“Yan Yan, you can handle really spicy food?” Su An’an leaned forward slightly, looking towards He Yan.
“It’s okay, I just like it.”
Su An’an was observant. From their interaction just now, she quickly noticed Pei Yanchuan’s different treatment of He Yan.
He was being a bit too caring.
Su An’an had done her research on Pei Yanchuan’s personality and preferences. Although Pei Yanchuan appeared gentle with everyone on the surface, he absolutely did not waste his energy on others.
When he agreed to join them for hotpot today, she had already sensed something was off.
Pei Yanchuan never liked participating in such meaningless social gatherings, and there was no way he would enjoy eating hotpot with a large group.
He had mild germaphobia.
And from her observations today, her information was correct. Pei Yanchuan had only eaten from the platter of cooked food he ordered for himself; he didn’t touch anything from the hotpot at all.
But today, he kept refilling He Yan’s juice glass, and it seemed like the corners of his mouth held a smile.
Su An’an’s gaze darkened slightly. She finally began to assess He Yan seriously.
She had never considered He Yan a competitor. Even though the other woman had devastatingly beautiful looks, she never thought she could attract Pei Yanchuan’s attention.
She had heard before that He Yan was just a brainless pretty face.
Maybe that wasn’t the case. She had underestimated her opponent.
Fang Wan, seated beside He Yan, felt like everything she knew was being overturned.
She clearly remembered that He Yan was afraid of spicy food and had a strange temperament—she liked bullying those less famous than herself and sucking up to those more famous.
But now she watched as He Yan deliberately ate the spicy dishes, tirelessly cooked ingredients in the hotpot for everyone, and handed out napkins and juice.
It was like she was a completely different person.
Could it be because Pei Yanchuan was here, so she was putting on an act? Had her acting improved this much?
No wonder she landed the second female lead role. This act was flawless. Anyone who didn’t know her might think this was her real personality.
Fang Wan stole another glance at Pei Yanchuan. She didn’t think Pei Yanchuan was interested in He Yan. Pei Yanchuan’s gentleness was well-known—he was nice to everyone. Besides, if he really were interested in He Yan, his team wouldn’t have repeatedly come out to deny the rumors.
Fang Wan’s thoughts swirled around in her head, making her increasingly dizzy. And in her daze, the hotpot meal finally ended.
He Yan wiped her mouth contentedly, deliberately ignoring the warning glances her assistant Yuan Yuan was shooting her way.
After this meal, she’d be back to eating boiled vegetables for a long time.
Pei Yanchuan watched He Yan’s satisfied expression and smiled softly. He reached out to help pull her chair back, making it easier for her to get out.
As soon as He Yan stepped out, Yuan Yuan rushed over, her tone full of complaint. “Sister Yan Yan, eating like this will make you gain weight! When Sister Jingyi finds out, she’ll definitely scold us both to death!”
Pei Yanchuan couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “She’s not fat. An occasional indulgence is fine.”
As long as the young lady was happy.
He Yan immediately hugged Yuan Yuan’s arm, acting cute. “Oh, come on, just this once. What if I eat nothing but boiled greens for a whole month afterward~”
Her voice was sweet and soft. Yuan Yuan sighed slightly, pouted, and said nothing more.
He Yan rested her head on Yuan Yuan’s shoulder, squinting with a smile. This trick always worked on Yuan Yuan.
But what He Yan didn’t realize was that with her looks, acting sweet and acting cute like that would work on anyone.
Listening to the young lady’s coquettish pleas, Pei Yanchuan felt like a little cat was pressing its soft pink paws against his heart, again and again, leaving it soft and itchy.
Before he could collect himself, a male actor had already approached, grinning at He Yan. “Yan Yan, want to run through some scenes together tomorrow?”
He Yan replied generously, “Sure!”
Pei Yanchuan’s face suddenly darkened. “Which scenes? I’ll join you.”
The male actor was bewildered. “Huh? Brother Pei, you… you want to come too?”
Pei Yanchuan’s expression grew even colder. “You have a problem with that?”
“No, no, not at all. Happy to have you, happy to have you.”
Strange. Brother Pei actually wanted to run scenes with them. The sun really must be rising in the west.
Brother Xiu, Pei Yanchuan’s agent who had been standing nearby, finally couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Could Pei Yanchuan really be interested in He Yan? He’d been acting so off lately!
And hotpot? He basically hadn’t eaten anything all evening!
Running scenes? What scenes did that actor even have with him?
While He Yan was diligently filming on set, Jiang Mingcheng back home was getting restless.
Since He Yan joined the crew, she hadn’t contacted him even once. He couldn’t resist sending her a message asking how the filming was going. He Yan only replied with three words: “It’s going well.”
“President Jiang, next week you’ll need to go to Liancheng for a week-long business trip,” Secretary Wang Jing reported Jiang Mingcheng’s schedule.
“Liancheng?” Jiang Mingcheng’s head snapped up.
Wang Jing was startled. When had his boss ever reacted so strongly to a schedule item? Liancheng? Wasn’t that where Miss He’s film was shooting? He’d better look into that.
Wang Jing replied respectfully, “Yes, Liancheng.”
Jiang Mingcheng had already regained his composure, his voice calm as he said, “Okay.”
But his fingers unconsciously clenched.
Liancheng… Should he go see her? But what reason would he have to visit?
Jiang Mingcheng suddenly regretted signing that marriage contract, which had fixed their relationship as a fake marriage.
The day before leaving for Liancheng, Jiang Mingcheng couldn’t help but send He Yan a WeChat message:
[I’m going to Liancheng tomorrow for a business trip. Where are you filming? Aunt Qian asked me to bring you some food. I’ll deliver it to you.]
He wasn’t lying. Aunt Qian had indeed said that He Yan probably wasn’t eating well while filming, and it would be good if they could send meals.
Jiang Mingcheng waited over three hours before receiving a reply: [No need to trouble yourself. Thank Aunt Qian for me.]
Jiang Mingcheng’s eyes dimmed. Half an hour later, he sent another message: [Aunt Qian insists on sending it.]
He Yan had just finished today’s filming, ending relatively early. She had returned to the hotel and just taken a shower when she saw Jiang Mingcheng’s message.
Let him deliver it? No way! If someone saw, who knew what rumors would spread!
He Yan sighed helplessly and replied: [I don’t have any scenes tomorrow afternoon. Where are you staying? I’ll come get it from you. Just have your assistant give it to me.]
Only then did the corners of Jiang Mingcheng’s mouth finally curve upwards. He sent her the address.
The next morning, Jiang Mingcheng handled all his business as quickly as possible, clearing his entire afternoon schedule, and sat quietly in his hotel waiting for He Yan.
Wang Jing, observing Jiang Mingcheng’s particularly good mood today, understood the situation and silently withdrew from Jiang Mingcheng’s room.
He Yan arrived at the hotel in full disguise, stealthily making her way to Jiang Mingcheng’s door. Afraid someone might hear her knock, she first sent Jiang Mingcheng a message: [I’m at your door. Have your assistant open it.]
The next second, the door before her opened. The man in a gray shirt stood right there, his deep, dark eyes fixed intently on her.
He Yan felt like she’d been hit by a visual assault. This man was unfairly handsome!
Afraid of being seen, He Yan quickly slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.
After confirming there was no one else in the room, He Yan finally took off her hat and mask.
Jiang Mingcheng just stood there, looking at the young lady he hadn’t seen for so long. She was a bit thinner, her cheeks still rosy and fair, her eyes sparkling, the corners slightly upturned, full of agility and playfulness.
She made him want to pull her tightly into his arms.
Jiang Mingcheng was startled by his own thought.
He Yan took a deep breath. Good thing she’d disguised herself well; probably no one recognized her.
She turned to Jiang Mingcheng and asked directly, “What did Aunt Qian bring for me?”
It wasn’t wise to stay long.
Jiang Mingcheng’s eyes dimmed. She had only just arrived and was already in a hurry to leave.
Jiang Mingcheng pointed to the box on the table nearby, his voice a little muffled. “Pastries made by Chef Li for you. They’re low in calories.”
He Yan nodded and walked straight to the table, ready to grab the box and go.
“Aunt Qian wants me to have dinner with you tonight.” Jiang Mingcheng couldn’t help saying it. He knew Aunt Qian was trying to matchmake them; when she learned he was bringing things to He Yan, she instructed him to have a meal together with her.
He hadn’t planned to mention it, but now he didn’t want He Yan to leave.
He didn’t understand why either, but he just wanted to look at her a while longer.
He Yan was stunned for a few seconds, then looked up. “No way. If we’re photographed eating together, it’ll be headline news.”
“We can eat here. I’ll order room service.” Jiang Mingcheng pointed to the dining area in the suite.
He Yan pouted. Since Jiang Mingcheng had put it that way, leaving immediately would be a bit disrespectful.
After all, there was still a hundred million in his hands.
He Yan finally nodded, though reluctantly.
There was still some time before dinner. He Yan sat on the sofa, took out the script she always kept in her bag, and began to practice.
“Running lines?” Jiang Mingcheng couldn’t help asking.
“Am I disturbing you?” He Yan looked up, her eyes sparkling, with a hint of apology.
Jiang Mingcheng frowned slightly. He didn’t want to see apology in her eyes; her eyes should always hold a smile, should be carefree.
“No.” As he said this, Jiang Mingcheng sat down beside He Yan. “Do you need me to help you run lines?”
“No, no!” He Yan waved her hands repeatedly.
“I have nothing to do anyway.” Jiang Mingcheng looked fixedly at He Yan, as if he would just sit there if she didn’t agree.
He Yan had no choice. She handed him the script. “Here, this scene between Lu Zhenzhen and Qin Li. You just read Qin Li’s lines.”
“Should we stand up? There’s physical action here.”
“No need, no need. Just reading the lines is fine.”
“That’s not professional enough. It’ll be hard for you to get into character.” Jiang Mingcheng insisted.
He Yan bit her lip. “But to act it out, I’d need to hug you. Are you really okay with that?”
Jiang Mingcheng’s heart pounded wildly, but his face remained calm. “It’s fine.”
He Yan thought, well, since he doesn’t mind, then she’ll just go ahead and hug. Hugging a handsome guy—she’s not losing out. Besides, she’s been his wife for this long and haven’t even hugged him once; that’s really inexcusable.
He Yan was even starting to look forward to it, rubbing her hands together slightly.
This scene was about Qin Li returning to the gang after a rather long mission. The second female lead, Lu Zhenzhen, finally sees Qin Li, excitedly throws her arms around him, and shyly expresses how much she missed him.
But during this mission, Qin Li learned more dark secrets of the organization, so he reminded himself that Lu Zhenzhen was the gang leader’s daughter. He maintained a cold face towards her, not wanting to get further emotionally entangled with her.
It broke the young lady’s heart.
Jiang Mingcheng just stood in the living room. He wasn’t an actor, so he just stood there straight, his expression stern, his figure tall and slender.
He Yan quickly got into character. She rushed towards Jiang Mingcheng and threw her arms around his waist. The young lady’s voice seemed to contain a myriad of emotions: “Brother Qin Li, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!”
Jiang Mingcheng froze. All the blood in his body seemed to boil.
**