Me And My Four Dancers - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Annoying Person

Yan Shuo expressed his deep sympathy and condolences to Qi Haoyu. While boating on the lake that afternoon, he couldn’t help but wonder: online dating is truly unreliable.

But he was different from Qi Haoyu. Qi Haoyu was serious about online dating, while he was just chatting casually. However, even if it was just idle talk, the sudden appearance of a man on the other side of the girl’s face was deeply hurtful.

Yan Shuo felt a pang of sympathy and decided to carefully inquire about the other person’s gender the next time he checked QQ.

…No, he didn’t need to worry about this. Hadn’t they agreed to stop chatting on QQ just to be safe? He hadn’t been on QQ for the past few days, and he didn’t plan to do so again.

Forget it, just let it go.

Yan Shuo and Shen Ze spent the afternoon wandering around Lover’s Lake. As instructed by the director, they wore masks and sunglasses and changed into more modest clothes. However, in such a crowded public place, it was nearly impossible not to be recognized. Yan Shuo suspected the director was either out of their minds or doing it on purpose.

As expected, the production team was incredibly cunning. After the show ended, they returned to their room and checked the internet. “Meeting Yan Shuo and Shen Ze” was trending. Clicking on it revealed a ton of videos and photos taken by passersby. “Superstar” was also trending.

It was all a gimmick.

While Shen Ze was showering, Yan Shuo checked Weibo’s super-topic rankings. After days of diligent promotion, the “Shanying” CP super-topic had already made its way from the North Pole into the top ten and was still climbing.

Yan Shuo didn’t quite understand. Wasn’t his and Shen Ze’s promotion fake enough? Why were so many people buying into this? Were the fans truly innocent enough? They couldn’t tell they were deliberately hyping up the CP.

However, he clicked on the super topic out of curiosity and realized he was too naive—

“Ahhhhhhh, well done to the production team! Lover’s Lake! Secret meeting! Please keep arranging them!”

“Tsk tsk, look at the awkward looks between Brother Yan and Brother Ze, they’re probably cursing the director in their hearts.”

“Forced into prostitution, marriage first, love later, fake play becomes real meme! I’m cracking up!”

“Forced into prostitution isn’t used like that…”

“Don’t worry about the details.”

“Sparkling will become real sooner or later! They’ve already arranged to live together, so how long can the fake play become real?”

“Ah, you guys… Is that what everyone thinks? Actually, I think it’s happening right now, qaq. Today’s Reuters footage is so informative. At the 1:20 mark of this video [link], they’re recognized. There’s a crowd, and Yanyan gets bumped. Ze Ge reaches out and pulls him to his side, protecting him. Just then, Yanyan looks up at Ze Ge—and notice here, Yanyan’s eyes are clearly observing Ze Ge, cautiously and carefully…”

“Yeah, yeah! I noticed it too. Ze Ge and Yanyan’s gazes are similar. There’s always a mysterious, tentative quality to them, as if they’re… While suppressing themselves, they desperately try to dig into the other person’s inner thoughts to confirm something…”

“Oh my god???”

“I’m going to replay today’s Reuters video a hundred times!”

“If this is true, they’re actually quite unhappy…”

“Of course. Yanyan was always forced by Li Linjia to be in a relationship with (), and she didn’t dare to show her love for Ze Ge. Now that she’s finally freed, she’s forced to be in a relationship with Ze Ge again—he does like Ze Ge, but liking him and being in a relationship are two different things. Shandiao is now in the spotlight, and God knows what he’s been up to lately. They’ve endured countless insults, yet they’ve had to suppress their feelings while still working, afraid to let their true feelings slip… If they did, Aunt Li would definitely tear them apart. This woman is truly vicious. Yan and I are just pawns in her hype and money-making scheme. She doesn’t care if they’re hurt or upset.

“I’m going to say it now! QAQ I’m so miserable!”

“No! I don’t believe it! My couple isn’t that abusive!!”

“Ah, this kind of love that’s superficially uninhibited but actually restrained, so cautious and treading on thin ice! QAQ I’m dying…”

“555555555 is rio!”

…

Yan Shuo: “…”

Okay, OK.

But they’re right about one thing. His relationship with Shen Ze is indeed restrained, to the point of being quite strained.

If it stayed that way until the end of the show, it would be awkward. Three months…

This is where the importance of having a team comes into play. If the other teammates were there, how could it be so awkward? At least Qi Haoyu, the lively and funny guy, would be trying his best to liven things up.

…

That night, Yan Shuo fell asleep, consumed with longing for his younger brother, Qi. The next afternoon, after work, Li Linjia had indeed requested time off for them. They stayed with the production crew for dinner, and as soon as it got dark, he and Shen Ze headed out together.

The address Qi Haoyu had given in the WeChat group was a KTV. When they emerged, Shen Ze was wrapped in a coat, wearing a mask and a baseball cap. It was late autumn, and the nights were chilly, but Yan Shuo, keen on playing it cool, remained in his ethereal attire, sunglasses perched on his nose, and his swaggering walk shone, as if afraid others wouldn’t recognize him as a celebrity.

Shen Ze glanced at him, but Yan Shuo took the glance as a compliment and walked calmly into the private room.

Qi Haoyu, Li Jin, and Fu Xinyan had already arrived. Shen Ze took off his coat and hung it up. Yan Shuo slipped his sunglasses into his coat pocket. The two of them sat down next to Qi Haoyu and began to play their own games.

It couldn’t be helped. A get-together for the “Plastic Girls” group, especially one that was semi-work-related, wasn’t really exciting.

People in their line of work had so little personal time. When they did get a break, they just wanted to savor it, shed the camera mask, and do whatever they wanted. They didn’t bother putting on fake smiles or socializing; it was exhausting.

In that respect, the five of them had a tacit understanding; no one pushed anyone.

So, Fu Xinyan sat at the karaoke machine, dominating the microphone, while Li Jin and Chen played games in a duo. Yan Shuo was pulled into a corner by Qi Haoyu to listen to the elementary school student recount his tragic online romance, a story that was bizarre, heart-wrenching, full of youthful sweetness, and ultimately a scam.

“How would I know she was a man!” Qi Haoyu filled his glass and drank it down in one gulp, mimicking the way they drown their sorrows in alcohol on TV. But he wasn’t very good at drinking, and he choked and coughed, looking even more awful.

Yan Shuo felt both pitiful and amused. He held him down with an awkward expression, “Don’t get excited. Calm down.”

“No, I can’t,” Qi Haoyu said. “What’s his mentality, brother? A man pretending to be a little girl and hooking up online—how interesting is that?—Scam! Stupid scam! I’m going to expose him!”

Yan Shuo: “…”

Don’t expose yourself.

Yan Shuo was terribly worried. He was no comforter, let alone someone who’d been heartbroken. But was Qi Haoyu’s situation truly heartbroken? Hadn’t he said it was just an online relationship, not a face-to-face meeting? He could block her if he wanted, just chat casually… Why was he suddenly heartbroken now?

“By the way,” Yan Shuo said curiously. “Your girlfriend is a man, and what about his best friends? Are they also men? Working together?”

Qi Haoyu paused. “I don’t know. Probably not. Maybe they were scammed too.”

“Then he’s quite the actor…” Yan Shuo marveled.

Unexpectedly, a single sentence brought back sad memories for Qi Haoyu: “Isn’t it?” He refilled his glass and asked Yan Shuo to drink with him. “He acted like a soft, adorable little sweetheart in front of me, calling me ‘husband, husband’ all the time. Thinking about it now… Ugh!”

Yan Shuo: “…”

The real world is a miserable place.

Qi Haoyu kept drinking, crying, and Yan Shuo was forced to drink with him.

While they were drinking, Chen Ze and Li Jin had already finished two games. Meanwhile, Fu Xinyan was singing with great enthusiasm, one song after another, hitting the high notes with all his might.

Fu Xinyan was indeed the best high-pitched singer in their group. Yan Shuo listened for a while while coaxing Qi Haoyu. His throat was itching, and he wanted to sing a few songs to satisfy his own excitement.

Qi Haoyu, however, kept him drinking and asked casually, “Brother, how’s your online romance going?”

“…”

Yan Shuo’s stomach ached at the mention of this. “Not really. I don’t know who that person is, and I don’t want to talk to her anymore. Can’t you remember why you added her in the first place?”

“I have so many friends, I can’t even remember half of them…”

Qi Haoyu downed another drink, insisting he was going to drink his fill tonight; drinking on public funds was a waste.

In reality, Yan Shuo couldn’t hold his liquor well, but the other girl remained impassive even in elementary school, so he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by a few drinks. How could he possibly be someone’s “brother”?

—The center position in a plastic group must be fought for in all aspects, including drinking.

Yan Shuo proudly opened another bottle.

After drinking for so long, he was already a little tipsy, but drunk people tend to get into the mood gradually, unaware of anything amiss, simply feeling incredibly high.

He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the empty bottles on the table, intending to post it on Weibo to show off his accomplishments. Qi Haoyu was stunned: “Brother, what are you doing? Hey, this is my main account, don’t—”

Yan Shuo, stunned after having his phone snatched away, looked up and saw his four teammates staring at him.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Yan Shuo was displeased, his gaze falling on Chen Ze. “What time is it? When are we going home?”

“I’ll finish this round.” Chen Ze continued playing, seemingly unable to finish anytime soon.

Yan Shuo didn’t actually want to leave immediately. He had no real intention. He was already so drunk he didn’t know his own name, and out of idol instinct he was maintaining his image and not acting out of drunken rage.

Yan Shuo sat down next to Chen Ze and watched him play.

“You’re about to lose, can you come back?” he said. “Let me help you… bushes, bushes! Walls! Solo kill him! Hey! What kind of moves are you doing? You—wow, you even managed that! I thought he was going to get killed! Brother Ze is amazing!”

Chen Ze: “…”

“Stay still.” Shen Ze pushed him back onto the sofa, but Yan Shuo wouldn’t listen. He’d never listen in his entire life. He threatened to get up, insisting on helping Shen Ze win this round himself, claiming he was better.

Li Jin laughed beside him. He finally managed to finish the game, then checked the time. It was already past eleven.

“Okay, let’s go,” Li Jin said. “We have to start work tomorrow.”

So, they each went home, the three of them going one way, Yan Shuo and Shen Ze going the other.

As they parted ways, they stood at the KTV entrance to say goodbye. The cold wind blew, and Yan Shuo shivered. His sunglasses nearly fell off his nose, but he was still dizzy and needed Shen Ze’s support. “Are you okay, brother?” Qi Haoyu wasn’t expecting him to have such a low alcohol tolerance, and he felt a little worried.

“It’s okay, you guys go.” Chen Ze raised his chin, signaling that the car was coming. If they didn’t leave now, a group of people standing here would be too conspicuous.

After seeing the three of them off, Chen Ze and Yan Shuo’s car somehow didn’t arrive for a long time.

They stood by the roadside, exposed to the cold late autumn wind. Chen Ze felt okay in his coat, but Yan Shuo was getting colder and colder. Instinctively, he leaned towards the only source of warmth nearby, perhaps thinking of Chen Ze as a warming pad, and clung to him very closely.

“Hey.” Chen Ze nudged him. “Are you really drunk or just pretending?”

Yan Shuo had no idea what he was saying. He gave a formal reply and then leaned in again, wrapping his arm around Chen Ze’s waist and repeating unconsciously, “…cold.”

“Oh, you know it’s cold?” Chen Ze stripped off his clothes and wrapped Yan Shuo completely in his coat, buttoning it carefully. “I’ll freeze you to death, you annoying bastard.”

Yan Shuo blinked innocently.

Chen Ze smelled the strong scent of alcohol on him and said unhappily, “You’ve drunk so much, you’re not allowed in my bed tonight. You’re sleeping on the floor.”

“No.” Yan Shuo seemed to understand. He acted like a clumsy teddy bear and threw himself on top of Chen Ze, deliberately bumping into him. Like a retarded child, he spouted nonsense, “I want to sleep in bed with you. I want to hold you! This is Li Linjia’s order!”

Chen Ze: “…”

Why is Li Linjia so nosy?