Chapter 36: The Small-Time Star and His Short-Tempered Sugar Daddy (Part XXXVI)
On the sixth day after the incident, which was also the day before Fang Yinnian planned to withdraw from the show, the production team organized a group camping trip.
Seventeen kilometers north of the ancient town lay a mountain famous locally for camping and stargazing.
Everyone packed their bags and set off by car at 7:30 sharp in the morning.
Aside from the driver, the nine-seater business van could seat exactly eight guests. The production crew took a separate vehicle.
Because Xiao Ji and Fang Yinnian’s attitudes had been so strange these past few days, everyone subconsciously huddled together, unwilling to get too close to either of them.
Xiao Ji, always punctual, was the first to board the bus right on time, taking a window seat in the last row.
By the time Fang Yinnian finished a last-minute phone call and boarded, the only empty seat left was the one next to Xiao Ji.
Fang Yinnian could only grit his teeth and sit beside Xiao Ji as if nothing was wrong.
Normally, when everyone was together, they didn’t spend time alone, so it didn’t matter if they didn’t stick close to each other.
But these past few nights, Xiao Ji had been sleeping in the courtyard, returning to the room at 7:59 AM sharp. Before they could exchange a word, the broadcast would start again.
Fang Yinnian had listened to the recording Xiao Ji sent him.
He had also been unable to resist secretly peeking through the corridor window several times at night, watching Xiao Ji lying on the bench in the courtyard.
His heart felt incredibly sour and astringent, but since he was the one who proposed ending things, and Xiao Ji had never spoken to him since—making it clear he was respecting Fang Yinnian’s opinion—Fang Yinnian couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride and strike up a conversation.
But now, sitting side by side, with Xiao Ji acting as if he didn’t exist and staring silently out the window, Fang Yinnian’s frustration reached its limit.
At this hour, the cameras in the car connected to the live stream hadn’t been turned on yet.
As the vehicle began to move, the people in the car started chatting in hushed tones.
While no one was paying attention, Fang Yinnian spoke to Xiao Ji:
“I heard the recording.”
Xiao Ji turned his head, glanced at him, and gave a slight nod to indicate he knew.
As their eyes met, Fang Yinnian suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his nose. He avoided Xiao Ji’s gaze and lowered his head.
In truth, Xiao Ji was aware that Fang Yinnian had been peeking at him sleeping in the courtyard these past few nights.
037 had been pestering him every day, asking what mission he wanted to swap to, annoying him to no end, but he simply couldn’t make a choice.
He sensed that Fang Yinnian was very sad right now. He didn’t understand—Fang Yinnian was the one who said it was over, and he was being obedient, so why was Fang Yinnian still sad?
All he knew was that his own heart was starting to feel blocked, too.
Xiao Ji stared at Fang Yinnian for a long time, staring until Fang Yinnian began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, Fang Yinnian couldn’t hold back and cursed in a low voice:
“Stop f*cking staring. Do you want to see me lose my cool that badly?”
Xiao Ji frowned, feeling that Fang Yinnian was being unreasonable.
He was losing his cool? Xiao Ji couldn’t even control his own eyes right now, staring at Fang Yinnian constantly; wasn’t he losing his cool too?
He didn’t know what to do.
Aside from telling him not to stare, Fang Yinnian hadn’t given any other commands.
037 was dying of anxiety.
[He’s about to shatter, buddy. Are you seriously just going to watch with empty eyes?]
Xiao Ji couldn’t stand hearing anyone else speak right now. Frowning, he reached out and took Fang Yinnian’s hand.
Fang Yinnian wanted to pull away, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He let Xiao Ji forcibly interlace their fingers, feeling like he wanted to cry even more now.
In a corner no one noticed, they held hands, each harboring their own thoughts, without saying a word.
The morning rush hour in the city was congested. By the time the driver reached the small road at the foot of the mountain, it was exactly eight o’clock.
As the live broadcast started, Xiao Ji finally let go of Fang Yinnian’s hand.
The guests’ vehicle arrived at the foot of the mountain alongside the camera crew’s car. According to the program team’s requirements, they had to hike up the mountain today, and the luggage had to be distributed among the guests themselves.
Mountain climbing was never easy, and carrying heavy loads made it worse. Everyone immediately started complaining.
Given the current relationships between everyone, it was hard to achieve a harmonious atmosphere of mutual help.
The girls were a bit better off; after the Cheng Nuo incident, they had actually become more united.
After distributing the weight they could carry within their capabilities, they turned their eyes to the four male guests.
“You four please distribute the rest. Our strength is limited; if we carry too much, I’m afraid we’ll drag everyone down,” Li Yun said, smiling at the men as she took the initiative to speak.
Cheng Nuo, who had already given up on his image, grabbed a few random things and made an excuse: “I haven’t been in good shape lately, so I can’t share too much of the burden. Sorry for the trouble.”
Zhao Jiatong didn’t say anything. She simply picked one of the three remaining backpacks, which looked to be the largest and heaviest, and slung it over his shoulder.
Fang Yinnian looked a bit listless and didn’t react.
Xiao Ji picked up the last two backpacks, weighed them in his hands, and then handed the lighter one to Fang Yinnian.
Fang Yinnian raised a hand to pull his sunglasses down from his forehead to cover his dark circles. Just as he was about to take the backpack, he heard Xiao Ji say:
“Hold this for me. You don’t need to carry it.”
With that, Xiao Ji slung the heavier backpack onto his back, then took the bag from Fang Yinnian’s hand and strapped it to his chest.
Fang Yinnian frowned. “What are you doing? Do you think I can’t carry this little bit of stuff?”
Xiao Ji glanced at him. “Shut up and climb your mountain.”
Fang Yinnian was usually domineering, but the moment he faced a Xiao Ji who was even more domineering than him, he would subconsciously be reined in.
After being scolded lightly, he settled down and followed behind Xiao Ji without a word.
The group set off toward the mountain peak. Fang Yinnian became the person with the lightest load, carrying only a bottle of mineral water in his hand.
Meanwhile, the audience outside the camera, after days of silence, finally became unusually active again:
【Does anyone get it? Why do I smell chemistry between them after they roomed together for a few nights?】
【Oh my god, I said it long ago. Xiao Ji can’t be whitewashed, but he’s born to be a top-tier dream guy in the gay community. Seeing him stand with President Fang makes me want to ship them.】
【I watched them the past few days and they didn’t seem to communicate much. Why does President Fang look so obedient?】
【No way, are they queerbaiting on a dating show now? Can the straight market stop doing this kind of thing? Can the BL shippers get out? I was already annoyed watching Xiao Ji.】
【What do you mean queerbaiting? Does President Fang need to do that? If you don’t like it, get out. Who forced your eyes open to watch?】
【Honestly, I wasn’t interested in dating shows, but I feel like One City Misty Rain has too much tea, both open and hidden. I can’t stop watching.】
【I don’t know why, but lately I feel like there’s an undercurrent surging between them, even though they’re silent on the surface. Is it my illusion?】
【Who still remembers President Fang calling Xiao Ji before? Was it true that he said he wanted to keep Xiao Ji as a sugar baby? I really want to ship this.】
【Rotten eyes see everything as gay. Living together inevitably leads to familiarity. Doesn’t Xiao Ji have this attitude with everyone? President Fang clearly looks a bit off these past two days, so taking care of each other is fine, right?】
………
Xiao Ji was well aware of the audience’s feedback.
Actually, he hadn’t decided whether he should reconcile with Fang Yinnian. He was afraid that even if they made up now, if he couldn’t give his whole heart, he wouldn’t receive Fang Yinnian’s true heart in return, and the mission would still end in failure.
But watching Fang Yinnian walking beside him, head drooping and devoid of his usual vigorous and decisive energy, Xiao Ji felt suffocated.
He walked with his head down for a long time.
When Fang Yinnian reached out and tugged at his backpack strap, asking if he was tired, he didn’t know what he was thinking, but he turned around and said to Fang Yinnian:
“Give me a sip of your water.”
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AHHHH YOU’RE BOTH KILLING ME WE READERS ARE ALSO FEELING SUFFOCATED OKAY!? you two just need to bone if one bone isn’t enough then two or three!!!!!