Chapter 36

Early the next morning, An Qi came to pick her up for the set as usual.

 had a restless night, unable to fall asleep until around four or five in the morning. When the alarm clock rang, she was in the midst of a dream, and the sound of the alarm intertwined with her dream like intricate vines, tightly binding her and making it hard to breathe.

She opened her eyes and saw that the room was covered in thick curtains, making it pitch black all around. The feeling of being abruptly awakened from a half-asleep state wasn't comfortable, but surprisingly, her mind was clear.

The ringing continued, and she struggled to reach for her phone, only to realize why she felt breathless.

The pillow had somehow slipped from under her head and was pressing on her chest, along with the heavy blanket, almost like two stones weighing on her chest.

She pushed the pillow aside, finally turning off the incessantly ringing phone. Propping herself up on the bed, her messy long hair cascaded down her back. She didn't worry about her hairline as she absentmindedly brushed it back before turning on the light in the room.

The sudden brightness made her close her eyes for a moment, dissipating the last remnants of sleepiness.

She slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath before getting out of bed.

To avoid An Qi from discovering that she and Yan Yunyang were sleeping in separate rooms, had set five or six alarms to wake herself up.

Just as she was thinking about it, there was a knock on the door.

Checking the time, thought it was An Qi coming upstairs to get her. While taking off her pajamas and putting on her clothes, she called out, "I'm awake, you go downstairs and wait for me."

There was no response, but the knocking on the door didn't continue either, so the person must have gone downstairs to wait for her. didn't waste any more time. Even though it was winter, as a female celebrity, she didn't have many clothes to choose from. After all, paparazzi were everywhere, and if she was photographed and the picture was posted online, they would immediately come up with descriptions of her bloated figure, making it seem like she had been kicked out of the Yan family.

Right now, just wanted to keep a low profile, as low as possible. She didn't want to contribute any traffic to the internet. If she could, she would even hope that netizens would forget about her, and she could peacefully retire with her little fortune and live a happy and wealthy life.

By the time was dressed and groomed, it was already twenty minutes later when she went downstairs. She decided to wear a mask and a hat when she went out, saving herself the trouble of putting on makeup.

An Qi was sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for her. There was a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, in the exact same spot as the day before, with the exact same mood as the day before. The only difference was that yesterday, she had Zhuang Bai with her to share the burden, but today, she would be alone in her sorrow.

Anqi: I'm so frustrated!

For convenience's sake, Zuo Mingran had recently given Anqi a key. After all, Yanyunyang's time at the apartment was limited, and Anqi knew her limits. But little did she know that after receiving the key, Yanyunyang's frequency of showing up skyrocketed to the point where Anqi was too scared to use the key.

For two consecutive days, Yanyunyang personally opened the door for her, and Anqi's heart would race uncontrollably. She didn't even notice the coffee placed in front of her, let alone go upstairs to wake Zuo Mingran.

Although the weather outside was cold, there was floor heating in the room. Zuo Mingran came downstairs, wearing his shoes and holding his down jacket. When he looked up, he saw Anqi sitting on the sofa looking downcast. "What's wrong?"

When Anqi heard his voice, she quickly stood up and handed him his jacket. "It's nothing." Pausing for a moment, she remembered something else. "Oh, right, Xiajie asked me to tell you that the online issue has been resolved."

"The online issue?" Zuo Mingran hadn't fully woken up yet, and before he could figure out what online issue Anqi was referring to, Yanyunyang came out from the kitchen and greeted them. "Let's have breakfast first."

It was only a little past six o'clock, and Zuo Mingran didn't expect Yanyunyang to wake up earlier than him. She sat at the dining table, holding a bowl of porridge. "Why did you wake up so early?"

Yanyunyang was untying his apron, and somehow managed to twist the strings into a knot. Zuo Mingran couldn't bear to watch and gestured for him to come over. Yanyunyang understood and approached her, allowing her to untie the knot for him.

"I woke up after I slept enough," he said as if it was no big deal. Zuo Mingran rolled her eyes, but Yanyunyang didn't see it since his back was facing her. However, it seemed like he sensed something and continued, "I'll send you guys to the set later."

Anqi, who was drinking her porridge across the table, pretended to be nonexistent, even though being a third wheel at this moment wasn't ideal. She also didn't really want to eat the breakfast that President Yan personally made, but unfortunately, Zuo Mingran was quicker with her actions. Just as Yanyunyang finished speaking, Anqi, along with her chair, were pressed against the table.

Downstairs, the driver, who was waiting for Zuo Mingran and Anqi to come down, touched his shiny forehead, feeling like his job was about to be taken away from him.

It wasn't until she got on the car and took out her phone that Zuo Mingran found out what Anqi meant by the online issue.

When they left the banquet, the hot topics on Weibo were still separate. However, the princess carry and the fall happened at the same time, and with the internet-savvy netizens, it was only a matter of time before they discovered the connection. Sure enough, at around eleven o'clock at night, a low-quality video from the scene silently circulated, causing a huge uproar.

What? The princess carry was because Fan Zhenzhen fell and almost fell onto Ranran?

"What? You just turned around and left without even helping her up?"

The once beautiful fans of both sides turned ugly. They stopped shipping and started attacking each other.

Fan Zhenzhen may not have been in the industry for long, but she gained fame from a talent show and was currently popular. Her fanbase was huge and active, so when they saw this incident, they all went online like they were injected with chicken blood.

However, Zuo Mingran's fanbase was also strong. With her long-standing career as a popular actress, despite her not-so-great reputation, she still had a large fanbase. And with the frequent appearance of her and Yanyunyang on hot topics due to their relationship, they even gained a group of CP (couple) fans, which gave them a numerical advantage over Fan Zhenzhen.

Both sets of fans held onto their beliefs, fighting each other online. They brought up past controversies and dug up dirt on each other. It was like a game to them, easily manipulating the situation.

But because Zuo Mingran had informed Shi Shuangxia in advance, the PR department was prepared. While the online battle was just beginning, they sent in the water army to control the situation and closely monitored the Weibo hot search to keep it at a lower ranking.

After a night of chaos, by the time Zuo Mingran looked at her phone, the whole incident was almost resolved by Shi Shuangxia. Fan Zhenzhen's manager had also contacted them, and both sides didn't want the issue to escalate, so they quickly reached an agreement. It wasn't too difficult to handle.

Zuo Mingran scrolled through her phone for a while, her gaze stopping on a photo.

It was a photo taken by the media showing the three of them on stage together. She stood in the middle, with Yanyunyang on her left and Fan Zhenzhen on her right. But she and Yanyunyang were holding hands, looking very close, while Fan Zhenzhen stood on the other side, seeming to be separated by an invisible wall.

The comments below the photo were also interesting.

"Wow, this is the first time I've seen a couple take a photo and forcibly include another person."

"Hahaha, I can't handle it! Look at Fan Zhenzhen, does she look like she was photoshopped in?"

"Fan Zhenzhen was the main character of the event in the first place, so it's not excessive for her to take photos with anyone. Plus, what can you conclude from just one photo?"

"I also don't think it's a big deal. It's just a photo after all, and no one did anything wrong. It's just that the fans are too intense, hiding under their pans and running away."

"Haha, true. If it wasn't for Yanyunyang's quick reflexes, I bet Fan Zhenzhen would have glued herself to them."

...

Zuo Mingran's attention was on that photo. He had forgotten about it yesterday, but now he remembered when the photo reminded him. The sapphire bracelet that Fan Zhenzhen wore on her wrist, wasn't it the one Yan Yunyun thought she had left in his car on her first day of work?

Coincidentally, the car stopped at a traffic light. Taking advantage of the wait, Zuo Mingran handed over her phone and said, "Is this the same bracelet as before?"

Anqi didn't want to be a third wheel again, so the driver who came with them led the way in front, leaving only Yan Yunyang and Zuo Mingran in the car.

Yan Yunyang glanced at it and nodded, saying, "Yes, it is. I forgot to tell you about it."

Zuo Mingran took back her phone and said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly noticed it."

Yan Yunyang looked at her profile. The winter sun came out particularly late, and there was still a bit of misty darkness around seven or eight o'clock. The car had a small light on, and the streetlights outside were also on. Zuo Mingran's profile was shrouded in the dim light, with her black and dense hair loosely draped behind her head, close at hand yet seeming far away.

Yan Yunyang suddenly wanted to reach out and touch her hair, and as he thought about it, he actually did so.

The feeling when their hands touched was mutual. Zuo Mingran suddenly turned her head, her plain face colliding directly into Yan Yunyang's eyes.

The red light in front turned green, and the car behind started honking. Yan Yunyang retracted his hand and looked straight ahead, saying, "Wen Mo told me. One time, when Fan Zhenzhen came to the company to find me but I wasn't there, it happened to be raining heavily. He gave her a ride home, and the bracelet probably fell off then."

Zuo Mingran did not dodge, staring directly at him, and with a smile, she said, "I believe you."

Yan Yunyang didn't say anything, but with the gradually brightening daylight, Zuo Mingran keenly noticed that this person's earlobes were now red. Afraid that he couldn't hold it together if she continued looking, Zuo Mingran smiled and turned her head slightly, only to see her smiling face reflected in the window.

Very well, she was also very happy.

Having not come to set for a day, the filming of the TV drama had reached another stage. After shooting today's scenes with Zuo Mingran, Ji Jian's character would officially be completed, so today was also his last day on set. If there were no additional scenes to be filmed, Ji Jian would not be coming to the set anymore.

Because she couldn't attend Fan Zhenzhen's birthday banquet, Wen Feifei had been anxious since the night before. Coincidentally, she and Zuo Mingran arrived at the set at the same time. As soon as they got out of the car, Wen Feifei grabbed Zuo Mingran's arm and pulled her towards the rest area, completely unaware of Yan Yunyang in the car behind.

"Tell me quickly, what happened last night?"

Wen Feifei is a addicted girl to the internet. She doesn't miss any gossip online. Although she didn't catch the most intense argument between the two fan groups, she still knows a little bit about it and eagerly asks what happened as soon as she arrives. She even grabs a bag of melon seeds and listens to gossip while eating.

The makeup artist comes to do her makeup, and raises her face and says, "There's nothing going on. Don't you know how good the media is at fabricating stories?"

Wen Feifei, though laid-back, is also in the entertainment industry and can be considered well-informed compared to ordinary people. Naturally, she doesn't fully believe 's words. But seeing that she doesn't want to say much, she changes the topic in disappointment, "So, what interesting things happened at the banquet?"

 says, "You haven't attended many banquets, have you? What could happen? Did they bring a whole stage to perform?"

Wen Feifei immediately loses interest. Just then, her makeup artist comes over to do her makeup, so she closes her mouth, feeling unsatisfied.

The makeup artist, responsible for 's main makeup for this drama, applies a layer of foundation and softly asks, "Did Ranjie not sleep well last night?"

 nods, "I slept a bit late."

Her fair skin makes any minor blemishes stand out. Not sleeping well last night resulted in two huge dark circles under her eyes, making her look like a panda.

The makeup artist applies concealer while persuading her, "Miss Ran should try to sleep early in the future. No matter how good the skincare products are, nothing beats getting enough sleep."

 smiles at her, "Alright, I got it."

On the other side, Yan Yunyang, who was supposed to send to the set, didn't even have time to say goodbye and could only watch as Wen Feifei grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

Yan Yunyang looks helplessly at their retreating figures and only leaves in his car after they disappear.

It's still early when he arrives at the company, and there aren't many people in the office. Wen Mo is handling emails in his office. When he sees Yan Yunyang enter, he hands him a few documents and waits until Yan Yunyang sits down before speaking, "The CEO will be taking Mr. Fu to a dinner party today."

Yan Yunyang pauses his motion of flipping through the documents and gestures for Wen Mo to continue.

Wen Mo says in a serious tone, "It is said that the people they are meeting are Fan Jiang and Fan Zhenzhen."

Yan Yunyang closes the file with a thud. "He's really thought it through."

Mr. Fu is the so-called illegitimate child his father has been taking care of outside. His surname hasn't been changed back yet, but the path has been paved.

Previously, attending Fan Zhenzhen's birthday banquet was demanded by his father. He even forcefully handed him an invitation card, but unfortunately, Yan Yunyang is cunning and brought instead. As a married couple, no one could say anything about it.

It was probably when he finally lost control that Mr. Yan also revealed his true nature and brought his other son to the forefront.

Yan Yunyang opens his computer without lifting his head and says, "Let them keep an eye on that side, and also hand over the prepared contract."

Outside the window, the daylight has brightened, and the early morning mist has completely dissipated. The warm and gentle sunlight shines through the large glass windows into the room, illuminating everyone.