Chapter 31: Rival Vs Rival
Seeing that the two people’s attention was not on itself, the little local dog tilted its head and whined a few times, its short, tiny tail wagging like a small fan.
Xie Shibaiās hand didn’t even move; the round head under his palm rubbed back and forth on its own accord.
He remained expressionless, tugging lightly on Lu Cihengās hair. Hearing the faint hiss from the person in front of him, the corner of his lips hooked up slightly. Inexplicably, his mood felt very relaxed.
His fair palm slid down past the ear and rested on Lu Cihengās jawline. He had intended to pinch the man’s face, but the other party gave him no chance.
Lu Cihengās large palm grasped Xie Shibaiās hand. As if predicting the move, he pressed his face against it first.
The slightly cool palm pressed against his cheek, and he rubbed against it lightly, pushing his luck. Lu Cihengās deep eyes held a smile. “Teacher Xie, are you going to pluck your puppy bald?”
Xie Shibaiās expression paused slightly. He hadn’t expected Lu Ciheng to push his luck to this extent. His cold eyes lowered gently. “Did I agree to let you be my dog?”
Lu Cihengās eyes narrowed slightly. With his cheek pressed against Xie Shibaiās palm, he said happily, “Why is Teacher Xie going back on his word? You said I was a puppy in front of so many people in the livestream before. Did you forget so quickly?”
Xie Shibai hadn’t forgotten.
Lu Cihengās lips hooked into a smile. “Now everyone knows I am your puppy. Teacher Xie, you have to be responsible for me.”
Looking at this smiling face, Xie Shibai reached out and pinched Lu Cihengās cheek hard. Unbearable, he said, “You call this a scam.”
The pain on Lu Cihengās cheek was subtleānot very heavy, but carrying a hint of discipline. A light touch, like a slap followed by a sweet date.
He simply couldn’t withstand it.
After letting go, they looked down together at the little local dog on the ground.
Lu Ciheng looked at the puppy and asked, “Do you have a home?”
The little local dog barked once (Wang-ji!), shook its butt, and completely failed to understand human speech.
Lu Ciheng beamed. “I do.”
Little local dog: ?
Xie Shibai: “…”
Surrounded by mountains, they were unfamiliar with the environment. Apart from the hut, they hadn’t seen anyone else. It would be hard for such a small local dog to survive alone on the mountain. However, looking at the puppy’s chubby body, it didn’t look unfed. If someone owned it, kidnapping it to find an adopter would be a wicked thing to do.
“Wow! There’s a puppy on the mountain?”
Mu Zhenzhen, who had turned back, spotted the little local dog with sharp eyes.
As soon as she made a sound, the puppy pricked up its ears vigilantly. Gone was the close and harmless appearance it had shown Xie Shibai and Lu Ciheng. It ran quickly behind a tree, carefully poking out half a head to look at them.
Mu Zhenzhen and the others also noticed the puppy’s wariness and stopped, not moving forward.
Both sides sized each other up cautiously.
“How did such a small dog survive?” Mu Zhenzhen asked.
The little local dog looked like it wanted to get closer to Xie Shibai and Lu Ciheng again but was very wary of the new group. Its tail drooped, and it whined, looking a bit unhappy.
Xu Xiangming: “Looking at this physique, it should be a puppy raised by residents at the foot of the mountain. It’s normal for it to run up here to play once familiar with the mountain.”
Wu Ke asked in surprise, “There are residences at the foot of the mountain?”
Xu Xiangming nodded and pointed. “Yes, the production team went there to borrow tools; it’s right over there. Not far from us. I saw their big dog; it looks exactly like this one.”
Hearing that the puppy had an owner, Xie Shibai felt relieved. No need to worry about it starving.
The little local dog hid behind the tree for a while. Seeing that the later arrivals hadn’t left, it seemed to think of something. Its dark eyes lit up, and waving its chubby paws, it ran away quickly.
Mu Zhenzhen was disappointed. “It ran away.”
Wu Ke chuckled softly. “Maybe it went home. Let’s go back too; if it gets later, we won’t be able to see the road.”
Several people nodded and started walking toward the hut. There were streetlights along the way, so even though the sky had darkened, it wasn’t pitch black.
Xie Shibai looked back in the direction the puppy had run. He could still see the round puppy head, but it soon disappeared into the woods.
Lu Ciheng held Xie Shibaiās hand and reminded him, “Watch your step. The rocks here are messy; it’s easy to sprain an ankle.”
He looked at Xie Shibai, then his gaze followed toward the direction the puppy left, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Director Tan was fast; the show’s recording only paused for a day before returning to track.
After the livestream started the next day, Director Tan gathered everyone in the living room and announced that Wu Ke was withdrawing from the show, and two new guest stars would be arriving today.
However, Director Tan kept it secret and didn’t reveal who the participants were, only telling everyone to be ready to welcome the new guests.
After a brief farewell to everyone, Wu Ke left in the production team’s car.
[Who are the flying guests?] [If there are two, they should also be a couple, right? Haven’t heard of any couple in the circle coming.] [More importantly, with this show’s reputation, do any couples dare to come?] [So what! Look at my two brothers; they argue on the show but are doing fine. They even fought all afternoon yesterday!] [I’m sick of the person upstairs. I’m going to block all CP fans! Damn you!] [Is this what feeling vindicated feels like? satisfying!]
The new flying guests would arrive at noon. In the meantime, they needed to prepare food for lunch first. The new guests couldn’t go without a meal on their first day.
According to the cooking rotation, today was Mu Zhenzhen and Xu Xiangmingās group. The two had already bought the ingredients in advance. The only thing they struggled with was how to make the food taste good.
Neither of them knew how to cook. They looked up tutorials while preparing ingredients, asking Lu Ciheng for help when they encountered problems. Although there were twists and turns, fortunately, the final product was edible. When Xie Shibai tasted the dishes and said they were okay, Mu Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief.
At eleven o’clock noon, the doorbell of the hut rang.
Mu Zhenzhen opened the door amidst the curiosity of the livestream bullet screen.
Outside the door.
Su Xingran held a suitcase, smiling brightly. “Hello, sister. I am Su Xingran.”
The person behind him looked about the same height and also introduced himself: “I am Li You.”
Mu Zhenzhen froze for a few seconds. Although she wasn’t familiar with the two, she surfed the internet often and ate a lot of melons (gossip). She instantly matched the people to the gossip.
[Damn, what does the production team mean by this? One who was shipped as a CP with XSB, and one who publicly said LCH is his ideal type? Letting these two come?] [They must think the two of them don’t fight enough, stirring things up like this.] [What does it mean for them to come to this show together? Two bottoms together?] [Impressed by the sharp comment ahead hahaha.] [I feel like they are up to no good.] [Stay away from the young couple!!!!]
“Come in first. You came just in time for lunch.”
Mu Zhenzhen greeted them first, not letting them pile up in the entryway.
Qiao Jiayi also found it unexpected and didn’t understand what the production team wanted to do. In a moment of inattention, Mi Qiran had already heartlessly reached out to shake hands and greet them one by one.
Xie Shibai only knew Su Xingran and didn’t know much about the other one.
Mu Zhenzhen quietly leaned over to Xie Shibai and whispered a reminder to be vigilant later; this Li You was not simple.
Xie Shibai was puzzled. “Why?”
Mu Zhenzhen was surprised. “You don’t know? Li You said Teacher Lu is his ideal type. It’s said he even pursued him. Teacher Xie, you have to be alert. I don’t know what wicked thing the production team wants to do this time.”
Xie Shibaiās eyes showed some surprise. He glanced at Lu Ciheng, remembering their agreement, and shook his head. “No need.”
Mu Zhenzhen paused for a few seconds, then gave a thumbs up.
As expected of Teacher Xie, so confident.
[XSB is this confident?] [I feel like he really doesn’t love him that much. If he loved him a lot, he would feel a sense of crisis if a rival appeared, right?] [Because he doesn’t like him much, it doesn’t matter if he gets snatched away.] [Feels like this is going to be a Shuraba (battlefield/love triangle).] [Really not afraid LCH won’t want to simp anymore and turn around to run off with our Li You?] [Li You’s fans like letting their fave be a homewrecker so much?]
“Teacher Xie, we finally meet again.” Su Xingran stepped forward to greet Xie Shibai. The sweet smile on his face looked harmless. He spoke while handing out gifts. “I brought gifts for everyone.”
“Me too.” Li You first greeted everyone, then distributed gifts along with Su Xingran.
Xie Shibaiās fingertips paused for a few seconds when Su Xingran handed over the gift, then he accepted it.
Su Xingran smiled and introduced the gift to Xie Shibai: “Teacher Xie, you can open it and see. I prepared it for a long time; see if you like it.”
Since the other party had said as much, Xie Shibai opened it in front of everyone and took out the item inside. It was a mini clay figurine.
Lu Ciheng looked at the item in Xie Shibaiās hand that wasn’t given by him. His gaze darkened, and the look he gave Su Xingran was exceptionally hostile and unhappy. He still remembered that this person wanted to hype a CP with Xie Shibai.
His exclusive rival radar was blaring.
He was just about to step forward when he was blocked by Li You. His brow lowered abruptly. He had no impression of Li You; he only knew that Li You came with Su Xingran, and now he was stopping him from approaching Xie Shibai.
Li You asked, “Brother Lu, long time no see. Do you still remember me?”
Lu Cihengās mind was full of snatching Xie Shibai from his rival. He didn’t spare a single glance for Li You.
Li You was stunned. He watched Lu Ciheng brush past him and head straight for Xie Shibai. For a moment, his face looked a bit ugly.
Lu Ciheng stepped close, his chest pressing against Xie Shibaiās back, one hand resting on the other’s slender waist. It looked like a possessive embrace. His pitch-black gaze swept over Su Xingran, revealing danger without reservation. His vision was cold and sharp as he stared directly: “Teacher Xie, what is this?”
Su Xingran stiffened under the stare.
Xie Shibai was used to Lu Cihengās sudden hugs. “A clay figure.”
Lu Ciheng rested his chin on Xie Shibaiās shoulder. His large palm followed Xie Shibaiās fingers to pinch the clay figure. Almost instantly, dark jealousy surged uncontrollably. His calloused fingers slipped through Xie Shibaiās fingertips, rubbing them neither lightly nor heavily.
Very jealous.
He didn’t want Xie Shibai to touch anything other than him.
[The size difference is amazing!! Back hugs yyds (are god-tier)!] [Why do I feel XSB hasn’t felt the crisis yet, but LCH is already triggered?] [More than triggered, look at him, he’s dying of anxiety. He treated Li You greeting him as a rival. As expected of the Number One Simp.] [Why is the direction like this???] [LCH is actually jealous of both of them.] [It’s getting funny. A completely unexpected development: rivals are everywhere hahaha.]
Recommended Reads
