Chapter 31

Early the next morning, Bai Siyi put on his work uniform, hat, and mask before heading out. Out of habit, he picked up his phone and glanced at it.

His feelings toward checking his phone were quite complicated.

A little anticipation, a little happiness, but also a little nervousness and guilt.

In short, Bai Siyi, who had never been in a relationship or even had a crush on anyone, found himself unconsciously waiting for a message from Huo Xingming after spending time with him—even though he knew there was no future between them.

Huo Xingming had sent him a message in the middle of the night:

【Is your factory still hiring? Can I still join if I go now?】

Bai Siyi: “!!!”

For a moment, Bai Siyi felt a bit happy when he saw the message.

Although factory work wasn’t a good career path—it had no future, and the salary was fixed. It was enough to survive on, but paying off debts with it? That might not even be possible in the next lifetime.

If there was no room for growth, factory work was just a waste of time—exchanging time for money. And when you got too old to work, younger people would replace you.

But looking on the bright side, both he and Huo Xingming were still young, and neither of them had anywhere else to go at the moment. Before paying off their debts, they had to eat first, right?

Settling down at the factory for now, working while figuring out a side hustle—this was also a way out.

Bai Siyi fully supported Huo Xingming coming to the factory. Given his current situation, where he could barely afford a steamed bun, it would be best for him to work at a place that provided food and accommodation for a while before thinking about other job opportunities.

Bai Siyi called Huo Xingming, who sounded like he hadn’t even woken up yet. His voice was nasal—damn sexy!

Bai Siyi’s ears turned slightly red, and he asked in a low voice, “Huo Xingming, you’re still not up?”

Huo Xingming sounded completely confused. “Huh? No?”

After a moment, he was surprised. “It’s only seven o’clock. Why would I wake up so early?”

Bai Siyi: “…”

Great. That filter just shattered.

Bai Siyi suddenly couldn’t understand why he had feelings for this lazy bum in the first place!

He must’ve been single for too long!

Bai Siyi sighed. “Didn’t you say you wanted to come to our factory? Are you coming or not?”

It was only then that Huo Xingming seemed to process what was happening. The sound of him scrambling out of bed came through the phone.

His tone was a little flustered. “Coming, coming! Of course, I’m coming! What time should I be there?”

Bai Siyi: “Be here before 8:30. After 9:00, the cafeteria stops serving breakfast.”

The nearby staff listening in: “…”

Xiao Bai was really good at managing daily life—even now, he didn’t forget to help Huo Xingming get a free breakfast.

After arriving at the factory, Bai Siyi didn’t head straight to the cafeteria for breakfast. Instead, he stood at the factory entrance, waiting for Huo Xingming.

At exactly 8:00 o’clock, the live stream started. He greeted his audience, “Good morning, everyone. I’m Bai Siyi. Right now, I’m at the factory entrance waiting for Huo Xingming. He said he wanted to work here too, so I’m going to have breakfast with him first and then take him to see the supervisor for an interview.”

Then, Bai Siyi explained to the viewers, “Our factory is always hiring. There’s a big demand for general workers, especially young people. They’re already hard to find, and turnover is high. So as long as someone is willing to come for an interview, the supervisor usually agrees.”

The live stream audience was shocked:

【Wait, we just didn’t see him yesterday afternoon, and now everything’s changed? Guys, is Piupiustar really ditching his carefree life to be a factory worker?】

【Didn’t he say he was just pretending to be poor? Is it really worth going this far for a live stream reality show?】

【He’s so lazy. I honestly doubt he’ll last even a minute before embarrassing Xiao Bai.】

【I’ve always felt like Piupiustar looks at Xiao Bai a little differently… Could it be that he actually likes him?】

—

The audience had zero faith in Huo Xingming working in a factory.

They simply didn’t believe he could handle it.

Someone as lazy as him—forget everything else—could he even wake up at 7:00 o’clock every day?

Everyone was just waiting for him to make a fool of himself.

Only Bai Siyi believed he could do it. He was even planning how to speak up for him, ask the supervisor to give him an easier job, and arrange for them to share a dorm.

Wait—Bai Siyi suddenly realized something.

If Huo Xingming started working at the factory, wouldn’t his real identity be exposed?

After thinking about it, Bai Siyi decided it wasn’t a big deal. If he got exposed, then so be it. It would actually be a relief—no more living in constant anxiety. Besides, with Huo Xingming’s level of intelligence, Bai Siyi seriously doubted he’d even figure it out on his own.

At exactly 8:30 o’clock, Huo Xingming rushed to the factory entrance.

Since he had realized his feelings for Bai Siyi, he had bought slightly nicer clothes this time. He even sneakily put on an earring in his left ear and styled his hair.

He showed up for factory work looking handsome.

When Bai Siyi saw him, his heart skipped a beat—Huo Xingming had really dressed up today.

He didn’t pay much attention to his clothes, but the blue gemstone earring on his ear was too eye-catching. Combined with his styled hair, he looked completely different from yesterday.

Looking at this version of Huo Xingming, Bai Siyi couldn’t help but think of his past self.

They really were the same—once pampered young masters, now just pitiful factory workers drowning in debt.

Bai Siyi pulled down his mask slightly. He had been lazy today and had only applied light makeup, a bit worried that Huo Xingming might notice something off.

After all, beneath the light makeup, his facial features still leaned more toward the masculine side.

Bai Siyi looked at Huo Xingming. “Not bad today. Looks like this interview is pretty important to you.”

Huo Xingming: “……”

He had dressed up for Bai Siyi, not for the interview.

But he didn’t dare say that.

He rubbed his nose and secretly asked, “How do I look today?”

Bai Siyi smiled and nodded. “Very good. Very handsome.”

Hearing this, Huo Xingming instantly puffed up with pride and happily said, “I think I look pretty handsome too.”

Bai Siyi: “……”

Live Stream Comments:

 【……】

【That damn confidence.】

【No wonder he’s single. Conversation killer.】

【Damn it, but he really is handsome! Guys, look at Xiao Bai’s eyes—he’s practically glued to him!】

—

Bai Siyi had indeed glanced at Huo Xingming several times.

He looked at him purely out of appreciation. Since he had already accepted that there was no possible future between them, he felt completely at ease admiring him.

But Huo Xingming, on the other hand, was getting flustered under Bai Siyi’s gaze.

His heart had already been racing the moment he saw Bai Siyi, and now that he realized Bai Siyi was secretly looking at him, how could he possibly hold up under that?!

He unconsciously straightened his back a little more.

Bai Siyi took Huo Xingming to breakfast first and explained a bit about the factory work.

Since Huo Xingming didn’t know how to do anything, he was given the simplest job—a labor-intensive task sorting fabric.

Basically, he had to separate roughly cut pant fabric into front and back pieces before passing them on to other workers for stitching.

The job was straightforward—anyone could do it.

But the fabric was heavy, and the work was exhausting. After half a day, Huo Xingming’s carefully styled hair was a mess, and his clothes were covered in fabric lint.

Bai Siyi’s workload wasn’t too heavy. During a break, he went over to check on Huo Xingming and saw him carrying fabric. Since he was new, he hadn’t been given a mask or work uniform yet.

Bai Siyi took a dust mask from his drawer, walked over, and handed it to Huo Xingming. “Why didn’t you come to me if you didn’t have a mask? The factory is full of dust—you have to wear one.”

Huo Xingming’s nose was already feeling uncomfortable, but all he cared about was performing well, finishing his task quickly, and getting off work with Bai Siyi. He still wanted to have dinner and go shopping with him.

To be honest, this job was exhausting. You wouldn’t know unless you did it yourself. Looking at Bai Siyi now, his heart ached. He lowered his voice. “So this is how hard you work every day.”

Bai Siyi smiled. “What job isn’t hard? Work is always tiring.”

Factory workers on the production line had it tough. Construction workers moving bricks had it even tougher.

And those baristas and bubble tea shop workers? You think they have it easy?

Mopping the floors, sweeping, endlessly cutting fruit, constantly washing cups, checking inventory every three days—anything expired, they pay for it out of pocket.

Everyone works hard.

Bai Siyi still held out the mask. “Hurry up and put it on.”

Huo Xingming glanced down at his hands.

Without gloves, his fair, slender fingers—long and well-defined—were now covered in black fabric lint.

Bai Siyi pressed his lips together. After a moment of silence, he tore open the mask, held it up in front of Huo Xingming, and said, “Come here. I’ll put it on for you.”

Huo Xingming froze, his ears turning red. “You… You’re putting it on for me?”

Bai Siyi: “Hurry up.”

The corners of Huo Xingming’s lips curled slightly, but he quickly forced his expression back to normal. He bent down slightly and leaned toward Bai Siyi. “Thanks.”

Bai Siyi said nothing. He carefully put the dust mask on Huo Xingming and even pinched the nose bridge to secure it properly.

When Huo Xingming looked up again, his entire face was flushed.

The live stream viewers had witnessed everything. The chat instantly exploded with shrieking comments:

【Aaaaaahhh, Xiao Bai, don’t be so forward!!!】

【This damn straight guy… Are they actually getting together? Crap, I’m starting to worry!】

【Look at Piupiustar’s face—he’s blushing like a monkey’s butt! I’m dying!】

【I can literally smell the scent of romance through my screen!】

【Wait, wait, wait—guys, Piupiustar still doesn’t know Xiao Bai is a man! He’s already fallen… What’s gonna happen when he finds out?!】

【Let him lose his mind, I wanna watch! doge face emoji】

—

Bai Siyi finished his own work ahead of time and went to accompany Huo Xingming. Since it was Huo Xingming’s first day on the job, and it was obvious he had never done hard labor before, Bai Siyi was quite worried about him.

Of course, Huo Xingming wouldn’t let Bai Siyi help. This kind of grueling work—he’d rather do it alone. He couldn’t bear to let Bai Siyi get involved.

Huo Xingming was strong and physically fit. Even though the workload was heavy, he still managed to finish everything before the end of the shift.

After washing their hands and faces, the two of them went to the cafeteria for dinner.

Bai Siyi asked, “How was your first day? Are you coming back tomorrow?”

The trial period lasted three days. If he didn’t return, today’s work would be for nothing—factories didn’t pay for just one day.

Huo Xingming was starving. From childhood to adulthood, he had never done such physically demanding work before. But compared to climbing Mount Hua and Mount Tai, he acted as if it were nothing. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Not as tiring as climbing a mountain.”

Bai Siyi: “……”

The biggest advantage of working at the factory was free meals and accommodation.

Huo Xingming grabbed a standard stainless steel cafeteria tray and went to get food. The meal included three dishes and a soup, but he filled up five trays just for himself.

Bai Siyi and the cafeteria staff were stunned.

Bai Siyi asked worriedly, “Are you sure you’re not overeating? Doesn’t your stomach feel uncomfortable?”

Joking aside, after a whole day of manual labor, Huo Xingming was starving. Unlike his company, the factory didn’t provide afternoon tea.

Just having drinking water was already a luxury.

Huo Xingming finished the rice on his tray and started drinking the soup. “I’m fine.”

Meeting Bai Siyi’s gaze, he felt a little shy. “I have a big appetite. I eat a lot. You don’t mind, right?”

Bai Siyi: “……”

Of course, he didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he was paying for the food.

He sighed slightly. “Good thing the factory provides meals and accommodation. Otherwise…”

With Huo Xingming’s appetite, after a full day of hard labor, he’d probably only earn enough to afford one meal.

After work, as they left the factory, Bai Siyi looked at Huo Xingming’s once-beautiful hands, now dirtied and roughened. His heart ached a little.

In a low voice, he said, “Huo Xingming, you should focus on streaming. With your looks, if you build the right persona, you might actually get famous. Then you won’t have to work in a factory anymore.”

Bai Siyi knew all too well how exhausting labor was. He had been working for years and had already grown used to this kind of life.

But Huo Xingming hadn’t.

And for some reason, Bai Siyi couldn’t shake the feeling that Huo Xingming wasn’t meant to endure this kind of hardship.

Huo Xingming never planned on staying long anyway. Wasn’t he doing all this just to spend more time with Bai Siyi?

Scratching his head, Huo Xingming said, “I’ll just keep working for now. We’ll see what happens later. Oh, right, Bai Siyi—”

What he cared about the most was something else. “The confession segment is coming up in a couple of days.”

Avoiding the cameras, he leaned closer to Bai Siyi and lowered his voice. “You… what are you thinking? Can you give me a little hint in advance?”

As he asked, his heart pounded wildly. His eyes darted around nervously, and his whole body was tense—it was probably the same feeling as confessing to someone you like.

The confession segment involved writing a letter to express their feelings to the other person.

Yes or No.

If you wanted to be with the other person, you wrote them a love letter. If you didn’t, then it would be a polite thank-you letter instead.

Bai Siyi froze at the question. He stopped in his tracks and hesitated as he looked at Huo Xingming.

Of course, he was going to write a thank-you letter. He wasn’t actually a girl, and he already felt guilty for keeping it from Huo Xingming for so long. How could he possibly write him a love letter?

He wasn’t thick-skinned enough for that.

Even though he understood what Huo Xingming meant, Bai Siyi still hardened his heart and said, “Obviously, it’s No.”

Huo Xingming: “……”

Bai Siyi stared at him and warned in a low voice, “You too. Just write me a thank-you letter. We’re just good friends—nothing more. This is just a variety show, don’t take it too seriously. I don’t want to… embarrass myself in front of the audience.”

Bai Siyi used the word “embarrass”, and it really hurt Huo Xingming.

Frowning, he anxiously said, “How… how would that be embarrassing? This is a dating show, we—”

Bai Siyi glared at him. “See? You do know this is a show!”

Huo Xingming pressed his lips together, looking at Bai Siyi with a hint of sadness.

He finally understood.

Right now, his biggest dilemma wasn’t whether he was straight or not.

The real problem was that Bai Siyi had never even considered him.

Even if Bai Siyi had somehow made him straight, even if he could accept Bai Siyi as a girl and was willing to be with him for the long run—

None of that mattered, because from the very beginning, Bai Siyi had never thought about him that way.

In fact, these past few days, Bai Siyi had been constantly warning him, rejecting him before he could even say anything.

Even though Huo Xingming had never officially confessed his feelings, it was clear that Bai Siyi wasn’t going to let him.

Feeling a little wronged, he murmured, “Debt isn’t a problem, I’ll find a way… You don’t have to worry about that…”

Bai Siyi cut him off. “It’s not because of that.”

That only made Huo Xingming even more confused.

Bai Siyi wasn’t feeling great either. Looking at Huo Xingming, he sighed, “You’ll understand when the time comes. But since we’ve been getting along so well, promise me one thing—you’re not allowed to hit me, got it?”

Huo Xingming: “……”

Sad and confused, he couldn’t understand—

Why would he ever hit Bai Siyi?

He barely had enough time to care for him.