Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
He squinted and asked, “Could you give me a reason? Do you not fancy me?”
“No, that’s not the reason.”
“Since you fancy me too, why are you turning me down?”
“I can’t tell you the reason.” How could I possibly tell him that it is because of Xiao Chenyang? If I did, not only will Yan Ge think that I’m a promiscuous woman who’s in a complicated relationship with Xiao Chenyang, he’ll also find out that I lied about Xiao Chenyang being my cousin. What will he think of me then?
“Fang Erlan, what could be more important than your happiness?” Yan Ge asked with a sullen expression, staring at her coldly.
Not daring to establish eye contact with him, she said, “It’s not that it’s more important than my happiness, but rather… I can’t defy it.”
“Why not?”
“Stop asking,” Fang Erlan said softly.
Yan Ge could not figure out what she was thinking. However, there was nothing he could do apart from feeling disappointed about being rejected. “Would you be fine with it even if I no longer need you to answer such questions in the future?”
Fang Erlan looked up and held his gaze. Her lips moved and she could not speak at all.
However, he took her silence as consent.
Yan Ge stood up in a bid to leave. Fang Erlan followed suit and called, “Yan Ge.”
He turned around and asked, “Yes?”
“Can we still be friends?” Noticing that he was not answering her, she frantically added, “I still want to be friends with you.”
“Did you forget what I once said to you? In my eyes, you’re only a woman, not my friend. I’ll never treat you as my friend.”
He then pulled the door open and left.
Fang Erlan thumped herself down onto the couch. Does that mean he’s going to start ignoring me from now on?
She was incredibly upset. The more miserable she felt, the greater she resented Xiao Chenyang. If it wasn’t because of him, if it wasn’t because of him…
It’s all because of him…
He is the cause of everything.
Recalling what Yan Ge said, Fang Erlan buried her face in her knees and began bawling in grief.
The more she wept, the worse she felt.
She had nowhere to vent her frustration.
At this moment, she received a call from Mei Yangyang.
Sensing that there was something wrong with her voice, Mei Yangyang asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Sis Yangyang.” Fang Erlan sniffed and answered, “I’m fine. Did you call me to inform me about the latest arrangements?”
“The investor for ‘The Tyrannical Adonis Falls in Love with Me’ requested for a change of female lead and you were replaced by Yu Caiwei. The author was hoping that you could be the female lead but the investor did not agree with the decision. We were almost about to sign the contract already.”
Although Fang Erlan felt that it was a great pity, there was nothing she could do about it. Hence, she said, “It’s alright, I’ll just focus on acting in ‘The Man from the Ancient Times.’”
“Yes. Nowadays, the original authors, screenwriters, and directors don’t necessarily always have a say in casting the actors and actresses for television series. The investors call the shots.”
“I know. I signed up for a short-term fitness membership. Sis Yangyang, I’m going to go to the gym now,” Fang Erlan said while wiping her tears.
“Alright.”
After ending the call, Fang Erlan changed into a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts. She then left with a bottle of water.
As soon as she entered the elevator, Yan Ge exited his apartment. He stood outside the elevator and stared at her, all the way until the doors closed.
At this moment, Fang Erlan regretted her decision to buy the apartment opposite his. Things were going to be awkward from now on, especially since they lived in such close proximity…
She exited the elevator and proceeded to the gym within the estate.
She began working out under the guidance of the personal trainer. After letting herself go for a period of time, she had gotten significantly flabbier.
I must quickly sculpt my body and get toned before filming begins.
While she was in the midst of her workout, she caught sight of Yan Ge, who had also come to the gym to exercise.
She looked away after taking a few glances at him.
—
No. 8 was hospitalized right after An Xiaoning rescued him from Y Nation.
He seemed to have undergone a great deal of torment. Fortunately, he did not sustain any major internal injuries.
An Xiaoning informed Mo Li about it only in the morning because No. 8 did not want Mo Li to see him in a bloodied state.
Mo Li rushed to the hospital right away. Staring at No. 8 who was lying on the bed in his ward, she stepped forward slowly as tears streamed down her face. “Yun Chen.”
No. 8 smiled at her and said, “Why are you crying? I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
She sat down on the bed and held his hand. “How are you fine? You’re bandaged from head to toe.”
“I’ll be fine after getting some rest.”
“How did Xiaoning rescue you?”
He recounted the details that An Xiaoning had told him on the plane. “That’s what happened.”
“Xiaoning is really impressive. I really didn’t expect her to have gone to such great lengths for a subordinate. I must thank her properly. If not for her, I probably wouldn’t be able to see you now,” said Mo Li, who was weeping incessantly.
In the midst of their conversation, the door opened and four people entered the ward, two of whom Mo Li and No. 8 had seen before a few times. However, they did not recognize the other couple.
They arrived with some gifts. The mistress of the apartment said, “Ms. Mo, my husband and I live in the same block as you and these two people over here used to be my husband’s friends. They were the ones who knocked Mr. Yun unconscious and together brought him to the harbor. However, we had no idea about their scheme. We decided to visit you guys and express our apology to you now that Mr. Yun is back safely. If we hadn’t allowed them to stay over at our place for a few days, things…”
Mo Li stood up and looked at the two strangers. She snapped, “You people were the ones who almost got my man killed. Look how heavily wounded he is. How could you commit such a despicable act?”
Xiao Wu said, “Ms. An said that she won’t hold it against us or pursue the matter as long as Mr. Yun can return safely. The mastermind transferred some money to me as a reward for getting the job done. Ms. An wanted me to give the money to you guys. Please give me your bank account details, I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Mo Li looked at No. 8, who said, “Lili, give him the bank account number. I can’t suffer all these injuries for nothing.”
Mo Li nodded and did as she was told.
After they left, Mo Li sat down again and said, “No amount of money can atone for the pain that you’ve been subjected to. I’d rather not have the money than let you get injured.”
“I want to use this money to set up a shop for you and buy you a car. From now on, you won’t have to work at the bar anymore. A jeopardized body clock is going to cause your hormones to be imbalanced. It’s bad for your health.”
“I don’t want anything.”
He insisted, “Listen to me, we’ll buy a bigger house once we earn more money. When Father-in-law and Mother-in-law are older, they can move in with us too. After all, they can’t rely on running the breakfast bistro forever. There’ll come a day when they’d have to retire.”
