Chapter 39: First Impression

The moment He Tiao read out the question, the entire live broadcast room seemed to freeze, with a brief silence in the barrage.

A few seconds later, it erupted.

[Hahaha, so this is something we can ask!! I’m going to the question section to join the fun!]

[Help! E God is blushing, I’m really dying of laughter, it’s so obvious!]

[Why did he rush to read it! Still blushing! I seriously suspect he’s faking it. Saying he’s a fishing-type person, who is he really fishing for!]

[Chi Yizhen’s expression is really hilarious, this couple can really make me laugh to death.]

[Really not in a relationship? I saw Chi Yizhen glaring at him!! I’ve never done that in a relationship! I wouldn’t even do that with a colleague!]

After finishing reading, He Tiao subconsciously looked at Chi Yizhen.

Chi Yizhen took a deep breath, sighed again, and said, “So, this can be broadcasted?”

The staff behind the scenes had no reaction. Chi Yizhen could only muster the courage to throw the question back to He Tiao.

[Brother, it’s your turn.]

[Why not call him ‘cousin’ anymore! Oh, this is breaking character; damn it, I can’t get back into the story.]

[Calling him brother is also quite cool hehe, they’re only three years apart, right?]

[He Tiao looks so lost right now hahaha.]

He Tiao replied, “Do I answer?”

Chi Yizhen propped up his face, using chopsticks to pick up shrimp, “I’m so hungry, you go ahead and answer.”

He said this in a way that completely blurred the usual boundaries between colleagues, even causing He Qiao to feel as if he had entered a different role.

However, Chi Yizhen indeed hadn’t had breakfast; he had slept well and now looked absolutely radiant. There was no trace of the miserable appearance of a workaholic rushing around from a few days ago during the live broadcast.

He Qiao: “Which time are you asking about?”

Chi Yizhen raised his eyes.

He saw someone off-screen already covering their mouth, laughing.

[Ah? Which time? How many times was it?! Did you continue even after turning off the live broadcast?]

[Help! I’m already foolishly smiling.]

[E God really doesn’t have any domineering aura. Why is he so pure?]

[Chi Yizhen is so calm. Did he not have breakfast? He’s eating several pieces of beef in one bite.]

Chi Yizhen sighed and took over the topic: “It’s fine. After all, He Qiao and I are a little couple who insisted on being together even if our families didn’t agree.”

He smoothly articulated this sentence, and He Qiao immediately nodded.

“It’s fine.”

[What kind of echo is this!]

[I don’t agree with ending this question like this!]

[You promised a full live broadcast. How much of it was cut?!]

The next question was relatively simple and straightforward.

Chi Yizhen: “Why did you join this program? Haven’t I answered this before? Little Zhang invited me.”

Having just eaten chili-fried pork, his lips were tingling red. At this moment, he nonchalantly inhaled cold air, answering for He Qiao as well, “He already mentioned it. Little Zhang invited him.”

The man in uniform speaking in the live broadcast room sounded calm, completely indifferent to his unfiltered speech, “There’s no need to explain why they chose us. Those who understand, understand.”

Chi Yizhen still felt the spiciness, went to pour water, and He Qiao didn’t rush to read the questions. He silently handed over the water and began peeling shrimp for Chi Yizhen.

He couldn’t help but feel that this restaurant was quite expensive, and the dishes were just average. Did Chi Yizhen really like it here?

Should I bring him here next time?

“Oh, by the way, someone said today that I was pretending to be poor, living in such an expensive apartment.”

“Just to clarify, the apartment was a condition for me to participate in this variety show. I asked Little Zhang to find me a place. The previous one was on the outer ring, an old, rundown place, and the lease was about to expire.”

He naturally lifted the corn juice that He Qiao handed him, saying while drinking, “I didn’t expect to be dragged to the Apartment Building by her before living there for two days. It seems that I’m really not destined for a comfortable life.”

Chi Yizhen’s voice was originally clear and refreshing. In the live broadcast a few days ago at the barbecue stall, it was evident that many passersby had a good first impression of him.

For this reason, there were even people wanting to introduce potential partners to him. Someone even counted, and there were more introductions for him than for He Qiao, with both men and women. Introductions for men outnumbered those for women.

He Qiao interjected, “There were.”

Chi Yizhen pretended not to hear and said, “Next question, please.”

[This kind of livestream is really hard not to be interested in! If you’re not interested, I suggest you become a monk.]

[Let me tell you, I could fall in love even if I had to live with a complete stranger for fifteen days, especially if she were a stunning beauty.]

[Did anyone hear what E-god just said? I don’t believe Chi Yizhen didn’t hear it. This isn’t just a confession, what else could it be? This isn’t a character livestream anymore!]

[Chi Yizhen, you are amazing! You’re aloof…oh well, you’re really beautiful.]

On one side, there was the livestream screen, and on the other side, the comments section that needed to be frozen. Chi Yizhen was eager to end this part, but he didn’t expect the questions that followed to be even more outrageous.

“Do you really just sleep when you go to bed? Is that even possible?”

Chi Yizhen seemed to be choked up and looked at He Tiao beside him, saying, “I can vouch that we really sleep. If you don’t believe me, listen to him.”

He Tiao was still single-mindedly peeling shrimp, and many people had become accustomed to his unbelievably handsome face doing these odd tasks.

How can someone peel shrimp with such concentration?

He Tiao: “No.”

Chi Yizhen: “Huh?”

[Hahaha, Chi Yizhen’s expression seems betrayed!]

[Why is it so difficult for you to admit that you’re in a relationship?]

[When I saw that trending topic this morning, I was so excited. It’s a standard drama setup. Although Sheng Xin can’t be considered an ex, he’s scum…]

[I’m so wicked. I even hope they fight each other on stage. But looking at E-god, although he’s tall, he seems like too much of a homebody. You know, Yuxing once showed off Sheng Xin’s abs.]

[What! How dare they spread rumors that our E-god doesn’t have abs!]

Chi Yizhen: “What else can we do when we sleep?”

He Tiao: “You talk in your sleep at night.”

[Poor thing, hahaha.]

[Is that really the only thing? I don’t believe it.]

Chi Yizhen: “Really? Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

He Tiao: “You have nightmares.”

Chi Yizhen thought of Sheng Xin in his dream and instinctively turned his face away, but He Tiao said, “You’re not alone, you can still have…”

Chi Yizhen directly stuffed something into He Tiao’s mouth to silence him.

[Can I watch this?]

[What else could this be if not a real couple?]

[Xianggua, I admire your ability to create such drama. I thought today would be a polite colleague scenario, but it turned out to be a bonus chapter!]

[E-god’s unfinished sentence, does it include me…help, this guy is really falling for it, and it’s only been a few days!]

[Sob, sob, am I the only one crying while you guys flirt? Chi Yizhen must be deeply traumatized. If it were me, I would have nightmares too. He’s really strong.]

[I hope Chi Yizhen uses his mouth to silence E-god…just saying what some viewers want to see.]

Chi Yizhen pursed his lips and then looked seriously at the camera. “We really don’t do anything else.”

He even added, quite tactfully, “It wouldn’t be appropriate to do anything else on the show, right, Brother He?”

He Tiao nodded.

[I can tell that some people are already very obedient even before getting married.]

[Right now, I kind of miss the ruthless E-god from the past livestreams.]

[He only acts this way towards Chi Yizhen, his attitude towards us is completely different.]

The following questions made Chi Yizhen feel a bit hopeless. He even suspected that the production team had tampered with it, as every screenshot seemed to be of these difficult-to-answer types.

“Is He Tiao’s cooking delicious? Have you ever thought about having him cook for you every day?”

Chi Yizhen: “It’s delicious. I can have it every day for fifteen days. But he’s not just my barbecue stall husband anymore, his appearance fee is too high.”

“Is it difficult to get used to living in a crowded apartment building?”

Chi Yizhen: “I’m okay because the previous place I rented was only as big as a bathroom. I’m already satisfied now.”

He looked at He Tiao, who had finally finished peeling the shrimp, and handed him a wet wipe. Seeing how seriously he wiped his hands, it reminded him of a cat grooming itself, and he burst into laughter.

He Tiao was uncertain, and Chi Yizhen raised his chin slightly. “Answer the question.”

He Tiao: “There’s nothing I’m not used to. My previous house was also very small.”

[An old married couple…]

[If you didn’t know, you’d think they’ve been married for many years.]

[Is E-God a clean freak? He seems really clean and meticulous… reprimanding Chi Yizhen every time he forgets to take out the trash as soon as he leaves the house!]

“What was E God’s first impression of Chi Yizhen, and what made you start to change?”

Chi Yizhen finished reading and smiled at He Tiao. “What do you think, E-god?”

It seemed like the first time he called He Tiao by that name. The sound was captured by the microphone and transmitted to the audience’s ears, giving them a feeling of being electrified.

He Tiao pursed his lips, glanced at Chi Yizhen, and then looked away. This handsome face rarely faced the camera directly. At this moment, suddenly presenting a full frontal view, it made the audience hold their breath, as if he was about to announce something significant.

He Tiao: “The first impression… was very beautiful.”

Describing a man as beautiful might sound strange, but on this face, it felt normal. He paused for a moment. “And a little bit scared.”

Chi Yizhen raised an eyebrow. At this moment, he couldn’t tell which first impression He Tiao was referring to.

Was it the time at the Spring Tide Club, or the time they were on the variety show?

The next second, He Tiao evoked a faint smile. “Starting from when we opened the door and entered the room.”

His answer was a bit fragmented, but compared to the somewhat confused Chi Yizhen, the viewers in the live stream room were more perceptive. The barrage quickly flashed with excitement from many people.

[Love at first sight!!]

[He’s talking about the first time he entered the room with the key. Do you all remember what General He said at that time? I’m going crazy. I felt something…]

[I remember! He said something like, ‘After entering this room, are we in a marital relationship?’]

[Damn it, E-God!! So, you didn’t record any more episodes because it’s love after marriage?]

[What love after marriage? It’s obviously love at first sight and going with the flow! Look at him, a person who always had a gloomy face during his company’s game live streams, is now smiling like this. Who would believe there’s no catch?!]

[What saddens me is that Chi Yizhen seems to have not understood!!]

[Hahaha, at that time, Chi Yizhen was too busy watching the show! I feel like he’s only responsible for flirting and not for the ending!! So, is he really into women, or is his acting just too good?]

[I reviewed the men around Chi Yizhen before, starting with his elder brother, they are all high-quality men. I feel like even if he likes men, he wouldn’t go for someone with low looks… E God, have you seriously not considered this model-like face?]

Chi Yizhen: “Did you change after entering the room?”

He furrowed his brows slightly, recalling and saying, “I remember clearly that you refused to let me see the comic, and then we accidentally broke the sofa.”

He Tiao:…

[This guy really doesn’t know what he’s doing. I take back what I said about him being a good match.]

[Why do I feel like Chi Yizhen did it on purpose… E-God is really too obvious.]

[Ah, poor Chi Yizhen, he seems so alone now. Isn’t it better for him to be with E-God?]

[Just think about it, You yuxing and Sheng Xin are not easy to deal with. Even if Chi Yizhen becomes popular, it won’t be stable or quick. He has too many troubles.]

[But E-God is rich, handsome, and single. Isn’t it normal for him to date someone?]

They stared at each other for several seconds, until Chi Yizhen burst into laughter, as if nothing had happened, and moved on to the next question.

In the live stream room, he seemed much more lively compared to the past activity videos. His live stream created an atmosphere that was simply professional.

But the more he was like this, the more obvious it became that He Tao sitting beside him was feeling a bit lost.

As the live stream ended, Chi Yizhen breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could eat peacefully.

He looked at the peeled shrimp in front of him and hesitated. He said to He Tiao, “Mr. He, this live stream is not about creating a persona, so you don’t have to do this.”

He Tiao had been reading a message sent by Zhang Miya and raised his eyes when he heard Chi Yizhen’s words.

Perhaps his emotions from replying to the message carried a hint of coldness, giving Chi Yizhen a completely different impression.

He Tiao asked in return, “Did I make you feel troubled?”