By the time they returned to the villa, it was exactly eight o’clock. Only one hour remained before filming ended for the first day.
Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan entered the master bedroom together. Cameras filled every corner of the room.
Almost in unison, the two asked each other, “Who’s showering first?”
“You go.” Chu Yao wanted to sit down and play with his phone for a while.
During the day, he had turned his phone off and left it in his bag without touching it. Since they were filming and being on his phone would look bad, he had simply forced himself to quit the habit for the day.
Now that they were back at the villa with nothing much to do, he wanted to go online and see what viewers thought of the two of them as a couple.
Jin Zhihan took out his pajamas and went into the bathroom. Chu Yao curled into the sofa and opened Weibo.
Out of habit, he checked the trending topics. The tag #Jin Zhihan Says Three Romantic Lines to Chu Yao# was sitting blatantly in the number-one spot.
Just remembering the scene made Chu Yao’s toes curl. He was deeply grateful he had not told Jin Zhihan to rein it in and stop pouring on so much emotion. Otherwise, he really would have turned himself into a complete clown.
Major marketing accounts had all clipped moments from the livestream and attached the tag to ride the wave of attention.
Chu Yao found the hottest post, which had more than twenty thousand comments. Curious yet nervous, he clicked in and discovered a completely different atmosphere from what he had imagined.
[Shipping a couple is way too addictive! It’s only been one day and I’m already in deep!]
[How are President Jin and Chu Yao this well matched? They’re literally a heaven-made domineering CEO and delicate little wife! This is more satisfying than an idol drama. You won’t regret boarding this ship.]
[Not a paid commenter! I seriously recommend everyone watch. It’s absolutely the best variety show of the year! Chu Yao and President Jin are so sweet and loving together!]
[President Jin spoils Chu Yao so much. He’s basically everyone’s ideal perfect husband.]
So many people were actually shipping the two of them…
Chu Yao’s thoughts fell into chaos. Why had he not felt anything particularly sweet about their interactions? Had the production team hired people to post these comments?
Could first-person and third-person perspectives really feel that different?
Frowning in confusion, Chu Yao opened his Weibo message page. As usual, many fans had sent him private messages.
But this time, something was different: a neat column of nearly identical messages appeared before his eyes.
[President Jin hurt his hand. Go put some ointment on it for him.]
[President Jin injured his hand protecting you. Go check on him.]
After casually opening two of them, Chu Yao looked up at the camera. He had nearly started interacting with the viewers again.
When had this even happened? How had he known nothing about it?
Jin Zhihan came out after his shower wearing a long-sleeved dark-blue pajama set, observing male virtue so strictly that every inch of him was covered.
His hair was already dry. He walked over to Chu Yao and urged him to go shower, only for Chu Yao to suddenly grab his right hand.
Jin Zhihan’s skin was very pale. Even the veins across the back of his hand were clearly visible, let alone a burn mark.
The moment Jin Zhihan approached, Chu Yao had stared at both hands. When he noticed something wrong around the knuckles of the right one, he lifted it for a closer look without thinking.
Under the light, the red mark looked painfully stark. One glance was enough to imagine how much it must have hurt at the time.
“Why didn’t you say anything when you burned your hand?” Chu Yao frowned helplessly and got up to find the first-aid kit.
He had brought a fairly complete supply of medicine, including burn ointment. Chu Yao found a tube, sat down beside Jin Zhihan, and told him to hold out his hand.
Jin Zhihan looked like a child who had done something wrong and did not dare disobey. He obediently laid the back of his hand open in front of Chu Yao, his dark, deep eyes staring at him without blinking.
Chu Yao squeezed a little ointment onto his fingertip, applied it to Jin Zhihan’s injury, and gently spread it out.
His movements were delicate, as if he were afraid of hurting him. Carefulness showed in his expression, his curled lashes fluttering lightly like wings.
Jin Zhihan’s gaze was so ambiguous it almost seemed sticky. His Adam’s apple rolled, and unmistakable desire surged through his eyes like an undercurrent.
The day’s livestream was almost over. The viewers had never expected to receive another benefit like this, and the livestream room filled with screams.
[I feel like President Jin is going to kiss him in the next second. The way he’s looking at Chu Yao is like he wants to eat him alive. This man is so damn sexy!]
[President Jin, what are you waiting for? If you’re a man, go for it! Charge charge charge!!]
[Is this something a single dog like me should be watching? My face is hot and my heart is pounding. Waaah, I want to fall in love.]
[Can we get some late-night benefits? It’s only day one, so it doesn’t have to be too intense. Just a little kiss would be fine.]
[I’m not going to sleep tonight. My heart is pounding so hard from watching this. I want to join them!]
[???? Sister above, there should be limits even to dreaming.]
Just as everyone’s excitement climbed so high they were practically about to stop breathing, the livestream abruptly shut off. The last frame froze on the exact second Chu Yao twisted the cap back onto the ointment. There was not even a glimpse of what happened afterward.
The viewers checked the time and discovered it was already nine o’clock.
How could they cut it off at such a perfect moment? Was this a television drama or what?!
Maybe they were about to kiss in the very next second! The viewers did not even get to see the buildup!!
They seriously wanted to curse someone out!!
Chu Yao put away the ointment and told Jin Zhihan not to get the burn wet. Ideally, he should go to sleep now.
A minor burn like this should heal within a day or two after medication.
After saying that, Chu Yao stood to leave. Unexpectedly, because he had stayed in the same position too long, the sole of his foot suddenly cramped.
His hand instinctively braced against Jin Zhihan’s shoulder. Bending down near his ear, Chu Yao sucked in a quiet breath through his teeth.
He waited for the cramp to pass, but a hand quietly closed around his ankle and began gently massaging the foot he could not move.
Only when the cramp gradually eased did Chu Yao realize how incredibly close the two of them were. If he leaned forward just a little more, he would touch Jin Zhihan’s earlobe.
Although they had been married for two years, Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan had spent very little time together in private. Intimate contact like this was rarer still.
The very day they registered their marriage, Jin Zhihan had flown overseas to deal with urgent business and stayed away for three months. Then Chu Yao joined a film crew and remained there for five months.
At first, the unfamiliarity between them had been understandable. Later, however, they somehow never managed to grow close.
Chu Yao had been deliberately avoiding him. For the past two years, he had gone from one production straight into another. Even when he had free time, he filled it with engagements and all kinds of events. The amount of time he actually spent with this nominal husband was pitifully small.
Coming back to himself, Chu Yao immediately straightened and escaped from the scorching closeness between them.
Jin Zhihan’s charm was undeniable, the kind that could easily lure a person into falling too deep. Chu Yao knew that very well, which meant he could only exercise self-control.
–
Chu Yao came out after his shower wearing a face mask. Jin Zhihan was already lying down, his face peaceful as though he had fallen asleep.
But the moment Chu Yao reached the bedside, Jin Zhihan opened his eyes.
The face mask Chu Yao was wearing was an Iron Man collaboration edition. At first glance, it obviously startled Jin Zhihan.
“Do you want one? It’s really good for hydration.” After recommending it, Chu Yao added, “I endorse the brand, so it doesn’t cost me anything.”
Little money-grubber.
Jin Zhihan did not reject his goodwill. “Tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Chu Yao sat down at the bedside and picked up his phone.
Wen Yan had sent him a very long voice message. Assuming Wen Yan had something important to tell him, Chu Yao played it directly.
“Xie Yichen loves clinging for attention even more than the dog at my grandma’s house…”
The room was very quiet. The instant Chu Yao heard that name, he fumbled to pause the message.
Thank goodness the livestream had already ended. Otherwise, this would have caused another huge uproar.
But why was Wen Yan suddenly cursing Xie Yichen like this?
Chu Yao was in no mood to convert the voice message to text. For some reason, guilt crept over him. Having someone mention his former rumored boyfriend right in front of his own husband made him wonder what Jin Zhihan would think.
His eyes shifted. Chu Yao wanted to see the reaction of the man behind him, but he was too embarrassed to turn around.
What he had not expected was that after the air remained silent for a moment, Jin Zhihan actually spoke. “Wen Yan is pretty good at insulting people. Keep playing it. Let me hear.”
The voice message was more than thirty seconds long.
Chu Yao did not want to endure that kind of slow torture. “If you want to hear Wen Yan curse people, tell him to send you voice messages himself. You’re his boss, so he has to listen to you.”
“You misunderstood. I want to hear him curse Xie Yichen.”
“…”
Chu Yao peeled off the face mask and threw it into the trash, then replayed the voice message and forced himself to keep listening.
Wen Yan said that Xie Yichen had posted on Weibo that evening showing the dishes he had cooked that day. One of them was sweet-and-sour ribs—the exact same dish Jin Zhihan had made at noon.
Fans all knew that Chu Yao loved sweet-and-sour flavors. Sweet-and-sour ribs easily ranked among his three favorite dishes.
Xie Yichen rarely posted about his own cooking, so why had he chosen such a sensitive moment of all times?
If that was not riding the wave of attention, what was? Calling it a coincidence was far too forced. How could a celebrity not know when to avoid giving people the wrong impression?
Xie Yichen deleted the Weibo post only two hours after publishing it, but by then he had already gotten all the attention he wanted.
When Chu Yao checked the trending topics earlier, he had only noticed that he and Jin Zhihan were ranked first. He had not looked at the tags below at all and had no idea Xie Yichen had pulled something like this.
The entertainment industry really could distort a person’s nature. The less popular someone was, the more desperate they became to hype themselves by any means necessary.
After listening, Jin Zhihan did not look angry. He sat up against the headboard and instead asked, “Have you eaten the sweet-and-sour ribs he made?”
Chu Yao looked back and found Jin Zhihan staring at him very seriously.
There was no reason to lie about something like this. Chu Yao nodded lightly. “I have.”
A dark glint flashed through Jin Zhihan’s eyes. Without revealing anything, he continued, “Whose tasted better?”
Why was he comparing himself to Xie Yichen…?
Puzzled inside, Chu Yao deliberately answered, “The two of you make them differently. There’s no way to compare.”
“Mm.” Jin Zhihan gave an inexplicable laugh, pulled back the covers, and prepared to lie down. “It’s been that long and you can still remember exactly what his tasted like. Good.”
Chu Yao could practically smell vinegar in the air.
Then again, it might simply be a man’s possessiveness at work.
Jin Zhihan was his husband in name right now. With such an overbearing personality, how could he tolerate his wife having entanglements with another man?
Chu Yao lay down, but for a long time he couldn’t fall asleep.