Chapter 20: Let Me Help You, Please Part 2

This pendant did indeed have an identical twin. But when he was a child, he’d given the other one to a little boy at the orphanage.

That boy was Xi Xingheng’s first friend.

…Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

Yu Huaili was his only, brief childhood friend?

…Maybe it really was that much of a coincidence?

Because Xi Xingheng probably had some idea of Yu Huaili’s family situation.

Whether Yu Huaili’s parents were dead or had abandoned him, no one knew—on the company’s detailed records, the “parents” column for Yu Huaili was filled in as “none.”

Moreover, Yu Huaili had only finished the nine years of compulsory education before stopping. He’d been discovered by a talent scout while working at a restaurant.

When Sister Chen first talked to him about the Solaron-X members and mentioned Yu Huaili dropping out of school, she’d said with regret, “Yu Huaili’s grades were excellent. He ranked in the top ten in his city on the high school entrance exam. But in the end, he just didn’t have the money to attend…”

Yu Huaili’s family situation turned round and round in Xi Xingheng’s mind. His gaze fell on Yu Huaili’s exceptionally handsome features.

No wonder he’d always found Yu Huaili easy on the eyes. So the bond between him and Yu Huaili had been planted more than ten years ago?

Now that seed of fate had taken root, sprouted, and grown into a towering tree.

So that was why he and Yu Huaili had met again?

Xi Xingheng thought—he couldn’t remember what that little boy looked like anymore, but he still had vague memories of how he’d felt being with him.

…What was he supposed to do? He felt Yu Huaili was even cuter than he’d been as a child.

How could a person’s personality get cuter the older they grew?

For a moment, Xi Xingheng’s thoughts were in a mess. But it couldn’t stop the smile in his eyes. His gaze at Yu Huaili grew softer and softer. “Did you lose it? Or was it taken by someone? I know your living environment was probably chaotic when you were little.”

Yu Huaili blinked. “Hm?”

What on earth was Xi Xingheng rambling about on his own?

Did he really say anything that would make Xi Xingheng misunderstand this badly? Didn’t he just say “this pendant looks a bit familiar”?

“It’s fine.” Xi Xingheng curved his eyes at Yu Huaili. “We can have another identical pair carved… no wait, do you prefer jade pendants? Or do you like gold better, or something like diamonds?”

When it came to such choices, Yu Huaili’s taste was very, very tacky.

He tilted his head, eyes sparkling at Xi Xingheng. “I like all of them. But I like gold the most. Bro, are you going to give me one?”

Xi Xingheng let out a soft “aiyo.”

He’d always felt Yu Huaili was really cute like this, a bit of a show-off. Every time he saw him, he had the urge to pull Yu Huaili into his arms and bury his face in his neck for several big sniffs.

The first time he had that urge, Xi Xingheng thought it was way too psychotic—since when did anyone feel this way about another man?

But as the frequency increased, it inexplicably evolved into an indescribable “desire,” piling up at the bottom of Xi Xingheng’s heart.

But Xi Xingheng couldn’t actually sniff Yu Huaili from head to toe like a dog. So every time he went home, he’d violently pet his own dog from head to toe.

Since meeting Yu Huaili, his dog’s bath frequency had become once a day. Looking at that dog’s look of utter despair every time, Xi Xingheng felt a bit guilty.

But in this moment, Xi Xingheng actually gladly accepted this pervert-like “desire” of his.

Who told him to be on the same wavelength as Yu Huaili? And he and Yu Huaili had more than a decade of fate between them.

Xi Xingheng smiled, opening his arms wide to Yu Huaili. “I’ll give you one. Can I have a hug?”

Yu Huaili curved his eyes and stepped into Xi Xingheng’s embrace, his voice dragging as he acted cute. “What are you saying, Bro? You can hug me without giving me anything.”

Xi Xingheng laughed, burying his head in Yu Huaili’s neck, taking several deep breaths until his nose was full of Yu Huaili’s scent.

Finally got to sniff…

The iceberg-tip of Xi Xingheng’s long-accumulated desire finally got a moment’s satisfaction.

But soon, it turned into an even more intense craving.

He wanted to press Yu Huaili down onto a bed, or a sofa, anywhere—someplace where he could sniff every inch of Yu Huaili to his heart’s content…

“Brother Xingheng? We’ve been hugging for a while. We’re still recording. There are cameras.”

Yu Huaili felt like Xi Xingheng really was treating him like a puppy to sniff, the kind that would start yelping “how is baby so cute,” “how is baby so fragrant,” and “hehehe.”

Xi Xingheng gave a low “mm.”

Yu Huaili: …

Don’t just agree with your mouth and keep hugging. There really are cameras rolling—wait, what was Xi Xingheng’s hand doing?

“Where are you touching?!”

【Dear heavens, who said out loud what Bad Pear and the live stream viewers were thinking?】

【Of course it’s the one who’s even more shameless than Xi Xingheng. Duan Qiong, you’re in no position to talk.】

【Duan Qiong, you’re ten thousand times scarier than Xi Xingheng. At least Xi Xingheng only touches Bad Pear’s waist. You, Duan Qiong, go straight for your mouth.】

【One’s a death sentence, the other’s an execution—only the method differs.】

【Unforgivable… because I’ve never touched Bad Pear’s waist…】

【I’m going to beat Xi Xingheng to death. That should be allowed, right? Xi Xingheng isn’t Bad Pear’s capture target!】

【Can the Protagonist Top and Bottom just fight already? I’ll be happy no matter which one dies.】

【Can’t stand it. I want to punch Xi Xingheng so bad. When did he turn into a freak?】

【You really think Xi Xingheng suddenly mutated? Every time he hooks his arm around Bad Pear’s shoulder, I think his eyes look wrong.】

【Like the look I get when I see something adorable. So cute, so lovely, I just want to kiss it to death.】

【Xi Xingheng’s a fluff fiend, right? By the end of the plot, he raises eight or nine long-haired large dog breeds. Our Bad Pear’s fur isn’t very long, but he is a large dog breed.】

【Actually, Bad Pear had a lot of fur as a kid. Look at the videos circulating on StarNet—his little ears were all fluffy.】

【Huh? Is the streamer Beast-Kin?】

【He’s a puppy ^ ^ There are lots of videos of the streamer as a kid on StarNet. Bad Pear’s personal page has them too. You can go look.】

【If the live stream keeps going, I won’t even have the heart to curse the Protagonist Bottom anymore. My keyboard has already auto-typed: Bad Pear is a cute dog.】

【The Protagonist Bottom just picked Bad Pear up and won’t put him down. I want to chop his hand off.】

【No need to go that far… Can everyone stop cursing so harshly?】

【Oh, I’m just aggressive like that. Who are you to tell me what to do?】

【Zhi Feng: Keep arguing and you’re muted.】

Hearing Duan Qiong’s voice, Yu Huaili pinched Xi Xingheng’s neck with mild force and pulled him backward.

Though pulled away, Xi Xingheng still sighed contentedly at the bottom of his heart. He curved his lips and answered Yu Huaili’s earlier question. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to the director. It won’t make it into the edit.”

Duan Qiong strode over. Staring at Xi Xingheng with a dark, fierce gaze, he lowered his voice, the words squeezed through his teeth. “Where were you touching?”

Xi Xingheng actually dared to touch Yu Huaili’s waist?

Duan Qiong had lost the capacity to think about why Yu Huaili and Xi Xingheng had been embracing. All that filled his mind was that Xi Xingheng had actually dared to touch Yu Huaili’s waist.

He didn’t dare imagine what Xi Xingheng would have done if he hadn’t come.

And Yu Huaili hadn’t refused…

Why hadn’t Yu Huaili refused?

He and Yu Huaili were best friends. He’d never even touched Yu Huaili’s waist so openly.

And this was recording. This was in front of cameras.

At the thought of recording, a bit of Duan Qiong’s runaway rationality returned.

Xi Xingheng rubbed his fingers together. Rather than a touch, he’d only lightly brushed against Yu Huaili’s waist.

“Sorry.” Xi Xingheng lowered his eyes to Yu Huaili. “I just…”

Couldn’t help myself.

“It’s fine.” Yu Huaili waved his hand lightly, very generously. “Bro didn’t mean it. I know. And it’s no big deal.”

Duan Qiong: …

He saw that Xi Xingheng’s intentions were crystal clear.

Jiang Yanru knocked on the door, poking his head in with a frown. “What’s wrong with you guys? Fighting? If you’re going to fight, don’t do it on the show. Are you out of your minds?”

Yu Huaili blinked. “We’re not fighting, Brother Jiang.”

Jiang Yanru obviously didn’t believe it. But fortunately, the production team had a cooperative relationship with Morning Star Entertainment. Just now, whether they were fighting or not, he would tell the production team not to cut this part in.

He said, “Then come with me now to pick up Zhang Chenyu. He’s arrived… Oh, and bring Jiang Qing too. Who knows where he’s run off to this half-day.”

The three of them nodded.

Halfway there, Yu Huaili’s phone buzzed—a message from Xi Xingheng.

【Xi Xingheng: Little Pear, can we still hug in the future?】

【Cold Bad Pear: ? Get lost.】

【Xi Xingheng: But you smell so good.】

【Cold Bad Pear: …】

【Cold Bad Pear: Duan Qiong washes my clothes. You can ask him what detergent he uses.】

【Xi Xingheng: …】

【Xi Xingheng: Next time I really won’t hug for that long.】

【Cold Bad Pear: Send money.】

【Xi Xingheng: [Transfer: 3,000,000]】

【Cold Bad Pear: What are you doing?】

【Cold Bad Pear: Fishing for a crime? Are you planning to report me to the police after I accept the money (grinning face)】

【Xi Xingheng: No. Where did your mind go?】

【Xi Xingheng: I can give you all the money I make after debuting. I just need a hug every day.】

【Xi Xingheng: Good bro.】

【Cold Bad Pear: Unsubscribe】

【Xi Xingheng: So cold…】

【Cold Bad Pear: That’s right, I’m like this ^ ^】

After sending that message, Yu Huaili switched his phone to airplane mode.

He’d already received the production team’s appearance fee. At least try to be professional.

Zhang Chenyu held a very high position in the music world. He was a middle-aged man who looked quite proud, but facing these four juniors who admired him, and in front of cameras, his attitude toward Solaron-X could be called genial.

“I’ve listened to your songs. Very good.” Zhang Chenyu said cheerfully. “On your debut night, my daughter even went to show you all some… what’s that word… fan support.”

“When she found out you’d be guests on ‘Love Song of Life,’ she made a fuss demanding I get your autographs. Aiyah, this girl.”

With Zhang Chenyu saying that, Solaron-X naturally said it was their honor, basking in it.

“I know this kid best.” Zhang Chenyu patted Yu Huaili’s shoulder. “My daughter’s room is covered in your posters. Seeing you in person, you’re even better-looking than your photos.”

Yu Huaili curved his eyes. “Thank you, Teacher Zhang.”

As the group walked toward the courtyard chatting and laughing, the production team handed them tonight’s recipe list just before reaching the door.

They had to do their best to gather all the dishes on the list.

Yu Huaili glanced at it. Many were heavy dishes, and the production team had only given them two hundred yuan. It definitely wasn’t enough.

Zhang Zhidong studied the menu in his hand, then started directing. “The fish pond has fish and loaches—no need to buy those. There are little greens planted in the field, and the mountain has bamboo shoots planted by local farmers. Not far from here there’s a small vegetable market. How about you all go buy two catties of pork ribs? I’ll go process the smoked meat…”

“Little Li can come up the mountain with me to dig bamboo shoots.” Among Solaron-X’s four members, Jiang Yanru knew Yu Huaili best. Also remembering that Yu Huaili had just been arguing with the other two, he planned to bring Yu Huaili along.