Self-Perception - Chapter 35

Gu Wansheng finished her livestream. Meng Qiu promptly handed her a bottle of water. The girl sitting next to Gu Wansheng checked the order count and, after a few minutes, looked at the woman standing behind them with an expression of amazement. “Secretary, all the plums from our village are sold out!”

The woman in the shirt, Lu Shu, looked excited. She leaned in toward the phone screen, her eyes instantly welling up with tears as she saw the final numbers.

With this much, everyone in the village could have a good Lunar New Year. This was all thanks to Gu Wansheng.

Lu Shu looked at Gu Wansheng with deep gratitude. Without her, the plums in their village would have simply rotted in the soil this year.

“Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Gu,” Lu Shu said sincerely.

“It’s no trouble, Secretary Lu. I tried your plums; they are very sweet. Actually, you could try preserving them in other ways, like making dried fruit slices. That would bring in even higher profits.”

“We’ve thought about it, but the economic cost is too high for the villagers. Plus, it’s a new venture. This orchard doesn’t belong to me alone, and most of the villagers are afraid to take the risk.”

Gu Wansheng was understanding. The two chatted a bit more, mostly about Li Family Village.

Wen Jinyan stood not far away, not stepping closer to interrupt them, simply watching. After they finished talking, Gu Wansheng walked toward her.

“Are you here to take me home?” Gu Wansheng had told Meng Qiu that if Wen Jinyan asked, she should tell her to sleep first and not wait up. But now that Wen Jinyan was standing before her, there was only one possibility, she had come to fetch her back to the guesthouse.

Joy welled up in her heart.

“Yes, I wanted to walk back with you.” Being alone in an empty room always felt like something was missing.

Lu Shu saw the woman standing next to Gu Wansheng. Noticing their intimacy, she guessed their relationship. She stepped forward and asked, “Is this Teacher Gu’s friend?”

“Not a friend, she’s my wife,” Gu Wansheng smiled, habitually interlocking her fingers with Wen Jinyan’s.

“You make a beautiful couple.” Lu Shu patted her young assistant, who handed her a flashlight. “Teacher Gu worked hard today. It’s dark out, let me walk you back.”

Gu Wansheng accepted the kindness. Lu Shu walked half a step ahead of them, just enough to give the two of them some private space.

“Jinyan, I’m so happy you came to get me.” The silent, dark space amplified one’s emotional senses. Standing close, her voice resonated from deep in her throat, her breath grazing Wen Jinyan’s ear.

“Gu Wansheng.” Wen Jinyan tilted her head slightly, a signal she was about to speak. Gu Wansheng leaned in. She heard Wen Jinyan’s voice, gentle as water and carrying a hint of a smile.

It was like the pleasant ring of a bell or a clear mountain spring.

“Are you really satisfied with just this?”

Gu Wansheng thought: I am indeed quite easy to satisfy. As long as it was something Wen Jinyan gave, she would accept it. If Wen Jinyan gave one part, she would cherish it tenfold.

Whether good or bad, she would accept it willingly.

Wen Jinyan took another shower, but this time, there were two people in the bathroom.

Water slid over the back of hands, following the texture of the skin, slowly flowing downward.

Amidst the breathing, the sound of water, and the gaze of the person before her, she heard Gu Wansheng say, “If you’re tired, lean on me.”

Then, arms climbed up, finding a point of support. Fragmented sounds grew more frequent and dense, filling the entire bathroom.

They went at it once in the bathroom and then moved to the bed. While kissing her, Gu Wansheng pulled out a square packet from somewhere, tore it open, and slipped the thin sheath onto her fingertip.

Wen Jinyan’s eyes were out of focus, but she could still distinguish what it was. She panted softly, her voice tiny. “Do you carry those with you every time you go out?”

In bed, Gu Wansheng was explicit and direct, lacking even a shred of her daytime reserve. Her finger twitched as she answered slowly but clearly, “Yes. Because when I miss you, I take it out and… by myself…”

Before she could finish, Wen Jinyan propped herself up and kissed her.

She said, “Gu Wansheng, I am here now.”

“Mhm, I can feel it.”

Gu Wansheng moved. She heard Wen Jinyan take a sharp breath. Gu Wansheng withdrew her hand and placed it on Wen Jinyan’s thigh, her voice tense. “Uncomfortable?”

Wen Jinyan’s face was flushed. Using the strength of her waist and core, she wrapped her arms around Gu Wansheng’s neck, her hot breath scattering over the delicate skin. “Slow down, I’m not used to it.”

Hearing this, Gu Wansheng took the item off her hand.

Wen Jinyan: “???”

Three seconds later, Gu Wansheng gently grasped her calf. Wen Jinyan cried out, “Gu Wansheng!”

As their most intimate parts pressed together, Wen Jinyan felt her blood boil and surge. Her entire being reached an extreme peak of excitement, her blood accelerated, rushing to her brain.

It was a weightless feeling, like falling into the clouds.

She arched her neck, her fair hands clutching the pillow beside her, drenched in sweat.

The dim light reflected their overlapping silhouettes, inseparable. With a low moan, Gu Wansheng knew Wen Jinyan had reached her limit.

Wen Jinyan’s chest heaved. Before she could recover, the next scene made her blood rush even harder.

Gu Wansheng was half-kneeling, as devout as a believer.

“Gu Wansheng…” Wen Jinyan tried to push her away, but she had no strength. “Get up…”

Gu Wansheng licked her lips. Even in the dim light, a glistening sheen could be seen at the corner of her mouth. Wen Jinyan felt even more bashful, pulling at the clothes on Gu Wansheng’s shoulders to make her rise.

“It’ll be over soon…” Gu Wansheng lowered her head again.

“Gu Wansheng…” Wen Jinyan’s voice was weak, a low murmur.

The entire night was a rhythmic melody of sighs and whispers, which, to Gu Wansheng’s ears, sounded like heavenly music.

Over the next few days, with Gu Wansheng’s help, the entire Li Family Village became busy. When the guesthouse wasn’t busy, Li Fei would go over to help as well.

When it was almost time for Gu Wansheng to leave, Lu Shu invited her to dinner as a gesture of thanks.

Rural hospitality is the most pure. Gu Wansheng did not refuse.

The dinner was at Lu Shu’s house. In the evening, Gu Wansheng brought Wen Jinyan along. Lu Shu was busy in the kitchen, and the table was already half-covered with dishes. Gu Wansheng walked in, keeping her gaze polite. “Do you need help?”

Normally, most celebrities are different on and off-camera. In front of the lens, they have a filter and a persona, but behind it, they are entirely different.

Before Gu Wansheng, Lu Shu had sought out other celebrities, none as famous as Gu Wansheng, because she couldn’t afford top-tier stars, and most weren’t willing to come to such a remote area. One seventh or eighth-tier celebrity had been incredibly demanding. She complained she couldn’t sleep, that there were too many mosquitoes, and that the food didn’t suit her palate, just endless nitpicking. Lu Shu had accepted it all for the sake of the village.

In the end, that starlet made up excuses about having to return because her company called her for a shoot. Lu Shu realized she had been played. To say she wasn’t angry would be a lie, but looking at the orchards spanning the fields, she suppressed it and simply said she’d wait for the starlet to come back and promote them later.

That minor celebrity never returned. Lu Shu knew that person was a lost cause. Back then, Gu Wansheng was very famous, and Lu Shu had messaged her for months. At the time, she wondered if she hadn’t been devout or sincere enough, which was why the previous person left. So, every time she messaged Gu Wansheng, her tone was extremely humble.

Now she realized it simply depended on the person. For instance, Gu Wansheng would actually ask, “Do you need help?”

Lu Shu shook her head. “Teacher Gu, you’ve helped us so much these past few days. How could I let you help now? Go rest outside.”

Seeing her persistence, Gu Wansheng left the kitchen. Upon exiting, she saw two women sitting next to Wen Jinyan. She walked over and heard the women say they were there to deliver vegetables.

Li Fei was telling Wen Jinyan why she was there when she saw a woman walk over out of the corner of her eye and intimately place a hand on Wen Jinyan’s shoulder.

“Jinyan, who are these two?”

Before Wen Jinyan could introduce them, Li Fei spoke up excitedly, “Are you Gu Wansheng?”

Seeing her excitement, Gu Wansheng nodded.

Li Fei laughed. “I heard the staff at the guesthouse say you were here, but I didn’t believe it. I was watching the front desk and never saw you. I thought they were just spreading rumors.”

“I see now that I was wrong.”

“Just the needs of the job,” Gu Wansheng replied with a faint smile, turning her gaze to the woman sitting next to Li Fei.

This person… looked familiar.

But she couldn’t recall where she had seen her.

Zhang Wen hadn’t expected Gu Wansheng to be connected to Wen Jinyan, let alone so deeply. She didn’t dare look at Gu Wansheng, fearing the awkwardness.

“I assume Teacher Gu is the guest Secretary Lu is hosting. I was surprised to hear the Secretary was buying so many groceries.”

“Why were you surprised?” Wen Jinyan asked.

“Because Secretary Lu is famous around here for being frugal. She’s usually very stingy with her own living expenses and puts her whole heart into the village. Anyway, we should go deliver these vegetables to her. A-Wen, let’s go.”

“A-Wen…” Gu Wansheng murmured, a spark of realization hitting her.

When the two came back out, Gu Wansheng spoke tentatively, “Zhang Wen?”

Both women froze. Li Fei was the first to react. “Teacher Gu knows A-Wen?”

That response confirmed Gu Wansheng’s suspicion. “It really is you!”

“Yes. Long time no see. Congratulations on winning International Best Actress,” Zhang Wen said, seeing she could no longer hide it.

Wen Jinyan leaned in and whispered, “You two know each other?”

Gu Wansheng whispered back, “I’ll tell you the details later.”

Beside them, Li Fei also looked eager to know the story.

“Are you still acting?”

“My state of mind wasn’t right before, so I stopped. I might start from the bottom again as an extra,” Zhang Wen replied noncommittally.

“I hope you find your own path.”

The two left after delivering the vegetables. Once they were gone, Wen Jinyan asked curiously, “When did you and Zhang Wen meet?”

Gu Wansheng poured her a glass of water. Wen Jinyan took it but didn’t drink, staring at her intently.

She had an “I won’t drink until you tell me” look on her face.

Gu Wansheng chuckled softly and explained, “Years ago, before I was famous, I met Zhang Wen while working as an extra. We were both running around different sets, playing corpses and background characters. After a while, we became friends. Her passion for acting was no less than mine. I thought she would persevere on this path just like me, but she disappeared shortly after. I figured she must have left for some reason.”

“Knowing she still wants to pursue it now… that’s good.”