04 Out of the Water Beauty, Sharp and Sarcastic
Under the corridor, Fan Chen held a towel in her hand, drying her hair. When she looked up and saw the two people in the yard hadn’t left, her face instantly turned impatient.
Yang Xiaodong saw her coming, quickly closed his fan, and knocked on the armrest of the rattan chair. He softly reminded the person lying on the chair with her eyes closed, resting, “She’s here, she’s here—”
Shen Nanqiao got up and turned her head. A pair of flip-flops and two long, pale legs were walking toward her. Further up, it was flat as a pancake.
A bare, makeup-free face that was fair and clear. Wet strands of hair clung to her forehead. She had thin brows, a pair of willow-leaf-shaped eyes, a small nose, and pale pink lips.
Shen Nanqiao’s eyes lit up. “To wash a farm woman into such a fresh-out-of-the-water beauty... the bathing water in this mountain must be magical!”
Yang Xiaodong chuckled. “Should I ship two tons back for you?”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”
But sadly, the beauty opened her mouth, and the words weren’t so pleasant: “Why haven’t you left yet? Didn’t you see the words on the sign at the bottom of the mountain?”
“What sign? Didn’t see it.” Shen Nanqiao looked confused and turned to blink innocently at Yang Xiaodong. “Did you see it?”
“Oh, that!” Yang Xiaodong smiled and played along, shaking his head and waving his hands. “Didn’t see it.”
Fan Chen stared at the two of them for a few seconds in silence. “Alright.”
Seeing she was about to turn and leave again, Shen Nanqiao quickly pushed Yang Xiaodong forward and urged him in a low voice, “Hurry up!”
The assistant stumbled forward, chasing after Fan Chen. Scratching the back of his head, he gave an awkward smile. “Uh, I forgot to introduce! This is the famous actress Miss Shen Nanqiao, and I’m her assistant, Yang Xiaodong.”
Fan Chen turned her head, and her gaze landed on the brown-haired girl beside him. Sunglasses, an assistant, and a sun umbrella—she really did look a bit like a star.
But, “Sorry, I don’t know her.”
Yang Xiaodong glanced at Shen Nanqiao’s face, which was holding back an obvious storm of anger. Feeling uneasy, he quickly asked, “Uh... Miss Fan, do you watch dramas? How about the popular costume drama *‘The Princess’* on a certain streaming platform?”
“Or, *‘Childhood Sweethearts’*?”
“*‘Falling for You Anyway’*?”
Fan Chen kept walking, expressionless, not even sparing a glance.
Shen Nanqiao could tell that if they kept asking, they would just embarrass themselves more. She shot a dark glare at Yang Xiaodong, who wisely shut his mouth and stepped aside.
Crossing her arms, she strode forward with her chin raised, her face practically screaming: “Not happy.”
“Not knowing me is normal; I don’t know you either. But do you remember the film crew that came looking for you not long ago? Director Feng Dagang, at least you’ve heard of him, right?”
For days on end, the crew had visited, trying her patience by negotiating for the use of her land. How could she forget these shameless people who wouldn’t take no for an answer? Fan Chen tilted her head as she tied up her half-dried hair. Her face was cold. “I remember very well.”
Shen Nanqiao turned and blocked her path, tilting her face up to look directly into her eyes. “Because the location issue hasn’t been settled, *Dragon Girl* has already been delayed for over a month. I’m the lead actress, and this has caused huge losses for both me and the crew. So, we need to sit down and talk.”
Fan Chen didn’t know her, but with her unreasonable attitude and boldness, she did resemble an arrogant little idol who couldn’t speak properly.
Her gaze paused on Shen Nanqiao’s proud face for a few seconds before she nodded slightly. The words “What does that have to do with me” that were about to come out of her mouth were replaced with, “You have a point.”
A smile gradually appeared on Shen Nanqiao’s face, but Fan Chen bypassed her and headed straight toward the kitchen. “But I have things to do, so I can’t sit and talk right now.”
Outside the kitchen, there was a sink filled with fresh vegetables. Fan Chen rolled up her sleeves and began washing them.
Shen Nanqiao turned her gaze to Yang Xiaodong, who immediately understood and enthusiastically stepped forward to grab the bamboo basket from Fan Chen’s hands. “Why don’t you leave this small chore to me!”
Fan Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. Without even a word of polite refusal, she immediately gave up her spot and smiled as she patted his shoulder. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem, no problem...”
As soon as Fan Chen walked away, Shen Nanqiao followed her, her eyes full of hope. “Can we talk now?”
“No.” Fan Chen shook her head and began counting on her fingers, listing all the things she had to do today. She spoke seriously, “There’s still the flock of chickens in the yard waiting to be fed, the weeds in the garden haven’t been pulled, the fish tank hasn’t been cleaned in days, and... oh, there’s also a pile of dirty clothes from my bath just now...”
All these household chores left Shen Nanqiao dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected this person to treat them like free labor. A hermit, hiding away from the world—Liu Haiyan even called her a “master”! Forget being serene and unworldly; this was shameless beyond belief.
Shen Nanqiao let out a dry laugh and turned to look at her assistant, diligently washing vegetables by the sink. She loudly repeated Fan Chen’s instructions: “When you’re done with the vegetables, feed the chickens! Then go weed the garden! After that, clean the fish tank! Then... then...”
“Hey! What else?”
Her shout startled the chickens in the yard, making them scatter everywhere.
The white-clad figure didn’t even turn around, responding loudly, “Wash the dirty clothes in the bathroom too—”
“Did you hear that, Yang Xiaodong?”
“Oh—”
Today, Yang Xiaodong learned that being an assistant also meant doing chores for a hermit deep in the mountains.
Earlier in spring, Fan Chen had prepared for the arrival of summer. She had built a cooling shelter next to the swing vines using bamboo poles and planted a circle of grape vines underneath. She had cared for these grape seedlings every day. After a summer rain, the branches and leaves flourished, and the grapevines climbed all over the shelter. Napping under the shelter in the afternoon or cooling off in the evening was always a delightful pastime.
Now that she had free time, Fan Chen hurried back to her room to fetch a tea set, cheerfully making her way to the shelter.
Shen Nanqiao followed her all the way there. Seeing Fan Chen relaxing in comfort only made her angrier. “With such a kind and gentle look, who knew you’d be so good at making things difficult for people.”
Seeing Shen Nanqiao pout, looking furious, Fan Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I don’t understand what you mean. You’re the one who let your assistant help me with chores. I simply didn’t refuse your generosity. How does that make me difficult? If anything, you’re the one being difficult with him.”
Shen Nanqiao dragged over a chair and sat at her tea table with a forced smile. “Forget it. To show my sincerity, I won’t hold this little matter against you.”
Her words amused Fan Chen, who quickly handed her a cup of tea with both hands. “Well then, thank you for your generosity, Miss Shen.”
Taking the tea cup, Shen Nanqiao replied, “You’re welcome.”
“Can we talk now?”
“Go ahead.”
After barely taking a sip, Shen Nanqiao set the tea cup aside and jumped straight to the point. “I know the crew must’ve discussed the rental scope, fees, duration, and all sorts of details with you.”
They certainly had. But while they were doing all that talking, Fan Chen had been fishing, photographing, or fertilizing in the forest. Basically, it was never a good time for her to listen.
These people came knocking, but all she could think was, “Just get lost.” Nothing else crossed her mind.
She spoke bluntly, “Sorry, they did talk to me, but I didn’t really listen.”
Fortunately, Liu Haiyan had obtained the draft agreement and visuals. Shen Nanqiao quickly pulled up the files on her tablet. “Well, today, can you take this seriously and hear me out?”
Shaking her head, Fan Chen replied, “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because no matter what you say, I won’t rent the land. Your words are pointless.”
“Fine.”
Looking at Fan Chen’s stubborn face, Shen Nanqiao finally understood why so many people had failed to convince her. But thankfully, she was mentally prepared. Compared to her expectations, Fan Chen’s reply wasn’t the worst she had imagined.
At least she didn’t chase them away with a pitchfork, right?
Shen Nanqiao nodded, making sure her gaze was even more resolute than Fan Chen’s rejection. She stared firmly into Fan Chen’s eyes. “Even if you won’t listen, I’m still going to speak.”
Once the conversation started, Shen Nanqiao silenced her phone, which left Liu Haiyan unable to reach her after several calls. So, she made a video call to Yang Xiaodong instead.
When the video connected, Liu Haiyan saw Yang Xiaodong holding a bowl of grain, feeding chickens.
This sight completely puzzled Liu Haiyan, the city girl. She frowned, her face full of confusion. “Yang Xiaodong, what are you doing?”
Squatting by the chicken coop, Yang Xiaodong scattered some grain, making the hens so happy they almost started flying. Turning to the phone, he replied flatly, “Feeding chickens. Isn’t it obvious?”
“Uh… where’s Nanqiao?”
Yang Xiaodong’s frustration reached its peak. He suddenly grabbed the phone and brought it closer to his face. “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m feeding chickens?”
The sudden close-up startled Liu Haiyan. She didn’t know what was happening on Heshan Mountain, but judging by this scene, things didn’t look good.
“…Why?”
“Because Fan Chen said she was busy washing vegetables and didn’t have time to listen to Nan-jie. So Nan-jie told me to wash vegetables. Then Fan Chen said she needed to feed the chickens next, so Nan-jie told me to feed chickens. No time to chat—I still need to wash a pile of dirty clothes for Fan Chen.”
Seeing that he was about to end the video call, Liu Haiyan quickly stopped him. “Wait, wait! What kind of mess is this? The crew never mentioned anything like this before…”
“If they had, would Nan-jie even have come?”
“True…” Liu Haiyan let out an awkward laugh and thought about it. “But hold on! The crew didn’t know Nanqiao would come, so they wouldn’t have said anything back then either!”
After chatting briefly, Yang Xiaodong found his backside getting pecked by the chickens. Turning, he angrily threw another handful of grain, scattering it everywhere.
“So I’m just the guy with the gullible face, huh?”
“That’s not fair… Don’t be mad. I know this trip hasn’t been easy. When you’re back, dinner’s on me!”
Yang Xiaodong dusted off his pants and let out a long sigh. “Fine… that works for me.”
“Oh, right, where’s Nanqiao?”
“She’s talking with Fan Chen.”
“Alright, let her know the endorsement deal with Yaleio has been finalized. Have her call me back later.”
Yaleio was a brand endorsement that Shen Nanqiao had been competing for with her rival Lin Xiao for months. Now that there was finally good news, even Yang Xiaodong felt relieved as he glanced toward the shelter area. For the first time today, a hint of ease appeared on his face. “Got it. She should be happy to hear that.”