Preparations For Going Public
The dimly lit interior of the car was quiet, with occasional sounds from the people outside. Looking at the furry head resting on her neck, Su Shen felt a bit helpless. Sometimes, Xie Yan could be more childish than her.
She didn’t push him off, but just said helplessly, “We’re not kids anymore. We have to prioritize our careers.”
Though she also wished for Xie Yan to stay, this was the nature of their profession. Separations were inevitable.
“But in my eyes, you’re just a kid,” Xie Yan suddenly looked up, gazing at her fervently.
As their eyes met, Su Shen cleared her throat and her eyes started to wander. “You… you’re the kid here. If you want to stay, then stay. Why do you want me to say it?”
Staring at her awkward expression, Xie Yan chuckled softly before leaning down to gently kiss her forehead. Afterward, he reached over and opened the car door for her.
A hot breeze blew in from outside. Su Shen turned her head slightly, as Xie Yan simply rubbed her hand and said tenderly, “Go, remember to let me know once you’ve arrived.”
Su Shen blinked her eyes as they exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat emotional. The next time they meet might be half a month later. Thinking about how he had been resting through the whole ride, it was clear that he was still jet-lagged. Now, he had to go back again. Su Shen knew that Xie Yan was willing to attend this variety show mainly because he wanted to come back and see her.
“Xie Yan,” she suddenly called out softly.
That soft utter made a certain someone arch a brow, staring at her intently.
Looking down, Su Shen blinked. “I… I brought you a present. Close your eyes and don’t move, no matter what happens later.”
It was dimly lit inside the car, but Xie Yan could still see Su Shen’s fair and exquisite face. Knowing that she had a present for him, Xie Yan became quite curious and obediently closed his eyes, eager to see what present she had brought for him.
Seeing him close his eyes, Su Shen emphasized once again, “You can’t move, okay? If you move… you won’t have a wife in the future.”
Hearing this, Xie Yan couldn’t help but smile. This remark was too cunning.
Seeing him keeping his eyes closed, Su Shen looked around nervously, biting her lip before making up her mind and suddenly wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in close and planting a kiss on his lips.
The awkwardness of her clumsy skills made Xie Yan’s heart skip a beat.
Feeling his body tense up, she continued blushingly, imitating the way Xie Yan had kissed her before. However, when she saw him with his eyes open, she was startled and immediately tried withdrawing. But a large hand at her waist firmly held her upper body, and with a swift movement, she was pressed back onto the car seat.
“Mhm… You said… you… won’t move…” Su Shen widened her eyes, staring intently at this man who didn’t keep his word.
The latter greedily and passionately sucked on her rosy lips as if he had consumed poppies, his kisses filled with fervor and urgency. Upon hearing her words, he shifted his kiss to her cheek and said, “Has anyone told you that you shouldn’t trust a man’s words?”
Su Shen widened her eyes, panting while silently cursing the shamelessness of this man, convinced that he would never find a wife in the future.
“I… I have another surprise for you. Close your eyes again,” she said timidly.
Hearing this, Xie Yan immediately closed his eyes with a smile, eagerly anticipating her “surprise”.
“Move over a bit, sit further away from me,” she said gently, sounding particularly meek and obedient.
Hearing this, Xie Yan obediently moved over a bit. Seeing his expectant expression, Su Shen bit her lip and suddenly pushed open the car door, swiftly getting out of the car.
As a gust of hot breeze enveloped her, Su Shen leaned against the car door and smiled at the person inside the car. “Xie laoshi, has everyone ever told you that you shouldn’t trust a woman’s words either?”
Without thinking about what expression Xie Yan would have, Su Shen smirked and closed the door forcefully. Just at this moment, Xiao Zhou approached her, pushing their luggage forward.
Su Shen glanced at the busy surroundings and slowly put on her mask. She approached Zhao Tong and instructed him, “Xie Yan’s a picky eater. You must keep a close eye on him at all times. If he refuses to eat, call me immediately. Don’t let him neglect his health.”
Hearing this, Zhao Tong nodded earnestly. He wanted to let her know, but Yan ge didn’t allow it.
As if seeing through his thoughts, Su Shen added with a frown, “I promise to not have him blame you for letting me know.”
Zhao Tong: “……”
He felt that Su Shen definitely didn’t know about Yan ge’s scheming tactics, but at this point, he could only agree and figure it out later.
Su Shen was still somewhat worried about him, but it couldn’t be helped, time was running out. She glanced at the person inside the car and then walked with Xiao Zhou toward the airport lobby.
By this time, three episodes of the drama had already aired. Sitting in the lounge, Su Shen kept her head down as she scrolled through her phone. She could sense that a few passersby were secretly taking pictures of her, but she had become accustomed to it.
At this time, the top trending headline on Hot Search was #Xie Yan’s Acting#.
Netizen A: AHHHHHH! The scene where hubby saved the female lead from nowhere was soo handsome!!!
Netizen B: I’ve completely become a fan of this drama. Xie Yan’s acting has shot my maiden heart!!!
Netizen C: Especially the last scene of Episode 3 where Xie Yan stepped back and handed the water to the FL, it was too dashing!
Netizen D: This drama’s simply the pinnacle of idol dramas! The ML & FL’s acting made me a fan!
Netizen E: I feel like Xie Yan and Su Shen have such AMAZING chemistry, especially when the ML appeared and placed his hand behind Su Shen’s head. So adorbs [joy]
Netizen F: This drama’s simply a feast for the eyes. I don’t care, I’m shipping the Crab Cake CP. [joy]
Netizen G: Xie Yan has a girlfriend, and Su Shen has a boyfriend. Could it be that they are together? [grin]
Nowadays, this drama was being discussed on several major platforms, but He Hua knew that it wasn’t suitable for Su Shen to trend on Hot Search at the moment. Thus, Su Shen’s name didn’t appear on Hot Search. This way, it avoided accusations of her seeking hype from the antis. However, it was different for Xie Yan. He had always been low-key, so even if his exposure was a bit more now, no one would say much about it. Moreover, this kind of idol drama attracted many young fans for him. Although these fans may not provide any significant value to him, since popularity was never a focus for the silver screen.
When more and more people started to take photos of her, it just so happened to be time for boarding. After boarding the flight, she turned off her phone and leaned back to rest.
During the flight, two flight attendants approached her for a photo, and Su Shen cooperatively took a few shots with them. When she arrived at the hotel after getting off her flight, it was already 2:00 am. She still had to film tomorrow, so she went to sleep as early as possible.
In the following days, the drama’s ratings continued to climb, possibly due to the absence of other popular dramas during the same season. It consistently dominated the spotlight and had even surpassed four one day. Su Shen’s followers also grew to 30 million. Yao Yin mentioned that many reality shows had offered her high prices for appearances, and numerous scripts had been offered to her as well. However, at the same time, the number of antis also increased. They spread rumors about her having a strong background, pulling strings to act alongside Xie Yan. The hateful and vulgar comments intensified, and some antis even went as far as displaying her black-and-white photos on car windows, which made the news. Yao Yin promptly contacted the authorities to handle these matters.
Compared to the previous antis, the current ones were even more fierce. This was an inevitable part of being a public figure. Su Shen didn’t want to let these things affect her mood. After all, antis would continue to hate, and she would continue to focus on earning her money.
On the day when she and Xie Yan’s reality show premiered, Xie Quan unexpectedly gave her a call!
Just at this moment, Su Shen had just finished filming a scene, and Xiao Zhou hurriedly handed her the phone, clearly noticing the incoming call displayed on the screen and knowing that this call was definitely not ordinary.
Seeing the name on the screen, Su Shen was taken aback. She didn’t expect that it would be a call from Xie Yan’s father. Immediately, she took the phone and went to an empty lounge to answer the call.
“Hello, Xiao Su?” A robust voice came through the phone.
“Hello, Uncle. How are you?” Su Shen immediately replied politely.
Hearing this, the person on the other end calmly asked with a smile, “Not interrupting your filming, am I?”
“No, not at all. I was just reading the script,” Su Shen replied as she sat on the sofa, adjusting the AC temp to be lower with the remote.
At that, the person on the other end chuckled. “Well, here’s the thing. From what I know, you’ve been together with Xie Yan for quite some time now, but I haven’t had the chance to meet your parents. How about we arrange a day for me to treat your parents to a meal?”
Hearing the words from the other end of the line, Su Shen felt a bit at a loss and could only continue, “Um… I’ll definitely discuss it with my parents, and when they have time, I’ll let you know.”
After speaking, Su Shen was completely stunned. The phone call came so suddenly, and even if she was stupid, she knew what it meant when both sets of parents met. It would inevitably lead to a discussion about marriage, but Xie Yan hadn’t even proposed to her yet.
“Alright, alright. Continue filming, I won’t disturb you anymore. But, your health is also important. You youngsters always like to stay up late, and that’s harmful to your health. Look at Xie Yan too, you have to keep a close eye on him.”
Hearing the words from the other end, Su Shen naturally agreed repeatedly. After hanging up the call, she leaned back on the sofa, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and stared at her phone, contemplating whether to call her parents now or call Xie Yan.
Just at this moment, the door of the lounge was pushed open, and two figures walked in. Seeing her, Xiao Zhou stood at the door and said, “Su jie, the director said to use a body double for the next scene.”
The next scene was a gunfight where she had to jump from upstairs. She wondered what Xie Yan had told the director before because the director would allow her to use a body double for some dangerous scenes now. It’s worth noting that every director preferred actors to perform their own stunts for a more realistic effect.
“I got it,” Su Shen replied before turning to look at Yao Yin, who had unexpectedly visited set to see her today.
After Xiao Zhou closed the door, Yao Yin unhurriedly walked over in high heels and sat across from her. She handed over a document bag while saying, “I originally didn’t want to accept any new roles for you, but the director of this play has been insisting on casting you. I heard that they approached you before, but it got delayed when you switched companies.”
Upon hearing this, Su Shen took the document bag and opened it to take a look. It turned out to be the script for that major leading role. The negotiations for this play were handled by Liu jie before, but after terminating her contract with Starlight Entertainment, she hadn’t heard any news from them. She didn’t expect them to be so persistent in casting her.
“The director of this play is quite influential in the industry, and the production crew is also top-notch. The main point is that they really want to cast you. Moreover, considering the scale of the production, they could have approached well-established actresses for the role. So, it’s actually a pretty good opportunity for you. However, I see that you’ve been pretty exhausted lately. How about you take some time to consider it?” said Yao Yin as she got up and went to the water dispenser to pour herself a glass of water.
After a moment of contemplation, Su Shen looked at the script before saying insipidly, “I’ll think about it and let you know in a few days.”
She was indeed exhausted. While money was important, it was not as important as her life. However, the director’s sincere intention and the long wait made Su Shen hesitant.
Seeing her hesitation, Yao Yin didn’t rush it. After taking a sip of water, she sat down on the sofa, holding her red clutch and looking at Su Shen earnestly. “No rush, take your time. Right now, the most important thing is about you and Xie Yan. In ten days, it’s the Dragon Boat Festival. If you two are certain about going public, I’ll discuss with He Hua about arranging to release a video of you guys going on a date.”
Hearing this, Su Shen frowned and nonchalantly placed the script back into the bag. “No need to go through all that trouble. We can simply have Xie Yan make a post on Weibo to confirm our relationship when the time comes.”
