05 Tempt with Benefits, Move with Emotion
Back then, to avoid being disturbed and truly escape the world, Fan Chen specially chose Heshan, a remote and undeveloped location.
She spent a whole year planning and renovating it, and now Heshan is transformed. As a personal residence, it stays warm in winter and cool in summer, with fresh air. It can be considered elegant and unique, with beautiful scenery, though not particularly extraordinary.
Mountains like Heshan can be found all over the country, as many as there are cattle.
So Fan Chen was puzzled: how did the film crew find her here?
They said the screenwriter chose it, so she specifically asked the screenwriter. The big shot showed her some beautifully edited photos she had shared on a photography platform. The screenwriter said that after seeing these pictures, they asked around and found their way here.
But pictures are pictures, and reality is reality.
Normally, what the naked eye sees and what the filters show are different. Fan Chen thought that when the screenwriter arrived at Heshan and saw the real thing, they would give up. She didn’t expect that this person, even facing a poorly made product, would praise it like crazy, claiming they hadn’t made a mistake and liking it more the longer they looked.
This scenery, which obviously depended heavily on editing, somehow deserved a whole month of begging from them. Fan Chen told them many times that with the time spent persuading her, they could’ve filmed eighty episodes already.
But no one listened.
No wonder—she had already retreated into the mountains, yet people kept coming to her. Fan Chen, “ordinary dust”—this name doomed her to escape nothing.
Shen Nanqiao’s arrival was slightly more interesting than those earlier people. Without listening to what she said, at least her face was pleasing to the eye.
After all, she was a celebrity.
And she even dressed up, which seemed like she valued this “holdout.”
For this window-leaning guest to be a star, Fan Chen appeared calm on the surface but couldn’t help being curious inside. What did that assistant say her name was? Shen what?
The actress sat beside her, diligently introducing the proposal to rent the location. Fan Chen lounged casually on the rattan chair, like an elder lazily listening to her granddaughter speak nonsense. On the surface, she pretended to be pure and serene, but secretly, she opened her phone and searched.
Search: Shen Nanyao—wrong.
Shen Nanyao—wrong.
Shen Lanyao? How far down the celebrity ladder is she? Why is there no information online about her?
Shen Yaolan? Still wrong.
Fan Chen felt like she was logging into an old account, trying every possible password and still failing to log in.
Finally, she searched: Shen celebrity, three characters.
Shen Nanqiao glanced up and noticed Fan Chen staring at her phone, clearly not paying attention. She immediately got angry.
“Hey—are you even listening?”
The celebrity scolding her while holding a presentation looked like a granddaughter complaining that her elder had missed her heartfelt performance because they were dozing off.
It was infuriating—
On her phone screen, the first name that popped up was Shen Nanqiao, alongside a formal photo of her.
Shen Nanqiao’s slightly angry question snapped Fan Chen back from her distraction. She briefly scanned the first few lines of the encyclopedia entry before looking up from her phone. “Huh?”
The evening glow squeezed through the grapevine leaves into the shelter, wrapping Shen Nanqiao’s profile in fiery orange. From Fan Chen’s perspective, her skin looked as soft as a baby’s fur, seeming very touchable.
Curled lashes carried the sunset glow. The sun was about to set, dyeing half the sky red.
At this moment, Fan Chen thought: she looked better in person than in photos.
Shen Nanqiao saw her dazing off, frowned, and held back her displeasure. “I’ve said everything.”
Fan Chen squinted halfway, dazing for a couple more seconds before she reacted. She sat up, poured two cups of cold tea, and glanced outside, estimating that the assistant’s work should be almost done.
She asked, “Want some tea to soothe your throat?”
“Don’t you have anything to say?” Shen Nanqiao gulped down a big mouthful and stared at her.
Today, Shen Nanqiao had brought a proposal that included not only the price offered by the crew but also a large bonus from her own pocket. She promised that during filming, Fan Chen could stay in her pool villa. Beautiful mountains and waters, secluded tranquility—even if she swam naked in the yard, no one would bother her meditation.
“Uh…” Fan Chen could tell Shen Nanqiao had put in a lot of effort. But unfortunately, she felt it was misplaced. In her opinion, Shen Nanqiao should persuade Director Feng or the blind screenwriter instead of wasting time on her.
She stood up, ready to see them off. “You’d better hurry down the mountain—it’s getting late.”
As they passed each other, Shen Nanqiao grabbed her wrist, staring stubbornly at her. “What do you mean?”
Fan Chen’s small nose and lips were sharp, her light brows and jawline were angular, her eyelids drooped slightly, and her lashes flickered. Her side profile was like an icy sculpture.
Fan Chen’s brows furrowed as she pulled her wrist free from Shen Nanqiao’s grip. “What I mean is, I can’t help you with this.”
“Then why did you let Yang Xiaodong and me waste half a day here?” Shen Nanqiao’s ears turned red. She felt as though Fan Chen had made a fool of her.
“I never told him to do those things, and I never said that if he did, I would agree to your request. Besides, I made it clear from the start—talking would be pointless. You’re the one who chose to waste time here.”
Looking at Shen Nanqiao’s stubborn and hurt expression, Fan Chen realized she might have upset a little kid without meaning to, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Her tone softened slightly but remained firm. “I’m a very stubborn person. Once I’ve made a decision, I don’t change it easily.”
“Why?”
Fan Chen’s patience for this pretty face wouldn’t last long. If Shen Nanqiao kept pressing, she would only irritate her.
“The reason I chose to stay away from people is that I’m tired of explaining and giving reasons.”
In the SUV, the passenger seat.
Shen Nanqiao looked into the mirror and mimicked Fan Chen’s world-weary face. Over and over again, she repeated that line: “The reason I chose to stay away from people is that I’m tired of explaining and giving reasons.”
Every time she finished, she couldn’t stop herself from gagging.
“You say she’s this dramatic—why is she hiding away? She should be an actress! I’ve never met anyone like her in my life! Talking like she’s reciting lines! ‘The reason I chose to stay away from people is that I’m tired of explaining and giving reasons,’ bleh, bleh, bleh—”
Yang Xiaodong thought to himself, she was asking for it. She chose to climb up Heshan and meet Fan Chen. Now one sentence from Fan Chen had her so irritated, yet she kept going over it again and again, as if savoring the experience. Who knows what for.
“Come on, artistic types just have that vibe, especially ones who’ve been through heartbreak.”
Snap—the mirror shut. Shen Nanqiao turned her face toward the suburban scenery outside the window, restless and annoyed. “Pretentious!”
Fan Chen leaned down to clean up the tea set her guest had used, her gaze landing on Shen Nanqiao’s abandoned sunglasses. She picked them up for a closer look and suddenly sneezed, covering her mouth. “Ah-choo—”
“If she thinks that making things difficult for me will make me back off, then she’s way too naive.”
Yang Xiaodong felt like crying. Nan-jie? I’m the one who did all the work, okay? I’m the one who’s actually been made miserable here!
He didn’t know what Shen Nanqiao planned next, but just hearing her tone made him shiver. When Shen Nanqiao faced challenges, it always meant he, her assistant, had to take them head-on first. She was only responsible for stepping forward afterward.
“Yes, yes, the Leo competitive streak is back… Oh, by the way, Liu-jie asked me to tell you to give her a call when you’re free. She says the endorsement deal with Yaleio is finalized!”
He thought this news would cheer Shen Nanqiao up, but she still looked as gloomy as ever. Her voice was low and muffled. “Got it—”
“Nan-jie, why don’t you seem happy?”
She turned her blank face toward him. “I’m happy. I’m very happy.”
“…”
Suddenly, Yang Xiaodong’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and Shen Nanqiao’s face lit up with life. “Give me your phone!”
“Huh?”
“Come on, quickly! It’s Fan Chen’s message!”
“Oh…”
“How could she?” Yang Xiaodong glanced at her stern expression, then quietly shut his mouth, not daring to ask further.
Shen Nanqiao tapped away rapidly on the phone and then tossed it back. Yang Xiaodong picked it up and casually placed it on the magnetic holder in front of the car, accidentally lighting up the screen.
He caught a glimpse of the email Shen Nanqiao had left open. The conversation was simple. A message came from an unfamiliar email address: “You left something at my place. -Fan Chen”
Shen Nanqiao had replied: “Hello, this is the assistant of Miss Shen Nanqiao, Yang Xiaodong. Please contact her via WeChat: xxxxx. This is an automatic reply. Please do not respond to this email.”
She pretended it was an automatic reply to get Fan Chen to add her on WeChat?
Yang Xiaodong looked at the screen again and again, then turned to the person staring intently at his phone. The atmosphere felt strange. He couldn’t resist asking, “Nan-jie, what did you leave at her place?”
“Sunglasses.”
“Oh.” He nodded, thinking it wasn’t anything serious.
Wait—
Realizing what sunglasses she meant, Yang Xiaodong nearly lost control of the steering wheel. “You were wearing the pair with diamonds from LOTOS today?!”
Shen Nanqiao was still anxiously waiting for Fan Chen’s friend request, too focused to deal with Yang Xiaodong’s exaggerated reaction. She replied casually, “Yeah.”
“You left something worth twenty-four thousand dollars, and that’s your reaction? Wait—how do you know she’d contact you? Don’t tell me you left it on purpose?”
“Didn’t you hear Liu-jie say how hard it is to add her on WeChat? I can’t climb this mountain every day. Without some way of contacting her, it’s such a hassle.”
“You went to all this trouble just to get her to add you on WeChat? What if she doesn’t return it and decides to sell it or toss it away? That’s twenty-four thousand dollars!”
The first time visiting someone’s home, casually leaving behind something worth twenty-four thousand dollars just to wait for them to return it and initiate contact—Shen Nanqiao’s move had once again refreshed Yang Xiaodong’s understanding of wealthy girls.
“Nan-jie, when you’re free, come visit my house. Leave behind anything you want, I’m not picky.”
It had been over five minutes since the email reply, and Shen Nanqiao still hadn’t received Fan Chen’s friend request. Already irritated, Yang Xiaodong’s chatter made her even angrier. She raised her head and glared at him. “Just drive properly! You’re so noisy!”
“Got it.” Silence in one second.
The sudden quiet made the phone notification sound unusually loud. Fan Chen’s friend request lit up the screen, instantly brightening Shen Nanqiao’s mood and lifting the corners of her mouth.
Since tempting her with benefits and reasoning with her hadn’t worked, the next step could only be—
Moving her with emotion.
Shen Nanqiao decided that this time, she would aim straight for Auntie Fan’s heart.