Anchor Effect - Chapter 8.3: Nitpicking

"What, do you think you're older than me?"

Certainly not. Yu Xiu thought.

The audition had gone well today, and Ye Yuchen was in a good mood. He had invited Dui Rui and Gong Hao to eat barbecue at the school's back gate.

Inviting Yu Xiu along was just a whim. However, according to his original plan, he also wanted to integrate Yu Xiu into his social circle.

Seeing Yu Xiu, Dui Rui's first words were, "Wow, you really brought a big star here."

Gong Hao also chimed in with a tease, "Such a down-to-earth big star."

Seeing unfamiliar faces, Yu Xiu was already uninterested in the meal. Hearing their teasing made him stand by the table without the intention of sitting down.

"What's wrong?" The chairs at the barbecue stall were low, and Ye Yuchen reached out and grabbed Yu Xiu's wrist, using his chin to gesture to the empty seat beside him. "Sit."

Yu Xiu looked at Ye Yuchen's hand, then finally pulled out the chair and sat down.

"Can you handle spicy food?" Ye Yuchen asked.

"Um," Yu Xiu acknowledged.

The ordered dishes arrived quickly: grilled oysters, garlic fried shrimp, and more covered the table. Yu Xiu didn't drink alcohol, so he naturally became the target of Dui Rui and Gong Hao's teasing.

"I was on Tieba today and saw that you didn't carry the girl who fainted. You're really not interested in the opposite sex, huh?"

"As an actor, there's no need to be a monk. That wouldn't be interesting."

Yu Xiu pretended not to hear, not engaging at all. However, Ye Yuchen suddenly nudged him with his elbow and asked, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"

Yu Xiu finally put down his chopsticks and answered, "No."

"Well, you better start soon," Ye Yuchen said with a smile. "These four years of college will pass in a flash."

"Hey, Ye, aren't you talking about yourself?" Dui Rui mercilessly debunked Ye Yuchen. "Find someone before you debut."

Before Ye Yuchen could respond, Gong Hao stuffed a piece of pork belly into Dui Rui's mouth. "You talk too much."

"Right," Ye Yuchen joined in, "Shut up, you."

The three of them talked about familiar topics: stocks, investments, sports cars, and more. Ye Yuchen knew that Yu Xiu couldn't join the conversation, and he admitted that he did it on purpose. He wanted to expose Yu Xiu to the differences between people.

However, looking at Yu Xiu, who sat quietly on the side, seemingly uninterested in joining them, Ye Yuchen had a feeling it wasn't going as planned.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Yuchen's phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was a call from Teacher Zheng, he immediately stood up and walked to a less crowded area.

"Hello, Teacher Zheng?"

"Xiao Ye, about the audition, I wanted to let you know you didn't pass the initial selection."

On the busy roadside, Ye Yuchen felt like the world had gone silent for a moment. He moved his lips slightly and asked, "Why?"

"The dance troupe is recruiting resident troupe dancers. You're only in your third year of university, so it's not very suitable. Don't worry, there will be opportunities in the future."

Lies. Clearly, the recruitment announcement also stated that they were hiring dancers publicly.

"Was my dancing not good enough?" Ye Yuchen asked.

"It's not that. I also think it's a shame they didn't choose you. But there's nothing I can do. Don't worry, if you want to dance, there's a stage everywhere."

After hanging up the call, Ye Yuchen returned to the barbecue stall with a bad mood.

Dui Rui and Gong Hao were discussing a large-scale movie that Dui Rui's father was investing in. They were talking about the potential cast and asking if Yu Xiu knew anyone.

Yu Xiu's response was either "not familiar" or "don't recognize," and Du Rui could tell that Yu Xiu was putting on a sour face, which also made him a bit unhappy. He said to Ye Yuchen, "Why is the person you called like this? Such a killjoy."

Ye Yuchen was already annoyed because he didn't pass the interview, and Du Rui kept talking about his dad investing in movies, which only made him even more frustrated.

He took a sip of beer and nonchalantly said, "He's just like that."

Gong Hao was also a bit displeased and directly said to Yu Xiu, "Who do you think you're acting like a big shot in front of? If people don't know better, they might think someone owes you money."

At this point, the situation had escalated to the point where the meal couldn't continue. Ye Yuchen furrowed his brows, about to react, but then Yu Xiu suddenly stood up beside him. He looked down and asked, "Shall we go?"

Ye Yuchen was momentarily taken aback, "Huh?"

"It's too noisy here."

Yu Xiu turned and walked away directly. Ye Yuchen snapped back to reality and didn't want to hear Du Rui talk about him playing the second male lead anymore. He said to the two, "I'm going to check something," then followed Yu Xiu's footsteps.

As the evening campus had cooled down from the daytime heat, walking under the shade of trees and feeling the evening breeze was quite pleasant.

Ye Yuchen put aside his annoyance for the moment and smiled at Yu Xiu, "You've got quite a temper."

"In the future, when you invite me out, don't bring others along," Yu Xiu said, "Other than you, I'm not comfortable around anyone else."

"Alright." While Ye Yuchen's initial intention of inviting Yu Xiu might not have been entirely pure, he hadn't expected the dinner to turn out like this.

However, he suddenly realized something was off. What did it mean when Yu Xiu said he's not comfortable around anyone else other than Ye Yuchen?

Just as he was about to ask, Yu Xiu beat him to it, "Did something happen to you?"

"Huh?" Ye Yuchen was taken aback again, "Did something happen to me?"

"Your mood changed when you answered a call and came back," Yu Xiu said.

Ye Yuchen's mood inexplicably became a bit complex. Despite being friends with Du Rui and Gong Hao for so many years, they hadn't noticed his emotional state. On the other hand, Yu Xiu, whom he had only recently met, had.

"You could tell from that?"

"Being an actor requires observing others more," Yu Xiu said.

"Okay, okay, okay. Spare me the lecture."

First, he couldn't be awkward as an actor, and now he had to observe others more as an actor. Was Yu Xiu giving him a lecture here?

"Didn't you already prepare your speech?" Ye Yuchen said, "Show it to me. I have time now."

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