I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 16

Chapter 16: Qingbao and the Contestants

“Mr. Huo, you… let go.”

In a remote corner of the park, two figures were pressed together.

Huo Li’s arms were wrapped around Chu Qing’s waist, unmoving. “Don’t call me so distantly,” he said, dissatisfied.

“Huh?”

“Call me by my name,” Huo Li said.

“…”

Huo Li coaxed in a low voice, “If you call my name, I’ll let go, okay?”

“Be good.”

Chu Qing struggled internally for a moment. It all felt very strange.

But being held was even stranger. Chu Qing could only swallow, close his eyes, and take the plunge. “Huo… Huo Li.”

“Mmm.” Huo Li was a little turned on by Chu Qing’s soft, sweet voice. He cleared his throat and continued, “You can also call me ‘Brother Huo Li’.”

“…”

With his ears red enough to bleed, Chu Qing said in a low voice, “You said you would let go.”

“Did I?” Huo Li raised an eyebrow.

“…”

Blatantly going back on his word.

“Isn’t this comfortable?” Huo Li’s hand shifted slightly, rubbing Chu Qing’s belly, one of the only two places on his body that had any flesh. It was soft to the touch.

“Mr. Huo…!” Chu Qing was getting anxious. How could this person be like this?? Openly breaking his promise! He said he would let go, but not only did he not, he’s even pushing his luck!

Huo Li frowned. “I already said, you have to call me by my name. You’re going to be punished for this.”

With that, he planted a kiss on Chu Qing’s ear.

“…!”

Chu Qing’s whole body stiffened, trembling slightly.

“Alright, alright.” Huo Li didn’t dare to go too far. He let go and said gently, “Have you taken your medicine?”

Chu Qing was still a bit dazed and subconsciously shook his head.

Huo Li took a thermos and the pills out of his briefcase and handed them to Chu Qing.

Chu Qing took them and swallowed them. Then, as if remembering something, his eyes uncontrollably and secretly glanced at Huo Li’s pocket.

Huo Li naturally knew what Chu Qing was thinking. He rubbed the back of Chu Qing’s head. “I have candy in my pocket. Get it yourself.”

Chu Qing paused, looking at Huo Li with some apprehension.

“Go on, get it yourself,” Huo Li said, raising an eyebrow. “I have your favorite milk candy.”

Chu Qing: “…”

How did Huo Li know he liked milk flavor?

Huo Li explained on his own accord, “From your body wash and shampoo in the bathroom to the food in your fridge, which one isn’t milk-flavored?”

“…”

Chu Qing felt a little embarrassed.

He really just thought the milk flavor was mild and didn’t require him to make a choice.

And sometimes, when he couldn’t eat, he could surprisingly drink sweet milk. So over time, milk had become a source of comfort for him.

Huo Li gestured towards his pocket with his chin.

He deliberately didn’t get it for Chu Qing, but rather had him get it himself.

Chu Qing hesitated for a moment, struggled for a bit, then carefully reached his hand into Huo Li’s pocket.

…

There are so many.

With a red face, Chu Qing gently picked one out.

“From now on, if you want candy, just get it yourself, okay?” Huo Li had wanted to pinch Chu Qing’s cheek, but after a pause, he just took another piece from his pocket and placed it in Chu Qing’s hand.

“Okay.” Chu Qing clutched the two candies and turned to go back to his room.

If he stayed any longer, he was worried he would explode on the spot.

After all… the level of ambiguity in the air had seriously exceeded the limit.

Seeing Chu Qing flee, Huo Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Silly Qingbao.

…

— — — —

The next day, apart from a fun team-building game in the afternoon, the contestants were given the rest of the time for free creation.

The afternoon team-building activity was for the twelve contestants to gather and play games, including Werewolf and tug-of-war.

During the entire game of Werewolf, Chu Qing was in a daze, just playing his part.

When it came to the tug-of-war, there was no slacking off.

“Want to be a team?” Jiao Changxu walked up to Chu Qing with a smile. “They said we’re in teams of two. Let’s be together, okay?”

Chu Qing blinked, a little confused.

Why isn’t Jiao Changxu with his group-mate, Li Tian?

Nearby, An Yize, who had been beaten to the punch, frowned slightly.

“Hmm?” Jiao Changxu asked again. “Is that okay?”

“Oh…”

Since it had come to this, refusing again would seem strange. It was just a game, anyway.

It was obvious that Chu Qing didn’t have much strength, so he stood at the front, gripping the rope seriously, his legs spread apart as he focused on the opposing team.

The two contestants on the other side were both taller and bigger than Chu Qing. It didn’t look like an easy win.

“Don’t be nervous,” Jiao Changxu said, standing behind Chu Qing and smiling down at him. “Relax. Safety is the most important thing.”

Chu Qing wasn’t used to people being so close. He frowned slightly and shrank his neck.

“Begin—!”

As soon as the host’s voice fell, both sides immediately started pulling. The opposing team used all their strength, veins popping on their necks and arms. On their side, Jiao Changxu, perhaps due to his dancing, was also very strong, pulling with the force of two men.

Poor little bean sprout Chu Qing was caught between these three and was lifted right off the ground.

The other contestants couldn’t help but laugh, and the bullet comments were also filled with “hahahas.”

“Go, Teacher Chu!!”
“Hahaha, go Teacher Chu!! Hold your ground, hold your ground!”

While others were trying hard to pull the rope to their side, Chu Qing… was trying hard to stay on his feet, not to be dragged back and forth, like a blade of grass in a storm.

“Go! Go!”
“Go, Brother Xu!”

Amidst the cheers, the two on the other side coordinated, and with one powerful pull, they dragged Chu Qing and Jiao Changxu over, successfully pulling the red ribbon in the middle across the line and winning the match.

It all happened too fast. The opposing team had a burst of strength, and after pulling the rope over, they lost their energy and let go.

On this side, Chu Qing hadn’t reacted at all. He only felt himself being pulled forward, then thrown backward by the momentum.

“Teacher Chu, be careful!”

As Chu Qing fell backward, Jiao Changxu reached out and caught him, preventing him from falling.

“Whoa—”

The scene at that moment was: Chu Qing bent backward, falling, while Jiao Changxu caught him by the waist. The two of them stared at each other, stunned.

This immediately caused a round of catcalls from the room.

Huo Li was standing behind the cameramen, silently watching the recording. He frowned slightly, his features hidden under his mask and hat, but his face was filled with displeasure.

“Th-Thank you.” Chu Qing quickly stood up and subconsciously took a few steps back.

He didn’t like being in such close contact with people.

“You’re welcome…” Jiao Changxu smiled gently.

After playing all afternoon, just before everyone went back to their rooms, Jiao Changxu chased after him again, asking if Chu Qing had been injured just now.

Chu Qing found it extremely strange. He gave a perfunctory reply and went back to his room.

At night, after the filming ended, An Yize finally pulled Chu Qing aside to talk to him, and in the process, cleared up his confusion.

“Didn’t you think Jiao Changxu was acting weird today?”

Chu Qing thought about it and nodded.

“That’s right. And he even touched your waist.” The two sat at a table, and An Yize frowned. “Although we’re both guys, so it’s not a big deal, but I think he wants to push a ship with you.”

“…Huh?” Chu Qing blinked.

Is it the kind of ‘pushing a ship’ I’m thinking of?

“Why me?” Chu Qing asked, puzzled.

With his reputation in shambles, how could he possibly catch Jiao Changxu’s eye?

“Because you’re suitable,” An Yize said, opening a bag of potato chips. “You’re quiet, introverted, and easy to control. You have negative rumors, not many fans, but he’s a top-tier celebrity, so it’s convenient for him to leech off you.”

“I don’t understand…” Chu Qing frowned.

An Yize patiently explained, “It means he uses you to attract traffic and create buzz, but then he directs the fans he attracts to his side through fan service, and he can also use you to milk his fans’ sympathy. Get it?”

A lump formed in Chu Qing’s throat.

He hadn’t expected that Jiao Changxu, who seemed so nice to him, so gentle and polite, could have so many schemes…?

“I told you to be careful. Just look online. The ship of you and him is already trending,” An Yize said, rolling his eyes. Jiao Changxu’s team worked fast.

Hearing this, Chu Qing opened Weibo.

Real-time trending topics:
6. Jiao Changxu grabs Chu Qing’s waist
…
11. Changqing Ship

[T.N:Changqing Ship: The ship name 长青 (Chángqīng) is a combination of the characters from their names: Jiao Changxu (焦长旭) and Chu Qing (楚青). It’s a common way to form ship names in Chinese fandom.]

XXX: ??? exo me? Which 18th-tier celebrity is leeching off my boy now??
XXX: F*ck, this Chu Qing finds a daddy, and now he’s clinging to our boy, what’s going on? Brother Xu is just competing and taking care of his teammates, what is someone being so delusional for!
XXX: Wow… so sweet. The way Brother Xu protects people is so handsome. Such a sunny boy, I love it, I love it.
XXX: Mmm… actually, the ship of a sunny, upright boy and a pitiful little rentboy who sleeps his way to the top is kinda hot, no?

The comments below were not very favorable to Chu Qing, especially since he was already at a disadvantage.

“Then… what do we do now…” Chu Qing was a little lost.

This can also cause a fight??

“You should try to interact with Jiao Changxu as little as possible,” An Yize said, shaking his head. “Avoid him when you see him, but you have to avoid him openly and naturally, otherwise they’ll say you’re playing hard to get and being shy.”

“…Oh.”

But one wave had not yet settled when another rose.

Before Chu Qing could finish reading the related news, another trending topic shot up like a rocket, with a small “hot” flame icon behind it.

Real-time trending topics:
4. Li Tian is being ostracized
5. Jiao Changxu and Chu Qing form a clique

Chu Qing: “???”

What?

An Yize also saw it and just shook his head.

XXX: Did you guys see the Weibo post Tian Tian sent? He’s clearly hinting!! He was bullied qaq
XXX: OMG, I feel so bad for him. No wonder he skipped the Werewolf and tug-of-war games today because he was “sick,” and his livestream was off today. It turns out he was being bullied…
XXX: Chu Qing is so petty, isn’t he? Is he still mad at Tian Tian for drawing a bad lot for him? Our Tian Tian is so wronged!! Who can control luck? Poor Tian Tian’s kindness was bitten by a dog. And he so publicly rejected Tian Tian’s offer to practice together yesterday.
XXX: Hasn’t Jiao Changxu been targeting Tian Tian in the group all along? Stealing his opportunities, stealing his screen time, and even bullying him in the dorms.

Li Tian’s fans were all heartbroken for him, and even the casual fans followed suit with sympathy. After all, Li Tian was a sweet and cute little brother, the type who easily aroused others’ pity.

Chu Qing paused, confused. “Did we… ostracize Li Tian?”

An Yize said helplessly, “The video of you rejecting Li Tian last night was over-interpreted. And Jiao Changxu and Li Tian are in the same group, so their fans have long considered each other mortal enemies, fighting since their debut. You’ve just been innocently dragged into it, used as a stepping stone for their fan wars.”

In the fan war between the two sides, Chu Qing had been pushed to the front to be the target.

“Ugh.” Chu Qing frowned, feeling a little disgusted.

So many twists and turns. The two of them seemed so friendly on the surface, but they were pulling so many tricks behind the scenes.

An Yize shook his head. “The industry is like this. You have to get used to it. Be more careful about everything.”

“Mmm.” Chu Qing thought, This is really too troublesome, and too disgusting.

“Let’s go eat first,” An Yize sighed.

Chu Qing just shook his head.

An Yize was used to Chu Qing not eating at night, so he left first.

Chu Qing had no appetite at night and continued to play the guitar in his room. A moment later, he received a WeChat message from Huo Li.

Huo Li had forwarded a message from Chu Qing’s manager, Wu Yueshan.

Wu Yueshan: The company suggests that you avoid contact with Jiao Changxu for now. If you want to resolve the public opinion storm, you can be more proactive in interacting with Li Tian. It would be best to create a ship between you and Li Tian. Don’t worry, the company will help guide public opinion and suppress negative comments.

Unlike Chu Qing’s previous agency, Wu Yueshan took Chu Qing very seriously because of Shao Fanxing.

Then, Huo Li sent a message of his own.

Huo Li: 🙂

It was a classic straight-guy smiley.

Chu Qing: “…”

Pfft.

Huo Li: Are you alone?

Chu Qing paused for a moment, then replied with an “Mmm.”

Not long after, Huo Li climbed in through the window.

He had brought milk cookies for Chu Qing.

“Eat a little.”

Chu Qing frowned slightly.

Huo Li stuffed the cookies into Chu Qing’s arms.

“Eat.”

“Oh…”

As he ate, Chu Qing glanced at Huo Li. He thought Huo Li would be angry because he was being shipped with Jiao Changxu, and would soon be shipped with Li Tian.

Seeing that Chu Qing was eating the cookies obediently, even if reluctantly, Huo Li asked, “Do you want to be shipped with Li Tian?”

Chu Qing shook his head decisively.

“I don’t like him.”

Neither Jiao Changxu nor Li Tian.

“Alright, then we won’t,” Huo Li said, pinching Chu Qing’s ear. “Do whatever you want. Don’t force yourself.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll discuss it with Wu Yueshan and help you solve this, without creating any ships,” Huo Li said.

“Okay.”

“Qingbao.”

“Hmm?”

Huo Li said seriously, “I will protect you.”

Chu Qing’s face turned red. He lowered his head and nibbled on a cookie, pretending not to hear.

The cookie was really sweet.