ASFSODS 5

“What did I earn?” Wen Chi was completely confused, and he could still feel the residual warmth of the man’s palm on the back of his head.

Just then, a crowd walked into the supermarket—some of them carrying cameras. It was obvious some variety show was filming here.

There weren’t many shoppers at this hour and the guests didn’t plan to stay long either. After grabbing what they needed and checked out, they left quickly.

Zhou Yunbai did a quick count of their shopping list, when Tian Yang suddenly asked, “Where did Teacher Jiang go?”

Even though Tian Yang wasn’t from the entertainment industry but hearing everyone else address him that way naturally made him follow.

Wen Chi heard him and turned his head, only to find that Jiang Siheng—who had been walking just behind him—was gone.

“Xiao Chi, weren’t you walking with Teacher Jiang just now? Do you know where he went?” Zhou Yunbai asked.

Wen Chi shook his head. “I didn’t even notice he disappeared.”

Just then, as Tong Xian’en offered to go look, they saw Jiang Siheng turn the corner from behind a shelf while holding several bags of chips.

Jiang Siheng walked up and raised an eyebrow slightly when he noticed everyone staring at him. His gaze landed on Wen Chi’s face. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Chi answered obediently, “We noticed you were gone and were about to go look for you.”

Jiang Siheng replied with a soft “Mm,” and said, “I went to grab something.” It sounded like an explanation to everyone, but his gaze lingered on Wen Chi—like it was just for him.

[Is Wen Chi’s CP actually Teacher Jiang?]

[Doesn’t really seem like it? But that head-pat moment killed me!]

[Feels like Wen Chi isn’t interacting with anyone… okay, maybe just a little with Tian Yang.]

[I just peeked into other streams, and a lot of people think Tong Xian’en and Jiang Siheng are CP.]

[? Nah, I still think Tong Xian’en and Tian Yang.]

[Seconded. If Teacher Jiang were with Tong Xian’en, his reactions wouldn’t be this cold.]

[Rumor has it Jiang Siheng has a reason for joining Heart’s Confession 2…]

[What reason?]

The staff also noticed the rumor pop up in the stream chat and were momentarily stunned. Wasn’t Jiang Siheng invited by the show and he agreed to join? What hidden reason?

Qin Xiyu glanced at the chips in Jiang Siheng’s hand and suddenly asked, “You like those?”

Everyone was a little surprised—because since Qin Xiyu’s self-introduction at the house, he hardly spoke. Until now, he only replied if spoken to, and this was the first time he initiated.

Jiang Siheng gave him a half-smile. “Yeah, kind of interested in them.”

Wen Chi was stuck between the two and glanced left and right then took a small step back very cautiously.

[LOL Wen Chi’s retreat was so deliberate]

[Feels like he accidentally walked into a showdown]

[Is it just me or is the Qin × Jiang dynamic kinda shippable?]

[Stop it, there’s no way Qin and Jiang Siheng are CP]

[Agreed. No way the producers would run with a double-Alpha pairing unless they’ve lost their minds]

[Qin is obviously meant to be with Zhou Yunbai]

[Still… strong x strong does hit hard]

Qin Xiyu’s stream chat:

[Whoa, our CEO actually spoke first]

[Which department are you from? Isn’t this still working hours?]

[Day off today! You can’t catch me! LOL]

[I just popped in to see what the Big Boss’s stream looks like. Why are y’all so chaotic? 😂]

Qin Xiyu gave a noncommittal “Oh,” and fell silent again—like he had just asked out of curiosity.

The previously empty trunk was now full of shopping bags. Everyone left the store with a bounty. On the way back, Tong Xian’en volunteered to ride in Qin Xiyu’s car, saying it would be easier to help unload later. Zhou Yunbai and Tian Yang exchanged a look and simply smiled.

Viewers didn’t think much of it, since most of the shopping bags were indeed loaded into Qin Xiyu’s car.

With Tong Xian’en gone, that left just Wen Chi and Jiang Siheng in the car. The chips Jiang Siheng had grabbed weren’t tossed into the shopping bags—they were sitting right there between the front seats.

Wen Chi hesitated for a second, unsure if he should take the front or back seat. Before he could say he’d sit in the back, Jiang Siheng rolled down the passenger window and looked at him.

“Not getting in?”

“…Coming!” Wen Chi hurriedly opened the door and climbed into the front.

[Suddenly seeing how cute he is]

[Xiao Chi really is such an adorable guy]

[He’s seriously such a little sweetheart lol]

He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now Wen Chi saw that the chips Jiang Siheng picked were the exact flavor he loved. He looked at the man in surprise. “Teacher Jiang, you like this brand too?”

“Hmm?” Jiang Siheng kept his eyes on the road. “Not really. I don’t usually eat snacks like this.”

Not really? Wen Chi looked down suspiciously at the bags of chips in front of him.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

[Wait, what’s going on?]

[Can’t explain it in words. Just watch the show when it airs.]

[Jiang Siheng is DEFINITELY Wen Chi’s CP!!!]

Before Wen Chi could work it out with his still-waking brain, Jiang Siheng said, “I bought them for you.”

…Huh?

HUH?!!

At a red light, Jiang Siheng calmly stopped the car and turned toward him. His eyes glinted with a smile. “You like them, don’t you? You stared at them for a long time in the store.”

“I didn’t stare that long!” Wen Chi retorted instinctively, then muttered under his breath, “…Okay, I do really like them.”

Jiang Siheng chuckled. “Yeah, you liked them so much you couldn’t move.”

Wen Chi hadn’t expected that kind of teasing. In his mind, Jiang Siheng was the aloof entertainment industry’s emperor, well, no, he should’ve realized last night when he first heard Jiang Siheng laugh that maybe the guy wasn’t quite as cold as people said.

Maybe it was that joke, but Wen Chi relaxed a little. His posture loosened up.

“Teacher Jiang, you’re making fun of me,” he mumbled, then suddenly sneezed—a tiny kitten-like sound.

As Wen Chi rubbed his nose, he didn’t notice Jiang Siheng’s hand that rests lightly on the steering wheel is slightly tense. He glanced over at Wen Chi.

His nose stopped itching.

Wen Chi’s eyes returned to the chip bags. They were all small-sized packs—he could inhale them in a minute.

To be honest, he was getting a little hungry.

Wen Chi was never one to avoid food just to stay slim. If he wanted to eat, he ate.

“Teacher Jiang.”

“Mm?”

“Can I have one?”

Jiang Siheng smiled. “Go ahead.”

Wen Chi happily opened one—corn-flavored. As soon as the bag rustled open, he started crunching away like a little hamster. The camera on the dashboard caught it all.

[Dammit, now I want chips]

[While you’re still debating, I already placed my order lol]

[The person above is definitely Wen Chi’s true fan]

[I just checked his profile—doesn’t look like he even follows celebrities!]

[Don’t care. Wen Chi is my wife now 💋]

[Boys, keep it down lmao]

After two bags, Wen Chi suddenly noticed the camera in front of him. His chip-grabbing hand froze.

Crap, he totally forgot he was being filmed—and that he hadn’t interacted with Jiang Siheng at all.

He snuck a glance at Jiang Siheng, who was calmly driving. When they hit a bit of traffic, Jiang Siheng tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, looking pretty content.

Maybe because Wen Chi’s gaze grew more obvious, Jiang Siheng turned toward him—and their eyes met just as Wen Chi was trying to look away.

Jiang Siheng chuckled. “What is it?”

Wen Chi glanced around, then suddenly offered the chip bag with both hands, a little flustered. “Teacher Jiang, would you like some chips?”

Jiang Siheng: “.”

Okay, now we’re back to “Teacher Jiang” level of formality.

Traffic started moving again.

“I’m driving,” Jiang Siheng said.

“Hmm?” Wen Chi blinked, then quickly understood.

Jiang Siheng waited, but Wen Chi didn’t do anything—until he heard a little rustling and the sound of a bag being opened.

He didn’t know why, but Jiang Siheng suddenly felt… kind of nervous.

First, the sound of the bag opening;

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Wen Chi pulling two napkins;

Then, more rustling…

Three seconds later—

“Teacher Jiang, open up?” Wen Chi was holding two chips with a napkin and offering them to him.

Jiang Siheng hesitated, then opened his mouth and bit down. Even before he started chewing, a strong salty flavor flooded his mouth.

“Good?” Wen Chi asked.

Jiang Siheng rarely ate junk food, but nodded. “Yeah.”

Wen Chi grinned, eyes curling into little crescent moons. “Right? I think so too. I saved that flavor for last on purpose.”

To Jiang Siheng, that line translated automatically to:

“Because I like you the most, I wanted to give you the best.”

And just like that, Movie Emperor Jiang Siheng was in a very, very good mood.