Chapter 29: “Teacher Xie, Where Are You Stepping?”
Xie Shibai didn’t hold his phone steadily. The sudden burning chest made his heart skip a beat. Hot breath swept against his ear. He subconsciously reached out to press against the chest behind him, his palm touching a patch of exposed, hot skin. He could vaguely feel the muscles under his palm, taut and firm.
Lu Ciheng had come to hug him without even wearing a shirt.
Xie Shibai gritted his teeth. “Who promised you? Don’t stand so close to me; you’re very hot.”
Lu Ciheng tilted his head, grabbing Xie Shibaiās hand and placing it on his abs. “Am I? Touch it again.”
Xie Shibai, who was forced to feel the abs: “You…”
Lu Cihengās abs weren’t just for show. Each block was solid and unadorned, exuding strength. Touching them, one could feel the hard, firm muscle, and tracing the grooves of the abdomen provided a textured sensation. The feel of it wasn’t bad.
“Is it very hot? I feel fine. Teacher Xie, your hands are indeed cold.” Lu Ciheng asked with a light chuckle, “However, it doesn’t matter if Teacher Xie doesn’t want to help today. There’s plenty of time in the future. Let’s proceed with today’s treatment first.”
Xie Shibai: “…”
Whether he helped or not, he couldn’t escape the desensitization training.
Xie Shibai pulled his hand back. “Put your clothes on first.”
Lu Ciheng didn’t blink. “Didn’t Teacher Xie say I was hot? Putting on clothes would make me hotter. Better to stay shirtless to cool down.”
Xie Shibaiās slender hand pinched the side of Lu Cihengās neck, pushing him away as he turned to wash his hands. “If you’re hot, roll to the balcony to cool down.”
Lu Ciheng looked stunned for two seconds. He touched the spot on his neck where Xie Shibai had touched. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his mouth felt a bit dry. He whispered, “Damn, now I’m actually hot.”
Online public opinion was fermenting more and more. Yu Ruiās agency quickly entered the fray to control the narrative, trying to portray Wu Ke as the villain. They threw down a bunch of fabricated stories, hoping to muddy the waters.
In the past, with professional fans and an experienced agency steering the rhythm, it was easy to shift the blame to the other party and successfully smear them. But this time, the gossip-eating netizens had discovered it themselves and analyzed it frame by frame. They simply wouldn’t believe what the agency said.
Paparazzi with inventory took advantage of the heat to release explosive material. The hot search was completely dominated by Yu Ruiās domestic violence. A gentle senior on the surface, secretly abusing his wifeāany leak was massive traffic. Basically, anyone with a nose for news was watching these two.
Fans seeing various high-definition exposed photos still wouldn’t give up, trying to find traces of Photoshop. But the more they investigated, the easier it was to find that the problem really lay with Yu Rui. Normal fans had run away as soon as they realized something was wrong; at this point, they were directly turning back to attack him.
What marketing accounts and paparazzi couldn’t dig up, the old fans had in abundance. Stealing resources, acting like a diva, bullying within the circleāthey had it all. The previous agency had suppressed it well, but now they were already burnt out, calling Yu Rui to curse at him.
From the moment public opinion began to ferment, Yu Rui had already lost several endorsements and started facing penalty fees. Many netizens tagged the official Infinite Heartbeat account directly, asking how they would handle the abuser.
Infinite Heartbeat officially announced an indefinite suspension of Yu Ruiās recording and the termination of his contract. If Wu Ke agreed, they would sign a separate recording contract with her, with her pay remaining unchanged.
[That scum is still with Wu Ke. Will he hurt her again when he sees the hot search?] [Damn, damn. Production team, look at this comment! Separate them immediately!!!] [Yu Rui really knew how to pretend before. So many interviews, yet no one knew.] [The company behind Yu Rui is very powerful. If Infinite Heartbeat wasn’t so popular this time, causing it to blow up fast, they definitely would have suppressed it.] [Is the non-celebrity sister-in-law a love-brain?] [Latest news! The sister-in-law has already filed for divorce.] [Good, good! As long as sheās not a love-brain.] [But there’s a high probability Yu Rui won’t get much punishment. After all, his backer is big. Wu Ke might suffer a loss.] [Very likely. Yu Rui’s company has stepped in. Haven’t you noticed a lot of bloggers suddenly saying Wu Ke has problems? Even earning this kind of ominous money.] [Insider news: there are new regulations. Yu Rui might actually go into the ‘orange’ (police station) to stomp sewing machines (jail time).]
The recording of Infinite Heartbeat continued as usual, but Yu Rui had already been called back by his agency. Before leaving, his face was ugly, and he threw a tantrum, completely failing to realize that this problem couldn’t be easily settled with money like before.
On the other side, Director Tan had cursed Yu Rui thoroughly and was frantically looking for guests to fill the gap. It was already hard for the program to find guests, and with Yu Ruiās incident, everyone felt their relationships couldn’t withstand a full-day live broadcast for fear of exposing flaws and failing.
But the atmosphere in the Heartbeat Hut was exceptionally harmonious. Mu Zhenzhen proposed eating hot pot to celebrate, which was passed unanimously. They even swapped soft drinks for alcohol, determined to celebrate Wu Keās escape from the sea of suffering.
The emotions of the netizens who came to the livestream to watch the situation were stirred up.
[Feels like everyone is so happy.] [Of course they’re happy. The only one who ruined the atmosphere is going in to stomp sewing machines.] [Wu Keās state seems okay, eh.] [Everyone is so warm.]
Considering the day was special, the production team didn’t arrange extra small activities and postponed the original plans, essentially giving both the cast and the film crew a day off.
The atmosphere around the stove eating hot pot was even better than the previous activities. The number of viewers in the livestream room grew higher and higher. Besides Wu Ke, the ones with the most heat were Xie Shibai and Lu Ciheng.
After eating, Xie Shibai stood on the balcony enjoying the breeze. Wu Ke walked over to thank him seriously.
“Thank you so much, Teacher Xie. If it weren’t for you, it might not have gone so smoothly.”
Only one camera was on in the living room; the audio equipment didn’t reach the balcony.
Xie Shibai said calmly, “It has nothing to do with me. You were brave yourself.”
He leaned against the balcony railing, looking at the trees not far away, and couldn’t help scratching his arm through his clothes.
Wu Ke said a lot more intermittently, then said sincerely, “You and Teacher Lu are truly a good match. I wish you eternal happiness.”
Xie Shibaiās drifting thoughts returned. He looked puzzled. “Lu Ciheng and I are a good match?”
Wu Ke nodded repeatedly. “Mn, a super good match. The best match I’ve seen in the circle in all these years.”
Xie Shibaiās gaze fell back inside the hut, looking at Lu Ciheng, who was brewing coffee at the kitchen island, with a head full of question marks.
Their state was full of holes. Despite their efforts, they might be exposed as a plastic couple by others in the next second. A good match?
Xie Shibai felt helpless. “You’ll know later.”
When their agreement expired, and they ‘broke up’ in the public eye, she would know.
Mu Zhenzhen came over with a beer in hand. “Sister Ke, what are your plans for later?”
Wu Ke thought for a few seconds and smiled. “Yu Rui made a lot over the years. He didn’t have time to transfer assets, so I should be able to get fifty percent. I’ve taken a long vacation to travel around the world. I’ve always liked France, so I decided to go there and have fun since I have the time.”
Xie Shibai looked at the expanse of mountain forest. The breeze rustled the leaves, and he seemed to feel the lightness of the person beside him.
She was freeāa bird escaping its cage. Wu Ke had embarked on the path that Ming Yu had always wanted but never obtained.
Mu Zhenzhenās eyes lit up as soon as she heard France. She hurriedly said, “Sister Ke, let me tell you, I heard French male models are amazing. You definitely shouldn’t miss out!”
Wu Keās eyes widened, and her face turned red instantly.
Mu Zhenzhen glanced at the hut and couldn’t help feeling melancholy. “I don’t have a chance right now. If I get the chance, I’ll definitely go with you.”
Xie Shibai silently turned and left the two girls’ bestie session.
Mu Zhenzhen didn’t realize what was happening and wanted to call him back. “Why is Teacher Xie leaving?”
Wu Ke quickly pulled Mu Zhenzhen back. “We’re recording a show, and you’re saying things like that?”
Mu Zhenzhen waved her hand nonchalantly, acting candid. “It’s fine, the camera can’t catch it anyway. Even if it does, so what? Who doesn’t love male models?”
Wu Ke: “…”
When Xie Shibai received Chen Qisheng’s call, he was looking for his slippers. After searching for a while and failing to find them, he simply gave up, stepping barefoot on the floor as he listened to Chen Qishengās report.
Chen Qisheng: “Yu Rui is lucky he caught up with the new regulations. Plus, the discussion is widespread, and the higher-ups want to set an example. There shouldn’t be any issues; itāll be the maximum penalty. Congratulations to him on establishing a ‘Pure Prison Style’ persona.”
Yu Ruiās agency originally wanted to protect him. They planned to negotiate privately with Wu Ke for compensation, then accuse her of extortion and fraud online, call the police, and add water armies to whitewash Yu Rui while splashing dirty water on Wu Ke. Since she was a non-celebrity, she posed no threat to them; they could cyberbully her with the lift of a finger.
Once the preliminary plan was done, they would release fake news about people with higher heat than them to provoke topics. Yu Ruiās agency did this often; they were a famous cancer in the industry. Without guessing, one knew that in this situation, the only ones who could distract netizens effectively without costing much money to buy black hot searches were Xie Shibai and Lu Ciheng.
A little fake news that could be clarified would get them two free hot searches and easily divert netizens’ attention.
Chen Qisheng had seen through this as soon as the idea formed and intercepted it directly. His hard-line approach ensured the man would go in to stomp sewing machines.
Xie Shibai originally wanted to go to the balcony. He pushed the balcony door open, looked at his bare feet, frowned, and abandoned the idea. “They are very confident they can easily destroy other people’s lives.”
Chen Qisheng raised an eyebrow, immediately guessing Xie Shibaiās thoughts. “Then let them experience what it means to be at a dead end.”
Xie Shibai gave a quiet “Mn.”
Chen Qisheng then reported some movements of the Xie family and the status of Xie Lingxi’s company going public.
When Xie Shibai hung up the phone and turned around, his gaze touched the figure behind him, and he froze for a few seconds. “When did you get here?”
Lu Ciheng stared straight at him. The intense gaze and brief silence made Xie Shibaiās heart sink involuntarily.
He wasn’t sure when Lu Ciheng had arrived or which part he had heard.
Regardless of what he heard, he might think Xie Shibai was excessive.
Ruthlessly suppressing others without leaving any leeway was considered unforgivable in a place where one should usually leave a way out.
Moreover, the two were in a cooperative relationship. For Lu Ciheng, cooperating with such a person carried far more risk than reward. No one liked a partner who was too tough and terrifying; if they couldn’t guess the person’s heart, they might be the next target.
“Teacher Xie,” Lu Ciheng said slowly.
Xie Shibaiās fingers tightened slightly. He looked at Lu Ciheng expressionlessly.
He didn’t need others to judge right or wrong.
“How can you be barefoot?” Lu Ciheng said seriously. “You know there are many acupuncture points on the feet. Your stomach is already bad; do you think it doesn’t hurt enough when your stomach acts up?”
Xie Shibaiās long eyelashes trembled, his eyes widening slightly. Lu Cihengās reaction was somewhat unexpected.
Lu Ciheng strode forward. Under Xie Shibaiās surprised gaze, he bent down slightly, wrapped his arm quickly around the back of Xie Shibaiās thighs, and lifted him up directly. He held him steadily with one hand, even hefting him gently as if weighing him. After a moment, he clicked his tongue.
Still so light.
Xie Shibai was startled, his heart skipping a beat. He grabbed Lu Cihengās shoulders, tried to push him, and gritted his teeth. “Lu Ciheng, what are you doing? Put me down.”
Lu Ciheng supported him with one arm and covered Xie Shibaiās back with the other hand to prevent him from falling. He walked purposefully toward the bed, his tone unable to hide his amusement. “Don’t move around, or you’ll fall and hurt yourself.”
Xie Shibaiās fair, slender fingers crumpled the clothes on Lu Cihengās back. He had never been treated like this before. He was even thinking that doing desensitization training with Lu Ciheng was a huge mistake; once used to hugging, this person would just push for more.
Lu Ciheng approached the bedside, protected Xie Shibai with his palm, and placed him steadily on the bed. Then, he naturally squatted down, his large, warm palms grasping Xie Shibaiās feet.
Lu Ciheng sighed as if having a headache. “Cold as expected.”
Xie Shibaiās fingers clenched slightly. His soles felt strongly uncomfortable being pressed against the hot palms. He moved his foot, but Lu Cihengās hand held on firmly, with no intention of letting go.
Lu Ciheng thought for a few seconds. “I remember the slippers were taken to be washed. Where are the spares again?”
Xie Shibai: “Let go.”
Lu Ciheng squeezed the sole of Xie Shibaiās foot, the corners of his lips hooking up. “Teacher Xie, I’m helping you warm your feet. Don’t move.”
Xie Shibaiās patience reached its limit. He pulled his foot out forcefully. As he kicked the man away, due to his posture, his foot slipped slightly and stepped directly onto Lu Cihengās abdomen.
As soon as he stepped down, he could feel the abdominal muscles under the fabric suddenly tighten. The sound of a sharp intake of breath reached his ears.
Xie Shibaiās movement paused. His gaze abruptly met Lu Cihengās black eyes.
Lu Cihengās dark eyes flashed with a dim light of excitement. The thick, dark gaze locked onto him tightly. He held Xie Shibaiās foot and ground it against himself, his tone low. “Teacher Xie, where are you stepping?”
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