Brother, isn't it good that you like me?

"I watched the show." Shen Huaiyuan paused, then asked casually, "What's the situation between you two now?"

Shen Yan: "We've reached an agreement."

Mr. and Mrs. Shen caught their breath, then listened as their son slowly added, "In a dream."

Mr. and Mrs. Shen: "..."

I'm going to die!!!

"Although we're not officially together yet, our relationship has already made substantial progress."

Shen Huaiyuan: "What do you mean?"

Shen Yan put down his chopsticks and slowly pulled a silver chain from his collar. A small, gleaming gold crown dangled from the end of the chain. Holding it in his hand, Shen Yan said smugly, "See? My brother gave it to me~"

Shen Huaiyuan: "..."

He really wanted to beat this unfilial son to death.

Song Qing leaned over for a look, her eyes lighting up. "Is this handmade?"

"Mmm." Shen Yan then took out the small wooden parrot carving. "And this one, my brother carved them all by hand."

He emphasized the word "personally" very much.

Mom nodded, "You're so skillful, and thoughtful."

Shen Huaiyuan picked up his bowl, took a mouthful of rice with a blank expression, and muttered, "You're so happy over a blockhead..."

"What do you know?"

Shen Yan snorted and glanced down at his phone. The pinned chat window remained silent, with no new messages.

But he wasn't in a hurry. He turned his phone upside down on the table and continued eating, his lips still curved as he reached for his chopsticks.

……

Chi Yu woke up close to dusk.

The curtains were still drawn, and the living room was empty and quiet except for the small orange lamp, which cast a dim yellow halo on the wall.

People feel lonely when they wake up at dusk—a loneliness that comes from the fact that the whole world is still turning and you are the only one left behind.

Chi Yu stared at the small lamp for a moment, before he could be overwhelmed by that feeling, his phone lit up.

Upon opening it, the entire screen was filled with a dense stream of messages.

Jiang Zi sent a few messages, reporting that she had gone out to buy things. Shen Yan, on the other hand, had been sending messages non-stop since lunchtime.

One minute she says she's home, the next she asks Chi Yu if he's eaten, and then she sends some photos of a beautiful little blue bird playing happily on the swing set that Shen's father just bought.

Chi Yu scrolled down the list one by one, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

He leaned back on the sofa and started typing. His replies were short, but he responded to every single one—that's just how he is; he doesn't talk much, but every word resonates.

Within seconds of the message being sent, the other end displayed "typing".

The two chatted casually for a while.

It wasn't until Jiang Ziyi pushed the door open and came back that he returned.

"Brother, I'm back." Jiang Ziyi poked half his body in, carrying two heavy takeout bags. The aroma of food wafted in through the crack in the door. He shook the bags in his hands. "Perfect timing, time to eat."

Chi Yu glanced down at his phone. The last thing he saw before locking the screen was an emoticon from Shen Yan ^_^ — the familiar two Doritos.

He placed his phone face down on the sofa, got up, and walked towards Jiang Ziyi. "What did you buy?"

"The one you like to eat at." Jiang Ziyi placed the takeout bag in the entryway, bent down to change her shoes, and after she finished, she looked up and saw the slight smile on Chi Yu's lips. She paused for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Brother, what were you looking at just now? You seemed so happy?"

Chi Yu was taken aback, reached for the bag, and looked away. "No."

Jiang Ziyi stared at her brother for a few more seconds. Her mind instinctively believed her brother's words, but the toxic radar inside her kept beeping.

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He could only put that feeling out of his mind and cheerfully said, "Let's go eat first."

Chi Yu nodded in agreement, but for some reason, he felt a little guilty.

It felt like Shen Yan and I were a couple secretly having a relationship behind the teachers' backs. Even though, given their age, it wasn't considered puppy love at all.

After finishing their meal, Chi Yu put the dishes in the dishwasher. While the machine was humming, he took out his phone and replied to Shen Yan's message. He also casually asked: "When will the music video you promised start filming?"

Shen Yan didn't give a specific time, only saying that the script was still being revised and that we should wait for his message.

This wait led to the start of recording the fifth episode of "The TA Who Hates the Most".

That morning, Chi Yu sat in the dressing room, where a makeup artist was doing his makeup and hair.

The person in the mirror had their eyes downcast, letting the brush sweep across their face. They were quiet and still, like a watercolor painting that hadn't quite dried yet.

There was a knock on the door, and a staff member poked their head in: "Mr. Chi Yu, is it convenient to conduct a brief interview?"

Chi Yu glanced at him sideways and nodded. "Is this a live stream?"

"Yes." A staff member carried in a camera, set it up on the opposite side, and asked, "Would you like to say hello to everyone?"

Chi Yu looked at the camera and said, "Good morning."

Good morning, brother!

I've missed you so much these past few days! When will my wife finally be willing to post on Weibo again? Waaaaah!

[The cat looks so pretty! Is she wearing red today? Wearing the leopard's support color on her body... Is this episode going to be this daring?]

[If they suddenly announce they're together, do you think I could handle it?]

[Connect]

The comments section was buzzing with excitement, but Chi Yu wasn't looking at his phone and didn't know what they were saying. After a brief greeting, he turned to look at the staff member who had just entered.

A staff member, holding a script, said, "Hello, Mr. Chi. This is the fifth episode of our show today. We're already halfway through the season. We'd like to ask about your impressions of the first half?"

Chi Yu thought for a few seconds, "I'm quite happy."

It's still as simple as ever.

Are you happy because all the blame has finally been lifted from your shoulders, and everyone can finally see the real you?

[What? I was enjoying the previous parts, why did you suddenly stab me in the back?]

These past few days, a bunch of conspiracy theorists have been speculating about when my brother will return to Weibo to post a sympathy plea. I'm speechless. He's already in such a miserable state, does he still need to play the victim?

I'd love for him to play the victim. They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, baby, you've suffered so much, why are you still silent?

[The more silent he is, the more my heart aches for him, sob sob sob, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to go and yell at Lu Yufeng a few more times!]

Chi Yu had no idea that her simple four words would spark so much discussion.

He didn't think too much about it. His original intention in participating in the show was to help his younger brother avoid the death ending in his nightmare. Now, not only has he avoided it, but the two brothers have also reconciled, and even his relationship with Lin Jianshen has improved.

Chi Yu was indeed happy to have exceeded his task expectations.

"Okay." The staff member nodded, then asked, "What are Mr. Chi's expectations for our program in the next few episodes?"

Chi Yu's response remained the same: "Getting better and better."

He paused after speaking, perhaps realizing that four words might be a bit perfunctory, and then added, "I wish TAT a successful broadcast and that it won't be reported again."

[I can't take it anymore, this is a genuine blessing, hahaha!]

[Because so many celebrities have fallen from grace recently, regardless of whether it has anything to do with our TAT or not, it's all being blamed on Director Wu.]

[Director Wu: Standing at the peak means enduring endless insults and targeting. Being ostracized by my peers is my fate, I understand. (Crosses hands behind head) (Head tilted back, back straight) (Looks aloof)]

I'm impressed. I hadn't even shed a tear in the previous part, and I'm already laughing in this one.

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation, Teacher Chi." The staff member put away the notebook. "Oh, right, we have a hidden mission."

Chi Yu: "Hmm?"

[Did the topic change so quickly?!]

[This is hilarious! I was just about to say, "What? You only asked two questions in the interview?" when she turned around and said, "I have other tasks to complete."]

Each guest was briefly interviewed by staff in their own room, but in reality, the interviews were not the main purpose of the program.

The show's real purpose was to use the interviews as a cover to secretly announce the first hidden mission of the season.

"You are the undercover agent for this episode," the staff member said. "You need to work with your secret partner to complete the hidden mission without being discovered by the other guests. Success will secure victory for this episode."

Chi Yu blinked. "Secret partners?"

"Yes," the staff member nodded. "As an undercover agent, you have a partner."

Chi Yu: "Then who is he?"

Staff member: "I'm not telling you."

Chi Yu: "?"

"You'll need to play a mini-game to recognize each other," the staff member said. "If you successfully recognize each other, your hidden mission will be on normal difficulty; if you fail, the mission difficulty will be upgraded to plus version."

"And this game is—double-blind poetry writing."

【Hey! I know this! I played it with Youmi before, one of us wrote the questions and the other wrote the answers】

Because there was no prior discussion, the questions and answers may seem incongruous, but they may also fit together like a short poem.

A staff member handed Chi Yu a tablet.

"You need to guess who the other person is from six questions and answers. Before you guess them, you are not allowed to reveal real names, places, or specific numbers."

"Since it's poetry, it needs a certain degree of obscurity and abstruseness."

[That sounds really difficult! To convey and retrieve specific information within an abstract question-and-answer format, you can't do it without a certain level of tacit understanding, right?]

I just came from next door. I'm not sure if that person and my brother have any chemistry, but I definitely had a great time this episode.

[Please don't spoil the plot, everyone. Although I'm almost dying of excitement myself, I still don't want to spoil the viewing experience for others.]

In the dressing room, the countdown on the tablet had already begun. Chi Yu was slightly taken aback, not expecting the game to start so suddenly.

In the first round, he was the one answering. Less than half a minute after he learned the rules of the game, he was suddenly asked to write a line of poetry related to himself, and he really couldn't think of anything.

Moreover, Chinese language has always been his weak point.

As the countdown in the upper left corner was about to end, Chi Yu frowned slightly, placed his hand on the screen, and casually typed a few words.

Once the input is complete, the countdown resets to zero, and the questions and answers from both sides are sent automatically.

Q: How would you describe me?

A: Summer is almost here.

My birthday is close to summer, and this is a hint that... I doubt anyone would notice.

Chi Yu slightly pursed his lips.

Even if others do think of birthdays, they probably don't know which season the other guests' birthdays fall in.

Alright, I still have five chances. In the second round, Chi Yu was the questioner. Compared to answering, asking a question conveys less information, so when the one-minute countdown ended, Chi Yu, who wasn't good at Chinese, gave up on conveying information and chose to ask a random question—

What is the meaning of the show TAT to you?

In this way, whatever the other person answers, there's a greater chance it will be related to the question. It will fit together logically, and just look like "poetry."

The countdown reached zero, and the other party's answer appeared:

A wondrous fairy tale to be continued.

Chi Yu was taken aback.

Based on this question and answer, he could only intuitively rule out Jiang Ziyi. Su Yang also didn't seem like the type to use the imagery of "fairy tales"...

Wait, a fairy tale?

Chi Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly as he inexplicably recalled that drunken night when someone lay beside his bed, propping himself up to tell him the story of the little crow and the little parrot.

Is it...

In the third round, Chi Yu answered faster this time.

Q: What is the definition of freedom?

A: Even a crow with broken wings still yearns for the sky.

Chi Yu's fingertip paused on the screen. He was exchanging a coded message, thinking that if it were Shen Yan, perhaps he would understand what he meant.

The fourth round.

He asked: What is your wish?

The other party replied: The roses in the backyard never fade.

Chi Yu smiled.

During the second episode, Shen Yan climbed off his balcony and fell into the rose bushes in the backyard. Only the two of them knew about this.

The fifth round.

Q: How should I explain the preciousness of oranges?

A: Oranges are the only fruit.

The two sides have completely exchanged the secret code.

Chi Yu lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a light shadow beneath them, and looked at the tablet, saying softly, "It's Shen Yan."

【Aaaaaah! I'm Leopard Cat!】

[Actually, you probably guessed it from the third question, right? The rest was just flirting (pointing and whispering)]

[Who knows how happy Sanhuo was when he saw that "crow" comment, looking at it as if it were worthless.]

[The key is that each one fits so perfectly, it's making me feel like a total artsy type!]

【Aaaaaah, I know about crows and oranges! But when did fairy tales and roses come about?! You two really started dating behind our backs?!】

[Your brother Shen has already confidently headed out the door.]

In the dressing room, Chi Yu was still looking at the tablet, even though the game had ended.

But the idea that "you can't leave a question blank even if you don't know the answer" is something ingrained in the Chinese psyche.

Even if he's the one setting the questions now.

That question can't be left blank either.

Chi Yu's fingertip hovered above the screen. He looked at the previous question, "How should I describe the preciousness of oranges?", pondered for a moment, and then entered the final question.

What is your most precious possession?

The countdown in the upper left corner was still ticking. Chi Yu straightened up, leaned back slightly, and waited for the other party's "answer".

But, "Knock knock knock—"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the dressing room door. Chi Yu looked up, but before she could answer, the door was pushed open, and Shen Yan poked in a cute head, her eyebrows curving and her voice chuckling:

"Little Chi-ge".

As if he had encountered some incredible good news, the boy's smile almost overflowed from his eyes, so bright it was dazzling.

Like flowers blooming in June.

It's like the height of summer before the rainy season.

Chi Yu was startled, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

Just then, the countdown ended, the tablet beeped, and the previously entered answer automatically popped up—

Q: What is your most precious possession?

He replied: It was Chi Yu.