Chapter 108
“A surprise?” Lin Zhiqiao repeated. “Chestnut cake?”
He instinctively lowered his head. The piece of pastry in his hand was already more than half eaten, and only then did he realize that what Song Fengshi meant by surprise was obviously not this.
After thinking for a moment, he tested the waters and asked, “Chairman Chen was brought here by you?”
Song Fengshi gave a low mm.
Lin Zhiqiao looked up at him. Although the other man said nothing, Lin Zhiqiao seemed to catch the faintest trace of expectation in those dark eyes.
Lin Zhiqiao blinked. His pale eyes sparkled brightly, and his tone could not hide his excitement. “I love it!”
He even gave him a thumbs-up.
The slight tension in Song Fengshi’s brows and eyes instantly relaxed.
Lin Zhiqiao tugged at Song Fengshi’s sleeve, signaling for him to lower himself a little closer.
Since he was sitting at his workstation, Song Fengshi simply bent one knee and crouched down, asking softly, “What is it?”
Lin Zhiqiao leaned toward his ear and lowered his own voice too. “You already knew… about their situation?”
Song Fengshi tilted his head slightly. The young man’s breath was very close, making the edge of his ear itch and heat up, but he did not pull away.
“Mm. Jian Yu’s situation wasn’t hard to investigate,” he replied. “But Chen Liling preparing to propose—that part I only found out today from the livestream.”
Lin Zhiqiao could not help letting out a sigh of amazement. “So you really have been watching my livestream the whole time!”
“Naturally that’s true,” Song Fengshi said with a small smile. “I’ve been watching your livestream from the very beginning.”
Lin Zhiqiao reflexively teased, “You like eating gossip that much?”
“Not just for the gossip,” Song Fengshi said instead, his tone earnest. “I can watch you too.”
Lin Zhiqiao was completely stunned by the sudden bluntness, and his heart abruptly skipped a beat.
Song Fengshi crouched beside him, looking up into his eyes. Even without any grand expression or movement, one could still see how full of sincerity he was.
Everything he said was genuine.
Lin Zhiqiao avoided his gaze and muttered quietly, “What’s there to look at with me…”
“In my eyes, you look far better than anyone else,” Song Fengshi said. “And by watching you more, I get to understand you more too.”
Lin Zhiqiao felt his ears heating up a little and could not help asking, “Then what have you learned about me?”
“You love sweets, but not overly sweet ones. You like spicy food, but can’t handle it too spicy…” Song Fengshi answered without hesitation. “But what you love most of all is eating gossip.”
Lin Zhiqiao was amused by that and nearly laughed out loud. “Alright then, I’ll admit you do understand me pretty well.”
Song Fengshi curled his lips slightly too. His gaze fell on the young man’s ears, as though the faint flush there had drawn all of his attention.
But he withdrew his gaze very quickly.
The war among the Chen father and son and Jian Yu had already reached its end. Song Fengshi stood up. “I’m leaving first.”
His hand lifted, then paused in the air, as if he had instinctively wanted to touch the fluffy hair on the young man’s head, only to forcibly redirect himself. In the end, his hand landed on the young man’s shoulder and pressed lightly once.
“If there’s anything you want to eat, tell me anytime,” Song Fengshi said.
Lin Zhiqiao looked up and asked, “Does Nanjiang Dining House have delivery service or something?”
“No one else gets that,” Song Fengshi let out a quiet laugh. “But you can.”
Lin Zhiqiao blinked again and felt as if his heart was being lightly tickled.
He was not sure whether it was because of the special delivery service, or because of something else… or someone.
Song Fengshi walked toward the battlefield that had already quieted down, and soon left together with Chairman Chen. Chen Liling and Jian Yu also hurried off, as if there were more matters left to “settle.”
It was only after Song Fengshi’s figure disappeared into the elevator that Lin Zhiqiao withdrew his gaze and raised a hand to rub the hot tip of his ear.
But when he looked up again, he realized that at some point everyone around him had already turned their attention onto him, and the air was thick with that utterly familiar scent of gossip.
Lin Zhiqiao: “……”
Ji Ran slid his office chair over to him and asked mysteriously, his eyes full of uncontrollable excitement, “Are you two together now?”
The people around them all looked at Ji Ran with expressions of both shock and admiration, as if saying, You really just asked that so directly?
Lin Zhiqiao was a little overwhelmed by Ji Ran’s overenthusiastic stare. He gave a small cough and said, “Not yet.”
At once, Pei Ning caught the key point. “‘Not yet’ means there will be in the future?”
“In the future…” Lin Zhiqiao paused, his gaze drifting a little. “How would I know what happens in the future?”
A long, twisting chorus of ohhhhh~ immediately rose from everyone around him.
‘That guilty little look! Those red-tipped ears! And the way he’s anxiously clutching the hem of his clothes!!!’
‘If there’s nothing going on here, I’ll shave my head and become a monk on the spot!’
‘Good lord. I casually shipped something and ended up shipping something real [excitedly twisting in place.jpg]’
‘Everyone calm down, calm down. What if President Song just sees our Xiao Qiao as a friend…’
‘I’m kind of worried about our Xiao Qiao. I’ve heard rich men from powerful families can play pretty wildly. If something happens… in the end it’ll definitely be our pure and adorable Xiao Qiao who suffers, QAQ’
‘Lmao. No matter how wildly he plays, he still can’t escape our Gossip King’s eyes [doge.jpg]’
‘Anyone else could be fooled, but our Gossip King definitely won’t hahaha’
‘For President Song to dare get this close to our Xiao Qiao, he should have at least some confidence in himself. If there were real problems, he would’ve collapsed long ago [cat secretly laughing.jpg]’
Everyone knew when to stop while they were ahead, and soon threw themselves back into their busy work.
After several more days and nights of nonstop rushing, the final livestream of the fifth episode came to a smooth and successful end.
Once filming for Life episode five finished, Lin Zhiqiao went home and slept like the dead, only to be awakened by his manager sending over a variety show invitation.
Lin Zhiqiao opened it and glanced at it. “Their Family? Special guest?”
At the same time, far away at the Song residence, Song Fengshi also received a variety show invitation passed along by his friend Fang Xinnan on someone else’s behalf.
Song Fengshi only glanced at it once before rejecting it decisively. “Not going. In the future, things like this—”
But Fang Xinnan cut him off with a smiling face. “Don’t reject it so quickly,” he said. “Normally the guest lineup can’t be revealed, but Director Sun said that if it’s you, some information can be told to you appropriately.”
Sun Ming was the director of Their Family, and also Fang Xinnan’s friend.
Song Fengshi forced himself to stay patient. “Say what you need to say.”
Fang Xinnan said, “Sun Ming also invited Lin Zhiqiao. He’s one of the special guests.”
Song Fengshi immediately stopped talking.
Fang Xinnan gave him plenty of time to think, then after a moment asked, “So? Going or not?”
This time, Song Fengshi did not refuse. His answer was just as decisive. “Going.”
Fang Xinnan pressed further. “Then in the future, if there are any variety shows or events Lin Zhiqiao is participating in…”
Song Fengshi answered without hesitation, “Tell me all of them.”
Fang Xinnan got exactly the answer he had expected. He laughed and said, “I’ll send you the related materials in a bit. I heard your parents just got back from traveling abroad?”
Song Fengshi said, “Mm. They came back today.”
“Perfect then,” Fang Xinnan said only that much before hanging up.
Director Sun Ming of Their Family was sitting right beside Fang Xinnan.
He asked in astonishment, “Is Lin Zhiqiao really that effective? Just mentioning him made President Song agree to the variety show invitation?”
Fang Xinnan nodded with a smile. “Of course. For Song Fengshi, there’s no one more attractive than Lin Zhiqiao.”
Sun Ming seemed to understand something and fell into thoughtful silence.
