Chapter 76 Side Story 8

Chapter 76 Extra 8

"Ding-dong, ding-dong."

Shen Gali's phone rang for the Nth time with a Weibo notification.

In the old-fashioned cedar wood bedroom, the velvet curtains blocked the windows, letting in not a single ray of light, making it hard to tell night from day.

On the bed, Shen Gali lay with his head on Nan Liujing's arm, his face buried in his embrace, fast asleep, but both were woken by the relentless chime.

Nan Liujing slowly opened his eyes, frowning at the noise in irritation, then raised a hand to cover Shen Gali's ears, afraid the sound would wake him.

But Shen Gali was already awake. With sleepy eyes, he mumbled, "Who is it?"

Nan Liujing reached for his phone and glanced at it: "Looks like a Weibo private message. Want to see it?"

"No, you can look if you want." Shen Gali burrowed deeper into his arms, pulling one of Nan Liujing's hands over his own ear.

Although people often say that even between spouses, one should give the other ample personal space and not check their phones—it's disrespectful and damaging to the relationship—if it were any other message, Nan Liujing could skip it. But Weibo? It was hard not to suspect some troll coming to stir up trouble.

If so, he could delete the conversation early to ensure Shen Gali never accidentally saw it and ruined his mood.

"Then I'll take a look." Nan Liujing deliberately informed Shen Gali before clicking on the private message.

The sender was still sending messages in rapid succession. Nan Liujing only glanced at it, then abruptly sat up.

Shen Gali was jolted by his sudden movement, but the next second, a large hand was still protectively covering his ears, and he had also switched the phone to silent.

Private message:

"Hehe, Li Li babe, good morning. Another day of missing you. Dreamt of you again last night."

That was fine; Shen Gali had a few fans, nothing unusual. But the next messages were downright obscene:

"[Image] Big bro's chili pepper, is it big or not? Little beauty, wanna suck on it?"

"[Image] Li Li, honey, you're so cute. I'm craving your body. When are you gonna let me have you?"

"Can't sleep from missing you. Missing your milky skin, your slender hands to ease my loneliness, missing your lips, missing everything about you. Baby, I miss you."

"Baby, can Nan Liujing satisfy you? If you're lonely, come to me. V: 23haej22"

"Crack!" Nan Liujing's fingers suddenly clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hand. A visible crack appeared on the tempered glass screen protector.

Are these people insane? Sending this kind of stuff to others every day, and Weibo doesn't do anything about it? Do they think they can do whatever they want just because they're the only game in town?

Nan Liujing's fingers flew as he reported all these messages, then uninstalled Weibo. He climbed out of bed a bit too roughly, waking Shen Gali again.

"What's wrong..."

Nan Liujing strode away quickly and urgently. Too many people coveted his wife, and they had no boundaries. It would be a lie to say he wasn't angry.

But even now, with fury hot enough to knock out ten creeps, he turned back at the sound of Shen Gali's voice, cupped his face, and planted a heavy kiss on his forehead.

Then, with a grim face, he left the room.

Shen Gali: ?

What's with the early morning freak-out?

*

During work hours that morning, Nan Liujing seemed restless. He kept pulling out his phone to text Shen Gali—asking if he was up, if he'd eaten, what he was doing.

As expected, Shen Gali never replied.

Just then, Secretary Yan knocked and came in, placing a stack of documents on the desk:

"Chairman Nan, a variety show called. They hope you could take a look at their proposal and consider participating in the show."

Bottling up his anger, Nan Liujing tried to speak calmly: "Do I look that free? Or has Huanhai Electronics fallen so low that it has to rely on a variety show for publicity?"

Secretary Yan's heart was racing. While Chairman Nan wasn't exactly easygoing, he never spoke to subordinates in this tone. But it made sense—the chairman ran dozens of subsidiaries, met countless clients, and handled endless work. Not only did he lack the time, but his status also didn't require him to raise his profile with entertainment shows.

Still, she had hoped to get her fill of their sweet moments on TV.

Secretary Yan didn't dare say more, muttered "I'll get back to work," and left.

Nan Liujing straightened his sleeves. Glancing down, he noticed the variety show proposal Secretary Yan had left behind.

The headline was in large Song font:

"Infinite Supercar – Couple Special"

Couple special? Boring. Why should marital affairs be put on display for outsiders? What were they to him?

He tossed the proposal into the trash and continued working.

At noon, Nan Liujing took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, and first texted Shen Gali: ask if he'd had lunch—no, first ask if he was awake.

While waiting for the inevitable non-reply, he called out for Secretary Yan to make him a coffee. After several calls with no response, he remembered she was out to lunch.

Fine, he'd go to the break room and make one himself.

The company's break room was always buzzing with gossip. Nan Liujing was just at the door with his cup when he overheard employees chattering.

He didn't usually listen in, but certain keywords caught his attention.

"Alright, but 'Can't Leave You' is so hot lately! I'm living off the fan-made CP videos."

"Are you out of your mind? Fans shipping random people is one thing, but you're seriously following that? Are you crazy? Careful, if Chairman Nan finds out, he'll dock your bonus."

"So what if he does? Right now I'm a brainless shipper. Little Shen always looks good paired with anyone. Too bad he didn't go into entertainment. I love his videos with Wen Kai. Here, I'll share them—don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe."

"Stop, stop, I don't want to see. I'm only for 'Spring Breeze and Scenic Beauty'—the official couple."

Another employee said, "Wen Kai? Who's that? What's his relationship with Little Shen?"

"You don't know Wen Kai? Short version: he's a triple crown winner. He has nothing to do with Little Shen—they don't even know each other. But they've blown up online recently. Some people find them cute and made CP videos."

"Poor Chairman Nan... He's the real partner."

"And it's not like they're shoving it in his face. They're just keeping it to themselves."

Nan Liujing outside the door: It IS being shoved in my face.

He knew who Wen Kai was. Huanhai Electronics had hired him as a spokesperson for their new car. To be honest, even as a guy, he had to admit the guy was handsome.

Nan Liujing really didn't like putting their marriage on display for everyone to see, but if he stayed completely invisible, today there would be "Can't Leave You" and tomorrow there would be even more boring CPs.

He set his cup of water heavily on the cabinet by the door, and the room fell into instant silence.

Back in his office, he picked up the proposal from the trash can, thought for a moment, and made a call to Bai Wei.

...

That night, Shen Jiali thought: Chatting with Mom is so fun, I'm willing to be a momma's boy forever.

Shen Jiali later: Mom set me up... How did I end up on the show?

Whatever, since Mom is invested in the show, he had to steel himself and do it.

Bai Wei was more than happy for Shen Jiali to go on the show, meet more people, and treat it like a fun trip. So when Nan Liujing called her and explained the situation, for the sake of her son and son-in-law's marriage, investing was no big deal—she just invested.

She also reassured Shen Jiali: "No need to be nervous when you go on the show. Just be yourself. The director and the guests are all very nice."

Shen Jiali thought: "You said to be myself."

*Infinite Supercar* was one of the hottest challenge variety shows in China in recent years. Coinciding with Valentine's Day, the show planned a special couple's episode, hoping to invite some high-profile married couples to boost ratings and cash in on the hype. So the first choice for this episode's guests was the widely discussed business tycoon couple.

The audience was tired of celebrity love stories; they craved mysterious guests they rarely saw online, for a change of pace.

Originally, they had no hope of inviting Nan Liujing and Shen Jiali, but it never hurts to dream—what if it happened?

Shen Jiali himself didn't know why, but he ended up going on the show with Nan Liujing again.

On the day of filming, the live stream reached its record highest viewership, proving the director's choice was right.

"I heard Li Bao is here!! I'm here to see my wife! When will my wife appear?"

"Don't yell. Careful, Chairman Nan might slap your mouth."

"Slap me all you want. If it weren't for Nan Liujing's money, would he be standing next to Li Bao today?"

"Finally seeing my 'Chunhe Jingli' on the show! So happy, spinning around like crazy!"

"Can't believe the Nan-Shen couple is actually on a variety show. Probably because there are too many people calling Li Li 'wife,' so Chairman Nan is here to assert his claim."

"Let's start. I've got my insulin ready."

The guest lineup for *Infinite Supercar* consisted of six regular celebrity guests and six special guests. Backstage, Shen Jiali saw the other two special guest couples besides them.

Didn't know them, didn't care.

But when they saw Nan Liujing, a few people took the initiative to greet him.

"Chairman Nan, long time no see. We met at the board meeting before, remember me?"

"Chairman Nan, I've heard so much about you. Never thought I'd meet you here. Is this Mr. Shen? Hello, Mr. Shen. I'm the legal representative of Nichijian Commercial Company, my surname is Liu."

Not to mention Shen Jiali, even Nan Liujing had no memory of their faces. Only after their introductions did he learn they were all trust fund kids.

Both had married dashing male partners who were caked in makeup, pale as flour sacks, with meticulous attention to accessories and clothing. Their polished look stood in stark contrast to Shen Jiali, who only wore a sweater and a down jacket.

As the men chatted, the two male partners huddled together, whispering jealously. Judging by their ease, they must have known each other before, so they dared say whatever they wanted:

"They say Shen Jiali has godly looks, but I think he's just so-so. Plain and unkempt, no sense of style. I wonder how long Nan Liujing will stick with him. Rich people are all the same—they only like young and pretty ones."

"Exactly, you're way better than him. Nan Liujing doesn't know what's good. He treats trash like treasure. If you make a move, by tonight's end, Nan Liujing will be thinking of you."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but... wait and see."

Their resentment was simple: Nan Liujing was richer and more powerful than their husbands, and more handsome. They felt superior to Shen Jiali in style and social skills, at least greeting people first, unlike Shen Jiali who acted aloof and didn't even say "hello."

Just by standing there, Shen Jiali became their imaginary enemy.

But Shen Jiali just wanted to lie low.

The regular guests finished their opening act, and it was time to introduce the special guests. Typically, the highlight was saved for last, so when the first two couples appeared, the comments mercilessly dismissed them:

"Hurry up, I want to see the Nan-Shen couple. Why is this person giving such a long speech? Doesn't he know his place?"

"When is Li Li coming out? How many more people are there?"

Shen Jiali and Nan Liujing waited backstage for the show's signal.

Through a small window, Shen Jiali saw so many people and cameras outside. His social anxiety kicked in.

"Do I have to go out?"

"No. Scared?"

Shen Jiali nodded.

Nan Liujing ruffled his hair to comfort him. "But if you back out at the last minute, it'll be difficult for the crew. Don't be afraid. Just think of them as vegetables."

Just then, the crew notified them to prepare for their entrance.

Shen Jiali sighed, his face full of dread.

He hated how soft-hearted he was, doing whatever others told him. Where was his backbone?

The next second, a big hand tightly gripped his, giving a testing tug forward. Feeling him move too, Nan Liujing took a step.

He used his body to shield the anxious Shen Jiali. Shen Jiali hid behind him, one hand held by Nan Liujing, the other gripping Nan Liujing's sleeve tightly.

As they stepped out, Shen Jiali heard the loud cheers from the production team. Colorful bubble lights spun nonstop, amazingly forming Mickey Mouse heads. Amazing—how did they do that?

For a moment, he forgot his social anxiety, looking around at the Mickey Mouse bubbles with curiosity, tilting his head as the bubbles floated up, his big eyes wide with curiosity.

The production team was just as hyped as the comments:

"Xiao Lizi is so cute! Other guests were busy posing, but Xiao Lizi was captivated by the bubbles. What a precious sweetheart! I can't handle it!"

"Haha, I'm dead laughing. Look at the other guests—they can't take their eyes off Li Li. Bro, you forgetting your wife's standing right there? Don't be too obvious."

"Xiao Li Li is so gorgeous. Looking up at bubbles, even his nostrils look beautiful in that!"

"Visual power couple!!! Nan Liujing and Li Bao are so perfectly matched!"

Maybe no one noticed, but when Shen Jiali and Nan Liujing appeared, the cheers from the production team were especially loud and long.

The MC smiled at the two, grin stretching nearly to his ears: "This should be the first time the Nan-Shen couple appear on a variety show. And it looks like Jiali is a bit nervous."

Shen Jiali hid behind Nan Liujing with his eyes closed. He tried to imagine the audience as vegetables, but self-hypnosis was too tiring. He gave up and just closed his eyes—if he couldn't see them, they didn't exist.

Nan Liujing didn't care about his being awkward on camera. Instead, he reached back with both hands to wrap his arms around Shen Jiali's waist, pulling him close against his back to comfort him.

"Jiali doesn't go out much; he's shy and gets nervous seeing so many people. Hope you all understand and give him a little time to get used to it."

Shen Gali pressed his face against Nan Liujing's back, his palm damp with sweat as he gripped his sleeve.

The live comments went wild:

"Way too sweet! Seriously, other rich guys want their partners to act graceful and composed in public, but Brother Jing doesn't care. If his husband is scared, he protects him—no one can tell him otherwise."

"Nan Liujing, who cares so much about face, doesn't mind his husband making a fool of himself at all. That's true love."

Shen Gali had faced many strangers before—he was socially anxious but still calm and composed, only complaining inwardly without showing it on his face. Yet today, with Nan Liujing as his shield, he felt a sense of reliance and let his emotions show more freely.

As the live comments put it: "The ones who are favored can get away with anything."

Fortunately, the regular guests were all real pros, with super high EQ and IQ and eloquent speaking. A few words talked him out of his shell, easing his inner anxiety and making him brave enough to face the camera.

But he still held Nan Liujing's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Nan Liujing clearly felt the fine sweat on his palm, but wasn't grossed out—instead, he gripped back even tighter, gently rubbing his knuckles to soothe his unease.

As for the two male spouses, it was practically written on their faces that they were mocking him. They didn't dare say it out loud, but inside they kept cursing Shen Gali for being a green tea, pretending to be pitiful.

Seeing Shen Gali in a better mood, the MC moved on: "Today's first round tests the husbands' abilities. As a husband, you need incredible strength!"

With that, the crew pulled back the curtain, revealing a muddy paddy field about ten meters long. At the far end stood a two-meter-high wooden frame with a loaf of bread hanging from it, while at the starting line were six large wheels wrapped in hemp rope.

The rule: One end of the rope was tied around each husband's waist, the other end to the wheel. The spouses were supposed to sit on the wheels, and as the husbands moved forward, the wheels spun. When the husbands reached the finish, the spouses had to wade through the mud to the finish and eat the hanging bread without using their hands. First to eat it wins.

Shen Gali after hearing: ...

"Mom never said anything about running either."

When Shen Gali sat cross-legged and clamped his legs around the wooden stake used to tie the rope on the wheel, the live comments freaked out again:

"This scene is kinda spicy."

"How can Li Bao be so gorgeous from head to toe, even his feet? I'm so jealous of Nan the dog."

Before the competition started, the crew asked the groups to do a sweet interaction.

The regular guests began clowning with their partners, totally in their element. The special guests, all first-timers, seemed held back—husbands casually said, "Honey, I'll be first to the finish," and male spouses made heart shapes with their hands above their heads:

"Go hubby, you're the best!"

Then it was Shen Gali's group's turn.

Nan Liujing looked at Shen Gali from afar and said, "Li Li, I want you to have both the bread and the love."

Shen Gali hugged the wooden stake, pitiful and helpless. The winter sun made him drowsy, and he mumbled, "If we win, fine; if not, whatever."

Nan Liujing: ...

Everyone: ...

"Hahaha, Shen Gali is having a lazy day again."

"Li Bao: I never had any hope for my idiot husband."

The husbands changed into waders, tied the ropes around themselves, and at the whistle, the competitive husbands shot off like arrows.

Not even close!

The mud underfoot was the biggest obstacle. Unwilling to fall behind, the guests gave it all they had, but their feet were like stuck in glue—their bodies moved, but their shoes stayed put.

Only Nan Liujing lived up to expectations, relying on his ridiculously long legs and extreme stability to take the lead.

The wheels began to spin, and Shen Gali got dizzy.

The lagging guests hatched a plan: instead of relying on their own weak strength, they joined forces to first take down the most likely winner, then fight among themselves—otherwise, with Nan Liujing around, their chances were zero.

After scheming for a while, Nan Liujing had already covered a third of the distance.

They abandoned their shoes, wading barefoot through the icy mud in the dead of winter. Without shoes, they moved faster. Soon two regular guests caught up to Nan Liujing, grabbing his arms from either side and pulling him back, shouting to the others:

"Run! We'll hold him back!"

In other words, the regular guests were all about playing dirty for the show's effect.

But the next second, Nan Liujing swiftly grabbed their wrists, veins bulging in his arms, and with a jerk, they stumbled into the mud. He dragged them forward, one on each side, like dipping brushes in ink, until they were unrecognizable.

The live comments were stunned:

"Holy crap, what kind of monster strength is this? Too terrifying! Pity Li Li for three seconds."

"Hahaha, I'm dying laughing—this is what you call asking for trouble."

"Hahaha, are you here for comedy? I can't stop laughing. Brother Nan, you're the man."

As he neared the finish, Nan Liujing finally let go of the two, tossing them into the mud like garbage.

"Hahaha WTM dying laughing—throwing garbage, huh? Got the show effect. Stream fans +1."

But because he dragged two people, Nan Liujing slowed down. By the time he reached the finish, the other guests had also arrived. Now it was all up to the spouses!

When the wheels stopped, the spouses had no idea how many times they'd spun. Getting off, they felt disoriented, their paths veering wildly like rockets off to outer space.

Shen Gali felt like throwing up; the whole world was spinning. After two steps, he involuntarily veered off course toward the edge of the field.

So tired, take a break.

He stood still in the middle of the paddy like a statue. The other spouses were frantically running for the bread, though their directions were completely off—at least they tried.

After resting a while, Shen Gali slowly started moving, taking two steps, stopping to rest, dawdling, and somehow ended up first at the finish.

Nan Liujing: "Li Li is awesome. Just eat the bread and you win."

As he said that, the spouse from Nikken Shoji also reached the finish, driven by competitive spirit.

He wanted to win—only the winner gets more camera time and future opportunities. He didn't care about the bread, but the winner's spotlight should be solely on him.

After all, it's a comedy show—everyone plays dirty, perfectly masking his already dirty heart.

So just as Shen Gali looked up, the Nikken spouse lunged and knocked him aside.

The little spouse was short and slender, exhausted from running, so the bump was like a tickle, insignificant.

But Shen Gali: "Almost killed me. Huh? Someone bumped me? Oh, I fell."

He let himself fall into the mud.

The Nikken spouse feigned guilt, pretending to help him up, but actually aimed to push him deeper into the mud so he could never get up.

And he asked with fake concern, "Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to, my body won't cooperate after all that spinning."

Nan Liujing strode forward, blocking his reaching hand, pulling the poor kid out of the mud and holding him protectively, eyeing the other warily: "Are you okay?"

?

Everyone was baffled—shouldn't he be asking Shen Gali if he's okay? Why is he asking about someone else's wife?

Seeing no answer, Nan Liujing repeated, "I'll ask you once more: are you okay?"

It was more of a warning than a question.

The wife of the Nikken employee, dumbfounded for a moment, shook her head: "I'm fine..."

Nan Liujing stopped looking at her, gently rubbed Shen Gali all over, then straightened him up: "Let's continue."

The audience mulled it over and finally figured it out:

"Nan Liujing really has big boss energy. Asking if the other person is hurt first shows respect, and not losing his temper on the show shows he's considerate of the production team's difficulties. Plus, he knows Li Li—even if something's wrong, Li Li won't say it directly. He quietly checked and didn't hear his wife cry out, so he let it go."

"Whoa, I've changed my mind about Nan Dog."

"The Nikken Shoji employees are scared stiff. Bet Nan Liujing will settle the score with them later on."

"Everyone, don't say that. Li Li didn't pursue it, playing it off as part of the show to protect the production team from criticism and save face for his husband. You have to admire his thoughtfulness."

"Agreed, let it go."

The two stood under the wooden frame while the rest of the contestants finally reached the finish line.

They had even prepared for a mud fight, each confidently vowing to become the Bread King.

But after struggling for a while, they realized they couldn't reach the bread without using their hands.

So they jumped around like monkeys on Mount Emei, trying to bite the bread, but to no avail.

Only Shen Gali, with his 1.8-meter height advantage, easily reached the bread on tiptoe.

But he didn't want to eat it, and he didn't like it.

So he stuffed the bread into Nan Liujing's hand: "Let's share it. We won't give any to that guy."

As the victory whistle sounded, Shen Gali plopped down in the mud, sinking in up to his chest, but he still hugged his knees and stared blankly.

I'm beat. Gonna rest.

After the first event, the contestants washed off the mud backstage.

Nan Liujing carefully checked every inch of Shen Gali's body to make sure he was clean, then helped him blow-dry his hair.

"Was that person intentionally trying to bump into you just now?" Above the roar of the hairdryer, Nan Liujing's voice was low and abrupt.

Shen Gali closed his eyes, exhausted: "I don't know. Probably not, though."

He didn't want to know, and he didn't care.

Even though Shen Gali had said the other person probably didn't mean it, after drying his hair, he still heard Nan Liujing talking on the phone, his voice very low:

"It's getting cold. It's time for Nikken Shoji to be returned to Huanhai."

Shen Gali: ?

CEO move ✔

It's getting cold, time for the king to fall ✔