Chapter 2: Second Fire

Two hours later, Yan Duo’s eyes shimmered with moisture, her fair cheeks flushed. After finally catching her breath, she endured the soreness throughout her body and pushed aside the blanket to get up. mijiashe.com

Ji Ran sat on the bed, shifting his gaze from the script in his hands to her face: “Where are you going?”

Yan Duo lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes, and answered softly, “Going back to my room.”

With so many people in the hotel, Yan Duo didn’t dare to take the risk.

After she spoke, Ji Ran remained silent.

It had been a month since they last saw each other, and after just two hours together, she was leaving. Yan Duo knew he would be angry, but even so, she steeled herself and continued getting dressed.

Once everything was in order, Yan Duo awkwardly broke the silence in the room, grasping for something to say: “What brings you here?”

Yan Duo knew he was promoting his new movie, but she didn’t expect him to come to City N, let alone that he would be staying at the same hotel as her.

Ji Ran glanced down at the script and replied indifferently, “Probably here to steal some sunshine.”

Yan Duo choked back her words, her gaze landing on a stack of flyers on the nightstand. The flyers featured curvaceous women barely covering their private parts, with the words “One Passionate Night” glaringly obvious. Pouting slightly, she turned and went to the small kitchen to mix a glass of warm water for Ji Ran, placing it on the nightstand. Then, without another word, she said, “I’m leaving,” and walked out, closing the door behind her.

The room remained eerily still. Five minutes later, Ji Ran turned to look at the nightstand. The cup of warm water was still steaming, but all the provocative flyers on the table had mysteriously vanished.

After tossing the handful of small paper scraps in her hand, Yan Duo took the elevator straight back to her room on the 10th floor.

When she opened the door, her roommate Zhou Yingmeng was already sitting on the bed scrolling through her phone. Noticing Yan Duo’s return, she casually remarked, “Back already?”

Both of them were playing supporting roles, so they didn’t even qualify for single rooms. Fortunately, the room was spacious and well-equipped. Since they shared common interests and got along well, Yan Duo actually found living together quite pleasant.

Yan Duo turned to the wardrobe to find clothes and replied, “Yes, I had something to do and went out for a while.”

Zhou Yingmeng didn’t ask further and pointed at her phone, saying, “Your phone rang three times—probably a call.”

Yan Duo said “thank you” and walked to the bedside to glance at her phone. There were indeed three missed calls, all from the same person. Yan Duo hesitated, wondering whether she should call back so late, when another call from the same person came in.

“Senior Fan.”

Fan Xian asked her over the phone, “Are you done for the day?”

“Wrap it up.”

“Back at the hotel yet?”

“Yeah, I’m back.” Yan Duo felt she should explain the reason for the three missed calls, so she simply said, “My phone was charging earlier, so I didn’t see your calls.”

“It’s fine,” Fan Xian said with a smile. “By the way, Duoduo, I’m going on a business trip to City N tomorrow, so I can bring your assistant along.”

Yan Duo placed the pajamas she found on the bed and plopped down. “Senior, I really don’t need an assistant.”

She’s just a newcomer who debuted less than a year ago, playing a supporting role at that—there’s absolutely no need for an assistant.

Fan Xian smiled from across the table, “The assistant arrangement was decided by the company. Qi Jie personally picked someone for you. I’m just dropping by to bring them over.”

Yan Duo wanted to say something more, but Fan Xian spoke first, “You’ve been filming all day and must be tired. Take care of yourself and get some rest.”

After hanging up the phone, Yan Duo tossed her phone onto the bedside table. She thought to herself, “An assistant is just an assistant—assigned by the company. It’s not like I have the right to refuse.” Once she made up her mind, she grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom.

As the hot water cascaded down from above, warming her body and easing the lingering soreness, Yan Duo stood under the showerhead, spinning in circles, almost sighing with contentment. She extended her right hand, gazing at the unblemished palm—no trace of injury remained, yet the lingering heat from those moist lips still seemed to sear her skin.

The next day, if Zhou Yingmeng hadn’t shaken her awake, Yan Duo—who usually kept early hours—would have almost been late. Brushing her teeth, washing her face, and doing her skincare routine felt like a battle that morning. Only after dusting on a light layer of powder did she notice Zhou Yingmeng, seated behind her doing her own makeup, staring at her intently.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Yingmeng pointed at the side of her neck and said, “Here, do you want to apply a bit more powder?”

Yan Duo picked up her makeup mirror and walked to the full-length mirror in the wardrobe. As she looked into the mirror, a dark red mark stood out prominently. Her face flushed, and she muttered a quick “Thank you” to Zhou Yingmeng before grabbing a concealer to cover the mark.

Zhou Yingmeng noticed she hadn’t blended it properly after all this time, so she put down the eyebrow pencil, stood up, walked over, took the concealer, and fixed it for her.

Although Yan Duo didn’t say anything, she developed a stronger liking for Zhou Yingmeng.

After the meal, the two of them took the shuttle bus to the film set together.

Before filming began, Yan Duo and Zhou Yingmeng were getting their makeup done when Zeng Meng crept in through the door, bent over, and whispered into Yan Duo’s ear, “Did you hear? Film Emperor Ji Ran stayed in our hotel’s presidential suite last night.”

As the female lead, Zeng Meng had her own private dressing room But she often came up to Yan Duo and Zhou Yingmeng to chat with them. In her own words, “Even though your acting is so bad I want to hit you, you two are the only ones in the entire crew who don’t make my eyes bleed, so I can tolerate it.”

Yan Duo’s heart skipped a beat as she feigned surprise and said, “Really? I’ve never heard of that.”

“Absolutely true!”

Zeng Meng saw the makeup artist who had been working on Yan Duo and Zhou Yingmeng move aside, then walked to a spot between the two, crouched down, and beckoned for them to sit closer.

“I heard it today in the elevator while two janitors were chatting,” Zeng Meng said with excitement in her eyes. “And I overheard some shocking gossip too.”

Yan Duo’s heart pounded like a drum, too afraid to speak.

Zhou Yingmeng, equally interested in Ji Ran’s gossip, asked, “What gossip?”

Covering her mouth with one hand, Zeng Meng giggled mischievously, “The janitors said there were four used condoms in the trash bin of Ji Ran’s room, and all the escort service flyers in his room had disappeared.”

Zhou Yingmeng’s mouth fell open as she gasped softly, “Ah! So the Best Actor likes to call for ‘chicks’? Oh my, were those four condoms also meant to be used with ‘chicks’?”

Zeng Meng seemed to have found a like-minded ally and immediately reached a consensus with Zhou Yingmeng. “Yes, I think so too! Who would have thought a man who usually appears so noble and upright could be like this in private…”

Yan Duo saw the two of them getting more and more carried away and quickly tried to interrupt, but Zhou Yingmeng beat her to it by voicing her thoughts, “But that doesn’t make sense either. Actor Ji has been in the industry for ten years—when has he ever been involved in such gossip? I think it’s more likely the cleaning ladies were just making things up.”

Over the years since Ji Ran debuted, his outstanding looks and steadily improving acting skills have earned him almost every possible award in television and film. Low-key yet stylish, he has never publicly confirmed a relationship or courted dating rumors with women, but he spoils his fans endlessly—making him the ultimate template for a good boyfriend or husband. As a result, he has amassed a legion of devoted “girlfriend fans” and “wife fans.”

Zeng Meng nodded slightly upon hearing this, her wandering thoughts pulled back. “Now that you mention it, there does seem to be a problem. Even if Actor Ji checked out early, wouldn’t the cleaning ladies be a bit too diligent?”

Cleaning so early in the morning, is there nothing else to do in this hotel? And rummaging through people’s trash bins—what kind of five-star hotel behavior is this?

Zhou Yingmeng nodded, “Exactly! You know how fierce Ji Yingdi’s fans are. You can’t just say things like that—better safe than sorry.”

Zeng Meng instantly recalled the incident where a female star had tried to fabricate a scandal with Ji Ran, only to be relentlessly harassed by his fans—both online and offline—until they ended up cursing outside her doorstep. She shuddered and said, “No more, no more! Even if a man who used four condoms in one night were my own father, it could never be Emperor Ji!”

Yan Duo secretly wiped the sweat from her forehead while adjusting her hair, relieved and somewhat pleased—the number of tt was correct. It seemed Ji Ran hadn’t cheated last night. Hehe.

Then again, should I send Ji Ran a message to remind him about this?