After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 18

Shen Xu’s eyes were sharp, as if he hadn’t heard a word. “Which direction did he go?”

Jiang Siyuan tapped a firebrand against the campfire twice and slowly pointed it in a certain direction.

Shen Xu grabbed a firebrand and sprinted into the darkness.

Wen Yue happened to arrive at the campfire just as Shen Xu ran past her. Stunned for a half-second, she turned back to Jiang Siyuan. “What happened?”

Jiang Siyuan replied, “Went out to find the Captain?”

“Where did Yizhou go? I’ll go with him.” She turned around, but the night was vast and empty; Shen Xu’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.

“Nothing to worry about,” Jiang Siyuan said leisurely. “There’s a cameraman following him, after all.”

Shen Xu ran around a bend. A sudden gust of wind blew out his torch, and with the moon completely obscured by clouds, he was plunged into total darkness.

Just as he was about to ask his cameraman for help, a beam of light shone directly onto his face. He reacted instantly—instead of shielding his eyes from the blinding glare, he ran straight toward the light.

Recognizing who it was, Lin Yizhou was slightly stunned. Seeing the man running over in such a frantic state, his expression shifted from confusion to gravity. “Did something happen?”

“I was worried something happened to you,” Shen Xu said bluntly. His furrowed brows finally relaxed upon seeing the man, his voice slightly out of breath. “Captain, this is a deserted island. Don’t go off on your own.”

Lin Yizhou was taken aback for a moment, then reacted by pointing at the cameraman beside him.

Shen Xu: His eyes grew resentful.

Lin Yizhou withdrew his finger and gave a small nod. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

The fur on Shen Xu’s back was instantly smoothed. He raised his hand and extended his pinky finger. “Pinky swear.”

Lin Yizhou blinked, his fox-like eyes filled with a dazed confusion that looked almost cute. “Is this necessary?”

“So, Captain, were you just bluffing me earlier?” Shen Xu’s voice was muffled, sounding a bit aggrieved.

“No, even without this, I always do what I say.”

Shen Xu pretended not to hear him and simply raised his hand a bit higher.

Lin Yizhou looked down for half a second before reaching out to hook his pinky with Shen Xu’s.

The corners of Shen Xu’s mouth curled up as he gave their hands a little shake. “You promised. If you break your word, you have to be my boyfriend.”

Lin Yizhou’s eyes widened in surprise, and he cast a stiff glance at the cameraman nearby.

Shen Xu leaned closer to his ear, keeping the position. “Don’t worry. I won’t forget what I promised you. I’ll take care of all this.”

Promised? What did Shen Xu promise him?

Lin Yizhou couldn’t remember; after all, no one ever promised him anything.

Having said his piece, Shen Xu stood straight and scanned him. “Anyway, Captain, what were you doing out here?”

Lin Yizhou snapped back to reality and shone the flashlight behind him. “I found a few coconut trees over there and picked some.”

Shen Xu followed the beam of light and saw a “net” woven from green vines, holding about a dozen green coconuts. The end of the vine net was gripped in Lin Yizhou’s hand.

“How did you get them?” Shen Xu frowned slightly.

“Climbed the tree,” Lin Yizhou replied calmly.

“You climbed it barehanded?” Shen Xu’s brows knitted as he looked at him. “Are you okay?”

Shen Xu thought he knew everything there was to know about Lin Yizhou’s past. Because of the man’s family background, he had even consulted a psychologist to understand the mindset of someone raised in such an environment and how he should treat him.

Now it seemed Lin Yizhou had many sides he didn’t know about; everything he had learned before was just the man on paper.

“I’m fine. Let’s go back.” Lin Yizhou started to pull the coconuts, but Shen Xu reached out to stop him.

“I’ll pull them.” Shen Xu grabbed the vines, but Lin Yizhou didn’t let go.

For a moment, the two of them stood in a stalemate on the sand, both holding the vines.

Lin Yizhou looked at him and said tactfully, “The resistance is high on the sand. It’s hard to pull.”

Shen Xu brushed his hand away and said seriously, “Trust me with this.”

The two walked side by side along the night beach. Lin Yizhou trailed slightly behind, watching Shen Xu’s steady stride.

The night breeze ruffled the young man’s clothes, carrying a scent unique to him—a refreshing, pleasant lime fragrance.

Watching the young man’s carefree back, Lin Yizhou suddenly remembered what Shen Xu had promised him.

On the night Shen Xu was busy roasting people online, Lin Yizhou had received a message from him after his chat with Cui Sula.

It was the same question Shen Xu had been asking for days: Should I pursue you publicly, or wait until we’re together to go public? PS: Not pursuing you is not an option.

I was so well-behaved tonight, won’t you give me an answer? (Pleading face)]

Lin Yizhou’s answer had remained unchanged: I won’t like you.

Shen Xu: I like you. I really like you. It has to be you.

For the next hour, Shen Xu expressed his affection repeatedly in various ways. Exhausted by the persistence, Lin Yizhou had replied succinctly: After we’re together.

It’s just a whim anyway, he thought. He’ll get bored eventually.

Lin Yizhou tilted the flashlight slightly. Without the support of the light source, Shen Xu’s back looked ethereal, like a moon reflected in water.

It wouldn’t take long. Once daylight came, the moon would fade.

Returning to the base camp, Jiang Siyuan and Wen Yue were sitting listlessly by the fire, poking at the embers with firebrands. Sparks flew, illuminating their tired faces. Pei Yutai was lying directly on the ground, arms straight at his sides, looking utterly drained.

Not far away, at the other team’s camp, only two people were present. Captain Nan Qiguang was trying to start a fire with a flint; it was unclear how long he had been at it, but the fire hadn’t caught yet.

Pei Yutai tilted his head and saw the two returning. He didn’t react much, just glanced at them before turning back to stare at the sky.

Hearing the commotion, Wen Yue instantly perked up. She ran to Lin Yizhou. “Yizhou, where did you go? Are you okay? Is everyone okay?”

Lin Yizhou: “I’m fine. I would have been back sooner, but I found coconut trees. Picking them took some time.”

Wen Yue looked behind Shen Xu, her eyes lighting up briefly before dimming. “Too bad we came up empty-handed at the rocks.”

Lin Yizhou nodded slightly. “We’ll use coconuts to stave off hunger tonight.”

Hearing there were coconuts, Pei Yutai sprang up. He looked at the three of them, his eyes reflecting the bright firelight. “You guys found coconuts?”

Shen Xu smiled faintly. “Correct. Found, picked, tied up, and brought back by the ‘useless’ Captain.”

Pei Yutai felt a bit ashamed. He gave an uncomfortable snort and lay back down.

Jiang Siyuan walked over with a shallow smile. “Hard work, Captain.”

Lin Yizhou didn’t respond—in fact, he showed no reaction at all. Shen Xu keenly noticed the tension between the two but said nothing.

Instead of sitting by the fire, Lin Yizhou had Shen Xu place the coconuts a bit further away. He untied the vines, pulled out a knife, and skillfully cracked open a coconut in a few moves, handing the first one to Wen Yue.

Wen Yue accepted it naturally, offering a smile and a thank you.

Jiang Siyuan approached with a beaming smile, waiting for the next one.

Lin Yizhou opened it and handed it to him.

Jiang Siyuan’s smile widened. “Thanks, Captain.”

Lin Yizhou continued, handing the next fresh coconut to Shen Xu.

Shen Xu didn’t take it. “You worked the hardest today. You drink first. Give me the knife; I’ll open my own.”

Lin Yizhou didn’t argue. He handed the knife over, blade pointing toward himself.

Once the other man took the knife, Lin Yizhou stood up holding the coconut.

Seeing his movement, Shen Xu’s hand paused as he was about to open a coconut. He looked up, his gaze following Lin Yizhou’s back. He saw Lin Yizhou walk over to Pei Yutai and, without a word, shove the coconut into the other man’s hands.

Pei Yutai bolted upright, looking at him with suspicion and surprise.

Lin Yizhou remained expressionless, saying calmly, “I don’t know why you hate me so much, but you can drink this safely.”

After finishing his sentence, he didn’t linger. He got up, walked over to the stack of dry firewood, picked out a few suitable pieces, and returned to Shen Xu’s side.

Just as he sat down, a cracked coconut was handed to him.

Lifting his gaze, he saw the flickering flames of the campfire reflected in Shen Xu’s eyes, which were brimming with a bright smile. “Captain, isn’t it time you looked after yourself?”

Lin Yizhou glanced at the coconut in the man’s hand but didn’t take it. Instead, he took the knife from him. “You drink first. I’ll wait a bit.”

With that, he took the five pieces of firewood he had just brought over and began carving them into the shape of small shovels with the knife.

As he finished carving the last one, he looked out at the pitch-black coastline in the distance. Before his brow could even furrow, a well-defined hand appeared in front of him. Shen Xu looked at him with a smile. “Captain, give them to me. I’ll go wash them.”

Lin Yizhou looked a bit confused. He hadn’t said a word; how did Shen Xu know what he wanted to do?

Shen Xu leaned in slightly, his voice audible only to the two of them. “My feelings come from the heart.”

Lin Yizhou stuffed the items into his hands, his expression rippleless. “Thanks for the hard work.”

Shen Xu laughed, took the items, and handed him the coconut he still hadn’t drunk from. “I hope this coconut water is finished by the time I get back.”

Lin Yizhou nodded slightly and took the coconut, but he didn’t drink it immediately. Holding the coconut, his gaze followed Shen Xu’s silhouette until the other man stood up by the shore and turned to walk back. Only then did he start drinking the coconut water.

When Shen Xu returned and stood still, he saw Lin Yizhou handing the coconut back to him, seemingly untouched. He couldn’t help but frown.

Seeing his expression, Lin Yizhou guessed what he was thinking and proactively explained: “I finished the one you gave me. This is a new one I just opened.”

As if he had mastered the art of face-changing, Shen Xu’s expression instantly turned from cloudy to sunny. He stuffed the flashlight and a washed wooden shovel into Lin Yizhou’s hand and gestured with the remaining shovels in his other hand. “I’ll go hand these out to everyone first. Help me hold this for a second.”

He walked over to the campfire and distributed the wooden shovels. “The Captain carved these for everyone. They’ve been washed, so you can use them to scoop out the coconut meat.”

Wen Yue took a shovel in disbelief, praising, “Wow, he even knows how to do detailed handiwork like this? Is Yizhou really all-powerful?”

Regarding this question, Shen Xu didn’t take the opportunity to praise Lin Yizhou as usual. Instead, his expression shifted slightly, and he just smiled without saying a word.

Pei Yutai looked at the wooden shovel in his hand with a complicated expression.

Shen Xu returned to Lin Yizhou’s side. Just as he sat down, the latter handed him the coconut. He took it, took a sip, and said contentedly, “So sweet. This is the sweetest coconut water I’ve ever had.”

Lin Yizhou didn’t speak. He used his wooden shovel to scoop out coconut meat. He had only taken a few bites when a “wandering” shadow appeared in front of him.

Looking up, he saw Pei Yutai pacing back and forth in front of him, pretending it was accidental, though his peripheral vision drifted toward Lin Yizhou from time to time—a picture of extreme awkwardness.

Before Lin Yizhou could speak, Shen Xu spoke up beside him with an unfriendly tone: “What? Are you playing a ghost here to scare people?”

Pei Yutai hesitated for a while, completely stripped of the arrogance he had when the show started. He spoke up cautiously: “Captain, are there more coconuts? I want to eat another one.”

Shen Xu raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp. “You had the nerve to eat that last one, and now you want another?”

“Forgotten what you said before? Want me to help you remember?”

Pei Yutai rubbed his fingers embarrassedly and looked Lin Yizhou in the eye. “Captain, I’m sorry.”

Shen Xu’s eyebrows went up slightly.

Lin Yizhou’s hand, which was currently opening a coconut, paused for a moment before he cleanly struck the final blow and handed the opened coconut to him.

Pei Yutai’s tense face relaxed. His awkwardness vanished instantly, and as if he were a different person, he excitedly ran to Lin Yizhou’s side and sat down right next to him. “Thanks, Captain.”

Shen Xu’s eyes turned cold. His gaze circled around the spot where their arms were touching before landing on Pei Yutai. “Are you cold?”

Pei Yutai didn’t sense his mood at all, replying heartlessly, “Huh? I’m not cold.”

As he spoke, he huddled even closer to Lin Yizhou, looking up with a face full of admiration. “Captain, you’re really amazing. I just tried to start a fire using the tools you made. Brother Yuan even came over to tell me the details of how you did it, but I still couldn’t figure it out.”

Shen Xu’s tone was icy. “Brother Pei, could you get a coconut for me? I’d like another one too.”

Pei Yutai complied readily, picking up a coconut and handing it to Shen Xu. Just as he was about to head back, his arm was pinned down.

Turning his head, he saw Shen Xu with his chin slightly tilted, smiling faintly. “Sit over here on my side.”

Shen Xu shifted a bit closer to Lin Yizhou’s position as he spoke.

Pei Yutai wanted to refuse, but before he could say anything, Shen Xu seemed to read his expression, and the pressure on his arm increased.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he felt like if he didn’t do as told, he’d be thrown into the sea to feed the fish…

He sat down obediently, only to see Shen Xu set the coconut aside, having no intention of eating it at all.

His sixth sense told him something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

Before he could snap out of it, the person beside him asked out of the blue, “So, why did you have such a big problem with the Captain?”

The gloom from earlier was swept away instantly. Pei Yutai immediately emphasized, “That’s history! Having a problem with the Captain is ancient history!”

“And so?”

Pei Yutai glanced at Lin Yizhou and found that the other was also looking at him. His existing embarrassment felt even more nuanced. He scratched the back of his head and said honestly, “Because of those rumors online…”

“But I didn’t just blindly believe them. I did my own searching. It seemed that during the time Brother Zhou was famous, it really was because the CEO of the Song Corporation was backing him. And the year Brother Zhou won the award, there were indeed veteran actors in the nominations with incredible acting skills…”

He immediately followed up with a show of loyalty: “But I promise, from now on I will never believe any online rumors about Brother Zhou ever again. Not a single one!”

“Brother Zhou is definitely the best Captain in the world, and the best person in the world.”

As his words fell, a light laugh rang out.

Everyone looked up to see Wen Yue walking over, a faint smile on her lips. “Little brother, you should grow from this. Things in this world are a mix of true and false, especially on the internet.”

“To know a person, you have to rely on your own heart.”

Pei Yutai made a ‘salute’ gesture. “Noted and memorized!”

“But,” Pei Yutai looked curiously at Lin Yizhou, who had remained silent throughout. “Captain, why don’t you ever explain anything? I’ve seen that you’ve never responded.”

Shen Xu asked calmly, “When did our little brother here debut?”

Pei Yutai didn’t know why he was asking, but he answered obediently: “Two years ago.”

“Your career has been very smooth, hasn’t it?” Shen Xu said in a declarative tone.

“Yeah, how did you know, Brother Xu?” Pei Yutai asked with sincere confusion.

“Because those who have been through it know,” Wen Yue explained with a gentle smile, looking relaxed. “Most of the time, explaining is simply useless. Everyone only believes what they want to believe.”

Pei Yutai scratched his head awkwardly. Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Shen Xu. “Brother Xu, have you been through it too?”

Shen Xu shook his head slightly, but he had experienced something similar in his real life.

However, that truly had been his own fault.

Pei Yutai peeked at him, clapped his hands, and stood up, scurrying back to sit next to Lin Yizhou to change the subject. “Captain, I believe you will definitely use your strength to turn the tide and slap those people in the face!”

He even made a slapping motion in the air with his hand.

Lin Yizhou’s lips curled slightly at the display. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks,” Pei Yutai said as he suddenly hugged Lin Yizhou, rubbing his head against his shoulder like a fawning big dog. “I should be the one thanking you, Captain. Thank you for not holding a grudge and being willing to give me coconuts.”

He let go immediately, then grabbed a coconut and used the small shovel to dig out a large scoop of meat. He held it up to Lin Yizhou’s mouth and said sincerely, “Captain, take this bite of coconut as my apology to you. I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

“I forgive you, but the coconut meat isn’t necessary.” Lin Yizhou leaned his body back to avoid it.

“No, this is my sincerity, you must take… it.”

The last word was uttered purely out of momentum.

Seeing Lin Yizhou dodging, Pei Yutai put the coconut down and used one hand to hook his arm, pulling him back. Before he could finish his sentence, a wooden stick was thrust between the two of them. Pei Yutai followed the stick to find Shen Xu, whose lips were turned up in a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Forcing it further would be moral kidnapping.”

A chill ran up Pei Yutai’s spine. He immediately let go of Lin Yizhou’s hand and obediently shoved the coconut meat into his own mouth. He saw Shen Xu staring at him as the man jabbed the wooden stick into the sand.

The atmosphere was inexplicably eerie.

He chewed quickly a few times and swallowed the coconut meat with difficulty, asking in confusion, “Brother Xu? Is something wrong?”

Shen Xu shrugged slightly and asked as if casually, “Have you ever been in a relationship? What kind of person do you like?”

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