Chapter 13 Because a light rain suddenly began to fall in the evening, everyone returned indoors after dinner. The floor was made of wood; stepping inside, one entered directly into the living room, where a low table sat on the ground, surrounded casually by several linen cushions and numerous throw pillows. Outside, the rain continued to patter while eight people gathered around the table, chatting and laughing. Chen Jun and Wang Lun brewed tea for everyone, filling the space with the fragrant aroma of jasmine. Da Mi and Xiao Mi lounged lazily beneath the table legs. After a while, noticing it was only just past eight o'clock, they decided to find something to do. Wang Lun and Zhao Manman searched the rooms and returned with a deck of cards and a full set of mahjong tiles. After some discussion, they chose to play mahjong. Of the eight present, only Zhao Manman and Ming Huai didn't know how to play, yet both were eager to try.

At that moment, Ji Tingqian offered to partner with Ming Huai. Ming Huai felt slightly surprised but mostly delighted; Ji Tingqian's willingness to take the initiative in approaching him was a good sign. Immediately afterward, Qu Mei smiled and said, "I won't team up with Old Chen then. I'll take Manman."

Thus, eight people formed five teams, rotating out regardless of winning or losing. Everyone agreed to keep the stakes light for fun; besides, since they were still recording a program, gambling with money wasn't appropriate. However, without some form of penalty for losing, the game would lose its charm. Ming Huai thought for a moment, his eyes twinkling as he smiled, "How about this: each of us takes six slips of paper. We can freely write down punishments on them. In each round, the person who loses the worst draws one slip and must complete whatever punishment is written on it."

This proposal naturally received unanimous approval. The production team acted quickly this time, proactively delivering the slips of paper without anyone even having to ask. Holding markers, all eight began writing their own slips. Judging by their expressions, each surely harbored plenty of mischief in mind—though none knew whether they might ultimately trap themselves. Ji Tingqian proved highly skilled at mahjong. Under his guidance, although Ming Huai wasn't the biggest winner after several rounds, he certainly wasn't the worst loser either. Overall, Zhao Manman and Wang Lun lost the most.

"Oh no, I've lost the most again!"

Zhao Manman looked at the mahjong tiles on the table, feeling like crying. She had previously assumed Qu Mei was very skilled, only to discover Qu Mei's ability was "on par"

with her own. Everyone burst into laughter at Zhao Manman's remark, especially Chen Jun, who laughed heartily while slapping the table.

"You have no idea how terrible Teacher Qu is at mahjong. You've got plenty more losing ahead of you."

Qu Mei shot him a glare from her beautiful eyes. Having her shortcomings exposed publicly by her lover still made her somewhat embarrassed. A thought flashed through her mind; she curled her lips upward and said, "Then let's switch teams, shall we? I'll pair up with Old Chen. I guess Ming Huai should be ready to play independently by now. He can play alone, while Tingqian teams up with Manman. Does that work?"

Hearing this, Zhao Manman's eyes lit up, whereas Ming Huai immediately became alert. Almost instinctively, he grabbed Ji Tingqian's wrist resting on the table, his tone exceptionally firm: "No way! Ji Tingqian is mine!"

Seeing that fair hand clutching his wrist, a hint of amusement flickered in Ji Tingqian's eyes. Everyone erupted in laughter at Ming Huai's reaction, especially Qu Mei and Zhao Manman.

"Alright, alright, we won't snatch Brother Ji from you,"

Zhao Manman said, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"It's fine for me to stay with Teacher Qu, right?"

With that, she leaned against Qu Mei, who sat nearby. Several more rounds passed before it was finally Ming Huai's turn to sit out. Seated next to Ji Tingqian, Ming Huai noticed Da Mi lying conveniently beside Ji Tingqian's legs. Watching others play never felt as enjoyable as playing oneself. Wanting to pet Da Mi, Ming Huai tugged lightly at Ji Tingqian's sleeve and whispered softly, "Ji Tingqian, could you hold the cat for a moment so I can have her, please?"

Ji Tingqian turned to glance at Ming Huai, then reached out and lifted Da Mi into his arms. Da Mi, an affectionate cat, offered no resistance when suddenly picked up. She simply lay obediently and comfortably in Ji Tingqian's embrace. Ming Huai gazed longingly at Da Mi, yet Ji Tingqian showed no intention of handing the cat over to him.

"Ji Tingqian, give me Da Mi."

Ming Huai reached out to take the cat. Ji Tingqian dodged, and Ming Huai grabbed at empty air. Stroking Da Mi's sleek fur while watching Ming Huai's puffed-up expression, Ji Tingqian's eyes sparkled with mischief; he simply wanted to tease him.

"Alright,"

Ji Tingqian said after a moment, personally placing Da Mi into Ming Huai's arms.

"Here you go."

"Thanks,"

Ming Huai said with a smile, tapping Da Mi's nose.

The others were so focused on their cards that no one noticed their little exchange, just as neither of them noticed the cameraman lingering particularly long on the pair of them.

Finally, it was Ming Huai's turn again. With Ji Tingqian beside him, he always felt inexplicably confident, even when dealt a terrible hand. Ji Tingqian glanced at the cards, leaned close to Ming Huai's ear, and rarely cracked a joke: "Ming Huai, you'd better prepare yourself mentally."

Ming Huai paused mid-draw, his previously determined smile freezing at the corners of his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

Ming Huai's features were exceptionally handsome; making such an expression made him resemble some obedient yet adorable little creature. At that look, Ji Tingqian suddenly felt an urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. Suppressing this strange impulse, he spoke with slightly unnatural composure: "The hand is too bad. We might lose badly."

"Huh?" Ming Huai asked softly.

"How badly?" Ji Tingqian answered honestly:

"I don't know."

Across from them, Zhao Manman had already started wailing, "Am I going to lose again…?"

Ming Huai pressed his lips together, hoping only that they wouldn't draw an outrageous penalty. Little did he expect Zhao Manman's hand to be astonishingly good. Six minutes later, she and her partner secured victory with incredible speed, their faces beaming with joy, while Ming Huai and Ji Tingqian sat under a cloud of gloom. Staring at the pile of paper strips, Ming Huai felt a chill of dread. He nudged Ji Tingqian's arm.

"Brother Ji, you draw."

Ji Tingqian chuckled lightly, casually picked one strip, and handed it to Ming Huai.

"You open it."

Ming Huai slowly unfolded the paper, its contents gradually revealed. Upon reading the words inside, one phrase came to Ming Huai's mind: Heaven is helping me. Ji Tingqian leaned over to take a look. Unlike Ming Huai, he showed little reaction, asking calmly, "Shall we do it now?"

The content of the note hadn't been shown to the others, but seeing the expressions on their faces sparked everyone's curiosity. It was Fu Hairong who spoke first: "What does it say?"

Barely containing his overwhelming excitement, Ming Huai flattened the paper directly onto the table. It required the person who drew it to choose someone present, hold hands with them, take a photo, and post it on Weibo. The actual impact of this instruction possessed considerable flexibility; its effect depended entirely on who the two individuals were. For instance, if the parties involved were Qu Mei and Chen Junhe, the outcome would be completely different than if they were Ming Huai and Ji Tingqian.

"Then let's take it!"

Without further ado, Ming Huai proactively grabbed Ji Tingqian's hand. His movement was particularly forceful, his grip incredibly strong. Ji Tingqian tried to pull away but found it impossible. Lin Zhimeng, who had behaved quietly all day, finally couldn't hold back any longer. An obvious hostility flashed across her face, uncontrollable for a moment. Ming Huai naturally noticed her expression and thought Lin Zhimeng was truly incomprehensible; he wasn't hers to claim, so why glare? Thinking thus, Ming Huai retaliated without hesitation. Smiling, he lifted his clasped hand with Ji Tingqian, feeling quite delighted.

"Teacher Wang, could you please take a photo for us?"

Lin Zhimeng's face turned green then white; she wanted to say something cutting but restrained herself due to the occasion, forcing her displeasure down. Unlike his outward calm, Ming Huai was nervously terrified inside. He had held Ji Tingqian's hand in public! Rounding up, it was practically coming out to the world. Ji Tingqian looked at Ming Huai beside him, feeling as though he might need to get to know Ming Huai all over again. But then again, upon second thought, this was exactly the kind of thing Ming Huai would do: straightforward and bold.Wang Lun, being the closest to them, immediately agreed. Before he could even take out his phone, Ming Huai had already produced his own and handed it over, saying, "Troubling you, Teacher Wang."

"No trouble at all,"

Wang Lun replied as he stood up, chose an angle, and swiftly snapped several photos.

Everyone was in unusually high spirits that night, and it was already eleven o'clock when they finally dispersed.

Later that evening, after watching Ji Tingqian take his medicine, Ming Huai began fiddling with his phone. Ji Tingqian, lost in thought, asked, "Are you posting on Weibo?"

"Mm," Ming Huai answered without looking up.

"By the way, let's add each other on WeChat. I'll send you the photos," Ming Huai said casually, his tone perfectly natural.

"Give me your number."

Ming Huai exited the Weibo interface, opened WeChat, then looked up at Ji Tingqian standing before him with eager, pleading eyes, waiting for him to recite the number. He resembled a small animal awaiting food.

Meanwhile, Ji Tingqian gazed down at Ming Huai, and somehow the atmosphere suddenly grew charged with ambiguity. Just before things might have veered into unpredictable territory, Ji Tingqian spoke, reciting a string of digits. Seeing the notification that the friend request had been approved, Ming Huai secretly rejoiced; today truly marked a significant step forward, though outwardly he still needed to maintain some reserve. Thus, reservedly, he posted a Weibo update. Then he shuffled closer to Ji Tingqian, staring intently until Ji Tingqian also posted his Weibo update. In one night, two Weibo posts were silently released, only to stir up enormous waves.Ming Huai V: During show recording,Goodnight everyone [heart][/heart] [Image] Ji Tingqian V: Goodnight [Image]