Chapter 45 I Love You

The hotel doorbell rang incessantly, more urgent than a midnight death knell, but Fu Yanle calmly finished brushing his teeth before leaving the bathroom.

Tang Wanbai, holding a hot milk tea, said as soon as the door opened, "Ta-da! Your afternoon angel is online! Yanle, have some milk tea!"

"Thank you." Fu Yanle stepped aside to let them in.

The assistant said, "Yanle, this episode was originally scheduled to be filmed outdoors, but the rain outside is really heavy and it's unlikely to stop anytime soon, so the production team has made a last-minute change. This episode will be filmed indoors. It will still be at 12 o'clock, and the production team will send a car to pick everyone up."

"Is it raining?" Fu Yanle shook the curtains and saw that the outside of the glass window was indeed foggy.

“It started raining in the middle of the night last night.” An Shigou lay on the beanbag chair. “Perfect timing, in this freezing weather, I really don’t want to record outdoors.”

The deputy said to Fu Yanle, "Yanle, shall I call the makeup artist in to do your makeup?"

Fu Yanle, with a straw in his mouth, struggled to suck up a mouthful of taro paste, then turned to look at his deputy.

Do you think I need makeup given my looks and current condition?

The deputy easily deciphered this statement from his face.

“Alright.” The deputy had no argument and turned to look at the other two.

“I’m not going to put on makeup anymore, I’m too lazy to remove it,” An Shigou said.

Tang Wanbai took out her small round mirror and carefully examined her face. She frowned slightly and said, "I'll put on some sunscreen and primer, and then cover up my dark circles."

"I need to put on sunscreen too, but I brought my own." Fu Yanle sat down next to Tang Wanbai, holding his milk tea, and pinched his chin, scrutinizing him for a few seconds. "Your dark circles are so bad they could turn into tadpoles. What kind of mischief did you go up to tonight?"

"Huh? I was just watching some edited videos..." Tang Wanbai dared not say that every night she would hide under the covers and carefully study "Fu Yanle's CP Shura Field Literature" and was deeply engrossed in it.

As someone who's obsessed with good looks, he's happy!

As someone who knows Fu Yanle already has a boyfriend, he is both tormented and delighted!

"Okay." Fu Yanle withdrew his hand and took another big gulp.

The deputy walked out, saying, "Alright, you guys get ready, I'll go call the makeup artist in."

The phone at the foot of the bed rang. Fu Yanle was too lazy to get out of bed, so he knelt on the sofa, bent over, and reached out with great difficulty to get the phone into his hand.

As he walked, his clothes rode up, revealing a section of his fair and slender waist. Tang Wan's heart leaped, and she quickly reached out to touch his abs.

Fu Yanle pushed Tang Wanbai's head back into the sofa cushions and checked his phone.

Chen Ge: [Did you sleep in this morning and skip breakfast?]

Fu Yanle cursed the housekeeper inwardly for being such a tattletale, and replied: 【You got up late, because you went to bed late last night. As for why you went to bed late, don't you know? (Little Panda smelling bamboo.gif)】

Chen Ge: [Then why can I get up as usual? (Big Bear knocks on your head.gif)]

Fu Yanle put the milk tea aside and typed with both hands: 【Because you're the best! Yu Jingchen, I love you~ (Little bunny pole dancing.gif)】

Chen Ge: 【What does "I like you" mean?】

【Find out yourself! (Goodbye)】 Fu Yanle put his phone aside after replying and stretched.

"The makeup artist is here." The makeup artist walked in, followed by the butler.

The butler placed the paper bag on the low table and said, "I noticed that the hotel menu didn't have any dishes you like, so I went to a restaurant outside to get some to go."

"Thank you, Brother Qiao." Fu Yanle immediately knelt down on the carpet beside the table. "Brother Qiao, have you eaten?"

“I’ve already eaten.” The butler reached out and placed a cushion next to Fu Yanle’s legs.

Fu Yanle obediently raised his knees and knelt back on the cushion, turning to call out to the measuring zombie beside him, "Have you eaten?"

Tang Wanbai occupied the sofa all to himself, closing his eyes as the makeup artist poked and pressed on his face. "I've eaten, don't worry about me."

“I didn’t eat it.” An Shigou moved closer to Fu Yanle, sniffing the bone like a dog. “It smells so good. Here’s your chance to curry favor with me.”

Fu Yanle was too lazy to argue with the mentally challenged little good-for-nothing. He placed the white rice and chopsticks in front of An Shigou and said, "I haven't been to Beicheng much yet."

"I come here often, but it's always for work." An Shigou took a sip of corn milk soup, his brain fogged up by the rich soup, and he instantly turned into a glutton, quickly devouring the food.

Fu Yanle was not to be outdone, and focused intently on tackling the stir-fried shrimp in front of him. As a lazy person who only ate fish and shrimp and didn't eat any other seafood or river fish, shrimp that didn't need peeling and fish that didn't need deboning were simply among his favorites.

Tang Wanbai closed her eyes, pressed her hand against her rumbling stomach, and kindly reminded her, "Xiao An, don't forget what Director Fang said about staying in shape."

According to the character's design and plot requirements in "Dangerous Situation," An Shigou needed to maintain a lean physique. Therefore, as soon as he was confirmed for the role, his agent asked him to start losing weight. A large, full-sugar milk tea in the morning was already a heinous crime…

Reason and desire tugged at each other in his mind for about ten seconds before An Shigou's hand holding the chopsticks went straight for the sweet and sour fish in front of him. His expression was that of a mature man, and his words were those of a capable person.

"You need to eat well to have the energy to lose weight!"

"One act of indulgence requires ten acts of repression to repay; how pathetic and pitiful." Fu Yanle sighed affectedly, then devoured his food without restraint.

After finishing her meal, Fu Yanle quickly dressed herself up like a warm doll, carefully applying sunscreen to her entire face, and then putting on a scarf and gloves.

An Shigou leaned closer and tugged at the dog ears on his hat with a hint of disdain. "It's not even the New Year yet, and you're dressed like this. What are you going to do when the New Year comes?"

"The essential gear for the New Year—down jackets, snow boots, high-top fleece slippers, and earmuffs—hasn't even been used yet." Fu Yanle turned around, slung his giant thermos over his shoulder, and said, "Let's go."

The group took the elevator down to the parking lot. Gu Jiming was leaning against the back of the car when he heard Fu Yanle's voice and immediately stood up. He saw Fu Yanle walking out with Tang Wanbai and An Shigou, one on each arm.

The three of them walked and joked around, showing no signs of having just met.

Gu Jiming unconsciously clenched his fists in his pockets, recalling how Fu Yanle used to stand so close to him when he went to visit her. But now, everyone standing next to Fu Yanle had changed, and Fu Yanle was rejecting his advances.

Fu Yanle was practicing his verbal sparring with An Shigou, while Tang Wanbai acted as the referee, occasionally letting out a silvery "giggle." Just as they were about to reach the car, Tang Wanbai casually glanced up and caught Gu Jiming's staring gaze.

Huh!

He quickly looked away, glancing casually at Fu Yanle, who was discussing "Insulting Literature Without National Essence" with An Shigou, his gossipy soul burning brightly.

"Maybe he's just watched too many of those 'Shura-style' (tragic romance) couple edits," Tang Wanbai thought. Otherwise, why would he really feel that Gu Jiming's eyes contained three parts grievance, three parts jealousy, two parts resentment, two parts sadness, and ninety parts helplessness?

As the three passed by the car, An Shigou was already engrossed in Fu Xue's teachings, and Tang Wanbai was still seriously analyzing Gu Jiming's gaze. They ignored him completely and got into the car.

"..." Gu Jiming stared stiffly as the back door of the car was slammed shut without mercy, almost grinding his teeth to powder.

Seeing this, Meng Xinqiu rolled up the car window, lowered his eyes, and sighed. He had lived a few years longer than Gu Jiming, and his temperament was more composed. Fu Yanle's resistance and indifference were so obvious that even if he was restless inside, he knew he couldn't rush things at this moment.

Based on his observations over this period, Fu Yanle has clearly reverted to the original Fu Yanle. He no longer likes Su Fengyao, no longer relies on him as "Senior Meng," and harbors resentment towards them due to his past memories. Rather than impulsively rushing in, it's better to slowly change Fu Yanle's negative impression of him, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

"...Brother Xinqiu." Lin Qingtong, standing to the side, looked puzzled. "Why did you suddenly start spacing out?"

Lin Qingtong was sitting right next to her; how could she not see what was happening outside? Meng Xinqiu chuckled inwardly and said, "It's nothing."

"Oh." Lin Qingtong turned her head, her teeth pricking her lips slightly.

He wasn't unaware that Gu Jiming and Meng Xinqiu had become increasingly cold towards him lately. The way they looked at Fu Yanle just now made him even more uneasy.

It seems that ever since the Lu family's birthday banquet began, everything has been heading in a direction he could not have predicted.

Fu Yanle's personality changed drastically. He not only stopped fawning over Su Fengyao, but also withdrew his financial support to the Su family without hesitation.

The Su family was already barely surviving, and now they are being manipulated by various parties who are trying to curry favor with Fu Yanle. The Su family's last villa was auctioned off a few days ago. Su Fengyao's father is still in jail, and his current situation is unknown. Su Fengyao's mother has taken her youngest daughter to her maternal hometown to seek refuge. Under these circumstances, the Su family's desire to make a comeback is basically a pipe dream.

As for Su Fengyao, he's been replying to his messages slower and slower lately. It's unclear whether he's busy with his future or afraid of Fu Yanle and wants to maintain a relationship with him. Actually, Su Fengyao has temporarily lost his usefulness; Lin Qingtong cares more about Meng Xinqiu and Gu Jiming than him. But now, not only have these two become cold towards him, but they also seem to have taken a liking to Fu Yanle…

Lin Qingtong reached out and pressed her aching temples, feeling impatient.

After all, it wasn't just his romantic relationships that weren't going well.

After Han Dongling terminated his contract early, the company immediately assigned him a new agent, but the new agent was inferior to Han Dongling in every way. He was originally confident that no major agency would want such a troublemaker as Han Dongling, and that after hitting walls everywhere, Han Dongling would naturally obediently come back. But to his surprise, Han Dongling did not submit a resume to any company at all. Instead, he actually opened a small shop and seriously prepared to start his screen protector business.

Without Han Dongling's help, he's been having a run of bad luck lately. Not only did he fail to land the luxury watch endorsement, he even lost the lead role in "Dangerous Situation".

On the other hand, consider Fu Yanle.

Not only has his personality returned to normal, but his popularity has skyrocketed since he entered the entertainment industry. It's rumored that luxury brands have their eyes on Fu Yanle and plan to have him as their spokesperson. Fu Yanle is the rightful heir to the Fu family, holding a large amount of shares and inheritance, and backed by the powerful Lu family.

The more Lin Qingtong thought about it, the more her heart ached, and she couldn't help but lean back.

If things continue like this, won't he be unable to defeat Fu Yanle anywhere?

Is it reasonable for the protagonist to lose to a cannon fodder character?

Author's Note:

Good morning~