The gazes of the two collided.
Qiao Shu, however, felt a sensation of being locked onto by a hunter, and suddenly, he inexplicably felt a bit nervous.
“Ah?”
A few seconds later, Qiao Shu let out a monosyllabic sound.
“What is ‘cp’?”
Gu Chenyan asked again earnestly.
“Cp is…” Qiao Shu swallowed his saliva, his mind starting to search for an explanation of the term ‘cp’. However, at this moment, his head suddenly felt a bit stiff, and after thinking for a while, he surprisingly couldn’t come up with an answer.
“Should I Baidu it?” Qiao Shu tentatively asked.
Gu Chenyan: “Yes.”
Qiao Shu quickly took out his phone, typed in ‘cp’, and click on the search. Soon, the explanation appeared.
“Pairing, abbreviated as cp, an internet slang…”
Qiao Shu read it word by word. After he finished reading, he looked up at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
After a while, he asked somewhat displeased, “Why do they want to pair you with Zhou Yanqing?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Yeah, why did they want to pair him with Zhou Yanqing? Qiao Shu followed that line of thought but couldn’t come up with an answer.
Gu Chenyan was still looking at him.
So, Qiao Shu continued to ponder.
After a while, he cautiously said, “Netizens are like this. Their thinking is quite erratic.”
Gu Chenyan was obviously dissatisfied with this answer, but he temporarily let Qiao Shu off and turned his head back to the screen.
Released from the locked gaze, Qiao Shu’s head could finally start moving.
He belatedly realized that Gu Chenyan was unhappy just now because netizens shipped him and Zhou Yanqing as brothers, and he wasn’t pleased about it.
So, was he jealous?
No, no, no!
Qiao Shu quickly denied this exciting answer; Gu Chenyan had explicitly stated he wouldn’t get jealous recently.
So, was it that damn possessiveness of the overbearing CEO?
A bit happy.
But still a bit unwilling.
Qiao Shu pursed his lips.
The variety show was still playing.
In the video, Zhou Yanqing teased Qiao Shu for a long time, and in the end, he slipped and fell out of the ball pit by himself.
【Why do I feel that Brother Qing did it on purpose?】
【Definitely for the little brother. The little brother looks so good; Brother Qing must be unwilling to push him, so he has to eliminate himself.】
【Suddenly feel so spoiled, ahhhhh】
…
Audiences who enjoy shipping CP can be found anywhere, and Qiao Shu didn’t mind it much in the past.
He sneakily glanced at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan pursed his thin lips. Although his expression remained calm, seemingly no different from usual, the aura around him was noticeably different.
Still not pleased.
And the displeasure was accumulating, making the surrounding air seem heavy.
“Ahem.”
Qiao Shu attempted to salvage the situation, “I’ll turn off the barrage, it’s kind of distracting, hahaha.”
After saying that, he reached out to touch the tablet.
Before his hand could make contact, Gu Chenyan suddenly said, “He did deliberately fall.”
Qiao Shu: “Ah?”
Gu Chenyan turned his head back to Qiao Shu, “Zhou Yanqing did deliberately fall.”
Qiao Shu: “???”
A few seconds later, Qiao Shu humbly asked, “How do you know?”
Gu Chenyan: “I can tell. He has a stable lower body since childhood.”
Qiao Shu: “Uh.”
Qiao Shu suddenly didn’t know what to say, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of guilt and nervousness.
Qiao Shu: QAQ
God knows he and Zhou Yanqing really had nothing! They were as innocent as tofu soup!
Qiao Shu raised his hand to assure, “I really have nothing with him! The barrage is just making things up!” After saying that, Qiao Shu felt that this scene seemed a bit familiar; wasn’t it like the last time with Xie Yuxi?
Thinking about the last time, Qiao Shu suddenly became more anxious. Would Gu Chenyan ask him to call Zhou Yanqing now?
If he had to make the call, what should he say?
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm, I’ll handle this.”
In a dilemma about how to talk to Zhou Yanqing, Qiao Shu was puzzled: “???”
Qiao Shu realized he couldn’t keep up with Gu Chenyan’s train of thought.
Just when he was feeling guilty, nervous, and filled with question marks, Gu Chenyan took out his phone from his pocket.
Elegant fingers tapped a few times on the phone screen, and Gu Chenyan dialed a number.
Qiao Shu: “???”
Who is he calling?
At this moment, Gu Chenyan glanced at Qiao Shu, then took the phone from his ear and tapped on it again.
Dudu dudu
He switched to speakerphone.
Qiao Shu suddenly felt a bit warmed.
The next moment, Gu Chenyan’s call was answered.
On the other side: “Brother? Why do you have time to call me?” The voice sounded a bit surprised and pleased.
Qiao Shu tilted his head, thinking it sounded somewhat familiar.
Gu Chenyan glanced at the video, “I’m watching a show called ‘We’re Here.'”
Surprised on the other side: “Brother, you actually watch variety shows! Ah! It must be because my sister-in-law is also on the show, right? How am I doing?”
Gu Chenyan: “Not good.”
On the other side: “How is that possible!”
Gu Chenyan calmly commented, “I saw through your fake fall.”
Qiao Shu suddenly widened his eyes.
He knew who was talking to Gu Chenyan!
Zhou Yanqing!
The call continued.
Zhou Yanqing nonchalantly said, “Sure, only you would notice. My fans definitely wouldn’t, and other viewers surely wouldn’t either.”
Gu Chenyan: “They noticed.”
Zhou Yanqing: “How is that possible.”
Gu Chenyan glanced at the screen again, “They’re still shipping you and Qiao Shu.”
Cough, cough, cough—
Thunderous coughing erupted. Zhou Yanqing choked on his saliva, and after finally easing the discomfort, he panickedly explained, “I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault! I don’t know anything!”
Triple denial.
Strong survival instincts.
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
“Qiao Shu is my wife.”
“Very conspicuous.”
Zhou Yanqing, being quite savvy, quickly said, “I’ll contact someone right away to ensure there won’t be any CP fans of my sister-in-law and me online!”
“Sister-in-law belongs to you, Brother!”
Gu Chenyan nodded in satisfaction, “Hmm.”
After a pause, he added, “Quickly.”
Zhou Yanqing: “Alright! Definitely! Brother, wait for my message!”
The call ended.
Gu Chenyan looked at Qiao Shu, “It’s sorted out.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Gu Chenyan: “What’s wrong?”
In his mind, Qiao Shu kept replaying Gu Chenyan’s statement, “Qiao Shu is my wife,” and he came back to reality in a daze, “Nothing.”
He raised his hand, pressed it against his heart, and questioned, “Do you know Zhou Yanqing?”
Gu Chenyan: “Yes.”
“He’s the child of Uncle Zhou and Aunt Lan. We grew up together. He’s my younger brother.”
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
No wonder Zhou Yanqing treated him differently, and no wonder Zhou Yanqing promoted him on Weibo!
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu thought for a moment and shared the instances where Zhou Yanqing helped him since recording the variety show.
Gu Chenyan was satisfied, “You’re his brother-in-law; he should do that.”
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but smile.
Gu Chenyan: “Let’s continue watching the variety show.”
Qiao Shu: “Okay.”
The two redirected their gaze to the tablet, and the variety show was now reaching its conclusion.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Just when he was contemplating whether to fast forward or simply stop watching, he saw Gu Chenyan casually reaching out, dragging the progress bar forward.
After adjusting, they settled back into their seats.
The progress was now at the tail end of the game in the plump suit. In the video, the host was congratulating Qiao Shu.
On the screen, the barrage was still active.
Qiao Shu rubbed his nose and glanced at Gu Chenyan, “I’ll turn off the barrage.”
However, Gu Chenyan said, “No need.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Gu Chenyan earnestly stated, “I want to see them praising you.”
Ba-dump, Ba-dump
Qiao Shu once again pressed against his heart, and an uncontrollable smile formed at the corner of his lips.
The final game of the show was a grand adventure, and several main actors, including Zhou Yanqing, were successively targeted. They were required to do various funny things, leading up to the last and most significant adventure.
In the video, half of Qiao Shu’s phone screen was mosaic-covered, revealing only the surname in the contacts. After the host looked at it, Qiao Shu started dialing a number.
Qiao Shu saw his face turning crimson as Gu Chenyan answered the call.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Why such a big reaction?
But Gu Chenyan’s voice was really nice. After being processed through the phone and further enhanced by the show’s audio, the sound quality remained impeccable.
It tingled his ears.
Unable to resist, Qiao Shu glanced at the barrage, certain that many people were praising Gu Chenyan’s voice.
As expected.
【What kind of divine voice is this!】
【I’m impressed!】
【I’m impressed in advance!】
…
There were many comments like these, but soon the barrage began to change.
【Qiao Qiao is so shy! Who is Mr. Gu? How can he make Qiao Qiao so shy!】
【It’s the first time seeing Qiao Qiao so shy. His neck is all red. It’s so cute!】
【Agreed just like that?】
【Ah, so spoiled!】
【Mr. Gu’s voice is so cold. Why do I sense his doting on Qiao Qiao!】
【The cute and spoiled idol bottom and the god-like cold voice domineering top? Amazing!】
【I ship them!】
【Alright, alright, I’m shipping this CP!】
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu’s face was a bit flushed. Whether during the recording or watching it now, he also felt that Gu Chenyan was spoiling him.
Gu Chenyan was spoiling him!
Hehe!
Unable to resist, Qiao Shu glanced at Gu Chenyan, who was earnestly watching the program. At this moment, Gu Chenyan suddenly spoke, “They got it right this time.”
Deadpan.
Very serious.
Qiao Shu’s heart stopped for a moment, then quickly accelerated.
Here, the atmosphere was pleasant, but on Zhou Yanqing’s side, clouds of gloom hung over. After ending the call, Zhou Yanqing quickly opened a video to watch the variety show and indeed found a few fans shipping him and Qiao Shu.
Zhou Yanqing: “…”
Zhou Yanqing felt bitter. He really hadn’t done anything! Qiao Shu was his brother’s wife and his sister-in-law. Not to mention doing something, even with a hundred times more courage, he wouldn’t dare to entertain such thoughts!
The distressed Zhou Yanqing started calling people to delete comments and clear any CP-related remarks appearing online.
The person on the other end was quite puzzled, “There are only a few comments, and it’s not getting much attention. Why are you so concerned? Doesn’t seem like you.”
Zhou Yanqing had been the subject of CP rumors quite a few times before, but he never paid any attention to them. If the other party was someone he disliked, he wouldn’t bother clearing CP remarks; instead, he would directly confront and shut down the CP to embarrass the other party.
Zhou Yanqing said solemnly, “It’s not a matter of caring or not; it’s a matter of life and death.”
The person on the other end: “???”
Zhou Yanqing: “Just handle it as soon as possible.”
The other person: “Fine, it won’t take more than half an hour to deal with such a small issue.”
Zhou Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”
The other person: “But the variety show has already been released. There will definitely be similar comments in the future. Are you going to keep monitoring and deleting them?”
This was a problem.
Current fans and viewers loved shipping CP, and they could find connections between anything.
Zhou Yanqing was worried!
Delete only this wave? If, by any chance, his brother sees it later, that would be disastrous.
Continuously monitor and delete? That’s not a viable solution.
Post on Weibo?
No, no, no. That would impact Qiao Shu.
The troubled Zhou Yanqing suddenly brightened his eyes and leaned in close to the screen playing the variety show.
Many barrages were floating above the screen.
Zhou Yanqing’s gaze focused on those suddenly appearing barrages.
Exactly!
That’s it!
Excitedly, he said to the person on the phone, “I have a solution!”
The other person: “???”
Zhou Yanqing: “After you finish deleting, go to the comments section of this episode of the variety show and stir up a CP online for me.”
The other person: “What CP?”
Zhou Yanqing: “Qiao Shu and that Mr. Gu!”
The response was swift.
In less than half an hour, Zhou Yanqing received a call, “The trending topic is already in the top 40.”
Zhou Yanqing: “That’s enough. No need to increase the trend further. Make sure the comments sound genuine.”
Qiao Shu’s popularity was already there, and excessively high trends might make people suspect it’s from fake accounts or manipulation. People have a natural tendency to resist, and such tactics wouldn’t be friendly to Qiao Shu, who currently lacks projects and substantial popularity.
With proper handling, it could attract some genuine fans for Qiao Shu.
Of course, the most crucial part was not these.
The other person: “Rest assured, the accounts are all active.”
Zhou Yanqing thought for a moment, “Hire a few more writers to create some promotional articles.”
The other person: “Sure.”
Zhou Yanqing: “That’s it for now. If there are any other needs, I’ll contact you later.”
Gu Chenyan, who had just finished bathing and was planning to rest, received a call from Zhou Yanqing.
Zhou Yanqing: “Brother, I’ve taken care of it. There are no more CP fans of me and my sister-in-law on the internet now. You can relax.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Zhou Yanqing continued triumphantly, “I also got you a gift. Quickly open Weibo’s hot search and take a look.”
“Don’t praise me too much. Hehe!”
Gu Chenyan opened Weibo.
He turned on the speakerphone as per Zhou Yanqing’s suggestion and, at the position forty-eight on the trending list, found a term.
“GuQiao?”
Gu Chenyan clicked on it.
Curious, Qiao Shu leaned over, then: “…”
Zhou Yanqing: “Brother, how is it? Satisfied?”
Gu Chenyan looked at the screen full of comments like “Perfect ship,” “Perfect match,” “Perfectly fragrant,” and other remarks shipping him and Qiao Shu. There was also a video of Qiao Shu playfully calling him during the show. He nodded in satisfaction, “Not bad.”
He hung up the phone.
Gu Chenyan looked at Qiao Shu, “What do you think?”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
Immediately, he quickly realized that Gu Chenyan was asking about their CP.
Qiao Shu chuckled and then, mimicking Gu Chenyan’s serious expression, said, “I’m also very satisfied.”
The main light was turned off.
The dim light from the wall lamp cast shadows.
Qiao Shu, watching Gu Chenyan climb onto the bed, swallowed nervously and discreetly squeezed his legs together.
Gu Chenyan approached him.
Everything felt natural.
Just before the end, Gu Chenyan suddenly lifted his hand and pinched Qiao Shu’s chin, making him meet his gaze.
Gu Chenyan: “Qiao Shu.”
Qiao Shu looked at him in confusion and discomfort, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Gu Chenyan: “Your CP partner can only be me.”
Author’s note:
“Both Old Gu and Qiao Qiao are satisfied, so there’s a red envelope drop in this chapter, muah~”
Thanks to the angels who voted for me or gave me nutrients from January 15, 2021, 09:22:22, to January 16, 2021, 10:30:28~
Thanks to the angels who planted landmines: Dream Ting Yan Mo, Qing Jue (1 each);
Thanks to the angels who irrigated with nutrients: Juan Hajime (66 bottles), Ling Xin (20 bottles), Ruo Meng (5 bottles), Ye Ling Xue (1 bottle);
Thank you all for your support, and I will continue to work hard!
⌈Weekend chapters: 2⌉ ⌊Progress: 1/2 ⌋
