Chapter 57

Several girls, who were Salt Soda, were on vacation, and playing outside. They didn’t expect to encounter Yan Zhao in this small town—after all, although the sea here was as blue as a gem, it wasn’t a popular tourist spot. People tended to gather more towards the bustling city center.

What they didn’t expect even more was that standing next to their idol was another man, tall and handsome, also the type to set hearts racing.

The two of them standing together looked incredibly compatible!

One girl blurted out: “Daddy Shen!” Then she covered her mouth with a flushed face, thinking, “Oh no, how did I just call out his nickname?”

Every impressive man will, unknowingly, have a group of kids who are not related by blood.

Yan Zhao smiled, elbowed Shen Yuanting playfully, and teased, “Daddy, huh?”

Shen Yuanting glanced at him, his thin lips parted slightly, and he said something silently.

Yan Zhao read his lips: “You can call me that in bed.”

Yan Zhao: “…” Driving again!

After a few whispers of “You guys go ahead, I’m too shy,” “I-I-I’m so nervous I’m stuttering,” “Seize the chance, it’s not easy to see him in person,” the fans pushed a representative forward.

She stepped up, her eyes sparkling, and said: “Zhao zhao, we are all Salt Soda, can you give us an autograph?”

Yan Zhao smiled lightly, “I didn’t bring a pen, did you?”

The girl shook her head, then turned to look at her friends, all of whom were digging through their pockets and bags without success. They were just out for a meal, how could they have expected to bump into their idol?

“Let’s borrow one,” said Shen Yuanting. He communicated with the waitstaff in the restaurant, and in just a few words, the matter was settled.

He spoke with an RP accent, very standard and elegant.

To Yan Zhao’s ears, it was also somewhat sexy.

Shen Yuanting got a pen and handed it to Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao smiled at him, tried to pull the pen apart, hmm… it wouldn’t budge?

What’s the trick now?

Yan Zhao asked in confusion: “Yuanting?”

The force applied to the fountain pen was withdrawn, and Yan Zhao, not understanding what the other man was trying to do just now, but found it amusing and said to the fans: “Come on, where do you want me to sign?”

The representative handed over a few beautiful pieces of paper, Yan Zhao asked for their nicknames, signed them, and returned the pen to the staff.

The fans asked again: “Can we… post it on Weibo?”

Yan Zhao: “Sure, but don’t mention the address, thank you.”

After waving goodbye to them, Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting chatted leisurely as they left: “I want some ice cream.”

Shen Yuanting: “Let’s buy some, chocolate flavor?”

“I want to try a different flavor, stack a few more ice cream scoops…”

After the idol’s figure disappeared down the street, the fans finally let out a small burst of excited screams, almost jumping up and down.

“We’re so lucky, ahhh, to meet our idol here!!!”

“I’m going to frame the autograph when I get home! It’ll be a family heirloom!”

“Who suggested coming here to eat? Good sister, let me massage your shoulders!”

One of them covered her mouth and smiled: “I didn’t see the assistant, Did Zhao Zhao and Daddy Shen are playing together alone?”

“Maybe the assistant is at the hotel? Just a guess, can’t make anything out of it!”

“I don’t want to hear any nonsense, they just came out to play together!”

“Hey, everyone come look, there’s a CP fan here! The die-hard solo fans are about to charge!”

“Hehe, stop being a solo fan, only shipping them can bring true happiness! Did you hear how tenderly Zhao Zhao called ‘Yuanting’? I’m ready to move the Civil Affairs Bureau over here, my ship is getting married on the spot!”

A girl posted the autographed photo on Weibo: [1551^[1]1551 = Yi Wu Wu Yi , it’s an internet slang the meaning is Crying cutely. Encountered @YanZhao and President Shen while traveling with my sisters. Share this post and you can also have an autograph from our idol! Now I’m going to the restaurant where our idol ate! @YanZhao Official Fan Club, come and share the joy [picture]]

Seeing that the idol had pampered the fans again, the fan club immediately retweeted passionately: [Found a soda-flavored koi! Everyone go touch her!]

All the Salt Soda turned sour upon seeing this post.

[Wuwuwu, what kind of fairy luck does the blogger have, to bump into the idol while traveling, and I can only blow rainbow farts at the brother on the screen!!! So jealous!!!]

Amidst the sour atmosphere, some also noticed the highlight: [Zhao zhao and President Shen together???]

The blogger replied: [Yes, they are together (just together, nothing more)!]

Fellow sisters added: [Zhao zhao called President Shen ‘Yuanting,’ and they even ate ice cream together, such a good relationship (just indicating a good relationship, I also mean nothing more)]

Zhao zhao, their idol who had disappeared for a few days, was actually eating with President Shen, and even having ice cream?!

The fans of the Shen-Yan ship acted quickly, spreading the news through all the major message groups—

Wake up, don’t sleep, our ship is giving out candy!!!

What, you don’t ship my CP??? You still have to look, get your head down and enjoy the candy!!!

[The emphasis in the brackets is really saying there’s no hidden meaning 233333^[2]233(Èrsānsān) = Lol; rofl

Refers to an emoji code for someone pounding on the floor laughing ]

[We understand, everyone be low-key!]

[Brother, you’re not doing your job properly and instead eating ice cream with another man??? You’re about to lose me!]

[Madam, our CP got official candy, come back quickly, we can’t be without you!!!]

[Even if I’m dead, nailed inside a coffin, I would still scream: my CP is real!!!]

Besides the fans shouting that you are not the people you used to be any more, there were also other discordant voices: [Here comes the hype again, has Yan Zhao become so irrelevant that he has to cling to a tycoon to appear like a gold-digger?]

But the Salt Soda were always strong in battle, not afraid of such weak attacks.

[Haters crawl away, is it so strange that my dear Zhao and President Shen are friends? The official V hasn’t said anything, are you itching to fight?]

[55555 My dear Zhao and President Shen have a good relationship, some people must be anxious, I feel sorry for them]

Besides the fans, other passers-by were also forwarding this post—whether it had any effect or not, they thought, “Let’s see if touching the koi brings luck, oh heavens, give me a chance to meet my idol up close!”

After a few days passed, the koi’s scales were almost rubbed bald, and the good relationship between Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting became an accepted fact in the circle.

Many fans climbed over the wall to join the Shen-Yan CP, injecting a strong dose of enthusiasm.

A domineering CEO and a star, one could easily imagine a myriad of naughty, cough cough, friendship masterpieces—too thrilling!

All of them were new fans, and for some, it was their first time shipping RPS. Many fans who hadn’t experienced the censorship incident directly piled their supplies under the Shen-Yan TAG, watching the popularity soar. The old fans hurriedly rushed up to provide knowledge: “It will be blocked, our new TAG is ‘Ice Cream CP’!”

New fan: Why???

However, this time, the censors seemed to have a conscience, and with so much new content under the tag, not a single one was cut off.

Fans of other CPs also began to spread their wings.

First, they posted pure and innocent content, and after one night, nothing happened.

Survived, made it through!

Then they pushed again, and a minute later, boom, it exploded on the spot.

Other CP fans: Are the censors targeting us?!!!

…

Night. The waves of the sea undulated gently, and the moonlight sprinkled on them, like a handful of lilies scattered.

Yan Zhao sat cross-legged on the shallow beach, his hand stirring the cool seawater, droplets falling from his bare upper body, and the ring around his neck shining in the moonlight.

Shen Yuanting came from afar with a lamp and asked him, “Not playing anymore?”

Yan Zhao leaned back, the milky sand behind him fine and soft: “Tired.”

He had been learning to swim with Shen Yuanting these past few days. The sea wasn’t as safe as a pool, so the teaching activity stalled at holding breath and splashing water. Most of the time, the two played in the water together.

Flirting under the guise of teaching.

Yan Zhao chuckled.

The warm yellow light stopped moving, and Shen Yuanting put the lamp aside and sat down next to him.

Yan Zhao sat up straight again and asked him, “Where’s the little one?”

Thinking of the black and white chubby cat on the pillow, Shen Yuanting said, “Asleep.”

“Oh.” Yan Zhao looked at the endless sea, suddenly wanting to play. He touched the fine sand nearby, found a small shell, and threw it over the sea.

Because of the waves, it was hard to make the shell skip on the sea, and the waves swallowed it up.

He curled his lips and continued to throw. On the tenth try, the shadow floated on the sea surface four or five times.

Yan Zhao hummed a short tune.

Shen Yuanting followed by throwing a shell, and the sea immediately swallowed it.

After Shen Yuanting tried a few more times, Yan Zhao raised both hands: “Thank you, everyone, I am the champion of the double stone-skipping contest.”

Always competing to be first. Shen Yuanting smiled and blew the sand off his hair: “When did I compete with you?”

The warm and moist breath brushed his cheek, and Yan Zhao turned his head: “One second before you said that sentence.”

His dark eyes were brightened by the moonlight, looking innocent.

Shen Yuanting pinched his earlobe: “I didn’t even know I was participating, so the outcome is invalid.”

Yan Zhao: “Now you know, shall we compete again?”

Shen Yuanting: “No.”

Yan Zhao stood up: “Then you set the event, so you can’t say I bullied you.”

Knowing that Yan Zhao was in a playful mood and needed to determine a winner, Shen Yuanting said, “How about a breath-holding competition?”

Yan Zhao listened to the sound of the waves: “Okay, let’s go into the sea!”

Shen Yuanting: “Don’t go too deep.”

“Got it!”

Yan Zhao found a place with suitable depth and safety, and after Shen Yuanting placed the lamp on the rocks, he said, “I’ll count one, two, three, and then we’ll squat down! Three, two, one!”

As soon as he finished speaking, they both splashed into the water.

Yan Zhao closed his eyes, pinching his nose, feeling the seawater brush past his face, a strange yet gentle touch.

As time passed, the novelty disappeared, replaced by a sense of suffocation from lack of oxygen.

He decided to hold his breath for the last ten seconds.

Ten, nine, eight…

Just as he counted to “one” and was about to stand up, a pair of hands parted the water and touched his face.

Then, the other person’s soft lips pressed against his, prying open his teeth and delivering sweet oxygen.

Yan Zhao’s eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. It was night, and underwater, even though the sea here was crystal clear without impurities, he couldn’t see very clearly, but he could outline the person’s profile even with his eyes closed.

Despite being underwater, a feeling of heat spread. Yan Zhao pressed close to his lips, exchanging the little oxygen they had left.

After both could no longer hold on, they burst out of the water together. Yan Zhao gasped for air, and before he could recover, Shen Yuanting pressed him against the rocks and kissed him, while pinching his chin.

After Shen Yuanting had kissed enough, he let go of him, wiping away the silver thread at the corner of his mouth: “It’s a draw.”