GSCCO Chapter 8

The cactus, which was on the balcony last time, was now moved to the windowsill.

Mu Huai stared at it for a long time, confirming from a tiny scratch that the cactus wasn’t made of plastic. Such a large pot, painstakingly moved to the windowsill, and now taking up a huge space.

Yu Yi’s first step out of the bathroom was wet, carrying a hint of dejection.

“Are you alright?” Mu Huai asked.

He was still there. Yu Yi was a little surprised.

“…Sorry.” Yu Yi repeated this for what felt like the umpteenth time today.

Mu Huai: “It’s okay.”

The bathrobe fit Yu Yi perfectly. Mu Huai casually looked him over, considering it a small payment for the evening. He was a little disappointed. The little streamer seemed perfectly lucid, apologizing since he woke up.

“Then I’m leaving,” Mu Huai said, but didn’t move.

Yu Yi nodded calmly and walked to the door to wait for Mu Huai to come out.

Mu Huai looked at him: “…”

Okay, he’d already hinted so obviously. Mu Huai sighed, grabbing his coat, and got up. He deliberately paused for a moment beside Yu Yi, savoring the hotel’s elegant shower gel scent.

“Mu Huai,” Yu Yi suddenly called out.

The two of them were in the same room, less than three steps apart, and the little streamer was calling his name properly for the first time.

“What’s wrong?”

Unable to resist looking at Yu Yi’s expression, he looked refreshed after the alcohol smell had washed away. But that call just now sounded a little off.

“Are you participating in that game reality show?” Yu Yi asked.

The topic shifted abruptly, catching Mu Huai off guard for a moment. Quite some time had passed since the last time he’d mistakenly sent the wrong document. If it weren’t for Yu Yi, he would have completely forgotten about it. Judging from this, Yu Yi must have seen the document.

Mu Huai: “It depends on my schedule.”

Actually, Lan Sha hadn’t mentioned it since then. And, if it weren’t for Yu Yi, Mu Huai would have forgotten about the plan long ago.

Yu Yi gave an “Oh,” and then asked, “Can you participate?” He spoke as calmly as if he were saying, “Let’s eat,” but their relationship was far from that intimate.

Mu Huai’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly moved closer to Yu Yi, sniffing him intensely.

“Are you drunk?” Mu Huai raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Did you mistake me for the Leader? Okay, well, my build is a bit like the Leader’s.”

Yu Yi frowned slightly, wanting to say he wasn’t drunk, but he’d recently vomited in the bathroom… The discomfort from the alcohol had made his thinking rather sluggish, even too lazy to explain. He silently pursed his lips.

Mu Huai, leaning against the wall, pulled out his phone from his pocket and asked, “Luckily, I didn’t block Leader. Want me to make a call for you?”

His intentions were unclear. Yu Yi’s words easily evoked various interpretations, and Mu Huai only considered them for a second before instinctively finding another excuse for Yu Yi’s question, immediately thinking of Yu Ying.

Perhaps he was a little clumsy at doing this kind of helpfulness for the first time, Mu Huai coldly ignored the resentment in his heart, trying his best to appear composed.

Mu Huai thought to himself that he was only making an exception for Yu Yi because he was particularly handsome.

Mu Huai casually glanced at Yu Yi, nonchalantly pulling out the former leader’s phone number. The latter’s eyes were slightly cool as he followed Mu Huai’s gaze at the phone screen. Then Mu Huai’s hand fell empty.

Mu Huai: “… Oh, you can call him yourself.”

However, Yu Yi took Mu Huai’s phone and, right in front of Mu Huai, added Yu Ying’s number to the blacklist.

Mu Huai: “…”

The air seemed to freeze for two or three seconds. Following Yu Yi’s strange behavior and returning to his original thought process, Mu Huai could understand it. His pairing with Yu Ying was having a lot of buzz, so it was normal for Yu Yi to dislike him. A cold smile played on Mu Huai’s lips; this assumption made him feel incredibly awkward.

Mu Huai snatched the phone back from Yu Yi’s hand, the distance between them shrinking considerably, a posture that exuded oppressive pressure.

“This behavior isn’t very polite,” Mu Huai said, helping Yu Yi straighten his bathrobe. “I believe you’re not drunk now. If it was to reject me, then you’ve succeeded.”

Yu Yi, struggling to control himself from the alcohol, couldn’t keep up with Mu Huai’s train of thought. The sentence was nonsensical and difficult to understand. He could only instinctively sense the coldness hidden behind Mu Huai’s smile, and an apology blurted out before he could even think.

Yu Yi: “Sorry.”

This word sounded particularly irritating coming from Yu Yi’s mouth. Luckily, he had a good-looking face; otherwise, he would have been challenged to a fight countless times since childhood. Mu Huai wanted to say, “No need, I’ve wanted to block Yu Ying for a while now anyway, so goodbye. I wish you both a long and happy marriage,” but Yu Yi’s slow, lazy reaction time perfectly caught up with what should have been his expected response.

“Are you pursuing me?” Yu Yi rubbed his temples, his aura of being the weaker party undiminished. He slowly opened his eyes and quietly looked at Mu Huai.

The streamer he remembered, though irritable, wasn’t a clueless idiot.

Mu Huai was speechless. His usual sweet talk had no effect on a drunkard.

Yu Yi couldn’t figure out how things had escalated from a reality show to this, but he disliked this misunderstanding. He frowned and said, “I’m not rejecting you.”

Mu Huai: “A genuine answer? Fine, whatever.” He turned Yu Yi around, gripping his shoulder. “Go to sleep early. I won’t tell Yu Ying. Remember to ask the school for leave.”

Yu Yi ignored him completely: “Where are you going?”

Mu Huai: “Places minors can’t go.” He was just giving a casual answer, perhaps still harboring some thoughts of getting back at him, unaware of the storm brewing beneath Yu Yi’s cool eyes.

“A bar?” came Yu Yi’s hoarse voice from behind.

Mu Huai: “A place with beautiful women.”

The door opened and closed again; only the person leaning against it could feel the screech of the door.

Yu Yi stood behind Mu Huai, blocking the door, and asked, “Am I considered a beautiful woman?”

…

Regardless of whether he considered himself Yu Ying or not, Mu Huai never saw himself as a good person, so he asked Yu Yi if he had ever kissed before. They kissed from the entryway to the bed, kissing until their moral boundaries were crossed. Mu Huai pulled the heavy blanket over Yu Yi.

Yu Yi made a sound of dissatisfaction.

“…”

“Wolf cub.”

Mu Huai rarely felt this terrifying, almost predatory feeling. He pressed the blanket down while touching his lips, trying to figure out how to resolve the current situation.

“Do you take kissing lessons in high school?” Mu Huai asked again.

The blanket was pulled back, and Yu Yi grabbed Mu Huai’s wrist and pulled him down, his voice hoarse: “No.”

The anchor’s unusual impatience made Mu Huai chuckle: “Are you drunk?”

“…Yeah.” Yu Yi admitted dismissively.

Mu Huai had imagined Yu Yi’s current appearance countless times, but never so vividly… Just thinking about it, his chaotic mind went blank for a moment, and he almost frantically stopped Yu Yi: “Get down. I’ll help you.”

Yu Yi casually curled his lips into a smile, his cool breath brushing against Mu Huai’s face through his lips.

“No need.” He paused, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes: “I’m an adult.”

The city lights always shone brightly at night.

An expensive bed possesses its own expensive pride. The broken breaths peeking through the tightly drawn curtains cannot shatter that pride. A bed has its own dignity, refusing to creak and groan, even when challenged by the person on it.

The alcohol entered Yu Yi’s stomach and Mu Huai’s mind. Arrogant people always realize their mistakes at crucial moments.

Mu Huai: “Your idea is a bit dangerous.”

Mu Huai: “Be good. Take your hand away.”

Mu Huai gasped: “… Didn’t I tell you to wait?”

“Alcohol is a good thing.”

Mu Huai gently crushed a shard of glass, stretching out like a wild beast in the brightly lit corridor, his lazy eyes fixed on the camera.

“Okay, prepare for the next take.”

They filmed at this location for a long time. After finishing, they moved to another location, but the equipment was still being prepared. Mu Huai sat on a stone slab made of props.

“Uncle Huai, what are you thinking about?” Mu Xi, entrusted with the task, carried the camera over, asking while yawning.

Mu Huai, utterly devoid of spirit: “… Alcohol is a good thing.”

Mu Xi: “We just filmed this scene, so Uncle Huai, are you sleepy now?”

“Of course,” Mu Huai said. “… Your Uncle Huai hasn’t closed his eyes for almost thirty hours. I don’t have time to play with you.”

Mu Xi: “Uncle Huai, if you’re like this, those big shots won’t dare come over…”

A staff member called from not far away: “Mu Huai! Come and get ready!”

Mu Xi stopped abruptly, watching Mu Huai cover his face, look up, and smile at the camera: “Sorry, we have to film again.” He then got up and walked towards the stylist, as quiet as an emotionless tree spirit.

“Sigh, don’t even mention Master Huai, I’m almost dead from exhaustion!” A staff member, having a brief respite, came over.

He was only hanging on by a thread. Mu Xi returned the equipment to its original owner, hugging the prop pillar, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

“Master Huai never used to stay up this late,” the staff member continued.

“He’s been staying up late,” Mu Xi said, struggling to stay awake. “He’s been staying up late…”

Staff member: “… I don’t remember that.”

Mu Xi used the conversation to fight off sleep: “Master Huai fainted once, the doctor told him to rest more, and you just happened to be there during that time… Now this is Master Huai’s normal condition.”

Staff member: “…”

Mu Huai could count the number of times he slept on one hand over the past two or three days; he often lost track of day and night during these times.

Lan Sha held the contract but didn’t give it to him directly: “The game reality show is finalized. Are you sure you want to go?”

“Game reality show,” Mu Huai repeated, closing his eyes: “Yes.”

Although he had thought Lan Sha wouldn’t take this project.

Lan Sha: “Have you thought it through?”

Mu Huai pulled out the document to look at it. He didn’t have the mood to flip through the previous pages. He went straight to the list of invitees, confirmed that the ID of the Grumpy Yu-ge was on it, and then returned the document.

Mu Huai said, “I’ve thought it through. Lan-jie, if you’re free, go to sleep early, okay?”

He already had his eyes closed when he said this. As her artist, Lan Sha kindly drew the curtains to block out the blazing sun before leaving the house.

The MV shoot had completely consumed Mu Huai’s time. After crawling out of the spotlight, eating, drinking, and sleeping to recover, Lan Sha arrived with a new engagement. She was there to finalize the schedule.

Lan Sha: “Get some rest.”

Mu Huai: “Okay.”

He had a day of luxurious rest.

The schedule already included the recording time for the ADS¹ (game) reality show, and even the lineup included the ID of “Grumpy Yu-ge.”

Mu Huai played with his guitar for a while, his eyes fixed on his laptop. Finally, he clicked his tongue softly and skillfully opened the live streaming app.

[I saw Yu-ge on the ADS reality show!]

[Yu-ge never does reality shows!]

[I saw it too!]

[Yu-ge really doesn’t take these kinds of jobs!]

The streamer’s window was still small, and the mole on his lip moved with his movements.

The streamer had brought along a viewer this game: “New here?”

“Although you haven’t been here long, I really like you!” The viewer’s voice was sweet and cloying, and the chat was buzzing with excitement.

The streamer remained calm: “Really? You like everyone whose stream popularity surpasses yours?”

The sweet voice faltered: “What are you saying, Yu-ge?”

[???]

[My intuition tells me this is a guy!]

[Look at the person below Yu-ge’s ranking, there’s a surprise!]

Mu Huai instinctively took out his phone and searched the rankings. Below Yu Yi was another game streamer. He happened to recognize this person because Yu Yi’s streams had been casual, and this person’s popularity had consistently been above Yu Yi’s.

When he switched back to the stream, the chat was unreadable. Fans from both sides, having caught wind of the situation, were arguing. The sweet, cloying female voice disappeared, replaced by a high-pitched male voice cursing: “What the hell are you idiot pretending to be so high and mighty for saying you won’t do reality shows and are just playing games seriously? And now the list of top tech gurus is out…”

Yu Yi didn’t hear the second half. He’d turned off his mic.

Mu Huai frowned, seemingly having completely forgotten about his guitar, now intently focused on the expressionless figure on the screen of his laptop.

His chat history with Yu Yi ended with Yu Yi’s last message: “Go to sleep early.” People who have been drinking sleep soundly, and Mu Huai cleaned up the mess without hesitation. Although he wasn’t sure if Yu Yi had blacked out, remembered the previous night, or even knew he was there, Mu Huai instinctively didn’t want to leave any trace.

It wasn’t what he expected, but he had gotten his hands on the beauty, and Mu Huai found himself somewhat addicted.

After the streamer Bianjian banned microphones, he switched to typing.

Yu Yi’s typing speed was lightning fast, his cursing even faster than Bianjian’s.

[I wonder if it’s just my imagination, but Yu-ge’s signature foul language seems to have disappeared?]

[Is foul language a compliment?]

[Yu-ge’s cursing is good! I curse this bastard who’s always causing trouble!]

[Hehe, some fans, look closely! The more of you there are, the higher the popularity of Yu-ge’s live stream will be!]

For some reason, Mu Huai thought that Yu Yi’s habit of swearing might have been corrected for the sake of appearing on the show. Yu Yi actually signed on for this show! Mu Huai, even more incredulous than the fans in the live stream, was even more shocked to receive the contract.

The comment section was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Mu Huai, propping his head up, pulled out his wireless mouse and expressionlessly started sending virtual gifts.