—What?!
One sentence was like a sudden clap of thunder.
The actors on stage, including the entertainment reporter, were all stunned.
Is this something you can just say?
Won’t he lose his female fans because of this?
Hmm… Though Bai Jinyan doesn’t rely on fans and his main interactions are with those fans who love to argue with him.
Come to think of it, maybe it’s not such a big deal after all.
On the other end of the phone, Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened suddenly. His heart was pounding, and his mind went blank.
His brother…
Not only were the people at the scene unresponsive, but even the live stream comments were momentarily frozen.
It took a while before the comments started flooding in:
[“Whoa, whoa, whoa—!?”]
[“Is this for real? Are you kidding? How can he just casually say something like this?”]
[“Having someone you like is no big deal, right? I like someone too, but I’m still single. Chill out.”]
[“Who can stand Bai Jinyan’s bad temper? He must be dreaming.”]
[“Ah? What’s going on? He has someone he likes? Mom won’t allow it! Bai Jinyan, you’re too young. Mom won’t let you date anyone except Qiao Qiao, boo hoo…”]
[“My Huaiyan CP dream is shattered.”]
[“Calm down, sisters. Bai Jinyan only said he has someone he likes. He didn’t say that person isn’t Qiao Huaiyao.”]
[“Hiss—makes sense! This is pure detective work, sister. You deserve all the sweetness you find!”]
…
The comments were a mix of CP fans and Bai Jinyan’s personal fans, forming a delicate balance.
Perhaps because Bai Jinyan often bantered with his fans, they didn’t take his words seriously.
Qiao Huaiyao’s lips tightened slightly. On the screen, tapping lightly would produce colorful heart bubbles. He didn’t type anything, just tapped twice slowly. After thinking about it, he tapped a few more times.
After Bai Jinyan said those words, the reporter seemed ready to follow up, but the director didn’t give him the chance. He pointed to another reporter beside him, “What did you ask earlier? I didn’t catch it. Speak up.”
With this interruption, the initial reporter was pushed to the back of the crowd.
The topic of Bai Jinyan having someone he likes quickly trended on social media.
Though fans didn’t believe it, they still eagerly searched for clues.
They combed through Bai Jinyan’s videos, unable to find any hint of the person he likes.
Fans: [“…”]
Is this guy really trying to fool us?
Having been in the industry for so many years, even his pets were male. Where would fans even begin to find any clues?
The livestream’s popularity dipped a bit, but when fans came up empty in their search, they returned to continue watching.
Qiao Huaiyao set up his phone stand and placed his phone on it. Just as he adjusted the angle, he saw Bai Jinyan in the livestream smiling at the camera.
Since going on stage, Bai Jinyan had maintained his usual cold and indifferent expression, making that smile especially noticeable.
At the same time, Qiao Huaiyao’s phone buzzed. He opened it curiously and saw a message from Bai Jinyan: [Two hours into the livestream, I miss you.]
Lu Lu was sitting in the audience, and the camera occasionally caught him too. This message… Bai Jinyan must have scheduled it before going on stage, timed to be sent at this exact moment.
A small smile appeared on Qiao Huaiyao’s face. He tilted his head slightly, and it felt as though Bai Jinyan was looking right at him through the screen.
Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers hovered over the phone screen. After a moment of thought, he replied: [Hang in there a bit longer, it’ll be over soon. Cat snuggle emoji.]
Every half hour after that, more scheduled messages arrived on Qiao Huaiyao’s phone.
Qiao Huaiyao watched the livestream while responding to each message, not missing a single one.
When there were only thirty minutes left in the livestream, Qiao Huaiyao sent a final message: [You’ve worked hard! Hugs.]
As the livestream ended, the actors on stage bowed to thank the audience. Amid the viewers’ groans of disappointment, the stream was closed.
Bai Jinyan replied to the last message: [Hug who?]
Qiao Huaiyao chuckled softly: [Hug my brother!]
Bai Jinyan: [Just brother?]
Qiao Huaiyao blinked, momentarily stunned. Reading the message, he felt the room’s temperature rise slightly. But Bai Jinyan had worked hard all day…
Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers slowly glided over the keyboard, and he typed: [Hug… my boyfriend.]
Before he could send it, his face had already warmed with a blush.
However, Bai Jinyan’s reply was: [Is there more?]
Sensing the ambiguity, he added: [Two words.]
Qiao Huaiyao’s breath hitched, and the warmth spreading from his ears turned his cheeks red.
Bai Jinyan was waiting for an answer.
Qiao Huaiyao pressed his lips together, contemplating whether to send an emoji. After a moment of thought, he typed: [Hug brother!]
Two words.
Exactly as requested.
Seeing this response, Bai Jinyan chuckled softly, knowing full well that Qiao Huaiyao on the other end was probably blushing so hard he couldn’t speak.
Qiao Huaiyao had fair skin, making his blush particularly noticeable, especially when he tried to act composed despite his flustered state.
Whenever he made that face, Bai Jinyan couldn’t resist teasing him, kissing him, making him blush even more.
But now, separated by a phone, Bai Jinyan decided not to tease him further.
After a brief pause, Bai Jinyan called him. It wasn’t a video call, just a simple voice call.
A moment later, the call connected, and a soft voice came through, “Brother.”
Bai Jinyan chuckled and asked, “Did you eat on time today?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “I did.”
It was always delivered on time, so there was no chance of missing a meal.
“The gifts you sent have been converted to cash and credited to my account.”
Without any commission from the livestream, the full amount of the gifts Qiao Huaiyao sent went straight to Bai Jinyan.
With a smile in his voice, Bai Jinyan said, “Thank you for the pocket money, baby.”
Qiao Huaiyao’s gaze lingered on the roses, “It’s a reward for your hard work today.”
Bai Jinyan hesitated a bit, “Can I exchange it for something else?”
“For what?” Qiao Huaiyao asked instinctively.
Still in the noisy backstage, Bai Jinyan lowered his voice, “A kiss.”
Qiao Huaiyao bit his lip and whispered, “That… doesn’t need to be exchanged.”
Realizing what he’d said, Qiao Huaiyao immediately curled his fingers around the tassels of the cushion he was holding.
On the other end, after a moment of stunned silence, came a soft laugh.
Wearing earphones, that laugh sounded as if it was right next to his ear, making it feel as if he could sense Bai Jinyan’s breath.
Qiao Huaiyao closed his eyes briefly, then shifted the conversation to ask, “Why did you suddenly bring up… that during the livestream?”
Though he was trying to change the subject, he genuinely wanted to know.
Given Bai Jinyan’s public persona, even if he had ignored the question completely, no one would have said anything.
But his brother had given a serious answer this time.
Bai Jinyan moved away from the crowd and got into his car. He actually understood what Qiao Huaiyao was referring to, but instead of answering directly, he asked, “What do you mean?”
Clearly teasing him again, Qiao Huaiyao immediately sat up, “Brother!”
Bai Jinyan’s voice softened, “Yes, I’m here.”
He then explained, “I just suddenly felt like…”
Pausing, Bai Jinyan reconsidered, feeling that this explanation didn’t sit well with him. He then softly said, “Actually, it’s not sudden. I’ve wanted to for a long time.”
Qiao Huaiyao asked, still skeptical, “Wanted to… what?”
In the quiet car, Bai Jinyan gazed at the pitch-black night outside the window and said in a deep voice, “I want to tell everyone that you are mine.”