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Chapter 20 – Banter
Jiang Liusui was momentarily stunned. He wasn’t oblivious to matters of the heart—on the contrary, having received too many hints in the past, he couldn’t help but overthink the possible implications of those words. Yet, He Yujing’s expression was no different from usual.
He asked hesitantly, “What did you just say?”
He Yujing looked at him for a moment before replying in a casual tone, “Isn’t it unnatural to keep calling each other ‘bro’ all the time? I can’t keep pretending to be all buddy-buddy in front of the camera either—it feels weird.”
“Oh……”
Ah, so that’s what he meant.
Thinking it through, it actually made sense. Jiang Liusui nodded, inwardly chuckling at how much he’d overthought things.
For a moment, he had thought He Yujing was hinting that being just friends wasn’t enough.
Really… what was I thinking? That was a bit too narcissistic.
He pushed those messy thoughts aside. “Yeah, calling you ‘bro’ all the time is kind of weird.”
“Glad you realize that,” He Yujing lazily agreed, reaching out to open the room door. “You go ahead and get settled—I’ll head out first.”
By the time Jiang Liusui had tucked his suitcase away, the broadcast chimed: “Ding-dong—!”
The host’s voice echoed through every corner of the villa: “Teachers, have you finished unpacking? The afternoon activities have been arranged. Once you’re ready, please head to the first-floor living room to draw your vacation activities. There are three activities in total, and each activity will pair two teachers together. Come on, pick your partner for the first day~”
The order for drawing activities followed the same sequence as their initial appearances, making Jiang Liusui the fifth to draw.
Except for He Yujing, who was still upstairs tidying up, everyone else arrived one after another. On the long table in the living room were six identical envelopes, most already claimed by the first four guests. From the two left, Jiang Liusui casually picked the one on the far right.
When he saw what activity he’d drawn, his expression flickered: “I—”
Remembering they were filming, he swallowed the “what the hell?” just in time and quickly added, “…Would anyone like to swap tasks?”
Everyone turned to look at him. Xu Miao asked, “What’s wrong, Suisui? What’s your task?”
Jiang Liusui unfolded his activity card. Although he usually didn’t like troubling others during filming, the task he had drawn was really…
“If it’s convenient, I’d like to swap,” he added softly, “this one is a bit difficult for me.”
Qin Yi was the first to speak up. “My task is to take photos at Zhaotai Peak. I can swap with you.”
Jiang Liusui shot him a delighted look and sweetly[mfn]嘴很甜 (zuǐ hěn tián) – lit. the mouth is very sweet[/mfn] said, “Thanks, Brother Qin. I knew you’d swap with me.”
I’ve got the same task as Qin Yi.” Mu Zhe, who loved walking dogs, came over as well. “I actually quite like yours. If you want to swap, you can swap with me too.”
“Hold on a second. You two think Suisui’s task is easier, huh? Zhaotai Peak is huge—climbing it will be exhausting.” Xu Miao slapped her activity card on the table with a grin. “Don’t swap with them. Swap with me—I’ve got surfing in the ocean.”
Shang Qingzhi asked in confusion, “Why do you all want to swap tasks with Jiang Liusui…? Then why don’t you take a look at mine? I’m also surfing in the ocean.”
The host, who had been standing nearby, couldn’t contain a laugh. “What’s going on? Everyone’s scrambling to swap with Teacher Jiang?”
“What are you all up to?”
He Yujing arrived late, catching only the host’s final sentence. Only the last envelope remained on the table. As he asked, he reached out and opened it:
{The neighbor has gone on a long trip, leaving their Border Collie without company. Accompany the dog for a walk on the island, enjoying the beautiful blue sky and sea breeze.}
“Teacher Jiang wants to swap tasks,” the host explained. “It seems like he drew the dog-walking one?”
“Nobody swap with him,” He Yujing suddenly interjected.
His voice was abrupt and domineering, completely different from everyone else’s tone. Jiang Liusui instinctively asked, “Why?”
Xu Miao hadn’t expected such tyranny and joked, “There’s got to be a reason for excluding someone, right, Teacher He?”
He Yujing looked at her calmly. “Excluding him? No one’s excluding him. I’m pairing with him.”
Qin Yi, who had been about to speak, silently closed his mouth upon hearing this. Xu Miao was momentarily stunned before finally saying, “…Alright, my bad for interrupting.”
It was only then that Jiang Liusui got what He Yujing meant, feeling both amused and helpless. “But I don’t really want to walk a dog.”
He’d always been a little afraid of dogs, especially the bigger ones. Even if they looked cute, he couldn’t help breaking out in goosebumps whenever one got close.
“……” He Yujing raised an eyebrow, clearly not pleased.
Clearly, they had drawn the same task, so why was he avoiding him? Didn’t they agree to interact naturally as usual?
He hooked an arm around Jiang Liusui’s shoulder. “You’ll do it with me.”
Their conversation was almost childish, and with He Yujing’s arm still firmly looped around Jiang Liusui, the sight was hilariously awkward. Xu Miao was the first to burst out laughing, and even Mu Zhe couldn’t help but grin. “I didn’t know Brother Yu had this side,” he said.
“But…” Seeing He Yujing’s insistence, Jiang Liusui reconsidered. If he was partnering with He Yujing, maybe he could endure this unfortunate task after all.
After all, he knew He Yujing well, and the other had always looked out for him.
“Fine,” he said, switching his tone, placing his task card on top of He Yujing’s. “Then we’ll be a team.”
He Yujing keenly noticed that Jiang Liusui wasn’t really eager to do this task. What annoyed him even more was that even after realizing this, he still had no intention of letting Jiang Liusui swap with someone else.
The other clearly wasn’t willing, yet here he was pushing himself forward. He couldn’t even explain why he insisted on teaming up with Jiang Liusui.
What had he been thinking since starting this show? It was utterly baffling.
At this thought, He Yujing voluntarily released him and stood expressionlessly with his hands in his pockets. Unaware of his mood shift, Jiang Liusui turned to the staff. “Where’s the Border Collie?”
“This way, teachers. Please follow me.”
The staff led them toward the villa’s side entrance. From a distance, excited barks already reached them. Jiang Liusui’s steps stiffened slightly. When he saw the Border Collie enthusiastically wagging its tail at the end of the hallway, goosebumps immediately covered his arms.
…Damn.
Why was this dog even more energetic than he’d imagined? And it’s body is so long! Do Border Collies really get this big??
Jiang Liusui couldn’t help but regret the choice he had just made. He should have discussed with He Yujing whether he could swap tasks with Qin Yi or Mu Zhe.
The Border Collie, seeing someone approaching, wagged its tail even more energetically. Even though it was being held by a staff member, it kept bouncing around uncontrollably. Among the crowd, its gaze locked squarely on Jiang Liusui. Meeting those big, blue, sparkling eyes, a shiver ran down his spine, and he instinctively grabbed the arm of the person beside him.
“What are you doing?” The familiar voice was lazy as ever, but somehow colder than usual.
“Could you walk in front?” Jiang Liusui asked timidly.
He Yujing silently moved to the front, and Jiang Liusui quietly shrank behind him. The man had broad shoulders and long legs, blocking most of him from view. Even so, the Border Collie continued to stare intently at Jiang Liusui, letting out enthusiastic barks.
“Woof! Woof woof woof!!”
“……” Jiang Liusui was about to lose it.
For some reason, even though he was afraid of dogs, they seemed to like him especially. Zhou Xun’s Samoyed went crazy whenever it saw him. The first time he’d met that snow-white, fluffy bundle of energy, it had slobbered all over his face, creating a nightmare he’d never want to relive.
The staff member thoughtfully asked, “Which teacher would like to hold the leash?”
He Yujing stood at the front, silent. Jiang Liusui poked him lightly. Whether it was because he poked too gently or for some other reason, He Yujing didn’t react at all.
No way—He Yujing didn’t want to walk the dog either?
Jiang Liusui could only stretch out one hand: “…I’ll take it.”
Bracing himself with heroic resolve, he grabbed the leash, silently hoping that history wouldn’t repeat itself and that this dog wouldn’t take too much of a liking to him. But as usual, things didn’t go as planned. The moment the staff member released the dog, the Border Collie burst forward like a wild horse, powered by an unexpected surge of energy!
…Uh?!!!
Jiang Liusui went pale, instinctively grabbing He Yujing’s arm and stepping back, his back pressing directly against the wall. “No!! Swap with someone else!!”
“Woof woof woof woof—!!”
“What the—” He Yujing froze, and in a flash, realization hit him. “You’re afraid of dogs?”
“Yes!” Seeing the Border Collie charging straight at him, Jiang Liusui had nowhere to retreat with his back against the wall. Clinging desperately to the person beside him, he silently pleaded, “Hold it back…!”
“…Huh?”
He Yujing was momentarily stunned, but instinctively stepped in front. The person behind him clung to him as if he were a lifeline. He Yujing could feel the warmth of his chest, and the faint, slightly panicked rhythm of his breathing.
So it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be paired with him—he was just scared? And even while afraid of dogs, he had still agreed to walk the dog with him.
The irritation in his heart dissipated like mist blown away by the wind. As the Border Collie leaped up with its front paws, He Yujing automatically reached out, bending down to scratch under its chin.
“Good boy.” Still unsatisfied, he patted the dog’s fluffy head and praised it, “So cute.”
Even the way he tried to act tough was cute.
Jiang Liusui was facing away from him and couldn’t see his expression, but he could hear the obvious laughter in his voice, which left him puzzled.
He had thought He Yujing was indifferent earlier, probably not that fond of cats or dogs, but now his voice had turned unexpectedly soft and sweet.
How could this guy flip his mood as easily as turning a page?
The Border Collie seemed completely captivated by He Yujing. Jiang Liusui breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously peeked out to assess the situation. Finally getting the interaction it had been waiting for, the Border Collie was overjoyed, eagerly leaping onto He Yujing and scratching at his long legs with its paws.
Jiang Liusui imagined himself in that position and shuddered instantly. Still holding onto He Yujing’s other hand, he whined playfully, giving it a little shake as if acting spoiled. “I tried my best, really… I just can’t. You walk it instead.”
He Yujing stood with his back to Jiang Liusui, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, clearly savoring the moment.
He had intended to agree outright, but the words halted at the tip of his tongue. Instead, he feigned indifference, deliberately teasing Jiang Liusui further. “I think it likes you quite a lot.”
As he spoke, he straightened up, and the Border Collie, no longer being petted, circled around them. Jiang Liusui met the dog’s innocent, earnest eyes for a moment before silently pressing himself against the wall once more.
Naturally, He Yujing played the part of someone enjoying the show: “It’s staring at you. Can you really bear to disappoint it?”
“I’m begging you, Yu-ge, Teacher He…” After a long silence with no reply, Jiang Liusui started to feel a little annoyed.
If He Yujing hadn’t insisted, he wouldn’t even be here walking this dog. He’d already spoken so nicely—couldn’t he just lend a hand?
Remembering how Chi Lianxi often deliberately tried to gross He Yujing out, Jiang Liusui decided to strike back. He leaned close to He Yujing’s ear and whispered, “A’Jing-ge, you walk it, hm?”
His voice was hushed, but the director and assistant monitoring the scene heard it perfectly—and immediately drew in a sharp breath.
Are celebrities really talking this wildly these days?
“……”
He Yujing remained silent. Just as Jiang Liusui thought he had rendered him speechless with disgust, the man who had been facing away from him abruptly turned around.
The distance was too close. Jiang Liusui stumbled back, nearly bumping his head against the wall, and and in a panic, glared at He Yujing.
Why did he turn all of a sudden? One careless second and it could’ve been a kiss!
As their eyes met, Jiang Liusui saw a smile playing on He Yujing’s lips, his light brown eyes reflecting his own flustered and stunned expression.
He Yujing’s eyes were so light in color.
…Wait, what just happened? Did he really just get teased into laughing by that nickname?
Before Jiang Liusui could even process it, his hand was gently flipped and held. Long, strong fingers slipped between his, lightly brushing against his palm as they took the leash from him.
A teasing voice whispered near his ear: “Alright… ‘didi’[mfn]弟弟 (dì di) – lit. little brother; used here as a playful, teasing form of address, loaded with intimate or mischievous undertones.[/mfn].”
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