The Love Reality Show's Big Boss and Little Sweetie - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Climbing A Tree

But now, Mu Chi has lost his memory.

Qi Liao took a moment to recover from the shock that felt like a drumbeat in his heart. He quietly asked the young man in front of him, who was half a head shorter than him, “How old are you?”

Mu Chi: “Seventeen.”

Qi Liao: “…” This guy’s mind is truly messed up.

Even so, the moment he was called “Ge,” Qi Liao still felt an indescribable sensation. He didn’t want to dwell on it and turned to leave. Mu Chi followed behind him, whispering, “Ge, what’s wrong with you?”

Qi Liao ignored the strange itch in his heart and said, “Don’t talk.”

Those outside saw Qi Liao and Mu Chi emerge together from the woods, and were somewhat surprised. By then, the live stream was nearing its end, with half the viewers gone and the comments were sparse.

As soon as the two appeared, the comments were filled with 【????】 【Why are they coming out of the woods together?】

Even Hao Wenrou’s face froze for a moment, but when he saw Qi Liao’s furrowed brows, he suddenly exhaled in relief.  It seemed that even with Mu Chi’s memory loss, these two still didn’t get along.

Thinking this, Hao Wenrou forced a smile: “What a coincidence ,you two ran into each other.”

Qi Liao did not explain much, and Mu Chi said with a dull face in order to fit his character: “Hmm.”

Lucas asked with a smile: “You didn’t bring your phone, so how did you make the call? Did you borrow Qi Liao’s phone?”

Mu Chi’s casual words were exposed, so he had to tell the truth: “I was in a hurry to pee.”

“Oh? You ran into Qi Liao when you were in a hurry to pee, so you…” Lucas looked between the two of them with an ambiguous look.

Mu Chi: “I met Qi Liao on the way back after I finished peeing. Lucas, are you too full and have nothing to do?”

Lucas shook his head, “I’m just sad that you didn’t give me WeChat.”

“I’ll give it to you when I get back, but if you harass me, I’ll delete you.”  Mu Chi ruthlessly cut off Lucas’s thoughts.

Lucas seemed even more hurt, but after a while, he perked up again: “It’s okay,  I just want temporary happiness.”

“…”

【Lucas, do you know that you have no moral integrity?】

【Ah, playboy, stay away from male god】

【Was that gentle expression just now jealousy?】

【The local dog loves this kind of secret Shura field/dog head】

【By the way, why does Qi Liao always look so grumpy?】

【The time he kicked the toilet door was so cool that I fainted/drooling】

【Is the big devil worried about something? He seems out of tune with everyone】

The six returned to the villa, and it was time to wrap up the broadcast. They exchanged goodnights and see-yous before heading back to their respective rooms. But it wasn’t over yet. As soon as Mu Chi returned to his room, Zhu Yinhang cornered him for a good scolding.

A hundred sentences can be summed up in one sentence: “You’ve scared me to death. Please be more careful.”

Mu Chi asked in confusion, “What did I do? I thought I was doing fine.”

Zhu Yinhang was so angry he nearly fell over. “I just ask you to be less violent, less talkative, read more, and maintain your image as a cool and aloof male god. Even if a person loses his memory, his personality will not change. You have performed seventy-two transformations in front of me.”

Mu Chi: “…I didn’t.” He felt a little aggrieved, “I have tried my best. I was almost suffocated after a day, and I was harassed by a pervert.”

Zhu Yinhang couldn’t scold him anymore, and even felt guilty. It was also because they didn’t protect him well. “Don’t worry, I’ll sue that pervert until he’s bankrupt and crying with regret. Alright, call your parents. It’s been over half a month since you last contacted them.”

Mu Chi used his phone to call the landline at home, but the receiver said, “Sorry, the number you dialed is invalid.” Zhu Yinhang said, “They all have cell phones. Call their cell phone numbers.”

Mu Chi flipped through his contacts and called his mother. He still remembered that his parents didn’t know he was a celebrity; they only thought he worked as a salesman at a big company.

“Hello, Shui Shui.” The familiar voice of a middle-aged woman came through the phone, soft and gentle like the waters of Jiangnan, always so calm and peaceful, as if they had never been apart for thousands of miles. “It’s so late. Have you eaten yet?”

Mu Chi’s eyes welled up with tears. “I’ve eaten. What about you and Dad?”

“We’ve already eaten,” his mother said. “Have you been very busy lately? Are you tired?”

“I’m not busy. You and Dad shouldn’t tire yourselves out either. Just hire someone to manage the tea garden.”

“We’ve already hired someone to manage it. How could you forget?” his mother laughed. “You’re so busy ,yet you say you’re not busy. Shui Shui, if you’re tired, come home.”

“It’s okay.” Mu Chi couldn’t go back to his hometown with a debt of one million, and he also had a younger sister studying abroad, “Has Mian Mian contacted you?”

“We just had a video call the day before yesterday. She said she can’t eat well or sleep well in the United States, and she’s lost five pounds.” Her mother said with a worried tone, “She’s just a little girl, I’m really worried she’ll be bullied.”

Mu Chi recalled his sister’s bold and outgoing personality. “She’s been bullying boys since kindergarten, fighting with boys in elementary school, and she was the most popular girl in junior high school. She’s so mischievous, who dares to mess with her?”

As for his sister’s high school and university years, Mu Chi had no memories of them. He was only seventeen himself, and in his memory, his sister had just started middle school. He never expected that she would go abroad for her studies so soon.

After chatting for a while, Mu Chi hung up the phone reluctantly for fear of being exposed.

Zhu Yinhang patted his shoulder, “After this variety show is over, I’ll give you a week off so you can spend more time with your parents.”

Mu Chi’s peach blossom eyes widened, “Just a week?” He thought it would be at least half a month off, and he usually had summer vacation at this time of year.

Zhu Yinhang ruthlessly declared, “Seven days is already plenty. For entertainers, if they don’t work for over a month, they’ll be forgotten.” Of course, this applies to minor celebrities. For someone like Mu Chi, even if he takes half a year off, it wouldn’t matter.

Mu Chi grumbled, “Damn capitalism.”

“But it can buy you a house within Beijing’s Third Ring Road, something the average person couldn’t afford in their entire life.”

Mu Chi had no concept of this and was still resentful. He sent the agent away and decided to sleep soundly so he could endure the grueling work here every day.

After taking a shower, Mu Chi lay down on the bed and fell asleep within ten minutes. When he regained consciousness, he heard Xiao Tian’s soft voice: “Mu Ge, it’s time to get up and get ready.”

“?” Mu Chi felt the words were too magical; he must be dreaming.

Xiao Tian looked at Xiao Wang hesitantly, “He’s not waking up.”

Xiao Wang, a burly man, stood by the bed and shouted, “Ding ding ding ding ding!!”

Mu Chi was startled awake by the artificial alarm clock. Seeing Xiao Wang, a muscular man wearing a brown T-shirt, he almost thought a forest bear had crawled into the room. “Xiao Wang! Are you trying to scare me to death?!”

Xiao Wang scratched his head awkwardly, “If you don’t wake up, you might die.”

Mu Chi rolled his eyes in anger, grabbed his phone, and saw it was only 6:30 a.m. “Why are you waking me up so early?”

It turns out that being a star not only comes with a lavish environment, but also with the opportunity of being taken advantage of. Mu Chi sat expressionlessly at the dressing table as the makeup artist cleaned, applied, and painted his face.

As the makeup sponge slapped against his face, Mu Chi suspected the makeup artist was taking revenge on him for work-related reasons.

After a full forty minutes, the makeup artist finally stopped her “devilish claws,” and Mu Chi was about to fall asleep when Xiao Wang’s rough, loud voice snapped him back to consciousness: “I thought we were the earliest ones up, but it turns out someone else was even earlier.”

“Who?” Mu Chi asked, unwilling to accept it.

“Qi Liao.”

“…Did you see what he was doing?”

“He seemed to be going for a morning run and just came back.”

Qi Liao also had an assistant, but he didn’t have company and wouldn’t go through the trouble of getting makeup done. When he returned, he gave the neighboring room a casual glance before turning away and going inside to shower.

After Mu Chi’s face was done, it was time to style his hair. The hairstylist asked, “Can we remove the bandages?”

Zhu Yinhang paused for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”

Xiao Tian stepped forward, gently and carefully removing one layer of bandage after another, opening the first-aid kit to disinfect the wound, then applying medication. Mu Chi felt nothing; it no longer hurt. But when he looked at it after it was done, he was stunned—there was a large bald patch on his temple, near his ear!

That area was the wound, now red and purple, an ugly sight that was hard to look at.

Mu Chi had never been ugly in his life, and his eyes went dark.

“Mu Ge!” Xiao Tian caught him as he swayed.

“How am I…” Mu Chi was devastated. “Why am I so ugly!”

“???”

Zhu Yinhang was surprised, “What’s ugly about it? Hair will grow back.”

Mu Chi’s face was filled with sorrow. At school, bald people would be ridiculed, even the school hunk was no exception.

After the wound was covered with gauze, the hairstylist used the spring-autumn cutting technique to shape his head into a flower-like handsome man, partially covering the wound. Mu Chi could only pray that the gauze wouldn’t fall off.

Mu Chi changed into a new shirt. The unique design, from the pleated shoulders to the ruffled cuffs and pearl buttons, exuded a refined and elegant design.

Mu Chi touched the shirt’s material; it was smooth and soft, thin but not see-through, with a natural coolness, a fabric rarely found on the market.

Zhu Yinhang said, “This is the first time the foreign fashion brand Trace has entered our country. You’re the brand ambassador; remember to promote it.”

Mu Chi was stunned for a few seconds, then nodded in understanding.

After Mu Chi’s group left and the livestream was about to begin, Qi Liao emerged from his room after a shower and made eye contact with Mu Chi.

Mu Chi eagerly approached him, “Ge, did you sleep well last night?”

Qi Liao stopped in his tracks, his wolf-like eyes fixed on Mu Chi, “I told you not to call me that.” It kept him awake until midnight.

Mu Chi didn’t respond, instead saying, “I really envy you. You don’t have to get up early to put on makeup. Can I join you for your morning run from now on?”

Qi Liao refused. If Mu Chi, with his physique, went for a run with him, he’d probably be carrying him back in less than a hundred meters. “You put on makeup?”

“Yeah!” Mu Chi’s voice trailed off, his soft Jiangnan accent evident, his bright, peach blossom shaped eyes gleaming as if looking at his beloved. 

Qi Liao felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, so he feigned fierceness, “A grown man wearing makeup?”

“That’s right,” Mu Chi agreed. “And it looks just as good without makeup.”

Qi Liao couldn’t detect any makeup on Mu Chi’s face; perhaps he had naturally good skin, and even a light application looked natural. He couldn’t help but lean in for a closer look.

Mu Chi saw the sharp-featured, deep-set face of the handsome man approaching, and he felt as though he had been cast under a spell. He grew tense, his ears turning red, his eyes sparkling, and he even forgot to breathe.

It wasn’t until their faces were less than twenty centimeters apart that Qi Liao suddenly reacted, and at that moment a half-smiling voice came: “What are you doing?”

Qi Liao quickly stepped back from Mu Chi, walked downstairs in large strides, and said with a stiff expression, “Nothing.”

Lucas shrugged and said to Mu Chi, “You look really good today.”

Mu Chi didn’t care and went downstairs, “I look good every day.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, “I just love your confidence and composure.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Mu Chi smiled, “You would be more attractive if you didn’t flirt.”

Lucas exclaimed in surprise, ” Do you mean we have a chance to become a couple?”

Mu Chi’s mouth twitched: “No, I don’t mean that. You go find someone else, don’t find me, I have someone in my heart.”

“But you are the most beautiful, I like beautiful people.”

“Then you’re too superficial.”

Lucas didn’t deny it, “People are superficial animals, aren’t they?”

Mu Chi thought about it and agreed, “You are right, but under the superficial appearance, interesting souls are the most worth pursuing.”

“You’re very interesting.” Lucas followed behind like a flirting expert.

Mu Chi didn’t turn around, “My interest is my own, not anyone else’s. It’s for viewing only, not entertainment.”

When it comes to talking nonsense, who can beat a high school kid?If they can’t win, they can always resort to tantrums.

Mu Chi walked into the kitchen to help with the meal, only to find it was already ready.

The livestream began at 7:30 a.m.

At the table, everyone ate while discussing the day’s activities. They agreed to go to the orchard to pick pears, and asked Mu Chi to stay because he was sick.

Mu Chi, of course, refused, “You guys go about your business. I’m going to get some fresh air.”

“…”

After finishing breakfast, Mu Chi, who was preparing to go to the orchard to breathe some fresh air, put on his sneakers, wore a sun hat, placed a small stool in the cart, and sat down leisurely.

【？？？？】

【Good morning, male god, what are you doing?】

【The orchard is so far, of course we’ll take the bus—what’s with the cart?!】

The cart was indeed necessary; it was impossible for everyone to carry back dozens of pounds of fruit. Everyone burst into laughter when they saw Mu Chi sitting on the cart. Ying Hyun stepped forward and said, “I’ll push it.”

Mu Chi wanted Qi Liao to push, but this was also hard work, so he gave up.

Halfway up the hill, Ying Xuan couldn’t push anymore, so Xu Wuxing and Hao Wenrou came up to help. Mu Chi felt embarrassed sitting there and said, “I’ll get off.”

“No, we can push it!” Xu Wuxing refused to give in, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Mu Chi made a move to get off, but the cart was unstable to begin with, and he stumbled before his feet even touched the ground. “Huh?”

He bounced a few times like a mantis, but Mu Chi still couldn’t steady himself. He instinctively grabbed the nearest person—Qi Liao also reached out and grabbed him, and the two collided into a heap. Fortunately, Qi Liao had a steady base and didn’t fall.

Mu Chi, who had stumbled into Qi Liao’s arms, exhaled deeply.

The scent of lemon-flavored toothpaste brushed against his face. Qi Liao furrowed his brows slightly and spoke stiffly, “Can’t you be honest?”

Mu Chi had intended to tease him, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the camera following them, and he immediately felt regretful. He still had to maintain his persona. So he pretended to be indifferent as he stepped out of Qi Liao’s embrace and said, “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Qi Liao: “…I’m not tofu, not that fragile.”

Mu Chi thought to himself, You are tofu, and I want to eat your tofu.

【Mu Chi really… can’t you just be honest?】

【Is it just my imagination? It feels like the male lead has become more lively after losing his memory】

【What are the people around them doing? Why is it always Qi Liao saving Mu Chi??】

Mu Chi didn’t dare to slack off and ride the cart anymore; falling and getting hurt wouldn’t be worth it. They arrived safely at the orchard.

The old man guarding the orchard gave each of them a pair of pruning scissor, a large bamboo basket, and a pair of ugly gloves. Mu Chi accepted this well. In the past, he had always climbed trees and picked fruit with his bare hands, so the current conditions were already quite good.

“Mu Ge, are you really going to pick pears?” Hao Wenrou asked Mu Chi worriedly, “You should just rest.”

“It’s fine.” Mu Chi was confident as he stood under the tree picking pears. The pears were wrapped in oil paper, and with a snip of the scissors, they fell off. In no time, Mu Chi had picked half a bamboo basket of pears.

Others were amazed, because Mu Chi’s hands were so skilled that he could pick two or three at a time with ease. At this rate, he could fill the bamboo basket in less than half an hour.

【Wow, I didn’t believe Mu Chi when he said his family had an orchard, but now I do.】

【It reminds me of the tough days when I helped my parents harvest crops as a child…】

【Wah, wah, wah, the male god must have suffered a lot as a child to be so skilled.】

Little did they know that Mu Chi loved picking fruit. Seeing the bamboo basket filled with pears gave him a sense of accomplishment.

In contrast, the others seemed to be there just for fun, especially Lucas, who was picking and eating as he went, with less than ten pears in his basket.

After picking the lower ones, Mu Chi became interested in the pears hanging high on the branches. He acted on impulse, gripping the tree trunk and stepping on the protruding knots, climbing up in no time.

Hao Wenrou was picking fruit nearby and was startled by the sight.

The live stream chat exploded with comments.

Mu Chi, like a nimble monkey, moved effortlessly between the trunk and branches, continuing to pick pears.

“Mu Ge, please come down quickly,” Hao Wenrou said, a rare sign of anxiety. “It’s too high.”

“It’s not even three meters high. What’s so high about that?” Mu Chi straightened his back to pick the pear at the top, which was noticeably larger than the others. “Someone, hold open the sack to catch the pears.”

This way, they won’t get bruised or damaged when thrown down.

Xu Wuxing reacted quickly, holding the sack open below, and smiled up at him. “Mu Ge,just throw it without worry.”

Mu Chi tossed two pears down and saw that he caught them steadily. He praised him, “You have a promising future ahead of you.”

Xu Wuxing smiled even more brightly. Hao Wenrou stood by with a slightly cold expression: “Mu Ge, it’s too dangerous. Come down.”  

Ying Xuan spoke up: “It is indeed dangerous. Your body isn’t fully recovered yet. Don’t climb up and down.” “

Mu Chi hadn’t climbed a tree in a long time, and he was in the middle of enjoying himself. “It’s fine.” He spotted a large pear hanging on a distant branch, stepped onto the forked trunk, and slowly moved toward it, stretching out his arm.

Qi Liao frowned as he walked over, his gaze never leaving Mu Chi—

Just as money always flows to the wealthy, accidents always seem to find those who create them.

Mu Chi didn’t notice the tree branch and stepped on a thick, honey-colored gel-like substance secreted by the tree itself. His foot slipped instantly, and before he could grab the branch, the sensation of weightlessness followed.

At that moment, his mind went blank. If he had to describe it, it was like a plant. How could participating in a dating show lead to such danger?

Until he landed heavily in a safe and familiar embrace, Mu Chi was still dazed, lifting his eyes to meet Qi Liao’s furious, handsome face.

Qi Liao gritted his teeth and said word by word: “Can’t you be honest?”

Mu Chi: “…”