Chapter 26

Zhou Ziheng got off Xia Xiqing and silently straightened his clothes.

“I don’t like men,” his voice returned to its original calmness, “don’t waste your time on me.”

Xia Xiqing remained in the same position on the sofa, raising his hand to wipe his lips, smearing blood across his palm, then snorting derisively.

“I’ve heard that line so many times my ears are calloused,” Xia Xiqing sneered, glancing at him with disdain. The blood-stained corner of his mouth curled up, giving him an otherworldly beauty.

“They all ended up in my bed in the end.”

An irrational obsessive.

He didn’t even glance at Xia Xiqing as he slammed the door and left.

Zhou Ziheng finally realized that Xia Xiqing’s feelings for him were nothing more than a desire to win, like a serial killer seeking the next victim to satisfy his obsessive hobby.

He had been chosen, that was all.

Thinking of this, the frustration in his chest expanded, squeezing his chest and pressing on his heart. When he first met Xia Xiqing, he had only felt disgust, so much so that he didn’t even want to say another word to him, but now he couldn’t explain how this emotion had changed.

Anger, frustration, resentment—each seemed to fit, yet none captured the full depth of his feelings.

After Zhou Ziheng left, Xia Xiqing lay alone on the sofa for a long time, his mind in disarray, repeatedly replaying the scene of that kiss. He felt some regret, but it wasn’t the kind of regret or guilt that comes from doing something wrong. This emotion was more like trying to solve a complex math problem.

There was a simpler, more elegant algorithm available, yet he had resorted to brute force.

Such a hasty and brutal kiss had completely shattered the delicate and dangerous balance between the two of them. This utterly foolish action was something Xia Xiqing would never have done, no matter how overwhelmed he was in the past. His previous opponents were no easier than Zhou Ziheng, but he had always remained calm and composed, strategizing and countering every move.

He took a deep breath, stumbled off the sofa, turned off the TV in frustration, and went upstairs.

Every light in the house was on; Xia Xiqing had not slept all night.

In the morning, he received a message from Jiang Yin.

[Are you there? The show’s ratings are through the roof. Now XX Magazine is inviting you and Zi Heng to do a special feature, a double cover and inner pages. Do you have time tonight?]

Xia Xiqing was about to reply that he was busy when the phone rang. He hesitated for a moment but answered it anyway.

“How’s your decision coming along?”

This woman really has a fiery personality, Xia Xiqing laughed, “You make it sound like I have time to consider it.”

“Among the five major magazines, this is the only one that Zi Heng hasn’t appeared in yet, and this time they’ve arranged for Lin Mo to shoot it. You should know how difficult it is to get him.”

Lin Mo’s reputation was indeed considerable, and he was also considered part of the art circle. Xia Xiqing had heard of him, but not only for his professional abilities, but also for his private life, which was comparable to Xia Xiqing’s.

“So what?” Xia Xiqing leaned back on the bed. “What does that have to do with me?”

Jiang Yin couldn’t quite figure out the change in his attitude. He had seemed so willing to cooperate before. She hesitated over her words, “Are you unwilling?”

“Yes, I’m unwilling,” Xia Xiqing answered bluntly. “Not only am I unwilling, but your big star is even more unwilling.”

Is this related to Zhou Ziheng? Jiang Yin was puzzled. “Have you two had a falling out?”

“Do we have any shortage of conflicts between us?” Xia Xiqing turned his neck wearily, lit a cigarette for himself, and said, “Let him go on his own.”

“The other party specifically asked you to go with him.” Jiang Yin sighed. “You probably don’t realize how popular your CP is right now. Did you know that the ratings for the first episode broke 5 yesterday? Your names are almost all over the top ten of the hot search list. The girls online are going crazy. I’ve never seen netizens obsess over a CP this much before. Everyone is sharing clips of you two from the show. It’s all over the place.”

Xia Xiqing thought back to last night’s scene and couldn’t help but speak sarcastically, “So what? It’s all just an act. What, now you want me to take it seriously and handle the aftermath?”

Jiang Yin was taken aback. The Xia Xiqing before her seemed vastly different from the elegant rogue she remembered, as if he’d swallowed a bullet. “I’m not sure what happened between you two… When I notified Zi Heng earlier, he didn’t respond either. He’s probably still asleep. But this opportunity is truly rare. We’ve been striving to secure fashion industry connections all along…” ”

“If you really want me to go with him,” Xia Xiqing suddenly interrupted, “then he needs to apologize to me.”

Jiang Yin was taken aback. “Apologize?”

“Yes, have your big star apologize to me.”

Jiang Yin finally realized how difficult it was to be caught in the middle.

For some reason, Xia Xiqing felt much better after that. He took a shower, went to the studio, sat in front of the blank canvas, and couldn’t help but lick his lower lip as Zhou Ziheng’s face kept popping into his mind.

Ouch, that hurts.

Xia Xiqing frowned and abandoned his first choice when he picked up the pencil. He had promised Shang Sui a painting, but it had been so long since he had even started. He sketched a rough draft with a pencil based on his memory, and the coloring didn’t take too long either, but the result turned out quite well. The watercolor-mixed duck egg yellow had a strong presence on the paper, exuding a sense of youthful innocence in the sunlight.

After signing his name, Xia Xiqing took a photo and sent it to Shang Siru, who replied almost instantly. He even began to doubt whether this was still the same busy idol with a schedule so packed it could kill someone.

[San San: Ahhhhhhhhh, it’s so beautiful! Master, please accept my bow!]

[Xiqing: Where is your company? Once I finish the other painting, I’ll drive it over to you.]

[San San: Hold the master! I’ll send you the location later. Hey, can I post this picture on Weibo now?]

[Xiqing: Of course.]

Just as he put down his phone, another message came in. Xia Xiqing picked it up and saw that it was Shang Suiwei tagging him on Weibo.

[HighFive Shang Suiwei: Love you @Tsing_Summer PS: Did everyone watch yesterday’s show?]

That was quick, Xia Xiqing smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. After thinking about it, since they were all guests on the show, it seemed appropriate to retweet it as a gesture of goodwill, so he retweeted the Weibo post and added a heart emoji.

His repost immediately went viral among Shang Sirui’s fans, which made Xia Xiqing feel a bit uncomfortable. Although he had heard phrases like “divine wife” and “master” before, suddenly switching to a different group and becoming someone else’s fan felt strange.

[San San, the cutest in the world: Ahhh, Mrs. Xiqing! Oh my god, my two favorite people from the show!]

[Rui Bao is so cute today: I’m crying so hard! I didn’t expect these two to be so close! Thank you, Madam, for the drawing! (I’ll stand by this CP for a second.)]

[I love San San: The art style is so beautiful! Madam was so kind to San San in the show. Thank you, Madam!]

…

Not long after, their names appeared together on the trending list. Xia Xiqing knew it was probably bought by Shang Sui’s agency, but he didn’t expect that when he clicked on the trending list, there were really so many people discussing it.

[I’m a Marshmallow: When I watched it yesterday, the comments were all praising the self-study CP, but I think the Qing Si CP is also very cute. I feel like Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing are too confrontational, lacking trust. Qing Si is so harmonious and loving. Even though they’re strangers, they have this instant connection. Plus, Mrs. Xiqing is so gentle with Sui Rui. The way she looks at him when she talks is just too heartwarming.]

That’s all an act. Xia Xiqing swiped down with his finger.

[Peter Pan Aries: Exactly! This couple is so cute! Xia Xiqing spoils Sui Rui so much! A gentle top and a cute bottom—how could that not be appealing, everyone?]

[Who Isn’t a Cutie: I still prefer the self-study CP. Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing’s chemistry is off the charts. Every glance they exchange is sparks flying, I wouldn’t believe it if they didn’t have something going on!]

[ABCD Little F: I also prefer Zixi. The atmosphere between this couple is so sensual. Every word they say makes me imagine ten thousand words of erotic fiction. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered such a divine CP!]

[Xia Da World Championship: A casual fan reporting in. This pair during self-study is just… I automatically imagine them in every one of Xia Da’s stories. They’re so perfect together, I just want them to get married right there! If Xia Da’s stories were to be adapted into a live-action show, I’d only want to see them two play the roles.]

A marketing influencer posted photos of the three of them together, with the Weibo title directly stating, “[Highly Rated Reality Show ‘Escape from Heaven’ Premieres—Which CP Are You Teaming Up With?]” This Weibo post received nearly 10,000 comments, gathering fujoshi and casual fans from various circles, all arguing fiercely for their respective CPs.

[Keeping Alive with Milk Tea: I think all three members of the Dynasty Group are adorable. Let’s have a threesome! I’ve even thought of a name for it: “Xia Shang Zhou”!]

…

If this continues, it will turn into a fight. Xia Xiqing closed Weibo and prepared to continue drawing, when suddenly he received a WeChat message.

[Moral Standard-Bearer: Come with me to shoot a magazine.]

Xia Xiqing chuckled. This person must be a bit off their rocker.

After waiting for a while, Zhou Ziheng still didn’t reply. Xia Xiqing became increasingly annoyed. Looking at the room full of Zhou Ziheng’s portraits made him feel even more frustrated, so he walked out of the studio and went to the balcony. He took a cigarette out of the pack, but the lighter didn’t work. He pressed it several times, but no flame came out.

He simply crumpled the cigarette into a ball.

The phone screen remained on the chat interface with Zhou Ziheng. Leaning against the balcony, he stared at the top of the screen, which kept displaying “The other party is typing…” But no matter how long he waited, he couldn’t receive a message from him.

Just like the lighter that wouldn’t light no matter how many times he tried.

[Terrorist: Are you done yet? What the hell are you waiting for?]

After a few seconds, the message finally arrived.

[Moral Exemplar: I’m sorry.]

Xia Xiqing exhaled deeply, feeling like he had narrowly avoided being burned.

[Moral Exemplar: I shouldn’t have bitten you. Yesterday, I was afraid that pushing you away would hurt you, so I didn’t dare to use force, but you were too… too much, and I lost my temper. I had no other choice. It was my fault.]

This was not what Xia Xiqing wanted to hear.

He had nothing to apologize for, because Zhou Ziheng hadn’t done anything wrong, but he just wanted Zhou Ziheng to beg him, to repair the pride he had lost yesterday when Zhou Ziheng had crushed it.

But Zhou Ziheng really apologized to him, as sincerely as a child who had done something wrong.

Suddenly, he didn’t know what to say.

It was like punching a pillow.

After a long time, Xia Xiqing finally replied with a message.

[Terrorist: Come pick me up.]

Zhou Ziheng’s schedule was tight, and he barely slept all night. He had taken a day off to prepare for the next day’s advertisement, but ended up shooting the ad in a half-asleep state. During the shoot, Jiang Yin kept urging him to apologize to Xia Xiqing. At first, he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt he was also at fault and had done something wrong. His sense of guilt grew heavier, and he couldn’t help but contact Xia Xiqing.

He had thought he could finally relax, and his mood had lightened considerably. The commercial was filmed smoothly, but on the way back to the company, he suddenly saw a Weibo post by Shang Siru.

He suddenly felt uneasy.

It turned out that he could draw so beautifully for others.

When he clicked on the retweets and comments, they were all from Shang Sirui’s fans, as well as fans of the CP pairing of Xia Xiqing and Shang Sirui. For some reason, Zhou Ziheng felt like he had entered the enemy’s camp.

Especially when he saw Xia Xiqing’s heart emoji, it was so glaring. He accidentally clicked on Xia Xiqing’s homepage and saw a Weibo post he had liked, and Zhou Ziheng instantly felt unhappy.

[I am a marshmallow: When I watched it yesterday, the comments were all praising the Zixi CP, but I think the Qingsi CP is also very cute. It feels like Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing are too confrontational, lacking trust, constantly testing each other. Qing Si, on the other hand, is harmonious and loving. Even though they’re strangers, there’s an instant connection. Plus, Xiqing’s wife is so gentle with Sui Rui, and the way she looks at him when she speaks is just too heartwarming.]

They’re at odds with each other, there’s no sense of trust, and they’re testing each other.

Even though he didn’t say a single wrong word, Zhou Ziheng still feels uncomfortable, especially after finding out that Xia Xiqing liked that post.

After successfully apologizing, he thought everything would be fine and felt relieved and happy. The ups and downs in his mood are so extreme that even Zhou Ziheng himself can’t figure it out.

Xiao Luo, the assistant driving in front, suddenly spoke up: “Ziheng, are we heading back to Huasheng Tianfu now?”

Zhou Ziheng shook his head. “I’m not going back. Take me to the company, then go to Huasheng Tianfu to pick up Xia Xiqing.”

Xiao Luo hummed in response, not finding anything amiss, assuming Zhou Ziheng probably didn’t want to get too close to his fans.

[Today I cried again for someone else’s beautiful love: If Zhou Ziheng doesn’t become famous, it’s against the laws of nature.]

[Who can say otherwise? Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing’s interactions are so full of tension yet subtly suggestive. There are so many iconic scenes and lines, like, “I didn’t ask you to trust me; I let you use me.” This line is perfect, paired with the scene where Xiqing grabs Zhou Ziheng! Please write fan fiction, ladies!]

[CindyCandy: And at the beginning, they were initialized in the first room, handcuffed and blindfolded! I don’t believe I’m the only one who imagined that! Rounding up, that’s a luxury car!]

[Xinyue Junxi: But to be honest, it feels like Zhou Ziheng doesn’t really like Xia Xiqing, even though Xia Xiqing is his fan. Maybe he feels that kind of idol-fan distance. Throughout the show, he barely spoke to Xia Xiqing at all, acting very cold, and didn’t even follow his Weibo. Yesterday, during the show’s premiere, Zhou Ziheng and Xia Xiqing didn’t interact on Weibo either, and Xia Xiqing even liked the post he made with Shang Siru. Don’t hit me—I’m just sharing my thoughts.]

Upon seeing this post, Zhou Ziheng’s finger paused as he scrolled through the screen, feeling a mix of wanting to refute it but also being unable to.

[I like eating rabbits: Wow, analyzing it this way, these three really are in a mess. Xia Xiqing is Zhou Ziheng’s fan, but she liked his post with Shang Siru. I really want to interview Zhou Ziheng and ask him how he feels now 233333 ]

I feel very bad. Zhou Ziheng’s brows furrowed deeply, and the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

CP pairing is fake to begin with, and they all know it. It’s just a combination of interests. No matter which of the three it is, almost any random combination would benefit them.

But he still felt like he had lost. After all, his CP with Xia Xiqing had been an overwhelming victory across the entire internet. Overnight, fan art, fan fiction, screenshots, and edits of them were everywhere, with everyone praising them to the skies. Yet seeing just one or two Weibo posts still made him uncomfortable.

Especially the last two.

So, out of spite, he didn’t answer Xia Xiqing’s classmate Zhou Ziheng’s call, switched to his own secondary account, and liked a trainload of posts featuring his and Xia Xiqing’s CP, liking one post after another to vent his frustration.

Just as he was getting into it, several chat windows popped up on WeChat.

[Terrorist: You have all the right words when it comes to apologizing, but when you stand someone up, you can’t even be bothered to make up an excuse with your assistant?]

[Terrorist: Why don’t I stand you up tonight too?]

[Terrorist: I’m really curious, big star, what are you busy with right now?]