HWMTOTBM Chapter 18

“I’m sorry,” Su Yuanjiu apologized with a smile, then moved to open the fridge wider. “Which brand of peach-flavored drink do you like?”

Xu Yu’s answer was to pull out his favorite type from the fridge.

Su Yuanjiu: “Ah, I like this one too.”

Xu Yu still remained silent.

Su Yuanjiu smiled and took the sauce from Xu Yu’s hands, placing it on the side door of the fridge.

“Are you upset?” Su Yuanjiu asked.

Xu Yu lowered his head to open the drink, “No.”

Su Yuanjiu said, “I watched a video of yours on a website.”

Xu Yu still didn’t open the drink. “Mm.”

Su Yuanjiu asked, “Have you seen it?”

Xu Yu still didn’t open the drink. “No.”

Su Yuanjiu raised an eyebrow slightly, “Do you know which video I’m talking about?”

Xu Yu still didn’t open the drink. “I don’t know.”

Su Yuanjiu smiled with a slight tilt of his head, looking into Xu Yu’s eyes. “Really?”

Xu Yu met Su Yuanjiu’s gaze, appearing sincere. “Really.”

Su Yuanjiu seemed somewhat skeptical.

Xu Yu smiled again. “It’s really okay.” He glanced at the kitchen, “Is there anything else I can help with?”

Su Yuanjiu shook his head. “No, that’s it.”

Su Yuanjiu approached with half-washed vegetables to comfort Xu Yu. Hearing this, Xu Yu could only slightly relax and return to the kitchen to continue washing vegetables.

Taking a sip of the drink, Xu Yu looked at Su Yuanjiu’s back and grimaced slightly.

What did he do just now?

Getting mad at Su Yuanjiu?

What was he thinking?

The tough guy joke was no big deal to Xu Yu; he could take it as a joke.

Since that’s the case, he circled back to it.

What was he doing just now?

Getting mad at Su Yuanjiu?

Huh?

Although Su Yuanjiu had said there was no need for help, Xu Yu, being the guest, naturally couldn’t take that seriously.

He walked into the kitchen, leaving his half-sipped drink on the table.

“Give me something to do,” said Xu Yu, rolling up his sleeves.

Su Yuanjiu was in the middle of cutting meat. He glanced at Xu Yu and shook his head, “No need, go to the living room.”

Xu Yu glanced around the kitchen, but his cooking experience was severely lacking. He didn’t know what to do now.

Seeing him like this, Su Yuanjiu chuckled. “Should I chase you away?”

Xu Yu gently pursed his lips, then left.

In the living room, he sat down on the sofa, and his gaze was immediately drawn to a box on the coffee table.

Realizing what it was, Xu Yu was instantly surprised. He picked up the Lego box and walked briskly to the kitchen door.

“This is last year’s limited edition. You managed to get it,” he exclaimed.

Su Yuanjiu didn’t even turn around, just nodded lightly, “It’s yours.”

Xu Yu hesitated for a moment. “Huh? Oh, there’s no need for that.”

Su Yuanjiu asked in a calm tone, “Don’t you like it?”

Xu Yu said, “I do.”

Su Yuanjiu replied, “Then it’s yours.”

Xu Yu tilted his head slightly.

It made perfect sense.

He felt his ears were getting a little warm.

Su Yuanjiu continued, “Since you’re free, why not go to the living room and build it?”

Xu Yu hesitated, but Su Yuanjiu started the range hood, creating noise in the kitchen.

Su Yuanjiu glanced at Xu Yu, who instantly understood his intent and took the Lego to the kitchen.

The carpet was spread around the coffee table, making it perfect for Xu Yu to sit on the floor.

He opened the box, took out the pieces and instruction manual, then peeked towards the kitchen.

Su Yuanjiu had started stir-frying, and the sliding door to the kitchen had been closed.

Xu Yu looked away and began assembling the Lego in his hands.

With something in his hands, time passed quickly. Unbeknownst to him, over half an hour had passed, and the sky outside had darkened.

As he worked on attaching a piece, suddenly a shadow fell on the coffee table. Xu Yu looked up and saw Su Yuanjiu approaching.

“Let’s continue later,” Su Yuanjiu said. “Wash up and let’s eat.”

Xu Yu nodded and set aside what he was holding. “Okay.”

It was a very homey meal: three dishes and a soup. Su Yuanjiu had already set out the chopsticks and served the rice. When Xu Yu approached, Su Yuanjiu pulled out a chair for him.

Xu Yu thanked him and sat down.

Su Yuanjiu served the soup to Xu Yu, who thanked him again.

Xu Yu took a sip of the soup and then picked up some vegetables.

Su Yuanjiu asked, “Does it suit your taste?”

Xu Yu nodded. “It’s delicious.”

Su Yuanjiu said, “Are you really saying it’s delicious, or just being polite to me?”

Xu Yu shook his head. “I’m not just being polite, it really is delicious.”

It wasn’t the first time Xu Yu had eaten alone with someone. He had eaten with complete strangers before, so this situation wasn’t a big deal.

Su Yuanjiu was half a stranger and half familiar to him. Although it seemed a bit inexplicable, it wasn’t a problem.

As long as he focused on eating quickly, embarrassment wouldn’t catch up to him.

Su Yuanjiu’s hospitality was excellent. As soon as Xu Yu finished his soup, it was refilled for him.

At first, Xu Yu felt a bit embarrassed, but gradually he got used to it. When his soup was finished, he didn’t even think about pouring more himself.

Over halfway through the meal, Su Yuanjiu suddenly said, “Your show is on tonight.”

Xu Yu looked up at Su Yuanjiu, seeming a bit puzzled.

Su Yuanjiu smiled. “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yu lowered his head, “Nothing.”

Su Yuanjiu said, “Am I a qualified fan?”

Xu Yu blinked, suddenly unsure of his feelings.

Xu Yu: “Qualified.”

After finishing the meal, Su Yuanjiu still didn’t let Xu Yu help.

There was a dishwasher in the kitchen, and Su Yuanjiu asked Xu Yu to continue building Lego in the living room while he cleaned up. Soon, he returned to the living room.

It was already past seven in the evening, and Su Yuanjiu seemed to assume Xu Yu would stay to watch the show, so he turned on the TV directly.

Xu Yu glanced up at the TV but didn’t say anything, continuing to focus on building the Lego.

The TV was showing a concert, and Su Yuanjiu lowered the volume. He took out a bottle of the same drink Xu Yu had earlier from the fridge and sat on a nearby single sofa.

The background music was lively, and Su Yuanjiu asked, “Do you plan on having a concert?”

Xu Yu pressed down a small piece he was holding and chuckled. “I’ve only released two songs.”

Su Yuanjiu asked again, “Do you want to?”

Xu Yu nodded. “I do.”

Su Yuanjiu said, “Then can I book a ticket in advance?”

Xu Yu smiled and turned to Su Yuanjiu. “It might be a long wait.”

Su Yuanjiu shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

Xu Yu seemed to be cheered up, “Alright, when the time comes, you must come.”

Su Yuanjiu assured him, “I will definitely go.”

The concert on TV entered a chorus part with the fans, and Xu Yu glanced at it before bowing his head.

It wasn’t that he had no desires or demands; he also wanted to have many fans. He wanted his fans to sing along with him at his concert.

As he pressed another piece into place, Xu Yu caught sight of a pen holder on the table. He looked up at Su Yuanjiu.

Su Yuanjiu was looking at him too.

Su Yuanjiu: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yu: “Can I borrow your pen?”

Su Yuanjiu nodded slightly in agreement.

Xu Yu took out the pen and then pulled out the certification paper from the Lego box. He flipped to the blank side and wrote, “Xu Yu Concert Ticket Voucher, Valid Forever,” followed by today’s date and his signature.

“Nah,” Xu Yu handed over the paper. “It’s more than just a verbal promise.”

Su Yuanjiu took it and looked at the words on it, smiling, “I’ll keep it safe.”

Xu Yu pursed his lips, closed the pen, and returned it to the holder.

As he continued to build the Lego, Xu Yu closed his eyes where Su Yuanjiu couldn’t see.

What a childish move to make a voucher…

What was wrong with him today?

It was almost eight o’clock, and “My Song, Your Song” was about to start; the TV was already showing commercials.

After consoling himself for a while, Xu Yu gradually accepted it. Since he wanted to finish building Lego at Su Yuanjiu’s place, he had to accept being seen by Su Yuanjiu on stage.

Continuing to reassure himself, that maybe the broadcast wouldn’t be that bad after all.

Only the sound of TV commercials filled the living room. Xu Yu’s hands were almost finished, and after one commercial ended on TV, Su Yuanjiu’s phone rang.

Xu Yu was intrigued and glanced up, but quickly looked down again.

Su Yuanjiu glanced at the caller ID and answered the phone.

“Hello,” Su Yuanjiu said.

The caller was Ji Zhouchuan, and it was a bit noisy on the other end.

Ji Zhouchuan: “There’s something related to that Xu Yu of yours. Do you want to hear about it?”

Su Yuanjiu: “What’s the matter?”

Ji Zhouchuan: “Do you know about the ‘My Song, Your Song’ program?”

Su Yuanjiu glanced at Xu Yu, who was focused on building Lego. “I know.”

“I’ll explain briefly,” Ji Zhouchuan said. “Xu Yu recorded this program last time in Jian City, and his episode is about to air. I won’t go into the program’s process, but the issue now is that there’s a segment in each episode where a singer does something, and this time they’ve targeted Xu Yu. I just checked internally for a bit about what will air, and it seems they edited it to make Xu Yu look very insignificant.”

After Ji Zhouchuan said these things, Su Yuanjiu had already moved to the study. The study was soundproofed well, so he wasn’t worried Xu Yu could hear.

Su Yuanjiu tapped his index finger on the table. “Can it be saved?”

Ji Zhouchuan: “Do you want to help Xu Yu?”

Su Yuanjiu: “Yes.”

“It’s possible,” Ji Zhouchuan said. “They target those without much fame, relying on backstage influence. Someone should have filmed the segment at the time. It’s a matter of money and public relations, not difficult.”

Su Yuanjiu: “What should we do?”

Ji Zhouchuan chuckled. “Xu Yu’s part is towards the end. We can still intervene now. Since you’re not directly involved in this, I’ll handle it for you.”

Su Yuanjiu: “Alright, thank you.”

“No trouble at all. Just send me the money.” Ji Zhouchuan’s tone suddenly changed. “Oh, by the way, I want to confirm, do you have feelings for Xu Yu? It helps me gauge how much effort to put in.”

Su Yuanjiu glanced in the direction of the living room and said, “Put in your best effort.”

Ji Zhouchuan: “Got it.”

Su Yuanjiu: “Don’t let him be bullied.”

Ji Zhouchuan: “Understood, understood.”