CH 114

Pei Xu's brow furrowed, his palms abruptly unclenched.

Di Xingchen hurriedly got up, grabbed his wrist and looked at it, then gathered Pei Xu's head and looked at it, asking, "Where did you fall?"

Hu Ying also rushed over at this time, "Are you two okay?"

As all three were wearing skates, Hu Ying and Di Xingchen joined forces to help Pei Xu to his feet.

"I didn't fall, he might have fallen." Di Xingchen said, "Actually you don't have to protect me, we can skate, we know how to protect ourselves when we fall." Di Xingchen said.

They both helped Pei Xu back to the entrance, where Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi immediately gathered around with concern.

"Is everything okay?"

"How did you fall when you were standing properly?" Duan Yihua asked.

Pei Xu said, "I brought him down by accident."

"It's a good thing you all brought protective gear." Huo Cheng said.

When he came back to his senses, Di Xingchen was suddenly embarrassed again.

Actually, Pei Xu is putting it mildly.

But he heard it all.

He actually said he liked him secretly.

So softly spoken, so fervently spoken.

"The ice at the rink is still hard." Hu Ying said, "Are you sure you're okay?" .

"It's okay." Pei Xu said and glanced at Di Xingchen, "Are you alright?"

Di Xingchen pursed his lips and shook his head, his heart racing at being questioned by Pei Xu in front of so many people.

It felt like a public secret affair, especially in front of a bunch of lovebirds.

He looked at Pei Xu for a moment and pursed his lips, his face steaming. Suddenly someone drapes a down jacket over him, and he looks back to see that it is Duan Yihua.

Duan Yihua glanced at him, dodged his eyes again, and handed over both Pei Xu's and Hu Ying's down jackets.

They had a pot of tea in the adjacent lounge area, and Hu Ying asked, "Are you all done with your appointments? I mean the date."

Di Xingchen then looks at Yan Zhi.

"Yan Zhi and Xingchen are not there yet." Huo Cheng said tersely.

"Then you guys go quickly." Hu Ying said, "We can still get together later when we have time."

"Where are you going, is it far?" Huo Cheng asked Yan Zhi. Huo Cheng asked Yan Zhi.

"It's a bit far, we'll try to get back early." Yan Zhi said, "There's a show later, so you can watch it first."

"You guys should be back by six or so, right?" Huo Cheng asked, pretending to be careless.

Yan Zhi looked at Huo Cheng for a moment and Huo Cheng smiled.

"Something like that." Yan Zhi said.

Huo Cheng then said, "The show will be over around seven o'clock, so we can have dinner together then."

"The show's about to start already, isn't it, I thought it started at five?" Di Xingchen said.

"We'll come over later." Huo Cheng said, "You two hurry up and go, go early and come back early."

"Let's go then." Di Xingchen said.

Yan Zhi and Di Xingchen did not walk next to each other and did not look close, but probably because everyone knew that they were going on a date and were alone, there were mixed feelings and no one spoke for a while.

Hu Ying was scary, Huo Cheng was scary, Pei Xu was scary, but in the end, they all saw Yan Zhi as the strongest opponent.

In particular, Pei Xu.

There's no telling what Yan Zhi will do this time and where he will take Di Xingchen.

Luckily it was only an hour this time, if it had been a day and a night, he probably wouldn't have been able to eat or sleep.

Love is at its most abrasive when it is still undetermined, and with Lovers' Variety giving everyone an equal chance to pursue it, this frequent dating can only add to the abrasiveness.

As Yan Zhi and Di Xingchen emerged from the rink, there seemed to be more people outside, moving in droves towards the sculpture park.

"A lot of people." Di Xingchen said.

"I'll take you to a place with fewer people." Yan Zhi said.

Yan Zhi led him to the programme's car and Di Xingchen asked, "Do you want to drive there?"

"Hmm."

Di Xingchen then took the passenger seat.

Yan Zhi fastens his seatbelt and starts the car. Only when he turned the corner and pulled out of the traffic did Yan Zhi smile and say, "It's been so long since I finally had a first date with you."

His words were emotional.

In fact it was more than just the first date for the two of them, it was also the first time they had been alone together since his mind was made clear.

The time spent in love is too short and there are too many people, which is why they each treasure the opportunity to date alone so much.

Di Xingchen froze for a moment at that, then smiled, pursed his lips and took off his mask.

This succession of dates puts a lot of pressure on him, as if one moment Pei Xu is standing in front of him saying he likes him, and the next he is in a car with Yan Zhi. He used to watch the romance variety show and sometimes several male guests would chase after one female guest, and the female guest would cry in distress all the time, unable to make a choice, and some viewers would call the female guest Haiwang scheming, but now he can say for the female guests in all fairness: it's really stressful! Only you know the pain of a million fans!

It seems that it is not right to treat everyone equally, nor is it right to have a preference. Whether you like it or not, you have to behave appropriately and the embarrassment involved can only be overcome by yourself.

It may take him a little time to calm down and commit to another appointment.

For example, he is now sitting in Yan Zhi's car, thinking about what Pei Xu has just confessed to him.

He felt that Pei Xu's fall was quite serious, so would it be better to go to the hospital?

"Are you tired?" Yan Zhi asked suddenly.

Di Xingchen thought that if Yan Zhi had arranged for a sports or haunted house trip that was physically demanding, he would make it difficult for Yan Zhi to say he was tired. So he said, "It's fine, I'm not tired."

Hu Ying and the guys had finished their tea at the skating rink and were all out, they were planning to go to the sculpture park to see the show and had just come out when they heard a cheer and the festival had started.

There was a traffic jam at the west gate because of the crowds, and as they passed through the traffic, Pei Xu raised his hand to look at it with a slightly strained expression.

Huo Cheng saw it and asked, "Is your hand still sore?"

Pei Xu says: "A bit."

It was fine when he first fell, but he felt more and more pain when he drank something.

He didn't want to interfere with Yan Zhi's appointment and held back a bit.

Huo Cheng squeezed his wrist and saw that the back of Pei Xu's hand was swollen.

"You're a bit bruised up here."

Duan Yihua took one look and said, "Why don't we go to the hospital?"

"I'll go with him then. You guys go to the show." Huo Cheng said.

Huo Cheng then hailed a taxi.

He accompanied Pei Xu to the nearby community hospital to have an X-ray, which showed that the bones in his hand were fine.

"It's nothing serious really, if you're still uncomfortable tomorrow you can come back for a check up and a little medicine should be fine." The doctor said.

The two men emerged from the hospital together and Huo Cheng stood at the intersection to smoke a cigarette.

"It's not far from the sculpture park, let's walk over there." Huo Cheng said, giving way to a cigarette, and Pei Xu shook his head.

"Have you never smoked, or did you stop smoking after being on this show?" Huo Cheng asks.

"I've always smoked very little." Pei Xu says, "It doesn't do you any good to smoke less, either."

Huo Cheng walks backwards with the cold wind at his back and says, "I was a smoker, but I only started to quit this year. Because of the recording of this show, I've been smoking less, one or two a day."

He looks over at Pei Xu, squinting his eyes and looking at him for a moment in the smoke, all black and cool, with a handsome, fair face, looking very quietly "the lonely little brother of a large family".

He hardly seems to have the same animosity towards Pei Xu that he has towards Yan Zhi. This may be the result of their different personalities.

They both don't seem to have had a chance to have a proper chat in the last two days.

But when the opportunity did arise, he didn't know what to talk to Pei Xu about.

The streets were full of people and the cold wind was blowing. He suddenly thought of Di Xingchen at that moment, and the feeling of people coming and going made him feel a little sad.

"It's only an hour, he couldn't have wasted an hour on the road, he must not have gone far." Pei Xu said.

And there aren't too many dates to go to around here.

Yan Zhi also felt that an hour was too short a time to get out of town, and with the impromptu change of schedule and hasty plans, the big move was definitely out of the question, so he had to try to arrange a meaningful date within the limited time and conditions.

It makes sense that the distance is not too far, and Di Xingchen has already had two dates in a row and may be tired, so it's best if he arranges a quieter date. Preferably indoors and not so cold.

He searched the neighbourhood and eventually found a drawing room.

Di Xingchen was surprised to see Yan Zhi bring him to the studio.

The studio is situated on the northern outskirts of the northern city, further north of the mountains, on very high ground with an unusually wide view.

Yan Zhi asks, "Do you know how to draw?"

Di Xingchen shook his head, "I won't."

The owner of the shop recognised him and was excited to greet him personally at the door, as Yan Zhi had come to say hello before.

There were no customers in the studio, just the owner and her daughter. Di Xingchen took off his coat and asked, "Do you want to paint?"

"I want to paint a portrait of you." Yan Zhi says.

Di Xingchen froze for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

He didn't even know that Yan Zhi could draw.

Their guests this season are really hidden.

"Why don't you sit by the window, there's a great view over here."

Di Xingchen nods and sits down in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, only to find a bunch of pale red starflowers on the sill.

This shouldn't have appeared here by chance, should it?

"How do I sit?" Di Xingchen smiles and says, "This is the first time I've ever had my portrait painted."

Yan Zhi said, "Sit as comfortable as you like, I'm a bit pressed for time, I'll just paint the top half of the body."

The studio owner lifted the board over and looked at Di Xingchen, who smiled at the owner, who blushed with excitement and couldn't help but say, "You're even more handsome in person than on TV!"

Di Xingchen smiled and said, "Thank you."

The owner looked at Di Xingchen and then at Yan Zhi, and his heart grew even more excited.

Both of these guys are so good looking!

One ascetic and advanced, the other bright and handsome, and then the thought that the two of them might be in a relationship, she couldn't help herself.

"I'll leave you to it, if there's anything you need, just ask."

"Thank you." Yan Zhi and Di Xingchen said almost simultaneously.

The owner smiled and went to one side, for goodness sake, both so good looking and both so polite!

Yan Zhi picked up his pen and looked at Di Xingchen for a while. Yan Zhi then laughed and said, "Don't be nervous."

Di Xingchen blushed even more and said, "I'll try."

He sat up straight and put his hands on his knees. When he used to travel, he had seen portraits painted for people in scenic spots, sketches, five dollars for ten dollars a piece, and they could basically be done in a few minutes, Yan Zhi Since he was going to sketch him, he must have two brushes before he painted him, and it certainly wouldn't take too long.

Yan Zhi picks up a brush and begins to draw on the board, the brush rustling on the paper as he moves in what appears to be a wide open motion, supposedly roughly sketching the outline. Di Xingchen suddenly reaches out and takes the star on the windowsill and places it on his lap.

Yan Zhi froze for a moment, then smiled, he actually rarely smiled like this lately, round neck jumper, showing white shirt collar, gold silk glasses clear, that pair of good to see overly hands holding a brush, sitting in front of the drawing board, looks nothing like an electric campaigner, more like an artist, elegant and graceful.

After a few minutes or so, Di Xingchen became less embarrassed and licked his lips, feeling a little thirsty.

"There's tea on the table." Yan Zhi said suddenly.

Di Xingchen's pink, fleeting tongue kept coming to mind.

"Can I move?" Di Xingchen asked.

Yan Zhi said, "Feel free to move."

Di Xingchen then picked up his cup of tea and took two sips.

Sometimes he just stares at the drawing board, sometimes he stares at him while he draws, his eyes sharp and direct, as if he can see right through him. When they met, Di Xingchen lowered his eyes and looked at the stars in front of him.

The starry sky actually has a scent, but it is particularly light, but he particularly likes the light fragrance, which reminds him of the bottle of his homemade perfume that Yan Zhi once gave him.

Yan Zhi is a man who can do more than play games, he can ski, paint, play the guitar and mix perfume.

He is as good as Huo Cheng and Pei Xu.

People on the internet are crazy about him, saying he can do everything, but Di Xingchen still thinks he's not really a standout among the eight guests. They just didn't have the opportunity to perform, unlike him who danced and the whole world saw him.

His professional status is really a great advantage. And the likes of Duan Yihua and Lin Qingning, who are so good in their respective fields, don't get to show it through the audio-visual language.

His follow-on portrait, Little Li, stands behind Yan Zhi, staring at the panel even though the camera is on him.

Di Xingchen couldn't help but ask, "What about Brother Yan's painting?"

"You'll see for yourself when you've finished drawing." Little Li looked strangely shocked.

Yan Zhi's sketch took a little longer than he expected, and after half an hour Yan Zhi still hadn't finished it.

Di Xingchen wanted to ask a question but was afraid Yan Zhi would be embarrassed. He sat there thinking how he would react if Yan Zhi's drawing was average or not particularly like him.

"Wow, that's too much like it." Would that be too fake.

Cold is definitely not cold, but there has to be a degree of enthusiasm, and is he going to act it? He felt he might be embarrassed to act!

He could only pray in his heart that Yan Zhi's drawing was better than he had expected.

He eventually got a little tired of holding his back and slowly leaned back in his chair, his cup of tea changed three times, he pursed his lips and glanced towards Yan Zhi and the others every now and then.

The owner of the studio was also attracted to the painting and stood behind Yan Zhi to watch. The studio was silent, except for the rustling of Yan Zhi's hands. Yan Zhi's expression is becoming more and more focused and serious.

After about forty minutes, Yan Zhi put down the pen in his hand.

He used mostly charcoal sticks, and his white fingers were blackened in a big way.

"Is the painting ready?" Di Xingchen asked.

Yan Zhi nods.

Immediately, his cameraman turned the camera on him, and Di Xingchen put down the full moon in his hand and slowly stood up.

He was a little stressed at that moment.

He thought he would make a stunning face, no matter how Yan Zhi painted it.

Yan Zhi takes the drawing paper off the board and hands it to him.

Di Xingchen picks it up under two camera shots and purses his lips as he glances towards the painting.

At this look, he was stunned.

Is this really a sketch?

He finally knew why Yan Zhi had taken so long to paint.

This is a black and white photo, isn't it!

Yan Zhi used grey stiff cardboard, with dark side highlights and chalk with charcoal strips as the main tool, and the drawing was just amazing, with all the light and shade and dimension, especially the eyes, shy and bright, with lips to smile, almost reminding him at once of the mood he had just been in.

The beauty of painting is that it conveys beauty better than a photograph, and Di Xingchen wonders if he really looks that good.

He is bright and dazzling in the black and white sketch.

In the plainest of colours, but painted with the brightest of brilliance.

The fuller in his arms is in turn sketchily painted, a mere cloud of flowering shadows.

He was genuinely touched and amazed.

He looked up at Yan Zhi, utterly convinced.

He didn't even know what to say, except to say with some excitement, "You paint so well, don't you?"

He didn't even know that sketches could be so evocative and realistic.

Even the owner of the studio said, "It's really very, very impressive that you can paint so evocatively in such a short time."

"Could you please frame it for me?" Yan Zhi said.

Di Xingchen, still in a state of excitement, asked, "Have you ever studied painting before?"

So well hidden, fans don't even know!

"I used to study with Ms Zhang Feng. she was a good friend of my mother's." Yan Zhi says lightly.

" Teacher Zhang Feng?" The studio owner asked in surprise, "No wonder."

Di Xingchen didn't know this person, but I could tell from the tone of his voice that she was a great person.

Men with talent really do shine.

Di Xingchen is looking at Yan Zhi and feels that Yan Zhi has become a whole new level of sophistication.

Yan Zhi took some soap and rubbed his hands together, the white lather covering the lead dust on his fingers. When this scene is shown on TV in the future, I wonder how many hearts Yan Zhi, a teenage killer, will kill.

After the studio owner had framed them, the two of them took a photo with him in the studio. When she looked at Yan Zhi, her eyes were full of admiration, and she couldn't stop praising him: "His painting skills are so good that even a graduate of an art school can't catch up with him, not to say that he is a master, but he is really, really good."

It was close to stamping its toe and screaming.

Di Xingchen does not know any painting techniques, he only has the most intuitive feelings of ordinary people.

That's good bull.

When they had finished the painting, they had more than an hour to spare, and Yan Zhi took the handful of stars and they came out of the studio together.

The sky was already darkening, the snowy mountain tops were covered in an evening sun, the setting sun shining golden on their faces, and Di Xingchen looked again at the portrait in his hand, his heart surging with the talent of the painting.

Really nicely painted.

He thought he looked better in this painting than he did in person.

It looks as if he is exactly the same as him, and as if he has amplified a certain quality in him, but it is impossible to find this quality. This may be the Yan Zhi's vision of him, which only those who love him will find and magnify.

The large trees in the sculpture park blocked out the light of the setting sun, leaving only half of it shining on the stage. Hu Ying, feeling a little chilly, glanced back at the almost fading sunlight and said, "It's been over an hour, why aren't they back yet?"

Hu Ying couldn't resist and urged the camera behind them, "You guys call and ask."

The camera called Yan Zhi's side of the festival, and he ran out because it was so noisy.

"It's back." Hu Ying said.

Huo Cheng and Pei Xu both look back and see Di Xingchen and Yan Zhi walking through the crowd, Yan Zhi turning back and reaching out to protect the shoulders of Di Xingchen, who is wearing a mask and carrying a very fine looking wooden paper bag.

"You're finally back." Huo Cheng said.

The lights from the stage shone down, purple and red, sweeping over the crowd as the singer above sang a very upbeat ballad and the crowd swayed to the chorus. As they stand together, Duan Yihua and Hu Ying both glance at the bag in Di Xingchen's hand and faintly see a picture frame inside, along with a bouquet of stars.

The night came up, the sky turned a deep blue, and the light brushed their faces, each with an expression so obscure.

Pei Xu and Huo Cheng were both looking at Di Xingchen and Yan Zhi, trying to see the outcome of their date by the expressions on their faces. With thousands of people already singing along, Di Xingchen looked up at the stage and said, "I know them!"

He recognised the band, he just couldn't recall their name, but the song they were singing was familiar to him. The lively atmosphere soon engulfed everything and everyone was caught up in the excitement, standing together to watch the show.

Pei Xu suddenly felt someone touch his arm and turned his head to see that it was Di Xingchen.

Di Xingchen approached him and over the din of the music asked, "What happened to your hand?"

Pei Xu then raised his hand.

He had purple potion smeared on the back of his hand.

He shook his head a little and, noticing that someone was watching them, looked up and it was Yan Zhi.

A purplish light brushed the lenses of Yan Zhi's glasses, a red light that covered Yan Zhi's eyes like a weed covering the figure of a wolf, but he knew that the more invisible he was, the more danger he could not see.

"My hand was hurting and I went to the hospital." Pei Xu said to Di Xingchen, stretching out his fingers.

He could have said that before.

He was kind to Yan Zhi.

He didn't want to be merciful to him now.