The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 29
Q: What’s your favorite part of Xie Zhixin’s body?
…
Just as Guan Jinnian expected, Director He took advantage of the buzz and began spreading various pieces of scandal—half true, half false—about Lin Qi online.
At first, they didn’t directly bring up Lin Qi’s coercion of minors into criminal activity, making the capital behind him think it was just normal entertainment industry rivalry. This way, they could lower their guard.
Then they could hit them where it hurts most, catching them completely off guard.
Guan Jinnian and Xie Zhixin weren’t overly concerned with this power play between the big investors.
They spent the entire afternoon finally deciding on their song for the gala: Wu Gaoren’s “The One.”
It was a relatively simple song with a gentle melody, and with some effort, Xie Zhixin should be able to sing it.
Just as they were about to start rehearsing, a series of urgent footsteps sounded at the door. He Chengcheng burst in, face dark.
Seeing who it was, Xie Zhixin instinctively stood up and shielded Guan Jinnian behind him, glaring coldly at He Chengcheng.
“Was it you two who live-streamed my fight with Lin Qi?!”
He opened with a furious accusation.
Guan Jinnian silently hid behind Xie Zhixin without saying a word.
Mostly because it was awkward—although he didn’t like He Chengcheng, it was true that they had leaked his private business, so he wasn’t exactly in the right.
“Where are your manners? Is this what Director He taught you?” Xie Zhixin didn’t care whether they were right or wrong—if he was pissed, he’d fight back.
He Chengcheng was shaking with anger. “Don’t you know that if this stuff gets out, it’ll ruin Lin Qi?!”
“…?”
Guan Jinnian’s eyes widened in surprise, and even Xie Zhixin froze.
Wait… so He Chengcheng’s actually a love-struck fool?!
Judging by how badly he and Lin Qi had fought, they thought he hated Lin Qi’s guts. Turns out all those threats to expose Lin Qi’s misdeeds were just empty words said in anger…
Thinking about the truly messed-up things Lin Qi had done, both Guan Jinnian and Xie Zhixin had extremely complicated expressions.
“You’d better go contact your dad first,” Guan Jinnian poked his head out to offer a sincere suggestion.
“What do you mean by that?”
He Chengcheng glared at him.
Guan Jinnian quickly retreated again and jabbed Xie Zhixin’s back repeatedly, urging him to get rid of He Chengcheng.
“Leave. Stop bothering us—I’m not putting up with your crap,” Xie Zhixin told him coldly.
He Chengcheng exploded. His young master temper flared up instantly, but Xie Zhixin couldn’t be bothered with his attitude. He grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out the door, leaving behind a cold “Get lost” before slamming it shut.
When he came back inside, he saw Guan Jinnian sipping the water he’d poured for him, and all the irritation in his heart melted away.
“Jinnian, I love you so much.”
Xie Zhixin couldn’t help but blurt out his overflowing affection.
Guan Jinnian looked baffled, not sure what kind of nonsense he was up to this time.
His phone buzzed. He looked down—it was a message from the director team.
“Hold off on the love talk. The director says the livestream is about to start.”
Xie Zhixin leaned over to peek. “I thought we didn’t have to stream today.”
“Guess he wants to ride the buzz too.”
As they spoke, the red light on the camera lit up. Fans who had been waiting in the livestream room were thrilled to see them go live and quickly spread the word. More and more viewers rushed in.
In no time, the viewer count had soared past 5 million.
“Are we live?” Guan Jinnian asked the camera.
The camera operator tilted the lens up and down to indicate yes.
He quickly waved. “Hi everyone, good afternoon!”
【Good afternoon, Nian Nian!】
【Ahhh I missed you all afternoon, my dear wife!】
【Excuse me?! He’s clearly Mai Waifu!】
【Did everyone eat the gossip today?】
【Sure did! The entertainment industry’s been so dull lately—finally a juicy scandal! I’m thriving!】
【Last time I had this much fun was when Xie Zhixin cried in the bathroom. Feels like yesterday!】
【LMAO stop digging up the past! Our Crybaby King is living the good life now—he’s got a boyfriend who dotes on him!】
“We were just about to rehearse. Want to join us?”
“But we’re livestreaming…” Xie Zhixin whispered in Guan Jinnian’s ear, looking awkward, like he’d suddenly remembered his idol persona.
Guan Jinnian already knew—Xie Zhixin wasn’t afraid of messing up. He just didn’t want to lower the fans’ perception of how perfect they were as a couple.
“No worries. I believe you’ll sing just fine.”
He played the backing track and set the lyrics in front of Xie Zhixin, looking at him encouragingly.
Xie Zhixin’s face drooped. As the vocals kicked in, he started singing—reluctantly:
“You↗ tru→ly↘ under↓stand the meaning of ‘The One’~”
Guan Jinnian’s eyebrows twitched, and he had to pinch his thigh hard to keep from laughing.
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” Xie Zhixin was sharp.
“No way.” Guan Jinnian took a deep breath. “Here, I’ll sing a line, then you sing.”
“You truly understand the meaning of ‘The One’~”
“You↗ tru→ly↘ under↓stand the meaning of ‘The One’~”
As soon as he finished, Guan Jinnian ducked his head to hide his face, but the shaking of his shoulders gave him away.
“You are laughing at me!” Xie Zhixin said, feeling wronged.
“No, really.”
【HAHAHAHA I’m losing it!!!】
【He’s so off-key it’s almost an artform. No wonder they said his voice can’t even cook a meatball—too accurate!】
【How is he hitting all the wrong notes so precisely?!】
【I thought it was a metaphor, but no—it’s literal.】
【Xie stans, y’all okay?】
Xie Zhixin’s fans were in shock.
【QAQ Give me back my cold and aloof idol…】
【We’re doomed. That one line is stuck in my head. I’ll never be able to look at his face the same again.】
【Bro, can you not go for the variety show laughs? You’re supposed to be an idol—how are you going to land roles now?! I’m crying!】
“I can’t sing this well…” Xie Zhixin mumbled, burying his face in Guan Jinnian’s shoulder, spiraling into despair.
Guan Jinnian comforted him: “It’s okay. Just do your best. I’ll think of something.”
“Then how did you manage to sit through me singing to you before?”
“Hmm…” Guan Jinnian thought. “Back then, I just thought you were really cute.”
“Cute?” Xie Zhixin perked up. “Why did you think I was cute?”
Guan Jinnian looked at him with a smile but didn’t answer right away.
“Hey, why are you smiling? Tell me!”
【Yeah, we want the story too!】
【Flashback time! Give us the sweet sweet past! Our ship is thrivinggg!】
Guan Jinnian paused to think, then said:
“I thought it was cute that someone like you had such a down-to-earth side. That you had things you weren’t good at—it made you feel a lot more… real.”
“What kind of person do you think I am?” Xie Zhixin smiled and pressed on.
“Like, someone high and mighty, otherworldly, flawless… something like that.”
“And now that you know I’m not perfect, are you disappointed?” Xie Zhixin intentionally dragged out the words.
That made Guan Jinnian pause.
Was he disappointed?
Not really.
Wasn’t it this version of Xie Zhixin—the flawed, real one—that he had fallen for?
It was precisely his imperfections that made him feel grounded. Like a star that had fallen from the sky into his world.
Sure, maybe that star had become a jagged meteor.
But did that mean he resented it for not being beautiful anymore?
He stared at Xie Zhixin, dazed, until the other waved his hand in front of his face.
“Earth to Guan Jinnian? The director’s calling.”
Xie Zhixin answered the phone and spoke briefly.
“He wants us to interact with the livestream viewers—chat, maybe do a giveaway. You okay with that?”
Guan Jinnian looked at the camera. “Interact?”
【YES YES PLEASE INTERACT】
【I wanna talk! Chat with us!!】
Maybe because the other guests were all busy rehearsing and didn’t bring much to the table, the director decided to rely on their popular stream.
“Sure, we’re in.”
【Wifey is spoiling us again!】
【I love you wifey!】
【Wifey best!!】
They hung up, and the director switched the camera feed to Guan Jinnian’s phone.
The moment it switched, the comments flooded with “Wifey!!”
Guan Jinnian’s ears turned beet red, and fans noticed—spamming the chat even harder.
“Don’t call me that!!” he panicked.
Xie Zhixin came back with a phone stand. One look at the chat and he frowned, “He’s not your wife. Don’t call him that.”
【Oh look, it’s the ex-husband. Sorry, can’t hear you over the screams of ‘wifey’】
【Wifey wifey wifey!!】
Xie Zhixin suddenly covered the camera. “Call him that again and no giveaways.”
【Fine, skip the prizes. I still wanna call him that.】
【Wifey > all. Prizes be damned.】
【You’re so stingy!】
Guan Jinnian laughed and brushed Xie Zhixin’s hand away. “Stop it, or Director Wang will call again.”
“…I never even called you wifey,” Xie Zhixin muttered.
“Try it, and see what happens,” Guan Jinnian shot him a warning glare.
Xie Zhixin instantly backed down and shut his mouth.
Turning back to the phone, Guan Jinnian said, “Alright, ask away. We’ll pick a few questions.”
The comments exploded.
【LOOK AT ME WIFEY】
【My brain’s blanking, someone ask something!!】
【I got it!】
“First question,” Guan Jinnian read aloud. “‘Who confessed first? Who chased whom?’”
“I did.” Xie Zhixin raised his hand.
“He chased me,” Guan Jinnian added, “but I think I was the one who confessed first?”
Back then, during their second project together, Xie Zhixin took the initiative to talk to him, and over time, they grew close.
“He was subtle about it—just kept asking me out and giving me little gifts.”
【LOL why does this sound like middle school flirting?】
【Didn’t he ever say he liked you?】
“He never said it outright, so at first, I didn’t even realize it.” Guan Jinnian smiled fondly.
【But if a cold guy suddenly treats you like that, it’s kind of obvious, right?】
【Any other signs?】
“It was pretty obvious, I was just slow to catch on. I only realized later—‘Wait, does he like me?’”
Xie Zhixin cut in, “I gave him roses.”
“Right, and that’s when I knew,” Guan Jinnian laughed. “I liked him too, but he just would not confess, so I had to do it.”
【So he was playing hard to get?!】
【How did you confess?? What did you say??】
Xie Zhixin grinned proudly. “He said: ‘Wanna try being more than just coworkers?’”
【That’s so awkward omg, and YOU’RE proud of that?!】
【Such pure love. Reminds me of when I still had a heart.】
【Sounds like your first love, right?】
“Yep. We were each other’s firsts.”
Guan Jinnian finished answering, turned, and met Xie Zhixin’s gaze.
They smiled at each other.
【AAAHHHHHH that’s so sweet!!!】
【So our Jinnian is a straightforward guy huh?】
“Second question.”
The chat moved so fast that Guan Jinnian could barely read. He leaned closer to the screen and instinctively read aloud the boldest one:
“What’s your favorite part of Xie Zhixin’s body?”
Xie Zhixin froze, then smiled wider, clearly waiting for an answer.
【WHO ASKED THIS LMAOOO】
【Bartender, drinks for this legend!】
“Next question.” Guan Jinnian strategically took a sip of water.
“Wait a second!” Xie Zhixin pushed in front of him. “Why are you skipping this? Didn’t you once say you loved my abs—”
“Xie Zhixin!!” Guan Jinnian frantically interrupted.
【ABS?? Did he say ABS?? OMGGG】
【I love this line of questioning. Keep it coming!】
“And you said you liked my—”
Guan Jinnian threw a pillow at him. Xie Zhixin caught it and said cheerfully to the camera, “Can’t say. He won’t let me.”
【Please!! Let them talk like the grown men they are!!】
【Guan Jinnian’s ears are SO red omg!】
【Did not expect our calm and classy Jinnian to be this wild in private~】
“Alright, third question.” Guan Jinnian swiftly changed the subject.
Xie Zhixin picked one and read, “‘Will Jinnian return to acting?’ I’ve been wanting to ask that too.”
Guan Jinnian looked surprised. He hadn’t expected anyone to care.
Honestly, when he terminated his contract, he thought he might never act again.
But now…
The barrage of comments—most of them praising him.
【I watched your old dramas—tiny budgets, but your acting carried them. So good!】
【He’s got real talent. Come back to TV or even movies, please!】
【Most young actors now are unbearable. You’re a breath of fresh air!】
Guan Jinnian smiled gently, eyes sparkling. “If the opportunity comes, I will.”
Xie Zhixin stared at him, gaze drifting to his lips.
“What is it?” Guan Jinnian asked, seeing his look reflected on-screen.
Xie Zhixin’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
【Look at Xie Zhixin staring like he’s about to devour him omg】
【Is he about to kiss him?!】
As the chat screamed, Xie Zhixin suddenly raised his hand to block the camera.
The distance between them closed.
Guan Jinnian didn’t even have time to react—he instinctively shut his eyes.
The next second…
A tender kiss landed at the corner of his eye.