Self-Perception - Chapter 25

She handed the packaged meal to Wen Jinyan. “This is for you. I bought sweet and sour pork.”

Wen Jinyan took it, placed it on the table, and opened it. The aroma instantly filled the air.

“Gu Wansheng, have you eaten?”

“I have.” Gu Wansheng pulled out a chair and sat across from Wen Jinyan.

She watched Wen Jinyan open the box and eat in small bites.

Actually, it wasn’t that she hadn’t brought her room card, but she wanted Wen Jinyan to open the door for her. This way, she would feel as if someone was waiting for her all the time, giving her a sense of belonging.

“Is it good?”

“It’s good,” Wen Jinyan replied. After swallowing the pork, she asked, “Where did you buy this? It tastes really great.”

She rarely ate sweet and sour pork that managed to be rich in flavor without being greasy.

Upon hearing this, Gu Wansheng’s lips curved into a small smile. She propped her chin on her hand, her eyes crinkled with a smile, and they sparkled. “You won’t be able to eat it again. That restaurant is preparing to move to another province to expand.”

Wen Jinyan didn’t say anything after hearing that.

“However, before they left, I shamelessly went and asked for the recipe.”

“The restaurant gave you their secret recipe?” Wen Jinyan looked up.

“Mm, perhaps they thought I was good looking. I just went and cheekily asked for it, and they gave it to me,” Gu Wansheng said carelessly, yet her tone sounded as if she was talking about something she was very proud of.

Wen Jinyan’s gaze traced Gu Wansheng’s features from her eyebrows to her lips, and she murmured, “I didn’t expect this face to be quite useful.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she choked, frantically covering her mouth and nose.

“Cough, cough. Gu Wansheng, do you have any schedules for the next few days?”

“I have a few magazine shoots.” Gu Wansheng casually picked up a tissue and handed it to her.

“Thank you.” Her throat still felt itchy, and she coughed softly.

“Eat slowly,” Gu Wansheng said. “Is there something going on?”

“No.”

There was before, but not anymore. She kept Su Muqing’s words in mind if Gu Wansheng was busy, she didn’t need to say anything.

Gu Wansheng was half-believing. She then left to take a phone call. When she returned, Wen Jinyan had already cleaned up the trash.

“Our flight is at 1:30 PM. Is there anything else you need to prepare?”

“No.”

The two took a car to the airport. Gu Wansheng wore a mask and walked inside a “human wall” of bodyguards. As she moved forward, she reached out to take letters from fans.

Meng Qiu led Wen Jinyan through another entrance to wait for Gu Wansheng in the VIP lounge.

“Why isn’t Gu Wansheng walking with us? Why does she specifically go to collect fan letters?”

“When Sister Gu first debuted, she only had a few fans. When she left the airport, only those few people would hold up light boards to greet her and encourage her. Sister Gu made a promise to them then that wherever she went to film, she would let them see her.”

Meng Qiu poured Wen Jinyan a glass of water and continued, “Later, Sister Gu became more and more popular, and her fan base grew. She didn’t want the people who genuinely supported her to wait for hours only to be disappointed. In Sister Gu’s words, it’s about empathy and sincerity for genuine emotion. Half of the reason Sister Gu is where she is today is because of her fans. You don’t know, Sister Gu…”

“What are you saying about me?”

Gu Wansheng walked in with a handful of letters, placing them in a bag.

“Nothing, Sister Gu. I’ll go check how much time is left before boarding.” Meng Qiu quickly scurried away.

“What was Qiu talking to you about just now?” Gu Wansheng removed her mask to get some air.

She had only heard Meng Qiu call her name just now, so they were probably discussing her.

“I wanted to know about your past, so I asked Meng Qiu,” Wen Jinyan said vaguely, not exposing Meng Qiu.

Gu Wansheng was secretly pleased, but her tone remained calm. “Next time you want to know about me, just ask me directly.”

“https://www.google.com/search?q=Mm.” Her gaze fell on the bag with the logo, and she asked casually, “Do you read all those letters?”

“https://www.google.com/search?q=Mm. They all put thought into writing them,” Gu Wansheng said with a smile on her face when talking about this.

“Sister Gu, it’s almost time to board,” Meng Qiu walked in. Gu Wansheng acknowledged him, then boarded the plane with Wen Jinyan, pulling her suitcase and holding the bag.

As soon as they were on the plane, Wen Jinyan seemed to flip a switch, leaning her head against the seat back and closing her eyes.

As the plane flew smoothly, Gu Wansheng carefully rested Wen Jinyan’s head on her shoulder, and even asked the flight attendant for a blanket to cover her.

She took off Wen Jinyan’s glasses and placed them on the side rack.

In her sleep, Wen Jinyan looked more serene and less detached. Her shoulders were relaxed, and she subtly moved under the blanket.

The blanket slid down, and Gu Wansheng caught a corner and pulled it up, covering everything below her neck. She sighed softly under her breath, “She’s not being obedient.”

Gu Wansheng looked up and met the gaze of a woman passing by. The woman stared at her, her eyes wide. A few seconds later, seeming very certain, she let out a small gasp,

“Gu…”

Gu Wansheng put her index finger, covered by her mask, to her lips, making a silent shushing gesture.

The fan glanced at the woman on Gu Wansheng’s shoulder, instantly understood, and nodded. She then made two “nine” signs with her hands.

Wishing the two of them a long and happy life together.

Gu Wansheng smiled and nodded in thanks.

After the person left, Gu Wansheng took out the letters, opening and reading them one by one, then carefully putting them back as they were.

After getting off the plane, Meng Qiu dropped the two of them home and then went off work.

The first thing Wen Jinyan did when she got home was plug in her laptop to charge. Then, she poured herself a glass of water and went to the study to type.

Gu Wansheng knew she didn’t like to be disturbed when writing, so she sat on the sofa and watched old movies.

Wen Jinyan: Gu Wansheng has work, so she can’t go.

The reply came quickly:

[Su Muqing]: OK. By the way, Jinyan, you’re back in Jiang City, right?

[Su Muqing]: That’s perfect. Come and save your sister! We’ve invited a pianist who just returned from abroad for an exclusive interview, and we don’t have anyone to write the article right now. [Clasped hands] [Please]

Wen Jinyan: Haven’t you found anyone yet?

[Su Muqing]: The new girl we hired is inexperienced, and this is a big name. I’m afraid she won’t handle it well and will neglect her.

Wen Jinyan: Okay, send me the specific time.

[Su Muqing]: Love you.JPG

Wen Jinyan closed WeChat and started typing.

When she finished writing and came out of the study, Gu Wansheng was just carrying dishes out from the kitchen.

She naturally placed her water glass on the nearest table and reached out to take the dishes from Gu Wansheng.

“Time to eat.”

Gu Wansheng was still wearing an apron, her hair loosely pulled up with a claw clip, and two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her collarbone clearly. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, giving her the air of a virtuous wife.

Wen Jinyan was amused by her own choice of words for the description.

“Dinner is not easy to digest, so I made something light,” Gu Wansheng handed her the chopsticks, which Wen Jinyan accepted.

Her peripheral vision caught Gu Wansheng’s empty bowl.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything tonight?” She quickly glanced at the food. “This is all very light; eating a little won’t add any calories.”

“We artists have to maintain our figure.”

Since she said that, Wen Jinyan didn’t press the matter, only looking at the wrist of the person in front of her. Her wrist bones were prominent, and her wrist was slender.

Is she still restricting her diet when she’s already this thin? When filming, she was constantly wearing heavy costumes and hanging from wires, and her diet always consisted of plain greens and bland chicken breast.

It was understandable to maintain her figure on set, but she ate so blandly even at home.

Wait, am I paying attention to Gu Wansheng?

Wen Jinyan held her chopsticks, staring at the food in her bowl. The food was just served, and some heat was faintly fogging up her lenses.

Gu Wansheng’s presence seemed to have unknowingly permeated her surroundings.

“What are you thinking about so intently? Your lenses are fogging up.” Gu Wansheng leaned forward, reaching out to remove her glasses.

Wen Jinyan snapped out of her thoughts and took off her glasses, causing Gu Wansheng to withdraw her hand. Wen Jinyan then said,

“Nothing.”

“You’ve come at the perfect time. Here’s the voice recorder. You’ll be with Xu Yuanyuan later.” Su Muqing handed her the pen.

She asked, “Before, I just needed the pen to write the draft. Why do I need to be on stage with Xu Yuanyuan this time?”

Su Muqing nudged her forward, “You’ll understand when you meet the VIP later.”

Wen Jinyan didn’t ask further until she saw a figure standing in the distance at the venue and understood Su Muqing’s words.

The woman looked to be in her 30s and was currently discussing the interview content with Xu Yuanyuan. Her peripheral vision caught Wen Jinyan, and she sized her up. “Who is this?”

Xu Yuanyuan introduced, “Teacher Gu, this is our magazine’s writer. She will be joining me today.”

Wen Jinyan extended her hand. “Hello, Teacher Gu. My name is Wen Jinyan.”

Gu Huai was kind. “Hello, Miss Wen.”

When she smiled, her eyes and eyebrows were somewhat similar to Gu Wansheng’s.

Is it a coincidence?

“In that case, Teacher Gu, please take a look at these questions. Are they acceptable? If so, we’ll begin in ten minutes.”

“It’s OK,” Gu Huai said, then followed the staff to a seat nearby.

Wen Jinyan sat on the other side, quite far from Gu Huai, but she occasionally felt a gaze fixed on her.

The owner of that gaze was Gu Huai.

She shouldn’t have any connection with Gu Huai, but she knew the gaze held no malice.

“What are you thinking about?” A cold touch met her skin. Su Muqing placed a bottle of mineral water on her face. Wen Jinyan snapped back and took it.

“Why are you over here instead of with Teacher Gu?”

Su Muqing answered with a question, “Later, you and Xu Yuanyuan will sit on the left. Xu Yuanyuan is responsible for asking questions, and you just need to hold the recorder and listen.”

Gu Huai, one of the top pianists in the country, has won numerous music awards and has swept up all the famous music awards in China. Later, she expanded her career abroad and gained international fame. It’s no wonder Su Muqing takes this so seriously. If this exclusive interview goes well, the magazine will not only sell more copies but also boost the reputation of the publishing house. Conversely, if it goes poorly, it might attract a wave of attacks from Gu Huai’s fans.

However, why would someone of Gu Huai’s status choose Write? It’s essentially giving Write free publicity.

“It’s almost time to start.” Su Muqing patted her shoulder, stood up, and signaled the staff, “Get ready to begin.”

An hour later, the interview ended. Wen Jinyan walked off the stage with the handwritten draft and the voice recorder. Gu Huai’s assistant was still talking to Su Muqing, but Gu Huai was nowhere to be seen. She handed the draft and the voice recorder to Xu Yuanyuan and went to the restroom. She ran into Gu Huai.

“Teacher Gu.”

Gu Huai was washing her hands. She looked up when she heard the voice. “Miss Wen.”