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Chapter 26 – Covering the Mouth
For a brief moment, the room fell silent. Even Qin Yi paused mid-motion, luggage in hand.
He Yujing, unusually caught off guard, asked, “You mean… who exactly are you thinking about?”
Jiang Liusui didn’t realize what he had said. He looked into He Yujing’s eyes and slowly responded, “Huh?”
He Yujing: “Huh?”
Huh what… HUH!!!
Jiang Liusui immediately snapped back to reality and hurriedly explained, “That’s not what I meant!”
He Yujing pressed further: “Then what do you mean? Explain it clearly!”
Jiang Liusui: “I’m just… thinking!”
He Yujing: “Can you just randomly think about something like this??”
The two of them were getting increasingly worked up. Qin Yi asked curiously: “Does Xiao Jiang have a partner? Since when?”
“No! I don’t have a partner.” Jiang Liusui, already a bit out of it, became even more flustered when He Yujing asked, and accidentally made things worse, “I was just thinking… it’s pretty common for guys to call each other ‘husband,’ right??”
The words hit the room like a bolt from the blue. For a moment, everything froze—the kind of silence that comes right after an explosion.
He Yujing almost couldn’t maintain his expression. Fortunately, Qin Yi broke the silence first: “You like guys?”
He Yujing composed himself, calmed down, and stared intently at Jiang Liusui, waiting for his answer.
He had been waiting for the right moment to subtly probe Jiang Liusui’s preferences—but someone beat him to it. Inwardly, He Yujing gave Qin Yi a silent nod of approval.
Well done, good brother.
Meanwhile, Jiang Liusui’s head was spinning. There was no way he could bring up what happened with Mu Zhe, nor could he clearly explain what was really going through his mind. In the end, all he could do was sidestep the awkward question: “I… I don’t know. I’ve never really liked anyone.”
Qin Yi had never been able to follow his jumping thoughts, but seeing Jiang Liusui answer so honestly—even with a trace of innocent confusion he hadn’t noticed before—made his heart soften.
To have never liked anyone after all these years.
His heart softened, and he comforted Jiang Liusui: “It’s fine, it’ll happen sooner or later.”
With that, he finished packing and bid them goodbye. As he stepped out, He Yujing gave him a polite nod and a smile, which Qin Yi returned in kind.
Perhaps it was an occupational hazard as an actor, but he habitually rehearsed scenarios in his mind based on current situations. For a moment, he thought He Yujing would say, “come over more often when you’re free.”
Qin Yi pinched the bridge of his nose and dismissed the strange thought.
Meanwhile, He Yujing closed the door behind him, locking it with a soft click. Noticing Jiang Liusui still lost in thought, he asked, “Shall I go take a shower first?”
Jiang Liusui nodded.
The day’s recording ended once the rooms were assigned. The cameraman had left early, leaving only a camera in the room that wasn’t turned on. He Yujing casually covered the camera with a piece of clothing.
Maybe it was a habit built over years—He Yujing valued his privacy, and being on a variety show sharing a room with someone was a first, but he didn’t feel the slightest awkwardness.
The muffled sound of water came from the bathroom. Having nothing better to do, Jiang Liusui unlocked his phone.
Since the start of filming, he hadn’t checked Weibo. Logging into his alternate account, he saw rows of trending topics related to ⟪Fantasy Holiday.⟫
He Yujing’s name was prominently placed at the top of the trending list, followed by topics about the program and the other cast members.
#FantasyHolidayLeaks#
#HeYujingJiangLiusui#
#LingzhouIslandSunrise#
#FantasyHolidayBeachBarbecue#
Jiang Liusui clicked on the trending topics related to the show and saw several sets of leaked photos circulating widely. Most were taken on the day they walked the dogs. He was walking ahead of He Yujing. In one video, he called He Yujing’s name; at first, He Yujing didn’t hear it, and when he turned back, he smiled at Jiang Liusui a moment later.
The girl recording the video was instantly captivated by that smile and let out an excited shriek, nearly fainting.
Other than the first day, there were also photos from watching the sunrise that morning, but they were distant and dim, so the images were blurry. The evening beach barbecue photos, however, were crystal clear. Jiang Liusui saw himself and Xu Miao bustling around the grill, moments of him chatting with Qin Yi and Shang Qingzhi, and finally, a quiet scene of him and He Yujing sitting alone under the palm trees, talking.
【Wow, the photos under the palm tree are incredible. For a moment, I could’ve sworn I was looking at a dating reality show leak. Forget all the extra drama—just the two of them together, the chemistry is undeniable.】
【Can we ship them? Can we ship them? Can we ship them?! Will ⟪Fantasy Holiday⟫ dare to put them together?】
【This crappy show gets itchy if it doesn’t stir up a CP every day. It hasn’t even aired yet and they’re already doing this. Are they planning a full-on edited hype campaign later?】
【You’re asking if we can ship them? Since they dared to buy this trending topic, the show’s intentions are obvious to everyone. But this show gained popularity last season by forcing unlikely couples together—did the guests not know what they were signing up for? Given someone’s status, it’s probably the show catering to him, not the other way around.】
【Some people shouldn’t try to fish in troubled waters. Let’s be straightforward—if Yu-ge agrees, I have no objections.】
【The previous sisters are right! He-ge has always let his work speak for him. Having a real romantic relationship after so many years in the industry is no big deal, and as long as he knows, normal program promotion is fine. BBut if anyone’s trying to use him as a stepping stone… I really like Jiang Liusui, and I hope it doesn’t go that way.】
【Everyone, don’t be too anxious! We’ll know what’s really going on when the program airs.】
【If there’s no manipulative editing, I want to ship them ahhhhhh!! The paparazzi leaks are so sweet, they match so well!!】
Weibo was refreshing at lightning speed, and discussions of all kinds kept emerging. This wave of paparazzi leaks attracted a huge number of fans. There were those shipping CP, fans shipping based on looks[mfn]fans drawn to someone’s appearance rather than personality or interactions[/mfn], fans simply anticipating the show, and even ordinary onlookers—not a small number by any means.
Fans of other cast members were discussing the paparazzi photos and what was already known about the show, but the spotlight kept returning to Jiang Liusui and He Yujing. It was the first time Jiang Liusui had seen his name mentioned by so many people at once. Even though there were some slightly negative voices mixed in, it all felt very novel.
【Honestly, I’m really curious what kind of personality Jiang Liusui has. From previous livestreams, he seems to be the gentle and cute type, right?】
【He speaks softly, but he probably isn’t a pushover. I’ve seen him act in web dramas before—maybe it’s just the characters, maybe it’s a hidden side of him—but when he really lets loose, he’s kind of wild.】
【Yes!! I’m super, super curious too !! I’m planning to watch this variety show because of him. There’s so little content of Suisui out there—it’s hard to tell what kind of person he really is.】
【It’s my first time seeing someone with his looks and vibe. I can’t help but feel like… he’s a master at fishing for attention.】
【Can’t tell what kind of person he is? Probably the type who can’t function independently, can only cling to my gege.】
【Shut up, don’t drag Yu-ge into this—who are you calling gege?】
【Quit acting all familiar—why are you so concerned?】
A few extreme fans criticized him for riding the hype, but more were worried about He Yujing attracting negative attention, trying to quiet their own overzealous fans—the scene was quite lively. Jiang Liusui was watching with interest when a comment with a totally different tone suddenly appeared:
【Has He Yujing completely run out of ideas? Does he already know this new album’s doomed to flop, so he’s preemptively stirring up CP hype?】
Jiang Liusui hadn’t expected anyone to attack He Yujing from this angle. Unsurprisingly, the comment was bombarded with furious replies from fans. Jiang Liusui continued scrolling. Half a minute later, on a whim, he swiped back, found the comment criticizing He Yujing, and reported it.
He thought for a moment and also reported the one saying he couldn’t function independently.
Having lingered enough under his own name, Jiang Liusui was about to check other trending topics when a message from Shen Sijia suddenly popped up.
She seemed overly excited, flooding the chat with strings of exclamation marks before sending a thirty-second voice message. Without much thought, Jiang Liusui tapped to play it.
Shen Sijia’s earth-shattering scream came from the phone: “Suisui—!! Have you been grouped with gege these past few days?! What exactly did you guys do!!! Did you stay in the same room ahhhhhhh—?!”
Jiang Liusui: “……”
Shen Sijia’s voice was way too loud!
Jiang Liusui was so shocked by her overly excited, distorted tone that he immediately reached for the volume button to turn it down. The sudden surge of embarrassment made his ears feel warm.
Thank goodness He Yujing was in the shower—there was no way he could’ve heard this——
Just as Jiang Liusui’s mind raced to rein in the chaos of Shen Sijia’s messages, a gentle waft of floral and herbal scent drifted past him. Someone reached over and lightly took the phone from his hand. A single droplet of water, still clinging to smooth, pale, firm skin, slid down their arm.
Staring at He Yujing, who had emerged from the bathroom at some point and was loosely draped in a bathrobe, Jiang Liusui froze for a second. A trivial thought suddenly crossed his mind.
The faint but noticeable cottonwood scent he had smelled in He Yujing’s room before turned out to be the smell of shower gel.
He Yujing gave Jiang Liusui, who was frozen in place, a small smile. From that smile, Jiang Liusui sharply sensed a trace of mischief, and couldn’t help a slight twitch of his eyelid.
With one hand, He Yujing pressed the voice button, his tone slow and deliberate, “Hello.”
As if the provocation wasn’t enough, he added, “Suisui and I are staying together tonight.”
I’m done for, Jiang Liusui thought.
He Yujing was ruthless—at a moment like this, he even deliberately called him by his nickname.
Would Shen Sijia’s heart survive this?
Sure enough, Shen Sijia’s next voice message revealed her deteriorating mental state: “You-you-you… he-hello!! Hello hello hello hello!!! Ahhhhh!!!”
“Gege, waaaaaaah gege!!!” Her voice had been all soft sniffles and squeaks one second, and the next, she seemed to realize what was happening, erupting into helpless giggles:
“…okay okay okay okay! I hope you two have a great stay, may everything go smoothly, a hundred years of happiness[mfn]万事如意百年好合 (wàn shì rú yì, bǎi nián hǎo hé) – a traditional Chinese blessing, often used in weddings or celebratory occasions[/mfn] hahahahaha—!”
Jiang Liusui listened to her silvery, bell-like laughter, feeling like one awkward moment after another was piling up tonight. Yet the other party, after hearing Shen Sijia’s outrageous gush, only chuckled lightly, utterly unbothered.
Jiang Liusui couldn’t help but admire him.
He Yujing truly had seen much of the world, able to treat such a loaded blessing as nothing more than a joke.
“Your friend?” He Yujing returned Jiang Liusui’s phone. “Quite amusing.”
While speaking, his other hand pressed a towel to his wet hair, the dark bathrobe’s collar revealing a large patch of bare skin, the belt loosely tied at the narrow waist, and his shoulders straight and broad.
He Yujing’s frame was lean, but far from fragile—tall, upright, every movement radiating a sense of strength that brought to mind a sleek, powerful predator.
Perhaps because Shen Sijia had been shouting too loudly earlier and he happened to witness it, when Jiang Liusui took the phone and their fingers brushed, he felt slightly uneasy.
“She’s always like that. As long as it doesn’t bother you, it’s fine,” Jiang Liusui said without glancing at him and got to his feet. “I’m going to shower.”
Today’s schedule was too packed. Even though he had napped during the day, Jiang Liusui still felt a thread of fatigue.
Yawning, he forced himself through the shower, finally finishing. He draped a towel over his damp hair, quickly wiping it before planning to blow-dry it and go to sleep.
When he pushed open the bathroom door, a fresh grapefruit scent drifted out with him. He Yujing noticed the distinctly different fragrance from his own: “Why aren’t you using the same stuff as me?” he asked.
Jiang Liusui paused for a moment before realizing he meant the shampoo and body wash.
The production team had provided simple, generic toiletries, but the ones He Yujing had brought with him were of a completely different style, sleek and deliberate.
Meticulous to the bone, this guy—even on a variety show, he didn’t forget to bring his own toiletries.
“Aren’t those your personal things?”
“I don’t mind if you use them.”
Seeing how serious he looked, Jiang Liusui smiled and said, “I’ll use yours next time.”
He Yujing suddenly asked, “So… why did you mention ’husband’?”
“……”
Jiang Liusui hadn’t expected that he would still be thinking about that matter. He Yujing, however, was relentless, acting as if he wouldn’t let it go until it was clarified: “Who were you thinking of at that time? What made you have that impulse—”
Seeing him getting more and more absurd, Jiang Liusui couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward and covered He Yujing’s mouth with his hand.
He Yujing froze, caught completely off guard. His lips brushed against Jiang Liusui’s long, delicate fingers, and for a moment, it felt as if time itself had stopped.
“Please, don’t say anything more.” Jiang Liusui pleaded, half-playful, half-exasperated.
“……”
He Yujing was already taller than him—he only needed to slightly lower his gaze to see the beautiful curve of Jiang Liusui’s neck in full, even the faint red mole on his collarbone clearly visible.
Jiang Liusui lifted his gaze to meet He Yujing’s, his long lashes glistening faintly. There was nothing innocent about the man before him. After waiting for a while without getting a clear answer, Jiang Liusui grew impatient. He pressed his palm down, gently pressing on He Yujing’s lips.
Like a silent urging.
He Yujing’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and a sudden heat rose to his ears.
After a long moment, he forced out a muffled reply from his throat.
“…Oh.”
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Author’s Note:
Completely lost on how to handle A’Jing.
— — — —
