PTBC chapter 20

Perhaps because of the thank-you letters, the dinner that night was full of warmth and affection.

The production team had prepared hot pot, seafood barbecue, and even a chef making desserts on-site, making sure the guests wouldn’t go to bed hungry.

After everyone initially buried themselves in food, they spontaneously began chatting about their experiences in the industry, their childhoods…

And, of course, about writing love letters in school.

The one who had written love letters was Hu Fei.

When he mentioned this, everyone at the table let out a collective “Oh~~.”

Xia Yan laughed the loudest.

He’d had three cans of beer, and his cheeks were slightly flushed. He wasn’t drunk, but he was a little tipsy.

“How pure,” he said.

Hu Fei became embarrassed and frustrated. He had drunk more than Xia Yan, and his face had turned so red that it spread all the way to his ears.

“What are you laughing at? Don’t tell me none of you have had a first love. Since I’ve said it, you all can’t run away. Everyone better honestly tell me when your first love was,” he protested loudly. “I’m not the only one getting interrogated.”

The producer off-camera silently gave Hu Fei a thumbs up.

Good kid.

He created a topic all on his own, saving her the trouble of setting it up.

The others laughed. First loves weren’t the same as current partners, so there was nothing wrong with sharing.

Many had been asked about this on other variety shows.

Ge Qianyi smiled brightly and said, “As for me, I’ve never had a first love, but I did have a crush on a senior in high school. She was an alpha, tall, and beautiful.”

She placed her hand over her heart, looking quite girlish as she reminisced about those days. A little sweetness still lingered on her face.

“One time it rained and I didn’t bring an umbrella. She walked me to the school gate, and I still remember that day, the gardenias in the school bloomed, and the scent of gardenias was on her too. When she turned her head, her hair brushed against my face. It was a little itchy…”

She paused for a few seconds, her face carrying a bit of regret, but she soon smiled faintly. “But then she went abroad, and I entered the entertainment industry and started working hard. I didn’t have time to think about love anymore.”

After Ge Qianyi finished speaking, there was a brief silence at the table.

The others at the table looked at her with warm eyes, and Xia Yan almost wanted to pat her fluffy head.

A young girl’s thoughts, no matter when they’re brought up, always seem as sweet and fragile as a budding flower, evoking tenderness.

Everyone at the table thought, who was this senior that was so charming? They should just bring her back, what’s so great about being abroad?

But Ge Qianyi quickly cheered up again. “Ah, I’ve finished, it’s time for Jiang Chuxin. Hurry up, hurry up, you must have a lot of love stories.”

Everyone turned their attention to Jiang Chuxin.

In the past few days, because Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin had been sharing a room, their relationship had gotten a bit closer. He teased Jiang Chuxin like a high schooler, “That’s right, hurry up and tell us, I remember you had some rumors with someone, is it true?”

Jiang Chuxin really wanted to punch this fool beside him.

“I don’t have much to say, my first love was also in high school. It was a girl from the class next door. At that time, I waited for her after every class. Later, we went to different schools and broke up.”

Jiang Chuxin’s words were dry, his gaze seemed to intentionally or unintentionally sweep across Xu Cong and Xia Yan.

But Xia Yan was leaning sideways, listening to Xu Cong talk, not paying much attention.

However, after Jiang Chuxin finished, it was Ling Du’s turn, and Xia Yan suddenly perked up, completely ignoring Xu Cong, and stared at Ling Du with bright eyes.

This made Jiang Chuxin quite frustrated.

“I…” Ling Du smiled, still as gentle as jade, “I’m older than you guys by seven or eight years, there’s nothing much to say. You’ll probably think I’m boring.”

“No, no!”

Everyone was eager for gossip.

This was Ling Du, who had been in the industry for ten years with almost no rumors. Everyone he had worked with, both men and women, gave good reviews, and his reputation was excellent.

Although they hesitated to speak out due to his status and seniority, everyone’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Ling Du smiled again.

He didn’t make any special efforts, took a sip of his drink, and said slowly, “My first love was a little later, in college. I met him while working part-time. At first, I didn’t like him, thought he was arrogant and annoying, always getting on my nerves, but later, I don’t know when, after his shift, he waited for me to watch a movie, and after the movie, we walked together down an empty alley. He suddenly held my hand… I remember it was the end of November, and that year the weather was especially cold. He gave me his scarf.”

When Ling Du said this, he felt a bit embarrassed, but also a little nostalgic, like he was remembering the person who had looked at him under the streetlight back then.

“I ended up liking him. But unfortunately, we broke up not long after. I entered the entertainment industry, and he went back home.”

“Ah…”

A few light exclamations came from the table.

Xia Yan murmured, “Who was it, so blind?”

Xu Cong, however, furrowed his brows in confusion.

For some reason, he felt like he had heard this story before.

He couldn’t help but glance at Ling Du’s face a few more times.

Ling Du seemed to notice, smiling at him.

“Did you never get in touch again after that?” Ge Qianyi asked, not giving up. She was only twenty and still had a soft spot for romantic stories. “You really liked him back then, didn’t you?”

Ling Du smiled faintly, his gaze seemingly lost in the distance. “Yes, I really, really liked him. I even thought about spending the rest of my life with him.”

At that time, he was a little younger than Ge Qianyi, and his innocence was almost laughable.

However, he quickly shifted the topic away from himself and looked toward Xu Cong and Xia Yan, grinning.

“You two, have you ever been in a relationship? You two are the only ones who haven’t spoken yet.”

Xia Yan and Xu Cong were sitting together. The program was almost over, and Xia Yan clearly relaxed a lot. He was wearing a loose white T-shirt, exposing his long neck and strong, smooth arms. His peach blossom eyes, though unconsciously, were practically radiating charm. Because of the alcohol, his lips and cheeks were flushed, and his eyes seemed to shimmer, making him even more irresistible.

When he heard Ling Du’s question, he was momentarily stunned, raising an eyebrow and giving a simple “Hmm.”

It had an instant effect.

Ge Qianyi, who was caught by his gaze, half-jokingly covered her chest and muttered “You’re killing me.”

Xu Cong, however, was much clearer-headed. Even though he had drunk quite a bit, his face showed no sign of it. He still looked as cold and distant as usual.

He was known for his aloofness in the group and had no smile when attending events. But this reserved style was particularly popular with his fans, who adored him to the extreme.

Now, sitting next to Xia Yan, he appeared in an entirely different, almost sculptural form of beauty. His facial features were sharp and clean, his eyes deep and mesmerizing, both cold and captivating.

Together, they were a stunning sight, and anyone would admit that they were both eye-catching, so much so that even a random snapshot could be used as a poster. No one would believe they had never had a first love.

Hu Fei, already eager to stir things up, started knocking his cup. “Come on, come on, stop being mysterious, it’s not just about first love anymore. You two need to admit how many relationships you’ve had!”

Xia Yan laughed. He leaned back, and Xu Cong’s arm rested on the back of his chair. As he leaned back, he ended up resting on Xu Cong’s arm.

Neither of them thought it was odd.

He looked at Xu Cong, then at Hu Fei, and smiled. “Well, you guessed wrong. Xu Cong and I both haven’t had a first love yet.”

“What?!”

“Impossible!”

“Nonsense.”

No one believed it.

Even the crew members nearby were questioning it.

“It’s true,” Xia Yan repeated with a smile, lazily staring at Hu Fei.

Hu Fei felt flustered under his gaze.

Those eyes, like a strand of mist, full of aggression yet capable of making one fall into temptation.

Hu Fei, being a beta, couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He muttered to himself that these alphas were too arrogant and embarrassedly raised a hand to block his gaze for a moment.

But he quickly became even more dissatisfied and lowered his arm to protest loudly, “Who are you fooling? You two look like this and you’re telling me you never had a relationship? I’d believe you never dated after debut, but before that? There’s no way you didn’t have people surrounding you with love letters in high school!”

Xia Yan laughed even more audaciously.

He said, “I signed with the company and became a trainee when I was around 18. Although I also took cultural classes, most of my time was spent training. The people I interacted with the most were either teachers or Xu Cong. Where was I supposed to find time for romance? You can’t expect me to date Xu Cong, right?”

While speaking, he glanced at Xu Cong beside him. “Xu Cong is the same. He joined the company at 17, and we’ve been together ever since. We ate and lived together, and he’s always been right under my nose. Neither of us had a relationship.”

With that, everyone, having understood Xia Yan’s personality these past few days, knew he wasn’t one to lie. It seemed like it was true.

There was a collective sigh of disappointment.

The table echoed with exclamations.

“How tragic!” Ge Qianyi couldn’t help but stomp her feet, genuinely lamenting. “You two are S-level alphas, yet have no youthful memories at all? Isn’t that embarrassing when you look back?”

Xia Yan laughed loudly.

He leaned against Xu Cong’s arm, the evening breeze tousling his hair. He said to Xu Cong, “I guess so, we’re a bit pathetic.”

He was so close to Xu Cong that, being a little tipsy, he nearly fell into his arms.

Xu Cong reached out and steadied him. His warm hand rested against Xia Yan’s slightly cold skin and didn’t pull away.

The others didn’t notice the small gesture and were still caught up in the conversation.

Hu Fei, still unconvinced, pressed, “Alright, if you’ve never been in a relationship, then what about crushes? You can’t tell me you didn’t have anyone you secretly liked. Was your teenage years just a barren wasteland, with not even a single blade of grass?”

This question piqued interest.

Although Xia Yan wasn’t fully sober, his arrogance remained undiminished.

With a lazy and proud tone, he asked back, “Do you think I need to have a crush? If I like someone, I’d confess directly. Is there anyone I can’t win over?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear to everyone.

With that proud, arrogant demeanor and his face favored by the gods, it was almost infuriating.

Hu Fei, along with Jiang Chuxin, covered their faces, wishing they could slap this shameless person. However, they couldn’t deny that he had the looks to back it up.

“What about Xu Cong?” Hu Fei stubbornly pressed. “Xu Cong, didn’t you have anyone you liked? Come on, speak up.”

“What are you thinking?” Xia Yan mocked, purposely leaning closer to Xu Cong, his face almost touching Xu Cong’s. “Do you think Xu Cong is worse than me?”

The two handsome faces appeared close together in the camera. Whether the others thought so or not, the staff behind the monitor were already excitedly pinching each other.

The producer, holding back tears of joy, thought, “This viewership rating is secured!”

“Don’t change the subject!” Hu Fei angrily tossed him a sunflower seed. “Xu Cong will speak for himself!”

Everyone burst into laughter, enjoying the spectacle, and even Ling Du joined in, clapping along.

In truth, no one was expecting a different answer.

Compared to Xia Yan, Xu Cong appeared more reserved and aloof. As a rare S-level alpha, he had often been paired with others in the past, but he didn’t have any rumors.

There had been attempts at creating gossip, but Xu Cong had directly denied it on Weibo, giving no face to anyone.

So no one was really expecting anything shocking. It was all just for fun.

However, Xu Cong stared at the beer cup in front of him, his gaze growing darker.

He was actually the one who had drunk the most that night, though he didn’t appear affected and still looked completely sober.

But he felt a little tipsy.

Otherwise, why, despite Xia Yan using a lot of scent-blocking spray, could he still smell a faint trace of roses?

This subtle rose scent, mingling with a hint of rum, was more intense than any alcohol he had consumed that night.

It was intoxicating.

Xu Cong didn’t look at Xia Yan, instead staring at the glass on the table. With a casual tone, he dropped a bombshell.

“I’ve had one.”

He spoke clearly, “I had a crush on someone.”

He shouldn’t have added the word “had,” Xu Cong thought, because for him, it never really ended.

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  Author’s note:
  
  I’m trying my best to help Xu Cong out, this poor kid is going to burst if he holds it in any longer.
  
  It’s so hard for him right now. Xia Yan will have to pay back so much interest later… (just kidding)