ASFSODS 66

The next morning, as the horizon over the sea began to light up faintly, the entire island was still asleep. A ship was docked at the pier, and two men walked off the deck. One had a calm expression, while the other’s face was as dark as could be.

“I must have been crazy yesterday to say I’d come with you,” Qin Xiyu muttered under his breath. His eyes had a faint bruise, his voice colder than usual, and there was a hint of anger as he glanced at Jiang Siheng.

Jiang Siheng didn’t even look at him, unfazed by Qin Xiyu’s anger. He simply said, “I told you I was going back this morning.”

Qin Xiyu coldly replied, “But you’re here now, and it’s already morning.”

“Oh? I’m going back to see my boyfriend. What about you? What’s your excuse for being here so early?” Jiang Siheng gave Qin Xiyu a sidelong glance.

Qin Xiyu sneered and said coldly, “Is it alright if I go see you with your boyfriend?”

Jiang Siheng: “…”

Jiang Siheng turned away and chose to ignore him.

It was only six in the morning. After they disembarked, they got into a private car and headed toward the guesthouse. Jiang Siheng remained silent throughout the ride, while Qin Xiyu closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

The crew had only just woken up. One person was brushing their teeth, chatting quietly, when they saw a sleek black business car stop in front of the door. They froze, momentarily forgetting they were still brushing their teeth.

When they saw Jiang Siheng and Qin Xiyu get out of the car, the staff was stunned. The assistant director, who was still brushing his teeth, quickly spat out the toothpaste and hastily wiped his face, greeting them with a smile. “Teacher Jiang, Mr. Qin, what brings you here so early? The live broadcast hasn’t even started yet.”

Qin Xiyu listened to the assistant director’s words and said indifferently, “Because someone is homesick.”

The assistant director looked confused. “Huh?”

Jiang Siheng pretended not to hear Qin Xiyu and asked the assistant director, “Are the others awake?”

“Definitely not,” the assistant director immediately shook his head. “We’re not running a survival show. After the guests arrived on the island yesterday, they played games for hours and were exhausted. Today, we let them wake up naturally.”

Jiang Siheng nodded. “Are there any games today?”

Just a moment ago, the assistant director had been talking about how they were a conscientious show that wouldn’t tire the guests, but now he seemed somewhat awkward, scratching his head. “There are games… but don’t worry, they’ll be in the afternoon!”

The assistant director looked at the two big shots carefully after saying this.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Siheng frowned slightly. “Do we really have to play?”

The assistant director, somewhat embarrassed, said, “Teacher Jiang, you know we invited back the CP partners from last season. It wouldn’t be right to have them come and then do nothing. Plus, everyone’s not very familiar with each other yet, so playing a game will help bring everyone closer.”

“Fine. Just don’t start the live broadcast in my room later. I need to rest,” Qin Xiyu said indifferently, deciding not to stay and listen to their conversation any longer.

The assistant director nodded enthusiastically. “Understood, your rooms are on the third floor, the female guests are on the second floor.”

“Got it.”

Jiang Siheng, looking at the assistant director’s expression, one of someone just following orders, finally said helplessly, “Don’t start the live broadcast in my room in the morning either.”

Since Jiang Siheng had no objections, it seemed he didn’t mind the game in the afternoon. The assistant director, relieved, grinned. “Got it, you’re going to rest now, right? No problem, I’ll let the others know.”

After walking into the guesthouse, Jiang Siheng headed straight for the third floor. Every room had a wooden nameplate with the guest’s name on it, and some had doodles, which looked quite cute. Whether it was something the show had arranged or something the guesthouse itself had done, it wasn’t clear.

Jiang Siheng passed by his own room and found Wen Chi’s room. There was a room between theirs, which belonged to Zhou Ruoyao. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. He raised an eyebrow, somewhat satisfied with Wen Chi’s safety awareness this time.

…

Inside the room, in a half-awake state, Wen Chi seemed to hear a noise outside the door. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, his mind still preoccupied with things. He woke up at midnight for a drink of water and went back to sleep, staying in a light sleep state and waking up easily.

Sitting up in bed, Wen Chi rubbed his messy hair and got out of bed. He wasn’t worried about anyone with ill intentions outside. Unless they were crazy, no one would walk upstairs with so many staff around.

With a soft “click,” Wen Chi opened the door and was taken by surprise to see Jiang Siheng, who was about to turn back to his own room.

Wen Chi stopped mid-motion, staring at the man who was supposed to arrive in the afternoon but was now standing in front of him. “You…”

Wen Chi felt like he might be dreaming.

Jiang Siheng turned around, saw the boy staring at him in disbelief, and softly asked, “Did I wake you?”

Hearing that familiar voice, Wen Chi’s groggy brain quickly cleared up, and he looked at Jiang Siheng with confusion. He reached out as if to confirm and touched the man’s hand. It was a little cold, but definitely real.

“You said you were coming in the afternoon, didn’t you?” Wen Chi, after touching Jiang Siheng’s hand, took hold of it and didn’t let go.

Seeing Wen Chi’s actions, Jiang Siheng’s heart softened for a moment, his voice even gentler. “Yeah, I was supposed to, but I missed you so much, I decided to come back earlier.”

“But it’s still too early,” Wen Chi said a little angrily, because he could see the weariness in the man’s eyes. “What time did you get back last night? Never mind, that’s not important. You should go rest in your room. Do you know where your room is?”

Wen Chi tried to pull Jiang Siheng to his room, but as soon as he took a step forward, a force stopped him.

He turned around. “Hmm?”

“Where are you going?” Jiang Siheng lazily leaned against the wall, tilting his head to look at Wen Chi. His long fingers didn’t seem to exert much force, but Wen Chi knew that he was completely under the man’s control.

“I’m taking you back to your room,” Wen Chi replied.

“No need,” Jiang Siheng said.

Originally, Wen Chi was the one pulling Jiang Siheng, but now, it was Jiang Siheng pulling Wen Chi back to Wen Chi’s room. Under the boy’s confused gaze, Jiang Siheng shut the door.

“Want to sleep together?”

“Huh?” Wen Chi subconsciously looked toward the camera in the room. “Isn’t that a bit… inappropriate?”

“If we don’t turn it on, it’s fine.” Jiang Siheng said after noticing his hesitation.

Wen Chi had actually planned to refuse, wanting to send Jiang Siheng back to his own room, but then…

He lowered his gaze at the man who was sitting on the bed, hugging his waist, with his head resting against his abdomen, eyes closed. To be honest, Wen Chi really did enjoy the rare moments when the man would show vulnerability toward him.

“What if the crew finds out?” Wen Chi’s fingers tangled in the man’s dark, soft hair. It felt smooth and slightly cool, and he gave it a gentle rub.

“Just say I went into the wrong room.”

“…You think they’re fools?” Wen Chi’s face turned serious, his tone skeptical.

Jiang Siheng leaned into the boy, and a low chuckle escaped from his throat. His voice dropped even lower. “Teacher Wen, I’m really tired.”

…

Jiang Siheng casually tossed his black jacket at the foot of the bed. There was only one pillow on the bed, and Wen Chi generously gave his own pillow to Jiang Siheng.

The pillow at the guesthouse was incredibly soft, almost like sleeping on a cloud, and still carried the faint scent of the boy’s shampoo. Jiang Siheng hadn’t really slept the night before. He arrived at the island city of Feiyang Cloud Island with Qin Xiyu around four in the morning, and then took a boat to the island.

As soon as Jiang Siheng touched the pillow, sleepiness hit him like a tidal wave. His eyelids grew heavy, and he couldn’t hold them open anymore, slowly closing them.

Wen Chi wasn’t sleepy, so he sat on the edge of the bed, playing with his phone. Jiang Siheng shifted his body closer to Wen Chi, resting his forehead on Wen Chi’s thigh. Wen Chi’s free left hand was held by Jiang Siheng.

Wen Chi had planned to stay in this position, playing on his phone for another hour or two. By around 8 o’clock, everyone else should be awake, and then he could brush his teeth, wash his face, and go downstairs. Yet unexpectedly, Jiang Siheng, who seemed to be asleep, suddenly squeezed his palm and looked up at him.

“Mm?”

“Still not asleep?” Wen Chi asked.

“I was, but I want you to stay with me for a bit longer,” Jiang Siheng replied sleepily, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

Wen Chi was silent for a moment.

Since he had already let the man stay in his room, sleeping together didn’t seem like a big deal.

Wen Chi was already in his pajamas. As soon as he lay down, Jiang Siheng pulled him into his arms. The soft, white blanket covered both of them, their bodies pressed together.

It seemed that holding Wen Chi while sleeping had some kind of magical effect on Jiang Siheng. He sighed softly and couldn’t help but hold the boy even tighter.

Wen Chi thought he would stay awake in Jiang Siheng’s arms for another couple of hours but whether it was from the man’s shallow breathing, the warmth of his chest against Wen Chi’s back, or the softness of the blanket, he began to feel drowsy as well.

The curtains didn’t block the light well, and gradually the sunlight filtered through, shining into the room. Just when Wen Chi was finally getting sleepy, the sunlight hit his face, and the small, fine hairs on his pale skin were illuminated. He frowned and muttered something before turning around and burying his face in Jiang Siheng’s chest.

The movement woke Jiang Siheng, but he wasn’t fully awake. He lowered his head and kissed the top of Wen Chi’s head gently.

After a moment, he remembered something, groggily opened his eyes, and reached for his phone on the nightstand. He swiped the screen and found the assistant director’s WeChat message.

…

Outside the guesthouse, after washing up and feeling refreshed, the assistant director did some exercises to stay even more alert. His phone, which he had shoved into his pocket, dinged a few times.

While doing some hip exercises, the assistant director pulled out his phone. Seeing it was a message from Wen Chi, he didn’t stop his movements and opened the WeChat chat.

【Wen Chi: Don’t turn on the camera in my room.】

【Wen Chi: Also, don’t turn on the camera at the end of the left hallway on the third floor.】

The assistant director blinked in confusion for a few seconds, then his sharp mind quickly analyzed the simple two sentences.

First, the message mentioned Wen Chi’s room. If the message were truly from Wen Chi, he wouldn’t have referred to himself in the third person. It seemed likely someone else had used Wen Chi’s phone to send it.

Second, the third floor was where the male guests stayed. There was a camera at the end of the left hallway, which could capture the entire corridor. However, the camera at the end of the right hallway couldn’t capture Wen Chi’s room.

Wait a minute. The assistant director froze, his eyes trembling. He quickly checked the chat again to make sure he hadn’t misread.

Wen Chi’s room camera…

A chill ran down his spine.

He quickly replied with a simple “Okay,” then, feeling guilty, deleted the two messages from the chat.

Something big was happening. He might have uncovered a secret he wasn’t supposed to know.