Ji Chengyi pursed his lips, “Alright, I’ll go freshen up then, Mr. Lin, feel free.”

Lin Jindu responded with a simple “Hmm.”

—

Since there were cameras everywhere outside, Lin Jindu retrieved the laptop from the assistant and returned to the room to attend to the work he had put aside in the morning.

Upon entering the room, he heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Initially, Lin Jindu didn’t pay much attention, attributing it to poor sound insulation in the room.

He then focused on sorting through the piled-up files in his email. However, despite opening an email for a good two minutes, he hadn’t absorbed a single word.

Lin Jindu: …

Lin Jindu didn’t have any peculiar aversions to hearing others shower or getting distracted while focusing on a task. But now, he found his thoughts involuntarily drawn towards the sound of water coming from the bathroom.

In reality, Ji Chengyi’s bathing sounds weren’t particularly loud. However, the small room meant that even a hint of warm light from the bathroom reached Lin Jindu’s small table. The gentle patter of water was distinctly audible, resonating clearly in Lin Jindu’s ears.

In the air, an invisible thread seemed to pluck at Lin Jindu’s heartstrings with each sound, making it impossible for him to concentrate. He could almost envision Ji Chengyi’s gentle and calm movements in the shower, just like his entire being.

His rational emotions warned Lin Jindu that delving further into these thoughts would be impolite. Quickly regaining his focus, he tried to concentrate on the computer screen in front of him.

But the next moment, a sweet fruity aroma wafted into his nostrils, familiar and reminiscent of the scent he had once smell at home.

It turned out that when Ji Chengyi went out briefly, he brought back his usual shower gel.

Lin Jindu: …

Lin Jindu, feeling somewhat resigned, took a deep breath. Despite not particularly enjoying the sweet scent, he didn’t leave the room. Since he couldn’t focus on work documents at the moment, he closed the email and leaned back in his chair to rest his eyes.

However, after a short while, he slowly opened his eyes again. After a brief moment of contemplation, Lin Jindu took out his phone and opened Weibo.

Normally, Lin Jindu only paid attention to the overall trends in the entertainment industry to make targeted investments and didn’t follow the small news on Weibo. It took him a while to realize which button was for searching. He had to click through one by one before finally discovering the trending topics on the main page.

Lin Jindu had assumed that he and Ji Chengyi, not being from the entertainment industry, wouldn’t attract much attention despite appearing on the show. To his surprise, their popularity surpassed even the biggest star, Yu Heyan.

Curious, Lin Jindu clicked on the top trending topic. It was a video from an entertainment blogger showing him and Ji Chengyi at the airport waiting for their luggage, standing quietly without saying a word.

While the video seemed quiet, the barrage of comments was lively.

Lin Jindu scrolled through a few comments, some of which had thousands of likes.

【I’ve never seen such a stiff couple. Are they really a couple, not just business partners?】

【Both CEOs are good-looking, but I can’t watch this, so I’m out. Runs away.jpg】

【Can’t the capitalists keep their hands out of everything? Making money in their own fields isn’t enough, they have to come to variety shows to make more?】

【Making money is fine, but didn’t they promise a sweet love story? Is this it?】

【The show tagged the two CEOs as “married first, love later.” I’ll just squat here quietly. If there’s no love later, I’ll be furious!】

The barrage was overwhelming, so Lin Jindu briefly scanned a few comments before deciding not to continue reading. They were mostly irrelevant and didn’t bother him.

As for the “married first, love later” tag the netizens mentioned, Lin Jindu felt indifferent. He didn’t come on the show for any “married first, love later” storyline; it was simply to appease Ms. Song.

Song Shi wanted to see a loving marriage in him, but he feared he couldn’t give her that. Due to his strict upbringing, Lin Jindu’s mind had developed an ingrained way of thinking. Besides family, he subconsciously assessed the value of every person he encountered and what they could bring to him. If the person’s contribution matched or exceeded the value he received, he would deepen the relationship. Otherwise, he wouldn’t waste his time.

Ji Chengyi was someone who could provide him with more value than he invested, so he chose to marry him. Love, a time-consuming and intangible concept, held no value to him. He wouldn’t invest any capital in a venture with no return, including a “married first, love later” scenario with Ji Chengyi.

Suddenly, the sound of the door handle interrupted Lin Jindu’s thoughts. He instinctively turned to the sound and saw the bathroom door, veiled in mist, being opened. Ji Chengyi emerged slowly, clad in a gray bathrobe, his black hair not yet dried, a few droplets of water trailing down his neck and collarbone, leaving a tantalizing mark on his fair skin.

Lin Jindu’s gaze momentarily froze, and he instinctively wanted to avert his eyes. However, as his gaze lowered, he caught sight of Ji Chengyi’s slender, flawless legs peeking out from the robe. The sight made the air in the small room feel warmer, perhaps due to the steam accompanying Ji Chengyi.

Feeling a rush of heat in his chest, Lin Jindu found it hard to breathe and decided to stand up and walk around. Just as he rose, he heard Ji Chengyi calling him, “Mr. Lin?”

Startled, Lin Jindu responded, “Yes? Did Mr. Ji call me?”

Ji Chengyi confirmed, “Yes.”

Lin Jindu, lost in thought, didn’t realize that Ji Chengyi had called him twice. He simply asked, “What’s up?”

Ji Chengyi, with damp hair, looked at him and spoke in a clear and soothing tone, “I was thinking, should we create a self-introduction form? This way, during the next segment of the telepathy questions, we can avoid penalties and potentially have a better chance of winning. What do you think, Mr. Lin?”

Ji Chengyi had reflected on the program’s routine while showering and believed that he and Lin Jindu could effectively avoid such consequences. Building telepathy takes time, but memorizing correct answers can be done quickly.

He shared his idea and hoped for a positive response from Lin Jindu. However, Lin Jindu just stared at him without giving an immediate reply.

Fresh out of the shower, Ji Chengyi’s hair was damp, and even his upward gaze carried a hint of moisture. With his naturally brown eyes now glistening with added moisture, they resembled a lake shimmering in the sunlight, beautiful yet concealing subtle traps.

The captivating gaze unintentionally drew the observer in deeper, like a soft hook quietly luring them in.

Lin Jindu was nearly entranced by those eyes, murmuring unconsciously, “Mr. Ji’s eyes…”

His voice was barely audible, and Ji Chengyi couldn’t catch it clearly, prompting him to ask, “Hmm?”

Blinking, Lin Jindu snapped out of the trance, replying, “What?”

Ji Chengyi: “…”

Looking at Lin Jindu, puzzled, he asked, “Mr. Lin? Are you okay?”

Lin Jindu pursed his lips and coughed softly, “I’m fine.”

He then pretended to be composed, “I’ve already thought about the self-introduction Mr. Ji mentioned earlier. No problem. You go ahead and dry your hair first. I’ll work on the form outside.”

Before Ji Chengyi could respond, Lin Jindu quickly grabbed his laptop and left the room.

On the third floor, besides the two bedrooms, there was a small living room and a gym. Lin Jindu headed to the small living room.

As he sat on the sofa in the living room, the cameraman approached with the camera. Lin Jindu glanced at him and said, “Work, no filming.”

With his dark and intense gaze, Lin Jindu didn’t need to intentionally appear cold to make the cameraman feel pressured. Despite the tension, the cameraman insisted, “I won’t film the computer screen, just a wide shot of Mr. Lin.”

He took a few steps back to show he wouldn’t disturb Lin Jindu’s work or capture his computer screen.

Lin Jindu didn’t want to make things difficult for the worker and simply nodded before focusing on making the form. Seeing that Lin Jindu didn’t reject the filming, the cameraman quietly turned on the live stream.

Even though Lin Jindu wasn’t Ji Chengyi, at least his presence could pacify the viewers in the live stream. Otherwise, they might cause a commotion.

【What’s going on! Why am I seeing a black screen while other guests are being all lovey-dovey… Huh? What’s this?】

【?? Mr. Lin???】

【Mr. Ji is showering, but Mr. Lin is out working??? Mr. Lin, are you really allergic to your beautiful spouse? Shocked.jpg】

【Is he really working? Why does Mr. Lin look a bit off??】

【True, he does! And Mr. Lin’s ears seem a bit red too…】

【Not sure, cameraman, can you zoom in a bit?】

The cameraman whispered to the camera, “I can’t, Mr. Lin is working.”

The comments began to encourage:

【Hey, just film from the front and you won’t capture the computer screen!】

【Cameraman, please! You’re the best and the most handsome!!! Please.jpg】

【Bro, do you want a girlfriend? If you film Mr. Lin’s ear, I’ll introduce you to my best friend!】

Cameraman: …

“Girlfriend or not, I prefer to live dangerously…” the cameraman said, then cautiously zoomed in the camera.

To satisfy the viewers’ curiosity, the cameraman zoomed in on all the small details he should be capturing.

【Leaving everything else aside, Boss Lín looks so handsome when working seriously! Haha.jpg】

【Mr. Lin didn’t use to purse his lips, right? Why does he keep doing it now? Is he nervous, shy, or excited??】

【Verdict is in! Mr. Lin’s ears aren’t from mosquito bites! They’re genuinely red!!! So, Mr. Lin must have caught a glimpse of his wife’s body in the room!!!】

【Grass at 5:18 PM, diagnosed with red-eye syndrome, needing kisses from Mr. Lin’s wife to get better, no joke. Smiling.jpg】

【No way! Mr. Ji has such good skin on his face! His body skin must be even better! If Mr. Lin really saw something, how can he focus on work??? Wouldn’t that awaken the beast within???】

Not only were the comments curious, but the directors in the control room were also extremely curious.

“What were they really doing in the room just now? Why is Mr. Lin acting so strange?” Director Li looked puzzled.

The assistant director speculated, “Mr. Ji said he was going to shower… Could he have accidentally slipped? Then Mr. Lin rushed to the door to help him, and then they ended up seeing things they shouldn’t have seen. Could it be that Mr. Lin’s inner innocent boy was awakened?”

Director Li neither agreed nor disagreed, “Then why is he still able to work? Shouldn’t he be in the room, cozying up to Mr. Ji, heating up their relationship while comforting him at this time?”

The scriptwriter rolled his eyes discreetly, “Could you two be any more old-fashioned?”

Director Li and the assistant director immediately turned to him, silently urging him to speak more.

The scriptwriter couldn’t believe these two, “Isn’t it obvious? The room is so small; Mr. Lin must have heard Mr. Ji showering, and then due to certain reasons involving Mr. Ji, Mr. Lin’s unshakeable manly instincts experienced a subtle chemical reaction. Mr. Lin was momentarily unsure how to interpret this psychological change, so he came out to immerse himself in work to numb himself.”

The assistant director nodded appreciatively, “That makes sense.”

Director Li was about to nod as well, but his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at it and saw it was Producer Song.

He quickly answered, “Hello, Producer Song.”

Without beating around the bush, Song Luoyun asked directly, “What’s the plan for tonight?”

Director Li glanced at the script on the machine and informed her, “Considering that the guests might be a bit tired from the long flight, the evening will consist of a relaxed game of Truth or Dare.”

Song Luoyun clicked her tongue, “Why Truth or Dare again? Change it, make it a Kissing Game!”

Director Li: …

Feeling a bit awkward, Director Li hesitated, “Um… I’m not sure if that’s appropriate? Mr. Ji and Mr. Lin haven’t reached that stage yet.”

Ignoring his concerns, Song Luoyun said, “If they haven’t reached that stage, then push them to that stage. They’re both adults, and adult relationships require physical contact to heat up. Just look at the audience now, do they prefer Truth or Dare or handsome guys getting cozy?”

Director Li thought for a moment and believed it was the latter.

He nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll have the scriptwriter adjust the program later.”

Song Luoyun acknowledged with a sound, “After the show, I want to see a loving couple. Push the boundaries, and I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”

Then she added, “Of course, don’t make my nephew’s wife too uncomfortable, prioritize his feelings.”

Director Li pondered for a moment and asked, “What if Mr. Lin doesn’t like the program and wants to change the script?”

Song Luoyun showed double standards, “It doesn’t matter; he’s not important. A big straight man who can’t appreciate his beautiful wife has no say in this.”

Director Li: …

Director Li: “Alright.”