Shen Li had barely sent those two words when Qian Xingzhi replied at lightning speed with a question mark.
He also followed it with two lines carrying smiling emojis:
[?]
[I spent more than twenty minutes taking that photo. [smile]]
[Could you possibly say something even more hurtful? [smile]]
Shen Li thought for a moment and replied:
[Sure.]
[]
[Stolen internet picture?]
[[smile]]
As expected.
Qian Xingzhi’s call came through within five seconds.
Shen Li let it ring twice before answering.
But the instant the call connected, he heard water rushing loudly on the other end, clearly from a running shower. Apparently Qian Xingzhi had not even finished bathing yet.
So Shen Li sat up in bed again, leaned back against the soft pillow at the headboard, and said “Hello” first.
Only after quite a while
did Qian Xingzhi finally speak. His voice sounded even more magnetic than usual, like an actor filming some tragic scene in torrential rain. He asked lightly:
“Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?”
Shen Li’s tone remained calm. “You’re overthinking it. Objective assessment.”
“Objective?”
Qian Xingzhi’s voice paused. After another long delay, as though his audio were buffering, he continued to argue with unusual seriousness. “You called it ‘average’ and then asked if it was a stolen internet picture. Are you saying the random picture I found online was average? Don’t you think your logic contradicts itself, Captain Shen?”
Shen Li: …
“Besides, don’t you know what my abs look like? How could it possibly be a random internet picture?”
Shen Li: .
Shen Li tapped the screen and expressionlessly reopened the image. His eyes became as critical as a scanner examining a suspect’s ID photograph as he carefully looked it over again, his brain automatically beginning to analyze it—
Location: a bathroom with fairly poor facilities, beneath a showerhead.
Time: judging by the somewhat tricky lighting, probably at night.
Photographer: …
The photograph showed a taut, athletic abdomen with lines as perfect as carving. Each abdominal muscle was clearly defined in a natural streamlined pattern. Every segment rose slightly with visible strength, the contours running clearly from beneath the ribs all the way down to the V-line.
Water droplets slowly slid along the muscular grooves, making the skin itself look tight and elastic, faintly gleaming with healthy luster.
—When tensed, it had the familiar shape. Once he relaxed, it would turn back into a soft belly.
It really was Qian Xingzhi’s.
And it really was not a stolen internet picture.
But this man had suddenly sent him such an awkward photo out of nowhere. What was Shen Li supposed to say?
He could hardly reply, “Bro doesn’t look for free. Bro will give you a like.”
Or, “For people our age, maintaining a body like this isn’t easy.”
Shen Li remained silent for quite a while, mostly because he genuinely was not good with this kind of interaction.
Then Qian Xingzhi’s voice chilled again. The water stopped, replaced by soft rustling sounds of someone drying off and getting dressed. He snorted coldly, sounding as though he were muttering to himself:
“—Silent again. Nothing to say again. We still have to record for that long in a bit, so once again you’ll have absolutely nothing to say to me.”
Qian Xingzhi’s voice grew blurrier as though he were walking away, then closer again.
Like a puppy wagging its tail and waiting to be praised, becoming dissatisfied when its owner gave no response, barking anxiously twice, then seeing the owner still unmoved and letting its tail droop as it started moving toward grumbling and cursing.
Shen Li was also thrown off by him. Faced with a sentence so obviously loaded with emotion, he provided what he considered an emotionally supportive response:
“…Fine, fine, fine. You’re amazing. Happy now?”
Something still seemed wrong. The moment Shen Li said it, even he felt he might have been better off saying nothing.
Sure enough, Qian Xingzhi’s voice became even colder and more muffled, his questioning tone more obvious. “…If you don’t want to compliment me, forget it. Why are you being sarcastic?”
Shen Li: …
“How was that sarcastic? Wasn’t I complimenting you?”
“You used to say that every time you didn’t want any more,” Qian Xingzhi said coldly. “The next sentence would always be, ‘Can we sleep now?’”
Shen Li: ..
This man really remembered everything and was capable of saying absolutely anything aloud.
But—
“You haven’t started recording over there yet, right?”
Shen Li wanted to confirm.
Qian Xingzhi heard that and this time genuinely sounded irritated. “Do you currently think I’m an idiot?—What, I’m going to record myself showering? Am I sick?”
Shen Li did not spare him either. “As everyone knows, normal people also don’t call their ex while taking a shower.”
Qian Xingzhi: …
The silence stretched and spread without limit, and the strange atmosphere expanded along with it.
Shen Li also began to notice that ever since the program had put him back in contact with Qian Xingzhi, the way the two of them communicated really had changed in a subtle way.
Before their divorce, there was an eighty-percent chance they would never have had a conversation like this.
After being cut off from one another for so many years, the friction that had built up between them seemed to have been refreshed and reset by those long seven years. Even the back-and-forth happening between him and Qian Xingzhi now sounded like the tone they had used in high school before they started dating—disliking each other while probing each other at the same time.
So that feeling Shen Li had not experienced in a very long time suddenly began growing again—
A vague uncertainty that nevertheless felt extremely close to the truth.
Like interrogating a suspect who still had unresolved doubts around him: you already knew there was a high probability he was the murderer, but you still had not landed the decisive blow on his weak point.
Your whole body became so excited you almost sweated. Adrenaline surged, your thoughts became unusually active, and reason had to cool your emotions down again.
“—Why don’t you finish getting ready first and call me after?”
Since Qian Xingzhi had remained silent this time, Shen Li rather proactively moved the process along.
But Qian Xingzhi clearly had no intention of pausing and calling back later. “No need. I’m already done. I can lie down right away.”
Shen Li hummed, then before Qian Xingzhi announced the start of recording, confirmed with him again:
“What are we supposed to talk about during this segment?”
He had no script on his side, but he was not sure whether Qian Xingzhi had received some additional task.
Qian Xingzhi still used that same tone, and his answer was similar to before:
“Don’t be nervous. Say whatever you want. I’ll have my assistant cut anything inappropriate. It doesn’t have to reach thirty minutes either. Talk for however long you want—even three minutes is fine.”
Shen Li frowned. He wanted to ask: But isn’t the production team making viewers pay eighty-eight yuan for the bonus footage? Is it okay not to record the full duration?
Before he could ask, Qian Xingzhi seemed to anticipate what he was thinking and explained first. “This segment wasn’t in the contract to begin with. Nobody mentioned it beforehand or asked your opinion, so I told the person who designed the segment that we can only cooperate as much as possible. As for making the audience pay eighty-eight to buy it, I don’t think that’s necessary either. We can cancel that part.”
Hearing this, Shen Li’s brows drew even tighter as he made a logical inference. “So you weren’t the one who designed this segment?”
“Tsk.” Qian Xingzhi clicked his tongue coldly. “If it had been me, I would have discussed it with you in advance.”
Shen Li offered no comment and continued asking, “But you just said you have veto power—so what role exactly do you have within this production team?”
Qian Xingzhi’s voice paused as though he wanted to laugh.
“Captain Shen’s occupational disease acting up again? Treating me like a criminal and interrogating me?”
Shen Li: “…But you’re not a criminal, so you can also choose not to answer.”
Qian Xingzhi did not begrudge him an answer. “Half an investor, I guess. I partnered with some other people and put a little money in.”
The statement was both truthful and vague.
He admitted he was a partner but did not say what percentage he owned.
For example, he said “a little” very casually, but the amount definitely could not be small. As for exactly how much it was, Qian Xingzhi did not volunteer the details.
Shen Li thought briefly, then asked Qian Xingzhi:
“Of the three million I’m getting, how much is yours?”
Qian Xingzhi made an “ah” sound. He knew Shen Li understood investment and was not quite sure why Shen Li would ask this question, but still explained, “It’s a proportional issue. I can’t really put it that way. Everyone invested according to their percentages and expenses are paid proportionally too. I definitely invested more than three million, but you can’t exactly say your appearance fee is all money I personally gave you.”
But that was exactly what Shen Li meant.
“Right. So what I’m asking is: exactly what percentage do you own?” Shen Li stressed the final words, hinting at what he was really asking—
He wanted to know whether Qian Xingzhi actually held the controlling position, and whether Qian Xingzhi had been the primary person spearheading the project.
Capital used investment and controlling stakes to monopolize the right to speak in variety-show production, and the core creative team was likewise determined by the actual investors. What Shen Li wanted to know was whether Qian Xingzhi truly possessed that authority.
Why exactly had this become a “remarriage” variety show?
This time, Qian Xingzhi really did understand Shen Li’s meaning. He paused for a long while before giving one number:
“Fifty-one percent.”
The principal investor.
Shen Li lowered his eyes and hummed. He understood completely and did not ask further.
He only needed to combine this with what Qian Xingzhi had said in the car earlier…
By circling around the issue, Shen Li had finally confirmed every part of Qian Xingzhi’s drunken confession that night:
Qian Xingzhi had created this program to kill two birds with one stone—bring down WCC and try to remarry at the same time.
Since Qian Xingzhi had spearheaded the project, it was he who had insisted on making it a “remarriage” show.
Yet there had never been a remarriage variety show on the market before. This program was extremely niche, unprecedented, and therefore high-risk.
Qian Xingzhi could easily have made some other kind of show. All he needed was an excuse to lure Jiang Nan in, get Jiang Nan to represent WCC’s upper management, and finally release irrefutable evidence. That would likewise have achieved the goal of dealing WCC a devastating blow.
But Qian Xingzhi had insisted on using an unprecedented remarriage concept.
With that, the man’s motive for creating a remarriage program… finally matched perfectly with the drunken words “I want to remarry.”
…
Shen Li remained silent for a long time. He raised a hand and rubbed his aching brow, still choosing not to tear through that final layer of paper between them.
This time, he truly wanted more time to think properly.
Qian Xingzhi also happened to remain silent now. He had answered every question Shen Li asked, but did not fill in the remaining blanks or repeat the words “I want to remarry.”
So the two of them tacitly understood one another and both left themselves a layer of room.
Warm yellow light fell over Shen Li’s profile, tracing a soft halo around his flawless, delicate features. Time itself seemed to slow and lighten for a moment, until Qian Xingzhi gave a quiet cough.
“Then I’ll start recording. We’ll sleep after we’re done.”
“Mm.” Shen Li answered and quietly waited for Qian Xingzhi to set up the recording.
After a “beep—”
things somehow became even worse. The already silent air grew more awkward because of that notification tone. Fortunately, Qian Xingzhi soon guided the conversation again and offered a reasonably suitable opening question:
“How are your master’s lungs? He sounded pretty vigorous cursing people today—is he better?”
Of every question Shen Li had imagined, he had not expected Qian Xingzhi’s first one to be about his master.
But since Qian Xingzhi had thought of him, Shen Li patiently answered, “The surgery went well. It was discovered early at the time, and the postoperative results were good too. He just needs to be careful now and have regular follow-up examinations.”
“Oh.” Qian Xingzhi paused and seemed to think. “I’ve got some cordyceps and things like that. Once the program ends, take them to him.”
Shen Li: …
“No need. He doesn’t accept gifts.”
“Ah, he won’t accept gifts from people asking favors of him, but he won’t accept yours either? You’re not even in the system anymore. What’s wrong with giving him a little something? It’s useless sitting with me. I don’t eat it.”
“…Fine. Bring it later.”
“Mm. Remember not to tell him it’s from me, or he might throw it out.”
Shen Li frowned. “…But aren’t you recording right now?”
“It’s fine. We’ll cut this part.”
Shen Li gave a very soft laugh. “I actually still don’t understand exactly how you offended him so badly that he dislikes you that much.”
Qian Xingzhi choked for a second, then said helplessly, “I always pestered you, I was immature, I didn’t support your work, and my ideological consciousness wasn’t good enough. Aren’t those reasons enough for him to sentence me to death?”
Shen Li thought about it. That really was probably enough.
Then he heard Qian Xingzhi say, “When we divorced, he was probably the happiest person on your side, right?”
“Yeah,” Shen Li answered honestly. “That day he smoked two extra packs of cigarettes, and that year he also set off two extra strings of firecrackers.”
Qian Xingzhi: …
Shen Li added, “Oh. A few years ago when I went home for Lunar New Year, he also found four blind dates for me while he was at it.”
?
…
“…Did you go?”
Shen Li paused. He slightly regretted mentioning this too, but still answered without lying. “No.”
Qian Xingzhi lowered his voice and continued digging, sounding casual but determined to get to the bottom of it. “Why not?”
Shen Li’s voice held no particular emotion. “I was too busy. I couldn’t take care of a family anyway. Why delay someone else?”
The moment he said that, Qian Xingzhi’s side fell silent too.
For a long while.
Then Shen Li heard the man say, “My mom later found a few blind dates for me too. I didn’t go to any of them either.”
Like he was declaring his loyalty.
But to Shen Li, it sounded somewhat unnecessary.
“Oh.” Shen Li’s voice was a little dry. He changed the subject away from blind dates. “How are your mother and father doing?”
Qian Xingzhi gave a laugh. “Great. Now they spend every day chasing my younger brother around the house to beat him.”
“Haochen? He’s in high school already?”
“No. Ninth grade. High-school entrance exam next year.”
“Oh.” Shen Li leaned against the headboard and gradually relaxed. Following the topic of Qian Haochen, he casually asked, “Does he still cling to you as much as before?”
Qian Xingzhi snorted. “Every time he sees me, he either wants this person’s autograph, that person’s photo, or tickets in some specific row inside somebody’s concert venue.”
Shen Li relaxed.
It sounded as though Qian Xingzhi and his younger brother got along well.
“So do you give him what he wants?”
“I make him exchange his report card for it.”
“Can he actually exchange anything?”
“Tch.” Qian Xingzhi sounded faintly mocking. “Add all his scores together and they’re still lower than what you used to get in one subject.”
Shen Li: …
“He said if grades can’t get him anything, can he use the shares his dad gave him instead?”
Shen Li: …
“You traded with him?”
“How could I?” Qian Xingzhi replied decisively. “I stopped caring about my dad’s company ages ago. I told Qian Haochen there is exactly one method of exchange: report card. Everything else is off the table.”
Shen Li’s gaze drifted slightly. He sighed without sound. “Your relationship with your parents still hasn’t improved?”
Qian Xingzhi paused this time.
Shen Li immediately corrected himself. “…If that’s inappropriate, cut that sentence.”
“It’s fine.”
Qian Xingzhi did not seem to mind. “It’s basically the same. Everyone in the industry knows we don’t get along. I simply don’t mesh with them. But I’ll still support them when they’re old. That idiot Qian Haochen certainly can’t be relied on.”
“…”
“Oh, I do visit your mom pretty often,” Qian Xingzhi continued quickly. “The old lady has been in amazing spirits lately. A few days ago she finished a one-meter-long cross-stitch.”
When his own mother came up, Shen Li felt guilty.
As her son, he was less dutiful than Qian Xingzhi.
“Sorry. I keep troubling you.”
Shen Li meant after their divorce.
—And he had only learned this year, after the old woman accidentally let it slip, that even now Qian Xingzhi still visited her frequently.
Qian Xingzhi showed absolutely no intention of taking credit. Instead, he sounded faintly smug. “It’s fine. Even without you, the old lady started treating me like her own son ages ago. This New Year she knitted me a scarf. She didn’t knit you one, did she? She specially made one just for me.”
Shen Li felt embarrassed.
Actually, he had one too.
But the old woman had told him the same thing: that she had made it specially for him.
She probably did not want them to think she was still trying to bring them back together, creating pressure or misunderstandings, so she had told them separately.
Shen Li therefore did not expose the lie and helped his mother maintain it.
When Qian Xingzhi heard his silence, he thought Shen Li was jealous. After a pause, he added, “If you want some favoritism too, how about I have her give you the finished cross-stitch later? Honestly, it’s quite pretty. Your mom’s stitching is really delicate. Something like that could sell for two or three hundred yuan at the market.”
Shen Li’s gaze shifted as an idea immediately occurred to him. “Is that fairly simple? Easy to learn?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Shen Li hesitated, then still voiced his new idea. “There are some elderly people in the village with bad legs who can’t work the fields. Recently I’ve been thinking about finding something they can do to earn money.”
Qian Xingzhi understood instantly and spoke before Shen Li could continue. “Fine. I’ll contact some factories near your village and see. That’s easy. Then we can use the show to open a livestream store and make sure there’s an outlet for the products. If you genuinely want to do it, it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Seeing him arrange everything far too quickly, Shen Li hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t rush. Wait until I confirm it’s actually workable and the villagers all want to learn before arranging anything or choosing products.”
“Okay.” Qian Xingzhi agreed again.
Not long afterward, when Qian Xingzhi heard Shen Li run out of things to say, he proactively brought up teachers and former classmates. The two chatted sporadically for a while about the people who used to be around them.
Whose family had another child, who started a business, who went into finance.
Which auntie’s dog had puppies and even gave Qian Xingzhi one; which road had been reconstructed, turning four lanes into eight.
Eventually Qian Xingzhi fell silent for a moment. “We’ve probably recorded enough. Anything else you want to say?”
Only then did Shen Li realize how quickly the time had passed.
“No.”
“Then I’ll stop the recording?”
“Mm.”
Beep—
The notification tone signaling the end of recording sounded again. Shen Li was just about to ask whether they should simply hang up or turn their volume all the way down before sleeping. There was still filming tomorrow, and perhaps tomorrow would be the day they could vote on guests from the observation room.
Then he heard some rustling from Qian Xingzhi’s side. Qian Xingzhi picked up the phone again and deliberately reminded him:
“It’s off.”
“Mm. I know.”
Shen Li felt that Qian Xingzhi still had something to say.
So he neither urged him nor asked. He simply waited.
After a long silence, Qian Xingzhi’s deep, cool voice finally came through the receiver again:
“Now that I’ve finished asking about everyone else, can I ask about you?”
“Ask.”
Shen Li answered just as calmly.
Only, he closed his eyes briefly and for some reason instinctively gripped his own knee.
He had the feeling he knew what Qian Xingzhi was going to say.
Sure enough.
Three seconds later, Qian Xingzhi asked:
“I found a rehabilitation center for you. After the show finishes, would you be willing to go?”