Bian Li’s gaze kept flitting between the first-place prize and the third-place prize.
He Yunxing’s words lingered in her mind—‘If you want it, take the one you like.’
He made it sound so easy. Was he that confident?
After a moment, she leaned in slightly and tested the waters, “The one like? Or the one you like?”
He Yunxing didn’t answer directly. Instead, he nodded slightly and asked in a slow, measured tone, “Do you want soft candy?”
At first, Bian Li thought the exclusive shot for first place was tempting, but the moment he said that, her heart wavered. Almost unconsciously, she nodded.
He Yunxing remained calm, as if it were nothing, and simply promised, “Alright. I’ll win it for you.”
Standing off to the side, He Xuyi had stayed silent the entire time, not getting involved in their conversation at all. He was like a lonely little poplar tree, stiff and isolated, with resistance written all over him.
Seeing how quiet he was, Bian Li remembered to acknowledge him. “Brother He, there are three packs. We’ll share some with you, so don’t be sad.”
She said it casually, but neither she nor He Yunxing noticed that she had unknowingly said ‘we’.
Two ordinary syllables. Simple, easy to miss.
But they subtly drew a line—an invisible boundary that marked a stance, a preference.
Bian Li didn’t notice. He Yunxing didn’t notice.
But He Xuyi, the bystander, noticed it clearly.
His mouth twitched slightly. ‘So in her mind, how much do I care about a pack of soft candy?’
And also—‘How does she know I’m sad??’
Helpless, he shook his head and sighed, “No need. You guys keep it.”
But the moment those words left his mouth, he froze.
‘Wait.’
‘Did I just give away the prizes in advance?’
He really was going crazy because of these two.
It wasn’t just them—he had unconsciously taken their win for granted, too.
Whether it was brainwashing or just reality settling in, He Yunxing backed his words with actions.
The game order was voluntary, and since He Yunxing had never been the competitive type, nobody minded letting him go last.
Two teams had performed exceptionally well, currently holding first and second place, with just one balloon separating them. The race was tight.
If He Yunxing wanted to take first place, he had to clear every balloon.
Even though the pink team hadn’t explicitly stated they were aiming for first, their dominance in the first round had already convinced the other teams that they were a serious threat.
Bian Li tucked her little scheme away, simply finding the whole situation amusing.
She was really curious to see how He Yunxing would intentionally take third place.
Practice time was short, and soon, the real competition began.
Since He Yunxing was the last to go, a small crowd had gathered around, forming a semi-circle. The attention on him was overwhelming—he was effortlessly the center of it all.
The host, standing nearby with a microphone, narrated the moment. At one point, he turned to interview Bian Li.
She simply smiled and said, “Any of the top three is fine.” But she left the sentence hanging, making her words deliberately ambiguous.
Then, she raised a small fist toward He Yunxing, giving him an encouraging shake. “Go for it.”
The host laughed. “Looks like you’re pretty confident in him. Let’s see if Xiao He can set a new record!” He then gestured for the cameraman to zoom in for a close-up.
He Yunxing’s reputation alone made him a favorite, even the host couldn’t resist cueing him.
Bian Li stepped aside to watch, just like the others.
The balloons were arranged in three rows. The first two were no challenge for He Yunxing.
As soon as he stepped forward, he raised the gun with one hand and fired—no hesitation, no unnecessary adjustments. The first row was taken out in one swift motion.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the audience.
Then came the third row.
This time, he paused slightly—and missed a few.
The final count?
Just one balloon short of second place.
And since the pink team was the last to compete, their third-place ranking was locked in.
A warm feeling swelled in Bian Li’s chest, a little secret shared between them, hidden in the shadows.
A kind of experience that no one else could understand.
Standing there with her well-earned third place, even her hair seemed happy, bouncing slightly as she moved.
During the prize ceremony, the first-place winners were busy recording their exclusive video, while the teams that hadn’t won anything stayed in their seats.
Bian Li held three bags of soft candy in her arms, her eyes practically sparkling with joy.
But now, she faced a small dilemma—choosing between the three flavors.
He Xuyi had already made it clear that he wasn’t interested, and for once, Bian Li didn’t insist on sharing. Instead, she quietly accepted his portion.
Then, turning to He Yunxing, she teased, “Hey, great hero, want to pick a pack?”
He Yunxing was in the middle of removing his protective glasses. Without even glancing at her, he responded casually, “I don’t need it.”
His words once again proved—without question—that he had taken third place for her.
Bian Li sneaked a glance at him and tried to act indifferent. “Oh,” she said, nodding.
Then, hugging the three bags of soft candy to her chest, she obediently stood aside.
By the time the second round wrapped up, the clock had already struck midnight.
No matter how strong one’s willpower is or how well they adjust their work and rest schedule, it’s still impossible to resist the natural fatigue that comes with being human.
The third round was the highlight of the game, and the director’s team needed time to prepare. So, they used the break to let everyone rest for twenty minutes. After drinking some water and going to the bathroom, they would go straight into the next recording session in one go.
With a few shouts from the staff, everyone on stage lined up and left in an orderly manner.
The recording hall was instantly bustling, the atmosphere lively and heated.
For idols who are used to racing against time, twenty minutes was considered a rare and precious break—long enough to recharge.
Bian Li, always quick-eyed, spotted Da Xiong standing at the corner of the stage. Next to him was Brother Li, who had likely come to pick someone up. At the moment, the two of them were in an intense discussion.
In the corridor leading to the lounge and connecting to the stage, people moved back and forth in twos and threes, their conversations filling the air.
Bian Li was in the lounge with Ace, so she naturally followed her two seniors and the agent.
Both of them had long legs and walked fast, so she had to slightly quicken her pace to keep up.
Just as they were about to reach the end of the corridor, someone suddenly stepped out from the corner and blocked their way.
From Bian Li’s angle, she couldn’t see anything. The two towering figures in front of her completely blocked the view.
“Senior Yunxing… This is our group’s album… I hope you can accept it…”
A girl’s soft, gentle voice rang out—respectful, excited, and full of expectation.
Because of this little episode, Bian Li naturally stopped in her tracks. She had been busy from the start trying to open her soft candy packaging, popping them into her mouth one by one. Even when Da Xiong handed her some popcorn earlier, she had accepted it without hesitation.
But now, upon hearing that extremely familiar yet slightly affected voice, she suddenly choked.
Caught off guard, she coughed—neither too loud nor too soft.
Bian Li swore she hadn’t done it on purpose. The impact had simply been too strong.
This had to be the gentlest, shyest version of Zhen Xi she had ever encountered.
He Yunxing stood with his hands in his pockets, looking lazy and completely uninterested in replying.
Through the gap, Bian Li sneakily peeked at Zhen Xi. The girl’s cheeks were slightly pink, her eyes full of hopeful anticipation as she held the album with both hands, clearly about to say something else.
Brother Li reacted swiftly, stepping in with a light push to return the album. His tone was polite but firm, “Sorry, we don’t accept this.”
The moment he finished speaking, He Yunxing and He Xuyi both lifted their legs and walked around Zhen Xi without hesitation.
Zhen Xi’s face instantly turned the color of liver—thoroughly humiliated—but she still scrambled to smooth things over with Brother Li. “Oh, um… okay, sorry.”
She hadn’t expected to be rejected so publicly.
Bian Li chewed her candy, suddenly finding it even tastier than before.
Zhen Xi naturally noticed Bian Li standing behind her, blinking with an innocent look.
Bian Li’s gaze flickered toward the album in Zhen Xi’s hands, her scrutiny obvious.
It didn’t look all that great, either.
Zhen Xi lifted her chin, arrogance flashing in her eyes. The gentleness and carefulness from moments ago had completely vanished. “What are you looking at?”
Bian Li stuffed another mouthful of soft candy into her mouth, the corners of her lips curving as she casually retorted, “Oh, just looking at how you gave someone an album, but no one wanted it.”
Zhen Xi’s gaze landed on Bian Li’s smirk. No matter how she looked at it, it reeked of sarcasm.
At that moment, He Yunxing, who had already walked halfway ahead, suddenly turned slightly and glanced toward Bian Li. “What are you doing back there?”
“Ah?” Bian Li blinked in response.
“Come up.” He Yunxing’s words were short and to the point.
Hugging her bag of soft candy, Bian Li trotted forward, bringing a gust of wind along with her.
If the wind could slap someone, at this moment, it would’ve landed on Zhen Xi’s face countless times.
—
Back in the lounge, Bian Li was obviously in a good mood. She even hummed a tune.
He Xuyi had gone to the bathroom, while He Yunxing lounged lazily on the sofa, eyes closed as he rested.
Brother Li, on the other hand, wore a long face, grumbling, “Why is it that every time I walk down the road, people keep stopping me to hand over albums? Young people these days are too bold—do they think I’m dead?”
Bian Li suddenly felt a little guilty. “Brother Li… I’ve given albums to people before too… Are you scolding me as well?”
Brother Li shook his head. “You kids are different. You’re from our company. Do you think I don’t know you? I’m talking about the kind who use albums as an excuse but actually slip in little notes to confess their love.”
“It’s usually just contact information, but some people in the past even wrote love letters directly on the album covers. So explicit, I nearly blushed.”
As he spoke, Brother Li dramatically shook off the goosebumps on his arms.
Bian Li caught onto a key point and casually pointed at He Yunxing. “So… do they often get this kind of thing?”
Brother Li responded instantly. “No, Yunxing never accepts other people’s albums. I don’t accept them either. I trust him completely. Speaking of which, I’m getting mad again—Ning Xuechu is such a troublesome kid! I’ve warned him so many times, but he’s still too soft-hearted. I can’t even count how much trouble he’s gotten into…”
As he continued, Brother Li grew more animated. He and Da Xiong even leaned against each other, complaining about their tragic careers as agents.
But Bian Li had already stopped listening halfway through.
“I don’t want anyone’s album.”
Then… not only had he accepted hers that evening, but he had also looked at it for a long time?!
‘Who was it that didn’t want anyone’s album again?!’
Bian Li’s mind stalled for a second. She quietly shifted her gaze, attempting to sneak a peek at He Yunxing.
However, just as she turned her eyes—
The person who was supposed to be resting with his eyes closed had, at some point, already opened them.
And he was looking directly at her.
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