Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Lu Tingchao didn't have many belongings. He hadn’t brought much when he moved back from Hong Kong, and he hadn’t lived there for very long either.

Aside from the various luxury items he'd recently purchased, Lu Tingchao and Lu Doudou’s clothes only filled two suitcases.

Aunt Shu went from initial disbelief to eventually stepping in, likely because she couldn’t bear to watch Lu Tingchao stuffing his clothes into the suitcase like wilted cabbage. She reached out to help pack the rest of his belongings.

In no time, everything Lu Tingchao needed to take with him was completely sorted.

Aunt Shu glanced at the still-full wardrobe, then at Lu Tingchao’s suitcase, and tentatively asked, “You’re not taking these?”

Lu Tingchao, exceptionally pampered, replied, “No, they’re out of style. I usually only wear clothes from the current season. These must be things I bought in the past.”

Aunt Shu: “…”

Lu Tingchao suddenly realized something: “Ah, Aunt Shu, are you worried that leaving these clothes here will make Mo Lingnan nostalgic?”

The moment he said it, Lu Tingchao felt this idea made perfect sense and immediately nodded. “It's fine, Aunt Shu. I’ll find a luxury consignment shop nearby—they’ll be here soon.”

Aunt Shu silently watched Lu Tingchao for a while but ultimately didn’t refuse.

Wearing only current or next season's latest designs was a bad habit Lu Tingchao had developed since childhood.

First, Grandpa Lu spoiled him; then, Zhuang Ji spoiled him even more than Grandpa Lu had. Later, when he moved to Hong Kong, an Italian designer even flew in weekly for custom fittings.

So, everything Lu Tingchao owned was always valuable and always on trend.

The staff at the luxury consignment shop had worked with Lu Tingchao before. Whenever his wardrobe became too full, he would call them to haul away whatever he no longer liked or had outgrown.

Soon, the store staff arrived.

Lu Tingchao handed over all the clothes he no longer needed from the wardrobe—diamond clasps, brooches, other accessories, along with bags and shoes he had bought—all packaged up for the staff.

Fortunately, the consignment shop understood Lu Tingchao’s style. Besides the main female staff member, several male staff had also come to help. It took several people working together to finally sort through all the items after two hours and appraise everything.

Lu Tingchao didn’t negotiate. He didn’t even take out his phone, instead turning to the person beside him and saying, “Aunt Shu, have them transfer the money directly to you.”

Aunt Shu was taken aback but shook her head. “How could I? These are your things…”

“They were purchased with your son’s money regardless. I'm actually short on cash lately, and I feel bad for not bringing you a gift when we first met.”

Lu Tingchao waved his hand dismissively. As he raised his hand, he caught sight of the watch on his wrist. “Hey, sell this too. But it’s a his-and-hers watch—the other one isn’t with me.”

The female staff member respectfully said, “Mr. Lu, customized his-and-hers watches like this one command a much higher price when sold as a pair. Would you like to sell both together?”

Lu Tingchao pouted. “I’d like to, but he’s not here. I can’t just wrestle it off his wrist.”

“Forget it.”

Lu Tingchao finally took off the watch. “Just pay me based on the diamonds and the style. A discount is fine—I won’t be using it anymore.”

In the end, all the clothes, brooches, and watches were tallied up, and a substantial amount was transferred to Mo Lingnan’s mother.

Aunt Shu wasn’t the type to fit the image of a high-society lady.

When Mo Lingnan was still working in the police force, she was just an ordinary woman. It had never crossed her mind that these items, casually sold, could fetch millions.

When the female staff member transferred the money to her, for some reason, Aunt Shu felt no sense of relief at receiving the funds. Instead, her heart sank like a stone, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

Meanwhile, Lu Tingchao had already gathered all the personal items he had used in the house—from larger things like pajamas and pillows to smaller items like toothbrushes, cups, and blue-light blocking glasses—and tossed them into a large plastic bag with a rustle.

When he reached the Mickey Mouse cup on the table, Lu Tingchao paused for a second.

It was a set Mo Lingnan had bought for the two of them when Lu Tingchao first came to this apartment: Mickey with upright ears and Donald Duck holding Mickey in his arms—a matching set.

Lu Tingchao threw the Mickey Mouse cup into the trash bag with a “clang.” Following the crisp sound, it seemed ceramic had shattered.

“Please help me take these out and throw them away too.”

Lu Tingchao glanced around, confirming that all his things had indeed been cleared out, and casually handed the plastic bag to one of the staff members. “There’s a self-cleaning trash receptacle right outside the door downstairs. Just toss it in.”

The consignment store staff, who always felt like they were on a buying trip whenever they came here, naturally wouldn’t offend Lu Tingchao and immediately nodded.

Only the lead staff member asked Lu Tingchao, “Mr. Lu, are you moving out?”

Lu Tingchao: “Ah…”

Lu Tingchao nodded. “Yes, I’m planning to relocate elsewhere.”

The lead staff member didn’t press further and simply said, “If you have any other items to deal with later, feel free to contact me anytime.”

Lu Tingchao: “Okay.”

The room fell quiet again.

The cushions and lamps in the living room that belonged to Lu Tingchao, his snack shelf, and Lu Doudou’s reading chair by the floor-to-ceiling window had all disappeared, making the already spacious room feel even emptier.

Aunt Shu suddenly found the silence uncomfortably quiet. “Would you… like to eat something before leaving?”

Lu Tingchao turned around with a smile. “Are you trying to ask why I’m not waiting for Mo Lingnan to come back before leaving?”

Aunt Shu’s expression faltered, and she lowered her gaze. “That’s between you two. It’s not for me to interfere.”

Lu Tingchao laughed lightly and went to the bedroom to retrieve his two suitcases.

A driver Lu Tingchao had arranged was already waiting outside.

This time, Lu Tingchao hadn’t hired an expensive driver—just an ordinary moving van, which matched the caliber of the place he was about to move to.

Lu Tingchao waved at Aunt Shu. “If Mo Lingnan comes back, it’ll be harder for me to leave. Aunt Shu, I’ll be going now.”

The person standing before her was still very, very young. If not for Mo Lingnan, she would never have pressured such a… boy.

But in the end, Aunt Shu didn’t say anything.

Lu Tingchao carried his suitcases out the door but, for some reason, looked back.

Aunt Shu felt as though that glance was meant for her.

After a few seconds, Lu Tingchao smiled again and waved. “Aunt Shu, when Mo Lingnan comes back, just tell him I left on my own and you couldn’t stop me.”

His voice was clear and bright, even carrying a youthful tone, yet for some reason, it made Aunt Shu's eyes sting.

She stepped forward quickly, gripping the doorframe, and watched as Lu Tingchao walked through the entryway. Suddenly, she said, “Xiao Lu.”

“Yes?”

Lu Tingchao turned around with a smile.

Auntie Shu hesitated for a few seconds, then said softly, "I'm sorry, Xiao Lu. You can understand a mother's heart, right?"

Lu Tingchao seemed to fall silent at these words before replying, "Actually, I don’t really understand, Auntie Shu. I grew up without parents."

His tone didn’t carry much sadness as he sighed, "But I know parents always want what’s best for their children. Zhuang Ji’s mom is the same way."

Lu Tingchao smiled again toward the door, "Enough said, Auntie Shu. See you!"

*

The old house was located by the First Ring Road in the western part of the city, a great location.

However, over time, the once red-brick exterior had weathered with time, looking like memories grown mottled with time.

This was an old house that, aside from Lu Tingchao, everyone else had forgotten about.

Lu Doudou’s school let-out time hadn’t arrived yet, so Lu Tingchao first called for cleaners for a thorough cleaning. Afterward, he sat in the empty house and quickly unpacked and put away everything from his two suitcases.

For a home, the contents of two suitcases were pretty sparse.

Lu Tingchao boiled water using an old-school kettle and rummaged under the TV cabinet in the living room, eventually finding a pack of expired buckwheat tea.

Lu Tingchao wasn't crazy about this drink, but he often saw his grandfather drinking it when he was young.

The tea leaves were very small, floating and drifting on the surface once hit by boiling water.

Lu Tingchao touched it with his fingertip.

Through the glass cup, the searing heat left a mark on his finger.

Perhaps this was the warmth of family.

Ultimately, Lu Tingchao still didn’t quite understand. He sighed softly and took a sip of the tea.

This pack of buckwheat tea wasn’t high quality—he had bought it on impulse from a tea shop near his door. It tasted bitter, with a harsh aftertaste.

Lu Tingchao sat cross-legged on the sofa, went over his savings, carefully calculated the household items that needed replacing, figured in Lu Doudou’s school fees, and their future living expenses...

He sighed.

He probably still needed to earn some serious money.

Lu Tingchao took a nap on the old sofa for a while. Before the kindergarten let-out time in the afternoon, he went to pick up Lu Doudou.

The kindergarten teacher who brought Lu Doudou out was meeting Lu Tingchao for the first time. She praised Lu Doudou to the skies before handing him over, then asked somewhat shyly, "By the way, if you’re the child’s father, then who is Mr. Mo, who usually drops him off?"

Lu Tingchao took Lu Doudou’s hand, "He’s my friend. I’m usually quite busy with work, so sometimes I ask him to help drop off."

The kindergarten teacher’s face lit up with understanding, "Oh! I see. Mr. Mo is very responsible; he always comes in person."

Lu Tingchao nodded, "Also, teacher, starting tomorrow, my child won’t be attending for now. Just letting you know."

The teacher, with her perfect makeup, looked puzzled, "But Doudou has only been here for a few days, hasn’t he?"

Lu Tingchao smiled, "It’s because this place is a bit far from where I work, so it’s inconvenient. But I can give you Mo Lingnan’s number. He might come to pick him up only to find out, so could you please explain it to him?"

"Um..."

The young, pretty teacher hesitated, "Aren’t you friends? Why not tell him now?"

Lu Tingchao waved his phone around, "He’s in a meeting. I’m afraid I might not hear the phone later when I take the child to the theme park, so I’ll leave it to you, teacher."

The kindergarten teacher finally agreed, carefully jotting down Mo Lingnan’s phone number before saying goodbye to Lu Doudou a bit reluctantly.

There are many good people in this world.

Lu Tingchao held Lu Doudou’s hand and got into the car, taking one last look at the kindergarten teacher through the window.

Auntie Shu said that Mo Lingnan had girlfriends during his police academy days and early career—he really shouldn’t be led down this path.

Lu Tingchao opened his phone, found all of Mo Lingnan’s contacts, and without hesitation, blocked them all.

*

The day before entering the reality show production, Chi Yu specifically called to go over details with Lu Tingchao again.

When the call connected, Chi Guo happened to be bringing food out from the kitchen, and Lu Doudou looked up from his reading spot by the window.

Only Lu Tingchao was lazily sprawled on the sofa, with a really small suitcase in front of him. Aside from a few essential tee shirts and shorts, he hadn’t even packed sunscreen.

Chi Yu sounded like he had just come from a dinner party, his voice a bit slurred from drinking, "Chao Chao, the company car will pick you up at 9 tomorrow morning. Be ready, and don’t answer the door naked."

Lu Tingchao, "...You’re the one who answers the door naked."

Chi Guo set down the food and mouthed, "My brother?"

Lu Tingchao nodded resentfully.

Chi Yu asked, "Is Doudou all set? If not, I can have Guo Guo stay over for a few days."

Lu Tingchao said, "Guo Guo is already staying here."

Chi Yu, "Alright, that was redundant. Is your luggage packed?"

Lu Tingchao, "Just about. But where exactly is this travel variety show going? I’m really bad at packing—Zhuang Ji always did it for me before."

Lu Tingchao asked with complete innocence, "Is packing just a few pieces of clothing enough?"

Chi Yu, "You..."

Lu Tingchao, "What?"

It was unclear whether something else came up or Chi Yu was too drunk, but he didn’t respond further. After a while, the call cut out.

Lu Tingchao was stunned, "Guo Guo, he disappeared!"

Chi Guo rolled his eyes at Lu Tingchao, "My brother is probably drunk. Forget it, don’t worry about it. Let’s eat."

Chi Guo dutifully set the table properly, patiently helped Lu Tingchao up from the sofa, and pinched his cheek, "But Chao Chao, are you sure you’re only bringing this little?"

Lu Tingchao found it hard to explain to Chi Guo that he had sold all his clothes to a consignment shop, so he bluffed, "Well... anyway, I don’t know. It should be enough."

Chi Guo was skeptical, "Where are you going exactly?"

Lu Tingchao, "Not a clue."

Chi Guo, "Then what are you going to do?"

Lu Tingchao, "Not a clue."

Chi Guo, "...Then how much are they paying you?"

Lu Tingchao widened his eyes: "Shit, I forgot to check the contract!"

Chi Guo: "..."

Chi Guo: "Then where's the contract?"

Lu Tingchao's eyes darted around: "...I gave it to your brother."

Chi Guo: "..."

After a long silence, Chi Guo handed the chopsticks to Lu Tingchao: "Whatever. At this point, let's just eat."

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Fine. Let's eat.

After the meal, Chi Guo went to wash the dishes, while Lu Tingchao gave Lu Doudou a bath and then continued staring blankly at his luggage.

Lu Doudou came over a few times in between, grabbed some emergency items, sunglasses, and a sun jacket for Lu Tingchao to pack, then returned to his usual reading spot on the small cushion.

In the end, even the smallest suitcase wasn't fully packed.

But he still slept soundly.

Early the next morning, someone knocked on the door.

Lu Tingchao checked the time—9:05—and suddenly remembered what Chi Yu had said on the phone yesterday. He immediately sprang out of bed, rushed into the bathroom, quickly splashed water on his face, and brushed his teeth.

The knocking continued.

Lu Tingchao didn't have time to style his hair either; he steeled himself and opened the door with a mess of curly hair sticking up.

This old house, all but forgotten by modern media for the past decade, hadn't seen this much excitement in years.

Six or seven cameras with assorted lenses were set up in front of Lu Tingchao. The crew included, besides the host and co-host at the front, an assistant director, script supervisor, prop director, and behind them, the executive director and various cameramen.

The moment the door opened, the glaring camera lights forced Lu Tingchao to squint.

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a low-budget travel series?

Lu Tingchao instinctively stepped back but immediately remembered Chi Guo and Lu Doudou were still asleep. He had no choice but to stand there awkwardly, pretending to be busy fussing with his hair.

The next second, the host thrust a microphone in front of Lu Tingchao's mouth: "Wow, Xiao Lu, you're really brave to appear on our live stream completely barefaced!"

Lu Tingchao: "???"

Wait, what???

Lu Tingchao's face dropped, and he hurriedly tried to wave his hands in protest.

But the director and host didn't give him a chance to protest. A crowd swarmed around him enthusiastically, announcing to the camera: "Alright, folks, we've now collected our final guest for today. Let's head back to the bus and begin this meaningful trip!"

Lu Tingchao: "..."

*

With every step down the stairs and out of the neighborhood, Lu Tingchao grew more convinced that Chi Yu had completely screwed him over.

This was probably not just an ordinary travel show. In today's reality TV market, very few programs dared to air live—

Because live broadcasts couldn't be edited, with no way to hide any of the artists' actions, movements, or expressions.

And this suspicion.

Turned into reality the moment he boarded the show's bus and saw Zhuang Ji sitting inside.

Lu Tingchao's heart dropped instantly.

To make matters worse, the annoying host was enthusiastically promoting beside him: "Folks, now you've seen all our guests. Aren't they all high-profile stars?"

The host continued: "That's right! They include our three-time Best Actor winner Zhuang Ji, accomplished actress Mei Luo and her husband, and of course, TV Award winner Luo Ling and his wife. As for the last one to board, as you all know, he's the recent breakout star—"

If there were a crack in this bus, Lu Tingchao would have drilled into it in a heartbeat.

Or just let a lightning bolt strike him down!

But none of Lu Tingchao's hopes came true. Instead, the host beamed and invited him: "Alright, Xiao Lu, don't be upset. The makeup artist on the bus will help fix your makeup. Please take a seat now."

Lu Tingchao scanned the bus quickly—only the seat next to Zhuang Ji was empty.

Oh, wait, there was also one next to the host!

Lu Tingchao immediately made a beeline for the host.

But the next second, the host said mercilessly: "Sorry, no, Xiao Lu. The seat next to me is for the assistant director. Why don't you sit next to Actor Zhuang, okay?"

Lu Tingchao: "..."

No!

Not okay at all!

Lu Tingchao felt completely deceived, but he didn't dare to storm off or make a scene in front of so many people, especially with award-winning actors present. He could only silently pick up his small backpack and slumped dejectedly to Zhuang Ji's side.

To make things worse, the damn Zhuang Ji was sitting on the aisle seat.

If Lu Tingchao wanted to sit, either Zhuang Ji would have to move, or Lu Tingchao would have to climb over him.

And right now, at this very moment, Zhuang Ji was flipping through a magazine, ignoring him, seemingly completely unaware that someone had approached.

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Ahhh!

Lu Tingchao almost cursed out loud at Zhuang Ji, but just as he opened his mouth, he noticed a camera lens pointing his way.

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Lu Tingchao took a deep breath and pasted on a polite smile: "Actor Zhuang, could you... scoot over to the window seat?"

Only then did Zhuang Ji slowly turn his head.

It was just as the morning sun was shining in, casting a glow of dawn behind Zhuang Ji, as if he had his own ring light, making his already striking features even more dazzling.

The cameras went off repeatedly at Zhuang Ji.

Zhuang Ji also gave a slight smile, tilting his head: "You take the inside seat."

Lu Tingchao: "..."

To get to the window seat, Lu Tingchao had to step over Zhuang Ji's long legs first.

Unfortunately, Lu Tingchao wasn’t blessed with very long legs. He first tried to squeeze through the gap between Zhuang Ji’s knees and the front seat, but he didn’t succeed.

So,

The only option left for Lu Tingchao was to step right over Zhuang Ji himself.

The move was a bit awkward, and it also seemed… a little disrespectful.

Lu Tingchao ground his teeth: "Actor Zhuang, maybe it’s not… the best idea for me to step over you."

Zhuang Ji simply put down his magazine and let go of it: "It’s fine, I don’t mind."

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Alright.

The first act of swallowing his pride for the sake of work began with stepping over his ex-husband’s legs.

Lu Tingchao took a deep breath, placed his small backpack on the inner seat first, then planted his left hand on the armrest beside Zhuang Ji’s seat. He lifted one leg with great effort, stepping over Zhuang Ji’s lap.

Lu Tingchao stepped carefully, raising his leg as high as possible, making sure not to brush against even a thread of Zhuang Ji’s clothes, to avoid another round of online backlash from Zhuang Ji’s fans.

But just then.

The bus jerked into motion.

The sudden inertia lurched Lu Tingchao forward, and his standing leg instantly lost balance. Immediately, he pitched headlong into Zhuang Ji’s lap.

And the next second.

A strong arm came around his waist from behind, directly encircling Lu Tingchao.

At the same time, the man’s other hand gripped Lu Tingchao’s left hip, helping him stand upright again.

Zhuang Ji’s expression was serious and calm: "Are you alright?"

Lu Tingchao zoned out for a second.

Human habits could be a terrifying thing sometimes. Before Lu Tingchao could even speak, a deep-seated reflex had already made him grab Zhuang Ji’s arm.

The next moment, Lu Tingchao immediately let go: "S-sorry."

He didn’t bother lifting his leg high anymore, scrambling and crawling into the inner seat. For a long while, he didn’t say a word, didn’t even catch the host’s intro about the destination and program details.

And right at that moment, through the live broadcast, all the fans and viewers watching online were going wild, almost blowing up the chat.

"All the others are A-listers, I see. Who’s this nobody Lu Tingchao? How does he deserve to share a variety show with a film award winner and a TV king?"

"+1, and why is he sitting next to Actor Zhuang? Why didn’t they invite our Jiang Rong, sweetheart, for the show!"

"Are you pretending not to know upstairs?… Don’t you know the Zhuang family almost drove the Jiang family into bankruptcy? Zhuang Ji really seems to hate Jiang Rong for some reason, it’s genuine hatred…"

"Can we not bring up those things? Let’s just focus on the show, okay?"

"But still, am I the only one who appreciates Lu Tingchao’s beauty?… He’s so strikingly beautiful…"

"Agreed, sis. Even though he’s all messy, without makeup, and with that head of curly hair, he’s so pretty. How does a guy this pretty not get into shady stuff…"

"That's enough... Pretty Chao Chao, let me have a lick... even [censored] is fine, baby is so gorgeous..."

"Why do I feel like the Best Actor's action was a bit intentional?"

"What? The one sitting on the outside? Is it because he’s too tall and uncomfortable sitting inside?"

"I don’t think so..."

"Hey, don’t you think when the Best Actor caught Lu Tingchao, he practically ran his hands all over him with both hands?"

"?? Huh?? What???"

"I saw it too! While it looked like he was helping him up, his left hand slid all the way from the chest to the waist, and his right hand definitely gave Lu Tingchao’s butt a firm squeeze. Why? Why???"

"Really? I’m shocked??"

"Me too... I’m going to rewatch the recording after the livestream ends."

"Count me in."

The live chat, which started with just a few dozen comments, quickly surged to thousands per minute, and the number of viewers increased more than tenfold from the initial count.

Many advertisers almost immediately called the production team, requesting ad placements during the livestream and offering substantial payments.

However, the show’s funding was already more than sufficient, and neither the director nor the assistant director particularly needed the ad revenue.

Still, out of courtesy, the director agreed.

He stepped into the bus and casually asked, "Does any guest want to take on some ad reads? There are a few good ones with great pay."

Mei Luo and her husband were listening to music together and didn’t react.

Best Actor Luo Ling and his wife were reviewing scripts.

Zhuang Ji was squinting, lost in thought.

Only Lu Tingchao eagerly spoke up, "Me, me, me!"

The director was surprised that a guest actually volunteered and walked over to Lu Tingchao.

Lu Tingchao leaned over from beside Zhuang Ji to glance at the ad scripts the director had and asked softly, "Um... can I have some time to memorize them? I might not be very fast."

"Of course."

There was no way the director would make things difficult for someone in front of Zhuang Ji. He cooperatively handed the ad script cards to Lu Tingchao and said, "No rush, Mr. Xiaolu. The assistant director will cue you when it’s time for the ad read. You can familiarize yourself with it first."

Lu Tingchao quickly nodded, "Okay, okay."

The director adjusted the livestream camera focused on Zhuang Ji and Lu Tingchao before turning to leave.

Lu Tingchao had never been particularly diligent in his work, but right now, making money was his priority. He didn’t even bother glancing at Zhuang Ji anymore, burying his head to frantically memorize the scripts.

Finally, as the bus stopped at the destination.

The assistant director came over with the camera, "Xiao Lu, are you ready for the ad read?"

Lu Tingchao: "..." Not exactly.

Yet, all the crew members on the bus were watching him.

Lu Tingchao had no choice but to grit his teeth and nod.

The assistant director gave a signal to the camera, and the host immediately took over: "Alright, dear viewers, as we approach the end of our first segment, let’s sincerely thank the following sponsors of our show—"

The host shot a glance over, signaling Lu Tingchao to continue.

But it had been a long time since Lu Tingchao had faced so many cameras and people. Nervous, he opened his mouth but suddenly couldn’t remember a thing.

The assistant director frowned: "Xiao Lu?"

Lu Tingchao: "Ah..."

"Let’s thank the following sponsors of the show: thank you to 'Because of Me, Therefore Unique' Black Gel Elements, thank you to 'The Future Has Arrived' Dongcheng Pharmaceuticals, thank you to 'Plucking Stars, September Galaxy' Blue Stone Engineering, thank you to 'Responsible for Health' Seven-Leaf Wood Solid Timber..."

Zhuang Ji’s voice had always been exceptionally pleasant, like a flowing deep stream, in a gently rippling cadence.

Unfortunately, whether in variety shows or interviews, he never did voice-over promotions. Of course, given his status as a top-tier actor and the current head of the Zhuang family, almost nothing was worthy of him endorsing.

This sudden voice-over left both the host and director momentarily stunned.

After a two-second pause, the host burst out laughing: "Xiao Lu, did Actor Zhuang steal your job? So, whose paycheck does this count as?!"

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Lu Tingchao shot Zhuang Ji an unhappy glance.

"Count it as his."

Zhuang Ji reached out and, with practiced ease as if he’d done it countless times, tapped Lu Tingchao’s nose. "I just saw him memorizing it earlier and casually recited it along. Lu Lu, you don’t mind, do you?"

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Even someone as slow as Lu Tingchao wouldn’t say he disliked Zhuang Ji in front of the camera. He sniffled: "Thank you, Actor Zhuang."

"You’re welcome, Lu Lu."

Zhuang Ji stood up from his seat. "Let’s go, get off the bus. Let’s go check out our room."

The other guests had already gotten off the bus at some point.

The livestream wasn’t limited to just this camera angle. To maximize viewer enjoyment, audiences in the livestream could freely switch between different camera angles focused on various guests.

Lu Tingchao trailed behind Zhuang Ji, pondering the meaning of Zhuang Ji’s words about "our room" as he trotted along.

Then, Zhuang Ji ahead suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The sharp tip of Lu Tingchao’s nose immediately collided with Zhuang Ji’s broad, muscular back.

Instantly, the pain brought tears to Lu Tingchao’s eyes. He opened his mouth, about to curse at Zhuang Ji, but once again caught sight of the camera and held back.

This time, Zhuang Ji turned around quickly, reaching out to grab Lu Tingchao’s arm: "Did it hurt?"

A tear from the pain rolled down Lu Tingchao’s cheek and landed on Zhuang Ji’s hand.

Zhuang Ji panicked immediately. Standing almost a dozen centimeters taller than Lu Tingchao, he half-knelt to get a better look at Lu Tingchao’s face: "Where did it hit, baby? Let me see. Does it hurt a lot? Don’t be scared, baby, I—"

Everyone on site was stunned.

The livestream camera was pointed directly at Zhuang Ji and Lu Tingchao, capturing every move.

Every action of the two was broadcast live, frame by frame, without missing a single detail.

All the fans, viewers, and onlookers were also stunned.

Even the barrage of comments on the screen froze for a full dozen seconds before exploding with destructive intensity.

"Am I blind? Am I blind?? Ah!!! Am I blind??? Actor Zhuang!!! Am I blind???"

"...You’re not blind. It’s just that Actor Zhuang has turned into a simp. Ahhh... whatever, I’d rather be blind. I can’t handle this shock..."

"What’s going on?? What’s going on?? I was away from the screen for just a few seconds, and they’re already together??"

"Are you sure they’re together?? I feel like this is a crematorium???"

"Crematorium? Tasty, let me take a bite... Oh, why is it my idol’s crematorium? So heartbreaking..."

"All the other guests are A-listers, only Xiao Lu is a minor celebrity. I feel like I’ve realized something..."

"Sis, I think I’ve realized it too. This world has broken my heart. Lighting a cigarette..."

"Emergency review of Actor Zhuang’s romantic history in progress. Do not disturb."

"I feel like I saw a piece of gossip years ago saying Actor Zhuang was married and divorced, but there was never any solid evidence, and the spouse was never uncovered. He only admitted once that he has a child."

"Upstairs, let me decode this for you. I’ve been supporting Zhuang Ji for eight years, since his debut. Do you know why he once went to Hong Kong and made several fan site owners quit?"

"?? Sis, elaborate!"

"Not the one upstairs, but I’m one of the fan site owners who quit because of Zhuang Ji #smile#smile# Don’t ask why. If your idol became someone else’s simp, you’d be heartbroken and quit too #smile#smile#"

"Oh, and one more thing, it’s not just being a simp—it’s being the other man #smile# So, if it were you, wouldn’t you quit?"