The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 23

The thought of leaving the glamorous spotlight of the industry filled Song Xue with a surge of terror. She didn’t want to leave. A life surrounded by hype, flowers, and applause was too intoxicating, she couldn’t accept a future of mediocrity, a life that was flat and devoid of everything she craved.

But what else could she do? Was there any way left to stay in the circle? In her anxiety, Song Xue unconsciously began biting her fingernails.

A knock sounded at the door. Song Xue shuddered, scrambled toward the entrance, and yanked it open.

Standing outside was Zhong Li. She spoke bluntly: “Ms. Song Xue, we have filming this afternoon. The car to pick you up has arrived.”

The light of expectation in Song Xue’s eyes dimmed instantly. She gripped the doorframe tightly, her anger boiling over into a shrill scream, “Get out! Get out of here!”

With a loud slam, the door was shut heavily, the force of it making the entire floor vibrate.

Zhong Li remained calm, knocking again. “Ms. Song Xue, I hope you won’t make this difficult for me.”

Song Xue leaned her back against the door, her body hunched and her hands trembling against her chest. Her voice was sharp. “Didn’t you hear me? Leave!”

“Then I will come back for you in ten minutes,” Zhong Li replied before turning to walk away.

As the sound of high heels clicking against the floor faded, Song Xue’s tense body relaxed slightly. She slowly moved to the bed and knelt down to look at her suitcase.

It was a large capacity model, filled with fashionable clothes she had prepared specifically for this dating show. She had imagined wearing them in front of Gu Man, never expecting her departure would come so soon.

A sliver of regret finally touched her. If she had only known… if she had known Wen Mian had so many people helping her…

She reached out, haphazardly tidying her things, then moved to the bathroom to gather her cosmetic bottles and jars, stuffing them all into the suitcase.

Pulling her luggage behind her, Song Xue opened the door. There was no one outside. She left alone, casting one last glance back as she climbed into the car.

The small villa stood quietly amidst the rural fields, the trees in the courtyard stretching their branches to provide shade. As the car sped away, this incident drew to a close in the public eye, but privately, it was far from over.

Waking from a nap, Wen Mian pressed down on her down duvet and looked out the window with her legs curled up, feeling comfortably drowsy. Once she had woken up a bit more, she crawled out of bed, washed up briefly, and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, Zhang Yunxi, Su Shiqiu, and the others were gathered around the TV.

Seeing Wen Mian come down, Wang Mo’s eyes lit up, and she called out, “Mianmian, want to watch TV?”

Wen Mian glanced at the screen, not particularly interested. Right now, she just wanted something to eat. She declined, “Wait a bit, I’m going to the kitchen to see if there are any snacks left.”

Indeed, the snacks she brought had been finished over the past few days, so she had to forage in the house.

Wang Mo nodded. “Alright, go ahead then.”

Wen Mian gave a hum of affirmation and turned toward the kitchen.

“Nothing… still nothing… why isn’t there anything?!” After searching around and finding no trace of the snacks she craved, Wen Mian was deeply disappointed.

Forget it, I’ll go look outside, she thought, heading toward the courtyard.

Walking across a narrow pebble path, she reached the courtyard. In the center stood the massive shade tree, surrounded by flower beds, with a swing hanging beneath it.

Wen Mian looked up, and her expression froze.

Dappled sunlight fell upon Gu Man’s hair. Her raven-black lashes cast small shadows on her face, making her features look even more three dimensional. Her eyelids were half-closed, revealing a hint of exhaustion.

The breeze was gentle, and the swing swayed slightly.

Wen Mian hesitated, unsure if she should walk over. After a two second pause, she was about to turn back and watch TV when Gu Man’s voice suddenly rang out.

“Shall we… together?”

Wen Mian’s nose twitched slightly for a fleeting moment, she thought she smelled a faint scent of sandalwood. The gland at the back of her neck felt a slight itch.

She reached up to touch it, and the sensation vanished as if it had been an illusion.

Should she go over? Wen Mian asked herself. It wasn’t that she was afraid of being seen by the audience, but rather that she felt she should keep her distance from the protagonist.

Time seemed to stand still, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the wind flowing past her ears.

Wen Mian looked around, no one else was there. She stepped forward toward Gu Man.

Gu Man had already stood up, vacating the swing and standing to the side. Wen Mian pursed her lips and chose not to sit on the soft, cushioned swing, opting instead for the edge of the flower bed.

“Thank you for yesterday,” Wen Mian said, looking directly at Gu Man to offer her sincere thanks.

Gu Man shook her head slightly. Her voice was indifferent but not cold. “It’s nothing. As you said, I only did what I wanted to do.”

Wen Mian’s thoughts stalled; her brain momentarily forgot how to think.

“Don’t you hate me? Why help me?” Thinking this, Wen Mian ended up asking it aloud.

Why help her? Gu Man looked away, her gaze landing on the drooping branches. The wind died down, the branches stopped swaying, and the sound of a heartbeat seemed to reach her ears.

After a long silence, she opened her lips. “Right now… I don’t hate you. I don’t know.”

After her mind did a lap, Wen Mian realized Gu Man was answering her previous question.

Right now I don’t hate you… Her chaotic thoughts were suppressed, and Wen Mian could feel her own breathing slow down.

Does she know? Wen Mian asked herself. No! That’s not right, she probably just sensed it.

But even so… Wen Mian looked up and happened to meet Gu Man’s downcast gaze. Both were stunned. Wen Mian was the first to look away, masking a fluster that had risen for reasons unknown.

She didn’t notice that after she looked away, the tips of Gu Man’s ears turned red.

“That… I’m going back!” Wen Mian subconsciously wanted to flee the environment, like a small animal avoiding danger and seeking “safety.” She pointed toward the house awkwardly and stood up abruptly.

A faint smile touched the corners of Gu Man’s mouth. She nodded. “Then… see you in a bit.”

At those words, Wen Mian became even more flustered. Her eyes darted everywhere except at Gu Man. She let out a hurried “Mm” and ran off.

As she reached the door, she could still hear Gu Man’s light chuckle. The voice wasn’t as cold as usual, it carried a hint of indulgence, incredibly tender.

If fans were here, they would have definitely clipped that laugh into all sorts of videos.

Wen Mian almost stumbled. She gripped the doorknob and quickly left the courtyard, running all the way to the living room.

Hearing the commotion, the waiting Wang Mo immediately turned around with a bright smile. “Mianmian!”

Wen Mian stopped her pace and resumed her usual “salted fish” slump, slowly walking over to sit on the sofa next to Zhang Yunxi.

Wang Mo turned to look at her and suddenly said, “Mianmian, your face is so red.”

Wen Mian immediately touched her face, it was slightly burning. She gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, where is Song Xue?”

Zhang Yunxi’s interest was piqued. She dropped the sunflower seeds in her hand and leaned into Wen Mian’s ear, whispering, “She’s gone.”

Wen Mian was a bit surprised. She glanced thoughtfully at Zhong Li, who was hiding behind the cameras. She hadn’t expected her to move so quickly.