Chapter 6 – Drunk Kitten

Cheng Yichi got drunk—very suddenly. No one expected that just three or four sips of red wine would bring a blush to his cheeks and a soft shine to his eyes. He still looked like his usual self, quietly focused on eating the food in his bowl. Whenever someone used the serving chopsticks to put food into his bowl, he’d cradle it in his hands, stare at them with his beautiful eyes until they looked away shyly, and then obediently say, “Thank you.”

“Is Yichi drunk?” Bai Ruyu asked.

Li Yi’s hand paused mid-motion. He’d noticed something was off with Cheng Yichi just now—so he really had drunk too much?

Cheng Yichi looked up and smiled at everyone. His smile was sweet and well-behaved. It was rare to see him like this on screen.

Normally, Cheng Yichi came across as gentle and warm, someone who made people feel comfortable. Among all the actors, he had the most fans who saw him as either a younger brother or a boyfriend. “Mom fans” always felt that he was too mature to need anyone fussing over him.

But right now, Cheng Yichi was just… sweet.

So sweet it could melt your heart.

He was like a kitten. Noticing everyone was watching him, he slowly pushed his bowl forward, picked up a chopstick-full of spicy peppers, and stuffed them into his mouth. Before anyone could stop him, he started crying—eyes brimming with tears, his tongue sticking out a little, completely innocent.

The spice had made him cry.

Jiang Heng, who was sitting next to him, quickly handed him a glass of water and coaxed, “Don’t cry, drink some water.”

Even drunk, Cheng Yichi was cautious. Though the spice had his tongue burning, he still stared hard at Jiang Heng, like he was trying to figure out who he was. He looked exactly like a cat—his intense stare made Jiang Heng blush. Only then did Cheng Yichi finally accept the water and sip from the cup slowly.

He drank water in a funny way. His tongue, likely burning from the spice, dipped into the water first before he took a proper sip.

“So cute.”

No one knew who said it, but everyone agreed. This side of Cheng Yichi was rare.

Tang Yinuo blushed and cupped his face in his hands. He thought: The movie king like this was way more adorable than him—so soft, so sweet, probably super easy to tease.

But what now? This kind of contrast made it even better. He could already imagine Cheng Yichi’s reaction tomorrow. If Cheng remembered, he’d probably pretend nothing happened, then apologize formally to everyone for causing trouble. If he didn’t remember, Tang Yinuo would make sure to tell him—just to see his reaction.

Thinking about it made Tang Yinuo a little excited.

Li Yi, who was sitting across from Cheng Yichi, asked, “Still hungry? Do you want to go rest upstairs?”

Cheng Yichi stared seriously at Li Yi for a long time before nodding. “No!”

Li Yi: ?

Then why are you nodding while saying no?

The little drunk said, “I want to share in everyone’s suffering!”

Everyone laughed: What hardship are you even talking about?

Kind and beautiful Bai Ruyu made a cup of honey water for him to help him feel better.

This time, Cheng Yichi didn’t hesitate. He drank it all in one go, even tipping the cup over afterward to show he’d finished it. Bai Ruyu couldn’t help but say, “So obedient.”

Cheng Yichi replied, “I’m not obedient. I can act too.”

Everyone was impressed. Even drunk, the movie king still remembered to show off his acting skills. Only Li Yi glanced at him quietly and said nothing.

After dinner, they discussed who would wash the dishes. Of course, the drunk Cheng Yichi wasn’t going to be allowed to do that. Honestly, with hands as pretty as his, no one wanted him touching soap anyway.

“Then Wei Buyan and I will wash them,” Tang Yinuo volunteered. They were the only two who didn’t cook and hadn’t partnered up.

Wei Buyan frowned for a second, then relaxed. He actually wanted to take Cheng Yichi to bed.

Drunk Cheng Yichi was fun to be around.

Tang Yinuo had never washed dishes either—his family had maids for that. He’d never had to worry about chores before.

“There’s a dishwasher here. Do you guys know how to use it?” Bai Ruyu asked.

Hearing that, Tang Yinuo breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness the production team was generous—they weren’t going to make them do housework every day.

Wei Buyan had no choice but to follow along too.

Meanwhile, Jiang Heng moved closer to Cheng Yichi and sniffed like a little puppy. He thought Teacher Cheng smelled really good. Not just of wine, but with a light, clean floral scent. It was subtle, but lovely. He leaned in and sniffed again.

“I’ll take you upstairs to rest, Teacher Cheng.”

Normally, after dinner, the guests would have a casual chat—about hobbies, first impressions, maybe flirt a little with someone they were interested in. Then, before going to bed, they’d send a “crush text,” and start thinking about how to pursue their love interest for the next 29 days. And of course, try not to fall for a love scammer.

But Cheng Yichi was so drunk that he clearly wouldn’t be joining the chat. People were wondering if he’d even manage to send a complete message for the “crush text” later.

Strangely though, even after Cheng Yichi left, no one else kept chatting either. It was… a bit of an awkward moment.

Li Yi wrapped an arm around the tipsy Cheng Yichi and said to Jiang Heng, “No need, I’ll take him up.”

Jiang Heng watched them go upstairs, the sweet scent slowly fading.

He wasn’t too happy about that.

—

In the kitchen—

Tang Yinuo put on gloves, loaded the dishwasher, then carefully poured in the dish soap, worried he might add too much.

Wei Buyan was wiping the table.

He moved like he was playing pool, his body forming a graceful arc. Tang Yinuo leaned against the counter, watching him.

“Hey, kid,” Wei Buyan straightened up, the corners of his eyes tilting up in a flirtatious smirk, “Why do you keep staring at me? Like me or something?”

Before Cheng Yichi showed up, Tang Yinuo really had been flustered around Wei Buyan. But that was mostly because Wei Buyan was so good at flirting, and Tang Yinuo liked playing the innocent role.

If you wanted pure, that was definitely Fang Yunshi. Tang Yinuo thought to himself: The only reason I can keep up with Wei Buyan is because we’re both players.

“Of course not,” Tang Yinuo mumbled, blushing. Anyone looking would think he was just shy.

But honestly, he was wondering what Wei Buyan’s body looked like. Did he have abs? How many? Were they hard? Was he worth making a move on?

Wei Buyan had a great body. Even with his pale skin, his muscles were well-defined. He could pull off flashy colors like pink and wine red without looking feminine—on the contrary, it made him even hotter.

Tang Yinuo loved that.

But now… it seemed he liked someone else a little more. The only problem was, that person felt a bit out of reach.

“He’s so cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Wei Buyan replied automatically. Then he paused. “Wait, who are you talking about?”

“Movie King Cheng, of course,” Tang Yinuo said with a grin. “When he’s drunk, his face turns all pink like a peach, and his eyes sparkle. When he looked at me, it was like he was trying to seduce me. No wonder he’s a movie star—his looks are just too much.”

Wei Buyan let out a quiet “mm,” remembering what Cheng Yichi looked like just now. He couldn’t help but swallow hard, his throat bobbing slightly, like he was savoring the memory. He started thinking about the version of Cheng Yichi that appeared in his dreams.

Suddenly, Tang Yinuo didn’t seem quite so cute anymore.

“They’re about to send the crush texts,” he said hoarsely.

His voice was deep and sexy.

“Oh.” Tang Yinuo started reviewing how he acted today and thought he didn’t do so well. He really wanted to get a message from Cheng Yichi.

“Yichi-ge probably gets a ton, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Wei Buyan said. “Everyone likes him, but that doesn’t mean they want to date him.”

Some people are better admired from afar. Pulling them down from their pedestal only sets you up for disappointment.

—

Right now, Cheng Yichi was taking a shower. After Li Yi carried him back to his room, he became very obedient. Unlike most drunks, he brushed his teeth and took a bath all by himself. If Li Yi got too close, he’d glare at him suspiciously.

But after coming out, the drunken madness kicked in.

He started touching Li Yi’s abs and wouldn’t let go.

Inside the room, Li Yi had covered the camera with some clothes. The production team could only vaguely hear Cheng Yichi’s voice: “Wow, so hard! Feels so nice! Why is mine smaller?”

The director’s team called Li Yi immediately: “What kind of inappropriate activity are you doing in there?! Turn that camera back on right now!”

Li Yi looked down at Cheng Yichi, whose hands were still tracing his abs, and replied calmly, “Nothing. He’s just admiring my abs. I’ll turn it back on now.”

In truth, Cheng Yichi had a great body. His waist was slim, his butt nicely shaped. In clothes, he often looked a bit too slender, so he worked hard to train and bulk up. It worked well—his muscles were tight and lean, more like defined abs than bulky ones.

Still, it looked amazing.

Li Yi coaxed softly, “Stop touching. You can touch again after the show, okay?”

Cheng Yichi slowly looked up at him, then pulled his hand back.

Tch. Li Yi felt a little disappointed.

Unlike the others, he had joined the show because he knew Cheng Yichi was going to be on it.

He’d liked him for a long time. And even if there was only a tiny chance… he wanted to fight for it.

“It’s time to send your crush text,” Li Yi said, placing the phone in Cheng Yichi’s hand.

Thankfully, Cheng Yichi was still sensitive to the words “crush text.” His ears twitched, and he opened the message screen, thinking seriously: Who should I send it to?

Right now, his mind was moving extra slow. He couldn’t figure anything out. It was only the first day—everyone seemed nice. So, who should he choose?

He tapped the screen randomly while muttering, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… whichever little pig it lands on…”

Li Yi couldn’t help but laugh. His voice was low and magnetic.

Cheng Yichi immediately glared at him. “Hmph! The little pig it lands on… is you!”

—His finger was pointing right at Li Yi!

Then he lowered his head and seriously began typing a message to Li Yi.

Li Yi: ?!

Wait… I actually got picked?!