Chapter 122: Transmigrated as a Scumbag in a Boy Group Survival Show (4)
Me go first?
Bro, you aren’t trying to set me up, are you?
Cen Yu didn’t recall being the first one to draw in the original novel at all; by rights, the draw should have proceeded strictly according to their debut ranking.
Still, He Ci’s word was law. Although Cen Yu wasn’t entirely sure if this signaled a shift in the plot, he walked over obediently and drew a slip first.
Unfolding it, he saw Room 2.
“My turn next!” Li Yanxiao suddenly raised his hand.
Cen Yu immediately turned his eyes to Li Yanxiao… only to see Li Yanxiao flashing him a smile. Those grayish-green eyes looked deeply affectionate even when staring at a trash bin.
He Ci’s attitude toward a key player like Li Yanxiao—who hadn’t made any major missteps—was decent enough.
So upon hearing Li Yanxiao’s request, he merely gave a nod.
Li Yanxiao walked over right away to draw a number slip, then sat down right next to Cen Yu.
“Little Yu, which room did you get?” Li Yanxiao inquired in a low voice.
With his sharp, deeply defined features, he ought to have possessed a harsh, cold look, but because a smile frequently graced his face, it softened his knife-sharp demeanor, creating an endearing contrast instead.
Coupled with his grayish-green eyes and tall, broad frame, his popularity had skyrocketed far ahead of the pack.
Whether because he had teamed up with Cen Yu right at the start or simply because he found Cen Yu exceptionally “enthusiastic,” Li Yanxiao maintained a pretty good relationship with him.
“Room 2.” Cen Yu handed the paper slip in his hand over to Li Yanxiao.
He cast a glance at the slip in Li Yanxiao’s hand. “What about you?”
“Unfold it for me,” Li Yanxiao leaned against Cen Yu. “I’m a bit afraid to look.”
“…” What is there to be afraid of? Cen Yu found it absurd.
Besides, a guy this big felt like a solid wall—don’t lean all your weight over here!
Complaining internally, Cen Yu instinctively wanted to shove Li Yanxiao away… but then he suddenly remembered his clout-chasing scumbag persona. So he halted his motion halfway through. “Fine.”
Sitting behind the two, Jiang Jueming naturally caught the little exchange between Li Yanxiao and Cen Yu.
Watching Li Yanxiao deliberately lower his posture just so his head could rest on Cen Yu’s shoulder, all Jiang Jueming felt like doing was snorting in cold disdain.
Yet seeing Cen Yu start to push him away only to pull his hand back midway, his annoyance spiked even further.
He frowned at the back of Cen Yu’s head.
Is he really that desperate for men?! Anyone who looks good will do?!
Jiang Jueming tapped his fingers against his arm in irritation, ultimately deciding to look away from the interaction in front of him.
He Ci, of course, spotted the two acting all affectionate in their seats… He caught the look Li Yanxiao exchanged with him. Right now, there wasn’t a trace of that giant, goofy dog’s innocent act left on Li Yanxiao.
Looking at Li Yanxiao draped over Cen Yu as if he had no bones, rumors about the Li family floated into He Ci’s mind.
A family that had ventured out during the gold rush era, their roots in the region ran deep; otherwise, they couldn’t have secured both copper and diamond mines.
As for their methods…
Taking in Cen Yu, He Ci automatically categorized him in his mind as the young master’s comforting bolster.
He Ci knew full well that Li Yanxiao was likely just playing around, but this temporary project group only lasted a year and a half anyway. His sole job during this period was to maximize the company’s profits.
“Next.”
Having worked that out, He Ci didn’t dwell on it either.
The remaining six members quickly finished drawing their lots.
Li Yanxiao drew Room 1, paired with an obscure teammate from the group who lacked much of a presence.
That obscure teammate clearly hadn’t expected to draw such a big shot, instantly looking overwhelmed by the unexpected favor—
Kidding aside, who didn’t know the backing of the Li family? Even the show’s production crew had to address them as big bosses.
Li Yanxiao idly twirled the slip of paper Cen Yu had unfolded for him. After spinning it around his fingers a few times, he handed it back to Cen Yu.
“Look, a paper crane,” he offered his treasure to Cen Yu with a beaming smile, appearing completely unbothered about who he was rooming with.
Cen Yu glanced at the crumpled paper crane, tossing out a few perfunctory compliments. “Impressive, impressive, impressive!”
“A master’s handiwork!”
Acting as if he hadn’t caught the perfunctory tone in Cen Yu’s voice at all, Li Yanxiao remained leaned against Cen Yu’s shoulder. Taking Cen Yu’s hand, he placed the paper crane into Cen Yu’s palm, gently pinching Cen Yu’s fingertips. “As long as you like it.”
“…” Where on earth did you see that I like it?
Staring at the hideously misshapen paper crane in his palm, Cen Yu felt Li Yanxiao’s fingers weren’t fingers at all.
They were five gnarled roots of old ginger!
Otherwise, how could he have folded such an ugly piece of junk?!
Still, that wasn’t the main point. Holding his own slip labeled “Room 2,” Cen Yu wanted to see who his roommate was going to be…
When he saw the roommate who raised his hand, Cen Yu fell silent.
How on earth could it be Zhan Kongqing?!
Zhan Kongqing held a rather magical role in this story. He wasn’t one of the protagonist gongs, but if one had to describe him, he fit the role of Xie Jinshen’s “bestie.”
After all, Zhan Kongqing possessed the face of an unattainable, icy flower. In the group’s fanfictions, he had always walked the line of the group’s “treasured flower.”
Unluckily, this unattainable flower, Zhan Kongqing… happened to be one of the people who thoroughly disliked Cen Yu.
So upon seeing Cen Yu raise his hand, Zhan Kongqing’s brow furrowed slightly before quickly smoothing out as he turned his gaze away.
Haha, Cen Yu shook his head with a bitter smile internally. This room assignment is truly incredible!
He Ci naturally picked up on the undercurrents surging among the members after the room assignments. Before meeting them today, he had watched all the survival show content and visited the show venues multiple times.
Naturally, he could discern the relationships among the members—or rather, their general popularity within the group.
“Since the rooms are decided,” He Ci finalized, “let’s head back first.”
Taking in the two vans before him, Cen Yu thought that if this boy group had any more members, the company probably wouldn’t have arranged two vans, but would have just hired a full-sized tour bus instead.
The seating arrangement was simple enough, temporarily divided by room numbers.
Occupants of Room 1 and Room 2, alongside Jiang Jueming—who was on his own—and He Ci, took the front van, while the remaining members boarded the one behind.
Having just settled into his seat in the van, Cen Yu realized Li Yanxiao had taken the seat right next to him.
“?” Cen Yu looked at Li Yanxiao. Weren’t we supposed to sit by room numbers?
Just as he was looking around for his roommate, he saw Zhan Kongqing walk straight past to take the seat behind him, seemingly having no desire to pay him any mind.
Jiang Jueming sat in front of Cen Yu, with He Ci beside him.
The remaining obscure teammate sat next to Zhan Kongqing… Before the van door could even close, Cen Yu immediately sensed someone taking candidate photos of them. He instinctively glanced toward the door, only to see Li Yanxiao lean forward slightly, blocking his line of sight.
Then the van door slid shut.
Outside, a crowd of fans still lingered, reluctant to leave.
“You can offer a brief greeting in a moment,” He Ci said devoid of emotion from his seat.
Cen Yu hadn’t developed a real sense of being a celebrity in this world yet, but as the van drew closer to the main gates, various voices chanting the members’ names began echoing outside.
It was loud enough to nearly pierce one’s eardrums. Through the windshield, one could clearly see the fans holding up banners and light boards, thoroughly unwilling to depart.
