Twenty

Today is Monday, and it's the last day in the whole recording process where some of them still have work or school. By the time they reach the next stop, North City, it'll be full-day recording.

Early that morning, Zhai Xingchen had Breakfast ready.

At seven-thirty everyone started getting up one after another. The rain had stopped outside, and the post-rain sunshine was dazzling, though the temperature was still a bit low.

Hu Ying wore formal wear for the first time, and Zhai Xingchen didn't even recognize her at first glance.

"So handsome." He praised sincerely.

Hu Ying said: "Today I have to attend a fairly formal meeting. I have to go up on stage and give a speech."

Today was her moment to shine too.

She'd let the audience know that she, Hu Ying, wasn't just good-looking—when she worked, she was charming too.

Wen Nu left early in the morning, and Duan Yihua headed out without eating breakfast too. Huo Cheng and the others gradually came out of their bedrooms, and everyone sat down together for breakfast.

Only Pei Xu wasn't there.

"He went running again." Zhai Xingchen said.

Pei Xu had basically gotten up with him—they'd bumped into each other in the bathroom.

He thought Pei Xu's daily dedication to exercise was a plus.

Men working out really matters.

When your stamina's up, everything else follows.

Being his wife would be a blessing.

"You have class this morning?" Hu Ying said.

"I have an exam this morning." Zhai Xingchen said.

Hu Ying wiped her mouth: "Then let's go, I'll give you a ride."

Yan Zhi suddenly said: "Is it on your way?"

Hu Ying turned to look at him. Yan Zhi said: "I mean, if you have to take a detour to drop him off, that's too much trouble."

Zhai Xingchen nodded too: "Right."

He could take the bus, it was convenient too, not a long walk.

But then he heard Yan Zhi say: "I've got nothing going on. I'll be your driver."

That excuse was pretty good—Huo Cheng glanced at Yan Zhi when he heard it.

Among the six of them, Yan Zhi really was the most free.

He had absolutely nothing to do.

"Envious." Huo Cheng sighed softly.

Yan Zhi pretended not to hear.

Hu Ying left early, but Huo Cheng dawdled and was the last to go.

Zhai Xingchen set Pei Xu's Breakfast out and left him a note too.

The two of them headed out together. The car had barely left The Red and Blue Signal house when they saw a dark figure running toward them.

It was Pei Xu.

Pei Xu was drenched in sweat again. The temperature had risen today, and he was only wearing a pure black T-shirt, soaked through, clinging to his strong back, making his skin look both pale and flushed.

Yan Zhi stopped the car. Zhai Xingchen rolled down the window and said: "I put your breakfast on top of the microwave for you."

Pei Xu nodded once.

Yan Zhi felt completely differently toward Pei Xu than toward Huo Cheng. He grinned and asked: "You heading out today?"

Pei Xu said: "Leaving in a bit."

Yan Zhi waved at him and drove off.

Zhai Xingchen said: "Wonder how far he ran today."

Those eight-pack abs are almost there.

Pei Xu opened the front door and went in.

The Red and Blue Signal house was already empty. In the huge living room, countless cameras pointed at him.

Pei Xu drank a bottle of mineral water first, then walked over to the kitchen and took out the breakfast Zhai Xingchen had left him. He opened the plate—a sandwich.

And a cup of milk still warm.

"Pei-ge is doing alright. We heard he never used to eat breakfast before, but ever since he came on our show, he's been eating every day." A crew member said.

"It's because our Xingchen made it, after all." Someone joked.

After Pei Xu finished his Breakfast, he went and washed the plate.

After washing up he went back to shower. At eight forty, Pei Xu headed out, and on the way took the flowers from his room. Looked like he was about to throw them away, but he paused, thought for a moment, and stuck them all into the vase in the corner of the living room.

"Those are the flowers Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi bought!"

"He actually took the flowers Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi bought out of his own bedroom—WHY?"

"Didn't want to see them?"

"Holy shit, interview him!" Guo Bing shouted.

Around noon, all the Huaxu Fund Company employees stood at attention, watching a bunch of The Red and Blue Signal crew members going in and out.

"Everyone relax, just like usual, do whatever you normally do. We're just filming some office footage."

Actually, nobody was nervous.

Everyone was curious.

Their boss Pei had actually gone on a Love Variety Show. They'd privately expressed their shock countless times already.

To be fair, Pei Xu was a good boss—he paid well, the benefits were good, and he never lost his temper. But the company atmosphere really couldn't be called great.

Pei Xu had studied abroad and liked that whole equality thing. What made their office different from a normal company was that theirs was a completely open space—everyone worked in one office, one chair and one desk each. That included the leadership, no separate offices, just seats in the corners.

Pei Xu himself didn't mind, but they were under pressure.

Every move they made, the boss could see it—and a boss who looked like he was scowling when he wasn't even smiling!

Pei Xu, dating?

Can't imagine it, can't picture it!

They didn't know the inside story, so they made up all kinds of inside stories.

"Boss Pei definitely didn't go on the Love Variety Show willingly—that's for sure."

"And nobody could force him either, so he definitely wasn't coerced."

Like self-contradictory nonsense.

"He probably wanted to get on a show to boost our company's profile, right? The Red and Blue Signal is basically a national variety show after all."

"So the boss went on the Love Variety Show for everyone, for the company?"

Everyone was touched.

You gotta understand—Pei Xu was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A rich young master who got whatever he wanted, a financial genius the heavens spoon-fed, always doing things his own way. When had he ever had to swallow his pride?

The Red and Blue Signal had done Live Streaming twice before, and they had all watched it. After watching, their gratitude turned entirely into worry.

Their boss was way too antisocial!

The segment where he went out with Lin Qingning had them cringing so hard it hurt.

Thank goodness Lin Qingning was an educated, cultured, refined guy!

Acting this cold on a Love Variety Show—he'd get roasted, right?

For Pei Xu, for the company—it was more loss than gain!

And Pei Xu's attitude toward the Production Team was the same as toward his underlings.

He said to the Production Team quite seriously: "Me—you can film me however you want. But for anyone else, you'd better ask them if they're willing to be on camera first."

The Production Team actually acted meek and submissive around him.

Boss, at least try to act a little more approachable—if this airs, you're gonna get slammed.

"Then let's go to the conference room and do the solo interview," the Production Team said.

The Production Team did Pei Xu's solo interview in the Huaxu Fund Company conference room.

"This morning when you left, we saw you take something out of the bedroom. Flowers?"

Pei Xu looked at the crew member. "Problem?"

"Why'd you take them out?"

"Don't like them."

"Don't like flowers?"

"I don't like flowers without roots. They make me uncomfortable looking at them," Pei Xu said. "If you don't believe me, you can ask your Sister Zhou."

The Production Team cut to the chase: "So it has nothing to do with whoever bought the flowers?"

"Nope."

Pei Xu loved pulling a stony face, barely any expression—you couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.

"Anything else?" Pei Xu asked, dead serious.

Next door at the Red and Blue House, the main creators who'd watched the entire solo interview fell into an indignant silence.

Liu Screenwriter said: "In a couple days, let's have Zhai Xingchen buy a bouquet—see how he handles it."

Guo Bing and the others immediately turned to look at Liu Screenwriter.

Liu Screenwriter: "What?"

Guo Bing and the others all gave thumbs up: "Liu-laoshi, brilliant!"

Liu Screenwriter said smugly: "Love Variety Shows are all about catching the details. If he treats them differently, we cut it that way, emphasize it—and that slap-in-the-face moment will have the audience screaming their heads off."

No time to waste—the Production Team immediately contacted Zhai Xingchen.

"Yan Zhi and Huo Cheng both bought flowers. Maybe you should bring one back tonight too?" the crew member asked.

Zhai Xingchen went "ah" and said: "Didn't they just buy some? In a couple days."

"The director's team feels that once you add flowers to the house, the romantic vibe just instantly pops, and the footage looks way better than before. But for a house that big, the current flowers are still too few."

With the Production Team saying all that, what could he say?

They were basically hinting he needed to step up, right?

He got it.

He was the tool guy—he knew it himself, even if the Production Team didn't. As one of the four blue-side guests, he wasn't being proactive enough toward the red side. The Production Team probably noticed and had some opinions.

"Are you guys hoping I'll be more proactive?"

The crew member lit up immediately: "If you could be more proactive, we'd absolutely love that!"

Zhai Xingchen felt deeply guilty.

The hundred-thousand-yuan fee was almost in hand—once he got paid, he had to at least do something.

Anyway, Hu Ying and the others had already completely PASSed on him, so being more proactive didn't matter. He reflected—as the tool-guy side character in a danmei novel, just cooking clearly wasn't enough. As the love rival to the three main leads, he had to occasionally wedge himself in to make the leads jealous.

"Okay, got it," Zhai Xingchen said.

"You really got it?" the crew member asked, slightly doubtful.

"Just watch me," Zhai Xingchen said, brimming with confidence.

The crew member smiled, then someone suddenly ran up and whispered something in his ear. The crew member raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised.

"What is it?" Zhai Xingchen asked.

"Pei Xu came to the Dance School to find you." The other guy was a little worked up. "Anyway, I'm out."

Pei Xu suddenly showing up at Zhongwu Academy caught the Production Team completely off guard.

Normally, they didn't follow the guests while they were at work or school. These past few days, their main filming windows were before work in the morning and after work at night.

But Guo Bing didn't even hesitate—he sent a camera crew over right away: "Don't get too close. Just film from a distance."

Everyone was super worked up.

The thing is, Pei Xu had always been their most valued guest—among all the guests, his overall package was the best. Plus his mother, Pei Huahong, was a famous actress. The commercial value to mine was enormous.

The crew that had been filming at Huaxu Fund Company happened to be on their way back. Hearing the news, they immediately turned around and headed straight for Zhongwu Academy.

Everyone had a score to settle.

Whose fault was it that Pei Xu was so damn cocky!

Pei Xu hadn't planned to bother Zhai Xingchen—he just wanted to wander around the school, check out the environment.

This was his second time at Zhongwu Academy. To him, the campus was unfamiliar.

Who would've thought, the moment he walked through Zhongwu Academy's gate, he saw someone completely unexpected.

He saw Zhai Xingchen.

The surprise hit like a spring flood.

Zhai Xingchen stood in front of the fountain, smiling and waving at him. Dark hair, pale skin in the sunlight—like clouds and rosy mist the gods sent down to earth, a Rising Sun Star.