The room suddenly quieted down.
Gu Chenyan’s hand, which was rolling up Qiao Shu’s pant legs, paused. He lifted his head, and his pitch-black, deep eyes locked onto Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Meeting this gaze, Qiao Shu, who was already feeling guilty, became even more nervous. He quickly averted his gaze from Gu Chenyan’s and looked up at the ceiling, then glanced at the wall, and finally turned his gaze towards the sky outside the door… He dared not meet Gu Chenyan’s eyes again.
Gu Chenyan: “What did you just call me?”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
Qiao Shu pretended to be dumbfounded. His cheeks were flushing and his gaze floated as he looked at the ceiling above. “What? I didn’t say anything just now.” Blinking nervously, he tried to argue boldly, “I didn’t say anything.”
Although he didn’t meet Gu Chenyan’s eyes, Qiao Shu could still feel Gu Chenyan staring at him. This made him, who had just “done something wrong”, feel even more anxious and flustered. His ears quickly turned red and hot. Once again, he nervously argued, “I really didn’t say anything.”
Qiao Shu: “Little Mr. Qiao really didn’t say anything.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Gu Chenyan lowered his head again and continued rolling up Qiao Shu’s pant legs. His fingers were slender, with well-defined joints. It made the action of rolling up the pant legs look pleasing to the eye.
Qiao Shu’s head involuntarily lowered again, and his gaze fell on Gu Chenyan’s fingers.
This man…
He swallowed hard.
Qiao Shu: “Dad.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Once again feeling guilty, he quickly raised his head and continued to look at the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
But this time, Qiao Shu couldn’t even look for a few seconds before a shadow fell, and then a large hand grabbed the back of his neck.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Innocently blinked.
Qiao Shu: “Done?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
He looked at Qiao Shu. “Did the silent Little Mr. Qiao just speak?”
“Ah.” Qiao Shu lowered his head to look at his pant legs, then exaggeratedly praised, “Mr. Gu, the way you roll up the pant legs looks so good. No one else in the world could do it better than you.”
Qiao Shu: “Great job.”
Suddenly, his chin was pinched.
Qiao Shu was forced to lift his head.
Gu Chenyan: “Call me Dad?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Gu Chenyan: “Why are you calling me Dad?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “Um.”
Qiao Shu: “Well…”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu’s brain worked overtime. His eyes blinked rapidly as he stuttered, “Little Mr. Qiao is very obedient, very obedient.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu: “So, can I not say it?”
Gu Chenyan: “No.”
Qiao Shu pouted.
“Mr. Gu~”
Gu Chenyan looked at him.
Qiao Shu: “…”
“Just, just…” Qiao Shu stuttered, suddenly having a bright idea. His eyes lit up. “We, we drew the father-son relationship, right?”
Qiao Shu: “I’m just getting used to it in advance.”
Qiao Shu: “Mm!”
“Respect the character the production team has given us.” He put on a thick-skinned face and sincerely met Gu Chenyan’s gaze.
Gu Chenyan: “Really?”
Qiao Shu nodded heavily: “Really.”
Gu Chenyan’s head lowered, getting closer and closer to Qiao Shu’s face.
Beauty was right before him.
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but swallow nervously, then slowly closed his eyes, his pink lips slightly pursed.
Gu Chenyan chuckled softly, “Good boy.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
He opened his eyes.
Gu Chenyan ruffled his hair.
Qiao Shu blinked, “What did you just call me?”
Gu Chenyan calmly replied, “Good boy.”
Qiao Shu: “You…”
Gu Chenyan: “Respect the character.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Ah!
Excitement!
The director’s voice came through the speaker, breaking the blush-inducing atmosphere between the two: “Gather up.”
Gu Chenyan paused for a moment and released Qiao Shu’s chin. He held Qiao Shu’s hand. “Shall we go out?”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm.”
He tried hard to suppress his somewhat excited feelings.
The two walked out hand in hand.
Qiao Shu looked up at the handsome profile of the man beside him, but he couldn’t suppress his excitement.
Qiao Shu: “Mr. Gu.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu: “Lower your head.”
Gu Chenyan was puzzled, but he still lowered his head.
Qiao Shu pursed his lips and leaned close to Gu Chenyan’s ear: “I’ll tell you the answer.”
Qiao Shu: “Because I want to call you that.”
Qiao Shu: “Dad.”
Qiao Shu teased and then ran off.
Gu Chenyan stood still, watching Qiao Shu’s fleeing figure. After a few seconds, his chest shook, emitting a low chuckle.
He quickly took a few steps forward and reminded, “Take it slow. Watch out for the steps.”
Qiao Shu indeed slowed down his pace.
Gu Chenyan strode with his long legs, reaching Qiao Shu’s side and holding his hand.
Qiao Shu stole a glance at him.
Gu Chenyan ruffled his hair. “Good boy.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Ahem!
In his mind, there were all sorts of inappropriate scenes!
Phew
A whistle snapped Qiao Shu back to reality. He rubbed his slightly flushed face and looked up towards the source of the sound.
He saw Zhou Yanqing whistling in a certain direction.
Zhou Yanqing: “Hahaha!”
Zhou Yanqing: “Chu, you’re really lucky, hahaha! You’ve hit the jackpot!”
At this moment, everyone gradually made their way into the courtyard. Subconsciously, upon hearing Zhou Yanqing’s voice, they followed his gaze.
There was a moment of silence around.
Qiao Shu also immediately looked in the direction Zhou Yanqing was gazing.
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
This production team really knows how to make a big deal, just like in the book!
When they say cross-dressing, they really mean it!
Jiang Jiayu was wearing a black long straight wig, a long skirt, and a beige coat. He was already slim, with a small face. The makeup artist had softened his facial contours, making him look completely natural and even a bit stunning.
Feeling embarrassed under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Jiayu shyly hid behind Chu Chisheng, not daring to lift his head.
This classic scene excited Qiao Shu. He let go of Gu Chenyan’s hand and ran to Jiang Jiayu.
Jiang Jiayu, annoyed, said, “Stop looking!”
Qiao Shu: “I just want to have a look.”
Qiao Shu: “Not bad, not bad.”
Qiao Shu: “Little beauty~”
Jiang Jiayu glared at him. “Stop laughing.”
Qiao Shu covered his mouth to suppress his laughter. “I’m not laughing.” But his eyes were full of amusement.
No sincerity at all!
What a tease!
Jiang Jiayu glared at him.
Qiao Shu innocently blinked.
A figure slowly approached them. Jiang Jiayu cleverly suddenly launched a magical attack on Qiao Shu, “Qiao Qiao, where’s your daddy?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Imitating Qiao Shu’s smile, Jiang Jiayu said, “Where’s your dad, Qiao Qiao?”
Facing Jiang Jiayu, Qiao Shu wasn’t just an ordinary Qiao Shu. How could he be frightened by this title? Completely unaware of Jiang Jiayu’s mischievous intentions, he grinned and said, “My dad is right there.”
Qiao Shu: “As for your husband…”
Qiao Shu smirked and looked towards Chu Chisheng’s direction.
Blushing, Jiang Jiayu glanced at Chu Chisheng, then quickly averted his gaze as if he had been scalded. “You…”
Qiao Shu felt triumphant.
Suddenly, Jiang Jiayu laughed, “Qiao Qiao.”
Qiao Shu was caught off guard.
Jiang Jiayu pointed behind him, “Your dad is here.”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
Qiao Shu blinked slowly, turned around slowly, and then saw his “dad”.
At this moment, his “dad” was less than ten centimeters away from him.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Jiang Jiayu added fuel to the fire, “Qiao Qiao, dad needs to be called “dad” face to face.”
Jiang Jiayu: “Right, Qiao Qiao’s dad?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Serious.
Qiao Shu: “…”
What’s the point of this love-hate relationship?
On the side, Zhou Yanqing was already laughing hysterically. Standing behind him, Xiao Bai glanced at Chu Chisheng, then at Gu Chenyan, and finally looked at Zhou Yanqing.
He seemed slightly distracted.
Everyone had changed their appearance and put on makeup so that they wouldn’t be recognized by fans. The makeup artist had darkened everyone’s skin tone, making them look much less glamorous than usual.
Without careful observation, they were unrecognizable.
Except for Gu Chenyan.
His temperament was too outstanding. Even though the makeup artist tried to make him look plain, he still didn’t resemble someone going to work.
The old and worn-out middle-aged uncle clothes on him even gave off a branded effect.
Makeup artist: “…”
Everyone gathered in the courtyard, curiously observing each other, chatting and laughing.
Qiao Shu saw that among the sisters, Lu Yiyi had put on a man’s wig. Obviously, she was playing the role of an Uncle, and surprisingly, she looked quite handsome as a guy.
Completely different from her appearance when she first appeared, if it weren’t for Qiao Shu knowing the contents of the book, he wouldn’t have recognized that the handsome guy in front of him was Lu Yiyi.
After chatting for a while, the chief director saw that they had adapted to their roles, so he spoke up, “Very good. Now that everyone looks like this, it shouldn’t be easy for others to recognize us. Next, to maintain the disguise, please address your team members according to the roles they are playing.”
Everyone: “!!!”
Some were excited, some were eager, and some were too shy to speak.
The shy one was Jiang Jiayu.
His face was almost as red as an apple, and his head was getting lower and lower. Qiao Shu suspected that Jiang Jiayu wanted to bury himself alive on the spot.
And the eager one was Qiao Shu.
Ahem!
Qiao Shu’s gaze kept drifting towards Gu Chenyan, wanting to keep calling him dad…
Ah!
Too thrilling!
Gu Chenyan looked at him.
Qiao Shu: “…”
He turned his head awkwardly.
The director was still stirring things up, “Now, everyone, try calling each other by the roles you’re playing. You should get used to it.”
Qiao Shu: Ahem!
“Hahaha, sister-in-law, hurry up and call him,” Zhou Yanqing didn’t bother adjusting to the new title with Xiao Bai. Instead, he came over to Qiao Shu’s side, eagerly wanting to hear Qiao Shu call Gu Chenyan “dad”.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “You, go away.”
You are ruining the atmosphere.
He’s just boldly brewing something, isn’t he?
Zhou Yanqing: “Don’t be stingy, sister-in-law. You’ll have to call him sooner or later, and I’ll have to hear it sooner or later.”
Zhou Yanqing: “Hurry up!”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu looked at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan: “Don’t tease him.”
Zhou Yanqing immediately fell silent.
Gu Chenyan stared at Zhou Yanqing.
Zhou Yanqing: “…”
“Alright, I get it.” He pouted, feeling wronged, then turned around and walked away, dragging his feet. He happily ran over to Chu Chisheng and Jiang Jiayu.
Gu Chenyan: “Qiao Shu.”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm?”
Gu Chenyan seriously said: “Let’s adapt a bit.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
His face turned red. He was about to catch fire!
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu bit his lip.
Qiao Shu: “Dad!”
The voice was very soft and very shy.
Gu Chenyan pinched Qiao Shu’s chin, lifted his head, and made him look at him directly.
Gu Chenyan: “Louder. I didn’t hear you.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Gu Chenyan: “Say it again.”
Qiao Shu’s eyes suddenly looked strange. He stared at Gu Chenyan and suddenly revealed a mischievous smile.
Qiao Shu: “Mr. Gu.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu tiptoed, leaned close to Gu Chenyan’s ear, and whispered softly, “Mr. Gu.”
Gu Chenyan placed his hand on Qiao Shu’s waist.
Qiao Shu: “Do you, do you like it when I call you dad?”
Gu Chenyan looked at him.
Qiao Shu also looked at Gu Chenyan.
“Dad!” He suddenly launched an attack.
Gu Chenyan’s eyes flickered, and then he calmly said, “This title is not bad.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Ah!
Gu Chenyan evolved again!
Qiao Shu screamed inwardly.
Gu Chenyan: “Call me again?”
Qiao Shu: Ahem “Dad!”
He evolved too!
How could LSP lose?
Actually, he quite liked this title. After all, it’s quite poetic and playful.
Ahem!
LSP, stay focused!
The drifting Qiao Shu was quickly brought back to reality.
On the other side, Chu Chisheng suddenly approached the director and said, “Director, nowadays, couples rarely call each other husband and wife. Most people just use names, or at most, something more intimate.”
Director: “Uh…”
Chu Chisheng continued, “So, I’ll call Jiayu ‘Xiao Yu’ and Jiayu can call me ‘Brother’ so that others can understand our close relationship.”
The director hesitated. He wanted the effect. But when he glanced at Jiang Jiayu, who couldn’t even lift his head, and looked at the wig on Jiang Jiayu’s head, and the dress he was wearing…
Director: “…”
It seemed a bit too much.
Ahem!
The director’s conscience kicked in just in time, so he said, “Okay.”
Jiang Jiayu breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked gratefully at Chu Chisheng with his watery eyes, and Chu Chisheng reached out to rub his head.
Chu Chisheng: “Xiao Yu, call me ‘Brother’.”
Jiang Jiayu: “…”
Jiang Jiayu: “Bro, brother…”
With the issue of addressing settled, the director had four prepared stalls brought over. “It’s already ten o’clock now. In a while, around eleven, the nearby school will be letting out. You need to set up snack stalls at the school gate during that time to earn the basic funds for your trip.”
Director: “These four snack stalls are what you’ll be selling next. According to the program’s investigation, these four stalls sell the favorite snacks of the students, so they’ll bring in the best business.”
Director: “Next, you’ll choose the snack stall you want to operate. After making your selection, the stall owner will teach you how to operate it.”
Director: “The items sold at the four snack stalls are different, and the difficulty of operation varies. To be fair, we’ll have a game now, and the winner will get to pick the first snack stall.”
Standing next to Gu Chenyan, Qiao Shu’s nose twitched. He excitedly tugged at Gu Chenyan’s sleeve, sniffing the aroma of food filling the air.
Qiao Shu: “It’s Oden!”
Qiao Shu: “And takoyaki.”
He sniffed again. “And fried chicken strips, french fries, and grilled tofu!”
His eyes lit up with excitement.
Continuously salivating, he resembled a greedy little cat.
Gu Chenyan couldn’t help but smile.
Qiao Shu eagerly pulled Gu Chenyan towards the four snack stalls. He found that the items sold at the four stalls were indeed as he had guessed. Proudly, he looked up at Gu Chenyan. “I’m pretty good, right?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Gu Chenyan: “Little Mr. Qiao is the best.”
Qiao Shu felt proud.
He looked back at the four snack stalls, feeling tempted by the fried chicken strips and french fries stall. He swallowed and asked, “Can I eat?”
The stall owner smiled and said, “Sure.”
Then he handed Qiao Shu a freshly fried serving.
By now, everyone had gathered around with enthusiasm, eagerly watching and tasting what they found interesting.
Qiao Shu held the fried chicken strip skewered with a bamboo stick, gently blew on it, and then put it into his mouth.
Qiao Shu: “Mmm.”
Qiao Shu: “Delicious!”
Qiao Shu: “It tastes just like the ones outside the school gate.”
Qiao Shu happily skewered another chicken strip. This time, he blew on it and handed it to Gu Chenyan. “You should try it too.”
Gu Chenyan glanced at it.
Qiao Shu encouraged him.
Gu Chenyan took a bite.
Qiao Shu asked, “How is it? Is it good? Does it bring back memories?”
Gu Chenyan replied, “Not bad.”
Gu Chenyan: “Memories?”
Gu Chenyan: “I haven’t tried these before.”
Qiao Shu blinked at his words, then skewered a french fry and handed it to Gu Chenyan. “I’ll accompany you to eat in the future.”
Qiao Shu: “I’ve tried many snacks outside the school gates. From elementary to middle school, high school, and even college. I’ve tried them all.”
Gu Chenyan: “Mmm.”
Qiao Shu: “Of course, as long as you like it. If you like it, I’ll take you there.”
Gu Chenyan smiled, “Sure.”
Qiao Shu laughed happily.
Except for Qiao Shu and Jiang Jiayu, who were not afraid of gaining weight, everyone tried a bit of each snack stall, eating quite a bit. The others just tasted the flavors.
Of course, Qiao Shu and Jiang Jiayu, being close friends with similar tastes, naturally enjoyed these snacks.
When the director saw that everyone had tried almost everything, he said, “Alright, time is running short. Let’s play a game to determine the winner.”
The staff brought four bags of balloons to the director. He shook the bags and said, “To save time, we’ll compete by blowing up balloons. Whichever group blows up more balloons within five minutes gets to choose their snack stall first. This game is absolutely fair and just.”
The director had the staff demonstrate what size a properly inflated balloon should be.
Qiao Shu looked at the balloons in front of him and pouted.
Gu Chenyan noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Shu said, “It’s unfair.”
Gu Chenyan asked, “Why?”
Qiao Shu replied, “My lung capacity isn’t as good as before. I might lose in the competition later.”
Qiao Shu: “Ah!”
Qiao Shu: “I don’t want to lose!”
Gu Chenyan said, “Don’t worry, I’ll try to blow more.”
Qiao Shu looked at him, eagerly asking, “Are you good at blowing balloons?”
Gu Chenyan hesitated. He had never blown up balloons before, but he remained composed. After a moment of thought, he replied, “I’ll try my best to blow more.”
Qiao Shu nodded eagerly.
The director began counting, “Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
“Start!”
The guests who received balloons quickly picked them up and began blowing hard into them.
Qiao Shu’s group did the same.
Qiao Shu blew hard into his balloon, but he felt tired after only a few breaths, and the balloon in his hand only grew slightly.
Phew
Qiao Shu pouted in frustration and looked at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan was determined. He blew the balloon with all his effort, disregarding his appearance with his cheeks puffed out.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “Hahaha!”
Qiao Shu couldn’t help but laugh out loud, quickly taking out his phone and snapping a picture of Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan: “…”
He stopped, pinching the mouth of the balloon to prevent the air from escaping.
He looked at Qiao Shu helplessly.
Qiao Shu continued to laugh, “Mr. Gu, you’re so adorable like this.”
Qiao Shu: “It’s the first time I’ve seen you like this.”
Gu Chenyan: “Good boy.”
He handed the blown-up balloon to Qiao Shu, rubbing his head gently. “If you’re tired, you don’t have to blow. You tie, and I’ll blow.”
Qiao Shu was momentarily stunned.
Then he leaned forward and kissed Gu Chenyan on the cheek. “Mr. Gu, you’re really kind.”
Gu Chenyan looked at him. “Call me dad.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Qiao Shu: “Dad.”
Qiao Shu: “Hehe.”
Gu Chenyan: “You.”
During the competition, Qiao Shu didn’t bother Gu Chenyan too much. He quickly took the balloon and tied it up obediently.
Meanwhile, Gu Chenyan took over the balloon that Qiao Shu had blown halfway and continued blowing.
Tying balloons was not difficult for Qiao Shu, and as he tied, he looked at the man in front of him.
With his cheeks puffed from blowing the balloon, the man looked a bit disheveled, and with the makeup on his face, he didn’t have his usual handsome CEO appearance. But at this moment, Qiao Shu found this version of Gu Chenyan extremely handsome, so attractive that it made his heart race, made him slightly lost in thought, and his lips kept curving upwards, forming a super sweet smile.
The head of the Gu family, the richest man in Haicheng, such a high and handsome figure, was here accompanying him to record a variety show, wearing inexpensive clothes, and trying hard to blow balloons for him regardless of his appearance.
Ah!
So much love!
How could Gu Chenyan be so good?
With each passing day, Gu Chenyan treated him better than the day before.
He was his husband.
Hooray!
He married right!
Qiao Shu was incredibly happy.
Gu Chenyan’s balloon-blowing speed was quite fast. Basically, by the time Qiao Shu finished tying one balloon and spaced out for a few seconds, Gu Chenyan would have already finished blowing one.
Director: “Time’s up!”
Gu Chenyan quickly blew the last breath into the balloon, then tied it up with a quick twist. The other teams did the same, all rushing to finish blowing their final balloons.
Only the sisters, Lu Yiyi and Lu Jian, dropped their balloons as soon as they heard the director’s voice.
The staff came over to check and count.
In the end, Jiang Jiayu and Chu Chishi won first place, blowing a total of twelve qualifying balloons. Zhou Yanqing and Xiao Bai came in third, blowing eight. The sisters came in fourth, only managing to blow six qualifying balloons.
With only Gu Chenyan’s solo effort, he and Qiao Shu surprisingly ranked second, blowing a total of nine qualifying balloons.
Zhou Yanqing appeared beside them at some point, saying, “Bro, you’re impressive!” as he gave a thumbs up.
He had seen it all when they were blowing the balloons. Being a doting husband, his brother didn’t let his wife blow a single balloon, doing everything himself and only letting his wife tie one.
Witnessing that disheveled appearance while blowing the balloons was a first for him.
Zhou Yanqing: “You blew nine balloons all by yourself. I lost.”
Jiang Jiayu also walked over, exclaiming, “Wow, President Gu blew nine balloons all by himself?”
Qiao Shu felt proud, holding his head high as if he had blown all those balloons himself, filled with a glorious sense of achievement.
Qiao Shu said, “My husband is the best.”
Qiao Shu: “Right, husband?”
Gu Chenyan ruffled his hair.
Zhou Yanqing began, “Great lung capacity, good…”
But he swallowed the last word and glanced meaningfully at Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu: “…”
LSP Qiao Shu understood instantly.
His face slowly turned red.
Suddenly, the image of that night when Gu Chenyan gave him… crossed his mind.
He silently covered his face.
Deep down, he silently affirmed that Gu Chenyan indeed had remarkable lung capacity.
Cough!
Mind, stop it!
