Help! My Fanservice Partner is Looking at Me Differently Lately - Chapter 10

Xie Weishui was talented. In reality, aside from someone like Shen Xunye, whose face and physique were beyond reproach, everyone capable of entering the Growth House possessed solid skills. After all, their ultimate goal was to debut, usually as solo artists. Without genuine talent, even if they reached the paywall popularity threshold within the house, their fame would plummet afterward, leaving them forgotten.

The Growth House guaranteed talent, but it did not guarantee character.

“Whew, I am finished singing,” Xie Weishui said, lightly catching his breath. “That marks the end of the welcoming ceremony. On behalf of all the senior members, I formally welcome you to the house. Let us get along well in the days to come, Chi Li and Shen Xunye.”

“Certainly,” Chi Li replied with a harmless smile. “Please guide us well.”

With the ceremony over, Gao Yuan led Chi Li upstairs to his room. The others dispersed to begin their assigned tasks for dinner. It was a Growth House tradition that on the night newcomers arrived, everyone shared a meal. They could cook or eat out, though leaving required prior notice.

“What do you think of Chi Li?” Jiang Lele asked Wei Xuan while slicing vegetables.

“He has a terrible personality and is not easy to deal with,” Wei Xuan said with a pout.

“Have you considered why he is so hostile toward us?”

“How should I know?” Wei Xuan found the question strange. “We are the victims here. Are we supposed to make excuses for him?”

Jiang Lele gave him a speechless look.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Wei Xuan bristled. “Are you going to start dissing me too?”

“No,” Jiang Lele said, distractedly bringing down the knife. “I am just curious.”

“Curious about what? Use your head. He is just doing this to grab attention!”

Jiang Lele remained silent. Was that face not enough to grab attention?

“He only knows how to use crooked tactics. He is probably useless except for his face,” Wei Xuan added sourly. Mindful of the cameras, he did not mention that the viewer count on Chi Li’s solo channel was currently higher than his and Jiang Lele’s combined. He truly did not understand why.

“Fine,” Jiang Lele accepted the reasoning and changed the subject. “Why are you not crowding into the kitchen anymore?”

Wei Xuan countered, “Are you not doing the same?”

Jiang Lele stammered, “I am suddenly tired.”

If not for poor solo channel subscriptions, who would want to huddle with so many people just to leech traffic from the main stream?

“I am tired too,” Wei Xuan said, shamelessly copying the answer. In truth, he had intended to squeeze in. But just as he was about to hand Xie Weishui an apron, Chi Li’s remark about simps ending up with nothing echoed in his mind. Looking at it that way, he really did look like a simp. He lost his spirit and decided to kill time at the water bar with Jiang Lele instead.

“Sigh,” Jiang Lele sighed. “Sigh,” Wei Xuan followed suit.

An hour and a half later, the eight of them sat in the dining room.

“Alright, let us have a toast before we eat,” Xie Weishui said, still controlling the flow.

“Cheers!”

After a sip, dinner officially began.

“Fang Jin and I made these dishes,” Xie Weishui said with a smile. “We did not ask what you like to eat, but these are our specialties. The taste should be guaranteed.”

The Jin-Shui pairing had originally gone viral because they often cooked for each other.

“Why did you not ask?” Chi Li picked up a piece of beef, speaking as casually as if they were chatting about the weather. “Do you lack a mouth or lack legs?”

Exactly, why did they not ask? The ingredients were bought in advance, how could they ask? Are you all being influenced by Chi Li’s nitpicking? There are many ways to cook the same ingredients. What is wrong with asking? At the very least, they should ask about dietary restrictions. It looks thoughtful but it is actually dismissive. Why did I not notice this vibe before?

Xie Weishui’s face distorted for a split second before returning to normal. “It was an oversight on my part.”

“It is fine,” Chi Li accepted the apology without a hint of guilt. “Since there is food, I am not picky.”

Xie Weishui really wanted to punch him.

Fang Jin said, “Then eat more.”

“This is delicious!” Zhou Yang made an exaggerated expression. “Senior, your cooking skills are getting better and better.”

Fang Jin glanced at him. “The dish you just ate was made by me.”

Zhou Yang froze. You just had to be so sharp-eyed.

Zhou Yang gave a fake smile. “Senior Fang’s cooking skills are getting better and better.”

“Mhm,” Fang Jin replied.

On the other side, Shen Xunye began his main mission: chatting with Chi Li.

“Do you know how to cook?”

Chi Li replied, “I know how to eat.”

“What a coincidence, I know how to eat too,” Shen Xunye said with exaggerated surprise. “What kind of food do you like?”

“I like spicy food, but I cannot eat it often if I want to protect my voice. What about you?”

“I am indifferent to most things.” Shen Xunye was not a foodie; gourmet food held no attraction for him. “As long as I do not die from eating it, it is fine.”

“You are that easy to take care of?” Chi Li bit his chopstick thoughtfully. “Would you eat pig feed?”

Shen Xunye shook his head seriously. “No matter how easy I am to raise, you cannot raise me like a pig.”

Chi Li looked down. “I am sorry.”

“Sorry to me or sorry to the pig?” Shen Xunye asked.

“Uh, sorry to both.”

Shen Xunye said, “It is okay. I know you are very mean.”

“You know too much,” Chi Li replied.

“What should I do then? Will you assassinate me?”

“It is fine. Just pretend you do not know,” Chi Li gave him a smile. “Assassination has a very low cost-to-benefit ratio.”

Gao Yuan, who had listened to the entire conversation from across the table, remarked, “Do you know that your conversation is really eerie?”

“I think it is fine,” Shen Xunye replied, clearly enjoying himself.

“Talk about something I can join in on,” Gao Yuan said, wanting to get to know the two better. “Chi Li, what is your position?”

“I am decent at everything, but I am best at dancing,” Chi Li said, successfully exiting the eerie mode.

“That is great. I dance like a rusty robot,” Gao Yuan said, making a few random gestures. “But if we were to debut as a group, I bet you would not get the main dancer position.”

Chi Li took a tissue and slowly dabbed the corner of his mouth. “Why?”

Gao Yuan smiled brightly. “Because you would have to be the Visual.”

The Visual was usually the most beautiful member of a group.

It has been a long time since I have seen Gao Yuan smile so happily. If I were eating across from two handsome guys, I would be this happy too. I am low-key shipping the Visual and the Little Rapper.

Chi Li looked over, an uncontrollable smile tugging at his lips. “Gao Yuan, you certainly have a high-class way of complimenting people.”