9

Getting four texts at once made Zhai Xingchen's brain crash on the spot.

He read the four messages over and over. Thank god, none of them had that flirty heart-text vibe. The last one even sounded a little passive-aggressive.

There was a sour edge to it. Like someone was jealous.

Did they get jealous because they saw Pei Xu and Yan Zhi give him shells?

From the tone, it didn't sound like something Wen Nu would send.

Duan Yihua and Lin Qingning didn't seem like the type to talk like that either.

Which only left Hu Ying.

Hu Ying had always been blunt and said whatever was on her mind. That tone did fit her personality.

Good thing none of them were heart texts. Otherwise his head really would've started pounding.

He was supposed to be invisible. He did not want to become the love rival of the three male leads.

'Zhai Xingchen.'

The Production Team suddenly called out to him.

He answered with a soft 'mm' and looked up at the camera in front of the desk.

'You should send your text too,' the Production Team reminded him.

Zhai Xingchen gave an 'oh.'

The four texts hadn't actually thrown him off.

Anyway, none of this would change the overall plot. He knew where he stood. He was just a broke student — how was he supposed to beat out the other three rich, handsome guys?

He sent a heart text according to the original plot.

Right after he sent it, he suddenly heard knocking outside.

He came out of the bedroom, crossed the little living room, and opened the door. It was Yan Zhi.

Yan Zhi was in pajamas. His hair was down, and he'd switched to black-rimmed glasses. He looked gentle and handsome.

'You asleep yet?'

'Not yet.'

'Want to chat for a bit?'

'Sure.'

Pei Xu was probably already asleep, and Zhai Xingchen didn't want to wake him. 'Let's talk in my room.'

Yan Zhi nodded.

They'd just reached his bedroom door when the door next to it opened.

Pei Xu stood there looking at them.

'Still up?' Yan Zhi greeted him first.

Pei Xu gave a quiet 'mm' and looked at the two of them.

'I came to chat with Xingchen,' Yan Zhi said.

Pei Xu gave another 'mm' and closed his door.

Yan Zhi and Zhai Xingchen went into the bedroom next door.

'Pei Xu seems like he's in a pretty bad mood today,' Yan Zhi said.

'Not really... that's just how he is. He likes walking around with a grumpy face.'

Yan Zhi glanced around Zhai Xingchen's room.

'It's a little messy.' Zhai Xingchen tidied up a bit. 'Sit.'

Yan Zhi sat down in his chair and saw the textbooks on the desk. 'Studying?'

'No, I was just sending my text.' He asked Yan Zhi, 'You got quite a few texts tonight, huh?'

Yan Zhi smiled. Under the warm golden desk lamp, that face of his looked even more striking, his lips bright, his smile gentle.

Right then, there was another knock at the door.

Zhai Xingchen hadn't even sat down yet. He opened the bedroom door, looked outside, then walked out.

This time it was Huo Cheng.

'You asleep yet?' Huo Cheng asked.

'...Not yet.'

Huo Cheng came right in.

'Is Da Xu asleep?' Huo Cheng asked.

'Probably not yet.' Zhai Xingchen asked, 'You looking for him?'

Huo Cheng turned back. 'No, I'm looking for you.'

As he said it, he headed straight into Zhai Xingchen's bedroom.

The second he walked in, he saw Yan Zhi standing there.

Huo Cheng froze for a second. 'You're here too.'

Yan Zhi gave an 'mm.' Even in pajamas, he still had the top button done up. 'Couldn't sleep. Came over to hang out.'

'Same here,' Huo Cheng said.

The two of them looked at each other. Huo Cheng smiled, looked around Zhai Xingchen's room, and a subtle tension spread between them.

Zhai Xingchen poured two cups of water in the living room. Just as he was about to carry them in, he saw Pei Xu come out of his room holding a cup.

He smiled at him and said, 'Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi are both here. You should come too. We can all chat together.'

All four Blue Team Member together — perfect for a brothers' night.

Pei Xu said, 'I'm going to sleep.'

His tone wasn't very friendly.

Probably better if he didn't come, Zhai Xingchen thought. With a temper that bad, he'd just kill the mood anyway.

So he carried the two cups of water back into the room.

As Pei Xu took his water, he glanced back. When the bedroom door opened, he vaguely caught sight of Yan Zhi and Huo Cheng inside. Then the door shut again, not a sliver of light left. He stood there drinking from his cup when he suddenly noticed the living-room camera turning toward him.

After he finished his water, he picked up the jacket off the sofa and threw it over the camera.

'He covered it up way too early, didn't he? What time is it even?' one cameraman grumbled.

'What can you do? His aunt's a producer.'

'If Sister Zhou sees this, she'll be furious.'

'The fact that Pei Xu agreed to come on our show at all is already doing us a favor. There's no way Sister Zhou would dare say anything to him. Him and Yan Zhi are basically the two big Buddhas of this show. We're counting on them for the first day's ratings.'

'Still, that text he sent Zhai Xingchen was really something.'

'Right? Right? I thought so too. It's such a weird one. What kind of text even is that? Not quite friendship, not quite romance, and kind of sour too.'

'Whatever kind of text it was, he had to at least like him to send it, right? Whether he wants to be friends with him or date him, starting off all passive-aggressive like that is so middle-school boy.'

The Production Team was in total chaos now.

Because the first day's text results had blown way past everyone's expectations.

Among the Red Team Guests, Lin Qingning and Hu Ying had both texted Yan Zhi, Duan Yihua had texted Pei Xu, and Wen Nu had texted Zhai Xingchen.

All of that was within expectations.

But out of the four Blue Team Member, three of the men had texted Zhai Xingchen!

'I said before, the whole Red and Blue split had problems from the start. Same-sex attraction was never going to sort itself as neatly as straight people do.'

'But the first three seasons were all Red and Blue pairings. Don't say roles don't matter — look at Hu Ying and the others. Do any of them want to go looking for a bestie instead?'

'I've got a gay guy best friend. According to him, two bottoms ending up together is less likely, but two tops ending up together is way more possible. Don't you think Zhai Xingchen could go either way?'

'So do we need to change strategies?'

After all, their current script was still pushing Red and Blue CPs all the way.

Everyone turned to look at Director Guo Bing.

Guo Bing pinched his chin and frowned as he thought it over. 'Everyone's texts were pretty restrained today. Things still aren't clear yet. Let's watch one more episode and see. Everything else stays as planned for now. But we should prepare for the possibility too — best to make two versions of the plan.'

Liu Screenwriter said, 'Got it. We're pulling an all-nighter tonight to study Zhai Xingchen!'

Love Variety Show all had their own writing teams. Liu Screenwriter was the group lead, and he gathered the other junior writers together for a meeting.

Zhai Xingchen had entered their sights just a week ago. As a complete non-celebrity, he'd been picked mostly for his stunning face and his student status. Compared to the other guests, they knew far less about him and had done much less background digging.

'Zhai Xingchen. Twenty years old. Height 183. Weight 125. Second-year student at the Central Academy of Dance, studies classical dance. Both parents are ordinary salaried workers. Excellent grades at school. Dating history: zero. Complete amateur. By his own account, he's into men, role 1.'

Liu Screenwriter looked at everyone. 'Before this, we gave him one Red and Blue CP line with each of the four Red Team Guests. Now the task is to try setting up three Blue-Blue CP lines between him and the other three male Blue Team Member.'

Liu Screenwriter clapped his hands. 'Let's get to work!'

Liu Screenwriter was fired up.

He was an old hand on The Red and Blue Signal, having worked three seasons in a row. Before The Red and Blue Signal, he'd already done two other Love Variety Show, and people called him the number one writer in the genre.

But after doing so many dating shows, straight ones and BL ones, he'd lost that sense of freshness. It always felt like something was missing. Not enough of a thrill.

But now, all at once, he had a flash of inspiration.

To build a CP line, they had to design interaction segments based on each guest's personal traits. So everyone focused in on Zhai Xingchen's profile. The more they dug, the more excited they got.

From Zhongwu Academy's official account, they dug up a clip of Zhai Xingchen dancing.

In just six short seconds, there were three snippets of him dancing. Every shot was only a glimpse, but each one was stunning. Paired with hard, pounding drumbeats — bam bam bam — it set the whole Production Team's hearts on fire.

Liu Screenwriter and the others were completely losing it.

"Pull the footage from their Dance School — now, right now!"

Zhai Xingchen got dragged out of bed by the Production Team first thing in the morning.

Still bleary-eyed, he sat down in his chair and looked at the crowd of people across from him.

Director Guo Bing was actually there too.

Everyone was looking at him with that same bright, keyed-up energy.

He yawned. 'Single interview this early?'

'Everyone's going on Sea Voyage today. We're worried you'll be too tired after you get back, so we're doing the interview first.'

The makeup artist came over to tidy him up a little. Zhai Xingchen smiled, still drowsy, but the second he smiled, every single person there felt their heart move.

He was completely bare-faced right now, his hair a mess, and somehow that only made him look even more... switchable.

'We didn't organize your profile thoroughly enough before, so now we'd like to fill in some details. We'll ask the questions, and you just answer them.'

Zhai Xingchen rubbed his eyes, nodded, and said in a sleepy, husky voice, 'Okay.'

'Are you sure about your sexual orientation?'

Zhai Xingchen nodded. 'Yeah. I wouldn't lie about that.'

'What kind of boyfriend are you hoping to find on our show?'

He wasn't hoping to find one at all.

He was here to ship CPs.

But Zhai Xingchen still answered honestly according to the plot. 'I don't really have a very specific type. I just hope he's open and straightforward, and a little more mature.'

Basically someone like Duan Yihua.

'So no specific requirements means you're mostly going with fate, right? If you really clicked with someone and felt like you were on the same wavelength, but he wasn't quite what you imagined in a partner, you'd still be okay with that, right?'

Zhai Xingchen yawned again and nodded once.

Whatever. He was just a tool character.

'In your earlier interview, you said your dance grades at school were pretty decent?'

Zhai Xingchen nodded.

Pretty decent, yeah.

He was fairly well known at Zhongwu Academy. Among his year, he could rank in the top three.

But honestly, in terms of pure technique, he wasn't anywhere near the top at a place packed with talent like Zhongwu Academy. The reason he could rank top three was, embarrassingly enough, half because of his face and half because of his sense of beauty.

Even his teachers said he was born for this line of work. Incredible proportions, long arms, long legs, and a beautiful face. When he danced, he had that irresistible pull. The only shame was that his technique still needed another two years of hard work.

'But we watched a few of your dance videos, and you dance really well,' Guo Bing said, still a little excited.

Zhai Xingchen took it as a polite compliment. 'Thanks. There are just way too many amazing people at our school.'

'Then what do you usually like to do? What are your hobbies? Anything you especially want to see or anywhere you really want to go? What foods do you like? What don't you like? What kind of person do you hate most? What kind do you like best...'

Zhai Xingchen really hadn't expected the interview to get this specific, this detailed, this long.

By the time the Production Team finally let him out, he was practically about to pee himself.

He made a beeline for the bathroom.

The second he pushed the door open, he saw Pei Xu in the middle of using the toilet.

He'd come in so suddenly that Pei Xu's hand jerked.

Zhai Xingchen immediately covered his eyes.

Pei Xu flicked his hand once, his expression turning a little dark.

'Sorry.'

'Why're you panicking so much.'

'I really can't hold it anymore,' Zhai Xingchen said. 'The Production Team dragged me off for an interview first thing in the morning.'

The second he saw Pei Xu turn around, he rushed over. Before the toilet had even fully flushed, he yanked open his pajama pants.

Pei Xu went to the side to wash his hands, then looked over at him through the mirror.

The toilet was right across at an angle from the mirror, so from there, he could see everything clearly.

Pei Xu's eyes lowered slightly as he rubbed hand soap over his hands. Zhai Xingchen must really have been holding it in hard — he was flushed, and he peed especially slowly.

'Don't take the Production Team so seriously. You're all just working together,' Pei Xu said as he dried his hands. 'Holding it in this bad just for an interview.'

Zhai Xingchen smiled a little, ears tinged red. 'I'll be more careful next time.'

'You're too obedient.'

A strange feeling suddenly rose in Pei Xu's chest. Maybe it was because it was early morning, but he felt especially hot and irritable, and on top of that weirdly annoyed. Zhai Xingchen was standing there in front of him without any attempt to hide or avoid him at all. Which only showed he didn't see Pei Xu as anyone special.

That really got under his skin.