CH 89

Wen Li understood.

So, the supper the he was going to eat was her.

She pretended to run, but Song Yan effortlessly pulled her over. Wen Li awkwardly scolded him as usual, but when Song Yan lowered his head to kiss her, she didn't refuse.

Sometimes her resistance and compliance could be even more stimulating to men. Song Yan fell for it every time and was never exempted.

The surroundings of Wen's family house were filled with green plants, and on a summer night, everything came alive. Wen Li quietly opened her eyes, and it seemed like he sensed it and opened his eyes as well. It was like a night without starlight, mixed with deep emotions.

Song Yan lightly smiled, the intensity of his emotions suddenly increased.

Then he closed his eyes again and traced his fingertip on her earlobe, parting her lips.

They looked at each other—she looked at him, and he kissed her.

It had been almost a month since they last met. On Wen Li's birthday, the atmosphere was already perfect, but it was abruptly interrupted by a well-meant program team. Filled with embarrassment and anger, their moments of sharing a bed since then were merely quiet sleep without any release of restlessness.

They moved from the balcony to the room. Song Yan became a little impatient and more aggressive.

The man entered from behind, pressing his forehead against her neck, and the breath against her skin alternated between heavy and light, tickling her.

His originally cool and calm voice had completely changed, becoming hoarse and rough. He laughed lowly and said, "It seems like you're devouring me."

His hands pressed on top of her head, and Wen Li, lying on the pillow, was stimulated by his words, causing her body to tense up.

Like an arrow on a string, already fragile, Song Yan unconsciously let out a deep "en" from his throat.

Although he found relief, he didn't give it his all.

His self-esteem in a certain aspect was at play and he didn't know if he wanted to prove something to her or himself. Song Yan didn't spare the person in front of him, forcefully turning her over and pressing down on her again.

In the intimacy, he gradually lost his rationality and occasionally whispered explicit words in her ear, making her ears feel hot. Wen Li couldn't bear it, but she also enjoyed it.

Wen Li was usually a proud girl, but sometimes when one is under someone's control, they have to lower their head. She had to act pitiful when necessary.

"You're so fierce today," Wen Li said softly, "I'm going to fall apart."

Sometimes, men are easily appeased. When she said that, Song Yan's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he chuckled softly.

After being full and satisfied, Song Yan held her in his arms, occasionally kissing her forehead.

His Adam's apple was just too attractive, sharp and prominent. Unable to resist, Wen Li opened her mouth and bit it lightly.

Song Yan didn't stop her, his Adam's apple trembled, and he said, "Be gentle, don't leave a mark."

Of course, Wen Li knew her limits, but she always enjoyed teasing others. She asked, "What if I want to leave a mark? Would you have any objections if I leave one?"

"I wouldn't dare. But if you want to leave one, can it not be on the upper body?" Song Yan lazily murmured, then chuckled, "No one can see the lower body."

Damn it, she understood instantly.

Wen Li said fiercely, "Dream on. If I bite it off directly, would you have any complaints?"

Song Yan burst into laughter.

Although he felt a bit eager, it was still better not to risk his precious possession.

Once they were done with it, Wen Li suddenly remembered him just having a phone call with his mother. She casually asked what they were talking about since they talked for so long.

"Talking about you."

"Talking about me?" Wen Li's tone was suspicious, "You weren't bad-mouthing me in front of your mother, right?"

Song Yan closed his eyes and spoke gently, "I'm not you."

"I never said anything bad about you in front of my family." Wen Li initially refuted, but then realized something and suddenly lowered her voice, "My grandpa and uncle are like that, they're old-fashioned, it's not something that can change quickly. Let's just live in our own world. If they say something that upsets you, you can complain to me, and I'll help you vent."

She hummed like a child, fully protective, "Don't worry, I won't play the water-carrier for them. I'm only biased towards you."

Song Yan pinched her nose, "But what if they take it out on you?"

"Tch, they can't control me anymore. At most, they'll say a few words to me, and that's it," Wen Li proudly said, "They can't bear it."

Just like today, when she scolded her uncle, he was quite angry but only said, "You don't look like a girl," Then he avoided her and went upstairs, pretending not to see her.

"But why do they have a problem with you?" Wen Li glanced at his face and asked in confusion, "Are they jealous of your good looks?"

Song Yan replied, "Maybe."

Wen Li was just joking, but she didn't expect him to take it seriously. She immediately clicked her tongue, "You're so narcissistic."

Song Yan thought to himself that when it comes to narcissism, his wife in his arms surpasses him.

As for the conflict between him and Wen family, he didn't care.

His wife firmly said, "I'm biased only towards you," so even if he felt wronged, with her doting on him, any grievances would feel insignificant.

——

After a short one-day holiday, the following schedule was the finale recording of [In This World With You].

As soon as Wen Li boarded the plane, she started feeling nervous.

Because of her nervousness, she couldn't sleep on the plane. By the time they arrived at the Aocheng City Airport, the other guests looked refreshed, while she was yawning and looking exhausted.

Fortunately, she wore sunglasses and a mask, fully equipped, so the fans who came to welcome them couldn't tell.

The itinerary of the guests was made public. Song Yan was from Aocheng City and this city was his home ground. So, in the airport lobby, the Moonstone Army outnumbered the fans of other guests.

With so many people welcoming them, it felt like they had returned with glory after making a name for themselves.

Wen Li also had many fans surrounding her, mostly locals, asking if she could speak the local dialect.

She replied in the dialect, "Yes, but only a little."

"Perfect, perfect," praised the local fans, "Did you learn it from brother-in-law?"

She didn't know when, but Wen Li's exclusive fans had already changed the nickname for Song Yan to "brother-in-law". Wen Li felt that this nickname was more intimate than addressing him by his name. Every time she heard her fans call him that, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

"No, he rarely speaks the dialect either."

Chatting with the fans along the way, when they reached the car, she didn't rush to get in but stood in place, waiting for Song Yan to come over.

Song Yan walked towards her amidst the bustling crowd and the surrounding cameras. The colors of silver-blue and lychee mixed together. The exclusive fans of both sides had crossed paths several times over the past few months due to their main leads participating in a couple variety show. There were a few die-hard fans who specifically came to welcome their respective stars, and they even recognized each other.

The mindset of the exclusive fans was: As long as your brother (sister) treats my sister (brother) well, then we can all get along peacefully.

The two main leads were about to get into the car, when suddenly a shout came from the crowd.

"You two! It's the final recording! Show us your affection! Give us a passionate moment that makes us swoon!"

The exclusive fans: "..."

It took a while for the shouts of the CP fans to arrive.

Song Yan, who was usually okay with the CP fans' antics, would smile at them. But Wen Li usually felt very embarrassed and would deliberately turn her head away. That was just her personality, and the fans understood.

However, today she did something unprecedented. She raised her hand and made an "OK" gesture towards the shouting CP fans.

Although her expression was hidden behind sunglasses and a mask, her meaning was clear.

The fans were initially stunned, then screamed in disbelief.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Sanli! I love you!"

After getting into the car, the screams of the fans gradually faded away.

After hours of flying today, the program's plan was to let the guests rest at the hotel for one night before officially starting the recording the next day.

On the second morning, the program team predictably chose the famous church square in Aocheng City as the shooting location.

It seemed that both variety shows and movies liked this location.

The classic Portuguese-style architecture exuded a strong exotic flavor. The intricate and elaborate columns and window frames were gorgeously adorned. The overall color of the building was soft and pure, with a touch of age that set it apart from ordinary European architecture.

Director Yan announced today's game rules through the loudspeaker and specially added, "Since Song Yan is a local, to ensure fairness during the game, he cannot guide or help Wen Li. There will be staff monitoring, so any help from him will be considered cheating and points will be deducted."

What kind of operation was this?

Wen Li was speechless. "So, I'll be doing the tasks alone?"

Qiu Hong, who was gloating next to her, said, "You should have some confidence in your intelligence. You can handle both tasks without any problem."

Wen Li pouted and said, "Qiu Hong, it's easy for you to say."

Chen Zitong gave her husband a punch and suggested, "Then let's go together? Since our task locations are close, we can work together. Director, can we form a team?"

Director Yan nodded, "Sure, feel free."

After arranging the tasks, the guests went to their respective locations. Qiu Hong and his wife went together to the task location assigned to Wen Li by the program team to take care of her.

Wen Li was extremely grateful and then gave Song Yan a look that said: What do I need you for?

Song Yan: "..."

The program team didn't arrange vehicles to take them there, so the guests had to figure out the route themselves and take a bus to the task location.

The given clue was "sky and lake", luckily Aocheng City was not big, and there were many tourists, making communication easy. Even without Song Yan's help, they quickly found the place.

The most famous scenery in this magnificent shopping center was the indoor sky and lake. Standing on the bridge, looking up was a deep blue, and looking down was also a deep blue, as if a small water city had been built indoors.

When they had just arrived on the upper floor, Chen Zitong noticed that there seemed to be a small part of the area being cleared downstairs.

Most variety shows have security guards and staff around during outdoor recordings, so there was usually no need to clear the area unless the program team wanted to use the place for a special task.

Chen Zitong speculated, "It seems like they're filming downstairs."

Wen Li didn't pay attention.

The group of people completed their task at the indoor lake view on the third floor and were ready to go to another task location. They took the elevator down the same way they came up and coincidentally encountered a film crew taking a temporary break downstairs.

"They're really filming," Qiu Hong exclaimed, "What a coincidence, is it also a Yancheng production crew?"

The four guests followed a group of staff members, attracting attention wherever they went. The crew members naturally noticed them.

The director, who was discussing the scene with the actors, took a quick glance and suddenly got excited, "Ah Yan!"

Song Yan, who had been invisible throughout the task, suddenly heard his name being called and looked in that direction.

It was one of the well-known directors he had worked with before.

In an instant, everyone, including Song Yan, recognized him.

Not long ago, there seemed to be a hot search about a new film starting production. Starting production was not a big deal as countless crews start or wrap up production every day. However, this film made it to the hot search because the female lead of the film was Tang Jiaran.

Tang Jiaran had recently failed the audition for [Ice City], which resulted in Wen Li getting the role. The marketing accounts continuously published press releases featuring both of their names for several days, receiving mixed reactions.

Those biased towards Tang Jiaran believed that Wen Li only got the role because of her husband. Tang Jiaran lost because she wasn't Song Yan's wife. Otherwise, with her talent, it would have been impossible for Wen Li to surpass her.

On the other hand, those biased towards Wen Li believed that the director and investors were not fools. Song Yan had influence, but his influence wasn't significant enough to decide the casting. Even if Wen Li got the role because of her connection to Song Yan, her own talent was the most important factor.

Just like what Qiu Ping said, if Tang Jiaran missed out on [Ice City], there would still be good scripts waiting for her. So she immediately received a new script.

It was the film they were currently shooting.

Encountering a film crew during a variety show recording was considered fate, but in this case, it was a husband and wife variety show, and the actress playing the female lead in the film crew they encountered was Tang Jiaran...

Qiu Hong and his wife didn't know much about Song Yan's personal life, but after mixing in the industry for so many years, they had heard dozens of gossip stories about Song Yan and Tang Jiaran. Even though Song Yan had denied any romantic involvement with the female lead during interviews for [Paper Airplane], gossip magazines and marketing accounts still fabricated stories for the sake of traffic and popularity.

Over time, everyone had come to assume that Tang Jiaran was Song Yan's ex-girlfriend. But now that Song Yan was married, the past was swept away by the wind, and there were hardly any public discussions about it anymore.

The situation now felt like a current partner meeting an ex-partner.

Tang Jiaran greeted the the four of them generously, without showing any special attitude towards Song Yan. She treated everyone equally.

Song Yan remained calm and politely responded.

Wen Li was even calmer than Song Yan and took the opportunity to chat with Tang Jiaran for a few moments.

It's unclear whether it was because everyone was actors and especially good at acting, or if it was because only outsiders felt that this encounter was somewhat untimely, while the parties involved didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

This simple encounter ended so calmly.

The staff of the [In This World With You] program team thought that this segment would most likely be cut before airing.

Even if they cut the segment, it wouldn't make much difference. Since it was an outdoor filming, there were plenty of netizens taking photos and leaking them online.

Just as the four guests were heading to the next task location, the latest leaked post on the entertainment forum revealed the unexpected encounter between the two parties.

「'In This World With You' leak, Aocheng City, spotted Salt Grain and Qiu Hong couple.」

0L:「RT. I happened to be traveling in Aocheng City and heard that 'In This World With You' was filming here today, so I came to join the fun. The two couples first did a task on the third floor of the mall, and when they went downstairs, they encountered a filming crew. It's such a small world, guess which crew they ran into?」

1L:「What's so special about running into another crew in a place known for filming locations?」

5L:「Decoded in seconds, 'Twenty-Five Moonlight', starring Tang Jiaran.」

7L:「? Are you sure you decoded it correctly?」

12L:「Damn, is this not a cheesy TV drama being acted out for real? Hahaha, Song Yan, with his wife, filming a couple variety show, runs into his ex from eight hundred years ago.」

15L:「They were not exes, they didn't even have a relationship. Can we stop spreading rumors?」

20L:「Song Yan's only public relationship is with his current wife, Wen Li, right?」

30L:「But just because it's not public doesn't mean it didn't happen, right? Didn't Song Yan admit in a previous episode of 'In This World With You' that he had feelings for a girl during high school? Everyone has a past, even if he's married now, there's no need to deny the past.」

35L:「Isn't it normal to have feelings for the opposite sex during adolescence? Can we stop connecting every denied rumor to him?」

45L:「Song Yan denied the rumors, but Tang Jiaran never denied anything. Every time she's asked about it in interviews, she's ambiguous. How do you explain that?」

The people involved in the recording of the program were completely unaware of this. At this moment, Song Yan received a call from Director Yan, saying that the camera crew responsible for interviewing his parents had arrived at their house.

A few days ago, Song Yan had already talked to his parents and explained the personal privacy that he couldn't disclose to the program team in advance, so he wasn't worried.

"Then I'll trouble Director Yan."

Hanging up the phone, Song Yan returned the phone to the staff member in charge of keeping it.

Wen Li casually asked, "Director Yan has already arrived at your parents' house?"

"Yes."

Wen Li pursed her lips and murmured softly, "I never expected Director Yan to meet my parents-in-law before me."

——

Song Yan's parents' house was a three-story small villa located in an upscale residential area. The program team had made arrangements in advance, so the car smoothly passed through the gate and stopped at the entrance of the villa.

Mother Song stood at the doorway to welcome them. She had specially styled her hair and her makeup was exquisite. Song Yan's nose and mouth resembled his mother to some extent.

Although she had gained a slight plumpness in her figure, one could still see the gracefulness she possessed in her younger years.

Being able to give birth to someone as beautiful as Song Yan, his mother must also be exceptional. There wasn't much difference between the image the staff had imagined of Mother Song and the reality.

Mother Song led the staff inside and asked the housekeeper to serve each of them a cup of floral tea.

"I didn't expect the interview to take place without them. I thought I would get to meet Yanzi1 and Wen Xiaomei2 today."

Director Yan explained, "I'm really sorry, Madam. They are still filming on location."

"It's alright," Mother Song waved her hand dismissively, "It's the same for me when they come to see me after they finish filming."

The interview script had already been prepared in advance and the cameraman found a visually appealing background in the house to serve as the interview backdrop.

Mother Song sat down on the armchair directly facing the camera. The interview questions were not much different from the ones they asked Song Yan's class teacher. They started with Song Yan's childhood memories and then moved on to questions about Song Yan and Wen Li as a couple.

But it was evident that Mother Song knew her son better than the class teacher. The questions were similar, but her answers were more detailed.

The talkative Madam spoke Mandarin with a mix of various dialects, sometimes with a colloquial touch, which made her sound quite distinctive.

When asked about Song Yan's teenage years, Mother Song started talking again.

"Our Yanzi was very innocent back then. He liked the girl but never had the courage to confess. When he finally gathered the courage to confess, the other party stood him up. So, he called me and cried, complaining that the girl didn't come," Mother Song chatted on, laughing as she spoke, "Oh, it was really pitiful."

"..."

Why was this mother so happy about her son's failed confession to a girl in high school?

If it weren't for the obvious resemblance between the mother and son, they would have doubted if she was really his biological mother.

But that wasn't the point.

The female staff in charge of asking questions awkwardly said, "Auntie, um, about the past incident of Teacher Song's failed confession, can we discuss it after we finish the interview?"

Mother Song opened her mouth, somewhat puzzled, "Why? Don't you want to hear it?!"

"It's not that we don't want to hear it, it's just..." The female staff hesitated for a moment and delicately said, "This is a couple variety show, so it's better to focus on Teacher Song and Teacher Wen."

Mother Song became even more confused, "But it's about them, isn't it? I'm talking about Yanzi and Wen Xiaomei's past."

The female staff: "?"

Cameraman: "?"

Director Yan: "!!!"