Lu Yan withdrew her hand and asked, "If you don't have faith in us, then who do you have faith in? Your own?"

Provoked by her, An Xinrong's courage surged: "Why can't I? Although I'm not as good as you, I can provide emotional value to Zhuang Yan. Do you know how valuable emotional value is? If Zhuang Yan is with me, he'll seem very capable. But you're too domineering. If Zhuang Yan is with you, he'll be accused of being a gigolo. That would hurt his self-esteem so much. It's not that I don't approve of you two, but netizens don't approve either. You don't know how dirty their opinions are if you don't go online. Can you bear to see Zhuang Yan living under such public opinion for the rest of his life?"

Lu Yan crossed her arms and looked straight ahead: "You mean, whoever netizens support is more suitable?"

Despite knowing it was wrong, An Xinrong still chose to be stubborn: "The public's judgment is never wrong."

"So netizens all support you being with Fang Chen, will you be with him?" Lu Yan retorted with her words.

An Xinrong's expression changed, and she choked on her words.

"Have you forgotten that you supported Xia Wan in targeting Zhuang Yan before?"

An Xinrong quickly said, "I haven't forgotten. I know I was wrong, and I've already changed."

Lu Yan's smile gradually faded: "Does changing things mean it never happened? Does that mean I can stab you and then tell you the knife itself was used? You lack discernment and don't know right from wrong; you believe whatever others say. It's hard to guarantee that this won't happen again. You think Zhuang Yan is living off me when we're together, but if he's with you, won't people talk about him too? I know very well what kind of situation your An family is in, and given your weak personality, can you guarantee you'll stand in front of him and protect him when your parents humiliate him? Can you stand in front of him and believe in him from beginning to end when everyone looks down on him?"

With each question Lu Yan asked, she took a step closer, causing An Xinrong to retreat repeatedly. Gone was her previous confidence; her face was filled with fear and unease. She whispered in protest, "I didn't say he was a kept man; it was what netizens said..."

"When you said we weren't a good match, that's what you were thinking too, right?" Lu Yan's lips curled up, revealing a confident smile. "Zhuang Yan likes me because I'm good. I'm independent and confident, and I have a free and independent soul. To him, I'm the most special one. I understand him, I believe in him, and I'm willing to stand by his side no matter what happens. I've known what I want since I was little, what kind of person I'm suited for, what kind of pot goes with what kind of lid, and what size foot fits what kind of shoes."

"I know my limits and I'm self-aware. I know that it's precisely because I'm outstanding that I deserve his affection."

In short: Zhuang Yan just likes me, and you can't argue with that.

An Xinrong was no match for him and her spirit collapsed.

It took her a lot of courage to stand in front of Lu Yan and say these things, but Lu Yan's few words completely broke her down.

From her parents' upbringing, she learned from a young age that relationships filled with differences will ultimately lead to harm.

Friends, lovers, and even family members—for example, at home, she is often compared to her older sister and younger brother, and belittled as worthless. The greater the gap, the more insecure she feels.

Knowing the painful internal conflict caused by such a large gap, she felt that even if Zhuang Yan and Lu Yan got together, it wouldn't last.

An Xinrong even felt that this relationship was forced upon Zhuang Yan by Lu Yan.

Zhuang Yan had also finished packing and came out. He specifically came over to call Lu Yan: "Yan Yan, are you ready?"

"Okay." Lu Yan ran out, and if there weren't outsiders around, she would have definitely jumped into Zhuang Yan's arms.

Hearing Zhuang Yan call out "Yan Yan," An Xinrong stood still, as if she had been punished.

Zhuang Yan glanced at her: "What were you two talking about just now?"

Lu Yan remained calm and said, "It's nothing."

Zhuang Yan didn't ask any more questions, and the two walked side by side into the kitchen.

What do you want to eat tonight?

"I ate some snacks on the bus, so I'm not hungry yet. Let's see what they've prepared. But I'd really like to eat fish tomorrow."

"Then I'll go fishing tomorrow." Zhuang Yan was itching to go fishing after not having done so for so long.

An Xinrong followed behind them without saying a word, watching the two people walking in front of her, their shadows stretched long and connected by the light above their heads.

An Xinrong pursed her lips and stepped on the shadow in front of her.

Everyone else in the kitchen was busy.

Jiang Ning was chopping garlic, Fang Chen was watching the pot, and Ling Xuan, lacking any talent for cooking, was just lighting the fire.

Seeing Zhuang Yan arrive, Jiang Ning put down the cleaver in her hand: "Tonight we'll have cucumber salad, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and shredded potatoes. What do you think?"

The camera in the kitchen is already set up and is currently broadcasting live.

"Sure, I'll do it."

"You must be tired after driving all day. Sit down and rest. I'll cook." Although Jiang Ning's cooking skills are not great, she can still make some simple home-style dishes. The dishes tonight are ones she has made before, so they usually don't go wrong.

She cracked five eggs into a bowl and quickly whisked them with chopsticks.

Fang Chen reminded him, "The oil in the pan is already hot."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning quickly poured the egg mixture into the pot. Many new viewers joined the live stream, as the number of people watching the live stream had increased significantly due to the popularity of the main program.

This was the first time most netizens had seen Jiang Ning cook. She was calm and serious. Although she was staring at the food in the pot, she was listening to what Zhuang Yan was saying.

Zhuang Yan didn't rest after entering the kitchen. He first cleaned out the cabinets and washed the dishes with Lu Yan. He worked quickly and cleaned the cabinets in no time.

Netizens quickly noticed something: Zhuang Yan and Lu Yan had a high level of understanding and knew what the other wanted without even speaking.

One washes the dishes while the other wipes them; their physical interactions are very intimate. This is a habit, not something that can be formed in a day or two.

Jiang Ning couldn't help but glance at them out of the corner of her eye, and in that glance she overlooked the food in the pot, causing it to burn.

Fang Chen, who was standing nearby, reminded him, "It's burnt."

Jiang Ning's face turned ugly when she saw this, and she found it difficult to suppress the agitation in her heart.

Ling Xuan: "Was my fire too big?"

Five egg whites were used, but they were so mushy that they were inedible. Hearing the commotion, Zhuang Yan turned around and said, "Let me do it. Are there any more eggs?"

"There are still five left." Jiang Ning was at a loss, holding the spatula, as she managed to mess up such a simple dish.

Zhuang Yan took the spatula from her hand, his hand inadvertently brushing against hers. Jiang Ning felt his warmth on her fingertips and her fingers recoiled.

This subtle change was noticed by netizens.

[Jiang Ning still cares about Zhuang Yan after all. She became flustered the moment he arrived. Her face remained calm, but her body language betrayed her.]

[Zhuang Yan, why are you washing the dishes? Look back at Jiang Ning! I feel sorry for the Best Actress.]

The arrival of Lu Yan and Zhuang Yan immediately stirred up unrest in the otherwise peaceful kitchen.