LABMY CH140

His eyes suddenly widened, glistening with a thin layer of transparent saliva. His lips, kissed until they were a deep red, shimmered with moisture. His face was flushed, covered in a rosy hue.

Anyone could see—not only had he been kissed, but it wasn’t just a fleeting touch. It was a kiss where lips and tongues intertwined, an intense, overwhelming kiss.

In the final hour, the show’s popularity skyrocketed. Viewers, stunned by this scene, fervently embraced the “forbidden love” narrative.

At the filming location, Chu Caiyang, who had personally heard Jian Yuanbai confirm his uncle-nephew relationship with Pei Yao, stood there in shock, watching the two step out from behind the photo frame after the kiss.

Compared to the audience’s shock, excitement, and exhilaration, Chu Caiyang, though surprised, felt that this outcome had been foreseeable.

That night, Jian Yuanbai had left his room six times in one hour, as if the entire place were covered in thorns, making it impossible for him to sit still. His actions spoke far louder than his words.

But… Chu Caiyang smiled with intrigue. He wondered—were they truly uncle and nephew by blood?

The last six guests had all completed the staged kissing game in three pairs. The director spoke up:

“Now, we’ve reached the voting segment.”

“Please write down the name of the person you believe is straight on the whiteboard in front of you. In three minutes, everyone will reveal their answers simultaneously.”

During these three minutes, the guests were free to discuss their choices.

Chu Caiyang stroked his chin. “I think we can rule me out first.”

The CEO chuckled. “Not necessarily.”

“The first ones to be ruled out should be Jian Yuanbai and Pei Yao.”

His words were met with unanimous agreement from the other guests and the comment section.

Pei Yao, who had been zoning out, was startled when he heard his name. “Huh? Did someone just call me?”

Chu Caiyang burst into laughter. “We’re saying you can be ruled out as a straight man.”

Pei Yao’s already-warm face instantly heated up again. His flawless features were now entirely covered in a deep blush, his eyes moist with embarrassment. Flustered, he stammered, “I mean… I came on Chase Love, Brother!—a dating show. Obviously, I’m not straight.”

As he spoke, his gaze flickered evasively. He averted his eyes, only to accidentally meet Jian Yuanbai’s.

The man had been watching him for an unknown amount of time, his dark gaze deep and unfathomable—like a vast sea, concealing unreadable desire.

Pei Yao’s breath hitched. He quickly turned away, placing both hands on his knees, suddenly sitting up straight like a well-behaved child.

While the others chattered away, Jian Yuanbai remained silent, and Pei Yao, aside from his earlier statement, did not speak again.

Their strange atmosphere did not go unnoticed.

• “Forget Wan Yuda and the gym owner—they’re planning to hold hands, sure, but Jian Yuanbai and Pei Yao actually feel like a real couple!!”
• “The shy glances, the awkwardness, the tension—they’re killing me with this chemistry!”
• “I recorded the kiss scene. I keep replaying it!!”
• “My pure lotus is real!!!”
• “Not pure anymore. Forbidden lotus.”
• “Jian Yuanbai’s gaze is not innocent!!!”
• “His eyes look like he’s about to devour Pei Yao!!”
• “Look at our little sun, scared stiff—he’s sitting straighter than a baby in time-out.”
• “LMAO Uncle x Nephew, my third time shipping them, third time getting burned—but if we’re doing this, let’s make it as wild as possible!”
• “The forbidden aspect just makes it better!!!”

Even though they sat quietly, merely serving as the backdrop to the discussion, all eyes were locked onto them, watching the undercurrents between them.

The three minutes passed.

The director announced, “I’ll count down from three. Everyone, reveal your answers together.”

“Three… two… one!”

Six whiteboards flipped over at the same time.

Chu Caiyang received three votes.

The CEO got one.

Wan Yuda got one.

The gym owner got one.

But Jian Yuanbai and Pei Yao—received none.

Even though, during the staged kissing game, Wan Yuda and the gym owner had been close enough to possibly kiss, at most, their lips had simply touched.

Unlike Jian Yuanbai and Pei Yao—when they pulled apart, the glistening saliva between their lips was visible for all to see.

Especially Pei Yao—his lips were swollen, flushed, shimmering with moisture. That could only mean one thing.

No straight man could possibly go that far.

That was the unspoken consensus.

So, neither Jian Yuanbai nor Pei Yao received a single vote.

The director continued, “Now, will the guest who signed the ‘Straight Man Agreement’ please stand up and reveal the correct answer?”

Expectation. Tension. A trace of excitement.

Everyone exchanged glances, waiting. The cameras zoomed in. The audience, holding their breath, watched as—

A figure slowly stood up.

Pei Yao.

Dressed in a clean white T-shirt and light blue jeans, his outfit was all soft colors—yet his face and lips were redder than ever.

Stunned silence.

Shock. Disbelief. Complete uproar.

“No way!” Chu Caiyang said, laughing in exasperation. “You literally just kissed him!”

What he said was exactly what the viewers were screaming at their screens.

• “What?! You’re telling me you’re straight after kissing like that?!”
• “Someone gouge out my eyes—I’ll just pretend I never saw anything.”
• “Dude! Your lips are swollen! And you’re straight???”
• “So this is how straight men ‘play’ these days. Noted.”
• “They kissed. Used tongues. Made out for three minutes. And then he stands up as the straight guy?! SIT DOWN!!!”
• “I can’t do this anymore. This is the fourth time I’ve fallen for this ship. They’re gonna kill me.”
• “I REFUSE! Turned straight?! No! Tell me you were converted!!”
• “Ever since I started watching these two, my emotions have been on a constant rollercoaster.”
• “FOURTH TIME! FOURTH TIME! I’M NOT GETTING UP AGAIN! Forbidden! Pure Lotus! (screaming into the void!!)“
• “The way they smiled during the kiss—compared to how furious I feel now seeing Pei Yao stand up!!”
• “I get it now. They didn’t come here for a dating show. They came to toy with our feelings.”

The comment section was filled with wails of despair.

Meanwhile, Pei Yao pursed his lips, pretending to be calm as he said lightly, “We’re actors. It’s normal to have on-screen kisses, isn’t it?”

Chu Caiyang laughed and said, “You really sacrificed a lot for the show’s effect.”

Everyone else was teasing, but Jian Yuanbai suddenly spoke in a deep voice, “Have you kissed others on screen before?”

His abrupt question caused a brief pause in the atmosphere. Pei Yao, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard, merely smiling at the ones who had been teasing him.

Pei Yao had debuted early and had never filmed a kissing scene before. The movie that won him the Best Actor award was a resistance film. But now, he sat there properly, deliberately avoiding Jian Yuanbai’s gaze.

Under the table, where no one else could see, his hand nervously clenched. Jian Yuanbai’s question was too strange. If he answered, it would be even stranger. Pei Yao had a vague feeling that something was slipping out of his control.

• “He’s jealous!! I don’t care!! Pure Lotus is real!!!”
• “What is this? A whole vat of vinegar!”
• “Forbidden Lotus is real!! I can be fake, but they must be real!”

Because of Jian Yuanbai’s one sentence, half the audience behind the screen came back to life.

• “Fine, I’ll believe you guys one more time! Don’t you dare hurt me a fifth time!”
• “You can play with me once, twice, three times, four—damn! I can’t even finish this sentence. I’m so miserable.”

Meanwhile, on set, the director announced that since no one had voted for Pei Yao, he would be taking home the 380,000 yuan car.

Everyone in the show was well-off, so their attitude toward the reward was: If I can take it, why not? But if they didn’t get it, it wasn’t a big deal either.

Only the gym owner seemed upset, looking at Pei Yao with dissatisfaction. With a sarcastic tone, he said, “You really worked hard just to win a car. Doing something like this, huh?”

Pei Yao gave him a cool glance and then smiled, his expression completely unbothered. “Not hard at all. Just a little kiss, and I get 380,000 yuan. Why would that be hard?”

The gym owner’s snarky remark was thrown right back at him, making his face turn sour. Since they were still on camera, he ultimately said nothing more.

Under the director’s request, the six participants recited the show’s slogan together. With that, the first episode of Chase Love! Brother! officially ended.

—

As they left the island on a boat, Jian Yuanbai approached Pei Yao. “You—”

“Pei Yao,” the director suddenly appeared from behind, calling out, “Come here, we need to talk about the car.”

Pei Yao let out a sigh of relief and was taken away by the director.

Once they got off the boat, the production team returned everyone’s confiscated communication devices. Wan Yuda was quickly picked up by three people, and Chu Caiyang got into his team’s van. The other two amateur participants also left separately.

Jian Yuanbai stood by the shore house, holding his phone.

His assistant, Li, walked up. “Boss, should we go?”

“I’m waiting for someone. You go ahead,” Jian Yuanbai replied, shaking his phone. Then he added, “Go contact Wan Yuda’s side. Stir things up, see if we can make them fight among themselves.”

Assistant Li nodded. “The lawsuit regarding Miss Liu’s accusations against Mr. Pei should be resolved soon. He’ll be proven innocent.”

Jian Yuanbai made a sound of acknowledgment, then seemed to remember something. “Also, get in touch with Pei Yao. Tell him I’m willing to help him sue Wan Yuda and send him to jail.”

“And don’t contact me for a while.”

He emphasized seriously, “Pei Yao agreed to hire me again. I’m now a man with a boss.”

Assistant Li felt a complicated mix of emotions but kept his face neutral. “Understood, boss.”

Giving up his position as the chairman of a corporation to be an ordinary bodyguard—and being so happy about it. After watching that on-screen kiss, how could Assistant Li not understand what his boss was thinking?

Silently, he left, shaking his head.

Just as the director walked out of the rental house by the shore, he saw Assistant Li leaving Jian Yuanbai’s side. Finding it odd, he approached Jian Yuanbai and asked, “Do you know that guy?”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “Nope.”

“Then what were you talking about?”

Jian Yuanbai remained calm. “I don’t know my way around here, so I asked for directions to the bus stop.”

“Oh, by the way, are you done talking? Where’s Pei Yao?”

The director was puzzled. “Pei Yao left a while ago.”

—

Ten days later, on the set of Youth Aspirations, Jian Yuanbai, wearing a cat-faced scowl, cornered Pei Yao on his first day of filming.

In the cramped, temporary dressing room, Jian Yuanbai’s tall frame loomed over Pei Yao, exuding an oppressive presence.

As Jian Yuanbai stepped closer, Pei Yao backed away in panic, retreating step by step until his waist bumped against the dressing table. Nowhere left to run.

Jian Yuanbai stared at him with a deep gaze. “You’re avoiding me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

Pei Yao nervously gripped the edge of the dressing table behind him. “No, I’m not.”

Jian Yuanbai let out a short laugh. “Then why didn’t you answer my calls or reply to my messages?”

Pei Yao: “I thought it was a strange number…”

His excuse was so weak that even he sounded hesitant saying it.

But Jian Yuanbai suddenly changed the topic. “You should know, I take male virtue very seriously.”

Pei Yao was caught off guard by the sudden shift. “Huh? And?”

Jian Yuanbai, face serious but with a hint of grievance in his tone, continued, “I’ve kept my virginity for my future wife. I’ve told you this before. Do you remember?”

Pei Yao, completely bewildered by the leap in logic, dumbly nodded. “I remember… So what?”

The strikingly handsome man in front of him kept a straight face, but his voice carried a note of grievance. “That means I saved my first kiss for my wife too. But it ended up going to you. Don’t you think you should compensate me for that?”

Pei Yao, stunned by such shamelessness, widened his eyes and blurted, “You were the one who kissed me without permission!”

They locked eyes. Then, Jian Yuanbai suddenly chuckled. “So, you’re blaming me?”

Pei Yao was a little annoyed. His fair face tinged with a faint pink, cheeks slightly puffed. “What else?! It’s not like I have kissed before either!”

Unexpectedly, Jian Yuanbai readily admitted, “Okay, then it’s my fault.”

He took another step forward, closing in on Pei Yao, who instinctively leaned back, tipping his head up to meet Jian Yuanbai’s gaze. The closer proximity made Pei Yao feel like a small animal being cornered by a predator. Uneasy.

“You—you—you know that’s enough, right?” Pei Yao stammered.

Jian Yuanbai lowered his head slightly, his eyes scanning over Pei Yao’s delicate features inch by inch. “Since it’s my fault, I should make it up to you.”

“No—no need.” Pei Yao’s eyelashes trembled violently, his heartbeat completely out of rhythm.

Jian Yuanbai said, “How could it be unnecessary? It was my fault, so naturally, I should compensate you.”

Pei Yao placed his hand against Jian Yuanbai’s chest, trying to push him away, but his hand was caught instead. The distance between them was so close that the atmosphere turned ambiguous and intimate. The heat on Pei Yao’s face grew more intense, and even without looking, he knew his face must be completely flushed.

Jian Yuanbai had stepped into his personal space, his hawk-like gaze inching over Pei Yao’s face. That look made Pei Yao nervous and embarrassed. He barely met Jian Yuanbai’s eyes for a second before looking away in a panic. Those dark eyes held something that unsettled him. He quickly lowered his head.

Then, he heard the man’s voice, low and slightly husky. “Return that ‘straight man’ reward car.”

Realizing the implied meaning, Pei Yao’s eyes widened instantly, his beautiful pupils reflecting Jian Yuanbai’s approaching face.

A fleeting kiss landed on his forehead. Pei Yao froze, unable to dodge.

“Being a straight man isn’t good.”

“Why not just be my wife instead?”

Ten days—long enough for Jian Yuanbai to think things through. Ten nights—filled with vivid dreams, where Pei Yao, blushing, called him “gege” while being held in his arms and kissed over and over again.

Sometimes, in those dreams, a single soft sound of “Uncle” had led the dream-version of Jian Yuanbai to do even bolder things.

Jian Yuanbai reached out, his thumb and knuckles gently clasping Pei Yao’s pale, flawless chin, tilting his flushed face up with a firm touch. There was no escape, his expression completely exposed under Jian Yuanbai’s burning gaze.

The distance between them shrank. Their eyes met.

Just before their lips touched, Jian Yuanbai whispered, “If you don’t want this, push me away.”