Dating the Heartthrob Superstar Chapter 4: A Warm Current

Chapter 4: A Warm Current

Lin Qin was slightly taken aback by ng Chao's question, looking at him in a bit of a daze.

Once again, ng Chao asked, "And you? What style of decor do you like?"

Lin Qin obediently replied, "As long as Senior ng likes it, that's good enough."

ng Chao didn't agree. "This ho is where we'll live for the next few months. Since we're decorating it together, it should incorporate both of our efforts. It should have in it, and naturally, it should have you too."

Lin Qin's face reddened again. He could even hear the pounding of his own heartbeat, thumping against his eardrums. It left him staring dazedly at ng Chao, montarily lost for words.

This gave Lin Qin an embarrassing sensation as if they were designing their marital ho together.

Seeing that Lin Qin hadn't answered, ng Chao added, "It's okay, just boldly say the style you want. Am I soone so unreasonable?"

"No... not at all." Snapping out of it, Lin Qin hastily denied it, then with a flushed face, uttered two words: "Warmth."

"Warmth?" ng Chao asked. "That's too vague. What kind of warmth are you envisioning?"

After briefly pondering, Lin Qin spoke, word by word, with determination: "As long as I can design it for Senior ng, and make Senior ng satisfied, that's the warmth I want."

Driven by a burst of sheer courage, Lin Qin voiced what was in his heart. These were words that had been buried deep inside him for years, since his university days when he first began studying interior design.

For a mont, ng Chao was at a loss for words, but he felt a warm current seem to flow into his chest, spreading warmth across his entire being.

Perhaps this was the kind of warmth he also desired?

...

The design plans were quickly finalized. The budget provided by the production team was indeed modest, so Lin Qin didn't make overly complex designs, focusing on basic, ordinary materials.

Due to limited ti and funds, the two ultimately agreed not to complete the entire renovation all at once. They decided to start with the essential furniture and household items for daily living, leaving the rest to be done gradually over ti.

After all, it was unlikely the production team would provide funds only once, right?

After their discussion, the two headed straight for a nearby building materials market. While shopping for furniture, they had clear goals and coordinated seamlessly, showing no hesitation even when they ca across appealing furniture options.

Behind the monitors, the director and assistant director watched everything unfold. The assistant director couldn't help but mutter, "Should we arrange so disagreents for them? If everything stays this smooth and quiet, the final edit will lack interest."

The director, however, had a different take. "Didn't you see? Lin Qin and ng Chao are already sparking off each other."

The speed at which sparks were flying between the two had exceeded the director's expectations. The purpose of including the shared villa renovation segnt was to use the communication and collaboration involved to help the two build so chemistry. But now, it seed they didn't need any deliberate fostering—standing together already sparked visible electricity.

The assistant director stared at the monitor for a long ti but still failed to notice anything. The director, resigned, pulled up earlier footage of the two discussing their plans for the villa for the assistant director to watch.

Since the assistant director had been en route earlier, he hadn't seen this part. Now, after watching it, he suddenly understood everything clearly.

"I thought Lin Qin was so quiet, it might not work—was worried that in the end, ng would just be all in his head. But now I see, Lin Qin's acting is no joke. With just that tone and those expressions, when this airs, it'll definitely spark a frenzy," the assistant director said cheerfully. After all, their goal when filming these relationship reality shows was for the guests to exude an almost indistinguishable chemistry, so the audience would buy into it.

The director squinted slightly, but didn't respond.

He couldn't quite shake off the sense that Lin Qin's feelings toward ng Chao weren't just an act. It wasn't just a fan's admiration for a celebrity—there seed to be sothing deeper mixed in, feelings that didn't feel staged or perford.

anwhile, at the building materials market, ng Chao and Lin Qin were unaware that the production team's directors were analyzing them. The two were busy picking out items they'd need for the renovation.

Their collaboration was seamless: ng Chao, the untouchable superstar, had no concept of budgeting, while Lin Qin, with his experience from researching building materials for a thesis, was deeply familiar with market prices. ng Chao contributed his refined deanor and outstanding communication skills, while Lin Qin provided professional guidance, resulting in an impressive display of haggling with the vendors.

By the ti they left the building materials market, night had fallen.

A day of running around had left both of them starving.

They stumbled across a small street food shop, ordered two bowls of beef noodles, and found a corner to sit down in.

After an exhausting day, even the simplest of street food tasted like a gourt feast.

ng Chao finished first, setting his chopsticks down as he glanced over at Lin Qin. The steam from the noodles hadn't yet dispersed, rising and blurring his view, making ng Chao's gaze slightly hazy.

Lin Qin's cheeks were flushed—whether from the sun, the steam, or so unspoken reason—and the way he slurped the noodles in small bites struck ng Chao as adorably endearing.

ng Chao propped his chin in his hand and focused on watching Lin Qin. Then, he saw the corners of Lin Qin's lips twitch up into a smile, one that seed entirely unguarded and instinctive.

Lin Qin's features were handso yet gentle, free of sharp edges. The slight curve of his lips in the midst of the misty steam exuded an understated beauty that tugged inexplicably at one's heartstrings.

At least, it tugged at ng Chao's. His heart raced a little faster.

Lin Qin finished eating and looked up, only to et ng Chao's heated gaze. Startled, he accidentally dropped his spoon into his bowl with a clatter, splattering soup onto his clothes. Yet Lin Qin didn't even think to wipe it off—he just felt flustered, his gaze starting to dart around uneasily.

ng Chao quickly pulled out a few napkins to hand to Lin Qin, imdiately retracting his intense gaze and smoothly returning to his usual refined deanor as he asked knowingly, "What's wrong? Are you tired?"

"No," Lin Qin shook his head, thoroughly embarrassed by yet another blunder in front of his idol. His blush spread from his face to the tips of his ears.

Seeing that pushing further would be counterproductive, ng Chao stopped while he was ahead. He got up to pay the bill, giving Lin Qin a mont to compose himself.

The night in Binhai City was stunning. The sound of waves seed to echo nearby. The sky was a deep indigo, littered with vast clusters of stars, with a crescent moon hanging high like a graceful hook.

ng Chao purposefully had the car stop a short distance from their villa, choosing to walk the rest of the way together with Lin Qin.

Under the pale moonlight, with the salty tang of the sea breeze in the air, ng Chao walked ahead while Lin Qin followed behind, stepping carefully into ng Chao's footprints and smiling to himself.

He had walked where Senior ng had walked.

Just then, ng Chao abruptly turned around, causing Lin Qin to stumble straight into his arms. Drawing from his previous experience at the airport, ng Chao caught Lin Qin, though he quickly stepped back, keeping a safe distance.

Looking at Lin Qin again, ng Chao noticed how all his own footprints along the way had been covered by Lin Qin's. Unable to suppress a slight smile, he decided not to call Lin Qin out on it.