The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 22
A piece of soft coolness pressed lightly against his lips…
Guan Jinnian put the blindfold on Xie Zhixin’s face and gently pushed the head leaning on his shoulder away.
“Alright, get some rest,” he said.
“Okay.” Xie Zhixin responded softly.
He deliberately adjusted his sitting posture, letting his knee touch Guan Jinnian’s leg before he finally felt at ease. After fidgeting for quite a while, he was finally willing to rest properly.
Guan Jinnian was used to these little habits of his and didn’t react much. Of course, the audience saw it too, but assumed it was accidental and didn’t think much of it.
The livestream fell into a calm quiet. Outside the window, the scenery glided by at a steady pace. Occasionally, a stretch of lush green fields would pass, and Guan Jinnian would wave at the camera, letting the audience enjoy the natural landscape with him.
A faint smile hung on his face, his posture relaxed. Though he didn’t say a word, everyone could tell he was at ease.
Fans who had watched his livestreams before suddenly felt a pang of emotion upon seeing him like this.
[He looks so much better now than last month. You can totally see it with the naked eye.]
[Right? I thought I was the only one who felt that way. He actually looks happy now. 😭]
[Finally someone said it… He used to look so tense in his old streams.]
[He must’ve been really burnt out. I heard he wasn’t treated well at his old company, and after the breakup, he got cyberbullied like crazy. Back then, the entire internet was bashing him!]
[I just watched some old replays—huge contrast. He was clearly forcing himself to smile back then. Looking so exhausted but still being gentle with us… That makes me even more heartbroken 😭]
After yesterday’s full-day stream, many people had started to see Guan Jinnian differently. These comments stirred up guilt among viewers, and soon, passerby-watchers began turning into loyal fans, showing newfound affection for him.
Unaware that he had just gained a wave of fans out of nowhere, Guan Jinnian was tapping away on his phone, organizing the filming plan before they reached their destination.
“How long does it take to walk from the base of the mountain to the hotel?” he asked.
“About ten minutes,” the filming PD replied.
“Alright, let’s start filming at the base.”
After confirming the plan, the driver dropped them off at the foot of the mountain.
Once out of the car, the PD handed them some filming gear and swapped their camera for a handheld GoPro, which they connected to the livestream.
Since the assigned cameraman wouldn’t be following them for this task—because the program wanted to keep things a surprise and show all the footage at once later—the two were left to livestream on their own.
While Guan Jinnian was adjusting the equipment, the idle Xie Zhixin took initiative and started filming him, holding the GoPro and stepping back.
“Don’t just film me,” said Guan Jinnian with a helpless smile. “Get more of the scenery for the audience.”
“Okay.”
Xie Zhixin agreed easily and stepped back further to include the background—but the lens still stayed mostly on Guan Jinnian.
Guan Jinnian didn’t notice. After adjusting the camera settings, he walked over to share his plan.
“We’ll start filming from the base of the mountain. The theme is: ‘Our last trip before breaking up.’ What do you think?”
He opened his notes and showed Xie Zhixin a short script he had drafted during the car ride.
“There’s no time to prepare lines, so we’ll just improvise. You’re good at that, right, Mr. Xie?” Guan Jinnian teased.
The word ‘breakup’ made Xie Zhixin visibly uncomfortable. He muttered under his breath, “Why is it always a breakup? Can’t we just shoot something about a couple in love…?”
“Hm? What did you say?” Guan Jinnian didn’t catch it.
“I said, guaranteed to complete the task.”
Xie Zhixin quickly changed his answer.
Guan Jinnian didn’t hear—but the audience in the livestream did loud and clear.
[LOL! I dare you to say that muttered line out loud. If you do, we’ll never make fun of you for crying again.]
[As if he dares! 🤣🤣]
[Title: Just Being Himself]
[Okay okay, we get it. You hate the whole breakup thing.]
“Let’s go,” said Guan Jinnian.
He mounted the gimbal and started walking up the mountain, filming as they went to collect as much footage as possible for editing later.
Xie Zhixin, once again forgetting to film the scenery, kept the GoPro lens locked on Guan Jinnian.
“Come check this out!” Guan Jinnian crouched and pointed at an oddly shaped mushroom on the ground.
Xie Zhixin moved the lens aside for just two seconds before snapping it back to Guan Jinnian.
The mushroom flashed by so fast in the livestream that viewers barely saw it.
What they did see was Guan Jinnian’s smiling profile, his eyes full of wonder, lips gently curved upward, sunlight dappled on his face through the trees.
[OMG is this what they call the boyfriend’s POV?!]
[So this is how Guan Jinnian looks through Xie Zhixin’s eyes…]
[Frantically screenshotting]
[Screenshot +1]
[No lie, Guan Jinnian is really easy on the eyes.]
[Even with such awful framing and a straight-up death angle, it still has this insane vibe—anyone who says he’s not good-looking, just throw them this clip.]
[You can feel the love in Xie Zhixin’s lens. Is this that so-called “cinematic language” of emotion?!]
“Why are you filming me again?” Guan Jinnian lightly pushed the GoPro away. “Film the mushroom.”
“I just know the viewers would rather look at you.”
Xie Zhixin turned the GoPro around and filmed himself from a terrible angle. “Right, guys?”
“You think that,” Guan Jinnian shot back.
“Of course I do. I love looking at you.”
Guan Jinnian didn’t want to argue anymore—worried Xie Zhixin might spout even more nonsense to the whole nation.
He picked up the camera and walked ahead. Xie Zhixin followed two steps behind, still sneaking footage of him.
[Yes yes yes, just like that—more please!]
[God, bro, please respect your own good looks. Can you let your ‘wife’ take over the camera?!]
[These two bantering like this… so cute and natural, they feel real! I’m obsessed. 😭]
The hot spring hotel was halfway up the mountain. The stone path, slick with morning dew and mist, gleamed underfoot.
They walked and filmed along the way, taking over half an hour to arrive.
After getting the key cards from the front desk, they went upstairs and opened the door.
Besides the outdoor hot springs, each room in this hotel also came with a private bath for guests who preferred privacy.
They gave the audience a tour of the room before preparing to shoot the dialogue-heavy scenes.
While Guan Jinnian adjusted the gimbal, Xie Zhixin tugged at his collar. “Your shirt’s crooked.”
His fingers brushed across the back of Guan Jinnian’s neck, making him spin around abruptly, nearly knocking over the tripod.
“I’ll do it myself.” He awkwardly fixed his collar and pointed to the hot spring outside. “Let’s film out there first.”
Xie Zhixin, satisfied that his little plan worked, obediently helped move the tripod over. Then he crouched by the misty hot spring and said, “This angle’s pretty good.”
Guan Jinnian leaned over to check the display, one leg brushing against Xie Zhixin’s back. “Too low—makes the legs look short.”
Xie Zhixin felt him behind and almost said something, but stopped himself.
Still, his hesitant expression caught Guan Jinnian’s attention.
“What is it? Say it.”
“I wanted to say…” Xie Zhixin covered the mic. “Your legs look great—no matter the angle.”
He said the word ‘angle’ with obvious implication. Guan Jinnian immediately understood what he was hinting at.
“Xie Zhixin!!”
He shouted, face and neck flushed red.
“You told me to say it…” Xie Zhixin mumbled and quickly added, “Sorry, I’ll shut up.”
[WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!!]
[He definitely said something scandalous—Jinnian’s face is red AF!!]
[Hey! Stop treating us like outsiders! Don’t mute the mic, we wanna hear too 😭]
Xie Zhixin rolled up his pant legs, dipped his feet into the hot spring, and waved at Guan Jinnian. “It’s warm. Come try?”
For some reason, Guan Jinnian’s internal alarms blared. Something about Xie Zhixin’s vibe today felt dangerous.
“No thanks,” he said, shaking his head.
“How can you explain it to the audience if you don’t try it?”
Guan Jinnian hugged the camera and kept retreating. “No need to film so close, right…”
“Didn’t you write in the script we need this shot?”
Just as he was backing away, Guan Jinnian’s foot slipped—and he fell into the pool.
Startled, Xie Zhixin jumped in to help him up. His soaked t-shirt clung tightly, revealing sculpted abs. “Are you okay?”
The nearby GoPro caught everything, clearly showing Guan Jinnian’s slim waist beneath his shirt—and the way his hand clutched tightly at Xie Zhixin’s collar.
[OH MY GOD AM I ALLOWED TO WATCH THIS?!!]
[Hehehe wet shirt… hehe 😏]
[Did he do it on purpose?! Flirting with his wife??]
[This dude is full of sneaky moves. Guess even the coldest guys become chaotic puppies around their crush!]
Worried about him catching a cold, Xie Zhixin lifted him up and carried him inside, both dripping wet, leaving the GoPro outside.
As the comment section exploded like fireworks, Guan Jinnian was furiously throwing a towel at Xie Zhixin’s head.
Water droplets slid down his hair, dripping into his shirt. His chest showed faint traces of pink.
When Xie Zhixin pulled off the towel and saw this, his gaze darkened and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
He carefully turned off both their microphones and took a step toward Guan Jinnian.
Guan Jinnian instinctively backed away—until his waist hit the sink counter, leaving him no escape. Xie Zhixin boxed him in.
“…What are you doing?” he asked warily.
With both hands on either side of him, Xie Zhixin leaned down, their faces inches apart. The warmth of his breath brushed across Guan Jinnian’s skin.
“I want to kiss you. Can I?”
Guan Jinnian heard the soft question.
He instinctively shook his head—only to meet Xie Zhixin’s intense gaze. His heart skipped a beat.
“Just one kiss, okay? I missed you so much…”
Xie Zhixin’s voice was low, almost pleading. He leaned in closer.
Their faces were nearly touching now. Guan Jinnian nervously shut his eyes.
He heard a soft chuckle.
So… he wasn’t really going to kiss him?
Guan Jinnian hurriedly opened his eyes—only to see Xie Zhixin smiling.
Before he could get embarrassed, everything went black. Xie Zhixin had covered his eyes.
And then—
Something soft and cool touched his lips.
His brain went completely blank.