Chapter 70: Intertwined Fingers

Chapter 70: Intertwined Fingers

Ye Leyao couldn't help it; the corner of his mouth curled up.

Li Siyuan paused in his steps, laughing outright. "Song Zhehan, aren't you going to go back and check on him?"

Song Zhehan merely glanced at Li Siyuan with a faint, dismissive look, saying nothing as he walked straight toward the elevator.

Ye Leyao looked at Li Siyuan with a slightly reproachful gaze. "Zhang Qiran needs absolute solitude right now. If you make Song Zhehan return now, Zhang Qiran will only feel worse!"

"Besides, we've seen enough of the spectacle. One shouldn't be too greedy when eating melons!"

Ye Leyao didn't say that last part out loud.

"Come on, let's head downstairs." Ye Leyao reached out to push Li Siyuan's back, but Li Siyuan stood rooted to the spot.

Qin Yao turned his head, his gaze landing precisely on Ye Leyao's hand resting on Li Siyuan's back.

After two seconds, he shifted his eyes away, speaking up. "Let Zhang Qiran have some time alone."

None of the others had any intention of staying to continue watching the drama unfold. Finding it uninteresting, Li Siyuan, with his hands in his pockets, was pushed all the way to the elevator by Ye Leyao.

Just as the elevator doors opened, Ye Leyao was about to continue pushing Li Siyuan inside when a hand gently grasped his wrist from the side, lowering Ye Leyao's hand.

Ye Leyao blinked, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Qin Yao say, "Be careful."

"I thought Mr. Qin wanted to hold my hand, turns out you were just concerned for me."

Qin Yao: "…"

Why did your tone sound like there was a hint of regret?

Unable to resist, Huo Yan stole a glance at the two of them.

He made sure that Qin Yao hadn't taken Ye Leyao's hand before withdrawing his gaze.

But still, to be safe, Huo Yan directly reached out, grabbing Ye Leyao's arm and pulling him in front of himself. "Stand properly."

Though Ye Leyao didn't understand the meaning behind Huo Yan's action, he obediently stood still.

At the same time, he muttered to himself:

"Even though we can't watch the drama live anymore, I remember that the camera in Song Zhehan's room was on?"

Ye Leyao pursed his lips, suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I hope Zhang Qiran notices. Don't let him suffer another social death in the living room."

Unfortunately, Zhang Qiran couldn't hear Ye Leyao's thoughts, so indeed, he was experiencing yet another social death at that moment.

Ever since Zhang Qiran confirmed that everything that happened last night wasn't a dream, his mind had given up on thinking.

Even when transferring money to Song Zhehan, his head was completely empty.

After Ye Leyao and company left, Zhang Qiran didn't even have the strength to walk to the bedroom. Instead, he squatted down on the spot and began wailing.

The living room camera captured this scene crystal clear, both the sounds and expressions. The livestream audience could hear and see everything clearly.

When they saw Zhang Qiran squatting on the ground, questioning why he was still alive on this planet, countless netizens' mouths curled up in amusement.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA save me, I'm dying! I can relate, I would also be socially dead!"

"This isn't just a simple social death; this is a social death that will haunt Zhang Qiran for the rest of his life!"

"Don't mention it. Even Zhang Qiran's fans want to escape Earth overnight."

"It's okay, a lifetime isn't that long."

"You're not helping. With such consolation, I want to leave this heartless world even more!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, I usually don't laugh, unless I can't help it."

On the screen, Zhang Qiran sat on the floor, covering his face with his hands, wailing in anguish. "Aaaaaah—why didn't anyone stop me last night, aaaaaah—"

In the chat:

"You're actually still expecting the other guests to stop you?!"

"Hahaha, they were probably enjoying the show."

"But then again, considering how drunk Zhang Qiran was last night, even if someone tried to stop him, they probably wouldn't have been able to."

Zhang Qiran continued to cry and wail. "It's over, over. Song Zhehan will definitely use this to mock me for the rest of my life… Waaaaaah, why did I ever agree to participate in this variety show…?"

The more pitifully he cried and shouted, the higher the netizens' smiles rose.

However, when they heard the phrase "Song Zhehan will mock me about this for the rest of my life," Song Zhehan's fans couldn't hold back.

"Stop, stop. Zhang Qiran, snap out of it! Have you forgotten that Teacher Gou not only added you on WeChat but also had you transfer him fifty-two thousand yuan?"

"Fifty-two thousand?"

"No, didn't you guys notice Teacher Gou's ulterior motives? Who prices a shirt at fifty-two thousand yuan?"

Upon reading this, many netizens belatedly realized what was happening.

Yeah, who prices a shirt at fifty-two thousand yuan?

And there were quite a few fans who stayed in the livestream last night. Although Song Zhehan covered the living room camera in the wee hours of the morning, he hadn't done so during the earlier part of the night!

They had seen it crystal clear: after Song Zhehan and his entourage took Zhang Qiran to his room, they didn't hear any more of Zhang Qiran's wailing, indicating that he had fallen asleep then. Song Zhehan had entered and exited Zhang Qiran's room multiple times without changing his clothes. Therefore, the story about being vomited on was nothing but a lie fabricated by Song Zhehan! The realization hit the online audience hard: "Damn, Professor Goushi, you're something else! Your heart is truly dark!" "So all these lies from Song Zhehan were just to get Zhang Qiran's WeChat?" "Ahhhh, I'm suddenly so excited. Does 52000 really mean what I think it does?" "Even if it doesn't, it's probably close enough... But looking at Zhang Qiran, he seems completely oblivious!" "Damn, how did we not realize how dense Zhang Qiran is before! This fool was still wailing, but he should be secretly rejoicing! Even though his confession wasn't successful, he's not far off from success!" "Hahahaha, he probably needs some time to process this. After all, he just remembered his embarrassing behavior last night. Anyone would need time to react to this, right?" "Wait... my brain is struggling to keep up. So, does Professor Goushi also have feelings for Zhang Qiran? What? That fast?" The fans of Song Zhehan had already discussed this matter last night. Considering Song Zhehan's attitude towards Zhang Qiran earlier, the fans had new insights: "We can't say he likes him too, but we can at least confirm that Song Zhehan doesn't dislike Zhang Qiran." Other fans of Song Zhehan rushed over to like this comment. "That's true. If he really disliked him, Professor Goushi wouldn't have gone over to settle accounts with Zhang Qiran last night!" "As everyone knows, once enemies settle their debts, they can become friends!" "Hehe, at the very least, in Professor Goushi's heart, Zhang Qiran is already considered a friend!" "Yes! Exactly!" "Alright, alright. Since the fans of Song Zhehan have said so, it would be impolite of me not to ship them!" The live chat exploded with shipping comments, discussing potential couple names for the two. Meanwhile, Zhang Qiran remained in his original position, sitting on the floor in a state of self-imposed isolation. It wasn't until his phone rang that he picked it up and answered the call. On the other end, his agent's angry voice boomed, "Get up immediately!! Take your medicine and come downstairs; everyone is waiting for you!" Zhang Qiran's eyes welled up with tears, and his nose turned red. "Brother, I... I mean, isn't the recording still ongoing?" "What do you think? Unless you want to stay on the trending topics, you'd better get up and come downstairs now," the agent spat out before hanging up. Zhang Qiran looked ashen-faced. No matter how much he wanted to avoid reality, he had to face it. Slowly, he stood up, returned to his room to take his medicine, tidied himself up slightly, and descended the stairs with a resigned determination. As the other guests saw Song Zhehan coming downstairs, they put away their phones. However, Ye Leyao was different. After finding a seat, he took out his earphones and directly opened the live stream. Seeing Zhang Qiran finally making his slow descent, he couldn't help but remind Song Zhehan, "Zhang Qiran has come down. He hasn't eaten much since yesterday or today. Should you send him something?" Song Zhehan didn't even lift an eyelid. "You seem so concerned about him. Why don't you go?" Ye Leyao put away his phone and earphones, pursing his lips as he turned to Qin Yao. "President Qin, can you drink milk after taking hangover pills?" "The oatmeal milk President Qin made earlier was quite delicious. There should still be some left." Qin Yao shook his head. "Hangover pills cannot be taken with milk. There's still porridge and steamed dumplings in the pot. Zhang Qiran can eat those." Ye Leyao stood up. "Okay, then I'll heat them up for him." Qin Yao's gaze lingered on Ye Leyao for a moment before he also stood up and followed Ye Leyao into the kitchen. The villa's kitchen was semi-open and a distance away from the living room. Qin Yao heated the porridge while Ye Leyao warmed up the steamed dumplings. His gaze shifted, and Ye Leyao noticed the milk in the blender. Before Ye Leyao could speak, Qin Yao asked, "Want more?" Ye Leyao nodded quickly. "This milk is really delicious." Qin Yao walked over, poured the remaining milk into a thermos cup, and handed it to Ye Leyao. "Take it with you; you can drink it later." Ye Leyao's eyes instantly curved into a smile. "Thank you, President Qin." Just then, the sound of the elevator door opening caught everyone's attention. Zhang Qiran had arrived, and everyone paused their actions, lifting their eyes to look at him. At this sight, Ye Leyao nearly burst out laughing. "This is too exaggerated!!" "Why don't you just wear sunglasses to cover your eyes as well?" During yesterday's recording, Zhang Qiran had worn a cap all day long. Today, the hat on his head was even more exaggerated, with a large brim that almost covered his entire face. But that wasn't all; he wore an oversized mask that only allowed a glimpse of his still swollen eyes from the side. The other guests present couldn't help but suppress their laughter.

It was evident that Zhang Qiran had truly lost the face to show himself at this moment.

Song Zhehan glanced at Zhang Qiran, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. However, he said nothing, quickly withdrawing his gaze after a brief look.

Ye Leyao, aware of Zhang Qiran's embarrassment, waved him over to join in eating congee.

Zhang Qiran hurried over, giving Ye Leyao a grateful glance and muttering a quiet thank you.

Once Zhang Qiran finished his congee, the group of guests finally began today's filming.

According to the original plan, they were supposed to wake up early in the morning to climb the mountain, then watch the sunrise and sunset from the summit, and finally camp out on top.

But now the sun had already risen, so after a brief discussion, they decided to go ahead with the climb, though they could only catch the sunset tonight.

The camping equipment was provided by the production team, so the guests only needed to bring some personal items.

Ye Leyao didn't have much to pack, simply stuffing a small bag before heading downstairs.

The villa where they were staying this time was at the foot of the mountain, so there was no need for a vehicle; they could just walk over.

However, climbing was a physical task, and the differences in stamina soon became apparent.

Leading the pack without question was Zhou Zijian.

He worked out regularly, and his stamina was excellent.

Wen Xiangyue, who usually accompanied Zhou Zijian in his exercises, also had decent stamina. Coupled with Zhou Zijian constantly pulling her along during the climb, saving her a lot of energy, the two of them left the rest far behind.

Huo Yan, Li Siyuan, and Xia Yang formed the third tier. They also exercised regularly, but since today's climb wasn't a competition, the three didn't push themselves too hard. Instead, they would occasionally look back at the others, calling out to remind them to catch up.

Ye Leyao naturally fell into the remaining group.

As an otaku who disliked going out and socializing, Ye Leyao genuinely detested all forms of exercise!

Why did humans need to move?

He hated moving!

Having barely climbed a short distance, not far from the base of the mountain, Ye Leyao plopped down on the stone steps beside the path. "I can't do it, I can't do it! I need to rest for a bit."

Qin Yao looked at him amusedly. "But you just rested a minute ago."

Ye Leyao weakly waved his hand. "Let me rest a little more. And President Qin, you really don't have to worry about us. We'll climb slowly."

Accompanying Ye Leyao were the two female guests, Liu Yan and Qian Yue, as well as Zhang Qiran, who had just woken up from a hangover, and Song Zhehan, who for some reason was taking his sweet time climbing the mountain.

Since climbing wasn't a race, Ye Leyao wasn't in any hurry.

He was just a little puzzled as to why Qin Yao, who hadn't even broken a sweat, insisted on staying behind with them.

Qian Yue and Liu Yan were women with limited stamina.

Song Zhehan was easier to understand.

After all, every time he walked a segment forward, he would casually glance back at Zhang Qiran before continuing at his leisurely pace.

Oh, Song Zhehan's little thoughts were all too easy to guess.

Only Zhang Qiran was still clueless, wishing he could turn into a turtle and bury himself.

So what was Qin Yao's reason?

Thinking about it, Ye Leyao couldn't resist raising his eyes to look at Qin Yao in front of him.

The breeze in the mountains was gentle, and the brilliant sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, falling through the gaps onto half of Ye Leyao's body. The interplay of light and shadow softened the handsome features of the young man, making it difficult to tear one's gaze away with just a glance.

Qin Yao's gaze landed on Ye Leyao's face, then shifted to his eyes after a moment, unexpectedly meeting the young man's gaze head-on.

His heart skipped a beat, and Qin Yao quickly averted his eyes.

Ye Leyao was even more perplexed.

"Huh, President Qin's face seems a little red?"

"Am I seeing things?"

Before Ye Leyao could take a closer look, Qin Yao had already turned around, facing away from Ye Leyao.

A noticeable hint of regret flashed across Ye Leyao's eyes.

At that moment, Qian Yue's voice came from ahead. "Ye Leyao, how long are you going to rest?"

Liu Yan chimed in, "If you don't hurry up, we won't wait for you!"

By this time, Zhang Qiran had slowly climbed to the section of steps where Ye Leyao was. With Song Zhehan out of sight here, he relaxed considerably, removing his mask and panting slightly as he asked Ye Leyao, "Do you want me to wait for you?"

He really didn't want to face Song Zhehan, but being alone was a bit too awkward.

How could Ye Leyao not guess what Zhang Qiran was thinking?

With Song Zhehan looking back every few steps, if he went with Zhang Qiran, wouldn't Song Zhehan hold a grudge?

Thus, Ye Leyao shook his head without hesitation. "No need, no need. I'll be fine with President Qin. You should catch up quickly."

Zhang Qiran opened his mouth, but ultimately resigned himself to continue climbing upward.

However, he had barely taken a few steps when Song Zhehan's voice came from ahead. "Zhang Qiran, are you that weak? Can you still walk? Do you want me to call someone to carry you?"

Zhang Qiran: "…"

Zhang Qiran's chest heaved violently, clearly infuriated, yet unusually silent, only quickening his pace slightly.

Watching Zhang Qiran's retreating figure, Ye Leyao couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

It was then that Qin Yao turned his head slightly to look over. "There's a glass skywalk nearby. Would you like to check it out?"

Ye Leyao's eyes instantly lit up at this. "Really?"

Qin Yao nodded. "But we'll need to take the cable car up first."

Ye Leyao blinked. "So... would that be considered cheating?"

Qin Yao smiled. "We're just taking the cable car to see the glass skywalk. Besides, there are no rules from our production team."

The other guests could climb the mountain if they wanted; there was nothing wrong with them choosing not to and taking the cable car instead.

Instantly revitalized, Ye Leyao threw himself at Qin Yao, grabbing his arm and shaking it excitedly. "Where is it? Let's go now!"

The young man was too close. If Qin Yao tilted his head down slightly, he could even touch the tip of Ye Leyao's nose.

His heart rate accelerated without warning.

Qin Yao pointed in a direction.

Ye Leyao released Qin Yao's arm and happily ran off in that direction.

Watching Ye Leyao's back, Qin Yao couldn't resist pressing his hand against his left chest.

His heart was beating too fast.

So much so that Qin Yao had forgotten the advice he gave himself at the beginning of this episode's recording.

A young, vibrant man was like the unrestrained wind in the wilderness, impossible to catch or fathom.

His life should always be free and unbound, not belonging to anyone.

Therefore, no matter what Ye Leyao felt for him, Qin Yao should tread carefully and not easily fall into the trap.

Yet Qin Yao was human. He couldn't control how quickly his heart fell, nor could he control his emotions being led by Ye Leyao.

That was why Qin Yao cared about the way Ye Leyao looked at Song Zhehan, and the hands Ye Leyao placed on Li Siyuan's back.

It seemed that ever since Qin Yao realized Ye Leyao's feelings for him weren't so simple, his heart began to be bound by this unrestrained wind.

"President Qin, hurry up!" Ye Leyao shouted after running for a while and noticing Qin Yao hadn't followed.

Qin Yao nodded. "Coming," he said, correcting Ye Leyao. "I remember telling you before not to call me President Qin."

Ye Leyao pouted. "I'm just used to calling you that, and I think President Qin sounds good!"

Qin Yao chuckled softly. "While President Qin does sound nice, it isn't intimate."

Ye Leyao tilted his head. "But I think it's fine. Can't I keep calling you that?"

Meeting Ye Leyao's gaze, Qin Yao's heart softened, and he whispered, "Call me as you wish."

After all, it was just a name.

Ye Leyao's eyes were full of smiles. Just as Qin Yao walked up to him, Ye Leyao reached out and took Qin Yao's hand.

After gripping it tightly, Ye Leyao rubbed it with his thumb twice before muttering to himself,

"That's more like it."

Qin Yao was puzzled.

Then he heard Ye Leyao say, "Ready. I'm going to run!"

With that, Ye Leyao pulled Qin Yao and ran forward.

After running for a bit, Ye Leyao suddenly laughed inwardly,

"I don't know why I'm so happy. It's like I've held President Qin's hand before and ran like this!"

Qin Yao smiled.

They weren't familiar with each other at all!

Even their first hand-holding was due to an accident.

However, Qin Yao didn't say anything. He merely felt that today's breeze in the woods was perfect, Ye Leyao's hand was warm, and it was as if he had been looking forward to this moment all along.

...

Meanwhile, inside the car at the foot of the mountain, the entire Huo family was in silence.

The live stream continued, and watching Ye Leyao and Qin Yao's tightly clasped hands on the screen, their expressions were grave.

The cameraman had also noticed this scene and zoomed in on their hands.

Whoa—

Not only were they holding hands, but their fingers were interlocked!

What was the relationship between Ye Leyao and Qin Yao?

How did they miss any signs of this before?!

After a long while, Father Huo sighed. "The child has grown up, and it's normal for him to fall in love..."

Madam Huo was troubled. "But why do I feel that Xiao Yao's feelings for Xiao Qin are a bit strange? It doesn't seem like he likes Xiao Qin in that way, but he isn't repulsed by intimate contact with him..."

Jing Huo frowned. "Isn't not being repulsed by intimate contact enough to indicate something?"

Pausing for a moment, he recalled the incident from a couple of nights ago when Ye Le Yao suddenly wanted to shake hands with him and Yan Huo. He recounted the story to Father Huo and Madam Huo.

Father Huo and Madam Huo fell silent.

It was Ze Huo who spoke up. "I think it's just that Ye Le Yao hasn't realized his own feelings yet. But this is only a matter of time, after all, he took Big Brother Qin's hand! He's never even taken my hand!"

Father Huo and Madam Huo exchanged glances.

After a long pause, Madam Huo said, "Forget it, let's leave it to nature. After all, I find Xiao Qin to be quite reliable, it's just his family..."

Father Huo also thought about this, frowning. "It's fine. If Xiao Qin can't properly handle matters with his family, then we can give him a choice."

After all, their family doted on Ye Le Yao the most. It was fine if Ye Le Yao liked Yao Qin, but Yao Qin couldn't allow Ye Le Yao to suffer any grievances.

Madam Huo nodded.

At this point, there was no other option.

But there was still one question remaining—

When would Ye Le Yao realize his different feelings for Yao Qin?

Father Huo and Madam Huo didn't know, nor did they dare to speculate easily.

The audience in the live stream, however, felt something was amiss.

"Hey, Ye Le Yao, why did you hold Yao Qin's hand for no reason?"

"What? A tight interlocking of fingers?? Ah? ?"

"Hold on... What's going on here?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm not watching a travel show for this kind of thing? How did the guests suddenly start holding hands? Are you guys turning this into a dating show?"

"Their neighbor Song Zhehan hasn't even held Zhang Qiran's hand yet!"

Some viewers in the chat found the hand-holding odd, but others chimed in:

"Oh, I thought it was a big deal. It's just holding hands, right?"

"Yeah, sometimes my friends and I will interlock our fingers too. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"And Yao Qin treats Ye Le Yao like a younger brother. You shippers aren't being too sensitive, are you?"

Ye Le Yao and Yao Qin were completely unaware of what the live stream audience was thinking.

The two took a cable car to the glass walkway, had a good time, and then continued climbing the mountain.

Thanks to the cable car ride, they saved a significant amount of time, making Ye Le Yao and Yao Qin the first guests to reach the summit.

Following closely behind were Song Zhehan and Zhang Qiran.

Seeing them, Ye Le Yao's lips curved upward. "So you took the cable car too!"

Zhang Qiran still wore her hat, her face slightly red, she nodded without saying a word.

Song Zhehan remarked, "What? We can't take shortcuts?"

Ye Le Yao laughed. "Of course you can!"

"But, hey, where are their camera crew?"

Yao Qin glanced behind the two, indeed finding none.

However, he didn't ask further, merely suggesting they prepare for camping instead.

By the time the others climbed up, Ye Le Yao and his group had already set up their tents.

This time, the production team didn't cause any trouble, providing each guest with an individual tent.

The group watched the sunset together in the evening, had a barbecue at night, and finally, the recording for the third episode came to an end.

The next morning, Ye Le Yao bid farewell to everyone and left with Yan Huo.

At the foot of the mountain, Ye Le Yao learned that Father Huo and Madam Huo had already returned home.

"Why didn't they wait for us?" Ye Le Yao asked.

Yan Huo replied, "It seems Ze Huo had something to attend to. Have you packed your luggage? Shall we go now?"

Ye Le Yao nodded and went upstairs to push down his suitcase.

Before getting in the car, Ye Le Yao looked back at the path leading up the mountain.

The morning forest was quiet, with only a few bird calls, and no one in sight.

"It seems the others haven't come down yet."

Ye Le Yao retracted his gaze and got into the car with Yan Huo.

The car drove for nearly two hours before stopping at the entrance of the Huo Family Villa.

Father Huo and Madam Huo had returned last night and came out to greet them upon hearing the commotion.

Ye Le Yao stepped forward to embrace them both, asking, "Hey, where's Third Brother?"

"He's gone to pick someone up and should be back soon," Mama He said. "Are you tired? Why don't you take a shower first? Dinner will be ready in a bit."

Ye Leyao hastily nodded, went upstairs for a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and after dawdling for a while, slowly made her way downstairs.

Just as she reached the living room, she heard He Ze's voice from the doorway: "You're already part of my team. What's the big deal about having dinner with my parents? Consider this your home, no need to feel restrained."

Two figures entered through the door, and Ye Leyao's gaze immediately fell upon the face of the boy beside He Ze.

He Ze happened to look up, seeing Ye Leyao staring intently at his new teammate, feeling quite helpless.

Weren't you still holding hands with Qin Yao yesterday?

How could you have fallen for someone else so quickly?

Just as He Ze was about to remind Ye Leyao not to fall into puppy love, he heard her sigh heavily in her heart—

"Ah, he is quite handsome, but what a pity, he's a mole sent by the rival team."

"How can my third brother accept just anyone? Is he a fool or something?!"

He Ze: "...?"

What's going on?