TBSDRA 25: Caught on the Spot

Two days passed quickly. That afternoon, Xu Xishuang got into the nanny van Zhao-jie had arranged, bringing the restless Xiao Wang along, heading to the Fruit Channel’s broadcast building.

Xiao Wang, uneasy and worried, shot a triple question at Xu Xishuang. “Xishuang, are you really okay to join the show? Are you sure your body’s fine? We really don’t need to tell Best Actor Yan?”

“I’m fine. I’m doing well. No need,” Xu Xishuang replied. “Did Yan Yushan ask you to keep an eye on me, to make sure I eat well and exercise properly?”

Xiao Wang nodded. “Yeah.”

Xu Xishuang replied confidently, “Well, coming to film this variety show counts as exercise. My schedule is my private business. Yan Yushan doesn’t need to know about it.”

He hadn’t cut his hair in a while out of laziness, and now it was long enough to loosely tie back but he didn’t. The smooth black hair fell naturally along the sides of his neck. He took off his sunglasses and gave Xiao Wang a bright smile. It was like the spring wind melting ice and snow—gentle, warming. Even his voice carried a touch of tenderness. “You won’t tell him, right?”

Faced with such beauty, Xiao Wang nodded dazedly. “…Got it. I won’t tell Best Actor Yan.”

Satisfied, Xu Xishuang nodded, put his sunglasses back on, and leaned against the seat to rest.

When they arrived at the Fruit Channel building, Xu Xishuang got out, stated his name, and was immediately escorted upstairs to the recording studio.

As the staff member led the way, she kept sneaking glances back at Xu Xishuang. Noticing her gaze, Xu Xishuang smiled at her.

Caught red-handed, the staff member quickly turned away, her face flushing bright red as she screamed internally:

Aaaahhh! Xu Xishuang really is a long-haired beauty! He’s so good-looking! How can someone look like they were hand-carved by God?! Why isn’t he famous yet? Please, someone make him famous already!!

Maintaining what was left of her professionalism, she barely resisted the urge to scream “wife!” and quietly continued leading them forward.

Because this dating show was currently trending, the Fruit Channel had arranged for it to be filmed in the studio next to Hall No. 2—a very prime location.

Hall No. 2 was the home of the network’s flagship variety show. In the industry, it was common knowledge that if you could get on that show, you were either a hotshot star or had connections. Anyone who appeared on that program would inevitably gain some public attention unless they were extremely unlucky.

As they passed by Hall No. 2, Xu Xishuang grew curious and peeked through the door to see who the guests were for this week’s recording.

The door was slightly ajar. Just as he leaned in, the door suddenly opened from the inside. Xu Xishuang froze as he locked eyes with the person exiting.

Yan Yushan stood there in a studded jacket, giving him a slightly rebellious look. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to run into Xu Xishuang at the Fruit Channel building either. He stopped dead in surprise.

Xu Xishuang felt his scalp tingle. Before Yan Yushan could react, he spun around and tried to bolt.

Yan Yushan was faster. He reached out and grabbed Xu Xishuang by the arm, pulling him back just as he tried to take a step. Realizing he might’ve used too much force, Yan Yushan loosened his grip and instead gently held Xu Xishuang’s wrists with both hands.

Xu Xishuang was forced to stop and meet his gaze. Feeling a bit guilty, he opened his mouth to explain he was just passing by but Yan Yushan lowered his voice and asked, “What show are you here to film?”

Xu Xishuang looked away, knowing there was no escape. He muttered, “…a dating show.”

Xiao Wang nervously fidgeted with his fingers. The staff member beside them was internally biting her handkerchief and crying.

She’d seen their trending CP on Weibo, and even if she didn’t fully believe it, she figured they had to have a good relationship. What was this now? The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Why were they grabbing each other’s arms like that? Were they about to fight on the spot?!

Yan Yushan frowned and was about to say more when a voice suddenly called out from behind. “Xiao Yan!”

Yan Yushan let go of Xu Xishuang’s wrists but didn’t let him leave. He stepped up beside him, blocking his escape path, and turned to look behind him. “Feng-ge,” he answered.

Liang Feng, the frontman of a rock band, strolled over wearing a jacket covered in metal rings that jingled as he walked. He looked at the two of them. “Ran into someone you know?”

“Yeah,” Yan Yushan said curtly.

Liang Feng raised an eyebrow. There weren’t many people Yan Yushan would call an acquaintance, and this one happened to be a rare beauty. Intrigued, he turned to Xu Xishuang. “Hey, little bro—want to join us and record a show together?”

Xu Xishuang had seen Liang Feng online before. His band was legendary in China and well-known abroad. He’d previously collaborated with Yan Yushan on a song, so he was probably here for promotion.

Despite the generous offer to join the Fruit Channel’s flagship show, Xu Xishuang still declined. “No thanks.”

Getting rejected wasn’t pleasant, but if it was by a gorgeous person—and a friend of Yan Yushan’s, no less—Liang Feng didn’t mind. He patted Yan Yushan on the shoulder. “You two have your talk.”

After Liang Feng left, Xu Xishuang glanced at Yan Yushan’s calm expression, turned, and tried to follow the staff into the recording studio to escape but to his surprise, Yan Yushan followed, maintaining a not-too-close, not-too-distant distance behind him.

He entered the studio with him.

Xu Xishuang: ……

The studio had been decorated like a cozy living room, filled with pink and soft-toned decorations to suit the dating show’s vibe. Dressed in a studded jacket, Yan Yushan looked completely out of place.

Inside, the three regular hosts were already seated and made up, casually chatting. Because Xu Xishuang walked in first, they saw him first and all stood to greet him.

Among the three, only Bai Keke had been in the industry longer than Xu Xishuang. Yan Yao and Tang Min were both his juniors, so even though Xu Xishuang was younger, they all respectfully addressed him as “senior.”

Xu Xishuang nodded and returned their greetings. Just as he finished speaking, Yan Yushan entered, followed by a flustered Xiao Wang.

Seeing Yan Yushan, the three hosts froze in collective shock. They had just sat down, only to spring up again with wide eyes. Why was Yan Yushan here?

Before they could even greet him, Yan Yushan had already walked over to the show’s director to talk.

Xu Xishuang turned to the others. “Sorry, I’m going to get my makeup done first.”

Bai Keke, blunt as always, blurted, “You’re telling me you’re not wearing makeup right now?”

How could anyone look like this unfiltered? Did Nuwa play favorites when creating humans?

“Mhm,” Xu Xishuang smiled. “I’ll be back.”

The makeup artist was waiting nearby. Xiao Wang quickly handed over a suitcase of pregnancy-safe makeup products that Yan Yushan had specially prepared for Xu Xishuang.

Makeup artists had dealt with demanding celebrities before but with Xu Xishuang’s flawless face, she couldn’t even bring herself to be annoyed.

Holding Xu Xishuang’s perfect face in her hands, the artist felt completely at a loss. In the end, she applied a light layer of foundation in the lightest shade, outlined his natural eye shape with eyeliner, dabbed a little shimmer at the corners, added some lip balm and realized it was basically pointless.

The entire process took under ten minutes. The makeup artist felt like she’d painted on a masterpiece and then erased it. Xu Xishuang was already a living work of art—anything more was overkill.

While Xu Xishuang was in makeup, Yan Yushan had already finished talking with the director. He would officially join this episode as a guest and film it alongside Xu Xishuang. Since the rehearsal in Hall No. 2 was over and the actual shoot was tomorrow, he had time.

The staff member who had brought them in was stunned. So it wasn’t that their relationship was bad—it was that it was way too good!

The dating show’s director, dumbfounded by this sudden windfall, immediately sent someone to draft a contract, mentally calculating how much to pay for Yan Yushan’s appearance.

Everyone else was in disbelief as they watched Yan Yushan calmly join the set and sit beside the three regular hosts.

The director, now a bit more composed, stole a few glances at the made-up Xu Xishuang and thought—maybe those rumors are true. Maybe there really is something going on between these two.

He wasn’t the only one thinking it. On the couch, the three regular hosts stood to greet Yan Yushan nervously, then sat down and dared not say a word. All of them pulled out their phones.

Yan Yao was scrolling through something, occasionally smiling before wiping her expression clean. Tang Min looked like he was daydreaming, sneaking glances at Xu Xishuang with a complicated look. Bai Keke was furiously tapping at her phone, nearly lighting the screen on fire.

Bai Keke messaged her friend: “Sis, I’m dying. I’m filming a show with my idol aaahh! I’m so happy!”

Friend: “Weren’t you filming with Xu Xishuang? You promised to get my goddess’s autograph. Don’t forget!”

Bai Keke: “Didn’t forget! Yan Yushan came with your goddess!”

Bai Keke: “I checked before coming—Yan Yushan was supposed to be filming that flagship show in Hall 2. This was supposed to be his rehearsal time, but he followed Xu Xishuang here and personally negotiated with the director to join this dating show. He clearly decided on the spot. I’m so blessed!”

Friend: “OMG. I ship it. It’s real.”

Bai Keke: ”? What do you mean?”

Friend: “You’re seriously asking? Why else would Yan Yushan suddenly decide to guest star on your dating show? He did it to be with Xu Xishuang!”

Friend: “He loves him so much! I’m fainting. This has to be real! This is basically a public announcement!!”

Bai Keke: ”…I don’t follow your logic. What if my idol is just genuinely interested in this show and it just so happens that Xu Xishuang is here too?”

Friend: “Come on. What kind of coincidence is that? This was clearly planned! Pre-meditated!!”

Bai Keke decided to stop replying to her CP-crazed friend, because Xu Xishuang had finished makeup and was walking over.

The couch was L-shaped. The three regular hosts sat along the longer side, leaving no space between them. No one dared scoot closer to Yan Yushan. They even left buffer space between themselves.

That meant Xu Xishuang had only one option. Either on the short side of the couch or right next to Yan Yushan.

Under everyone’s gaze, Xu Xishuang paused, then walked over and sat down at the edge. He was slim, didn’t take up much space, and even left a one-person gap between them. Yan Yushan turned to glance at him but said nothing.

With the others absorbed in their phones, Xu Xishuang didn’t force any conversation. He pulled out his phone and messaged Yan Yushan.

Xu Xishuang: “Why are you here too?”

He thought Yan Yushan followed him to get the director to kick him off the show. Yan Yushan absolutely had that power but instead, he’d chosen to stay and film with him.

Xu Xishuang didn’t understand, so he asked.

Yan Yushan saw the message Xu Xishuang had sent and replied, “You’re not safe on your own.”

Reading this, Xu Xishuang’s earlier suspicions were confirmed. Yan Yushan was overly protective.

His way of protection was gentle. Instead of stopping him, he chose to accompany him.

Xu Xishuang felt a little unsettled: “Aren’t you worried people here will spread rumors about us? We already trended once as a CP.”

Yan Yushan replied quickly: “Do you hate it that much? I’ll warn them.”

Everyone knew “warn” from Yan Yushan meant legal action. Thanks to his aggressive legal team, no gossip site or entertainment outlet dared make up stories about him anymore, let alone spread rumors.

Avoiding the question, Xu Xishuang asked instead: “…Then how do you plan to handle this last-minute guest appearance?”

Yan Yushan replied:  “The team will add me to the preview post. It hasn’t gone up yet, so there won’t be a problem.”

Everything had already been handled. Once the show aired, no one outside the room would know he was a late addition.

Xu Xishuang tapped his screen. “Okay.”

Then let’s film together.