Chapter 43 Liu Na can't find a good buddy...

Liu Na was oblivious to her friend's shock. She was wearing a well-fitting dark brown coat and had her makeup done. She could no longer keep up a smile.

The blind date her aunt introduced her to started criticizing her from the moment she sat down, finding fault with everything from her hair to the soles of her feet.

Half an hour later, when the man she was on a blind date started fantasizing about her quitting her job after marriage, trying to have three children in three years, and taking care of her in-laws' three meals a day, Liu Na finally couldn't take it anymore. She gulped down the coffee she had bought with her own money, tossed her curly hair, and turned and walked away in her high heels.

What the heck is this?

So, when Liu Na got into the car and saw the message, the first episode of "Life Swap" was already nearing its end.

In the scene, Fang Xuan and Lu He'an are holding a starch sausage, which was given to them by the aunt next door before they left.

Amidst a barrage of drooling comments and takeout orders, one comment appeared only to be quickly pushed down.

Hey, where's my wife's sausage? She finished it so quickly?

Shen Li spotted the comment with his sharp eyes, but he pursed his lips awkwardly and pretended not to see it.

Three minutes ago, Shen Li took the steaming hot starch sausage handed to her by the aunt, sniffed it lightly with her nose tip which was a little red from the cold, and her tongue immediately secreted saliva.

Shen Li subconsciously looked up and met a pair of deep black eyes in the distance.

Even from more than ten meters away, Shen Li could clearly see the disapproval in Jiang Huaichuan's beautiful eyes.

Shen Li shook the starch sausage in her hand: I want to eat it.

Jiang Huaichuan shook his head: Heavy oil and heavy salt.

Shen Li was unhappy. Her almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Jiang Huaichuan without blinking. Her fair face was buried in a soft black cashmere scarf, with only her red nose and a pair of aggrieved eyes showing.

Jiang Huaichuan squeezed his eyes shut, almost unable to hold on. He closed them again and opened them once more: ...No.

Seeing this, Shen Li lowered his eyes, casually shifted his toes, pulled down his scarf, and quickly took a bite.

Jiang Huaichuan: ...

Seeing Shen Li's puffed-out cheeks, Jiang Huaichuan was taken aback, sighed helplessly, relaxed his slightly furrowed brows, and curved his eyebrows slightly. His usually indifferent black eyes were filled with tender love, and his eyes were full of indulgence and pampering when he looked at Shen Li.

Never mind, I'll just eat it once in a while.

After taking the sausages, the three said goodbye to the woman and headed towards the car.

The market was bustling on both sides, and Lu He'an wandered around the stalls with a look of curiosity on his face. Shen Li stood to Lu He'an's right, and taking advantage of the fact that the camera wasn't filming them, she quickly took two steps and stuffed the remaining half of the starch sausage into Jiang Huaichuan's hand.

I'll only eat half.

Shen Li mouthed to Jiang Huaichuan, then gently touched the red mole on his right index finger with her fingertip before quickly returning to the camera.

The moment they touched, Jiang Huaichuan's heart melted as if it had turned into jelly.

Jiang Huaichuan held the starch sausage, looking at it from left to right, feeling doubtful. Although it smelled delicious, was it really edible?

Five seconds later.

Okay, it smells really good.

Using the spot where Shen Li had bitten, Jiang Huaichuan quickly ate it, the rich aroma still lingering on his lips and teeth. He licked his lips with relish, almost turning back to buy another one.

It seems to taste better than the dessert shop downstairs from the office.

Jiang Huaichuan tossed the bamboo skewer into the nearby trash can with light steps, unaware that Fang Xuan had seen the whole thing.

Lu He'an ate with gusto, one bite after another. The crispy outer layer paired with the sweet bean sauce made her eyes squint with delight. Fang Xuan, walking beside her, was also eating, but his movements were somewhat stiff, and he almost poked his nose with the bamboo skewer.

Clearly, what happened a minute ago had a huge impact on Fang Xuan, who was completely unaware of the events but only had a vague understanding of them.

His eyes darted around, finding it hard to believe that the husband of Shen Li, whom Lu He'an had casually mentioned, was actually Jiang Huaichuan.

Fang Xuan vaguely remembered that one night many years ago, his father mentioned it casually while he was eating.

"The Jiang family and the Shen family have formed a marriage alliance. Neither family has released the news to the public, but it's a done deal, there's no doubt about it."

Fang's mother asked in confusion, "These two families? Who did the Shen family marry into?"

Fang Xuan seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly felt a chill: "Shen Ci... it couldn't possibly be Shen Wenyuan, could it?"

He dared not imagine what it would look like if Shen Wenyuan and Jiang Huaichuan's faces were put together. Although it would be pleasing to the eye, it would also be terrifying enough. Who would be on top and who would be on the bottom would depend on who was beaten into bed.

“Neither,” Mr. Fang shook his head. “I heard it’s his youngest son who was recently found.”

"Huh?" Fang Xuan drawled, "We've only just brought them home and they're already arranging a marriage?"

Fang Xuan's unfinished words were clear to both his parents, but they wondered if Shen's parents were selling their son for the company's benefit.

In recent years, the cooperation between the Jiang and Shen families has indeed become much closer, but Jiang Huaichuan has never brought a partner to public events, and the Shen family has not brought any new faces. Therefore, those who only have a vague understanding of the marriage alliance between the Jiang and Shen families have accepted the initial guess that "the Shen family is using their own son to exchange for benefits" as the truth.

The Shen family...

Shen Wenyuan... Shen Ci... Shen Li...

Three names spiraled through Fang Xuan's mind.

Don't they all share the surname Shen?!

Shen Li is the youngest son that the Shen family recognized five years ago, and the one who was married to Jiang Huaichuan.

Fang Xuan touched the tip of his nose, which had been pricked by a bamboo skewer, and thought to himself:

If anyone has nothing better to do than gossip to him in the future, saying that Jiang Huaichuan and his wife are just in a marriage of convenience, and that they have been living separate lives for the past five years, maintaining a facade while having no real feelings for each other.

His eye-rolling is so extreme it could reach the heavens.

——

The baking house finished filming at noon today, and the set decorations related to the program have been removed. It is now open to the public as usual.

There were two girls holding kittens in the store, choosing them from the shelves.

Shen Li and the other two put the small wooden table back in its original place.

Lin Guo: "Wow! You've sold out?"

Lu He'an grinned, his face full of pride: "Isn't that amazing?"

"Amazing! Awesome!!"

Before we could exchange more than a few words, a crisp bell rang at the door.

Hello~ Welcome!

The three of them instinctively looked towards the doorway.

Lu He'an and Fang Xuan: ?

Shen Li: ...Didn't I say I'd come over again after the show ended?

Lin Guo instinctively went to meet him, and was about to speak when she saw his face and suddenly stopped.

The man was tall with sharp features. His eyes, which should have been full of affection, were deep and profound. His black overcoat made him appear reserved and profound, and his whole person exuded a noble and aloof feeling.

The black and white calico cat in his arms, dressed in a pink outfit and peeking out with its round head, made him look much gentler.

"Hello, do you have any suitable snacks for him? He's six months old."

Lin Guo: "Yes, over here."

【!! That handsome guy at the market, right?!】

[Absolutely, I won't forget that voice for a while now, how did he get here?]

[He probably specifically asked for the address, right? One bag probably wouldn't be enough for his cat. This guy looks really rich; look at that watch! Over five million!]

[What the heck?! Dad!! I'm your biological daughter, who's not related to you by blood at all!]

Looking at the screen full of "Dad," Shen Li couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, her eyes blossoming with a gentle smile, layer upon layer, as moving as starlight.

[Wife!! Smile more! It looks good!!]

Jiang Huaichuan spent nearly 700 yuan on cat food, cat treats, freeze-dried snacks, and small meat slices, all recommended by Lin Guo.

The girl, clutching her plush toy, blushed slightly. Pushed forward a few steps by her friends, she noticed the boy looking at her and took a small, embarrassed step back. Curious, she asked, "Handsome, your cat is so cute! What's its name?"

Jiang Huaichuan frowned slightly: "Frozen pear."

"Ah, it sounds pretty good," the girl stammered, giving her friend a pleading look. Her friend clenched her right fist: "Go on!"

"Oh, can I add you on WeChat? I can bring my cat to Central Park."

"Sorry, it's not convenient, I'll be leaving tonight." As he spoke, Jiang Huaichuan subconsciously looked at Shen Li sitting on the soft sofa next to him, and met his smiling eyes. Jiang Huaichuan smiled slightly.

The girl, who was paying close attention to Jiang Huaichuan's facial expression, instantly understood, and her face turned even redder: "Ah, I'm so sorry to bother you, I'm really sorry."

After saying that, he grabbed his friend and quickly left.

[That was a very decisive refusal.]

I just want to know what happened in the end? Why did the girl's last sentence seem so rushed and panicked?

[Could it be that the handsome guy's girlfriend is right next to him?]

[Help! Shut up! I just remembered that moment that made me so embarrassed! Aaaaaah! I finally managed to forget it!!]

The car was parked outside the mall, and there were three shopping bags, which were extremely heavy!

Jiang Huaichuan placed the frozen pear on the ground, took out the leash from his pocket, and before he could fasten it, a black and white streak flashed by, and the next second, the cat was already lying in Shen Li's arms.

Shen Li's eyes widened, clearly caught off guard by the attack.

Shen Lichao gave Jiang Huaichuan a meaningful look: What should we do?

Jiang Huaichuan was also stunned. He remained in a half-kneeling position, the leash buckle on his hand looking somewhat helpless and pitiful.

【Kitty!!】

[So natural and natural (laughs) He charged at us like a little cannonball]

[She just fell asleep in a stranger's arms??]

[...Actually, I have a bold guess...]

Me too... but I don't dare say it, it's a bit absurd... but Shen Li said yesterday that she has a black and white cat at home... about six months old...

Seeing this, Lin Guo laughed and couldn't help but tease, "Hahaha, Mr. Shen is very popular with cats. When he came over yesterday, my cat ran straight to his arms."

[Yeah, maybe my wife is just naturally feline, and so is my sister; all the cats love to rub against her.]

Finally, Jiang Huaichuan opened a cat treat on the spot, which coaxed Dongli back to his side. He picked up the plastic bag, picked up the cat, and left.

Back at the cabin, the four people from the tea plantation had not yet returned, so Shen Li and the other two went back inside to pack their luggage.

Half an hour later, Feng Wei and the other three returned. When they gathered, they noticed that one person was missing, but they all tacitly refrained from mentioning it.

According to the program team's final settlement, the remaining funds are as follows:

Feng Wei and Ji Yu's group: 287 yuan

Yin Xi and Shu Fu group: 344 yuan

The production team didn't include Wang Luo's hotpot meal in the count, so in the end:

Lu He'an and Shen Li's group: 372 yuan

Wang Luo and Fang Xuan's group: 372 yuan

The above funds can be used as seed money for the second phase. The recording of the first phase of "Exchange Life" has ended.

"Xiao Xuan, let's add each other on WeChat." Ji Yu called out to Fang Xuan as she was leaving.

Shen Li also opened WeChat.

Everyone knows that Wang Luo will definitely not participate in the recording of the second episode, so Fang Xuan, as Wang Luo's non-celebrity friend, will also not continue to record the later episodes.

"Add one more, add one more." Yin Xi and Shu Fu also came over, both of the girls' eyes were a little red.

Lu He'an awkwardly opened WeChat, her expression haughty: "Hey, add me too, you can contact me if you need anything."

Ever since she learned that Fang Xuan had also been deceived by that scumbag Wang Luo, Lu He'an couldn't bring herself to hate him anymore. They were both in the same boat, so why were they fighting each other so fiercely?

Although everyone was in the group, every working person has two WeChat accounts. Ji Yu, for example, is showing her personal account now.

After adding each other as friends, ten minutes later, Lu He'an let out a startling "Damn!" which nearly made Xiao Ji, who was driving, veer into the green belt.