Chapter 23 – You’re Not Allowed to Tell Him!

Gu Lanyi didn’t expect the blockhead Ruan Li to actually take the bait so quickly. Caught off guard, she had her shoe pulled off just like that.

The moment the shoe came off, a pungent stench hit her nose.

Ruan Li, who had leaned in close, took a deep whiff.

In that moment, the world spun—she never knew shoes could be so lacking in ventilation.

“Ugh!” She covered her mouth and dry heaved, then threw Gu Lanyi’s tiny flat shoe away at lightning speed.

Ruan Li’s face turned green from the stench. She couldn’t help but admire Li Lishu—how could he squat there calmly and look at Gu Lanyi’s foot without flinching?

Li Lishu, still thinking he was being kind, began to comfort Gu Lanyi: “Foot odor is no big deal. Lots of people have it.”

[What? Gu Lanyi has smelly feet?]
[Isn’t Ruan Li being a bit too dramatic? She almost puked.]
[Oh no, I can’t see Gu Lanyi the same way ever again.]
[Every time I see her now, I’ll think of foot odor. How am I supposed to watch her dramas anymore? They always say actors should appear less on variety shows!]

Gu Lanyi’s face turned ashen. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she hurriedly put her shoe back on.

“I told you I don’t soak my feet!”

Shen Yuwan silently covered her nose. Ruan Li wasn’t exaggerating—it really did stink.

Li Lishu quickly stood up, speaking earnestly like a true doctor: “Foot odor isn’t something to be ashamed of. Just soak your feet. I’ll prescribe something for you. Soak every day, and it’ll definitely get better.”

Gu Lanyi bit her lip hard.

Foot odor by itself wasn’t a big deal, but the image she had crafted for her fans was that of an ethereal, untouchable ice goddess.

When have you ever heard of a goddess with stinky feet? That’s as damaging to her image as a domineering CEO with body odor!

There were over a million people in the livestream. The secret she had kept so tightly under wraps had just exploded out into the open!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn’t help but start crying.

But Li Lishu kept rubbing salt in the wound: “It’s obvious you’ve had this foot odor issue for a long time. It’s probably been bothering you for years, right? Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll give you a few prescriptions—just follow my method, and it’ll definitely improve.”

Gu Lanyi saw he wouldn’t shut up, and the word “foot odor” kept coming out of his mouth. She burst out into louder sobs.

Ruan Li had finally recovered and decided to add one more stab: “Master Li, look how touched Master Gu is. You really must cure her foot odor. It’s not a serious illness or anything, it’s just that the smell could kill someone. It reminded me of my grandma’s salted fish—fermented for two years. I almost passed out.”

Gu Lanyi shot to her feet, furious, stomping hard.

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

Ruan Li blinked in confusion. “Master Gu, what’s wrong?”

Gu Lanyi was so angry at her innocent expression she nearly fainted.

Wow, she’d never noticed it before—but it turns out Ruan Li is a total green tea b*tch!

Li Fan didn’t have time for drama. She was too busy staring at her phone.

She was worried—Han Xuzhou hadn’t replied. Did he watch the livestream?

FanFanNotAnnoying: [Mr. Han? Mr. Han?]
GreenHatSir: [Shut up.]
GreenHatSir: [[Transfer]]
FanFanNotAnnoying: [Okay 💕]

Money makes the world go round.

006: [Stop chatting. Big scoop alert—didn’t you see Bai Xiaoxian run out after Gu Lanyi?]
006: [He’s comforting her right now. He’s going to suggest faking a couple relationship to shift the public’s attention.]

Li Fan: “……”

[Gu Lanyi is so proud—there’s no way she’ll agree to that.]

006: [You’re giving her too much credit.]

[So Gu Lanyi agreed? But isn’t Bai Xiaoxian already married? If that news gets out, she’ll be branded as the homewrecker.]

006: [Gu Lanyi doesn’t know he’s married, has a kid, and is balding. What she cares about most is her image. She just wants to bury the foot odor incident.]

Gu Lanyi had too much of an idol complex. The persona that lifted her up was also the one now suffocating her.

Even in acting, she had to keep up the act—never daring to break character.

Someone who treasured her reputation this much couldn’t allow even a single stain.

A goddess cannot have foot odor.

But Li Fan’s attention was elsewhere: [Wait, Bai Xiaoxian is already balding? He doesn’t look it.]

006: [He wears a wig. It’s hereditary. No cure.]

After snacking on the gossip for a while, Bai Xiaoxian and Gu Lanyi returned one after another.

But Gu Lanyi decided to skip filming for the rest of the day and headed straight to the second floor.

006: [New scoop! Bai Xiaoxian’s wife, Lin Luqing, just boarded a plane with their daughter Bai Yaya. They’re arriving at Spring City Airport this afternoon. She’s coming to confront him—right on camera.]

Li Fan was shocked: [Isn’t this not his first time cheating? Why didn’t she do anything before?]

006: [It’s not that she didn’t—she forgave him multiple times. But this time it went viral. Even their daughter found out. She got into a fight at school and was mocked by her classmates. Lin Luqing treasures her daughter more than anything. She can endure humiliation herself, but she won’t let her daughter suffer.]

Li Fan thought about it. As a bystander, she still felt the need to warn Gu Lanyi.

So she went up to the second floor.

The moment Gu Lanyi opened the door and saw her, her expression instantly fell.

The last person you want to see when embarrassed… is your love rival.

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, then tried to console her: “Master Gu, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come here because of your foot odor.”

The moment she opened her mouth, Gu Lanyi’s face twisted.

006 started singing: [Maybe just delete me]

Li Fan clicked her tongue. “I really didn’t come to mock your foot—”

“Enough!” Gu Lanyi ground out through clenched teeth.

Li Fan sighed. Being a good person is hard.

“I saw Bai Xiaoxian chasing after you earlier, so I just wanted to warn you. He’s not a good guy—”

“He’s not a good guy, but you are?” Gu Lanyi sneered coldly.

Before Li Fan could reply, Gu Lanyi continued: “You don’t have to bother. I already told you—there’s nothing between me and Han Xuzhou. A smart woman deals with her man, not the countless flirty girls outside. How many can you stop? He might be important to you, but to me, he’s nothing.”

“Nothing between you and Han Xuzhou…” Li Fan mumbled.

“You should just go back and tell him to stop chasing me. My heart belongs to someone else. No matter how good he is, I’ll never like him. I just want to act. All that scheming isn’t for me. So Mrs. Han, you really don’t need to target me. If your husband doesn’t love you, that’s pitiful—but that’s not my fault.”

Li Fan: “?” When did I ever target you?

006: [Truly a woman in love who doesn’t even know it~]

Li Fan scoffed and cut her off: “Master Gu, does Han Xuzhou know about your foot odor?”

Gu Lanyi stopped rambling. Her expression twisted ever so slightly.

“Don’t you dare tell him!”

Just imagining the man she loved finding out about her foot odor was enough to make her want to collapse.

Li Fan ignored her. She never should’ve let pity get the better of her.