Fan Mei blinked her eyes in surprise. This Shi Ru Qiu had been a lot more approachable than Si Jin and his assistant or her brother and his wife when it came to this matter. Even though he didn’t believe that there was any bribery going on, he at least admitted that that Si Jin would be willing to do so! Somehow, she felt understood.

Si Qi looked at her and smiled faintly. “Ms. Fan is looking at me as if you finally found your soulmate. Really, don’t take it too seriously. It’s just a matter of those of us who are nurturing an unrequited love being able to understand each other. Over time, when the feelings don’t dissipate, you will just do even more outrageous things.”

The smile on his lips actually turned wider. “You know, if you don’t go out to look for a conspiracy for once, you’ll see that it is actually quite amusing when seen from the outside. That man actually bought ten-thousand onions, forced himself to cut them in record time, then still announced it online himself and had to give an interview because he somehow needed to get rid of them and felt donating such an amount was a good idea. Isn’t that hilarious?”

Fan Mei’s lips twitched. Actually, she hadn’t thought about it like that. Even now that Si Qi was bringing it up, she wasn’t sure if she should think of this as being hilarious. It was a bit … pitiful, actually. The kind of move where you could only stare blankly and wonder if his brain was still alright.

“He has so much money. Why is he demeaning himself so much?” Learning how to cook was one thing. Even asking a Michelin-starred chef to teach him so he could woo the person he liked was not that embarrassing considering they were friends. But announcing it online for everyone to see? Yes, now that Si Qi mentioned it, she realized that Si Jin was making a fool out of himself completely without her help. Did she really need to write articles about him?

Si Qi sighed and poked at the food in front of him that somehow didn’t seem as appetizing anymore. “You don’t even want to know what kind of things I have done over the years to try and get Si Yi’s attention. Si Jin …” He put on a thoughtful expression, not sure how much he should say.

When it came to Xiao Ming, he had told him a lot about their master’s personal history and the little emotion he showed. He hadn’t thought it would be a bad thing because, in the end, it would heighten the understanding between them. With Fan Mei, things were different though. Did she need to understand? Although then again, it was better to get her off their backs so maybe this would still be in their best interest.

Well, since he had already started, he naturally wouldn’t get around it. Fan Mei immediately perked up when she sensed that he seemed willing to say something about her suspect. “What’s with Mister Si?”

Si Qi’s expression was still a little complicated. “I guess I can’t tell you much that you don’t already know in this regard. Just take one look at his face and you’ll know that he isn’t somebody who can easily express his emotions. His comments on the channel of ‘Bright Yellow Water’ are exactly the same.

“He … he has no idea how to deal with his feelings. The only thing he can do is to go like a bull at a gate. Admitting his feelings in the comments, offering to do tasks for him he believes Mister Xiao might need to get done, throwing money in his direction or heart-shaped rice cakes into the bowl he presents to him … Have you seen anybody who is worse at trying to win somebody’s heart?”

Honestly, when he compared his approach and his master’s, he always felt that he was much better at trying to seduce people. At the very least, he was able to facilitate meetings and spend some time together. And other than in recent times, Si Yi had still been willing to accompany him quite often. It was only these days that he was rejecting him more and more.

Si Qi shook his head, trying not to think about it any further. “Anyway, Mister Si isn’t good at wooing people. Mister Xiao probably didn’t even realize that the other side was interested.”

Fan Mei agreed on the former but she didn’t think that the latter was necessarily true. “Since he is that straightforward in his approach, how could Mister Xiao not know?”

“Because he is a different kind of person. He is … pretty mild, I’d say. Even if he liked somebody, he probably wouldn’t say it directly and would instead take his time, observe first, give some hints, and then finally admit to it. Maybe that is also because he isn’t in the kind of privileged position Mister Si has. His job surely doesn’t help either. I guess as a reporter, you also understand that.”

Fan Mei couldn’t argue that point. A reporter didn’t have it as rough as a celebrity but they were still in the eye of the public. If they had a scandal, people would notice and spread it online. Just look at how her other identity had caused her to lose her job when it was finally discovered! And surely, things weren’t any different for a streamer. Xiao Ming was smart if he kept things vague at first. That was just protecting himself.

Fan Mei furrowed her brows, tapping the table with her fingers. “You know, I’ve never thought about it this way. I was so focused on the matter with my brother and that Si Jin and what I thought was going on, that I didn’t take his situation into consideration.”

Si Qi nodded. “Well, that’s a given. As I said, you’re focusing on getting dirt on your brother to prove what you’ve been feeling all along. But by doing so, it’s easy to lose your calm and make trouble for others. Just like how I did for you. It’s never good to be obsessed with anything whether that’s a person or a goal. There is a point where, when you walk past it, it stops being healthy.”

Fan Mei sighed. She wasn’t completely convinced yet but after this talk with Si Qi, she did have doubts. “So you really believe that Mister Xiao doesn’t know about Mister Si’s feelings?”

“Oh, he knows by now. I can tell you about that for sure. But he didn’t know a week ago.”

Fan Mei raised her brows. “That specific?”

Si Qi smiled and finally took another few bites. He felt like she was slowly coming around. Seeing this result, some of his appetite came back. “It’s indeed specific and I’m sure of it. That’s because I was the one who told him.” His smile brightened further, a hint of pride mixed into it.

Fan Mei was incredulous though. “You told him? Why …” She trailed off and then, understanding flashed through her eyes. “Si Yi. He knows his boss is in love with Mister Xiao but can’t express it. He wants to help him but doesn’t have a good way. So you took it upon yourself to expose the feelings so that Mister Xiao would notice Mister Si and his assistant would notice you in return.”

Si Qi chuckled. “Ms. Fan is so smart. That’s indeed the case. Although, to be honest, that wasn’t premeditated. I simply made use of the circumstances.”

Fan Mei pondered. “At the casting?”

“No … I believe it was the day after that or maybe it was two days later. I was having a look around the city, browsing a bookstore, and happened to meet Mister Xiao. I recognized him, of course. He is Mister Si’s secret crush, after all, and I saw him from up close at the casting. How could I not have known who he was?”

He fell silent for a moment and then shook his head. “Well, he didn’t recognize me but I approached him to say hello. Then, we started talking. After knowing that I was a contestant in ‘Golden Spoon’, he was pretty open.”

Fan Mei gave a hum, not sure what to say about that. Usually, she would argue that he shouldn’t have private talks with any contestants but then, it’d also be impolite to refuse to speak with somebody if they came up to you. After this revelation just now that Xiao Ming might be innocent, she wasn’t sure anymore what to think of the situation.

Si Qi could see her troubled expression. He took a few more bites and then continued to recount their meeting. “Well, I shamelessly told him about my troubles and then used the opportunity to mention Mister Si’s feelings. I also didn’t forget to throw in a few words of praise.”

Fan Mei raised her brows. “So now he knows and …”

“And I don’t think he is particularly interested.” Si Qi picked up the glass of water and took a sip, his eyes narrowing. Unfortunately, this was the truth. The Si clan might not like to see it but when it came to Fan Mei, this was good. “He told me that with ‘Golden Spoon’ going on, this was something that he couldn’t even consider.

“Also, I am afraid the feelings wouldn’t be mutual even without that complication. Mister Xiao … I don’t think he is the type to fall in love easily. And Mister Si isn’t approachable enough to make it any easier. In a way, they are a bad match.”

He put the glass down, wondering if Si Yi and he were the same. Was it that he just couldn’t see it? But he felt like the only thing speaking against a relationship between them was their identity in the Si clan. As soon as he managed to get rid of that, they could be together. But maybe that was his own delusion just like their master had been waiting for five years, not making even a bit of progress because he wouldn’t allow them to intervene.

Under normal circumstances, Fan Mei would have laughed. That Si Jin having bad luck was something she still liked to see since she wasn’t completely convinced yet. It was difficult to make fun of somebody’s unrequited love though when the person opposite you looked like this.

Si Qi’s expression was gloomy, that gaze without any hope. Even though she couldn’t understand why he was still torturing himself like this and not just giving up already, she also knew that she shouldn’t say the wrong thing now.

She fell quiet for a moment and pondered, finally clearing her throat. “You and Mister Si’s assistant … is there really no hope?”

Si Qi looked up and smiled faintly. “He is married to his work and I … I’m probably not the right person to fit into that. The more you love somebody, the higher your expectations. Even if he liked me personally, he wouldn’t go for it, simply because he knows it would make his job more difficult.”

“You know, despite you saying that you love him, I can’t help but feel that he sounds like a total asshole.”

Si Qi shook his head. “He isn’t. He really isn’t. In this world, I don’t think there is a better person than him.”

Yes, even though the situation between them was like this and even though he was suffering from it every day, it could not change his perception of Si Yi. In his eyes, he was still that kind and caring person he had fallen in love with, still that handsome man he couldn’t take his eyes off, still the dream he was constantly chasing after. It might not make sense to others but in his heart, Si Yi was all he ever longed for.