FLME Ch24.2: Program Broadcast

Finally finishing the show, Yu Wen let out a long sigh of relief.

He got up to grab his small tomatoes, and just as he stood up, the door opened, and Xie Heyu entered, carrying a bag full of groceries and changing shoes at the entrance.

Yu Wen: “…”

Xie Heyu looked up and saw him frozen in place. His cold gaze swept over him, and his almond-shaped eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Not wearing shoes?”

Yu Wen belatedly wiggled his toes and looked down—just getting up to grab some tomatoes, he thought it would be quick, so he didn’t put on shoes. Now he was standing on the cold ceramic floor in just his white socks.

Noticing Xie Heyu’s gaze, Yu Wen awkwardly curled his toes and quickly sat back on the sofa, wrapping his feet tightly in a blanket.

“An accident. I heard a noise and thought it was a thief, so I got up in a hurry…”

Sick and feeling guilty, lying actually didn’t make him feel guilty.

Xie Heyu said nothing, his calm gaze pinning Yu Wen to the sofa as he carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Yu Wen noticed him putting the keys back in the small basket on the shoe cabinet.

When did he take them? Yu Wen wondered.

Taking the keys naturally meant he wasn’t leaving. Yu Wen realized he had misunderstood Xie Heyu’s departure, and he sat in a daze for a while, softly saying, “Being sick really makes you stupid…”

“Not sleepy?” Xie Heyu appeared in front of him again, holding a plastic bag, “The mixture has a sleep ingredient. If you want to sleep, go to bed. Don’t sleep on the sofa, you’ll catch a cold.”

“…” Yu Wen looked up at him, blinking slowly.

Xie Heyu: “I brought wontons, want some?”

Two minutes later, the two of them sat side by side on the sofa. The wontons were divided into small bowls, just right for Yu Wen to hold with one hand. He took a couple of bites and sneakily glanced at the person next to him.

Xie Heyu was typing on his computer, the screen’s light illuminating his focused profile.

Teacher Xie had just said 29 words, does that mean the cold war is over?

Yu Wen pondered deeply, analyzing for a good half minute, more than he thought during the entire show.

“What’s wrong?” Surprisingly, Xie Heyu spoke first. Yu Wen’s seemingly covert glances were too obvious to ignore. Xie Heyu finished typing a section, saved it, and turned to look at him.

“Don’t like the wontons?”

Yu Wen instinctively nodded, then shook his head, “The wontons are good, I’m just not hungry.”

In fact, he thought the wontons were hard to eat. Even though there were no green onions or chili, the soup had a heavy layer of oil, and the wonton skins were thick with little filling…

But he knew for a long time that such honest thoughts were unnecessary to voice. Others would find them pretentious, except for family, especially since it was bought out of kindness.

Yu Wen nonchalantly put down the bowl, saying, “Isn’t today a weekend? Why are you still working on your opening report? In such a hurry?”

Xie Heyu looked at him sideways, his almond eyes long and deep, the light under his eyelashes as calm as a deep spring, exuding a knowing glow.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes casually sweeping over the bowl of wontons.

“End of term, lots of tasks. I’m also taking next year’s junior courses, probably busy for another half month.”

“I see, then you don’t need to stay with me, go back to school.” Yu Wen sat up straight with a smile, “I’ll take good care of myself.”

Xie Heyu slowly retracted his gaze from Yu Wen’s face, closing his laptop.

“No.”

He stood up, “Your fever hasn’t gone down. I’m not reassured, someone must watch you. I’ll stay until your fever breaks.”

“If you don’t want to eat, don’t eat. Tell me what you want, I’ll make it.” Xie Heyu took the bowl of wontons and walked into the kitchen, his polite voice faintly coming through the glass door: “Sorry for the trouble today.”

Yu Wen: “…”

It’s not trouble, just, how to say…

Yu Wen picked up the thermometer gun and aimed it at himself, “biu.”

37.8℃.

No drop at all.

He had to give up the idea of persuading Xie Heyu to leave with “I’m already better.”

–

While he was nursing a small illness, a storm was brewing on Weibo.

There had been signs last night, with many marketing accounts quietly reposting and even fueling the flames, but without substantial evidence, discussions related to Xie Su were overshadowed by the explosive popularity of this episode of “Mountain Courtyard,” so few netizens noticed these rumors.

However, early this morning, the related topic sneakily climbed to the trending list.

#HuitengGroupIllegitimateSon#

The whistleblower claimed to have substantial evidence of Huiteng Group’s Chairman Feng Mingjie’s extramarital affair and chaotic private life, revealing that Feng Mingjie had an affair with a company employee a year after marrying the daughter of the Xu family twenty-two years ago, resulting in a son the same age as Feng Chengzhou.

The whistleblower specified that this illegitimate son is now an entertainer in the entertainment industry and would reveal his identity at noon, along with the evidence they have.

It would be no exaggeration to call this a massive scandal.

If the revelation proved true, Huiteng Group’s stock price would be affected and fluctuate significantly, and the revealed entertainer would be entangled in controversy, making it difficult to continue their career in the spotlight.

Half of the entertainment industry was in turmoil in an instant. Netizens collectively searched for 22-year-old male entertainers, and by morning, a comprehensive document covering the lives of all male entertainers from top stars to minor celebrities was ready, just waiting for the whistleblower to release more details to match the right person.

If someone like Xie Jiamao saw this, they would immediately think the whistleblower’s goal was not to reveal the scandal but to blackmail. Letting the rumors fly was to raise the price, aiming to get a substantial amount from Huiteng Group.

Whether the scandal would be exposed depended on the negotiations between both parties.

If Yu Wen saw this, he could infer from the brief details that the illegitimate son mentioned was Xi Su. Out of a slight sense of sympathy, he might give Xi Su a heads-up to prepare him.

Unfortunately, Yu Wen was sick today and not in the mood to browse the internet.

Xie Jiamao didn’t know Xi Su either.

While chaos reigned online, Blue Hair was at home playing video games. He glanced at the trending topic, thinking sarcastically: Feng Mingjie’s comeuppance is here.

After noon, he saw the glaring trending topic #XiSuIllegitimateSon# and was in disbelief.

Me???

Who spilled my family’s dirty laundry online?

He finally took off his headphones and quickly browsed all the information on the trending topic. Confirming that he was indeed the one being exposed, he closed his eyes slowly.

Feng Mingjie’s comeuppance didn’t come…

Xi Su’s comeuppance is here.

–

At noon, Xie Heyu made a simple meal with two dishes and a soup, moved the coffee table aside, and set up a folding table so Yu Wen could eat while watching TV.

Yu Wen was watching the variety show “Battle Royale,” and the more he watched, the more his head hurt.

“I don’t want to go on this variety show,” he said pitifully.

Xie Heyu glanced at the screen and immediately understood, “Because it’s tiring?”

“Battle Royale” became popular for its intricate plot and clever mechanisms. Viewers at home found it mind-bending, but a closer look revealed that the challenges required not only brains but also physical strength.

The guests on the show were exhausted.

After a brief thought, Xie Heyu said, “If you really don’t want to go, just inform Xie Jiamao. He won’t force you.”

“Never mind.” Yu Wen was just speaking offhand. He was actually tempted by the beautiful outfits on the show. Besides, he had a strong heart and wasn’t afraid of ghosts, making him perfect for this kind of show.

Taking a step back, the boss was working hard to get him this opportunity. Refusing it would devalue others’ efforts.

He leaned forward, picked up his chopsticks, and found a fried egg on his rice.

When he poked it, the golden yolk oozed out.

“Soft-boiled egg!” Yu Wen cheered in surprise.

Xie Heyu made a cup of cold medicine, set it aside to cool, and said, “Eat while it’s hot. There’s nothing on the table today that you don’t like. Don’t be picky and let the food get cold.”

Yu Wen recalled, “I didn’t…”

Xie Heyu: “On the show.”

Yu Wen shut his mouth.

Both lunch and dinner on “Mountain Courtyard” were barbecues, but they were overcooked. The guests did it themselves, and for a picky eater, it was a nightmare. Despite the large spread, he ended up picking through the food and didn’t eat much, leaving him unsatisfied.

Chu Han even asked if he was a picky eater.

While picking off the green onions from the food, he replied, “No, just not hungry.”

In the end, Chu Han grilled a plate of the best pork belly for him, which he ate all of, though he actually found it unappetizing as the meat wasn’t fresh.

One shouldn’t be too pretentious, Yu Wen reminded himself.

At this moment, Yu Wen finally understood why his first reaction upon seeing Xie Heyu this morning was guilt.

Because Teacher Xie was the first person to know he was a picky eater just from a bag of oranges. This person was very perceptive, just like him.

“…Does Teacher Xie watch my show too?” He looked up sneakily from his rice bowl.

“Yeah.”

“How much have you seen?”

“All of it.”

“Hahaha, the latest episode was just updated last night. Isn’t Teacher Xie very busy? How do you find time to watch the show?”

“If I can find time to write my opening report, why can’t I find time to watch the show?”

Yu Wen was speechless. “Are these two things… equally important?”

“Yeah.” The folding table was small, and Yu Wen wanted to watch TV while eating, so Xie Heyu set it up for him. Now, Xie Heyu sat sideways next to him, his tall frame taking up a small space, looking quite cramped.

He said, “I’m your assistant, though not very competent.”

Xie Heyu was gentle, meticulous, and had a strange sense of morality and responsibility. Any task that fell on his shoulders had to be done well.

Sometimes Yu Wen felt he was overly perfectionist.

Yu Wen stared in a daze, his gaze falling on Xie Heyu’s neck, his Adam’s apple prominent, leading up to a clear jawline. From the side, this twenty-year-old young man looked quite slender.

He softly said, “Your studies are more important. There’s no need for other roles to overshadow yourself. I’ve always taken good care of myself, even without an assistant. You’ve been so busy lately, taking time to watch the show might affect your…”

“Eat first,” Xie Heyu interrupted him.

“…Oh.”

Yu Wen had to hold back his long speech.

After watching him eat half a bowl, Xie Heyu said, “I’m used to finishing coursework for the next two years in advance, but this end-of-term rush is because I wanted to free up time for the second half of the year, so I pushed many tasks forward.”

“In the second half of the year, your schedule will be busy. You won’t be able to travel alone like now. Xie Jiamao will definitely hire a new assistant for you, but you need someone trustworthy by your side.”

Yu Wen instinctively said, “Isn’t that the manager’s job?”

Xie Heyu was silent for a moment, “Do you think he’s reliable?”

“…True.”

His boss’s schedule is even busier than his as an artist.

Starlight Media is really just a makeshift operation!

Recalling Xie Heyu’s words, Yu Wen habitually counted and suddenly realized that Xie Heyu had been talking a lot more since he came back from buying groceries, even more than usual.

Yu Wen put down his bowl and leaned over to observe Xie Heyu’s expression.

“Teacher Xie, are you not angry anymore?”

Xie Heyu’s eyes paused.

“Angry? I’m not.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Yu Wen waggled his finger confidently, “You were definitely angry. I can tell at a glance.”

In terms of insight, he wasn’t inferior to Xie Heyu.

Such perceptive people shouldn’t lie to each other.

Yu Wen’s gaze was bright and clear, demanding the truth.

Xie Heyu stared at him for a while, then pressed his lips together, “Sorry.”

Yu Wen couldn’t help but be curious, “Why were you angry? Because I got sick? But it wasn’t my fault I got sick.”

“…No.” Xie Heyu turned his face away and, after a moment, exhaled lightly, saying, “When I came to open the door, your voice was hoarse, and your face was burning red. You were only wearing a thin shirt; your computer was still on, and your slippers were scattered beside your computer chair. The bed wasn’t made. Clearly, you didn’t sleep in bed last night but at the computer desk, which is why you got sick.”

Yu Wen: “…Are you really Conan?”

Xie Heyu: “The key point was that you were so out of it that you didn’t wear shoes or socks.”

Yu Wen: “…”

I shouldn’t have asked.

Now he felt guilty again.