Entertainment Industry Limited Time Open - Chapter 6:

When Tong Liyue finally opened his eyes,

the morning sun was filtering through the gaps in the curtains, casting soft,

silent stripes across the room.

His head felt heavy and dull, as if a scorching fever had completely

drained him of strength, leaving him utterly weak.

For a moment, he couldn’t recall what had happened the day before.

He remembered collapsing at work, being vaguely rushed to the hospital,

and then returning to the dorm.

He frowned, trying to untangle the threads of his chaotic memory.

Right, he had slipped into the guest room, careful to avoid his manager.

Last night, the other members had knocked on the door and

even called his name repeatedly,

but his fever-addled brain hadn’t wanted to deal with anyone until.

Ren Yuheng had simply forced his way in!

Tong Liyue jolted fully awake. He looked around the empty room in confusion;

Ren Yuheng’s presence was long gone.

Yet, the memory in his mind was sharpening.

He vaguely recalled the other man carefully tending to him,

patiently feeding him water, and softly calling his name.

And then?

A rush of intensely blurred yet strangely real images flooded his mind.

Tong Liyue’s brow furrowed tighter.

He distinctly remembered a warm breath pressing down on him,

a deep voice whispering in his ear, a soft touch gently tracing him, and even

the phantom sensation of lips and teeth intertwining?

“Did… did the fever make me delirious, making me dream something weird?”

Tong Liyue firmly slapped his own face, trying to calm himself,

but a flicker of anxiety rose in his heart.

The figure in his dream possessed broad shoulders and strikingly handsome,

cold features, along with a familiar, clean scent that made him feel inexplicably safe.

He tried to recall: those hands, that scent, and that intense sense of possession…

No way… was that person actually Ren Yuheng?

Tong Liyue’s fever had clouded his consciousness,

making it impossible to distinguish fantasy from reality.

Before he could dwell on it, he noticed a truth that made him even more distraught.

He threw back the comforter, and the next second, his mind went blank.

There were damp marks on the blanket.

A thunderous boom erupted in Tong Liyue’s head.

Trembling, he looked down at his lower body, and a humiliating suspicion surfaced.

Sure enough, he had a wet dream about Ren Yuheng,

and it had even resulted in a clear physical reaction?!

Tong Liyue’s face turned visibly crimson,

the flush spreading from his earlobes all the way down his neck.

His lips twitched. He seemed completely unable to accept this fact.

“Aah—!”

He let out a shriek and hurled the incriminating comforter straight against the far wall!

The sudden commotion startled Jiang Linzhao,

who was watching the news in the living room,

nearly making him drop the remote.

He quickly jumped up and rushed to the guest room door,

frantically knocking. “Xiao Yue! What’s wrong? Can Gege come in”

“Don’t come in!”

Tong Liyue’s heart hammered. He cried out in alarm,

terrified that the other man would charge in and discover his “crime scene.”

He nearly tumbled off the bed, clutching the edge for support,

then guiltily cleared his throat. “I-I’m fine… just startled by a spider…”

Jiang Linzhao paused outside the door, perplexed. “A spider?”

Hearing the noise, Shen Yiran also wandered over,

leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

“Wow, it’s rare to hear Xiao Yue scream.”

Jiang Linzhao snapped back to the moment, frowning.

“Aren’t you not afraid of things like that?”

Tong Liyue was on the verge of a breakdown.

He buried his face in his hands, wishing he could vanish on the spot.

“Are you sure Gege doesn’t need to come in and help?”

Jiang Linzhao was still worried, his voice laced with concern.

“No need! Thank you…” Tong Liyue grit his teeth, forcing the words out.

He struggled to project an image of calm, battling his internal shame.

The two outside exchanged a look. Though they found it odd,

seeing Tong Liyue’s insistence, they didn’t push further and turned away from the door.

Just then, Qiao Zhiqing walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water.

Seeing the situation, he raised an eyebrow at the door to the

guest room and let out a knowing “Tsk.”

Tong Liyue made such a huge fuss, yet Heng-ge didn’t come out to check on him?

That was definitely unusual.

Ren Yuheng lay in bed, a faint shadow of dark circles under his handsome eyes,

a hint of weariness in his expression.

He had barely slept last night.

He had secretly kissed Tong Liyue but then had to pretend nothing happened,

which left him feeling utterly out of sorts. The lingering,

reluctant flutter in his heart was accompanied by the guilt of taking advantage of someone,

keeping him tossing and turning.

Not only that, but he had even miserably gone to the bathroom in the

middle of the night to forcibly calm himself down.

No matter how much cold water he ran, the image of that face,

flushed and damp with fever, refused to leave his mind.

Every time he closed his eyes, he recalled the sensation from last night:

Tong Liyue’s lips were soft and warm, accompanied by a hazy murmur,

and the younger man had unconsciously grabbed his hand,

making it nearly impossible to control himself.

Just now, he had heard Tong Liyue shriek in the guest room.

His first reaction was to leap out of bed. Without even thinking,

he was already at the door, reaching for the handle.

But before he could push it open, he heard their conversation.

Tong Liyue’s panicky voice sounded exceptionally helpless,

instantly reminding Ren Yuheng of how he had…

…tormented Tong Liyue last night.

Ren Yuheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A hint of self-mockery flashed in his eyes.

In the end, he released the doorknob, gritted his teeth,

and climbed back into bed, covering his eyes with his arm.

“Ren Yuheng, you’re a complete scoundrel.”

But even as he said it, he felt no regret.

Tong Liyue was the cornerstone of X-One, the company’s most treasured artist,

and the most popular idol in the entertainment industry.

His sudden collapse on set yesterday had sent shockwaves through the entire company.

The executives had used every connection they had to

suppress the news, terrified it would leak to the media and cause a huge uproar.

Although Tong Liyue himself blamed the incident on not taking care

of his health and didn’t hold anyone responsible,

the manager was still brutally reprimanded.

The manager had been busy non-stop since yesterday,

cleaning up the mess, meeting with supervisors, and

receiving stern words from the higher-ups.

The company had also immediately adjusted

Tong Liyue’s schedule, giving him more rest time, fearful of any further issues.

This was why the entire X-One group had the rare chance to gather in the dorm for breakfast.

“Still have a fever?” Qiao Zhiqing sat next to Tong Liyue with a bowl of porridge,

reaching out to check his forehead. His brow slightly furrowed.

“It’s still a bit warm.”

“Is it?” Tong Liyue turned his head in confusion, touching his own forehead,

then reaching out to compare his temperature with Qiao Zhiqing’s.

“I feel like the fever has gone down a lot.”

Ren Yuheng kept his head down, calmly eating his breakfast,

though his chopsticks paused for a fraction of a second.

His gaze, shielded by the hair falling across his forehead, subtly swept towards the pair.

Too close.

“Xiao Yue must be feeling much better, after all,

the Leader watched over him all night!” Jiang Linzhao chimed in with a grin.

“Cough, cough…” Tong Liyue choked on his water, coughing in a fluster.

He immediately lowered his eyes, too guilty to look at Ren Yuheng.

Shen Yiran, completely unaware of his distress, seriously commented,

“Exactly! Everyone online knows the Leader is the most biased towards Xiao Yue!

The last time I had a fever, Heng-ge just threw me some medicine and left.

I certainly didn’t get this ‘all-night watch’ treatment!”

“Eat your food.” Ren Yuheng’s tone was flat.

He was clearly used to his members’ usual teasing, but at this moment,

his attention was completely focused on Tong Liyue’s reaction.

He had a distinct feeling that Tong Liyue’s mood was completely off today.

In the past, when they were teased, Tong Liyue would either play

along or even occasionally flirt back with a clever retort.

But today, he had been abnormally quiet from start to

finish, barely responding, and deliberately avoiding Ren Yuheng’s gaze.

Did he… remember what happened last night?

Ren Yuheng’s eyes darkened slightly. His fingers unconsciously tightened around his chopsticks.

Tong Liyue felt his stare, and his heart rate uncontrollably sped up.

He lowered his head even further.

Listening to the members’ usual banter, his eyes inadvertently settled on Ren Yuheng.

In this moment, he suddenly realized that his relationship

with Ren Yuheng had always seemed a little more

“special” than with the others.

Whether on TV or in private, Ren Yuheng would always instinctively protect him,

remember all his habits, and always be the first to notice his condition.

He had never cared about these things before. But now,

recalling the snippets of their life together,

he realized he seemed to have missed many subtle details.

What was even more bizarre was that this level of care had always been there,

yet why did he only now feel that something was “not quite right”?

The hardest thing for Tong Liyue to bear was losing a game of rock-paper-scissors,

which meant he had to wash the dishes with Ren Yuheng.

They were always close, so this should have been normal.

But the absurd wet dream from last night had Tong Liyue feeling incredibly guilty.

Just standing next to Ren Yuheng made him feel completely awkward,

unable to face him properly.

“I’ll do it.” Ren Yuheng, as usual, didn’t let Tong Liyue touch the water.

His tone was casual, his movements natural,

as if this kind of care was a deeply ingrained habit.

Tong Liyue stared blankly at Ren Yuheng’s profile.

The fine line of his jaw was smooth and mesmerizing.

The handsomeness in his brows carried a hint of tenderness.

The sight of him seriously focusing on a task was exceptionally steadying.

He had never looked at the other man so closely before.

This face… could it actually make his heart race?

Ren Yuheng noticed his stare and sighed helplessly in his heart.

This person was far too innocent. He didn’t even know how to disguise a sneaky glance.

“Do you… have something you want to say?”

Ren Yuheng took a light breath, trying to summon the courage to face the potential question.

“I…” Tong Liyue came back to himself, his ears inexplicably hot.

His eyes guiltily fluttered away, his small hands unconsciously twisting in front of him.

“I just wanted to say… thank you. Thank you, Ge, for taking care of me last night.”

The words made Ren Yuheng’s conscience fiercely tremble.

If Tong Liyue knew what he had done while he was sleeping, what would he think?

He clenched his jaw, managing to maintain his composure with difficulty.

He replied blandly, “It was nothing.”

Tong Liyue sharply caught the cool tone, hesitating for a moment.

He then impulsively probed, “Ge, how late were you up last night? Did we…”

“Not late.” Ren Yuheng subtly lowered his voice, saying without expression,

I gave you the medicine, and I left after you fell asleep.

Tong Liyue held his breath, observing his expression.

Ren Yuheng’s tone was calm, his expression natural there was no flaw to be found.

“That’s good, then…” He finally let out a sigh of relief, a smile returning to his face.

Sure enough, it was just him having a bizarre wet dream.

The strange atmosphere this morning had almost made

him think something had truly happened.

“Don’t overthink it. Go rest, I can handle this myself.”

Ren Yuheng smiled, smoothly washing the dishes.

“I can’t do that. I lost rock-paper-scissors.

If I just leave all the work to Heng-ge, Yiran-ge will definitely call me a cheater.”

Tong Liyue smiled playfully, slowly putting the cleaned dishes into the drying machine.

Ren Yuheng chuckled softly, then suddenly reached out and covered

Tong Liyue’s hand, which was trying to help.

His warm palm held a touch of possessiveness.

His tone was gentle but left no room for argument.

I told you to rest. Who would dare order you around?

Tong Liyue froze, looking up blankly, meeting Ren Yuheng’s deep gaze.

In that instant, his heartbeat lost its rhythm.

What was this feeling of being meticulously cherished and favored to the extreme?

His beautiful, peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

His clear gaze was innocent as he said with an open-hearted smile,

Leader, you don’t actually like me, do you?

The air instantly went silent.

Tong Liyue had just tossed the question out casually,

his tone light and playful. He assumed Ren Yuheng would smoothly brush it off;

after all, they had joked about this kind of topic many times before.

Unexpectedly, Ren Yuheng abruptly set the bowl down and stepped closer,

placing his hands on the countertop, effectively trapping Tong Liyue in his embrace.

“Well, what if I do?” Ren Yuheng offered a slight smile,

his voice calm and unhurried as he gently gazed at Tong Liyue.

“Huh?” Tong Liyue was stunned. He subconsciously tried to retreat,

only to find his back was already pressed against the countertop.

“You just said it yourself… What if I really like you?”

Ren Yuheng’s tone was steady, yet he closed the distance step by step,

giving Tong Liyue nowhere to hide.

Tong Liyue hadn’t fully processed the possibility of Ren Yuheng liking him.

He just felt his heart beating rapidly, intensely, under the other man’s stare.

The amount of information today was simply too much, making his brain unable to keep up.

To mask his internal turmoil, he tried to play it cool and smiled,

attempting to wave it off as a joke. Then wouldn’t I have to take responsibility for you?

The moment the words left his mouth, a cryptic flash of amusement crossed Ren Yuheng’s eyes.

He leaned in slightly, his voice low and seductive, close to Tong Liyue’s ear.

Fine then. Why don’t you try taking responsibility?