The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 31

Zhang Yunxi stifled a secret smile, quickly moving aside to give her plenty of space.

Gu Man offered a word of thanks before sitting down.

Wen Mian leaned back familiarly, her eyes brightening as she leaned in close to Gu Man, whispering, “You got here quite early.”

Gu Man leaned her head in as well, staying extremely close to Wen Mian. “Because I wanted to come early…”

She paused for a beat, her lips moving slightly, almost soundlessly. “…to see someone.”

Wen Mian stared straight at her lips. Their breaths intertwined. Understanding the hidden meaning in Gu Man’s words, she couldn’t help but turn her head away, self-consciously rubbing her ear.

Watching the two from the corner of her eye, Wang Mo’s expression shifted from shock to disappointment. A thought she didn’t want to believe surfaced in her mind: Does she like Gu Man?

With all five present, Zhong Li began to announce the tasks.

“Hello everyone, I’m very happy to have you all back on ‘First Heartbeat.’ Recording has officially begun. You will be spending the next five days together.”

“To celebrate your return, the production team has prepared a delicious banquet. Once you’ve changed and dressed up, you may head over.”

Wen Mian and Zhang Yunxi exchanged a look, nodding in unison: It looks like a newcomer is arriving. I wonder who it is?

To save time, Zhong Li had hired three makeup artists, working in groups of two.

Just as they were considering who should go solo, Wen Mian raised her hand. “Then I’ll go alone?”

Gu Man turned to look at her, her brow furrowing in slight reluctance. She bit her lower lip, respecting Wen Mian’s wish, and remained silent.

Wang Mo, however, spoke up directly. “Mianmian, how about I join you? Let the ‘Mo Mian’ duo make a comeback.”

Wen Mian froze, unsure whether to refuse or agree.

Gu Man looked up, keenly sensing Wen Mian’s awkwardness. She spoke: “Wang Mo, you and I will go together. She didn’t rest well and needs some downtime.”

Wang Mo’s face filled with worry. She asked urgently, “You didn’t rest well?”

Wen Mian glanced at Gu Man from the corner of her eye and nodded. “Yes, work was too tiring yesterday.”

Panic flashed in Wang Mo’s eyes as she nodded repeatedly. “Then Mianmian should take the chance to rest while getting her makeup done. Gu Man and I will go together.”

For a rare moment, Wen Mian felt a pang of guilt. Lying to someone as warm and kind hearted as Wang Mo was both difficult and nerve-wracking.

But… catching a glimpse of the tiny diamond-like glimmers and the irrepressible affection in Wang Mo’s eyes, Wen Mian hardened her heart and headed toward the makeup room first.

Gu Man and Wang Mo discussed things briefly before following toward the other room.

After finishing her makeup, Wen Mian changed into a wine-red fishtail dress. The slanted shoulder revealed one side of her neck and shoulder, while the other side was embroidered with dark red roses. The high-waisted pleated design and the slit in the skirt allowed the silk fabric to sway with every step, the matching roses and chains jingling softly.

Her black hair cascaded in curls over her exposed lower back. Her skin was cool and white, her fingertips tinged with a faint pink. Around her neck sat a double-layered fine gold chain. She looked like a Spider Lily blooming in the shadows, dangerous and breathtaking.

As she stepped out of the makeup room, the livestream chat froze.

[So beautiful! What a stunning face! Such white legs… wait no, I mean skin!]

[Don’t bother hiding it, we all saw! Slurp]

[A top-tier beauty! Why doesn’t Wen Mian promote herself more? With this face, gaining followers would be a breeze.]

[Exactly! Wiping away my drool!]

Wen Mian twirled a strand of hair with her index finger. Her wrists were slender, her nails neatly rounded, and the veins on the back of her hands were hidden beneath cool, white skin like polished jade.

Tossing her hair behind her back, Wen Mian walked slowly toward the sofa. The chains at her legs clinked. She turned her back and leaned over, adjusting her dress as she sat.

Gu Man leaned against the doorframe, silently watching Wen Mian sit. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she stared at Wen Mian’s smooth, white back and the two shallow dimples at her lower back. Her eyes darkened.

The tips of her ears turned bright red, shame, joy, frustration…

A whirlwind of emotions filled her heart. Gu Man realized she was unable to look away. A dark, late-blooming thought crossed her mind, she didn’t want others to see Wen Mian like this. She wanted to hide her away, to kiss her…

The moment the thought appeared, Gu Man’s heart hammered. Her fingernails dug into her palms. Her heartbeat felt like a runaway train thundering against her eardrums.

She couldn’t help but ask herself: why did she have these feelings? Why did she want to…

Kiss her?

A secret surge of sweetness welled up from deep within, like waves rising during a tide, surging endlessly.

She watched for a long time before finally speaking: “Wenwen…”

Wen Mian turned her head from the sofa. Gu Man was wearing a long, silver-white satin shirt that shimmered with a cool glow. Below, she wore a wine-red velvet fishtail skirt similar to Wen Mian’s, hugging her slender yet strong waist.

The red skirt swayed. The corners of Gu Man’s eyes curved slightly, a smile breaking through her cool facade the moment her eyes met Wen Mian’s.

An admiring look appeared in Wen Mian’s eyes. She waved. “Want to come sit for a bit?”

Gu Man said softly, “Mhm.”

She sat very close to Wen Mian, her gaze dropping, instinctively locking onto Wen Mian’s lips.

Wen Mian was confused for a second. She tapped her own lips and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Man quickly looked away, answering flusteredly, “Wenwen, you… you are very beautiful today.”

Wen Mian nodded without modesty. “Right? I am very beautiful!”

Gu Man placed a fist to her lips and chuckled softly, confirming in a low voice, “Indeed. Wenwen has always been beautiful.”

The livestream viewers were in an uproar.

Solo fans were collapsing, struggling to stay silent, while CP fans were in a frenzy.

[So good! Wuuu, my ship is becoming real!]

[Agreed! Our ‘Gu Mian’ (Remaining Life) ship is finally sailing!]

[Haha, I never thought an crack-ship would become the main couple one day!]

Soon, the other guests finished dressing. The group took a car together to the banquet.

The gilded ceiling lamps cast fine shards of light, the restaurant was magnificent.

A long white marble table sat in the center with three chairs on either side.

Wen Mian raised an eyebrow and took a seat first. Gu Man and Wang Mo flanked her on either side. Su Shiqiu and Zhang Yunxi sat opposite them.

The production crew stayed in the background, livestreaming the scene.

After a while, music began to play. A woman wearing a French-style pink princess dress walked out. Her hair was half-tied, half-loose. Her face wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but her eyes were watery and bright as stars.

She waved gently: “Hello everyone!”

Wen Mian and the other four turned to look. Only Gu Man didn’t blink, her gaze fixed solely on the side of Wen Mian’s face.

The newcomer sat in the remaining chair and greeted them with smiling eyes: “I’m Mu Ya. You can just call me Yaya. It’s my first time here, please take care of me!”

Wen Mian’s heart skipped a beat. Mu Ya? That name?!

She whipped her head around to look at Gu Man. This is the other Omega lead with the Green Tangerine pheromone!

For some reason, remembering that Gu Man ended up with her in the book made Wen Mian feel a sourness in her throat, like she’d accidentally swallowed a slice of lemon. It wasn’t intentional, but the feeling was real.

Seeing the expression in Wen Mian’s eyes turn from surprise to a faint gloom, Gu Man was startled. She then tilted her eyes toward Wen Mian and asked softly, “Uncomfortable?”

Wen Mian smoothed her brow and shook her head. “I’m fine. But you… aren’t you going to look at the new guest?”

Gu Man continued to scan Wen Mian with concern before finally relaxing. “No need. Looking at you is enough.”

An effortless, lingering line of flirtation, it carried her newly stirred, though not yet fully recognized, protective feelings.

Gu Man’s earnest gaze stared straight at Wen Mian, making her freeze. Wen Mian turned away, her tone carry a hint of feigned anger: “Don’t always say things like that.”

Gu Man lowered her head, the corners of her mouth curving up. Her jubilant heart seemed to skip around them, enveloping the two of them.

Wen Mian didn’t need to look to feel it. She stopped talking and looked at Mu Ya, but her mind had drifted elsewhere.

Mu Ya was chatting with Zhang Yunxi, but she caught the scene from the corner of her eye. Her fingers tightened.

A shadow crossed her eyes as she seemingly casually asked Wen Mian: “Mianmian, hello! I’ve heard quite a bit about you these past two days. I didn’t expect to meet you; I’m so happy!”

Wen Mian nodded politely in response. “Thanks. I’ve heard of your big name for a long time too.” Heard of it from the novel, and not just heard, but knew quite well.

Mu Ya smiled and covered her mouth in an exaggerated gesture. “Really?! I’m so excited! A celebrity I like likes me back!”

Wen Mian gave an awkward smile and then firmly refuted her: “Haha, but I’m not really a celebrity yet. At most, I have a bit of name recognition.”

Mu Ya was stunned. This person… actually talked back to her? Even if she wasn’t as famous as Gu Man, she had a place in the industry. Now she was being rebuffed by a newcomer?!

She didn’t want to talk to Wen Mian anymore and turned to Gu Man. Her face flushed slightly as she spoke shyly: “Manman, can I call you that?”

Gu Man first checked Wen Mian’s expression. Feeling a faint hint of jealousy from her, Gu Man’s heart secretly danced, though her face remained cold.

She turned her head, finally looking Mu Ya in the eye. “Call me Gu Man. Everyone calls me that.”

Zhang Yunxi, sensing the drama, rested her chin on her hand and added fuel to the fire: “True. We either call her Sister Gu or just use her name. Yaya, you can call her Wang Mo directly too.”

Zhang Yunxi pointed at Wang Mo.

Wang Mo let out an “Ah?” and then nodded repeatedly. “Yes, of course, you can call me Momo too. Either is fine.”

Mu Ya clenched her fist tighter, then quickly released it, replying with a smile: “Okay then, I’ll call you Momo.”

The livestream became even livelier with Mu Ya’s arrival.

[Yaya! My Yaya!]

[Haha! Yaya is a textbook example of a successful fan! One show, and both people she likes are here!]

[True! Gu Man has always been the senior Yaya admires. Though I haven’t heard of Yaya liking Wen Mian before.]

[She probably just started liking her. After all, Wen Mian only went viral these last two days.]

[Fair enough. But is no one noticing the ‘Gu Mian’ interaction? So sweet!]

[Plus one! So sweet! It feels like New Year’s for us!]

After the greetings, the servers began to bring out the food. Exquisite plates were soon laid out on the table.

Wen Mian looked down at the steak in front of her and happily picked up her knife and fork.

She had only cut halfway when a plate was pushed over from her right. Inside was a perfectly sliced steak.

She paused and turned her head toward Gu Man on her right. Her clear eyes were filled with confusion as she asked softly, “Hm?”

Gu Man’s neatly trimmed fingertip lightly tapped the plate, making a crisp “clink” not loud, but enough to catch Wen Mian’s attention.

Of course, besides Wen Mian, Mu Ya was also watching from the corner of her eye.

Gu Man spoke, her cool voice hiding a hint of indulgence: “Let’s swap, okay?”

She said the last three words cautiously, as if afraid Wen Mian would refuse, her eyes filled with trepidation.

Wen Mian’s fingers curled slightly. She locked eyes with Gu Man for a long moment. “Of course. But…”

She paused, and saw the surprise in Gu Man’s eyes turn back into anxiety.

Wen Mian stole a secret smile and blinked playfully. “You have to swap it yourself.” Her voice was sweet and soft, a low murmur in Gu Man’s ear.

The tips of Gu Man’s ears turned red. She nodded dotingly. “Okay.”