Surprise Bonus Update

Yan Zhi came out of the bedroom in a fresh change of clothes — a long-sleeve this time with his team's logo on it.

Hu Ying recognized it at once: "That's the custom team uniform that brand made for you guys, right!"

Yan Zhi hummed in acknowledgment.

A man handsome enough for a burlap sack looks even sharper in luxury.

All of Yan Zhi's clothes were high-end — the obviously expensive kind.

Out of all eight guests, his taste in clothes was the best, and the most extravagant.

He also knew romance best — first among the guests to buy flowers.

A man who buys flowers in daily life is a romantic man.

Zhai Xingchen thought Yan Zhi was a Jinjiang-novel male lead wearing a Haitang skin.

This kind of man — one second he's escorting you through an upper-crust gala, clinking glasses, all gentle and refined, the perfect devoted husband. The next second, the door closes, the tie comes off, and he gets all dom on you: "Take your pants off. Everything."

Yeah. Perfect match for Hu Ying.

Everyone knew Hu Ying had waited outside for Yan Zhi forever, which made Lin Qingning and the others a lot more restrained around Yan Zhi.

Hu Ying took the initiative, going to get Yan Zhi some rice.

"I ate a little outside, give me less," Yan Zhi said.

"You went out today and the cameraman didn't follow you?" Hu Ying asked.

"I had some personal business. Didn't let them come," Yan Zhi said.

"You don't even know — Hu Ying was afraid you'd get rained on, waited outside by herself for ages, what, half an hour?" Huo Cheng said, pouring drinks and laughing. "From our garage to the front gate, that's like ten steps. How wet could you get."

He shot Hu Ying a teasing look as he said it. Hu Ying said: "Who was waiting for him specifically? The house was stuffy, I went out for air."

"Sure, sure, sure," Huo Cheng laughed.

Hu Ying lifted her chin, her delicate face looking even prettier under the chandelier.

"Alright, one more toast before we eat," Huo Cheng raised his glass. "Thanks again to Xingchen, you worked hard."

Everyone raised their glasses: "Thanks, thanks."

"I planned today's menu myself, hope it suits everyone's taste," Zhai Xingchen said.

"Looks delicious already," Huo Cheng said.

"Then I'll eat more dishes, less rice," Yan Zhi said.

"Huo Cheng cooked the rice," Duan Yihua said.

"Under Zhai-ge's guidance."

"Huo Cheng didn't even use a rice cooker," Duan Yihua said.

"Am I the only one here who doesn't know how to use one?" Huo Cheng asked.

"Definitely not." Zhai Xingchen pointed at Hu Ying, Pei Xu and the others: "You guys don't know how either, right?"

"I've honestly never cooked at home, but you know who surprised me most among us for not knowing how to cook?" Hu Ying said. "That's Huo-ge."

"Why?" Huo Cheng asked.

"Didn't you say you came from nothing?"

"I did come from nothing," Huo Cheng said.

"Someone from nothing can't even use a rice cooker?" Wen Nu asked.

"There's a reason for that," Huo Cheng said. "I'm from a tiny mountain village. Back when I was in school, forget a rice cooker — we didn't even have electrical appliances until I was in middle school. Back home we cooked with a ground stove, you know the kind, burning firewood."

Huo Cheng's ordinary past was an exotic story to these golden children who'd grown up with silver spoons.

Huo Cheng told them about his old hometown. Both his parents had disabilities, they lived on government poverty subsidies. Back then he had to herd sheep, go to school, and farm the land. In elementary school, they had to cross a mountain every day — three or four hours of walking, round trip.

"So you had to get up super early every day?"

Huo Cheng nodded. 'We had morning reading back then. I'd basically have to get up at four in the morning, climb over the mountain with my buddies, and by the time we got to the Dance School it'd be just getting light. After school let out in the afternoon, we'd climb back over the mountain and get home just as it got dark.'

Talking about those days, Huo Cheng took a sip and shook his head: "It was rough."

"That's impressive though, getting out of the mountains through exams isn't easy," Lin Qingning said.

Huo Cheng got into A University — a top-tier school in the country.

"I was lucky too, my grades were good. Our school happened to have a one-on-one sponsorship program, and an uncle funded me. Later when I got to high school, he pulled some strings to transfer me to the county school — otherwise I wouldn't have made it, the teachers in our area weren't strong enough," Huo Cheng said.

"Mainly because you worked hard," Zhai Xingchen said. "Otherwise how'd you become the science top scorer?"

"Huo-ge was actually the gaokao top scorer?" Wen Nu asked, surprised.

And not just him — Hu Ying and the others were all shocked, their eyes lighting up instantly.

The Love Variety Show's ceiling-level lineup wasn't just talk.

These days the male leads are competing so hard it's infuriating.

Maybe the mood had reached this point, but no one noticed how Zhai Xingchen knew all this. Huo Cheng smiled, his eyes a little wet: "Honestly, I really could take hardship back then. Studied day and night, just thinking I couldn't let people down, I had to change my fate on my own."

For Lin Qingning and the others, this was undeniably moving. Huo Cheng's achievements were plain for all to see — starting so far behind the line, working his way up step by step to where he was now. It was something they couldn't imagine.

Pei Xu raised his glass: "A toast to Huo-ge."

Huo Cheng grinned — roguish, a little melancholy, his face flushed from the alcohol. This version of Huo Cheng was a completely different presence. He raised his glass and downed it in one go.

"Are you still in touch with that kind man?" Duan Yihua asked.

"Yeah, I visit their house every holiday. I don't have many good qualities, but I know how to be grateful. Now Uncle Zhao's whole family is close to me — his son and daughter both work at our company."

This was a really heartwarming story — the giver full of kindness, the receiver full of gratitude, and the listeners feeling warm inside too.

Everyone downed another glass.

Then everyone started talking about their own elementary and middle school days. When Lin Qingning mentioned he and Pei Xu had gone to the same school, everyone was surprised.

"So you guys aren't just acquaintances, you're alumni too," Hu Ying said.

"Doesn't that deserve a toast?" Huo Cheng said.

Everyone clinked glasses again.

Maybe it was the rain, maybe the alcohol, but the atmosphere at the table was unusually good. After eating, no one left — they all stayed around the table chatting. Zhai Xingchen quietly got up to prepare the after-dinner fruit. The whole dining room was thick with the mellow smell of wine.

Yan Zhi came over to help. Zhai Xingchen smiled and asked: "You haven't had too much, right?"

Yan Zhi smiled and shook his head, but his whole face was flushed red from the alcohol.

"You?"

Zhai Xingchen wasn't much better. He was fair-skinned, so the flush showed more easily.

"I'm fine too," Zhai Xingchen said.

"Huo-ge really let loose today," Yan Zhi said, smiling.

Zhai Xingchen glanced at Huo Cheng. Huo Cheng was probably having a nicotine craving — he kept fiddling with his lighter. He sat in his chair all sprawled out, with a completely different vibe from Lin Qingning and Pei Xu — clearly that rough northern guy type. Once the alcohol hit, he'd totally let go, his gestures and speech bigger than usual. But there was something uniquely attractive about him like this, very masculine. Hu Ying and the others were listening intently.

Only Pei Xu was slumped over the table by himself.

After Zhai Xingchen cut up the fruit, he had Yan Zhi carry it over. He grabbed the water pitcher himself, and when he got behind Pei Xu, he patted his back. Pei Xu felt the touch and whipped his head around — his bangs pressed into a mess, his face red, those usually cold, sharp eyes now full of alcohol.

Very tempting.