Chasing You (Arc 8+)

Showstopper (XXXI)

The arrival of the next morning came and Xiao Rui woke up to see the makings of the national Panda.

He Xiao had slight dark circles underneath his eyes, certainly due to lack of sleep. His brows furrowed. From what he knew so far from interacting with this roommate of his, he was usually carefree, feeling apathetic to anything in the tv show. It was as if he didn't care if he won the competition or not.

So, to see He Xiao like this, it raised the question of what could have caused him to be restless the entire night.

Remembering the previous night, he found nothing strange about He Xiao's behavior. This only made the matter more mysterious. Xiao Rui wasn't very close with He Xiao so he did not bother to ask the other if they were okay. He only gave a greeting before going to the bathroom.

When the two finally came downstairs, the kitchens were bustling with life as normal.

Some of the idols at the other stations snorted once they saw him. Some enjoyed seeing another's misery, and the competition in the entertainment industry was one of the worst areas. Someone would always be looking to see the downfall of someone else.

Their not so quiet voices drifted into Xiao Rui's and He Xiao's ears. He Xiao only lightly gazed over them with a charming smile, causing them to choke. It was like punching cotton. The snickering and quibbling was nothing more than passing farts as it was never-ending. You would never be able to deal with it nor see the end of it even if you expand your efforts. It was just best to ignore the existence of such a kind.

He Xiao yawned. Covering his mouth as he was unable to hold back a big one. The demure black lashes slowly fluttering as if they were wings of a butterfly, it was unmistakably a deliberate move to bewitch one. His comely gray eyes held a misty sheen, resembling the sky on a cloudy day beginning to clear up. All in all, his beauty was radiant, but it only drew attention to the dark circles underneath.

So of course, the knight-in-shining-armor-uke-defender Bai Taohua noticed his physical condition. She was distressed to see the dark circles as her heart bled a little.

As a big sister and a BL enthusiast, she pestered him with questions. Despite the fact that he was taken by another 'female'... It was still possible for him to bend.

Even the strongest metal in the world is not immune to being bent due to the 'heat'. Her dreams of seeing him with an Adonis-like seme were unshakeable. *cough* But ultimately, she was afraid that perhaps the burden or maybe the excitement of winning the mini-challenge was the cause of his insomnia.

Although she was frightened by him in the House of Horrors and had to commend his level of acting skills, as well as his creativity to come up with such wonderful ideas; he was still a newbie. Even though his mindset was much more mature than some of the peers around his age, he has yet to develop and fully 'bloom' as that is something you gain as you go along your career.

Bai Taohua knew that this was a great opportunity to use to grow, but she has seen many new idols achieve astounding feats just to fall flat after. The life of an idol is like a never-ending roller coaster with many twists and turns that were unpredictable.

So, even if his psyche was considerably stronger than most, a person still had a limit to how much one could actually take. Bai Taohua was only a year or so younger than they were, but he hasn't been in the industry as long as they have been. She has yet to fully understand this youth, so she could only conjure a plausible hypothesis to reason why he was downcasted today.

If He Xiao heard her inner thoughts, he would've found it ridiculous. After all, he was not originally a soul from this world and has experienced many different types of situation, so a mere speck of pressure like this could never amount to what he had to deal with in his previous worlds. But who was he to care about what others think of him currently? He only needed to do what he needed to do and not care for other people's thoughts on him.

He Xiao thanked her for her generosity but didn't say anything further. She sighed inwardly, choosing not to probe him any further. The more one was forced to speak, the more reluctant they were. She knew that and respected his personal space and choices.

After they ate, the four of them immediately headed over to the designated area, ignoring the gazes directed at them.

Making their way, Bai Taohua would be looking at him from time to time, not concealing her concern due to his many 'en' answering her open-ended questions. It was as if he didn't know it himself that he was simply answering after every time she muttered something.

Her eyes dart over to Hai Pixiu and encouraged him to do something. They were both guys, right? So he should know something... Maybe...

Her hopes were put rather too high as Hai Pixiu was even worse than her at initiating a conversation with He Xiao. A long awkward silence slithered into the air, silently suffocating them all.

Finally, she urged Xiao Rui. They seemed like two of the same kind... So, he should know what to do... She hoped. With fingers crossed against her back, her eyes were like penetrating lasers staring straight at He Xiao.

Xiao Rui, "It's not good to hold it in."

A ya!¹

All three of them were stupefied. Bai Taohua and Hai Pixiu almost vomited blood for Xiao Rui's bluntness. Hey, didn't we say be discreet? Why are you bantering it out clearly for him to know, ah?!

And as for He Xiao, he hadn't thought that the male lead would speak to him. He was sure that although he left a good impression, it wasn't so devastating that it would leave a deep enough impression, for him to do this. Sure enough, the influence from the female lead was very strong; strong enough to change the male lead's selfdom.

Humans are strange, you could never fully guess how things will turn out, well... For most of the populace. People like Xiao Nongzang weren't included as his brain was turned to mush by his own mother's and father's upbringing and overindulgence

The corner of his lips hooked up, "I know. Thank you, senior."

He Xiao's eyes swept over the two guilty members who were whistling and pretending to be busy.

Xiao Rui snorted, "You shouldn't make those two idiots concerned. They'll die of anxiety."

Bai Taohua's mouth twitched, and she had an itch to slap the beloved uke she had been protecting this entire time. Hai Pixiu just laughed and cuddled his lover, appeasing and rubbing her puffed up hair. He knew that Xiao Rui was just frankly speaking what was on his mind without any care, but he still showed his concern for them.

In the lounge, all the participants had arrived. Jiang Man walked confidently with his radiant smile. Beneath the sparkle and prettiness, there was an underlying sense of schadenfreude. He was looking forward to all of their reactions once they heard about today's main event.

---

¹A ya!: 啊呀 aya is a Chinese onomatopoeia meaning oh no! Or come on!