Part 4
“Why me?”
“It’s easier to talk to your own people,” Miao Shuhuai said.
The phone screen was the forum interface of the livestream app. Yao Lixin didn’t hold back. “Is Miao Shuhuai here to scam the appearance fee?”
“Screw you,” Miao Shuhuai said. “I’m a serious guest on the show, okay?”
Yao Lixin scrolled down. “Evidence that Miao Shuhuai likes Tang Yue. Can I click on this video?”
Everyone else looked at Tang Yue, but he was out of it, his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep.
“Let our Captain see it,” Yao Lixin said.
He even laughed out loud, and the other members of UL laughed too.
Liu Xichao rested his face on his hand, a little confused. “Why would anyone think you like our Xiao Yue? You really…”
Saying this out in the open had a bit of a confession session vibe.
Plus, it was the last day on the island. After the afternoon activities, everyone would be going their separate ways. It was a rare gathering, and it felt like they wouldn’t be seeing each other again.
Yao Lixin clicked on the video, discreetly glancing at Jiang Shulu across from him. He didn’t seem to have any other reaction, just the joy of feeding his child.
The video was from the backstage of an awards ceremony a few years ago. Away and UL, competitors for a music award, ran into each other backstage. Tang Yue had been left behind because he had gone to the bathroom and was rushing back when he ran into Miao Shuhuai, who had dropped an earring and was putting it back on.
The show even had a link to the video on the screen, so the audience could also see the bullet comments from back then.
「Tang Yue’s red hair is such a contrast, he’s so pale.」
「This look is really nice. Not to mention Miao Shuhuai, even I want to tease him.」
This was basically a public execution for Miao Shuhuai. He was a little indignant. “Why are they roasting me while reading the hot search! It’s so unfair.”
“You little punk, how did you try to lure our maknae?” Yao Lixin said. “And you lied to him that you had a dog in your arms. What was the next step, letting him pet it?”
He knew exactly what he was doing. As soon as he finished speaking, the table erupted in “oohs.” The others and the staff all looked towards Tang Yue and Jiang Shulu.
「Yao Lixin, that mouth of yours…」
「I wouldn’t even dare to say that.」
「Why is everyone looking at Jiang Shulu! Isn’t the person involved Tang Yue?」
「But isn’t it obvious! Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue are dating!! But what about back then?」
「Logically, the production team wouldn’t roast Jiang Shulu either. It feels a little like they’re intentionally letting him hear it.」
Miao Shuhuai hurriedly explained, “I didn’t!! I just said it casually!”
Tang Yue was on the other side of Liu Xichao. He was pushed by Liu Xichao and opened his eyes in a daze.
“What?”
He subconsciously snuggled the little baby in his arms again.
“The audience says Miao Shuhuai likes you,” Liu Xichao said.
Tang Yue let out a small “ah” and subconsciously glanced at Jiang Shulu.
“We’re talking about Miao Shuhuai, why are you looking at the Captain?” Liu Xichao asked.
“The one I like is our Captain, not someone else’s Captain.”
He yawned, looked at Tang Mian, and saw that he was drinking coconut milk. He asked in a small voice, “Xiao Mie, can you give me a sip?”
He… he doesn’t care at all!!
「Away still has team spirit… hmm.」
「I want to ask if this is okay to say, but then I remember they’ve already said ‘I love you’…」
「Miao Shuhuai’s love was unrequited after all.」
“Daddy, why are you still sleepy? Did you go to bed late?” Tang Mian asked.
“The tent wasn’t comfortable to sleep in.”
After saying that, Tang Yue looked at the people at the table and asked Liu Xichao, “Is there a question you need to ask me?”
“Because some people are shipping you and Captain Miao, and they even posted a video,” Yao Lixin said.
Tang Yue looked at the video and let out an “oh,” seeming to remember the situation at the time, and was even a little unhappy. “I thought there was really a puppy.”
Miao Shuhuai: “Who told you there was a puppy in my arms?”
“That’s right,” Yao Lixin said. “You can’t fit a dog in your arms, can you?”
“The Captain did,” Tang Yue said.
All eyes turned to Jiang Shulu.
Jiang Shulu poured Tang Yue a new glass of coconut milk, looking more attentive than anyone else.
“The day of Yao-ge’s birthday party, before the release of the album Summer Smoke.”
He still looked like he wasn’t fully awake, but the words he spoke were precise, giving the exact time, which was a little surprising.
“Wow,” Liu Xichao said. “You have such a good memory?”
Before Tang Yue could speak, Tang Mian nodded vigorously. “Daddy even remembers which picture books I read on which day.”
“Where did the dog come from that day?” Yao Lixin asked.
Tang Yue bit the straw of his coconut milk. “It was Xiao Chen-ge’s mom’s deer dog. I think it got lost. When I saw it, the Captain had just taken the puppy out of his arms and given it back to Xiao Chen-ge.”
「Who’s Xiao Chen-ge…」
「Away’s stylist at the time, I think…」
「Why does it sound like Jiang Shulu was hiding a dog and got caught by Tang Yue?」
「Now it even sounds a bit like catching someone cheating.」
「Jiang Shulu, why do you look so confused?」
「So Miao Shuhuai was a substitute? How pathetic.」
Liu Xichao let out an “oh,” then looked at Miao Shuhuai. “Looks like you benefited from our Captain’s light. Otherwise, our Xiao Yue would definitely not have paid any attention to you.”
That was true. Tang Yue, whether on the show or in daily interviews, always gave off a completely unsociable vibe.
It was only because of the good relationship within the group that you could see from the officially released Vlogs that Tang Yue could also be playful. But it was limited to the group, and even then, Jiang Shulu had to be excluded from that option.
“Is Jiang Shulu that kind of person?” Miao Shuhuai asked. “He can even carry a dog in his arms?”
Jiang Shulu remembered too. He glanced at Tang Yue, a smile on his lips that hinted at something he had thought of. He locked his gaze on Tang Yue, almost as if no one else was there.
“Xiao Chen-ge’s dog wasn’t wearing clothes that day.”
Tang Mian was a little curious. “Was it like how you held me in the morning?”
The child’s analogy was hilarious. Liu Xichao: “Are you a puppy?”
Tang Yue even chimed in, “Almost. But that puppy was very small, so I didn’t think the Captain could carry a dog in his arms at the time. When I saw him pull it out, I felt it was very…”
「That scene…」
「Tang Yue, didn’t you used to ignore Jiang Shulu? Turns out you were secretly watching him.」
“So it was the Captain you wanted to touch,” Liu Xichao said.
His words were unambiguously suggestive, but Tang Yue’s train of thought was different from ordinary people. He even hummed in agreement. “I really wanted to go over and pet it at the time, but the Captain quickly gave the dog back to Xiao Chen-ge.”
Tang Yue even added, “The Captain smelled like a dog all day at the birthday party.”
Jiang Shulu: …
He pulled him over, and Tang Mian, who was sitting in Tang Yue’s lap, was also pulled into Jiang Shulu’s arms.
“You’re the one with a dog’s nose. You could even smell that?” Jiang Shulu said.
“I can smell the Captain’s scent.”
Miao Shuhuai couldn’t take it anymore. He felt like he was a stepping stone. He coughed and said, “Okay, I’ll keep reading.”
“Did UL come on this show to sell their skills?”
Miao Shuhuai: “This post is a personal attack! Rejected!”
“Is Tang Yue so sleepy because he’s not sleeping well with Jiang Shulu?”
Miao Shuhuai clicked his tongue. “Why do I have to ask this?”
Someone on the side added, “Just pretend you’re from a wedding planning company.”
Miao Shuhuai: “Am I so unpopular that I have to be a wedding emcee??”
Miao Shuhuai: “Tang Yue, you answer yourself.”
Tang Yue let out an “oh,” looked at Jiang Shulu, “I guess so.”
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