Chapter 60. The two met again on a short...

The two met again at the Tiny Herb's home stadium, where they faced Samsara. After coordination between the two teams, Zhao Zhinian took on the role of host for the match, responsible for the winning team's post-match interviews and interactions with fans.

Although she was the host of Tiny Herb's home game, the outcome of the game was unpredictable, and such interactive segments were always the privilege of the winner. This was an unspoken rule in the league, because if you were losing the game, having these fancy segments would just invite criticism.

Before the competition, the two brushed past each other in the backstage corridor. Zhao Zhinian was looking down and silently reciting her cue cards when the familiar footsteps made her subconsciously look up, and she happened to meet his gaze.

The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of people moving about and staff hurrying by. They only exchanged brief glances, without even uttering a greeting. Zhou Zekai nodded slightly as a greeting, and Zhao Zhinian returned a professional smile before heading to their respective lounges.

However, in the instant they passed each other, she felt a slight itch on her hand hanging by her side: her fingers were flicked very quickly and very lightly, so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.

When Zhao Zhinian finally realized what was happening and turned around, she only saw Zhou Zekai's straight back and the blush that hadn't yet faded from his earlobe.

She couldn't help but lower her head and smile.

This person is really... getting better and better.

I thought he would behave himself the whole time, just like he said yesterday.

The match was extremely intense. In the end, Zhou Zekai's "One Shot Through the Clouds" was a brilliant finish thanks to the team's coordination, leading Samsara to a narrow victory.

In the post-match interview, Jiang Botao, the vice-captain of Samsara, represented the team. Samsara's manager had specifically spoken to Zhao Zhinian before the match, promising that if Samsara won, they would arrange a "very cooperative" player for her.

Zhao Zhinian understood immediately. Reincarnation would naturally not arrange for Zhou Zekai to participate, but Jiang Botao was the best choice: he was popular, cooperative, and answered questions flawlessly.

The post-match interview went smoothly and in a harmonious atmosphere, and was successfully completed thanks to Jiang Botao's calm and appropriate handling of the situation.

Until the fan interaction segment begins.

The fan base of Samsara is about the same as that of Tiny Herb. If Tiny Herb is dominated by Wang Jiexi, then at least 80 out of Samsara's 100 fans are there because of Zhou Zekai.

The fans who went on stage all expressed their support for Zhou Zekai and Samsara. Let's also mention the other contestants.

Of course, everyone was quite mindful of boundaries. Male fans occasionally boldly asked for hugs; one guy, who claimed to be a ten-year fan of Lü Boyuan, even put his arm around Lü Boyuan for a photo. Female fans, on the other hand, were mostly reserved, making a peace sign with their favorite contestant or raising their thumbs together for a commemorative photo.

Although Zhao Zhinian addressed Zhou Zekai as "Captain Zhou" in a distant and polite manner, whenever Zhou Zekai stepped forward or inadvertently approached her, the scene would instantly erupt in unspoken cheers and screams.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhinian was prepared for this. She had practiced repeatedly in front of the mirror in private, and even used the voice messages that Zhou Zekai usually sent her as material for "anti-interference training" to ensure that she could remain focused, speak fluently, and remain expressionless even with his voice around her.

Therefore, even though she won today and the cheers from the audience were particularly loud, she remained unmoved and maintained her impeccable professional smile.

The last fan to come on stage was a young man who looked like a college student. He excitedly declared himself a fan of Zhou Zekai and offered his blessings to Samsara: "Samsara will definitely win two consecutive championships this year!"

Just as Zhao Zhinian was about to guide him to take a photo with Zhou Zekai, the boy suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, I'm also a fan of Zhinian! I've always liked you!"

He looked at Zhao Zhinian, his eyes sparkling: "Can we make a heart shape?"

Zhao Zhinian paused slightly upon hearing this, then smiled and replied politely, "Thank you very much for your love and support. However, as a lucky audience member today, this opportunity to interact with the contestants is very valuable. Are you sure you want to 'waste' it on me, the host?"

Her tone was gentle, with a hint of good-natured teasing, before she naturally steered the conversation: "Why don't we give the stage and time to the contestants from the 'Reincarnation' team? I believe they'd be even more eager to interact with you, and let's give them the highlight of the show, okay?"

Unexpectedly, the boy immediately retorted: "Ah! I didn't mean to make a heart shape with myself, I meant I wanted the two people I like to make a heart shape, namely Captain Zhou and Chinen! I can just stand next to them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening jeer erupted from the crowd, with fans in the front row cheering loudly.

Zhao Zhinian felt her smile was about to crumble, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to gracefully defuse the situation. This generation of fans really knew how to create problems; if they really went to compete, it would probably be trending on social media immediately.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zekai, who had been standing quietly to the side, walked over without waiting for the host's guidance, and even made a gesture as if he was about to raise his hand to make a heart shape.

His movement was like flipping a switch; the screams from the audience instantly rose several decibels.

Seeing that Zhou Zekai was already in place, the boy immediately and cleverly turned to the side, trying to leave the center of the stage entirely to the two of them.

Zhao Zhinian couldn't let things develop like this. She instinctively stopped the fans who were about to run away, her tone sincere yet playful: "Post-match interactions should, in principle, try to fulfill the fans' wishes. Besides, this is the first time I've met my own fans during an interview. For both professional and personal reasons, I should secretly take advantage of my position to express my gratitude. But the main focus should be on our fans!"

Her smile grew even brighter as she turned to the audience: "In that case, how about the three of us work together to fulfill this wish? Please have this handsome young man stand in the middle."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to demonstrate: "You can cross your hands to form a heart shape like this." Because she was holding a microphone and cue cards, she demonstrated by crossing her hands in front of her chest: "Then Captain Zhou and I will work together on your left and right sides."

The three of them making a heart shape together satisfies the fans' requests while cleverly avoiding direct interaction between her and Zhou Zekai, which is probably the best solution at the moment.

Then she turned to Zhou Zekai and asked in a relaxed yet professional tone, "Captain Zhou, you wouldn't mind cooperating, would you?"

Zhou Zekai looked at her with a hint of regret, but still nodded in agreement.

Thus, a classic group photo was born.

In the picture, a fan stands in the center, crossing her arms to make half a heart shape to the left and right. Zhou Zekai and Zhao Zhinian stand on either side, slightly bending down to complete the other half of the heart.

In the photo, Zhao Zhinian maintains an impeccable professional smile, Zhou Zekai's lips are almost imperceptibly upturned, and the fans standing in the middle have the brightest smiles on their faces.

This photo quickly went viral online, being shared wildly by countless fans of the couple. Many people even photoshopped their own faces into the middle of the fan's image, accompanied by the classic shout: "Mom and Dad, I'm born!"

Although Zhao Zhinian's facial expression control was impeccable, Zhou Zekai's reaction was far too obvious.

Fans edited together the entire interaction between the young man and Zhou Zekai, capturing every subtle change in his expression, and created a series of memes.

When he first heard that fans supported him and Samsara, Zhou Zekai just gave a polite, indifferent smile.

When a fan suddenly turned around, said they were a fan of Zhao Zhinian and offered to make a heart shape with their hands, Zhou Zekai subconsciously frowned.

Only after hearing the fan's words, "I hope the two people I like make a heart shape with their hands," and realizing that the other person wanted to see him interact with Zhao Zhinian, did his brows relax. He even took the initiative to step forward before the host could prompt him to continue the conversation.

After Zhao Zhinian said that the three of them should make a heart shape with their hands, she looked slightly regretful.

This set of emojis was quickly paired with captions such as "Another fan," "What? Looking for my wife?", "You should have said so earlier, I'm coming right now!", and "I just want to make a heart shape with my wife!", and went viral online.

That evening, because the team competition had been going on for a long time and they finished work late, both of them were quite tired. In addition, Zhou Zekai was going back to Shanghai the next day, so the two of them chose Zhou Zekai's hotel room as their last late-night snack spot, simply because it was the closest to the venue and it was less likely to be photographed.

After most of the people in the rest area had left, Zhou Zekai stammered about the location. Zhao Zhinian immediately felt like teasing him and pretended to be surprised: "Ah! Brother Kai, how could you do this! You're actually bringing people back to your hotel room!"

She took out her phone: "I'm going to expose you. The headline will be 'Captain of Samsara takes female host back to hotel room late at night'."

Zhou Zekai's ears turned red at a visible speed, and he hurriedly explained, "It was just dinner..."

Seeing his anxious and shy appearance, Zhao Zhinian finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Just kidding. I know it's because your Samsara manager is a little worried that you'll cause trouble for him, right?"

Finally, the two ordered takeout, which was delivered by the manager of the Samsara Hotel. As the manager carried the takeout bag into the room, his gaze subtly swept over the room: the bed had been cleaned by the housekeeper after Zhou Zekai went out for a competition, and it was perfectly smooth without a single wrinkle. He was slightly relieved, and before leaving, he winked at Zhou Zekai and mouthed a reminder: "Be careful, remember to take Chinen back early."

While eating, Zhao Zhinian was scrolling through her phone and saw trending topics like #ZhouZekai'sExpressionManagement# and #ThreePeopleMakingHearts# on the hot search list. She couldn't help but laugh and tease him, "Brother Kai, look! You're trending again."

Zhou Zekai glanced at her phone screen, a hint of smugness in his voice: "We did it together."

Looking at his overly obvious expressions in the screenshots, Zhao Zhinian shook her head with a smile: "You need to improve your facial expression management in the future. This makes hosting even more difficult for me. I dare not host your Samsara competition in the future, the audience will definitely make a big fuss."

He put down his chopsticks and said softly, "I'm sorry."

Zhao Zhinian was taken aback and quickly explained, "Why are you apologizing? I didn't blame you."

Zhou Zekai, however, was unusually serious: "I'm sorry to have troubled you." Although he didn't regret it, it did affect Zhao Zhinian's work.

Looking into his clear eyes and seeing the guilt reflected there, Zhao Zhinian suddenly felt that the so-called "difficulty of hosting" was no longer important. She put down her chopsticks and looked earnestly into his eyes: "Actually, I was quite happy." She paused, a gentle smile curving her lips, "Seeing you take the initiative to come over. Of course... if you can hold back in the future and not come over, the impact might be less."

Zhou Zekai's eyes lit up, as if illuminated by the comment "happy". He reached out and gently covered her hand on the table, then leaned closer.

Zhao Zhinian raised her hand and pressed it against his chest, deliberately putting on a stern face: "Hey, I haven't finished eating yet!"

She drawled out her words, a sly glint in her eyes: "Even in your room, you're not allowed, okay? Our Brother Kai has to be a gentleman, okay? He can't do anything like that."

Zhou Zekai paused, but did not move away. He maintained the extremely close distance and asked in a low voice, "Can you finish eating?"

"Who taught you to focus on the key points like that!" Zhao Zhinian was amused by his straightforward question. This man was a man of few words, but he was particularly good at grasping the key points at times like this.

"Is it okay?" he pressed on relentlessly, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

Zhao Zhinian felt her cheeks burning, but she still tried to remain calm: "It's possible, but... stay away from the bed!"

After all, we came here to eat!

Zhao Zhinian was so uncomfortable during the meal that she couldn't sit still.

She could feel that after she finished speaking, Zhou Zekai's gaze remained fixed on her, and that focused look made her even uncomfortable while chewing.

"Stop staring at me..." Zhao Zhinian finally couldn't help but protest.

Zhou Zekai, however, replied confidently, "You're good-looking."

Zhao Zhinian's face turned even redder, and she quickly sped up her eating. Zhou Zekai put down his chopsticks almost simultaneously as she did so.

"I'm done eating." He looked at her, his eyes sparkling.

"Are you sure you're full?" Zhao Zhinian asked doubtfully. She had eaten less because she had eaten something before the interview, but Zhou Zekai had clearly been saying he was hungry just now, yet he hadn't eaten much.

Under Zhao Zhinian's suspicious gaze, Zhou Zekai decided to tell the truth: "Then I... will eat some more."

He picked up his chopsticks again, while Zhao Zhinian opened her phone. The photographer had already sent her photos with the interviewees from today. She looked at them carefully: she looked great, another beautiful day, and then prepared to edit the caption and post it on Weibo.

Before Zhao Zhinian could finish writing the copy, Zhou Zekai had already gotten up again, neatly packed up the empty takeout box, threw it away, and then walked to the sofa area, sitting properly on the single sofa furthest from the bed.

He sat upright, his hands neatly placed on his knees, his whole body screaming "I'm very obedient," yet his eyes were fixed on Zhao Zhinian, like a large dog waiting for its master's command.

Zhao Zhinian was amused by his appearance and tossed him a piece of chewing gum: "Wait for me a little longer, the work Weibo post will be finished soon."

Zhou Zekai took it, opened it, and put it in his mouth. Although his cheeks were moving as he chewed, his eyes were still fixed on her.

After successfully sending the Weibo post, she walked over, stood in front of him, and teased him on purpose: "Brother Kai, are you being so obedient?"

Zhou Zekai looked up at her, took her hands in his, and his gaze was as soft as the surface of a lake under the moonlight: "You promised me."

Zhao Zhinian's heart skipped a beat. She leaned down gently, her voice soft as if coaxing him, "A reward for a good boy." Then she placed a light kiss on his lips.

She had intended to just take it lightly, but Zhou Zekai seized the opportunity to hold her waist and deepen the kiss without warning. Caught off guard, Zhao Zhinian lost her balance and fell into his arms.

Zhou Zekai seized the opportunity and took the initiative, gently but firmly.

When the lingering kiss ended, both of them were breathing heavily, and their heartbeats could be clearly heard in the quiet room.

"I'm going back!" Zhao Zhinian said with dissatisfaction, secretly annoyed that she always seemed less adept at kissing than him, even though she felt she had the upper hand today. But as soon as she finished speaking, her fingers betrayed her words, unconsciously twining around the hem of his clothes, revealing her true reluctance to part.

Zhou Zekai didn't respond, but buried his burning cheeks deeper into her neck and wrapped his arms around her even tighter.

They embraced in the quiet room. After a long while, Zhou Zekai finally reluctantly let go of her arms. After Zhao Zhinian stood up, he silently got up, picked up his coat, and prepared to take her home.