The participation in the dating variety show was confirmed, and soon there would be dedicated staff coming over to coordinate the recording process.

It was then that Lin Can learned that this show would be presented to the audience entirely in a live format, with only the post-recorded segments being edited before being sent to the broadcasting station. This was quite a test of on-the-spot reactions, and Lin Can thought of himself as not particularly clever.

“It’s okay,” the male staff member, who had been sent over, softened his voice when facing the unconsciously nervous Lin Can, no longer sounding as formal as he did with others. “Our production team won’t pull any tricks on you. Just relax and record.”

“I believe the audience will like you, Teacher,” he added.

Lin Can forced a smile at him, “Okay, thank you.”

“Is this really such a big deal that it needs to be explained for so long?” A chilly voice drifted in from the balcony.

A certain gentleman had been displeased for several hours now.

He had been on high alert, specifically not wanting any female staff around, but the moment this male staff member walked in and saw Lin Can, his eyes widened.

After that, he seized every opportunity to sneak glances, like a peeping Tom.

Had he never seen a man before?

Qi Yuan was feeling extremely annoyed and clicked his tongue heavily, “What do you need to worry about when you’re with me? Just do what you want.”

Lin Can nervously sipped some warm water, his light pink lips glistening, “But I’m still a bit nervous; after all, it’s my first time…”

Qi Yuan couldn’t stand hearing the phrase “first time.” The moment he heard it, he thought of Lin Can’s flushed earlobes and shy expression, and immediately waved his hand, “Talk, talk, talk. You all keep talking; just don’t let me go hungry.”

Lin Can was reminded and hurriedly stood up, “I made you some small pear soup this morning; it should be ready now…”

“Why make that?” Qi Yuan’s words sounded a bit displeased, but the joy in his eyes was evident.

“Aren’t you saying your throat hasn’t been feeling well lately…” Lin Can’s voice came from the kitchen.

Qi Yuan didn’t say anything more, just squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

Although he was a scumbag, this attitude of keeping the benefactor’s matters in mind truly made him feel pleased.

There were some clattering sounds from inside, and soon Lin Can came out holding a white jade-colored porcelain bowl. Qi Yuan liked to sit by the balcony to enjoy the breeze, so he placed the bowl on the tea table beside him.

“Eat up; I tested the temperature, and it’s just right.”

Qi Yuan didn’t move at first, just tilted his head back lazily to look at him, “I don’t like sweet things.”

“It’s not sweet; it’s at a level you can accept,” Lin Can said, then asked the staff member if he wanted a bowl too.

“I’ll pass, thank you, thank you.” The staff member waved his hands repeatedly, thinking that the atmosphere between these two looked quite warm, not at all like what the director had described as a sugar daddy and his benefactor.

Moreover…

Mr. Lin looked so good; if he had money, he would be more than happy to support him…

“Ahem!”

Just as he was about to take another look at Lin Can’s face, he heard a low cough from Qi Yuan’s side.

He immediately became alert and hurriedly stood up to excuse himself, “I’ve already disturbed you for a long time; let’s call it a day. I’ll send over the follow-up arrangements in a document, Teacher, just remember to check it.”

Lin Can nodded and gently said, “You’ve worked hard.”

Once the staff member left, Qi Yuan put down the half-finished small pear soup and said unhappily, “This guy isn’t good, and neither is the girl. Why are you so fickle?”

Lin Can blinked innocently.

Thinking about how this person could meet rich women wanting to support him even while grocery shopping, Qi Yuan once again felt grateful for his decision to declare his ownership on the show.

Five days had passed, and aside from Lin Can’s increasingly pleasing face, his work also made Qi Yuan very satisfied.

Not only was the food delicious, but the cleaning was also done better than professional cleaners, and he spoke little and was honest.

“Honest?” Gong Yusheng looked skeptical as he dug at his ear, “You’re saying that Lin Can, who everyone calls a scumbag, is honest?”

Since when did scumbag and honest become synonyms?

Qi Yuan also felt a bit troubled. From their interactions over the past few days, Lin Can had indeed behaved very honestly in front of him.

But the things he had done, as per the information he had gathered, were all well-documented, with no signs of fabrication or slander.

“Just keep observing,” Gong Yusheng said. His energy these days had been focused on that dating variety show, and he had no desire to investigate whether Lin Can’s honesty was an act or genuine. “After all, the show is about to start, and there will be millions of viewers to help you discern the truth. He will definitely slip up.”

Hearing the phrase “slip up,” Qi Yuan felt inexplicably annoyed, “What do you mean? You’re so sure he’s acting?”

Gong Yusheng showed an expression that was hard to describe, “You’re really obsessed. Just a casual remark, and you’re getting all worked up over Lin Can. You’re just like a foolish monarch bewitched by a seductive concubine; it’s only a matter of time before you lose your head.”

“Seductive concubine?” Qi Yuan couldn’t help but snicker, “If you saw what he was like at home, you definitely wouldn’t use that term to describe him.”

“I can’t see what he’s like privately; I only know he talks to me with a neck full of hickeys.” Gong Yusheng shrugged.

Because of that incident, Lin Can’s seductive concubine image had already taken shape in his mind.

“Hmph…” Thinking of the hickeys, Qi Yuan’s smile grew even wider.

*

With Qi Yuan rarely not at home, Lin Can finally dared to move around the living room.

To avoid Qi Yuan, who always seemed like he wanted to eat him up, he had been hiding at home like a turtle for several days.

Whenever he had to come out to cook or clean, he dressed very warmly, afraid of getting bitten again.

Unfortunately, during this time, Qi Yuan had a rare long holiday and would be staying at home until the recording of the dating show began, not going anywhere.

“Didn’t they say you guys like to party?” Watching Qi Yuan, who kept his eyes glued to him whenever he appeared, Lin Can felt a bit hopeless.

Qi Yuan smiled smugly, “Even if I were to have a party, it would be others coming to my house. You don’t mind, do you?”

Lin Can quickly shook his head, “Then let’s skip it.”

Qi Yuan loved to tease him like this, watching him squirm, which could brighten his mood for several hours.

Today, Qi Yuan left early in the morning and didn’t even come back for lunch, giving Lin Can some breathing space as he sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought.

His phone buzzed twice, and a text message came in.

Lin Can opened it to find that it was from Yu Jishu, who he hadn’t been in contact with for a while. He didn’t know how Yu Jishu got his new number; someone who was supposed to be completely out of contact was now actively reaching out again.

“Lin Can, did you block me? I called you on my main number, but you didn’t answer.”

Lin Can didn’t want to reply, but Yu Jishu clearly knew his attitude and immediately sent another message.

“You didn’t even tell your family when you changed your number. Your brother couldn’t reach you, so he had to come to me.”

Lin Can paused, his hand that was about to block the number hesitating.

Brother?

Did the original owner have a brother?

Lin Can flipped through his phone and finally found a clue in the chat history between the original owner and Yu Jishu.

The original owner came from the mountains, had a silent father who only knew how to work hard, a mother who was in poor health and did odd jobs at home, a younger brother who had many opinions about him, and a younger sister who was hardly noticeable.

As the eldest son, the original owner had always been the center of attention. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also smart, being the first college student in the village, almost like a little star that everyone liked.

However, once the original owner left the mountains for college and experienced the extravagant life of the city, he immediately forgot about the family’s struggles and turned around to become friends with people like Yu Jishu, starting to live a carefree life.

When money was tight, he would ask his family for help, and when they couldn’t provide, he would set his sights on wealthy people.

Unfortunately, those wealthy people were all shrewd; the original owner was unwilling to give himself up, so they only offered him small favors that couldn’t satisfy his material desires.

Just when the original owner was desperately seeking luxury brands, Ran Yang appeared before him, completely unguarded, just a few steps away from becoming famous…

“I’m at Qingyue now; hurry up and come.”

Yu Jishu’s text interrupted Lin Can’s memories.

Lin Can’s gaze fell on the word “brother,” and he resignedly changed his clothes and went out.

*

The Qingyue that Yu Jishu mentioned was a hotel where he and the original owner often met. It was very well-kept for confidentiality, and many powerful people and celebrities liked to go there.

Yu Jishu usually didn’t go, but when he brought Lin Can, he would only go to this place, not for anything else, but because Lin Can’s face could bring him many benefits in such a place filled with the powerful.

Lin Can knew his intentions but felt speechless.

Clearly, Qi Yuan’s interest in him was not hidden at all; how could this person still think of selling him to others?

It seemed Qi Yuan hadn’t made him suffer enough last time.

Arriving at the private room, it was indeed lively inside.

Besides Yu Jishu, there were four or five other people, one of whom Lin Can found familiar. After looking several times, he barely recognized that it was the original owner’s unfortunate younger brother.

No, now he was his.

As Lin Can made his entrance, the private room fell into a brief silence before immediately erupting into a frenzy of excitement.

Someone exclaimed, “Yu Jishu finally said something true this time!”

Yu Jishu hurriedly laughed, “Zhang Shao, how could I dare to deceive you?”

The person named Zhang Shao was being flattered and turned to look at Lin Can, his eyes filled with satisfaction and confidence.

He was clearly the highest-ranking person present; if he didn’t speak, no one dared to make a sound.

“Are you Lin Can?” After sizing him up for a while, Zhang Shao asked.

Lin Can nodded.

“Do you want to come with me? Money and all that won’t be lacking.”

Zhang Shao was all about efficiency, offering plenty of benefits upfront. As long as Lin Can nodded, he could take him to a suite on the twentieth floor right now.

“No…”

“Lin Can!”

Yu Jishu hurriedly came over and grabbed Lin Can’s arm, afraid of losing him, “Zhang Shao is a prominent figure in Jing City! He’s generous and good to people; what are you hesitating for?”

Lin Can couldn’t say that he was already in a complicated situation with Qi Yuan, so he could only vaguely say, “I already have a partner.”

“What?!” Yu Jishu was more surprised than anyone else in the room, “Didn’t you just get divorced and become single again?!”

Considering that divorced men would lose market value, he even changed his wording.

Lin Can’s face was wooden as he thought that if it weren’t for Yu Jishu, he would indeed still be single now.

“What?! You broke up with your wife?” A boy who had been sitting next to Yu Jishu suddenly asked, his tone filled with surprise and even more displeasure.

Looking at the face that bore some resemblance to his own, Lin Can suddenly remembered another thing.

Although the younger brother hadn’t met Ran Yang, the two had maintained a phone relationship for a while as boyfriend and boyfriend’s younger brother.

Because Ran Yang had a great personality, the younger brother had a very high impression of him and even said he hoped Ran Yang could be his sister-in-law in the future.

Yes, the original owner had not told his family that he and Ran Yang were already married to better find a new partner.

And Ran Yang had also kept quiet about this marriage for work, so the two of them had inadvertently kept it from the Lin family.

Now, facing the younger brother’s accusatory expression and Zhang Shao, who was clearly indifferent to how many partners he had and just wanted to take him to bed, Lin Can felt a cold sweat break out.

This mess was truly impossible to clean up.