Chapter 30

Huo Xingming rode his bicycle in silence, following behind Bai Siyi all the way until he dropped him off at the Pink House.

When they reached the entrance, Bai Siyi shoved the groceries he had bought into Huo Xingming’s arms. “These are all for you.”

Huo Xingming had just stopped his bike when he blankly took the bags, looking at Bai Siyi. “All of this… for me?”

Bai Siyi glanced at him and said grumpily, “You spent all your money tipping female streamers. Have you even thought about what you’ll eat later?”

Huo Xingming: “…”

So Bai Siyi was actually worried about me not having food to eat…

Huo Xingming carefully glanced at Bai Siyi and suddenly said, “Bai Siyi, are you upset because I tipped female streamers? If that’s the case, I won’t do it anymore.”

Bai Siyi: “…”

Bai Siyi glared at him and asked again, “See? So you really do like me, don’t you?”

Huo Xingming’s face turned red, and his voice shot up, “No! I told you, no, no, no!”

Bai Siyi rolled his eyes and scolded him in a low voice, “Fine, no means no. Why are you yelling so loud?”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Embarrassment burned up his ears. He realized that in just one night, he had made a fool of himself more than in the past twenty years combined.

He muttered under his breath, “Who told you to keep asking and asking…?”

It wasn’t his fault he was flustered!

Truth be told, Bai Siyi also felt awkward. Even though Huo Xingming kept insisting no, no, no, his expressions and actions didn’t quite match his words.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Bai Siyi warned, “Let me remind you—this is just a variety show. Don’t take it seriously. Whatever you do, don’t fall for me.”

Huo Xingming, feeling stubborn, shot back, “Why can’t I like you?”

Bai Siyi glared at him again. “How much debt do you have?”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Shit.

How much debt did he have again?

After two seconds of silence, he heard Bai Siyi lower his voice and say, “You’re a million in debt, I’m a million in debt—do you really think the two of us being together has a future?”

Huo Xingming coughed, looked at Bai Siyi with a guilty conscience, and mumbled, “I mean… when it comes to feelings, you can’t just look at debt. Not that I’m talking about us, I’m just saying, objectively speaking, relationships are about emotions, right? Besides… I could help you with your debt too…”

Bai Siyi: “…”

Bai Siyi looked at him expressionlessly. “You talk about love, I talk about debt. Got it? I’ll pay off my own debt, and you pay off yours. I don’t want to find a partner just to double my debt. Why would I do that? Am I crazy?”

Huo Xingming: “…”

He had never thought about it that way.

A million in debt didn’t even count as debt to him.

After all, he used to get millions in pocket money every month. Now that he was an adult, he received annual dividends and had never lacked money. It had never crossed his mind that one day, being in a relationship would mean being weighed down by debt.

But after spending these past few days with Bai Siyi, he could actually understand his perspective.

Huo Xingming frowned. “Then, if I had no debt, would you consider me?”

Bai Siyi shook his head. “No.”

Huo Xingming: “!!!”

He refused to accept it. “Why not? Am I not tall enough? Not handsome enough? Or do you dislike my Mandarin? Do you not like mixed-race guys?”

Bai Siyi suddenly laughed. Huo Xingming had no idea which of his words hit the mark, but Bai Siyi looked at him with amusement. “None of that. I just don’t like idiots.”

Huo Xingming’s eyes widened in frustration. “Are you calling me stupid?”

Bai Siyi dumped all the groceries into his arms, made a playful face at him, and darted back into the Pink House.

Huo Xingming: “…”

He stood there in a daze for several seconds before huffing in frustration. “Bai Siyi! You actually called me stupid!”

Damn it, where was he stupid? He just couldn’t be bothered to scheme, that’s all!

Huo Xingming felt all sorts of emotions. The whole night, Bai Siyi had kept asking whether he liked him or not, scaring him half to death.

A staff member came over and offered to drive him home, but he refused. With a mess of thoughts in his head, he carried the big bag of groceries Bai Siyi had bought and slowly pedaled a shared bike toward home.

The Pink House was quite far from his place—it would take him nearly two hours by bike.

But he was in a bad mood! So he might as well treat it as a way to clear his head.

Huo Xingming grumbled to himself, “I already said I don’t like her, and she still rejected me. Damn it!”

The streets were nearly empty—it was already past 11 o’clock. Unable to hold it in, he called Jiang Fengjing.

Jiang Fengjing was still messing around at a bar when he stepped into the hallway to take the call. “So late at night, and you’re not chatting with your little online romance? Why are you calling me?”

These past few days, Jiang Fengjing had been watching Huo Xingming’s “online dating” live stream and having the time of his life. He even shared the stream with Huo Xingming’s parents—after all, entertainment was best when shared.

Although Huo Xingming had run away from home, his family always knew where he was. All they had to do was call Jiang Fengjing, and he would spill everything.

The reason they hadn’t contacted Huo Xingming was because Jiang Fengjing had reassured them that he was just participating in a variety show to “pursue love” and told them to give him some space.

And sure enough, in just a few short days, Huo Xingming and Bai Siyi’s “online romance live stream” had spread far and wide—even their family group chat overseas had been flooded with it.

However, Jiang Fengjing hadn’t told Huo Xingming yet, as he was afraid Huo Xingming might hit him.

Huo Xingming let out a long sigh, and Jiang Fengjing was shocked. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Huo Xingming, wearing headphones and riding his bike, looked like someone who had suffered enough from love. “Old Jiang, I think… I might not be gay. I…”

Jiang Fengjing was stunned. “What?”

He’d been certain of his sexual orientation for over ten years—how could it change just like that?

Jiang Fengjing suddenly thought about Bai Siyi’s true gender and had a feeling…

Sure enough, Huo Xingming sighed heavily. “It’s just that… I think I could like girls too…”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Huo Xingming rubbed his face. “I’m telling you, after spending these past few days with Bai Siyi, I feel like she’s so cute, like that kind of feeling, you know?”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Damn, this is the smell of love.

Since he was his friend, Jiang Fengjing decided to give him a hint. “Do you just think Bai Siyi is cute, or do you think all girls are cute?”

Huo Xingming paused for a few seconds before replying seriously. “Of course, many girls are cute, but the kind of cute I’m talking about is different from the kind of cute that Bai Siyi has.”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Jiang Fengjing rubbed his forehead. “What I mean is, you’re saying you’re not gay—what’s your basis for that? Is it because you like Bai Siyi? If Bai Siyi were a guy, would you still like him?”

Jiang Fengjing waited for two seconds but got no response. Then, he heard a “thud” sound—Huo Xingming seemed to have hit something.

Jiang Fengjing: “What’s wrong?”

Huo Xingming hurriedly balanced his bike, which had hit a tree root. He was so nervous, his heart racing, that he even started stuttering. “Y-you, you said, you just said—did you just say Bai Siyi is a guy?”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Jiang Fengjing covered his mouth, not sure himself. “Did I say that?”

Had he just leaked company secrets?

After two seconds, Jiang Fengjing muttered, “Damn, I said, if Bai Siyi were a guy, would you still like him? I never said Bai Siyi is a guy! Can you not twist my words?”

He was scared out of his wits.

Although Bai Siyi had corrected things, Huo Xingming was so shaken that he almost passed out.

He realized that every time he thought about Bai Siyi being a guy, his heart would race as if it were about to explode.

Bai Siyi was a guy. Bai Siyi was a guy…

Bai Siyi was so good-looking, with such a slim waist, long legs, a beautiful voice, and such a gentle personality. OMG!

Huo Xingming pressed his hand against his racing heart: “If he’s a guy, I’d give my life for him.”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

There was no need to be so love-struck.

Jiang Fengjing: “Ahem, well… don’t overthink it, about his gender…”

Huo Xingming wasn’t listening to anything anymore: “Is she really a guy? Really?”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Huo Xingming: “Or is there a possibility that he’s actually cross-dressing? What if she’s actually a guy, and her voice is fake, her chest is fake, her hair is fake?”

Jiang Fengjing: “…”

Jiang Fengjing was really afraid that if he kept talking, he’d accidentally leak company secrets. “Well, I’ve got something to do, I’ll hang up now.”

After that, he quickly hung up the phone.

However, Huo Xingming’s call was recorded in the program team’s backend, and his line “If he’s a guy, I’d give my life for him” later even made it to the trending search on social media, thanks to the fans of their ship.

There was no helping it, after having a crush, Huo Xingming had really become completely love-struck.

When Huo Xingming got home, he looked at all the things Bai Siyi had bought him and ended up tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep.

He couldn’t sleep at all.

Bai Siyi was really too good. After thinking it over, Huo Xingming felt that it was a bit too much to consider Bai Siyi as a guy.

What he liked was Bai Siyi as a person, his inner qualities and character, not his gender.

He even wondered, if Bai Siyi were to pass him over now and then start an online romance with the new male guest, going on dates and meeting up, would he be able to accept that?

The answer, of course, was no.

He’d be so mad he’d explode right then and there.

He decided that starting tomorrow, he’d go work at Bai Siyi’s factory. Proximity would bring opportunity. He’d spend time with Bai Siyi, slowly win his favor, and then find a chance to reveal his real situation. Without the burden of debt, Bai Siyi would surely accept him!

It was settled!

Huo Xingming sent Bai Siyi a message saying they’d meet tomorrow, then went to sleep.

However, after Bai Siyi returned to the pink house, he couldn’t sleep either!

He lay in bed, thinking about how Huo Xingming secretly looked at him with those little eyes and how flustered he was when questioned, saying “no” with his face all red. Bai Siyi couldn’t help but laugh.

How could someone be so silly?

Bai Siyi really thought Huo Xingming was cute.

If only he weren’t straight.

After rolling around in bed for a couple of turns, Bai Siyi couldn’t laugh anymore.

“He likes the female Bai Siyi, not the cross-dressing Bai Siyi.”

Bai Siyi lay in bed, feeling a bit uncomfortable: “If only this were a gay reality show… sigh!”