LOI Chapter 18 — Coming Over for Winter

During the treasure hunting variety show filming, Jiang Si found a secluded corner and told the cameraman not to follow. He then took out his phone to search for the clue given by the production team.

“The monkeys’ cries on both riverbanks never cease¹… What’s the next line again?”

After finding the answer online, Jiang Si noticed an unread WeChat message from Zhuang Kang.

[Zhuang Kang: Did you have Liu Qing buy the negative trending topic for Rong Ke?]
[Jiang Si: ?]

Opening Weibo to check, Jiang Si, a frequent trending topic himself, immediately understood what had happened.

On the other end, Zhuang Kang, seeing Jiang Si’s reply, knew he was available and called directly.

“It wasn’t me,” Jiang Si said. “I didn’t tell him to do that.”

“You’d better keep your partner in check. Don’t let him do such foolish things, lest it affects you,” Zhuang Kang said. “Also, I’m letting you know that Rong Ke wants to terminate his contract with the company.”

“Terminate?” Jiang Si’s brows furrowed sharply. “Where did he get the money for the penalty fee? From Yan Zhi?”

“From you,” Zhuang Kang said coldly. “He approached me with your chat records, demanding contract termination. You know what it means if these things go public.”

“He won’t expose them,” Jiang Si said. “I know him. He doesn’t like the back-and-forth drama of the entertainment industry. He’s just bluffing.”

“You think the company can risk it?” Zhuang Kang retorted. “You kept assuring me he wouldn’t break up with you, and then what?”

“That’s because Yan Zhi…” Jiang Si gritted his teeth. “What’s Mr. Zou’s stance?”

“He doesn’t want this to escalate. He hopes for a smooth resolution,” Zhuang Kang said. “You’re the company’s most valuable asset now. We can’t risk any crisis. Rong Ke hasn’t created much value for the company these years anyway. Mr. Zou thinks it’s no loss to let him go.”

“No,” Jiang Si’s voice instantly dropped. “We can’t let him terminate the contract, Zhuang-jie. Trust me, he’s just bluffing. He won’t put himself in the center of public opinion.”

“Are you suggesting the company risk severe damage for someone insignificant?” Zhuang Kang’s tone remained unchanged. “Mr. Zou cares most about the company’s stock price, not a rookie who offended him three years ago.”

“We can’t let him go!” Jiang Si took a deep breath, lowering his voice. “You know the consequences of letting him go. Do I need to remind you?”

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment before Zhuang Kang spoke calmly, “Are you afraid?”

Jiang Si didn’t answer, changing the subject instead, “I’m certain he won’t expose anything. You’re a top-tier manager. How can you let him lead you by the nose?”

“People change, Jiang Si,” Zhuang Kang said flatly. “When you two first got together, didn’t you protest to me on his behalf? Complaining that the company wasn’t giving him good resources?”

“What, now you’re afraid he’ll spread his wings and fly?”

Jiang Si pressed his lips tightly, his face gloomy as he remained silent.

“Your thoughts, my thoughts, they don’t matter,” Zhuang Kang said. “If Mr. Zou doesn’t think it’s worth risking for this person, then it’s not worth it.”

“That’s because Mr. Zou doesn’t understand him,” Jiang Si said.

“It’s still Mr. Zou’s decision,” Zhuang Kang replied. “This matter is settled. Tell Liu Qing to stop provoking him. Leave the rest to me, and don’t worry about being exposed.”

After hanging up, Jiang Si gripped his phone tightly, watching the hashtag #What Does ‘Crashing a Show’ Mean# climb steadily on the trending list.

[He was clearly invited by the fashion industry’s prince. Are gossip accounts running out of things to post?]
[Rong Ke even had dinner with CVV’s CEO. Has Jiang Si ever received such an invitation?]
[As far as I know, last time, he just walked a show and left]
[No, he’s not invited /dog emoji]
[Saying Rong Ke crashed is definitely someone stirring up trouble. It’s too obvious. He might have offended someone]
[Who could he offend? The one who lost the MQ New Year cover to him? /dog emoji]
[Above, just report your ID card number already]
[Don’t spread rumors. Sisi and Rong Ke worked together on “Inferno Case”. They’re good friends off-screen. Don’t throw false accusations at us]
[The wire ball fans² are here. Let’s disperse, everyone]

“What are you doing here?” Someone approached Jiang Si, looking around. “Found any clues? The show’s questions are too difficult.”

Jiang Si, feeling extremely irritated, asked coldly, “Haven’t you seen the trending topics?”

“What about them?” Liu Qing raised an eyebrow, with a vague sense of unease. “My phone’s with my assistant.”

“See for yourself.” Jiang Si shoved his phone into Liu Qing’s hands.

Two minutes later.

“So,” Liu Qing took a deep breath, “that Futuristic Warrior piece he’s wearing is an original CVV.”

Earlier, when receiving the Artist of the Year Award, Liu Qing’s styling team tried to borrow this outfit from CVV but was rejected, saying Liu Qing’s aura couldn’t carry the metallic feel of the clothes.

Even someone of his status was refused, so when his assistant accidentally came across Rong Ke’s street photos, Liu Qing’s first reaction was: how could Rong Ke possibly wear this outfit?

“Can’t you use your brain?” Mindful of the nearby filming crew, Jiang Si struggled to suppress his anger. “What’s his relationship with Yan Zhi? How could it be crashing? He can’t even afford a plane ticket, how the hell could he crash in Paris?”

“How should I know what his relationship with Yan Zhi is?” Liu Qing was also getting angry. “Didn’t they just shoot a cover together?”

“If they weren’t close, would Yan Zhi remove me for his sake?” Jiang Si said. “I’m begging you, can you not drag me into your stupidity?”

“Teachers,” a staff member approached, “it’s time to move to the next location. Please follow me.”

“What kind of lousy segment have you set up?” Liu Qing snapped. “Making people walk around outside in the dead of winter. We’re freezing to death here, okay?”

“Uh.” The staff member was suddenly at a loss. “I’m sorry, the final venue is indoors. Let’s move forward first.”

–

Waking up from a nap, Rong Ke found his inbox filled with photos from the street photographer.

These were the shots taken with Yan Zhi at the SPL entrance. Both wore outfits with matching design elements, standing shoulder to shoulder or back to back. Their poses were casual yet natural, their chemistry undeniable, their aura so powerful it seemed to burst through the photos.

Rong Ke selected a few to post on Weibo, casually captioning: The meaning of ‘crashing a show’ is to freeload while showing off. @YanZhi

He thought the prince next door might still be asleep, but surprisingly, a refresh brought an immediate reply.

[Yan Zhi: You are bullying me because my Chinese is not good //@RongKe: The meaning of ‘crashing a show’ is to freeload while showing off.]

It was a repost.

Another refresh, and hundreds of comments appeared.

Besides normal discussions about the crashing incident, CP fans were once again building skyscrapers.

[Aww, I knew hubby wasn’t crashing. He was just visiting wifey’s family]
[No more words needed, RongYan Forever is real /heart/ /heart/ /heart/]
[Sisters, I just realized wifey is a tiny bit taller than hubby?]
[Wifey must be wearing high heels]
[Look at pic 2, their heel heights are the same]
[Doesn’t Baidu say they’re both 185cm? Could the info be wrong?]
[Please, celebrity heights on Baidu are the least accurate data in the world]
[I checked the Wiki, turns out wifey is 187cm, seems a bit taller than hubby]
[It’s okay, height isn’t the most important thing. Look at pic 3, wifey tilting his head on hubby’s shoulder, so cute!]
[But wifey’s expression looks so dominant in this one]
[Speaking of which, hubby hasn’t posted on Weibo yet, but wifey already rushed to respond. So alpha!]
[Right! I was just about to say that. Wifey is so manly, I’m team wifey-top for a second]
[Count me in for a second]
[I’m kind of tempted to switch sides (hiding under a pot lid and running away)]
[Heretics get out, Beauty God could never be a fifteen-minute man]

Rong Ke felt somewhat helpless, wondering how these CP fans would react if they knew they were shipping sisters³.

“Knock knock.” The door opened, and Yan Zhi poked half his body in, yawning. “Get up, I’m taking you shopping.”

Rong Ke threw off the covers, casually getting out of bed in his underwear. “Another street shoot?”

“No.” Yan Zhi glanced at that flash of white. “Buying you clothes.”

Rong Ke didn’t want Yan Zhi spending money on him, but Yan Zhi said it was an investment and seemed to enjoy playing dress-up endlessly, so Rong Ke let him be.

They’d gone to Paris with two 30-inch suitcases but were returning with four.

The plane landed smoothly on the runway, covered with a thin layer of frost. Only then did Rong Ke realize that the cold front from the north had reached the city.

The weather had been increasingly strange in recent years, with temperatures in the dead of winter sometimes reaching the teens. Rong Ke had thought this year would be a mild winter, but unexpectedly, they’d had the heaviest snow in a decade.

As soon as they left the cabin and entered the jet bridge, a blast of cold air hit them. Rong Ke was instantly frozen.

He crossed his arms over his chest, hunching his shoulders as he walked forward, only recovering once they entered the terminal.

While waiting for their luggage, Rong Ke took out his phone and opened a shopping app.

Yan Zhi tried to chat with him several times, but Rong Ke was evasive. After a while, Yan Zhi leaned in, “What are you buying?”

“An electric heater,” Rong Ke said. “My place doesn’t have floor heating.”

Southern winters were like magic attacks. Rong Ke considered himself cold-resistant, but that blast upon leaving the plane made him realize he shouldn’t underestimate this cold wave.

As more people gathered to wait for luggage, Yan Zhi pulled up his scarf. Suddenly remembering something, he asked Rong Ke, “When are you going home for the New Year?”

Rong Ke’s gaze remained on his phone. “It’s just me at home.”

“Is that so?” Yan Zhi said, “I’m also staying here alone for the New Year.”

— Europe doesn’t have a Spring Festival holiday, and Yan Fei had work. It wasn’t worth traveling over 20 hours there and back.

Rong Ke slowly raised his head to look at Yan Zhi, an idea forming in his mind.

“How about,” Yan Zhi adjusted his sunglasses, “you come to my place for the winter?”

Rong Ke had been thinking the same thing but felt it might be imposing. “Won’t I be bothering you?”

“Not at all,” Yan Zhi said. “It’s boring being alone.”

Rong Ke nodded, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea.

Now it was Yan Zhi’s turn to browse the shopping app.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Rong Ke thought he was preparing for the New Year and asked, “What are you buying?”

Yan Zhi replied cheerfully, “Buying you a few pretty aprons.”

Rong Ke: “…”

He reasonably suspected that His Royal Highness was worried about not being able to order takeout during the holiday and needed a cook.