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The night market was bustling, and by the early morning, He Tiao’s handsome barbecue stall was almost fully occupied. He Tiao was almost overwhelmed with the crowd.
On the other hand, Chi Yizhen was agile in his movements.
Naturally attractive, he smiled with no hint of aggression, and he had no idea that guests from the TV show would strike up conversations with him.
This place attracted many outsiders, and with its transient nature, it carried a touch of the unconventional. Since both Chi Yizhen and He Tiao had small microphones clipped to their collars, when the audience listened, it felt as if the speakers were whispering directly into their ears.
Especially Chi Yizhen, who seemed to always speak with a smile, radiating warmth and friendliness.
Compared to someone who could seamlessly carry on a conversation like him, He Tiao’s social anxiety, though slightly alleviated by adapting to the show, still made him less adept at chatting. He preferred to stand quietly on the side, grilling skewers.
[Was Chi Yizhen always this talkative?]
[How does he manage to chat so comfortably with strangers? Just now, an older sister even grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go.]
[Maybe the sister was in a bad mood. Chi Yizhen’s expression is so gentle.]
[Haha, compared to E-God over there, they’re like a traditional married couple—one silently working, the other being all-round.]
[But isn’t Chi Yizhen tired? I’m tired just watching…]
As the time approached the early morning hours, the number of people in the live broadcast room dwindled. Since Xianggua would produce a high-quality edit the next morning, many felt at ease going to sleep.
Chi Yizhen set the grilling tray aside, watched the diminishing number of customers, and rubbed his shoulders.
He Tiao asked, “Aren’t you going to work there tomorrow?”
Chi Yizhen nodded. “Yes.”
He Tiao said, “Shouldn’t you go back and get some sleep first?”
Chi Yizhen tilted his head. “I want to accompany my hubby.”
When he smiled, his eyes squinted as if leisurely waiting to see He Tiao flustered. Unexpectedly, He Tiao just made a sound of agreement, and instead of letting Chi Yizhen continue massaging his shoulders, he took off his gloves and, in this rare moment of tranquility, massaged Chi Yizhen’s shoulders.
Chi Yizhen let out a contented sigh, squinting at He Tiao. “Have you massaged others before?”
[I shamefully…]
[Is this the benefit of staying up late? I always feel there’s something new and exciting. Xianggua couldn’t possibly create such calm daily scenes.]
[I’m already waiting for the surprise guests. Honestly, might as well invite Sheng Xin and You Yuxing again, haha.]
[Really, don’t call me like that! I feel dirty!]
He Tiao replied, “I’ve massaged my mom.”
He Tiao’s character had transitioned from selling socks to selling barbecue.
Chi Yizhen didn’t know how he planned to enhance his character and tentatively said, with a hint of coquetry typical of lovers, “I haven’t heard you mention your parents much.”
He Tiao said, “Because…”
He paused, but his hands maintained the comfortable pressure that Chi Yizhen enjoyed.
“They are a bit too enthusiastic. Didn’t you meet my mom last time?”
The topic circled back to Chi Yizhen.
Chi Yizhen made a hesitant sound, wondering how to come up with an answer.
He simply leaned his head forward, gently burying it in the crook of He Tiao’s neck.
Despite the cold weather, the place was bustling, and the workers didn’t need to wear sweaters.
With Chi Yizhen’s face pressed against He Tiao’s neck, for a moment, He Tiao shivered all over.
His hands didn’t quite know where to go, and finally, he lightly patted Chi Yizhen’s shoulder, asking, “Are you tired?”
Though he knew that Chi Yizhen had been through a tough time since the incident at work, this level of intensity was quite exhausting. It was like working three jobs for one show.
Zhang Miya was truly inhuman.
He Tiao lowered his eyes, his chin against Chi Yizhen’s hair. Completely unaware of the softness in his tone, it was nothing like the past gaming expert in the live broadcast room, who coldly threatened to kick out anyone calling him “hubby” again.
“You’ve been standing for a long time too. Why don’t you take a break and sit down for a while?”
He Tiao’s voice naturally had a magnetic quality, and Chi Yizhen could withstand the impact of this bass voice speaking right next to his ear.
He only felt his ears burning, completely understanding the exaggerated feeling of saying, “My ears will get pregnant.”
He responded with a sound of agreement.
[So pure and sweet! Ah, I’m so satisfied.]
[They look so good together. Chi Yizhen used to be the standard male lead in idol dramas, and now, in front of He Tiao, he’s acting like this…]
[Waaah, it’s only been a few hours, our E-God, I didn’t know you could act so well.]
[Neither of them seems to have much acting skill; they’re just being themselves! Who knows, this show might actually make them a couple.]
[Concerned about Chi Yizhen’s career, really hoping he can become popular…]
Chi Yizhen took a break, sitting on a nearby chair. The balloon people at the entrance of the bubble tea shop next door were still swaying in the breeze. Leaning back in the chair, Chi Yizhen stared at He Tiao.
The director switched the camera to the equipment on the side, creating a perspective from Chi Yizhen’s point of view. It made He Tiao look particularly handsome from behind.
Oddly, Chi Yizhen yawned and seemed quite content, squinting to admire He Tiao. He mumbled, “My hubby is really handsome.”
[Mr. Chi, please be mindful; there are millions of people in our live broadcast.]
[Damn it, he’s showing off again!]
[If you two have the guts, why don’t you settle it for real when you go back!]
[Chi Yizhen looks really good from this angle… Xianggua, your million cameras are truly impressive.]
The live broadcast was still ongoing; the nail art team had finished, leaving only the grilled fish and barbecue teams.
Chief planner Zhang Miya hadn’t gone to sleep either. The core team of the show had an overnight meeting to finalize the surprise guests, and she suggested Wen Chanjuan’s name.
The team members asked, “Why her? Teacher Wen doesn’t seem to have much chemistry with this kind of show.”
When Wen Chanjuan was mentioned, many people first thought of her as a former model. Despite being someone who opened international runways in the last century, Wen Chanjuan’s fame was nowhere near that of today’s emerging model stars.
After all, she had retired as a senior figure in the industry, living a nomadic lifestyle with her husband, a professional traveler.
Besides her modeling career, she had another identity—she was the daughter-in-law of Sheng Yue, the current head of the Shengshi Group.
Sheng Yue, the head of the Shengshi Group, was in his seventies and still a spirited old man. Sheng Xin was his beloved grandson, and he had handed over most of the family business to him, hoping that this grandson would continue his business empire.
Unfortunately, Sheng Xin had no interest in women and had disregarded everything to marry You Yuxing. This had caused quite a stir back then, and to this day, many people, when mentioning the Shengshi Group, still thought that Sheng Xin, who insisted on marrying a man despite being the third generation heir, might still abandon You Yuxing.
After all, nothing was more important than wealth.
As for young celebrities, there were plenty to choose from.
But these two ended up appearing together on a variety show, making their title of “true love” even more popular.
Even though some people knew that You Yuxing had undergone plastic surgery, they couldn’t deny his impressive methods.
Strangely, Sheng Xin seemed to have a not-so-good relationship with his parents.
To be precise, his relationship with his mother, Wen Chanjuan, was not good. Last year, during a live connection segment on a variety show, Sheng Xin was present, and the person he connected with happened to be Wen Chanjuan, listed as the third from the bottom in his contact list.
The scene was awkward to the extreme, and everyone felt that this mother seemed to dislike her son and his wife.
Some people dug deep into the reasons and concluded that Wen Chanjuan was forced to have a child back then.
This reason was never substantiated until earlier this year when Wen Chanjuan, invited to a women-focused talk show, brought up the matter and debunked the rumor.
One sentence she said sparked a lot of contemplation.
– Is there any rule that dictates a mother must unconditionally love her child?
– Can’t I have my own life?
Zhang Miya slid through Wen Chanjuan’s remarks, and her gaze lingered on this sentence for a long time. She smiled and said, “She is Sheng Xin’s mother, and our show was rejected by her son. Isn’t that eye-catching enough?”
“It’s precisely because she is Sheng Xin’s mother that the audience won’t expect her to come, right?”
Since the broadcast of “My Days in the apartment Building,” one of the hottest trending topics has been #YouYuxingdidn’tcome,butitseemslikehedid#—so indecent that even onlookers would burst into laughter. The viewers in the live chat were also strongly requesting a live broadcast to witness it themselves.
However, Zhang Miya didn’t want to invite that nauseating couple again. At this moment, she was in a good mood, thinking that she had played a trick on He Qiao and now should fulfill her promise.
To help him find the owner of the jade.
The encounter of the biological mother and son in the show, the twenty-eight years of the mistaken exchange in the aristocratic life—this would surely add another layer of excitement to the program, right?
Perhaps because Zhang Miya’s laughter was a bit excessive, the team below felt a chill, thinking that the boss had ill intentions and was clearly trying to prank someone.
What was You Yuxing thinking back then? How could he pass up such a good opportunity for his show? Now that “Tonight’s Moonlight” was at the bottom of the ratings, did he still feel proud?
He Qiao occasionally felt like he had made a rash decision to join this variety show, but Du Binbai, the deputy general manager, kept messaging him, saying, “General Manager He, you’re also considered part of the publicity company, and getting a wife for free is a sure win.”
Now, it was almost two in the morning, and there were not many small stalls open in the night market.
The second pair of guests, who were grilling fish, surprisingly didn’t have a quarrel with their spouses this time. The two of them, unusually harmonious, were closing up shop together, creating a sense of peaceful times.
After He Qiao collected the money from the last table of customers, he initially intended to check the accounts again. However, seeing Chi Yizhen sleeping with a tired look on an empty table, he felt a bit sorry for him.
He Qiao packed up everything and moved it away. Finally, he woke up Chi Yizhen.
Chi Yizhen, looking disoriented from sleep, made a soft sound when he saw He Qiao, the tail of the sound having a bit of hoarseness, like a hook.
He Qiao: “Let’s go home.”
Chi Yizhen: “Home?”
It was only then that he drowsily realized that he now had a family.
And it’s a home with people in it.
In his original world, he lived alone. Chi Yizhen didn’t even keep cats or dogs because he considered them responsibilities.
He feared separation because the brutal reality of parting that most people experience when they grow up was thrust upon him at a young age.
As a result, he always carried a sense of detachment and was afraid of intimate relationships, not believing in lasting love.
He believed that it was better to be alone and grow old in solitude, at least avoiding the pain of loss.
He nodded, and He Tiao promptly lifted him up.
By the time Chi Yizhen realized what was happening, He Tiao had already carried him in a posture reminiscent of a female lead in a romantic drama and placed him in the rundown car.
Chi Yizhen: “Next time, don’t carry me like this.”
He Tiao: “Next time?”
He held onto the car door, standing somewhat lazily. The natural coldness in his demeanor vanished, and it seemed that his gentleness was only visible to Chi Yizhen.
[Damn it! Night owls really have something to eat! Did I just see what I think I saw?]
[Wow, Chi Yizhen is so easy to carry, even though he’s a guy?]
[E-god has such a great boyfriend vibe! But I can’t call him my husband anymore, he belongs to someone else now!]
[But can I still call him my wife? Doge]
Chi Yizhen scratched his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
He Tiao: “Hmm.”
There was still one table left to move, but before Chi Yizhen could say anything else, He Tiao had already left.
Chi Yizhen could only retract his hand and smile helplessly.
“What’s with the ‘hmm’? What guy would want to be carried like that?”
[Exactly! Chi Chi, take a look at yourself in the mirror and see how ridiculous you look when you smile!]
[What kind of dumb couple act is this?]
[I think it’s just them being themselves…]