Chapter 151: I Remember Now

At this moment, Sang Yijia longed to ask Lu Wenchuan if he knew something, but she feared being discovered by the "Main World." She had tried similar things before, but they were useless; she would simply be erased. Sang Yijia knew full well that this world was merely a book, a secret that could never be spoken or revealed to anyone else.

"Yes," Sang Yijia replied, careful not to expose herself. She looked at their intertwined hands. "It truly begins from now."

"The past is the past."

The mini-game ended, and both Yan Ningsi and Bian He felt satisfied. Yet, looking back, they realized how childish it had been. Moreover, this was during a recording; if it were broadcast, wouldn't the audience figure something out?

Yan Ningsi became uneasy. "No, no, this part cannot be aired. Cut it. It must be cut."

Bian He immediately turned to look at the director.

Director Chen: "..."

He could agree to that; he would just have to speed up the footage. Director Chen had no objections.

After the meal, Sang Yijia and Lu Wenchuan went for a walk, while Shen Jing and Xu Wei, not being very familiar with each other, returned to their respective rooms. Yan Ningsi and Bian He stared at each other for a long while before agreeing to play video games in their room, deciding to invite Duan Yuqing to join them for a three-person session.

The cameras were constantly rolling. Duan Yuqing, who had come over to make up the numbers, intuited that she was nothing more than a giant, glowing lightbulb.

"Where's Jiajia?" Duan Yuqing’s game character had just died, and she was listlessly looking at messages in a group chat. Qi Bin had added her to it before signing the contract. They were still arguing over who should be the team leader. Duan Yuqing already felt it didn't matter; whoever wanted to do it could take the role.

"She went for a walk with Brother Lu," Yan Ningsi replied.

"It’s a date," Bian He corrected.

"Oh?" Duan Yuqing’s voice rose slightly. "Are they together?"

"When did that happen?" Duan Yuqing thought she should ask Sang Yijia later. She also recalled something else, though her memory was a bit hazy, and she needed to check with Sang Yijia.

Yan Ningsi shrugged. "I don't know about that."

"It must have been during this break," Yan Ningsi mused. "I tried to ask Jiajia out for some shopping before, but she was always busy."

"I don't know what she was talking about," Yan Ningsi pouted, then added, "Maybe she was busy building a relationship with Brother Lu?"

—

Sang Yijia, who had been inexplicably assigned the task of building a relationship with someone, felt her phone vibrate. She instinctively took it out to check; it was a reply from an email.

"A manuscript?" Lu Wenchuan didn't mean to pry, but since Sang Yijia had opened it right there, he saw it.

Sang Yijia nodded; she hadn't intended to hide it. "I wrote a manuscript earlier and submitted it to my eldest brother's company, but it didn't meet their requirements and was rejected."

"This is a website I found separately; it’s not bad." She was a newcomer here with no track record, but since her work was good, she could negotiate the price with the editor.

Sang Yijia checked the time; it was 9:30 PM. The editor was still reviewing manuscripts; this job was truly exhausting.

"I'll contact the editor tomorrow," Sang Yijia decided, not wanting to add to the editor's workload.

Lu Wenchuan had only glanced at it and hadn't clearly seen the title. "What kind of manuscript is it?"

"A murder mystery script, do you know it?" Sang Yijia said. "I was originally hoping it could be filmed."

"The effect would be much better that way."

"A murder mystery script?" This was the first time Lu Wenchuan had heard the term. "Could you explain it?"

He was not one to rush to conclusions about things he didn't understand. "Is it a game?"

"Something like that," Sang Yijia answered, then raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to get involved?"

"The Lu Group hasn't ventured into the film and television sector yet," Lu Wenchuan answered truthfully. "But Wei Heng could."

"Wei Heng?" This was the second time Sang Yijia had heard that name from Lu Wenchuan. "Oh, the big boss of this variety show."

"Yes," Sang Yijia nodded. "Understood."

"If you have more manuscripts, send them to me," Lu Wenchuan said. "I'll have Wei Heng take a look."

"You could be a guest when the time comes."

"I think I'll pass," Sang Yijia declined. "It's my manuscript. If I were to appear as a guest, it would be cheating. It wouldn't be fair to the other guests."

"Besides, I've already earned quite a bit from writing." There was no need to be a guest.

Sang Yijia hummed, lowering her gaze. She wanted to ask him a question. "I've been meaning to ask you something for a while."

"What is it?" Lu Wenchuan held her hand, feeling the warmth and softness of her palm, which sent ripples through his heart.

Sang Yijia felt her hand being squeezed, her earlobes flushing red. She asked, somewhat distractedly, "I want to donate to an orphanage."

"One in a remote area." The conditions in orphanages in bustling cities were much better than those in remote regions. That was the path Sang Yijia had walked.

"I know of some," Lu Wenchuan said, his tone gentle as he tucked a strand of hair blown by the wind behind her ear. "I know."

"You want to go see one?" Lu Wenchuan had been sponsoring orphanages for years. "Actually, there is an event coming up."

"When?" Sang Yijia’s heart skipped a beat; she felt as if Lu Wenchuan truly knew something.

"After this program ends. The specific date hasn't been set yet, but I'll let you know once it is," Lu Wenchuan replied. "We won't just be visiting one; the first location is a township near G City."

"Yunlai Village."

Sang Yijia’s heart trembled violently. It was the place where she used to live; it actually existed in the book as well.

—

Lan Qing chatted with her agent, Jian Hong, for over an hour before finally hanging up, washing, and lying down to rest. She drifted into a hazy sleep.

In her dream, Lan Qing saw scenes from the first recording of the dating show. In them, Sang Yijia was chasing after Shen Jin just as she had before, completely ignoring Lu Wenchuan, not even sparing him a glance.

In the dream, Lan Qing was lucid; she knew it was fake. In reality, none of those things had happened.

As an observer, Lan Qing watched until the end, seeing Sang Yijia die in a mental institution.

Suddenly, Lan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, a thought flashing in her mind: such an ending was exactly what Sang Yijia deserved.

But the next second, Lan Qing woke up—jolted awake.

She opened her eyes to see someone pounding on her hotel door, just like the scene in her dream where she was tied up in a hotel room, about to be sold abroad.

"Who is it?" Lan Qing broke out in a cold sweat. The air conditioning blew over her, giving her goosebumps and making her shiver.

"Miss Lan, it's us—the production crew," the person outside replied.

Lan Qing checked the time. It was six in the morning. She let out a sigh of relief but remained cautious. She didn't open the door, asking instead, "Are we starting the recording this early?"