Jiang Tian immediately pressed her lips together, miming a zipping motion. She took out her phone and sat at the bar counter, starting to scroll through it. Gu Jinyan, meanwhile, busied himself in the kitchen.
The kitchen was semi-open, so from her seat at the bar, Jiang Tian could look up and see Gu Jinyan moving about inside.
The man’s figure was excellent—tall and well-proportioned. He had taken off his jacket and was only wearing a white shirt.
The collar was undone, revealing his long, slender neck. The lines were smooth and elongated. Jiang Tian remembered that Gu Jinyan’s neck had been specifically singled out by fans for praise before, said to be even more beautiful than the “swan neck” of the famous dancer XXX, completely unlike a man’s.
Following the Adam’s apple downward was his upright frame. A black waterproof apron was tied around his waist. The cuffs on his sleeves were undone and rolled up three inches, exposing fair, clean wrists.
His hands, with distinct knuckles and long, slender fingers, were carefully washing vegetables. The stark contrast between his pale skin and the vibrant green vegetables made them look like a delicious dish.
As she watched, Jiang Tian’s focus drifted away from her phone screen. Her gaze, which had started as a covert glance, had now openly turned into shameless staring.
As if guided by some impulse, she picked up her phone, aimed it at Gu Jinyan, and pressed the shutter.
Click.
Jiang Tian herself was startled.
Looking up, she met Gu Jinyan’s gaze. Flustered, she quickly put her phone down, her face reddening as she snapped, “What are you looking at? A female celebrity taking a selfie—don’t you know about that?”
Gu Jinyan’s lips curved. “If you’re taking a selfie, why are you so flustered? Anyone would think you were coveting my good looks.”
“…”
Having her thoughts exposed, Jiang Tian felt somewhat awkward.
But the photo on her phone… she couldn’t bring herself to delete it. It was actually quite nice; it would make a good screensaver.
However, that was just a fleeting thought.
How could she possibly use her screensaver to display Gu Jinyan, that scumbag?
That spot was reserved for her idol!
Thinking of her idol…
A dreamy expression spread across Jiang Tian’s face as she switched to her alternate account and logged into Weibo. She expertly navigated to the super topic—#Yue Ying’s Harem Group#.
She frantically scoured all the latest photos of Yue Ying posted by netizens, virtually drooling over each one. After that, she went wild, leaving supportive comments under Yue Ying’s latest Weibo post!
“My Ying is the handsomest!”
“Oh my god, what celestial being possesses such divine looks!!!!!”
Attached were [Heart x1000+] emojis.
Ever since her past life, Jiang Tian had been a devoted fan of Yue Ying. But back then, she was the naïve and sweet character who was constantly torn to shreds by critics. She didn’t dare to be an open fan; even being a secret admisher worried her, afraid that anti-fans would latch onto it and stir up controversy.
In this life, it was three years earlier. She had no fame, and her idol had even less. The super topic only contained a handful of photos fans had scraped together from various sources.
But Jiang Tian knew Yue Ying would definitely become famous in the future. He would be the talented artist who succeeded Gu Jinyan, becoming the new award-winning actor sensation! Not only was his acting outstanding, but he was also skilled in singing and hosting—an all-rounder hailed as the most versatile and excellent entertainer!
In her past life, she had only been a fan for a little over three months before dying. In this life, she could fan over him for three more years, growing alongside her idol. Could she be any happier?
Suddenly, her phone dinged with a message notification.
Jiang Tian tapped to open it. Beneath her comment was an actual reply from Yue Ying himself.
Little Cute Yue Ying: “Thank you, little fairy. [Heart.jpg]”
“Awooo~ Yue Ying-gege replied to me! He actually replied! Oh my god!”
Jiang Tian was so excited she could cry. This was the first time her idol had personally replied to her. In her past life, when she discovered Yue Ying, he was already a national idol with tens of millions of fans. In this life, his fan count had just surpassed 500,000, and he was still a fresh-faced young idol. Yet, she had actually gotten a reply.
The thrill of finally being noticed was indescribable.
With trembling hands, Jiang Tian replied, “Thank you, hubby, for noticing me. I’ll keep supporting you forever. [Heart emoji barrage.jpg]”
“Who’s your hubby?”
A cold voice suddenly sounded behind her. Jiang Tian jumped, clutching her phone to her chest, and glared at the seemingly apparition-like Gu Jinyan behind her. “You’re snooping on my privacy!”
“It’s the indecent smile on your face that gave it away.”
Jiang Tian: …
Alright, since they were currently playing pretend spouses and soon-to-be parents, she should tone it down and strive to provide a warm, stable environment for the baby’s gestation.
Faking a couple of coughs, she turned her head and saw Gu Jinyan placing dishes on the table.
Jiang Tian went over to help but was rejected.
“Just sit there obediently and wait to eat.”
The man wore a serious expression, looking incredibly stern on the surface, but hearing those words actually felt kind of warm?
She rubbed the tip of her nose, washed her hands, and obediently placed them on the table, waiting to eat.
Gu Jinyan went back and forth, busy serving the dishes. Soon, when the table was fully set, Jiang Tian was amazed. The dishes she had randomly listed—lobster in supreme broth, lion’s head meatballs, steamed pork belly with rice flour wrapped in lotus leaves, candied lotus seeds from Hunan—were actually all laid out before her.
And they looked, smelled, and (she assumed) tasted perfect.
Just the sight alone was enough to make her mouth water.
Before she could even move, Gu Jinyan used serving chopsticks to place the tenderest part of the sweet and sour carp into her bowl.
Jiang Tian couldn’t resist taking a bite. The meat was fresh and tender, smooth and crispy, with a full-bodied texture that hardly required chewing. The flavor had thoroughly penetrated it.
After eating it, she had only one thought!
She could cry from happiness!
Even though she knew Gu Jinyan was smugly watching her, enjoying her famished and somewhat embarrassed state, Jiang Tian still wolfed down the food shamelessly.
It wasn’t that she was particularly greedy or that she had never eaten these dishes before.
It was just that Gu Jinyan’s cooking skills were simply too outstanding.
“Wait a moment.”
Just as Jiang Tian was scooping up chicken from her bowl, she suddenly stopped.
She took out her phone, snapped a few photos, and immediately posted them on Weibo.
Jiang Tian: #Award-winning actor’s cooking skills, just take a look. Actually, it’s just average. [dog head.jpg]#
As soon as the Weibo was posted, the comments exploded instantly.
Will 2019 Rabbit Su have savings of 100,000? Yes, she will!: “Oh my god? The award-winning actor cooked this?”
Is My Crush Handsome Today?: “These cooking skills are insane! Worthy of the man I stan!”
My Makeup Can Afford a Down Payment This Year: “I bow down! Genuinely envious of Sister Jiang who gets to eat the award-winning actor’s cooking. Begging Sister Jiang to post more!”
Caicai Wants to Achieve a Relationship Milestone with Her Boyfriend This Year: “Genuine envy +1”
Envy +2
Same, envious…
…
Within minutes, Jiang Tian’s Weibo post had been reposted over a thousand times with tens of thousands of comments. Jiang Tian, while marveling at how genuinely excellent Gu Jinyan was—capable both in the living room and the kitchen—buried her head and ate vigorously.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiying, who had just been driven out by the Gu couple and was now scrolling through her phone in her van, saw this Weibo post: …
Her face turned green.
Jiang Tian, surprisingly, ate a whole bowl of rice and still felt it wasn’t enough. But as an excellent female entertainer, she couldn’t eat that much, or else her beautiful little dresses wouldn’t fit. However, licking her lips and looking at the table full of dishes, she felt unwilling to stop.
She glanced at Gu Jinyan sitting beside her, watching her eat without touching his own chopsticks.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“No appetite.”
Only then did Jiang Tian remember that Gu Jinyan hadn’t been feeling well lately.
“Have you been to the hospital yet?”
Gu Jinyan didn’t answer. Instead, looking at her eyes that couldn’t leave the food, he found it somewhat amusing. “If you still want to eat, I won’t laugh at you. After all, there’s another one in your belly.”
Jiang Tian: …
She nodded. “Mhm, right. Actually, I don’t really want to eat that much. I don’t eat a lot normally. It’s mainly because… there’s another one in my belly, right.”
Jiang Tian lifted her chin, but the bowl in her hand had already been taken by Gu Jinyan to serve her more rice.
Finally, after finishing the meal, when Jiang Tian stepped on the scale and saw the new weight, she was so ashamed she wanted to kill herself—96.4.
She had gained a full two pounds…
She could cry herself blind.
Lying on the bed, she thought about doing sit-ups, but then remembered the little one in her belly, making her want to cry even more.
Forget it, gaining weight is fine. After ten months of gaining, she’ll be tough again.
Over on his side, after cleaning up the dishes and taking a shower, Gu Jinyan couldn’t help but open his phone to check Jiang Tian’s updates.
He wasn’t interested in browsing Weibo. All his accounts were basically managed by Li Xia. Who he followed and unfollowed was all decided by Li Xia. But since that night, he seemed to be paying frequent attention to Jiang Tian.
When he saw the latest Weibo post, Gu Jinyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The corners of his mouth lifted as he logged into his account and reposted the Weibo.
Gu Jinyan V: Just average, yet someone ate two bowls of rice tonight? [dog head.jpg] //@Jiang Tian: #Award-winning actor’s cooking skills, just take a look. Actually, it’s just average. [dog head.jpg]#
His repost caused an even faster explosion in the comments than Jiang Tian’s original post.
Dreaming of Success Useless Knife Knife: “This bowl of dog food, bottoms up first.”
Caicai Wants to Achieve a Relationship Milestone with Her Boyfriend This Year: “I’m not envious at all, really, not at all! Sob sob… I need to find my own tall boyfriend for comfort!”
My Makeup Can Afford a Down Payment This Year: “So, Sister Jiang has such a big appetite? I always thought female celebrities ate very little. 233333…”
Is My Crush Handsome Today?: “Just want to say, this is some solid dog food. Is a certain white lotus who only dares to show flowers but not her face, riding on coattails, still envious?”
BHMGFD This is Gibberish: “Upstairs is so sharp, 23333. Someone might be crying now~ Addendum: The flower-sending thing—it was the white lotus herself who cried, begged, and acted pitiful, tricking my crush’s assistant into sending them. It wasn’t my crush Gu who sent them. My crush and that scheming btch aren’t that close.”
Caicai Wants to Achieve a Relationship Milestone with Her Boyfriend This Year: “Upstairs seems to have some tea. Please spill in detail.”
BHMGFD This is Gibberish: “Pointing the way to the crush’s agent’s Weibo. You’re welcome.”
…
While the internet was buzzing with excitement, Jiang Tian also eagerly went to follow Li Xia’s Weibo. She saw a post Li Xia had made a week ago.
Li Xia Xia Who Loves to Dream: Some people are truly disgusting. As if I were blind all those years, tricking me into sending red envelopes, tricking me into sending flowers, then turning around and using them for tie-in sales and randomly stepping on others. Your face has dropped on the floor; please pick it up, okay?! [Angry.jpg]
Jiang Tian couldn’t help but feel surprised.
So, those flowers and red envelopes were sent by Li Xia?
But that seemed to have nothing to do with her.
Lying on the bed, she decided to log into her long-unused gaming account for a round of PUBG. Suddenly, a message popped up in the game.
— “Up for a match?”