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He Tiao was left dumbfounded by the unexpected kiss. Although they were in the middle of a live broadcast, to the audience, it appeared as if time had frozen.
On the other hand, Chi Yizhen, still half-awake, furrowed his brows slightly when he realized He Tiao’s lack of response.
His lips were about to part, and he had just uttered the word “husband” when He Tiao’s hand swiftly covered his mouth, and immediately afterward, he was forcefully pushed away.
Even the previously steady camera momentarily trembled, and the director’s eyes widened in shock.
Chi Yizhen, who had been pushed against the glass panel, felt a sharp pain, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Instinctively, he turned his head, and on his right, He Tiao, who had initially been thrown off balance, had now regained a composed sitting posture. He calmly asked, “Are you okay?”
It finally dawned on Chi Yizhen that this was no dream.
He turned to face the camera, rubbing his head while quickly responding, “Is there a problem with me calling him ‘husband’? After all, he’s going to be my husband for the next half month.”
His transition in demeanor was so natural that it made those watching the livestream shift from thinking it was staged to believing it was genuine.
After all, in the frame, the young man was rubbing his face, seemingly abruptly awakened from drowsiness, with red-rimmed eyes that appeared on the verge of tears.
His expression of grievance seemed so natural that it left He Tiao momentarily at a loss for words.
He could only nod in response.
Despite appearing calm on the surface, Chi Yizhen’s heart was racing. If it weren’t for the camera, he might have wanted to slap himself hard a few times.
What’s going on here?
Is this for real?
This was supposed to be the enigmatic game company CEO who had never shown his face, the aloof and mysterious game streamer.
And now, this?
Wasn’t he the man from that night?
What kind of person did the original host encounter when they entered the wrong room?
This awkward moment began to spread, but the audience in the livestream was still fixated on the coincidental and dramatic scene that had just unfolded.
“I don’t believe it! Chi Yizhen was sleeping just now, right?”
“Is this real? If it’s acting, then his previous idol dramas wouldn’t have such low ratings!!!”
“Chi Yizhen’s acting skills were just average… It all depends on his fans. Talking about ‘crushing it’ is way too early…”
“Who would have thought that in recent years, handsome guys have become extinct? Even replacements like You Yuxing can make it to the top…”
“OMG, can we even say this? Won’t we get banned!!!”
User 9890787’s comment has been automatically deleted by the system.
“Am I the only one who feels that something’s not right here!!!”
“The fact that E-god came here to see Chi Yizhen also seems strange… LOL, the first reaction after being kissed is to push the person away…”
“Ugh, if it weren’t for Chi Yizhen looking so young, I’d think this couple was the other way around.”
“Chi Yizhen’s looks are really beyond words. I’m getting dizzy from seeing these two together. Is this the gaming streamer big shot from before? Why doesn’t he show his face when he looks like this!”
“Still, he’s the boss of a gaming company. I’ve never seen someone so afraid of being seen. How did the production team manage to get him for the show??”
Since it wasn’t officially part of the variety show recording yet, the director had prepared many questions to ask the guests randomly on the way.
The two in the second row were no longer as briefly affectionate as before, and the atmosphere had plummeted to freezing levels.
Director: “Have you two met before?”
Chi Yizhen and He Tiao simultaneously replied, “No, we haven’t.”
He Tiao’s voice sounded much more comfortable than it did that morning, lacking the drowsy feeling, which was enough to make Chi Yizhen think of the paper man he had been spending so much money on in his game.
His voice is quite something.
Chi Yizhen subconsciously glanced at him.
Of course, the viewers in the live stream couldn’t see the equipment inside the car, and He Tiao had never faced so many cameras like this before, so he was visibly tense.
Symmetry.
He Tiao resisted the urge to look back and pretended to be admiring the scenery outside.
If it were Du Binbai or one of He Tiao’s assistants here, they would surely understand that Mr. He had one of his quirks acting up. In companies of this size, in addition to administrative assistants, there were usually personal assistants to help with various aspects of life. Even Du Binbai, the vice president, needed someone to assist him due to frequent business trips.
However, in He Tiao’s case, his extreme social anxiety and aversion to being photographed meant he rarely had opportunities for business trips. He could handle everything online. Even on executive team outings, he could manage his own affairs perfectly well. When it came to tidiness and organization, he was even better than Du Binbai’s assistant.
It’s just that his OCD sometimes affected the moods of those in the higher levels of the company. If the company were to hold a contest for the tidiest workspace, He Tiao’s would undoubtedly win.
Pen caps never came alone, and the spiral rings in the loose-leaf notebooks had to be even in number; an odd number was against the rules. Even in the newly developed farming system in the game, raising pigs, the pigsty had to adhere to the specified dimensions, and measurements with a ruler were always error-free.
For He Tiao, the morning had already been thrilling enough. What was etched into his mind at this moment wasn’t the loud smooch from a moment ago or the overly familiar term “husband.” It was the uneven drawstring on the window blinds.
If only he could sit a bit farther away, he wouldn’t have triggered his OCD.
He Tiao unconsciously shifted toward the window, causing a slight lift of the eyes from Chi Yizhen. But Chi Yizhen remembered to answer the question, “Yes, I moved to a new apartment, and it feels a bit unfamiliar.”
The director nodded. Most of the production team members had reviewed Chi Yizhen’s information and knew that he was a last-minute addition to the show.
Chi Yizhen felt like this person had been through a lot in recent years.
The director asked very directly, “Did you have a good dream?”
Comments from the audience started pouring in:
– “Is it even okay to ask this? Just look at Chi Yizhen’s attitude a moment ago! I felt like I was dreaming!”
– “Wasn’t Chi Yizhen known as a tough straight guy? The 500-page PDF said he never gave in to Sheng Xin. But in the dream, he’s calling someone ‘husband’ and bending like a paperclip!”
– “Didn’t you forget that e-God has many male fans? Remember the guy who went crazy gifting e-God during his livestream, causing e-God to disable the tipping feature? That guy was a dude!”
– “I remember that guy! Rarely on Qixi Festival, e-God interacted with the top fans with high interaction points in the game and let them speak on the mic. That guy’s opening line was something like ‘My dear husband,’ in an extremely distinctive and unsettling voice!”
– “I remember! His hoarse voice even trended at one point!! Although personal attacks are not good, that guy’s appearance was really not something to compliment…”
The comments reflected the audience’s shock and curiosity about Chi Yizhen’s sudden change in demeanor and the mysteries surrounding e-God’s identity.
“Later, the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ became banned words in the game, who understands… My partner and I can only call each other ‘wife’… e-God used his power for personal gain!”
Just when everyone thought Chi Yizhen would have a hard time answering, they were surprised to see this former idol actor, who looked distressed, blink his eyes.
“Those who understand, understand.”
He even looked at a visibly uncomfortable He Tiao: “Right, darling? We’re going to live together for fifteen days. Why are you sitting so far away?”
Chi Yizhen “Aren’t we going to work together to open a store?”
He Tiao: ?
Director: ?
– The comments in the live chat were also filled with question marks.
Chi Yizhen tilted his head and said, “Isn’t the character the program gave us a young couple struggling to start a business?”
He Tiao struggled to remember the variety show outline he had to reluctantly read last night to escape reality.
Chi Yizhen played along with the program’s setup, creating an amusing and bewildering situation for the audience.
The group of former classmates in the WeChat group showed no sympathy at all. They treated He Tiao’s entry into the world of love life reality shows as a honeymoon, with some even joking that a transformational love show would be a refreshing twist.
It was indeed very fresh, especially when his wife was almost a complete stranger he nearly fell for.
Perhaps because He Tiao’s despair was so apparent, Chi Yizhen thought he was still half-asleep. He scooted closer to He Tiao and asked, “Are you feeling unwell or just sleepy?”
Chi Yizhen was currently broke, having spent most of his prepayment salary on medical bills. He was wearing budget-friendly, mass-produced clothing, and he didn’t even have any perfume. At most, he accidentally used too much laundry detergent, which gave his clothes a hint of osmanthus scent that lingered around He Tiao’s nose.
The scent he had ignored during the brief kiss from earlier now rushed back to He Tiao. Memories of that passionate night together with the other person flooded his mind, the touch and heat of their bodies entwined. He Tiao felt like he had been electrocuted and instinctively turned his head away.
Chi Yizhen couldn’t help but think, “Is he making it seem like I took advantage of him? Even if I wasn’t completely awake that night, I still knew who was boldly making moves. We’re both twenty-eight, and he acts so innocent! Is he the last virgin in the entertainment industry?”
In the next moment, Chi Yizhen felt a bit upset. Even though it was somewhat ridiculous, he hadn’t done anything wrong either. After being in the industry for many years, he had managed to keep a clean image. The only scandal he had was when his dog ran into someone else’s yard, and he spent a long time searching for it. Somehow, this turned into a rumor that he had been missing for three hours.
He couldn’t believe it; three hours seemed too lame. The report should have been more exaggerated, something like “all-night disappearance” with bloodshot eyes from searching for his dog.
No matter whether it was the paparazzi in the book or the media on his side, they were all useless. Chi Yizhen sighed inwardly but maintained a gentle expression as he said, “Since you’re here, why not just chat?”
He Tiao responded, “I don’t really feel like chatting.”
Chi Yizhen nodded and continued, “Well, you’ll have to answer the producer’s questions, right?” He then looked towards the producer.
The producer proceeded to ask, “Mr. He, how did you end up participating in our variety show?”
Bringing up this matter made He Tiao extremely uncomfortable, especially with the man involved sitting right next to him. He finally raised his head, seemingly reluctant to meet Chi Yizhen’s gaze, and replied coldly to the producer, “I was invited by your Zhang Miya.”
-comments
-“He looks so different now, so cool and aloof when he first appeared. After Chi Yizhen kissed him, he seemed pure and seductive, but in between, he’s been having all these social anxiety moments, and now? Why does he look so fierce?”
-“Yeah, he looks really fierce, but it’s also quite funny. He doesn’t seem willing at all.”
Chi Yizhen chimed in, “Darling, you seem really reluctant to show your face. Why did you agree?”
His curiosity and amusement were blatantly evident, as he stared at He Tiao with a playful and somewhat affectionate smile.
-“Setting aside everything else, Chi Yizhen has such beautiful eyes. They’re so expressive that even when he acted in romance scenes with a wooden co-star, it felt passionate.”
“It’s the mole that’s beautiful, but if it were a girl, it would be absolutely stunning. However, even as a guy, it’s still not bad.”
“He’s asking in such a deliberate way, and that smile is clearly teasing! What’s the name of that big shot? He Tiao, right? He doesn’t even dare to look at Chi Yizhen!”
“These two definitely have something going on…”