Before the start of the third round of recording, Sulan Qiao made some new dishes and packed them into lunch boxes, then headed to the recording building parking garage to wait for Chu Cheng like clockwork.
A few minutes later, she indeed saw Chu Cheng's car pulling up, and it was still parked in the old spot.
She walked over and tapped on the car window, which slowly came down, revealing Chu Cheng's slightly surprised face. "I guessed you hadn't eaten, so I brought some new dishes for you."
"Are you addicted to cooking now?" Chu Cheng opened the car door, gesturing for him to get in, and the front-row driver, Lao Chen, tactfully got out of the car and squatted on the side smoking alone.
Sulan Qiao lowered her head and sat down with the lunch box, moving a bit closer, and spoke softly with a voice that was gentle and cozy, like a candy dropped into soda, both refreshing and sweet. "If you don't like it, I won't cook for you."
"Open it and have some." Chu Cheng had actually already eaten before coming, but he couldn't refuse Sulan Qiao's kindness, especially since it came from someone he liked.
He casually rolled up his sleeves to his forearm, picked up the chopsticks from the package, and selected a piece of steak.
Sulan Qiao was very considerate, cutting the steak into small pieces, making it convenient to eat.
Chu Cheng's mind flashed with the theory of repaying kindness, and his gaze fell on Sulan Qiao's face, lost in thought.
If he took advantage of someone's kindness to trap them, would that be too much?
The car fell silent for a while before he found a topic. "Today we are taking a couple photo. The show arranged for you and Xu Zhili to be a pair, be mindful of the scale."
"Oh, these are all arranged by the program, most likely for publicity," Sulan Qiao said in a low voice while playing with the strings on his hoodie, tying a knot in them. "I will be careful."
Chu Cheng lightly agreed and tapped the handle below the car door with his fingertips. "Your topic with Xu Zhili is quite popular online, with many fans."
Sulan Qiao caught the implication in the words and excitedly shook his body. "Have you searched about my topic?"
"When bored, I stumbled upon it," Chu Cheng didn't even lift his eyelids, speaking casually as if he had indeed come across it naturally.
If Sulan Qiao had the courage, he wouldn't dare to peek at Chu Cheng's phone, so Chu Cheng was quite confident.
Sulan Qiao felt embarrassed and scratched his head. "Have you seen our CP fan-made posts? Like, the one about our 'QiaoCheng CP'?"
"I've seen it. Why is your name in front? Are you the dominant one?" Chu Cheng's mind flashed with images of the two in bed and he let out a light chuckle.
Sulan Qiao's cheeks quickly turned red, whether from the high temperature in the car or from shyness. "It's just a memorable phrase, nothing to fuss about."
His heart uncontrollably raced. Chu Cheng had seen the CP fan-made posts - does that mean he had also seen those little stories inside?
The fans were very creative, writing about all sorts of things, like passionate plays on the office desk, a surprise in the program car, and various scenarios during ad shoots. In short, the blush-inducing stories were varied and plentiful.
"Some fans have gone overboard. By the way, don't you have a Weibo account?" Sulan Qiao glanced at Chu Cheng. The lighting in the car was dark, and only his side profile was visible, flowing from the top of his head to his chin in a smooth line.
In the dark corner, his gaze was always so unrestrained.
After finishing the steak, Chu Cheng finally put away the box and wiped his mouth, stubbornly denying the existence of his second account. "No, and I don't intend to register one."
Sulan Qiao nodded, thinking that was probably for the best. Chu Cheng already kept a low profile, so it was better to maintain an air of mystery.
He saw Chu Cheng put the box away and suddenly leaned over, tickling Chu Cheng's arm like a little cat. "Mr. Chu, have you noticed what's different about me today?"
Chu Cheng turned to look at him, still dress in his usual hoodie and jeans, with his hair simply tied into a ponytail at the back of his head. It looked quite cute when it bobbed up and down. As for his face, apart from slightly heavier dark circles, there didn't seem to be any other special changes.
"Nothing," Chu Cheng replied.
Sulan Qiao clicked his tongue, finding this man extraordinarily dense in everything outside of work.
He leaned in again, closing the proximity between the two until he could almost hear the other person's gentle breathing. "Then can you smell anything now?"
Chu Cheng looked down at the person almost about to cling to him, and after sniffing, caught a subtle hint of the disappearing tobacco scent. "Did you smoke?"
"No, I sprayed perfume. Isn't it similar to the brand of cigarettes you smoke?" Sulan Qiao smiled brightly, unable to help but complain, "I looked for this scent for so long."
Chu Cheng tapped his forehead lazily, an indulgent tone in his voice. "You're going to take photos, why are you spraying perfume?"
"I sprayed it last night, it's almost gone," Sulan Qiao paused, lowering his voice, "I like your scent, it's very calming."
This voice was like a hook, firmly attaching to Chu Cheng's heart, making it tingle.
He had read the remaining information given by Ling Feng. After the accident, Sulan Qiao developed PTSD and for a long time, was in a state of extreme insomnia, mania and panic.
That was when Chu Cheng understood why Sulan Qiao didn't want to bring up the past. On such a dark and despairing day, who would want to recall it again?
Chu Cheng let out a small sigh and furrowed his brows. "Can you sleep well at night now?"
"I rarely have insomnia, it's not severe," Sulan Qiao raised a smiling face, appearing very sincere, lightly skimming over those countless sleepless nights.
Chu Cheng asked again, "Can you sleep well if you sleep with me?"
Sulanqiao nodded, "When I'm with you, it's when I sleep the best, so smelling your scent makes me feel much more at ease."
Chu Cheng pursed his lips, unable to express whether it was distress or something else. Finally, he placed his hand on his furry head, gently patting it.
Sulanqiao quickly washed his face back in the dormitory, then headed to the recording studio. Before entering the studio, he saw Xuzhili walking towards him.
Xuzhili waved at him, "Long time no see, Xiaoqiao."
"Yeah, long time no see." Sulanqiao faced him with some embarrassment. Even though they had clarified that they were just friends, Xuzhili had vowed that he would wait for his return and compete fairly with Chu Cheng.
How could he compete? Sulanqiao was reluctant to face it.
"Today's shooting will be in pairs. I had the show arrange for us to be in the same group without consulting you in advance, so I want to apologize first," Xuzhili was remarkably frank, not covering up anything. This made Sulanqiao really dislike him.
If you had already arranged it with the production team, what else could be said? He opened his mouth, but swallowed his words.
Xuzhili stared at him directly, "Are you angry? I admit, I was jealous when I saw the two of you watching fireworks together."
"Yes, we watched the fireworks together and even played in London for several days. So, as I said, don't focus your thoughts on me." Sulanqiao looked at other contestants coming over one by one and quickly changed the subject without saying any more, "Let's go in first."
The chief director noticed that all the contestants had arrived and began to announce the rules for the third round of recording, "First, congratulations to Han Lezhou for making a return. Today, we will have sixteen contestants and four will be eliminated. It's simple, two people form a pair, and four pairs will make up a team. Each team will eliminate one pair of contestants. So, you and your partner are in this together, whether you stay or leave. Now, I will project the list of pairs onto the big screen."
Sulanqiao looked at the list and, as expected, he and Xuzhili were paired together.
Except for himself, probably no one, including Xuzhili and the production team, would be unwilling. He just smirked and got up to go pick out clothes for the shoot with Xuzhili.
"We are the first pair, so we need to change quickly. What style do you want?" Xuzhili brought over some clothes and handed them to Sulanqiao. "Would something bold be okay?"
Sulanqiao bit his lip, aware that the camera was rolling, so he couldn't say anything out of line.
Something bold, as a pair, would inevitably involve eye contact and physical contact between the models. Xuzhili's idea was a good one, but it would probably anger Chu Cheng.
"Something edgier this time, let's try something different." Sulanqiao pushed aside the clothes Xuzhili had selected and picked up two leather vests, "How about these?"
Reluctantly, Xuzhili nodded, "Okay, I'll go with your choice."
The two quickly changed into the selected clothes and began to put on makeup.
Sulanqiao wore a short leather jacket on top, with a black silk shirt underneath, the collar loosely open, revealing hints of his collarbone and chest muscles, looking cool and alluring. His lower body had tight black leather pants and long boots, perfectly outlining his body proportions.
"Xiaoqiao, you look great in this." Xuzhili complimented as he put on makeup. The makeup artist tapped him on the shoulder, "Stop moving, your eye makeup is smudged."
Xuzhili resumed a calm posture, but continued to steal glances at Sulanqiao in the mirror, his gaze almost fixated on him.
To match the theme of today's shoot, the makeup artist applied a bit of eyeliner, instantly transforming his innocent, cat-like eyes into a sharp, distant, and aloof look.
Sulanqiao, without turning his head, also felt Xuzhili's direct gaze and realized that he was becoming more audacious ever since the confession. He really wanted to remind Xuzhili to pay attention to the camera, but the show was still recording, so he couldn't be blunt and instead just cleared his throat and turned away.
This behind-the-scenes footage would probably cause the exciting CP fans to collectively scream again, giving him a headache.
"Okay, you can go to the shoot now," the makeup artist patted their heads, indicating that their makeup was done.
Sulanqiao stood up and put on a bunch of gothic-style rings and headed to the studio for the shoot, "We should use that motorcycle as a prop."
Naturally, Xuzhili had no objections, and the two began posing with the motorcycle, standing or sitting.
"Um, can you two interact a bit? You look like you're eight meters apart," the photographer, Li Xiang, almost couldn't help but laugh, noticing the awkward atmosphere between the two, "Even if you don't touch, at least make eye contact. You are partners, okay?"
Sulanqiao carefully moved two steps closer and continued to look straight ahead, only to be suddenly pulled in by Xuzhili's neck.
"Great, great, keep this sense of distant intimacy." Li Xiang half-crouched, frantically taking pictures.
Sulanqiao took a deep breath, feeling that the current state wasn't right at all.
He really shouldn't let personal emotions affect his work, especially since Xuzhili wasn't someone who had confessed to him. He was just another model he was working with, nothing more.
Having sorted this out, Sulanqiao suddenly became more lively, and his interaction with Xuzhili also improved, and the shoot was quickly completed.
"Alright, go rest and wait for the judges to score later," Li Xiang walked up, patting Sulanqiao on the shoulder, "Maintain this feeling, you are very suitable as a model."
"Thank you." Sulanqiao smiled friendly at her.
The next seven pairs also started shooting in sequence. After waiting for several hours, Sulanqiao began to feel a bit sleepy.
He sat on a chair waiting offstage, bored, casually swinging the chair around. Suddenly, he looked up and saw the judges sitting in front of him, which immediately made him wide awake.
The person in front was dressed in a black suit, with today's tie changed to a blue polka dot, quite stylish.
He winked slightly at Chu Cheng, who raised an eyebrow in response.
This feeling was quite exciting. There were various staff and contestants bustling around, and the camera stood in front, and the two quietly exchanged a distant greeting.
"All the contestants' shoots have been completed. Next, we will display the photos on the big screen, and the judges will score them from 1 to 10," the host said, taking the stage, "First, let's welcome our five judges. Our program's recording process is quite peculiar, please bear with us."
Sulanqiao and Xuzhili's photos were in the first group, and as soon as they were shown, they elicited a chorus of "Wow" from the other contestants.
"It seems like they are going for the cool and edgy route. Do the judges have any opinions?" the host asked while looking at the big screen.
Two images were displayed: one where the two didn't have any visual intersection and each had their own aura.
Another picture shows two people sitting side by side on a motorcycle, their shoulders close together. Su Lanqiao is looking ahead while Xu Zhili hooks his neck with one hand, looking at his profile and smiling, with deep affection in his eyes.
Su Lanqiao also stares at the photo. Xu Zhili's gaze is so intense that even in just a photo, he can feel the burning sensation.
Just from the photo, this one indeed has a lot of story potential. However, when he looked back at Chu Cheng's expression, his brow furrows, and it's over.
Chang Chao took the microphone first, "The two of you are very popular on our Weibo right now. Many fans adore your interaction. Just from the photo, it feels like an escape from the mundane world, with a hint of ambiguous emotions, I really like it."
"Yes, it was quite interesting when they were shooting. At first, it was a bit awkward, but towards the end, they loosened up. The various body movements combined; overall, it felt very good. I think it's one of the more successful sets of photos I've taken." Li Xiang continued.
Su Lanqiao sneakily glanced at Chu Cheng again, his eyes gloomily fixed on the photo, his face growing darker.
"Mr. Chu, do you have anything to say?" the host asked, "After the first episode aired, the netizens are looking forward to your lavish compliments."
He just wanted to hear, Chu Cheng, blowing rainbows at Su Lanqiao again.
Chu Cheng leaned forward, approached the microphone, and replied with two words, "Not this time."
Su Lanqiao was sure that Chu Cheng was very unhappy about the fact that he and Xu Zhili took photos together. Was he jealous?
"Alright, let's get the judges ready to score." The host smiled slightly, "We'll keep the scores secret for now, let's move on to the next set."
...
Su Lanqiao was distracted. He hardly paid attention to the comments that followed. His mind was filled with Chu Cheng's reminder to watch the boundaries.
He didn't know where Chu Cheng's boundaries lay, but judging by his reaction, they seemed to have overstepped them.
Was the boss strict? Was even hooking the neck considered crossing the line?
"We made it to the next round," Xu Zhili tapped him on the arm, pulling him back from his thoughts.
Su Lanqiao gave a vague reply and looked up at the scores on the big screen.
Despite Chu Cheng's not so good expression, he gave them a full score.
This guy, tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
Finally, when the recording of the show was over, Su Lanqiao quickly retrieved his phone and prepared to text Chu Cheng as he walked back to the dorm.
[Are you mad?] he paused for a moment with his hand on the send button, then erased the words one by one.
Forget it, too melodramatic.
He walked into the dorm, sat down on the swivel chair, the other two hadn't returned yet.
A Weibo notification popped up on his phone, Xu Zhili's post. "Took a photo with @Su Lanqiao today, had a great time with you, looking forward to the finished product (Doge face)"
A wave of fans of this charming couple flooded the comments section:
"Ahhh, my favorite CP interaction! And they even took a photo together!"
"When can we watch this episode, so excited!!!"
"I suspect the show's team are big fans, they really understand us CP fans!"
"What did they take that I need to see!! Not sharing images is truly heart-wrenching!"
"The show's team is real love, when will it be aired, so restless!!"
"Pay attention: had a great time with you! Hehehe, they missed a word, it should be 'had a great time being with you!'"
...
Su Lanqiao sighed deeply, this guy is really good at setting the tone, now the misunderstandings are even bigger.
He clicked into his own Weibo, intending to post something to change the mood, but another weird wave of comments flooded in.
"Chu Cheng's tourist card check-in, 'beep'!"
"Come and watch Chu Cheng's first 'like' on Weibo, exciting!"
"I smell a hint of an affair, applied for Weibo just to give a 'like'?"
"The next-door neighbor just tagged, and he immediately 'liked' it, the taste of a showdown!"
"The onlookers say it's so much fun, the show really has a lot of drama."
"No more words, waiting for Chu Cheng to follow little Qiao."
"Little Qiao, say something quickly, the story feels so exciting."
"A man that Chairman Chu personally opened Weibo to 'like,' my idol is awesome!"
...
What does this mean? Chu Cheng clearly said to him this afternoon that he doesn't have Weibo and doesn't plan to register, so what's happening here?
He searched for Chu Cheng, and indeed, the first result showed a verified big V, Chairman of Chu Corporation.
Weibo had verified it, so it should be legitimate.
But Chu Cheng's Weibo was empty, 0 followers, 0 posts.
There was one 'like' though, the selfie Su Lanqiao had posted a couple of days ago.