Chu Yao nearly choked on the pastry. He looked innocently at Jin Zhihan and gave a tiny hiccup.
He had been frightened.
Whether those things could be said or not, hadn’t Jin Zhihan basically said them already?
What adult could possibly fail to understand what he meant?
Across the table, Lu Yiwen laughed so hard he collapsed into Wen Xu’s arms.
“President Jin is incredible. From now on, he’s my idol.”
Even Wen Xu looked a little embarrassed as he touched the base of his ear and whispered to Lu Yiwen, “I finally understand what a domineering CEO is supposed to be like.”
Jin Zhihan did not have to make any deliberate gesture at all. He could simply sit there, and a few words from his mouth were enough to send enormous waves crashing through people’s hearts.
The livestream comments immediately filled with the same phrase: “Go on. Elaborate.”
[President Jin, what kind of scandalous line was that? I’m blushing through the screen.]
[Is he openly teasing his delicate little wife? I’m completely dizzy from shipping them.]
[What exactly are these things that can’t be broadcast? I desperately want to know! I’ve never hated the regulators more than I do at this moment.]
[President Jin is deliberately putting Jiang Xizhe on the spot, right? Let’s see how he answers.]
[Serves him right for daring to provoke President Jin without knowing his place.]
Jiang Xizhe was speechless for a moment. Although he had no idea how to continue after the topic had become this taboo, he still had to keep the atmosphere going. All he could do was force a dry smile at Chu Yao. “Brother Yao, why don’t you tell us about it instead?”
Jin Zhihan had already thrown the topic over, so Jiang Xizhe simply followed it. Chu Yao was an entertainer; surely he understood where the line was.
Chu Yao did not know whether Jin Zhihan had infected him somehow, but before he could stop himself, he blurted, “You’ll understand after you get married.”
Jiang Xizhe: “…”
The other four guests burst out laughing. Lu Yiwen wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. “Chu Yao’s mind works too fast. That answer was brilliant.”
Bai Jishen immediately followed up teasingly, “Xizhe, you’re twenty-four or twenty-five this year, right? When are you planning to get married?”
Jiang Xizhe followed an idol career path and had no intention of considering marriage before thirty-five, but he could not say that on the show. Even if an entertainer wanted to please his fans, he could not say such things out loud. He still had to preserve his lofty image.
So after hesitating for a moment, Jiang Xizhe murmured, “Relationships depend on fate. Right now, I’m also enjoying being single, so I haven’t thought about marriage yet.”
After hearing that, Bai Jishen was just about to speak when Jin Zhihan asked lightly, “You’re not dating because you don’t want to use a relationship as a topic to deliberately stir up publicity, are you?”
“…”
What a devastating piece of sarcasm.
The air went silent in an instant. Even the wind seemed to stop moving as the smell of gunpowder quietly spread.
His tone was clearly quite mild, but his gaze plainly said he wanted to cut the other man down.
[President Jin is getting revenge for Chu Yao, right? He’s openly mocking Jiang Xizhe for always looking for things to hype. That’s brutal. No one else there would dare say it except him.]
[Waaah, someone finally stood up for our Baby Yao. President Jin is protecting his wife with real power. So domineering!]
[I’m already dying of secondhand embarrassment through the screen. How is this show supposed to keep filming? If I were Jiang Xizhe, I’d pack my bags and leave right now.]
[Jin Zhihan is the head of a publicly listed company. Isn’t he being way too petty? Jiang Xizhe didn’t do it on purpose and he already apologized. What more do you want from him? Why keep holding onto it?]
[Fans really can whitewash anything with their eyes closed! Their movies were releasing at the same time, which was an extremely sensitive period, and he just happened to like a post saying his rival couldn’t act? How likely do you think that is? As a celebrity, doesn’t he even have the basic awareness to use an alt account when browsing online?]
[After Jiang Xizhe “accidentally” liked it, he trended for five straight days and his movie’s box office went up by thirty million. As the beneficiary, it’s hard to insist he had absolutely no motive.]
In private, Chu Yao was basically a little coward. He had an image as a celebrity to maintain and could not confront people head-on the way Jin Zhihan did.
Hearing Jin Zhihan take that jab at Jiang Xizhe gave him a quiet little thrill inside.
This nominal husband was practically his mouthpiece, saying exactly what Chu Yao wanted to say while doing it in such an understated, effortless way.
The wind howled across the mountaintop. Jiang Xizhe stood there feeling as though he were about to be air-dried.
He suddenly seemed to understand why such a large-scale production had invited him. Could Jin Zhihan have arranged it? Had they been waiting for this exact moment so he could avenge Chu Yao?
If that was the case, then they had gotten their satisfaction. From the viewers’ perspective, maybe people would sympathize with Jiang Xizhe and he would gain followers instead.
Jin Zhihan was powerful enough to call the shots throughout the industry. Aside from relying on his fans to oppose him, Jiang Xizhe had no other options.
Seeing the atmosphere deadlock, Lu Yiwen had no choice but to step in and smooth things over. He knew a little about the history between Chu Yao and Jiang Xizhe, so Jin Zhihan’s reaction did not surprise him.
If someone bullied his own wife, he would have to vent that anger too.
“Zhao Jing, stop focusing on eating and pass some marriage wisdom on to those of us who haven’t been married as long.” Lu Yiwen redirected the conversation toward “Still Waters Run Deep.”
Given an exit, Jiang Xizhe hurried down it and forced himself to continue with the planned flow.
Jin Zhihan was not the type to drag things out endlessly either. Having made his point, he stopped giving Jiang Xizhe a hard time.
Dusk gradually approached. After descending the mountain, everyone went together to enjoy the specialty dinner the production team had arranged for them.
After Jin Zhihan’s warning, Jiang Xizhe behaved himself much more carefully. He did not dare randomly call on the two of them again, afraid of picking up another rock only to drop it on his own foot.
Before all the dishes had arrived, everyone chatted casually. Chu Yao got up and went to the restroom.
The moment he left, Lu Yiwen nosily asked Jin Zhihan, “President Jin, what do you like most about Chu Yao?”
The production team had put him up to this. As a guest with plenty of dating-show experience, he was supposed to dig more material out of the others.
Jiang Xizhe was already useless for the task, so Lu Yiwen had no choice but to take over.
“Are you trying to dig a pit for me?” Jin Zhihan reacted quickly. “Of course I like everything about him. Don’t you?”
Lu Yiwen was caught by his own question. He sneaked a look at Wen Xu and nodded with an awkward smile. “Of course I do too.”
“You two have terrifying survival instincts. I’m different.” Bai Jishen shook his head. “There’s one thing about my wife I especially dislike.”
The second those words came out, Zhao Jing’s expression immediately fell. He coughed—not too loudly, not too softly—to remind Bai Jishen to save himself quickly.
Bai Jishen patted the back of Zhao Jing’s head. “He’s too charming. Every time I travel out of town, I miss him so much that every day feels like a year. That’s the part I find really troublesome.”
Everyone at the table laughed. Lu Yiwen raised a thumb. “As expected of the big brother with the longest marriage. You really have a whole set of techniques for coaxing your wife.”
Jin Zhihan rested an index finger against his lips, a faint smile curving there as well. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Chu Yao returning from the restroom, and his eyes visibly brightened.
A server had just set down individual clay pots of beef and glass noodles for everyone.
Chu Yao strode over without much care. The clay pot was scalding hot. Knowing that Chu Yao was usually careless, Jin Zhihan feared he might bump into it and reflexively reached out to shield the pot with his hand.
Unexpectedly, the back of his hand brushed the outer wall of the pot. Pain made his fingers curl immediately, and he quietly hid his hand beneath the table without drawing attention.
Chu Yao did not notice Jin Zhihan’s swift movement. His gaze had stayed on Lu Yiwen and Bai Jishen across the table, wondering what they had been discussing to make them so cheerful.
Fortunately, this was a livestream. The viewers all saw Jin Zhihan burn his hand, and the sight alone made them wince in pain.
[The tables and chairs are way too close together. President Jin must have instinctively put his hand out because he was afraid Chu Yao would get burned. He didn’t even think about himself. This kind of subtle sugar is so addictive.]
[Too bad Chu Yao didn’t notice!! Will President Jin’s hand be completely healed before Chu Yao even finds out he was protected?]
[No way. I’m going to DM Baby Yao on Weibo and tell him to put ointment on President Jin’s hand. [raised-brow smirk] Sometimes we have to fight for our own sugar.]
[Count me in. I’m going too.]
“What interesting things were you talking about while I was gone?” Chu Yao poured himself a glass of cola supplied by one of the sponsors.
He endorsed the brand, and the moment they learned he would be appearing on this show, they had followed right behind him with sponsorship money.
“We were just talking about what we like about our wives. President Jin said he likes everything about you.” Lu Yiwen waggled his brows suggestively, then asked in return, “So what do you like about President Jin?”
Chu Yao could not bring himself to say anything that sappy. One word popped into his head, and he blurted it out without thinking. “His money.”
It was a variety show. They had to create a little entertainment value.
“President Jin, Chu Yao says he loves your money. What do you think about that?”
Jin Zhihan raised a brow. Beneath his helpless expression was an unmistakable trace of indulgence. “Then I can only be grateful I’m rich enough for my wife to take a liking to me.”
“I can’t take it anymore. This is so cheesy I’m getting goosebumps.” Lu Yiwen rubbed his arms and hurriedly changed the subject. “Then tell us when you first fell for Chu Yao.”
Even Lu Yiwen himself found the question funny after asking it.
He was already stuffed to bursting with dog food, yet here he was actively asking for more.
Jin Zhihan looked at Chu Yao and said with complete seriousness, “It wasn’t until I met you for the first time that I realized the person I liked could be a man.”
His dark eyes were as deep as an endless night sky. Flickering light reflected in them, clear and bright.
When such a pair of eyes focused entirely on you, it created the strange illusion that even your soul could be drawn into them.
Only then did Chu Yao realize belatedly that Jin Zhihan was capable of looking at someone so gently.
But he had never been professionally trained as an actor. How could he look this deeply in love?
Could it be… that he was actually speaking from his heart?
A faint ripple had barely spread through Chu Yao’s heart when the director suddenly called from behind them, “Congratulations, President Jin! You’ve completed your punishment task. You can eat in peace now.”
Chu Yao looked bewildered. “What punishment task?”
“President Jin had to say three romantic lines to you without making them too obvious,” Bai Jishen explained, then teased with a smile. “Did he make you cringe several times today?”
No wonder…
The fog in Chu Yao’s heart seemed to be swept away by the wind, vanishing without a trace.
His hand tightened unconsciously around the can of cola.
The corner of his lips tugged slightly. A trace of self-mockery slipped through as he found his own wishful thinking ridiculous.