Chapter 86: Finishing All Her Scenes

Liu Man had no idea what wretched things Qiao Xin was thinking.

With Ye Zian’s order to start, she immediately got into her character while Qiao Xin was slow.

“Qiao Xin, what are you thinking? Why didn’t you do what you were supposed to do? Where’s your expression? It’s all wrong,” Ye Zian scolded him harshly.

Qiao Xin hatefully clenched his teeth. He still couldn’t forgive Ye Zian for ordering Tang Tu to punch him, but Qiao Xin had to pretend to obey Ye Zian, “Apologies, Director Ye. I dozed off a little.”

“Let’s do this a second time. Both of you need to treat this seriously. Action.”

Gu Qing pulled Ji Ning by her wrist and took her from her bedroom to the back garden. Ji Ning shook him off, annoyed.

“What is your problem? It’s one o’clock; why did you drag me here to the garden?” She glared at Gu Qing.

Gu Qing stared at her, his handsome face expressionless.

Ji Ning pushed him, “Speak, or else I’m going to go.”

As her voice fell, she walked around Gu Qing and was about to go. Gu Qing abruptly pulled onto her and said with an interrogative tone, “Did you go to the forest behind the school with Duan Nanfeng today?”

Ji Ning frowned, “How do you know that?”

“What did you talk about, and what did you do with him?” Gu Qing continued. It was as if he wasn’t going to let her go if Ji Ning didn’t make herself clear.

Ji Ning was infuriated, “Why do you have to ask so many questions? Do I have to report to you every time I say something to another boy?”

Gu Qing laughed coldly, “Don’t try to switch to a different topic. Why did you follow Duan Nanfeng to that forest?” Gu Qing’s tone was heavy, and there was a hint of cruelness in his eyes as if he was going to hit her if Ji Ning didn’t give a reply.

Ji Ning was scared and stepped back, but her arm was being held onto by Gu Qing, and she couldn’t move.

“Are you starting to like Duan Nanfeng now?”

Ji Ning suddenly stopped being angry as she heard this. She locked her eyes with Gu Qing’s and said in a soft voice, “Is my liking for you that valueless in your heart? Why don’t you have any trust in me? I went to the forest with Duan Nanfeng to discuss the city-wide performance we’re going to be in next month when we will be representing the school.”

Gu Qing suddenly looked very happy and pulled Ji Ning into his arms.

He said close to her ears, “I just care about you too much. I like you.”

“Okay, cut,” Ye Zian said.

As the director stopped them, Qiao Xin immediately let go of Liu Man. But his right hand, whether on purpose or unintentionally, lightly touched Liu Man’s butt.

Liu Man’s body stiffened even more.

Qiao Xin laughed. Before, when they were acting, he could sense her body stiffening when he hugged her, and it was as if she was a stone. He almost couldn’t continue his acting. Ye Zian noticed this, too, but he didn’t cut them because this was a scene filmed from far away. Nobody would notice after the editing.

Qiao Xin used a voice soft enough so only Liu Man would be able to hear it,

“Have you never been hugged by a man?” He said meaningfully.

This question was too personal, and Liu Man didn’t even want to answer him. Her last part of this scene was with Yang Huayue, so she didn’t mind making Qiao Xin her enemy.

Which was why Liu Man turned around and left without answering.

Qiao Xin was shocked.

Did he just got ignored?

Who, out of those female actors with no fame, didn’t act subservient when they saw him?

And this extra with no power and money dared to offend him? Did she not want to stay in the entertainment circle anymore?

Liu Man walked into the resting room to add some make-up, and Yang Huayue followed her to sit right next to her. The two make-up artists quickly came up to help them with their make-up and get ready for the next scene.

At first, nobody talked, and the entire room was silent. Only the sounds of make-up artists fumbling with bottles could be heard.

Right at this time, Yang Huayue said out of nowhere, “Did Qiao Xin grope you just now?”

!!!

The two make-up artists exchanged glances. Their expressions remained the same as they continued to do whatever they were doing, but their ears paid close attention. They were not surprised at these things. To survive in this circle, the first rule was to shut one’s mouth. However, they still wanted to listen to this gossip.

Yang Huayue’s question was so straightforward that Liu Man didn’t know how to reply. After all, she and Yang Huayue weren’t the only ones in this room.

Liu Man didn’t say anything.

Yang Huayue knew she was more introverted than herself, so Liu Man must’ve been too embarrassed.

Yang Huayue continued, “I saw it. Qiao Xin put his hand on your butt.”

!!!

!!!

The make-up artists’ hands, while putting on the foundation for them, almost slipped.

Liu Man’s face exploded into a deep shade of red, which was so prominent even the foundation couldn’t cover it. “What Qiao Xin did is so disgusting, and he didn’t blush. Why are you blushing?”

“He only lightly touched it. Maybe it was unintentional,” Liu Man said in a small voice.

“Hehe,” Yang Huayue laughed coldly, “Professional actors like us have scenes where we get into close contact with each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hug, a kiss, or a bed scene; we always know when to stop. We always remind ourselves and are discreet about our actions, and we can’t cross a single line. Qiao Xin knows you’re a neophyte and did it on purpose. He should feel very shameful.”

Yang Huayue looked even more furious than Liu Man, and Liu Man comforted her, “Let it go. I’m not going to expose him. After tonight, I won’t be seeing him in the future anyway.”

“If any other men are trying to grope you in the future, don’t be scared and just slap them.”

Yang Huayue suddenly turned her head and told the two make-up artists standing behind them, “Do not leak what we just talked about.”

The two make-up artists quickly promised. They were very scrupulous and would be able to keep this secret.

Liu Man thought Yang Huayue looked cute when she tried to help her out.

But then, when they started to shoot the next part and got into their respective characters, Yang Huayue stopped being cute.

It was late at night when Ji An pushed open Ji Ning’s bedroom door.

Tonight was dull, and the dark clouds covered up all the stars and moonlight. There was no brightness at all. Ji An walked straight to Ji Ning’s bed in the dark, her footsteps soft and soundless.

Ji Ning was already asleep with her eyes closed. The corners of her lips were rising upward as if she was dreaming about something peaceful and good.

Ji An stared at her smiling face. The last hint of hesitation and scaredness in her eyes transformed into mercilessness and hatefulness. She pulled straight the rope her left hand had been holding onto and tangled it onto Ji Ning’s neck.

Ji Ning was awoken by the feeling of suffocation. She felt something was tightening on her throat, and she was unable to breathe. She opened her eyes and could only see darkness, and someone was standing behind her.

Ji Ning unconsciously started to struggle and pull on the rope on her neck, but that person tightened it more. Ji An wanted her dead. Ji Ning’s face started to get pale, and her hands started to drop until they were drooping beside her body. Everything happened so fast that Ji Ning didn’t even get a chance to call for help before she died.

All of Liu Man’s parts in “The Sound of the Wind” were completed.

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Credits: Sydney

Chapter 85: The Fourth Scene

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Everyone in the cast went on break for that first day after New Year’s Eve. The next day, they resumed the filming. Liu Man’s last scene was going to be filmed on that evening at that garden villa.

In the script, this filmed happened right after Ji Ning spent the money on this second-hand garden villa, all the furniture, and all the decorations. The family of five were moving into their new home.

Ji Ning’s bedroom was at the end of the corridor on the second floor, and she had her private closet and bathroom. It was the largest room out of the entire garden villa. Ji An’s room was right next to hers, with only one wall in between. Gu Qing’s room was farthest away from Ji Ning’s; his bedroom was at the other end of the hallway.

The trio was fine at the start, until this morning. Gu Qing asked Ji Ning out for a chat, and they argued the garden. Gu Qing couldn’t resist but hugged her. Meanwhile, Ji An was in her bedroom on the second floor. She didn’t sleep, so she saw it all, and her jealousy made her lose her sanity.

When Ji Ning went back to her room, Ji An quietly followed her in. She then killed Ji Ning by strangling her with a plastic rope.

Liu Man, using the break time yesterday, thought a lot about how she would be acting in this scene.

The sky turned completely dark, and Liu Man’s work started.

There were four cameras set up in the garden, and there were two more on the second floor. They would all be filming Ji Ning and Gu Qing’s conversation in the garden later so they could have all the perspectives.

Liu Man changed into a pair of beige colored pajamas. The make-up artist helped her tie her hair up and purposely made it messy, so it looked as if she had just woken up.

The first scene started in her bedroom:

Liu Man laid on her bed under a thin blanket. The prop master had already adjusted the clock on the wall, so it read one o’clock in the morning instead of seven o’clock in the evening.

“Get in your positions, everyone,” Ye Zian ordered, “Action.”

A knock on the bedroom door suddenly came.

Ji Ning sat up on her bed, feeling very sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and took a look at the clock on the wall.

“Ning Ning, can you come outside for a second?”

Gu Qing’s voice came from outside the door, which he purposely lowered.

]Ji Ning picked up the thin jacket beside her bed, put it on, and opened the door.

Gu Qing was standing at her doorway. He was also wearing his pajamas, but his hair wasn’t messy. It was apparent that he hadn’t slept at all.

“Why do you need me at such a late time? If you have anything to say, tell me tomorrow at school,” Ji Ning whispered, afraid of being heard. She wanted to close the door but was blocked by Gu Qing’s arm. He used his other hand to grab Ji Ning, dragging her outside.

“Okay, Liu Man, get off stage. Next scene! Yang Huayue on stage,” Ye Zian ordered again, wasting no time.

Yang Huayue walked into Ji Ning’s bedroom, also wearing a pair of pajamas.

The videographer aimed the camera at the doorway of Ji An’s bedroom.

“Start.”

Ye Zian said, then the scene began. The door was pulled open from the inside, leaving a small crack. An eye, coldly and darkly, looked out. The videographer gave these eyes a close-up that lasted seven seconds.

Yang Huayue’s eyes were darkened with a deep shade of mascara, like bags under her eyes. When the light dimmed, it did look scary. Her eyes slowly panned from left to right, as if seeing Gu Qing and Ji Ning walk right past her door.

The scene of her eyes ended.

And then, they started to film Ji An watching Ji Ning and Gu Qing from her window. The director, videographer, and the other staff quickly moved to the garden on the first floor.

“Huayue, don’t stand right in the middle of the window, move a bit, towards the left window frame. Hide half of your body behind curtains,” Ye Zian held a speaker and said to Yang Huayue.

Liu Man was waiting in the garden with her puffer jacket. She was also looking towards the second floor. She thought Yang Huayue’s costume this time looked scary. Yang Huayue was wearing a long, white night robe, and her long hair, which reached her chest were messy and uncombed. She was standing upright in front of her window, like a female ghost wearing a white dress.

So, in the script, the female lead, Yan Xialan, got scared by such a Ji An ten years later.

“Director Ye, is my current position okay?” Yang Huayue called down towards Ye Zian.

Ye Zian made an okay-hand.

The filming started.

The night was dark and misty, and only a white silhouette could be seen from the second window to the right on the second floor. The camera rose to midair and got nearer to this window, while the outline of this silhouette became clearer. It was Ji An, whose face seemed almost as pale as her night robe. Her large eyes were transfixed on a certain location in the garden, and her expression became twisted, hideous, and filled with hatefulness.

Then, abruptly, she seemed to have thought of something. She turned to go back into her room, and her silhouette disappeared.

“It’s okay,” Ye Zian watched the part they had just filmed, “Tell the editors to fix the coloring, and the lighting is still too bright.”

The assistant immediately said, “Yes, sir.”

“Qiao Xin, Liu Man, it’s time for you to get onstage.”

Liu Man heard the order and immediately took off her puffer jacket. The stylist came up to adjust the wrinkles on her costume. The scene that she and Qiao Xin were about to shoot was a bit special.

In the script, the duo had a conversation that lasted for two minutes, but Ye Zian said that in the end, the editor was only going to take the first three seconds and the last twelve seconds, which was a total of fifteen seconds of the scene. Their voices were also going to be wiped away, for this scene was only a piece of memory from Ji An. It was also one of the clues in the last part of the movie, and it was going to be a mime. A scene filmed from far away wouldn’t include voices, and it wouldn’t need any sound.

But Ye Zian still wanted Liu Man and Qiao Xin to act out the entire conversation, and every line from the script had to be said. He said this wasn’t this useless, for this would make the plot more coherent and help the pair blend into the scene.

Ye Zian had already planned out where they were going to stand, and he drew out the markings on the ground. Liu Man stood on her mark and was face-to-face with Qiao Xin.

This was her first time being face-to-face with the male lead, Qiao Xin — It was also her only time.

“Are you completely memorized with your lines?” Qiao Xin suddenly asked her.

Liu Man didn’t expect Qiao Xin would draw up a conversation with her. She didn’t forget how Qiao Xin gave her a hard time by forcing her to drink at that dinner party two days ago.

She had nothing against him. A man challenging an innocent girl was ridiculous.

But, seeing that her part-time job was almost over, Liu Man didn’t want anything wrong to happen, so she replied, “Yes, I’ve memorized it all.”

Qiao Xin was going to say something else, but his eyes somehow went to Liu Man’s chest. Liu Man’s beige pajamas were a bit too thin that her underclothes could be seen. Of course, the director and the audience wouldn’t see it since they would be watching them from the camera, but Qiao Xin could because he was standing straight across from Liu Man. Liu Man was a pretty girl with a clean, ingenuous temperament. From how she was wearing this pair of pajamas, she was very attractive.

Qiao Xin cooperated with many belles over the years, but he had to admit Liu Man was very intriguing. This was not about love but a man’s physiological system.

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Credits: Sydney & Puppxteer/Yutong

Chapter 2: Don’t Boil Me!

Suzaku Continent, a broad land surrounded by Scarlet Demon Seas, if one didn’t count the Demons lurking inside the Demon Seas, this land was very peaceful in general.

Peaceful? No, the White fogged forest in the Dahong country was an exception.

Thick white smoke rose from a cauldron so big that it required five adults to surround it, making it hard to open one’s eyes. 

A baby who looked like she was just born was clutching onto the centipede faced man’s sleeves with a horrified face, crying loudly. Unfortunately, no one could understand what she was screaming about; if you were to translate her screeches, it would’ve been:

“Hero! Good guy! Handsome man! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have threatened you with growing up to be more powerful. Please, kill me instantly with your Demon Light; just don’t boil me! I still need vengeance from the Holy Temple, please, at least leave me a whole corpse!”

That right, this was the kid who transmigrated from White Tiger to Suzaku Continent.

Currently, she had a big cauldron under her.

The centipede faced man not only didn’t soften his heart for Xena’s cries, he even squeezed her harder under his arms. Groups of tier-four Spirit Beasts obediently put unknown herbs beside the man’s feet, watching the man in awe, then, staring at Xena’s small struggling body, drooling.

Now, Xena was about to crap herself from those bright green beastly eyes staring at her.

Even before, in her past life, Xena had been rewarded with a Tier-one Silver Hoof Fawn because of her talents, this kind of powerful Spirit Beast had a long term pursuit amongst the Canaan Holy Temple.

But that so-called “Powerful” Fawn was nothing compared to these Tier-4 Achak wolves.

TL Note: Achak means spirit from Native American Algonquin origin.

Dozens of Achak wolves with four little yellow stars on their foreheads were “kindly” surrounding Xena, drooling non-stop, their stomachs rumbling with the glutton. Why didn’t this newborn get poisoned to death?

This cruel lunatic was going to brew Xena into the broth to feed his pets!

“Am I going to be boiled by this feral man?” Xena cried.

Splash! Not giving Xena the time to explain, her body fell into the boiling water!

Xena coughed immediately after dropping into the cauldron, choking on a huge mouthful of water. She didn’t know whether it was the steam in the cauldron or the herbs in the water. A pure aura suddenly spontaneously circulated in her body. (i love google translate)

The appearance of the aura was completely unexpected!

“This cannot be possible!”

The non-boiled Xena was surprised. Having experience from her past life, she knew what this aura was.

This, was Spirit power!

Having Spirit power was a key step in becoming a real Conjuror. It was said to be the boundary between ordinary people and the strong!

Youngsters with Lingen normally would have their Spirit power activated before 16. In Xena’s past life, her power activated when she was ten, she became a Tier-one Conjuror when she was twelve, and because of that, she was said to be a genius. Now, compared to this current life where she activated her Spirit power as a baby, not only would Xena in her past life, even her mentors would be so embarrassed they would commit suicide!

“So I didn’t boil to death, and I restored my spirit power?!” Xena couldn’t hold back her excitement while still struggling in the pot.

Looking at this “delicious soup”, a small white flower floated by. Surprising Xena yet again.

Fragrance White Sakura!

This 7 petal White Sakura was the main ingredient to the legendary Spirit Based Fluid!

Spirit Base Fluid as the name suggests, is a medicine that ultimately enhances the potential of a Conjuror! It counted as an item that could be bought but nowhere to be found; even royalty can’t forge this Fluid easily.

With the flower petals flowing, a sweet aura special to medicine poured into Xena’s nose.

“Could it be that the lunatic wasn’t boiling me for soup, but rather enhancing my spirit power using Spirit Base Fluid!” Xena mumbled to herself.

Yet without the time to think more, an unbearable pain pulled her thought back to reality.

Xena couldn’t hold back her yells.

“My chest… It hurts!”

The newly activated Spirit power transferred to her chest where Demonic elements are oozing out of a black hole. 

“Sh*t! It’s that thing again!

Because of the immense pain, Xena recognized the black spot on her chest… It was the black orb containing Demonic powers!

In her past life, she was killed by this exact orb while on the mission to transfer it to the High Temples, then ended up absorbing the orb into her body, resulting in every high tier of the temples hunting her down. But, Xena could’ve never imagined the orb still attached to her.

No wonder the Centipede faced called her a demon, this orb was the product of 10 thousand lives lost in battle, the unbearable Devilish and bloody aura could never be erased. It would count as the evilest of the evil auras! Even the Holy Temple Lord couldn’t purify it; the only solution was to keep it sealed up.

Xena sarcastically smiled; her life was fucking pathetic. Having this kind of demon relic attached to her would ultimately result in her soul corroded, completely reducing into a killing machine. No wonder the Centipede face wanted to kill her.

Just when Xena was complaining about her troubling life, drops of warm liquid landed on her forehead, instantly relieving the enormous pain brought by the activation of the black orb.

Xena opened her eyes in a daze and saw an incredible scene. The man slit his wrist, squeezing fresh blood onto her head. Surprisingly, the blood contained a golden purifying light that could cleanse everything.

Yet the Centipede face made a weird look on his face; he seemed to have forgotten something. He used his other hand and repeatedly smacked the back of his head.

“Is it Demon Light?”

He stopped beating his head and put one of his blackened fingers in his mouth, sucking on it. Seeing Xena shaking her head for her life, his brows furrowed, and he started contemplating again.

“Is it a Demon Explosion?”

The Centipede face asked tentatively again, scaring Xena so much her head shook like a rattle.

“Right! It’s the Law of Purification!”

The man looked like he suddenly woke and said a spell even the Temple Elders couldn’t understand.

Not waiting for Xena’s response, the unharmed hand of the man suddenly turned silver, like a sharp dagger, it instantly slashed towards Xena’s stomach.

Xena thought it would be a macabre scene, but she didn’t expect the man’s silver palm to pass right through her skin like passing through the smoke. He snatched the black orb out of Xena’s body, not even leaving a single scar!

The demonic orb was just pulled out by brute force by the lunatic!

After all of this, the man picked Xena up from the pot of medicine, then with a tired face, he sniffed Xena’s body.

“Hmm, smells much better. I was wondering how my daughter could ever be a demon.”

Xena would’ve never thought that this man did this all to help her take out the black orb. Xena suddenly burst into tears,

No matter if this Centipede face is or isn’t a High-level Light sorcery Lord… From this day on, you are my dad!

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Credits: Yutong/Puppxteer & Sydney

Chapter 84: Man Man and Zhan

Yu Zhan’s throat was feeling a bit dry. He coughed awkwardly and looked away.

“You should go rest directly after your shower.”

Liu Man was standing at the doorway, and she frowned as she asked him, “Why aren’t you going to sleep? Aren’t you going to catch a plane tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll go take a shower after you go to bed. Don’t mind me and hurry up to rest.”

“Okay, good night.”

“Good night.”

“Oh, right,” Liu Man, who had already closed the door, opened the door ajar and peeked her head out. Under the warm light, she blinked her darker than usual eyes, and she stared at Yu Zhan firmly.

“I’ve had a question stuck in my head for a long time now,” Liu Man’s voice was still soft, but her eyes were very persistent yet perplexed, with a hint of confusion.

Yu Zhan had now done enough preparation to face her calmly. He got up from the sofa and walked to Liu Man, and there was a thick bedroom door between them. He looked down through the crack in the door opened by Liu Man, and she looked up. The eyes of the two met for a second, then both of them looked away.

Yu Zhan gave a light laugh.

“Ask away. Ask me anything, and I’ll answer it honestly.”

He thought Liu Man would ask him why he had so much money and where they were from.

Unexpectedly, Liu Man asked, “Why did you call me ‘Man Man’ back at the Quan Jing hotel’s restaurant?”

Yu Zhan was startled. He didn’t have a good answer to this question, “Then, what should I call you? Liu Man? Liu? Classmate Liu? Miss Liu? Call you ‘sis’ like your fans? Or, Princess Man?”

Although she knew Yu Zhan was teasing her, Liu Man still blushed.

She even started imagining how it would be if Yu Zhan called her ‘sis’ in front of everyone. It would sound like he was a hobo. It would be even stranger if he called her Princess. She was the one who transmigrated from the past, not him! Modern people don’t refer to each other as princesses. Otaku Boy would call it utterly ridiculous and crazy.

Yu Zhan laughed, “The nicknames we use on the internet sound stupid in real life, both to the one using it and the one being called. Do you want everyone from your cast to witness this awkwardness?”

Liu Man had long discovered Yu Zhan was great at knowing what she was thinking, so Liu Man was not surprised when he, again, said exactly what she was thinking.

“Look, doesn’t it seem like none of the nicknames fit you? If I call you ‘Liu Man’ or ‘Liu’, it’d seem like I’m your teacher or your boss, but it’d also be weird if I call you ‘Liu san’ since I’m not a student anymore. So, should I call you ‘Miss Liu’? Haha~” Yu Zhan couldn’t help but laugh, “seems like there’s no need for me to explain further.”

“I’m guessing that your family and your friends all call you ‘Man Man’. I thought we were already friends with each other, and it’s fine to call you that way. It’s comfortable and natural for me,” As he said this, Yu Zhan stared at Liu Man with a bright look and an unnaturally soft voice, “Or, do you think that I cannot call you ‘Man Man’?”

Yu Zhan’s eyes, which looked hopeful yet weak, made Liu Man felt as if she didn’t let Yu Zhan call her ‘Man Man’, she was a criminal and a terrible one at that.

Liu Man was scared of Yu Zhan being angry, so she said apologetically,

“No, no. It’s fine for you to call me this way. Maybe it’s because that was the first time I heard you call me with that nickname, and I wasn’t used to it.”

“Then I’ll call you by your nickname from now on, Man Man,” Yu Zhan said ‘Man Man’ very softly, as if reminding Liu Man of something.

Liu Man gave a small “Mhm.”

Yu Zhan smiled, “My friends all call me ‘Zhan.’ I hope from now on, you’ll call me like that, too. Because I have already been seeing you as a friend, so do you think of me as a friend?”

Liu Man quickly answered, “Of course! Of course, you’re my friend.”

“So, call me ‘Zhan’, okay?” His voice was still soft, with an almost enchanting power.

Liu Man gave another “Mm.” She then used a really, really low voice, “Zhan.”

It seemed that her ears were acting independently, and they both turned red.

Yu Zhan felt satisfied and comfortable now. He was feeling glad.

The satisfaction overwhelmed him, which he had never felt so strongly before. He even felt this feeling was much better than him owning mountains of gold. So, this was the feeling of love. It was as if he was floating in midair, among the clouds, and his heart was flying.

Yu Zhan lowered his head, his body also leaned forward a bit, as if this was an attempt to be closer to Liu Man. He knew Liu Man was shy, so he had to be careful. His eyes fixed on her fine ears instead of her eyes as he asked, “Do you have any other questions for me?”

This was the first time Liu Man was so near to Yu Zhan. So, Yu Zhan had a scent, too. It smelled different from Tang Tu’s luxurious perfume. Yu Zhan’s smell was very, very light, like the smell of plum from the mountains on a deep winter night. She had to concentrate to smell it.

“My questions are all answered; I can’t think of anything else.”

Yu Zhan laughed, “You’re welcome to ask me any question you think of in the future via WeChat.”

“Mm, I seem to have delayed your shower.

“It’s okay for me to go now. You should sleep, too.”

Yu Zhan straightened up. He was a head taller than Liu Man, and he backed away into the living room, not willing to take his eyes off of Liu Man.

“Good night, Man Man.”

“Good night, Zhan…”

The two wished each other goodnight again, but the feeling was different from last time as if there was a string of an indescribable thing.

“Oh, and…” Liu Man called Yu Zhan again.

Yu Zhan felt happy and immediately stopped, “Do you have another question for me?”

Liu Man timidly smiled as she shook her head.

“Today, I had a great time. Thank you for staying with me. I’m not going to be courteous with you, so don’t stop me from thanking you.”

“From now on, it’s fine for you to thank me,” This kind of gratefulness was different from those courteous thanks she told him when they first met.

“Tonight, you’re feeling happy, and I’m feeling even happier.”

And finally, he could have a good night of sleep today.

Both of them had a good rest tonight.

The second day morning, when Liu Man woke up, Yu Zhan was already gone. The living room was clean, if there wasn’t a slight wrinkle on the sofa, Liu Man wouldn’t even think Yu Zhan ever stayed the night.

Before he left, he sent Liu Man a message on WeChat,

“I am already heading off to the airport. Before you return to the capital, make sure to tell me.”

Liu Man held her phone as she walked to the french windows in the living room.

The morning mist was still hovering above the Huangpu River, but the sun was already rising slowly from the faraway horizon. The orange sunlight shone in through the clouds and slowly chased away the mist. The blue sky revealed itself. Liu Man raised her head and looked at the sky, feeling happy and satisfied.

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Credits: Sydney & Puppxteer/Yutong. Thank you so much, Yutong. c:

Chapter 83: Spending the Night Together

Coco also dropped a like on Liu Man’s post and commented: “This table of barbecue food looks so delicious! Where is it? I want to go next time.”

Liu Man privately messaged Coco and sent her the location.

Coco replied with a “xoxo” emoji.

Li Xiaoru and Wang Nina also liked her post.

Li Xiaoru commented: “I knew my Man Man is unique and has a high taste. Having a barbecue on New Year’s Eve!”

Wang Nina asked her, “Are you still in Shanghai? Why are you staying there for so long? What are you even doing there?”

Before, Liu Man sent a photo of herself in Shanghai in WeChat. Li Xiaoru and Wang Nina both knew she was in Shanghai, but at first, they thought she was only there as a tourist and an AJ collector. Because the past Liu Man traveled to Shanghai twice just for her AJs, which both Li Xiaoru and Wang Nina knew.

The problem was, why did it take two weeks to buy her AJs? Why wasn’t she spending her New Year’s Eve back at home?

Wang Nina was starting to suspect Liu Man.

Liu man replied, “I’m on a part-time job here, and I’ll be back in the capital next week.”

Wang Nina continued to ask, “What kind of part-time?”

Li Xiaoru: “Nana, you’re so annoying with all your questions. Can’t you give her a little privacy?”

Wang Nina: “I think there should be no secrets between good friends.”

Li Xiaoru: “Your personality just makes me speechless.”

Seeing how suspecting Wang Nina was, Liu Man steadied her decision of not telling her about the part-time acting job.

Liu Man didn’t block her mother in her moments, so Zhang Pei also saw her post.

Zhang Pei directly called her. As the phone rang, Liu Man told Yu Zhan, “It’s from my mother.”

Yu Zhan nodded, stood up, and walked away a few steps to leave her some space and privacy.

Liu Man picked it up, and Zhang Pei’s anxious voice came, “Man Man, where are you at right now? Why aren’t you back at your hotel at such a late time?”

“I’m having a barbecue at a restaurant behind the hotel, and I’ll be back soon.”

“Who are you eating with? Your colleagues from the cast?”

“Yes, there are many people, so don’t worry. It’s also in the center of Shanghai, so it’s very safe.”

Liu Man lied out of a good intention to assure Zhang Pei.

TL’s Note: For those who don’t know much about WeChat, Zhang Pei doesn’t have Qiu Jing as a contact, so Zhang Pei couldn’t see Qiu Jing’s comments nor Liu Man’s reply to her. This is why Zhang Pei doesn’t know about Liu Man being with Yu Zhan.

“Are you still at grandparents’?”

“Yes, your grandpa, grandma, uncle’s family, and aunt’s family are all with me. We’re having a good time; can’t you hear the noise?”

TL’s Note: By aunt, Zhang Pei meant her sister. So this aunt isn’t the uncle’s wife or anything.

Liu Man heard noisy sounds, slapstick noises from children, and chats from adults.

“Since you are with your colleagues, I won’t bother you anymore. Let’s talk about other things when you return to the capital,” Zhang Pei said.

“Okay,” Liu Man said after half a second of pause, “Happy New Year, Mother.”

Zhang Pei was startled, and the corners of her eyes were a little sour for some reason.

“You have a happy new year too, my baby.”

After Liu Man hung up the call, Yu Zhan walked over. He didn’t ask Liu Man why her family would let her come to Shanghai alone.

Neither did he ask her why she only looked solemn and respectful when she talked to her mother, and there were no emotions of a daughter to her mother.

He understood that everyone had something they were struggling with and would want to keep to themselves.

Liu Man and Yu Zhan finished the barbecue as the clock stroke the New Year.

As they came out of the barbecue shop, the whole street was quiet and empty. There was no pedestrian and no noise. It took a long time for just a car to pass by. Yu Zhan tried to stop a taxi so Liu Man could go back to her hotel. After waiting for a long time beside the roads, they still couldn’t get a car. Yu Zhan used his mobile phone to find an online taxi, and the number of people in line reached 100+.

He gave up and told Liu Man, “You should stay at the Quan Jing hotel tonight.”

He Lushen had already pre-arranged a suite for Yu Zhan at the Quan Jing hotel.

So Liu Man and Yu Zhan walked back to Quan Jing.

Yu Zhan went to the front desk in hopes of getting another room, but the receptionist said, “Sorry, sir. The rooms are all taken.”

On New Year’s Eve, many guests who had dinner at the Quan Jing Hotel, including some from the crew, booked a room to rest here in advance. After all, everyone drank, and it was not easy to take a taxi. Besides, during the New Year, the listings were already very tight.

Yu Zhan looked back at Liu Man, and Liu Man also looked at him blankly. Her eyes were so innocent. Yu Zhan sighed and asked her,

“Do you mind living in my room? The room my friend booked for me is a suite, with one bedroom and one living room. There is a sofa in the living room. You can sleep in the bedroom, and I will sleep on the sofa. If you are afraid, close the bedroom door and lock it.”

Liu Man was naive but not stupid. If Yu Zhan was replaced by another man, even Tang Tu, she would not agree. Only Yu Zhan was different from her, so she didn’t have to worry about him plotting wrong with herself. She agreed to Yu Zhan’s proposal without any hesitation.

Yu Zhan’s room was on the top floor.

Liu Man did imagine a room with one bedroom and one living room, and she thought it would be relatively small and crowded.

But when Yu Zhan opened the door, she realized that she still hadn’t seen much of the world. Yu Zhan was being too humble.

As soon as he opened the door, what appeared in front of Liu Man was a 100-square-meter living room. The spacious space had two floors, floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, and exquisite and luxurious decoration. The huge sofa in the middle was even more luxurious than the sofa in her fan, “Quick, call me bro!”’s house.

How was this a living room? This was a hall. Liu Man even felt that the emperor’s bedroom wouldn’t be as luxurious as this place.

The bedroom was on the other side of the living room, behind a sold wooden door.

Now Liu Man didn’t have to worry anymore. It seemed that they lived in the same room, but the two people were at least 10 meters apart. There was no sense of being cramped at all. Some co-tenants were living “closer” than the two of them. Yu Zhan would not be wronged if he sleeps on the sofa. This sofa looked even more comfortable than beds in mediocre houses.

There was small luggage beside the sofa that wasn’t yet opened, and it should be Yu Zhan’s. Yu Zhan checked his watch to see it was almost one o’clock in the morning and said, “It’s getting very late; you should go and rest. You can use the bathroom in the bedroom, and I’ll use the one here in the living room.”

Mhm, there were two bathrooms in this suite.

The rich people’s world was, as expected, different.

The bedroom in the bathroom was equally flaunty. The faucets were all gilded, and the bathtub stood next to the window, overlooking the Huangpu River. Liu Man knew lying in this place and taking a bath would be a pleasure.

But she was not in the mood to take a bath at the moment. She opened the shower to rinse her body, dried herself up and changed into a bathrobe.

She opened the bedroom door. Yu Zhan was sitting on the sofa and was looking at his phone. Hearing the movement, he turned his head and saw Liu Man was wearing a white, ankle-length bathrobe. She did not wash her hair and put up her long hair, so it was high on top of her head. Her face looked extremely small and delicate, with a light pink shadow around her eyes, like a natural rouge. The steam in the bathroom was still in her eyes, which seemed like a natural decoration. She seemed like hibiscus that blossomed out from the water.

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Credits: Sydney

Chapter 82: The Red Packets on Wei Bo

Apologies if you found any mistakes in our translations, for our editor is currently very busy and isn’t around. If you would be kind enough to report errors, do that down in the comment section or in our Discord server! Thank you very much for the support. ❤

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In the end, Liu Man decided she wouldn’t be deleting everyone’s comments. The fans were only gossiping and were not being malicious.

Because Liu Man was feeling pretty good, she sent a red packet for her fans on Wei Bo. The red packet contained 1000 RMB, and she made it so that 100 people could try to open it.

“Wow, sis just sent a red packet! Quick, open it.”

“You guys are so fast at opening it.”

“I only got 1.7RMB. (Laughs)”

“I just went on a bathroom break. Why do I feel like I missed a hundred million!”

…

“Sis, send another one. I didn’t get to open that last one.”

“Yeah, yeah. Send one with more money.”

Some fans commented down below.

Liu Man was not a stingy person, but she had to count and make sure every penny she spent was worth it. There was only half a month until March 1st, and she and Zhang Pei will have to pay the Wang family.

According to Liu Man’s contract with the cast, she would only be able to receive fifty-thousand RMB after she finished all the scenes. The cast gave her 400 RMB every day as a subsidiary, and she would receive 8000 in total for these 20 days. But she could only get them when she returns to the capital.

In her days in Shanghai, except for Professor Qiu’s invitation to dinner and the Quan Jing Hotel’s dinner, Liu Man has never had a big meal. If she could have a cheap take-out meal in the crew, she would. If she couldn’t, she would eat at the roadside stalls.

Just when Liu Man was hesitating, “I’m a vet” sent out five red packets for fans. The first one was worth ten-thousand, the second was worth twenty-thousand, the third was worth thirty-thousand, the fourth was worth forty-thousand, and the last one was worth fifty-thousand. It successfully diverted everyone’s attention.

“Look, look, look! God vet is doing it!”

“Red packets that are worth a few ten-thousands! Such a rich dude! Kneels~”

“Oh, my god. These red packets are too huge! My hand is shaking as I open them.”

“Every single time our vet appears, he’s always covered in golden light and is always rich. I’m always shanking and kneeling.”

“Or else, why would he be a god? Rich dudes are idols, and super-rich dudes are gods!”

“I calculated the money he sent out. Our god sent a total of a hundred and fifty-thousand worth of cash! It’s enough to pay the down payment in my city, which is a fifth-tier one.”

“It’s also enough to buy a car.”

“Hmph. You guys are so pretentious. You just ranted on about him being old, and now you’re all opening his red packets and shrewdly calculating his money.”

“That’s why the elder is better. The young college students never have money, and only successful men would be able to spend money whenever they want.”

“Sir vet is the owner of a pet clinic anyways, and an owner is always rich. He has collected much money over the years, and it’s normal for him to be rich.

“Long live our rich boss, thank you, boss.”

“Is being a veterinarian easy to earn money? If so, then why are all the pet clinics near my house closing down?”

“There are also ways to do business. It’s like opening a restaurant. Some people make money, while others lose money. It’s also related to the location. Maybe there are few people keeping pets near your house, so it’s normal for those pet clinics to close down.”

…

There was one per three comments saying “I’m a vet” was old.

Yu Zhan could only pretend he didn’t see those comments.

Liu Man was slow and didn’t catch any of Yu Zhan’s red packets. She also saw the amount of money those red packets contain, which was a huge number for her now and said, “You are so generous.”

Except for generosity, she couldn’t think of any other words to describe Yu Zhan’s actions. Did he count as a fool with lots of money?

Unexpectedly, after Yu Zhan carefully calculated the number of his fans, he said, “Before sending the red packets, I had 10,237 fans. After sending the red packets, I now have 33,954 fans. If you deduct the fraction and then calculate the number of fans, I have gained as 20,000 people, and so that is to say, I spent 150,000 RMB to buy 20,000 real and active Wei Bo fans, which is equal to 7.5 RMB per fan. After all, I bought popularity, and more people can give likes to me in the future. I didn’t waste any money.”

Yu Zhan still remembered that Tang Tu casually reposted Liu Man’s Weibo, and there were tens of thousands of likes. He was very uncomfortable looking at it. If this matter was not resolved, he would not be able to sleep well. The battle between them must start from the details!

Liu Man didn’t know whether to facepalm or laugh, “You know your math.”

As they chatted, the atmosphere on Wei Bo was also very hype.

After receiving the red packets, the fans of Princess Man and “I’m a vet” did not forget to send them New Year greetings, but the ways were a bit different.

Nobody knew who was the first one to start, but he commented below both of their Wei Bo accounts:

“Thank you, Princess! Long live god vet! Have a nice New Year’s Eve! Wish you all the best in the new year! @Princess Man @I’m a vet;”

Everyone started to copy and paste:

“Thank you, Princess! Long live god vet! Have a nice New Year’s Eve! Wish you all the best in the new year! @Princess Man @I’m a vet;”

“Thank you, Princess! Long live god vet! Have a nice New Year’s Eve! Wish you all the best in the new year! @Princess Man @I’m a vet;”

…

This was being crazily spammed all over the place, and almost every fan repeated it. There were tens of thousands of messages like this.

Seeing how Liu Man and his nicknames were so close and neatly together, Yu Zhan felt very comfortable and happy. He conveniently sent out the sixth red packet tonight — It contained sixty-thousand RMB.

And so, the fans copied and pasted that message even more to represent the admiration they felt for “I’m a vet.”

At the same time, Liu Man’s WeChat moments were liked and commented on by lots of people.

The first like was from Qiu Jing. She commented to ask Liu Man:

“It’s getting very late, are you still having snacks with that vet friend of yours? How many people are there with you? Tell me, so I won’t have to worry about your safety.”

Liu Man quickly replied to her, “Yes, I’m still with him, and it’s just the two of us.”

Seeing her reply, Qiu Jing sighed out of relief.

It seemed that the veterinarian named Yu Zhan was indeed not a big character. After he left the hotel, he was separated from He Lushen and Cheng Sheng.

It was ridiculous that he took Liu Man to a shabby street for barbecue in the cold wind. Qiu Jing despised him. This was enough to say that this vet was not popular. He and those two rich people must be just general friends, or Cheng Sheng would’ve arranged for him to eat in the restaurant of Quan Jing Hotel.

It was great that Yu Zhan was not a big character, or Qiu Jing would have a new interpretation of Liu Man.

Tang Tu also liked Liu Man’s post, but he did not comment.

His thoughts were similar to Qiu Jing’s; he felt quite ironic, for the veterinarian was stingy. He asked Liu Man to have a street barbecue on New Year’s Eve. Why was he reluctant to pay for a meal at the Quan Jing Hotel? What was even more absurd was that this person invited her to a barbecue and posted a special Wei Bo to show off that he paid the money. And that was how he chased after girls? Such an opponent was not worth Tang Tu to take him seriously. Tang Tu felt refreshed, and he was no longer afraid of Liu Man being snatched away.

Tang Tu even guessed that the vet was only an e-friend with Liu Man, for they seemed to have the same group of fans.

Because Tang Tu didn’t follow “I’m a vet” on Wei Bo, he did not see the red packets Yu Zhan sent out. If he did, he probably wouldn’t dare contempt Yu Zhan at all.

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Credits: Sydney

Chapter 81: The Vet is Old

Liu Man agreed with Yu Zhan, and her eyes glowed even brighter, “Then, let’s add two bowls of fried rice. Today’s the last day of this year, and we need to have a full stomach to welcome the new year.”

Before Cheng Sheng left, he kindly arranged for someone to pick up Liu Man from his special elevator, so how could he be stingy to provide Yu Zhan and Liu Man with an extra table, eating in the Quan Jing hotel, the surrounding environment was is high-end, and the heating was sufficient. The ingredients were superb, and the view was wide — the special seat with a river view. You could see the Huangpu River and the Bund, which was a perfect date place. Those rich guys with rich cars who drive up girls may not be able to reserve such a good seat for dinner.

But Yu Zhan rejected his offer.

Yu Zhan asked He Lushen out, but he didn’t expect that He Lushen also brought a show-off Chengsheng. Probably because his parents passed away too early, Yu Zhan was very independent since he was a child, and he had some solitary relationships. The friends Yu Zhan made were those who were in his childhood, and they were still those who were now. He understood why He Lushen wanted him to get to know Cheng Sheng, but friendship could not be cultivated in a short while, and he didn’t want to owe Cheng Sheng too much favor.

Because there were only two guests, Liu Man and Yu Zhan, the skewers came up quickly filled the table all at once. The fresh and tender meat and vegetables were sprinkled with bright cooking oil and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. The fragrant smoke in the cold air made people’s appetite.

Liu Man inhaled deeply to smell the food, took out her phone, and started taking photos.

Last time she went to Ju Jiu Wu with Li Xiaoru and Wang Nina to eat a Japanese meal, and she didn’t take pictures. But now she took a family portrait of the barbecue on this table that could be seen everywhere.

Liu Man uploaded the photo to Weibo with a message: “Sometimes it’s simple, but it’s more suitable for you. I wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year.”

At the same time, she also sent that same photo on WeChat with, “I wish everyone a happy New Year.”

On New Year’s Eve, Liu Man’s friends on WeChat began to post their reunion dinners in moments. Some were luxurious, and some were home-cooked, but they were all full of color, fragrance, and taste. Liu Man’s picture of a barbecue was obviously from a roadside stall.

The famous accounts on Wei Bo and fans of them were already starting to post new year wishes and blessings for each other. The fans waited for a very long time and finally saw Princess Man posting her New Year greeting for everyone.

But what the heck was that photo she sent?

All of her fans were very much perplexed.

“Sis, it’s New Year’s Eve tonight. You’re having a barbecue at a roadside stall?”

“Princess is still in Shanghai? You’re not back home?”

“Look at the location she sent this post. She’s in Shanghai.”

“Please don’t tell me that sis is eating this as her reunion dinner.”

“Although there seems to be a lot on this table, having a barbecue on the New Year’s Eve gives me a sense of wretchedness…”

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t say anything if you don’t know how to. It’s New Year, so can’t you say something good?”

“Live-streamer, are you alone in Shanghai? None of your family members are with you?”

Seeing this fan message, Liu Man’s finger that was scrolling paused for a while, and her eyes stared at the screen as she went into a trance. She thought of Liu Chengyu, who was still in the detention center, Zhang Pei, who was in her hometown, and Madam Xu and Xiao Zhao, who had been long gone.

No matter if it was her past life or her current life, it seemed that she had never had any family. She was always alone, and she had got used to it.

At this time, “I’m a vet” suddenly pinged Princess Man, “I treated her to this barbecue meal. This isn’t a reunion dinner; it’s snacks after dinner.”

“I’m a vet” posted a picture after this message. It was the same table of food but took in a different perspective.

Liu Man suddenly raised her head, and Yu Zhan, who was sitting across from her, blinked at her and complained, “You are very happy. Why does everyone think you are very pitiful? Is it so miserable to have a barbecue with me?”

Liu Man laughed out loud. Because it was cold, her cheeks and her nose were all red, but her eyes were extra bright and not shy anymore. She directly stared at Yu Zhan, her eyes filled with joy and warmth.

Yu Zhan knew Liu Man looked extremely pretty when she laughed. Unfortunately, she always acted like an ancient woman and never laughed but only smiled. She rarely laughed like most modern girls would.

Yu Zhan liked her current smile; it was like the cloud had finally revealed the glow of the moon. She had gotten free and laughed without caring about anything.

Liu Man did finally found freedom. She reposted what “I’m a vet’ has just sent and wrote, “I’m not alone; I’m with @I’m a vet.”

“!!!”

“!!!!!!!”

“What’s happening?”

“I seem to smell adultery???”

“Nonsense. Our princess is only twenty-years-old! ‘I’m a vet’ is an elder, so that’s not possible.”

Yu Zhan froze when he saw this comment.

Was he old?

How on earth was he old!

The comment that made him feel depressed was further down:

“Can those old men stop feeding on young girls? Why does that happen every time nowadays?”

“Oh, oh. So sir vet is a grandpa with white hair? I’ve always thought he was about forty-years-old.”

“I don’t think god vet’s that old. He’s probably fifty-years-old, someone like my dad.”

“That’s still not appropriate for him to be with sis.”

“You guys are impressive… The veterinarian is highly respected, and you are here to talk nonsense. Later, I will @Princess Man and let her delete these comments.”

“The Internet is filthy now. What even are these rumors? Did you guys read too much p*rn? When a man and a woman have dinner together, do they have to be a couple? People can be friends, relatives, or even e-friends.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love both Princess Man and god vet. Seeing these trash comments makes me feel very angry.”

“If you guys infuriate our vet and make him delete his Wei Bo account, I will seriously report all of you!”

“Lord vet, if you are browsing Wei Bo right now, please ignore all of those comments!”

How could he pretend he to not see those comments!

Yu Zhan was going to explode from all his anger.

But when he lifted his head, he saw Liu Man was laughing hard. Her hand was on her stomach, and the other was trying to hold on to the table. She couldn’t even sit upright.

“Oh, no. Oh, no. I’m having a stomach ache, hahaha,” Liu Man saw Yu Zhan’s dark face and wanted to resist her laughter, but she really couldn’t.

Such a handsome man was a grandpa in her fans’ minds!

Liu Man was laughing so hard tears were rolling down her cheeks. She tried to stop laughing as she wiped away her tears.

Yu Zhan was suddenly not angry seeing how happy Liu Man was. He helplessly sighed, “Forget whatever they say. I’m the one who’s taking advantage of them calling me dad and grandpa since that would make me older than them.”

As long as she was forever happy, he wouldn’t even mind it if they call him a dinosaur.

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Credits: Sydney & Puppxteer/Yutong

Chapter 5 – The CEO’s Son

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His breaths were so close to her, and his deep, magnetic voice seemed to sound in her ears. Fang Jiu blinked and slightly lifted her head to lock eyes with him, “Sir, you really know how to joke. We, employees, wish to receive the highest salary possible; you won’t be able to satisfy me.”

Jing Lie only glanced at her meaningfully without talking as he took the file and went back to his desk.

Since she was staying, Fang Jiu could only go back out to continue her work. She trusted that Jing Lie would give her what he promised to give.

“Come with me after the day’s over.”

Fang Jiu paused her footsteps and looked back with a confused expression, “Today… Is there a social occasion today?”

Excluding the necessary social occasions, Jing Lie would never have anything to do with her outside of work.

Putting down the file in his hand, he lifted his head to look at that woman, who only was interested in working, “If you don’t come with me, where do you think you’re getting that Porsche?”

Fang Jiu: “…”

Her boss was going to take her out to buy a Porsche!

She could even choose a color!

Suppressing the excitement in her mind, Fang Jiu continued to nod seriously, “Mm. I’ll wait for you when the day’s over. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go now.”

As she finished his sentence, she went out of the CEO’s office in her six centimeters tall high-heels and carefully closed the door.

Fang Jiu wanted to laugh out loud as she returned to her desk, but she couldn’t because she had to maintain her aloof appearance.

Even so, she still started humming in a good mood. Her day filled with all the dull work started getting a bit more interesting.

Finally, the workday was over. Fang Jiu saw Jing Lie, who had OCD, walked out right on time. Being used to his punctual habit, Fang Jiu immediately got ready and followed him.

The company had a private elevator for executives that was for people with a rank higher than department heads. Fang Jiu had only ridden it once with Jing Lie when they had to attend a meeting. But now that there were only the two of them in this elevator, she felt a bit weird.

“Secretary Fang.”

“Yes?” Fang Jiu turned her head as she looked at the tall man beside her.

“It’s six. Shall we go to eat?” Jing Lie looked at his watch and said casually.

It was supposed to be a flirtatious sentence, but he was so casual about it. Fang Jiu nodded her head and just stood here.

The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly froze. Fang Jiu stared at the decreasing number on the elevator’s screen and suddenly asked in a bored tone, “Sir, what do you like to eat?”

The elevator had gone silent again after that question, and Jing Lie tilted his head slightly and stared at her beautiful side profile, “You really want to know?”

Fang Jiu blinked as she gave a faint smile, “It’s part of my work to get to know what my boss likes and doesn’t like.”

He had never seen her smile. Her curved brows and her cat-like eyes were as if glowing like stars. Jing Lie paused, then said in a light tone, “Take your time to get to know me. You’ll know someday.”

Now, it’s just silence. Fang Jiu thought this was a good chance, but how will she approach her boss?

Opening his heart and marriage were not the same; if the male and female lead didn’t approve of them, then even if she had conquered their son’s heart, it didn’t count as a completed task. It might even lead to a big farce within the rich. 

“Ding!”

The elevator suddenly paused, and the doors slid to two sides. Fang Jiu was just about to walk up before she discovered two people were standing outside.

“Good afternoon, chairman and chairman’s wife,” She immediately lowered her head.

Mhm, the two standing outside were the legendary male lead and the famous female lead!

The woman wore a pure white dress with a round collar, her left hand holding a small blue purse. Though there were a few wrinkles near her eyes, her overall appearance was still gorgeous. People would think she was 30 something if they didn’t know. Especially the man beside her, with only one look, you could tell that they were a lovely couple.

“Jing, where are you going?” The woman’s voice was soft, and her temperament was gentle and attractive. 

Jing Cheng was holding her hand tightly, and his cold eyes scanned Jing Lie, who was still standing inside, “He’s not a kid anymore. You’re here to ask him to dinner, but he’s walking away with another woman. He doesn’t care about us two.”

Fang Jiu: “…” Male lead, you weren’t like this the last time.

“Stop babbling. Do you think Jing is the same as you? Secretary Fang is a girl; you can’t just blemish her.” Wen Yi, the female lead, glared at him angrily.

Jing Cheng raised his eyebrows and took her waist into his arms. His eyes were full of hot desire, “What did I do wrong? I was so much better than this boy when I was young. Don’t you remember, when we got married…”

“And you’re still babbling on!” Wen Yi’s expression looked a bit unnatural. She glared at him again before turning to look at the silent Jing Lie, “Today’s your father’s birthday, and your grandpa wants us all to go back. Are you finished with your work?”

It was true that this female lead was very gentle. If Fang Jiu was a man, she would’ve probably fallen in love with her, too. But in comparison to such a male lead, she still felt like the male lead’s son was much more normal. 

“Boss, So… I’ll just go?”

Jing Lie pressed on her shoulders, his voice deepened, “You don’t want your Porsche anymore?”

“Mm?” Jing Cheng shrewdly sensed something.

“Secretary Fang’s resigning, and I’m trying to make her stay. I won’t be going back tonight,” He said, then glanced at Wen Yi, “Mother, I recently notice Dad has been having afternoon tea with Aunt Liu, so keep an eye on him.”

As he said this, he walked out of the elevator and walked forward with his hand on Fang Jiu’s shoulders.

Jing Cheng’s face was pale. He knew his boy would never take a break. He only knew to slander his father all day long!

“Jing Cheng, you are ridiculous!” Wen Yi frowned, threw his hand away, turned around, and walked away.

Jing Cheng immediately pulled her on her arm as he quickly explained, “How can you listen to that boy talk nonsense about me! I haven’t contacted Liu Yan for ages. Can’t you see how evil that boy is? You think he is not coming home just because he’s trying to make that secretary stay? People are resigning from our company every day, and why didn’t I see him making anyone stay?”

Jing Cheng had used this excuse thousands of times.

It was time when everyone had finished their work, which was why every staff in the company saw their legendary, anxious chairman trying hard to explain something to his wife. Some younger female staff instantly thought of a farce involving a mistress trying to seduce their chairman, and some even stealthily took a photo of this scene.

Fang Jiu and Jing Lie ate a western meal for dinner. To be honest, she preferred hot pot more, but when she thought of her boss, wearing a suit that cost a few hundred thousand RMB to eat a cheap hot pot meal, she wanted to laugh.

At eight o’clock, Fang Jiu was brought to a car store. She almost went blind from all the luxurious cars parked inside.

“Mr. Jing! Long time no see!”

A fat man with a cigarette suddenly walked out. He pushed away from the staff who was coming to introduce the cars and laughed, “If Mr. Jing needs any cars from me, you only need to call me. There’s no need for you to come all the way here.”

As he said this, he couldn’t resist but steal a glance at Fang Jiu. In his memories, he had never heard of Jing Lie being with any woman?

“We’re just passing by,” Jing Lie was walking in front of them, and his eyes were examining the rows and rows of different Porsches, “I want one customized for women.”

Fang Jiu had her teeth clenched, and her eyes were glowing. A racing car! That would be so cool!

That fat man standing behind them immediately understood and couldn’t help but took another glance at Fang Jiu. He walked in front and led them to a section, “Yes, we have those. Here are a few really pretty ones; the celebrities love these.”

Jing Lie didn’t follow him and stopped in front of a blue Porsche. He tilted his head to look at Fang Jiu, “Do you like it?”

Fang Jiu had seen this type in a magazine. It cost six million!

Oh, no. She was feeling a bit dizzy.

She walked a step forward and slightly frowned as she looked at this car, “It’s too expensive. Instead of buying such a car, you should probably just give me the money.”

The fat man coughed and immediately went to one side with his cigarette as he caught his breaths.

“This type of car is easy to drive,” Jing Lie pulled open the car door and sat in to help her check the capabilities of this car.

Fang Jiu pouted and walked over to kneel in front of the car window. Her eyes were as hot as lasers as she looked at him, “Why don’t you just give me the money? I don’t need such an expensive car, and I don’t even own a license.”

Jing Lie tilted his head to look into her eyes, “I’ll teach you.”

Fang Jiu: “…” Oh, fuc-!

Swallowing hard, she suddenly brushed the hair locks beside her ears and looked at him with a meaningful look, “What if……I’m a bad student?”

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Credits: Sydney & Yutong/Puppxteer

Chapter 80: A Rendezvous

Sorry, but we’re only posting one chapter of TOTFCS today! Thank you to everyone who supports us on our website and on NU. Enjoy! ❤

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Seeing this message, Liu Man couldn’t help but smile. She lifted her head to see that everyone was almost gone, and she finally stood up. Tang Tu, who had been waiting for her, stood up, too, and walked over to say,

“It’s pretty late, so I’ll give you a ride back to your hotel.”

“Thanks, but no, I have plans with a friend.”

Liu Man didn’t mean anything else, but Tang Tu’s voice suddenly became cold and bold,

“With that vet earlier?”

Liu Man was stunned.

In the minds of her schoolmates, Tang Tu was a godly figure; his face was handsome, his talent was unmatched, and his noble style was always hard to get closer to.

But he seemed like a normal upperclassman in front of Liu Man. He was always caring and always smiling; he was always using a soft voice.

He had never talked to her before with such a strange tone.

Liu Man, raising her head, stared at Tang Tu’s blushing face and said worriedly,

“Are you drunk?”

Tang Tu quickly realized his gaffe. He regained his sense of reason and smiled apologetically. He still looked like that noble upperclassman, “I seem to be a little drunk, sorry.”

After saying “sorry”, he continued to say “apologies”.

“Apologies, I could’ve taken that drink for you just now.”

Tang Tu had felt guilty. He shouldn’t have given up protecting Liu Man just because of Qiu Jing’s obstruction.

“It doesn’t matter; I didn’t drink a drop of wine in the end anyway. To be honest, I’m still a little curious about the taste of the wine,” Liu Man smiled, completely reflecting Tang Tu’s hesitation and retreat at the time.

Tang Tu felt even more guilty when he saw her smile.

If he had been a little braver then and stood up to protect her, he could now ask her out like that veterinarian.

His cowardice makes him have no position to interfere with her now. Where she wanted to go and whom she wanted to go with was her freedom.

“Then, you must pay attention to your safety.”

Tang Tu’s voice sounded very, very low.

Liu Man nodded.

“I’m going back to my room to rest,” he pretended to press his temples to sober up with his hands, but he was covering up the pain in his eyes.

It turned out that if I really like a girl, it would make me so scared and so anxious. I can’t even maintain my original arrogance.

Tang Tu finally realized the feeling Shen Mozhen had, how she loved him but couldn’t conquer his heart. 

   Liu Man walked out of the restaurant, and everyone was waiting for the elevator outside. An ordinary-looking waiter walked up to her,

“Miss Liu, please follow me.”

Liu Man thought of the owner of Quan Jing Hotel, who was with Yu Zhan, so she followed the waiter without any doubt.

The waiter took her around two corridors, opened a door with a key, and there was an elevator inside, “You can use this elevator.”

The interior of this elevator was luxurious and new. The four walls were all mirrors, the three handrails were carved with exquisite dragon patterns, and there were soft Persian pattern carpets under her feet. It looked different from the ordinary passenger elevator outside.

Liu Man can guess that this was a private elevator for the hotel owner.

The elevator went down to the first floor, the door slowly opened, and Yu Zhan’s refreshing, smiling face slowly appeared in Liu Man’s perspective. Like an ancient knight waiting for the arrival of the princess, Yu Zhan gave her a waiting and greeting sense of ritual.

Liu Man couldn’t help but smile, but then she thought of something and frowned as she asked,

“What did you do with Daylight and Paul, now that you’re here in Shanghai?”

Yu Zhan smiled helplessly, “I know how important Daylight is to you. Do you think I would come over here without any preparation?”

“I have fed Daylight and Paul before I came and prepared enough water for them before I left. I will return by airplane at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. There is no problem with the cat and dog being hungry for just one night.”

“You’re leaving tomorrow, in such a hurry?” Liu Man frowned, “In that case, why did you even come to Shanghai?”

Yu Zhan only looked at her and smiled. In his dark eyes, there seemed to be fine and gentle stars twinkling, “Won’t you feel lonely on New Year’s Eve? I’m here to accompany you, just because I am also alone.”

Liu Man looked at his eyes dumbly, as if there was a deep black hole sucking her in. She fled out of the black hole in a panic and lowered her head in a panic, only to hear her own heart beating extremely fast and extremely loud.

The Liu Man at that moment didn’t understand, that this was how it felt to suddenly fall in love with someone. 

“Don’t you have friends? You’re not lonely,” Liu Man had her head lowered, and her voice sounded melancholy. 

Yu Zhan laughed. He finally found the courage to say something flirtatious, but she didn’t get it and even analyzed his words to find loopholes. Yu Zhan could only fake a lie, “Their family just told them to go back home.”

Not wanting to entangle this question anymore, but also to ease the embarrassment of his love story failure, Yu Zhan solemnly asked Liu Man, “Are you feeling full right now? Do you want to eat anything else?”

Liu Man felt her stomach and said frankly, “I am full. I drank a lot of sweet juice. Now I want to eat something salty.”

There was no other way. The food at these kinds of occasions were just a few plates to go along with wine. Liu Man didn’t like them, so she could only immerse herself in drinks.

“Then, let’s have some barbecue. On my way here, I saw a barbecue shop next to the road that is still open.”

On the night of New Year’s Eve, 99.9% of the shops and restaurants were closed. On this street, only the restaurant of Quan Jing Hotel was still open at this moment.

Yu Zhan was talking about a shop owned by someone from the Hui ethnic group, and they didn’t take breaks on New Year’s Eve.

The small barbecue shop was in the deep alley behind Quan Jing Hotel. The facilities in the shop were simple: iron tables, iron chairs, peeling white walls. They are all cleaned up, however. When Liu Man and Yu Zhan came in, there were no customers in the shop, and there were only the owner and his wife.

The owner’s wife was a middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf. Seeing them, she enthusiastically handed them an A4 paper covered in plastics, a small, white piece of paper, and a pen. This was their menu, and there were kebabs, Grilled chicken wings, roast beef… They were all barbeque food, and the price was very cheap.

Liu Man looked at these and immediately became hungry. She said, “I want to eat lamb skewers, chicken wings, mmm, grilled fish, too. Grilled mushrooms and grilled leeks sound good…”

There is no heating in the restaurant, and it was a world of difference from the warmth in the Quan Jing Hotel. Liu Man shrank in her seat, rubbed her hands, tried to warm her hands up by overwhelming them with her hot breaths.

As she listed what she wanted, Yu Zhan wrote them down on the paper. His hands were freezing from the cold. It was obvious that the two of them were feeling extremely cold, but their hearts were warm.

Yu Zhan looked up and asked her, “Is there anything else you want to eat?”

Liu Man looked at him with big watery eyes, which were pure and innocent, like Daylight’s, “Don’t you want to get something to eat?”

“I also ordered double for everything, just like you.”

“So, you aren’t full either. Sometimes, just because things are expensive doesn’t mean they’re good, right?”

“Yes. Life is mundane anyways. Even rich people care about daily necessities,” Yu Zhan said as if he was pondering about life.

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Credits: Sydney, Puppxteer/Yutong

Chapter 79: Just a Vet

It’s not that Feng Qingyu didn’t find her sugar daddy to complain. She did, but her sugar daddy said that he could do nothing this time. He told Feng Qingyu that the actual power holder of Huaguang Media was He Lushen, and He Huaguang gradually withdrew from the entertainment circle. The younger generation liked He Lusheng better, and it was rumored that He Luchen had a weird personality and was a hard person to manipulate.

Because her sugar daddy and agent always mentioned He Lushen to Feng Qingyu during this period, she remembered it very deeply but did not expect that she would meet this person on this occasion. She felt that this was the opportunity God gave her. She could approach He Lushen, please him, and then get the role smoothly.

Feng Qingyu had such high hopes, so of course, she was not willing to give up her seat. If she sat at another table, Feng Qingyu would not even be qualified to say a word to He Lushen.

If it wasn’t for Yang Huayue, Feng Qingyu would have completely forgotten Liu Man’s name. She felt that Liu Man was nothing. A student who was still studying, acting for the first time, had a supporting role, would dare to openly challenge her, the female lead?

Liu Man’s so-called “background” was simply ridiculous. He was just a veterinarian, with a small amount of money at best, and was only able to open a pet clinic. There were mountains and mountains of people like him to be found in Shanghai and the Capital. Feng Qingyu usually wouldn’t even glance at him, let alone eating at a table with such a person.

Feng Qingyu thought this vet had no right to have dinner with her.

So, she was not going to give up her spot.

Feng Qingyu didn’t move and sat on her seat the entire time. She was sitting firmly as if no one was driving her, she would not even move her butt.

This was an unspeakable kind of awkwardness.

Now the main table had become like this: Tang Tu, Yang Huayue, and Qiao Xin had long been seated at the second main table; Qiu Jing, Gao Jindong, He Lushen, and Cheng Sheng stood together; Ye Zian, Ye Ziliang, a deputy director, and a production director stood together, while Yu Zhan stood with Liu Man across the round table.

Feng Qingyu was the only one sitting out of them all, and she was making herself very clear.

The deputy director couldn’t stand it anymore and broke the silence, “I’ll go join the second main table.”

He Lushen looked at Yu Zhan’s expression before abruptly saying, “No, there will be no need to. I just realized that we have other things to attend to, and we can have a meal some other time.”

Cheng Sheng also smiled shrewdly, “Yes, everyone’s living in Quan Jing, so there will be a chance to see each other in the future.”

He Lushen went on to say a polite, auspicious remark, “Don’t worry about us, continue your meal. Eat and drink well! I wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best.”

Yu Zhan stopped being polite with these people and didn’t even say a word. He nodded towards He Lushen and Chengsheng, and the three of them walked towards the exit.

There wasn’t time for Qiu Jing and Gao Jindong to stop them. They watched as the group left.

When they walked to the exit, He Lushen laughed teasingly. He asked Yu Zhan, “Zhan, why have you never mentioned that beauty named ‘Man Man’ to me? ‘Slow’? Is she very slow? Or do you mean it like ‘Feral’?”

TL’s Note: Mhm, in Chinese, the words “slow” and “feral” are pronounced as “Man.”

Yu Zhan knew He Lushen’s character, that he would keep on asking. Yu Zhan had nothing to hide, so he replied to He Lushen, “She’s called Liu Man, the Man spelled with a female character. She has a cat, just like Mr. Ye. She is a guest of my clinic.”

“Oh~~ So, she’s a belle with a cat,” He Lushen laughed meaningfully, “So, you just met her in your clinic? You like her?”

Yu Zhan went silent to admit on default.

“She’s indeed a lovely and beautiful girl. You have a good vision. She is also in the entertainment industry?” He Lushen continued to inquire about Liu Man’s details.

“No, she is a piano major in the Capital City Music University, and she is still studying. She came here to film as a part-time job.”

“Oh, so does she plan on going into the entertainment circle in the future? Does she need my help?”

He Lushen said warmheartedly. What he meant by help was enough for Liu Man to jump straight to the first-tier.

The result was, Yu Zhan didn’t even need any thinking before he immediately rejected, “There’s no need for that. Don’t interfere; it’s her own business, and she will take care of it herself.”

Cheng Sheng was paying close attention as he listened to the gossip, and He Lushen patted him on the shoulder, “Sorry, brother. It’s New Year’s Eve, and I dragged you over to accompany us both.”

“It’s nothing. Fortunately, I got to know Vet Yu because of you. I have two Corgi’s, and if they get sick, I will find Zhan, and he would probably be able to give me a discount,” Cheng Sheng perfectly combined his shrewdness and humor and did not leave out the part about money.

Before tonight, Cheng Sheng and Yu Zhan did not know each other. Yu Zhan and He Lushen were friends, and He Lushen and Cheng Sheng were friends.

Cheng Sheng came from a rich family in Shanghai. He Lushen spent his childhood in the capital, and later on, he met Cheng Sheng when he moved to Shanghai with his parents.

Cheng Sheng’s family business was all related to the service industry such as hotels, resorts, and spa. His family businesses were very busy when there were holidays. They never had things like family gatherings during New Year breaks. Everyone was busy making money, and they didn’t care about each other.

He Lushen’s family was also weird. His parents’ wedding anniversary was just two days before New Year’s Eve. So every Spring Festival, the couple would leave him alone and go abroad for their honeymoon happily.

Yu Zhan knew He Lushen’s family tradition very well, so today he asked He Lushen on WeChat whether he felt like getting together and having a meal together on New Year’s Eve. He Lushen was very bored, so of course, he readily agreed.

Yu Zhan also mentioned that he heard the restaurant on the fourth floor of Quan Jing Hotel in Shanghai was great and that he wanted to go there for dinner. He Lushen immediately thought of his other friend, Cheng Sheng, and called him. That was how this dinner came tonight.

Cheng Sheng, like Qiu Jing and others, thought that Yu Zhan was just a small owner of a mediocre pet clinic. He Lushen did not reveal much to Cheng Sheng about the origins of Yu Zhan, only that he was an old childhood friend. But Cheng Sheng was very good to his friends. He who loved to be pompous, to make the scene for his friends, made the driver drive his Rolls Royce to pick up He Lushen and made a special trip to the airport to pick up Yu Zhan. Um, he also picked up Ye Ziliang by the way.

“Hey, us third wheels should go. Zhan is so mean. He sees his crush and ignores his friends; he even plays me around like a fool. I thought he was trying to contact me for our friendship,” He Lu Shen had a sad tone, but his eyes were teasing.

To be honest, He Lushen felt very happy. Yu Zhan, who had been lonely since a long, long time ago, finally had someone he liked.

After He Lushen and the others left, the atmosphere of the crew’s New Year dinner party became very strange, and there was no way to become active again. Both the Ye brothers seemed to be in a bad mood, Qiu Jing didn’t smile at all, and Gao Jindong kept on a stern face.

No one dared to drink or force anyone to drink anymore. Everyone quickly finished eating and went home.

Liu Man sat on her original spot and was going to leave after her superiors, Qiu Jing and Gao Jindong leave.

At this time, she received a WeChat message.

“I’ll wait for you at the hotel’s backdoor.” — Yu Zhan

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Credits: Sydney