Chapter 5: Is This Allowed to Be Aired?

It was all because he had been inadvertently roped into this by Zhang Miya, which left He Tiao with no way to back out. He could only grit his teeth and participate.

His old college friends, who were now high-ranking executives, took great delight in this situation. They mocked He Tiao every chance they got, even during these days of working overtime.

“Oh, isn’t this our e-god, the one who never reveals his true face? Finally decided to take off the mysterious veil?”

“Hey, isn’t this the act of revealing one’s face in the name of love? In the past, when Yang Guo removed his mask, he captivated Xiaolongnü for a lifetime. So, our Mr. He is doing this to win over his beloved, right?”

“This is his beloved? Isn’t it a man?”

“Our Mr. He never hesitates to do anything he doesn’t want to do, right? He even uploaded dog selfies when taking school photos. It caused the school’s backend programmers to nearly lose their minds from making modifications.”

“Our e-god’s fans are in agony. It’s like a torture: on one hand, they can see their male god’s true face, on the other, they have to watch him share a bed with his ‘beloved.'”

…

If it was only Du Binbai speaking, that would be fine.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few people with this attitude among the high-ranking members, which made He Tiao reach his limit. He was on the verge of swearing at someone when Du Binbai handed him a tablet.

“This little star knows how to play the game, even bringing his husband along. Quite skilled at business.”

He Tiao lowered his gaze, and it happened to be on the interface of Chi Yizhen’s Weibo.

This person was replying with a straight face, and he seemed overly restrained in the carefree world of the internet. It felt somewhat contrived, causing comments and reposts to accuse him of showing off.

Husband?

He Tiao almost instantly thought of Chi Yizhen’s face.

The raised eyebrows when he cried, the teary eyes.

He Tiao took a deep breath, then threw the tablet back into Du Binbai’s arms without any reservation and handed off the work to the deputy general manager.

Du Binbai exclaimed, “Hey, where are you going?”

He Tiao said, “Is there a problem with the boss taking a day off?”

Du Binbai: …

He couldn’t come up with a counterargument.

But He Tiao had always been a workaholic with no personal life to speak of. It was as if he could be a recluse forever.

Since his student days, he had never been associated with any scandalous news or actions. No wonder everyone was so excited about this unusual situation.

Being the CEO of a prominent new company in S City, there wasn’t really anywhere else he could go if he took a day off.

Du Binbai could easily guess what He Tiao was up to. He was probably going to his family’s braised duck restaurant to unwind.

While most people’s way of unwinding was watching TV shows or playing games, He Tiao’s idea of relaxation had always been to help out at his parents’ restaurant.

Braised duck.

Having such a handsome face and then plucking duck feathers was simply a waste of talent.

Du Binbai: “Come back early! Your honeymoon for fifteen days is depending on us to carry the load for you!”

“Wait for you!!”

He Tiao couldn’t be bothered to respond, so he just took the dedicated elevator and left.

The reason he had gone to see Zhang Miya that day was to tap into her expertise in gemstone appraisal.

Almost no one cared to investigate how the Zhang family had become wealthy these days.

The reason He Tiao had sought out Zhang Miya was because one of his previous investors, Mr. Qi, had recommended her. He mentioned that Zhang Miya’s mother was particularly knowledgeable in the field of gemstones.

Ever since he discovered last year that he wasn’t biologically related to his mother, this matter had weighed heavily on He Tiao’s mind.

He didn’t really mind it himself, thinking that even though he had been switched at birth and raised by Zhang Cuijia as her son for so many years, it hadn’t been a bad experience.

However, his adoptive mother was very eager to know the truth and also wanted to know the current situation of her biological child.

He Tiao’s adoptive father had passed away early, and his adoptive mother, Zhang Cuijia, had remarried when He Tiao was still in elementary school. They moved from a small county to the city, and when He Tiao went to college, they opened their own shop in S City. Life had been getting better ever since.

But when He Tiao investigated the information from back then, he found out that he was born at the place where Zhang Cuijia and his adoptive father worked. It was a tourist city, and due to urgent circumstances, he was born at a nearby private hospital. In the second week after his birth, the hospital had a fire, and they subsequently relocated and changed their name. The records from that time couldn’t be found.

It was as if all the clues had been severed, and all he had left was this piece of jade with quality far exceeding his adoptive parents’ conditions.

He Tiao paid a visit to his family.

The braised duck restaurant was located in the old city area of S City, which hadn’t been part of the new city redevelopment yet. The rent was cheap, and there was a lot of foot traffic, mostly consisting of migrant workers.

He didn’t expect that as soon as he returned home, he would run into his younger sister, Zhao Minling, who had come back from college with no classes that day.

Upon seeing He Tiao, his college student sister broke into a brilliant smile and sweetly called him “brother.”

His college student sister’s enthusiastic greeting gave He Tiao goosebumps. Before he could even ask, Zhao Minling also called out “Mom” and brought Zhang Cuijia out from inside.

“It seems like I have a sister-in-law!!!” Zhao Minling exclaimed.

He Tiao: …

…..

As for living together with the person he was going to be with for the next half month, Chi Yizhen didn’t find it particularly exciting. He didn’t have the same level of concern as Chen LiNan. Dealing with a middle-aged man approaching his forties who couldn’t stop talking was just too annoying. Chi Yizhen finally understood why the original owner had been so determined to move out.

He spent the entire night packing his things, hoping to get some rest so that he’d be more refreshed for the live broadcast the next day. He said to Chen Linan, who was still diligently checking the procedures, “Brother Chen, even the manager can’t help me record the program. You should get some rest too.”

Chen Linan had written a whole page analyzing the gaming blogger e-god, arriving at the conclusion that this man was mysterious and aloof.

Perhaps to ease Chi Yizhen’s nervousness, he reassured him, “It’s okay. We’ve already received half of our payment, so even if we don’t have much to talk about like in the past, we won’t be returned.”

Chi Yizhen replied, “Don’t worry, I have a good attitude.”

He seemed to have lost some weight, which made Chen Linan think of his late friend, Chi Yuming, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Chi Yizhen asked, “Brother Chen, did your wife ask you to take your daughter Miao Miao to kindergarten tomorrow?”

Chen Linan was married and had a child. His wife was a career-oriented woman who worked in the cosmetics industry. Their relationship was decent, but they enjoyed spicing things up by arguing.

In Chi Yizhen’s memories, Chen Linan often came to him to vent about his marital problems.

Chen Linan suddenly stood up and said, “I almost forgot.”

Chi Yizhen replied, “You should go back and rest too. The program team will send a car to pick me up tomorrow morning, so you don’t need to drop me off.”

Chen Linan said, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Chi Yizhen reassured him, “The program team won’t send a pickup truck, so it’s not a trouble. Don’t argue with Sister Lin anymore. Do you really have to drive that beaten-up pickup truck?”

Chen Linan scratched his head, couldn’t muster a word, and finally left.

With Chen Linan gone, Chi Yizhen felt like the world had quieted down.

Chi Yizhen moved into his new apartment, which was fully furnished. However, it still felt empty and lacked any personal touch, making it look quite lifeless.

Before going to sleep, Chi Yizhen took one last look at the legendary game guru, e-god’s, Weibo account. It was indeed quite reserved, with original posts mainly consisting of his game livestreams. He rarely posted, with roughly one livestream per month, and the rest of his content was simply retweets of his company’s messages.

Despite the often passionate and sometimes aggressive nature of the gaming community, e-god seemed to be immune to criticism. People rarely directed their anger or frustration at him, and there were various reasons for this.

One of the main reasons was his exceptional gaming skills. Whether he was playing his own games or others, he dominated effortlessly and had a reputation for being a versatile player. Additionally, he was known for his silence during streams, which garnered respect rather than criticism.

Furthermore, e-god held frequent giveaways, and his generosity in providing in-game items and currency to his viewers had won him a dedicated following. Despite his humble beginnings, he was not stingy, which contributed to his “everyone’s favorite husband” image.

Chi Yizhen hadn’t been able to find any pictures of e-god and couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret.

Chi Yizhen couldn’t help but think that this generation of paparazzi was quite lax. He had been photographed leaving the Spring Tide Hotel, but why hadn’t they dug into who he spent the night with? He thought to himself that these tabloid reporters were missing out on the juicy stories.

Even though he dressed as a poor man named Chi Yizhen and went to apply for a male escort job, it wasn’t real! He wondered why the reporters hadn’t contacted him for more information. Perhaps they were keeping it secret?

On the weekend, ” My Days in the Apartment Building ” officially began airing. The exclusive app for Xianggua Entertainment also went live, featuring promotional images for the show. The app even had a floating window to attract more viewers.

– “What time does the livestream start? I can’t wait!”

– “Can’t they start from the first meeting or from the artist’s home? That’s how most dating shows begin!”

– “Hahaha, this isn’t really a dating show, is it? It’s like a love version of ‘Transformers’! The real start has to be when these couples arrive at the apartment.”

The anticipation for the show was palpable among fans and viewers.

The fans were excited and couldn’t wait to watch the live broadcast. They even discussed the possibility of a condensed highlights version being released the next day, but many of them preferred the full-day livestream.

– “I heard there will be a condensed highlights version the next day, but I feel like this full-day livestream is more exciting!”

– “My rational side tells me I should watch the couple who went on a dating show right before their divorce, but my hand clicked into Chi Yizhen’s livestream room without me realizing it!”

– “I feel the same way. That candid gif of Chi Yizhen is so heartbreaking and pitiful! Given his experiences, it’s hard not to sympathize with him, sob sob sob!”

– “Damn!! It’s starting!! What’s this? The floating window even says it’s not the official version!!”

The viewers were clearly eager to see what would unfold in Chi Yizhen’s live broadcast.

The camera started rolling as it followed Chi Yizhen carrying his luggage and getting ready to board the vehicle provided by the production team. It was still early in the morning, and the background showed the interior of the car, so it was difficult to determine where Chi Yizhen had come from.

Chi Yizhen was dressed in a baseball jacket with a plain hoodie underneath, looking rather plain and even a bit drowsy. He closed the car door himself and, in a somewhat sleepy voice, asked the director beside him, “Has it started?”

The director nodded.

Chi Yizhen quickly took off his hat, but his hair was slightly disheveled, making him feel a bit embarrassed. He apologized for his appearance.

The viewers couldn’t help but comment on his straightforwardness: “Did he just go straight from bed??? Is he just waking up? Hilarious! He looks so natural without makeup!!”

It seemed like Chi Yizhen’s casual and unfiltered demeanor was already attracting attention and comments from fans.

Viewers continued to discuss Chi Yizhen’s appearance and outfit, with some even noticing that his clothing resembled common and affordable pieces: “Who knew, Chi Yizhen’s jacket is exactly like the one I have right now. It’s a popular item, bought it for sixty yuan, free shipping… rounding it up, it’s still considered a celebrity’s same style.”

Others chimed in: “I also have the same hoodie as the one he’s wearing!! Wasn’t it on clearance at some store before? I tried it on, looked ugly on me, so I returned it. But look at him! Even in cheap clothes, he looks like a top-notch brand. It’s the infuriating power of his looks!”

Someone else observed, “Seeing him up close today, he looks so young, nothing like someone who’s been in the industry for years…”

Chi Yizhen was a bit surprised when he heard that they weren’t leaving yet. After all, he was here to pick up his designated boyfriend for the next two weeks.

The director explained, “Mr. He is also in this neighborhood.”

Chi Yizhen exclaimed, “What a coincidence?”

However, viewers weren’t so sure: “Is this scripted? I might just swallow my keyboard if it’s not!”

Chi Yizhen sighed. He was really tired after the late-night journey, which left him sweating all over.

The pressure of being the main character, or “gong” as described in the book, was clearly getting to Chi Yizhen. He even woke up in the middle of the night to take a shower.

“Can I take a short nap?” Chi Yizhen asked.

He glanced at the camera and inquired, “Are there people watching the livestream at this early hour?”

The director hesitated for a moment and then showed Chi Yizhen the real-time barrage of comments. All the comments encouraged him to rest, assuring him that there was no rush, and that it was all free to watch.

With that reassurance, Chi Yizhen decided to take a nap. This left the production team and even He Tiao, who had boarded the car a few minutes earlier, stunned.

He Tiao stared at the beautiful man who was sleeping somewhat awkwardly in the back seat for a moment. He noticed that Chi Yizhen had covered himself with his jacket and was wearing a mask. It seemed that Chi Yizhen was somewhat apprehensive about the camera’s presence.

However, even with the mask and cap covering most of his face, it was still evident that He Tiao had an impressive figure and a striking presence.

“Wow! Is this E-god? He’s so handsome even with the mask!”

“He’s wrapped up so tightly… His introverted persona is even more evident…”

The production team that was with this couple hadn’t seen He Tiao in person before, at most, they had communicated with him online. The atmosphere was now slightly awkward.

The director suggested, “Why don’t you sit together with Chi Yizhen?”

He Tiao hesitated, “Can’t we sit separately?”

The director replied, “You’ll be sleeping together tonight.”

“Haha! This is hilarious! No wonder it’s a Reality Entertainment show; even the staff are making shocking comments!”

“In this moment, I can sense E-god’s terror even through his mask…”

The director added, “By the way, you both have to show your faces in our show. Could you please take off your mask?”

He Tiao, considering the reasons why Zhang Miya had set him up, reluctantly complied. He started to lower his mask while sitting next to Chi Yizhen. In the process, he accidentally kicked Chi Yizhen’s leg.

As he adjusted himself, trying to sit comfortably, He Tiao accidentally leaned too far and ended up sprawling to the side. This entire awkward sequence played out in the live broadcast.

In front of the camera, Chi Yizhen fell onto He Tiao’s body, and the viewers finally got a clear look at He Tiao’s face.

Chi Yizhen, still half-asleep and bewildered, looked up, thinking he was still dreaming. He believed that the man who perfectly matched his ideal type had come to ask him for money.

He didn’t hold back at all as he lifted his head and planted a loud kiss on He Tiao’s cheek, leaving a clear mark. He then nuzzled against him, still half-asleep, and asked in a sweet, sticky voice, “Are you here to ask me for money?”

The director was dumbfounded, the cameras, thinking it was all part of the act, remained steady without any shaking. Even the comments in the live chat briefly fell silent.

Then, the comments section exploded with a flood of exclamation marks and astonishment.

“Is this even allowed to be Aired?”