Chapter 45: "But I don't feel it; you're the one who's wronged."

"I love you" is nothing earth-shattering for them; it's been a phrase repeated countless times over the past decade. If this were some kind of jewelry, it would probably be polished smooth and shiny by now.

Gu Lai responded to this familiar confession with a kiss. Just when Jiang Yi thought it was over, he heard Gu Lai say, "I love you too."

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow, and Gu Lai smiled, "Are you surprised?"

It's not surprise... never mind, it's just surprise.

Jiang Yi reflected on himself: "Okay, I shouldn't be surprised. I should be as confident as before, and a smile will bring dollars to my door."

Jiang Yi's words sounded sarcastic at first glance, but Gu Lai had indeed seen her narcissistic and arrogant side before. To Gu Lai, it sounded as if Jiang Yi was making fun of herself.

Gu Lai laughed so hard she could barely sit up, and buried her face in her shoulder.

However, if it were in the past, Gu Lai might have really kept quiet, just as Jiang Yi thought.

This phrase has been said so many times that, over time, it feels like it doesn't matter whether it's said or not, since the other person probably already knows.

However, this is how misunderstandings and estrangement arise. Gu Lai thought to herself that they weren't unaware that they should speak, but due to various tacit agreements, busyness, and neglect, what should have been said remained unspoken, and what was said was distorted.

Gu Lai said, "Don't make me laugh, you're starting to get wrinkles around your eyes."

Jiang Yi sighed: "It's about time I started getting wrinkles. I feel like I'm starting to get them, and I'll probably need a facelift in a few years. If you're still as smooth and delicate as a cooked egg white, then I'll start to feel inferior."

Gu Lai cupped her face in her hands and looked at it for a while, then said with certainty, "What wrinkles? Not at all." She thought for a moment and asked, "Have you eaten? Regular sleep is the key to preventing aging."

Jiang Yi confirmed, "Yes, I ate it."

Have you been smoking lately?

"No."

"I need to check the car."

"Don't!"

Jiang Yi interrupted him before realizing it was inappropriate, and Gu Lai gave her a meaningful look.

"I..." Jiang Yi tried to salvage his already fragile credibility, "Hey, it's not the smell of smoke."

Gu Lai asked calmly, "What is that? Did you prepare a surprise? Then I might as well bring the surprise with me?"

Just as Jiang Yi was about to say there was no need to bring her, Gu Lai suddenly got up quickly, opened the door, and got out of the car. Before Jiang Yi could even react, Gu Lai had already darted out like a rabbit.

Jiang Yi had been visiting the set several times in her own black ORV, her new favorite. However, when they returned to the hotel, they used Gu Lai's silver MPV more often.

Jiang Yi immediately realized that Gu Lai was checking his car for any lingering cigarette smoke. She would never allow anyone to smoke secondhand in her car, so any residual smoke smell could only have been created by her.

This is also one of the reasons why she takes the initiative to ride in Gu Lai's car when they are together—no matter how expensive the cleaning is, it cannot guarantee that the residue of secondhand smoke in her car will be completely removed.

Jiang Yi immediately grabbed the car door handle and got out of the car, trying to call out to Gu Lai.

It's not that I feel guilty, but rather...

Jiang Yi stood there, touching her pocket, and was taken aback. She hadn't realized that Gu Lai had taken her keys at some point.

Jiang Yi chuckled to himself and leaned against the car to send a message to Gu Lai.

Jiang Yi: [Do you know where I parked my car?]

Jiang Yi: [Go north out of the east gate]

Jiang Yi: [I won't go.]

The filming location for "Gansui" is currently a university. Since it's inconvenient for Jiang Yi's car to enter the campus, it was parked outside.

The teaching building and surrounding area rented by the film crew were somewhat remote, with few students passing by and no popular celebrities, so filming was generally undisturbed. Therefore, Kong Kang'an and the production coordinator did not impose any restrictions.

However, Jiang Yi was only interested in Gu Lai filming; he wasn't interested in anyone else. The area was deserted now, and it felt a bit lonely after Gu Lai left.

Jiang Yi waited and waited but Gu Lai didn't reply, and she didn't answer the phone either. She suspected that Gu Lai's phone was with her assistant.

However, Gu Laixin had changed her personal assistant, Zhou Shanshan wasn't around today, and Jiang Yi didn't have her number yet.

The assistant should be on set so they can easily find her. Calling Zhou Shanshan and asking for her number would be too much trouble, and they might not even be able to get through. The van is only a few meters away from the school building where the filming location is located.

Jiang Yi hesitated for less than a second between "waiting for A Lai" and "going to find the assistant" before striding towards the film set.

The teaching building is designed like a government office building. They're probably filming an interior scene now; everyone's inside, with only a few people waiting in the lobby. Just as Jiang Yi reached the Roman columns, he heard Gu Lai's assistant's voice:

"Speak frankly and directly. If you don't have the brains, don't spread filthy nonsense to my ears. You're supposed to be an industry insider, yet you can't distinguish between what's on and off screen. How long can your boss's sugar daddy last?"

No one said a word.

Upon hearing the first word, Jiang Yi stopped in her tracks. She knew exactly what was being said, but because of that, she doubted whether she had misheard.

Are there still people so arrogantly spreading rumors about Gu Lai? Jiang Yi didn't really believe it before.

But as he listened further, Jiang Yi could no longer convince himself. He had to choose between being too arrogant and admitting that his hearing was failing him.

Jiang Yi chose to face reality.

She strode over quickly, and several people inside looked over at the sound. Some hadn't even recognized her yet, and the natural amazement in their eyes hadn't faded when the assistant who had just been scolding someone exclaimed in surprise, "President Jiang?"

"I could hear you yelling from far away, what did I do to offend you?" Jiang Yi ignored the others and looked at his assistant with a smile, "Do you have your sister's phone?"

"Yes, yes." The assistant quickly opened her backpack, which contained Gu Lai's power bank and phone. "I was afraid my sister would come looking for me, so I was waiting at the door. I just happened to run into these guys talking nonsense."

Jiang Yi patted his assistant on the shoulder, signaling him to leave: "Wait in the van. Your sister is in my car. I'll go find her."

The assistant glanced at the group of people pretending to be innocent, then immediately looked at Jiang Yi.

"I'll whisper in your ear and tell your boss on you." As soon as Jiang Yi finished speaking, he saw the assistant's eyes light up, and he chuckled, "So afraid of her? Could it be that your boss has made you 'command' her again?"

The assistant sighed, "Yeah, I guess it's because we have to address people by their job titles when we're working."

Jiang Yi laughed and said, "I'm not exactly a 'general manager' in your position, am I? Here's a lesson for you: from now on, call me Madam Gu."

As they got into the van, the group of people stared at each other, bewildered. After a moment, one of them chased after them, forcing a smile and saying, "Mr. Jiang, I'm sorry, we're here..."

Jiang Yi ignored him, glancing at his assistant with a lingering smile before his face turned cold. He grabbed his bag and strode out. The man was about to say something when his assistant, looking as resentful as if she had lost her bonus, stopped him.

As luck would have it, Gu Lai ran into Jiang Yi on her way back, carrying a large bouquet of Naomi roses.

Jiang Yi smiled and hurried over, but didn't feel comfortable taking it from her: "Why are you carrying it?"

Gu Lai replied, "I was being silly too. I got so excited and carried him away that I only realized what was happening halfway there." She finished speaking, her eyes still curved as she looked at Jiang Yi, but then abruptly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Yi paused for a moment: "How did you figure that out?"

"I can't tell if you're happy or not, but I can sense it."

Gu Lai noticed that not far behind Jiang Yi, there were several familiar people from the film crew looking in their direction, but she ignored them and still tiptoed to rub her face against Jiang Yi's. The rose between the two of them seemed to be burning.

“Tell me,” Gu Lai said.

"I don't know what those people said, but I can roughly guess."

Jiang Yi glanced back at those people, briefly relayed what his assistant had said, and Gu Lai, after a look of realization, said nothing more.

Jiang Yi remained silent for a while, then glanced back and asked, "I didn't say anything. Do you want to go and say a few words to them?"

Gu Lai didn't answer her question, but thought for a moment and asked, "What are your plans for today?"

No.

"Didn't you want to eat at that hot pot restaurant I posted about eating with the crew the other day? Let's go eat there now. There's a pedestrian street nearby, we can stroll around and then go back to the hotel, how about that?"

"Aren't you going to put on makeup tomorrow? Won't eating hot pot cause breakouts?"

"No, I can't take you to eat the crew's boxed lunches. We already ate at that Huaiyang cuisine restaurant last time. Let's go."

Jiang Yi's thoughtfulness just now was genuine, but Gu Lai's words clearly made her even happier, though she didn't say it aloud, only revealing a hint of it in her eyes.

Gu Lai took the phone Jiang Yi had brought and sent a message to her assistant. When she looked up again, she saw that Jiang Yi had regained his cheerful demeanor and smiled, saying, "Let's go."

Gu Laizhen led her to the place, and Jiang Yicai realized that it was different from the hot pot restaurant she had imagined. She whispered in Gu Laizhen's ear, "This can't be one of those trendy street stall hot pot restaurants, can it?"

Gu Lai also quietly asked her, "So, are you going to eat?"

Jiang Yi said seriously, "Yes."

"Just kidding. That's the style of her house. It's close to the cinema, so a lot of people who know her come over to eat there."

After Gu Lai finished speaking, she flicked her finger to pull her mask down a little and smiled at the boss sitting at the front desk, "Sister, find a private room."

This restaurant truly lives up to its reputation among industry professionals; the aroma is simply irresistible. After two rounds of cooking, Gu Lai, staring at her phone screen, said, "Director Kong even asked if I wanted to have a get-together tomorrow and if I could bring you along."

Jiang Yi didn't say anything, but leaned over to pick up the freshly cooked tripe for Gu Lai.

Gu Lai turned off her phone screen and moved the chopsticks off her bowl: "Why aren't you saying anything? Is something on your mind?"

Jiang Yi said, "I have no opinion. I'll listen to you. I'm your family member who's traveling with you."

Gu Lai looked at her with feigned concern: "I'm afraid you'll be unhappy. I guess you'll have to apologize to those people you met today."

Jiang Yi stared at her seriously for a few seconds, then burst out laughing, "Ah Lai, your acting is really good."

"Um?"

"It would be even better if you didn't have tripe in your mouth."

Gu Lai's expression changed instantly, and she quickly ate the food without any emotion.

“I have no problem with them. There are plenty of people who say things like that. In their eyes, the world is just a huge network of relationships. Apart from blood ties, it’s all about money and connections. In short, there can’t be any normal emotions like love, appreciation, or respect.”

Jiang Yi stopped laughing and said in a calm tone, showing that she didn't let anyone off the hook once she opened her mouth.

"I'm surprised that people are still trying to pin this on you, almost to your face. I guess I've been thinking too highly of myself. In reality, I'm just like the average person—not that empathetic, and not that meticulous."

Gu Lai's eyes suddenly stung, and she quickly lowered her head to hide it, but the movement was too exaggerated, and Jiang Yi saw it at a glance.

To be honest, Jiang Yi was more frightened.

They were dining face to face when Jiang Yi stood up to pick up some paper, but Gu Lai stopped him, saying, "No need, no need, no need to come over."

It was clear that Gu Lai was trying her best to control herself. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and kept blinking, trying to prevent the tears from falling and restore their warm and peaceful mealtime to normal.

Jiang Yi said helplessly, "My lord, if you want to cry, then cry. Why suppress your feelings for me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in Gu Lai's eyes.

Jiang Yi's pupils widened instantly. After a few moments of silence, she handed Gu Lai tissues one after another. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and took out her phone to text her assistant to ask her to bring a towel.

Although Gu Lai was busy wiping away her tears, it didn't stop her from paying attention to Jiang Yi's actions, and she almost immediately realized what Jiang Yi was trying to do.

She hurriedly said, "No! Hiccup, don't call her over, hiccup."

"Okay, okay, okay, I was worried that rubbing it like that would make your skin chapped, and it would hurt when you touched it."

Hearing her hiccup after hiccup, Jiang Yi quickly turned off his phone to comfort her, but in the end he couldn't help but laugh.

Gu Lai, embarrassed and angry, said, "I am, hiccup, I cry easily. What are you laughing at, hiccup? If you laugh again, hiccup I'm going to hit someone."

Jiang Yi nodded haphazardly, moistened a tissue with hot water, stood up, supported the back of Gu Lai's head, and gently wiped Gu Lai's eyes.

"I know, I'll cry for you tonight, okay? Don't worry about rewarding me right now. Look up, don't rush, it's nothing."

Gu Lai couldn't help but smile when she heard her words.

Jiang Yi lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth, which was filled with tears and a smile.

She had intended to kiss him briefly, like a dragonfly skimming the water, but Gu Lai tugged at her collar, deepening the kiss. However, she had just shed tears and was still breathless, so she ended the kiss herself after a few seconds.

Jiang Yi was with her.

"They were the agent and assistant of a male supporting actor in the crew, and the casting director was also there. The male supporting actor was a good actor and had a good relationship with the casting director, so he got the role. My relationship with the casting director was just so-so. I guess they were making malicious assumptions based on the female lead in 'Gansui,' using that old-fashioned idea that actors fit the roles. In reality, these people wouldn't dare to say it to my face."

Gu Lai had calmed down by now, staring at Jiang Yi with her eyes still sore from the tears. She blinked occasionally, then casually licked the corner of her lips, looking slightly embarrassed.

Jiang Yi pretended not to realize it and said calmly, "The assistant probably wanted me to vent my anger just now."

"No need, I'll handle it," Gu Lai said.

Jiang Yi nodded: "Okay, I didn't interfere."

Gu Lai smiled and said, "That's good. Actually, I'm the one who should handle these things. This is something I've only recently figured out. Before, I was just doing it passively."

She paused, then continued in a low voice, "Actually, it's not because of them... I'm used to this kind of thing sometimes and not sometimes. There was a time when I was really annoyed by people bringing you up all the time, even though I was the one sitting there having the conversation. But prejudice is so deeply ingrained, and past facts can't be changed. Now that I think about it, it's actually not fair to you either."

Jiang Yi continued picking up food: "But I don't feel that way. You're the one who's wronged."

Gu Lai took a deep breath, then laughed a moment later, her voice slightly hoarse: "I'm feeling a little better now, don't make me cry again."

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