Zhao Xiying was a bit surprised that Gu Jinyan had hung up without explaining clearly.
But thinking about Gu Jinyan’s promise, she couldn’t help but feel a little smug.
No matter what, Gu Jinyan cared about her. Whatever she wanted, Gu Jinyan would obediently deliver. She said she wanted to return to the public eye, and Gu Jinyan shifted from big-screen projects to a small-scale campus drama—wasn’t it all to give her a likable role and help her rise?
However, that role had been snatched away by that damn Jiang Tian.
Zhao Xiying got angry just thinking about it.
But then she thought it through: as long as Gu Jinyan clarified later that he had no feelings for Jiang Tian and that it was all Jiang Tian shamelessly clinging to him, the role would eventually be hers again.
And besides…
“Sister Yao Yao, Jin Yan said he’ll clarify soon. Get ready and have someone post a topic about Jiang Tian stealing my role.”
“Really? Did the award-winning actor really say that?”
Seeing Liu Yao’s doubtful expression, Zhao Xiying snorted, “When have I ever failed to get him to listen to me? Don’t worry. I’ve handled my part; the rest is up to you.”
“Understood!”
Overjoyed, Liu Yao immediately started calling people to prepare press releases.
She was determined to get ahead of Gu Jinyan’s statement.
Hearing that Liu Yao was already making arrangements, Zhao Xiying raised an eyebrow, looked in the mirror, wiped away her tears, and sighed, “Sigh, I’ll have to act again soon. So tiring. I’ll rest for a bit first.”
…
Meanwhile, after hanging up, Gu Jinyan called Jiang Tian. But the line was always busy.
Frowning, he thought, Of course—at a time like this, countless paparazzi must be calling her.
Gu Jinyan put on a disguise, took his jacket, and drove straight to Jiang Tian’s dormitory.
Fortunately, Jiang Tian wasn’t very well-known yet, and no one knew where she lived.
Gu Jinyan used Li Xia to disguise as himself, shook off the paparazzi, and successfully entered Jiang Tian’s neighborhood.
Knock, knock.
The sound made Jiang Tian, who was stretching on the sofa, jump.
“No way, did the paparazzi find out my phone number and where I live? That can’t be possible.”
Cheng Fang was already overwhelmed by a flood of phone calls. Hearing the knocking, she was also taken aback. “Tian Tian, you go to your room and lock the door. I’ll check it out.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Tian hid behind the bedroom door, peeking through a crack. Cheng Fang went to open the door.
When the door opened, instead of the expected reporters with cameras, there was only a man wearing a baseball cap and a face mask. And when he removed his mask—it turned out to be someone familiar.
“Award-winning actor Gu?”
Gu Jinyan entered the small rented apartment, glanced around, and frowned in distaste. He knew Jiang Tian’s circumstances weren’t great, but he hadn’t expected her living conditions to be so poor. Two bedrooms and a living room, probably only fifty square meters, cramped and crowded, without even a proper dining table.
He furrowed his brows.
Looking at Jiang Tian hiding behind the bedroom door, he said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
Jiang Tian lowered her head, feeling awkward about her cowardly appearance. She cleared her throat, licked her lips, and walked into the living room, a bit nervous.
“I’m warning you—I didn’t buy those trending topics today. I don’t have that kind of spare money. Don’t you dare pin this on me.”
Gu Jinyan: …
To be honest, on the way over, he had actually wondered if Jiang Tian had planned all this. After all, from the looks of it, the public opinion was entirely in her favor. But seeing this cramped rented apartment, even a fool could tell Jiang Tian hadn’t bought the trending topics.
And Jiang Tian had no fame or status, so it couldn’t have been her entertainment company behind it either.
So it seemed everything was just a coincidence.
“I came to work out a clarification with you.”
…
“Clarification? What clarification?!”
Jiang Tian was on guard.
Logically, in a situation like this, if the male lead showed up at her door, it would definitely be to humiliate her.
To call her a venomous woman, to say she was scheming, to force her to clarify that she had deliberately ruined the white moonlight’s reputation.
To threaten her with her life, money, or status, forcing her to kneel and apologize.
Eww~~~
Jiang Tian thought about those disgusting plot twists in tragic romance novels and couldn’t help but shiver all over, goosebumps rising.
Gu Jinyan watched the woman in front of him acting like she was having a seizure, her big, beautiful eyes wide open. Then that useless brain of hers seemed to think of something, and she looked at him strangely, continuously rubbing the goosebumps on her arms while making sounds of disgust and nausea.
Gu Jinyan: …
He took a deep breath, reminding himself: Forget it, I’m here to negotiate, not to get angry!
But remembering the kick he received before heading back tonight, Gu Jinyan’s anger flared up again, and he suddenly changed his mind.
He raised an eyebrow and walked toward Jiang Tian.
Jiang Tian was stunned, her eyes widening even more. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest, shrinking her neck as she watched Gu Jinyan step closer, his gaze drifting subtly toward her…
Jiang Tian looked down, her face darkening, then quickly lifted her head, stiffening her neck as she snapped, “Gu Jinyan! What are you looking at?!”
Her hands instinctively shielded herself even more tightly.
Gu Jinyan scoffed, “Hah! Every part of you—I’ve seen it all before.”
Jiang Tian: “…”
Cheng Fang: “!!!!”
What?!
Jiang Tian’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she resisted the urge to take off her slippers and throw them at him. “Shut up! Just tell me what you want from me! Don’t even think about making me kneel and beg—I won’t do it. If you want to threaten me, I’m all alone anyway, so you can’t threaten me. Unless…”
“Unless what?” Gu Jinyan followed her lead.
Jiang Tian blinked and smiled, “Unless you break off the engagement with me. Then I can explain that I splashed the wrong person today. I guarantee your white moonlight won’t have any trouble.”
Gu Jinyan looked at the smug little woman in front of him, completely different from the Jiang Tian he had known before.
Every expression on her face was so vivid and full of life.
Her laughter, anger, and scolding were all genuine, vibrant.
Even Gu Jinyan couldn’t help but want to tease her a little.
He put one hand in his pocket and slowly walked over, forcing Jiang Tian to retreat until she stumbled onto the sofa. Gu Jinyan spread his arms, trapping her beneath him as he pressed her down onto the sofa.
A faint smile played on his thin lips as he said, “What if I say no?”
The distance between him and Jiang Tian was only about ten centimeters, their breaths mingling, creating an intimate atmosphere…
Jiang Tian’s heart was pounding in her throat.
She swallowed hard, stammering, “You… you… what do you want?”
Gu Jinyan watched as she nervously licked her lips, her pink lips glistening temptingly. Suddenly, he remembered that blurry night and the kiss they had shared not long ago. Once again, he pressed her down domineeringly and kissed her.
Jiang Tian: “…”
Cheng Fang: “…”
Lips and teeth tangled.
The air grew a bit more intimate.
Even the temperature seemed to rise, making it hard to breathe.
Cheng Fang was so shocked she forgot to make her phone calls.
Until… click.
Gu Jinyan pulled away.
Jiang Tian finally snapped out of it.
And now she saw the man playing with his phone.
On the screen was a photo: a man and a woman locked in a passionate kiss, their intertwined hands adorned with a pair of rings.
Jiang Tian stared at the photo in shock, then couldn’t help but look down, only to realize that at some point, a ring had appeared on her ring finger!
“Gu Jinyan, you—!”
“Shh~ Don’t speak. You were quite into the kiss too just now.”
Gu Jinyan waved the phone with the photo, and amid her anger, Jiang Tian’s sharp eyes noticed that the screen wasn’t the camera interface but… the Weibo interface?!
Gu Jinyan had actually used his own account to post that photo just now!!
Jiang Tian’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Trembling, she pointed at Gu Jinyan, “You… you…”
She stuttered for a long time without forming a complete sentence. Pulling out her own phone, she tapped it open, and her vision almost went black, nearly causing her to faint on the spot.
Gu Jinyan: Honey, I was wrong~ I’ll kneel on durian for half an hour, just forgive me~ [crying.jpg] Next time, even if I’m meeting a friend, I’ll tell you in advance. Love you (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
Two attached images: one of them kissing intimately, and one of a durian.
Gu Jinyan looked at Jiang Tian, who was about to explode with anger, and smirked triumphantly, “Honey, thanks for cooperating with that kiss~”
Jiang Tian: MMP.
But after calming down, Jiang Tian straightened up and suddenly curled her lips into a smile as she looked at Gu Jinyan, “Since you want to put on a full act, without my response, do you think the fans will believe it?”
Gu Jinyan’s face darkened, “What do you mean?”
…
Upon hearing this, Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow, a sly smile spreading across her face, a stark contrast to her earlier stunned expression. The more she had been caught off guard by Gu Jinyan’s trick, the angrier she now felt upon realizing it!
Mimicking Gu Jinyan’s earlier move, she waved her phone, opened the camera, and said, “I believe you know how tragically I can cry. Do you think one photo and a few words will make the fans believe you? As long as I cry in front of the camera and add my non-forgiveness, I can completely confirm that you cheated.”
“I didn’t!” Gu Jinyan’s face turned cold at the word “cheated,” and the explanation almost slipped out.
But Jiang Tian didn’t care at all.
In her eyes, scumbags and hypocrites were a pair. Whatever Gu Jinyan actually thought, the book wrote it this way.
If she could transmigrate and be reborn, how could Gu Jinyan not cheat?!
Impossible!
Even if he hadn’t cheated now, he would in the future. So tricking this scumbag now wasn’t unfair.
“I don’t care if you did or didn’t. The public opinion thinks you did. If you want me to cooperate with your clarification, you have to agree to two conditions. First, break off the engagement—now!”
Gu Jinyan: …
After all this circling, this woman still wanted to break off the engagement.
The one who clung to him desperately before was her, and now the one shouting to break off the engagement was still her.
Gu Jinyan frowned.
“Not now, but three months from now, yes. If we break off right after this incident, it will only confirm it. I can agree to break it off in three months, but during this period, you must remain my fiancée!”
“…”
Jiang Tian was a bit unhappy about having to wait three more months, but after thinking about it, Gu Jinyan had a point. “Fine, put it in black and white so you can’t go back on your word and refuse to break it off.”
Jiang Tian found paper and a pen, immediately demanding that Gu Jinyan write a pledge.
Gu Jinyan opened his mouth, suddenly finding it ridiculous.
“Hah~ Jiang Tian, what do you mean? Do you think I would go back on my word and refuse to break off the engagement? That I would cling to you?”
Jiang Tian nodded solemnly, “Who knows, maybe you really think that way. After all, you did say earlier that you suddenly felt like marrying me. Sorry, but I’m scared!”
“…”
Gu Jinyan’s face flushed with anger, “Am I crazy? Would I want to marry you?! That was just a moment of anger, okay?! Sign it if you want! Who was clinging to me before?! Now I can’t wait to ditch you, you scheming woman!”
“Heh, compared to you, a scumbag, I’m already much better.”
Gu Jinyan: …
Furious, he grabbed the pen and wrote a pledge.
After finishing, he signed his name.
Jiang Tian hurriedly tucked the promise into her embrace, hiding it away.
Gu Jinyan glanced at her actions with disdain.
“Can we proceed now?”
“Not yet. Second, since Award-Winning Actor Gu said you’d kneel on durian and beg for forgiveness, this queen will grant your wish.” Jiang Tian grinned and called out to the stunned Cheng Fang, “Fang Fang, could you please go to the convenience store downstairs and buy two durians? Make sure they’re unripe and firm, so our award-winning actor Gu can kneel on them for half an hour.”
“Jiang Tian!” Gu Jinyan’s face turned pale with anger!
Jiang Tian shrugged, “You said it yourself. Be honest—that’s how your fans will believe you. Look…”
She pointed at the comments under Gu Jinyan’s Weibo post:
“Award-winning actor is so henpecked! I actually find it kinda cool and satisfying!”
“Thinking about the award-winning actor kneeling on durian to apologize—such a strangely comforting image.”
“If the award-winning actor kneels on durian, I’ll truly believe he didn’t cheat!”
“…”
Gu Jinyan’s eyes twitched as he read, and to make matters worse, this damn Jiang Tian actually replied below: “Live broadcast tonight at 9 PM—award-winning actor kneeling on durian for half an hour. Darlings, remember to watch~ PS: Hubby, whether I forgive you depends on your performance~ dog head.jpg”
Gu Jinyan: “…”