Chapter 8: Priorities
Xia Yang's mind drifted back to consciousness slowly, his body feeling oddly sluggish. The first thing he noticed was the dull ache in his ankle, followed by the softness of the couch beneath him.
For a moment, he just lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. The bright studio lights made his eyes sting slightly, and the distant murmur of voices told him he wasn't alone.
Right. He had escaped, cursed a bunch of celebrities, gotten ointment from some random guy, and then…
Passed out.
Fantastic. Just fucking fantastic.
Xia Yang took a slow breath, then, without missing a beat, asked in a completely deadpan voice—
"Hey… did someone get me seafood?"
The room went silent.
Dead silent.
It was the kind of silence that sucked all the air out of the room, the kind where even the sound of someone shifting felt deafening.
Then—
A loud snort broke the tension. Someone choked on their drink. A few people outright burst into laughter.
The livestream chat exploded instantly.
[User: EXCUSE ME???]
[User: BRO JUST WOKE UP AND THAT'S HIS FIRST THOUGHT??]
[User: PRIORITIES, KING.]
[User: Someone kidnap me, I want this level of confidence.]
[User: I CAN'T BREATHE HELP]
One of the variety show hosts barely held back a laugh as he hesitantly stepped forward. "Uh… are you okay?"
Xia Yang shifted slightly, testing his body. His ankle still hurt, but otherwise, he felt fine. He turned his head toward the speaker, raising an eyebrow.
"Did I ask if I was okay?" he deadpanned. "I asked if someone got me seafood."
The crowd lost it. Some people actually had to turn away to hide their laughter. Others were completely speechless, unable to comprehend how someone could have such audacity.
Then—
A deep, calm voice suddenly cut through the chaos.
"You just fainted, and the first thing you care about is food?"
Xia Yang turned toward the speaker—
And blinked.
It was the guy who had given him the ointment earlier.
Up close, he was even more annoyingly good-looking. Tousled black hair, sharp black eyes, a lean but well-built frame—he looked effortlessly cool, the kind of person that naturally drew attention.
Xia Yang frowned. "And? Are you saying I shouldn't care about food?"
The man exhaled, his expression unreadable. "…Never mind."
The room fell into another stunned silence.
Then came the whispers.
"Did… did he just talk?"
"Wait, isn't that Long Wei?!"
"The Long Wei??"
"No way. There's no way."
The realization hit like a tidal wave. The audience, the show staff, even the celebrities—everyone was staring.
Long Wei, the king of showbiz, the cold and untouchable film emperor who barely spoke to people unless absolutely necessary, was voluntarily talking to this random, sharp-tongued man.
The livestream chat went insane.
[User: WAIT HOLD UP IS THAT LONG WEI??]
[User: WTF WHY IS HE TALKING TO HIM]
[User: DO YOU KNOW HOW RARE THIS IS??]
[User: WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY??]
[User: DID HE JUST CASUALLY TALK TO LONG WEI AND NOT DIE??]
[User: NO BC EVEN INDUSTRY VETERANS CAN'T GET HIM TO REACT]
Meanwhile, Xia Yang, completely unaware of the rising chaos, clicked his tongue and looked around again. "So? My seafood?"
One of the producers hesitantly raised a hand. "Uh… we can order some?"
Xia Yang huffed. "Took you all long enough."
The whispers in the background grew louder, people murmuring in disbelief. Some even stole glances at Long Wei, as if expecting him to ignore Xia Yang completely.
But instead, Long Wei let out a soft chuckle.
A chuckle.
The shock in the room was palpable.
Xia Yang turned to him with a glare. "What are you laughing at?"
Long Wei simply shrugged. "Nothing."
Xia Yang squinted at him suspiciously, but before he could respond, a staff member came rushing back, phone in hand.
"The food will be here soon," they announced, still looking like they couldn't process what was happening.
Xia Yang nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You're not completely useless after all."
And just like that, he leaned back on the couch, acting as if everything that had just happened was completely normal.