“Okay,” said Yan Huan as she reached for a Chinese breadstick. She took a large, unladylike bite out of it.
And then she handed her breadstick to Lu Yi.
Lu Yi took a bite out of it as well, not at all bothered by the fact that she had already taken a bite out of it.
Yan Huan happily ate the rest of the breadstick after that. She had a feeling this lovey-dovey breakfast would keep her full for the next three days.
By the time Luo Lin and Yi Ling woke up, it was almost nine in the morning. The breakfast that had been set out for them had gone cold, but they did not mind. Hot or cold, food was food.
Their routine was now out of sync with Yan Huan’s. They were still asleep when Yan Huan woke up, and when they ate breakfast Yan Huan was already busy packing her things.
Inside her room, Yan Huan knelt before her suitcase. She opened it and extracted the beautiful box she had hidden inside.
“Why aren’t you wearing it?” Lu Yi asked as he helped her pack her clothes, folding and arranging them neatly one by one into her suitcase. His long, beautiful fingers moved elegantly—unhurried, yet extraordinarily efficient.
“I was afraid I would accidentally lose it, so I kept it inside the box.”
Yan Huan opened the box. She took out the watch and strapped it around her wrist.
“How does it look on me?” Yan Huan thrust her wrist in Lu Yi’s face as she gleefully showed off her new watch.
“It looks great on you,” Lu Yi said without missing a beat. It was the truth—he had hand-picked the watch himself, and he had known all along that the watch would look beautiful on Yan Huan’s wrist.
Yan Huan leapt to her feet and ran out the room to show her watch to Yi Ling and Luo Lin, eager for further praise and flattery. She was already on her second lifetime, but this was a rare moment of childish glee for her, and she wanted to indulge in it.
Lu Yi stayed behind to continue packing Yan Huan’s clothes. He maintained his stoic poker face as he folded her underwear and stacked them neatly in the suitcase. He looked around to check whether he had missed anything; once he was sure he had packed everything, he shut the suitcase.
He picked up the suitcase and carried it out of the room.
He had driven alone for an entire day on his journey here, but the drive back to the city was a lot less taxing for him. Everyone in the car knew how to drive, and they took turns driving every few hours. It was, in fact, a relaxing and enjoyable journey home.
Hummers were excellent cars, and it was no surprise that Lu Yi preferred his Hummer to every other car. It was spacious inside, and it looked stylish no matter what it was used for, be it ferrying passengers or moving cargo. Yi Ling could not help thinking of her own Hummer back home as she settled behind the wheel for her turn to drive. It felt like ages since she had last seen it, and she wondered whether Lei Qingyi had been considerate enough to help her wash and pamper her “Little Blackie”—the name she had given her Hummer.
By the time they returned to Sea City, it was already the following day. Lu Yi carried the luggage up to Yan Huan’s apartment for them. There was a lot of luggage, but then again they had been away for a long time.
“Do you want me to bring Little Bean to you now?” Lu Yi asked as he helped Yan Huan smooth her frizzy hair. He could tell from her dull, lifeless locks that she had been exhausted for the last several weeks. In the past, Yan Huan’s hair had always remained smooth and lustrous even when she overslept or neglected to comb her hair.
“No, it’s okay.” Yan Huan was still tired. She rested her head upon Lu Yi’s shoulder. “My agency arranged a number of commercial shoots and a video game endorsement for me. They’ll keep me busy till the new year.”
Lu Yi placed his hand on her head. He stroked her hair, gently and affectionately, as though comforting a child who had to suffer a punishment she did not deserve.
“Lu Yi…” Yan Huan suddenly lifted her face and looked into his eyes, her expression earnest. “You never tell me to quit acting. Why is that?” The question had been on her mind for a while now. Lu Yi was a serious, no-nonsense man who worked hard at his job and led a simple life when off the clock. She knew he did not approve of showbiz—what more an actress like her who was only home a week out of a year?
But he had never mentioned it to Yan Huan. He had never asked her to turn down a project, or quit showbiz entirely. She understood his character: he did not need his significant other to help him earn money or acquire power, because he already had both in spades. And yet he had never broached the topic of her career, and was even willing to drive for a full day just to see her when she was filming outside the city. It was completely unlike him.
“I’ll wait for you to come home.” Lu Yi pinched her cheeks affectionately. “If you’re tired, come home. If you’re not, carry on. You have your own dreams. If you can handle it, stick to your goals and don’t give up. If it’s too much for you, come home to me and tell me all about it.”
It was simple and to the point. It was neither a promise, nor a romantic poem.
There was nothing more beautiful than words in this world. And yet they were also the most vicious.
She had learned that from Lu Qin.
There was nothing more straightforward than words in this world. And yet they were also the hardest to understand.
She had learned that from Lu Yi.
She understood now. She leaned her head against Lu Yi’s shoulder again as she circled her arms around his waist, hugging him tight.
“I’ll go home when I’m tired,” she mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes.
She had to be stronger to fend for herself and prove herself worthy of him. She needed bargaining chips to protect both herself and Lu Yi. She needed money, fame, and power.
Lu Yi frowned. He could tell that Yan Huan’s mind was troubled. The young lady had always seemed to be struggling under the burden of unspoken secrets, but he knew there was nothing he could do if she did not want to tell him about it. Instead, he would protect her and watch over her, until the day she was tired and wanted to come home to him.
Yan Huan only took half a day off before reporting to her talent agency. She was no longer the no-name actress that had first walked through the doors of the building—she was flooded with so many acting offers these days she could no longer keep track of them, to say nothing of the many celebrity endorsement offers asking specifically for her.
As her popularity increased, her asking rate increased as well. In fact, she was now one of the top 10 highest paid celebrities.
“We have an offer from a variety show. Are you interested?”
Li Changqing handed the show’s program to Yan Huan. “The show’s really popular right now, so I’m sure you’ve heard of it. They only invite famous actors onto the show. A camera crew follows the guest actors around at all times, which means that many actresses have to appear before the camera without makeup. But I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”
Li Changqing gazed wistfully at Yan Huan’s exquisite features and flawless skin. Ah, he thought, such radiant youth! Yan Huan usually went without makeup when she wasn’t working. Her flawless skin was the real deal, and not the product of heavy makeup, photo editing, or camera filters. She was just as beautiful on camera without makeup.
The variety show was called Man vs. Wild, a Jumanji-type show in which a number of celebrities got into competing groups and tried to survive in the wild. It was the top-ranking variety show because it was 100% unscripted and unrehearsed. The show had a massive audience, which was another win for Yan Huan if she accepted the offer.
