Chapter 80

Three days later was Saturday. Shen Lihuan’s whole family went to the hospital to visit her three-month-old baby brother. She excitedly read him a fairy tale, even though the baby still hadn’t been given a formal name. After her, You Changqing followed up with a joyful poem for their little brother.

The three adults gathered to chat about how the baby looked now and what they imagined he’d grow up to be like.

“No matter what my son looks like, I’ll love him,”

Shen Jiashu had a high level of awareness.

Gu Qinglan was more rational. “It’s better if our son looks more like you. He’ll be more masculine when he grows up.”

Gu Tingyu, stroking his chin with ambition in his eyes, said, “They say nephews take after their uncles. If the little one looks like me, I definitely wouldn’t mind.”

“I’d mind. How can my son not look like me and Qinglan?”

Shen Jiashu shot Gu Tingyu a side glance. Sure, Gu Tingyu was handsome, but compared to Shen Jiashu, his features were a little more delicate.

“What’s wrong with looking like me? I’m not bad-looking, okay? Our little one will definitely be a heartthrob in the future.”

Gu Tingyu retorted in disbelief.

Gu Qinglan looked at the two arguing with amusement. “Alright, you two are pushing seventy or eighty combined, still bickering like kids. Aren’t you embarrassed? No matter who the baby looks like, he’s still our treasure.”

After finishing the story and poem, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing sat nearby munching on the metaphorical melon seeds as spectators. Once Shen Jiashu and Gu Tingyu exchanged a final glare, they shifted the conversation.

The baby still had more than six months before being born. After spending the whole morning with him, the family reluctantly left. When Shen Lihuan remembered that Huo Ran was shooting an ad for Shengyan today—and that You Changhong, his fanboy, had gone to watch—she and You Changqing decided to drop by Shengyan as well.

Huo Ran didn’t take many endorsement jobs, but all the brands he represented were top-tier. So the shoot was going smoothly. You Changhong was watching intently from the sidelines, clearly enjoying himself. Shen Lihuan and You Changqing exchanged a smile and patted his shoulder.

Startled, You Changhong nearly jumped out of his skin. When he turned around and saw his two sisters, he let out a breath of relief. “Geez, were you trying to scare me to death?”

“You were just too into it—you didn’t even hear us walk up.”

You Changqing looked at her little brother with mild disdain and pulled Shen Lihuan down to sit beside him.

You Changhong, utterly oppressed by his sisters, could only pat his chest and comfort himself with a real man doesn’t fight with women.

Shen Lihuan looked toward Huo Ran, who was mid-shoot. He wore a white dress shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing an alluring collarbone and a tantalizing glimpse of his chest. He was slightly bent forward, rinsing the foam off his face with clear water. The water also soaked his neck, and droplets slid down along his long neck—an absolutely seductive scene of male beauty.

Looks like the director knows what he’s doing.

Shen Lihuan glanced right—sure enough, the director was watching Huo Ran with great appreciation.

“Cut! That’s a wrap!”

As soon as the director called it, Sister Qin brought over a towel for Huo Ran. He immediately wiped the water off his face and neck. His shirt was already soaked and clinging uncomfortably to his body.

You Changhong jumped up and ran over to Huo Ran. “Brother Huo, that was amazing! You acted so well—once the final cut’s out, it’ll definitely blow up in Green Country!”

Huo Ran let out a soft laugh. “I’ll take that as a good omen.”

The shoot wrapped faster than Shen Lihuan had expected—she’d originally wanted to see how a commercial was made but ended up missing most of it.

“Since the shoot’s over, let’s head out. Lihuan, let’s go have lunch at Carnival. Judging by the way Changhong’s looking, he’s probably hoping to eat with Huo Ran. I don’t want a third wheel tagging along.”

You Changqing looped her arm through Shen Lihuan’s, looking a bit disappointed. This visit felt like a waste.

“Alright, just the two of us sounds good. A couple’s restaurant wouldn’t suit Changhong and Huo Ran anyway.”

Shen Lihuan stood up and took You Changqing’s hand, but not before sending a message to You Changhong, telling him that she and Changqing had left first and he should sort out lunch on his own.

Still, Changhong probably just liked Huo Ran the way a fan adores an idol, right? Besides, Ye Muyan was still lurking around with his watchful eyes. Huo Ran was in his thirties now, and there was quite an age gap between him and Changhong.

Shen Lihuan quietly mocked herself for overthinking and quickly tossed the thought aside as she went off to enjoy her quality time with You Changqing.

Only poor You Changhong, realizing his two sisters had ditched him again, ground his teeth in frustration—but still, having lunch with his idol wasn’t so bad.

After eating until he was stuffed, You Changhong said goodbye to Huo Ran and went home. Right then, a message came in from Ye Muyan:

“Changhong, have you eaten?”

You Changhong rubbed his belly, now round like a watermelon, and felt a little guilty.

“I have. What about you, Brother Ye?”

“I’m just about to eat. Did you eat at home or out?”

You Changhong’s eyes darted around guiltily. For some reason, he didn’t dare tell Ye Muyan the truth. His fingers trembled as he typed a white lie:

“Of course I ate at home. You don’t know—our chef just learned a few new dishes. They’re so good, I don’t even want to eat out anymore.”

Two minutes later, Ye Muyan finally replied:

“Oh, really?”

You Changhong’s heart started pounding. Did he say something wrong? Did he slip up?

Wait a second—why was he even thinking like he’d done something wrong? He just had a meal with his idol, that’s all! Why did it feel like he’d cheated on Brother Ye?

Instead of replying, Ye Muyan called directly.

You Changhong got such a fright he nearly dropped his phone. After coughing a few times, he finally answered.

“Brother Ye? What’s up?”

“Nothing really. Just remembered I got two movie tickets someone gave me. Didn’t you say you liked Chu Ze’s films? Let’s go watch one together tonight.”

Ye Muyan’s voice on the phone was warm, with a teasing edge. That deep, magnetic tone had You Changhong completely hooked.

He laughed in return,

“Sure! Just the two of us?”

“Of course. Watching a movie with you—how could I allow a third wheel to come along?”

You Changhong clutched his phone and grinned like an idiot.

Oh my god, Brother Ye is too smooth. That deep voice is way too sexy.

“Hehehe, see you tonight then. Are you coming to pick me up?”

“Mm, the little prince is waiting for me to come get you.”

After hanging up, You Changhong grinned and flopped onto the bed, rolling around. Aaaaah, what did Brother Ye mean by that? That was so cheesy! He even called me ‘little prince’—just thinking about it makes me feel so embarrassed~

Ye Muyan looked at the phone after the call ended and suddenly curled his lips into a smile. Sneaking off to have dinner with some random guy and lying to him on top of that—how should he deal with this naughty little thing?

Ye Muxi happened to catch that smile on his brother’s face and was so startled that he dropped his spoon. Was his brother plotting something? That smile was downright scary.

At the Carnival Restaurant, Shen Lihuan placed a neatly cut portion of her steak on You Changqing’s plate. “Everyone who dared leave nasty comments about you has been punished. I’d like to see if they dare run their mouths again.”

The punishments were announced yesterday. Aside from being muted online for a week, those people had to do one month of volunteer work at community centers, orphanages, or retirement homes. They didn’t dare complain about the punishment and obediently accepted it, though their resentment toward Qin Aocheng only grew.

They really were blind to have stanned the wrong person.

“You deserve a reward.”

You Changqing beamed as she forked a small piece of steak and fed it to Shen Lihuan. Shen chewed and swallowed, then licked the sauce from the corner of her lips. “Steak tastes better when you feed it to me.”

“Then let me feed you another bite.”

You Changqing knew full well what she meant and fed her again. The two of them kept feeding each other and ended up eating way more than usual.

“Let’s go. It’s not good to sit around after a big meal—let’s take a walk.”

After paying the bill, Shen Lihuan took You Changqing by the hand and left the Carnival. Their fingers interlocked. It was already autumn and the cool breeze was blowing, but Changqing’s heart still burned like summer. Just walking side by side with Lihuan like this felt like it was only the two of them in the whole world. The passing people and cars didn’t exist—no matter how noisy the world was, being with Lihuan brought only inner peace.

You Changqing leaned her head on Shen Lihuan’s shoulder, her face lit up with joy.

Shen Lihuan lowered her head to gaze at her affectionately, her peach blossom eyes full of gentle smiles.

October skies are fickle—changing in a heartbeat like a child’s face. A moment ago the breeze was cool, but as they walked into a park, it began to drizzle. Shen Lihuan took off her light jacket and draped it over both their heads, pulling Changqing into the pavilion to take cover.

It was really only a light rain, and neither of them was soaked, so once they reached the pavilion, they burst into laughter.

“Lihuan, doesn’t this feel like a scene from a drama?” said You Changqing, eyes sparkling. “The guy takes off his coat to shield the girl from the rain—so many girls think that kind of thing is super romantic.”

Shen Lihuan tossed the jacket onto a bench. “Do you think it’s romantic?”

“Anything you do is romantic.”

You Changqing tilted her head cutely—a perfect “tilted-head kill.”

A dangerous smile curled at Shen Lihuan’s lips. “There’s something even more romantic.”

She pressed You Changqing against the wall, lifted her delicate chin, and kissed her. In her past life, she had lived in loneliness, but in this life, she met Changqing early. Maybe it was destiny—she and Changqing were fated. In her last life, without Changqing, she was all alone.

521 had said she was a virtuous soul, beloved by heaven in every life. But all she wanted was to meet Changqing again in her next life, even if she were poor and destitute—she’d gladly accept it.

Three days later, the Shengyan men’s line officially launched. Shengyan’s first commercial aired on the national TV general channel. In just two minutes, the hashtags Shengyan Men’s Line and Huo Ran as Brand Ambassador shot to the top two spots on the trending charts.

“Ahhh! Is that my Huo Huo?! So he’s been MIA these days because he was filming a Shengyan ad?! OMG, I need air! That’s Shengyan! And my man landed the endorsement!!”

“Huo Ran is insane. Even went to prison and still got to endorse Shengyan. Capital W Winner.”

“What do you mean ‘went to prison’? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, shut up. Huo Huo was framed—he’s innocent.”

“Let’s not bring up sad stuff. Can’t we just admire his looks in peace? He’s in his thirties and still looks that fresh?!”

“Didn’t he actually go to prison though? Framed or not, he was in prison. Why can’t we mention that?”

“To the one above—don’t be gross. And don’t forget which family owns Shengyan. Also, a little insider info: when Huo Ran filmed the ad, the young master of the You family was present. He’s a fan of Huo Ran. Let that sink in.”

“…”

“…”

Now no one dared to speak. The people who had insulted the You family’s young lady were still locked up. Who knew Huo Ran had so much pull—even the You family’s young master was a fan.

Ye Muyan stumbled across this post by chance and finally found out who Changhong had dinner with that day. His gaze turned cold as he stared at Huo Ran’s face on the screen—he was livid.

Last time when he invited Changhong to the movies, Changhong had blushed and spaced out in front of him. Ye Muyan thought it meant Changhong liked him, even if he was still young and didn’t understand those feelings yet. He was willing to wait for Changhong to come around—but in the meantime, he absolutely would not let anyone else interfere.

It looked like it was time to take action.

Very soon, Sister Qin received an audition invitation. Director Wang’s new film needed a second male lead. Both the director and investors thought Huo Ran would be perfect and invited him to audition. As long as the audition went well, the role was his.

They say many singers make good actors too, and Huo Ran had always been interested in acting. He prepped seriously for two days, and when the day came, went in for the audition. He wasn’t confident, but to his surprise, Director Wang chose him without hesitation.

So Huo Ran packed up and headed to the film set.

Sister Qin was happy. Huo Ran was happy. The director was happy. And Ye Muyan was very happy.