Chapter 144: Watching a Movie

Shen Jin took Lan Qing’s refusal as mere coy resistance, dismissing it entirely. "I’ll be waiting for you in my room tonight."

Lan Qing could no longer contain herself. "Shen Jin, aren't you afraid of getting caught again?"

"How could that be?" Shen Jin replied dismissively. "This is a mutual arrangement. If anything, the headlines will probably say that Lan Qing couldn't forget me and offered herself up at the hotel in the dead of night."

Shen Jin smiled smugly. "Sigh, seeing you like this now, I really do regret it. If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed to switch CP partners."

The smile on Lan Qing's face was becoming impossible to maintain. Fortunately, Shen Jin’s manager, unable to watch any longer, cleared his throat to remind him to mind his public image.

The two groups then parted ways.

Lan Qing was genuinely worried and fearful of what Shen Jin might do, her heart hammering against her ribs. Once she boarded the nanny van, her mind wasn't on the filming at all; she was staring at her phone. Huang Hong’s contact information was on WeChat, and she hoped to avoid reaching out to him unless absolutely necessary. Resorting to him meant committing to another night, or perhaps several.

She stared at the screen for a long time, not even noticing the group director’s questions until her assistant nudged her.

"What's wrong?" Lan Qing exited WeChat, deciding to just take things as they come. If something really happened, she would deal with it then.

"Is Qingqing very busy with work lately?" the director asked. "Since getting in the van, your attention has been entirely on your phone."

"Yes," Lan Qing nodded. "My workload has increased recently. Both a movie and a television series are in preparation." That was all she could reveal.

Her assistant chimed in to explain, "Besides those, Qingqing also has several brand endorsements to shoot."

The director understood; the previous scandal hadn't affected Lan Qing at all. There shouldn't be any major issues with this program's recording.

The van continued toward the hotel, and along the way, Lan Qing’s group crossed paths with Shen Jin’s team again. The encounter was inevitably awkward, but Lan Qing paid no mind, her focus remaining on her phone.

Shen Jin, who had Lan Qing on WeChat, sent her a message: [You’ve already slept with Huang Hong, so what’s one more with me?]

Shen Jin knew well that flowery words didn't work on Lan Qing; only deals involving interests were worth discussing. [One night, and I’ll get you an endorsement. How about it?]

Shen Jin currently held an endorsement deal that lacked a female lead. If Lan Qing agreed, he would begrudgingly take her along. If she refused, he would consider Sang Yijia instead. After all, between Lan Qing and Sang Yijia, he preferred the latter; it was far more interesting to see a pristine, flawless piece of white jade stained with a hint of red. Lan Qing had already been used by others, so Shen Jin only meant to play with her briefly; he wouldn't take it to heart.

After waiting for a while and seeing no reply from Lan Qing, he scoffed and put his phone down. His manager, sitting beside him, cleared his throat as a warning not to overstep. Fortunately, the cameras were focused on the other group; otherwise, if this scene were captured and uploaded, there would be no end to the backlash.

Shen Jin responded lazily, "I know."

***

Yan Ningsi knew that Lan Qing and Shen Jin would arrive by evening, while the other male guest wouldn't arrive until later that night. The whole group was scheduled to gather for dinner.

Yan Ningsi clicked her tongue. "Looks like there’s a good show in store for us."

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" Bian He walked over with his phone and sat beside her. Their interaction was so natural it looked like a couple who had been living together for a year. Looking at the feed on the monitors, the staff in the next room were stunned.

"Could it be that they are already together?" The group director had just seen in the chat that Sang Yijia and Lu Wenchuan had become a couple. They had only been together for a few days! The director thought romance was truly mysterious.

"What?" another staff member exclaimed. "That seems unlikely. Their way of interacting feels more like friends."

At that moment, Yan Ningsi leaned over to look at Bian He’s phone. After a quick glance, she looked away. "Not interested. I don't like movies. Concerts, maybe—preferably classical music."

"Then why do you play rock?" Bian He asked, brow furrowed. Recalling Yan Ningsi’s style, she seemed to dabble in everything, but classical music didn't seem to fit her at all.

Yan Ningsi rolled her eyes. "Does what I like have to conflict with my career?"

"No," Bian He replied, taken aback. "It’s just strange."

"What’s strange about that?" Yan Ningsi put her phone down. "Take Sang Yijia, for example. Would you ever guess she’s a hardcore anime fan?"

"????" Why was Sang Yijia being brought up out of nowhere? Bian He couldn't comprehend it.

Meanwhile, after the hardcore anime fan Sang Yijia woke from her afternoon nap, Lu Wenchuan arrived with cake and cookies. Uncle Chen and Aunt Zhang had long since followed Sang Zheng’s instructions: whenever Lu Wenchuan was around, someone must be standing guard to ensure he didn't make any improper moves toward their young mistress. True to his duty, Uncle Chen stood by the living room, unmoving and steady as a mountain.

Lu Wenchuan felt the immense pressure. Sang Yijia knew why and couldn't help but laugh. "Uncle Chen, why don't you sit down and watch a movie with us?"

There were no plans for the afternoon, and the program wouldn't resume until the evening. Sang Yijia had no intention of going out; the sun by the sea was intense, and she feared tanning. Uncle Chen firmly declined, and Sang Yijia had no choice but to let it go.

"What movie shall we watch?" Lu Wenchuan sat beside Sang Yijia. He could smell a faint scent of milk on her—likely from her body wash. He forced himself not to focus on her, yet his senses subconsciously tracked her every move. For instance, when she ate a cherry, her soft, pink lips were far more alluring than the vibrant red of the fruit. Lu Wenchuan suddenly felt his throat go dry.

"What should we watch?" Sang Yijia thought for a moment and searched on her phone. This world was connected to reality, and many things were linked. "Do you like Hayao Miyazaki’s anime?" Sang Yijia had watched this series hundreds of times. When there was no internet, she would watch the movies she had downloaded over and over again.

"Let’s go with this one," Sang Yijia selected a title. "Howl's Moving Castle."

It carried the scent of romance. It seemed appropriate for the two of them to watch, at least that was what Sang Yijia thought.