Chapter 33: Thirty-Three Fires

The night before Ji Ran left for City M, Yan Duo saw him packing things in the wardrobe and slowly approached him, asking, “Do you need any help?”

“Then help me tidy up the socks; they’re in the drawer over there.”

Seeing Yan Duo’s initiative to help, Ji Ran didn’t hesitate and pointed toward a row of cabinets in the dressing room, saying.

Yan Duo made two “oh oh” sounds, then shuffled over to the cabinet in her slippers. Speaking of which, although they had been married for more than half a year, she rarely touched Ji Ran’s personal belongings, so she didn’t know where his socks were kept. She opened several drawers but couldn’t find them anywhere. Instead, she discovered a safe in one of the upper cabinets. Yan Duo glanced at it.

Without looking up, without asking anything, she closed the door and continued searching for socks. Eventually, she found ten pairs of socks and placed them in the suitcase.

“Do you need anything else?” Yan Duo asked again.

Ji Ran glanced at the two opened suitcases and said, “It’s probably enough.”

As he spoke these words, Yan Duo watched Ji Ran pull open the drawer of the bedside table, taking out five or six boxes of different colors and placing them inside the suitcase. After clearing his throat softly, he stood up and left the dressing room, thinking to himself: “Taking so many tins—hopefully Ji Ran has good luck tomorrow when going through security and won’t be asked to open his suitcase for inspection.”

No one knows whether Yan Duo’s brain had a sudden flash of insight or if Ji Ran was just having bad luck, but the next day, while Yan Duo was scrolling through Weibo and packing her luggage, she noticed that Ji Ran had unexpectedly become a trending topic. The headline read: #Ji Ran Blocked at Airport Security Check#.

Yan Duo nearly dropped her phone when she saw this headline. She quickly clicked on the video in the original news article and learned that Ji Ran and his assistant had been asked by airport staff to open their carry-on bags because they were suspected of carrying dangerous items.

At this point, Yan Duo felt momentarily dizzy. If someone discovered that Ji Ran had brought a bunch of birth control products onto the plane… oh my god!

As a result, for the next two hours, Yan Duo, terrified by her own imagination, sat restlessly, refreshing the Weibo trending topics every ten minutes. She kept checking the time, calculating when Ji Ran would land. As soon as the expected landing time arrived, she immediately called Ji Ran. The first call went unanswered because his phone was turned off; it wasn’t until the third attempt that he finally answered.

“Are you okay? What happened with the security check?” Yan Duo asked cautiously.

Ji Ran: “What do you think?”

Yan Duo didn’t dare to guess casually and asked directly, “Were those ‘tt’ you brought noticed by anyone?”

Ji Ran’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “Are you worried about your future nightlife?”

Yan Duo blushed and replied, “I’m worried that the trending topics will say you’re too sexually aggressive, affecting your pure image!”

Ji Ran couldn’t help but laugh, “After fulfilling our ‘spousal duties’ together so many times, do you still think the word ‘pure’ has anything to do with me?”

Still in the mood to joke around—so it seems she’s really fine now. Yan Duo let out a snort and hung up her phone directly.

Ji Ran put his phone away with a good mood, thinking Yan Duo was simply adorablely silly. Had she forgotten about the shipment issue? Besides, that suitcase with the “tt” logo had already been registered under his assistant’s name long ago. If there were any problems, it would be because his assistant was too eager—not related to him at all.

Thinking of something, Ji Ran took out his phone and called back one of the numbers from before boarding the plane. As soon as the call connected, he said directly, “Director Zhang, I’ve accepted your offer for the live variety show.”

On the other end of the line, Director Zhang immediately hung up the phone and happily went to find the station manager. Last time, Ji Ran’s appearance on an interview program had made the show go viral. If he joined the entire season of the variety show, not only would they secure advertisers, but the program could also become a hit of the year!

It must also be said that Director Zhang has a keen eye for people and great patience. Ever since Ji Ran expressed in the show his desire to find a girlfriend or even get married, he has been continuously contacting him, trying to persuade him to participate in the live broadcast program and telling him that this could provide a platform where fans gradually accept him as he completes this important life milestone.

During that period, he knew several companies were negotiating with him, and he ultimately chose them probably because one of their favorable policies struck a chord with him.

Anyway, it’s better than anything else that Ji Ran agreed to participate in their show.

On July 6th, Yan Duo arrived at the hotel where the production crew was staying with Fang Fang already at 4 p.m.

The production team arranged a separate small room for Yan Duo. Seeing the fully equipped room, Yan Duo couldn’t help but laugh, “No wonder everyone fights so hard to become the lead actor—this is what the lead’s treatment looks like!”

Yan Duo used to play supporting roles and always lived with others. This is the first time she’s living alone, and she finds it quite refreshing.

Fang Fang said with a smile, “Your room will definitely get better and better in the future.”

The better the room you live in, the higher your status becomes. Yan Duo smiled and replied, “I’ll take your good wishes.”

After helping Yan Duo organize her luggage, Fang Fang dragged her own luggage and prepared to return to her room.

Before leaving, Yan Duo said to her, “I’m going to take a nap and don’t know when I’ll wake up. Don’t wait for me to eat; go ahead and eat by yourself.”

Fang Fang didn’t say much, just agreed and closed the door.

Yan Duo sighed, covering up the slight guilt that had arisen in Fang Sheng’s heart. She went to the wardrobe and changed into a skirt, then put on a baseball cap. Opening the door, she headed toward the emergency exit, climbed two flights of stairs, and finally found the room numbered 808. She knocked on the door.

At this moment, standing in front of the door, Yan Duo couldn’t help but feel that this scene seemed familiar. Before she could figure out when it had happened before, the door opened and Ji Ran’s face appeared right in front of her.

Yan Duo said nothing, quickly slipping inside and closing the door behind her. siluxsw.com

Yan Duo was originally quite satisfied with her room, but after visiting Ji Ran’s room, she was filled with envy. Not only was his room much larger than hers, but it was also divided into sections, with a bedroom, living room, and even a small kitchen. Meanwhile, the two parrots that Ji Ran had brought over earlier were chirping away in the living room.

Yan Duo fed them bird food, and one started calling “Duo,” while the other immediately responded with “Ran,” their coordination perfectly in sync.

“Aren’t these two parrots a bit too in sync?” Yan Duo asked Ji Ran curiously, “Do you know what’s going on?”

At this moment, Ji Ran was looking for clothes to change in the closet and said upon hearing this: “They’re a couple, probably some kind of telepathic connection.”

Yan Duo:……

She’d be a fool to believe such a ridiculous reason. Thinking of something, she asked again, “You left the parrots in the living room. If someone comes to visit… won’t our relationship be exposed?”

Ji Ran gave her a speechless look, “Don’t worry, except for you and me, the parrots won’t make a sound when anyone else feeds them.”

Not many lovebirds can learn to talk, but these two probably were truly meant to be with them, learning as soon as they were taught, though they didn’t speak often.

Yan Duo felt relieved immediately, “That’s good then.”

After playing in Ji Ran’s room for a while, the two left the room one after the other, one heading to the elevator while the other took the stairs down to the 6th floor to wait for the elevator.

According to the script Yan Duo had planned, after she “ran into” Ji Ran in the elevator, they would exchange greetings, and then as two people who had worked together before, they would naturally have a meal together. This way, even if they ran into acquaintances, they would have an excuse, allowing her to have dinner with Ji Ran without arousing suspicion about their relationship. Absolutely perfect!

But when the elevator doors opened, the smile on Yan Duo’s face froze.

“Duoduo, what a coincidence, we get to work together again.”

Zeng Meng.

Before coming, Yan Duo already knew that Zeng Meng would also be in this movie, and even as a special guest star. Moreover, just before she went to Ji Ran’s room, she had politely declined an invitation to have dinner together, but now… all she could say was that the temptation was real!

Besides Zeng Meng, there were also Ji Ran and the film’s Director Zhong standing together talking in the elevator.

“Hello Director Zhong, hello Teacher Ji.”

After Yan Duo entered the elevator, she politely greeted the two of them before being pulled to Zeng Meng’s side.

Director Zhong asked with a smile, “Are you going to eat dinner? Join us, I’ll treat you to a welcome dinner.”

Coincidentally, Director Zhong had run into Zeng Meng, who was on her way to dinner, as soon as he went out, and then he met Ji Ran and Yan Duo in the elevator, so it was perfect to invite them together.

Yan Duo discreetly glanced at Ji Ran. Seeing his calm expression but no sign of refusal, she smiled and replied, “Okay.”

So after getting out of the elevator, their dinner for two turned into a welcome dinner for four.

Director Zhong took the three of them to a decent-looking Sichuan restaurant. Seated at a not-too-large rectangular table, Ji Ran and Director Zhong sat on one side, while Yan Duo and Zeng Meng sat opposite them, with Yan Duo facing Ji Ran and Zeng Meng facing Director Zhong.

Zeng Meng leaned close to Yan Duo’s ear and whispered, “Aren’t you so excited you’re about to go crazy, getting to play a couple with the idol you’ve liked for years?”

Zeng Meng had also watched the episode of “Rainbow Colors” that Yan Duo participated in. Coupled with the news about the two of them that had been circulating online for a while, it wasn’t surprising that Zeng Meng knew Yan Duo was Ji Ran’s fan.

Yan Duo coughed lightly and said with feigned composure, “It’s alright, just two nights of poor sleep.”

In the previous drama, Yan Duo played a supporting role to Zeng Meng, but in this show, Zeng Meng was playing a supporting role to her instead. However, Zeng Meng didn’t develop any rift with Yan Duo for being overshadowed by her; she remained as enthusiastic as before, treating Yan Duo like a close sister when they met, which made Yan Duo breathe a sigh of relief.

Zeng Meng laughed when she heard this, “If it were me, I’d probably wake up laughing even in my sleep. But then again, I’m technically his nominal wife in this show, so I guess it’s worth it.”

Hearing her say this, Yan Duo also smiled.

The two girls were whispering to each other, while the two men opposite them were also talking.

Director Zhong: “You’re filming in my crew, how could I let you pay for your own hotel? I’ve spoken with the producer, and she will add the amount to your salary.”

Director Zhong’s crew is generally very fair and just. For instance, the room originally arranged for the male lead Ji Ran was the same single room as the female lead Yan Duo. However, on the first day of check-in, Ji Ran changed the single room to a suite and paid the price difference himself.

Ji Ran glanced at Yan Duo, who was smiling happily across from him, and said to Director Zhong, “No need, this is my own decision and has nothing to do with the crew.”

Although Ji Ran said this, Director Zhong was still determined to send the money to him.

Seeing him look at Yan Duo intentionally or unintentionally again and again, his doubts grew deeper. He asked in a low voice, “Be honest with me, did you suddenly agree to take this role because of the person across from you?”

Director Zhong had worked with Ji Ran before, and it was quite pleasant, so when looking for the male lead for this film, he sent the script to Ji Ran first, but Ji Ran didn’t agree. Director Zhong also Understood, with Ji Ran’s status, he didn’t need to take on a role that was essentially second lead, nor was he forced to. However, half a month later, once the female lead was confirmed, he suddenly called saying he wanted to play the part. Director Zhong was naturally delighted. As for the reason, Director Zhong hadn’t initially thought it had anything to do with Yan Duo, but after unintentionally seeing what he said on a variety show recently, he suddenly had this strange notion that he couldn’t shake off.

Regarding Director Zhong’s speculation, Ji Ran didn’t deny it, nodding lightly. “Director Zhong, just pretend you don’t know if you do. My wife is timid.”

Director Zhong felt rather sour hearing this. Timid? He looked Yan Duo up and down and didn’t think she was the timid type at all!

No, that’s not the point. The point is—my wife!?!

Damn, can’t you be a bit more subtle when revealing your relationship with her? Must you be so casual about it!

I strongly suspect you’re actually showing off your relationship, even though I have no proof!