Chapter 76

Kong Xiyan lay in bed, listening to the sound of running water not far away, still feeling a bit bewildered. Somehow, she had ended up sharing a bed with Chi Wanzhao again?

Yet strangely, she didn't feel anything was off about it.

She knew how clingy Chi Wanzhao was with Yanyan every night. Without Yanyan around at night, Chi Wanzhao might not sleep well. She wondered if she could truly fill in for Yanyan and take on that role.

Kong Xiyan had acted in many roles, but it had never occurred to her that one day she'd be playing a cat.

Life—truly is strange.

Just as she finished her sigh, she saw Chi Wanzhao walk out of the bathroom. Barefoot, she stepped onto the white cloth at the bathroom door, then wiped her feet dry before slowly walking over.

Kong Xiyan's gaze lingered on her ankles—fair and delicate, with faint veins visible on the tops of her feet as she walked. Her eyes traced upward. Chi Wanzhao wasn't wearing a bathrobe, just a thin cotton pajama set.

The heating in the room was on high, so it was naturally warm.

But Kong Xiyan couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from this delightful view.

Chi Wanzhao's calves were long and toned, free of any excess flesh. Having just stepped out of the bath, a few drops of water clung to her legs, catching the light of the crystal chandelier and gleaming softly.

Kong Xiyan bit her lip, taking in those two long, fair legs, the flimsy pajamas, the slender waist, and the jet-black hair reaching down to her waist.

It was damp, still dripping, and the moisture had soaked through Chi Wanzhao's pajamas, revealing the outline of her undergarments.

Kong Xiyan abruptly turned over, showing her back to Chi Wanzhao, and let out a slow breath.

She felt as if the air in the room had grown thin.

Chi Wanzhao casually tousled her long hair, then walked to the vanity and sat down to blow-dry it. Through the mirror, she saw Kong Xiyan facing away from her.

"Asleep?"

Kong Xiyan's voice came out muffled. "Not yet."

She turned over in bed, looking at Chi Wanzhao's back, and asked, "CEO Chi, how did you find out about the truth from three years ago?"

Chi Wanzhao's hand holding the hairdryer paused. The concentrated heat gathered on one spot, making her brow furrow slightly. She quickly moved the hairdryer away. "I found out by chance."

Kong Xiyan nodded and continued, "Then how did you know I was in Changning?"

She asked the question with an air of casualness, but inside, her heart was pounding erratically.

She wasn't sure what she was suspicious of.

But something felt off.

Chi Wanzhao had said she also liked raising cats, that she would keep cats too—but Chi Wanzhao had been out of the industry for three years.

How did she know about her?

Chi Wanzhao didn't answer Kong Xiyan's question. Observing her tense profile, Kong Xiyan thought for a moment and asked, "You weren't—like, a crazy fan of mine, were you?"

"Thud!"

The hairdryer slipped from Chi Wanzhao's hand and hit the floor, still buzzing loudly in the room. At Kong Xiyan's words, she bent down to pick it up, glanced at Kong Xiyan, and said, "Crazy fan?"

"A crazy fan of Miss Kong's?"

"Then I might as well just look in the mirror every day."

Kong Xiyan: ...

She felt a bit embarrassed and angry. "Then why did you come to me to sign the contract back then?"

Chi Wanzhao replied calmly, "Miss Kong seems to have forgotten her duties."

What duties? She meant taking care of Yanyan!

Yanyan, Yanyan, you'd better just cuddle with Yanyan for the rest of your life, you crazy cat lover!

Kong Xiyan turned over with effort, presenting the back of her head to Chi Wanzhao, burying her face into her pillow, trying to lull herself to sleep.

By the time Chi Wanzhao got into bed, Kong Xiyan had already fallen asleep. She lay on her side, her long hair spread out behind her, a few strands covering her beautiful face. Chi Wanzhao reached out to tuck the strands behind her ear, gazing at her serene sleeping face for a moment.

The room was quiet. Chi Wanzhao got up and pushed open the adjacent room door, finding Yanyan sleeping soundly on the big bed. Yanyan perked up its ears at the sound, then, seeing it was Chi Wanzhao, slumped down lazily again.

Chi Wanzhao closed the door and went downstairs. She picked up something from the coffee table and returned to the room.

The next morning, when Kong Xiyan woke up, she found a rose petal at her bedside. Frowning in confusion, she rubbed her eyes and scanned the room, but found nothing else. When she went downstairs, she learned that Chi Wanzhao had already left for work.

Yanyan was already sprawled on the sofa, and it followed her, brushing against her calves. When Kong Xiyan ignored it, it meowed in annoyance.

Kong Xiyan smiled, crouched down to pick it up, and stroked its head. "Let me feed you first, little princess."

"Meow."

Little princess Yanyan was satisfied, licking Kong Xiyan's cheek.

The two of them played for a while before Kong Xiyan went to the kitchen to cook herself some noodles and prepare cat food for Yanyan. Shortly after she finished eating, she received a call from Fu Qiu.

Fu Qiu was already waiting outside.

Today she had one last scene to film, and there would be a wrap party for her in the evening, located at Jinhui—the same hotel where she'd first met everyone.

After getting ready, Kong Xiyan placed Yanyan's lunch in the kitchen, said a few words to it, gave it a kiss, and then turned to leave. Sitting in the car, Fu Qiu idly scrolled through Weibo.

Kong Jie's followers were growing at a visible rate. First, there was the success of "Breaking the Cocoon," which attracted a surge of followers. Then her name was cleared from the three-year-old incident, causing a massive influx. Recently, it was discovered she had been teaching in a rural village, and even several university professors had started following her, sparking another round of discussions.

Some fortune-telling influencers had even given her facial readings, saying that once she passed this tribulation, she would surely rise to great heights and become incredibly popular.

Fu Qiu would smile faintly at such comments, genuinely happy for Kong Jie.

But Kong Jie never mentioned these things in front of Fu Qiu. She seemed completely indifferent to how others perceived her, simply rushing from one event to another, diligently studying her script and acting with focus, even when it came to Wei Yan and He Wei, who had hurt her three years prior.

Afterward, Fu Qiu never once heard Kong Jie speak ill of them.

That kind of magnanimity.

She might never even come close to it in her whole life.

Just as Fu Qiu was sighing at that thought, she saw Kong Xiyan walking briskly toward her. She quickly opened the car door to help Kong Xiyan in. The heating in the car was turned up high, so Kong Xiyan, whose face had been pale from the wind, immediately felt warmer.

She took off her hat and mask, letting out a breath of cold air, feeling much better.

Fu Qiu tidied her clothes for her.

Kong Xiyan turned and asked, "Has Sister Tong come to the set?"

Fu Qiu said, "No, Sister Tong mentioned she had a dinner engagement. She said she'd come over for the wrap party after it ends."

Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze and gave an "mm" in acknowledgment.

The car was quiet for a moment. Fu Qiu thought for a while, then asked, "Kong Jie, will you go back during the Chinese New Year? Should I go back with you?"

During the New Year period, Sister Tong had cleared all of Kong Jie's schedule, giving her a full week off.

Fu Qiu assumed Kong Xiyan would return to the countryside, which was why she asked.

Kong Xiyan shook her head. "I won't be going back."

During the holiday, she not only wanted to show Haining around City B but also wanted to go back to her father's house. Back then, after her father passed, she hadn't even returned home before leaving with Wang Haining. It was unfilial of her, really.

Three years had passed.

She hadn't even visited her father's grave once.

She wondered if her father might be blaming her.

Fu Qiu noticed Kong Xiyan's expression turning somber and suppressed her curiosity, quietly saying, "Oh."

Kong Xiyan, however, caught the change in her tone and looked down at her. "What's wrong?"

Fu Qiu smiled. "Nothing much, just wanted to see the village where you lived, Kong Jie. When I saw those kids in the photos, my heart ached for them. I want to go see for myself if there's anything I can help with."

Kong Xiyan patted her head and smiled, saying nothing.

They arrived at the set quickly. Gu Ling and Xiao Cheng were filming. As the story progressed in the later stages, their scenes had increased, and they had been filming well into the night. Kong Xiyan could see that Gu Ling looked a bit exhausted.

Director Sun clearly noticed this too, so he gave everyone a half-hour break.

Gu Ling was helped by her assistant to the rest area. Her face was a bit pale, and her assistant said sympathetically, "This horrible weather is freezing to death."

Kong Xiyan, now in her costume, sat beside her. Hearing that, she glanced at Gu Ling. Gu Ling waved dismissively at her assistant. "Go get me a cup of hot water."

She had been out the whole night filming in thin costumes in the freezing winter. Even though she prided herself on a strong constitution, she was feeling the strain.

Seeing how weak she looked, Kong Xiyan pursed her lips and asked Xiao Qiu to fetch her bag. Then she called out to Gu Ling's assistant, "There's some ginger slices here. Have her soak them in water to drink. It helps ward off the cold."

Because she herself was prone to feeling cold, she always carried some with her.

Gu Ling's assistant didn't take the ginger slices. She stood there, smiling awkwardly. "Thank you, Sister Kong, but..."

"Go steep it."

Gu Ling cut her off flatly, turning to look at her. "Go make a cup."

Only then did her assistant take the ginger slices from Kong Xiyan, frowning slightly, a puzzled feeling stirring inside.

Lingling, didn't she hate the taste of ginger the most?

But confusion aside, she quickly made a cup of ginger tea and handed it to Gu Ling. The pungent aroma of ginger wafted over, and Gu Ling frowned slightly, then took a sip.

It seemed... not that hard to drink, after all.

Gu Ling lowered her head, holding the cup between her hands. The spicy sensation traveled from her tongue all the way down, warming her core. She silently finished the entire cup of ginger tea.

Gu Ling didn't have a scene in the next part, so she was arranged to rest in the dressing room. Her assistant was bustling about, and Gu Ling turned to see a hand warmer on the seat where Kong Xiyan had been sitting earlier.

It was pink with a cartoon design. She reached over, picked it up, and found it was still warm, probably recently charged.

Unable to resist, she slipped her hands into the warmer. Just then, her assistant walked by and, spotting the item, grinned. "Hey, is that Sister Kong's hand warmer? I see her hugging it all the time."

"Such a cute design."

Gu Ling lowered her head, pinched the head of the cartoon character with her fingers, and smiled. "Mm, it is quite cute."