Lin Can was kissed into a daze, and upon hearing those words, his mind finally started to come back together. “You’re starting again,” he said.

“What’s wrong? Am I annoying you?” Qi Yuan gently patted his cheek.

“Alright,” Lin Can said, not even realizing when his hand had found its way to Qi Yuan’s waist. He silently pulled it back and turned to look out the car window. “Are we there yet?”

Qi Yuan followed his gaze and noticed that the car had already pulled into an underground parking lot. He withdrew his gaze and teasingly asked Lin Can if he enjoyed it just now. Lin Can, blushing, refused to speak.

“I have even more enjoyable things I haven’t taught you yet,” Qi Yuan said as he got out of the car and returned to his seat, crossing his legs. “You can look forward to it slowly.”

The temperature on Lin Can’s face, which had just cooled down, began to rise again. He opened the car window, trying to let the circulating wind cool him down. The underground parking lot was sparsely populated, but there were many cars. A glance around revealed that they were all luxury vehicles; just a row of parking spaces had several convertible sports cars, and just looking at their designs made it clear they were not cheap.

“Do you like those?” Qi Yuan asked when he saw Lin Can looking. Before Lin Can could shake his head, Qi Yuan continued, “Even if you like them, it doesn’t matter. Your face is too flamboyant; I won’t get you a sports car. If you go out, let Xie Jun arrange a driver for you.”

“No need, I don’t go out much,” Lin Can replied. The car chose a spot close to the elevator to stop, but the driver didn’t make any sound to remind them. Lin Can was initially puzzled, but when he saw the rising barrier, he suddenly understood, and his whole demeanor became uncomfortable again. “Get out of the car,” he said to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan put on his sunglasses, and his demeanor returned to the proud and cool persona he had outside. He told Lin Can, “I’ll get off on the second floor; you go to the fifth floor first.” Lin Can didn’t ask further and just obediently nodded. Qi Yuan slightly pushed his sunglasses down, and with a glance, he could still see Lin Can’s lips, which were slightly red and glistening.

It had barely been two minutes, yet he was already starting to miss Lin Can’s taste. Did he eat fruit in the morning? Why does he taste fruity? With a “ding,” the elevator reached the second floor, and the doors slowly opened. Qi Yuan stepped out of the elevator with a look of reminiscence, and before parting, he reminded Lin Can to wipe his lips.

Lin Can was confused but still took out a tissue to wipe. “It’s not dirty…” Not seeing anything unusual, Lin Can tossed the tissue into the trash can. The elevator quickly reached the fifth floor. After stepping out, Lin Can followed the direction Qi Yuan pointed and soon found a private room.

Having come out with Qi Yuan to a private room was something Lin Can had gotten used to, but this time he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Wasn’t he supposed to meet Ran Yang? Why book such a large private room? Just the table could seat more than ten people.

Before Lin Can could step inside, he heard a somewhat familiar male voice. “Lin Can?” Lin Can turned around and saw Ran Yang and Song Xiao walking side by side. These two had a bunch of fans in the entertainment industry, and with their looks and height, they were a perfect match. Wherever they went, people would exclaim about them being the “most eye-catching CP in the entertainment industry.” Their harmonious atmosphere and outstanding appearances were evident.

But looking at the two of them in their rather formal suits, Lin Can still felt that things were a bit complicated. The two noticed Lin Can and shared the same confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Lin Can was taken aback by the question. “Aren’t we supposed to meet?” Ran Yang looked a bit awkward. “I said we were going to meet, but I didn’t say we were meeting here. I’m here for work.”

Lin Can glanced at Song Xiao beside him. “He’s participating in the same program as me; we came to meet the director together,” Ran Yang instinctively explained. Lin Can thought Song Xiao was there to support Ran Yang, but hearing it was for work, he finally relaxed a bit. “Alright then.”

“Wait a minute,” Song Xiao looked at the two of them going back and forth and suddenly realized the issue. “Lin Can, how do you know this place?” He looked at Lin Can’s plain white shirt, which had no texture, and then at the hotel that was filled with expensive fragrances, and a guess suddenly popped into his mind. “You’re not waiting for your sugar daddy, are you?”

Lin Can pursed his lips slightly; as expected of the main character, his mind worked quickly. Seeing Lin Can not refute, Song Xiao was convinced of his guess and scoffed, “Your sugar daddy is somewhat capable, knowing we have an itinerary today and specially sending you here. But where is he? Why isn’t he coming out?” He looked around but didn’t see a fourth person nearby. “He’s not scared, is he? Knowing I would come, he doesn’t dare to show up?”

“If that’s the case, then Lin Can, your sugar daddy is not doing well.” To annoy Lin Can, Song Xiao deliberately said, “I know someone from the Gong family; if you want, I can introduce you. That’s a person who ranks among the top in Jing City. If you serve him well, you’ll only need to accompany him for the rest of your life.”

Ran Yang couldn’t listen to this anymore. Lin Can was still his ex-husband, and insulting him like this and then offering to introduce him to someone else was, in a sense, disrespectful to him. “Song Xiao…”

“Gong family?” Before Ran Yang could stop him, Lin Can asked in confusion, “Gong Yusheng?”

“You know him?” Song Xiao was first surprised but quickly reacted, “Not bad, you’ve done your homework.”

“You did well on your homework, picking the richest person in the circle, but you probably don’t know that the top tier in our circle isn’t Gong Yusheng; it’s that person you all know…”

“Qi Yuan?” Lin Can’s tone was complicated. Song Xiao looked at Lin Can with a suddenly deeper gaze. “You haven’t really researched Qi Yuan, have you?”

“…”

“If that’s the case, I advise you to give up on that thought. Qi Yuan is not someone you can mess with; someone like you can only be with a nouveau riche at most.” Lin Can was momentarily at a loss for words. How could he explain that the man he couldn’t mess with, just a few minutes ago, was the one who was fiercely kissing his lips?

“Alright,” seeing Lin Can unable to say anything for a long time, Song Xiao lost interest in dealing with him and waved his hand to dismiss him. “Get lost, don’t delay our business.”

“And about your sugar daddy, tell him to investigate Ran Yang less in the future, or I won’t be polite!” Thinking about why Lin Can would appear here, Song Xiao added a harsh remark. Ran Yang pulled him toward the private room, looking back as he walked, wanting to say something to Lin Can. “Lin Can, wait for me…”

“What are you standing around for?” A light yet somewhat domineering male voice interrupted the conversation. The three turned to look, and a man in a light gray casual outfit stood at a nearby corner, his expression stern, his figure tall, with both hands in his pockets, slightly tilting his head as if he were looking at something novel.

“Qi Yuan?” Song Xiao recognized the person and was surprised. There had been speculation that Qi Yuan would participate in the recording this time, and it turned out not to be a rumor? Qi Yuan ignored him and walked slowly to Lin Can, asking why he hadn’t gone in. “I specifically chose this place for you; how is it?”

Lin Can didn’t know what he was up to and looked at him in confusion. “What?”

“Weren’t you supposed to meet your ex-husband to chat? Isn’t this place up to standard?” Qi Yuan said while glancing lightly at Ran Yang, who had just passed by.

“President Qi…” Ran Yang realized something was off. “Didn’t Director Xu say we were all supposed to meet for a meal? How did it turn into…”

How did it turn into him meeting Lin Can? “That was just a pretext I used to get you two to meet,” Qi Yuan waved his hand, speaking lightly, not feeling that his casual words had caused a lot of trouble for others. Thinking about the experience of getting up at four or five in the morning to find makeup artists and stylists, both Ran Yang and Song Xiao’s expressions changed.

“But don’t worry, Xu Lan will come over in an hour; work still needs to be discussed,” Qi Yuan finally said, noticing their carefully dressed appearances. Ran Yang’s mood didn’t lighten at all; Qi Yuan’s presence made him feel tense and suppressed, wanting to escape. Even Song Xiao, who had been aggressive earlier, fell silent. Qi Yuan’s status in the circle was indeed special; both his family background and personal achievements were far beyond theirs, and in front of Qi Yuan, he truly had no capital to be arrogant.

It was Lin Can, who had been quiet until now, who spoke up, asking Qi Yuan, “Is this your arrangement?” Qi Yuan nodded. “It kills two birds with one stone and saves you trouble; isn’t that good?”

“Saves me trouble?”

“Ah, I forgot,” Qi Yuan seemed to suddenly remember something, clasping his hands together. “You guys are going to be colleagues soon; did you know?” The other three were confused. If they were colleagues, it could only mean they were working together, but according to company divisions, Song Xiao and Ran Yang were not from the same company, so the term “colleagues” didn’t apply. It could only mean…

Ran Yang and Song Xiao’s gazes fell on Lin Can. “You’re the unknown contestant that the program team has kept under wraps?” Lin Can was momentarily stunned and looked at Qi Yuan. Under his innocent and pure gaze, Qi Yuan felt a bit uneasy and guilty, but thinking of his purpose in asserting his claim, he straightened his back again. “Yes, didn’t Xu Lan inform you?” he retorted.

Ran Yang looked awkward. “How could I dare to ask Director Xu…” Director Xu was the top variety show director in the country; he was just a second or third-tier small star, how could he dare to ask? As for Song Xiao, he only had eyes for Ran Yang and didn’t care about the other guests at all. But if one of the guests was Ran Yang’s ex-husband, then the situation would be different.

In an instant, he thought of countless possibilities, and his gaze toward Lin Can was filled with hostility. “Lin Can, you’ve already divorced Ran Yang; why are you still clinging to him like a leech? That Yu Jishu who wanted to climb the relationship ladder to get on the show was rejected not long ago. You’re an unknown contestant; why do you still want to be tied to Ran Yang on a variety show?”

Finally realizing that he would be participating in the same variety show as his ex-husband, Lin Can felt utterly speechless. Wasn’t this all arranged by Qi Yuan?! What did it have to do with him?! He had only found out a few seconds ago!

Qi Yuan rubbed his nose, suppressing the urge to sneeze. “Don’t misunderstand; Lin Can is here to partner with me.” Song Xiao’s eyes widened in shock. “You, you…” Ran Yang finally remembered whose familiar voice it was on the phone. “President Qi, you’re Lin Can’s sugar daddy?!”

Qi Yuan exclaimed lightly, “Lin Can didn’t tell you?” Lin Can turned his head away, not wanting to see the expressions of the other three. Qi Yuan didn’t care and instead began to settle scores with Song Xiao. “I knew it; after listening to you for so long, you still dared to talk back to me, telling Lin Can’s sugar daddy to behave.”

“I thought your Song family had become so powerful that even a little brat like you dared to be arrogant with me; turns out Lin Can didn’t mention my name.”

“Why do you always have to be so low-key?” He looked at Lin Can, but his words were directed at Song Xiao. “If you let any random person ride on your head, I’ll feel sorry for you.”