FLME Ch64

Yu Wen had a tendency to get awkward easily. Whenever he felt awkward, he often ended up saying things he didn’t even understand himself.

After asking his question like a thief, he still didn’t realize something was off. But when Xie Heyu responded with that line, his muddled brain started to work again.

“…Why don’t we just go out directly?” He looked at Xie Heyu’s serious expression and asked with confusion, “When Uncle knocks on the door, we can just open it openly and tell him I came to play… isn’t that the normal way to handle this? Not saying anything just makes it even harder to explain…”

The more he thought about it, the more right he felt. “Why do I need to hide in the wardrobe?! We didn’t do anything shameful!”

Xie Heyu had been in agreement with the earlier part. He also didn’t understand why Yu Wen chose to hide in the wardrobe. When Xie Jialin knocked on the door, he had Yu Wen pressed against the vanity, kissing him. When the knocking sounded, Yu Wen suddenly jolted, his eyes wide with panic as he pushed him away. He couldn’t be bothered with that, thinking the door was locked and Xie Jialin couldn’t get in. After knocking for a while without receiving a response, he just left.

He wanted to continue, but Yu Wen was in a panic, constantly signaling him with his eyes and kicking him as the knocking grew increasingly intense.

Unable to reach his lips, Xie Heyu turned his head and bit Yu Wen’s shoulder, tearing at his clothes with his teeth.

After that, he went to open the door while little Yu Wen rolled into the wardrobe.

“Didn’t do anything shameful?” Xie Heyu repeated this phrase ambiguously, licking his lips meaningfully.

Yu Wen: “…”

Xie Heyu’s lower lip had fresh bite marks, a spot where Yu Wen had gotten too frustrated and bit him, causing it to bleed. It stood out on his thin lips.

He couldn’t say they hadn’t done anything shameful.

He could only say that they were seen together, which was shameful.

“No, no—” An uncomfortable feeling surged up in Yu Wen, and he came to his senses. “You did this on purpose, Xie Heyu! You intentionally led me into an awkward situation. I get all muddled when I’m embarrassed. Just like now, you didn’t tell me the door was locked and then ripped my clothes…”

That was a serious accusation.

He had called out Xie Heyu’s full name.

Could this be admitted? If he admitted it, how could he continue to have a happy life?

Xie Heyu replied, “I didn’t…”

“You did.” Yu Wen spoke firmly, “You even made me stay to sleep with you!”

Xie Heyu: “…”

What kind of nonsense was this? If someone heard it, there would definitely be misunderstandings.

Xie Jialin was urging from downstairs. Xie Heyu didn’t say much, but he had already made up his mind to smooth things over. Xiao Yu Wen was easiest to bully when he was confused; he had to ensure he didn’t regain his composure. Otherwise, all the straightforwardness he had shown that day would be for nothing.

Xie Heyu gripped the doorknob and, to show he wasn’t the type to “let his boyfriend stay over,” politely asked, “Shall we go out together?”

Yu Wen viewed this as a provocation.

He looked at Xie Heyu with a hint of suspicion, feeling that he had a very scheming boyfriend. Xie Heyu seemed to understand him exceptionally well, from his likes to his thought process… even including the neural pathways that had never been followed by anyone else, intentionally creating such an awkward situation just to trick him into staying overnight… Wow! It all made too much sense!

Yu Wen was convinced by his detective-like reasoning, and at the same time, he felt that Xie Heyu’s invitation was a strategic retreat.

Could it be that he had seen through his embarrassment and was saying this deliberately, but really wanted to trick him into staying over, so they could share a bed…?

He couldn’t let him succeed!

Yu Wen immediately stood up from his chair, unwilling to back down, and declared, “Of course.”

At most, he would just say he was using the restroom in Xie Heyu’s room. What hadn’t he seen before? He had experienced far more embarrassing things online. Little boyfriend’s dad… he could handle it.

Xie Heyu seemed a bit surprised, reaching out to pinch Yu Wen’s cheek lightly, as if he were teasing a child.

Although there was a slight barrier in his heart, he had picked this boyfriend himself, and habits like scheming could be slowly corrected. Yu Wen pouted, looking indifferent, but his body was honest; he pulled Xie Heyu’s hand and hooked his fingers.

Xie Heyu opened the door and walked ahead.

Yu Wen lagged behind him, contemplating how to approach Uncle when they faced him. He reached the corner, and Xie Heyu had already gone downstairs, bumping into Xie Jialin, who had just come out of the kitchen.

“Hey, Xiao Xie, your lip is split… looks like a bite mark. Did someone bite you? Kissing?”

Yu Wen’s carefully prepared words flew out of his mind, and he turned around awkwardly as he walked downstairs. He initially planned to sneak back into his room, but the movement was so clumsy that he tripped and stumbled into a corner.

It was the same spot as last time when he had overheard a confession.

The noise he made when he stumbled was quite loud, and both Xie Heyu and Xie Jialin turned to look. Xie Jialin asked, “Is there someone at home? By the way, I just saw two pairs of shoes at the door…”

Before he could finish, Xie Heyu took a long step back upstairs and casually said a few words, “There’s a cat; it ran out. Don’t come up.”

Xie Jialin had to stay put, watching him go upstairs to save the “cat.”

Yu Wen tripped, and while it wasn’t serious, he felt a great psychological trauma. He was now sitting in the corner, forehead against the wall, completely shutting down.

Xie Heyu walked over, turning his face toward him and silently asking: Are you okay?

Yu Wen felt his face being pinched. It was so soft, he really looked like a very emo little cat. He shaped his mouth to tell Xie Heyu: I’m not going out; I want to sleep in your room.

Haha, damn it! If he had known he would bite Xie Heyu, he wouldn’t have! Now, it was all over; the retribution had come. If anyone knew he had just been with Xie Heyu, combined with the injury on Xie Heyu’s lip, anyone could guess what they had been up to!

Haha, damn it! His awkwardness was flaring up; he wanted to explode the Earth!

Xie Heyu had nothing to say. It was only the first day together, and Yu Wen hadn’t adjusted his mindset yet. Perhaps he had been too tightly wound before, habitually playing ostrich and completely forgetting they were in a legitimate romantic relationship that didn’t require hiding.

This wasn’t a good time or situation for guidance. After confirming that Yu Wen wasn’t injured, Xie Heyu went downstairs to distract Xie Jialin.

“Is the little cat okay? Bring it down for me to see?”

Xie Heyu replied, “Just brought it back; it’s scared. Let’s talk about it next time.”

Xie Jialin expressed regret, “That’s true; a little cat just getting home needs to adapt.”

After chatting for a bit, Xie Jialin took out his phone. “Did you see the message I sent you? You never replied. Everyone in the group is celebrating your debut work. Your aunt sent a huge red envelope, and you didn’t even claim it.”

“… Debut work?” Xie Heyu’s feelings were complicated. “I just helped with a cameo; it doesn’t count as a role.”

Xie Jialin refuted him, “You were on TV, and many netizens were asking who you are. What does that mean? It means you’re very popular. Oh right, they’re also shipping you, shipping what products, it looks like they’re very interested in you. You should seize this opportunity to break into the entertainment industry and walk the path of stardom. Work hard to win over Xiao Yu, then our Xie family will have two artists, truly bringing glory to our ancestors…”

Unexpectedly being called out, Yu Wen froze in place. Before Xie Jialin mentioned him, he had been trying to sneak back into his room from the corner. Suddenly, Uncle said something about “winning over Xiao Yu,” and he froze, awkwardly stopping in the hallway on the second floor.

Xie Heyu looked up and noticed Yu Wen’s awkward posture and stiff expression, unable to help but smile a little.

Yu Wen glared at him, warning him not to laugh.

“…Dad isn’t forcing you; there’s a reward, we can talk… Xiao Xie, Xie Heyu? Are you listening to me?!”

Xie Jialin noticed his wandering gaze and turned around. Fortunately, Xie Heyu was quick-witted and grabbed his face in one motion.

The father and son shared a magical eye contact lasting half a minute.

After half a minute, Xie Jialin said, “Let go; I won’t look back, afraid you’ll slap me.”

The force was so strong that he almost thought the silent boy was going to attack his father.

Xie Heyu changed the subject, “What are they saying online? Let me see.”

He hadn’t seen the video released by the company yet. During the day, Yu Wen was too busy shooting the final makeup photos; he didn’t have time, and he asked Xie Heyu to log in and repost the promotion on Weibo. There were too many things going on, and after reposting, he forgot to check it out.

But this batch of videos certainly stirred up quite a commotion.

“Battle Royale” had already reached its fifth episode. Although one episode was temporarily taken down due to a scandal involving a certain individual, the audience had already watched it, so it counted. The edits of the first five episodes were still circulating on various sites.

There was no denying that each episode’s script was quite brilliant, but what the audience cared about most was still the first episode’s brave team. It could perhaps be likened to a first love scenario, where witnessing such a stunning story too early makes subsequent tales—no matter how rich or tear-jerking—less impactful compared to the first episode’s place in the audience’s hearts.

The first episode created a myth of ratings in variety shows, which was expected to remain unbroken for a long time, and “Battle Royale” itself would find it hard to surpass.

Fortunately, so far, in the first five episodes, all the guests successfully escaped, and everyone survived.

Starting from the second episode, netizens developed a habit of camping out to wait for the results during the recording. Even if the production team didn’t allow visits, they would find ways to sneak in, hiding in trees, on rooftops, and on various unexpected objects—not to express support for any particular artist, but just to be the first to know whether the guests managed to escape successfully.

The production team was both amused and helpless about this situation, and eventually, they simply opened the recording to the public to spare fans the trouble of climbing trees.

Xie Heyu remembered that just after recording the sixth episode, Yu Wen had run out of the hospital, drenched in sweat, and the nearby fans immediately began to cheer. He was close to the outside, and in the bubbling crowd, he could hear someone crying out, “We’ve pulled another one back… Brave one, you’re amazing!”

That evening, as night fell completely, Yu Wen’s light boards illuminated the scene, a blend of blue and yellow glowing warmly against the cold night, almost lighting up the sky—a beacon of enduring hope.

In the show, Yu Wen was the steady brainpower, easily leading others through obstacles. As long as he wasn’t trapped or misled by the production team’s messages, he could generally lead the way for everyone. Most importantly, Tong Li had once explicitly stated on Weibo: “Don’t worry about Yu Wen going too fast; as long as one person falls behind, he won’t exit through that door.”

Because his own escape held no meaning.

So everyone knew that if Yu Wen came out, it meant that all the guests had successfully escaped, taking them one step further from resurrecting the dead.

Many who held light boards were not Yu Wen’s fans, but they each prepared a light board for him, lighting it up the moment he appeared.

The order of resurrecting the dead followed the order of their deaths; undoubtedly, the Evil Dragon would be the last, which meant the fans of the Villain-Hero group would have to wait the longest.

At a time when fans were hungry and clamoring, Starlight Media released a video, which naturally excited them.

Xie Heyu briefly skimmed through it; the buzz was indeed high. The views on a certain site and a certain app had already surpassed a million, and it was only the first day.

Xie Jialin’s description was somewhat inaccurate; while netizens were indeed shipping CPs, it had nothing to do with him but rather these two characters.

However, a portion of the netizens did focus their attention on him.

「I said the Evil Dragon’s anthropomorphism would have so much sexual tension…」

「This waist, this back, these shoulders, this proportion—I declare the Evil Dragon in three dimensions looks exactly like this.」

「Who is he? Who exactly is he?! (Left digging) (Right digging) (Digging all over the internet) Daddy! Come make me some food!」

「Starlight Media, let my baby out!」

「I understand; this is your little scheme, Starlight Media. Just tell me what you want from me. What will it take for you to shoot another one?」

「In less than three minutes, our Dragon Baby ate like it was New Year’s. You can tell we’re really hungry.」

「Not enough! Food! Food! Daddy! Mommy! Food!」

「Sister has money; can you shoot a top-down version for me?」

After a day of fermenting, someone with keen insight noticed that although Xie Heyu had never shown his face in front of the camera, he had accompanied Yu Wen on various schedules, and there were times when he appeared.

For instance, during the last building sweep, the scene of him effortlessly carrying Yu Wen on his shoulder had been widely circulated within the industry, causing fans from multiple circles to envy—if only my agent could carry me away when I was blocked, I wouldn’t have to worry about safety hazards at all.

Such an agent seemed capable of taking on a group, providing a full sense of security.

The most enthusiastic fans were Yu Wen’s; previously, some mentioned that among the fans, there were a few hand enthusiasts who could recognize Xie Heyu just from his hands. Now that they had his entire figure, it didn’t take long to identify the agent.

「Veins are correct; finger lengths are correct; wrist bone curvature is correct; forearm lines are correct… Yes, my sister’s eyes are sharp; it’s impossible for me to misidentify those hands.」

Xie Heyu shared a work account with Xie Jiaomao; their company affairs were similar, and he didn’t bother to create a separate one. So netizens unearthed his private account, which hadn’t been used in hundreds of years, through a few recent photos of his face at the airport.

That account had a few pictures of him uploaded by family members. Seeing everyone having fun, he didn’t pay it much attention—who would have thought it could be discovered like this?

Xie Heyu saw an @ mention on trending topics, his brow twitching slightly. He quickly switched back to his private account, and the notifications poured in continuously, ringing like a bell.

He muted them and casually opened a few private messages to glance at.

At first, netizens were relatively reserved. Perhaps because he wasn’t a celebrity, everyone was shy to go wild. The routine began with polite greetings, then inquiring if the anthropomorphized Evil Dragon was him, and cautiously requesting him to shoot one or two more, attaching sincere thanks.

But it was evident that the netizens’ masks could only last so long.

Before midnight, the private messages remained relatively gentle, but after midnight, those who had only dipped their toes in started to go wild.

「Bro! Bro! Bro! Please shoot another one; I won’t touch it again, just this once, I swear!」

「Our Villain-Hero CP may be underappreciated officially, but my sister has gotten used to it (lighting a cigarette). If you’re willing to shoot another, I might appreciate you a bit—I mean, just a bit; I’m not that worthless…」

Another type of message was concise and straightforward.

With just a few words, they were all screenshots. When Xie Heyu opened them, the topmost message instructed him to mirror flip the images. After he did so and looked again…

Yellow/fiction.

The netizen’s tone was very domineering, and apart from the yellow/fiction, they sent just one word: “Shoot!”