After a pause, he glanced at Duan Qiong again. “As for the rest… Duan Qiong, you’re the team leader, right? You figure it out.”
Duan Qiong wanted to say he could also go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots.
But catching Yu Huaili’s expression, he pressed his lips together, swallowed the words, and nodded. “Okay.”
It was fine. Jiang Yanru was already married.
It was fine. Letting Yu Huaili be around another man for a bit was fine.
Yu Huaili had no objections. He went back to change clothes, then followed Jiang Yanru up the mountain.
“Hey, Little Li.” As they went up the mountain, seeing that the cameraman was fiddling with his equipment, Jiang Yanru asked, “Are Little Duan and Xingheng closer to each other? Do they exclude you?”
Yu Huaili: “Huh?”
How did he figure that out?
Yu Huaili smiled. “Not really, I don’t think. I feel like the group relations are pretty good.”
Jiang Yanru scoffed. “No one’s filming right now, and you’re still giving me that official line. I saw you guys arguing earlier, with them on one side. Did Xingheng hit you?”
“Brother Jiang.” Yu Huaili said helplessly. “Brother Xingheng didn’t hit me. We really weren’t fighting. It’s just… Brother Duan Qiong and Brother Xingheng have a small misunderstanding.”
Jiang Yanru had the air of someone determined to get to the bottom of things. “What misunderstanding?”
Yu Huaili: …
He was making it up as he went. He didn’t know either.
Fortunately, the cameraman finished setting up his camera in no time, and the gossip fire in Jiang Yanru’s heart finally died out.
The two dug bamboo shoots until they had enough for the grown men to eat tonight, then stopped. On the way back, passing the fish pond, they could see Duan Qiong and Jiang Qing catching fish.
“Go change your clothes.” Jiang Yanru took off his shoes as he spoke. “I’ll take you to the small vegetable market to buy groceries. If anything’s too expensive, you just look at those aunties with your pitiful face—like how you look at your posture coach—and they’re guaranteed to give us a discount.”
“You’re teasing me again, Bro.” Yu Huaili washed the dirt from under his nails. “But the posture coach never went easy on me.”
Jiang Yanru rubbed his chin. “Aiyah, that’s true too…”
When Duan Qiong came back carrying two big fish in his basket, he first looked at the bamboo shoots in the yard, then asked Zhang Zhidong, who was opening a jar, “Teacher Zhang, has Yu Huaili come back yet?”
“He came back, then went out again with Little Jiang and Teacher Zhang to buy groceries.” Zhang Zhidong said. “Little Duan, help me grab a knife. Let me see if I can pry this wine jar’s stopper open.”
Duan Qiong washed his hands and took off his dirty chest waders. “Let me open it.”
“Then you try.” The stopper that Zhang Zhidong had struggled with for ages came open easily in Duan Qiong’s hands. Zhang Zhidong smiled and poured him a small half-bowl of green plum wine. “We brewed this in the first episode. Try it.”
Duan Qiong took a couple of sips. “It’s good. A little sweet.”
“Haha, too much rock sugar. The wine flavor’s faded; only sweetness is left.” Zhang Zhidong said, then pointed at the fish. “Perfect timing, Little Duan. Help me out—gut that fish.”
Duan Qiong hummed in acknowledgment. As he cleaned the fish, he remembered that after catching the fish, Jiang Qing seemed to have disappeared again.
Oh.
Duan Qiong remembered—in the past life, Jiang Qing had contacted a very pretty girl on this show, nearly driving Sister Chen insane.
None of his business.
Duan Qiong scaled the fish with an expressionless face, thinking: if Jiang Qing wanted to ruin himself, no one could stop him.
Hiss… but it was almost dark. Why hadn’t Yu Huaili come back yet?
Hearing footsteps, Duan Qiong looked up at the newcomer. Seeing it was Xi Xingheng, he lowered his eyes again with distaste.
“Has Yu Huaili come back yet?” Xi Xingheng set the vegetables into the sink and asked casually.
Zhang Zhidong laughed. “Why does everyone ask that when they walk in? He came back for a bit, then followed Teacher Zhang and Little Jiang out to buy groceries.”
Xi Xingheng glanced at Duan Qiong, who was gutting the fish, nodded, and said with a smile, “Teacher Zhang, anything I can help with?”
Zhang Zhidong thought for a moment. “Then help me keep the fire going. Don’t let it go out.”
The sky had completely darkened, but dinner still wasn’t done. After Yu Huaili and the other two returned, they also went to the kitchen to help cook a few dishes, then carried everything to the table in the yard.
“Bad Pear.” Duan Qiong took the dish from Yu Huaili’s hand, but happened to catch sight of a wound on Yu Huaili’s hand. He couldn’t help frowning. “How did your hand get hurt?”
“Hm?” Yu Huaili glanced at the shallow wound on his fingertip. “Scraped it while digging bamboo shoots. I rinsed it with water. It’s fine.”
Duan Qiong lowered his eyes, taking his hand and gently rubbing it twice. He couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
Jiang Qing, watching the two of them “all lovey-dovey” and tugging at each other, set the dishes on the table and rolled his eyes. “Bros, the cameras are rolling. Have some shame.”
Yu Huaili pulled his hand back and said casually, “Brother Duan Qiong and I have a good relationship.”
Duan Qiong curved his lips.
Once all the dishes were done, the dinner segment had the guests reminiscing about their glorious pasts and praising how delicious the food was today.
Solaron-X followed the same routine.
But Yu Huaili felt something was wrong.
He propped his head up and pointed at the liquid in his cup, asking Jiang Yanru, “Brother Jiang, is this green plum juice?”
“What?” Jiang Yanru said. “It’s not juice. It’s green plum wine.”
Yu Huaili propped his forehead, struggling to suppress the urge to let his true form’s ears pop out.
…Great. He was screwed.
Seeing Yu Huaili suddenly lower his head and fall silent, Duan Qiong frowned. “Bad Pear, are you feeling unwell?”
Xi Xingheng looked at the half-cup of green plum wine left in Yu Huaili’s cup, narrowing his eyes. “Did you just drink this wine? Are you allergic to alcohol?”
“It’s not an allergy…” Yu Huaili forced a smile. “I just have a very low tolerance for alcohol.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chenyu said with a worried face, “I forgot to tell you—this is our homemade wine, and there’s quite a lot of baijiu in it… If you’ve eaten enough, go rest first.”
Yu Huaili nodded. He said a quiet “sorry,” stood up, and walked with slightly unsteady steps to the bathroom on the second floor. Turning on the tap, he scooped up a handful of cold water and patted it on his face.
The bathroom door gave a soft “click” as it locked.
Yu Huaili’s ears and tail popped out beyond his control.
Wait—who locked the door?
Yu Huaili’s ears instantly pricked up sharply. He turned to look, meeting the eyes of Duan Qiong, who looked even more shocked than he was.
“Why do you have ears…” Duan Qiong stared in shock at the clearly dog-like ears on Yu Huaili’s head, then at the tail standing straight up. “And… a tail?”
Yu Huaili looked at Duan Qiong with a cold face. Pressing his temple, he said hoarsely, “…Get out first.”
“Sorry, I mean no harm.” Duan Qiong probably knew that when a dog raises its tail, it signals hostility toward the person in front of them. He explained in a low voice, “I was just… a little shocked just now. You’re still cute like this. Very much.”
After a pause, Duan Qiong frowned. “Bad Pear, where do you feel sick? Your expression looks awful right now. Do you want to throw up, or…”
Yu Huaili kept his head down, silent, his ears drooping.
Duan Qiong felt a pang of heartache looking at him like that.
Why did he feel heartache for Yu Huaili every day?
Duan Qiong stepped forward, gently cupping Yu Huaili’s cheeks. Looking down into Yu Huaili’s dazed eyes, his tone was extremely gentle. “Tell me, Little Pear. Where do you feel bad?”
Yu Huaili took Duan Qiong’s hand, lightly rubbing his cheek against Duan Qiong’s palm. He whispered, “Brother… can you hold me?”
A roar sounded in Duan Qiong’s ears.
That night, he didn’t know how many times he’d held Yu Huaili tightly. But now that Yu Huaili himself was asking, he felt like he couldn’t even bend his arms.
Duan Qiong gently wrapped his arms around Yu Huaili, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Now, Duan Qiong finally knew where Yu Huaili felt sick.
A flash of pink crossed his mind again.
Duan Qiong’s brain felt tied in knots, and his words came out tangled. “Yu Huaili, do you need me to… I…”
Holding Yu Huaili, whose body was abnormally hot, Duan Qiong let out a deep breath and said hoarsely, “Do you need me to help you take care of it?”
Yu Huaili’s head drooped onto Duan Qiong’s shoulder, his voice sounding wet. “What are you saying…”
After saying it once, the second time came out abnormally smoothly. Duan Qiong gently stroked Yu Huaili’s ear. “Can I help you? It’s uncomfortable, and so are you.”
Yu Huaili said, “Don’t…”
“Don’t… why not?” Duan Qiong’s Adam’s apple moved. He lowered his eyes, his trembling lips lightly brushing over Yu Huaili’s drooping ear. “We’re recording right now. There are cameras everywhere outside. You can’t go out like this.”
“Or is it…” Duan Qiong paused, saying through gritted teeth somewhat, “You’d rather have Xi Xingheng help you? Because you like his type?”
Otherwise, why did Yu Huaili let Xi Xingheng hug him today, just like they were doing now?
Was Yu Huaili planning to let Xi Xingheng help him even then…?
Duan Qiong, stop losing your mind.
Duan Qiong viciously cursed himself twice in his heart. How could that be? What kind of person are you taking Yu Huaili for?
But even if Yu Huaili wasn’t that kind of person, that didn’t mean Xi Xingheng wasn’t…
His hand had already touched Yu Huaili’s waist!
“Let me help you, okay? We’re friends. Helping you is what I should do.” Duan Qiong said in a low voice. “Please, let me help you…”
“Little Pear, can I?”
“Just let me help you, okay…”
“Little Pear… stop torturing me…”
After a long moment, Yu Huaili lightly licked Duan Qiong’s neck. “Stop chanting.”
The words in Duan Qiong’s mouth stopped abruptly.
The feeling in his hand finally matched that flash of pink that often appeared in his mind.
“Let me see you, Bad Pear.” Duan Qiong clumsily kissed Yu Huaili’s ear, whispering, “Can I? Let me see you. I want to see you…”
Yu Huaili lowered his eyes, his body braced on the vanity, his tail sweeping heavily across Duan Qiong’s wrist.
Duan Qiong finally saw Yu Huaili’s misty expression.
Were Yu Huaili’s ear tips trembling?
His eyes were so bright. The tip of his nose was damp. His mouth looked so wet…
As if bewitched, Duan Qiong tentatively kissed Yu Huaili’s lips.
Yu Huaili just lifted his eyelids to glance at him—neither initiating nor refusing.
Duan Qiong’s Adam’s apple moved.
A kiss is prying open the other person’s lips, tongues tangled together, sharing one breath of air.
This was a kiss.
One of Duan Qiong’s hands rested lightly on Yu Huaili’s waist. He didn’t know how much of Yu Huaili’s saliva he’d swallowed.
“Such a strong green plum taste…” Duan Qiong kissed the tip of his nose again, whispering, “Little drunk dog.”
Footsteps came from outside the bathroom.
“Yu Huaili? Are you in the bathroom?” It was Xi Xingheng’s worried voice. “How do you feel? Are you okay?”
Then came the sound of the doorknob being turned—but the door was already locked.
Xi Xingheng’s voice turned cold. “Duan Qiong? Are you in there too?”
Duan Qiong looked down at what was in his hand. With his clean hand, he gently tucked the hair stuck to Yu Huaili’s face behind his ear. “Do you feel a little better?”
“Do you need another round?”
