Chapter Thirty-Seven: Pushed Into the Water

Sang Yijia suddenly sensed something and looked up across from her, her gaze landing on Lan Qing. However, the distance between them was too great for either to see the other's expression clearly.

"Do you know how to swim?" Sang Yijia suddenly recalled a scene from the original novel, her brows knitting slightly.

Lu Wenchuan frowned in confusion. "I do. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," Sang Yijia shook her head. "Just looking at the fish pond, I'm afraid something might happen."

Lu Wenchuan glanced at the calm surface of the water, then at the entrance, and finally at the camera crew trailing behind them. "There are so many people here. Even if something happens, it won't be much of a problem."

"True," Sang Yijia thought it over. That made sense.

Besides, she was now far away from the protagonists, so the plot arranged in the book shouldn't happen to her anymore.

Sang Yijia pressed her lips together. The way Lan Qing had looked over just now made her uncomfortable; she ought to be careful.

Meanwhile, Lan Qing realized Sang Yijia had looked her way, but wasn't sure if Sang Yijia was looking at her or at Shen Jin. Lan Qing was inclined to believe it was Shen Jin.

"Shen Jin?" Lan Qing had been speaking for a while, but Shen Jin hadn't responded at all. This made Lan Qing increasingly dissatisfied, though she couldn't show it. She clenched her palms to ease her frustration.

Shen Jin suddenly came to his senses. He looked up and saw Lan Qing's unhappy expression, assuming she'd been standing in the sun for too long. "Are you tired?"

"Qingqing, why don't you go rest for a bit? I can handle things here." Shen Jin had already watched a fishing tutorial on his phone on the way over.

Though it was basic, he felt it would suffice.

Rest? Lan Qing sneered inwardly. Wouldn't that give him the chance to find Sang Yijia?

Lan Qing took a deep breath and gently shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm not tired."

"You seemed distracted just now. What's wrong?" Lan Qing sat beside him, fanning him with a borrowed fan. "If you're uncomfortable, you need to say so."

"Nothing." Facing the camera, Shen Jin couldn't let Lan Qing do too much, or the audience would disapprove.

"Qingqing, let me teach you how to fish, all right?" Shen Jin saw this as a chance to deepen their bond; it would be wasted otherwise.

"All right," Lan Qing agreed cheerfully.

【Qingqing and Shen Jin are such a perfect match; they're always thinking of each other.】

【Qingqing, be careful not to get sunburned.】

【Why is it still so hot? Isn't it almost October?】

【Seeing brother sweating profusely, my heart aches for him.】

【What's up with the production team? Couldn't they prepare a fan? Aren't they afraid brother will get heatstroke?】

【If something happens, can the production team handle it?】

【Are any sisters over there? Please bring brother a little fan.】

………

More and more messages of concern began to appear. Sang Yijia watched the livestream expressionlessly. "So many people care about him."

Lu Wenchuan glanced over. "Aren't you watching his livestream because you care about him too?"

Sang Yijia left the livestream and returned to her own. Looking at the number of online viewers in the top left corner, she saw it was much higher than yesterday—now there were hundreds online.

Yet few people were sending comments, making it feel like a bunch of fake followers.

Sang Yijia thought Moyani probably hadn't had time to buy fake fans; yesterday's dismal turnout hadn't prompted any action, so today would be even less likely.

"I don't," Sang Yijia put down her phone. "I was just checking to see how Lan Qing was doing."

Lu Wenchuan raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"She was dieting yesterday, and didn't eat much for breakfast this morning," Sang Yijia recalled the original plot. In this segment, the heroine Lan Qing, weakened from excessive dieting, stood up too quickly, felt dizzy, and tumbled straight into the fish pond—pulling the original character in with her.

Both fell into the water.

With a splash.

The male lead Shen Jin, seeing Lan Qing fall into the water, immediately dove in to save her.

Lan Qing's accident sent the entire filming crew into a panic, afraid of the trouble that might follow. Everyone rushed to action.

Nobody noticed that the original character was also in the pond, and she couldn't swim.

Luckily, Lu Wenchuan rescued her. In his arms, the original character watched the man she loved frantic over another woman, finally realizing Shen Jin's affections lay elsewhere.

That incident triggered her outburst; she hated Lan Qing, wishing she would disappear from this world.

Sang Yijia's thoughts gradually returned. When she opened her eyes and looked over, her black gaze was calm as water, but something flickered within.

Lu Wenchuan didn't catch that fleeting change.

"Low blood sugar can easily cause fainting. If you fall into the water, it couldn't be pleasant," Sang Yijia added quietly.

Comments began to trickle into the livestream, a sparse few lines. Sang Yijia and Lu Wenchuan saw them clearly.

【So malicious, cursing Qingqing like that!】

【Glad I came to spy; otherwise, I'd never know what schemes Sang Yijia is plotting!】

【Sisters, I'm going over to warn Qingqing!】

【I'm going to tell brother!】

【If anyone dies, it'll be you—not Qingqing!】

"Seems your concern doesn't amount to much," Lu Wenchuan withdrew his gaze, noticing the float in the water react. After a moment, he picked up the fishing rod.

Sang Yijia's attention shifted. "What can I do?"

"Bring the net over," Lu Wenchuan said, taking his time reeling in the fish. After a while, he brought it close and reached for the net, but his hand brushed Sang Yijia's.

Both paused for a second.

Sang Yijia quickly recovered, hurriedly handing over the handle. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Lu Wenchuan replied calmly, taking the net and handling the fish.

"What kind of fish is this?" Sang Yijia, trying to ease the awkwardness, crouched by the cage to look at the fish inside.

"Grass carp," Lu Wenchuan glanced over and answered mildly. "This one should be about twelve taels."

"Over a pound?" Sang Yijia had thought a fish over a pound would be larger, but it looked so small. Then she realized a five-hundred-gram fish isn't that big.

"So we've completed part of our task," Sang Yijia sat down again, noticing Lu Wenchuan was already preparing more bait.

Seeing how quickly he'd caught one, Sang Yijia wanted to try herself. "Is there another rod?"

"It's right there; bring it over," Lu Wenchuan said, casting his line. "I'll teach you."

——

Lan Qing's livestream remained lively.

During the fishing, there wasn't much to do. After teaching Lan Qing once, Shen Jin simply waited for a bite, giving them time to check the livestream.

The viewers happened to be discussing Sang Yijia.

Lan Qing frowned, about to ask what was going on when she saw the latter part of a comment.

【Qingqing, you need to be careful—Sang Yijia wants to push you into the water!】