Zhuang Yan ran into Lu Yan as soon as he came down the mountain. She was squatting on the ground, not moving, and there was no photographer around.
The moment Zhuang Yan saw her, the scene from that morning flashed through his mind... He felt a strange unease and didn't want to be alone with her.
But now that they'd run into each other, ignoring it and pretending not to see it was impossible. Zhuang Yan paused, stopping in his tracks: "What are you doing here? Where's your photographer?"
"His machine broke down, so I took it back to get it fixed. I can't walk right now; I sprained my ankle." Lu Yan stretched out her left leg, her ankle red and swollen. It wasn't just a sprain; there were also abrasions from her knee to her calf, indicating that she must have fallen there.
Are you alright?
Lu Yan relaxed her eyebrows, raised her head, and smiled at him in the afterglow of the setting sun: "What, are you worried about me?"
Even if they're not friends, they're still colleagues, and it's normal for colleagues to show simple concern for each other. Zhuang Yan didn't say anything, but you could tell what he was thinking from his gentle eyes.
Lu Yan sighed, "If you don't want to talk to me, go back and call someone for me. I'll be fine here by myself, it's just that there are a lot of mosquitoes. I only hurt my hand before, but now my foot is hurt too." She swatted at the mosquitoes around her as she spoke.
Lu Yan has fair skin, and even a light touch will leave a red mark. When bitten by mosquitoes, each bite leaves a bump that is particularly noticeable on her legs.
Zhuang Yan couldn't possibly abandon her; even if he wasn't live-streaming, he would still take care of her.
Unsure how to touch him under the live stream camera, he bent down and tentatively asked, "Can you stand up?"
"Yes." With the help of Zhuang Yan's arm, Lu Yan stood up. Her leg injury was quite serious, and she walked with a limp. It was okay on flat roads, but this was a rugged mountain road, and the road surface was slippery due to the rain last night.
It was getting late, and Zhuang Yan didn't want to waste time on the way back. He glanced at the camera and then handed the bag in his hand to Lu Yan: "Can you carry this for me? I'll carry you back."
After Lu Yan took the bag, he squatted down in front of her: "Come on up."
Zhuang Yan had his back to her, but he felt Lu Yan getting closer. His back was pressed against two soft mounds, and Zhuang Yan stiffened. The more he tried to ignore it, the more obvious the touch became.
This time, he directly felt Lu Yan's softness. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, Lu Yan's whole body was very close to his. He gently hooked his hand around her neck. She always had a light fragrance on her body, which was soft and not pungent, unlike perfume. He felt an itch on the back of his neck, which was from her hair.
Am I heavy?
"Not heavy." It's the weight that can be easily carried in a princess carry. Lu Yan's figure is the best among the three female guests. She is well-proportioned, with a very good bust-waist-hip ratio, which can be described as a golden triangle and a standard S-shape.
When Zhuang Yan carried her on his back, he made a subtle gesture: he kept his fists clenched to avoid touching her unnecessarily.
Lu Yan leaned against him and asked, "What's in the bag?"
"The vegetables the old man gave me were grown by himself and he didn't use any pesticides."
"What have you been busy with today?" Lu Yan could clearly feel that Zhuang Yan's body temperature was much higher than in the morning. This usually happens after a lot of exercise. Moreover, the muscles in his arms were hard and the veins were bulging, as if they were filled with blood.
"Chopped some firewood, did housework, cooked..."
"You've done so much." Lu Yan rested her chin on his shoulder and suddenly said ambiguously, "Young people are great, they have inexhaustible energy."
Zhuang Yan froze; if he hadn't been clenching his fists, he would have almost thrown Lu Yan down.
This wasn't the first time; Lu Yan would find any opportunity to tease him, making people mistakenly believe that she liked him.
Zhuang Yan had always thought it was an illusion, but Lu Yan's words and actions repeatedly contradicted his belief, and he really couldn't understand her anymore.
Lu Yan avoided the microphone and asked softly, "Who are you sending your heart signals to tonight?"
Zhuang Yan remained silent, like a walking block of wood.
Knowing he wouldn't answer, Lu Yan sighed.
She had a busy day, helping others tutor their children, and it was during this time that she saw the trending topics online.
The director specifically instructed her not to tell Zhuang Yan beforehand, so as not to affect his mood during the recording.
The production team is not currently considering speaking out for Zhuang Yan. They're taking advantage of the attention she's getting; even negative publicity is still publicity.
The director also understood a principle: don't get caught up in proving yourself. Whoever has doubts should provide evidence. Those fabricated AI images online will be exposed sooner or later.
What they need to do is to capture Zhuang Yan's most authentic side, uncover his strengths, and give the audience the most direct experience, thereby changing their perception of him.
You can't play the good guy forever; who can stay true to themselves without ever giving themselves away?
The recording time wasn't long, but over those three days, the production team felt that Zhuang Yan was a treasure trove, well worth exploring.
He is gentle and polite, can cook, and always tries to solve problems without complaining or grumbling. He gives the impression of being a humble and positive young man. He can cook, does housework well, and has genuine respect and care for the elderly.
Today, he not only helped Grandpa Wang chop wood and cook, but also gave him a bath and trimmed his nails. In any case, it's impossible for them to take such good care of the elderly.
It is precisely because of his care for the elderly that his online reputation has improved, and people have begun to question whether someone is deliberately smearing and spreading rumors about Zhuang Yan.
This is a good thing, and it's something the production team wants to see.
Lu Yan's opinion differed from that of the production team. The production team was unwilling to speak out because they found it troublesome and were also afraid of offending the Xia family.
But she wasn't afraid. She couldn't just sit around doing nothing and wait for those people to scold Zhuang Yan.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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