The Love Reality Show's Big Boss and Little Sweetie - Chapter 29

A perfectly good bedtime story session had turned into a ghost story thanks to Xu Wuxing. Mu Chi was absolutely certain he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight unless Qi Liao was by his side.

Today’s live broadcast ended with Ying Xuan saying, “The Master did not speak of ghosts and spirits,” leaving the audience with endless room for imagination. Of course, some complained—what was a dating show doing telling horror stories?

Others said it was to trigger the suspension bridge effect; hadn’t they seen how tightly Qi Liao and Mu Chi were holding each other, and how Hao Wenrou and Ying Xuan were also locked in an embrace?

Hao Wenrou’s fans: Suddenly feeling like the Film Emperor isn’t so bad either. Film Emperor x Game Streamer… has potential.

Naturally, they couldn’t see that after the broadcast ended, Hao Wenrou’s face darkened. While maintaining composure in front of others, the look she cast towards Mu Chi and Qi Liao held traces of resentment.

Mu Chi, however, completely missed it, his spirit still unsettled as he stumbled upstairs.

Although Xiao Tian and Xiao Wang appeared promptly, they were all business, failing to notice Mu Chi’s anxiety.

“Brother Mu, get some good rest,” the two assistants said as they left.

Mu Chi opened his mouth, wanting to say ‘Don’t go,’ but felt too embarrassed, and could only endure the unease in his heart.

By ten o’clock, Mu Chi was still tossing and turning in bed, all the lights in the room blazing. Unable to sleep, he suddenly sat up, grabbed his pillow, got out of bed, picked up his phone, and tiptoed out of his room.

Passing Xu Wuxing’s door, Mu Chi shot it an annoyed glare, then scurried over to another door.

He curled his index finger and knocked, Tap tap—”Gege, it’s me.”

A few seconds later, the door opened. Qi Liao looked at the furtive youth outside without any surprise, asking a question he already knew the answer to: “What is it?”

Mu Chi pouted, looking wronged. “I can’t sleep. What if I have nightmares…”

Qi Liao raised an eyebrow slightly. “With nerves as thick as yours, you still get nightmares?”

“……” Mu Chi stared at Qi Liao, both embarrassed and annoyed, his peach-blossom eyes dark and glistening, a faint blush showing on his snow-white face, as if he’d been bullied.

This expression made Qi Liao pause, an indescribable feeling bubbling up in his heart. He stepped aside. “Come in. Don’t let anyone see you.”

Somehow, those words sounded exactly like they were having a secret affair.

Mu Chi’s anger instantly vanished. Hugging his pillow, he slipped inside and naturally placed his pillow on the inner side of the bed.

Qi Liao suddenly felt a bit awkward. He closed the door softly and turned the lock.

“Gege, how come you aren’t asleep either?” Mu Chi turned from defense to offense, his tone teasing. “You’re not scared of nightmares too, are you?”

Of course, Qi Liao wouldn’t say he’d been waiting for a certain someone to show up. He walked over to stand before Mu Chi, looking down at him slightly. Mu Chi’s heartbeat quickened, but his face refused to admit defeat, meeting Qi Liao’s gaze head-on in a silent contest.

Looking at the youth’s serious expression, Qi Liao felt an itch in his heart, a desire to do something, yet also found it amusing. He actually laughed.

Mu Chi stared unblinkingly. At this distance of less than thirty centimeters, he could see even more clearly how exquisitely carved Qi Liao’s deep, distinct features were, like an ancient Greek statue. When he laughed, he truly resembled a demon king capable of throwing the world into chaos.

Then, Mu Chi felt his body go light, falling backward onto the bed—bouncing a couple of times upon impact, as if a little deer was trapped inside him, thumping incessantly.

Qi Liao had pushed him onto the bed. He looked at Mu Chi, his pajamas disheveled, hair splayed out, his whole body soft and pliant, like a big piece of cotton candy.

Mu Chi looked up at Qi Liao, a mix of wanting to speak and shyness. “What are you doing?”

Qi Liao silently bit the tip of his tongue, forcing his brain to clear. “It’s past ten. Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Be careful of dark circles, baldness, and sallow skin.”

Mu Chi: “……” So utterly lacking in romance!

He kicked off his slippers, rolled over to the inside of the bed, hugged the thin blanket, and sulked.

Qi Liao leaned back against the headboard, feigning nonchalance, and picked up a book to read by the lamplight.

“What book is more interesting than me?” Mu Chi asked.

Qi Liao’s finger stilled on the page. There were several books on his nightstand; he hadn’t even noticed the title of this one. His eyes quickly scanned a couple of lines. “Compendium of Materia Medica,” he said.

“You studied Western medicine, why are you reading about Traditional Chinese Medicine?”

“In case I get injured during wilderness expeditions and there’s no ready-made medicine. It’s always good to learn more.”

Mu Chi then asked, “Why do you even need to go on wilderness expeditions? So many news reports say someone went into an uninhabited zone, their car broke down, or they were eaten by wild animals. It’s terrifying.”

Qi Liao said, “The ‘wilderness’ I’m talking about is within a few dozen li of inhabited areas.”

“That’s good then.” Mu Chi turned on his side, resting his head against Qi Liao’s arm, and looked at the words on the page: “Cyperus rotundus, also known as Sparrow Head Fragrance, Grass Monkshood, Water Fragrance Edge… Root: sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic…”

Five minutes later, Mu Chi had stubbornly read himself to sleep. The small characters danced before his eyes, blurring into double vision, nearly dizzying him, until his head grew heavy and he was completely out.

Qi Liao looked down at him for a while, then cupped the heavy little head and moved it onto the pillow. Mu Chi’s face was also very small; Qi Liao could cover it entirely with one hand. His features were delicate, like a porcelain doll’s, soft and serene in sleep.

By the time Qi Liao realized it, his fingers had already, uncontrollably, pinched Mu Chi’s cheek. The texture was slightly cool, fine, and elastic. Mu Chi looked slender, but the flesh on his face was certainly not lacking, his cheeks slightly plump, giving him a somewhat childish appearance.

Mu Chi slept soundly, completely unaware that his face was being pinched, squeezed, and kneaded by a large hand for quite some time.

When he got too warm in his sleep, Mu Chi kicked off the thin blanket and turned over to continue sleeping.

Qi Liao pulled the blanket back up to cover Mu Chi’s waist to prevent him from catching a chill. Only then did he lie down and close his eyes, feeling restless for nearly another hour before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, Qi Liao’s internal body clock woke him. He was about to move when he suddenly froze. Mu Chi was clinging to him like an octopus, one pale arm draped across his chest, and a long, straight leg thrown over both of his.

Qi Liao let out a breath. Was Mu Chi using him as a body pillow?

He wanted to move but couldn’t bear to wake Mu Chi. He brooded silently for a while, feeling particularly… alert in a certain area. His chest rising and falling, a thought suddenly struck Qi Liao: Mu Chi’s assistant, Xiao Tian, had mentioned once that Mu Chi liked to laze in bed.

So, a little movement probably wouldn’t wake him. Qi Liao gently moved Mu Chi’s arm aside, extracted one of his own legs, and shifted the other man toward the inside of the bed. Qi Liao almost laughed in exasperation; not only was Mu Chi an unrestrained sleeper, but he had also managed to push Qi Liao right to the edge of the bed.

Qi Liao tapped Mu Chi’s nose. “Little rascal.”

The little rascal was dead to the world, showing no signs of waking up whatsoever. And he’d said he wanted to go for a morning run? In reality, he could probably spend the whole day in bed.

When Xiao Tian couldn’t find Mu Chi again, she no longer panicked. She waited for Qi Liao to return from his morning run, then approached him, her face slightly flushed. “Brother Qi, is Brother Mu with you?”

“He is,” Qi Liao said, heading upstairs to his own room to wake Mu Chi. “Get up.”

Mu Chi hummed and grumbled, turning over without paying him any attention.

Qi Liao gently tugged Mu Chi’s ear. “Don’t you want to go running with your Gege anymore?”

Mu Chi: “…Huh? Mnn, yes.”

Waking up in a daze, Mu Chi met Qi Liao’s devastatingly handsome face, and his little heart started thumping wildly again. “Gege?”

Having been called ‘Gege’ so many times, Qi Liao should have been immune by now. But faced with Mu Chi’s sleepy, dark, and bright eyes, his cheeks flushed from sleep, and those soft, petal-like lips, he found it impossible to ignore the feeling in his heart.

He could only pretend to be calm, feigning that he wasn’t bewitched. “Mn,” Qi Liao grunted. “Get up. Your assistant is looking for you.”

Mu Chi gradually woke up, sitting up and looking over Qi Liao’s athletic wear. “Why didn’t you call me for your morning run?”

Qi Liao: “Exercise requires self-discipline. If you’re truly determined, I’ll use every method possible to get you up for a run from now on.”

Mu Chi: “…Let me think about it some more.”

When Xiao Tian saw Mu Chi emerge from Qi Liao’s room, she sighed in relief but couldn’t help letting her imagination run wild. While tidying Mu Chi’s room, she couldn’t resist asking: “Brother Mu, what’s your relationship with Brother Qi?”

Mu Chi replied offhandedly: “It’s whatever you see it as.”

Xiao Tian covered her mouth in excitement, nodding vigorously. “Mhm, I understand. I’ll keep it a secret.”

Mu Chi hadn’t actually asked her to keep it secret, but seeing her like this, he just smiled.

After breakfast, as everyone was discussing the day’s activities, they suddenly heard shouting from outside: “Qi Liao! Mu Chi! You damn dog men, come out!!”

Qi Liao: “…”

Mu Chi: “…?”

[？？？？]

[Who is that? Holy crap! Robbers?]

[There are still bandits these days???]

Several of them went outside and saw three brawny men with their heads and faces covered, only their eyes visible. Each was over 180 cm tall, with thick arms and legs, wearing black tank tops. Tattoos of dragons and phoenixes covered their arms, shoulders, and necks.

Mu Chi doubted his eyes. “Are you… triplets?”

The three men: “…No.”

“Then why are your tattoos exactly the same?”

“None of your damn business!”

Mu Chi had nothing more to say. Qi Liao took two steps forward. “You’d better leave now. Otherwise, when the police arrive, you’ll be in deep trouble.”

The men laughed heartily, their voices fierce. “This godforsaken place? It’ll take the cops half a day to get here. Plenty of time for us to tear this house down.”

Xu Wuxing asked, amazed: “Why would you tear the house down?”

The men cracked their knuckles. “Fine, we won’t tear it down. Just make Qi Liao and Mu Chi, that damn dog men, leave.”

“??”

Mu Chi said angrily: “Tear the house down if you must, but don’t insult people.”

The men: “We’re insulting you if we want to. What can you do about it with those skinny arms and legs of yours? Hahahaha!”

The mocking laughter made netizens outside the screen furious.

[What are these things? Why tear the house down?]

[Pah! You three look more like dog men , with your matching outfits!]

[Where did these tattooed brothers come from? Did the production team hire them?]

The production team: This has nothing to do with us!

Qi Liao slowly paced forward. “Did Zhao Jie send you?”

The three men froze for a few seconds, looked at each other, and immediately denied it. “It wasn’t him!”

“Heh, so you do know Zhao Jie.”

“…Fuck, he set us up. Brothers, get them!”

The one who had been cursing charged at Qi Liao alone. Qi Liao sidestepped, kicked the man in the lower back, used a small grappling technique to seize his arm, and twisted it behind him!

“OW!” The man’s cry was identical to Zhao Jie’s.

Qi Liao bent his knee and delivered a kick that sent the man to the ground, his arm dislocating with a crack. The man’s cries grew even more miserable, startling his two companions.

Qi Liao planted a foot on the man, rendering him completely immobile. He lifted his head, his eyes filled with coldness and mockery. “Don’t stand on ceremony. Come at me together.”

The two remaining men looked at each other, then charged forward with shouts.

Thump—Thump— The two men landed on top of the first, forming a human stack.

Everyone: “…………”

[Are robbers this weak nowadays?]

[Mama mia, one against three! The Demon King is mighty!]

[The brawny human stack is so funny hahaha!]

While the men were still dazed, Qi Liao beckoned to Mu Chi. Mu Chi obediently went over, his eyes questioning. Qi Liao pointed at the “human stack” and said, “Take off their masks.”

The masks were a black-grey color, covering the men’s entire heads. At first glance, they looked like moldy marinated eggs; on second look, they resembled the culprits from Detective Conan.

Mu Chi removed the hoods, exposing their faces to the camera, which would make it easier for the police to question them later. The three men rolled into a heap, and the “tattoos” on their arms rubbed off with their sweat—they were just stick-ons.

The men cursed, covering their faces to avoid the camera. “You’re violating our privacy rights!”

Lucas laughed. “Since when is a face considered private? I’ve never heard of that.”

“Of course you, a foreigner, wouldn’t understand our country’s laws!”

Lucas was rendered speechless. Ying Xuan said, “Since you understand the law, and yet you deliberately break it by trying to demolish private property and engage in brawling, that’s knowingly breaking the law. The punishment will be more severe.”

Unable to win the fight or the argument, the men could only flee in disgrace. “Just you wait! Young Master Zhao won’t let you get away with this!”

Hao Wenrou laughed hearing this. “Did they just admit who was behind it?”

Mu Chi wasn’t willing to let them go just like that. He’d been insulted and hadn’t gotten payback yet. In a moment of excitement, he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted clearly: “We’ll be waiting! Even if you copy and paste three hundred more of yourselves, you still wouldn’t be a match for us!!”

The men staggered; one fell, pulling the others down with him, and they all fell flat on their faces in succession.

Mu Chi: “HAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“…”

[Who dares to say his aloof male god persona hasn’t collapsed?]