It was unclear how long it had been when a phone call interrupted the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

Qi Yuan picked up the phone, and
Xie Jun shouted from the other end, saying that Director Xu was already looking for him. “All the guests have arrived, just waiting for you and Mr. Lin.”

After hanging up, Qi Yuan looked at Lin Can with a lingering hint of infatuation in his eyes. “Are you going back?”

Lin Can was taken aback, his crimson lips looking quite kissable. “Back?”

Qi Yuan nodded, tossing his phone aside and skillfully wrapping his arms around Lin Can’s neck. “You don’t want to interact with them, right? Let’s take my car back.”

Lin Can really didn’t want to deal with that group of people, especially since Song Xiao and Ran Yang were among them. He hummed in agreement, trying to get up.

But Qi Yuan showed no intention of moving.

Lin Can looked at him in confusion, not having the chance to ask what he was up to before he felt a light bite on his neck.

“Be good and wait for me at home,” Qi Yuan said, leisurely getting off him and playfully pinching his earlobe.

With a flushed face, Lin Can went downstairs.

Feeling satisfied, Qi Yuan left the changing room, taking a moment to admire himself in the mirror before he left. He made sure that the Guanyin pendant around his neck looked good before he leisurely began to socialize.

He was always the center of attention, and as soon as he entered the private room, he was showered with compliments. The hottest variety show director in the country, Xu Lan, had a good relationship with him, so he was considered a friend in the industry. Upon seeing the pendant around Qi Yuan’s neck, he immediately exclaimed, “Where did you get this? Why are you still wearing it?”

Qi Yuan pretended to casually glance in a certain direction. “Someone gave it to me, and I thought it was a kind gesture, so I accepted it.”

Seeing something he had just returned suddenly appear on someone else, Ran Yang unconsciously tightened her grip.

Oblivious, Xu Lan leaned in to take a closer look. “What’s going on? Isn’t this just some street vendor stuff? Why are you wearing it? Has the 戚 family fallen on hard times?”

“Come on, come on,” Qi Yuan waved his hand, jokingly scolding, “What do you know? It’s the thought that counts.”

“Is there really anyone who can give you a light gift with heavy feelings these days?” Xu Lan muttered.

He was about the same age as Qi Yuan and came from a well-off family, so he didn’t mind speaking casually. “By the way, where’s your guy?”

He looked behind Qi Yuan, seeing the empty space, and stubbornly walked out of the private room to look around.

The hallway was empty, not a single shadow in sight. “Where is he?”

Qi Yuan casually found a chair to sit down. “Why are you looking for him?”

“Can’t I want to meet the big shot who got you to agree to participate in a dating variety show?”

Xu Lan returned to the private room, noticing that everyone except Qi Yuan was still awkwardly standing around, and quickly waved them to sit down. “Everyone sit down, we’re recording a variety show, not discussing business. No need to be so serious.”

Everyone forced polite smiles and sat down according to their seniority.

Qi Yuan didn’t pay them much attention, only responding to Xu Lan, “He doesn’t like dealing with strangers, so I sent him back.”

“You’re quite considerate,” Xu Lan couldn’t help but glance at Ran Yang, thinking of that person’s identity. Isn’t there an ex-husband? How is he a stranger?

Qi Yuan’s attention was actually on Ran Yang, ensuring she saw the Guanyin pendant around his neck before he contentedly lowered his neck, which was starting to feel a bit sore. “Alright, let’s talk business.”

“Okay, okay,” Xu Lan quickly picked up the documents he had set aside earlier. “This time our script is about rural life, so this should resonate with you…”

For this variety show, Ran Yang had done a lot of homework in advance. After signing the contract, she had been actively communicating with the staff about the details, so she was already familiar with what Xu Lan was saying.

Listening to the information she already knew, she couldn’t help but start to zone out.

Thinking about the noises she had heard in the bathroom earlier, some indescribable emotions surged in her heart.

She had been married to Lin Can for so long, yet they hadn’t even shared a kiss.

She once thought Lin Can wasn’t interested in these things, but now it seemed that perhaps the person he was interested in wasn’t her after all.

Her first marriage really was a failure.

Thinking about the green hue of the pendant around Qi Yuan’s neck, Ran Yang couldn’t help but smile self-deprecatingly in her heart.

*

When Lin Can was dropped off at home by the driver arranged by Qi Yuan, it was already past midnight. He made himself a bowl of noodles for lunch and then took a nap.

Around one-thirty in the afternoon, he received a call from Wang Qian.

“Brother Lin, are you really going to participate in the dating variety show with Ran Yang?!”

“It’s not participating with Ran Yang, it’s…” Lin Can didn’t know how to explain it and then realized another problem, “How do you know?”

“I saw it on Weibo!” Wang Qian’s tone was very excited. “It’s all over Weibo now!”

To be honest, not only was it trending on Weibo, but even Wang Qian, who was somewhat familiar with Lin Can, was blown away by this sudden news.

He only knew that Lin Can had divorced Ran Yang, that Lin Can was now with Qi Yuan, and that Lin Can was going to participate in a dating variety show with Qi Yuan.

But he didn’t know that Ran Yang was also going to participate in that show!

Lin Can was still groggy from sleep, feeling uncomfortable after being woken up, and hearing this made his head hurt even more.

“It was arranged by Qi Yuan, I only found out this morning.”

Before calling Lin Can, Wang Qian had planned to ask how he came up with such a brilliant idea, but upon hearing it was Qi Yuan’s intention, all his questions were immediately suppressed.

“Well, if it’s Qi Yuan’s idea, then there’s nothing to be done…”

Lin Can responded lightly, having tried to resist but failed, now he could only accept the situation.

Wang Qian picked up on Lin Can’s unusually cold response and sensed his reluctance, so he could only comfort him, “Brother Lin, don’t worry, as long as Qi Yuan is here, no one will dare to bully you. If any other guests don’t give you face, just tell Qi Yuan.”

Lin Can hummed in acknowledgment.

“If it really doesn’t work, you can tell me too. I can back you up,” Wang Qian added.

Lin Can chuckled lightly, “I got it.”

Just as Wang Qian said, the news about Ran Yang and her ex-husband both participating in 《Hold My Hand》 quickly dominated Weibo’s trending topics.

As soon as Lin Can logged into Weibo, he saw “Ran Yang” at the top of the search list, followed by a red-hot “爆” character.

Clicking on the topic, the past events between him and Ran Yang were brought up again.

“Seriously, participating in a dating variety show right after a divorce, isn’t that dramatic?”

“Isn’t that what 208 is for? I can’t act out such a dramatic script.”

“I’m starting to suspect that the divorce was just to hype up this show; the production team must have planned this out well.”

“What do you mean? Are we all being played?”

“I even felt sorry for Ran Yang for a few days, helping him clear his name in the super topic, turns out I was the fool?”

“I’m really fed up. Can these celebrities who have no works and only know how to hype themselves just get out of the entertainment industry?”

“What was the production team thinking? That ex-husband is just a scumbag, why invite him to participate?”

“For the hype, of course. There are more than one or two variety shows that have no bottom line for the sake of popularity.”

“This couple is also funny, using a fake divorce to entertain netizens, aren’t they afraid of backlash?”

Originally, public opinion was overwhelmingly against Ran Yang and Lin Can, who were seen as just hyping up their relationship, and all netizens expressed their disgust.

But as the news spread, more and more people learned about it, and other voices slowly emerged.

“These two were practically strangers during their marriage, so why not participate in a dating variety show?”

“I don’t understand why everyone is so agitated. As viewers, isn’t more fun better?”

“Exactly! The entertainment industry is too bland now; it’s missing this kind of script! More, more!”

“They made such a big fuss back then, and now they’re going to be on the same show. I’m already looking forward to how they’ll interact.”

One could only say that most netizens were just here for the fun, and similar comments quickly rose to the top with high likes.

But this infuriated Ran Yang’s fans.

“Who would act out a script with that scumbag?! How unlucky!”

“Just when we thought we were done, this person is still haunting us! Poor RanRan, being chased and drained again!!”

“I genuinely feel sorry for Ran Yang, encountering such a scumbag ex-husband, she’s really had bad luck for eight lifetimes.”

“I suspect this is a long-planned scheme; the ex-husband admitted his mistakes earlier just to debut at this time!”

“? Debuting while self-exploding? Are you okay?”

“You’re still too young. If he doesn’t self-explode now, once he enters the industry, he’ll eventually be found out by the opposing side. It’s better to come clean now; it relieves worries and earns a reputation for honesty.”

“Right, when he came clean, there were still quite a few comments praising him for being able to admit his mistakes. It’s just hilarious.”

So there were actually people praising him back then?

Lin Can was a bit taken aback.

Many of the following comments speculated whether Ran Yang’s ex-husband was really going to debut and how the two would interact on the show.

Lin Can had no interest in reading these, so he pressed the back button a few times to return to the main page.

Just a casual glance, and a few strange phrases caught his eye.

“Ran Yang Chasing Wife at the Crematorium”

“?” Lin Can curiously clicked in.

“Doesn’t anyone think this couple has a romantic drama vibe? One is a big star, and the other is an ordinary person. After their divorce, they participate in a dating variety show together, and due to the show’s requirements, they have to interact frequently. They had to divorce because of various misunderstandings, but in the show, they get to know each other again and develop feelings. However, Ran Yang, due to past hurts, is afraid to face love again, while the ex-husband starts a ‘chase wife’ scenario.”

Lin Can rubbed his eyes, this outrageous statement made him question himself.

A portion of netizens reacted similarly, warmly greeting the blogger’s mental state.

“Is there something wrong with your brain?”

“Blogger, you’re too indiscriminate; aren’t you afraid of upsetting your stomach?”

But aside from these comments, there were surprisingly many who agreed.

“Right, right, right! I thought I was the only one who felt this way; there’s a sense that they could film dozens of episodes of a melodrama!”

“Don’t say that! Can’t I just enjoy it?!”

“This couple is really easy to write about!”

“Here’s a pen for the person above, waiting for the feast.”

“Am I finally going to get to see a live version of the ‘chase wife’ scenario? So exciting!”

“I’m a fan of Ran Yang, waiting for the scumbag to repent and the ‘chase wife’ scenario!”

“Count me in! The scumbag has wronged our RanRan so much! RanRan must make him kneel on durian! Otherwise, he can’t enter the room!”

“Oh? Kneeling on durian?” A voice that was clearly displeased yet still had a rising tone sounded from behind. “Do you like being treated like that?”

Lin Can jumped in surprise, turning around to find Qi Yuan had returned home at some point and was now standing behind him.

“How did you come back?” He was taken aback.

Qi Yuan snorted coldly, “What? Did I come back too early? Did I interrupt your reading of fanfiction about you and your ex-husband?”