Bai Jinyan smelled the medicinal scent in the cup and immediately understood where Qiao Huaiyao had gone just now.
After finishing the cold medicine, Qiao Huaiyao saw Qiao Huaiyao looking at him eagerly.
He raised his hand and rubbed his head, asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Ginger tea,” Qiao Huaiyao poured two bowls and left them to cool.
He pulled Bai Jinyan to sit at the table, placing the tea he had poured, with ginger slices still steeping, in front of him. “Try it, see if it’s good.”
“It’s good.” Bai Jinyan drank almost half a bowl methodically; the spiciness would fade towards the end. The taste was like mildly spicy sugar water.
Qiao Huaiyao curved his eyes. “Am I skilled in cooking?”
Bai Jinyan was taken aback, then chuckled lightly and nodded earnestly.
“What are you laughing at?” Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but raise the corners of his mouth.
Even though it was a nod, his smile made it sound like something more than that.
“The ginger tea is so delicious,” Bai Jinyan explained nonchalantly, “I laughed because it’s good.”
Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow, pointing to the small kitchen nearby. “There’s more over there, we’ll drink it later.”
Bai Jinyan: “…”
“Haha!” Seeing Bai Jinyan’s puzzled expression, Qiao Huaiyao burst into laughter and ended up laughing so hard he leaned onto the table.
He propped himself up with one hand under his chin, his eyes sparkling with a bright smile.
Only one lamp was on, casting a warm yellow glow on half of Qiao Huaiyao’s face. The night was getting darker.
Bai Jinyan blinked amidst Qiao Huaiyao’s laughter—
The variety show promotion had been released, and some guests’ endorsements had been showcased on Weibo for a while. Consequently, the just-finished scene was quickly put together by Zhao Jiamo overnight.
Apart from the scenes shot earlier, he seemed more satisfied with the unplanned scene in the rain. Once it was ready, he posted it directly.
Our Home V: [Home is shelter, family are the unbreakable arms. @Qiao Huaiyao V, @Bai Jinyan V. Welcome to this episode of our home journey!]
The image showed Bai Jinyan holding an umbrella in the pouring rain, continuously tilting it toward Qiao Huaiyao. His arm, draped across Qiao Huaiyao, sleeve rolled up to his elbow, was portrayed particularly vividly under the lens.
To avoid controversy, Zhao Jiamo even retweeted the post with a comment.
Zhao Jiamo V: [Originally, I wanted to shoot a long scene, but it rained halfway through. I happened to come across this scene on the way back. I think it fits our show’s theme well. I captured it on the spur of the moment and handed it to the editor. Indeed, unexpected collisions bring out unique effects.]
The comments section that was initially discussing the promotional clip was now swarmed by reactions to this repost.
In this one retweet, a flood of [ahs] took over the screen.
[This boyfriend power! I can feel it even through the screen!]
[Oh well, we know, we know, it’s just the usual couple’s outing. So thrilling, if you’re so great, give me a kiss.]
[It’s always giving jackets, it’s always sheltering from the rain. If I don’t ship them, I’d feel bad for all the rain my Brother Bai caught!]
[Director Zhao: Not staged, not fake, all real reactions. Fellow CP fans know what that means, right?]
[My boyfriend said it’s staged.]
[Haha, my boyfriend told me to marry Bai Jinyan.]
[What are you all saying? It’s like our brainwaves are synchronized. I can only thank Bai Jinyan for taking such good care of my wife.]
…When Qiao Huaiyao discovered the message Zhao Jiamo had sent him, this Weibo post was already trending.
During a break in military training, Qiao Huaiyao sat on a stairwell, scrolling through Weibo.
It had made the trending list twice in one day, a remarkably high frequency. Many curious passersby clicked in, leaving their own comments after seeing the video.
[Staged, right? Bai Jinyan’s casual fans have never seen him this close to anyone.]
[True, normally Bai Jinyan might share an umbrella directly, but he wouldn’t give his jacket or hold the umbrella for someone else.]
[Come on, wake up. Is that an ordinary person? That’s Qiao Qiao!]
[I feel like if they didn’t hold an umbrella, Brother Bai would carry Qiao Qiao in his arms.]
[Will they catch a cold? Their clothes are all soaked, be careful.]
…Scrolling to the end of the comments, Qiao Huaiyao’s finger hesitated. He thought for a moment, then retweeted the promotional Weibo post while attaching an image of yesterday’s ginger tea.
Qiao Huaiyao V: [My brother says the ginger tea is very delicious. @Bai Jinyan.]
Comments: [!!!]
[Wife’s personally cooked ginger tea?! Unfortunately, I don’t like ginger, someone else got lucky.]
[Ah ah ah, my beloved ginger tea, sob sob, I love drinking it! Show off in my mouth, just flaunt it all in my mouth, not giving them any!]
[This…? Is my Brother Bai still alive?]
[Someone get rid of this hater.]
Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow and sent a screenshot of these comments to Bai Jinyan.
Qiao Huaiyao: [Image] [Image] [Hmph! (pouting kitten.jpg)]
Bai Jinyan: [.]
Three minutes later, Bai Jinyan’s Weibo went online with a repost of that comment.
Bai Jinyan V: [It’s indeed delicious.]
Four simple words, no mention of the promotion, no retweet of the show’s account, just fans’ comments. Anyone could tell what was going on.
[Hahaha, I really burst out laughing, Bai Jinyan: No one is allowed to say anything bad about my wife.]
[Really? I don’t believe it. Unless you let me taste it too, my address is…]
[Look, look, let’s tease Qiao Qiao. But afterwards, won’t Bai Jinyan have to console him?]
[Oh yeah, Zhao Jiamo, the director, ignores the fans, but his wife responds personally when criticized. Not bad, Bai Jinyan. Director, where are you? Come in and cry.]
…Qiao Huaiyao only forwarded it to Bai Jinyan for fun, not expecting Bai Jinyan to go online and post.
The phone screen was left in the comments section. Seeing the teasing comments, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but curl his lips.
The instructor, carrying a water bottle, walked by from a distance, shouting, “Assembly!”
Hearing the command, Qiao Huaiyao’s fellow trainees quickly got up and patted the dirt off themselves before heading onto the training ground.
Qiao Huaiyao could only save his unfinished message, then put his phone away. The team assembled quickly, and by the time the instructor reached them, everyone was already in their positions.
The instructor seemed satisfied with their speed, smiling as he said, “Good, today’s training has shown good progress.”
“This afternoon, we’ll be running back and forth for five kilometers. The formation doesn’t have to be perfect, you can spread out and run at your own pace.”
“For those who complete the full distance, there will be extra points. This training will be recorded in your academic scores, not just your military training grade.”
“Especially emphasized, all instructors will follow along the route. If you can’t keep up, raise your hand and signal to leave. There will be medical assistance available; don’t compromise your health for the sake of a momentary credit.”
“The route for the run has already been specified within the alert line. Don’t go beyond the line, and be careful of any dangers you might encounter.”
The instructor finished his explanation and gestured for the leftmost group to get ready.
As the group began to move, Qiao Huaiyao followed behind at a leisurely pace. His classmate, Qiu Shufeng, hadn’t quite caught on yet and was just trying to keep up. “Five kilometers, this round trip is ten kilometers. We’ll be out until it’s dark.”
Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the time. “That’s perfect. There won’t be any night training tonight.”
However, those who ran faster could potentially finish early and be excused from training. Qiu Shufeng sighed, “They didn’t give us any warning. I wasn’t prepared at all; I didn’t even buy a bottle of water.”
“There should be places to buy water along the way,” Qiao Huaiyao said as he felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled out his phone and read the message.
Typing, he said, [We’ll be doing a five-kilometer run back and forth today. We might not have time to look at our phones while running.]
Bai Jinyan: [Where are you running?]