Xiao Can was extremely speechless. He wanted to immediately open the dialogue box with He Xingzhou and scold him a few words, but he felt that with He Xingzhou’s usual character, he wouldn’t take it seriously at all. Instead, it might just anger himself, so he had to hold back.
Scrolling down, there was more than just one reply from He Xingzhou to comments.
The most liked comment was: How delicious was that boneless duck feet?
He Xingzhou replied: Not delicious at all.
Someone posted a sweating soybean emoji and said: I feel like you and Tan Zhen don’t seem like a couple, more like enemies.
He Xingzhou replied: He likes Xiao Can, but I don’t.
Half of the people in the comments asked him, “How do you know he’s talking about Xiao Can?” while the other half asked anxiously, “Is it true or false, which kind of like?”
He Xingzhou didn’t bother to respond.
Scrolling further down, there was someone who exclaimed excitedly: Why do you always stare at Xiao Can with such a lecherous look!!!
He Xingzhou replied with a question mark.
Then there was a very gentle comment that seemed to be from He Xingzhou’s fan: Ge, why have you been so active in replying to comments recently?
He Xingzhou replied with a single word: Haha!
Then came another one: I want to see the legendary Charlie [heart][heart][heart][heart]
Unfortunately, He Xingzhou didn’t show any appreciation, replying: Not showing.
Xiao Can finished reading all his replies, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Unlike typical popular stars, He Xingzhou’s comment section was completely unmoderated, very primitive. Apart from the content he replied to, the top comments were jokes copied and pasted by fun-loving people about them.
Perhaps because of his consistently unconventional behavior, everyone had already gotten used to his strange antics, and the overall atmosphere was more cheerful, with little hostility.
Before logging out, Xiao Can refreshed the page and found that He Xingzhou had replied to another comment.
Someone named “Angel Xiao Can Jiù Mī” posted a Xiao Can emoji and said, “Sharing it with you.”
In the emoji, Xiao Can was pouting slightly, his skin was smoothed, glowing white, with blush added to his face, and below it was written “Humph”, obviously a fan-made product.
He Xingzhou replied: No need to Photoshop like this.
Xiao Can finally couldn’t resist and opened the dialogue box with He Xingzhou.
— Could you please stop saying anything for a moment!
He Xingzhou replied with a question mark.
Xiao Can was thinking about how to scold him to stop him from continuing to talk nonsense in the comments section when He Xingzhou called him.
Since he was already in his room and no one would eavesdrop anymore, Xiao Can answered the phone.
“Please close your Weibo,” he said sternly. “Stop saying unnecessary things on public platforms!”
“Why?” He Xingzhou was completely clueless. “I’ve been very restrained.”
“You still have the nerve to say Tan Zhen’s speech isn’t appropriate,” Xiao Can criticized. “You are the one who’s really inappropriate!”
He Xingzhou was silent for a few seconds, then asked, “Which sentence was inappropriate?”
“Why did you post my emoji?” Xiao Can asked.
At this, He Xingzhou unexpectedly chuckled, “Don’t you find it amusing?”
“No, I don’t,” Xiao Can said. “If you want to go crazy, do it on your own, don’t drag me into it.”
He Xingzhou completely ignored him and excitedly told him, “Actually, I still have some saved, I’ll show them to you.”
During these few hours, while Tan Zhen was being attacked by internet critics, he was happily surfing amidst a storm of curses.
Xiao Can soon received a bunch of his own emojis. In addition to the “Kill” series, there were screenshots of him staring wide-eyed and saying “I love you”, looking confused when unable to recognize vegetables, and winking at Tan Zhen while changing the golden egg.
The last one was a GIF with added star effects.
The program had only been broadcast for a few hours, but it was very efficient.
Even more efficient was He Xingzhou, who collected so many in such a short time.
“Why are you keeping these?” Xiao Can asked, feeling a little awkward. “Don’t you find it strange?”
“It’s quite interesting,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can listened, raised his hand to touch his chin, and tidied his bangs a bit, but didn’t say anything.
The call fell into silence.
“Oh, by the way,” He Xingzhou said, “Tan Zhen and I broke up.”
“You mentioned that just now,” Xiao Can said.
“Oh, right, I did, ” He Xingzhou said, “He asked me not to say it immediately.”
“You agreed?”
“Sigh,” He Xingzhou sighed, “I feel quite guilty, I’ve let him down a bit.”
Xiao Can was stunned for a moment, quickly realizing that He Xingzhou still misunderstood and thought something had happened between him and Tan Zhen.
“Those people aren’t wrong to scold me,” He Xingzhou continued, “between him and me… I really messed up.”
“It’s… it’s not that serious,” Xiao Can comforted, “He didn’t blame you, right? You’re just not compatible, forget about it.”
“But I do have a responsibility,” He Xingzhou said, “I don’t know what it’s like for normal people when they’re in a relationship.” He paused and asked, “Have you ever been in love?”
Xiao Can was about to answer, but suddenly became wary, “What’s it to you!”
“Just curious, discussing it,” He Xingzhou said, “You’re weird, why did you suddenly get aggressive talking to me?”
“It’s your problem, if you don’t understand, think about it more,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou lightly clicked his tongue.
The atmosphere became awkward.
Xiao Can rolled his hair with his fingers incessantly, silently reminding himself that there was still an important matter he needed to probe.
“You seem to be very free,” he abruptly changed the subject awkwardly, “Are you staying at home recently?”
“More or less,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can continued to inquire, “What about the next few days, are you staying home too?”
“I have something tomorrow, I need to go out,” He Xingzhou asked, “Why?”
Xiao Can suddenly became nervous, “Where are you going?”
This kind of probing felt somewhat impolite.
Fortunately, He Xingzhou wasn’t someone with much social etiquette, so he naturally replied, “A friend’s bar is opening, I’m going to support.”
Xiao Can breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he wasn’t going to watch surveillance footage.
“What about after that?” he asked.
“You got something for me?” He Xingzhou asked.
“I…” Xiao Can licked his lips, “I want to see Charlie!”
“Then come, you know my address, right?” He Xingzhou said, “Just give me a heads up, I’ll make some delicious food for you.”
“I don’t know when you’re free,” Xiao Can said.
“Except for tomorrow, I have no plans for the next week,” He Xingzhou said, “Actually, tomorrow is fine too. You can come over earlier, or we can go together in the evening.”
“No, no, I don’t know your friend, it’s for another day,” Xiao Can said.
“You can get to know each other,” He Xingzhou chuckled, as if he remembered something, “If I tell you his name, you’d definitely want to meet him.”
Xiao Can keenly sensed the teasing tone in his voice and said displeased, “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you the one who loves to ingratiate yourself with influential people?” He Xingzhou said.
“Ugh!” Xiao Can retorted, “Have I ever ingratiate myself with you?”
“I’m upright and honest, even if you try, it won’t work,” He Xingzhou said.
“I’m not interested in your friends, I only care about Charlie,” Xiao Can emphasized, then asked, “So you don’t have plans to go out for a week, right?”
“Mm.”
Xiao Can breathed a sigh of relief. It meant that He Xingzhou didn’t intend to check the surveillance footage for now. Since he was free now and didn’t feel like going, he probably wouldn’t suddenly decide to visit in the future either.
The retrieved footage should remain sealed.
Although he should have been completely relieved, Xiao Can felt a bit restless in his chest for some reason.
“When do you want to come?” He Xingzhou asked.
“I…” Xiao Can thought, since safety was confirmed, there didn’t seem to be a need to make a special trip.
“Day after tomorrow then,” He Xingzhou had already made the decision for him, “Charlie will be happy to see you.” Then he added unceremoniously, “Remember to bring a gift.”
Right, Charlie. He was going to see Charlie, not He Xingzhou.
He didn’t want to see He Xingzhou, he just liked Charlie.
“Okay, the day after tomorrow,” he said.
“I’ll show off my cooking skills,” He Xingzhou asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Xiao Can wasn’t polite either, “Just make your best dish!” Then he added, “Except for green peppers, eggplants, and loofah, I don’t eat them.”
He Xingzhou complained with a smile, “So picky.”
…..
On the day Xiao Can went to He Xingzhou’s house, he bumped into Mu Nianwen on his way out.
Mu Nianwen was startled by his appearance. “Dressed up so flamboyantly? Robbing a bank?”
“I want to be inconspicuous,” Xiao Can said.
After the show aired, his popularity skyrocketed, far beyond expectations. The influx of new fans completely drowned out any negative voices, and the comments section of his Weibo was already devoid of any discord.
But choosing to wear a duckbill hat, a hoodie, and a mask covering half his face was because he was going to a special place and was worried about attracting criticism if he was recognized.
“Truly a big star,” Mu Nianwen sighed, “I have to hold onto your thigh tightly.”
Xiao Can blew a kiss to him, “Don’t worry, we’ll always support each other.” After that, he extended his hand, “Lend me your car.”
“What about yours?” Mu Nianwen was puzzled.
“Scared of being recognized,” Xiao Can said.
He didn’t know if anyone would recognize his license plate, but it never hurts to be careful.
His cautious behavior finally aroused Mu Nianwen’s suspicion. “Where are you really going?” he asked.
“A friend’s house,” Xiao Can evaded.
Mu Nianwen stared at his face for a moment and asserted, “It’s He Xingzhou.”
“I… um…” Xiao Can hesitated.
“You coming back tonight?” Mu Nianwen asked.
“Of course!”
Mu Nianwen glanced at him a few times, silently went back to his room, took the keys, and threw them to him.
On the way to He Xingzhou’s house, Xiao Can realized that his caution was a bit unnecessary.
He took the elevator down to the underground garage after leaving his house and drove to his destination. After arriving, he got out of the car, entered the underground garage, and took the elevator directly inside. There was no chance of being discovered.
When He Xingzhou opened the door and saw Xiao Can’s outfit, he was stunned.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Guess,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou instantly smiled and turned to shout inside, “Charlie, someone’s here to see you!”
Xiao Can walked in, took off two hats, looked around, and asked, “Where’s Charlie?”
“Don’t know,” He Xingzhou shrugged, “He’s too independent.”
After taking off his mask, Xiao Can felt a bit nervous for no reason, deliberately avoiding looking at him. After changing his shoes, he pretended to look around and shouted, “Charlie? Where are you? Charlie?”
The room was silent.
“Playing hard to get,” He Xingzhou said, “I’ll go look for him.”
As he took a few steps forward, his phone in his pocket rang. He Xingzhou took out his phone and answered it, while Xiao Can followed behind him, continuing to search.
But Xiao Can heard He Xingzhou say into the phone, “Thanks, Officer Cui, thanks, thanks, okay, send it over now.”
Alarm bells rang in Xiao Can’s mind.
After He Xingzhou hung up, Xiao Can immediately asked, “Officer? Did you do something wrong?”
“It’s the surveillance footage from the hotel back then,” He Xingzhou said, “The police are sending it to me.” He smiled at Xiao Can, “Your sneaky behavior of peeking is all recorded, I have the right to pursue it, you know?”
Xiao Can’s mouth fell open, and he silently took a step back, his brain buzzing.
