The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 25

Wang Mo thought for a few seconds and nodded. “It’s fine on my end, but you need to speak with the program team. I’m afraid there won’t be any music ready.”

Gu Man let out a breath, her brow smoothing as she offered a faint word of thanks. “I know. Thank you.”

Stunned for a moment, Wang Mo waved it off. “It’s simple, no need for thanks. Besides, we want to see your stage performance too.”

Gu Man nodded slightly, glancing at Su Shiqiu, who was watching the excitement, and gave her a meaningful look.

Su Shiqiu waved her hand low at her side, signaling her to act quickly.

With everything understood without a word, Gu Man walked toward the production crew and stopped in front of Zhong Li. “Can we add a performance?”

Zhong Li looked toward Wang Qiang, who nodded. “Yes. Just send the song directly to me.”

Gu Man thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll send it to you in a bit.”

She returned to Wen Mian’s side, quietly watching the program with her.

Wang Qiang looked at the two women through the camera lens, thinking of the CP fans online. He hadn’t expected them to actually be right about this pairing.

After Feng Xi finished her performance, Su Shiqiu and Zhang Yunxi took the stage together.

Since Zhang Yunxi wasn’t a professional, their division of labor was clear: Su Shiqiu danced while Zhang Yunxi provided the vocal accompaniment.

They chose a household name song. Given Zhang Yunxi’s “social butterfly” personality, she swayed her hands and shouted for the audience to sing along during the breaks in the lyrics.

The crowd followed suit. The live stream cut between angles, freezing the smiling faces of the audience in time.

Once finished, Zhang Yunxi exhaled heavily, laughing with relief. “Haha, I was scared to death! It’s finally over. You guys really gave me face!”

Wen Mian raised her voice and shouted, “You sang great! I pick you!”

Zhang Yunxi pointed a finger. “Then who do you pick more, me or Sister Feng Xi?”

Awkwardly, Wen Mian chuckled and played it off. “I like both, I like both.”

Wang Mo skipped onto the stage, quickly smoothing things over. “True, though the three stages brought different styles, they were all excellent. Not just Mianmian likes them, everyone here does! Just listen to the screaming!”

“Next up is a cross-talk actor beloved by both the young and old Brother Zhang Jianfeng. He is also here as Gu Man’s guest performer. Everyone, welcome him!”

As the words fell, Zhang Jianfeng appeared, and the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

Wang Mo: “As expected, Brother Zhang is still as sharp as ever. That applause is loud.”

Zhang Jianfeng gave a kind smile and picked up his clappers. “I came here today as a guest performer, never expecting to be greeted with such applause! This youngster says I’m ‘sharp as ever,’ but I still have to introduce myself. Hello everyone, I am cross-talk actor Zhang Jianfeng. I’m very happy to meet you all!”

He waved to the crowd, and the cheering grew even louder.

An elderly person shouted, “It’s my first time seeing a ‘living’ Brother Zhang!”

Zhang Jianfeng quickly quipped back, “You won’t be seeing a ‘dead’ Brother Zhang anytime soon; your Brother Zhang wants to live for a few more decades!”

The audience roared with laughter. The person scratched their head sheepishly, a hint of shyness on their face, but a bright light flickered in their deep-set eyes.

“What I’ve brought this time is…” Zhang Jianfeng began his cross-talk, his voice modulating with rhythm, rising during the excitement and sinking during the lows.

Wen Mian couldn’t help but be pulled into the story, as if she were seeing a group of unyielding heroes who refused to give up despite their desperation.

The venue went quiet, leaving only the sound of Zhang Jianfeng’s storytelling.

The moment he finished, there was a brief pause before the applause rang out exceptionally loud.

The viewers in the live stream were also stunned.

[Is Teacher Zhang’s cross-talk always this good? First time hearing it, so powerful!]

[Plus one. No wonder my mom likes him. He tells it so well, I’m completely immersed.]

[Me too, I almost cried. What a powerful feeling!]

[I’m a fan now. I’m going to go look up Teacher Zhang’s old performances.]

After Zhang Jianfeng stepped down, it was Wen Mian’s group’s turn.

Wen Mian appeared first. Her eye-catching outfit made everyone look away awkwardly before forcing themselves to look back.

Unbothered, Wen Mian held a phone in one hand and rubbed her chin with the other, her expression thoughtful. “Why are they arranging another blind date for me? I told them I’ll only be with my ‘destined one’!”

Wang Mo provided the voice-over from behind. “You talk about that ‘destined one’ every day, but I’ve never seen you bring her home! What’s wrong with a blind date? If we don’t arrange one, I think your brain is going to get even worse!”

Wen Mian sighed helplessly, sternly refusing. “Regardless, I’m not going. You find someone else!”

“You..”

Before the person on the other end could finish, Wen Mian hung up. She looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression, whispering, “Xiao Man, when exactly are you coming back?”

Wang Mo continued the narration: “Wen Mian’s thoughts drifted back to three years ago… the first time she met Gu Man, who was wearing a tattered red floral shirt.”

Wen Mian quickly changed her expression, speaking seriously to Wang Mo. “This collaboration…”

Before she could finish, someone suddenly “thumped” into her. Wen Mian’s temper flared. “Don’t you know how to look where you’re going? If you can’t use your eyes, you might as well donate them!”

Wen Mian looked up, meeting the other person’s eyes. They were covered in a layer of mist, watery and shimmering. With a slight furrow of the brow, the beauty’s frown was like a delicate flower in the depths of winter.

Wen Mian suddenly went mute. It took a moment for her to recover. “Forget it this time. Be careful next time.”

Although the person before her was beautiful, Wen Mian didn’t take it to heart at the time. After all, as the most elegant, beautiful, brilliant, and outstanding heir of her family, Wen Mian had seen no shortage of beauties since childhood.

Except… none suited her tastes as perfectly as Gu Man.

She shook her head to toss the thought away and took a step… but couldn’t move.

Feeling a tug, Wen Mian turned back in annoyance. “This woman… I liked her style at first, but I didn’t expect her to be someone chasing fame and fortune.”

Of course, this line wasn’t spoken live by Wen Mian, it was a pre-recorded internal monologue.

Then she met those shimmering eyes again. Her heart trembled as she heard Gu Man say, “Hello, may I ask where this is?”

Wen Mian’s brow knitted. If you’re going to play the fool, at least use your brain.

But looking at those eyes, Wen Mian sighed and replied, “The Capital. So, what else do you want to ask?”

To her surprise, the person in front of her suddenly looked panicked. She glanced around her surroundings with a look of total confusion.

For some reason, a pang of heartache welled up in Wen Mian. Just as she was about to speak, Wang Mo suddenly said, “President Wen, the collaboration…”

Wen Mian snapped back to reality, looking down at Gu Man’s hand clutching her sleeve. “Aren’t you going to let go?”

Gu Man jerked her hand back, taking a half-step back. “S-sorry!”

Wen Mian shook her head and ignored her, leaving with Wang Mo.

Wen Mian thought their paths wouldn’t cross again, but a week later, she saw her again in a hotel private room.

The hotel lights were dim, casting a low glow over her, highlighting her tall figure and delicate collarbones, like the fine, translucent white porcelain at home.

But her condition was clearly not good. She was being pulled by a man reeking of alcohol, who was spewing vile words: “You’re not coming with me?! You work here just to bait people, why act so high and mighty!” (Played by Wang Mo)

Gu Man’s face was flushed crimson, her anger rising, looking at a loss as if she had never encountered such a person.

Wen Mian frowned. Such people weren’t rare in the business world, though they usually acted in the shadows. She wasn’t one to meddle in others’ business.

But having seen it, Wen Mian stepped forward, grabbed Gu Man’s wrist, pulled her behind her, and snapped with disgust, “Get lost!”

The man, furious that his “prey” was flying away, jerked his head up. “Which blind fool dares”

When he saw Wen Mian’s face, he suddenly lost his voice. His body shook, and he began bowing and scraping. “Pre-President Wen?”

Wen Mian’s brow remained tightly knit. “If you know it’s me, why haven’t you crawled away yet?”

The man glanced at Gu Man behind Wen Mian, his expression showing his unwillingness; such beautiful “goods” were hard to find.

Blinded by lust, he leaned in flatteringly. “President Wen, you see…”

Wen Mian blocked his view, her tone growing heavy. “She is under my protection. And don’t let me see you bullying them again, otherwise, I don’t think you’ll be staying in the Capital much longer.”

The man shivered, his mind snapping into clarity. He nodded repeatedly. “Understood, understood!”

Wen Mian ignored him and pulled the person behind her away.

Gu Man didn’t resist, following silently all the way to the door.

Wen Mian turned around. The person before her had her head lowered, hiding her expression. “What is your name?”

She looked up, meeting Wen Mian’s gaze. “Gu Man.”

Wen Mian nodded, repeating the name softly. “Gu Man.”

She continued, “Do you want to change jobs?”

Gu Man paused, her expression becoming complicated. She whispered, “I can’t find other work.”

Her tone was soft, almost as if she were acting spoiled toward the woman in front of her.

Wen Mian’s heart stirred. Though she didn’t understand why she couldn’t find other work, at that moment, she blurted out: “Then come intern with me.”

Gu Man looked up sharply, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Go to your place?”

The tips of Wen Mian’s ears twitched, turning slightly red. She nodded. “Mhm. If you pass the internship, you can stay with me.”

Gu Man looked down and thought for a moment before nodding quickly with a small smile like a tender peach blossom in April.

The following days were consistent. Gu Man became Wen Mian’s secretary, responsible for simple tasks.

During this time, both of them gradually began to feel their hearts stir.

Simultaneously, Wen Mian’s gaze toward Gu Man became more confused. She had a rough theory in her head but didn’t dare believe it.

The sudden shift in their relationship started with an accident. At a cocktail party, Wen Mian was drugged.

She forced herself back to the car and told Gu Man to leave.

Looking at Wen Mian’s flushed face, the corners of her eyes curved like smeared rouge, enchanting and heart-stirring. Gu Man’s fingers curled around the steering wheel as her heart beat wildly.

She didn’t understand why she felt this way, but she knew one thing, she didn’t want anyone else to see Wen Mian like this.

The car roared past, all the way back to Wen Mian’s villa.

Gu Man helped Wen Mian out, her brow slightly furrowed, the person in her arms was very light.

Gu Man couldn’t help but think that she should make her eat more.

Suddenly, her thoughts halted, and the tips of her ears flushed a thin red.

Wen Mian leaned against her, her hot breath fanning Gu Man’s ear. Gu Man could only hear her murmuring, “It hurts…”

“Go back.” Retaining a sliver of reason, Wen Mian spoke quickly, her eyes becoming hazy again.

Gu Man helped her down the stairs, and the two walked together toward the area below the stage.

The curtain pulled shut, leaving only flickering shadows. Wang Mo’s voice over echoed: “A room full of chaos.”