Since that was the case, how could Ge Yan not play along?
Ge Yan gently set down the lotus root starch, smiling lightly as she walked toward Cen Yan.
“Standing next to her daughter, Ge Yan really looks like a village girl next to a fairy!”
“I actually think Ge Yan has more classical charm. Don’t forget, Ge Yan isn’t wearing any makeup.”
“Wait! Are they talking about that incident at the pool? Spill the tea, spill the tea!”
When Cen Yan saw Ge Yan approaching, her smile froze for a moment.
After all, she wasn’t afraid of Ge Yan causing trouble—she was afraid of her going crazy.
The next second, Ge Yan’s hand, still coated with lotus root starch, grasped Cen Yan’s jade-white hand.
Cen Yan trembled slightly, inexplicably dragged away by Ge Yan.
When Shen Yuanming turned around, he saw Ge Yan pulling Cen Yan toward him.
Then Ge Yan grabbed his hand as well.
Before Shen Yuanming could process what was happening, his heart trembled with disbelief.
But in the next moment, Ge Yan placed Cen Yan’s hand into Shen Yuanming’s, her gaze profound.
“Let’s not bring up the past anymore. What matters most is that the two of you live happily together from now on!”
Cen Yan: …
Shen Yuanming: …
The live comments: …
Only Ge Yan marveled at her own righteousness.
That day, she had lost her temper and lashed out at her sponsor.
Today, in front of the cameras, she was handing over the girl he loved to him. He must be deeply moved, perhaps even grateful, and might even reward her with a few million.
Thinking this, Ge Yan felt even more inspired, her tone taking on a meaningful edge.
“A hundred years of cultivation brings you to share a boat, a thousand years of cultivation brings you to the road of the Yellow Springs…”
Cen Yan was taken aback. “What?”
Ge Yan, used to her sharp tongue, quickly corrected herself. “Ugh! I mean, the road of fate, the road of fate… You two must cherish each other!”
Cen Yan had no idea what Ge Yan was trying to pull. She looked up to see Shen Yuanming’s face had darkened to the extreme.
She quickly signaled with her eyes, and the cameraman waiting to capture Ge Yan’s embarrassment immediately turned away. The scene seamlessly shifted to Qin Dehua and Shen Yan bickering while filtering the lotus root starch.
“Ge Yan, stop with the rhymes before you cause more trouble!”
“Just seeking attention and putting on an act. Isn’t this just pushing Cen Yan into the spotlight?”
“Fans, don’t be ridiculous. Is everything Ge Yan does wrong?”
Shen Yuanming’s expression was icy as he slowly withdrew his hand. Ge Yan followed his arm upward, meeting his gaze.
Why was he even angrier now?
“Ge Yan, don’t talk nonsense on the show.”
Cen Yan’s words were spoken with barely suppressed embarrassment, each syllable deliberate. “There’s nothing between A-Ming and me…”
Now it was Ge Yan’s turn to be surprised.
“What? You two… Your Weibo fan community is thriving, with romantic moments everywhere. As the fiancée, I’m practically being written off, and you two aren’t even together? That’s just unfair to us!”
Ge Yan wore the expression of someone who had invested in a ship only to find out it was fake.
Cen Yan’s smile vanished completely.
Ge Yan’s sincere expression and piercing question left Cen Yan utterly flustered.
Qin Dehua was biting his lip so hard it was about to bleed, struggling to hold back his laughter.
“Girl, if you don’t know how to talk, just don’t.”
Ge Yan also noticed the murderous intent in Shen Yuanming’s eyes and immediately released Cen Yan’s hand.
Too reckless.
“Sorry, sorry. I thought you two… Sorry, sorry.”
Ge Yan couldn’t wrap her head around it. At that banquet that night, they were practically wrapped around each other. How could they not be together?
Ge Yan realized there were many things in the entertainment industry she just didn’t understand.
…Shen Yuanming entered the house to put away the luggage, while Song Xiyuan and Cen Yan admired the scenery around the wooden cabin.
Ge Yan and Qin Dehua wrapped the settled lotus root starch in white cloth, preparing to hang it up for dehydration.
“After about a day of sun-drying, we can take it down tomorrow, crush it, and dry it a little more. Then the lotus root starch will be ready.”
Qin Dehua’s admiration for Ge Yan was boundless, but limited by his vocabulary, all his thoughts condensed into just two words.
“F*cking awesome!”
Fortunately, the camera was still following the “sisterly bond” between Cen Yan and Song Xiyuan, so Ge Yan reminded him to watch his words and actions.
These past few days, Qin Dehua and Ge Yan had been working well together. Some deranged anti-fans had almost targeted Qin Dehua and Song Ruan as well, just waiting for any scandal to use against them.
Ge Yan jumped twice, but the branch was too high for either of them to reach.
“Brother Hua, go get a stool. I can’t hang it up.”
Qin Dehua rolled up his sleeves. “What stool? Get ready!”
Ge Yan suddenly felt weightless and gasped in surprise. Qin Dehua wrapped one arm around her calves and lifted her gently, raising her just above the branch.
Once she regained her composure, Ge Yan carefully hung the lotus root starch bag.
Shen Yuanming stepped outside just in time to see this scene.
Qin Dehua gently set Ge Yan down. She laughed and playfully punched his bicep, unable to hold back her amazement. “Didn’t expect that! My Brother Hua has some skills!”
Qin Dehua grinned like a fool, chuckling twice.
“Ge Yan, come here.”
A low voice suddenly came from behind. Ge Yan turned around, the smile still lingering on her face.
But when she saw it was Shen Yuanming—it vanished completely.
“I’m busy…”
“Come here.”
His ingrained desire to control Ge Yan was almost bone-deep.
Ge Yan’s expression turned cold. “Is it important?”
Was she actually bargaining with him now?
Shen Yuanming felt both puzzled and displeased. “Yes, it’s important.”
Ge Yan sighed, furrowed her brow, and followed him. “It better be really important!”
No sooner had she stepped into the small wooden cabin than someone grabbed her wrist and pinned her against a blind spot, out of the camera’s view.
Her first-ever “wall slam,” and it had to be with this scumbag?
Shen Yuanming’s eyes were slightly tinged with red, his thin lips pressed tightly together as he struggled to keep his composure.
With his looks and this atmosphere, he was undeniably handsome.
But Ge Yan felt no flutter in her heart—only impatience.
Why did people keep putting her in these awkward situations?
“Stop trying to look cool, just say what you want.”
“What were you doing just now?”
“…” Ge Yan was stunned. Was he blind? “Couldn’t you tell? Working!”
“He held you!”
“…Emm, so what?”
Ge Yan didn’t understand what he meant. When she was ten, she’d even ridden on a village boy’s shoulders to reach a bird’s nest… What was there to be angry about?
“Where’s your modesty? Your self-respect?”
Shen Yuanming would never forget how Ge Yan had once preferred being blacklisted by a certain director over filming a kissing scene.
She had said she would never get close to any man other than him.
And now?
Letting others hold her, flirting with strange men…
“Ge Yan, even if we can’t be together, why must you degrade yourself like this?”
What nonsense?
What degradation?
Why did it sound like an insult?
Ge Yan clicked her tongue, her mind racing, and finally understood what Shen Yuanming was angry about.”…You might have misunderstood, I’m not doing this for you…”
“Don’t try to explain. Do you think handing Cen Yan over to me will make me feel pity for you?”
Ge Yan furrowed his brow. This guy really had a lot of misunderstandings.
Even if he had scolded him before, there hadn’t been any foul language—shouldn’t that have kept him from going insane?
Ge Yan extended a finger and gently pushed Shen Yuanming’s shoulder aside.
“Hey, we’re not on a dating show here, could you please restrain yourself a bit?”
Seizing the opportunity, Ge Yan slipped out from under the man’s armpit.