Chapter 18 – Bulbasaur
In the early morning, the thick blackout curtains in the room had already been drawn open, leaving only a layer of white gauze curtains to filter some of the light.
This made the lighting in the room bright but not harsh.
Shi Cha had tossed and turned for a long time last night and didn’t fall asleep until one or two in the morning. At the moment, he was sleeping soundly on a soft pillow, showing no signs of waking up.
Lin Ran glanced at the time. If he didn’t wake Shi Cha soon, the staff would be coming in with cameras to film them waking up.
“Xiao Shi, Xiao Shi~”
Shi Cha opened his eyes in a daze, and the first thing he saw was Lin Ran’s gentle, smiling face.
He glanced at him, then nuzzled the pillow and shut his eyes again. “Still dreaming. Keep sleeping. Don’t wake up.”
Lin Ran chuckled softly at Shi Cha, who clearly wanted to stay in bed.
“If you don’t get up now, the sun’s going to be shining on your butt.”
Startled, Shi Cha immediately sat up straight, wide-eyed.
Only then did he realize that the person in front of him wasn’t part of a dream—he was really there.
Turning his head slightly to take in his surroundings, he finally remembered where he was.
Yesterday’s memories slowly resurfaced in his mind.
“I-I’ll get up right away.”
He lifted the blanket and began to get out of bed.
However, as he lifted one corner of the blanket, a smooth, fair thigh was revealed.
Startled, Shi Cha hastily yanked the blanket back up, wrapping himself tightly to make sure nothing else inappropriate would be exposed.
His face flushed bright red as he suddenly remembered that, in his sleepy haze last night, he had felt a bit warm and—thinking he was at home—had casually kicked off his pajama pants.
Now, both of his legs under the blanket were completely bare.
Seeing how flustered Shi Cha was, Lin Ran couldn’t help but chuckle again, though he didn’t tease him any further.
“I’ll step out. You go ahead and get yourself sorted.”
Shi Cha kept his head down, too embarrassed to meet Lin Ran’s gaze. Hearing that Lin Ran was leaving, he quickly nodded. “Okay.”
As the door closed behind him, Shi Cha immediately threw off the blanket and started searching for the pajama pants he had no idea where he’d kicked.
Just as he finally found them in one corner of the bed, the door suddenly opened again.
Lin Ran calmly walked back in, heading straight to the neatly made bed and picking up his phone from the nightstand.
“I forgot to grab this just now,” he said, raising the phone slightly in his hand.
Then, without so much as a sideways glance, he turned and walked back to the door, ready to leave again.
However, just as the door opened, a voice filled with amusement drifted over to Shi Cha, who was frozen on the bed.
“Bulbasaur… pretty cute.”
Before Shi Cha could react, the door had already closed.
It wasn’t until then that he looked down and realized: on his light blue pajama pants, a grinning Bulbasaur was printed right on the front.
Unlike the small, fist-sized Bulbasaur on the front, the one on the back completely covered his rear!
Which meant—
When Lin Ran walked in just now, the first thing he saw was him, bent over, wearing Bulbasaur on his butt!
Help!
How could he let Brother Lin Ran see something like that?! How utterly stupid!
Mortified, Shi Cha covered his face with both hands—only to realize he was still holding his pajama pants.
“…”
Terrified that Lin Ran might walk back in again, Shi Cha froze for a second, then hurried to put the pants on.
He then quickly rummaged through his suitcase for today’s clothes and rushed into the bathroom to change. Just in case, he locked the door, too.
But by the time he was finished getting ready, Lin Ran hadn’t returned.
That made Shi Cha breathe a sigh of relief… but also left him feeling a little uneasy.
He dawdled in the room for a while, nervous about how to face Lin Ran. But no matter how reluctant he was to go out, time eventually ran out, and the staff came knocking.
Shi Cha pulled himself together, putting on a serious face. He decided to act like nothing had happened.
He gave himself a silent pep talk.
If I’m not embarrassed, then it’s someone else who’ll be embarrassed. It’s fine. I’ve got this!
Thankfully, the production team wasn’t so heartless as to make the guests prepare breakfast first thing in the morning.
By the time Shi Cha arrived, the others were already gathered around the dining table.
A middle-aged man with a local accent was introducing various regional breakfast dishes while setting them out on the table.
Zhong Jiarong enthusiastically played along, picking up a small pastry and popping it into his mouth, nodding approvingly.
“It’s really good. You guys should try it.”
Shi Cha’s late arrival didn’t draw much attention. Only Lin Ran pulled out the chair next to him, inviting him to sit down beside him.
Nothing happened to make Shi Cha feel awkward or uncomfortable.
Very soon, Shi Cha also started eating, determined to quietly enjoy his breakfast like a true foodie.
The only thing he didn’t quite understand was how Lin Ran, as if worried he might go hungry, kept piling more food into his bowl and onto his plate.
Shi Cha didn’t want to attract attention by refusing, so he kept his head down and ate in silence—stuffing his cheeks like a little hamster.
His hearty appetite only encouraged Lin Ran to feed him more enthusiastically.
Soon, Lin Ran was propping up his head with one hand and holding chopsticks in the other. The moment anything on Shi Cha’s plate looked low, he’d immediately top it up again.
In the end, Shi Cha had no choice but to glare at Lin Ran, trying to send a clear message of refusal through his eyes.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat had already been overtaken by their fans.
Yes—Shi Cha had only been on the variety show for a day, and he already had fans.
[“Xiao Shi Cha looks so cute while eating, it’s making me want a second breakfast!”]
[“Awww, are we seriously not going to ship the caretaker and the little hamster?”]
[“Different species can’t fall in love! This is clearly a carnivorous boss-type feeding a clueless herbivore.”]
[“…”]
The others at the table began to sense something unusual too.
Wu Heze, who had almost no impression of Shi Cha earlier, was now starting to warm up to him. Seeing the mountain of food piled on Shi Cha’s plate, then glancing at his slim frame, he couldn’t help but ask: “Shi Cha, can you still eat?”
Shi Cha paused, frowning slightly as if conflicted—but he still nodded. “I can.”
He sneaked a glance at Lin Ran, then lowered his head and continued eating.
After all, Lin Ran had personally served him this food. No matter what, he had to finish it.
However, just as he reached out for another bite, his plate was suddenly pulled away.
He stared blankly as Lin Ran slid the plate over to his own side.
“If you can’t eat anymore, don’t force yourself.”
At first glance, those words sounded a bit scolding.
Shi Cha pressed his lips together, feeling a little aggrieved.
But in the very next moment, Lin Ran picked up his own chopsticks and began eating directly from Shi Cha’s plate.
“You—!”
Not only was Shi Cha stunned, but everyone else at the table was in total shock too.
Wu Heze opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but after a moment’s thought, he decided that two grown men sharing a plate of food really wasn’t that big of a deal.
Lin Ran, for his part, seemed completely at ease—eating with a calm and natural expression.
“Wasting food is shameful. I was the one who gave that to Shi Cha. If he can’t finish it, then it’s my responsibility to take care of the leftovers.”
The others still felt something was a little off, but the explanation did make sense. After all, it was a livestream show. If that much food went to waste, people might criticize them for being extravagant or not valuing food.
Zhong Jiarong finished the last sip of his soy milk and nodded in agreement.
“A few decades ago, people still didn’t have enough to eat or wear. Even though things are better now, we still shouldn’t waste food. Come on, everyone—let’s help finish the rest.”
Since the meal was meant to showcase local specialties, a wide variety of dishes had been served. With only six guests, they couldn’t finish it all. So Zhong Jiarong called over the staff to help divide up and finish the food.
With that, no one really paid attention anymore to the fact that Lin Ran had just eaten Shi Cha’s leftovers.
Except for the CP (couple-pairing) fans.
[“Why does the vibe between Shi Cha and Lin Ran feel… off after just one night together?”]
[“Mind your words—they’re just roommates sharing the same room!”]
[“rubs hands together I really want to know what happened after the cameras were turned off last night.”]
[“QAQ I paid for a membership—what do you mean there are things I can’t see?!”]
[“…”]
As the staff joined in and started eating, the dining room filled with lively chatter and noise. No one noticed Shi Cha’s ears turning red with embarrassment.
He sat with his head down, fiddling with his fingers, his mind a little dazed and confused.