you have in your pocket?”

Tong Xian’en paused, reached into his pocket, and said, “Three.”

Wen Chi, shocked: “You counted them?”

Tong Xian’en gave him a look like: So what if I did?

Wen Chi: “…” Fair enough.

Just that brief little exchange, that tiny bit of interaction, made Wen Chi feel like… something had changed.

Main livestream:

[LOL]

[Wait, they seem to get along now?]

[You must be new.]

[If you saw the morning livestream, you wouldn’t say that.]

[Seriously though, they seem better now?]

[Better how? Wen Chi never even acknowledged him to begin with.]

[It’s always been Tong Xian’en trying too hard.]

[Hey? Why haven’t Tong Xian’en’s rabid fans been yelling in chat today?]

[You sound like one of them yourself. #sweatingemoji]

When they reached the mall, the two split up. Tong Xian’en went straight to the third floor. Wen Chi wasn’t sure where to go, so he just started wandering from the first floor.

He walked slowly, stopping frequently. No matter what kind of store it was, he’d go in for a look. But because he wore a mask and had a cameraman trailing him, he drew attention fast. Soon, curious passersby started gathering to take pictures.

After that, Wen Chi stopped going into stores and just browsed from outside.

When he reached the fifth floor, which was filled with handmade craft stores, his eyes lit up at one particular shop. He finally knew what gift to get Jiang Siheng!

…

Tong Xian’en paid for his gift and took the beautifully wrapped box from the clerk. As he left the store, he called Wen Chi.

The phone rang for several seconds before being answered, and Wen Chi sounded like he wasn’t holding the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Wen Chi, did you finish shopping?” Tong Xian’en stood beside the store, ignoring curious glances from the public.

“Uh…” Wen Chi glanced at the mysterious object on the table and hesitated. “I might need a bit more time. You should head back first.”

He wrinkled his nose.

“How long? If it’s not too long, I’ll wait.”

“I don’t know for sure, but I shouldn’t take too long. Still! You go ahead. Once I’m done, I’ll take a cab.”

Tong Xian’en thought he heard Wen Chi give a sheepish little laugh at the end.

“…Alright then.”

Wen Chi gestured for the cameraman to end the call—both his hands were covered in clay. The cameraman had even helped him take the call earlier.

Wen Chi’s livestream:

[What… is that thing supposed to be?]

[My foot could sculpt better than that.]

[I want to compliment him, but I can’t.]

[It’s so chaotic. Just give up, bro.]

[I’m scared Jiang Siheng’s gonna have nightmares after getting this.]

Sang Sang had been keeping an eye on the livestream comments and was nearly in stitches from laughing. Just as she was enjoying herself, her phone buzzed with a weather alert:

“Heavy rain expected in 30 minutes. Don’t forget your umbrella~”

Back in the pottery shop, WeChat messages kept popping up on Wen Chi’s phone, but he didn’t look at them. He was busy trying to turn the lump of clay into something recognizable under the instructor’s guidance.

Over an hour later, the clay finally took shape.

Wen Chi’s livestream:

[Oh! It’s Pikachu?!]

[I… I didn’t even recognize my own son (devastated) (crying)]

[No way that’s supposed to be Pikachu???]

[Pika~chu! Wen Chi: “Love me… or be afraid.”]

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

Unlike the bewildered livestream viewers, Wen Chi was very satisfied with his creation. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

Thunder rumbled outside, and a second later, rain began pouring down.

Tong Xian’en had just returned to the house but hadn’t made it into the courtyard when the downpour hit. Cradling the gift box in his arms, he sprinted to shelter under the eaves, frowning at the gloomy sky. The rain didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.

He took out his phone and messaged Wen Chi.

【Tong Xian’en: It’s raining. How are you getting back?】

【Tong Xian’en: Cabs are hard to get in this weather. Want the driver to come get you?】

Tong Xian’en waited a long time with no reply. He kept checking his phone as he stepped into the house. Inside was bright and warm, a stark contrast to the storm outside.

Tian Yang was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. When he heard the door, he looked up and relaxed a bit when he saw Tong Xian’en. He stood up and walked over. “I was just about to call you.”

Seeing the box in Tong Xian’en’s hands, Tian Yang reached out to help carry it, but Tong Xian’en instinctively pulled it away.

Tong Xian’en: “…”

Tian Yang: “…”

They both froze.

Tong Xian’en debated explaining himself—but how could he say, This is your surprise gift for tomorrow, so you can’t touch it?

Luckily, Tian Yang didn’t press. He just retracted his hand casually and said, “Go take a shower. Your hair’s soaked.”

Tong Xian’en hugged the box tighter and nodded slowly. “Okay.”

As he went upstairs, he ran into Jiang Siheng. Not wanting trouble, Tong Xian’en simply greeted, “Teacher Jiang,” and was about to walk past when Jiang Siheng suddenly stopped him.

Jiang Siheng glanced at the box in Tong Xian’en’s arms, not particularly interested, then asked, “Wen Chi didn’t come back with you?”

Main livestream:

[Ahhh this man only has eyes for Wen Chi!!]

[I’m losing it over this ship!]

[What ship? It’s just scripted drama #eyeroll]

[So what? I’m shipping HengWen anyway and loving it!]

[Bet he’s all worried because his baby hasn’t come home yet QAQ]

Tong Xian’en said, “Wen Chi said he’d take a cab back later. I texted him and asked if he wanted the driver to pick him up since it’s hard to catch a ride in the rain, but he hasn’t replied yet.”

Afraid Jiang Siheng wouldn’t believe him, he even showed their chat log.

Jiang Siheng: “Got it.”

Tong Xian’en stood on the stairs watching him head down. Soon, he heard the door open—then close.

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  this is xiao du from chapter 2