Chapter Thirty-Eight: Jinx

“Brother, you must protect Qingqing!”
“You absolutely can't let Sang Yijia succeed!”
Lan Qing looked at Shen Jin with difficulty, her rosy lips pressed together ever so slightly. “Jiajia isn't that kind of person.”
“There must be some misunderstanding.”
Shen Jin shook his head. “Qingqing, you're too kind-hearted.”
“I know better than anyone what kind of person Sang Yijia is.” Shen Jin narrowed his eyes, finally seeing Sang Yijia lose her patience. “Qingqing, I'll keep you safe.”
“I will never let you get hurt.” Shen Jin gazed at her with deep affection, holding her hand again.
A mist of tears gathered in Lan Qing's eyes. Her lips parted, but no words came out. She lowered her gaze instead. “Jiajia helped me before.”
“I believe she's not like that.”
“There must be some misunderstanding here.”
Shen Jin couldn't bear to tell her the truth, but after sighing, he decided to be honest. “Qingqing, Sang Yijia isn't as simple as you think.”
“Do you remember what happened before?” Shen Jin knew clearly what Sang Yijia had declared when she entered the industry, but he hadn't taken it seriously, let alone cared about it.
It wasn't until he met Lan Qing, when he developed feelings for her, that he realized Sang Yijia wasn't just making empty threats.
“That was all in the past.” Lan Qing shook her head. “Jiajia helped me, which proves she's not bad at heart.”
“Qingqing is truly too kind.”
“Sang Yijia really is a villain.”
“Brother, you really have to protect our Qingqing.”
The viewers in the livestream chat couldn't bear to speak ill of Sang Yijia any longer, afraid Lan Qing would dwell on it, or think Sang Yijia was actually a good person.
“The fishing rod’s moving!”
Someone sharp-eyed noticed.
The filming crew signaled as well.
Shen Jin and Lan Qing stopped talking and, in perfect understanding, looked at the float.
“I’ll do it.” The bait had barely been in the water when a fish took it; a fifteen-pound catch was no problem. Shen Jin grabbed the rod, trying to reel the fish in, but the fish in the water was stubborn, swimming hard in the opposite direction.
It became a battle of strength between man and fish.
Lan Qing watched anxiously from the side, fearing Shen Jin would lose his grip and fall in. “Shen Jin, be careful!”
With a beauty by his side, how could Shen Jin not show some prowess to win her heart?
“Mm.” Shen Jin responded, but was quickly absorbed by the struggle with the fish.
“Wow, such strength!”
“It must be a big fish!”
“The pond owner said earlier there are quite a few twenty- or thirty-pound fish in here.”
“Brother is incredible.”
“Does that mean the task will be completed in one go?”
The viewers in the livestream chat waited expectantly.
Shen Jin also felt he had hooked a big one. He turned to Lan Qing and said, “Looks like we’ll finish our task in one shot.”
“Mm, mm.” Lan Qing nodded and agreed, “Be careful.”
“Alright.” Shen Jin redoubled his efforts, finally tiring the fish out and slowly pulling it toward the bank.
Lan Qing hurried to fetch the net, but as she squatted to pick it up and stood again, her vision suddenly went black and her legs gave out.
In a flash, Lan Qing lost her balance and toppled forward.
Shen Jin was busy wrestling with the fish when he suddenly heard a splash. In the blink of an eye, Lan Qing had vanished. Looking toward the pond, he saw her in the water.
“Qingqing!” Shen Jin abandoned his fishing rod and jumped straight in to save her.
The filming crew panicked as well; everyone who could swim went in after them, one after another, like dumplings dropping into soup.
The commotion was so great that Sang Yijia and Lu Wenchuan, seeing it from across the way, fell silent.
“It seems your concern was quite effective,” Lu Wenchuan said as he withdrew his gaze. With so many people there, there was no need for him to intervene.
Sang Yijia pressed her lips together, her eyes dark and unreadable. “In a moment, I’ll probably be blamed for jinxing it.”
“Can I compliment you on your self-awareness?” Lu Wenchuan joked.
Sang Yijia smiled. “Yes, you can.”
—
Lan Qing had fallen into the water. Shen Jin didn't hesitate for a second before leaping in after her, sending the viewers in the livestream into a frenzy.
“How’s Qingqing?”
“Brother!!!!”
“Damn, didn’t Sang Yijia just curse her?”
“Brother, brother, brother!!!”
“What is the production team doing? Hurry and call an ambulance!”
“If anything happens to Brother or Qingqing, we won’t let it go!”
“If Sang Yijia hadn’t predicted she’d fall in, Qingqing wouldn’t have gone in at all!”
After catching one fish, Lu Wenchuan had no further luck. Sang Yijia, bored, picked up her phone to check on the situation across the pond.
“Who are you worried about?” Lu Wenchuan saw her with her phone and knew what she was up to.
Sang Yijia paused, sensing that Lu Wenchuan was even chattier than yesterday—for what reason, she wondered?
“No one. Just curious what’s happening.” Unwilling to be misunderstood, Sang Yijia held her phone in one hand and carried her small stool over to Lu Wenchuan’s side.
In truth, she’d always been nearby, just separated by the space of three people.
Now, Sang Yijia took the initiative to sit down, their shoulders almost touching, much closer than before.
She caught the faint scent of pine and, on instinct, inhaled a little deeper. Rubbing her nose, she couldn’t help but ask, “What cologne do you use?”
“Hmm?” Lu Wenchuan frowned, slightly displeased. “I don’t use any.”
“Er…” Sang Yijia blinked, tilting her head at him. “Then what scent is your body wash?”
“You smell really good,” she said candidly, her eyes open and sincere, without any ulterior motive.
But Lu Wenchuan took it differently. His heart skipped a beat, racing. “I forgot.”
“If you like it, I’ll take a picture for you when we get back.”
“Okay, thank you.” Sang Yijia smiled, eyes narrowing in delight.
Suddenly, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and told Lu Wenchuan, “It’s Yan Ningsi.”
“Take it,” Lu Wenchuan said, still watching the commotion across the pond. “She’s probably calling about Shen Jin and the others.”
Sang Yijia answered the call, but before she could speak, Yan Ningsi’s panicked voice burst forth. Sang Yijia instinctively pulled the phone away, waiting for her to calm down.
“Jiajia! What’s happened to Lan Qing?”
“The whole internet is cursing you for jinxing her!”
“Have you seen the trending topics on Weibo?”
The incident had just occurred, and already it was trending—evidence of just how many eyes were glued to this reality show.
Sang Yijia had thought that staying far from the protagonists would keep her out of trouble, but never expected her words would bring disaster, dragging her into it anyway.
“Not yet.” Sang Yijia lowered her gaze. “I’ll handle it soon.”
“Mm, mm! Call your agent right away,” Yan Ningsi urged, knowing how urgent it was. If the trending topics were left unchecked, the consequences would only worsen.
“Jiajia, you’re worried about Lan Qing too, so nothing will happen,” Yan Ningsi said just before hanging up. “After spending these days together, I know what kind of person you are.”
“And besides, Brother Lu’s judgment is never wrong.” Yan Ningsi smiled, then switched back to the livestream of Lan Qing and Shen Jin. The scrolling comments were half concern for Lan Qing, half abuse directed at Sang Yijia.