When the bouquet landed in Ye Fan’s hands, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted into cheers and squeals.

The bride turned around and saw Ye Fan. She hadn’t expected a Chinese girl to be the one to catch it.

The bride’s sister leaned in and whispered something to her. The two of them exchanged glances between Ye Fan and He Han.

Then, the bride walked over and gave Ye Fan a warm hug.

Straightening up, she looked at Ye Fan and said something in Greek.

“I hope you’ll be happy.”

Ye Fan looked at He Han. “Did you understand what she said?”

He Han lowered his head slightly, his gaze meeting hers. His usually icy eyes seemed to carry a trace of sunlight at that moment.

They locked eyes in silence.

He hadn’t said a word. He simply stood there, quietly studying her features. His expression remained calm, with unreadable emotion hidden deep in his eyes.

Ye Fan, sensing that He Han might be toying with her, instinctively took a small step back.

He Han curled his lips into a faint smile and let out a soft chuckle. “I’ve never studied Greek.”

Ye Fan glanced at him, still holding the bouquet awkwardly, unsure of where to put it.

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to take the bouquet back to her place.

…

As soon as the news of Mai Ruxiang’s publicity stunt broke out, Tang Jin’s agent was one of the first to hear about it.

After filming wrapped up for the day, he brought the matter up with Tang Jin.

Manager Li wanted Tang Jin to be more cautious around Mai Ruxiang.

Mai Ruxiang was far more calculating than Tang Jin. If she managed to provoke Tang Jin into revealing her true colors, it would be Tang Jin who ended up paying the price.

After a full day of shooting, Tang Jin was completely exhausted and a little irritable.

“What happened now?”

Manager Li showed her the photos that had been posted on Weibo.

Since the production team had issued a final warning banning any further fabricated gossip between Mai Ruxiang and He Han, Mai Ruxiang quickly changed tactics—and started trying to associate herself with Tang Jin instead.

Mai Ruxiang’s studio posted two photos.

One was a still from Undercover on the Bund, showing Tang Jin and He Han. In the scene, Tang Jin looked disheveled, portraying a character in the middle of a tense escape.

The other photo showed Mai Ruxiang standing in front of He Han, smiling sweetly.

In reality, she had reached for the ice cream in He Han’s hand and been flatly rejected.

The headline read: [Top Starlet Overshadowed by a Rising Nobody?!]

The moment Tang Jin saw it, her hands shook with anger. No wonder the production team had felt off today.

So this was Mai Ruxiang’s doing. And now she was trying to drag Tang Jin down with her?

Tang Jin had always been the one putting others in their place. Now she was being outmaneuvered by a nobody who barely even counted as a D-lister.

There was no way Tang Jin was going to just swallow her anger.

Manager Li warned her, “Mai Ruxiang has been in the entertainment industry for years. Don’t let her trap you.”

Tang Jin nodded and responded casually, signaling that she understood.

But in truth, she had no intention of letting Mai Ruxiang off the hook. If Mai Ruxiang had the guts to pull a stunt like this, Tang Jin certainly wasn’t going to take it lying down.

A while later, the show resumed filming.

Ye Fan and the others set off for the next location, while He Han was called away by the director.

During the shoot, the managers of Ding Ruoyi and the other girls had already warned them—Mai Ruxiang wasn’t someone with good intentions. They were advised to keep their distance.

In the van, Mai Ruxiang suddenly spoke up. “Ye Fan, I think this place is kind of boring.”

Her team had already been warned by the director—any more antics during filming and they’d be kicked off the show.

But Mai Ruxiang knew that if she failed again this time, she’d be shelved the moment she returned. At this point, she figured she might as well go all in on the “infamous” route. Maybe she could still grab some attention.

This time, her target was Ye Fan.

Ye Fan turned to her calmly, her tone cooling just a little. “So?”

Mai Ruxiang replied, “How about we go to the Temple of Poseidon instead?”

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow.

The Temple of Poseidon? It was far from here, and going there would cost a lot. Based on their current budget, it wasn’t worth the expense.

Although Ye Fan was in charge of managing the money, if someone on the team made a different suggestion and others agreed with it, she couldn’t just dismiss it outright.

In situations like this, no matter what she chose, someone would be dissatisfied. It was clear Mai Ruxiang was doing this on purpose.

Ye Fan looked at her and replied coolly, “Since I’m in charge of the budget, I’ll take everyone’s opinion into account.”

Mai Ruxiang had made the first move—but there was no way Ye Fan was going to let her get what she wanted. If Mai Ruxiang was trying to drive a wedge between her and the others, she’d need the group to play along.

But honestly, with the way Mai Ruxiang had been acting, who would still be on her side?

Her plan was doomed from the start.

Ye Fan turned to Ding Ruoyi. “Ruoyi, what do you think?”

Ding Ruoyi shook her head. “No. It’s too far.”

She found Mai Ruxiang insufferable. There was no way she’d agree with anything she said.

Gu Yachen, on the other hand, glanced at Mai Ruxiang with a mocking look and deliberately stretched out her tone. “Big sis, are you serious?”

Big sis?

Mai Ruxiang’s face turned pale.

She was the oldest among them, so technically there was nothing wrong with Gu Yachen calling her that.

But coming from her, it sounded all kinds of wrong. Mai Ruxiang could only grit her teeth and swallow her frustration.

Gu Yachen continued, “The Temple of Poseidon is in Sounion—we’d have to transfer buses to get there. Even if we had the money, that’s not how we should be spending it.”

Ye Fan had expected Ding Ruoyi and Gu Yachen to decline. What remained was Tang Jin’s stance.

Tang Jin simply said, “I don’t want to go either. Sounds boring.”

Her reasoning was simple. Both Ye Fan and Mai Ruxiang were her rivals, but right now, Mai Ruxiang had seriously crossed the line. For the time being, her grudge against Ye Fan could wait.

Mai Ruxiang had the audacity to buy negative press about her—of course she wasn’t going to let that slide.

With everyone rejecting Mai Ruxiang’s suggestion, an awkward expression briefly flickered across Mai Ruxiang’s face.

Ye Fan gave a slight smile, though it carried a chill. “As you can see, none of us want to go there.”

“We’re a team. What matters most is the group’s opinion.”

With calm and ease, Ye Fan dismissed Mai Ruxiang’s idea, framing every word around the collective interest.

Then she added, “Our budget’s already tight, so we need to think carefully about every expense.”

Almost casually, she added, “But if you really want to go, I can allocate part of the budget just for you.”

“This leg of the trip is almost over. I’d like for you to enjoy yourself.”

Ye Fan’s gracious offer only made Mai Ruxiang seem even more selfish and inconsiderate.

Mai Ruxiang was left speechless—not only had she failed to frame Ye Fan, she didn’t gain a single thing from it either.

Mai Ruxiang still couldn’t figure it out—why had Tang Jin sided with Ye Fan? Weren’t the two of them supposed to be rivals?

Her first attempt to stir trouble for Ye Fan had failed, so now she came up with another plan: sow discord among the group.

She spoke up again. “Ye Fan, I was honestly surprised when I saw you and Tang Jin on the same show. I didn’t expect it.”

Ye Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. So that’s what this was—trying to pit her and Tang Jin against each other?

But what Mai Ruxiang didn’t understand was that some things just couldn’t be said out loud. She thought she could provoke others with veiled remarks, but in the end, she’d only sabotage herself.

Sure enough, Tang Jin’s expression darkened instantly—but her glare wasn’t aimed at Ye Fan. It was directed straight at Mai Ruxiang.

Tang Jin was fuming. Mai Ruxiang was clearly trying to embarrass her on purpose.

Ye Fan gave a cold laugh in her heart but kept her expression composed. “You seem to worry about too many things.”

“This is our job, and we should approach it with professionalism. Taking our work seriously is how we show respect to everyone involved.”

“You’d do better to focus on that, rather than wasting energy on… other thoughts.”

Ye Fan looked at Mai Ruxiang, her tone light, her smile faint but pointed. “Don’t you think so?”

With just a few calm sentences, Ye Fan had quietly shifted the focus from her conflict with Tang Jin to Mai Ruxiang’s lack of professionalism and manipulative behavior.

To anyone listening, it was obvious who the real troublemaker was—Mai Ruxiang had once again made herself look petty and out of place.

After getting shut down by Ye Fan again, Mai Ruxiang turned her attention to someone else. “Gu Yachen, you’re always hanging around Tang Jin. You two must be pretty close, huh?”

Gu Yachen’s eyes widened. Was Mai Ruxiang implying she was just Tang Jin’s little sidekick? Sure, she did stick close to Tang Jin—but who was Mai Ruxiang to call her out?

Who else but Mai Ruxiang would have the nerve to cling to the most famous person in sight, even daring to create fake relationship rumors with He Han? And now she had the gall to mock her?

Gu Yachen really wanted to snap back with a “None of your damn business,” but the cameras were still rolling—she had to hold back.

Instead, she forced a smile and replied, “Big sis, Tang Jin and I are good friends. You don’t need to worry about it.”

There it was again—big sis. Mai Ruxiang’s face visibly paled.

Gu Yachen pressed on, deliberately. “Why don’t we talk about your latest drama instead?”

“Oh wait, what was it called again?” she added, feigning confusion, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Her meaning was clear: Mai Ruxiang had zero name recognition. No matter what she acted in, it flopped.

Even tossing a stone in water would cause more of a splash. Yet Mai Ruxiang, even with a decent platform, still couldn’t manage to gain traction. She just couldn’t make it.

Tang Jin, meanwhile, turned her head and started chatting with Gu Yachen, completely ignoring Mai Ruxiang.

On the surface, it looked like Tang Jin and Gu Yachen were the perfect picture of sisterly affection.

Mai Ruxiang had tried to stir the pot, hoping to spark drama between the others. But things had gone entirely off script.

Not only had the fight she hoped for failed to ignite, the girls had united—and turned their fire back on her. In the end, she got nothing but cold shoulders and humiliation. Her scheming had completely backfired.

When Dudu was home alone, he often found himself missing Ye Fan.

Thankfully, Yan Xiaoxiao was always there to keep him company and play with him, so he wouldn’t dwell too much on Ye Fan being away.

Dudu sat in the living room, his chubby little legs crossed as he perched beside the table.

In his hand was one of the toy cars Ye Fan had bought him.

After earning some money, Ye Fan had gotten him several different models, and Dudu treasured them dearly—he carried them around with him everywhere.

With his plump fingers gripping the top of the car, Dudu crawled across the floor, pushing it along the edge of the table.

“Vroom vroom, the little car is on the move!” he announced cheerfully.

The toy car’s wheels rolled smoothly along the table’s edge as Dudu propelled himself forward, using both hands and feet to crawl.

His cheeks puffed out as he made engine noises, muttering to himself in a happy little world of his own.

“Mommy’s car is coming back,” Dudu said softly.

He remembered Ye Fan leaving in a car, and he hoped it would bring her back soon.

He picked up his little toy car and placed it on the sofa.

“The car’s stopping now. Make sure you drive back to Dudu’s house, okay?”

Entertaining himself, Dudu pushed the toy along the edge of the sofa, completely absorbed in his own game.

Yan Xiaoxiao had just finished her homework. When she came out of her room and saw Dudu playing like that, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She lay down beside him and said, “Dudu, come play with me!”

Dudu paused, turning to look at her with wide eyes.

Dudu’s big, round eyes looked up at Yan Xiaoxiao. Her heart softened, and she stood up to scoop him off the floor.

Although Yan Xiaoxiao was a little older than Dudu, she was still just a kid herself.

Plus, Dudu had been eating well and was quite chubby.

Lifting him was clearly a bit of a struggle.

Dudu felt a little uncomfortable being carried, but he stayed obediently still.

Yan Xiaoxiao half-dragged, half-carried him over to the sofa and gently set him down.

“Dudu, wait here for your big sister. I’m going to grab something from my room.”

She ran off and came back with a collection of dolls, which she carefully arranged on the living room table.

“Okay, let’s play house!”

Yan Xiaoxiao placed three dolls around the corners of the sofa.

Dudu poked at them with his chubby little fingers.

“This is Mommy, this is Big Sister, and is this Auntie?”

He assigned each doll a role with innocent curiosity.

Yan Xiaoxiao nodded. “Kind of.”

“Mommy will be home soon, with all of us.”

Dudu placed his toy car on the table and rolled it up to Ye Fan’s doll.

Yan Xiaoxiao went along with the story, and the two of them played happily together.

Cheng Ping came out of the kitchen and saw the two heads—big and small—close together, whispering quietly. It was hard to tell what they were saying.

“Xiaoxiao, it’s time for your nap,” Cheng Ping called softly, urging her to go to her room.

Reluctant, Yan Xiaoxiao was in the middle of having fun and didn’t want to stop so soon.

She looked at Dudu with hopeful eyes, silently wishing he would join her in resisting.

But Dudu was still little, and he definitely needed his nap.

Cheng Ping spoke gently, “Dudu, you need to sleep too.”

Dudu looked up with his soft, fair face, tilting his head to look at Cheng Ping.

He was very obedient and nodded, then began picking up the toy cars on the table.

Seeing that Dudu had drifted away from the game, Yan Xiaoxiao slowly made her way to her room.

One toy car was left on the sofa, and Dudu climbed up to get it.

But his feet slipped, and he slid down from the sofa.

He fell onto the floor, but luckily there was a carpet, so he wasn’t hurt badly.

Cheng Ping was startled and quickly scooped Dudu up.

Dudu’s lips quivered, tears welled up in his eyes, and a tear fell.

Cheng Ping thought he was hurt and hurriedly sat down on the sofa holding him.

Yan Xiaoxiao came out of the room, her face full of worry as she looked at Dudu.

Cheng Ping asked, “What’s wrong with Dudu? Did he get hurt anywhere?”

Dudu wiped his tears with the back of his hand and shook his head sadly.

“I miss Mommy,” he said in a small, trembling voice.

Dudu rarely cried when he fell, but he remembered how every time he did, Ye Fan would hold him and comfort him.

Just thinking of his mom made the tears come again, and he couldn’t stop himself from missing her.

Cheng Ping let Dudu sit on her lap, gently patting his back.

But Dudu kept crying, his face streaked with tears.

His little body shook as he sobbed, “I want Mommy.”

Yan Xiaoxiao seemed to realize something and quickly ran back into the room.

Cheng Ping’s heart ached; she wiped Dudu’s tears with a tissue and softly comforted him.

“Don’t worry, Dudu. Mommy will be home very soon.”

Just then, Yan Xiaoxiao came out holding her phone. She had found a video of Ye Fan playing the violin.

She knew Dudu loved Teacher Ye the most, and hearing this would surely cheer him up.

The gentle sound of the violin filled the room.

Gradually, Dudu’s upset emotions began to calm.

He sniffled but didn’t cry anymore. Instead, he looked toward Yan Xiaoxiao.

Even without seeing the video, he recognized that the music was Ye Fan’s playing.

With wide, tear-filled eyes, Dudu listened to the familiar melody.

He had watched that video many times—anytime it was his mom playing, he could instantly recognize it.

…

The next few days of filming would take place in Athens, with the production team managing the schedule.

The guests were exhausted from all the walking, so the crew gave them some extra funds to order additional food for dinner.

Tang Jin, already worn out, slumped into a chair, too tired to move any further.

The others sat scattered around, each keeping to themselves with no intention of moving.

Ye Fan stood up and picked up the money from the table. “I’ll go buy something for everyone.”

She grabbed her bag and stepped outside. The night breeze was getting chilly, and a dull ache crept into her feet.

Ye Fan had endured much worse hardships—walking so much was nothing to her.

The female guests kept pushing each other around, spoiled and quarrelsome. Ye Fan hoped to prevent any more fights from breaking out.

It was just a simple dinner—she only hoped the filming would go smoothly.

As Ye Fan stepped onto the street, the soft glow of the streetlights gently spilled onto the pavement.

Suddenly, a deep voice called from behind her.

“Ye Fan.”

She stopped and turned to see He Han standing there, his gaze fixed on her.

His eyes were dark and intense, locking onto her with unreadable emotion.

Ye Fan curved her lips into a slight smile. “He Han.”

In the quiet night breeze, He Han’s voice drifted softly, “Let’s walk together.”

Ye Fan nodded. “Okay.”

The night was just beginning to fall, with lights twinkling here and there—utterly beautiful.

He Han and Ye Fan walked side by side.

For some reason, the cameraman who had just been here was suddenly gone, and the staff following them had disappeared as well.

Perhaps because they were in a foreign land, their guard was a bit lower.

All around them were unfamiliar faces—foreign strangers.

He was close now, and the cold sharpness of He Han’s presence pressed in around her. His voice was low.

“Do you always take everything onto yourself?”

Ye Fan froze, unsure of how to respond. She didn’t know what to say.

He Han’s voice deepened. “I saw the video of you playing the violin that day.”

Ye Fan came to an abrupt stop.

He Han’s gaze found hers, locking on with unwavering intensity.

There was a hint of hesitation in his tone. “The music sounded familiar—like I’ve heard it somewhere before.”

Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked into his eyes, searching. There was something complicated there, something unreadable, a tangle of emotions she couldn’t quite grasp.

What exactly was he trying to say?

=^_^=