Chapter 2
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The second time Liu Cheng encountered Sun Chen was when Sun Chen was in the parking lot, getting his car. Just two minutes earlier, Liu Cheng had heard from his little boyfriend, who had come to pick him up, that Sun Chen and the production team were about to embark on a pre-shooting field inspection for Surviving Here. Everyone knew this task was dangerous. Although Liu Cheng liked danger, that didn’t mean he could accept the situation where Sun Chen, out of revenge, might send his boyfriend into a hazardous situation. Before Gu Qingqiu could say anything further, Liu Cheng spotted Sun Chen walking out of the elevator and immediately headed over to him.
Sun Chen, who clearly saw Liu Cheng and Gu Qingqiu, pretended not to notice Liu Cheng approaching and directly opened his car door and got in. Fortunately, he hadn’t started the car yet, or else Liu Cheng suspected he might have ended up blocking the car and slapping the hood to get Sun Chen’s attention. Liu Cheng reached the car and knocked forcefully on the window. Sun Chen lowered the window, acting as if he had just noticed Liu Cheng. “Mr. Liu, do you need something from me?”
“You can either withdraw my funding from the show, or you can remove Qingqiu from the inspection team. Producer Sun, make your choice,” Liu Cheng said with a stern expression, delivering his ultimatum.
Before Sun Chen could respond, Gu Qingqiu, who hadn’t had time to stop Liu Cheng from speaking, quickly tried to explain, “Producer Sun, Mr. Liu has misunderstood. Please don’t take it to heart…”
Before he could finish, Sun Chen swiftly interrupted, “In that case, Xiao Gu, you don’t need to go.”
“But I want to go!” Gu Qingqiu blurted out without thinking. The usually smiling and amiable Gu Qingqiu showed a flash of displeasure, which Liu Cheng guessed was directed at his own behavior.
Despite Gu Qingqiu’s request, Sun Chen coldly and unwaveringly denied him, “But I want the sponsorship.” With that, he started the car and drove off.
Liu Cheng watched the car disappear into the distance, while Gu Qingqiu fell into silence beside him. Gu Qingqiu was a person with a good temper, so his silence was a sign that he was upset. Liu Cheng turned to look at him. “That place is so dangerous, it’s better if you don’t go,” he said.
Gu Qingqiu sighed softly, “Cheng, were you angry just now because you were worried I’d be in danger, or because you thought Producer Sun was retaliating against you?”
Liu Cheng was taken aback. “What?”
Gu Qingqiu shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied, changing the subject nonchalantly. “Actually, Producer Sun is going too. I’m not saying the inspection is completely safe, but it’s a rare opportunity.”
Liu Cheng felt a pang of guilt—not because he had ruined Gu Qingqiu’s chance, but because he realized Gu Qingqiu was right. He hadn’t confronted Sun Chen for Gu Qingqiu’s sake; in fact, he had been upset about Sun Chen’s previous offense and had subconsciously used this as an excuse to act out. To make amends, Liu Cheng promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you into that inspection.”
But this time, his lover, usually so easy to please, merely shook his head calmly. “Once Producer Sun makes a decision, it’s impossible to change it.”
Liu Cheng couldn’t stand it when someone made it seem like another person was so formidable. He couldn’t help but scoff, “Didn’t I just make him change his mind about not letting you go?”
“You don’t understand. Letting me go wasn’t a ‘decision’ made by Producer Sun; he just had to make some arrangements, and it didn’t matter to him either way. But once he explicitly said I don’t need to go, attending the inspection became an impossibility.”
No man could tolerate his lover showing more faith in and respect for another man’s abilities. Seeing that Gu Qingqiu clearly didn’t believe Liu Cheng could handle Sun Chen, Liu Cheng didn’t argue further. After dropping Gu Qingqiu home, he uncharacteristically didn’t stay and instead immediately called a friend out.
Liu Cheng never considered his drinking buddies as true friends, but sometimes, having people to have fun with also meant they had the influence to help when needed. For example, his acquaintance with Yu Xingzhou, the son of the head of S Channel, whom he didn’t know well.
When Liu Cheng first heard from Gu Qingqiu about the tension between Sun Chen and Yu Xingzhou, he hadn’t paid much attention. But when he decided to go against Sun Chen, knowing someone who also had a grudge against Sun Chen became an advantage.
When Liu Cheng met Yu Xingzhou at the bar, the latter clearly knew that Liu Cheng wouldn’t invite him out just to drink. As soon as he saw Liu Cheng, he joked, “If you’re treating me to the best drinks here, it’s definitely worth it.”
Liu Cheng wasn’t about to miss out. If getting back at Sun Chen meant treating Yu Xingzhou to the best drinks for a month, it wouldn’t be a problem. After opening two bottles, he got straight to the point. “Do you remember that producer Sun Chen from your station?”
The mention of that name made Yu Xingzhou’s lazy expression pause slightly, and he became more cautious, raising his eyes to observe Liu Cheng without giving anything away. “Why bring him up?”
“I heard he offended you?”
Yu Xingzhou immediately laughed. “Yeah, he’s pretty good at pissing people off.” Despite the words, there was no real animosity in his smile.
Liu Cheng sensed that things weren’t quite as he had imagined, but he continued, “In fact, he’s offended me too.”
“I heard. Young Master Liu is sponsoring one of our station’s shows. What, you can’t stand Sun Chen either?” Yu Xingzhou joked, casually avoiding the topic.
Liu Cheng decided to get straight to the point. “I want him off the show I’m sponsoring. Can you help me?” He clinked glasses with Yu Xingzhou, subtly gauging his reaction.
Yu Xingzhou wasn’t surprised by Liu Cheng’s request. In fact, he seemed to have anticipated it, which made him smile smugly at his own foresight. “Do you know how much I wanted to get him kicked out of the station before?”
“Don’t tell me Young Master Xing couldn’t handle a mere producer?”
“He’s not just any producer; he’s the station’s golden boy. Even my old man wouldn’t agree to me messing with him.”
“If it’s such a loss to kick him out of the station, surely just removing him from one show wouldn’t be a problem?”
“Surviving Here is currently the station’s top project. Do you think I didn’t try to keep Sun Chen off it? Unfortunately, no one at the station is better suited than him. When I suggested it to my old man, he gave me an earful.”
Liu Cheng thought for a moment. “If I could bring in a top producer from another station, would you be able to remove Sun Chen?”
Yu Xingzhou instinctively glanced at Liu Cheng in surprise. “You really want to get rid of Sun Chen that badly?”
“I just have a habit of achieving whatever I set out to do.”
Yu Xingzhou’s expression became slightly more serious. “This show is really important to Sun Chen, but it’s just a small matter to you. My advice is to let it go and give him a break.” There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone, as if he wasn’t entirely sure of his stance, but in any case, he tried to steer Liu Cheng away from the issue. “Since I couldn’t help, how about I treat you to drinks? Come on, I’ve got a good bottle stashed here—you’re in luck today…”
Liu Cheng stopped Yu Xingzhou from signalling for more drinks. He wasn’t one to stubbornly cling to something. If one plan didn’t work out, he would simply switch to another.
Since Sun Chen wouldn’t let Gu Qingqiu join the inspection, Liu Cheng was determined to make it happen.
“Xingzhou, if you don’t want to drink on my dime, help me with a small favor instead.”
“What kind of favor?”
“The Surviving Here team is about to head out for a preliminary inspection. As the sponsor, it’s not a problem for me and my ‘friend’ to join, right?”
“No problem, leave it to me! But, ‘your friend’?” Yu Xingzhou teased, repeating the words with a playful tone.
Liu Cheng didn’t mind. “You’ve met him before—Gu Qingqiu.”
Yu Xingzhou pretended to be surprised. “That was months ago. You haven’t changed partners yet? Could this be true love?”
Liu Cheng raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. “Qingqiu is being bullied by Sun Chen right now. If I admit he’s my true love, can you get rid of Sun Chen for me?”
Yu Xingzhou burst out laughing. “Come on, Young Master Liu! If your little lover is your true love, then Sun Chen must be mine!”
It was a simple statement, but for some reason, it sparked something in Liu Cheng’s mind. He turned to scrutinize the fellow playboy beside him. “What exactly did Sun Chen do to offend you? You don’t seem to consider him much of a threat.”
“Just think of me as petty,” Yu Xingzhou shrugged it off. His personality wasn’t one to compliment others or reflect on his own actions, but this time he uncharacteristically admitted, “Actually, Sun Chen is just clueless about social interactions. I was childish, getting mad at a robot. So, Liu Cheng, whatever he did to offend you, let it go. Otherwise, unless you’re going to kill him or beat him up, you really can’t do much against him.”
Liu Cheng didn’t believe there was nothing he could do against Sun Chen. There was plenty of time, and although this wasn’t a grudge that needed to escalate to “killing or beating,” Liu Cheng wasn’t about to let someone who had wronged him off the hook easily.
If, as Yu Xingzhou had said, Surviving Here was important to Sun Chen, then Liu Cheng would find a way to take the show away from him.