The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 43.1

After the initial excitement, they continued to watch Wen Mian, waiting for Gu Man alongside her.

Her face remained calm, but her palms were damp with sweat, and her eyelashes fluttered nervously.

The summer night breeze blew gently, swirling the hem of Wen Mian’s light blue to purple gradient dress, which shimmered softly under the glow of the surrounding starlight.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the tension in her heart grew. The hand that had been supporting her chin uncontrollably gripped the hem of her light-colored skirt.

“Wen Wen…” Hearing the familiar soft call, Wen Mian stood up with a “swish,” her eyes lighting up. She nervously pursed her lips and turned around.

Gu Man stood there holding a bouquet of lily of the valley, white and flawless like fine jade, accented with emerald green grass. Her eyes were full of tenderness as she looked at her.

A smile involuntarily spread across Wen Mian’s lips. She rubbed the gift in her hand and slowly walked toward Gu Man.

Strangely enough, Wen Mian had been nervous until Gu Man appeared, but now that she was standing right in front of her, the nervousness vanished.

“Wen Wen, I’m here,” Gu Man said softly, her tone laced with warmth.

“I see that.” Wen Mian smiled, her eyes drifting to the flowers in Gu Man’s hand. “Aren’t you going to give them to me yet?”

As if suddenly snapping back to reality, Gu Man handed over the flowers. “Of course.”

Wen Mian took them and lowered her head to take a deep breath. The delicate, orchid-like fragrance filled her senses.

Touching the tiny blossoms with her fingertips, Wen Mian’s eyes grew slightly misty. She asked in confusion, “Why did you think to buy lily of the valley?”

Gu Man thought for a moment and then replied gently, “I don’t know, but I felt… they suit us very well.”

Wen Mian’s heart softened. She stared straight at Gu Man. “Then guess what I got for you.”

Gu Man raised an eyebrow and said tentatively, “Does it also have something to do with lily of the valley?”

Wen Mian stood slightly on her tiptoes. Her left hand, which wasn’t holding the gift, reached out to pat Gu Man’s head. She nodded with a smile, “So smart.”

Gu Man lowered her head, obediently letting her pet her.

“Alright, accept your gift.” Wen Mian lowered her hand and lifted the gift she had been holding.

Gu Man took it, her breath hitching for a beat.

Watching her stunned expression, Wen Mian smiled and said, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Gu Man gave a low “mhm,” carefully took the red velvet box out of the gift bag, and opened it with trembling fingers.

A pair of light greenish-white jade lily of the valley pendants lay quietly in the box, looking like they were covered in a layer of pure white morning mist, waiting for their owner.

“For me?” Gu Man’s voice cracked slightly.

“Mhm, a gift for you. Want to try them on?” Wen Mian’s voice also became choked with emotion.

Gu Man looked up, her eyes rimmed with red and mist. She asked softly, “Can Wen Wen put them on for me personally?”

Wen Mian wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, took the lily of the valley earrings, and leaned close to the side of Gu Man’s neck. Holding her breath, she raised her hands to put them on her.

Once they were both on, Wen Mian quietly let out a breath. She stepped back and praised her unreservedly, “They look beautiful. They suit you perfectly.”

Gu Man smiled shyly and looked down.

Surrounded by sparkling globes of light, the two stood facing each other, faces glowing with happy smiles.

The audience watched the stream with “auntie smiles,” flooding the chat with comments.

[That’s it, they can head to the bridal chamber now!]

[Is this really not a wedding? Why do I feel like I’m attending a ceremony?]

[Me too! I can’t imagine how happy I’ll be on the day they actually get married!]

[Haha, you sisters really dare to dream. Count me in!]

[Leopard and Kitty, you must be happy!]

[Plus one, plus one! ‘GuMian’ must be together for the rest of their lives!]

The dating show ended quietly in this atmosphere.

On the morning of the final day at the villa, everyone woke up early. Their expressions were downcast, and the usual laughter was gone.

Zhong Li sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of reluctance. This time on the show had been short, only half a month but it felt very long because so many things had happened.

From Wen Mian being insulted when she was first invited, to her turning her image around and becoming popular and Zhong Li herself going from an assistant director to the head director.

After thinking for a long time, Zhong Li signaled to Xiao Meng to turn on the live stream.

Xiao Meng, whose eyes were red from crying, took a breath and immediately started the broadcast.

Fans who thought the show had already ended but were unwilling to let go were still lurking. Seeing the broadcast start, they immediately clicked in.

The room lagged for a moment before returning to normal.

[It’s actually on again! The production team is so cruel, why didn’t they notify the fans?]

[Exactly! If I hadn’t been stubbornly waiting since yesterday, I would have missed it!]

[Waaa, I want to cry as soon as I enter. When will my six ‘digital snacks’ be together again?!]

[I’m breaking down, don’t remind me!]

[I can’t take it, I’m going to cry. If I cry anymore, I won’t be able to open my eyes.]

[Same here. I’ve been crying since the stream ended yesterday until now.]

Sadness spread through the living room. Zhang Yunxi’s eyes were bloodshot. She looked up and took the initiative to liven things up: “Is everyone hungry? How about we have some breakfast first?”

Wang Mo looked at the breakfast laid out on the table and nodded, trying to perk up. “Okay.”

The four moved to the table. After a moment, Wen Mian walked out of the kitchen carrying her own special breakfast. She glanced at the lavish spread on the table. “So much delicious food.”

Zhang Yunxi burst into laughter at her greedy look and teased, “Weren’t we waiting for you, little glutton?”

Wen Mian didn’t argue and nodded along. “Then I must thank Xixi.”

Just then, Gu Man arrived carrying some oat milk. She sat next to Wen Mian, placed the milk in front of her, and said softly, “For you.”

Wen Mian squinted her eyes and smiled at her, then immediately turned to the food with a look of pure bliss.

The fans in the live stream turned their tears into laughter.

[Classic Mianmian. I want to laugh every time I see her.]

[Mianmian: What? Do I look that funny?]

[Haha, but seeing Wen Mian’s love for food is really healing.]

[True. Every time I’m sad, I feel better when I see good food. Now I have Mianmian too.]

[Does Mianmian know you all view her like this? Hahaha!]

After a hearty breakfast, the six of them pulled their luggage together and gathered in the living room.

Zhang Yunxi’s tears flowed freely as she moved to Wen Mian’s side, tightly clutching her sleeve. She kept saying, “Mianmian, will we see each other again after this?”

Wen Mian took out a tissue she had prepared, wiped her tears, and comforted her softly, “Of course we will. You can come find me anytime.”

Zhang Yunxi sniffled, holding back her tears, and nodded while choking up, “That’s good.”

Su Shiqiu’s eyes were rimmed with red. His usual smile could no longer be maintained as he stared at Zhang Yunxi with heartache.

Wang Mo kept glancing at Wen Mian, her fingers gripping the hem of her shirt, looking hesitant.

After a long time, she finally stepped forward and stood in front of Wen Mian. Forcing a bright smile, she said, “Mianmian, let’s meet again when there’s a chance!”

Wen Mian paused her motion of patting Zhang Yunxi’s back. She looked up and met Wang Mo’s eyes with a smile, her tone gentle: “Sure, let’s meet again when we have time.”

Mu Ya, who had been standing to the side, also stepped forward and said simply, “Thank you, and see you next time.”

Wen Mian’s eyes also began to redden, feeling a sore ache. She hummed, “Okay, we will definitely all meet again.”

Gu Man sighed softly. She had long been accustomed to goodbyes and felt no particular emotion, except when she saw Wen Mian’s reddened eyes. She panicked, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how to speak.

[Waaa! This is killing me! Can it not be like this?]

[My little squad of six, you will definitely meet again, right?]

[Ugh, the only ensemble cast I’ve ever followed in the industry, and they’re parting like this?]

[My heart actually hurts! Production team, you have no heart, why did you have to cut the filming time in half!]

Countless tears filled both the screens and the courtyard. The six of them pulled their luggage and stepped out of the villa’s courtyard gate.

Before getting into their cars, they all turned back together for one last look at the scenery, their eyes full of deep reluctance.

The sunlight slowly shone upon them, wrapping them in a warm halo until their faces gradually became blurred.

The live stream officially ended, and they began their next journeys.

Sitting on the bus, Wen Mian chose to sit in the back row with Gu Man. The vehicle drove slowly toward the airport as the scenery outside whizzed by.

“Gu Man, how long will you be filming in Qingdao?” Wen Mian suddenly asked in a low voice.

“One month.”

“Understood. I’ll come visit you when I have time,” Wen Mian nodded.

“Okay. I’ll come back when I have the chance,” Gu Man’s voice was low and raspy.

Unlike the faint reluctance of the previous parting, this time her heart seemed to hold more emotions, disorganized and difficult to distinguish.

After boarding the plane, Wen Mian soon arrived back in the Magic City (Shanghai).

Seeing her, Xu Qing immediately walked over to greet her. “Welcome back. There are quite a few fans here to meet you at the airport. I’ve already ordered milk tea; you can go straight over.”

Wen Mian nodded, talking to Xu Qing as she pulled her luggage. “What’s the schedule looking like next?”

Xu Qing nodded. “Nothing today. After meeting the fans, you can go straight home to rest. After that, you’ll have two weeks of acting classes. In between, you’ll finish the remaining two magazine shoots and participate in a mystery variety show. Then it’ll be time for auditions, you really need to prepare well for those.”

Hearing this long list of work, Wen Mian’s expression immediately soured. It was one thing to have no rest in my previous life, but why is it the same in this one?

“Oh, right. Since you’re popular right now, you should do a few live streams to stabilize your fame and prevent losing followers,” Xu Qing added.

“Okay, I got it,” Wen Mian hummed.

After walking for a bit, she soon saw a massive crowd of fans holding signs and cameras. It was a spectacular sight.

Wen Mian’s eyes widened. She snapped her head toward Xu Qing, her tone full of disbelief, “This is what you call ‘quite a few’?”

Xu Qing nodded naturally. “It is just quite a few.”

Seeing Wen Mian’s shocked expression, she added persuasively, “Mianmian, we have to keep up with Gu Man. This is at most half of what she gets.”

“Fine,” Wen Mian sighed, forced to admit, Gu Man really did have a lot of fans.

Looking at the fans waving excitedly at her, Wen Mian revealed a smile. She handed her luggage to Xu Qing and walked over.

“Hello, everyone!” she called out gently to the fans, raising her voice.

The fans immediately shook their heads and replied in unison: “Hello, Mianmian! With ‘Wen’ as your surname and ‘Mian’ as your name, Wen Mian is beautiful, beautiful, the most beautiful! Little Cottons love you!”

Wen Mian’s face flushed. she waved her arms frantically, both shy and at a loss. “Alright, alright. It’s so hot today, aren’t you guys burning up?”

Seeing her reddened cheeks, the fans were satisfied. They shook their heads and said, “Little Cottons aren’t hot.”

Then they looked at Wen Mian with concern. “Is Sis hot?”

Staring at the sweat on the fans’ faces, Wen Mian felt heartache followed by a surge of warmth. She shook her head. “You say you’re not hot, but you’re all sweating. Sister Xu ordered milk tea, it’ll be here in a moment.”

Xu Qing chimed in, “Right, right. Mianmian was afraid you’d be hot and specifically reminded me. It’ll be here soon, everyone wait a moment.”

The fans were so touched their eyes turned red, shouting, “Sister is the best!”

After chatting with the fans for a while, handing out the milk tea, and taking photos, it was nearly 4 o’clock. Considering their safety, Wen Mian reluctantly prepared to leave.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to say, “Everyone, please go home soon. Have a safe trip.”

The fans’ eyes were red as they tried to suppress their sobs, waving goodbye.

The car stopped near the villa. Xu Qing looked at Wen Mian through the rearview mirror and arranged: “We’re here. Get some good rest. I’ll pick you up at 8:00 AM tomorrow.”

Wen Mian agreed and got out of the car with her luggage.

Wen Rong had been waiting at the door. Seeing Wen Mian get out, she immediately trotted forward and took the suitcase.

Her nose twitched slightly. She paused for a moment, staring intently at Wen Mian, then quickly snapped out of it with a gentle smile. “Mianmian is back. Auntie Li specifically made your favorite mango shaved ice. Have some to tide you over.”

Wen Mian smiled at her, her words sweet as if she were acting spoiled. “That’s great. Thank you, Mom, for coming to get me.”

Wen Rong’s eyes grew slightly red. She said softly, “Mhm. Mom will take Mianmian inside now.”

She took the lead in pulling the luggage, walking side by side with Wen Mian into the villa.

Auntie Li walked over to Wen Mian with the mango shaved ice, smiling kindly. “Little Miss, try it quickly. This time I specifically added some creme brulee.”

Wen Mian’s eyes lit up, and she praised her unreservedly, “Auntie Li, your skills are so good! I love creme brulee the most!”

She curled up on the sofa with her legs crossed, scooping the mango shaved ice into her mouth. The cold ice melted in her mouth and slid into her stomach, driving away the summer heat.