CH 28

The two of them entered the break room, and Rong Yuheng saw four boxes of food and two servings of rice on the table, with fragrant smells wafting out of them.

He almost wanted to praise Wen Zhecheng for being a good person again.

But he thought about it and held back, mainly because he didn’t want Wen Zhecheng to become arrogant.

“Have a seat.” Wen Zhecheng took out a pair of chopsticks from his pocket, peeled off the plastic wrap, and handed them to Rong Yuheng.

Rong Yuheng’s full attention was on the delicious-smelling food, so he casually took the chopsticks without thinking anything was wrong.

Seeing this, Wen Zhecheng’s heart secretly rejoiced: Proof of a good relationship, plus one.

He opened the boxes and pushed the stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots and the steamed beef slices towards Rong Yuheng, leaving the shredded potato and vinegar-soaked cabbage on his own side.

Wen Zhecheng said, “Eat more meat.”

Rong Yuheng immediately looked up with moved eyes. His clear and watery gaze made Wen Zhecheng’s heart skip a beat.

Before it could skip a couple more beats, he heard the words, “You seem like my grandmother.”

Wen Zhecheng: “…Skipping beats over.”

He tried his best to remain calm and told himself that Rong Yuheng was expressing closeness.

Rong Yuheng’s “instantly moved” was indeed “instantaneous.” It lasted for an extremely short moment, almost ending as soon as the word “grandmother” left his mouth.

He then focused on the task of eating, making sounds like a little piglet as he chewed…

Wen Zhecheng’s hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment, and a look of shock appeared on his usually cold face.

After observing Rong Yuheng for a few seconds, he said in a soft tone, “I remember your family conditions should be quite good, right?”

Rong Yuheng didn’t know what magical brainwave had connected at that moment, something that usually didn’t reach him. He suddenly raised his head and said reproachfully, “Are you looking down on me?”

Wen Zhecheng reacted faster than him and immediately replied, “No!”

Rong Yuheng scoffed, “Hmph, men.”

Wen Zhecheng earnestly reminded him, “You’re also a man.”

Rong Yuheng responded, “Oh, right.”

He rearranged his expression and choice of words, “Hmph, acting king.”

Wen Zhecheng: “…”

It was the first time he had heard someone say those two words with such disdainful tone.

After a satisfying meal, Rong Yuheng slumped in his seat like a jelly, completely limp.

Wen Zhecheng squinted and looked at his little belly, suddenly understanding the joy of raising small animals.

He really wanted to tickle him.

Rong Yuheng didn’t forget about the “serious matter” Wen Zhecheng mentioned. He patted his belly, sat up again, and asked under Wen Zhecheng’s slightly disappointed gaze, “What about the resources?”

Wen Zhecheng’s gaze became restrained. “I heard you were intercepted twice.”

Rong Yuheng nodded. “Once successful, once unsuccessful.” Then he changed the subject, “How did you know?”

Wen Zhecheng casually replied, “Just happened to hear about it.”

Before Rong Yuheng could inquire further, Wen Zhecheng continued, “I’ve heard that Xu Sun is cunning before. I thought he would at most take advantage of small favors. Plus, the contract was modified, so I didn’t pay much attention. I’m sorry, it was my negligence.”

Upon hearing this, Rong Yuheng felt a subtle feeling in his heart:

Wen Zhecheng had no obligation to protect him, so why did he feel the need to apologize?

“It’s alright,” Rong Yuheng shrugged indifferently. “I’m a newcomer, and which newcomer hasn’t suffered grievances?”

Wen Zhecheng glanced at his joyfully swaying silly hair and confirmed that this person was genuinely not forcing himself. “You do have a broad-minded view.”

But Wen Zhecheng knew he was right. There aren’t so many smooth sailing things in the world, not everyone encountered will hold good intentions, and not every experience will be as people expect.

Most of the time, it’s up to the individuals.

Wen Zhecheng himself debuted at a young age, seemingly rising to stardom all the way, but how could he have not faced hardships behind the scenes?

He couldn’t help but reach out and smooth down that stubbornly sticking-up hair. “Don’t make yourself too miserable either.”

Rong Yuheng obediently let him fix his hair and shyly lowered his head… He didn’t have the heart to tell Wen Zhecheng how much capital he brought into the crew.

Actually, relying on capital as a means was also a last resort, and the premise was that he could guarantee benefits for the foolish fans. After all, even the best friends needed mutual efforts, and it was impossible to always take advantage of others and disregard one’s own boundaries.

…Speaking of taking advantage, Rong Yuheng thought of his elder brother, Rong Congyan. It had been so long since they last contacted each other, and he wondered if his elder brother still had him in mind.

Seeing him lost in thought, Wen Zhecheng asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Rong Yuheng snapped back to reality and changed the topic, “Nothing much. Su-ge said we can change agents in the future.”

Wen Zhecheng deliberately closed his ears, skipping over the mention of “Su-ge” and focused on the latter part of the sentence. “When your popularity grows, and you can bring higher benefits to the company, you can consider requesting a change.”

In fact, with Wen Zhecheng’s position in the company, he could easily ask for Xu Sun to be replaced, but that would be improper.

He had no reason to help Rong Yuheng—considering their current relationship, what would others think of Rong Yuheng?

“Xu Sun only bullies those who are easy targets. You can be a bit more assertive and not let him have his way in everything. If he can’t bully you, he won’t force you either.”

Rong Yuheng nodded. He also realized that Xu Sun was the type to exploit only the weak, and if he couldn’t, he would give up—a common saying for a “Buddhist-style exploiter.”

Such people were suited to bask in the light of Buddha.

Wen Zhecheng glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s about time. Go back and get some rest.”

Rong Yuheng was instantly touched. Wen Zhecheng actually allowed him to eat and sleep!

Even Rong Tianshen wouldn’t be this indulgent! What kind of heavenly mentor was Wen Zhecheng!

“Wen Laoshi, you’re truly a comfortable person with.”

Wen Zhecheng had never heard of a person being described as “comfortable.” He pondered independently for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer. “How am I comfortable?”

Rong Yuheng replied, “Suitable for cohabitation, abbreviated as ‘comfortable.'”

If Su Yuyin were present, he would surely be amazed once again: Not only was this person a physics genius, but also a genius at coining new words!

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhecheng focused entirely on the first part. His thoughts became somewhat elusive as he wondered: If it’s so comfortable, why don’t you try living together?

He subtly unfolded his tail feathers and said, “I can cook and mop the floor.”

Rong Yuheng applauded, “You’re really good!”

Wen Zhecheng’s heart warmed. “If you think I’m good, then call me ‘ge’ more often.”

Rong Yuheng straightforwardly responded by calling out “ge” numerous times:

“Gegegegegege…”

Wen Zhecheng: “…”

For some reason, all he could hear in his ears was the goose-like laughter of Wen Zhongyun, intertwined with Rong Yuheng’s voice, composing a touching symphony.

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

He was at a loss.

With the material from the past few days of mentoring, director Chen Li could finally focus his energy on the upcoming third round of the competition.

Rong Yuheng had originally planned to practice with Zhou Shubai all the time, but he was taken away by the irritable Bian Chen.

Bian Chen kept picking on people and rapping.

“All you know is practicing there,

Don’t care about my temper?

You talk about friendship and loyalty, yo~

I think it’s all bullshit!”

Rong Yuheng was well aware of Bian Chen’s nature. Although he seemed to be complaining, it was just “Bian-style tantrums.”

He even specially coined a new term for him—

Rong Yuheng looked at the irritable soul of Bian Chen with love and tolerance: Love you, love you.

Bian Chen pulled Rong Yuheng aside and asked, “What’s wrong? Who’s bothering you again?”

Bian Chen replied, “Damn, have you seen the topics about ‘#AceStar#’ on social media? There are those who ship us.”

Rong Yuheng asked, “No, what do you mean by shipping?”

Bian Chen said, “I fucking know that some people like to ship fictional couples, but how could anyone ship me and Yu Fu? Damn it, can’t they see how much I dislike him?”

Rong Yuheng was also shocked. “How did this ship happen?”

He knew that their relationship was really bad.

Bian Chen sneered, “All this ‘love-hate relationship,’ ‘constant bickering’ crap… and they even came up with a ship name called ‘Submission.’ I’m truly speechless.”

Rong Yuheng comforted him, “They’re just creating a fantasy based on character roles, satisfying their own imagination. Don’t take it too seriously.”

“I can tolerate ships involving other people, but I really… I want to beat Yu Fu every day!”

Rong Yuheng understood his aversion. “I know. Actually, your ship name should be changed.”

Although Bian Chen didn’t want to hear the word “ship,” he couldn’t help but be curious. “Changed to what?”

Rong Yuheng replied, “The Farmer and the Snake.”

Bian Chen: “…”

He felt like Rong Yuheng was poking his kneecap.

Out of politeness, Bian Chen said lightly, “You know, you’ve been shipped with many others too—Bai Rong couple, Yi Rong, Shan Rong, Rong Ning…”

Rong Yuheng didn’t mind at all. “They’re all friends, and I don’t mind.”

Bian Chen said, “Oh, there are also people shipping Wen Laoshi with someone.”

Rong Yuheng suddenly became interested and brought out a small stool to prepare for some gossip. “Who is Wen Laoshi shipped with?”

He couldn’t think of anyone that Wen Zhecheng would be shipped with. Could it be one of the mentors?

Bian Chen burst his imagination. “With you.”

Rong Yuheng: “…”

After casually dropping this bombshell, Bian Chen swaggered away.

Rong Yuheng, caught off guard, was shocked to the point of standing still in place—

Damn, he and Wen Zhecheng shipped together? –

Regardless of Rong Yuheng’s state of mind, everything continued to move forward as planned.

The third round of the competition finally arrived.

With the mentality of the wealthy idiots watching the show, the vigilant gaze of the Rong family, and the calm anticipation of Wen Zhecheng— the live broadcast began!

As the bright stage appeared on the screen, the barrage of comments started flooding in. Fans from various sides were giving their all to support their favorites:

“Shan Qi, invincible in all aspects!”

“Unparalleled charm, immersed in Chen (Bian Chen)”

“Open the barrier, protect the best Rong Axolotl!”

“I thought I clicked into an anime series lol”

…

The eldest brother, Rong Congyan, also went online and typed furiously:

“Follow heaven and enter the sea, only to pick the divine Rong!”

After sending the message, he turned to Rong Tianshen and instructed, “Dad, you should also post a comment. The more comments Aheng gets, the more popular he is.”

Rong Tianshen held his phone with a stern expression. “Nonsense!”

Rong Congyan sighed, shook his head, and turned back, not wanting to force it.

After half a minute, amidst the overwhelming barrage of support from various fans, a comment suddenly appeared:

“Down-to-earth, upright, love life, pick Rong Rong.”

Rong Congyan: …! Such enthusiastic and positive support! He even punctuated it meticulously!

His eyes flickered, and in his peripheral vision, he noticed that his dad had just put down his phone.

…Understood.

After the host’s opening remarks, the performance of the first group of contestants began.

As the stage lights dimmed and then lit up again, the venue fell into silence. Soft blue lights projected onto the stage, accompanied by a gentle mist. Soothing music flowed, resembling a clear spring meandering through a mountain ravine.

It was a duet dance performance, with two performers leaping simultaneously from opposite sides of the stage. Their graceful figures drew beautiful arcs in the air, agile and flexible like deer.

The respective fan clubs of the two performers started showering the barrage with colorful compliments. Rong Congyan caught a glimpse of Rong Tianshen’s hand starting to fidget again and instantly felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

“Dad! You can’t post comments supporting our family while other groups are performing!”

Rong Tianshen’s hand paused, and then he nervously scratched the phone case. “I’m not posting comments, I just saw that the phone case was dirty.”

Rong Congyan glanced meaningfully at the phone case, which was shining and spotless. “I must have misunderstood you.”

Rong Tianshen said, “Hmm, sometimes you’re just too subjective in your actions.”

Rong Congyan: “…”

He suspected that Rong Yuheng had inherited the thick-skinned trait of going along with whatever suited him.

Amidst the hidden confrontation between the two, the performance of the first group came to an end.

Then, the host, Xi Lin, announced, “Next up, Rong Yuheng and Zhou Shubai.”

The Rong family immediately abandoned their secret rivalry and involuntarily sat up straight, their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them. Rong Congyan’s hand was even poised on the keyboard, ready to operate the Rainbow Compliment Program at any moment.

For example, phrases like “exquisite beauty” or “dancing eyelashes.” After all, they looked alike, so praising Rong Yuheng was indirectly praising themselves—an opportunity not to be missed!

The camera focused on Xi Lin’s face, but a rare trace of hesitation could be seen in his enthusiastic expression.

The next second, Xi Lin’s resounding voice echoed through the stage.

“Please welcome them as they bring us a song and dance performance—’Kamen Rider’!”

Author’s note: The Masked Egg Duo: Isn’t it just not showing their faces? So easy [Otter’s contemptuous.gif]