Chapter 42

　 Over the course of his twenty-five years, Xia Xiqing lived a life of constant curiosity. He stripped his heart from his body, retaining only his still-fresh exterior, and squandered his life in this kaleidoscopic world, as complex and dazzling as a kaleidoscope. He went to great lengths to extract substitutes for love from others, desperately using them to fill the emptiness within himself. He devoured them voraciously, yet no matter how much he consumed, he could never fill the gaping, bloody void.

Those negative, pessimistic emotions were used to nourish his artistic sensibilities. An artist who does not drain themselves of their emotions cannot create works that move others.

　 Xia Xiqing, who was adored by others, felt safe, believing himself to be safe. Everyone loves me; they all love me. How could such a person be miserable?

　 But now, it seems there is such a strange person. He bypasses the shell, heading straight for the weak heart he abandoned and hid in the small dark room, approaching the most dangerous area directly.

The alarm bells are ringing.

Xia Xiqing’s instinct for self-preservation makes him begin to fear.

“There won’t be a next time, I promise.” ” Xia Xiqing voluntarily withdrew from the embrace and gave Zhou Ziheng a cynical smile with practiced ease.

It was all just a stress response.

Zhou Ziheng was a little stunned; he had thought the embrace could last a little longer.

Xia Xiqing patted his shoulder and reached out toward the end of the passageway. “Let’s go up.” After saying that, he walked around Zhou Ziheng and stepped forward one step at a time.

“…Hmm.”

I was too obvious just now, worried too obviously, annoyed too obviously. Never mind, none of that matters.

What matters most is that my heart was beating too obviously.

　 The basement was completely airtight, suffocating to the point of making one’s heart ache. “Let’s be a team.”

　 Zhou Ziheng quickly cut her off, “I’ve traveled through every timeline to save you, and in the end, we were together in Timeline 3.”

　 Ruan Xiao looked at Zhou Ziheng with an expression that said, [What the heck are you talking about?] “Um… is that even a reason?”

Zhou Ziheng thought about it seriously and proposed another roundabout solution, “Then I’ll go find Shang Siru…”

　 “Wait, wait…” Ruan Xiao grabbed Zhou Ziheng and sighed, “I’ll be in your group.” Before Zhou Ziheng could respond, Ruan Xiao nudged his arm, “Hey, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you with Xia Xiqing?”

　 “Nothing.”

“Did you two fight? It’s not because of what happened today, is it?” Ruan Xiao’s voice suddenly grew louder.

Zhou Ziheng felt irritated and unconsciously furrowed his brows. “Yes, it’s because he caused me to lose.”

　 In a sense, this reason was completely valid.

“I see… You two really don’t want to admit defeat. It’s a little different from what I imagined.” Ruan Xiao laughed, “At first, I thought your relationship was very bad, but sometimes I feel like your relationship is pretty good. It’s so confusing. Can’t you two just be affectionate all the time?”

　 This direction… Zhou Ziheng frowned and stared at Ruan Xiao, who was smiling like an auntie, “Why would you want me and him to always be so affectionate?”

Ruan Xiao gave a subtle “you know” expression and pushed Zhou Ziheng with her palm, “Because I’m also a self-study girl!”

　 One production team, four guests: one wants to sleep with their fake fan, one wants to watch their fake fan sleep with their CP fan, and the last one has teamed up with the fake fan to form a rival CP…

Divine casting.

“Stop joking around.”

　 “I’m not joking. I’m serious.”

“No, please unfollow me.”

　 “I won’t. Please feed us some dog food!”

　 “It’s okay…” Xia Xiqing covered his chest, which had been hit by Zhou Ziheng’s camera, his beautiful almond-shaped eyes slightly curved, smiling in a way that seemed sincere yet not entirely so. His eyes fell on Ruan Xiao, who had stopped after bumping into Zhou Ziheng’s back, “What are you talking about? You seem so happy.”

　 Ruan Xiao paused, recalling Zhou Ziheng’s reluctance to be grouped with him earlier, and kept his mouth shut for him. “Nothing, just asking for a selfie favor for Zhou Ziheng’s fans.”

　 “Oh, I see.” Xia Xiqing swept the long hair scattered across his forehead back, his gaze returning to Zhou Ziheng, flashing the admiring smile a fan should have. “You haven’t posted a selfie in a while, idol.”

　 Zhou Ziheng had already figured out Xia Xiqing. He deliberately emphasized the word “idol” in a way that was unpleasant. He didn’t know where Xia Xiqing’s hostility was coming from at that moment, or why he was lashing out at him.

It was as if he thought Zhou Ziheng wouldn’t get angry.

　 Zhou Ziheng turned halfway around, handed the DV to Ruan Xiao, pulled out his phone from his pocket, swiped the screen to the right, and with his other hand, forcibly pulled Xia Xiqing to his side. The hand around his shoulder pressed down on hishead, while his right hand held the phone screen high.

　 Xia Xiqing raised his head and, upon seeing the screen, turned his face to stare at Zhou Ziheng, asking in a hostile tone, “What are you doing?”

“Taking a selfie.”

The shutter clicked, and Zhou Ziheng released Xia Xiqing, checking the photo he had taken.

“Don’t post it on Weibo. I’m warning you.”

　 “Fanservice,” Zhou Ziheng raised an eyebrow.

Although Xia Xiqing was angry, he maintained his usual gentle smile. “Ruan Xiao, you saw it. It was this big star who insisted on dragging me into a CP, and I was the one who was unwilling but forced to take a photo with him.” After saying that, he called out to Shang Sui, who was being taken away by the stylist for touch-ups, and left the room.

“I’m certain now,” Ruan Xiao hummed a few times, “the two of you must have had an argument.”

　 Zhou Ziheng didn’t bother to say anything else and put his phone back in his pocket.

“Hey, will you post the photo on Weibo later?” Ruan Xiao smiled and gave him a meaningful look. “You can send it to me on WeChat too.”

“Hurry up and take some behind-the-scenes photos.” Zhou Ziheng reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, which contained the photo.

　 Ruan Xiao shook her head. “I’m too tired. I can’t even keep my eyes open.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “It’s so late. Eating, drinking, and staying up late like this, I’ll definitely wake up looking like a pig tomorrow.”

　 No matter how much Shang Sirui tried to persuade her, Ruan Xiao insisted on going home to sleep. He had no choice but to shift his focus entirely to Zhou Ziheng, pulling and tugging at him while pouting, “You’re not allowed to escape! We have to drink until we’re drunk tonight! I haven’t had a chance to relax in a long time, so just accompany me for one drink~”

　 “I have to go back to Beijing for an audition…”

Shang Sirui retorted smugly, “I asked Xiao Luo! Your audition is the day after tomorrow! Don’t worry, it’s just one night of fun. Sake won’t get you drunk. Just think of it as relaxing after your final exams, okay?”

　 Zhou Ziheng was being shaken by Shang Sirui’s arm, his ears filled with his various persuasive words, yet he seemed unaffected, listening to the conversation between Xia Xiqing and Ruan Xiao standing nearby.

“Xiqing, did you change your perfume? This one smells so good. I fell in love with it at the airport.”

　 “You mean the one I’m wearing? Oh, this is my… friend’s perfume.”

“What brand is it?”

“Super Cedar? I don’t remember, but it’s a pretty silly name.”

“Haha, is it okay to say that about your friend…”  

 I had already forgotten about it, but his vulnerable side triggered my protective instincts, making me forget his promiscuous nature.

Friend? I think he’s more of a casual partner.

Here we go again, my heart is acting up. It’s not exactly painful, but it feels sour and swollen, making me uncomfortable.

　 “Alright,” Zhou Ziheng lifted his head and conceded to Shang Sirui. Shang Sirui, who had been persistently pursuing him, was startled by Zhou Ziheng’s sudden surrender. After a moment of shock, he embraced Zhou Ziheng. “Really? You’ll accompany me? That’s so kind of you. I’m so happy~”

　 After Ruan Xiao left, Shang Siru dragged Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing downstairs. Even though it was nearly midnight, there were still quite a few fans gathered downstairs, all girls, who started screaming as soon as they saw Shang Siru leading the way.

“Ah ah ah, San San!”

　 “Holy crap, Xia, Shang, and Zhou are out!”

“Ah ah ah, my self-study!”

“Hengheng! Mom loves you!”

　 Xia Xiqing wore a mask before coming out. Although he didn’t particularly like crowded environments, he still instinctively put on a friendly face, walking with a slight smile and head bowed. When he encountered fans excitedly calling his name, he would wave his hand slightly.

　 Shang Sirui was different. As an idol, he was already used to such scenes and waved his hand confidently, greeting his fans.

　 Only Zhou Ziheng, who was walking at the back, wasn’t as friendly as the others. Instead, he gave the fans a serious lecture, “Thank you for waiting so long, but it’s so late now, and it’s really dangerous. What if something happens to you on your way home? Who will be responsible?”

　 When the fans heard Zhou Ziheng say this, their screams suddenly subsided, and they responded softly, like little animals accepting criticism, “We understand. We just wanted to see you…”

　 “Don’t do this again.”

The equivalent of this sentence would be “This won’t happen again.”

It turned out that his defense mechanism had malfunctioned. The other person was just a habitual good Samaritan, showing extra concern for you, a mentally unstable and dangerous individual.

　 Taking his bias seriously was utterly foolish.

Xia Xiqing sat close to Shang Sirui, leaning his head on his shoulder after getting into the car.

“What’s wrong?” Shang Sirui, who was playing with hsis phone, turned his face to look at Xia Xiqing.

　 “Tired and hungry.”

Shang Sirui smiled like a sunflower, raised his hand, and gently patted Xia Xiqing’s head. “It’ll be okay soon. I’ll tell you about that Japanese restaurant—it’s absolutely delicious… Their sake is also good, but I heard that the hotel’s sake is also good…”

“Let’s take a selfie.”

　 Xia Xiqing suddenly spoke up, interrupting Shang Sirui’s chatter.

“Huh?”

　 “Let’s take a selfie and post it on Weibo. We just finished recording the show, right? They’ve been waiting for so long, let’s give them a little treat.” Xia Xiqing spoke softly, sounding very serious, his head still resting on his shoulder.

“Yeah, let’s give our CP fans some sugar, hahaha.”

　 As a member of a boy band that had been forced by the company to promote their relationship for years, Shang Sirui was already very familiar with this routine. He took out his phone and snapped a photo in this pose. To emphasize the dominant and submissive roles, he deliberately adopted a cool, raised-eyebrow expression. He had originally intended to reach out and touch Xia Xiqing’s chin, but noticed that he was wearing a mask, so he instead pointed at him with his index finger.

　 The shutter clicked, and Xia Xiqing lifted his head, removing the mask and balling it up in his palm.

Zhou Ziheng, who hadn’t noticed anything yet, closed the car door and sat in the single seat on the right side by the bed. He looked out the window with some concern at the group of girls still standing outside.

　 He lowered his head, just having fastened his seatbelt, when he heard Shang Sirui excitedly shouting at him, “Hey, Ziheng, quickly like my Weibo post! I just posted it~”

With a slightly half-hearted “Oh,” Zhou Ziheng took out his phone, opened the Weibo homepage, and refreshed it.

　 Sure enough, Shang Sirui’s new Weibo post appeared.

[@HighFive Shang Sirui: A self-destructive player who got so into recording the show he went into autistic mode.]

　 The accompanying photo was a selfie he had just taken. In the photo, Xia Xiqing, wearing a mask, leaned obediently against Shang Sirui’s shoulder, revealing only his deceptively beautiful eyes, innocent and pure.

What was this?

　 Zhou Ziheng accidentally tapped the home button and exited the Weibo interface. He paused for a second, opened the photo album, and stared at the latest thumbnail in the [Camera Roll] album—the so-called group photo he had forced himself to take.

　 He was so angry that he directly opened the photo, hovering his thumb over the small blue trash can icon in the bottom right corner.

Gritting his teeth tightly, he heavily clicked the icon, selecting the [Delete Photo] option in a fit of anger.

　 Then Zhou Ziheng returned to the Weibo interface, neither feeling relieved nor satisfied, and liked Shang Sirui’s Weibo post.

He unconsciously turned his head, only to accidentally lock eyes with Xia Xiqing. He leaned lazily against the seatback, turning his face to look at him, his expression a mix of a smile and a frown.

　 Zhou Ziheng almost laughed coldly. But Xia Xiqing stuck his tongue out at him.

His chin lifted slightly, like a mischievous three-year-old.

Author’s Note:

Xia Xiqing has been turned into a child by Zhou Ziheng. It’s unbearable to watch.

　 Countdown to the [official ambiguous phase]…