An Leyan had originally meant to decline the offer, but they were already near the destination, so he had no choice but to hop out wherever the car could stop.

Mu Wei urged him, “Go on, go, there’s a car coming up behind.”

But just as he got out of the car, Mu Wei leaned out and asked, “What time will you be done? I’ll come pick you up.”

“Six o’clock, I—”

Before he could finish, the car had already sped away with a roar.

Today’s job was a promotional event for a video game, and An Leyan finally didn’t have to tug at the corners of his eyes for once, which was a relief.

The character he was cosplaying was an elf from the game—blonde, silver-armored, and lithe.

“Hey, did they change the coser for Elanser? This one’s so pretty!”

“I don’t think so? But yeah, it does feel way better than before—not the looks or body, but like… the vibe!”

“Exactly! The previous Elanser looked like a pretty boy, but today? He actually feels otherworldly—like a real elf!”

“Ahhh, Wu Lie is here! Is he going to interact with the elves?”

“How did I not realize before—Wu Lie standing next to Elanser… holy crap, the size difference! Even at 1.8 meters, the elf looks tiny!”

“A beefy warrior and a graceful elf—why does this combo feel so spicy?”

“I love it, I’m getting a photo with them!”

At the promo booth, the man playing Wu Lie was tall and muscular. His armor only covered half of his body, revealing solid chest muscles and a tattooed arm.

Beside him, An Leyan stood tall in gleaming silver elf armor—elegant and proud.

Their styles couldn’t have been more different, yet somehow they complemented each other perfectly.

Fans quickly caught on and rushed over excitedly.

While An Leyan was posing with a young girl for a photo, a few overly enthusiastic fans nearly bumped into them.

“Watch out!” An Leyan quickly shielded the girl and stepped back, not realizing he was already near the edge of the stage.

The burly man next to him immediately reached out and pulled him to safety, stepping forward to shield him.

“Ah, thank you!” An Leyan half-turned to express his gratitude.

The fans in front suddenly shrieked. Someone yelled, “Don’t move!” Then came a chorus of camera shutters.

“Do a hug! Do a hug!” another voice shouted.

An Leyan looked a bit troubled and turned to the event organizers for guidance.

In the game, Elanser was a proud and solitary figure. Though he and Wu Lie were friends, there was no romantic subplot between them. Casual interaction could lead to OOC issues, which might cause trouble for the game devs.

The marketing manager on-site hesitated, about to intervene, when their phone rang.

“Let them interact!” the lead planner said excitedly over the line. “We’ve wanted to give Wu Lie a romantic arc forever, but nothing worked—these two cosers are perfect! This is the moment!”

The muscleman had been waiting for approval too. Once he got the green light, he grinned and turned to An Leyan.

“Mind if I lift you up?”

An Leyan, being a guy himself, didn’t really mind being picked up. He just worried about his height and weight—he was over 1.8 meters tall too and didn’t want to be a burden.

But the man didn’t hesitate. Seeing An Leyan nod, he burst into laughter and scooped him up effortlessly.

The guy was at least 1.9 meters tall and solid with muscle. He lifted An Leyan like a child, spun him around mid-air, then gently placed him on a higher platform beside them.

An Leyan quickly suppressed his surprised expression and returned to his haughty elf persona. With a tilt of his boot, he stepped gracefully onto the warrior’s shoulder.

Screams. So. Many. Screams.

Their interaction sent the crowd into a frenzy. More and more people gathered around the booth. Game preorders skyrocketed, and the organizers couldn’t stop grinning.

“Ask those two cosers if they have any open dates,” the head planner said, rushing to the plaza himself. “Book them for promotions in Dongcheng, Beijing, and Xicheng.”

An Leyan’s commercial events were managed by his agency, so the marketing rep called to check. He came back with a helpless expression.

“No good—Elanser’s on a dating show right now. Once this week’s over, he’ll be traveling all over the country. No open slots.”

Dating show? The planner looked it up and was shocked to discover the viral elf today was actually An Leyan.

“Zhang Mao, huh… I wouldn’t dare try to poach someone from him.” He stared at the booth longingly before suddenly slapping the marketer on the shoulder. “Wait! I’ve got it. I’ll go talk to Director Zhang myself. There must be rest days in the dating show schedule. We can schedule promo events close by—half a day, a full day max. That way it won’t interfere with his rest.”

Because of fan excitement, the event ran late and didn’t wrap until 6:30. An Leyan didn’t even take his makeup off as he rushed out to the roadside. Mu Wei’s car had already been circling in the temporary parking zone for a while.

“Sorry, had to work overtime.” An Leyan opened the door. “I’ll take off the makeup in the back.”

“No worries, do your thing,” Mu Wei said as he started the engine.

It was rush hour, and traffic was crawling. Normally, Mu Wei hated driving at this time of day.

But today, he was in a great mood. He drove slowly, glancing into the rearview mirror every now and then—

Watching the alluring little elf in the backseat slowly transform back into the boy he liked.

Meanwhile, at the villa, everyone else was already waiting in the living room.

Bai Jingchen was by the window, gazing out at the city lights. Nie Changxing lounged on the loveseat, scrolling through his phone.

Fu Shicang sat at the kitchen bar, absentmindedly toying with a small green citrus fruit he’d somehow found.

Yinxin sat on the steps by the foyer, scribbling in a sketchpad.

Each of the four guests was off in their own world, keeping a wide berth from one another.

“That’s Mu Wei’s car,” Bai Jingchen said suddenly, spotting the red Wrangler approaching from afar. “Hey, is that… Le Yan with him?”

The little green fruit slipped from Fu Shicang’s hand, rolled off to the side, and hit a cup with a clink. Tea leaves spilled out.

“We’re back!” An Leyan pushed open the door. “You’re all here!”

“How come you were with Mu Wei? You run into each other?” Nie Changxing asked.

“I didn’t have much on today, so I dropped by Le Yan’s game promo,” Mu Wei replied cheerfully. “The game actually looks really fun—I already preordered it.”

He shook his phone. “Le Yan plays an elf in it.”

“Then I’ll have to download and try it out,” Nie Changxing leaned in. “Which elf are you?”

The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became lively, and Yin Xin came over too.

An Leyan looked up. Fu Shicang was standing at the kitchen doorway, watching everything with a blank expression.

The emotions from receiving that text message in the morning surged back, and he suddenly felt a little uneasy.

“Brother Cang,” An Leyan greeted him, “You’re not making dinner, are you?”

Fu Shicang was just about to say something when Nie Changxing spoke up, “Director Zhang said once you two got back, we’d change and head out. We’re eating out tonight.”

“Dinner out!” Mu Wei chuckled as he put away his phone. “What’s Director Zhang planning this time?”

“Maybe he’s just being considerate of Leyan,” Bai Jingchen chimed in to defend him. “After all, it’s pretty tiring to have to cook after work.”

Back in his room, An Leyan pulled out a black shirt from the wardrobe.

Most of the original owner’s clothes were light-colored, likely to match Bai Jingchen’s preferences. There were only two darker pieces—navy and black—which could pass as semi-formal wear.

Since it was just a dinner out, there was no need for a suit. While adjusting his sleeves, he suddenly thought of the cufflinks Mu Wei had given him earlier.

The jewelry box was still in his bag. He took out one cufflink and held it against his wrist, just as Fu Shicang walked in.

“Brother Cang!” An Leyan quickly dropped his wrist but saw Fu Shicang’s gaze fixed on his hand.

The glittering cufflink stood out sharply against the dark fabric, exuding that signature extravagant style Mu Wei was known for.

An Leyan stole a glance at Fu Shicang, feeling oddly like he’d been caught doing something sneaky. Flustered, he explained, “These were a gift from Brother Mu today. They’re from a friend’s studio… they’re kind of nice, I think.”

He hurriedly shoved the cufflinks and the jewelry box into the drawer by the bed.

Fu Shicang didn’t say a word, just silently watched the boy in front of him.

The fitted shirt emphasized An Leyan’s slim waist and long legs. The dark color added a sharpness to his aura.

But his expression was nervous, like he was carefully gauging Fu Shicang’s reaction.

That kind of sensitivity made Fu Shicang feel a strange mix of burden and… quiet satisfaction.

In the end, he simply gave a curt nod and watched An Leyan awkwardly walk out of the room.

A few minutes later, after changing, Fu Shicang walked over to grab his watch and happened to glance at the bedside drawer.

An Leyan had left in such a rush that the drawer hadn’t closed completely. Through the crack, the shiny cufflink practically glared at him.

Since when did a so-called “legendary Russian court designer” become one of Mu Wei’s friends? A luxury item nearing six figures treated like it came from a street stall—only a fool like An Leyan would believe that.

Fu Shicang scoffed and slammed the drawer shut.

In the neighboring villa, Xiao Jing was giggling behind his hand. “What’s with Brother Fu? He looked at that cufflink like it killed his family.”

“That cufflink’s not cheap,” Director Zhang said knowingly. “But stuff like that depends on your feelings—if you love it, it’s priceless; if you don’t, it’s worthless. People like Fu Shicang just don’t appreciate these things.”

Assistant Director Wang patted his shoulder. “Don’t be mad. I noticed Little Fu hasn’t looked too happy since he got back. Maybe he’s already regretting it.”

Director Zhang snorted. “I’ve already gone along with him plenty. What’s there to regret? Just wait—you haven’t seen me when I’m really fired up. I’ve got a little surprise dish for them tonight. Now get your gear ready—we’re heading out.”

The show had arranged dinner at a private kitchen-style restaurant, located in a high-end residential area in the city center. The place had all-glass walls, candlelight inside, and a romantic, intimate vibe.

The guests gathered around a long table.

They rarely wore formal clothes, so everyone found it a bit novel. After sitting down, they started checking each other out.

“Leyan looks good in dark colors too,” Mu Wei, as usual, sat mid-side of the long table, looking at An Leyan seated across and toward the outer edge. “But that armor today was really cool—very warrior-like.”

“I liked the silver armor too,” An Leyan nodded. “I think it’d look good on Yin Xin. On him, it’d feel different—like a medieval court artist.”

“Let me come next time your company’s shooting character photos,” Nie Changxing, seated beside An Leyan, handed him his phone. “I want to see you in that outfit.”

Bai Jingchen leaned over for a look. “I like it too. I think the costume department has something similar. Next time I’m there, I’ll sneak it out for you.”

The four of them laughed for a while, then Mu Wei added, “That tall guy you were shooting with today—do you know him? You two seemed pretty close in those interactions.”

The moment he said that, all the guests suddenly perked up.

Bai Jingchen, sitting across from An Leyan, asked in confusion, “Tall guy? Like that one over there?”

Everyone followed his gaze.

The bell on the restaurant door jingled, and a tall figure walked in.

Curly auburn hair, deep and well-defined features, and those blue eyes reflecting the candlelight—he looked tall and strikingly handsome.

Everyone in the restaurant noticed. Conversations quieted, and a few girls turned to sneak glances at him, blushing and whispering to their friends while sneaking looks at the handsome men already at the table.

The guests of Delicious Guests exchanged glances. The air grew tense.

Then suddenly, the burly man at the door smiled and strode forward.

“Hello, everyone!” He stood before the table and gave a polite bow. “I’m the new guest joining today. Please take care of me.”

Before the others could react, he turned to An Leyan with a bright smile. “An, we meet again!”