Chapter 27 Twenty-Seven Fires

Yan Duo finished recording the show without incident and went backstage to remove her makeup. Qi Sixian came up beside her and exhaled, “Now the whole country knows your idol is Ji Ran.”

Overall, Qi Sixian was satisfied with Yan Duo’s performance on her first variety show: when she needed to be low-key she stayed low-key, but when given the chance to stand out she always managed to grab the audience’s attention—seriously spouting nonsense without changing her expression. Seeing how well Yan Duo did, Qi Sixian wondered whether he should get her more variety work.

At this point Yan Duo had already calmed down. Hearing that, she glanced at Qi Sixian in the mirror and said, “How normal is that? More than half the girls at our school like him.”

Qi Sixian immediately punctured the truth: “But how many actually say on a show that they’ve liked him from high school through college? Not many, right!”

Yan Duo choked, “It’s not like I had time to think!”

Give her another chance, and her reflex would probably make her keep being this honest.

Although he said that, Qi Sixian didn’t feel anything was wrong. Yan Duo and Ji Ran’s first collaboration was still airing and popular; they were set to work together on a second project. Isn’t that the best promotional angle? Even if Fan Xian won’t agree to release a joint press statement, the director of the next drama will surely exploit this publicity point.

“You know, from now on you should watch out for Ji Ran’s fans—see if they’ll attack you.”

Yan Duo publicly said on the show that she liked Ji Ran; his fans would definitely think she’s deliberately riding his coattails. After all, there’s a huge gap in their star power, and Yan Duo is a newcomer, so she’d be a prime suspect.

Yan Duo had long expected this and had mentally prepared, but that didn’t stop her from joking with Qi Sixian. She puckered her face and looked at him, “So what should I do, sis? How about you hire me a bodyguard—when I can’t win an argument, at least a bodyguard can shield me.”

Qi Sixian gave her a disdainful look. “You’re not some big shot—why would you need a bodyguard? Letting you have Fang Fang is already showing mercy!”

Yan Duo put on a doleful face. “But what if I get torn apart by Ji Ran’s fans?”

Qi Sixian looked indifferent. “Rip it off and I’ll sew you back up.”

Yan Duo was truly shocked now—what did “sew it up” mean? Why did that sound so creepy?

“Duojie, don’t worry. I’ll argue for you—I’ve never lost when I’ve cursed someone out.” Fang Fang, who was removing Yan Duo’s makeup, interjected.

Yan Duo and Qi Sixian both laughed at her words. Yan Duo knew she had a sweet tongue and was fast, accurate, and ruthless when digging up information, but she didn’t realize she also had the hidden skill of “yelling in the street.”

“Alright then, from now on, if anyone wants to insult Yan Duo, you’ll be the one to fight back for her and protect her.”

Qi Sixian smiled and said that she had interviewed Fang Fang personally; from their first meeting she had a good impression—nimble, sweet-talking, plain-looking and not one to steal the spotlight. Only after she was satisfied did she let Fan Xian see her; she had chosen four people in total, and Fan Xian ultimately picked Fang Fang.

When he said that, Qi Sixian didn’t really believe she could protect Yan Duo like a bodyguard; it was more of a formality. But Fang Fang replied solemnly, “Yes, I’ll protect Duo-jie well.”

After a while someone outside called Qi Sixian. After Qi Sixian went out, Yan Duo looked at Fang Fang and asked her curiously, “Have you really never lost an argument in a public shouting match?”

Yan Duo herself was just bad with words. In high school she once argued with someone whose tongue was swift and vicious, leaving her face flushed; in the end she could only choke out, “You’re all wrong.” It was so pathetic she couldn’t even look at herself. After that she never argued with anyone again. When others said unpleasant things, she pretended not to hear, but that didn’t mean she didn’t secretly envy people who knew how to fight back.

Fang Fang laughed and said, “It wasn’t that great—just that among the three girls who argued with me, I made one cry from my scolding, one fly into a rage, and the other so furious she wanted to tear into my mouth.”

A one-against-three, and you won — and that’s not impressive?

Yan Duo sighed in admiration and gave a thumbs-up, “You’re still the best.”

Fang Fang gave a demure smile, then took the chance to pledge allegiance to her “master”—”So, Sister Duo, from now on wherever you go bring me along, I’ll definitely be able to protect you.”

Yan Duo smiled, “Okay, I’ll definitely bring it from now on.”

After taking off her makeup and coming out, Xunge said the shoot had gone so smoothly that they should all have a meal together. Yan Duo didn’t refuse and went to the hotel with everyone.

When taking our seats, Yan Duo sat next to Qi Sixian, Classmate Chengxu naturally sat down on her other side.

After chatting a bit with Chengxu, Yan Duo took out her phone and suddenly said, “Long time no see, old classmate. How about we take a picture together?”

After high school graduation, their classmates had a reunion once a year, but Yan Duo had never gone for one reason or another. This time, recording a show with Chengxu, it was also the first time they’d met in four years.

“No problem.” Yan Duo leaned slightly closer to Chengxu and smiled at the camera.

Chengxu took a few photos, then lowered his head and opened a messaging app, choosing one to drop into the group chat.

Chengxu: [The photo you wanted, no need to thank me too much.]

Classmate One: [Are you two reenacting Beauty and the Beast? Hahaha…]

Classmate Two: [By the way, did you even ask her if she has a boyfriend?]

Program: [I asked her; the person she liked in both high school and college was Ji Ran, so the chances she has a boyfriend are slim.]

Out of respect for the old classmate’s request—and risking getting a mark from Xun Ge—the program even changed the subject of the Q&A. Luckily the final result was good: dragging in Ji Ran, this top star, provided enough buzz, so Xun Ge didn’t complain.

Classmate Two: [So does that mean I still have a chance? Oh my, I have to make up for never confessing in high school. Kids, anyone want to team up?]

Classmate Three: [Should I say I confessed and was rejected? No, I won’t!]

Classmate Four: [I wouldn’t either!]

Classmate Five: [Oh, so there are this many kindred spirits?]

……

Classmate One: [I think to the big brother who wants to confess: I look you over and over, and you don’t have a single thing that matches up to Best Actor Ji Ran. Just forget it and go to sleep.]

Classmate Two: [You all failed, so how could I possibly go? By the way, Yan Duo likes Ji Ran, and they’ve worked together—didn’t anything happen between them? Programmer, did you hear any gossip?]

Program: [I haven’t heard any rumors about the two of them. Ji Ran has been in the business for so many years; his standards are high, and he might not even take a liking to Yan Duo.]

Classmate 2: [Comparing yourself to others really makes you furious. The goddess none of us can reach, and yet someone doesn’t fancy her.]

After one last glance at the group chat, Chengxu put his phone away and went back to chatting with Yan Duo. In this circle, feelings and love cannot compare to climbing higher, so rather than wanting to become a couple with Yan Duo, Chengxu preferred to maintain a good relationship with her—who knows, if she makes it big later she might even be able to help him out. 700txt.com

Yan Duo was chatting with Chengxu while eating, and before she realized it she’d eaten too much.

Qi Sixian glanced at Yan Duo several times but she didn’t notice. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he pinched the soft flesh at her waist and gave her a pointed look. “There’s another in-house magazine shoot tomorrow. Are you sure you want to keep eating like this?”

It has to be said that Qi Sixian was very good at using time. Just before setting off for S City, he had hurriedly secured an in-house magazine shoot there for her; the shoot was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

When Yan Duo heard that, she remembered tomorrow’s work and quietly tried to bargain for her last bit of privilege, “Okay, I’ll finish what’s in the bowl and then stop eating.”

Qi Sixian glanced into her bowl; there were only a few greens but quite a lot of meat, so of course he disagreed. He grabbed her bowl and tossed it straight into the trash, “From now on you can only drink water.”

Yan Duo bit her chopsticks and looked at Qi Sixian, angered but afraid to speak—her expression made everyone at the table laugh.

To burn off the calories Yan Duo had eaten, after the meal Qi Sixian personally took her out for an hour’s walk along the street. Back in the hotel room, Yan Duo felt as if she’d eaten nothing at dinner and was hungry again. Worried that drinking too much water would cause bloating, she didn’t dare drink more; to distract herself she picked up her phone and started playing games.

A round wasn’t even over when a WeChat notification sounded. Yan Duo exited the game and looked at the message from Yanyan, hardly daring to believe her eyes — it was a message from Ji Ran.

[When are you coming back tomorrow? I’ll pick you up.]

Having just said the wrong thing on the show, Yan Duo wouldn’t dare let Ji Ran pick her up — the risk was too great. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if reporters got photographic proof; would she even survive it? But before she could refuse, Ji Ran’s next message arrived.

[My mom wants us to have dinner tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up on the way.]

Yan Duo couldn’t find a reason to refuse again. For someone she didn’t care about, she could tell Ji Size, “I’m not hungry tomorrow,” and turn him down, but facing Ji Ran, what else could she do besides agree? She could only send him her flight details.

I’ll arrive at 5:05 p.m. tomorrow. Wait for me outside, I’ll come find you.

Two minutes later, Ji Ran’s message came through.

I’ll wait for you at the same place I picked you up last time.

Yan Duo immediately agreed, “Okay!”

Two minutes after replying, there was no further response from Ji Ran. Yan Duo logged back into the game and was having a great time when another message notification chimed. Assuming it wasn’t Ji Ran, she ignored it. It was only about an hour later, when she was getting ready for bed, that Yan Duo realized the previous message had indeed been sent by Ji Ran.

What are you doing?

Yan Duo twitched her brows—had she perfectly missed the inspection message?

After hesitating for a moment about whether to reply, Yan Duo decided not to—thinking Ji Ran had surely fallen asleep—and put her phone away to sleep.

The next morning, Qi Sixian came to see Yan Duo. Seeing her rosy complexion and that her skin looked good, he knew she hadn’t stayed up late last night. After forcing her to put on a face mask and applying a base makeup, he took her and Fang Fang to the magazine office.

During university, Yan Duo had worked briefly as a model for a relatively unknown magazine, so she was familiar with posing and could quickly deliver the looks the photographer wanted; as a result, the whole shoot went smoothly and was finished in two hours.

While changing clothes, Fang Fang, who was helping, couldn’t stop praising Qi Sixian, “Sister Qi is amazing—just in this short time she arranged the cover for next month’s postpartum issue for you. Her eloquence is simply incredible.”

Having such an excellent agent, coupled with her looks and talent, it would be hard for Yanduo not to become popular in the future.

Yan Duo laughed as soon as she heard it, “Sister Qi has always been this amazing.”

Not only is she probably talented, but she’s likely favored. A while ago during company training, the other artists under Sister Qi grew jealous of Yan Duo, saying that because Yan Duo arrived, Sister Qi had handed all the good resources to her, leaving them all scraping by—they called her a bad apple.

I hadn’t finished thinking when Qi Sixian’s cheerful voice came from outside, “Who’s being called impressive?”

Having changed clothes, Yan Duo came out holding Qi Sixian’s arm and, smiling, flatteringly said, “Of course it’s our home’s most beautiful, sexiest, and most charming Sister Qi!”

Qi Sixian rapped her on the head. “Stop talking nonsense!”

Then she added, “Come by yourself next month—I won’t go with you.”

Although Yan Duo was a newcomer, after following her for a while Qi Sixian found her to be very reliable; she clearly knew what should and shouldn’t be done and didn’t need him standing by to remind her.

Yan Duo agreed immediately; she’ll be joining a crew next month, so taking time off to come over then shouldn’t be a problem.

After the three of them left the magazine office and returned to the hotel to pack, they went out for lunch. During the meal, the deputy director showed up again, treated them to a meal, and only left after seeing them into the taxi to the airport. 

Sitting in the car, Yan Duo couldn’t help teasing Qi Sixian, “Qi-jie, the deputy director position is pretty good, you don’t want to consider it?”

Qi Sixian took the glasses off Yan Duo’s head and put them on herself. “Give up the whole forest for one tree? Do you think I’m stupid?”

Carpe diem was Qi Sixian’s motto: no dating, no marriage. She enjoyed the sense of accomplishment work brought her, and in her downtime enjoyed the thrills different men offered—cherishing a life of freedom without responsibilities. At thirty, she lived more carefree than anyone.

Yan Duo wouldn’t live that way herself, but that didn’t mean she didn’t respect others’ choices. She didn’t comment further. Thinking of how many couples in the industry weren’t really couples, and many husband-and-wife pairs weren’t really married—all public displays of affection, yet private lives entirely separate—Yan Duo couldn’t help asking Qi Sixian, “Sister, is true love really hard to find in this circle?”

Wearing sunglasses, Qi Sixian’s expression was unreadable, but his tone was cold.

“This industry is a microcosm of the fame-and-fortune spectacle. There’s no kind of filth you can’t imagine—any disgusting thing you can think of probably exists here. If you want someone to settle down with and live peacefully, don’t look for them in this world; otherwise, the one who’ll end up hurt is you.”

He wasn’t saying that people outside this world don’t cheat or betray, but the odds are just much higher in the entertainment industry. It’s not that a hundred percent are dishonest, but at least ninety percent are unreliable.

Yan Duo puckered her lips and fidgeted, saying, “Not everyone is like that, right?”

At least Ji Ran wasn’t the kind of person Qi Jie described, Yan Duo retorted in her heart.

Qi Sixian stroked her hair, “As long as you work under me, I can promise not to push you into the fire. Of course, the premise is that you don’t aim higher than you should; if you can keep the same original heart you have now, you’ll be fine. But I can’t say that for others. Remember, the brighter and more glamorous a star appears, the more unbearable experiences they’ve had—so many you couldn’t imagine.”

Many private matters about celebrities aren’t reported; they only present the side they want to show, and they won’t easily tell others about the rest. Yan Duo understood this. She wanted to ask whether Ji Ran had gone through the same things, whether he had endured many such unbearable days, but she didn’t dare to ask—afraid that knowing would make her hurt for him even more and make it harder to leave him.

After the plane landed, Qi Sixian wanted to send Yan Duo off, but Yan Duo said her brother would pick her up, so Qi Sixian didn’t press it and left with Fang Fang.

Yan Duo dragged her suitcase along the path and arrived at the place where she had previously met up with Ji Ran. Before she reached him, she saw Ji Ran’s car parked by the roadside. Yan Duo hurried over; Ji Ran got out and helped her put the suitcase into the trunk.

Seated in the passenger seat, Yan Duo looked at Ji Ran, whom she hadn’t seen for two days. Although Qi Sixian had never detailed how difficult Ji Ran’s road to fame had been, Yan Duo, recalling Ji Ran’s comment about having “done many things he was unwilling to do but had no choice,” had already imagined an eighty-thousand-word saga of his hard struggle on the plane. She felt a deep, bone-deep pity for him. Unable to help herself, she half rose, wrapped her arms around Ji Ran’s neck, and pressed her lips to his forehead.

“You will one day be able to stay far away from all misfortune and become the happiest person in the world.”

No one will ever force you to do something you don’t want to do again; you will live according to your own wishes.

After saying that, Yan Duo, worried Ji Ran would overthink it, hastily let go of his hands and tried to excuse her actions, “Ahem, encouraging each other is a responsibility between spouses, don’t read too much into it.”

Ji Ran didn’t speak. With one hand he reached around to the back of Yan Duo’s neck, gave a slight tug to pull her toward him, and directly silenced the mouth that often spoke unpleasant words.

Five minutes later, Ji Ran stepped back ten centimeters, looking at Chu Chu’s face—misty-eyed and irresistibly alluring—and said, “That kiss just now was a wifely duty, and what comes next is too.”

He said that, then kissed Yan Duo on the lips again.