CH 7

It took a while for her to react, the barrage of bullet comments kept coming so fast that it almost blinded Wen Li.

"Could you please slow down with the comments? I can't see clearly what you're saying."

Before the fans could explain to her, her personal phone vibrated.

It was a call from her manager. She answered, "Sister Dan?"

Lu Dan's tone was complicated, "Can you please let us know in advance if you're planning a "surprise" live stream with Mr. Song for better coordination?"

Wen Li didn't understand, "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend to be clueless. Why didn't you tell me about the script arranged for Mr. Song's return today by the production team?"

"Huh?"

Wen Li held the phone, looking around in confusion, "Song Yan has returned?"

Lu Dan sighed heavily, "Yes, he stood at the bathroom door and watched you dance for a full two minutes."

Wen Li's face instantly turned pale and her pupils dilated. She trembled and shouted into the phone, her voice trembling, "Song Yan really came back?"

「Silly baby really didn't know.」

「Hahaha, I can't believe it. What happened was for real, it wasn't scripted.」

「He's really back.」

「Not only did he come back, but he even closed the door for you while you were dancing so enthusiastically.」

Wen Li stood still in place for at least half a minute, feeling like the world was crumbling around her. Her hand hanging by her side was even too embarrassed and angry to clench into a fist.

Lu Dan, who was watching the live stream, also realized something was wrong and asked tentatively, "You didn't know he was coming back?"

Wen Li shook her head dully, "I really didn't know."

Her voice was trembling to the point where her words were barely audible.

「Sanli: weak, helpless, and pitiful.」

「So pitiful, hahaha, but I can't help but laugh.」

「Move to another planet to live.」

「Dear Sanli, let's raise funds to buy you a rocket for immigration. Don't cry, don't cry.」

"...It's fine. It's not like it's some major scandal. Online information updates quickly, and after a while, everyone will forget."

Her usually serious manager finally let out a laugh and consoled her.

Wen Li didn't believe it at all. The cover she shot for a romance magazine when she was in her teens was still occasionally dug up by marketing accounts for ridicule. If it weren't for her uncle's connections before her debut, who helped conceal her personal information, it was likely that more than just this little black history would have been exposed by now.

Rarely did she have a moment to let herself go, now she was caught red-handed.

Wen Li looked at her phone with a mix of grievance and reproach, "Why didn't any of you tell me?"

The barrage exploded -- the fans were even more indignant than her.

「I shouted at my phone for several minutes, and my voice went hoarse, do you know that?」

「We told you!!!!」

「Develop a bullet voice feature, @OrangeJuiceTV.」

「OrangeJuiceTV, you bear a great responsibility for Sanli's death.」

"..."

Wen Li glanced at the closed bathroom door and was even considering that maybe she shouldn't go out for the rest of her life. She could just retire and stay in this bathroom for the rest of her life.

She awkwardly ran her fingers through her hair and decided to end the live stream first, no matter what.

"I'm ending the live stream."

「Don't!」

「We want to see you in the same frame.」

「Same!!! Frame!!!」

「Sanli, don't worry. If he dares to laugh at you, we'll take care of him!」

「Don't go! Don't go!」

Ignoring the fans' cries, Wen Li firmly closed the livestream and then casually checked Weibo.

#Wen Li's livestream goes wrong# 【Explosive】

#Song Yan surprises everyone by coming home# 【Explosive】

#In This World with You# 【Hot】

#Please develop a bullet voice function for livestream platforms#【Hot】

#Wen Li's version of being home alone today#【Hot】

#How crazy can a female celebrity get when she's alone at home#【Hot】

She clicked on the top trending topic, and the first post was her recent livestream recording.

The Top Celebrity, Bai Gujing: 「Hahahaha, today Wen Li's livestream was really hilarious. The effects of this segment were off the charts, both pitiful and funny. Song Yan, how will you repay Wen Li for this?!!! 【Video link】」

As soon as the video started, a booming, earth-shattering DJ track played, and Wen Li, with a cotton pad on her face, swayed to the music.

Then, the opened bathroom door revealed a tall figure.

The man's face initially showed slight fatigue. He held a suitcase in his right hand and wore a windbreaker draped over his left arm. He stood frozen at the bathroom door, a mixture of astonishment, confusion, and a hint of "Did I walk into the wrong house?" in his eyes.

After watching for several seconds, the tiredness on his face vanished, replaced by a deep smile in his profound eyes. His clearly lifted double eyelids curved into fine lines of amusement. He didn't call out to Wen Li; instead, he calmly stood at the doorway, silently enjoying the entire 'concert'.

And when the performance ended, he thoughtfully closed the door for his wife.

「I didn't expect it to be this funny before clicking in.」

「Hahahaha, she's really adorable.」

「Indeed, sexy and cute are worthless in front of silliness.」

「Why is everyone laughing while all I see in this clip is sweetness? Is this the superpower of being a CP fan?」

「I ship them, I ship them so hard, I declare I'm a CP fan.」

"..."

She had already lost face, even to the point of embarrassment. Could she still be shipped?

Numerous memes had been created as well, and the most popular ones were the [You When the Class Teacher Isn't in the Classroom] and [The Class Teacher's Gaze] meme sets featuring her and Song Yan.

By the time Wen Li had gathered herself and emerged from the bathroom, half an hour had passed.

Song Yan was not in the living room.

Just as she relaxed, she suddenly remembered that the cameras in the living room were probably still on, so she hurriedly made her way there and turned off both cameras.

Then, she collapsed onto the sofa, intending to make do and stay in the living room for the night.

The house was located in the bustling commercial area of Xicheng District in Yancheng. Neon lights adorned the streets, and the traffic flow at night resembled a dragon. As a high-end mansion, many celebrities and public figures owned properties here. Paparazzi lurked everywhere, so if she were to leave now and hide outside, it would be like offering herself as a feast.

Her phone kept vibrating with messages flooding in from her manager, the production team, family, and friends, filling up the screen.

Even her cold-blooded uncle, who never cared about her work, had something to say.

Uncle: 「Weibo post」

Uncle: 「Look at yourself and see what you've become.」

Even old cadres without Weibo accounts knew about it. Wen Li realized that this livestream had truly become a sensation.

Celebrities have no privacy, she knew that. Even when she was still a B-list or C-list actress a few years ago, she played the role of a treasure in front of the cameras. Just like Lu Dan said, this incident wasn't a scandal for her; on the contrary, it could attract more fans.

She had crossed the threshold of embarrassment and come to terms with it. Maybe tomorrow she would even post something on Weibo to play along with her fans and followers.

Wen Li stared in the direction of the master bedroom, her gaze as if trying to pierce through the door.

Why couldn't she just open the door to the master bedroom and tell the person inside that today's livestream was just for show, and that she was perfectly fine both mentally and emotionally?

He was also an artist, he would surely understand.

What was she afraid of, after all?

Forget it. She couldn't explain it. Wen Li grabbed a sofa pillow and held it in her arms, feeling more and more confused as she thought about it, unable to sort out her thoughts.

It wasn't until Song Yan called her name, she dazedly opened her eyes and realized that she had fallen asleep on the sofa.

"Go to bed," He said.

Wen Li pouted, rolled over, facing the back of the sofa, leaving the back of her head to him, and murmured, "I'll sleep here tonight."

The guest bedroom didn't have a bed, and the mattress was uncomfortably hard, so sleeping on the sofa was more comfortable.

Song Yan didn't speak for a long time. Wen Li felt him crouching behind her, breathing deeply and shallowly.

Then he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of amusement, "Did you get tired from dancing just now?"

Boom—

Wen Li heard the sound of her sanity exploding, Song Yan stepped on a landmine with precision.

"You!" She sat up as if she was going to have a big fight.

"What about me?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow, calmly saying, "When I'm not home and you're having a concert, but when I come home, you put on a poker face. Why did you call me back then?"

When arguing with someone, the worst thing is to receive a calm sensible response from the other party, as if punching cotton, it's very frustrating.

He even turned the tables on her!

Wen Li was angry, "I have a poker face because you came back? You didn't even tell me in advance when you came back, you made me, made me—"

She was so angry that she had difficulty breathing, her chest rising and falling visibly through the fabric, her breath mixing with her thoughts and disturbing her mind.

Song Yan withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and asked, "Made you what?"

"Made me so..." Wen Li glared at him fiercely, using the harshest tone to say the most aggrieved words, "Made me so embarrassed!"

Song Yan suddenly asked an unrelated question, "Do you know how many people were watching your livestream tonight?"

"What?" Wen Li was stunned.

Song Yan said softly, "Tens of millions of viewers, but you're not worried about embarrassing yourself in front of them, so why do you have a different standard for me?"

This question truly left Wen Li speechless.

Yeah, if she really felt embarrassed, why would she continue the livestream? She intentionally created funny moments to interact with her fans.

She had a double standard when it came to Song Yan.

She could act foolish in front of her fans, and be cute and funny, but she always held herself back in front of Song Yan, unable to lose face even a little bit.

Wen Li was speechless.

"So, am I being hypocritical?" She furrowed her brow uncertainly.

Song Yan nodded, seemingly pleased that she understood it in one go, "En."

Wen Li cleared her throat, patted her clothes, and stood up, speaking in a casual tone, "Alright then, let's just let this matter go and never mention it again."

Wen Li thought she was being unreasonable, so she quickly brushed this matter aside.

As the night approached, Wen Li finished washing up and lay on the soft and comfortable bed in the master bedroom, leaving half of the bed for Song Yan.

After Song Yan finished washing up and lay on the bed, Wen Li was still playing with her phone. He didn't say anything, turned off the camera and the main light, and left a bedside lamp to provide her with some light.

In the past two years, she often had to rush to film on location, and the same went for Song Yan. But because they took on the variety show, the production team said they would primarily use their permanent residence as the shooting location, so the usage of this room truly increased.

Having someone sleeping beside her gave her a sense of being married.

During the filming of the show in the coming few months, they would often need to act together in front of the camera.

With her back facing Song Yan, she suddenly spoke up, "Teacher Song."

Song Yan, still drowsy, responded, "En?"

After pondering for a while, she asked, "Didn't you say you couldn't come back because of last-minute filming? How did you end up coming back?"

"I originally planned to come back today and livestream with you."

Wen Li was somewhat dismissive, "Actually, I can handle it even if you don't come back."

"I can tell," his voice was deep, and the tiredness in his breath even overshadowed his low voice, "You single-handedly made it to the top five trending searches, Teacher Wen, impressive."

Being complimented, Wen Li clicked her tongue, her tone carrying a hint of pride, "Since you know that, why did you still come back?"

Suddenly, Song Yan opened his eyes, his voice devoid of sleepiness as he asked softly, "Don't you want me to come back?"

"No, I don't," her tone was firm.

The man silently tightened his jaw, the faint light of the small lamp on the bedside illuminated his eyes like a calm lake.

But then she spoke again.

In a very soft voice, there was blame, arrogance, and even care that she wanted to hide but couldn't.

"Don't postpone unavoidable work next time. I can handle it on my own. Even without you, I can still achieve my KPI."

Wen Li felt that her attitude was quite arrogant, Song Yan definitely couldn't perceive her expressing her humanitarian spirit in caring for him.

But then she heard the man behind her sigh.

She hadn't heard a response for a long time, so Wen Li turned her head to look at him, "Are you already asleep?"

Just as she turned her head, she happened to meet Song Yan's half-smiling eyes.

Wen Li's heart skipped a beat and quickly averted her gaze, "If you're not asleep, why didn't you say anything?"

"I was thinking."

"About what?"

"Do you know why even though dogs are more affectionate towards humans, many people still prefer cats?"

Cats, as creatures, are solitary and arrogant, and every instance of their affection seems like they're bestowing it upon others. It seems that God knew that this kind of creature isn't likable, so He gave it a face that conforms to human aesthetics: a beautiful face, clear pupils, a fluffy and soft body, and a meowing sound.

Whenever this kind of creature deigns to be slightly condescending, snuggling up to humans with a meow and gently rubbing against them with its soft body, humans lose all their defenses.

They just want to hold this arrogant little thing in their arms, rubbing it until it was annoyed, and then push us away with a whimper.

Wen Li snorted, "Are you thinking of getting a cat? You're not allowed to. The house will be covered in cat hair."

Song Yan casually laughed, extending his fingertip to twist a strand of her hair scattered on the pillow.

"You dare to complain when so much of your hair falls in the bathroom."

Wen Li turned her head again, her eyes filled with embarrassment, as she asked sharply, "Are you mocking me for being bald?"

"..."

Seeing that the man was rendered speechless by her words, Wen Li snorted and stopped paying him any attention.

——

More than half of the first episode's recording has been completed, and the post-production editing has been working overtime recently. Ever since Wen Li's live broadcast went viral, the official fan following of [In This World with You] instantly increased by one-third, and every poster is filled with comments urging for the release of the full episode.

Wen Li originally thought that the content of the first episode would only revolve around Song Yan's return to Yancheng. However, the directorial team unexpectedly threw her a curveball.

They said it was for a little surprise at the end of the first episode, and the script for each female guest was the same.

「Acting cute.」

"The theme for the first episode was supposed to be 'surprise', right? Why did it change to 'acting cute'?"

The director smiled and explained, "Isn't 'surprise' too vague? So, let's make it more specific."

Changing from a surprise to acting cute, weren't they still two words? Wasn't it still too vague? Was there any difference?

Wen Li thought that it would be better if she were still doing those variety shows with scripts she used to record. At least they clearly arranged the controversial and explosive points without requiring the guests to use their brains.

"The other female guests have already started recording. Please understand, Teacher Wen. Our editing team hasn't slept for two days."

Wen Li hinted, "Including that couple?"

"Which couple?" The director didn't catch on at first but quickly understood. "Oh, that couple. Yes, they've recorded already. They performed exceptionally well and were very affectionate."

"..."

Well, if they're fighting over a steamed bun1, she won't back down.