Yusa was a natural when it came to livening up the mood. Being the youngest, she was genuine, outspoken, and constantly had everyone bursting into laughter.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan quietly went about her chores, washing up while occasionally glancing over at them. Seeing Gu Ming laughing so heartily that she could barely keep her mouth closed, Gu Yan slowly, stiffly lowered her head.
After a long morning of hard work, the others finally started waking up one by one. Catching the rich aroma of the boiling porridge, a chorus of rumbling stomachs broke the silence.
Song Ai rubbed his stomach with a groan. “Waking up to hot food… this is paradise.”
“Tell me about it,” He Xin agreed with a smile, eagerly crowding around the pot.
Inside, the vegetable porridge was bubbling merrily. It was a colorful sight: flecks of yellow egg, vibrant green wild vegetables, deep brown mushrooms, and bits of dark red ham. Just looking at it was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
As the steam rose, Zeng Jiu took a deep, exaggerated breath and sighed, “Wow, that smells incredible. Honestly, it smells better than any gourmet meal I’ve ever had.”
“Oh, come off it. You’re just so hungry that anything would taste amazing right now,” Yusa teased, before gesturing for them to grab spoons.
“Hmm? Why do I smell coconut?” Cheng Ming said as he walked in last, his nose twitching with a smile.
Yusa immediately gave him a thumbs-up. “Sharp nose! The captain picked three coconuts, so I scraped out the meat and threw it into the pot. Well? Smells good, right?” she turned to ask Zeng Jiu, who was just about to take a bite.
The porridge was still too hot to eat, so Zeng Jiu was busy blowing on it. But with the bowl so close, the uniquely sweet fragrance of coconut rushed over him. He nodded vigorously. “Super fragrant.”
“You’re something else, Yusa. Who thinks of putting coconut meat in porridge? But sweet and savory… does that actually taste good?” Kang Yu found the combination a bit hard to picture.
“It should be fine…” Yusa muttered, suddenly losing a bit of confidence. Fearing it might lack flavor, she had even added a pinch of salt.
Gu Ming was the first to brave the heat, taking a tentative bite. Her expression was hard to read at first as she savored it. “It’s actually pretty good. Since it’s just the coconut meat, it’s not overly sweet—it just gives it a rich coconut aroma.”
“Yan, try some.” Gu Ming naturally turned to feed Gu Yan, her movements incredibly fluid and casual.
The onlookers were stunned. Cheng Ming, in particular, cast a strange, lingering look at the two of them.
Gu Ming seemed completely oblivious to the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Seeing that Gu Yan didn’t immediately open her mouth, she assumed it was still too hot and leaned in closer to blow on it gently.
The glances from the crew grew even more bizarre.
Gu Yan knew that if Yan Ling ever saw this footage, she would be in deep trouble. Yet, she could not bring herself to reject even a fraction of Gu Ming’s favoritism…even if it was born entirely out of friendship or sisterly affection.
She parted her lips slightly. Gu Ming carefully fed her, watching her with a mix of anticipation and concern, as if terrified she might get burned.
Gu Yan didn’t disappoint her. After tasting it carefully, she nodded. “It tastes really good. The flavors have great layers. The puffed-up rice grains are thoroughly infused with the coconut aroma, and the hint of salt keeps it from being heavy.”
Gu Ming’s eyes crinkled into a satisfied smile. Using the exact same spoon she had just used to feed Gu Yan, she began eating her own portion.
Though Gu Yan knew Gu Ming simply didn’t mind sharing, a small ripple of emotion still stirred in her heart.
Because Gu Ming’s demeanor was so utterly open and natural, the others quickly brushed it off as them just being exceptionally close. After all, the two looked remarkably alike, and during the show’s promotion, Gu Ming had repeatedly declared them to be “sisters from different mothers.” If two sisters wanted to be affectionate, who were they to judge?
Only Cheng Ming, who knew a fragment of the truth, quietly watched them for a long time. When Gu Yan finally went out alone to finish washing the dishes, he quietly stepped up behind her.
“You should keep your distance from her,” he said softly, his voice just loud enough for her ears only.
Gu Yan paused. She switched off her microphone and continued scrubbing the pot. “You have no right to tell me what to do.”
“I’m just giving you a piece of advice.”
“If it’s not out of selfish motives, then thank you.”
“There’s no need to be so sharp with me,” Cheng Ming replied calmly. “I don’t have any designs on Gu Ming. I’m telling you this purely as her friend.”
“You? Gu Ming’s friend?” Gu Yan let out a cold scoff. “Weren’t you planted here by Yan Ling just to make life difficult for us? If you were really her friend, how could you agree to Yan Ling’s—”
“I had no choice. Yan Ling and I run in the same circles; I had to show her some professional courtesy.”
“And that’s what you call being Gu Ming’s friend? You know exactly what Yan Ling wants to do to her… and you still dare call yourself her friend.” Gu Yan’s fists tightened.
Cheng Ming wasn’t angered. Instead, he let out a soft chuckle. “You really are just a kid. So young.”
“No matter what my relationship is with Gu Ming or Yan Ling, I genuinely want to save you. Don’t anger Yan Ling. If you cross her, you’re the only one who will suffer.”
“Then I am truly grateful for your benevolence,” Gu Yan shot back sarcastically. Using the rainwater to rinse away the suds, she packed up her things to head back to the tent. “Excuse me. Please move.”
Cheng Ming wisely stepped aside, letting out a barely audible sigh.
“I know exactly what kind of person Yan Ling is, and what kind of methods she uses…far better than you do.”
It is precisely because I know, Gu Yan thought bitterly, that I am willing to do whatever it takes to cling to every single second I have left with Gu Ming.
Watching Gu Yan’s fearless, retreating back, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Cheng Ming’s mouth. His gaze grew distant, as if he were looking through her to see someone else entirely.
“I wish you luck, Gu Yan.”
The moment Cheng Ming put his microphone back on and walked away, Gu Ming…who had been cleaning up the remaining mess—sidled over. She took the utensils from Gu Yan’s hands and casually asked what she and Cheng Ming had been talking about.
Gu Yan shook her head. “Nothing, really. Just making small talk.”
“Oh? So Yan and I have secrets now?” Gu Ming sighed, feigning a look of deep dejection.
Gu Yan looked at her flustered, completely at a loss. “No… it’s not that… We really didn’t say much. He just told me to be a bit more mindful of how we act on the show.”
“Huh? Ha! Why is a grown man meddling in that?”
“Maybe… he’s jealous. After all, our ‘sister CP’ is way more popular than your official ‘Double Ming’ couple.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Gu Ming actually bought it, bursting into laughter. “True. Looking at our character concepts and the storyline, the chemistry between you and me is definitely way stronger than whatever I have with Cheng Ming. Who knew that guy cared so much about that stuff?”
“Are you… really close with him?” Gu Yan asked quietly.
“We’re okay. We grew up in the same district and were elementary school classmates for a few years. When we grew up, we coincidentally ended up in the same industry and collaborated a few times.”
Then, almost instinctively, Gu Ming added, “But this is the first time we’ve actually played the main romantic leads.”
Gu Yan let out a quiet breath of relief. It was clear that Gu Ming didn’t hold Cheng Ming in particularly high regard.
“Then… if there’s a chance to work together again, would you still act with me?”
“Of course I would! We can keep playing sisters next time, too.”
“Does it… have to be just sisters?”
“What did you say?”
Gu Yan bit her lip. A sudden, inexplicable surge of desperation pushed her to ask, to prove something.
Stammering, she quickly tried to cover her tracks. “If—I mean, if… because our sister CP is so popular right now, people in the industry seem to be testing the waters for ‘double female lead’ projects. If there was a script like that… a double female lead story… would you, would you act in it with me?”
Throughout the entire question, Gu Yan didn’t dare lift her head to look at Gu Ming. Her heart hammered against her ribs in a agonizing mix of hope and dread. She knew her hesitant, nervous behavior was bound to raise suspicions, but she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore.
Cheng Ming’s words had struck a warning bell in her mind. A fatal countdown was permanently ticking above her head. She knew with absolute certainty that once this show finished filming, Yan Ling—as one of the main investors…would see the raw footage and fly into a rage. When that happened, Gu Yan would likely end up just like the previous body doubles: ruined, disgraced, and thoroughly erased from the public eye.
So, before she disappeared, and before Gu Ming ever found out who she truly was… just let her be reckless a little longer.