Chu Yao had always been excellent at managing his expression. No matter how unhappy he was inside, he almost never showed it on his face.
But now he was behaving completely unlike himself. His expression was dark enough that the words “I’m pissed off” might as well have been written across his forehead.
He refused to believe Jiang Xizhe would have the nerve to move over to the other side as well—unless the man had no shame left whatsoever.
Chu Yao moved his drawing board over and sat beside Jiang Xizhe. Holding the sketching pencil, he traced lines across the paper while casually striking up a conversation as though it meant nothing.
“I remember you acted in a Republican-era drama called *Love in a Fallen City*, right?”
Jiang Xizhe had no idea why Chu Yao was bringing it up. He nodded instinctively. “That was several years ago.”
“It was a long time ago. But there was one especially disgusting character in it that I still remember clearly even now.”
“Who?”
“I think she was some woman named Wu Xiu-something. She was a dancer. She knew perfectly well that the young master in the story already had a wife and child, yet she kept throwing herself at him and trying to break up his family. Don’t you think a character like that is revolting?”
“…”
The air fell silent in an instant.
Chu Yao’s tone was airy and mild, but the strokes beneath his pencil were sharp.
He was always like this. He seemed soft and lazy, as though he did not care very much about anything, but once he truly decided to make an issue of something, he could quietly stab you with tiny needles without batting an eye.
He could make it hurt while leaving you unable to find any opening to strike back.
Jin Zhihan naturally understood that Chu Yao was mocking Jiang Xizhe through insinuation. He turned and saw Chu Yao’s profile drawn tight, as if even his pores were radiating displeasure.
Then Jin Zhihan looked at Chu Yao’s drawing. Whether deliberately or by accident, he had colored a lush green field beneath the figure’s feet.
The viewers had already been completely won over by Chu Yao’s performance.
[As expected of Brother Yao, who fights heaven and earth on his alt account. He insults people without a single dirty word. I want a brain this quick too.]
[Naive me genuinely thought at first that Chu Yao was calmly discussing a movie with Jiang Xizhe. Only later did I realize I was the naive one.]
[I was worried Baby Yao would get bullied. Clearly I worried for nothing. But President Jin, are you really not considering using your domineering-CEO privilege to have Jiang Xizhe replaced?]
[If he actually got Jiang Xizhe kicked off, the haters would immediately accuse Chu Yao of using power to bully people and acting however he pleased. This is a hard situation.]
Jiang Xizhe stayed silent for several seconds. It was impossible to tell whether he had understood that Chu Yao was insulting him indirectly, because he actually agreed. “I hated that character when I was filming too. It just proves Teacher Wen Ya is a great actress. She really brought the character to life.”
Chu Yao had not attacked the actress herself at all, so what was Jiang Xizhe doing twisting his words like that?
Chu Yao narrowed his eyes. “Of course a senior actress’s acting is excellent. She’s a role model we should all learn from. Does that really need to be specially pointed out?”
When it came to verbal sparring, Jiang Xizhe was no match for Chu Yao at all. He gave an awkward nod and stood, preparing to make his escape.
“Um… I’m going to go see Brother Lu and the others.”
You should have left ages ago. Standing here is ruining my mood.
Chu Yao complained inwardly, yet a gentle smile suddenly appeared on his face. “Why are you leaving all of a sudden? I haven’t even finished chatting yet.”
In other words—I haven’t finished insulting you. Why are you leaving?
Cold sweat kept gathering on Jiang Xizhe’s forehead. With his manager’s warning still fresh in his mind, he did not dare retaliate no matter what Chu Yao said and could only keep quiet.
Of course, Chu Yao always took the longest possible route to insult someone, circling all the way around before landing the blow. Jiang Xizhe genuinely could not find a clean angle from which to fire back.
Not long after Jiang Xizhe left, Chu Yao finished his drawing. Smiling at the lake before him, he sighed, “The air here is so fresh.”
[Hahaha, I’m dead. Is Baby Yao saying Jiang Xizhe was polluting the air just by being there? He’s incredible at roasting people.]
[Big Brother, you should change your name to Chu Little Knife. I feel like I could learn a lot of advanced insult techniques from you.]
[Exactly as I predicted. Baby Yao hasn’t even been on this show for many days and he’s already starting to let himself go. Everyone prepare yourselves for a brand-new version of him.]
[Chu Yao is genuinely hilarious. Someone this naturally entertaining should go on more reality shows.]
[Aren’t the fans being way too indulgent? Jiang Xizhe was just sitting there watching him draw. He didn’t do or say anything. They’re all filming the same show—can’t everyone just get along peacefully? Is there really any need to be so petty?]
[Jiang Xizhe was practically leaning on President Jin. He knows the man is married and still refuses to keep an appropriate distance. How is that not deliberately disgusting? I hope if someone cheats on you someday, you’ll smile and give them your blessing too.]
[Another Buddha teaching everyone else how to be magnanimous. Speechless.]
Jin Zhihan finished his drawing too. He put down his pencil and gestured for Chu Yao to come look.
On the clean white paper was a brightly smiling young man crouched down and petting a cat. His features were gentle, and the likeness was extraordinarily vivid.
Chu Yao remembered the scene. Once, he had gone to feed stray cats in their villa community. Had Jin Zhihan actually happened to see him then?
Compared with Jin Zhihan’s drawing, Chu Yao felt as if his own were the work of an elementary-school student. Who could look at that comparison and not feel crushed?
In Chu Yao’s impression, there truly was almost nothing Jin Zhihan could not do. He managed such a massive corporate group and still found time outside work to practice painting and calligraphy. He was good at all kinds of sports too—soccer, basketball, golf. He was practically an elite human being born with cheat mode activated.
Wait. He did not know how to ride a bicycle.
Remembering that tiny bug in the system made Chu Yao feel much more balanced inside.
“Big brother, you really did study at a European art academy. Your drawing looks so professional.”
Chu Yao gazed at Jin Zhihan with feigned admiration. On the surface it sounded like sincere praise, but what he really wanted was to tell the viewers: He received formal training, so don’t make fun of me just because he draws better.
There was simply no comparison.
Jin Zhihan raised a brow. “Why do I feel like my wife’s drawing is better than mine?”
One kept calling “big brother,” the other kept calling “wife.” They were really getting into the groove now!
As expected, there was nothing one could not get used to after enough time. Feeling more confident, Chu Yao stopped being shy about it. “Maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
“…”
Jin Zhihan instantly fell silent, completely at a loss for words.
–
They played by the freshwater lake until their stomachs were loudly protesting, then everyone headed straight for the nearby ancient town in search of food.
Since their tastes were different, they did not eat together. The moment they entered the ancient town, the three couples naturally split up.
Chu Yao was no stranger to places like this. When filming costume dramas, he spent whole days in ancient towns. Whenever he got tired of the crew’s boxed meals, his assistant would go buy rice noodles, spicy hot pot, or similar food and bring it back to the van for him.
Ancient towns all over the country had become commercialized by now, and they sold much the same things. Wherever he looked, it was the same familiar assortment of snacks.
Chu Yao worried that Jin Zhihan might not be accustomed to the food and wanted to find a more respectable restaurant. Subconsciously, he was still accommodating Jin Zhihan.
The two strolled slowly through the ancient town. From time to time, shopkeepers would wave and call out to Chu Yao, shouting, “Chu Yao, I’m your fan!” Their eyes would sweep over him and Jin Zhihan before they added, “You two look so good together! Wishing you everlasting happiness!”
Some of the more enthusiastic ones would even hand him snacks from their shops and invite him to taste them.
By the time they had walked a while, Chu Yao felt almost full already.
Fortunately, the production team had cleared the tourist attraction while filming here. Otherwise, if tourists surrounded them from every direction, they would barely be able to move.
Lu Yiwen also had not found anywhere to eat yet. He wandered around hand in hand with Wen Xu, buying his wife a few snacks and planning to look through the whole area before deciding.
The couple unexpectedly ran into Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan beside an ancient tree. When they heard the two had not eaten yet, they invited them to eat together.
There was a famous old local restaurant nearby. The four of them were tired of wandering around and decided to eat there.
“We passed the God of Marriage Temple just now and went inside to hang a love lock. Did you see it?” Lu Yiwen asked conversationally as he picked up the teapot to pour water.
Chu Yao shook his head. “We probably haven’t reached that area yet.”
“Turn left at this alley and you’ll see a sign. Just follow it.” Lu Yiwen poured tea for all of them.
Chu Yao thanked him, raised his cup, and took a sip, deliberately avoiding any response to Lu Yiwen’s suggestion.
But the very next second, the man beside him eagerly said, “We’ll go take a look after we finish eating.”
Lu Yiwen immediately launched into a story. “That love knot is pretty miraculous. Back when we were filming our dating show, I’d only known him for three days before I already wanted to confess. Later the production team arranged for us to camp in the mountains. I passed the God of Marriage Temple and secretly carved both our names onto a lock and hung it there. That very night, he sent me a heartbeat message. Tell me that isn’t impressive.”
Chu Yao held his fist up to Wen Xu’s mouth like a microphone. “Teacher Wen, may I ask why you sent him a message that night?”
“I didn’t think that much about it. He’d taken care of me the whole way—carrying my bag, bringing me food, handing me water. I just wanted to say thank you. Before that, I’d always sent my messages to other people,” Wen Xu answered with brutal honesty.
Chu Yao could not help bursting into laughter. Looking at Lu Yiwen, he said with amusement, “Brother Lu, doesn’t that just mean your hard work moved the heavens?”
Lu Yiwen’s eyes shifted awkwardly. In a low voice, he told Wen Xu, “Honey, even on a reality show, you don’t have to be this truthful.”
Wen Xu blinked innocently. “I just can’t stand hearing you exaggerate.”
“…” What a loving wife he had.
[Lu Yiwen and Wen Xu are such a realistic couple. Don’t married couples bicker like this all the time in real life? They’re adorable.]
[So far I still think Warm and Refined is the sweeter couple. I really want Chu Yao and President Jin to get as clingy with each other as they are.]
[I don’t know if it’s just me, but Raise the Flag and Cheer really feels like two elementary-school kids in their first romance… Am I allowed to say that?]
[!!! I feel exactly the same!! The way Baby Yao got jealous earlier was just like a boy with a secret crush. They feel more like “more than friends, not quite lovers” right now.]
[Wouldn’t that basically confirm their contract marriage? Are they using this show to develop real feelings?]
[Sister, don’t you think that makes them even more fun to ship? We get to watch them fall for each other step by step.]
[Whatever. Just enjoy the show. Thinking too hard about it is exhausting.]
After lunch, Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan went to find the God of Marriage Temple.
Chu Yao had sworn he would control what he ate, but he had accidentally overeaten at lunch again. He was a little depressed now and could only make himself walk more to compensate.
Pinching his own cheeks, Chu Yao walked forward preoccupied with his thoughts when someone inside a nearby shop suddenly called his name loudly. “Chu Yao!”
Probably another fan.
Chu Yao instinctively turned his head. A standard professional smile was already on his face as he lifted a hand to wave—then, with a smack, he tripped and fell flat on his face.
The cameraman walking backward in front of him was so startled he took a step back.
Falling in front of all these people was bad enough. But they were livestreaming too…
The entire country had just watched him face-plant spectacularly.
Why hadn’t he noticed the stone bollard right beneath his feet!!!
Chu Yao’s mind went completely blank, his whole body stiffening as if even his blood had stopped flowing. No one knew how many despairing thoughts flashed through his mind in that single instant.
—This is social death. How am I supposed to lift my head now?
—Waaah, can I move to another planet? Or can the ground at least open up and let me crawl into a crack?
—My handsome, dashing image is completely ruined. I have no face left to see anyone, aaaah!!!
And he had just been talking about going to the God of Marriage Temple to pray for blessings on their relationship.
Was this the literal “stumbling block” on the road of love?
