As Yan An exited Qi Yan’s room, she bumped into Liang Baiyu, who was on his way to the bathroom.

He paused, rubbing his chin as he watched her with interest.

This Copper Coin Grass had impressive connections, no matter where she went, she always flourished.^[1]The Copper Coin Grass in this sentence is Yan An.

In the cultivation world, it had always been the same. Whether in mountains, caves, lakes, or soil, she had allies everywhere. Yan An’s cultivation level had never been particularly high, yet no one dared to provoke her. Why? Because of her vast network. 

Messing with someone like her was like disturbing a beehive. You wouldn’t just face one enemy, but a relentless swarm. Her true power wasn’t in individual strength, but in the overwhelming force of her countless allies.

Once, a lotus spirit had the misfortune of offending her. For days, it suffered relentless torment, nibbled by fish and frogs in the water, ambushed by plants and flowers on land, and even harassed by burrowing insects beneath the soil.

In the end, the lotus failed its tribulation and perished. And that was that.

Now, even in the modern world, she wasn’t doing too bad.

After just a few days of filming, she’d already secured special treatment from Qi Yan and was free to enter his room at will.

And those nasty comments online last night… could Qi Yan be involved in that too?

“Hey, what’s going on between you and him?” Liang Baiyu asked, catching her arm as she passed by.

Yan An, lost in her own thoughts, glanced up at him, confused. “What?”

Liang Baiyu gestured toward Qi Yan’s room. “You and Qi Yan seem pretty close these days.”

She rolled her eyes, letting out a dramatic sniffle, on the brink of tears. 

“Close? Where did you get that idea? I’m about to collapse from stress.”

Liang Baiyu could see right through it, but knowing how oblivious Yan An could be, he didn’t press the issue. “What’s got you so stressed?”

Yan An pressed her lips together, ready to vent, but then she caught sight of a cameraman nearby and swallowed her words.

Even though the livestream had ended, they were still being recorded. She had to watch what she said.

Besides, talking to Liang Baiyu wouldn’t make a difference. He was all talk, and Qi Yan wouldn’t bat an eye.

Yan An sighed. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand. I’ll deal with it myself. Just hurry up and pack. Don’t keep everyone waiting.”

Liang Baiyu smirked. “Come on, you haven’t even told me yet, and you’re already saying I wouldn’t get it? That’s not very fair~”

Yan An waved him off, not in the mood for a chat. With her bag of Copper Coin Grass in hand, she made her way downstairs.

First things first, she had to return these to where they belonged.

Kneeling beside the field, she carefully placed the Copper Coin Grass back into the soil. “Sorry for the trouble. But I’m telling you, plants like us are far better off in the countryside. Fresh air, beautiful scenery… The city? It’s full of pollution and smog, not comfortable at all. And Qi Yan? I don’t believe for a second that he’d take proper care of you.”

She pressed her palms together in an apologetic gesture, then without another word, sprinted toward the lake.

The heat was oppressive at this time of day, and the lakeside was eerily silent.

She walked along the shore, circling half the lake before reaching the spot from the night before.

Staring at the vast, empty water, Yan An let out a long sigh.

With no other choice, sacrifice was the only option.

Yan An ran a hand through her long, silky hair. After confirming that no one was around, she ducked into a small thicket.

Almost immediately, fresh sprigs of Copper Coin Grass sprouted from the top of her head, one after another.

With a plastic bag in hand, she plucked the grass relentlessly. For every handful she pulled out, she let out a small whimper.

Humans only plucked white hairs, but her leaves were a vibrant green… not a single wilted or yellowed one in sight. Yet here she was, forced to pull them out.

Her ex-husband was truly a menace.

Once the bag was full, Yan An finally stopped, retracting the remaining leaves.

Afterward, she ran her fingers through her hair and was startled to find it significantly shorter.

Previously, her hair cascaded down to just above her waist. Now, they barely reached her shoulders. A little more, and she’d be sporting a short bob.

Yan An sniffled, took out a hair tie from her pocket, and gathered her hair into a bun.

This way, no one would notice her sudden haircut.

With her bun secured, she put on the cap Qi Yan had given her, then lifted her bag of “hair” and headed to the lake for a quick check.

Her bun was flawless, and Qi Yan’s cap was stylish. She still looked great.

Yan An patted her cheeks, shook off her lingering frustration, and ran back to find Qi Yan.

This time, Qi Yan didn’t say much. He took the bag of Copper Coin Grass, unscrewed a bottle of water from the table, and handed it to her. “Thanks.”

Feeling relieved, Yan An didn’t hesitate. She took the bottle and took a big gulp. Her cheeks puffed out as she spoke, her words slightly garbled, “No problem, no problem, just a small favor. Don’t worry about it.”

She swallowed, took another sip, then paused, looking around for the cap to close the bottle.

But Qi Yan still had it, and he wasn’t handing it over. Instead, he extended a hand and asked, “Why did you tie your hair up?”

Yan An blinked. Taking the opportunity, she handed back the half-empty bottle, wiped her lips, and laughed sheepishly. “It was getting hot with my hair down, so I tied it up. Anyway, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room?”

Qi Yan nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, see you later, Mr.Qi!” Yan An called out cheerfully. Before the words had fully left her mouth, she had already dashed away.

Qi Yan shook his head, glanced at the bottle in his hand, and took a sip from the spot she had just drunk from.

Back in her room, Yan An was in the middle of negotiating with her two children. 

“Mengmeng, Kuku, how about I put you in the suitcase when we leave?”

The two little ones froze before speaking in unison. “Why?”

Even though they couldn’t take on human form, since they weren’t issued a birth permit at birth, nor did they ever get registered afterward, they still preferred staying in Yan An’s pocket over being stuffed inside a suitcase.

Yan An explained, “Everyone will be riding the same bus from Nanmu Village to the town. I’m worried that bad uncle might see you and try to take you away again…”

Yan Mengmeng immediately agreed. “Okay, Mommy, I can stay in the suitcase!”

Yan Kuku followed suit. “Me too! I’ll stay with Brother in the suitcase.”

That bad uncle was truly terrifying. Not just for them, but even their mom’s hair wasn’t spared. And they didn’t have nearly as much hair as she did.

Yan An ruffled their heads. “Such good kids. I’ll give you lollipops when we get back.”

Yan Mengmeng suddenly remembered something and reminded her, “Oh, right, Mommy! Don’t forget about the big rooster. You promised to take it back with us.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Yan An smacked her forehead. She had nearly forgotten. 

“Got it. I’ll go find it in a bit.”

After tucking her two little ones into the suitcase, she glanced at the chaotic mess inside. Thinking of Qi Yan’s perfectly packed luggage, she sighed enviously before snapping the suitcase shut.

Oh well, messy it is.

Standing up, she grabbed the suitcase and headed downstairs. Then, without missing a beat, she eagerly wheeled it over to the director. 

“Director, can I take the rooster I caught earlier with me?”

The director was busy instructing the crew to pack up the equipment. Hearing her question, he turned around and was momentarily stunned. “Take it with you?”

She nodded earnestly. “That rooster is really cute. I want to bring it home as a pet.”

The director fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

Most people kept cats or dogs as pets, right? A rooster?

The director gave Yan An a look that was hard to decipher before nodding. “If you really want it… I’ll have someone notify the owner. But we’re not sure where the rooster is at the moment.”

“No problem! I’ll find it myself. Thanks, Director!” Yan An grinned, then happily trotted off with her suitcase.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly turned back and called out, “Oh, right! I’ll head straight to the village entrance later! I won’t be coming back here!”

The director’s lips twitched. “Got it.”

What else could he say?

Back when she auditioned, he had already been impressed with her. But more importantly, Qi Yan had personally spoken on her behalf.

How could he refuse her? It was just a rooster. It wasn’t like she was asking for a whole roast chicken.

As soon as Yan An left, Qi Yan came downstairs. Watching her drag her suitcase away, he asked, “Where’s she going?”

The director, noticing Qi Yan’s presence, paused his work and respectfully answered, “Mr. Qi, she’s off to find a rooster.”

Qi Yan raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

Seeing the confusion on his superior’s face, the director quickly filled him in on the situation.

Qi Yan: “…”

That rooster, its beak was sharp, its face square, and it crowed at all hours of the night, disturbing everyone’s sleep. What was so cute about it?

He scoffed lightly but chose not to comment further. Hearing Wen Yang’s voice coming from the stairs, he simply said, “Let her be. I’ll head to the car first.”

Everyone was originally supposed to gather in the lobby before heading to the car together.

The director’s expression stiffened slightly, but he forced a smile. “Alright.”

Yan An found the rooster in the chicken coop.

Just as she was wondering if she’d have to crawl inside to catch the rooster again, it spotted her.

To her surprise, it ran out on its own.

‘Wow, this rooster is pretty smart!’

Yan An bent down and gently stroked its red-brown feathers. Noticing its size, she remembered how sore her arms had been from carrying it last time. She tried reasoning with it, “We’re leaving now. If you’re coming with me, walk on your own, okay?”

The rooster clucked a few times, its intentions unclear.

Yan An decided to take it as a sign of agreement and continued dragging her suitcase along the bumpy dirt road.

However, after following her for a few steps, the rooster suddenly stopped, tucked its wings in, and squatted on the ground.

She walked a few more steps before realizing what had happened. With no other choice, she went back, picked up the rooster, and placed it on top of her suitcase. “Hold on tight.”

With that, Yan An continued on her way, dragging her suitcase down the uneven rural road. Inside, her two children were getting shaken and dizzy, while the rooster on top nearly tumbled off several times, flapping its wings frantically to stay balanced.

Just as the kids and the rooster were about to reach their limit, Yan An finally arrived at her destination.

By the time she got there, everyone else had already boarded the bus. Wen Yang was in the middle of loading the luggage.

Yan An quickly picked up her pace and ran over. She took the rooster off her suitcase, placed her luggage in the bus’s storage compartment, then set the rooster down next to it.

Wen Yang immediately spoke up. “Yan An, are you seriously bringing that rooster back?”

Yan An nodded. “Yep.”

“And you’re just putting it here with our luggage? Roosters are filthy. What if it gets my suitcase dirty? Are you going to clean it up?”

At this moment, the camera crew was busy packing up their equipment, so no one was filming. With only the two of them there, Wen Yang’s tone was much sharper than usual, completely different from her usual sweet and gentle demeanor.

Yan An was taken aback by her outburst, hugging the rooster closer. “Then I’ll just hold it on the bus…”

“If you bring it on the bus, won’t it just poop everywhere? The whole bus will stink. How do you plan on dealing with that?” Wen Yang pressed on, her face twisted in a harsh expression, unaware of how unpleasant she looked.

She had endured enough. Especially today, she had tried everything to get closer to Qi Yan but hadn’t succeeded once.

Once they reached the town, everyone would go their separate ways. How was she supposed to complete her task then?

And it was all because of Yan An. If this entire recording hadn’t included her as a roadblock, she would have already won!

Yan An felt caught in a dilemma. She couldn’t leave the rooster here, but she also couldn’t bring it on the bus. Where could she possibly put it?

Just as she was struggling to find a solution, a calm, indifferent voice interrupted her thoughts from above.

“Just put it in the luggage compartment. If it gets dirty, I’ll pay for the cleaning.”

Neither she nor Wen Yang had noticed him until now. Startled, they instinctively looked up.

Qi Yan was leaning against the bus window, his long, slender fingers resting casually on the edge. His perfectly sculpted face peeked out just enough to be seen.

Seeing him, Wen Yang’s face paled. She quickly regained her composure and forced an awkward smile. “Oh, there’s no need for that. I was just joking with Yan An. Right, Yan An?” She turned to look at her.

Yan An: “…Huh?”

Wen Yang hurriedly added, “Yan An, just put the rooster in and get on the bus. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

Yan An: “…Oh.”

She patted the rooster and glanced at Wen Yang several times. The more she looked, the more she was reminded of a two-faced lotus spirit she had encountered in the cultivation world.

That lotus spirit was terrifying, definitely not someone she wanted to mess with. Better to stay far away.

Shivering slightly, she placed the rooster in the luggage compartment. Driven by survival instincts, she even rearranged the suitcases.

Of course, she put her own suitcase closest to the rooster. Then, she moved Liang Baiyu’s suitcase next to hers. This way, if anything got dirty, it would only be her and Liang Baiyu’s luggage. That was fine.

After all, that’s what friends were for.

As for Wen Yang’s suitcase? She moved it as far away from the rooster as possible.

She had originally wanted to tie the rooster up, but there was no rope available. After asking around and finding none, she had no choice but to give the rooster a plastic bag as a makeshift toilet before boarding the bus.

This rooster seemed pretty intelligent, it probably wouldn’t just poop anywhere. After all, that night in her room, it had obediently used the cardboard box she had set up for it.

But fate always had a way of proving her wrong.

When they reached the town and everyone got off the bus to collect their luggage, a sharp scream rang out, followed by frantic clucking and the sound of a rooster running away.

Yan An had just stepped out of the bus when she heard the noise. She shivered involuntarily, then quickly rushed toward the commotion.

Oh no, oh no. She had a really bad feeling about this.

Sure enough, when she pushed through the crowd and reached the luggage compartment, she felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

Every suitcase was perfectly clean… except for one.

Wen Yang’s pristine white suitcase.

On top of it, several conspicuous piles of chicken… well, you get the idea.

Yan An had been raising her kids for three years. Although one of them could be sour and the other always wore a bitter expression, they were obedient and never caused trouble. She had never had to worry about them.

But now, she was stressing over a rooster.

Of all the places it could have gone, why did it have to pick Wen Yang’s suitcase?

And as for the culprit, the rooster had long since made its escape, darting off to a nearby tree, where it ruffled its feathers, still slightly disheveled from its earlier scuffle with Wen Yang.

Wen Yang was furious, clutching a loose rooster feather in her hand, her eyes filled with venom as she glared at Yan An. “Yan An!”

Yan An wanted to cry. “I’m so sorry! I’ll clean it up right away!”

She quickly pulled out some tissues from her bag.

Wen Yang sneered, stepping back to fully expose her suitcase, but she didn’t let up. “Do you really think tissue is enough? And what about my clothes inside? How am I supposed to wear them now?”

Yan An wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it, but she tried to offer a reasonable suggestion as she swiped at some tissues. “The clothes are in the suitcase, so why not just wear them? If you’re really concerned, you can always wash them later.”

Just as she reached out to clean the suitcase, someone grabbed her hand.

Qi Yan pulled her to his side, took the tissues from her, and handed them to his assistant behind him. “You handle it,” he said, and without another word, he led Yan An away, ignoring everyone else.

Liang Baiyu, who had been about to intervene, sighed inwardly, grabbed his suitcase, and headed back to the car.

Jiang Tian and Ji Lan didn’t get involved either. They simply took their luggage and left.

The rest of the production team kept their heads down, quickly getting to work moving equipment.

The only one who stayed behind was Qi Yan’s assistant.

The assistant, ever smooth, turned to Wen Yang and offered a polite smile. “Ms. Wen, I’ll clean it up. Also, Mr. Qi instructed me to cover the cost of the suitcase and all the clothes inside. Just let me know the price, and we’ll pay double. Of course, if you’re not satisfied with that, we can discuss it further. You don’t need to worry.”

Wen Yang, fuming, gripped her skirt tightly, eyes narrowing as she watched Qi Yan from afar, holding Yan An’s arm. Her gaze turned venomous.

Who cares about these clothes and money?!

What is Yan An’s background? What’s her relationship with Qi Yan?!

Meanwhile, Yan An, feeling anxious, quickly struggled and said, “Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi, my suitcase hasn’t been taken yet!”

Her two kids were still inside, and that was a serious matter!

Qi Yan didn’t budge. He simply said, “My assistant will take care of it later.”

But she couldn’t relax. Plus, he was heading toward his private car.

Yan An sighed in frustration. “It’s fine, I’ll take it myself. And my car is over there.” She pointed in the opposite direction.

Among the six guests, Yan An was the only one without a car. She had traveled with the production team and would return with them as well.

Qi Yan replied without hesitation, “I’ll take you.”

“No, really, it’s fine,” Yan An quickly protested.

But before she could argue further, Qi Yan opened the car door, pushed her inside, and leaned in close, his voice quiet and his breath light. 

“Why so polite? What do you think, ex-wife?”

Yan An: “…”

She awkwardly rubbed her face and quickly moved to the seat beside her.

Qi Yan grinned, slid into the seat beside her, and shut the car door.

Both of them sat in silence. Yan An sat stiffly, her back straight, her hands neatly placed on her lap, feeling utterly uncomfortable.

Why was he bringing up “ex-wife” now? Did he think the thirty million he gave her three years ago wasn’t enough, and now he wanted her back?

But even if she shaved her head bald, she still couldn’t come up with thirty million.

Yan An bit her lip, feeling the urge to cry.

She decided to turn her back to him, resting her head against the window, watching the scenery outside.

It seemed Qi Yan’s assistant had resolved the issue with Wen Yang’s suitcase, bringing over their luggage.

Yan An felt a little relieved, knowing her kids hadn’t been forgotten. But the rooster under the tree was still pecking at the grass for bugs.

She reached for the door handle, intending to get out of the car.

Qi Yan spoke up, “Where are you going? We’re leaving soon.”

Yan An pointed at the tree. “My rooster is still there.”

Qi Yan gave a cold glance. “Let Yang Shen handle it.”

The assistant, having just finished cleaning the suitcase and organizing the luggage, was now being sent by the boss to catch the rooster.

The rooster, still stubborn and fast, darted around, leaving Yang Shen dizzy in circles.

Yan An couldn’t watch any longer. While Qi Yan was busy on the phone, she quickly jumped out of the car and ran over.

The rooster spotted her and stopped running. Yan An swiftly scooped it up and tossed it into the car’s trunk before hurrying back inside.

The rest of the ride was quiet.

During the show, Qi Yan had appeared quite relaxed, but as soon as it ended and they got back into the car, he became busy. His phone rang nonstop.

The most frustrating part? He spoke in English the entire time, and Yan An couldn’t understand a word. So, she just let it wash over her like a lullaby and drifted off to sleep.

She slept soundly, her mind clear. It felt like the peaceful days she spent with friends at the Fa Xian Temple, listening to the monks chant.

By evening, the sun began to set, painting the sky in beautiful hues.

The car pulled up at a fake address Yan An had provided, an area that was three subway stops away from her real home.

Five minutes before they arrived, Qi Yan finished his call, waking Yan An from her nap.

She felt refreshed, as if she’d just had a restful sleep, much like those quiet moments she’d spent at the temple.

In a good mood, she grabbed her suitcase, held the rooster, and waved at the car window. 

“Mr. Qi, I’m here. Thanks for the ride back.”

Qi Yan glanced at the neighborhood behind her. “Hmm, go ahead.”

Yan An smiled. “Okay, goodbye, Mr. Qi!”

Just as she turned to leave, Qi Yan called out, “By the way, didn’t you say you’d bring me some lemons and bitter gourd?”

Yan An froze for a moment, her smile faltering. “Oh, yeah…”

Qi Yan nodded. “I’ll be home tomorrow night. Bring them over then. I’ll send you the address.”

Yan An paused for ten seconds, feeling reluctant, before finally responding, “…Alright.”

It wasn’t alright at all. She had only said it out of politeness!