Qi Luozhou’s expression had originally been faint and unreadable. When Shao Yuye’s gaze landed on him, he likewise noticed the dazzling brooch pinned to Shao Yuye’s chest.
Although its style differed from the one on his own chest, it was obvious that both pieces came from the same designer.
Qi Luozhou’s smooth stride halted abruptly, and the smile at the corner of his lips faded noticeably.
Though his lips soon curled up again, his gaze met Shao Yuye’s in midair. Neither spoke, yet the air crackled with an unspoken gunpowder tension.
Shao Yuye cursed inwardly, Damn Qi Luozhou, this bastard really had to compete with me even over something like this.
Tch.
But his brooch was a gift from his little sister. Its meaning was different, its design different, and it completely outclassed the one on Qi Luozhou’s chest!
Shao Yuye withdrew his gaze disinterestedly. When his eyes swept over the nameplates in front of the seats, he suddenly paused.
Was the organizer deliberately courting trouble just for the spectacle?
Putting him and Qi Luozhou side by side, were they toxic or what?!
Qi Luozhou, meanwhile, shifted his gaze to Shen Wanwan behind Shao Yuye.
The gala had yet to begin, the hall was buzzing with noise.
She was sitting there quietly, her head tilted slightly to one side, her eyes cool and innocent, almost as if she were surprised that he was wearing it. There was even a trace of scrutiny and appraisal in the way she looked at him.
His tongue lightly grazed his back molars, and the smile on Qi Luozhou’s lips widened.
She really managed to make him laugh out of sheer exasperation.
What an excellent gift this was.
One move, and both men were neatly dealt with.
He strode forward with long legs, eyes straight ahead, continuing toward the seats.
Just as he reached the two of them, Shao Yuye made a sharp turning motion and pulled out the seat that belonged to Qi Luozhou, reaching out to remove the nameplate on top, ready to tell Qi Luozhou to take it and go play somewhere else—
But Qi Luozhou beat him to it, calmly sitting down.
Shao Yuye froze for a moment, still holding the slip of paper with Qi Luozhou’s name on it.
“Hey—”
Are you kidding me?!
The two of them had hardly ever appeared together in public.
Qi Luozhou turned his face expressionlessly. “Thanks.”
Shao Yuye: “……”
Damn it!
Was that really how Qi Luozhou interpreted his action?!
He met her gaze calmly.
Just as he was about to speak, the StarShow inner-hall manager, who had been watching for a while, came trotting over with a stool, smiling apologetically.
“Really sorry, really sorry, there was one chair missing here…”
They had originally seated Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou together precisely for the sake of buzz.
But clearly, given the situation now, tonight’s buzz was going to far exceed anything they had planned!
With the gala about to start and wanting to avoid further trouble, he hurriedly placed the stool for Shao Yuye. Knowing that Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou didn’t get along, he even thoughtfully put it to Shen Wanwan’s left.
“Please, have a seat!”
Being one-upped by Qi Luozhou in front of his sister made Shao Yuye feel a bit embarrassed—
—mainly because it was in front of his sister.
But since the organizer had handed him a way out, Shao Yuye naturally took the seat.
There was no live broadcast in the inner hall.
But photographers were releasing photos in real time.
The moment Shao Yuye had just settled onto the chair, a photographer swiftly aimed the camera at the three of them and pressed the shutter.
Soon after, the official StarShow account posted the photo.
The lighting in the front rows of the inner hall was the brightest.
The three sat side by side—three faces that would shine under any lens, evenly matched, each with their own distinct appeal.
Shao Yuye was sharp, Shen Wanwan proud and poised, Qi Luozhou serene.
Their auras were different, yet the composition looked unexpectedly harmonious.
Especially Shen Wanwan…
Strictly speaking, she was seated in the center position.
If her looks or temperament had been even the slightest bit weaker, she would have been completely overshadowed by the two dazzling top-tier stars beside her.
Yet her brows and eyes were calm, she didn’t lose out at all.
It truly gave the illusion that two top-tier stars were merely there to set her off.
The photo exploded across the internet the moment it was released.
[Holy crap, what kind of luck does Shen Wanwan have? Sitting between two top-tier stars!]
[Aaaah I’m starting to dream about transmigrating into Shen Wanwan right now!]
[Huh? Did StarShow change its ways this year? They didn’t seat people by status anymore?]
[Feels unlikely… Shen Wanwan is sitting in the middle! Could she have used some kind of money power? After all, the price of that necklace today already exceeds my imagination!]
[No way? That’d be too gross. If that’s true, I’m never buying StarShow again even if you beat me to death…]
[No solid proof at all, don’t jump to conclusions. There must be a reason she’s sitting there. Any insiders from the inner hall? Come spill some tea!]
Meanwhile, all kinds of CP fans had already started shipping—
[‘WanZhou’ fans are over the moon, who understands this?! They’re even wearing matching outfits today! I’m crying!]
[‘Revenge’ is great too. ‘As long as I’m here, I’ll never let you be bullied!’]
[Is nobody shipping the ‘Rivals’? Personally pulling out a seat for him and all that…]
In the very last row on site, Jiang Jiang stared at Shen Wanwan, who was sitting primly in the front row and flanked by Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou, until her eyes turned red with anger.
The girl next to her kept following the updates nonstop:
“Shen Wanwan is back at number one on the trending searches!”
So now, there really was no question of Shen Wanwan stealing her number-one trending spot.
After all, Shen Wanwan had even overtaken Qi Luozhou and Shao Yuye.
Fans of either of those two—pick just one—and they were all top-tier, formidable forces, weren’t they?
Thinking of that, Jiang Jiang pouted gloomily.
“She really… just has good luck, that’s all!”
Shao Yuye was famously straightforward and loyal.
As for Qi Luozhou, he had always viewed fame and profit lightly, and wouldn’t mind having an artist of mismatched status sitting beside him.
Shen Wanwan’s luck was really too good!
Shen Wanwan stepped away midway through the event.
Since she had already made all the splash she needed to make, she felt little interest in what followed.
Still, since she planned to leave with her brother later, she couldn’t go just yet.
While considering whether to go straight to the car or find a quiet, empty spot nearby to wait, warmth suddenly wrapped around her wrist. Someone grabbed her arm, and in the dizzying spin that followed, she caught sight of that familiar face. The the most iconic peach-blossom eyes, gentle yet tinged with coolness, as he pulled her into a nearby lounge.
Shen Wanwan was reminded of a certain night on a variety show before. It had happened the same way.
She had asked him whether he wanted to date. Qi Luozhou had dragged her into the room, and her hair tie had gone missing because of it.
“What are you doing?” she drawled lazily, feeling an inexplicable sense of amusement.
Qi Luozhou pointed at the brooch on his chest.
“Isn’t this gift a bit perfunctory?”
“Is it?” Shen Wanwan narrowed her eyes, knowingly playing dumb as she looked at him. “I think it looks great. You don’t like it?”
He let out a soft, amused laugh.
“I like it.”
Then that settled it.
Why drag her here so mysteriously just to interrogate her?
She blinked at him, already arriving at an answer in her heart.
Qi Luozhou looked at her, a trace of dissatisfaction in his tone.
“I thought it was a gift meant only for me.”
Shen Wanwan curved her lips into a smile.
“It is only for you.
“Yours is ‘Ideal.’”
Her gaze dropped to his chest, where a bird spread its wings in flight.
Then her eyes traveled upward, finally settling on those peach-blossom eyes of his.
“An Ideal of the human world~”
When she was in a good mood, she liked to make up playful nonsense like this, just to make the people around her a little happier too.
Qi Luozhou lowered his eyes, clearly pleased by the light, teasing lilt at the end of her words.
He hadn’t noticed before that she had this side to her.
Suppressing a smile, the corner of his eyes lifted. “That’s it?”
Shen Wanwan smiled softly. “What do you want, then?”
He stepped forward, instantly closing the distance between them. Qi Luozhou looked down at her, long lashes casting shadows, his voice low, almost like a lover’s whisper.
“As your future husband, I think I deserve some special treatment.
“What do you think?”
Shen Wanwan tilted her face up and asked seriously, “Are you… vying for affection right now?”
Qi Luozhou didn’t avoid her gaze at all. He met her eyes calmly and answered frankly, “Mm. You could say that.”
Before the words had fully fallen—
The girl in front of him had already risen onto her toes and lightly pecked his cheek.
Soft lips, touching and leaving in an instant.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. His lips remained half-curved, his breath catching, Adam’s apple rolling slightly, the hand that had been hanging at his side frozen in midair.
Shen Wanwan admired his expression with satisfaction.
She had to admit. Watching someone who was always so confident and in control show this kind of reaction really was intensely satisfying.
She smiled brightly and asked, “Is that special enough?”
At the same time, a staff member’s drawn-out voice came from outside the room:
“Teacher Qi… Teacher Qi, are you here?
“Teacher Qi…
“Teacher Qi?”
The calls and footsteps grew closer. Soon, someone knocked on the door, and the staff member’s voice came through from outside.
“Teacher Qi? Are you inside?”
Qi Luozhou turned his head and answered.
At the same time, the staff member twisted the doorknob.
As the door was pushed open, Shen Wanwan heard him say one sentence—
“Not enough.”
Then he leaned down, his cool, thin lips covering hers.
Shen Wanwan’s eyes were open, their lips touching—a very pure kiss.
As if he were deliberately competing with what she had just done.
Her thoughts drifted again. Qi Luozhou’s eyelashes were really long, what on earth did this guy eat?
Then her willpower was gradually stripped away, breaths intertwining. In her daze, she thought that his looks really did count as her ideal type.
Qi Luozhou’s hand moved forcefully to the back of her neck, pulling her close and shielding her completely with his body.
So much so that when the staff member knocked and poked his head in, the moment he saw the scene inside, he was so startled that he jerked a step backward.
“Ah—s-sorry, Teacher Qi, I’ll head out right away!”
The staff member retreated in a panic, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Only after separating himself from the room did he clutch his chest and take a deep breath.
…What on earth had he just walked in on?!
Unfortunately, everything had happened too fast. And with Qi Luozhou’s body blocking most of the girl, he couldn’t clearly see who the girl in God Zhou’s arms was.
So the rumors online saying that God Zhou already had a girlfriend… were actually true.
With his heart still pounding, the staff member awkwardly reminded from outside the door, “Teacher Qi, the gala program is about to start…”
The lounge was silent. Qi Luozhou straightened up and replied in an even, nonchalant tone.
“Yeah.”
Shen Wanwan’s neck was still wrapped in his arm.
She pressed one hand against his chest, signaling him to step back a little.
“Qi Luozhou.
“It’s hard not to suspect that you did it on purpose.”
“Mm.”
Qi Luozhou released her and lightly nodded, actually agreeing with her entire accusation.
Tch.
She gave him a cool glance. “I’m going back.”
By the time Shen Wanwan returned to her seat, the atmosphere in the venue was at its most heated. The newly debuted idol boy group F1NX was on stage, singing and dancing with full effort.
When Shen Wanwan sat down, Shao Yuye turned his head and asked her,
“Where did you go? You were gone for quite a while.”
Shen Wanwan smiled at her brother. “Just went out for a walk.”
Shao Yuye nodded.
That made sense.
Watching the performances really was boring.
He hadn’t planned to say anything more, but out of the corner of his eye he suddenly spotted Qi Luozhou slowly walking back over.
As the other man sat down, Shao Yuye spoke again, clearly implying something:
“It’s better not to wander around too much. What if you run into a pervert?”
Although Shao Yuye was confident that his sister would never take a liking to someone like Qi Luozhou, some basic precautions were still necessary.
He needed to instill in his sister, as quickly as possible, the idea that Qi Luozhou was not a good guy, so that she’d share his sense of righteous indignation and stand united with him against their common enemy.
Shen Wanwan, however, had no idea about the little twists and turns in his mind.
Following Shao Yuye’s line of sight, she cast Qi Luozhou a sideways glance.
Her red lips curved beautifully as she echoed in a low voice, “Exactly!”
The man being criticized didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed.
He quietly blinked at her.