Jiang Tian was determined to make things difficult for Gu Jinyan. Since he had boasted that she could order anything, she naturally wouldn’t hold back. She took out her phone, searched “Eight Great Cuisines of China” on Baidu, and immediately started listing dishes.
“I want to eat sweet and sour carp, stir-fried spicy pork intestines, steamed pork with preserved mustard greens, lobster in supreme broth, lion’s head meatballs, chicken in tomato sauce, steamed pork belly with rice flour wrapped in lotus leaves, and candied lotus seeds from Hunan.”
She rattled off eight dishes in one breath.
Yet, Gu Jinyan didn’t even bat an eye.
He turned to look at her.
“Done?”
“Mhm, done.”
Jiang Tian couldn’t help but blink her large eyes. She then watched as Gu Jinyan pushed the shopping cart to the second-floor grocery section.
Fresh shrimp, fish, meat, sauces, vinegar, oil—everything needed was found and placed in the shopping cart with precise accuracy. By the time Jiang Tian snapped back to reality, Gu Jinyan had already filled the cart to the brim.
Before leaving the grocery section, he even remembered to buy fruit.
Jiang Tian was somewhat astonished. It seemed his claim of frequenting the supermarket wasn’t an exaggeration.
She didn’t need to worry during checkout either. She exited the payment area first, waiting outside while watching Gu Jinyan inside.
She watched his over-six-foot-tall frame squeezed among a crowd of elderly uncles and aunties. He wore a black baseball cap that covered half his face, revealing only the lower part.
His nose bridge was straight and well-defined, his lips thin like a leaf.
His jawline was also more pronounced and angular than most.
In all fairness, Gu Jinyan’s face was incredibly attractive. Whether on the big screen or in TV dramas, he was exceptionally photogenic. In fact, his face was so perfect that sometimes it could make people overlook his acting skills.
But this guy was so annoyingly talented that his acting was also top-tier. Winning two Best Actor awards at such a young age was truly enviable.
After achieving fame, he stepped back from the spotlight, becoming a power player controlling half the entertainment industry. Just imagining that lavish lifestyle was thrilling. If he ever wanted to make a comeback, he could step back into acting anytime for fun.
Although, in her past life, until her death, she never saw the award-winning actor Gu make a comeback to film.
“Let’s go.”
Gu Jinyan glanced at her as he passed by, reminding her.
Jiang Tian responded with an “Oh” and followed behind him.
Perhaps because he was considering her current status as a pregnant woman, Gu Jinyan didn’t let her carry a single heavy item the entire time. He carried two fully loaded bags himself all the way. Jiang Tian actually felt a bit embarrassed.
They drove back to the villa.
After parking in the garage, as they were coming out, they saw someone standing at the front door.
Jiang Tian’s face instantly darkened.
Who else could it be but Zhao Xiying, who had vanished for two weeks?
Seeing the two emerge from the garage, with Gu Jinyan carrying two large bags of groceries, Zhao Xiying was taken aback.
“A-Yan, you… went grocery shopping with Miss Jiang? Why didn’t you have the housekeeper go?”
Gu Jinyan would never go to the supermarket himself. At least, during their time together, whenever she asked him to go, he always declined. Yet, seeing Gu Jinyan standing beside Jiang Tian, holding groceries, she couldn’t help but feel the two looked strangely well-matched.
Zhao Xiying’s expression was extremely unpleasant.
“Aunt Wang and Sister Sun aren’t here. What do you need?”
Gu Jinyan looked at Zhao Xiying coldly.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tian stood behind Gu Jinyan, her wide, round eyes carefully observing every nuance of their expressions, not daring to miss a single detail.
After all, according to the fan-imposed curse, these two were supposed to team up to destroy her.
Jiang Tian was on high alert, her heart in her throat.
Suddenly, a ding notification sounded in her mind.
[System counterattack mission: #The female supporting character and male lead show off their affection, making that naive and sweet Jiang Tian die of jealousy# Mission completion reward: 1 point.]
“…”
Here we go again.
Why hadn’t she seen this one while scrolling through the task list before?
Counterattack and flaunting affection?
How is this a counterattack?
Whose face is being slapped?
Zhao Xiying’s or Gu Jinyan’s?
Obviously, getting cozy with Zhao Xiying to flaunt affection and slap Gu Jinyan’s face wouldn’t work. Then it could only be…
Jiang Tian’s eyes lit up.
Just as Zhao Xiying was about to speak, Jiang Tian stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around the man in front of her, and cooed, “Husband~ Ms. Zhao has come all this way; we can’t just leave her standing outside. Let’s go in quickly, I’m feeling a bit cold.”
Gu Jinyan: …
His eye twitched as he looked at Jiang Tian’s ghostly smile and her waist swaying like a water snake. His face darkened with the urge to straighten her up right then and there, but…
“Mhm.”
He stiffly nodded.
The petrified Zhao Xiying: “…”
Gu Jinyan went ahead to open the door, carrying the bags inside. Jiang Tian followed behind. Just before entering, she turned back with a smile to look at Zhao Xiying. “Sister Zhao, come on in, don’t be shy.”
While changing shoes, she opened the shoe cabinet, glanced inside, and suddenly let out an exaggerated gasp. “Oh, I’m so sorry! There are only mine and Yan Yan’s slippers here—they’re a couple’s set. It wouldn’t be appropriate to give you those. But there aren’t any others… If you don’t mind, you could use Aunt Wang’s or Sister Sun’s for now. I’ll buy them new ones later.”
She was holding a pair of simple, plain cloth shoes that looked unmistakably like something an elderly person would wear.
Zhao Xiying’s face darkened.
Hmph, buying new ones for the maids and making me wear their old ones. Is Jiang Tian implying those two maids would even look down on me?!
Zhao Xiying desperately suppressed her rage.
Forcing a smile, she said, “No need, I’ll just go barefoot.”
With that, she bent down to take off her shoes.
She walked barefoot on the floor.
Standing behind her, Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow.
She put the two pairs of cloth shoes back.
Gu Jinyan happened to come out of the kitchen just then.
Zhao Xiying took a deep breath and spoke up, feigning hesitation.
“A-Yan, I need to talk to you…”
Her fair, delicate face showed a mix of helplessness, worry, and a hint of pleading. Combined with her plain, straight hair and the simple white dress that looked almost like mourning attire, she truly appeared pitiful.
In contrast, Jiang Tian, in her black and white striped shirt and black flared trousers, seemed somewhat aggressive, almost as if she were bullying someone—especially since Zhao Xiying kept glancing pointedly at Jiang Tian, implying her presence was an issue.
Jiang Tian inwardly sneered. She tossed her head, her face instantly transforming into a sickeningly sweet smile. “Husband~ I’m feeling a bit tired, and my stomach is a little uncomfortable. I’ll go upstairs first. You and Ms. Zhao have a good talk.”
As she passed by Gu Jinyan, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, pulling her into his embrace. “Stay and sit here. It’s nothing that needs to be hidden. Dinner will be ready soon. Eat before going up.”
“Aiyah, is that really appropriate?”
Jiang Tian looked shamelessly at Zhao Xiying.
Zhao Xiying was on the verge of exploding with anger.
But Gu Jinyan simply wouldn’t send Jiang Tian away.
She couldn’t understand it at all.
Didn’t Gu Jinyan dislike Jiang Tian before?
For the sake of his public image and persona, he could tolerate Jiang Tian in front of others. But why was Gu Jinyan acting this way in front of her too?!
Could he actually have feelings for Jiang Tian?!
Zhao Xiying’s face alternated between shades of green and white.
The three of them sat on the sofa. Jiang Tian was the most relaxed, massaging her wrist and loosening her muscles. She had only been at it for a few moments when Gu Jinyan naturally took her wrist and started massaging it for her.
Jiang Tian: “…”
She was stunned for a moment, looking at Gu Jinyan in disbelief.
But then she understood.
Gu Jinyan was acting along with her!
Truly worthy of being an award-winning actor—so professional!
He got into character instantly; even she almost believed it!
Since entering this villa, Zhao Xiying’s expression hadn’t improved, and now she couldn’t even sit still.
“My agent said that since the incident, my image has plummeted. So… I was hoping you could help clarify things, A-Yan. I…” Zhao Xiying’s face showed embarrassment.
“Clarify? Didn’t we already clarify? Yan Yan, right?”
Jiang Tian asked curiously.
She looked up at Gu Jinyan, who nodded. “Mhm. Tian Tian is right.”
Zhao Xiying: …
That hurts.
“But that role you promised me before is gone now. I just returned to the country, and because of that incident, no one is offering me roles either. I… A-Yan, please help me. For the sake of our years of friendship, okay? I know the Weibo incident was my fault, but I really didn’t mean it that way. I genuinely just wanted to show off our friendship. I…”
Zhao Xiying looked like she was about to cry.
Jiang Tian couldn’t help but inwardly marvel. For someone with Zhao Xiying’s strong mental fortitude to be on the verge of tears, she must have been driven to desperation.
But…
You still look like a disgusting white lotus!
She turned to look at Gu Jinyan.
A clear expression of watching a good show on her face.
Logically speaking, since Gu Jinyan and the female supporting character were meant to be together, shouldn’t he help his old flame now? After all, he did send her flowers once.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jinyan did speak up, but he refused outright.
“I’m afraid I can’t help. I wouldn’t want my wife to be upset.”
“…”
“Besides, I think you have talent for acting. If you work hard and study on your own, you might still succeed. Relying on others all the time will only create dependency. I’ll visit Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao in the next few days. I heard Uncle Zhao is in the hospital; I haven’t had a chance to visit yet. It happens that I know some doctors in the northern city who can help arrange things.”
“…”
If the first part severed Zhao Xiying’s hopes, the second part completely cut off her escape route.
The Zhao family had indeed shown kindness to the Gu family, but that kindness was from the elders towards Gu Jinyan.
If Uncle Zhao was ill and struggling to find medical help, then Gu Jinyan would offer this favor, essentially repaying the debt from back then.
Before this, Zhao Xiying could still use their past to guilt-trip Gu Jinyan.
But from today onward, Zhao Xiying would have no more ground to stand on.
Rejected so decisively, Zhao Xiying could no longer stay. She hastily left the villa.
At that moment, a ding sounded in Jiang Tian’s head.
The system notified her that the mission was complete.
The reward point was stored again.
Jiang Tian grinned foolishly, looking at the single point she had saved up again.
She hadn’t noticed much effect from the “Radiance Elixir” she bought with three points earlier. But these past few days, after consecutive late-night filming sessions, she finally realized its worth. In the past, her skin would have become dull from such a demanding schedule, but this time, it was completely fine. This “Radiance Elixir” was far more reliable than any high-end cosmetics.
If possible, she wished for a few more such random drop missions every day.
Gu Jinyan closed the door and turned around to see Jiang Tian giggling to herself.
He raised an eyebrow.
With a smile, he asked, “Satisfied?”