Chapter 109 – King of Entertainment: Loving You Across the World – The Little Squirrel Spirit Has Been Discovered! (16)
After Bai Tang returned home, Min Gunian gave him a hot bath, dried his hair, and let him sleep soundly and comfortably.
Min Gunian quietly closed the bedroom door and called his assistant. “Have those stones from the jungle transported back.”
“You’re kidding, right, BOSS? It’s going to take an enormous amount of manpower and resources to move a bunch of useless rocks…” the assistant instinctively replied, thinking Min Gunian had just been joking during the live broadcast.
“When have I ever joked with you?” His deep and hoarse voice left no room for refusal.
“Alright then…” The assistant hung up with a mournful expression. After all, it was the company’s money, not his own. But he still felt bad about it—more company expenses meant smaller bonuses for him. Even if it wasn’t his own money, oh, his bonus~
Min Gunian had been away from the company for half a month. Many decisions that couldn’t be made without him had piled up, and it was overwhelming. For the sake of his future plans, he intended to make full use of his time.
As for Garry, he and Fan Hechang had also successfully obtained the orb. However, their journey was riddled with hiccups—not serious ones, but constant minor setbacks. It was nothing like the carefree experience Min Gunian and Bai Tang had.
As the saying goes, true feelings emerge in times of hardship. During their journey, Garry unexpectedly developed feelings for Fan Hechang. Unfortunately, the latter was as dense as a block of wood—in plain terms, not even a fart could be knocked out of him with a stick. No matter how obvious or subtle Garry’s hints were, Fan Hechang remained oblivious, leaving Garry both frustrated and anxious.
After Timed Survival ended, everyone returned to their own jobs, and theoretically, they shouldn’t have crossed paths again. Garry was extremely disheartened. It was rare for him to fall for a man, and he couldn’t tell if Fan Hechang was just clueless or simply uninterested. Even with all his signals, the guy didn’t budge—probably just not into him.
But to his surprise, after returning to the city, Fan Hechang actually quit his job and came to apply at Garry’s studio—holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Please give me a chance to pursue you,” Fan Hechang said expressionlessly, wearing his signature blue-rimmed glasses.
Who even confesses love with the face of a debt collector? Garry grumbled inwardly, but was still thrilled that Fan Hechang had taken this step.
“Alright, I’ll give you one chance. But if you can’t satisfy me, I’m not accepting you,” Garry said, his pride getting the better of him. He remembered how indifferent Fan Hechang had been in the jungle and decided to make him work for it.
“Just wait and see,” Fan Hechang replied, the corner of his mouth lifting in an almost imperceptible smile.
A little sparrow that’s already in the cage—how could it possibly escape?
…
After Che Shuhui was taken away, she was arrested for intentional injury. Later, she was found to have mental health issues and was transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
At the hospital, Li Shu’s injuries were treated in time. He had a mild concussion but was otherwise fine. Although he had to withdraw from the competition, Min Gunian was a man of his word. Not only did he fully cover Li Shu’s medical expenses, he also paid for his follow-up nutrition and recovery costs. Li Shu was deeply grateful and vowed to repay Min Gunian’s kindness, even if it meant working like a horse or an ox.
Wei Gudong also had to leave the show because of Che Shuhui, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She already had a positive public image, and now, after being assaulted, she received widespread sympathy. To make it up to her, the director of Timed Survival pulled some strings and connected her with several valuable opportunities, helping to advance her career significantly. It was through this turn of events that she met the supporting male lead in the original storyline—an award-winning actor—and a top editor.
As for Zhou Zhiwen, he devoted himself to taking care of Li Shu, whom he treated like a younger brother. His actions earned him praise from the public.
…
Inside the estate.
When Bai Tang woke up, he didn’t see Min Gunian.
Out of habit, he ran out barefoot. As soon as he stepped out of the room, he bumped straight into Zhou Pan, who had just arrived. The tray Zhou Pan was holding crashed to the floor with a loud clatter.
Bai Tang lost his balance and fell, landing hard on his tailbone. As he rubbed his sore lower back, he noticed Zhou Pan clutching her stomach and groaning in pain.
Zhou Pan had gotten her period that day. The collision with Bai Tang had caused her to jab her own elbow sharply into her right side, intensifying the pain to the point where she could barely stand upright.
Realizing he had caused trouble, Bai Tang gritted through his own tailbone pain and crawled over to her. He placed his glowing green hands on her and began to heal.
In his view, taking responsibility for one’s mistakes was the behavior of a good child.
A minute later, not only was Zhou Pan’s waist no longer in pain, even her menstrual cramps had vanished.
But Bai Tang’s body, in this world, couldn’t handle such sudden use of his abilities. His face turned pale, but he still gave Zhou Pan a sweet smile.
“I’m sorry, big sister. I shouldn’t have run around without watching where I was going. Are you still in pain?”
Zhou Pan’s face twisted. Big sister? He was clearly older than her and yet called her big sister—was he implying that she looked old?
Though she was annoyed with Bai Tang, she still forced a fake smile. “I’m fine.”
“That’s good! Then I’ll go find Ah Nian. Bye, big sister~” Bai Tang stood up and headed in the direction of the study.
Left standing there, Zhou Pan stared at Bai Tang’s disappearing figure, deep in thought. That green glow just now—was it a hallucination, or was Bai Tang… something supernatural?
She touched her lower abdomen, which no longer hurt. She dismissed the idea that she was seeing things—her menstrual cramps were really gone. Zhou Pan was horrified. Could Bai Tang be a demon?
Thinking of this, she looked around. Seeing no one, she quietly removed the hidden pinhole camera she had installed outside Bai Tang’s room. Originally, she’d planned to catch some dirt on him and expose it.
Weighing the tiny device in her hand, she gave a sinister smile.
Bai Tang… whether you’re human or not, it’s your fault for being liked by the CEO. As long as you’re gone, in three or five years, he’ll fall for someone else. And being the one closest to him, my chances will only grow.
Zhou Pan cleaned up the mess on the floor, then used the excuse of menstrual discomfort to ask Uncle Fu for leave. She returned to her room to begin executing her plan.
…
“Ah Nian~” Bai Tang threw himself into Min Gunian’s arms.
Min Gunian embraced the youth who came flying into his chest and gently stroked his back.
“You didn’t sleep a little longer? Are you hungry? Should I ask Uncle Fu to prepare a meal?”
“I’m not hungry. You said you’d make sugar-fried chestnuts for me. I don’t want the ones Uncle Fu makes—I want yours. Hiss—”
Min Gunian had touched Bai Tang’s tailbone, and the sudden pain made Bai Tang grimace.
“What happened?” Min Gunian anxiously lifted Bai Tang’s shirt, revealing a large bruise on his lower back.
“When did you get hurt?” D*mn it, Tang Tang was injured and he hadn’t even noticed. Min Gunian was filled with frustration—and even more heartache.
Bai Tang looked guilty. He had been so focused on healing Zhou Pan and thinking about A-Nian that he’d completely forgotten to heal himself.
Under Min Gunian’s “interrogation,” Bai Tang pouted and briefly explained what had happened.
“I bumped into a maid when I left the room, and I even healed her stomachache~”
Min Gunian’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately asked, “Which maid?”
Bai Tang tilted his head and tried hard to remember. There were too many maids in the estate, and aside from Min Gunian and Uncle Fu, he really couldn’t recall anyone’s name.
He shook his head. “I don’t know!”
Min Gunian shot to his feet and ordered Uncle Fu to gather all the maids in the estate.
He absolutely couldn’t allow that maid to reveal Bai Tang’s secret.
Uncle Fu quickly began summoning the maids one by one. Although Min Gunian moved fast, he was still a step too late. Zhou Pan had just finished uploading the video of Bai Tang using his ability online when Uncle Fu came to tell her to report to the main hall.
She had no idea that it was Min Gunian who had ordered everyone to be gathered. Thinking it was just another impromptu speech from Uncle Fu, she left her computer on and went out.
In the main hall, the maids stood in a line. Min Gunian’s expression was cold and serious as he scrutinized each of them.
“All present, sir,” Uncle Fu reported.
Min Gunian nodded and called Bai Tang over. Only when facing Bai Tang did Min Gunian show a hint of warmth.
“Tang Tang, take a look—do you recognize which one you bumped into?”
Zhou Pan, standing on the far right, was so nervous her palms were sweating. She hadn’t expected Min Gunian to step in and defend Bai Tang. Did that mean Min Gunian also knew Bai Tang’s true identity?
Bai Tang looked at each maid from left to right. They were all dressed in identical uniforms and looked quite pretty. He had a bit of face blindness and couldn’t tell them apart.
Just as Bai Tang finished scanning the row and seemed to come up empty-handed, Zhou Pan quietly let out a breath of relief.
Suddenly, Bai Tang turned his head and leaned in to sniff around Zhou Pan.
As a little squirrel spirit, his nose was incredibly sharp. He might not recognize faces—but he could recognize scents.
“It’s this maid,” Bai Tang said, pointing at Zhou Pan.
Zhou Pan nearly fainted. She dug her nails into her palm, doing her best to remain calm.
Since no one else was involved, the rest of the maids were dismissed. Zhou Pan, however, was brought upstairs by Min Gunian.
As soon as they stepped into the study and before a word could be said, Min Gunian received a phone call.
“Boss, check the internet—someone just posted a video of Bai Tang online,” Brother V said urgently, his voice filled with concern.
A sense of dread rose in Min Gunian’s chest.
He quickly opened a browser, and there it was—taking over the headlines—was the video of Bai Tang healing Zhou Pan, posted just twenty minutes ago. The green glow from his hand was all too familiar; Bai Tang had used that same power to heal him in the jungle.
Min Gunian’s expression turned grim. Over ten minutes had passed since the video was uploaded, and the views and shares had already soared into the tens of millions. It was impossible to stop it now. After issuing a command over the phone, he turned and glared fiercely at Zhou Pan.
Realizing the situation had collapsed beyond repair, Zhou Pan crumpled onto the soft wool carpet under the weight of Min Gunian’s overwhelming presence.
“President, I did it for your own good! Don’t you see? He’s a monster! He’ll bring harm to you!” Zhou Pan cried in terror, pointing at Bai Tang.
Bai Tang hadn’t expected his powers to be exposed like this. He couldn’t understand—why would this sister want to hurt him?
The truth was, Bai Tang had been limited by his own thinking. In all the worlds he’d lived in, the people who stayed close to the male lead often sensed something unusual about him. But whether out of loyalty, affection for their master, or their own fondness for Bai Tang, they chose to ignore it and never said a word.
Min Gunian had always prided himself on being a gentleman—never raising a hand against a woman. Zhou Pan was the first to push him past that limit.
Amid her piercing screams, he disabled her hands and called someone to drag her out.
Min Gunian still held back in front of Bai Tang. He didn’t want him to see that brutal side.
Bai Tang stood silently in the middle of the study, head hanging low.
Min Gunian stepped forward and asked, “Do you remember what I told you before? Do you know what you did wrong?”
Bai Tang answered quietly, “I know…”
“Then tell me—what did you do wrong?” Min Gunian had to harden his tone, for Bai Tang’s own good.
Bai Tang didn’t reply. His shoulders began to tremble slightly, and tears fell like broken pearls, landing on the fine white wool carpet.
Min Gunian panicked. “Tang Tang, I didn’t mean to scold you…”
He gently lifted Bai Tang’s chin and saw the young man’s tear-streaked face. Bai Tang trembled as he whispered, “I don’t want to be cut open… I’m scared…”
“You won’t be,” Min Gunian said, holding him tightly. “I won’t let anyone take you away.”
Author’s Note:
This isn’t angsty at all—it’s still a sweet story! I’m Tang Tang’s real mom, how could I possibly let him get dragged into a lab? Next chapter: the proposal! Stay tuned~ 💍