By the time Jiang Mingcheng came out of the shower, He Yan was already nestled in bed watching a movie.
Seeing him come out, He Yan smiled at him and pointed at the projector. “Can I use this?”
“Mn.” Jiang Mingcheng nodded, dried his hair, and walked over to the bed.
Although the bed was large, the thought of sleeping with He Yan still stirred a strange feeling within him.
He couldn’t quite describe it, but… he didn’t dislike it.
Jiang Mingcheng glanced at He Yan. The young girl was completely immersed in the movie, paying him no attention at all.
He pulled back the covers, leaned against the bed, and started watching the movie along with her.
He Yan was watching a romantic love film. As she watched, she marveled at how good the actors’ performances were, wishing she could act that well.
She was watching the movie with a mindset to learn.
For a better viewing experience, only one dim yellow light was on.
The only sound in the entire room was from the movie.
As the movie reached its latter half, the male and female leads developed feelings for each other, confessed their love, and became entangled together.
Jiang Mingcheng felt his body gradually grow hot, as if a fire was about to ignite within him.
He turned his head to look at He Yan beside him.
He Yan was also very embarrassed. She hadn’t expected this kind of scene and her whole body stiffened.
Hearing the sounds of intimacy from the movie, He Yan quickly turned it off. Then she pulled the blanket over her head, not daring to look at Jiang Mingcheng, her voice muffled: “Not watching anymore. Going to sleep.”
In the dim yellow light, Jiang Mingcheng gazed steadily at He Yan beside him, who was buried under the blanket with only the top of her head visible. After a long moment, he leaned over to turn off the small lamp next to her.
When his shadow loomed over her, He Yan wasn’t asleep at all. Her fingers were tightly clenched, afraid that Jiang Mingcheng might do something inappropriate.
Although Jiang Mingcheng was very handsome, she was, after all, a lifelong solo who had never even been in a relationship. She was still a bit scared.
Fortunately, Jiang Mingcheng just turned off the light and then lay down beside her, perfectly proper, without any further movement.
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about it, it made sense. Jiang Mingcheng didn’t like her, after all. With his personality, he probably wouldn’t touch someone he didn’t like.
With that thought, He Yan finally felt at ease and fell asleep.
What He Yan had said in the car about being a restless sleeper wasn’t just an excuse.
She really was restless.
She usually fell asleep hugging a plush toy, pressing it against her cheek, rubbing against its soft fur.
But today, at the old residence, there was no fluffy plush toy.
So, Jiang Mingcheng felt a small, warm, soft hand climb onto his chest, through his clothes.
Calmly, he pulled He Yan’s hand down.
A few minutes later, the little hand climbed up again. Jiang Mingcheng frowned slightly and pulled it down once more.
But just as he pulled it down, the young girl actually leaned over and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Jiang Mingcheng’s body instantly went rigid.
So… so soft.
He waited for a while, and found that He Yan was just hugging him and nothing more. So, he stopped trying to pull her away, and drifted off to sleep under the young girl’s soft, fragrant embrace.
The next day, when He Yan woke up, Jiang Mingcheng was already gone. After washing up and going downstairs, she finally saw Jiang Mingcheng on the sofa downstairs.
He was sitting upright, still with that indifferent look on his face.
After the two had breakfast, they left the old residence.
After all, Jiang Mingcheng was very busy with work.
He Yan also received a notification from Sister Jingyi to come back to the company for a while.
Back at the company, He Yan was scolded by the company leadership in the meeting room. They reproached her with frustration, saying she shouldn’t have unilaterally clarified the rumor with Pei Yanchuan last time.
After they had finished venting their anger, they finally got down to business.
“I heard from Jingyi that you’ve made great progress in your acting now and are willing to move towards being a serious actor. The company won’t stop you, but a transformation like this has to be done step by step. We’ve recently got a new opportunity, Director Shen’s new film. We fought for a small role for you. Although it’s only about ten minutes of screen time, it’s still a chance. Do a good job!”
Finally, the plot had arrived!
This film was directed by the most renowned Director Shen, with Pei Yanchuan as the male lead, and the female lead was none other than the original female lead, Su An’an. The investor was Jiang Mingcheng’s Shengfeng Group, and He Yan… was a small cannon fodder character with only about ten minutes of screen time.
At this stage, the female lead wasn’t a top-tier actress yet, but during her audition, the director spotted her at a glance and directly gave her the female lead role. Because of this, she also came to Pei Yanchuan’s attention.
He Yan pursed her lips. She didn’t want to miss out on such a great film just because she was avoiding the female lead.
“Director Wang, I can participate in the audition too, right?” He Yan didn’t think she could get the female lead role, because in the novel, the female lead of this film was tailor-made for the original female lead.
But He Yan remembered that in this film, there was a tragic female second lead character who was only briefly mentioned in the novel. She felt she could give it a try!
“You go to the audition? If you go and try, you’ll lose even this small role!” Director Wang didn’t hide his doubts about He Yan’s acting ability.
“Director, I want to give it a try. I’ve been really working hard on my acting skills now. Sister Jingyi knows that too, right?” He Yan looked towards Lin Jingyi.
Lin Jingyi still remembered what He Yan had said about the “top agent” before, so she also spoke up: “Director Wang, I think it’s worth a try. He Yan’s acting is actually pretty good now. I think she has a very good chance of getting a better role.”
Director Wang frowned, but since Lin Jingyi had said so, it wasn’t easy for him to continue blocking it. “Fine, go ahead and try then. But I’ll be upfront: if you don’t pass, this small role won’t be kept for you either.”
After saying this, he looked at He Yan, waiting for her to panic and then compromise.
However, He Yan just smiled, nodded at him, her gaze full of determination: “Okay!”
Director Wang was stunned for a few seconds. It was the first time he had re-evaluated He Yan. The company was willing to cultivate her solely because of her stunning beauty. A face like He Yan’s was a rarity in the entire entertainment industry. This was also why, although many female stars played up rumors with Pei Yanchuan, only He Yan aroused public outrage.
Because fans were genuinely worried that Pei Yanchuan might fall for He Yan.
But the previous He Yan had been completely unwilling to improve her abilities. She herself believed that with a face like hers, nothing else was necessary.
So even though the company initially wanted to groom her into a top-tier star, her own lack of effort had thwarted their plans.
But the He Yan of today, just as Lin Jingyi had told him, was a completely changed person.
Her demeanor was no longer that of fragility and weakness, and her gaze was no longer evasive or arrogant. Instead, it was determined, clear, and made people instinctively want to believe in her.
Suppressing his inner surprise, Director Wang finally replied, “Then you really need to work hard this time.”
“I will!” He Yan’s voice was clear and full of conviction.
Director Wang and Sister Jingyi were amused by her serious expression, and the atmosphere finally relaxed.
With the matters concluded, He Yan left the company alone. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, the weather was perfect, truly ideal for a leisurely stroll.
Since arriving in this world, He Yan had been quite busy and hadn’t yet had a chance to properly see the city.
She scanned a shared bicycle, put on a mask, and slowly meandered through the city.
Just as she was about to cycle onto a stone bridge, the people on the bridge suddenly started screaming in panic.
“Fallen in the water! Someone’s fallen in the water!”
“It’s a child!”
He Yan was startled. She threw the bike aside, ran to the riverbank, and saw a little girl thrashing in the water.
A crowd had gathered. Some people wanted to go in, but were afraid of the bone-chilling early winter water and dared not jump.
He Yan didn’t have time to think. She tossed her mask aside, took off her coat, pushed through the crowd, and shouted, “Move, let me through!”
With a splash, He Yan jumped into the water.
The early winter water was piercingly cold. He Yan was suddenly glad she had been cycling for a while; at least it had warmed her up a bit.
She swam vigorously to the little girl’s side, grabbed her with one arm, and said, “Don’t move! Trust me!”
The little girl had swallowed a lot of water, her consciousness was already a bit fuzzy, and she had little strength left.
The crowd on the bank grew even more agitated, watching He Yan anxiously, afraid that her slender arms and legs might not make it and she’d end up perishing in the river.
He Yan struggled to push the little girl onto the bank. Before she could even catch her breath, the people on the shore screamed again, “She’s unconscious! Isn’t the ambulance here yet?!”
Without a moment’s rest, He Yan immediately knelt beside the little girl and began performing first aid.
After a few chest compressions, the little girl finally regained consciousness, looking at He Yan groggily.
He Yan wiped the river water from her face and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, she had taken a first aid course in her previous life.
Someone nearby asked anxiously, “Is she awake? Is she awake?”
He Yan looked up and smiled at them. “She’s awake.”
For an instant, everyone around was stunned.
That might have been the most angelic smile they had ever seen in their lives.
Just then, the ambulance arrived. The medical staff hurried over, put the little girl on a stretcher, and took her into the ambulance. The crowd crowded around the ambulance, watching the little girl worriedly.
He Yan shook the river water from her hair, picked up her dirty, trampled coat from the ground, put it on, hailed a taxi, and left.
After the ambulance had driven away, the people turned around to look for the beautiful, brave girl who had just saved the child.
“Huh? Where is she? Where did that young lady go?”
“She’s still in her wet clothes, right? In this cold weather, she’s going to get sick!”
“That young lady was really beautiful, and so brave. There’s hope for the younger generation!”
“I think that girl looks really familiar, like some celebrity.”
“I think so too! She looks like that He Yan who’s always chasing trends!”
“Her? That’s impossible. She’s so delicate, cries at the drop of a hat. Would she have that kind of courage?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Meanwhile, videos of the scene slowly began circulating online, from various angles, covering the entire event.
At the scene, amidst the chaos, some people only thought she looked familiar but weren’t sure. However, reviewing the videos later was a different matter.
Every photo, every video, clearly told everyone: This is He Yan.
The topic “He Yan Acts Heroically” shot straight to number one on the trending searches.
This was the first time He Yan had topped the trends with a positive image, and for a moment, netizens didn’t quite know how to praise her.
[It really seems like He Yan, right? I… I think she’s pretty amazing. I wouldn’t dare jump in myself.]
[This is winter, though. How cold must that water be? Regardless of past issues, for this one thing, He Yan is truly great!]
[Look at that slender sister’s arms, so worried for her.]
[Based on this alone, I’m not going to badmouth her anymore!]
[The sister’s character is undeniable. All that before was just fans of a certain someone maliciously attacking her, okay!]
[Can some people stop with the ‘fans of a certain someone’ crap? Stick to the topic, don’t bring up irrelevant stuff.]
[Could this be staged? With He Yan’s small frame, could she really act heroically?]
[I think it’s staged too +1. With so many people around, why was she the only one who jumped?]
[Damn, people are even hating on this?]
[Ahhh, that last smile from sister, awsl. How can there be such a beautiful person in this world?]
[Really, really. I… I feel like I saw an angel!]
The most widely circulated clip online was the video of He Yan’s final smile.
In the shot, He Yan was soaked through, her ink-black hair plastered to her head, water droplets dripping down her pale cheeks. Yet she didn’t look disheveled. She lifted her head, her brows curving, her eyes seemingly hiding a galaxy within.
She appeared to have exhausted all her strength, her body trembling slightly in the cold wind, her breath unstable, but she still forced herself to reassure everyone: “She’s awake.”
That smile was like the first warm ray of winter sunshine, landing squarely in everyone’s hearts.
**