Chapter Sixty-Nine: Swept Away

Song Waning watched and let out a sigh. Alas, Jin Jianyi was truly pitiful, being toyed with by Jian Anan so thoroughly. She had wondered why Jian Anan’s heart rate had spiked for no apparent reason yesterday—so this was the scheme she had in mind all along. What a masterful hand she played.

Song Waning contemplated what method she might employ to make Jin Jianyi see Jian Anan’s true colors. After all, what she could not stand most was seeing her enemies living happily. Now, Song Waning’s personality had changed a great deal. Not only online, but even in real life, she now encountered her own fans. She was no longer the disagreeable, universally disliked original host, so even if Jian Anan wanted to spread rumors about her, it would be fruitless.

Her relationship with Wen Jingxing was no longer as awkward and tense as before; in fact, there was even a hint of something more. This made it all the more difficult for Jian Anan to use her as a bridge to get close to Wen Jingxing again. Now, the only piece left in Jian Anan’s hand was Jin Jianyi. But Jian Anan was so malicious, her intentions so poisonous.

Yesterday, the cameraman, wanting to know whether Song Waning was upset with Wen Jingxing, deliberately chatted with her at length and eventually brought up the incident by the lake. In just a few words, Song Waning deduced that Jian Anan, emboldened by alcohol, had tried to push her into the lake, only to fall in herself. That woman had wanted to drown her just yesterday.

Song Waning could only show great magnanimity by ridding society of this toxin, snapping Jian Anan’s final remaining wing.

Wen Jingxing noticed that, for the first time, Song Waning, usually so focused on eating, was distracted during a meal and even sighed. Curious, he glanced over—only to discover that she was staring at Jin Jianyi, who was serving food to Jian Anan.

What was this? Did she want someone to serve her food too?

After a moment’s hesitation, Wen Jingxing uncertainly picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Song Waning’s bowl. “Eat more. If you want anything else, I’ll get it for you.”

Song Waning turned her head in surprise. “Huh? Why are you serving me food?”

Wen Jingxing replied simply, “Eat. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more,” and placed another piece of meat in her bowl.

“I don’t eat this kind of meat,” Song Waning protested. She only ate a lot of meat if she really liked it and found it tasty; otherwise, she preferred vegetables.

But Wen Jingxing picked up a different type of meat for her. “Then try this one?”

Song Waning was tall and slender, and Wen Jingxing worried that a strong gust of wind might blow her away, so he insisted she eat more meat.

Nan Yan, seeing both Song Waning and Jian Anan being served food, looked on with envy and sighed. Her sigh was genuine—she truly wished someone would serve her, too.

Yun Ze immediately noticed and declared domineeringly, “Don’t look at them. Just focus on eating what I serve you.” With that, he placed several of Nan Yan’s favorite dishes into her bowl.

“Alright, alright, I won’t be able to finish it all,” Nan Yan quickly protested, shielding her bowl.

Song Waning, watching this, noticed that Nan Yan’s tone seemed much softer today—had something happened between them last night? In reality, Yun Ze hadn’t done anything to Nan Yan; he’d simply teased her with a few words, making her blush furiously.

The livestream audience was equally amused.

“Wow! A simple meal has turned into a competition!”

“Are they trying to outdo each other in thoughtfulness? This is my favorite scenario!”

“Am I the only one who feels sorry for our Shen Yue? Jiang Mingzhao doesn’t know how to be a man at all—he can’t even take care of a girl.”

“Seriously? What does this have to do with Jiang Mingzhao? He can serve food if he wants, or not if he doesn’t. Why make a moral issue out of it?”

“Exactly. They’re only partnered up as virtual couples for the show, not real couples. Why force intimacy where there is none?”

Jiang Mingzhao, a veteran in the industry with a huge fanbase, was not someone Shen Yue, a newcomer with a group of ‘mom-fans’ won over by her looks, could compare to. Before long, those criticizing Jiang Mingzhao were thoroughly out-argued by his fans and fell silent. They couldn’t win the argument, couldn’t type fast enough, couldn’t reason their way through—it was simply a losing battle.

Shen Yue looked around and saw everyone being served, so she cast an expectant glance at Jiang Mingzhao. He, seeing this, pretended not to notice and buried himself in his meal. No matter how obviously or subtly Shen Yue hinted, he ignored her, finished eating, and slipped out without waiting for anyone.

He had no assignment today, neither did Shen Yue, so she had plenty of time to follow him around, which Jiang Mingzhao dreaded. His principle was that it was fine to fake affection for money, but never for real feelings.

Meanwhile, Song Waning, together with Nan Yan and Yun Ze, headed off to participate in the next task, and then made their way to the beach.

Upon arrival, she once again encountered the uncle who sold hats. She had no idea how long he waited for her here each day. She had told him there was no need to wait, but the old man was adamant, and Song Waning could not dissuade him.

Today, the uncle was especially diligent at work and talked a lot with Song Waning. He was reluctant to part, for this was his last day interacting with his favorite idol. He declared he would cherish these final moments and do his best.

After work, the three gathered for a meal again. In just three days, Song Waning had earned nearly thirty thousand, but she’d been so busy she barely touched the ground. Still, these had been the most fulfilling days since she’d come to this world.

Not only the old man, Song Waning herself felt it was a pity for things to end. Maybe, when the show was over, she would set up a street stall somewhere—or perhaps come back to the resort, since she’d already made a name for herself here. Everyone who tasted her food praised its flavor.

According to the uncle, as long as you could afford a stall here, you could set up shop. However, space was limited—first come, first served.

The uncle never used to drink because his wife forbade it, but since this was their last meal together, he indulged in quite a bit. He was already prepared to face a scolding when he got home.

Even Song Waning, swept up in the atmosphere, secretly took a tiny sip of wine. Just a minuscule taste, but even so, she felt a little dizzy. Still, she was doing better than last time—she could walk, understand what others were saying, and, though her head felt heavy, she managed to act as if nothing was wrong. Not even Wen Jingxing, who had been watching her closely, noticed she’d had any alcohol or that she was tipsy.

After a hearty meal, the three prepared to go their separate ways.

Song Waning patted the bulging pouch at her waist, filled with the day’s earnings. Without counting, she grabbed a handful and secretly slipped it into the uncle’s pocket. Even tipsy, her skills were genuine—so much so that the uncle didn’t even notice how much money she’d tucked away for him.