Chapter 6: Takeout

Not a single person present noticed the matter of Ye Zhinian threatening Lu Chen with a glare and WeChat.

Chen Junlin and the others were busy unloading their things, while Ren Li and Zheng Yunqi had been positioned behind him the entire time—only his Follow-Shot Crew knew he had sent a message.

And even they, thanks to the camera angle, hadn’t seen Ye Zhinian’s phone screen, let alone who the message had gone to.

But for the viewers who had been watching the livestream from the start, it wasn’t hard to spot something fishy if they paid close attention.

Ever since Lu Chen’s arrival, the broadcast had stayed fixed on the camera following him, always from a side angle. Now, in order to capture the others while also showing off what Lu Chen had brought, the camera pulled back slightly, framing everyone in one shot.

Though Ye Zhinian had arrived a beat late—so that only his side profile and back made it into the frame—that also left him standing outside the crowd, gazing across at Lu Chen, who stood within it.

So in the viewers’ eyes, the moment Ye Zhinian entered the frame, Lu Chen looked down at his phone, then lifted his head to look at him. The two held each other’s gaze for a beat before Lu Chen ducked his head to tap out a reply, and only afterward trailed the crowd over to the sunshade canopy, suitcase in tow.

【？？？Was Lu Chen just looking at Ye Zhinian? No way, right?】

【That eye contact lasted more than two seconds—there is DEFINITELY something going on!】

【Could it be these two actually knew each other before?】

【If they really did, that would explain why Ye Zhinian’s face went dark the second he found out the guest was Lu Chen】

【Suddenly I’ve mentally scripted an entire saga of old grudges and tangled love—showbiz fanfic bleeding into reality doge】

Luckily, only a handful of viewers were blessed with sharp, detail-hunting eyes. The Bullet Comments they sent were sparse, swiftly buried beneath the endless rolling tide of the comment army.

After all, the earlier livestream had offered plenty of noteworthy morsels, and many people were still happily drowning in those, holed up in their separate camps and debating fiercely.

【Junchen scoring huge points!】

【Who just wrapped a collab and immediately landed a second one? Oh, right—it’s our Junchen~】

【Chasing him straight to a variety show the second their project ended—and parachuting in no less. Brother Chen, so in love doge】

【Tsk tsk, Baby Ying and Brother Chen are avoiding suspicion SO obviously. A real couple indeed—never once playing up fan service】

【Baby Ying had just said she’d help Ren Li land Brother Chen’s variety debut, and the next second Brother Chen shows up. If that isn’t destiny, what is!】

【Did Brother Chen join the show to surprise Baby Ying? Baby Ying looks so flustered she’s gone completely rigid (laugh-cry)】

【The visuals CP lives up to its name—when our Blessed with Lu and Shuang gather in one place, it’s a feast for the eyes!】

【Everyone on your feet! After last year’s awards gala, Bow to Chen and Chen are finally sharing a frame again!】

【Look all you want, but Ye Zhinian and Lu Chen are still the best-matched pair here. This looks-hound is thoroughly satisfied】

【Damn, I already thought it was badass that Utopia assembled the TOP rivalry between the ’90s-gen actresses and ’00s-gen actors, and now they’ve airdropped a Top Star on top of it】

【The Hot Search has exploded—it’s only been a few minutes and the online viewer count has doubled. Terrifying】

【So many CP fans in the Bullet Comments. Worthy of a Top Star】

【Still Shadow Sunken Jade, Junchen, Blessed with Lu and Shuang, Bow to Chen and Chen—all gathered in one place】

【Here’s a scalding hot fact: Blessed with Lu and Shuang and Bow to Chen and Chen only officially met each other TODAY doge】

【I genuinely don’t see what there is to ship. How many times has Lu Chen debunked these rumors already?】

【Lu Chen did say he has someone he likes】

【What, so his old secret crush just happened to enter showbiz too? You think real life is a novel?】

【Even novels wouldn’t dare write it this way. It’s been so many years—if you want to build a “devoted lover” persona, this is not how you do it】

【First of all, my brother has never built any persona. His love life happened before debut, and never mentioning it again after coming home already makes his stance clear. Second, my brother has debunked every single CP in these Bullet Comments. Show some shame and stop shipping wildly, or expect a lawyer’s letter】

【First of all, shipping is my freedom. I’ll ship however I please—none of your business. Second, if you’ve got the guts, make your brother issue a statement saying he’s single! Why won’t he? Does he not know the word “single”? doge】

【If you ask me, some people need a little self-awareness. I don’t know what these male-male CPs think they’re piling in for. When Brother Chen debuted, your faves were still off playing in the mud somewhere. Don’t you find the “first love” persona laughable?】

【Still better than some old woman forcing a White Moonlight persona. Flaunting that wrinkled face as Brother Chen’s goddess—isn’t she afraid of throwing her back out?】

【Passerby here, let me say something fair: Lu Chen really has never claimed to be single doge】

【During the promotional tour for 《Operation Mediterranean》, Lu Chen answered a fan’s question by saying that thanks to a similar past relationship, he nailed the breakup scene in one take】

【Lu Chen is twenty-seven. Dating, even getting married, would be perfectly normal. He’s not an idol—why are fans so worked up?】

【Having past experience doesn’t mean he’s dating or married, and it certainly doesn’t give a pack of clout-leeches license to spread rumors and feed off him under the CP banner!】

【Solo Stans, stay in denial all you like. Curse me, I’ll curse you back—our faves sleep together anyway doge】

The Bullet Comments boiled over into all-out war, and the data hit yet another record high because of it. The Chief Director beamed, his frustration over the failed noon task announcement swept clean away—even the things Lu Chen had brought suddenly looked far more pleasing to the eye.

Chen Junlin and the others set the bags on the wooden table, opening them one by one and arranging the contents, while Lu Chen rolled his suitcase to the courtyard wall and sat down beside Zheng Yunqi.

Chin propped on one hand, he appeared to be watching the others unpack, but in truth his eyes kept darting sideways toward Ye Zhinian. The moment he saw his darling wife skirt around everyone and take the seat catty-corner—the one farthest from him—the expression on Lu Chen’s face dimmed several shades, his enthusiasm visibly draining.

Zheng Yunqi took in Lu Chen’s reaction and delighted in it privately, her gaze drifting toward Ye Zhinian without a trace. That fresh, unadorned, handsome face was set as stern as Guan Gong’s, and she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth curling into a pleased little smile.

Weren’t these awkward little skits between a married couple far more entertaining than scheming and verbal fencing? Agreeing to Lu Chen’s request to record this show had truly been a wise decision.

“Wow! So much braised duck!” Chen Junlin stared at the takeout boxes spread across the table, swallowed hard, and hurried to paw through the other bags. “What else is there?”

“Beer!” Li Nanshuang whooped, fishing a 500-milliliter can of beer out of one pocket, a production-team sticker plastered on its side.

Face glowing with excitement, she kept pulling out cans and counting as she went. At seven, her expression abruptly changed. She looked at the beer on the table, then at Lu Chen, hesitating on the edge of speech.

Li Nanshuang held her tongue—they had only just met—but Ren Li had no such scruples. He rose, dragged over a bag so light it was nearly empty, counted the beers on the table again, then turned to Lu Chen with his eyes bugging out.

“Eight people—how come you only bought seven cans of beer?”

Lu Chen lowered the hand propping up his chin, stole a glance at Ye Zhinian, and pressed his lips together before answering, “…I figured if someone couldn’t drink, an extra can would just be awkward to split.”

“How is that awkward? Give it to me!” Ren Li slapped his thigh in agitation. “And what if everyone does want to drink? Isn’t being one short even worse?”

Impossible. Niannian is allergic to alcohol—he can’t have even a single sip.

Naturally, Lu Chen couldn’t say that—and didn’t dare. So he simply curled his lips and said, “It’s fine. I can go without.”

“…Fair enough, I suppose.” Ren Li was persuaded and let it drop.

Just then, Chen Junlin let out a startled “Huh?” and pulled a plastic bag out of the last shopping bag. “What’s this?”

“Ice packs, to keep things cold. The milk tea should be in your bag.” Lin Siying had been searching forever without finding her milk tea, her heart drumming with dread—so the moment she saw Chen Junlin pull out the ice packs, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked over, smiling.

She had already bought her Hot Search placement; PR had sent over the copy. The instant the milk tea arrived, she could post on Weibo and push the trending topic. Without the milk tea, that money went straight down the drain.

At Lin Siying’s words, Chen Junlin’s expression froze.

He still hadn’t found the potato chips. Everything from the other bags had already been unpacked. If the bag in his hands didn’t have them either, it meant Lu Chen had never bought them at all—further proof that Lu Chen didn’t care about him one bit.

The mere thought of that possibility was enough to crack his composure. He hastily ducked his head, pretending to rummage, and scrambled to cover: “He even packed the milk tea with ice packs so it’d stay cold. Brother Chen, so thoughtful… And this is?”

From the pile of ice packs, Chen Junlin pulled out a white plastic bottle weighing roughly three hundred grams, the same production-team sticker on its side. But anyone who had ever drunk yogurt would recognize it at a glance: a bottle of yogurt.

At the sight of it, the smile on Lin Siying’s face froze solid, and the words blurted out of her: “There’s no milk tea?”

Chen Junlin dumped out every last ice pack and shook the feather-light plastic bag, his expression no better than hers. “Nope.”

The two exchanged a look, then turned to Lu Chen almost in unison.

Noticing their stares, Lu Chen, who had drifted off somewhere, snapped back. “What’s wrong?”

Chen Junlin bit his lip and forced a smile. “Nothing, it’s just… I was surprised to find only one bottle of yogurt in this bag.”

At that, Lu Chen couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Ye Zhinian, then looked at the lonely little bottle. “I originally bought a whole case, but when I got off the shuttle, the FPD said I had to carry everything by myself. I tried several times—if I took the yogurt, I couldn’t take the beer. So I only took one bottle.”

“Then where’s the rest?” Zheng Yunqi asked, curious.

“The production team probably collected it.”

Hearing this, Lin Siying latched onto the explanation like a lifeline, exhaling in relief. “So the milk tea got collected too? What a pity.”

But Lu Chen just stared at her, bewildered. “What milk tea?”

Lin Siying’s eyes widened a fraction. “The milk tea I asked you to bring!”

Lu Chen’s face went blank. “Did you? Teacher Zheng only asked me to bring braised food, barbecue, beer, and yogurt. The barbecue would’ve taken forever, and it would’ve gone stone cold by the time I got here, so I only bought the braised duck delicacies…”

Under the weight of everyone’s stares, his voice dwindled. “…Did she say milk tea?”

Li Nanshuang answered with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “She did.”

Liu Chen, wearing the expression of a man thoroughly enjoying the show, twisted the knife: “And Chen Junlin’s potato chips.”

Lu Chen hurriedly pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and played Zheng Yunqi’s voice message.

After hearing it through to the end, he let out an “Ah,” and said, somewhat awkwardly, “Sorry, I… only remembered that last sentence…”

Making the latecomer bring food had, from the very start, been Ye Zhinian’s offhand, spur-of-the-moment joke. If Teacher Zheng Yunqi hadn’t backed it and spent her clout calling in favors, the request would honestly have been a touch rude.

Under those circumstances, no one could blame Lu Chen for not buying everything—especially since he had hauled it all the way here and delivered it right to the gate.

Before Lin Siying and Chen Junlin could even react, Li Nanshuang spoke first. “It’s fine, I only mentioned the bread-for-breakfast thing in passing. Knowing how this production team operates, even if you’d bought it, you probably couldn’t have carried it over anyway. This spread is already a feast. Thanks, Brother Chen—you’ve worked hard!”

With that, she pressed her palms together in a playful little bow, her expression radiantly cheerful.

As one of the other forgotten souls, what could Chen Junlin possibly say after that? He scrambled to keep up: “Right, and didn’t Brother Chen buy yogurt…”

Before he could finish, Zheng Yunqi cut in at precisely the right moment. “Exactly—as long as the braised food and beer weren’t forgotten, we’re good. Here, Little Ye, your yogurt.”

Ye Zhinian stared at the yogurt Zheng Yunqi pushed in front of him, then looked up at the guests who were all now staring at him because of her gesture. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he forced out a smile. “Mm… thanks.”

Whether he was thanking Zheng Yunqi for handing it over—or thanking Lu Chen—was anyone’s guess.

Never mind what the guests on-site were thinking; the Bullet Comments had been at each other’s throats ever since the food and drink hit the table.

【Wow, so much braised duck. I’m drooling just looking at it (drool)】

【Ordering takeout RIGHT NOW, preparing to gnaw on the same duck as Brother Chen doge】

【Huh? Eight people, but only seven cans of beer. Lu Chen did that on purpose, right?】

【I see nothing wrong. It’s their first time meeting—who knows if someone doesn’t drink?】

【Even if someone doesn’t drink, buying according to headcount is basic courtesy】

【If they were truly courteous, they wouldn’t have asked a man who only wrapped filming that morning and traveled thousands of miles to haul all this stuff】

【Am I seeing things? Lu Chen was just looking at Ye Zhinian, right?】

【I can’t take this anymore. Is my Brother Chen some cheap commodity? Why does every random cat and dog want a bite of him?】

【Genuinely fed up. Stop fucking running your scripts in the Bullet Comments. No matter how hard you hype them, your fave is so flopped they’ve burnt onto the pan—you couldn’t scrape them off with a spatula!】

【Uh-oh. This is fucking awkward】

【No chips, no bread, no milk tea—Junchen, Blessed with Lu and Shuang, and Still Shadow Sunken Jade all wiped out in one stroke doge】

【I’m laughing my way to the bank. The Bullet Comments were shipping so merrily earlier, and now total silence】

【So much for “loving milk tea,” “thoughtful chips,” and “promise bread”—all smashed to pieces】

【Lu Chen is a fascinating specimen. Say his memory’s bad? He didn’t miss a single thing he was supposed to buy. Say his memory’s good? He didn’t buy a single thing the CP partners asked for. Slipperier than a greased eel】

【My Brother Chen slays CPs and never shows mercy. That’ll teach you to ship blindly all day!】

【Emmmmm this is SO subtle. Claimed there was too much to carry, yet used all those ice packs to keep the yogurt chilled. This is…】

【Fuck! I swear Lu Chen just looked at Ye Zhinian AGAIN! I saw it crystal clear!】

【Fuck! Ship wildly one more fucking time and I’ll twist your heads off!】

After a brief silence, Ren Li spoke up just in time. “Since the food and drinks are all here, and everyone’s here too, why not throw a welcome banquet for Little Lu right here on the spot! Little Chen, Little Liu, you two go to the kitchen and grab some plates—those plastic containers don’t look very nice. Siying, gather up the plastic bags and hand them to the production team for disposal. Don’t just toss them and pollute the environment.”

Then, beaming, he swept the beers into his arms. “As for me, I’ll divvy up the drinks!”

Ren Li set a can of beer down in front of Lu Chen and chuckled at him. “First can goes to you—you’ve had a long trip. But let’s be clear up front: if we run short, that can of yours gets surrendered. You said so yourself. If you regret it later, don’t expect anyone to share.”

Lu Chen gave an “Mm,” and looked at Ye Zhinian with a smile. “Okay.”

Sensing that gaze, Ye Zhinian dropped his eyes to avoid it, letting his gaze settle on the yogurt in front of him, equal parts angry and faintly, sourly aggrieved.

This brand of yogurt was his favorite. Outside of ordering online, only the big chain supermarkets stocked it. From Hu City Airport to this mountain village, the entire route had run out into the countryside—not remotely in the same direction as any large chain supermarket.

Yet Lu Chen hadn’t just bought it. He’d bought a whole case.

Hmph. Don’t think this means he’s forgiven. He would stay angry AND drink his yogurt! Also—how dare the production team confiscate the yogurt his husband bought. He absolutely had to find a chance to get it back!

As Ye Zhinian was brooding over this, he saw a can of beer descend from the heavens, landing right beside his beloved yogurt, shoulder to shoulder.

He reflexively shoved the beer away. “I’ll pass. I’m allergic to alcohol. Thank you.”

Ren Li’s beer-dividing motion froze midair. He looked at Ye Zhinian, then swung his head toward Lu Chen, his every movement so transparent it was as if a dialogue box had popped up over his head, a line of huge characters written in bold font—

You really did call it!

【…Fam, something about this is NOT right!】

【Setting aside the mandatory requests, the one and only thing he hauled thousands of miles for another guest was yogurt—and not one bottle, a whole case】

【Even when there was too much to carry, he didn’t just give up—he opened the case and carried out one bottle specially】

【And don’t forget the inspired ice packs. And that knowing, confident little smile. Tsk tsk】

【Tsk what tsk! It’s a coincidence! Alcohol allergy rates in Hua Country are far higher than abroad, and there are three women among the guests—isn’t it perfectly normal to guess someone might not drink?】

【Yes, yes, of course. Your bro guesses right every single time. Says “maybe someone doesn’t drink,” and lo—someone’s allergic to alcohol. What a coincidence~】

【Fuck, why does it get more shippable the more we dissect it? Combined with Ye Zhinian’s dark face earlier, maybe there really IS something between them】

【There’s a damn NOTHING between them! Don’t think the Bullet Comments exempt you from consequences. Spread one more fucking rumor and I’ll twist that dog head right off!】

【Risking my head getting twisted off—I’m taking one sip of this ship and RUNNING!】