1.
On the 28th floor of the Xingshuo Entertainment Building, in the corridor reserved for trainees, the air conditioning was turned on high, but it still couldn't suppress the restless heat that was brewing.
Ji Ye tucked one hand into his suit pocket, the other idly twirling his car keys. His expression betrayed the perennial impatience and restlessness that plagued him. His father had called him to the company today, pretentiously under the pretext of "familiarizing himself with the business," but in reality, it was a disguised surveillance effort to prevent him from venturing out and causing trouble again.
"Global Super Star" was Xingshuo's most important S+ project this year, and the entire company was spinning its wheels. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, sweat, and ambition, and the trainees who came and went were all meticulously made up, their eyes filled with cautious scrutiny and eagerness.
Annoying. Really fucking annoying. Ji Ye tugged at his collar, feeling the place was so stuffy it was hard to breathe.
He was about to turn into the elevator and completely leave this boring cage, but his eyes inadvertently swept to the end of the corridor.
It was as if time was slowed down at that moment.
A figure stood before a large floor-to-ceiling window, its back to him. The blazing afternoon sun shone through the glass, shrouding him in an ethereal halo. His rose-pink, semi-long hair, like a shredded sunset glow, cascaded softly down his neck, its ends curled slightly, tantalizing and tantalizing.
As if hearing the movement behind him, the man slowly turned around.
Ji Ye's breath was choked.
It was a face that completely transcended gender, treading precisely on the limits of human aesthetics. A standard oval face, its lines smooth and without a single angular angle, its skin nearly translucent in the light. Most striking were those slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, their tails tinted with a natural, subtle red, and a tiny teardrop mole dotted beneath, adding an infinite amount of charm. A light brown mole also adorned the tip of her straight nose, like an accidental splash of stardust. And those lips below—a standard Cupid's bow shape, a natural, tender pink—were slightly pursed, a touch of aloofness yet inexplicably inviting exploration.
His eyes followed the graceful line of her neck down to the slightly open collar. The depression of her collarbone was clearly defined, and even more striking was the tattoo in cursive English: Venom in Her Veins.
There's poison in the blood.
The moment Ji Ye automatically translated this sentence in his mind, his heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by something, making it numb and itchy.
So fitting.
This person is like a carefully cultivated, poisonous rose. Even though you know that getting close to him may lead to eternal damnation, you still want to get close to him like a moth to a flame.
The other person's gaze lingered on his face for less than half a second before calmly moving away, as if he were just an insignificant decoration in the corridor. Then, the man pushed open the door to the adjacent practice room and walked in.
With a light "click", the door closed, isolating the fascinating figure. It was also like a key that suddenly opened a strange switch in Ji Ye's body.
"Who was that just now?" Ji Ye asked the assistant who was following him closely, his voice hoarse, even though he himself didn't realize it.
The assistant followed his gaze and immediately understood. He replied respectfully, "Master Ji, that's the company's newly signed artist, Mi Xi, who will be participating in our GSS soon."
"Mi Xi..." Ji Ye silently ground these two words between his lips and teeth, and the tip of his tongue seemed to taste a rose-flavored, slightly poisonous sweetness.
He remembered the name. On the list of key projects submitted by the secretariat, it was highlighted as a player with "self-generated traffic." It was said that a talent scout had to visit him three times before he finally landed this great Buddha, whose social media following had already surpassed 30 million before the contract was signed.
At the time, he had only thought of it as data boasted by the PR department, but now he realized with great clarity that—
Those numbers are not even one ten-thousandth as glorious as he is.
"Program schedule and contestant information," Ji Ye suddenly turned and headed in the opposite direction of the elevator, towards his father's office. His impatience and irritability miraculously dissipated, replaced by the interest of a hunter locking onto a target. "Send me a copy."
The assistant was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed: "Okay, Master Ji."
Ji Ye kept walking, with a determined look on his lips.
This crappy show suddenly became interesting.
At the same time, in the closed practice room.
Mi Xi casually set his coat against the wall and walked to the mirror. The mirror reflected a face that could make anyone lose their focus, but there was no emotion in his eyes. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing against the tattoo on his collarbone.
The outside world's clamorous pursuit, the expectations of the company's top management, the envious or jealous gazes of his fellow trainees... to him, these are nothing but insignificant background noise.
He came here with his own purpose.
As for the man with a strong presence outside the corridor just now...
Mi Xi tilted her head slightly, and a very faint, almost imperceptible smile flashed across her upturned peach blossom eyes.
Xing Shuo’s prince?
It seems that this pool of water is deeper and more interesting than he imagined.
He turned on the music and lost himself in his own world. Every movement he made was filled with an innate charm, as if venom were flowing through his graceful limbs, silently and powerfully conquering the world.
————
On the day of the show's taping, Beijing's early winter wind was as sharp as a knife, stinging our faces. Outside the recording venue, a bustling crowd had already gathered. The cordon was crammed with fans holding cameras and cheering banners, their breath forming a cloud of enthusiasm in the air.
A black nanny car stopped smoothly. The moment the door slid open, the originally noisy crowd seemed to have pressed the mute button, and then burst into even more violent noises.
The first to land were a pair of feet in thick-soled white skate shoes, their white socks clinging to their slender, white ankles. Then, a figure completely leaned out of the car.
Mi Xi lowered his head, intently staring at his phone screen, as if the tsunami of screams around him had nothing to do with him. He wore only a small white tank top underneath, a white, off-the-shoulder, ripped sweater with cutout holes. His delicate collarbone and a sliver of skin were faintly visible beneath the pattern. He wore high-waisted black denim shorts, which visually elongated his legs. However, in stark contrast to this cool, late-summer outfit, he wore a pink, fur-collared, hooded padded jacket with adorable cat ears.
A huge, fluffy pink fur collar nearly buried half his face, and the two white cat ears on his hat swayed gently as he stepped out of the car. The ultimate charm and the ultimate innocence, two completely different temperaments, collided and merged in him, creating a thrilling attraction.
Despite wearing a mask that only revealed a pair of drooping peach blossom eyes with thick eyelashes, her beauty that transcended gender still penetrated the physical obstruction and accurately hit the visual nerves of everyone present.
"Ahhhhhh Mi Xi! Baby, look at mommy!"
"Holy crap! He's really bold in what he wears! And it really looks good!"
"Wife! Aren't you afraid of catching a cold wearing so little?"
The fans’ screams and discussions were mixed in the cold wind, especially the concerned cry of “You are wearing so little”, which was exceptionally clear.
Mi Xi, who had been looking down at her phone, finally raised her head when she heard the voice.
Those peach blossom eyes, described by countless people as "hidden hooks," looked in the direction of the voice, a bit dazed, having just withdrawn from the world of mobile phones. When his eyes met the group of fans, whose cheeks were red from the cold wind but whose eyes were still fiery, his eyelashes, which were exposed above the mask, curved slightly.
He didn't say anything, but just raised one hand and gently pulled the fur collar of his cotton jacket to wrap himself more tightly, then nodded slightly in the direction of the fans.
A silent response - "I know, I'll keep warm."
Just such a tiny movement instantly triggered a larger wave of screams.
"He heard it! He heard it!"
"Baby, you're so good! Please put on your hat!"
"Mi Xi! Good luck in the competition!"
Escorted by staff, he walked quickly toward the venue entrance, head bowed. His pink cat-ear cotton jacket stood out from the crowd of dark winter clothes, like a sweet, thorny piece of gummy candy that had strayed into the cold of winter.
Outside the cordon, someone took the lead in shouting slogans: "Venom Beauty, captivating everyone! Mi Xi Mi Xi, you must be the center of attention!"
The sound was uniform and penetrated the sky.
Inside the venue, Ji Ye, who had arrived early and was chatting with trainees from other companies, was absent-mindedly dealing with the flattery of others. He leaned against the wall, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the entrance with an anticipation that he himself was not aware of.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance, accompanied by faint and recognizable slogans.
Ji Ye's eyes narrowed and he looked over.
The figure, wearing a striking pink padded jacket with cat ears, calmly walked in under the gaze of the staff and trainees. As he walked, he finally took off his mask, revealing a face that Ji Ye had never forgotten since he had caught a glimpse of it.
Because of the low temperature outside, the tip of his nose and cheeks were a faint pink from the cold, making him look even more fragile and brittle than he had been in the sun that day. The small mole on the tip of his nose, against the slightly reddish skin tone, was even more clear and attractive.
He seemed completely unconcerned with the mixed looks of amazement, inquiry, envy or jealousy coming from all directions. He walked straight to the sign-in board, picked up a pen and signed his name - his handwriting was unexpectedly neat and elegant.
After signing, he turned around and happened to meet Ji Ye's eyes who was leaning against the wall not far away.
Ji Ye clearly saw those peach blossom eyes linger on him for a moment, the corners of their eyes raised slightly, as if in greeting, but also as a silent provocation. Then, as if nothing had happened, Mi Xi, under the guidance of the staff, walked towards the waiting area.
Ji Ye watched his back as he left. Even that cute cotton coat couldn't hide the natural charm he exuded as he walked. The hem of his hollow knit sweater swayed slightly with his movements, revealing the lines of his waist.
Ji Ye exhaled slowly, feeling that the heating in the venue seemed to be turned on too high, causing his throat to tighten. The trapped beast named "boredom" in his heart seemed to have finally smelled the venomous and fragrant prey that could make it completely excited.
He lowered his head and curled the corners of his mouth silently.
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