So as not to appear too proficient, Cheng Ying deliberately dragged out the repair process. The machine, which could have been revived in half an hour, didn’t let out a huge roar and return to normal until nearly noon.
Jiang Hanguang was still holding the small bowl of cherries. The old grease on Cheng Ying’s hands couldn’t be washed off completely, so she couldn’t hold them to eat herself. She didn’t have the nerve to ask Jiang Hanguang to feed her again, and if she did, Jiang Hanguang would just tell her to eat them herself.
That being said, the number of cherries in the bowl when she left was the same as when she returned after fixing the machine. Apparently, Jiang Hanguang hadn’t been willing to eat any.
A dull ache of heartache spread through Cheng Ying’s chest. She really couldn’t stand Jiang Hanguang’s habit of always putting herself last. Unfortunately, her hands weren’t clean, so she couldn’t very well force the woman to eat.
Cheng Ying washed her hands in the bucket of water Jiang Hanguang had brought, and the two of them headed back to the main farmhouse building together.
When they were still about a dozen meters from the two-story building, Cheng Ying caught the enticing aroma of meat and thought to herself that the guy with the prince complex was at least somewhat useful.
The moment they stepped into the living room, a figure shot out from the dining room.
“Sister, Sister!”
Jiang Hanguang’s vision blurred for a second, and then she saw Lang Wenxing approaching with a wide smile, holding a plate with a large, steaming chicken leg.
“I saved this especially for you! Oh! Cherries! Can I have some?” Lang Wenxing blinked his big eyes, looking enthusiastic and harmless.
“Mm.” The man had just brought her a chicken leg and was now looking at her so eagerly. Besides, Jiang Hanguang had intended to bring the cherries back to share with everyone anyway, so she couldn’t very well refuse.
Lang Wenxing casually handed the plate with the chicken leg to Cheng Ying beside him. “Hold this for me.” Then, instead of taking the bowl Jiang Hanguang offered, he plucked a cherry directly from her hand and ate it.
“Mmm~ so sweet. Sister, you have one too?” Lang Wenxing exclaimed in admiration, casually bringing another cherry to Jiang Hanguang’s lips.
Jiang Hanguang leaned back slightly and subconsciously glanced at Cheng Ying beside her. “No, thank you. I’ve already eaten.”
Lang Wenxing’s gaze followed hers, and he immediately jumped up. “Who said you could eat that?”
The person he was pointing at with a trembling finger had her cheeks puffed out, chewing, and was holding a half-eaten chicken leg.
Cheng Ying swallowed the meat in her mouth and gave the furious Lang Wenxing a beaming smile. “Didn’t you ask me to hold it for you?”
Even someone as dense as Lang Wenxing could tell this person was messing with him, which made him even more furious. “I didn’t tell you to eat it!”
“Is that so? My apologies, then. You can have what’s left.” With that, she shoved the pitiful-looking chicken leg into Lang Wenxing’s arms and walked away without a backward glance.
“What’s with her?” Lang Wenxing complained, looking pitifully to Jiang Hanguang for comfort. But he saw that the usually calm and dignified Jiang Hanguang was watching that annoying person’s retreating back, her brow slightly furrowed with a hint of worry.
Cheng Ying returned to the bedroom and silently went to the bathroom to wash the still-sticky stains from her hands.
The moment she was out of the camera’s line of sight, her expression cooled rapidly, looking frighteningly cold.
The stubborn stains only came off reluctantly after she had scrubbed her hands until they were pale and wrinkled.
The faucet was still running. Cheng Ying let the cool water glide between her fingers, inevitably slipping through the gaps.
She looked up at the old-fashioned, slightly blurry mirror above the sink and saw her own hideous expression.
She looked no better than a wild beast whose prey had been snatched from its very jaws.
If Jiang Hanguang were to see her now, she would probably think Cheng Ying was no better than those other disgusting creatures who coveted her.
And in truth, she wouldn’t be wrong.
Cheng Ying slowly raised her clean hand, turned it over, and brought the less visible flesh of her palm to her mouth, biting down hard.
What had she wanted to do just now?
She had wanted to kiss Jiang Hanguang fiercely, right in front of that reckless fool.
Her lips, or her glands.
To envelop her in her own pheromones, tainting that rich rose fragrance so it was no longer pure.
To make that blind fool understand that Jiang Hanguang was hers, and no one else could even think of desiring her.
Only now did Cheng Ying have to admit that the utterly despicable Alpha part of her nature had not been eradicated.
It lay buried beneath her supposedly noble self-control, just so that when she finally met that person, its collapse could be a little more dignified.
The pain in her palm intensified, and a cold red glint appeared in Cheng Ying’s eyes.
Fortunately, she wasn’t completely depraved.
She still knew that Jiang Hanguang didn’t belong to her. Jiang Hanguang was a living, breathing person—the best person she had ever met in her life.
She had already suffered so much; her future should be filled with nothing but happiness.
And Cheng Ying clearly remembered the Sword of Damocles hanging unresolved over her own head.
She didn’t know if she would die, nor when.
Therefore, the closer Jiang Hanguang got to her, the more she would suffer when that time came.
It was laughable, but this was actually Cheng Ying’s original purpose in cultivating her “flower.”
She had hoped that after her death, someone would genuinely cry for her, commemorate her—be her living memorial.
From that perspective, it wouldn’t matter even if she marked Jiang Hanguang.
After all, once she was dead, why would any of it matter?
Cheng Ying stopped just before she drew blood and rinsed the vicious bite mark under the cold water.
But she couldn’t bear it. The mere thought of how Jiang Hanguang would be when she learned of her death was enough to shatter her heart.
Judging by the current situation, it was only a matter of time before Cheng Liang seized power and activated Chaos. She didn’t have much time left.
Therefore, she couldn’t get any closer.
Jiang Hanguang had wanted to follow Cheng Ying to the bedroom but was held up by Lang Wenxing. She was afraid that if she returned to the bedroom then, he would follow and upset Cheng Ying further. So, she could only politely humor the chattering Alpha while following him to the dining room.
Lang Wenxing had started out as an idol and was in excellent physical shape. With Xie Chengcheng being a seasoned hand by now, the two of them managed to catch a chicken and a rabbit in a single morning.
What was rare was that he actually knew how to cook. The chicken leg he’d given Jiang Hanguang was one he had set aside while acting as chef and making vinegar-braised chicken.
The three of them cleared the dishes. By the time the chicken—missing one leg—was on the table, Cheng Ying finally made her belated appearance. There were still unwiped droplets of water on her face. The bangs that usually covered her forehead were swept back, revealing a full forehead that made her look a bit more mature.
Jiang Hanguang looked Cheng Ying up and down. She couldn’t pinpoint anything wrong, yet it felt as if everything was wrong.
The Alpha wore a formulaic smile, her features soft, but a hazy fog seemed to have settled deep in her eyes, making her difficult to approach.
“Ah, that smells wonderful.” Cheng Ying didn’t look at her, simply reaching for a piece of chicken.
Her chopsticks were blocked by Lang Wenxing’s.
He clearly still held a grudge over the chicken leg from earlier and said unhappily, “The two of us did the hunting, and Sister Jiang washed the bowls. You just show up and start eating?”
Cheng Ying didn’t get angry. She calmly withdrew her chopsticks and smiled. “That’s right. What, should I put on a show for you first? The sweet potatoes you just swallowed were dug up by me. Did I ask you to spit them out?”
“You!” Lang Wenxing was choked speechless by her passive-aggressive remark. He wanted to say more but was cut off by Xie Chengcheng.
“We’re all a team, why keep such a clear score? Let’s eat, let’s eat!”
The four of them had been busy all morning and were all ravenous. So, Lang Wenxing could only glare at Cheng Ying before placing a piece of chicken in Jiang Hanguang’s bowl.
“Sister, you’re too thin. Eat more.”
“That’s not necessary…” Jiang Hanguang wanted to return the piece of meat but felt it would be inappropriate since it had already been in her bowl. She could only shield her bowl and move a little farther from Lang Wenxing. She then looked to Cheng Ying, hoping for some help from her agent.
But her agent, who always seemed so reliable, suddenly failed her. She kept her head down, eating intently, as if the piece of chicken in her bowl was the most important thing in the world.
Jiang Hanguang suddenly felt a little aggrieved. Cheng Ying had been acting very strangely for the past two days, getting angry at the drop of a hat and ignoring her. They had clearly agreed to be a CP, yet now she was letting Lang Wenxing pester her like this.
At the very least, she could let her know what she did to make her unhappy.
Jiang Hanguang also lowered her head and focused on eating her meal.
Lunch ended in a quiet silence. When Jiang Hanguang finished cleaning the dishes and returned to the bedroom, Cheng Ying, who almost never took a midday nap, was already fast asleep with her head under the covers.
It was as if she were deliberately avoiding her.
After their nap, the four of them went to the wheat field. The machine, once started, wasn’t much different from a vehicle; someone just had to sit on it and control it to cut the wheat directly. However, its harvesting and milling functions were separate, which meant they had to harvest the wheat first, then manually feed the bundled stalks into the milling machine.
The moment they arrived, Lang Wenxing took a liking to the imposing machine. Ignoring everyone else, he jumped right in. “I’ll drive it!”
Since he was willing to take on the chore, the others naturally had no objections. Only Jiang Hanguang cast a somewhat longing glance at the high seat but said nothing.
Lang Wenxing drove the roaring machine at the front, cutting the wheat, while the other three took turns gathering the neatly felled stalks.
Although the machine started with a deafening roar, it was an old antique, after all, and its harvesting efficiency was very low. The four of them worked for nearly a whole afternoon just to finish cutting a small patch of the wheat field.
“Ugh…” Xie Chengcheng lay under a tree like a corpse. “I feel like I’m going to dehydrate.”
Just then, a bottle radiating an icy chill was offered to her. “Here.”
It turned out to be Jiang Hanguang, who had asked the production team for the sparkling water they had won earlier.
“Waaah, Miss Jiang, you are my guiding light,” Xie Chengcheng said, moved to the point of tears.
“You’re too kind,” Jiang Hanguang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, then turned to Cheng Ying.
The Alpha nodded at her, took the drink, and immediately started drinking.
Jiang Hanguang, who had been bracing herself to be teased by Cheng Ying about how she would compensate her for distributing their joint assets as a public benefit, was left speechless. “…”
She was now certain that something was off about Cheng Ying.
Just as she was about to say something, Lang Wenxing, who was still on the machine doing the final wrap-up work, called out, “What are you guys drinking? Sister, I want some too!”
“…” Jiang Hanguang glanced at the silent Cheng Ying and the incapacitated Xie Chengcheng and realized she had to go herself.
She held onto the machine’s high frame to climb up and handed the drink to Lang Wenxing.
“Thanks, Sister!” Lang Wenxing beamed as he reached for it, but his movement was too large, and he accidentally hit the machine’s forward switch. With a roar, the massive machine instantly lurched into motion.
The jolt made Jiang Hanguang stagger, and she was about to fall off.
“Ah!” Before Xie Chengcheng could even finish her scream, Lang Wenxing quickly grabbed Jiang Hanguang’s arm to steady her, simultaneously hitting the kill switch.
“Sister, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you okay?”
As the sun set in the west, the anxious, handsome young man asked the beautiful woman, who had just regained her composure, with a look of remorse and regret.
How should one put it? It really did have the vibe of a talented man and a beautiful woman.
Xie Chengcheng subconsciously glanced at Cheng Ying, who had just rushed forward half a meter.
The tall Alpha merely glanced in their direction before withdrawing her gaze. She slowly strolled back under the tree, staring at the drink bottle in her hand.
Like a killer looking at their blade.
During dinner, as usual, the popularity rankings and the popular pairing rankings were announced.
Although Jiang Hanguang and the GuangYing CP were still in first place, the changes that followed were by no means small.
First, Lang Wenxing crushed Cheng Ying with an absolute advantage to become number two on the popularity chart. This wasn’t surprising; it would have been stranger if a top-tier celebrity’s fanbase didn’t have at least that much fighting power.
Second, the “XingGuang” pairing of Lang Wenxing and Jiang Hanguang ranked second on the CP chart, leagues ahead of the next pairing and with a very small gap behind first place.
The comment section also became more chaotic:
Comment 1: I ship GuangYing, but Lang Wenxing is so handsome too.
Comment 2: What’s so great about shipping GuangYing? Do you all just love watching someone get taken advantage of by the casting couch?
Comment 3: Bullshit. Hanguang obviously likes Boss Cheng. Is your precious idol so noble for being a clingy creep who throws himself at her all day?
Comment 4: Heh, even if she didn’t like Cheng Ying, she wouldn’t dare say so. After all, the woman is rich and powerful.
Comment 5: That’s why XingGuang is better. The little puppy dog would never hurt his sister, unlike that Cheng Ying, who you can tell is a bad person just by looking at her.
Clearly, compared to Cheng Ying with her laundry list of scandals, Lang Wenxing was more popular and more likable.
Zhang Zeyun said, seemingly with a pointed meaning, “Ever since Wenxing joined, our rankings have undergone a huge change. I need to remind everyone that tomorrow is our popular pairing benefit day again.”
Cheng Ying didn’t look at Zhang Zeyun, but she knew the director was looking at her.
When we get back to Yunjing City, you just wait.
After dinner, Cheng Ying avoided the others and the cameras, going alone to a barren slope near the main building to get some air.
She had only been resting for a moment when she heard light footsteps behind her.
“Who is it?”
She turned around alertly, only to see a handsome, refined-looking man. He had no pheromones, so he was likely a Beta.
“Sorry to disturb you, Boss Cheng. I’m Wenxing’s agent, Rui Cha.” The man wore a faint smile.
“Oh,” Cheng Ying replied casually. “Is there something you need?”
“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to touch base with you. My artist wants to create a CP with your artist, but your artist doesn’t seem to be cooperating?” Rui Cha said in a slow, deliberate manner.
“So, you’ve come to ask me to tell Jiang Hanguang to stop giving your guy the cold shoulder?” Cheng Ying sneered.
Rui Cha didn’t get angry. “I know Boss Cheng has always had a… profound relationship with her artists.” He drew out the word “profound” with a winding, meaningful quality, as if he knew Cheng Ying and Jiang Hanguang were involved. “But that doesn’t prevent them from performing ambiguity for work, does it? You may not know Wenxing well, but his interests are always fleeting. He won’t get too invested, and he certainly won’t actually do anything to Miss Jiang. Once his interest fades, we can part on good terms, with both sides having benefited. Wouldn’t that be for the best?”
“Benefits?” Cheng Ying laughed too, tapping her own lips. “I have a big appetite. I don’t like other people’s leftovers. And,” a malicious glint flashed in her eyes, “you and your master are truly cut from the same narcissistic cloth. How do you know Jiang Hanguang would even want to be in a CP with him? Is he salt? Does he want to be stir-fried with everyone?”
After saying her piece, she ignored the stiff-faced Rui Cha and headed straight back.
Jiang Hanguang was currently stressing over the fact that the GuangYing CP seemed to be losing to XingGuang. When she saw Cheng Ying push the door open, she hurried over to ask, “Should I start avoiding Lang Wenxing?”
The Alpha glanced at her, that same insincere smile on her face. “Why avoid him? He’s creating hype, so you play along. It’s not like you’ll lose anything.”
Jiang Hanguang was speechless. “…”
But I don’t want to create hype with him.
The words reached her lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them. Looking at Cheng Ying’s smiling face, she felt as if the person before her was a complete stranger.
She couldn’t speak her true feelings to this version of Cheng Ying, because the other woman wasn’t being sincere either.
So after a moment of silence, she just softly said, “Okay.”
Cheng Ying looked into Jiang Hanguang’s dark eyes and thought, What was I dreaming about? Expecting Jiang Hanguang to tell me she doesn’t like Lang Wenxing.
It doesn’t matter anymore.
She shrugged. “Just treat it as acting. Don’t feel any psychological burden.”
“Mm.” Jiang Hanguang lowered her eyes, no longer looking at Cheng Ying.
There was nothing wrong with Cheng Ying’s words from any logical standpoint, but she was, simply, unhappy.
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