Chapter 66 of 66
66
Hu Ying sprinted all the way back to the hotel.
Seeing him run in with his face flushed red, Wen Nu laughed and asked, 'How come you're back so fast?'
Hu Ying said, 'It's freezing out there, so I ran.'
He coughed twice as he said it.
He looked up and saw Huo Cheng, fresh out of the shower in his pajamas, walking toward them while drying his hair.
Because Pei Xu had blocked the camera, the Production Team hadn't seen anything, but they could probably guess what happened from the audio.
Pei Xu was likely showering, and Hu Ying had just walked in on him.
But hey, it was fine. Pei Xu had probably locked the door anyway. Besides, who was Hu Ying? Out of all the guests, he was definitely the least shy one.
Plus, he wasn't even into Pei Xu.
Now, Hu Ying finally appeared on the hotel camera.
His face was frozen bright red, and he seemed a bit off, like he was stunned by the cold. His usually bright, vivid face looked a little dejected.
Hu Ying looked up at Huo Cheng.
Huo Cheng was over six feet tall, lean and sharp. With his build, his vibe, and those rugged, cold features, he looked just like a special forces soldier.
He was wearing loose, lightweight pajamas that swayed with every move he made.
Seeing Hu Ying had run all the way back, Huo Cheng said, 'It's pretty cold out. You shouldn't run. If you breathe the cold air into your lungs, you'll start coughing.'
Hu Ying said, 'Yeah.'
Huo Cheng had a buzz cut. Since the room was nice and warm, he didn't need to blow-dry his hair; it would dry on its own. He cracked open a bottle of mineral water and took a few gulps. Wen Nu said, 'Huo-ge, you're drinking cold water again.'
Huo Cheng laughed and said, 'It's fine, I run hot.'
Huo Cheng certainly looked like he ran hot.
Hu Ying looked at Huo Cheng and sighed.
Huo Cheng looked back at him, smiling. 'Since you're here with us, Pei Xu has to sleep alone tonight.'
Wen Nu said, 'I was honestly shocked by Pei-ge today. How is he so good at everything?'
Hu Ying replied, 'Yeah.'
Huo Cheng said, 'You could tell he wasn't just some average guy.'
His mother, Pei Huahong, was a famous beauty and talent in the entertainment industry, after all.
'Yeah. He wasn't just some average guy,' Hu Ying agreed.
Unexpected, but it made sense.
'Actually, everyone here is pretty impressive. Duan-ge, Yan-ge, Lin-ge—everyone seems so low-key,' Wen Nu said. 'And Zhai Xingchen, I feel like he has some hidden talents too. He can even play the Piano.'
At the mention of Zhai Xingchen, Huo Cheng's expression softened instantly. He flopped onto the bed next to him, propped his head on his arm, and said, 'Art students always have a ton of skills... Zhai Xingchen is a total treasure.'
Wen Nu glanced at Huo Cheng. Huo Cheng's obsession with Zhai Xingchen wasn't even being hidden in this room anymore.
He couldn't go three sentences without bringing up Zhai Xingchen, and it seemed completely unconscious.
His eyes lit up whenever he talked about Zhai Xingchen.
Hu Ying looked at Huo Cheng on the opposite bed. Huo Cheng was lying there with his pant legs rolled up, looking relaxed and effortlessly masculine.
His mind was full of trashy thoughts right now... well, no, he was always full of trashy thoughts. He couldn't help but think that Huo Cheng's body might be even better than Pei Xu's... no, that wasn't right. It was just a different kind of good.
These three guys weren't just more successful than him; they all had better bodies, too.
Maybe their personalities were better than his, too.
Hu Ying pondered for a moment, then suddenly sighed, 'Looks like all I have is my looks.'
Wen Nu and Huo Cheng were both stunned for a second, then Huo Cheng looked at Hu Ying and started laughing.
Wen Nu laughed too and said, 'Is that some kind of humble-brag line from a period drama?'
Hu Ying chuckled, snapped out of it, and asked, 'Are you showering tonight?'
Wen Nu said, 'I showered this morning. I'm good.'
Hu Ying sat up and said, 'Then I'll go wash up.'
Huo Cheng said, 'Wait for me to clear out the bathroom.'
'No need. I'm not as much of a neat freak as Yan Zhi,' Hu Ying said.
Hearing Hu Ying roast Yan Zhi, Huo Cheng chuckled and said, 'Is that why you were too scared to ask to spend the night in Room 1?'
'Yan Zhi looks gentle, but he's actually the hardest person to get along with out of all of us,' Hu Ying said while grabbing his toiletries. 'Even Pei Xu is better than him.'
Huo Cheng said, 'You just realized that?'
Yan Zhi was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. He looked friendly to everyone, but that friendliness was just politeness—and politeness was a form of distance. He wouldn't ever open up to you.
That was why he got along better with Pei Xu than with Yan Zhi, and it wasn't just about the love rival thing.
They just didn't click.
But he did admit that Yan Zhi treated Zhai Xingchen exceptionally well.
Because Yan Zhi was so distant, Zhai Xingchen was even more special to him. He had to really like Zhai Xingchen to treat him differently.
Zhai Xingchen came out of the bathroom and immediately heard the clatter of a keyboard.
Yan Zhi was gaming.
His team had a training session today. Even though Yan Zhi was filming, he couldn't just skip training. For esports players, the intensity was no different from any other athlete. Even a genius like Yan Zhi had to maintain a certain amount of practice.
Yan Zhi hadn't touched a game in two or three days. Today, he didn't even need his fans to push him; he logged on himself.
He'd been pent up for two days in every sense, and he needed to game to vent the restless fire inside him.
Zhai Xingchen went to the kitchen, where there was still pear soup simmering in the rice cooker.
Wen Nu had made it, and he’d actually used frozen pears.
Once he asked, he found out Pei Xu had told him to make it.
The frozen pears fell apart as soon as they boiled, turning the clear soup into a thick one. The pears were soft and mushy, but it actually had a unique flavor. Wen Nu had added red dates and goji berries, so it tasted quite sweet.
He carefully skimmed a cup of the clearer soup with a spoon, carried it into the bedroom, and set it down gently next to Yan Zhi.
Yan Zhi looked incredibly handsome today. The headset he wore glowed with a faint blue light, while the keyboard was red. His fingers—which were unfairly good-looking—flew across the keys with insane speed. He was so focused that he didn't even notice Zhai Xingchen bringing him the soup.
Zhai Xingchen looked at the screen. The game Yan Zhi was playing was Absolute Peak, a classic game that was a global hit. He’d only ever seen Yan Zhi play Honor of Kings on his phone, and even then, he thought Yan Zhi’s style was fierce and sharp. Seeing him play Absolute Peak now, he finally understood why so many fans loved him.
But Zhai Xingchen was a total gaming idiot; he couldn't even play Honor of Kings. He watched for a while and vaguely heard someone screaming in the headset. The light from the computer screen reflected off Yan Zhi’s glasses, and the eyes behind them were as calm as his expression.
Some people got expressive when they played, especially if their style was aggressive or the match was intense. Some esports players even looked fierce, but not Yan Zhi.
He used the calmest expression to pull off the most brutal plays.
It was so cool.
He thought the Production Team should do a special episode where the guests could watch Yan Zhi compete. Yan Zhi was always a popular guest, but he was at his most charming when he was on the battlefield.
Inspired by Yan Zhi’s focus, Zhai Xingchen felt he couldn't slack off on his own training.
As a dance student, even on break, he had to keep his body limber and practice his basics.
He stretched his limbs, then leaped lightly, resting his legs across the two beds. The movement was so graceful he barely made a sound.
The move looked like a standard split, but it was actually much harder than doing one on the floor. It required his whole body to be engaged so he wouldn't sink, and holding a 180-degree split was far harder than holding 200 degrees. He let out a breath, hands on his hips, and held it for several minutes until he felt the tension in his legs release.
Then he stood up and moved into a single-leg balance pose.
Yan Zhi got thirsty and reached for his water, only to realize there was a cup of pear soup next to him.
He paused, and during a short break, he turned his head to see Zhai Xingchen balancing on one leg between the two beds.
The game started again, but this time Yan Zhi was distracted. He played while glancing at Zhai Xingchen, watching him bend his back into an arch. His shirt fell, revealing his pale, supple waist, and then Zhai Xingchen slowly moved into a handstand. As his legs extended upward, his T-shirt fell all the way to his neck.
Yan Zhi felt all the violent energy from his game turn into a raging fire that ignited him instantly.
His teammate shouted, 'Six-ge, watch out!'
Yan Zhi turned back to the screen and got hit twice by the opponent. A surge of brutality rose up in him, and his playstyle became instantly wild and sharp. He’d been quiet the whole time, but now he started barking orders to his team. Zhai Xingchen, who was in the middle of his handstand, heard Yan Zhi speak and glanced over, just in time to hear the opponent wailing in the headset: 'I’m done, I’m done, I’m done!'
The other side collapsed, nearly getting shut out. A 5v5 match was quickly turned into a 2v5. That feeling of pushing forward and forcing the enemy to crumble was exactly what Yan Zhi loved most. The more they couldn't handle it, the more aggressive he became. Yan Zhi pressed the advantage and wiped the entire team out.
It was a great match; he felt energized. He took off his headset, leaned back in his chair, and turned to see Zhai Xingchen standing next to him, staring at the screen. 'Won?'
Yan Zhi knew Zhai Xingchen meant 'won.' He crossed his legs, covering himself, gave a small 'hmm,' and said, 'Won.'
Translated by Bex Adeyemi