After Shen Xici returned to Ningcheng, while Sheng Shaoyan was out for work and he himself had no public appearances to rush to, he enthusiastically followed Butler Laisen around, acting as the official taste-tester for newly developed desserts.

At first, he would only take a small taste and give feedback. But after the first spoonful came the second, and then the third…

Shen Xici consoled himself: I’ll weigh myself after I eat, then go swim a few laps in the pool. That should ease my guilt.

He couldn’t let his guard down just because he wasn’t filming or appearing on camera recently!

Uncle Laisen slowly pushed a small bone china plate in front of Shen Xici. The dessert was shaped like a small snow mountain, with a bright red cherry placed on top. The color immediately enlivened the presentation, instantly whetting one’s appetite.

“The Young Master instructed me that you have been enjoying desserts recently, but due to your profession, you cannot consume too many calories. So he asked me to use lower-calorie ingredients and also reduced the sweetness by thirty percent. You can eat a little more.”

Shen Xici hadn’t realized that Sheng Shaoyan had been the one to instruct Butler Laisen to make new desserts these past two days. He couldn’t even recall when he might have shown that he wanted to eat them.

When he was little, he had very little access to sweets. Grandpa He would give him mints or chocolates with English letters on the packaging, but he rarely accepted them, afraid of being a nuisance. As he grew up, it seemed that having a sweet tooth became something inappropriate. Once he started acting, the camera’s demands on an actor’s appearance were extremely high. Although he had a constitution that didn’t gain weight easily, he still touched sugar even less.

After a moment of silence, Shen Xici picked up the small spoon, took a bite, and his eyes crinkled in satisfaction. “Delicious!”

Butler Laisen smiled warmly and poured him a cup of black tea, placing it by his hand. “I’m glad you like it.”

His gaze fell on the new ring on Shen Xici’s hand, and he added with relief, “The Young Master came to ask me last month about where would be a good place to propose. During that time, he practically circled the entire world map. The team came up with over a dozen versions of plans, none of which were approved. But it seems this matter has come to a good conclusion.”

Shen Xici couldn’t help but look at the ring on his own hand. Sheng Shaoyan had drawn the design himself. It was a double-band design, understated and exquisite without being ostentatious, very beautiful. A smile touched his lips. “Yes, A’Shao chose the place where we first met in the end.”

Deep in the forest, under a moss-covered arched rock, was the place he had first seen Sheng Shaoyan in this life.

For him, it was both a meeting and a reunion.

He had noticed, however, that Sheng Shaoyan really liked giving him accessories. On his left hand, he usually wore a blue crystal bracelet and a platinum starburst ring that Sheng Shaoyan had made himself. Later, a watch to monitor his health was added to his wrist.

Now, there was a pigeon’s blood ruby anklet on his ankle, and another ring on the ring finger of his right hand.

Additionally, in his closet, there were brooches, cufflinks, earrings, rings, and watches of various styles, filling six or seven entire drawers, and that number was still rising at a rapid pace.

Shen Xici sometimes felt that when Sheng Shaoyan put an anklet or a ring on him, it was as if he were covertly marking him in this way.

Just then, in the studio’s main group chat, people suddenly started @ing Shen Xici repeatedly.

Holding the small silver spoon in his right hand, Shen Xici tapped open the group chat with his left.

[Lan Xiaoshan: Brother Shen, did you and Brother Shao go to watch the sunrise in the mountains outside Sui County?]

Choking violently, Shen Xici quickly grabbed the bone china cup beside him and took two sips of tea. After composing himself, he typed in the group.

[How did you know?]

[Lan Xiaoshan: So it really was you!]

Lan Xiaoshan immediately sent a link to the group. Shen Xici had a bad feeling. He clicked on the Weibo link.

[@CamoGrandpawhosneveroutoffocus: Indochinese green magpie! Fluffy! Indochinese green magpie! Fluffy! Indochinese green magpie! Fluffy! [Nine-image grid]]

Shen Xici: “…”

This overwhelmingly familiar style!

The first eight photos in the grid were all of the Indochinese green magpie, perched on a branch looking left and right, preening its feathers, or flying with its wings spread against the morning sun.

In the last picture, the sun had already risen, but the red glow of dawn had not yet completely dissipated, still showing a burning flame color.

Two people stood on a cliff. The slightly taller one had his back to the camera. The other had his hands in his pockets, turned sideways, seemingly talking to his companion. Because they were only silhouettes against the light, their excellent figures were on full display. Both were tall, with great proportions, broad shoulders, and long legs.

A few steps away, a motorcycle was parked. Between the two, a small bird was in mid-flight.

Wild grass grew thick at their feet, with rolling mountains in the distance. Everything seemed natural and exquisite.

Shen Xici had a very deep impression of that flying broccoli. That morning, after watching the sunrise on the mountain, as they were preparing to leave, an Indochinese green magpie happened to fly by. At the time, he had been pleasantly surprised, telling Sheng Shaoyan to look quickly, and wondering if it was the same one he had encountered while filming the mute boy in the tree.

Who would have thought that behind every Indochinese green magpie…

Hoping against hope, Shen Xici opened the comment section below.

“—This silhouette is divine. I can picture 99% of danmei novels! Based on my judgment, these two are definitely super handsome.”

“One is just a back, the other is only a side profile, but I’ve already looked at it I don’t know how many times. And the motorcycle, and the little bird, the composition is too perfect.”

“—Grandpa, which tree are you in? If I go now, will I get a buff? Last year at this time you photographed a bird, this year at this time you photographed a bird and got two handsome guys. What a great deal!”

“—Two handsome guys, early in the morning, riding a motorcycle to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise. The atmosphere and body language between them is so intimate. I’m really shipping this!”

“—There must be a lot of sisters who followed this bird-watching grandpa because of the ‘Son of the Mountain God’ photos… Don’t you guys think, the side profile on the left looks… a bit familiar? Or is it because I love him too much, so I see Shen Xici in everything? Which sister wants to shake me awake!”

“—Doesn’t anyone else think the one on the left looks a lot like Shen Xici? Look at the location grandpa shared, it’s still the mountains outside Sui County, still the Indochinese green magpie, still at dawn. All the elements are there!!”

When Shen Xici saw the towering thread of “I second this” under these comments, he was simply shocked—they could tell from this?

But the photo was indeed very well taken. Shen Xici quickly saved the original image, changed both his phone’s desktop and lock screen wallpapers, and sent a copy to Sheng Shaoyan.

Just then, a new message popped up in the studio’s group chat.

Shen Xici opened it and saw a screenshot sent by the executive publicist, Xiao Ning.

In the screenshot, a fan, from who knows where, had found all sorts of his side profiles—from events, the airport, resting on set, variety shows… then adjusted them to the same size and tried to match them one by one with the left silhouette in that photo.

It was a perfect match…

When Shen Xici switched back to Weibo, he saw a big headline on the trending list—#ShenXiciSilhouettePhoto

Ge Lanjing also appeared in the group chat: [I pretended to be a reporter and contacted that bird-watching grandpa. I asked him if he knew who he had photographed. The bird-watching grandpa said he was there to photograph birds that day. His lens was following the Indochinese green magpie, and you two just happened to be in the frame. He thought it was rare for the magpie not to fly away immediately upon seeing people, so he took a picture of you with the bird. Later, when he was selecting photos, he found the effect was quite good. The magpie looked particularly lively, and the harmony between man and nature was also great, so he just posted it.]

[Lan Xiaoshan: Hahaha, got it, got it. Brother Shen and Brother Shao were just a bonus! The bird-watching grandpa didn’t recognize Brother Shen, right?]

[Ge Lanjing: It seems not.]

Shen Xici smiled and typed: [Luckily, in this grandpa’s eyes, we’re probably the same as the rocks and trees next to us—just background to set off the Indochinese green magpie.]

[Ge Lanjing: @ShenXici Should we suppress this?]

Shen Xici thought for a moment and quickly made a decision, replying: [No need. It’s just a picture of watching the sunrise. If we suppress it, it will just make people certain that the person in the photo is me.]

[Ge Lanjing: I had the same thought. But the fans’ eyes are really sharp. I didn’t even recognize it was you at first glance!]

Because there was no PR to suppress the topic, the discussion about this photo grew. Before long, the topic #WhoIsNextToShenXici was also pushed into the top ten.

Someone started a thread directly:
“Has any sister found someone who matches the back profile on the right yet? I’ve tried Zhong Yue, Director Lu, and every male artist Shen Xici has worked with or even mentioned in interviews. Either their legs aren’t that long, or their shoulders aren’t that broad, or their proportions aren’t that good. Who is this person! You don’t know until you compare, but once you try, it’s a shock. Nuwa must have spent three days and three nights sculpting him, right?”

“—Really handsome!! Modeling level! If he debuted, even without showing his face, he could attract a bunch of face fans, like me!”

“—The one on the right, my star-chasing sixth sense tells me, is definitely the legendary ‘A’Shao’! I’ll bet my brain on it, it must be!”

“—WasINoticedByShenXiciToday: I think I know who the back profile on the right is… As a veteran fan of Shen Xici, I once photographed Shen Xici and his manager at the time during a set visit for ‘Mountain Range.’ The manager had super long legs and incredible proportions. It’s been a year, but the impression is still super deep!”

“—Sister, don’t just describe, post the picture!”

A photo was posted in the comments.

In the photo, Shen Xici was wearing the Mute Boy’s coarse white robe, with a loose black washed-denim jacket draped over his shoulders. He was turning his head, smiling at the person next to him.

That person was wearing a black baseball cap and a mask, his face completely covered, but one glance was enough to know he was definitely a great beauty.

“—Why am I only seeing this gem now! Is the person in the photo the legendary A’Shao? Damn, damn, he’s so handsome! Those legs, that waist, those shoulders! The sexual tension is so strong! Help!”

“—Ahhh, I have this photo card! Shen Xici is smiling so beautifully at him, his gaze focused and so relaxed!”

“—Sisters, I cropped out this handsome masked man and compared him with that silhouette photo. Guess what? It’s a 90% match! This is him! The legs are the same length! I’ve posted the detailed comparison on my Weibo homepage, the pictures are there!”

“—They really found him? I’m so impressed by the detective skills of today’s melon-eating masses!”

“—So, you mean, when Shen Xici was filming ‘Mountain Range Line,’ A’Shao accompanied him to the set every day, practiced lines with him, and taught him archery. A year later, Shen Xici and A’Shao revisited the old place, riding a motorcycle to the mountain to watch the sunrise? Thank you, my bird-watching grandpa. Without you, I wouldn’t have known there was such a huge ship-to-death-for piece of candy hidden here!”

“—I! SHIP! IT!”

The user with the ID “WasINoticedByShenXiciToday” started another separate thread.

“Recalling the scene from the set visit back then, Shen Xici was a brand-new newcomer at the time. When we saw him, he had probably just finished a scene. Lan Xiaoshan was walking behind him. The Mute Boy’s costume was very thin, and the wind was strong and a bit cold that day. The handsome masked man next to him took off his own jacket and draped it over him!
Shen Xici didn’t refuse! He didn’t refuse! He just wrapped the jacket around himself so naturally! And he smiled so beautifully at the handsome man! He said something, but I didn’t hear it!
What was I waiting for? I immediately pressed the shutter. Then Shen Xici, with his super sharp ears, noticed right away.
And then! The handsome manager walked towards us. We couldn’t see his face, but his figure was truly exquisite. He was wearing just a black shirt, like a male protagonist from an otome game, with such a strong aura! We thought he was going to confiscate our cameras, but we didn’t expect that after looking at the photos in my camera, he returned it to me and even asked if we were making photo cards of these pictures. He wanted ten sets.
Ten sets! He really loves him so much!
And, I’m a voice-con, his voice was super nice! So smooth it could kill!
A few months passed…
The photo cards were made. Because some sisters backed out of their orders, I had some extras left over. When I contacted him to confirm his order quantity, I mentioned it in passing. I didn’t expect it! He said, he’ll take them all! The 40-plus sets of photo cards I had left over, he’ll take them all!
Who understands? My mind went ‘bang bang bang’ at that moment, pink fireworks exploding everywhere. I was rolling around on my bed, hugging my phone! I really shipped it so hard! I’ve never eaten such a delicious meal in my life! He really loves him too much! He bought over fifty sets of photo cards all by himself!
And, and, when he talked to Shen Xici, his gaze was completely fixed on Shen Xici, like he was glued there, couldn’t move away for a second. When they walked forward together, whenever he had a chance, he would look at Shen Xici. Deep breath. The more you savor this candy, the better it gets!”

“—Someone is envious and I won’t say who. What kind of heaven-defying luck is this! To be able to see Shen Xici and the legendary ‘A’Shao’ up close! Is this the benefit of getting into the fandom early? Chewing on my handkerchief!”

“—Ahhhhh, he really loves him so much! What is he going to do with over fifty sets of photo cards? Cover the entire bedroom wall? And he’s so much like an overbearing CEO, ‘As long as it’s related to Shen Xici, I want it all!’ Screaming!”

“—Handsome, great figure, nice voice, and obsessed with Shen Xici. I approve of this marriage! Sob sob sob, please send me wedding candy!”

“—I remember Shen Xici said before that before Ge Lanjing, he hadn’t signed with a company or an agent. So, the manager bro isn’t a manager at all? Just a cover for the public? Oh my god, what have I discovered!”

“—Draping the jacket! Heavens! And Shen Xici didn’t refuse, and even smiled at him! They’re dating, right? They must be, right? If they weren’t dating, it couldn’t be this natural and sweet! Relying on this piece of candy you posted, sister, I can ship this for ten years!”

“—It all adds up. Ge Lanjing hadn’t started working with Shen Xici yet at that time, but Lan Xiaoshan was already with him. If he had Lan Xiaoshan as an assistant, why would he practice lines with ‘A’Shao’ instead of Lan Xiaoshan? And teach him archery! How do you teach archery? The kind where you hold him from behind, arm to arm? I can’t even imagine!”

“—Did anyone notice another highlight? According to the poster, this black washed-denim jacket was taken off by the handsome manager and given to Shen Xici. I compared it with the airport photo from the last Shencheng arrival. Shen Xici was wearing this exact same jacket! Question: Whose jacket is it really?”

“—Ahhh, I went to look at the photos! Look at the comparison! [Image][Image] It really is the same jacket! So, did A’Shao wear Shen Xici’s jacket and then take it off to give to Shen Xici, or did Shen Xici wear A’Shao’s jacket again? Or, are they just couple outfits? Or, could it be, they just share a closet? The candy really does get more abundant the more you dig. I’m going crazy shipping this!”

“—I’m enlightened. The so-called manager identity, the sharing of clothes, the revisiting of an old place to watch the sunrise together—it’s all just the games of a little couple!”