After Transmigrating into the Main Shou, I Topped the Paranoid Big Shot 57

Chapter 57

The audience could see the movements of all the live stream rooms. Tu Bu had forgotten this. He only closed the bullet comments after seeing someone in Ruan Chi and Lu Bo’s live stream spamming “Nan Nan Zhi Zhi” and “birthday cake.”
But Zong Mo didn’t notice the bullet comments above the screen. After watching the two-person lunch for a while, he felt bored and complained, “…Is this my birthday reward?”
On his birthday, he had to watch CEO Ruan and Lu Bo eat together?
Director Tu is inhuman!!
Wuwu, he’s starting to miss his Director Yang.

Tu Bu had an innocent look on his face, “Hmm… didn’t you choose this yourself?”
He thought for a moment and compromised, “How about this? I’ll give you another chance. You can choose a live stream room again.”
Zong Mo had lost interest and said listlessly, “I don’t want to watch anymore. I want to go back and catch up on sleep.”
Tu Bu didn’t stop him and let him leave.
Zong Mo ate something casually at noon. He was prone to sleepiness after lunch. This time, he successfully fell asleep and slept for several hours.
When he woke up, it was already dusk outside the window. There was no one else in the room. He couldn’t smell the aroma of dinner either. An inexplicable sense of loss and a huge feeling of loneliness instantly welled up in his heart.

He got out of bed and walked to the window. The molten gold light enveloped him. The sky was filled with the orange of the setting sun and the misty purple of the backlit clouds. The afterglow covered the sea surface. The strong sunset was so dazzling it was hard to open his eyes.
The final splendor before the sunset disappeared was as dazzling as the sunrise.
Zong Mo brought his gaze back to the courtyard and finally saw the first person to rush back, dragging a long shadow.
It was Ling Han.
Ling Han didn’t notice him and walked straight into the homestay’s main door. A while later, his room door was knocked on again.
Zong Mo went to open the door in confusion and came face to face with the short-haired young man who looked like a small hedgehog.
Ling Han asked coolly, “Is it your birthday today?”
As impolite as ever.
“Mm,” Zong Mo inexplicably wanted to retort, “I’m twenty-two today, four years older than you. Why don’t you even call me ge?”
Ling Han, who was still a month shy of nineteen: …

Ling Han didn’t call him “ge” but stood at the door, not leaving. After a while, he reluctantly fumbled in his pocket and took out a piece of paper that was folded into a neat square.
“This is for you.”
Zong Mo couldn’t figure out the little brat’s thoughts, but it was just a piece of paper, not something very valuable. He took it frankly, opened it, and was stunned.
A few of the sentences were a bit familiar, as if from the song Ling Han had sung on the last night of recording Field Diary.
Something about by the well, the crescent line on the nail…
Coupled with the numbers and various messy symbols interspersed between the lyrics, this was clearly the sheet music and lyrics for a whole song.
Zong Mo: ?
Why would he give him his original song? He should keep it to pay the contract termination fee in the future!
He knew Ling Han’s future but couldn’t say it outright. The current plot was already very different from the novel. The shelving might not really happen, and Ling Han might not believe it. He could only say helplessly:
“I can’t sing and I can’t read music. This song is useless to me.”
“I’ve recorded an audio,” Ling Han said concisely. “I’ll send it to you. You can listen with headphones.”
Zong Mo: …
So he was kindly reminding him not to play it out loud in the live stream room?
He was starting to miss the little mad dog from their first meeting. Although he was cold and fierce, he unexpectedly had a group punching bag attribute. Even a personality like his couldn’t resist the wicked pleasure of teasing him.
But the current Ling Han made him not know what to do.
At least the thought of teasing and joking had completely dissipated. He felt helpless and powerless.
Ling Han didn’t wait for him to refuse again. He left without a word, leaving him with a thin but stubborn back.

As night fell, the remaining few returned to the homestay one after another.
His twenty-second birthday was about to pass in a muddle. The downstairs was bustling with people coming and going. He didn’t know what they were doing.
He couldn’t see from the window facing the sea. Zong Mo came to the corridor outside his room and saw the staff hanging colorful lights by the swimming pool, seemingly preparing for a party.
Hmm?
He was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to go back to his room.
Qi Zhiyi happened to look up. With his excellent eyesight, he spotted him at a glance and immediately shouted, “Little Mo! Come down quickly!”
…Are they going to push him into the swimming pool to liven up the party?
Zong Mo cautiously changed into thick black clothes and pants. He only came near the swimming pool a dozen or so minutes later.
The moment he appeared, the bright, colorful lights all went out with a thud.
Suddenly plunged into darkness, Zong Mo felt a wave of panic.
In just a few seconds, with a few whooshing sounds, fireworks shot into the night sky from the corners of the swimming pool, exploding and blooming one after another, illuminating his still-surprised face.
…Huh?
And the person he had been most resentful of today—Director Tu—suddenly appeared in front of him, holding a colorful cylinder, and bang, it went off at him.
Zong Mo didn’t know what it was, but he was startled by the sound. He subconsciously closed his eyes. After half a day, he found that the things that had been sprayed all over him were not aggressive at all.
He pulled down the ribbon that was blocking his eyes. It was as colorful as the cylinder in Tu Bu’s hand.
He finally realized that this seemed to be something called a party popper, usually used at weddings and other celebrations.
The person being aimed at with the party popper was, of course, the protagonist of the celebration.
He still looked at Tu Bu in confusion. He was suddenly attacked again by Qi Zhiyi from the side. His head was full of colorful ribbons, and he could only close his eyes. Then, he clearly heard a chorus of voices by his ear, “Happy birthday!”

Zong Mo was stunned and hadn’t come back to his senses. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a birthday cake coming towards him in the midst of a happy birthday song.
It was a big cake, bigger than his head. It was covered with a thick layer of appetizing, light yellow cream. On top of the cream was a dazzling array of various fresh fruits, the ingredients very substantial.
“Happy birthday, Little Mo,” in the happy atmosphere, Qi Nanfeng’s slightly uncomfortable voice sounded very abrupt.
Zong Mo not only hadn’t expected to become the protagonist, but he also hadn’t expected that the one leading the cake-delivering troop would be the socially anxious Qi Nanfeng. He couldn’t help but laugh and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Qi Zhiyi squeezed over and added, “My brother and I made this cake together. Quick, close your eyes and make a wish. Then you can eat it after blowing out the candles.”
The surprise came too suddenly. Zong Mo hadn’t known that someone would celebrate his birthday, so of course, he hadn’t prepared a birthday wish in advance.
Under the expectant gazes of everyone, he quickly thought for a moment.
From his experience of reading novels, when he discovered he had transmigrated, his first reaction was that he definitely couldn’t go back.
But everything that had happened in the book world was too unreal, like a fleeting and beautiful dream.
In a moment, he had made a wish and said silently in his heart, “I want to stay here forever.”

This birthday surprise was not just for the few guests; the entire program staff also participated. But the large number of staff members could not appear on camera, so they were divided into two tables with the guests.
Without the surveillance of the camera, and without so many rules to follow, the staff, who worked day and night, were all drunk and swaying. Even the cameramen who were filming the guests had a flush on their faces.
Although Zong Mo’s birthday seemed to have become a group dinner, seeing the laughter and joy at his own birthday party, he also felt genuinely happy.
On the guests’ side, besides the twins, Ling Han, Lu Bo, and Ruan Chi also came later.
Zong Mo divided the cake into eight pieces, put them on small plates, and gave one to each person.
Because everyone was an artist and might be on a diet, Zong Mo specially asked first before putting down the plate.
Lu Bo also said to him, “Happy birthday.”
Ling Han accepted the cake in silence, unwilling to say thank you or wish him a happy birthday.
The current Ling Han finally had a bit of the duplicitous look from the novel. For the sake of the gift he had given, Zong Mo kindly showed concern, “Did you eat during the day? Eat more tonight. There are many dishes.”
Ling Han: …

Zong Mo, full of anticipation, finally brought the cake to Ruan Chi, but received the only refusal.
“I don’t like cake,” Ruan Chi said. “And I ate so much at noon I feel like throwing up. I don’t have much of an appetite now.”
…Eating with Lu Bo made you feel like throwing up?
Zong Mo was very happy to accept this reason and offered the cake again without retreating, adding, “Mm, then I’ll just put the cake here? Maybe you’ll want to eat it later.”
Ruan Chi only said, “I don’t want to eat anything.”
Zong Mo looked at the table full of delicious food prepared by the program team. Most of the dishes were not sweet. Half were island specialties, and the other half were classic Chinese dishes, with a wide variety to cater to everyone’s tastes. And there were a few dishes that Ruan Chi usually ate quite a lot of…
Zong Mo was puzzled. He saw him suddenly stand up and say with an unreadable expression, “I’m very tired today. I’m going back first.”
He watched Ruan Chi leave in a daze, and only came back to his senses when Qi Nanfeng gently pulled him.
Qi Zhiyi, on the other hand, said, “Little Mo, you’re the birthday boy. You should try the cake first.”
Zong Mo sat back down in his seat and absentmindedly dug into the cake. He didn’t taste the first piece of cake at all. He took a second piece, and only then did he say to the twins, “The cake you made is very delicious.”
“That’s good. I finally found something I’m better at than my brother,” Qi Zhiyi smiled. “He burned the cake three times, so this cake was mostly made by me.”
Qi Nanfeng: “I arranged the fruits.”
Qi Zhiyi: “I cut them.”
Zong Mo: …
Damn, the twins were also starting to be a bit like they were in the novel.
He quickly spoke up to stop the two, “Don’t just eat cake. Eat more dishes.”
The eight-inch birthday cake was divided into eight pieces. Zong Mo ate three pieces in one go. The others each ate one piece. The last piece he had wanted to leave for Ruan Chi was left.
Zong Mo moved this ownerless piece of cake in front of him but didn’t touch the fork for a long time.
Qi Zhiyi asked, “Little Mo, why aren’t you eating?”
“Mm, I’m a little full,” Zong Mo smiled and said. “But it’s very delicious. I’ll eat it after a short rest.”
How could he not be full? Probably only a mukbang streamer would eat like this.
Ling Han silently glanced at Zong Mo’s stomach. Just one-eighth of the cake had already made him feel sick.
Qi Zhiyi shifted his attention from that piece of cake and smiled, “As long as you like it.”

After three rounds of drinks, the staff on the program team’s side were already swaying. Tu Bu was also high and sent a dozen beers to the guests.
Zong Mo looked for a suitable opportunity. When everyone was busy pouring beer, he said, “I’m going to the restroom.”
He stood up first, his side to the edge of the table. When no one was looking, he reached out a hand, picked up that piece of cake, and hid it behind his back.
Then he quickened his pace and quickly left the scene.
The last hurdle on the way back to the homestay was Lu Bo, who was sitting at a corner seat.
Dealing with him was more nerve-wracking than dealing with the other three. Zong Mo couldn’t help but look at him a few more times. Perhaps it was because of these extra glances that Lu Bo, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, turned to look over.
Zong Mo: …

But Lu Bo just reminded him, “Isn’t the restroom on the other side?”
“I’m going back to my room to change. I got some cream on my clothes,” Zong Mo explained, unable to hide his nervousness, and also explained the hand behind his back, “…and I’ll put the cake in the restaurant’s fridge to eat tomorrow.”
He had a lot of things to do on the side.
Lu Bo smiled and said, “Go ahead,” then turned his head back.
Because of these few sentences of conversation with Lu Bo, the other three also looked over.
No one asked any more questions. Zong Mo, with nothing to lose, stopped explaining and left the scene openly.
No one at the scene exposed him, but the bullet comments would not be so kind.
【Mo Mo, isn’t it your birthday? Why are you acting like a thief, hahaha】
【Tsk tsk tsk, I think I know what Mo Mo wants to do.】
【? Why do you all understand so well?】
【An old fan of Dyeing Vat is here, smiling without saying a word ^^】
Zong Mo’s departure successfully led his fans away from the birthday party’s live stream room. Many curious onlookers also shifted their gazes with his actions.

Zong Mo came to the second floor of the homestay and gently pushed open the door of the double room. To avoid being discovered by the people downstairs, he didn’t say a word, quickly slipped in, and locked the door from the inside.
The room was pitch black. The only lighting was the scattered streetlights and the thin moonlight outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
…CEO Ruan isn’t back?
Zong Mo stood quietly for a while to get used to the darkness, found the side of the bed, and saw a bulge in the middle of the round double bed.
So CEO Ruan is here.
But… why was he lying in the middle of the round bed?
Then when Lu Bo sleeps, no matter which side he sleeps on, wouldn’t he have to be pressed against him?
And there’s only one quilt!!
Zong Mo’s breath hitched.
Isn’t Ruan Chi a Gong #2 from “Green JJ”? Shouldn’t a Gong #2 be as affectionate and devoted as a second male lead? How can he not uphold his male virtue?!

He walked over. This time, he was sullen and didn’t want to make a sound. He just sat down on the edge of the bed with a plop.
His movement was not gentle, but Ruan Chi didn’t react, nor did he move, showing him the back of his head.
Zong Mo: ?
Why didn’t he move over a little? If it were Lu Bo who came, wouldn’t he have to sleep pressed against Ruan Chi?
Zong Mo looked at the cake he was holding and thought for a while. Fortunately, he was in a good mood tonight. He could deal with the cake first, and then consider the matter of male virtue.
“CEO Ruan, do you want some cake?”
Ruan Chi immediately replied, “No.”
Zong Mo was stunned. “…You’re not asleep?”
“You’re very loud,” Ruan Chi said, rolling over to face him. “Are you happy, Zong Mo?”
“I am,” Zong Mo looked at him in the faint light.
“If you’re happy, then what are you doing here?” Ruan Chi asked.
“Are you angry?” Zong Mo also asked.
Ruan Chi retorted, “Angry about what?”
But his tone didn’t sound angry.
“If you’re not angry,” Zong Mo said, “can you eat my birthday cake?”
“Did you not understand… I don’t like cake.”
“It’s quite delicious, not very sweet…”
The viewers who had found their way to the double room’s live stream instantly boiled over.

【Wait, do they not know the live stream is still on???】
【Am I overthinking it? I always feel like Mo Mo is confessing in a very new way?】
【CEO Ruan, you’re not rejecting the cake, you’re rejecting our future love!】
【CEO Ruan is so tsundere, save me】
【So this is what they’re like in private, kswl!!】
“But I ate your birthday cake,” Zong Mo’s eyes lowered, but he refused to give up. “So I want you to try my birthday cake.”
Ruan Chi was silent for a long time before he said, “That wasn’t a birthday cake.”
The bullet comments were still in a heated discussion.
【Does anyone know when CEO Ruan’s birthday is??】
【His Weibo profile says November 18】
【Really? Then how long have they known each other??】
【It should be “how long have they been together,” hahaha】
【Ahhh, Dyeing Vat is real!!】
After Zong Mo left, the guests’ table by the swimming pool became visibly deserted.
The program team’s side was still lively. The most high was the chief director. After getting high, he sang and danced in turns, followed and filmed by a relatively sober cameraman colleague, leaving behind a dark history that would make him unforgettable for the rest of his life.
Lu Bo did not follow Zong Mo back to the homestay. After thinking for a while, on the grounds of saving the director’s face, he went to the program team’s live stream screen to take a look.
And then, he was silent for a long time.

In the double room, Zong Mo didn’t get to see Ruan Chi take the cake, but he heard someone knock on the door.
He said with some regret, “I just locked the door. I’ll go and see.”
But Ruan Chi stopped him, “What’s the point of opening the door when you’re sleeping?”
Zong Mo: …
Meaning he was not allowed to go.
The person outside the door was still relentless. Lu Bo’s gentle voice passed through the door and floated in softly, “Zong Mo.”
Zong Mo: …Why is it Lu Bo of all people?
Oh, right. This was also Lu Bo’s room.
As a visitor, to lock the other owner of the double room outside was clearly not appropriate, but Zong Mo just didn’t want to go and open the door.
Perhaps because there was no movement from inside, Lu Bo changed his tune and called someone else, “Ruan Chi.”
Zong Mo was stunned. How did Lu Bo seem to be sure that both of them were in the room?
The lights in the room were not on. When he was observing the crack in the door from outside, he had thought the room was empty…
No one went to open the door, so Lu Bo just finished what he had to say outside the door, “The live stream is not off.”
Zong Mo: ?
What?
Is Lu Bo talking nonsense, or could his CEO Ruan really make such a low-level mistake?
Ruan Chi: …

The person outside the door was really here to remind them. After saying what he had to say, he left, his footsteps fading into the distance.
Zong Mo had no choice but to believe it. He hurriedly turned on the light to check the camera.
It really wasn’t off.
Zong Mo: …
Actually, he could see the camera’s light on in the dark, but he had also completely not noticed it.

The next morning, Ruan Chi found that he was on the trending list.
Netizens were all @’ing him, and the questions were all the same—
[CEO Ruan, did you eat Mo Mo’s birthday cake in the end last night?]
Ruan Chi now also had several million fans. He couldn’t read all the private messages and comments every day, but he specially reposted a netizen’s Weibo and commented.
[Ruan Chi replied: @MoLuoChiYuan No.]
The comments below were all disbelief, saying he was a tsundere, duplicitous, and a stubborn duck.
Ruan Chi: …
He really hadn’t eaten it.
He finally got a taste of what Zong Mo felt like being wronged by netizens. Although this wasn’t really being wronged, at most a misunderstanding.

The reason he hadn’t eaten the cake in the end was actually an accident.
It was all because Lu Bo suddenly told them the live stream wasn’t off. When Zong Mo was fumbling to turn off the live stream, he had knocked over the cake.
Zong Mo’s eyelashes drooped dejectedly.
This was his first birthday in the book, the first time so many people had celebrated his birthday.
It was also the first birthday he had spent with Ruan Chi.
He felt very happy and wanted to share this happiness with the person before him.
This was the best birthday cake he had ever eaten. The last piece of the entire birthday cake was the one he had specially left for CEO Ruan…
Now, the cake was gone.
The momentary disappointment instantly dispelled the hours of joy. The cake, which had fallen to the ground and turned into a pile of mush, was like a feeling that had been carefully burning but was extinguished midway.
Ruan Chi had only refused to eat the cake and hadn’t said anything harsh. The one who had dropped the cake was the clumsy him…
He really couldn’t blame anyone.
Thinking this, Zong Mo’s head drooped listlessly, showing Ruan Chi the whorl of his black hair.
Ruan Chi walked to his side, pondered for a moment, and asked, “Did you eat yourself?”
“I did,” Zong Mo said in a low voice without looking up. “Three big pieces. It was really delicious.”
“…Zong Mo, did you forget you’re a celebrity?”
Zong Mo guessed that CEO Ruan must be thinking of scolding him: Are you a pig? Eating so much?
He also knew he had to manage his figure.
But he was really happy today. He was really happy before he lost the last piece of cake. The joy was almost overflowing, and he just wanted to share it with others.
Now… wuwu.

Ruan Chi asked again, “Did you brush your teeth?”
Zong Mo didn’t want to look up, his voice trembling slightly, “Not yet.”
Suddenly, a strong force came from his collar. His whole person was as if attracted by a magnet, and only stopped when he hit two soft lips.
Ruan Chi snatched his breath, conquering and plundering, as if he were searching for the last lingering sweet scent.
Finally, Ruan Chi held his face, his nose touching his. They looked at each other, in an atmosphere so ambiguous it was as if he were about to say “I love you”…
He said in a low voice that only the person before him could hear:
“Happy birthday. Very sweet.”