ABOES 81: Interlocked Fingers

Chi Yunxing’s brows twitched, and he instantly froze. He was just about to shake his head and deny it when he suddenly realized that what Grandma Chi said was likely referring to the characters Ning Chu and Xu Li in the drama, not him and Duan Zhiyan.

He quietly let out a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to speak, he heard Duan Zhiyan say beside him, “Grandma, you really have an eye—you saw it right away.”

There was a faint smile on Duan Zhiyan’s lips. Though he was clearly speaking to Grandma Chi, his gaze kept drifting toward Chi Yunxing.

Chi Yunxing knew exactly what he was hinting at. His ears turned pink as he turned his head away.

Grandma Chi, focused entirely on the show, didn’t notice the subtle exchange between the two. She said proudly, “Of course! Back when I was younger, I read tons of novels like this. Even in real life, I could always tell who was secretly together!”

Duan Zhiyan kept his smile. “Is that so?”

Chi Yunxing was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Grandma Chi to be so open-minded.

“Grandma, you read this kind of novel too?” he couldn’t help asking.

She laughed and nodded. “Of course I did! I used to stay up all night reading them. Your grandfather even got annoyed and said I was disturbing his sleep. He got so mad he wanted to sleep in another room.”

Chi Yunxing laughed. “And then what happened?”

Grandma Chi gave a little huff. “So I let him! What, he thought that would scare me? He didn’t realize it just made it easier for me to read all night. In the end, he was the one who couldn’t stand being alone and came back to beg me!”

After finishing, she turned her attention back to the show, chuckling to herself.

Chi Yunxing and Duan Zhiyan couldn’t help but laugh too.

Their eyes met in the air for a brief second then looked away.

Before long, Chi Yunxing felt a broad hand slowly wrap around his.

A soft flutter tickled his chest. He couldn’t help but extend a finger, gently tracing a line across Duan Zhiyan’s palm.

Duan Zhiyan glanced sideways at him, then held his mischievous hand even tighter.

Chi Yunxing’s smile deepened. Hidden from Grandma’s view, the two of them quietly interlocked their fingers.

Grandma kept watching for a bit, then suddenly said, “Your grandfather never had the same sixth sense for couples as I do. I could always spot them, but he’d just sit there looking confused, asking why ‘those two brothers’ were holding hands.”

Chi Yunxing tensed for a moment. Thinking about how tightly his hand was clasped in Duan Zhiyan’s, he instinctively wanted to pull away but Duan Zhiyan only tightened his grip.

His expression didn’t change as he casually replied to Grandma, “So, did you explain it to Grandpa?”

Grandma snorted, “Explain? Explain what? All that man ever cared about was his fish tanks. He wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Duan Zhiyan chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Chi Yunxing suddenly grew a little anxious again, thinking of how sharp Grandma’s “radar” was. He glanced cautiously at Duan Zhiyan.

Will she catch on?

Duan Zhiyan immediately understood the look. Without a word, he simply gave a small shake of his head.

Chi Yunxing instantly relaxed.

That day marked the premiere of Secret Crush, and the production team had generously released three full episodes at once.

By now, most viewers who had tuned in early had already finished watching, and online discussion had started to heat up.

Right at that moment, Chi Yunxing received a message from Xie Yi, reminding him to quickly post a promotional Weibo.

He thought for a second, then snapped a quick photo of the TV at home and posted.

@ChiYunxing: Have you all started watching Secret Crush? I’m watching it right now! #photo#

Chi Yunxing didn’t try to hide it from Duan Zhiyan. And sure enough, just as he hit “post,” his phone pinged with a special alert: @DuanZhiyan reposted your Weibo.

Chi Yunxing glanced over, surprised. “You’re not posting your own?”

Duan Zhiyan put his phone away and said as if completely matter-of-fact.  “Reposting yours is enough. And now we don’t need to bother with a separate CP post later either.”

Chi Yunxing: “…”

…Fair. Hard to argue with that logic.

The fact that Secret Crush was Duan Zhiyan’s very first web drama had already made it a hot topic before it even aired. Media outlets and major entertainment accounts had practically camped out on Weibo, ready to pounce the moment anything happened.

Fans and netizens had long since memorized the premiere time. The second Secret Crush went live, a flood of people rushed to click on episode one.

At first, most viewers had been drawn in by the novelty of “Duan Zhiyan’s first web drama.” Curious, they clicked in just to take a look and not intending to stick around but by the time they finished episode one, they found themselves completely hooked.

If you checked the live comments during the first few minutes of episode one, the barrage looked something like this.

【Holy crap, this is literally my high school experience.】
【This is way too real! I lost it the moment they showed the 6 AM morning classes!】
【Insane. Who’s the director? They captured the female lead’s delicate inner world perfectly.】
【This… this is what unspoken love really feels like!!!】

And, of course, some were wondering.

【Wait, where’s Duan Zhiyan?】

Right as that comment floated by, a youthful, glowing face suddenly appeared on screen—

【WHOA.】
【Is that Duan Zhiyan?!】
【Damn, if I remember right, the guy’s almost thirty? How does he still look this young??】
【Duan Zhiyan: “Mind your manners.”】
【LMAO he’s only 26!】

His appearance was only a brief shot, it was not even a close-up. Sunlight streamed in through the classroom windows, casting a soft glow across his long, fair fingers.

【Those hands!! I’m in.】

【Seriously, those hands are gorgeous.】

The camera slowly panned upward and finally revealed Chi Yunxing.

The boy was dressed neatly in a school uniform, posture perfectly straight, but the way his pen scrawled aimlessly across his paper made it clear: his mind was somewhere else.

Suddenly, the boy looked up and glanced quickly toward someone off-screen.

The shot shifted with his gaze landing right on Duan Zhiyan.

A second later, the boy twirled his pen once in his hand and scribbled a line onto the messy page: “I adore you, but you don’t know.”

Fans and viewers lost it.

【F*—】
【It’s here it’s here it’s HERE!! My OTP!!!】
【Oh my god, this is the essence of secret love!】
【Chi Yunxing’s expression nailed it. That shy, hidden crush vibe? Perfectly done.】

—

By the end of episode one, viewers were left wanting more. Without even thinking, they immediately hit “Next Episode.”

Even with three episodes released at once, they went by in a flash. When fans went to click on the fourth…

Nothing happened.

【Wait, that’s it?】
【Just three episodes??】
【Are you kidding me??】
【Welp, guess I’m locked into waiting for updates now. I only clicked for Duan Zhiyan and now look at me.】
【I don’t even know why, but even though it’s not tragic, and both characters clearly like each other, I felt this ache the whole time. My nose stung the entire watch.】

Someone replied to that last comment.

【It’s probably because Secret Crush portrays that kind of love so realistically—it feels just like our own experiences. We’re not just watching a drama; we’re remembering our own awkward, bittersweet youth. That’s why it hurts.】

That comment struck a chord with so many people, it quickly became the top-liked post under the episode.

Viewers and fans flooded the replies and started begging for more.

【Where’s the next update?!】
【Please, I’m begging you, release more!】
【Only three episodes a week? That’s cruel!】

And right around that time, Chi Yunxing and Duan Zhiyan’s Weibo posts went live.

【AAAA I watched it!! Just finished! It was SO GOOD. Only flaw? Not enough episodes!! Just three?! Director, do you not respect us?! Where are the two extra VIP episodes we were promised?!】
【Please, we need more updates!! Three is not enough!!】
【Yunxing’s acting was incredible! He was Ning Chu—completely!】

Chi Yunxing’s Weibo was filled with glowing praise.

Meanwhile, Duan Zhiyan’s comment section… had a slightly different vibe.

【GEGE!!】
【Okay I’m not even exaggerating—how is it possible that at 26, you can still convincingly play a 16-year-old?!】
【I never thought I’d fall for my idol as a high schooler.】
【You literally don’t look your age. That youthful vibe is unreal.】
【If no one had said anything, I honestly wouldn’t have guessed you’re 26.】
【Duan Zhiyan, you are full of surprises!】
【One question though… why didn’t you post your own Weibo? Why just repost Yunxing’s?】

—

Chi Yunxing happened to scroll by that last comment and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

Duan Zhiyan, sitting right next to him, shot him a look. Equally amused and aggrieved.

Even Grandma noticed. “What’s so funny?”

Chi Yunxing handed her the phone while laughing. “The comments. Hahaha—Zhiyan Ge’s fans are saying they can’t believe he’s 26 and still managed to play a 16-year-old so convincingly. Hahahaha…”

Grandma Chi took the phone, read a few, and chuckled along. “These netizens are hilarious. The way they talk—it’s too funny!”

Right then, a scene of Duan Zhiyan came on screen. Grandma paused the TV, looked at the image, then turned to the real-life man beside her and nodded in approval.

“You know what? They’re right.”

Duan Zhiyan groaned. “Grandma, not you too!”

Grandma Chi and Chi Yunxing burst into laughter again.

Duan Zhiyan smiled helplessly, saying nothing more.

It wasn’t until Grandma went to rest after watching all three episodes that Duan Zhiyan pushed Chi Yunxing down onto the sofa, claiming he was owed some “compensation.”

Chi Yunxing tried to struggle but it was no use. The man kissed him over and over, collecting everything he was due and more.

—

The premiere day of Secret Crush ended with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Several related hashtags topped Weibo’s trending list, and even though their screen time wasn’t extensive, both Chi Yunxing and Duan Zhiyan each landed individual trending tags.

By the end of the day, the drama’s first three episodes had surpassed 20 million views, and subscriber numbers soared past 10 million.

Director Li Chao made a quick decision: next week’s episodes would be released a day early and he’d add an extra episode too.

That move sent Secret Crush into a full-blown frenzy. Viewership doubled, word of mouth exploded, and editing bloggers across video platforms started making tribute clips on their own.

Secret Crush had officially gone viral.