Su Lanqiao was really clingy, and when he acted cute, Chu Cheng really couldn't do anything about it. The program team had a week off, and he didn't have much work recently, so he forcefully found various excuses to stay at Chu Cheng's house for six days.
For several days in a row, Chu Cheng pushed away any evening social engagements and went home early.
The more proactive Su Lanqiao became, the more diligent and diverse his services became.
There was a moment when Chu Cheng also had the idea that it would be nice to live like this with someone.
On Sunday morning at seven o'clock, Chu Cheng lay on his side, reached out to turn off the alarm on his phone, and closed his eyes to sleep a little while longer.
He heard a rustling sound behind him and before he could turn around, he felt warm air blowing on his neck, followed by a warm sensation pressing against the back of his neck.
It was Su Lanqiao's lips.
This kid was getting more and more presumptuous, wanting to take advantage of him even when he was asleep.
The first few times they slept in the same bed, Su Lanqiao slept properly, very honest, with his whole body straight.
It almost made him think that he had a really good sleeping posture.
Now, the warmth emitted by Su Lanqiao made him a little itchy, and the sensation spread deeper into him. But he thought he had been indulgent lately, and Su Lanqiao had to go back to record the program in the afternoon, so he suppressed his thoughts.
Chu Cheng pushed away the hand on his waist and turned around, trying to create some space between them, but Su Lanqiao, seemingly unconsciously, quickly stuck back and buried his head in the crook of his neck, rubbing against it.
Chu Cheng sighed and helplessly embraced him, closing his eyes to sleep again.
When he woke up again, it was almost noon. Su Lanqiao hurriedly got up from the bed, muttering as he packed his things, "Oh no, I’m supposed to report at twelve o'clock, I might be late."
Chu Cheng leaned against the bed and watched Su Lanqiao running around, unable to help but laugh, "What's the rush? The judges are still lying down. I will also be going later, I'll take you there."
"No, no, if someone sees, it wouldn't be good. Did you forget about the paparazzi?" Su Lanqiao paused, remembering the time he bumped into Xu Zhili when he sneaked over to meet someone. He still had some lingering fear.
Fortunately, the guy kept it a secret, didn’t spread it around. Otherwise, a scandal with the judges would've spread out at the beginning of the competition. It would have been a big deal.
Chu Cheng laughed again, his voice slightly hoarse from just waking up, "What are we, it's like we are having an affair."
"It’s not proper, it's almost like an affair." Su Lanqiao muttered softly, throwing the last piece of clothing into his suitcase and getting up, "I’ll call a taxi and prepare to leave."
Chu Cheng clicked his tongue, his tone carrying a bit of authority, "I'm going too, I'll send you. We’ll go through the safe passage as we did the last time."
Su Lanqiao hesitated for a moment with his luggage. What was said was making him hesitate. To be honest, he didn't want to leave Chu Cheng and wouldn't mind staying a little longer.
He reached out to pull Chu Cheng from the bed, urging him domineeringly, "Okay, get up quickly."
"Alright, very soon."
Chu Cheng quickly got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, Su Lanqiao was standing straight at the door.
Chu Cheng also knew that they needed to avoid suspicion at this sensitive time, so he drove Su Lanqiao to the recording building in a Mercedes that he didn't usually drive.
On the way, Su Lanqiao sat in the passenger seat, occasionally staring straight at Chu Cheng, sideways, able to see his throat slightly moving and his thin lips, wanting to kiss.
He silently sighed, wishing he could kiss him.
Since they had gotten out of bed, their relationship seemed more like friends, and this action had definitely crossed the line.
"Why are you constantly staring at me?" Chu Cheng placed one hand lightly on the steering wheel, queuing up to enter the garage, taking the opportunity to look at the person next to him.
"You’re handsome, of course, I'm looking at you." Su Lanqiao praised generously, squinting and smiling at him, two dimples popping out straight in the sunlight, showing the sunny spots dyed half of his hair into light golden color.
Chu Cheng was a bit dazed by the sight.
After a couple of seconds, he turned his gaze back to the road in front of him, turning slowly, and then entering the garage, “We’re here, put on your hat and get out of the car.”
"Thank you, Boss Chu, see you." Su Lanqiao looked at his watch. He still had two minutes before the clock-in time. He quickly got out of the car from the passenger side and ran upstairs with his suitcase.
When he brought his things to the registration desk on the first floor, it was right on time.
"Give me your stuff. You have lunch break now, and we start recording at two in the afternoon. Be careful not to be late," the little assistant stood at the door, carefully explaining.
Su Lanqiao nodded and turned around to see Xu Zhili, Xia Ran, and Jinghe walking out side by side.
Although the so-called "Beauty CP" had been blowing up on Weibo, Su Lanqiao still considered him a friend. So, he waved at them, "Xu Zhili, long time no see."
"We thought you’d be late when you didn’t come for a while," Xu Zhili waved at him, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet." Su Lanqiao rubbed his stomach. He had come out in a hurry in the morning and hadn’t had time to eat anything.
Xu Zhili put his arm around his shoulder and led him outside, "Let's grab something to eat at the door, together."
Xia Ran rolled his eyes beside him, "He might not want to eat with me."
"Come on, let's go together." Su Lanqiao shrugged, unconcerned. "It's just a meal, it doesn't matter who we eat with."
Xia Ran didn't expect Su Lanqiao to agree so easily and looked surprised. But out of respect for Xu Zhili, he didn't say much.
They split into two pairs and wandered around the recording building, but didn't find much nearby.
The place looked pretty desolate, except for the extravagant recording building, and the surroundings looked haphazardly put together. There weren't any proper restaurants, just roadside stalls.
"Master Xu, do you mind if we eat something randomly here?" Xia Ran stood on the street and looked around, picking a slightly cleaner-looking small restaurant, but inside were a few old, shabby tables.
Xu Zhili entered, pulled out a chair and sat down, "Don't be too picky, just eat what's available." There was no sign of the airs of a rich second generation.
Since the young master wasn't particular, the others didn't say anything, and Jinghe frowned as he wiped the chair many times with a napkin before sitting down reluctantly.
The meal was rather boring. The few of them were already not getting along, and with Xu Zhili being quiet and Su Lanqiao not willing to talk to Xia Ran, the atmosphere at the table became even more subdued.
Fortunately, despite the shabby storefront, the food was good, just the spicy taste that Su Lanqiao liked. He couldn't help but order an extra bowl of rice and enjoyed it.
After eating, they quickly returned to the dormitory building to freshen up and then gathered at the recording hall to start recording the second episode.
The chief director came in, glanced at everyone, and then slowly spoke, "Haven't seen you for a week, seems like some of you have gained quite a bit of weight."
"I regret eating too much this week, I gained a whole three kilograms!" a contestant below cheekily replied, causing laughter.
The chief director smiled slyly, "Gained weight, huh? Good, let me first tell you about the elimination rules for the second episode. As models, apart from having a distinct presence and good external conditions, physical fitness is essential. In this round, we will not be comparing photos or runway walks; we will be testing your physical fitness."
"What??? Testing physical fitness is going to cost me half my life. And we have exams too???"
"Oh my god, we're not going to have a long-distance run, are we? I couldn't even finish the last one..."
"Testing physical fitness is nothing, I'm ready for this round."
"Who came up with this idea? The last time I took a fitness test was during the high school entrance exam..."
"I think the director is right, director, you're the best, just pass me directly, hahaha."
...
A bunch of people chattered away, and it took a while for things to quiet down. The chief director held the microphone and continued, "The rule for this round is as follows: a three-day exam, five subjects - long-distance running, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and swimming. Each test scores a maximum of 100 points, accounting for 70% of the total, while the remaining 30% is given by the special jurors based on your performance during the tests. All the contestants will be ranked according to their scores, and after three days, the bottom 5 will be eliminated. Clear?"
"Clear." Most of the contestants voiced their understanding, with a hint of reluctance, thinking that participating in the program was only about taking photos and walking the runway, and hadn't expected to spend three days simply on physical fitness tests.
The chief director nodded, "If that's the case, we will begin the first assessment immediately, a five-kilometer run. Pay attention to your performance throughout the process, as the judges will be watching everyone from behind the monitors. Alright, now please change into your sportswear and get ready for the exam."
Su Lanqiao was about to get up when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. He tugged on Xu Zhili's sleeve, his face twisted in discomfort, "I'm in trouble, my stomach feels a bit off."
"Is your stomach hurting?" Xu Zhili asked with concern as he saw Su Lanqiao holding his stomach. "Did you eat something bad?"
Su Lanqiao furrowed his brows and couldn't help but curse, "It might be the fly-infested place we had for lunch... I'm so unlucky."
"It's quite possible, I saw you eat a lot." Xu Zhili glanced at Xia Ran and Jinghe, who still looked energetic, and said in a low voice, "But how are we all fine?"
Su Lanqiao was in so much pain that sweat was starting to form, and he clutched the chair tightly, shaking as he spoke, "I can't handle too much spiciness, but I couldn't resist, I need to go to the bathroom."
Supporting him, Xu Zhili helped him up and said, "You need to go quickly, and if you're really uncomfortable, see if you can take a break."
Taking a break was definitely not an option, especially when stomach cramps coincided with physical fitness tests; it would be a disaster.
Su Lanqiao, with a miserable expression, hurried into the nearby restroom. His stomach and abdomen continued to act up; he was in so much pain that he couldn't stand straight.
If given a chance again, he would definitely control his craving for Sichuan cuisine.
When he returned from the restroom, he struggled to put on his sportswear, feeling a bit weak.
Going to a fly-infested place for lunch was as painful as crossing a dangerous pass, and it was even worse to be the only one affected.
The cameraman watched him come out sluggishly and urged, "Quickly, everyone else has already gone."
Weakly, Su Lanqiao replied, "Okay," but his limbs felt uncooperative. The five-kilometer run was not going to be easy; it was going to be a nightmare.
The 21 contestants lined up, ready, and at the sound of the whistle, they all sprinted out.
Su Lanqiao exerted all his effort and pulled ahead by a large distance, leading the race. Long-distance running was his specialty, but while he was feeling unwell, he tried to shorten the distance to the finish line while he still had the strength.
But the five-kilometer distance was quite long, and before he had run a third of it, his stomach began to ache again, sending discomfort throughout his body.
Su Lanqiao turned to the cameraman and weakly forced a smile, "I've got food poisoning and need to use the restroom first, can I?"
The cameraman didn't respond but motioned to the assistant director.
"You can, but it'll still be included in your completion time," the assistant director conveyed the rule requirements through his earpiece.
It was a relatively humane response, not an immediate disqualification.
Su Lanqiao quickly found a restroom near the running test area. Minutes later, he returned to the test point and continued to persevere.
By then, seven or eight people had overtaken him, leaving him at the back. Su Lanqiao wiped his cold forehead and began to aggressively catch up.
However, bouts of diarrhea just wouldn't let up. Su Lanqiao could only weakly alternate between the restroom and the test point.
By the time he returned from the restroom the second time, there was no one else behind him. He was the last one.
The assistant director asked through the earpiece, "You've already gone over time, and you're not feeling well. Do you want to give up?"
Sulanqiao thought about the weight of the exam score and the 30% judge's score. If he gave up now, wouldn't he lose that part as well?
After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words, "Continue."
The second to last contestant had also arrived, only Sulanqiao was still on the way, panting heavily, with one foot deep and one foot shallow, finally nearing the finish line.
In the rest area, Chu Cheng sat behind the monitor, watching the pale-faced person with a heart full of pity.
On the screen, the referee looked at Sulanqiao, who was running towards the finish line, and coldly read out the results while pinching the stopwatch, "Sulanqiao, completed in 35 minutes, zero points for the long-distance run."