Chapter 38 – The Pouty Baby Who’s Only Tough at Home

Chu Yin was sound asleep, but Wei Lai was wide awake. He wanted to play with his phone but was afraid the light would catch the attention of the demon queen, Orunju.

Come to think of it, the last time Chu Yin went all out to lose weight was right before the filming of the leisure segment of My Idol at Home.

————Six Years Ago————

Seven days before the recording, both Chu Yin and Wei Lai were anxious.

Wei Lai’s anxiety was subtle, evident only in how he would occasionally and flirtatiously stroke his leg hair.

Chu Yin, on the other hand, was visibly anxious. He spent most of his time in the gym, and after a few days, his muscle definition became flawlessly toned, making him look like he could take on three people at once.

Wei Lai, stroking his leg hair while munching on melon seeds, said, “Damn, you’re going to record a show, not fight for turf in a gang war.”

Chu Yin slowly and steadily did push-ups, saying, “Get on.”

Wei Lai: “…You want me to ride you???”

After a brief pause, Chu Yin snapped irritably, “On my back, damn it!”

Oh, he was adding weight to his push-ups. What a letdown. Wei Lai plopped onto Chu Yin’s back and comforted him, “You gotta believe it—you’re not the old whiny baby anymore. You’re Nicholas Yin now. If you don’t go soft, what can Chen Meixian even do to you?”

Chu Yin panted, “Shut up. So damn noisy, Madam Wei.”

Wei Lai pouted and forcefully sat down harder, “Tough only at home, huh? You only know how to bully me.”

Chu Yin was squashed flat by Wei Lai’s butt and whined, “I won’t go soft on Chen Meixian, but what about you with Yao Chaowu?”

Sitting on Chu Yin’s back, Wei Lai adopted the wistful look of a seasoned madam with stories to tell. “Yao Chaowu and I…” He stroked his leg. “We parted on good terms. Not as tense as you and Chen Meixian.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Chu Yin said, though lying on the ground, he looked so sour he might as well have been soaking in lemon juice. “You… how many fuckbuddies have you had?”

Wei Lai couldn’t even count anymore. “What’s the matter, pouty baby? You think I’m dirty and cheap again?”

“Hmph, don’t change the subject. If I thought you were dirty, would I let you sit on my back right now?” Chu Yin paused. “…Did you only ever like him?”

Wei Lai got up from Chu Yin’s back and motioned for him to sit. “Oh, if we’re gonna talk about my romantic history, I’m suddenly wide awake.”

Wei Lai proceeded to ramble for two hours straight. Some were wild, some were fickle. After hearing Wei Lai’s romantic history, Chu Yin realized that Madam Wei was, at his core, a rolling wave.

Wei Lai wasn’t the traditional kind of tragic, dog-blooded, bitter-bottom type. He had a crush on Yao Chaowu—true. Because of that crush, he silently sacrificed a lot behind the scenes—also true. But he enjoyed it, and it didn’t stop him from seeking true love.

His only requirement for fuckbuddies was “big and long,” but his standards for boyfriends were absurdly high, resulting in relationships that never lasted more than a month. Counting them off, they were all essentially monthly disposable boyfriends.

Wei Lai’s exact words: “Got bored. The thought of being with someone for a long time, going crazy for them, smashing through the closet wall for them—it just weighs me down.”

Chu Yin cut straight to the point: “Wei Lai, the reason you could keep liking Yao Chaowu for so many years is precisely because you couldn’t have him. If you’d slept with him a few times, you’d have gotten bored too.”

Wei Lai shot Chu Yin a glance. “You know, that makes a lot of sense. But it kinda makes me sound like a slut.”

Chu Yin said, “You ARE a slut. And Yao Chaowu isn’t as clean as you think either.”

Wei Lai fell silent for a moment before saying, “Doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past now.”

Chu Yin: “…”

Furious, Chu Yin stormed off to the treadmill and angrily ran ten kilometers.