YPHC Chapter 58

“Well done, he’s even starting to ship them…”

 

Yan Jie was taken home by Xiao Sun.

 

After drinking too much and experiencing such shocks that night, now that he could relax, he felt physically and mentally exhausted. After showering, he fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed, remaining unconscious until noon the next day.

 

The next day, he opened his eyes groggily and first stared blankly at the white ceiling above him through the dim light filtering through the curtains.

 

His family rarely came to Shanghai, so their several houses remained empty year-round, with only basic furnishings, making them feel spacious but cold. It was only after Yan Jie had lived in this house for a while that it gradually gained some human warmth.

 

…He woke up late.

 

He wondered if Mr. Hang had eaten breakfast.

 

Yan Jie’s mind was a jumble of thoughts about Jiang Nan’an.

 

This person didn’t care much about these things; for the sake of sleeping more, he wouldn’t mind missing a meal or two.

 

Yan Jie sighed inwardly, deciding not to think about these things for now.

 

He hugged his blanket, rolled over, yawned, and began his regular post-waking, pre-rising routine-patrolling various social media apps on his phone.

 

He entered each app, clearing notifications and responding to messages as usual.

 

His head still ached from the hangover, and he looked at his phone screen with half-open eyes, lacking energy.

 

When his patrol reached Weibo, Yan Jie habitually scanned the trending topics list. He hadn’t intended to linger, but when he realized what he was seeing, his eyes suddenly widened.

 

Several deep red “explosion” characters were visible at a glance on the trending list.

 

Scanning further, the topics prominently featured two familiar names-

 

#JiangNananJiangShanshanLateNightDate#

 

#JiangJiangGood#

 

#LiXiaoChuiDiscussesDoubleTopFlowRelationship#

 

#JiangJiangGoodPairUpForImperialTutor#

 

…

 

…What?

 

What and what??

 

Any remaining drowsiness Yan Jie had was now gone. He sat up in bed with a start, ran his hand through his hair, and began clicking on these bewildering topics one by one.

 

The discussion was first sparked by a major entertainment reporter’s “double top-flow relationship preview.” An hour after the preview, the real material exploded. In the blurry, watermarked GIF released by the gossip source, although both people wore masks and hats, one could still vaguely recognize that they were indeed Jiang Nan’an and Jiang Shanshan.

 

The photo was probably taken last night, as Yan Jie remembered that Jiang Nan’an was indeed wearing the outfit shown in the picture when he went out.

 

The first few GIFs seemed to be taken at the entrance of some restaurant, but the later ones were different.

 

The thing released by the gossip source that could basically confirm the couple’s relationship wasn’t a GIF, but a blurry photo.

 

The image was so unclear that even the figures’ outlines were barely visible. It only showed what appeared to be inside a residential community, with Jiang Shanshan walking on a bluestone path with a man in a beige coat beside her, looking quite intimate.

 

[Exposing Li Xiaochui: Top-tier female star and top-tier male star on a late-night date. After the date, the male star escorted the female star home. The two took a romantic walk in the residential community and went to the female star’s home together. Ten minutes later, the male star came downstairs, both gentlemanly and romantic. Xiaochui wishes this new couple happiness [heart]]

 

After reading the “exposé,” Yan Jie recalled the scene from last night.

 

Yesterday, he had already felt something was strange, as he had never seen Jiang Nan’an rushing so urgently to meet someone, saying before leaving that it was a very important person.

 

So he had dinner with this very important person?

 

And after dinner, he escorted them home?

 

Jiang Nan’an?

 

Escorting someone home??

 

No way.

 

Yan Jie felt like the sky was falling.

 

Thinking about it, Jiang Nan’an did seem to have a good relationship with Shanshan. They could talk to each other normally, and their interactions were quite harmonious…

 

Yan Jie swallowed dryly, not daring to think further.

 

He scrolled down the screen, and after a brief internal struggle, he clicked on the “JiangJiangGood” CP super topic for the first time.

 

It wasn’t hard to guess that things were in chaos, and CP fans were surely celebrating like it was New Year’s, each with their own bowl of excitement.

 

Yan Jie sneaked into the super topic using an alternate account, ignoring the rival CP fans screaming, cheering, and rolling around in there. He skillfully found the “JiangJiangGood” sweet moments collection in the pinned post.

 

[Ahhhh who understands? Leopard is so gentle, so gentle, and his interactions with Kitty are so cute. Kitty feeding Leopard snacks, what couple behavior!]

 

Accompanied by a blurry screenshot from the corner of the show’s official episode, magnified eight times but still with faces barely visible.

 

[After the Burning Eternity championship night ended, Kitty was carrying the trophy back to the rest room but couldn’t manage it, and Leopard helped steady it. I won’t allow anyone to not have seen this behind-the-scenes photo!!…]

 

[On the night of Makeshift Troupe’s celebration party, someone reported seeing Kitty going to Leopard’s room at the hotel. It was in the early morning, the significance needs no explanation, but at the time everyone thought it was fake news. Now thinking about it…]

 

[Aaa a few days ago when Kitty was chatting during her livestream, there were several books on the table. When she casually flipped through them, did anyone see the inside pages?? They were full of notes and annotations! Would Kitty ever read books so carefully before? No! She wouldn’t even read books at all! So besides her, who would read the History of Xuan related to their next drama and habitually make notes? Family members, isn’t this worth shipping??…]

 

[Leopard’s promotional Weibo posts coordinating with Makeshift Troupe before the finals, the first one timed at 13:14, the second one timed at 14:33 (two thirty-three, two-three-three, love Shanshan), it’s hard not to believe they aren’t secretly showing their love. I suspect the other brothers and sisters in the team all know…]

 

Who said that?

 

Who said everyone knows?

 

Clearly someone is still in the dark.

 

“…”

 

Yan Jie put down his phone in a daze, recalling what he had just read, his emotions unable to settle for a long time.

 

So while he was unaware, this CP had already produced so much “sugar.”

 

Well done, he’s even starting to ship them!

 

…But wait, that’s not right.

 

Jiang Nan’an and Jiang Shanshan… Did they hide it too well, or was he too slow to notice?

 

If Jiang Nan’an could truly do all this for Shanshan, then he probably really likes her, right? It’s just that he doesn’t understand anything and might not even have realized his own feelings.

 

No…

 

What I did to him last night…

 

Damn.

 

What a colossal jerk I am.

 

The unease of conscience and moral condemnation made Yan Jie so anxious he wanted to bite his fingers.

 

His phone screen was still on the JiangJiangGood CP super topic. Yan Jie casually scrolled down.

 

[No regrets in this life for shipping JiangJiangGood… who understands? Waiting for an official announcement. Sisters, shall we charge out and defeat the neighboring Boating at Guazhou?!!!]

 

Yan Jie ground his teeth and irritably tossed his phone aside.

 

You’re all getting fired up!

 

–

 

Jiang Nan’an had been answering calls at home all day.

 

Today, after waking up, he was once again hit by trending topics. Some inexplicable entertainment reporter released some inexplicable information. Who knows who bought it, but they dared to throw out all kinds of unverified gossip.

 

“I’m so sorry, Teacher Jiang… I’ve implicated you…”

 

When Jiang Shanshan called, she had no signs of life in her voice, so dejected that every word was written with “I want to die”:

 

“When I was going back yesterday, I met a high school classmate. He had been abroad for a while, and we hadn’t seen each other for a long time, so we took a walk and chatted for a bit. Who knew there would be entertainment reporters who don’t sleep at 2 AM staking out in someone else’s community… His clothes yesterday were a bit similar to yours, not really that similar, just the coat color was about the same and both were long style. Who knew that with the reporter’s grainy photo quality, they would directly pin it on you. Ah-so annoying! I’m really sorry!! My agent has already gone to your side to coordinate. I’ve caused you trouble 555-”

 

Jiang Nan’an expressed understanding.

 

After all, entertainment reporters are everywhere, and photo manipulation to create fake gossip is common. If they really have the intention, even without a shred of evidence, they can fabricate something to self-direct and create something from nothing.

 

He had been in the entertainment industry for seven years and had seen such tactics many times, so he no longer cared.

 

The next call was from Qi Hong, who had probably already finished talking with Jiang Shanshan’s agent before calling Jiang Nan’an.

 

“Hello? Jiang baby.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Qi Hong sighed:

 

“I’m sorry for the trouble. These paparazzi really will say anything for money… We’ll have the studio issue a statement soon saying you’re single but have a good relationship with your fellow actor. After all, yesterday’s dinner wasn’t just the two of you; Teacher Sheng was there too, so this is easy to explain. It’s just that last photo with Shanshan’s classmate is a bit tricky. He’s a regular person, so it’s not convenient to drag him into this, and it’s not very friendly to the female celebrity either. So we won’t explain this part. I’ll buy some articles later to question the authenticity of the photos. After all, you two still have future collaborations, and your characters are a CP, so leaving some room for imagination for the audience can also ensure topic heat and promotional buzz.”

 

“Okay,” Jiang Nan’an had no objections.

 

“I’m fine with whatever.”

 

“Mm, let’s go with this for now. I’ll notify you if there are any changes.”

 

Qi Hong was also a bit mentally exhausted. After a pause, she tentatively said:

 

“Actually, Jiang baby…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Jiang Nan’an responded, and at that moment, his doorbell rang. He got up from the sofa and walked toward the entryway.

 

Dunbu, who had been obediently lying on his lap, also jumped off the sofa and followed behind him like a little tail.

 

“…Don’t you think you could try dating someone?” Qi Hong asked tentatively on the phone.

 

“Why?”

 

Jiang Nan’an hadn’t expected her to suddenly bring this up.

 

While waiting for Qi Hong’s explanation, he went to open the door and saw Yan Jie standing outside.

 

He felt they were familiar enough, and since he was still on the phone, there was no need to formally say “hello,” so he directly turned and walked back to the living room.

 

“You’re an actor, not an idol. Dating is very normal, and no one will say anything. Look at today’s rumors-people’s acceptance is quite high, right? It shows that the vast majority of fans are very supportive of you having a suitable, sweet relationship. Plus, there are so few dramas unrelated to love nowadays. Like what Director Zhang said about the romance in ‘Imperial Tutor,’ how can you express such delicate emotions if you don’t understand them at all? This is a challenge you must overcome. Of course, besides romantic love, there’s also family love and friendship-you need to understand all these gradually.

 

“You’re already twenty-three. Isn’t it time to experience some of these things?”

 

“…Do I have to date?”

 

“Not necessarily. Don’t treat it as a task. Dating should of course be based on liking someone before developing further. Just let things happen naturally. What I mean is, if there’s a suitable person, and you’re moved and willing, you can absolutely get to know them better, boldly try it out.”

 

“But I don’t really understand,” Jiang Nan’an paused.

 

“Do you think I like her? Or do you think I should like her? What should I do?”

 

He successfully stumped Qi Hong.

 

Qi Hong had actually browsed the CP super topic and thought Jiang Nan’an and Jiang Shanshan seemed quite fitting and compatible, looking quite interesting. She didn’t want him to miss out unknowingly, so she spoke up to give him a hint, but she didn’t expect Jiang Nan’an to counter with such a question.

 

This was too complicated to explain over the phone, and she couldn’t make it clear to Jiang Nan’an in a short time, so she skipped the topic, chatted with him briefly, and hung up to attend to her own business.

 

No solution-it seemed like he wasn’t just slow to understand, but truly a stone.

 

As for dating, there was no rush to bring it up now.

 

Jiang Nan’an hung up the phone, tossed it on the sofa, and only then realized someone seemed to be missing from the room.

 

He walked back to the entryway and saw Yan Jie leaning against the cabinet, holding Dunbu in his arms, staring at him with an indecipherable look.

 

After staring at him for a moment, Yan Jie asked:

 

“What kind of liking?”

 

“?”

 

“Who are you going to date?”

 

“What?” Jiang Nan’an didn’t understand his question.

 

Seeing that he didn’t seem inclined to come in, he asked:

 

“Aren’t you coming in?”

 

“No, I just came to ask you something in person. I might leave after asking.”

 

Yan Jie’s voice was a bit hoarse as he got straight to the point:

 

“Do you like Shanshan?”

 

“?” Jiang Nan’an didn’t know why the whole world was asking him the same question today.

 

“I don’t know. Should I like her?”

 

“You don’t know? Then let me ask differently, why did you meet her yesterday and even escort her home?”

 

Yan Jie’s tone had lost its usual flippancy, becoming much more serious.

 

He was truly determined to have a proper conversation with Jiang Nan’an about this issue.

 

If there was nothing between them, he wanted to clear things up completely. If there was something, he wanted to make Jiang Nan’an truly understand these feelings, to prevent him from unknowingly missing out or disappointing others.

 

But Jiang Nan’an’s reaction was completely different from what he had expected.

 

There was no confusion or bewilderment, just a straightforward answer:

 

“Yesterday was a cast dinner, Teacher Sheng was there too. As for escorting her home… I didn’t. The person in the photo isn’t me.”

 

“…?”

 

Hearing this answer, Yan Jie’s carefully prepared composure crumbled.

 

He had imagined all sorts of reasons, excuses, and explanations that Jiang Nan’an might give him, but he hadn’t expected this-

 

The person in the photo wasn’t Jiang Nan’an at all.

 

His heart, which had been in suspense all this time, suddenly relaxed because of this one sentence. But since they were already on this topic, Yan Jie was determined to get complete clarity.

 

So he bent down to put Dunbu on the floor, looked at Jiang Nan’an seriously, his gaze falling on his lips. His Adam’s apple moved almost imperceptibly, and when he spoke again, his voice was a bit lower:

 

“Then, let me ask differently… do you want to kiss her?”

 

He paused:

 

“Like what I did to you yesterday.”

 

Jiang Nan’an answered promptly:

 

“No.”

 

Yan Jie opened his mouth, about to say something more, but Jiang Nan’an beat him to it:

 

“Speaking of which, I also have a question for you.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Yesterday, when you kissed me, how should I have reacted? What would have been the correct response?”

 

Jiang Nan’an frowned slightly:

 

“I thought about it all night but couldn’t figure it out. Should I have felt angry and disgusted?”

 

“There’s no right or wrong reaction,”

 

Yan Jie crossed his arms:

 

“You have every right to be angry, because I offended you, forcing you into an intimate act you didn’t want. After I kissed you, did you feel disgusted?”

 

Jiang Nan’an recalled for a moment:

 

“I don’t think so. What does that mean?”

 

Yan Jie raised his hand to support himself against the wall, leaning in slightly, looking down into Jiang Nan’an’s eyes:

 

“It means you didn’t dislike what I did to you. What were you thinking at the time?”

 

“I don’t remember.”

 

“…”

 

Yan Jie stared steadily at Jiang Nan’an. This distance and atmosphere made him feel the urge to be a jerk again.

 

But this time he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol, and he clearly knew this wasn’t a dream.

 

Yan Jie suddenly regretted bringing up this topic so rashly, because he found that the conversation had reached a point where it was difficult to conclude.

 

His hand resting on the wall slowly curled. Finally, he let out a breath, preparing to force himself out of this life-threatening state, searching his brain for a topic that could divert attention.

 

But before that, Jiang Nan’an suddenly looked up and met his gaze.

 

“Yan Jie.”

 

“Hmm…?” Yan Jie was slightly taken aback, and then heard Jiang Nan’an say:

 

“Let’s try again.”

 

Jiang Nan’an’s tone was calm, and his face showed no excess emotion.

 

He had always been like this.

 

“I feel that my reaction and state were not right. I want to know why I’m like this.

 

“So, try again, okay?”

 

 

#

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)