CH 23

This excuse for seeking pleasure was something Wen Li hadn't expected.

She couldn't even tell for sure whether he was still immersed in the role or had already stepped out of character. Was it the 'immortal' talking to the 'snow ferret', or was it Song Yan speaking to Wen Li?

But regardless of the situation, it showed that he lacked self-control, even while working.

Wen Li felt slightly annoyed.

"Do you suddenly behave like this on set as well?"

He loosened his grip on her arm slightly.

While he half-pinned her on the bed, she firmly refused to lie down and propped herself up on her elbows, struggling to withstand the pressure exerted by Song Yan.

His previously hoarse voice suddenly became clearer, and he explained nonchalantly, "I've never acted in this kind of script before."

There wasn't much serious plot development. Each episode was mostly about the main couple being affectionate, and the little snow ferret clinging to the male lead as if it had never seen a man before, constantly acting cute and lovable. The male lead's eyes were filled with adoration.

And now, look at the person in front of her.

He seemed reluctant to reenact any of the dramas she had acted in.

Wen Li felt that he was mocking her, considering that she became famous through this type of idol drama filled with small romances and love stories.

Yes, he had never acted in such a genre.

All the roles he played were about patriotism, suspense, psychology, action, and crime. They were all serious scripts unrelated to small romances and love stories.

"So, why did you choose this drama? Essentially, you just like watching this kind of romantic storyline, don't you?" Wen Li sarcastically retorted, not giving him any face, "Besides, we both have professional integrity. If the director didn't call 'cut', then you think this drama would have passed censorship? Do you think everyone is like you? Taking advantage of others just because you're an actor!"

She ranted for a while, which actually relaxed Song Yan's expression a bit.

"Since there's no director around now to call 'cut', can I continue?" Song Yan interrupted her again.

Once again, Wen Li was speechless.

Why did it feel like his focus was completely different from hers?

However, Song Yan didn't really ask for her opinion on that question. He took advantage of her momentary daze and lightly bit her lip.

After a while, Wen Li turned her head slightly and took shallow breaths.

Before she could react, her chin was held, and she was turned back to face him, once again losing her hard-earned breath.

The weight pressing down on her became more and more apparent. At one point, he momentarily left and reached for something on the bedside table.

Wen Li discreetly opened one eye and saw his forehead covered in sweat, his lips tightly pursed, and his Adam's apple bobbing.

The packaging was a bit difficult to tear. She even heard him click his tongue in impatience as he used his teeth to open it.

As their breaths mingled, the subtle scent on Song Yan's body mixed with the warm scent of ripe oranges on Wen Li, gradually transforming into a cold yet intense atmosphere.

Spring had already passed, but Sanli still had to pay tribute to Beauty Song.

By the way, when was the first time they got intimate?

It seemed to be two months after their marriage when they were invited to a media cocktail party and had a bit too much to drink. The driver ended up taking them home together.

At that time, they weren't familiar with each other yet. In Wen Li's eyes, Song Yan was still the senior in high school who seldom smiled.

Their schedules didn't align, and they both assumed the other was not at home, so neither of them thought to prepare the guest room in advance.

It was quite awkward.

In fact, alcohol couldn't make people act out of character. Acting out of character was due to impure motives.

It was probably Wen Li who couldn't stay still while sleeping. In her sleep, she turned and accidentally brushed against Song Yan's body.

Later, Song Yan woke her up, his breath filled with the strong scent of alcohol, and asked if she was okay.

Under the faint moonlight, the flawless face in front of the camera suddenly magnified several times without any warning, appearing before her eyes.

Humans aren't as noble as they think they are.

At least not in this situation.

Later, in a daze, she heard Song Yan call her "junior" when he was panting.

Wen Li couldn't help but think of the past.

It was Bai Sen who introduced them to each other.

Bai Sen told Wen Li, "This is my buddy, Song Yan."

Then Bai Sen introduced her to Song Yan. He originally intended to introduce her by name, but for some reason, he suddenly wanted to make Wen Li angry, so he deliberately said to Song Yan, "This is my fiancée."

Wen Li despised this so-called arranged marriage by her elders, and she especially disliked being arranged with Bai Sen, her childhood friend. She got angry on the spot and stepped on his sneakers.

But Song Yan didn't react much. He simply responded with an indifferent "oh".

Looking at the guy in front of her, who was completely different from Bai Sen in temperament, Wen Li could tell from his calm and indifferent gaze that he seemed to dislike her.

She had always been a girl with a high spirit, so if he didn't like her, she had no interest in dealing with him either.

Life is truly unpredictable.

"Teacher Song."

The man sleeping beside her responded, "En?"

"Since you didn't like the drama I acted in, why did you choose it?"

"I didn't dislike it," Song Yan said, "If I disliked it, I wouldn't have chosen it."

"What? You actually like this drama?"

She didn't even like it herself and felt that her acting contribution to this drama could be considered a black mark in her career. She never expected him to like it.

All she did every day was cling to the male lead, acting cute and adorable, and whenever she felt wronged, she would look at the male lead pitifully with tears in her eyes. Even though she was a demon who had practiced for hundreds of years, she acted like she had no backbone, always either asking to be held or carried.

She didn't show any of her own noble and elegant demeanor.

"Yeah, I like it," Song Yan replied.

Wen Li sneered, her tone mocking, "I never thought a big man like you would like this kind of lovey-dovey stuff."

"Who says men can't like it?"

"Well, that's true," Wen Li asked him again, "If you like it, why don't you act in it yourself? Why do you always choose those tragic scripts?"

"The scripts that come to me are all tragic ones. What can I do?" Song Yan closed his eyes and lowered his voice, "I noticed that you have many such scripts in your hands, but you've never recommended any to me."

"What?" Wen Li thought he must be joking, "Do you really need me to introduce you if you want to act? Just post on your Moments, I guarantee that you'll have at least twenty such scripts in front of you tomorrow."

Song Yan smiled and said, "It won't be as many as twenty."

Curious, Wen Li leaned closer and asked, "Then how many do you think would be there?"

In a gentle tone, Song Yan replied, "Not many, probably three or four. But thanks to you, a very good script has recently come my way."

Wen Li was dumbfounded, "What do you mean?"

"It's a Republican-era script, a spy drama."

"Oh, what does that have to do with me?"

"Because the director saw the variety show we recorded in Star City last time, he contacted my manager," Seeing her confused expression, Song Yan suddenly felt a bit puzzled. "Didn't your manager tell you about this script?"

Wen Li shook her head, "No."

She still didn't dare to get too involved with film scripts. One reason was that she couldn't handle high box office expectations yet. The other was that there was indeed a barrier between movies and TV dramas. Some actors with impressive acting skills in TV dramas would fail when they ventured into movies, let alone someone like her who was firmly rooted in the TV drama industry.

In this era where popularity was everything, although the boundary between TV dramas and movies seemed less distinct than it was years ago, for professionals in the entertainment industry, there was still a certain gap between the two.

Art itself doesn't have different levels, but people tend to categorize everything around them into different levels.

Song Yan squinted his eyes slightly.

"Tomorrow, I'll ask Sister Dan about it," Wen Li didn't pay much attention to this matter, "You said the director saw the segment in which we reenacted the classic film scene during the variety show? The one where we were wearing Republican-era costumes?"

Song Yan nodded, "But to be precise, it was because of that photo."

"Which photo?"

"According to the director, he seemed to have seen it on Weibo."

Immediately, Wen Li grabbed her phone and searched directly for her and Song Yan's names, adding the keywords "Republican era" at the end.

It was the photo taken in the backstage dressing room when the photographer happened to capture them in their newly changed Republican-era costumes.

This photo was posted by a marketing account.

Those Old Republic-Era Photos:

「Today's photo. This photo isn't an old one. But it still instantly transports me back to that era of glamour and decadence.

'My whole life is a complete failure. In the third year of the Republic, I couldn't wait for a single rain, couldn't wait for a single 'I love you'—Old Dream 1913.'」

The accompanying photo is the group photo of Song Yan and Wen Li. The photo has intentionally been given an aged appearance, with a black and white background and a slight yellow tint, as if it were taken more than a hundred years ago during a turbulent period.

In the photo, a man in military uniform stands side by side with a woman in a cheongsam. They have beautiful appearances and outstanding temperaments. The man stands tall with a dignified posture, while the woman has a gentle smile.

This Weibo post has been reposted a staggering eighty thousand times. There are no fans who, in the pursuit of data, would repost a single post ten or twenty times. First, several prominent influencers reposted it, and then it was shared by ordinary people, resulting in wide dissemination.

「My initial reaction upon seeing this Republic-era couple was that they resemble Song Yan and Wen Li. Are they really them?」

「Besides screaming in excitement, I can't find any other words.」

「From now on, every protagonist in the Republic-era novels I read will have their faces.」

「Damn it, where are the fans? Where are the fans? Where are the fans? Normally, this marketing account is so cold, but today it's so hot! Quickly share it with the main couple; let's boost the popularity of this post. We, the ordinary viewers, want to see them collaborate in a Republic-era drama! @Fans of Song Yan and Wen Li.」

Wen Li stared at that photo for a long time.

She decided to seize the opportunity and ask Sister Dan if she missed sending her any script.

"Is it good?" Song Yan softly asked after seeing her gaze fixed on the photo for so long.

Wen Li looked at the tall and handsome Song Yan in the photo and replied with an "En" and continued: "Really good."

——

While that Republic-era photo was trending on Weibo for nearly half a month, [In This World with You] encountered a bit of trouble.

The reason was the drama Song Yan had chosen. Four years ago, Wen Li acted in a xianxia drama that, at the time, passed the scrutiny of online streaming platforms and aired smoothly. However, when it was reviewed four years later, the drama had already been heavily edited, taken down, and re-uploaded, barely surviving to this day.

Therefore, the third episode of [In This World with You], which focused on this xianxia drama segment, was ruthlessly rejected and requested to be edited.

The production team had no choice but to make the necessary cuts.

As soon as the teaser was released, fans immediately noticed that while other guests had two dramas featured, each chosen from their respective works as a husband and wife, the Salt Grain couple had only one, and it was a type of role reversal.

「?」

「Why do other guests have romantic relationships, but our Salt Grain couple has a brotherly relationship?」

「Maybe you should rename your show 'In This World with Brothers'.」

「Why do other guests have kisses and hugs, but ours has us pointing guns at each other!!!!」

「I just want to see them kiss! Hug! Be affectionate! Be lovey-dovey!」

The production team dared not comment on this matter and could only discreetly inform Teacher Wen and Teacher Song during the live broadcast, subtly explaining that it wasn't the production team's decision not to release it, but rather the strict censorship regulations. They asked the fans to focus their outrage on the censors and not blame the production team.

Wen Li knew that her infamous eyesore of a drama scene reenactment couldn't be released, so she breathed a sigh of relief and promptly agreed.

On the same evening, they quietly released a 30-second teaser of the Salt Grain couple to appease the fans of the Salt Grain CP.

Wen Li and Song Yan were completely unaware of this. Following the arrangements made by the program team, they opened their livestream two days before the charity gala to complete the final tasks for the third episode.

Wen Li: "Good evening, everyone."

Song Yan: "Good evening."

The number of viewers in the livestream room quickly surged.

「Couple livestream!!! I've been waiting for this!!!」

「This time it's finally not just Sanli operating separately.」

「Salt Grain, Salt Grain, Salt Grain, Salt Grain, Salt Grain, Salt Grain.」

Since Wen Li had been the only one livestreaming last time, she had to read the gift list from the fans by herself. But this time, with Song Yan present, she poked his arm and instructed him, "Teacher Song, remember to thank the fans for their gifts."

All the gifts received would be converted into cash by the platform and donated to charity, so Song Yan certainly complied.

"Thank you..." Song Yan squinted as he looked at the fan's ID, smiling in his tone. "Thank you, 'Sanli x Beauty, Several Times in One Night', for sending 100 submarines. It's private, not convenient to answer, sorry."

Wen Li's eyes immediately went dark. This fan was back again!

The viewers in the livestream room were all stunned. They never expected that Song Yan would calmly read out the ID that Wen Li had refused to pronounce last time, and he even answered the question.

「?」

「Hahahaha!」

「Thank you, thank you, we've been blessed, we've been blessed.」

「Alright, my imagination has started.」

「Damn, they really 'doit'!!! This isn't a dream!!!」

Wen Li: "..."

She turned her head to look at Song Yan and said earnestly, "Teacher Song, please don't read out IDs with censored content in the future. Be careful that the livestream room gets banned."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

「No, no, no, not at all.」

「Beauty Song, don't mind her, she's just shy.」

「Sanli, it's your business if you're old-fashioned, but don't deprive fans of the fun of going yellow, OK?」

"What fun? Can't we have a healthier mindset?" Wen Li started arguing with the fans again. "How old are you all? Adults or not? Speaking so arrogantly?"

「I'm already eighty. My only last remaining wish is to see you two kiss.」

「Hey, old lady, you're already eighty, can't you be bolder? Make love!」

「I'm sixteen! So what? Any objections?」

「If you are not actively yellow, there's a problem with your mindset.」

Song Yan laughed happily, resting his chin on his hand and watching Wen Li argue with the comments barrage quietly.

Until finally, a serious message appeared.

「Salt Grain, did you watch the 30-second teaser the program team just posted on Weibo?」

This white message looked so pure and innocent beneath a string of yellow messages that Wen Li quickly noticed it.

"No, we didn't. Was it just posted?"

「Yes, yes, you can go watch it now.」

「Hahahaha, hurry and watch it!!!」

「They edited it really well!」

Wen Li recalled that the content she had recorded at home a few days ago didn't seem particularly exciting. She turned to Song Yan and asked for his opinion, "Should we watch it?"

Song Yan nodded, "Sure, let's watch it."

So Wen Li took out her phone and decided to do a live reaction right in front of the livestream camera.

The two of them lowered their heads to look at their phones, completely unaware that the barrage had already changed its tone.

「They're here, they're here, they're here, prepare to die of saltiness, hahahaha.」

「Sisters, you're so wicked, I love it, hahahaha.」

「Today's dose of Salt Grain Death Card—beep beep.」