No matter how Gong Yusheng thought about it or how Qi Yuan looked down on it, the fact that Song Xiao was added to the guest list was settled just like that.

When the news reached Ran Yang and Zhou Ge, their reactions were quite different. Zhou Ge was naturally overjoyed. Song Xiao came from a good background, had many connections in the industry, and everything would be easier with him around. Not to mention, he was not only a top-tier star with a huge fan base but also had some special feelings for Ran Yang. Having her on the show with him would not only bring in a lot of traffic but at least she would be well taken care of.

On the other hand, Ran Yang was holding her phone, lost in thought. The screen displayed her chat history with Song Xiao, where he mentioned that he had received the invitation from the production team, and she had sent a congratulatory message in support. However, his phrase “I look forward to your guidance” left her feeling a bit dazed.

“Stop daydreaming,” Zhou Ge said, noticing that his artist seemed a bit out of sorts. He reached over and pinched her arm. “Isn’t this a good thing? You and Song Xiao are good friends, and being on the show together means you can look out for each other.”

Ran Yang nodded, “I know.”

Zhou Ge was puzzled and sat down across from her, facing her directly. “What’s going on with you these days? You seem distracted.”

Last time he called Ran Yang to the office to pick a script, she had zoned out while he was just stepping out to get some water, even picking up the script upside down without realizing it.

“Is it that scumbag Lin Can bothering you for money again?” Zhou Ge asked, alert.

Ran Yang shook her head, “No, it’s not him.”

“Then what is it?” Zhou Ge scratched the back of his head. Seeing Ran Yang’s melancholic demeanor for the past few days, he feared he might lose the few strands of hair he had left.

Ran Yang opened her mouth but didn’t say anything.

Seeing her hesitate, Zhou Ge grew anxious. Ran Yang was usually good, but she had a tendency to be indecisive and keep things bottled up, which could easily lead to trouble. After being trapped by Lin Can, it took her over half a month to finally reveal her marriage to him, shocking everyone.

Since then, Zhou Ge had been on guard, worried that Ran Yang might drop another bombshell. The expression on her face now clearly indicated that something was wrong.

“Just say it,” Zhou Ge switched to big-brother mode. “You’re my artist, and I don’t want to see you troubled over anything else.”

“You’ve finally rested and are ready to get back to work. Keeping these things bottled up will only make you uncomfortable, and it could affect your work and career.”

Ran Yang’s love for her career surpassed everything else, and hearing Zhou Ge say this finally prompted her to speak up.

“I’m still thinking about Lin Can…”

As soon as Zhou Ge heard Lin Can’s name, four words immediately popped into his mind: “Haunting Spirit.”

They were already divorced, so how could that scumbag still affect Ran Yang?!

Ran Yang didn’t notice Zhou Ge’s twitching expression and went on to explain how Lin Can was being kept and that the sugar daddy wanted to arrange a meeting for them.

Zhou Ge wasn’t surprised about Lin Can being kept. Even if he was a scumbag, his looks could definitely earn him some benefits, and in their industry, being kept was quite common.

Ran Yang looked even more confused, “I’m not surprised that Lin Can is being kept; I’m curious about the person keeping him.”

“I heard that voice, and it sounded so familiar. I feel like I just heard that person’s voice not long ago…”

“Oh?” Now Zhou Ge was interested, “Are you saying that the person keeping him might be someone we know?”

Ran Yang silently nodded.

It’s said that the nature of Chinese people is to gossip, and Zhou Ge was itching to dig deeper, “So, have you figured out who that person is?”

Ran Yang’s eyes were filled with confusion, “I don’t know, but I can guarantee that we definitely know that person.”

“Wow, wow,” Zhou Ge exclaimed, “I mean, how could he agree to the divorce so easily?”

Ran Yang’s face showed a hint of shock, “What?”

“Of course! A person like him wouldn’t let you go unless he had already found someone else,” Zhou Ge said, his disgust growing clearer with each word. “Don’t forget the things he did.”

Ran Yang slumped a bit, looking somewhat sad, “I hadn’t thought of that…”

“Not thinking about it means you’re a normal person,” Zhou Ge comforted her. “People like Lin Can don’t think like us, who have a bit of a moral compass.”

He cursed Lin Can a few more times before steering the conversation back to the meeting.

“So that sugar daddy wants to arrange a meeting for you and Lin Can?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he say when?”

Ran Yang shook her head, “No.”

“Could it just be an empty promise?” Zhou Ge doubted. “If there’s no date set, why don’t you ask Lin Can again?”

He knew Ran Yang was determined to get an explanation from Lin Can, so he didn’t stop her from meeting him.

Ran Yang pulled up her chat history with Lin Can, “He’s already blocked me.”

“??” Zhou Ge leaned over to take a look. The latest message she sent had a glaring red exclamation mark in front of it.

“What does this mean? Is he showing loyalty to the sugar daddy?”

“I don’t know.” Ran Yang lowered her eyelashes, feeling even more troubled.

“Don’t stress,” Zhou Ge handed her a strawberry candy. “You said you might know that sugar daddy, so just follow the leads from people around us little by little. You’ll find out.”

“But that sugar daddy really has low standards if he’s interested in Lin Can…”

Thinking about the outrageous things Lin Can had done, Zhou Ge couldn’t help but start to doubt the world. Was it really a world where only looks mattered, and character didn’t count?

*

Lin Can was still unaware that his phone had been tampered with by Qi Yuan, who had blocked Ran Yang without him knowing. A few days later, when Lin Xun returned home with the phone, he received a call from his mother, Xu Suqin.

Xu Suqin wasn’t in good health and spoke weakly. She usually avoided talking unless necessary, but this time she called mainly to ask about Lin Can’s plans for developing back home.

“Are you unhappy staying in Jing City?”

Lin Can instinctively shook his head, then realized he was on the phone and quickly said, “I’m not unhappy, but staying here is a bit boring.”

Xu Suqin asked, “What’s boring about it? Didn’t you say you really liked Jing City and wanted to buy a house there?”

“That was before. Now I just want to go back,” Lin Can thought to himself that he wasn’t like the original owner, who was dazzled by the hustle and bustle. “I just want to be by your and Dad’s side.”

Xu Suqin was silent for a long time. Just when Lin Can thought the signal was bad, she finally said, “Your dad and I are doing just fine. We don’t need you to take care of us; you don’t have to come back for us.”

Lin Can had already prepared his response, “It’s mainly because the pace of life in Jing City is too fast. I’m really tired here and want to go back.”

Xu Suqin didn’t understand what he meant by pace of life. Hearing her son say he was tired, she immediately changed her tone, “If you’re tired, just come back. It’s just a matter of having more chopsticks and bowls at home; it’s no big deal.”

Lin Can felt warm inside and couldn’t help but smile, “Okay, just don’t mind if I earn less when I come back.”

“Mind what? The seventy thousand that Lin Xun brought back can last us for years,” Xu Suqin didn’t ask where the seventy thousand came from, clearly knowing that Lin Xun had prepared a cover story.

“When you come back, you can get a teaching certificate or something; life will be good.”

Lin Can responded with an “Mm” in agreement, “I actually want to be a primary school teacher.”

“That’s good. Be a teacher, and then have a chubby little boy with your wife. I’ll have things to do too,” Xu Suqin laughed, her tone filled with some satisfaction.

Lin Can didn’t know how to respond to that.

The phone call didn’t last long, considering the cost of the call. Xu Suqin hung up after a few sentences.

Lin Can locked his phone screen and looked up to see Qi Yuan standing across from him.

“!” He jumped in surprise, “When did you get here?”

Qi Yuan had a dark expression, “When your mom mentioned wanting a grandchild.”

Lin Can felt a bit awkward, “Okay, what do you want for lunch?”

Qi Yuan didn’t answer his question but asked, “Are you planning to go back home to get married?”

“How could that be? I’m gay.” Lin Can said, continuing to wipe the table. He had been working when Xu Suqin called, and now he needed to catch up.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan’s mood didn’t improve. For a moment, he wanted to ask Lin Can if he was planning to bring Ran Yang back to marry her. But knowing that Lin Can didn’t like hearing him mention Ran Yang, he kept his mouth shut and silently simmered in frustration.

Lin Can moved in and out of the kitchen and living room, washing a plate of blueberries and strawberries and placing them in front of Qi Yuan.

“Hey, I want to ask you,” Qi Yuan called out to him.

Lin Can turned around, “What’s up?”

Qi Yuan said, “Now that same-sex marriage is legal, but can your parents accept it?”

Lin Can thought for a long time before honestly shaking his head.

“I don’t know; I’ve never brought anyone home.”

“Your ex-husband?”

“My parents don’t know him.”

Even though Ran Yang had married him, he still hadn’t been treated like this; he hadn’t even met his parents.

What a scumbag!

Qi Yuan, feeling irritated, popped a blueberry into his mouth, not even wanting to look at the script anymore.

*

In mid-August, the popular dating variety show “Hold My Hand” suddenly announced at midnight that it would invite seven celebrities to be the permanent guests for this season.

When this number was revealed, netizens were shocked.

“Seven? Did the editor make a mistake?”

“How can seven people be on? Three couples and one single dog?”

“The person above has a narrow mind. Two couples plus one group of Burning Winter, isn’t that just right?”

“If that’s the case, I admire the production team. Aren’t they afraid of being investigated?”

“If you want to see Burning Winter, go act yourself. I want to see pure love!”

“Pure love? They’re all just business sugar; don’t take it too seriously.”

Although the production team of “Hold My Hand” was defined as a dating variety show, not all the celebrities participating were in romantic relationships. Some had many CP fans because they played couples in dramas, some had close and ambiguous relationships that sparked heated discussions, and some were intentionally paired by their companies to support their juniors.

Excluding various factors, only a tiny portion of the guests were actual couples or couples preparing for an official announcement.

The audience was well aware and accepted it, after all, who wouldn’t want to see handsome men and beautiful women paired up? Regardless of whether it was real or not, as long as they could enjoy some sweet moments, that was enough.

But the number of seven people clearly filled the atmosphere with a sense of chaos!

“Feels a bit like a battlefield, doesn’t it?” someone said.

However, a small number of netizens noticed a blind spot.

“They said seven celebrities, but they didn’t say seven people. It’s possible that it’s seven celebrities plus one ordinary person, and that’s very likely.”

This news was soon pinned to the official Weibo of “Hold My Hand.”

The news that the show would welcome an ordinary person was almost confirmed.

After filming nine seasons, this flagship variety show from Ningguo finally welcomed its first ordinary guest in the tenth season.