LABMY CH132

Because Jian Yuanbai had said he was once Pei Yao’s bodyguard, Wan Yuda had taken the initiative to approach him. However, to his surprise, Jian Yuanbai directly bypassed him in front of the cameras and walked toward Pei Yao.

Even more than that, Jian Yuanbai didn’t say a single polite word. He completely ignored Wan Yuda’s outstretched hand and his invitation.

To Wan Yuda, this was practically a slap to the face.

Wan Yuda was already petty by nature. Being publicly humiliated like this, especially in a situation involving Pei Yao, made him seethe inside. But he knew they were still on the show, so he forced an awkward smile while standing off to the side.

He even deliberately left his hand hanging in the air for a moment to emphasize how impolite Jian Yuanbai’s actions were.

In his expectations, the audience would develop some sympathy for him. His fans would feel bad that he was ignored, and the comment section would stir up a discussion about him.

Wan Yuda’s expectations came true—halfway.

—“Now that we know it was Wan Yuda who framed Pei Yao, seeing him take the initiative to approach Pei Yao’s former bodyguard feels… quite interesting.”

—“LMAO, reaching out only to be ignored. I wonder if Wan Yuda’s face is burning?”

—“The bodyguard did well.”

—“Not gonna lie, this bodyguard is really handsome. Are celebrity bodyguards selected based on their looks?”

—“Even though Wan Yuda did something wrong, this random bodyguard seems way too arrogant.”

—“So what if he’s arrogant? If I had that face, I’d walk around with my nose in the air.”

—“He used to be Pei Yao’s bodyguard. Of course, he knows the bad blood between Pei Yao and Wan Yuda. Ignoring Wan Yuda is totally normal. Besides, Wan Yuda knew this guy was Pei Yao’s former bodyguard but still approached him. Who’s to blame here?”

—“I swear, this bodyguard is even more handsome than the celebrities. How is his face so flawless? Damn, Nuwa, look at the perfection you created!”

Some of Wan Yuda’s die-hard fans tried to use this situation to shift the narrative in his favor, but the audience wasn’t buying it.

At the filming location, Pei Yao wanted to ask Jian Yuanbai why he had joined the show, but with cameras rolling, he simply nodded at him. “I don’t have much luggage. It shouldn’t take long.”

Chu Caiyang was the first to pair up, choosing the gym owner as his teammate. That left Wan Yuda and the CEO in a team together.

At first, it seemed like the teams had been decided, and everything would proceed smoothly. But when the production crew brought out the luggage, a hilarious scene unfolded.

The one who had first expressed disgust toward Pei Yao’s belongings—Wan Yuda—turned out to be the contestant with the most luggage. Large suitcases, small suitcases, big bags, small bags—six massive pieces in total. The production team’s rule was that everything had to be carried in one trip. His teammate, the CEO, was a white-collar worker who spent most of his time in an office.

The two of them struggled under the weight, sweating profusely. The CEO wanted to showcase his chivalry and “boyfriend power,” so he took on most of the load. But after walking down the long road and sloping path, he was visibly exhausted. Since there were too many items, they had to transport them bit by bit.

At one point, Wan Yuda, already struggling with the slippery downhill path, stacked some of his luggage on top of a suitcase and tried to push it along. The wheels turned, but he lost his grip—the entire pile fell over, and he tumbled to the ground.

Just then, Pei Yao strolled past him, completely unburdened.

The production team, in their infinite wisdom, edited the footage with a slow-motion replay—first of Pei Yao’s relaxed footsteps, then of Wan Yuda sprawled on the ground, turning back with an embarrassed expression.

With the CEO’s help, Wan Yuda got back on his feet. Seeing Pei Yao ahead of him, his expression twisted for a moment. Then he turned to Jian Yuanbai, who was following behind Pei Yao, and said, “Brother Jian, why are you carrying all the luggage?”

“Pei Yao isn’t even carrying his own things?”

Jian Yuanbai shot him a cold glance. “I told him not to.”

Earlier, when the production team handed out the luggage, Jian Yuanbai had immediately grabbed both his and Pei Yao’s suitcases. When Pei Yao reached out to take his own, Jian Yuanbai simply gripped his wrist and moved his hand away.

Jian Yuanbai then cast an obvious glance at Wan Yuda’s excessive baggage. “Besides, Pei Yao doesn’t have as much stuff as you do.”

A brutal verbal jab, straight to Wan Yuda’s heart. Before Wan Yuda could respond, Jian Yuanbai added, “You’re talking about Pei Yao not carrying his own things, but I don’t see you carrying yours either.”

Another strike. Wan Yuda’s expression turned awkward.

And then—

“We’re not that familiar,” Jian Yuanbai continued. “You and my boss don’t get along either, so there’s no need to call me ‘Brother Jian.’ Call me Jian Yuanbai, Mr. Jian, or even ‘Bodyguard Jian.’”

Three ruthless stabs, each one deadlier than the last. Wan Yuda was left speechless. He knew the cameras were on him, so he forced down his frustration and awkwardly mumbled, “Alright… Mr. Jian.”

Wan Yuda had no idea that multiple posts about him had already turned social media into a warzone. He still foolishly believed this moment would earn him sympathy from viewers.

But when the segment aired, the comment section was flooded with mockery.

—“Who gets it? This bodyguard is absolutely savage, and I love it.”

—“Wan Yuda disgusts me. He framed Pei Yao, then came on the show nitpicking everything about him. Even just seeing Pei Yao walk by, he had to say something. Watching the bodyguard clap back at him was SO satisfying.”

—“The person with the most luggage was Wan Yuda, yet he had the nerve to complain about Pei Yao? Whoever gets teamed up with him is cursed. Look at how exhausted that CEO is.”

—“Is it just me, or is this bodyguard’s refusal actually super romantic? ‘Because you and my boss don’t get along, I don’t want to deal with you either.’ I’m shipping it.”

—“If this isn’t exclusive devotion, then what is?! WHAT IS?!”

—”Boyfriend material to the max—handsome, considerate, and unconditionally dislikes whoever you dislike. I’m shipping this so hard.”

—”LMAO, can those people in the front stop hyping him up? No matter how much you praise him, he’s still just a bodyguard.”

—”A bodyguard doesn’t even deserve to be on this variety show. The others are either top celebrities, CEOs, or gym owners. Who is he even worthy of being paired with?”

—”What’s wrong with being a bodyguard? Everyone earns their living with their own hands—who’s more noble than whom?”

The comment section exploded into heated debates, but Jian Yuanbai remained completely unaware that his identity as a bodyguard was causing such a stir. He called Pei Yao “boss” without hesitation and never once thought that being a bodyguard made him inferior. On the contrary, he dutifully embraced this identity and insisted on sticking to Pei Yao for every single task.

He firmly remembered that Pei Yao was a cold, overpowered protagonist destined to reach the pinnacle of life, surrounded by countless admirers. Even though Pei Yao had to appear on a male-male dating show for his career comeback, he absolutely could not lose his “purity” because of it.

Pei Yao helplessly looked at Jian Yuanbai, who, through sheer determination, had managed to secure a room where the two of them would be sleeping together.

By now, they had arrived on the island and received their room assignments. This was the time for paired-up roommates to chat and get to know each other, so Pei Yao finally had the chance to ask the question that had been on his mind.

Pei Yao asked, “How did you end up on this show?”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “Someone randomly asked me on the street if I wanted to join. Said there was money and I could find a partner.”

He put on an innocent expression. “You know, I’m broke as hell. When the production team reached out, I thought, ‘Wow, what a great deal!’ and came right away.”

Pei Yao’s expression turned complicated. He was so stunned he didn’t know what to say.

He glanced at the camera in the corner of the room. That camera wouldn’t turn off—it would even switch to night mode while they slept. For the sake of maintaining the live-broadcast effect, only the bathroom and shower area were camera-free. This meant that everything Jian Yuanbai just said was essentially directed at the audience.

After a moment of thought, Pei Yao asked, “Are you gay?”

Jian Yuanbai, considering the nature of this dating show, nodded against his conscience. “Yeah, I am.”

At that moment, the comment section split into two extremes. Half the audience was laughing hysterically, while the other half fixated on Jian Yuanbai’s identity as a bodyguard.

—”Hahahahahahaha, why is this guy so brutally honest?”

—”Bodyguard bro sat straight up: ‘Wait, there’s money?’”

—”LMAO, he looked so innocent saying he’s broke as hell. He’s like an adorable stray puppy begging for shelter.”

—”Broke as hell but still joining a dating show… What kind of person is this?”

—”A bodyguard should know his place and think twice about whether he even belongs here.”

—”First of all, he didn’t lie. Second, he earns his own money. And finally, how much do you make per month that gives you the right to look down on him?”

Pei Yao felt more conflicted than ever and stopped talking. He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Even though they were in the same room, they had separate beds. Jian Yuanbai put his hands behind his head and also stared at the ceiling.

The corner camera continued its diligent work. The production team divided the six guests into three rooms, broadcasting all three feeds simultaneously so viewers could focus on whichever pairing interested them most.

At this moment, since Pei Yao and Jian Yuanbai weren’t speaking, the audience’s attention shifted elsewhere.

The room lights dimmed as night deepened. Just when Jian Yuanbai thought Pei Yao had fallen asleep, he suddenly saw Pei Yao sit up, clutching his stomach.

“What’s wrong? Stomach pain?”

Jian Yuanbai’s sudden voice in the silent room startled Pei Yao. Feeling a little guilty, Pei Yao asked, “Did I wake you up?”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “No.”

He got up and walked over to Pei Yao’s bed. “Is your stomach hurting?”

Pei Yao nodded, then shook his head. “Maybe my gastritis is acting up again. It’s fine, not a big deal.”

Jian Yuanbai asked, “Did you bring any medicine?”

Pei Yao looked a little embarrassed. “No… I didn’t expect it to flare up, so I didn’t bring any.”

At that moment, Jian Yuanbai turned and grabbed his suitcase from the luggage rack. He opened it, dug inside, and pulled out a packet of stomach medicine. “I brought some. Hold on, I’ll get you some water.”

With that, he left the room and headed to the common area. He didn’t turn on the lights, afraid that the sudden brightness might disturb the others. Instead, he quietly waited in the dim light for the water to boil.

Once the water was ready, he returned to the room and handed the medicine to Pei Yao. “Check the temperature—be careful; it might be hot.”

He even thoughtfully opened the packaging before handing the medicine over. Pei Yao looked surprised. “You have stomach issues too?”

Jian Yuanbai instinctively blurted out, “No, my stomach is fine. I just figured you might need it, so I brought some.”

The comment section exploded.

—”What kind of bodyguard remembers his former boss’s stomach problems even after getting fired?!”

—”I’m crying. He even prepared warm water and opened the medicine for him, and it was already midnight. He didn’t show a single sign of impatience.”

—”Guys, I was watching the whole time. Pei Yao barely made a sound—literally the quietest movement ever. How did Jian Yuanbai even notice?”

—”Unless he’s been paying attention to Pei Yao’s every little movement all this time, I can’t think of any other explanation.”

—”If this isn’t love, then what is?”

—”Wait, wait, wait—Pei Yao’s participation in this show was top-secret. The production team had super strict confidentiality rules. So how did Jian Yuanbai, a bodyguard—Pei Yao’s former bodyguard—know that Pei Yao would be here and even remember to bring his stomach medicine?”

Right after that, a flood of identical comments rolled in.

—”Detective, you just cracked the case.”

…

—”Unless he’s been carrying stomach medicine around at all times just in case Pei Yao might need it, I can’t think of any other reason.”

—”Even after getting fired, after no longer being Pei Yao’s bodyguard, he still remembers to bring this with him?”

—”Guys, I just mentally wrote a 100,000-word novel about a handsome bodyguard secretly in love with a top-tier movie star.”

At this point, every viewer watching the show had completely abandoned any logical explanations. Instead, they had all started romanticizing an imagined tale of a devoted bodyguard silently protecting his beloved superstar.

Meanwhile, as the biggest sponsor of the show, Jian Yuanbai had no idea that the internet’s perception of him had shifted to:

A dashing bodyguard, tormented by the insurmountable gap between their identities, could only hide his feelings and silently protect his beloved.

In reality, this “bodyguard” only worked for one day and got fired halfway through because he didn’t even have a driver’s license, forcing his employer to take the wheel and drive for him.