[Tan Qing let Zhu Lianzhen sit on his lap. How should we interpret this move? Isn’t this solid proof of remarriage?]
[Attached screenshot: Took it off my monitor with my phone. There’s some glare, not super clear, but the title says it all.
Was gonna look on Weibo for a high-res pic to repost, but turns out Zuige’s anti-piracy settings on the livestream are pretty tight.
P.S. Today’s stream was peak entertainment. As expected of the A-Group—their variety show instincts are still on point.]
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[Comment 2: I thought this was clickbait and was ready to curse like “fck is this worth it,” but turns out it’s legit!! Thank you OP, thank you, thank you! I’m shipping it! I’m crawling back into the fandom!]
[Comment 8: Y’all blind? He’s obviously sitting on the couch. Even the pants are totally different in color.]
[Comment 23: Move along. OP’s clearly been sent by Ms. Pei to scam us into buying club memberships.]
[Comment 36: Rewound it based on what Comment 8 said. Zhu Lianzhen was on the couch, but someone’s legs were wrapped around both his sides. Nicely done, Tan Qing 💪💪💪]
[Comment 37: Omg omg! Anyone got a screen recording? My connection’s crap, I’m outside and can’t watch the stream 55555]
[Comment 40: I’m dying. Comment 8 is really blind. He wasn’t just sitting on a lap, he was basically lying in his arms.]
[Comment 45: I’m ACTUALLY shipping it now! Thanks, Ms. Pei! I’m renewing my membership for the stream!]
[Comment 52: Thank you. Submitting this to @A-Group’s Hall of Fame]
[Comment 53: Nah this deserves a submission to the BL Awards]
[Comment 55: !!! Let me help OP out with pics. A few seconds later and it turned into a full-on cuddle!! [Image][Image][Image]]
[Comment 67: Damn, even as a casual viewer, I’m shipping this now. (Zhu Lianzhen covering his face looked like a little animal, so cute)]
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[Comment 239: ? I left to brush my teeth and now this post’s blowing up. ngl I really was trying to bait people at first]
[Comment 242: OP, you’re the God of Bait. The reincarnation of Jiang Ziya.][mfn]Jiang Ziya is a legendary strategist in Chinese mythology. He’s famous for fishing without bait, which is why the commenter called OP his reincarnation.[/mfn]
[Comment 250: Comment 8 got baited hard. Totally worth it though.]
…
In the spacious living room of the villa, the birthday surprise livestream was still ongoing. Zhu Lianzhen, who was supposed to be the star of the night, had long since panicked and ran off-screen holding his head. It took a long time for Tan Qing to coax him back to face the camera.
When he finally looked up, his face was red, his eyes gloomy but not threatening. The director asked him to share a few words. He pressed his lips together for a while, then finally muttered, “Someone in this house has to die tonight, or I won’t live to see another year.”
Just as the words left his mouth, Tan Qing covered his mouth with a hand.
Laughter exploded on and off stream. Zhu Lianzhen’s skin was burning hot from embarrassment, and he deliberately pulled a sulky face to enhance the comedic effect of the moment. Tan Qing rested a hand casually on his shoulder and leaned in. “Xiao Zhu, give us a smile.”
“I charge extra for smiles.” Zhu Lianzhen shrugged slightly so Tan Qing’s arm slid off.
Tan Qing naturally took a step back. “I’ll go get the cake. You guys clean up the table.”
Koty immediately chimed in with a teasing tone, hyping up their CP fanservice, “Ohhh—Kissy made it himself! It’s definitely gonna be super, super sweet—”
Zhu Lianzhen caught him winking and making faces, and felt a sudden wave of irritation. But it had nothing to do with the hidden camera segment—he just found Koty annoying, plain and simple.
Koty had been a sucker for romantic drama since he was a kid. He’d clutch his chest whenever couples in idol dramas misunderstood each other. If characters in a novel hugged or kissed, he’d cheer with delight. But it wasn’t because he cared about love itself—he just enjoyed stirring up emotions and chasing that thrill. The moment the main couple got together, he’d lose interest and move on to a new ship.
It was the same at work. Koty had always been subtly and not-so-subtly pushing the “QingZhen: True Affection” narrative, making such a fuss you’d think Pei Qiao had slipped him some extra cash under the table. With a teammate like that, it was no wonder CP fans watching the stream took their fanservice as the real deal.
In truth, Koty didn’t know anything about the actual history between those two. He was just using them for entertainment and the variety show effect. If he ever found out they had actually dated, he’d probably be so shocked he wouldn’t eat for three days.
Tan Qing didn’t care, but Zhu Lianzhen often found it annoying. Making a cake by hand wasn’t a big deal, but after Koty’s suggestive teasing, it suddenly felt awkward.
Tan Qing emerged from the kitchen carrying the cake. It was shaped like a tilted Hami melon. The cream frosting was patterned like a grid, with just the right amount of color, and the vibrant sections were decorated with real melon chunks. The rounded edges gave it a uniquely cartoonish charm.
Hami melon was Zhu Lianzhen’s favorite fruit, so the design was clearly intentional. Since sticking candles in it would have ruined the shape, Tan Qing had simply brought out two number candles and set them beside the melon without lighting them.
Zhu Lianzhen took the plastic knife and fork from Tan Qing. “It’s not midnight yet, so I won’t make a wish. I’ll just slice it twice down the middle. Four even pieces.”
Tan Qing asked, “You’re not planning to eat it? I picked out every ingredient for you.”
“Of course I’m eating it.” Zhu Lianzhen waved the knife toward the cake. “One for you, one for me, one for Ting-ge, one for Fu Rong… and Koty gets the stem. That’s four. Perfect.”
Koty had seen it coming. “You’re targeting me again!”
Tan Qing couldn’t help but laugh, stepping slightly to the side to give Zhu Lianzhen more space in the frame.
“Here goes,” Zhu Lianzhen muttered to himself.
He gripped the knife handle and pressed down. The cake wasn’t as soft as expected, and he felt resistance at his wrist the moment the blade touched the cream. A part of him half-expected his face to be shoved into it any second. Another part secretly savored the feeling of destroying something so perfectly firm.
BOOM—!
With a sudden burst of sound, the cake exploded without warning. Zhu Lianzhen let out a reflexive shout and froze in place.
“Hahahahahahahaha!” Koty burst into triumphant laughter, his brow piercing practically shifting out of place from how hard he was laughing. Zhu Lianzhen stood there, a little dazed, glancing down to find his hands and sleeves covered in cream, while the cake that should’ve been neatly on the table had mysteriously disappeared.
It took him a few seconds to piece together what had happened. Then he snapped his head toward Tan Qing, eyes wide with fury. “It was you!”
Beneath the thick layer of cream, a fully inflated balloon had been hidden. The moment the knife pierced it, it burst into pieces. Zhu Lianzhen touched his cheek, and sure enough, it was sticky with splattered cream.
Tan Qing, completely unfazed, watched his flustered state, the curve of his lips betraying the joy of a successful prank.
Zhu Lianzhen quickly scraped up a handful of cream and marched forward to smear it across Tan Qing’s face.
Tan Qing didn’t dodge. He simply narrowed his eyes and let him do as he pleased.
Zhu Lianzhen was just about to push things further when he suddenly felt a tickle in his palm, and his fingers curled involuntarily.
When he realized that the soft sensation just now had come from Tan Qing’s tongue, his whole body felt as if it had been jolted by electricity.
Right on cue, the camera cut to them. Zhu Lianzhen immediately pulled his hand back.
Even with his face speckled in cream, Tan Qing remained perfectly composed. He licked the dots of cream from the corner of his lips.
While eating cake, Koty asked, “If there really was an AI dressing mirror, and it cost 100,000, would you buy it?”
Zhu Lianzhen: “Yeah.”
Ji Yunting, ever the frugal one, couldn’t wrap his head around the large expense. “Isn’t that just an idiot tax?”
Zhu Lianzhen answered confidently, “With my IQ? I can afford to pay a little extra!”
Koty nearly spat out his cream from laughing, while Tan Qing, standing beside them, added on Zhu Lianzhen’s behalf, “He’s investing in knowledge.”
The playful chaos of Acemon was broadcast in full to the livestream. Besides the ongoing chatter from fans on the official site, screenshots and clips circulating elsewhere caused quite a stir. Online viewership steadily grew across other platforms, once again proving that Acemon’s comeback was an unstoppable force.
…
[Comment 2812: Wuwuwu damn, this thread’s already this long and I’m still stuck back at the part where he was lying in his arms.]
[Comment 2818: So gross. Shameless queerbaiting. Pei Qiao just keeps on ruining people.]
[Comment 2822: With the level of popularity both of them have, you think they need to queerbait? This is called genuine feelings,[mfn]”genuine feelings” is using Zhen and Qing from their names[/mfn] thank you. You only start seeing every interaction as gay because no one else wants to ship your OTP with you. You think “QingZhen: True Affection” just came out of nowhere?]
[Comment 2837: I cautiously asked in the WeChat group whether today is ZLZ’s birthday, and suddenly a bunch of girls who used to follow A-Group came out of hiding. Major throwback to our younger days…]
[Comment 2843: Sigh, same here. My friend and I both said we were too busy with work to go to our bias’s birthday event, and the next day we ran into each other in the Acemon scalper group chat for music show voting like it was fate.]
[Comment 2866: Grandpa’s youth is back!]
[Comment 2871: Low EQ: idiot tax. High EQ: investing in knowledge.]
…
After the livestream ended, the group cleaned up the messy living room together. Zhu Lianzhen pretended to help for a bit, then quietly slipped away to the second-floor terrace, letting the wind cool his face and ease the heat in his cheeks.
He heard the sound of a door opening behind him. Turning around, he saw Tan Qing and immediately felt embarrassed. He remembered how flustered he’d been earlier—diving toward someone for cover without even thinking about who it was.
“What’s up?” Zhu Lianzhen noticed that Tan Qing was holding a small square box and seemed to have something more to say.
Tan Qing walked over slowly. “I haven’t given you your present yet.”
“Didn’t you already give it?”
That had been only about half an hour ago. On camera, all four members had presented their gifts: the leader gave a pair of limited-edition sneakers; Koty handed over the latest game console and VR headset; Fu Rong had brought a box of high-end desserts made with rare ingredients.
As for Tan Qing, he’d apparently heard from Ah-Xu that Zhu Lianzhen had recently gotten into motorcycles, and gifted him a discontinued helmet and protective gear.
If it hadn’t been for Pei Qiao reminding them to make a show of it for the cameras, Zhu Lianzhen figured none of them would’ve even remembered each other’s birthdays.
Tan Qing leaned his arm on the terrace railing and looked down. “That one was for the fans. This one’s the one I actually wanted to give you.”
The spacious terrace wasn’t too dark; the light spilling from the hallway melted into the night. Under that faint glow, Zhu Lianzhen could see the small box in Tan Qing’s hand was covered in velvet, like the kind used for jewelry.
And jewelry in a box that size must be… a ring, right?
Zhu Lianzhen grew suspicious but didn’t want to come off as too perceptive, so he quickly changed the subject. “Wait, I just remembered there’s something important I need to tell my assistant.”
He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to Ah-Xu: “Quick, send me something! Make it look like I’m super busy!”
Ah-Xu had her phone on her 24/7, always ready to cooperate with his requests. A few seconds later, Zhu Lianzhen received over a dozen work memos from her.
He stood beside Tan Qing and began his performance: first, he pretended to frown seriously, zooming in and out on an image repeatedly; then he put on a show of sending a voice message to Ah-Xu, talking about work and business matters.
Tan Qing stood quietly to the side, waiting for him to finish.
Zhu Lianzhen thought that if he looked busy enough, Tan Qing would take the hint, leave the gift, and go without bothering him. To his surprise, he had nearly exhausted his act, and Tan Qing was still patiently waiting in place.
Feeling too awkward to keep dragging it on, Zhu Lianzhen finally put away his phone. “Alright, what did you want to give me?”
With a soft click, Tan Qing opened the box and held it out in front of him. The light caught on the contents, flashing briefly before their eyes.
—So it was a pair of earrings.
Zhu Lianzhen let out a quiet sigh of relief and took the box, examining the design closely. They were platinum, one a diamond-shaped stud, the other a plain ear cuff.
Zhu Lianzhen muttered, “You could’ve just handed over the earrings directly. Why bother wrapping them up like it’s some big secret? I thought it was something else…”
“Did you think it was a ring?” Tan Qing asked.
Zhu Lianzhen flatly denied it. “How could it be? That’s totally off.”
They fell into a brief silence. Tan Qing shifted his gaze to Zhu Lianzhen’s face and asked, “Want me to help you try them on?”
Zhu Lianzhen didn’t respond, but Tan Qing took his silence as consent. He reached out and slowly placed the stud and backing on Zhu Lianzhen’s left earlobe, then picked up the ear cuff and fastened it to the upper part of his ear. His movements were gentle the entire time.
Maybe the night wind was a little too chilly, because Zhu Lianzhen felt that Tan Qing’s fingertips were unusually warm.
He turned on his phone’s front camera and took a look. The earrings looked like they were made just for him. Set against his light-colored hair, they didn’t steal the spotlight, but complemented his flamboyant style instead.
“I did plan to give you a ring before,” Tan Qing said. “Before Iceland.”
Zhu Lianzhen’s fingers froze.
Then he heard Tan Qing chuckle softly. “But the timing was off. I’d placed the order, but it hadn’t arrived yet, so I never got the chance to give it to you.”
Zhu Lianzhen let out a faint, dry laugh. They didn’t need to say it out loud—they both knew exactly why the ring was never handed over. After all, they hadn’t even made it to Iceland.
It was fine that he didn’t give it. Zhu Lianzhen didn’t like wearing too many accessories on his fingers; they messed with his grip on the microphone. Besides, he couldn’t risk wearing something meaningful where fans might see it.
“So, what happened to the ring?” he asked casually.
Tan Qing turned his head and looked at him, replying in a low voice, “It’s on your ear.”
Oh my gosh I love tan qing so bad 🤭🤭