The poor fans of the “Like” CP (couple pairing) were fighting a lonely battle:

[The two leads haven’t said anything yet, why are you guys in such a hurry?]
[Besides, they’ve already said they’re friends in the industry. Their private relationship doesn’t need your judgment, right?]

Even though CP fans passionately defended them, they couldn’t stand against the solo fans waving around Xie Xu’s team’s public statement.

Brother Jia couldn’t withstand the pressure of public opinion and sent me several screenshots of harsh comments:

[Your CP plan needs a new direction. Xie Xu’s solo fans are too aggressive. The enemy is strong, and we’re weak.]
[On a side note, Xiao Huai, I really think Xie Xu is a straight guy. He doesn’t like you. Otherwise, why would his team target you like this without him saying a word?]

I was scrolling through updates of fanfiction and casually sent a screenshot back to Brother Jia:
[On the bright side, I think I’ve successfully brought back the CP fans from the shadows this time.]
[As for him, he can do whatever he wants. I’ll just keep chasing him.]

9

Then Brother Jia sent me a poster:

[Xiao Huai, there’s a variety show, do you want to try it? You could regain some favor with the public.]

Without even thinking, I asked directly:
[Is Xie Xu going?]
[Yes.]
[Then I’ll go too.]

The next second, Brother Jia sent me a 60-second voice message.
I chose not to listen.
I understood, 60 seconds is the limit for a voice message, not for Brother Jia.

After a while, Brother Jia sent me the show’s schedule:

[I’ve heard that Xie Xu’s team talked to the show in advance to make sure you two don’t appear on screen together.]
[I’m worried the show will target you to create other controversies to make up for the lost attention.]
[Just giving you a heads-up.]

I quickly scanned the schedule:
[No worries, the important thing is I get to be on the show.]

Brother Jia sent a “speechless” emoji:
[The main thing is you get to be on the show with Xie Xu.]

10

During the show, I was the last one to appear.
As I passed by Xie Xu, I threw him a glance, and he rolled his eyes at me.
I could tell the show was determined to avoid any interaction between us.

Xie Xu stood on the far left, and I stood on the far right, with three other guests and the host between us.

Luckily, Xie Xu is tall, so I could still make out his profile with a slight tilt of my head.
He looked even more handsome today than he did yesterday.

How can I get his attention?
How can I sneak over to his side later?

…

“Teacher Xiao, Teacher Xiao!”

I was lost in thought when the host suddenly called out to me, and I looked up in a panic:
“Huh?”

Seeing I had finally snapped back, the host continued:
“I heard that in your new drama, all of your fight scenes were done by yourself. Today, we’re very fortunate to witness Teacher Xiao’s famous action scenes firsthand.”

What?

An imaginary question mark popped up in my head.
Are they digging a pit for me right in front of my face?

Before I could react, a staff member handed me a wooden prop stick. I was still in a daze:
“Isn’t this going to cost extra?”

The host played along to liven up the atmosphere:
“Of course, we’ll add more pay!”

Well, as long as there’s extra pay, I’m good.

I glanced back and saw Xie Xu giving me a worried look.
Hmm, I’d better swing this stick with more enthusiasm then.

I tried out the stick a bit, and it felt okay.
The other guests moved to the sides, giving me plenty of space.

I slowly shuffled closer to Xie Xu, sneaking a few steps in his direction.
Before I could get too close, the host stepped in between us.

Hmm, this behavior is hard to describe.

“Teacher Xiao, are you ready to start?”
“Yes.”

Luckily, my fight scenes are real. A few casual swings, and I’ve got this under control.

Just as I was about to start, another person suddenly walked onto the stage.
The host announced:
“Today, we’ve specially arranged for a fight scene expert to spar with Teacher Xiao.”

What?

A bad feeling crept into my heart.
They’re definitely trying to set me up.

As the background music began, the martial arts teacher picked up a stick and immediately attacked with precise and aggressive moves.
I barely had time to react.

The host kept hyping me up:
“Xiao Huai really has trained; look at how many moves he can take from the martial arts teacher!”
“Yes, that’s a beautiful move!”
“But Xiao Huai has been on the defensive the whole time. Can he catch up with the teacher’s rhythm?”

…

If I weren’t so busy right now, I would’ve punched the host.
If you think it’s easy, why don’t you come up here and try it?

With a loud “bang,” I got distracted and forgot to defend myself, getting hit on the head with the stick.

Damn, that hurt.

I stepped back a few paces to recover, but before I could, the stick was already coming down again.
This time, it didn’t hit.

Xie Xu had grabbed the stick mid-air with one hand.
With the other hand, he gripped my arm tightly, standing in front of me.

Xie Xu rarely loses his cool, but his face was completely serious, his eyes cold as ice.

I looked at him, and for some reason, I started thinking about how he looked when he cried.
Crap.

I really want to make Xie Xu cry.
His face is beautiful, even with tears.

The host rushed over to smooth things over:
“Ah, Teacher Xiao, are you okay? I noticed you got distracted just now.”
“Hehe, distracted?”

Fans in the audience were already speaking up for me:
“How could he be distracted? That stick hit Xiao Huai directly on the head!”
“My poor baby, how could the martial arts teacher be so careless?”
“What’s wrong with this show?”

…

Xie Xu listened, his lips pressed into a tight line, and his grip on my arm tightened.
I could tell he was genuinely angry.

“Xie Xu, I’m fine.”
“You know I’ve been hit like this plenty of times before.”

His eyes were a bit red:
“This is different.”

“How’s it different? I’m strong.”

“Xiao Huai, are you okay?”

The other guests started gathering around, and Xie Xu was pushed to the side.

“I’m fine. Let’s continue the show.”

For the rest of the show, Xie Xu barely spoke. Other than the pre-arranged tasks, even when the camera focused on him, he remained cold and distant.

I tried to approach him several times, but he ignored me every time.
It was honestly quite frustrating.

11

After the show, I chased after Xie Xu, but he didn’t look back once.