Chapter 61

'Where's Zhai Xingchen?' he asked.

'He's in the room,' Hu Ying said. 'Who are you giving the clothes to?'

'I accidentally got his Down Jacket dirty,' Pei Xu said.

Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi glanced at him when they heard that.

'So you're the one who got it dirty,' Huo Cheng said.

Pei Xu took the Down Jacket and went inside.

He was delivering the clothes so openly that no one suspected him.

Especially after everyone at the market had been shipping him and Lin Qingning's CP.

He'd gotten Zhai Xingchen's clothes dirty, so giving him a new one was perfectly reasonable. Anyone else would've done the same.

Yan Zhi turned his head and saw that Pei Xu hadn't gone into their bedroom. He just stood at the door and knocked lightly.

Pei Xu still remembered his germaphobe thing and hadn't entered their room.

He thought Pei Xu was really considerate like that.

If it were Huo Cheng, he might not have been so self-aware.

'Xingchen,' Pei Xu called.

Zhai Xingchen poked his head out of the bathroom. Pei Xu waved him over.

'Got you a new one,' Pei Xu said.

Zhai Xingchen was surprised. 'No need, it wasn't on purpose. I'll just wipe it off.'

'White clothes show stains too easily. Normally it'd be fine, but we're filming a show. It's better to wear something clean. I brought a few Down Jackets.' Pei Xu handed it to him. 'It might be a bit big on you.'

Zhai Xingchen had no choice but to take it. 'Thanks.'

Pei Xu made a sound of acknowledgment. 'Sorry about that.'

Zhai Xingchen said, 'You're making too big a deal of it.'

'Is the water cold?' he asked.

'We have hot water here,' Zhai Xingchen said.

Pei Xu made a sound of acknowledgment and walked away.

Zhai Xingchen unfolded the Down Jacket and found it looked a lot like the one Pei Xu was wearing, even the style was the same. One was pure black, the other was grayish-black.

Pei Xu had actually prepared Down Jackets in Zhai Xingchen's size for him. Two of them, and in brighter colors too. But he'd thought about it and still taken his own jacket. It would definitely be big on Zhai Xingchen.

But he thought this was better. More natural. And it killed two birds with one stone.

Thinking of Zhai Xingchen wearing his clothes gave him a weird sense of satisfaction.

If Zhai Xingchen didn't return it to him later, then Zhai Xingchen could keep wearing it. If Zhai Xingchen did return it later, even better—he wouldn't even wash it.

Zhai Xingchen discovered there was a hat stuffed in the Down Jacket's pocket.

He pulled the hat out and found it was a dark navy blue Bugs Bunny hat.

He must've remembered it from when he went to his house and saw the Bugs Bunny on his bed.

When a Jinjiang male lead wants to be attentive, he can be incredibly thoughtful.

Zhai Xingchen wiped down the white Down Jacket, hung it on the wall to dry, put on the one Pei Xu gave him, and came out.

'Brother Pei's clothes are that big?' Hu Ying asked. 'I thought you two were about the same size.'

Pei Xu immediately said, 'We are not about the same.'

'How tall is Brother Pei, 188, 189? How tall is Xingchen, 183?'

'About that,' Lin Qingning said.

'That's not much of a difference, so why is the clothes size so different?' Hu Ying said.

'Pei Xu looks thin, but his shoulders and back are broad, and his frame is bigger than Xingchen's.' Lin Qingning said, glancing at Pei Xu.

The kind who looks slim in clothes but built underneath—that's Pei Xu.

His physique is super top.

'I can get you one of mine,' Hu Ying said. 'We're about the same size. My clothes should fit you just right.'

'It's fine, a Down Jacket being a bit big is actually comfortable,' Zhai Xingchen replied.

Huo Cheng asked, 'What about the white one? Not wearing it anymore?'

'I just wiped it down, it's hanging up to dry,' Zhai Xingchen said.

'That white one was really nice-looking,' Hu Ying said. 'I didn't see that style when I went to the brand store. When did you buy it, and how much was it?'

Zhai Xingchen said, 'I didn't buy it. Brother Huo gave it to me.'

Yan Zhi and Hu Ying were both taken aback.

Lin Qingning, however, laughed. 'Really? When? We didn't know.'

Huo Cheng said with a smile, 'It was just a casual thing. No need to make a big deal out of it.'

Pei Xu found a chair and sat down.

Hu Ying gave a little laugh. 'Brother Huo is quite thoughtful, huh, giving other people Down Jackets.'

'Is my Down Jacket also a gift from Brother Huo?' Wen Nu said, sounding both shocked and touched.

Had he finally found the person who gave him the Down Jacket?

Huo Cheng turned to look at Wen Nu. 'What Down Jacket?'

Wen Nu said, 'The one I'm wearing.'

Huo Cheng said, 'That really isn't from me.'

Wen Nu was a bit embarrassed, but since he'd brought it up, he really wanted to know.

'Then who gave me the Down Jacket?'

Hu Ying asked, 'How did you receive it?'

'Someone delivered a suitcase and a Down Jacket to my shop, the night before we came here,' Wen Nu said. 'There wasn't any information left with it.'

As he spoke, he looked at Zhai Xingchen, Yan Zhi, and the others.

'Who was it?' Hu Ying scanned the room, finally settling her gaze on Zhai Xingchen.

Zhai Xingchen was the only one who would care about Wen Nu that much.

Zhai Xingchen said, 'That jacket of his is too expensive. I couldn't afford to give it.'

Zhai Xingchen was very curious.

Who, who was it!

Who gave Wen Nu the jacket!

Giving Wen Nu a Down Jacket could only mean two things. First, he had a secret crush on Wen Nu!

Wow, wow, wow—a hidden CP line? Then this person must be the type to have a secret crush.

That meant Huo Cheng could be ruled out first. On the blue team, the most likely Blue Team Member suspects were Yan Zhi and Pei Xu.

He thought Pei Xu was the most likely to do something like this!

The first step for a cold, arrogant Jinjiang male lead falling in love is a secret crush.

The second possibility was that this person was just purely kind-hearted.

Pure kindness was even rarer. How thoughtful would that person have to be!

It felt more likely to be someone like Duan Yihua or Lin Qingning.

Hard to say, really.

No one stepped forward to claim it. Clearly, the person who gave the clothes didn't want the credit. It was an act of goodwill, so everyone didn't press the issue.

But the Down Jacket matter had surprised both Hu Ying and Yan Zhi.

Who knew everyone had so many little schemes going on behind the scenes!

Especially Hu Ying. She'd always thought she was clever, but now she suddenly felt like a naive fool!

Yan Zhi liked Zhai Xingchen. Even a rough, straightforward guy like Huo Cheng had secretly given Zhai Xingchen clothes!

Even Wen Nu, who seemed the most harmless, was hiding a little secret like this!

'Are the stains on your Down Jacket hard to clean?' she asked Zhai Xingchen. 'That's the problem with white clothes—once they're dirty, they're unwearable. Actually, I think you look better in Pei Xu's jacket than in that white one.'

Huo Cheng could hear the subtext in Hu Ying's words. He smiled and asked, 'Didn't you praise that Down Jacket for being nice-looking before?'

'But Xingchen looks better in black. White can make people look darker. But that's not the main reason. I work in the fashion industry, and I do a lot of photography, so I have experience with this. From my personal experience, when we're filming in this kind of icy, snowy environment, it's best not to wear white. It easily blends into the background and affects the shooting results.'

She sounded so professional that she actually fooled Lin Qingning and Wen Nu. 'Really?'

'Yes, so I suggest everyone wear cooler-toned colors, like black, gray, or blue. Red is good too, of course.'

While everyone was chatting, Yan Zhi went back to use the bathroom.

When he came out, he saw the white Down Jacket hanging on the wall.

This was actually a jacket Huo Cheng had given to Zhai Xingchen.

Yan Zhi felt like this little cabin, which belonged solely to him and Zhai Xingchen, had been invaded by an outsider. It was tainted, impure.

So annoying.

Seeing it made him uncomfortable. He wanted to just throw it away.

'Brother Yan!'

He heard Zhai Xingchen call him, answered, and came out to see Hu Ying and the others looking at an Envelope.

'Another task?'

Hu Ying read aloud: 'As everyone knows, Xiaobeiji is a famous Scenic Area — one of the country's best-known tourist destinations. Here, you can go to Elk Park to feed the elk, climb White Jade Mountain to take in the northern scenery, visit Snow World to experience the brilliance and fantasy of a crystal ice world, or follow the locals, chisel open the frozen lake, and enjoy the lonely pleasure of winter fishing. So let's begin our northern journey today.'

She flipped it over. 'The king has the final say. Please use a Dice Roll to select one guest to become the king. He will designate the afternoon's groupings. The eight guests will be divided into four groups, heading to Elk Park, White Jade Mountain, Snow World, and the nearby White Jade Lake.'

'The king has the final say?'

'It means we pick one person, and he decides who goes out with whom this afternoon, and where,' Hu Ying said.

'The Dice Roll is fair enough,' Yan Zhi said. 'But the designation part afterward seems a bit too unfair.'

At a time like this, you'd definitely kick your rivals out and keep the best opportunity for yourself.

He had a strange feeling that Huo Cheng and Hu Ying were really good at rolling dice.

'It's fair. It's like winning or losing by the dice roll,' Hu Ying said. 'Similar to the Room Assignment.'

Hearing her say that only confirmed Yan Zhi's suspicion.

Lin Qingning said, 'I think it's fine. Depends on your luck.'

He didn't really care. He figured no one would fight him for Pei Xu. No matter who became king, he'd most likely be grouped with Pei Xu.

Lin Qingning fiddled with the little box in his hand. 'How do we roll?'

Huo Cheng took the little box, opened it, and glanced at the dice inside.

'Let's go by the total points,' he said.

'Let's wait for Brother Duan,' Zhai Xingchen said. 'We can do it after we eat.'

'I'll go get him,' Wen Nu said.

Wen Nu ran out to get Duan Yihua, while Pei Xu and Lin Qingning sat at the table, rolling the dice for fun.

Pei Xu rolled a big one—two fives and a six—and then a small one—two threes and a one.

Lin Qingning was about the same. Sometimes he rolled high points, sometimes lower.

'It really does depend on luck,' Lin Qingning said, handing the dice to Huo Cheng. 'Want to try?'

Huo Cheng said, 'I won't. I'm saving my luck for the official round.'

Pei Xu suddenly noticed Huo Cheng looked absolutely delighted, and a bad premonition stirred in his heart.

Soon, Duan Yihua and Wen Nu came over.

'Is Brother Duan feeling better?' Hu Ying asked with concern.

Duan Yihua nodded. 'Pretty much recovered.'

'The market we went to today was so fun. It's a shame you couldn't make it,' Hu Ying said.

'Is everyone here now?' Huo Cheng couldn't wait any longer. 'Let's roll the dice?'

'Brother Huo seems very confident,' Pei Xu said mildly.

Huo Cheng wrinkled his nose. 'I just feel like my luck should be pretty good today.'

Dinner was almost ready. Taking advantage of the time before the meal, everyone rolled the dice.

Huo Cheng was unusually modest this time. He wanted to go last.

Pei Xu's expression grew even more serious.

Lin Qingning rolled first. He got a three, a six, and a two, totaling nine points.

Wen Nu had better luck, rolling twelve points.

The others rolled points both high and low, but none surpassed Wen Nu's.

Pei Xu rolled ten points.

Yan Zhi rolled nine points.

Zhai Xingchen had the worst luck, rolling six points.

When it was Hu Ying's turn, she was full of confidence. She shook the dice with one hand and slammed the cup down on the table.

She opened it to find only eleven points.

'Shit,' Hu Ying said, clearly dissatisfied.

She hadn't performed well.

'Looks like Wen Nu might become king,' Hu Ying said, glancing at Huo Cheng and silently praying for Wen Nu. 'Actually, Wen Nu is fine. I'm sure he'll divide everyone fairly.'

Who wouldn't want Wen Nu to win in the end?

Even if he chose Zhai Xingchen, it'd be okay.

Yan Zhi and the others were tense, because the last one left was Huo Cheng.

No one wanted him to win.

Huo Cheng picked up the dice with a smile, pretending to blow on them in his palm.

Hu Ying chanted in her heart, 'Amitabha Buddha, let him come in last.'