The Love Reality Show's Big Boss and Little Sweetie - Chapter 55

【So, this Korean guy was acting from the very start?】

【Holy crap, I actually thought he liked Qi Liao!】

【Turns out he’s just a fan.】

【He got exposed by the second day, his resolve isn’t strong enough.】

【Seeing the Demon King and Mu Chi so deeply in love, this pure romance warrior has fallen (in a good way).】

Regarding Jin Liusun’s “betrayal,” Qi Liao didn’t react much, but Mu Chi was utterly stunned. Even if he had considered that Jin Liusun might not genuinely like Qi Liao, he never imagined the other would be a fan of their couple pairing.

“Let’s go inside.” Qi Liao took Mu Chi’s hand, no longer avoiding anyone’s gaze.

Mu Chi obediently followed him inside, found the first aid kit, and carefully disinfected and applied ointment to the corner of Qi Liao’s mouth, his dark brows slightly furrowed. “In this hot weather, wounds can get infected easily. You need to be careful these next few days.”

“It’s fine, just a minor injury.”

“Still, you should be cautious.”

“Mm.” Qi Liao watched as Mu Chi attentively applied the ointment with a cotton swab and felt like laughing. A laugh escaped, followed by a slight hiss of pain.

Mu Chi said seriously, “You should laugh less these days too.”

Qi Liao: “But I feel like laughing whenever I see you.”

“What does that mean? Am I funny?” Mu Chi deliberately puffed out his cheeks, pretending to be angry.

Qi Liao raised a finger and poked his cheek. “No, it’s just that seeing you makes me happy.”

“Ooh ooh ooh~” Jin Liusun entered with a weird chuckle. “You two are just too sweet.”

Qi Liao’s face stiffened. “Six, looking for a beating?”

Jin Liusun hugged himself. “Brother Qi, don’t be like that, I’m scared.”

“Who sent you?” Qi Liao flexed his wrist, seeming genuinely ready to throw a punch.

Jin Liusun raised both hands in surrender. “It was the show’s director, not your brother.”

Director: “…………”

Qi Yuan far away in the capital: “……………………”

This was the definition of a teammate who screws you over.

Qi Liao nodded, letting Jin Liusun off. “Get lost.”

Jin Liusun sat on the sofa. “Just treat me like a blade of grass. I won’t disturb you.”

“Your very existence is disturbing us.”

As Qi Liao spoke, he noticed Xia Yang still hadn’t left outside. He called out, “Coming in to get some treatment?”

“No need.” Xia Yang turned and walked away.

Xu Wuxing inexplicably thought of a famous movie line: “He really looks like a dog.”

“…”

【Hahahaha insulting someone while paying homage to a classic】

【It fits the scene perfectly】

【Xia Yang has suffered 10,000 points of critical damage】

The cameraman was also sighing with a mix of emotions, persistently filming until Xia Yang was out the main gate and watching him enter his own house before finally stopping.

Diyi Shuai and Xiao Hei silently watched their “fellow creature” disappear behind the gate, then happily chased and played with each other, rolling over and exposing their bellies on the hailstones.

Ying Xuan brought a broom and began slowly sweeping the courtyard.

Qi Liao directed Lucas: “You help sweep too.”

Lucas teased, “And what will you do? Take a nap with Mu Chi?”

Qi Liao’s tone was flat. “Perhaps you’d like to go repair the roof instead?”

Everyone then remembered the roof was damaged by the hail. Ying Xuan said, “We should find professionals to fix that.”

“I’ll go take a look.” Qi Liao went around the back of the house and climbed up a bamboo ladder. Just as he was about to reach the eaves, clatter! Another tile broke.

“…”

Qi Liao picked up a brick-red tile, applied pressure with his fingers, and it crumbled into several pieces.

The cameras couldn’t capture the scene below well. Mu Chi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Liao, in a state of extreme speechlessness, laughed drily. “I’m afraid all the tiles need replacing.”

Production Team: ?

He grabbed a small piece of tile and performed for everyone what it means to crush stone with bare hands.

Xu Wuxing’s eyes widened. “Brother Qi, you’re amazing!”

Lucas laughed. “It’s that the tiles are too brittle, like Bugles snacks.”

Xu Wuxing almost said, ‘Let me taste one…’

The director, facing yet another expense, felt deeply frustrated and dejected. Why was nothing going smoothly this season of the dating show?

Regardless, the house still needed repairs. By the afternoon, masons arrived with a cartload of tiles and cement and got to work immediately. After inspecting the tiles, one said, “These are decades-old tiles, never maintained, almost weathered. They should have been replaced long ago.”

Hearing this, the director grew even more furious. This landlord was too devious.

As the masons worked on the roof, Mu Chi brought them water and ice cream: “Masters, you’ve worked hard.”

Not only that, when the masons took breaks, he personally climbed onto the roof, adding tiles and mortar, working with great enthusiasm.

【……What is my male god doing?】

【What a diligent little mason!】

【That’s just how some people are, they can’t sit still, always have to find something to do.】

【Shouldn’t he be busy dating the Demon King? How is he ‘bored’? /sly grin】

【Maybe he’s just that pure.】

【Hearing that just makes me want them to do ‘bad things’ even more…】

Mu Chi had originally planned to go surfing, but the hailstorm had canceled all activities. Now was a perfect chance to stretch his limbs. Soon, the eager-to-learn young man had picked up the skill of laying tiles from the masons, adding another talent to his repertoire.

The production team urgently dispatched a drone to circle the area, capturing the neat rows of houses and Mu Chi seriously “building a house.”

【…Why do I suddenly want to be a mason too?】

【No wonder I loved climbing onto roofs as a kid and playing with Legos as an adult.】

【The tiles are so neatly aligned, my OCD is soothed.】

【Look what I see! Xia Yang is secretly watching Mu Chi from the backyard!】

【Fight! Fight! Fight!】

Qi Liao naturally noticed it too. He merely cast a brief glance over before saying to Mu Chi on the roof, “Come down now.”

Mu Chi climbed down using the specialized scaffold. When he was four or five steps from the bottom, he let his guard down, his foot slipped. “…Huh?”

Xia Yang’s body moved before his brain, taking two steps forward before halting abruptly.

The slender, beautiful youth fell right into Qi Liao’s arms, just like every time before.

It was as if Qi Liao was born with the innate ability to protect people. If he wanted to protect someone, he would never let that person get hurt.

Xia Yang stopped over twenty meters away, not taking another step forward. An insurmountable chasm lay between him and those two. In this lifetime, they would only be neighbors and friends for this one month, destined to become strangers eventually.

Tumbling into that familiar embrace, Mu Chi curved his eyes into smiles as he grinned at Qi Liao.

Qi Liao set him down properly and tapped his nose in admonishment. “You still have the nerve to laugh.”

Mu Chi rubbed his nose, his peripheral glance catching sight of the neighboring backyard. Had he vaguely seen a figure there just now? Was it an illusion?

By evening, the tiles were finally all replaced.

After dinner, Jin Liusun announced, “My flight’s at 1 AM. Who knows when we’ll meet again next time.”

“So soon?” Mu Chi asked. “Won’t you stay and play a couple more days?”

“I’d like to, but my teammate is pestering me to go back and practice driving with him. We have a summer league match in three days.”

“League match?” Xu Wuxing said. “Sounds very impressive.”

Jin Liusun smiled wryly: “Seven participated in these kinds of competitions five or six years ago. I’m still over a hundred races short of catching up to him.”

Xu Wuxing’s eyes turned starry: “Brother Qi, you’re amazing.” A few seconds later, he remembered Qi Liao was his love rival, and his expression instantly became conflicted.

【Hahaha Xingbao is too adorable.】

【Finally remembered the Demon King is your rival?】

【When Qi Liao and Xia Yang were fighting, Xu Wuxing was still cheering for Qi Liao.】

【Such a childish kid. Who would have thought the persona Xu Wuxing projects is a ‘Prince’?】

【Kinda reluctant to see this Korean guy go.】

【His exit is so sudden too. Is he running away after being exposed?】

【Afraid of being hunted down by the Demon King’s big brother?】

Speak of the devil, Qi Liao’s big brother called. He hung up three times before finally, impatiently, walking to a corner to answer. “What?”

“Is that any way to talk to your brother?” Qi Yuan complained. “That Korean guy is leaving. You’re happy now, right?”

Qi Liao: “I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and you admit it yourself?”

“Little brother, let me be clear. Although I found the Korean guy, it was your show’s director who asked me. He begged me for ten minutes, promising more sweet shots of you and Mu Chi. I only found this troublemaker for him to make our parents happy.”

Qi Liao sneered: “You also colluded with Ash. Such impressive methods, even bribing someone from my own team.”

Qi Yuan paused. “What if I told you I didn’t collude with Ash? He volunteered. Would you believe me?”

“Don’t tell me he was bewitched by your looks. He’s not that desperate, is he?”

“…” Qi Yuan laughed in anger. “Say what you want. Anyway, my conscience is clear. Blame your show’s director if you have to.”

Qi Liao: “I’m not blaming you. You’re the one feeling guilty without cause.”

“…Fine. You’re right. I’m hanging up.” Having rarely suffered a loss where he couldn’t retort against Qi Liao, Qi Yuan grew angrier the more he thought about it. He called the director to demand an explanation.

After a stream of apologies from the director, he said, “President Qi, I have another idea. I guarantee, this time there will be absolutely no trace of meddling.”

“What kind of person do you take me for? To collude with you?” Qi Yuan’s tone was airy. “If I get even a little unhappy, I’ll just pull the plug on this dating show.”

“Of course, of course. Once you acquired the ‘Durian Video’ platform, you became my boss.” The director chuckled ingratiatingly. “How could I make you unhappy?”

Qi Yuan asked nonchalantly, “Alright, out with it. What’s your half-baked idea? Let me state upfront, I won’t actually set up my own little brother.”

The director vowed earnestly: “Rest assured, we absolutely won’t truly harm him. Listen to my plan…”

After listening to the director’s long-winded explanation, the impatience on Qi Yuan’s face suddenly smoothed away. “Good. If you fail again this time, you can look forward to being a eunuch.”

Director: “…Yes.”

After dinner, everyone gathered at the entrance.

“Welcome to come back and visit anytime.” Ying Xuan presented a gift basket of snacks everyone had prepared.

Jin Liusun accepted it with a smile. “Thank you. I’ll come back if I get the chance. It’s very beautiful here, and it somewhat resembles my hometown. I really like it.”

Xu Wuxing: “Then next time you come, you can only look for Xia Yang to play with.”

Jin Liusun was momentarily startled, then nodded. “Okay.”

Mother Xia, hearing Jin Liusun was leaving, came out hesitantly to see him off. “Little Liu…”

Jin Liusun smiled politely and sweetly: “Auntie Xia, I’m heading back. I’ll visit again next time.”

Mother Xia hesitated for a moment before offering one of her own silver rings. “I don’t have anything good to give you. Don’t stand on ceremony, take it. You’re a good kid.”

Xu Wuxing felt slighted: “Aren’t ww good kids?”

Hao Wenrou glanced at Xu Wuxing as if looking at an idiot.

“…”

Jin Liusun accepted Mother Xia’s kindness. Seeing Xia Yang leaning against the main gate, he waved: “Bye bye, Xia Yang.”

Xia Yang: “Goodbye.”

“Next time I come, I’ll be driving a good car. I’ll definitely beat you then.”

The corner of Xia Yang’s mouth lifted slightly. “Is that so? Then I’ll look forward to that day.”

Jin Liusun said seriously: “You genuinely love street racing. I know that.”

Xia Yang’s expression froze, and he stared blankly at Jin Liusun.

Jin Liusun gave a brilliant smile, hoisted the black backpack he came with onto his back, hugged the snack gift basket, and briskly opened the taxi door. “Goodbye, everyone!”

The taxi drove down the mountain, getting farther and farther away until it was completely out of sight.

Mu Chi said, “That troublemaker is actually quite genuine.”

Qi Liao: “He’s not a bad person.” That’s why he hadn’t believed it when he heard from Ash that Jin Liusun had a crush on him. With Jin Liusun’s personality, he simply wasn’t capable of something like secret pining.

“You called him an annoying pest, but I don’t think he’s that bad.”

“He’s grown up. He was truly annoying before, clinging to me as soon as he joined my team, pestering me to teach him driving techniques.”

Mu Chi guessed: “He probably admired you, saw you as his idol.”

Qi Liao: “I’m not an idol. I’m just myself.”

Mu Chi laughed: “Of course you’re yourself. But you can’t stop others from admiring you, from seeing you as a goal. If someone admired me that much, I’d be very happy.”

Qi Liao pondered for a moment. “Alright then, seeing me as an idol. Starting today, I’ll see you as my idol. Would that make you happy every day?”

Mu Chi was tickled by this, laughing even more joyfully: “It doesn’t work like that! That doesn’t count!”

“You say it doesn’t count?” Qi Liao pulled the person closer, tapping his lips unabashedly in front of everyone. “Can’t you also admire me, so I can be happy every day too?”

Mu Chi also forgot about the others. “How can two people see each other as idols?”

“Yes, you can. Two people attract each other, see the shining points in the other, reveal their true hearts, and join hands for a lifetime. If that isn’t admiration, if that isn’t seeing the other as an idol, then what is?”

Mu Chi knew. Such two people are called lovers.