Chapter 45: Just Taking a Nap!

“Xiao Fen, know your limits!”

“Two hundred thousand. The bed in the landlord’s son’s house was too old. It creaked nonstop every time I turned over. A hotel bed is much more comfortable to sleep on.”

“You’re jacking up the price.”

“Three hundred thousand. What if Brother Ou Yu sleepwalks into the wrong bed in the middle of the night and ends up sleeping with me by accident?” Xiao Fen said with an embarrassed look on his face.

“You dare!”

“Four hundred thousand.”

“Do you still want the reputation that Ou Yu worked so hard to turn around for you?” He stared at the camera not far away. Sensibly, the Program Crew had flown it far off.

“Thanks to Boss Lu, I’m already notorious.” Xiao Fen said leisurely. He had the contract in hand—what did he have to fear? “Five hundred thousand. If Boss Lu isn’t short on cash, keep talking.”

Lu Jin grabbed his hand. Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and he gripped so hard that he trembled.

“When have you ever left yourself with a good reputation?”

“Brother Ou Yu.” Xiao Fen called out to the man walking ahead and released the camera from his chest.

Oblivious, Ou Yu turned his head and saw Lu Jin covering Xiao Fen’s mouth while giving him an awkward smile.

“I was just joking around with him. This little brother of yours is too immature—he runs off to tattle at the drop of a hat. Ah—hiss—”

Lu Jin abruptly let go. Sure enough, his middle finger bore several fresh red tooth marks, along with someone’s saliva.

“Are you a dog or something?” He shook his hand in disgust.

Xiao Fen spat a few times. “Don’t you wash your hands?”

“How did you know? I didn’t wash after using the bathroom earlier—specifically to guard against people like you.” Lu Jin said smugly.

Xiao Fen hurriedly grabbed him and faced the camera squarely. “Did you hear that, Little Fire Seeds? Get him trending right now!”

“You bit the future president of Lu Corporation. I’ll get you trending first!” Relying on his height and build, Lu Jin hooked an arm around his neck and yanked him backward.

Xiao Fen leaned back, his hands clawing into Lu Jin’s hair and refusing to let go.

“You two get along pretty well.” Ou Yu said helplessly with a smile from the side. “If you want to embarrass yourselves even more, keep going. A couple of big kids.”

Onlookers on the street watched the scene in astonishment. Plenty of them whipped out their phones to record.

The two released each other indignantly at the same time.

“With him, it’s only ever life-and-death grudges. No feelings involved.” Xiao Fen said indifferently.

Ou Yu looked puzzled. “I remember you two hadn’t met before recording the show. How do you act like you have some huge vendetta?”

“We hadn’t met.” Xiao Fen forced out stiffly.

Lu Jin’s expression wasn’t great either. He stood to the side without speaking.

“Let’s get going. Time waits for no one.”

Ou Yu nodded and took his hand. “Xiao Fen, walk up front with me. I don’t know the way well.”

“Sure, coming right up.” Xiao Fen shook off his hand.

What was with guys holding hands? It felt weird.

Ou Yu smiled without minding and turned away. In that instant, his usually mild and smiling face suddenly turned cold.

Some grudges could be let go. Some feelings could not. They only grew harder to disentangle the longer the contact lasted.

Behind him.

Xiao Fen quickly flashed a “one” sign to the man beside him, mouthing the shape. “One million.”

One million for a bed spot? Why not just rob a bank!

Before long, Xiao Fen’s phone vibrated. He tapped it open and saw one million credited to his account.

Boss Lu had caved after all.

“What’s got you so happy?” Ou Yu glanced over faintly and asked curiously.

“Got my part-time pay.”

“You’re still doing part-time work?” Ou Yu shot Lu Jin a displeased look, as if unhappy with him as the boss.

“He’s picking up gigs on his own time. Got nothing to do with me.”

“This part-time gig was approved by you, Boss.” Xiao Fen ruthlessly exposed him. The money had come straight from the boss’s card—perfectly in line with company contract rules.

A sinister glint flashed in Lu Jin’s cynical eyes before he slowly revealed a smile. “Xiao Fen, you’ve finally turned things around. Better cling tight to Movie Emperor Ou’s thigh.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold on tighter than anyone.” Xiao Fen hooked the corner of his mouth at him.

Ou Yu fondly ruffled his short hair and pulled the duckbill cap over his head.

Xiao Fen flicked the brim with his thumb and forefinger, tossing Lu Jin a smug look.

“Your Movie Emperor gave it to me.”

Lu Jin stared at him, his hand clenched into a fist at his side.

————

When they arrived at Brother Hao’s place, Xiao Fen used the excuse of needing to gather intel on the town and chose to keep staying there.

After all, someone had just shelled out a million to buy out the other bed in Ou Yu’s room.

Ou Yu came in with a damp towel and medicated oil.

“Come here. Sit right there.” He dragged over two chairs.

“What for?”

“Your wrist is swollen like that. How can you skip the medicine?” Out of sight, out of mind—either causing trouble or getting hurt.

“I’m thick-skinned…”

“Come here.”

Xiao Fen reluctantly sat in the chair next to him.

The usual Ou Yu seemed like such a nice guy—gentle and easygoing. But when he called out flatly without any emotion, Xiao Fen inexplicably found it a bit scary.

No yelling, no anger—just a calm tone that sent chills down the spine.

“Didn’t see you this obedient earlier.” Lu Jin leaned back, lounging lazily to the side with his hand propped on the table, head tilted as he scoffed lightly.

“If it hurts, just yell it out.” Ou Yu reverted to his usual tone and wiped the sweat-drenched arm with a wet wipe.

“Real men never cry out.” The words had barely left his mouth when Xiao Fen’s wrist muscles twitched. His eyes squeezed shut in pain, but he gritted his teeth without a sound.

His long lashes trembled. A faint mist veiled his light-blocking eyes, physiological tears clinging to the corners and reddening his eyelids. No matter how cocky the face, it dimmed, gaining a touch of pitiful misery.

Ou Yu gently and meticulously rubbed in the medicated oil while blowing on it.

This stoked another fire in Lu Jin’s chest. He hugged his arms, bored on the side, and simply started discussing the show rules.

“Though we don’t know the exact mission details, the difficulty’s sure to be high. To make sure we escape via the highway in half a month, from now on, we have to fight for every single point. If all thirty Criminal Guests complete their missions together, our odds go way up.”

The town nestled by mountains and water, with beautiful surroundings. But precisely because it was so remote, aside from the highway out of town, they had no other choices.

“Completing missions together isn’t realistic. Too many people moving as a group makes it easy for the Pursuit Team to spot us.” Xiao Fen said. “But at least we need to know each other’s mission contents for a rough idea of difficulties. We can brainstorm together and boost our chances a bit.”

The streets bustled with people coming and going. Earlier on the street, folks had glanced their way now and then. But they’d all gotten the notice: now they were all NPCs. Breaking immersion—like rushing up for autographs—would get them booted from town by the Program Crew.

At first glance, they couldn’t tell who on the street might be fellow Criminal Guests.

Xiao Fen asked, “Doesn’t Boss Lu know the identities of the other Criminal Guests this time?”

Lu Jin shook his head. “Everyone else is a regular civilian.”

Stars stood out too much in a town like this.

Ou Yu sighed, troubled. “How do we even contact them?”

The Pursuit Team was prowling every corner of the town like rabid dogs.

The other Criminal Guests knew these three were allies, and the Pursuit Team knew that watching them would flush out anyone trying to link up.

Lu Jin rubbed his chin. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Since the Pursuit Team’s watching us, we can turn that against them.” Lu Jin said.

Interest sparked in Ou Yu’s eyes. “How?”

“We…” He trailed off.

Ou Yu followed Lu Jin’s gaze to Xiao Fen on the side.

He was already drowsy, eyelids drooping, on the verge of closing completely.

Lu Jin reached out, but Ou Yu naturally handed him the medicated oil and towel before loosely pulling the man into his arms.

The Cliff Cypress scent grew stronger.

The lingering note of the cool, woody aroma was sweet milk—niche and uncommon.

And he always caught more scents than others, like the faint, almost imperceptible honey and fruit woven in.

Only his nose could pinpoint every one of his scents.

Only him.

Soft breaths brushed his neck hollow, like feathers skimming past, carrying a few muffled whimpers.

“Brother Ou Yu.” The shirt and T-shirt collar dug into his cheek uncomfortably. He rubbed it open with his face and pillowed into the neck hollow.

Ou Yu’s face stiffened slightly. The hand around his waist tightened involuntarily.

This waist matched the image in his mind perfectly—narrow and slim, no excess fat, yet brimming with explosive, resilient power.

A perfect sculpted masterpiece.

Lu Jin hadn’t expected the medicated oil to land in his hands and froze for a moment. “He’s covered in sweat. Don’t let him stink you up. I’ll carry him to bed.”

“No need to trouble Boss Lu with something this small.” Ou Yu politely declined and scooped Xiao Fen up from the knees, blocking his reaching hand.

Lu Jin’s gaze sharpened cold in an instant.

“I said, give him to me.” He ordered.

Ou Yu turned his head, expression icy, and lifted Xiao Fen fully into his arms.

It was like a provocative move.

When he looked up again, Lu Jin had reined in his temper.

“You tired? Can you even carry him? Don’t push yourself.” He softened his tone, concerned.

“Afraid I’ll drop him, Boss Lu? What, heartbroken?”

“Why would I care if the Xiao brat gets dropped? He’s filthy and reeks. Don’t twist my words.” Lu Jin said. “I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out.”

“He’s my little brother.” Ou Yu said slowly. “Boss Lu, he’s also an artist under your company.”

He wanted to say their animosity shouldn’t run this deep, but for some reason, the words died on his tongue. Suddenly, he didn’t want to say them.

If their hostility stayed this intense…

Why was he doing this?

The man in his arms unconsciously reached up and hooked around his neck.

Ou Yu closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he said, “Boss Lu, you have some misunderstandings and biases about him. I hope you can open your heart and accept him. In this show, even bumping into other guests risks exposure. We want to help them with their missions, but they might not appreciate it. Linking up isn’t easy. If you don’t want to go solo, better let Xiao Fen accept you.”

The meaning was clear: no matter what, he’d stick with Xiao Fen. No way he’d ditch him to team up with Lu Jin.