Chapter 30: Dating Reality Show Filming 29

Next was Nangong Hengmo, who went to confess his feelings to Li Wenya.

Nangong Hengmo had prepared flowers and a gift. Li Wenya longed to accept, but she knew she wasn’t worthy of her idol. Moreover, she feared that if she accepted, many fans would boycott her. Her manager had urged her to accept, suggesting she could use the "Film Emperor" Nangong for publicity, but she refused. She didn't want to exploit her idol's popularity, and she felt that accepting his feelings under such pretenses would be an insult to the sincerity of a relationship.

Li Wenya’s rejection came as no surprise to Nangong Hengmo, as they had talked at length the night before. He had a genuine fondness for her and was willing to be her shelter from the storm, but Li Wenya herself wasn't mentally prepared for a relationship.

[Sob... the Mo-Ya ship I was rooting for has sunk. My heart hurts.]
[The Film Emperor belongs to everyone.]
[Thinking about it, it was bound to end this way. One is a popular young starlet, the other a Film Emperor; if they really dated, it would be an absolute bombshell.]

Afterward, Shen Shangqian confessed his feelings to Xu Fei. He played and sang a love song he had written specifically for her, followed by a long, heartfelt letter. Xu Fei was deeply moved and accepted his confession. The two embraced and shared a brief kiss.

Sha Mengyuan tried to confess to Meng Yuan, but he turned her down, feeling they weren't a good match. Xu Ruizhi confessed to Cheng Luoli, but she rejected him. As for the others, they chose to forgo the opportunity to confess.

[Why didn't Meng Yuan confess to the Film Queen? They were so sweet during their date.]
[Was it sweet? It didn't look sweet at all toward the end.]
[A CEO and a Film Queen—I don't think they'd ever work out.]

At the end of the live broadcast, the screen switched to the two successful couples. The stream ended. Following the broadcast, the production team and guests held a dinner, after which they went to karaoke, not parting ways until past two in the morning.

Jiang Han took the intoxicated Nan Chu back to his apartment. He wiped her face, hands, and feet, tucked her in, and then went to sleep on the sofa. Although they were now a couple and holding hands or kissing was fine, he didn't want to take advantage of her in her current state, even though he was tempted.

"Hello," Jiang Han answered when Nan Chu's phone rang.
"Is this Jiang Han?" Zhuang Wenqi asked.
"Yes," Jiang Han replied. "There was a cast party last night. She got drunk, so I brought her to my place. She hasn't woken up yet."
"When she wakes up, have her call me back. There are other work arrangements."
"Does she have to go back today?"

"No, but I need to talk to her about work matters."
"Alright, I'll have her call you the moment she wakes up."
"I'm sorry to trouble you," Zhuang Wenqi said. "I hope you can take good care of Nan Chu. She is someone who is deeply starved for love."
"Has she ever talked to you about her parents?"
"Only in passing. Could you tell me more?"

"Nan Chu's parents divorced when she was three. Afterward, they both started new families and had other children. Nan Chu was raised by an aunt who had no children of her own, but when Nan Chu was fifteen, her aunt passed away from cancer. After her aunt died, her uncle didn't want to take care of her, so she was sent back to her biological father. But her stepmother disliked her intensely and treated her like a servant."

"When Nan Chu got into a top university, her stepmother tried to convince her father not to let her attend, claiming it was a waste of money because a daughter is like 'spilled water'—there was no need for a girl to be so educated. Her biological mother didn't want to pay the tuition either. In the end, it was her homeroom teacher who sponsored her through college."

"During college, because of her beauty, she was scouted to film commercials and some short dramas. She built up a fan base purely on her looks. However, she also attracted many 'haters' who claimed she’d had plastic surgery or was being kept by someone. Don't believe those internet trolls. I know exactly what kind of person Nan Chu is—she’s just a poor, unfortunate soul."

"Whenever she finally earns a bit of money, her parents take it all," Zhuang Wenqi said indignantly. "There was a time when Nan Chu was being viciously attacked online and had no income, so she couldn't give her father money. He actually posted videos online claiming she was unfilial."

Zhuang Wenqi rambled on about Nan Chu’s past. "So, please be good to her. Don't do anything to hurt her." She feared that if Jiang Han, as her boyfriend, also hurt her, Nan Chu might not be able to cope. She had previously noticed signs of depression in Nan Chu. What Zhuang Wenqi didn't know was that the former Nan Chu had already been suffering from severe depression, hiding her medication inside vitamin bottles to keep it a secret.

Jiang Han promised, "Don't worry. I won't hurt her. I will take good care of her and cherish her."
"I hope you can do that," Zhuang Wenqi said before hanging up.

After the call, Jiang Han went into the room. Nan Chu was still asleep. He held her hand and gently stroked her cheek. *In the future, I will make you smile with true happiness,* he thought.

By nearly ten o'clock, Nan Chu finally woke up. She came out of the room to find Jiang Han in the kitchen preparing lunch.
"You're awake. Your manager called to say she has work for you."
"Okay." Nan Chu went to return the call.

After chatting for about ten minutes, Nan Chu hung up.
"What's the job?"
"An audition for a historical drama. It's a female assassin role. It's not a huge part, but it's an important supporting character. It's for the famous Director Zeng. He happened to see the video of me catching someone while blindfolded and thought I was perfect for a skilled female assassin, so he offered me an audition."
"A cold, beautiful assassin... there aren't any romance scenes, are there?" Jiang Han asked.
Nan Chu shook her head. "I don't know about that yet."

They chatted while preparing lunch. Half an hour later, the meal was ready.
Jiang Han took out his phone. "Girlfriend, let's take a photo together. This is our first meal since we became a couple."
"What about last night?" Nan Chu asked, missing the romantic sentiment.
"Last night was a group dinner. Today is just for the two of us—it's different."

Jiang Han sat beside Nan Chu, put his arm around her shoulder, and they took a picture. Afterward, Jiang Han posted it to Weibo: [The first day of dating my girlfriend, having breakfast together.]

He prompted Nan Chu to post one as well. Before doing so, she checked with Zhuang Wenqi, who told her that since they were officially together, she should just post it openly.

[The first day of dating my boyfriend, having breakfast together.]

[Jiangnan Boat Sailing]: My Jiangnan CP is rock solid.
[Every Night]: Does this mean they’re living together?
[Happy Little Ya]: My sister is so beautiful, Jiang Han is really lucky.
[Western Silence]: Who cooked the breakfast?
[Reliable Partner]: Get your hands off her shoulder!
[Mortgage Calculator]: The Jiangnan ship is real!

The fans were ecstatic to see the post. The couple they were rooting for wasn't following a script—they were actually together. The post gained significant traction, and Nan Chu's follower count grew even further.