Chapter 32

This was just a minor incident. Zhu Xinyue was one of the show’s investors and a Jin Huan Group artist, so the production team wouldn’t include any unfavorable remarks about her in the final edit.
However, the production team contacted her agent, essentially urging the agent to advise their naive artist to stop blurting out everything.
Did she dare say it? Would they dare broadcast it? The big boss of Jin Huan Group wouldn't agree, right?
Brother Hu received a call from the production team, lit a cigarette, and asked, "Can you send that video clip to me? I'll go consult our big boss."
For the artist's future, and even more for his own prospects, Brother Hu couldn't afford to be careless.
The next day, just after Ji Linyu finished discussing a merger case with someone, he received the video sent by Brother Hu.
In the video, Zhu Xinyue had her hair half-tied in a bun, with loose strands lifted by the fan behind her, occasionally brushing against her cheeks. She was turned slightly away from the camera, chatting with others, her expression serious yet gentle.
"How much money does one need to earn to be with the person they like?"
Ji Linyu had never seriously discussed such topics with Zhu Xinyue.
She was still too young, her career still in its early stages. If she wanted to continue on the path of the entertainment industry, being with him now wouldn't be a good thing for her.
The kiss at the hospital had confirmed her feelings for him in Ji Linyu's mind.
Ji Linyu wanted to be with her, but what did she think? Would she feel they were moving too fast? Would she refuse to date now because she wanted to focus on her career?
This was the first time Ji Linyu had encountered such a tricky problem.
So Ji Linyu decided to wait a bit longer, until her career stabilized, before talking with her properly.
"If people can't live according to their own wishes, then money becomes a shackle too."
That sounded like something she would say.
Watching the young woman in the video, Ji Linyu couldn't help but smile.
Though she was still quite young, she often thought more clearly and maturely than many people much older than her. She had her own ideas - that was good.
Ji Linyu didn't realize how gentle his gaze had become while watching the video.
"...Rather than always saying 'wait for me,' it's better to seize the present." Zhu Xinyue lifted her eyes as the camera pulled back, framing her against the backdrop of the ocean. Her state of mind was even more expansive than the sea.
Ji Linyu's eyes flickered, his heart feeling as if someone had gently bumped into it.
When he reached the end of the video and heard Zhu Xinyue mention "the person I have a crush on," his heart began beating uncontrollably fast.
"I have someone I like secretly. I don't know how he feels."
Ji Linyu dragged the progress bar back and listened to this part two more times.
Finally, the video ended, his phone screen went black, reflecting his current expression - smiling like an idiot.
He also had someone he liked secretly, and now he knew how she felt.
"Assistant Lin, arrange my nearest schedule. I need to go to Yunhai City."

The show was preparing to launch on online platforms, but unfortunately, the second season of another popular music variety show from last year was releasing at the same time.
To generate more buzz for their show, after the guest stars had left and only the two permanent members and the tanned director remained, the production team told Xie Zhuguang to invite someone popular, someone with bigger fame who could help promote the show.
Xie Zhuguang patted his chest confidently. "This is a junior I've mentored. I even recommended him for a role with a major director, he'll definitely come."
Upon hearing the name, Zhu Xinyue said, "I know him."
That person was Liang Yuyu's rival. He had now climbed to the status of a second or third-tier male star. Like Liang Yuyu, he debuted as a child star, but his acting skills were mediocre. His only redeeming quality was his decent looks, and he often appeared in historical romance dramas. Now in his thirties, his acting had shown no improvement, yet he was skilled at creating hype, with a new rumored girlfriend for every drama he starred in.
Since a new guest was coming, and one with considerable fame, the shop manager, Xie Zhuguang, decided to take the day off. They would all go to the supermarket to shop and prepare for the new guest’s arrival.
To welcome the newcomer, Xie Zhuguang bought new daily necessities and a bedding set out of his own pocket. He also cleared out the master bedroom and hung a doorplate with the new guest’s name on it.
"You should go back and rest a bit more. It’s so sunny outside, we’ll handle picking him up," Xie Zhuguang said, slinging an arm over the tanned director’s shoulder and suggesting Zhu Xinyue stay behind at the cottage to rest.
Even in November, the sun in Yunhai City was still scorching, making it hard to keep one’s eyes open.
Zhu Xinyue watched the two of them and the cameraman walk off into the blazing heat, frowning as if she wanted to say something but held back.
In the novel, Xie Zhuguang would be stood up by this person.
The production team noticed Zhu Xinyue’s concern, and a staff member asked, "Is something wrong?"
Not revealing her foreknowledge, Zhu Xinyue replied, "It’s too hot. Let me make some mung bean soup for everyone."
So she went back inside to prepare the mung bean soup.
Zhu Xinyue’s cooking skills were all taught by her mother.
At that moment, she was alone in the cottage’s kitchen. She stepped into the yard, counted the production staff gathered outside, and got a rough idea.
She’d need to make at least three large pots.
Every corner of the cottage was equipped with cameras, all now focused on the slender figure bustling about in the kitchen.
She appeared delicate and thin, but when she worked, she was exceptionally focused and diligent. Perhaps because it was her first time on a variety show, Zhu Xinyue didn’t talk much, often quietly going about her tasks. She only became more talkative when calculating expenses or haggling over prices, a true little money-saver.
The contrast was striking: this pretty, delicate-looking girl would haggle over every penny.
Usually quite frugal, this little money-saver had today used her own money to buy a big bag of mung beans. She washed them, skimmed them, boiled the sugar water, every step carried out methodically. After working for hours, she had prepared several pots of mung bean soup for the production team.
The production team initially tried to politely refuse, but the director was already the first to grab a bowl and start drinking, so the others didn’t hold back either.
The soup was sweet and fragrant, the mung beans soft and velvety, sliding smoothly from the tongue down the throat, utterly satisfying.
Zhu Xinyue took out her phone, snapped a photo of her culinary creation, and sent it to Ji Linyu.
[Zhu Xinyue: (mung bean soup.jpg)]
[Zhu Xinyue: Treating you.]
She just wanted to tease Ji Linyu a little, since he was currently in Tianze City and could only look but not taste.
[Big Boss: Just you wait. (smile.jpg)]
Looking at the emoji Ji Linyu sent back, Zhu Xinyue could already picture how helpless he must be on the other end, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
She scrolled up through their chat history. Ever since she started filming the show, every time she made a new dish for the first time, she would send him a photo with the caption "Treating you."
At first, Ji Linyu would ask, "When I get back?"
Zhu Xinyue replied, "Only available in Yunhai City."
It was her roundabout way of inviting him over, but she knew deep down that Ji Linyu was busy, disliked variety shows, and preferred to keep a low profile, avoiding the public eye.
By the afternoon, Xie Zhuguang and the tanned director still hadn't returned.
"Xinyue," a crew member said, having received news from Xie Zhuguang's side, "the new guest isn't coming. Can I have another bowl?"
Zhu Xinyue had originally saved a pot of mung bean soup for them in the fridge.
"Sure, let me serve you." She brought out the pot again, distributed it among the crew, and only set aside two bowls for Xie Zhuguang and the tanned director.
The chilled mung bean soup was even more delicious.
Zhu Xinyue called Xie Zhuguang to ask where they were.
The tanned director answered the phone, saying that Xie Zhuguang was so dejected he was squatting by the seaside, facing the ocean in self-reflection, feeling like his whole life had turned bleak. He was too ashamed to face her or the production team, even though such gloomy moments were a regular occurrence in his life.
Zhu Xinyue ignored the latter part of the teasing jab from his friend, stifling a laugh as she asked the show's director what to do.
"What can we do? We can't just stop filming, right?" The director, a witty character himself, treated Xie Zhuguang like a kindergarten teacher handling a little kid and said with a resigned smile, "Let's go coax him back."
Zhu Xinyue was in the production team's car when, halfway there, the director suddenly received a call and excitedly ordered the crew to head straight to the airport immediately.
Huh?
What happened?
Zhu Xinyue was still a bit confused.
"Ji Qingyuan! Your senior is coming to our show! And he's bringing Liang Yuyu and Jiang Rui to promote 'Peach Blossom Spring'! This is like manna from heaven!" The director was grinning from ear to ear.
Zhu Xinyue had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, as soon as Ji Qingyuan met Zhu Xinyue on camera, he strode over openly and gave her a big hug. "Junior sister! Long time no see!"
He was overly enthusiastic, so much so that it gave Zhu Xinyue goosebumps.
What "long time no see"? It had only been half a month.
Out of the camera's view, Ji Qingyuan lowered his voice and said, "My brother told me your show needs more buzz, so he asked me to bring some people over to support you.
"Oh, and he's coming to Yunhai tomorrow."
Zhu Xinyue shuddered.
Why did she suddenly feel guilty? She hadn't said or done anything wrong.
Actually, Liang Yuyu and Jiang Rui said they joined this low-profile variety show for Zhu Xinyue’s sake, especially Liang Yuyu. He had gained a lot of clarity from Zhu Xinyue’s words, and this was his first time participating in a variety show. As for Jiang Rui, it was unclear whether she was repaying Zhu Xinyue for saving her or simply because Liang Yuyu was also there.
Ji Qingyuan, a popular actor, had his trip to Yunhai City for the show leaked almost immediately. Fan communities were already buzzing with airport photos as soon as the schedule was announced.
Jiang Rui, a rising star in the domestic entertainment scene, was a second or third-tier actress still in the upward trajectory of her career, with plenty of buzz around her.
Liang Yuyu, on the other hand, was known for his roles but not his face. While the general public might not recognize Ji Qingyuan or Jiang Rui, they could easily point out Liang Yuyu and name his characters from his dramas, even asking Ji Qingyuan to take photos with him on their phones.
The most popular of them all, Ji Qingyuan, cheerfully snapped photos for fans and Liang Yuyu while wearing sunglasses.
Liang Yuyu, who spent most of his time either acting or studying acting, was somewhat introverted and a bit of a homebody. Despite being frequently approached for photos, he never knew how to refuse.
Fortunately, at that moment, Xie Zhuguang and the tanned director arrived.
This led to a peculiar scene: the tanned director clearing the way, while the faded movie star Xie Zhuguang and the popular actor Ji Qingyuan acted as bodyguards, flanking Liang Yuyu. Meanwhile, Jiang Rui and Zhu Xinyue, never ones to shy away from chaos, held up their phones pretending to be fans, seamlessly blending into the crowd.
“Sorry, sorry, we have other schedules and can’t take photos right now. But if you’d like to see him, feel free to visit our snack shop tomorrow, it’s right by Yunhai Bay!” Xie Zhuguang didn’t forget to promote their shop.
“That’s right, that’s right! Please remember our ‘A Moment, A View’ snack shop! You must come~” Ji Qingyuan even blew kisses to the crowd, acting like a total charmer.
Liang Yuyu was toyed with by these two extroverts as if he were a plaything. By the time he got into the car, his face and neck were flushed red, like a boiled crab.
I’m never doing a variety show again! No, I’m never doing a variety show with Ji Qingyuan again! He made up his mind.
With the addition of these new guests, the show’s filming went even more smoothly. Ji Qingyuan, in particular, was a natural at creating entertaining moments, leaving the production team with more footage than they could possibly edit.
The production team had a feeling that these final episodes were going to be a massive hit.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
After the new staff settled in, Xie Zhuguang, working the front desk, received a large order.
“Hello, a team-building event? Of course, of course. What time are you looking to book? From 5 p.m. until closing? No problem, we’ll clear the place for you…”
Xie Zhuguang didn’t recognize the deep, pleasant voice on the other end of the line, but the production team recorded the call. The staff who were in the know couldn’t help but think, With a voice like President Ji’s, could he record a trailer for our show?
Zhu Xinyue had been waiting for news from Ji Linyu these past two days. Ji Qingyuan had clearly said he had already arrived in Yunhai, so why hadn’t he contacted her?
“Xinyue, there’s a company coming for a team-building event tonight. The drink orders are quite large, so you and Jiang Rui start preparing the drinks this afternoon.” Xie Zhuguang called the staff together for a meeting to assign tasks.
Zhu Xinyue threw herself back into her busy work.
The visitors were male and female idol groups under Jin Huan Group Entertainment. They had just finished an event overseas and were transiting through Yunhai with their staff, stopping by for what was called a “team-building” event. In reality, they were just giving the show’s production team free publicity. It was easy to imagine how much buzz this episode would generate once it aired.
Zhu Xinyue had been busy all day and, feeling a bit unwell, asked the store manager for permission to leave early and rest.
Xie Zhuguang even asked if she needed a doctor.
Zhu Xinyue waved her hand, clutching her stomach, and said, “It’s my period.”
When she got back to the cottage, she went straight to bed.
The production team had initially planned to film at the cottage, but the director received a phone call and pulled all the staff from the cottage, turning off all the cameras.
Zhu Xinyue had returned to the cottage after finishing the drink orders in the afternoon. She slept fitfully and woke up to find it already dark outside.
Her room was close to the kitchen, and hearing the clattering sounds from outside, she thought the others had returned. She got up to see if there was anything she could help with.
Zhu Xinyue stepped out of her room and caught the aroma of food, making her stomach growl. Through the carved partition, she looked toward the kitchen.
She had taken out her contact lenses before sleeping, so her vision wasn’t very clear. She could only make out a tall figure wearing a brown apron and loose short-sleeved loungewear, busy cooking in the kitchen.
“Mr. House Elf?” Zhu Xinyue recognized the person bustling about in the kitchen and teased him with a smile.
It had been over half a month since they last saw each other, but Ji Linyu hadn’t changed much.
Ji Linyu glanced at her, washed and dried his hands, then picked up a glass and went to the water dispenser to pour her some hot water.
“Drink some water. Dinner will be ready soon. If you’re feeling particularly unwell, there’s medicine on the table.”
Zhu Xinyue took the hot water he handed her, cradled the cup, and sat on a high stool opposite him, watching him cook.
She glanced around and noticed the staff were gone, and the indicator lights on the cameras were off, as if someone had turned them off.
“Ji Qingyuan said you arrived in Yunhai a couple of days ago.” Zhu Xinyue lightly tapped the side of the cup with her fingernail, leaving the rest of her thoughts unspoken.
“Mm, I came to attend a forum.”
Zhu Xinyue set down her cup, propped her chin on one hand, and watched his back as she muttered, “I thought you came specifically to see me.”
Ji Linyu, with his back to her, smiled faintly. After finishing the last dish, he plated it and brought it over to her.
“Didn’t want to disturb you at work,” he said.
In front of Zhu Xinyue were three home-style dishes, all smelling delicious. Especially the braised prawns, Ji Linyu had already removed the heads, shells, and veins, cleaning them thoroughly, making them incredibly appetizing.
“You’re Boss Ji. How could you possibly disturb my work?” Zhu Xinyue didn’t even have to move from her seat. Ji Linyu served her rice and handed her a pair of chopsticks.
"Boss Ji won't disturb your work, but Ji Linyu will." He seemed to imply something.
Zhu Xinyue lifted her gaze, meeting Ji Linyu's direct and candid eyes, which held a hint of laughter. She tightened her grip on the chopsticks.
"W-what do you mean? I don't understand."
"Are you sure you want to discuss this before eating?" Ji Brother Linyustured for her to eat first.
Zhu Xinyue realized that Ji Linyu had an obsession with making sure she ate properly.
But she wasn't in a hurry either. Ji Linyu was right here and wouldn't run away. It was better to try his cooking first.
Zhu Xinyue had some stereotypes about CEOs, thinking they never cooked, cared only about work, and Ji Linyu didn't seem like someone who would know how to cook. Yet, these dishes were quite delicious.
"I never expected Boss Ji to be the domestic type." Zhu Xinyue didn't hold back her admiration for Ji Linyu, squinting her eyes in delight from the delicious food, not noticing the bit of sauce at the corner of her mouth.
Ji Linyu pulled a tissue from the box nearby and gently wiped the sauce from her lips.
Zhu Xinyue blinked, staring into his calm eyes, holding her breath, not daring to move a muscle.
The warm-toned light fell on him, casting a soft glow around his figure. His movements were gentle and natural, as if taking care of her was the most natural thing in the world.
At such a close distance, fragments of a certain dream flashed through Zhu Xinyue's mind.
His gaze was fixed intently on her lips, as if he were about to kiss her the next moment.
Zhu Xinyue could hear the beating of her own heart, each thump heavier than the last.
Ji Linyu noticed her stiff posture and looked up to meet her shimmering eyes, letting out a light chuckle.
"Don't worry.
"I'm not like someone who would sneak a kiss."
The string in Zhu Xinyue's mind tightened, then, snap, it broke.
That "someone" he mentioned... it couldn't be her, could it?
So, that dream was real?!