Ye Fan couldn’t quite tell what He Han was trying to say.

Did he know something? And if so, how much?

Her gaze flickered as she drifted off in thought for a moment.

But when she couldn’t find the right words to respond, avoiding the question seemed like the safest option.

“You know, those pieces are all pretty well-known,” Ye Fan said calmly, her expression unreadable, as if there was nothing worth hiding at all.

“It’s not unusual for a melody to sound familiar.”

He Han’s gaze deepened, lingering on her for a moment longer before he finally looked away.

The night wind from Athens brushed past them, and his thin lips parted slightly.

“Is that so?”

His low, husky voice drifted past her ear like a whisper.

“Seems I was overthinking it.”

His expression returned to its usual cold, impassive state—calm and unreadable.

On the surface, he seemed unaffected.

Ye Fan didn’t catch the faint trace of disappointment hidden in his voice.

They still had to bring dinner to the other guests waiting in the house, so the two of them continued walking.

He Han and Ye Fan stood silently on a street in Athens. Neither of them said a word.

Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure was trailing behind.

Hu An was an apprentice at a well-known paparazzi studio in China. After digging up the crew’s itinerary, he had come to Greece ahead of schedule.

He had followed them from Santorini to Athens, but over the past few days, he hadn’t caught the pair alone—until now.

Being a paparazzo was no easy job, and so far, Hu An hadn’t managed to land anything big.

But now, with He Han and Ye Fan out together, and no crew members in sight, Hu An felt his chance had finally come.

Blending in with the crowd, he kept a close eye on them, carefully matching their pace.

The moment He Han began pressing Ye Fan with questions, Hu An swiftly hit the shutter.

He looked down at the camera in satisfaction.

The angle was perfect. The two of them were standing very close—intimate.

A scoop. A real exclusive.

Thrilled, Hu An quickly dialed a number back in China. Someone picked up.

“Mr. Qian,” Hu An said excitedly, “I got the shot!”

…

Later, after He Han and Ye Fan returned to the house, everyone had dinner and went to bed.

The next morning, they set out early. The restaurant they were headed to had limited seating, so they went ahead to reserve a spot.

Ye Fan left for a while, and soon after, Gu Yachen and Tang Jin gradually got up as well.

By the time they were all dressed and ready to leave, they realized Mai Ruxiang was still in bed.

Gu Yachen glanced at the tightly shut door of Mai Ruxiang’s room and shrugged. “She set her own alarm. I’m not waking her up.”

The cameraman was already waiting downstairs, so the group left together.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Ye Fan noticed it was just the few of them. Mai Ruxiang was nowhere in sight.

She asked, “Where’s Mai Ruxiang?”

Gu Yachen replied, “She was still sleeping when we left. She should be on her way now.”

Just then, Ye Fan’s phone rang. She picked up, and an angry voice immediately came through the receiver.

Mai Ruxiang launched into a tirade.

“Ye Fan, why didn’t you wake me up?”

Ye Fan’s expression turned cold. She didn’t respond right away.

Mai Ruxiang snapped, “You all just left me behind?”

“I overslept—no one thought to check on me? Do any of you even have a conscience?”

She had only just woken up and discovered that her alarm hadn’t gone off. The house was empty. Furious, she had called Ye Fan on the spot.

At that moment, Ye Fan finally spoke.

“I left earlier with He Han. I didn’t know what had happened.”

As Ye Fan spoke, she glanced at Gu Yachen. Gu Yachen quickly looked away.

Ye Fan had no interest in getting involved in the ongoing tension between Gu Yachen and Mai Ruxiang, but with the shoot for this episode coming to an end, she didn’t want any more drama.

Her tone remained calm. “Since you’re awake now, just come join us. We’re all part of the same team—there’s no need to say things like that.”

Mai Ruxiang was silent for a moment, then hung up. And just like that, the matter quietly faded.

When the show’s recording finally wrapped, Tang Jin’s team used their resources to suppress Mai Ruxiang at every turn. As a result, Mai Ruxiang’s career became even more difficult to navigate.

…

When Ye Fan got home, the house was quiet and empty.

Auntie Li had likely taken Dudu to visit Auntie Cheng and hadn’t returned yet.

Ye Fan felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Cheng Ping. She had no obligation to help, yet she treated Dudu with such kindness.

Xiaoxiao, too—after spending time with her, Dudu had become noticeably more cheerful.

Ye Fan didn’t have much experience raising a child, but she knew it was good for him to spend time with others and learn to connect.

Unable to wait any longer, she went downstairs and stood outside, quietly waiting for Dudu to come home.

As Ye Fan made her way downstairs, Cheng Ping’s car was already pulling up at the entrance of the complex.

Inside the car, Dudu sat with drooping eyelids, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

He had cried earlier and was now a little worn out.

Cheng Ping drove steadily, so the ride was smooth and gentle—hardly any bumps for Dudu to notice.

As the car neared the building, Dudu blinked his eyes open, still groggy, and glanced toward the entrance—almost as if by instinct.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw Ye Fan standing there. All traces of sleepiness vanished.

He stretched out his little hand, pointing excitedly in her direction.

“It’s Mommy! Mommy’s home!”

At the sound of Dudu’s voice, both Cheng Ping and Auntie Li turned to look.

In the shadow ahead stood a woman, her features obscured by the dim light.

No one quite knew how Dudu had recognized her so quickly.

By now, night had deepened. The streetlights cast a soft, pale glow, and everything around them grew quieter.

Ye Fan turned her head toward the direction of the approaching car.

A beam of headlights swept across the road, illuminating the path before her.

She squinted into the light and recognized Cheng Ping’s car.

Ye Fan quickened her pace as the car came to a smooth stop in front of her.

The next moment, the door opened, and Auntie Li gently lifted Dudu out of the car.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Dudu’s little legs sprang into action. He ran toward Ye Fan with all the energy he could muster.

Just moments ago he had been sleepy and sluggish, but now, he was wide awake.

“Mommy, I missed you so much!”

Dudu was still clutching the little toy car Ye Fan had bought him as he threw himself into her arms.

Ye Fan crouched down, and Dudu crashed right into her embrace.

His soft little body melted against hers, and with his lips puckered, he planted a big kiss on her cheek.

He rubbed his face against hers, dimples showing clearly as he grinned with joy.

Ye Fan scooped him up, one hand supporting his tiny bottom as she stood up steadily.

She kissed his cheek gently. “Mommy missed you too, baby.”

Just then, Cheng Ping got out of the car, and Ye Fan stepped forward to greet her.

“Thank you so much, Auntie Cheng.”

Cheng Ping patted Dudu’s head with a smile. “No need to thank me. It was nothing. Besides, Xiaoxiao had a great time playing with Dudu. She was so happy.”

It was getting late, and Cheng Ping was ready to head home.

Ye Fan looked down at Dudu and said softly, “Say goodbye to Auntie.”

Dudu turned to Cheng Ping, lifted his little hand, and gave her a cheerful wave.

“Bye-bye, Auntie! Dudu will come play with you again next time!”

Cheng Ping smiled warmly. “Then I’ll be waiting for you, Dudu.”

Ye Fan adjusted Dudu in her arms, lifting him slightly. “Take care on the way home.”

The car made a turn and drove off.

Ye Fan and Auntie Li headed into the elevator together.

Auntie Li was visibly tired after spending the day taking Dudu around.

Ye Fan hugged Dudu a little tighter. “Auntie Li, thank you so much. It must’ve been exhausting, taking Dudu out all day.”

Auntie Li waved her hand. “Not at all. Dudu is such a good boy—honestly, I’ve never looked after a child as easy as him.”

Dudu’s small arms were wrapped around Ye Fan’s neck. Hearing the conversation, he looked up at her.

“Mommy, today I played a game with sister about you coming home—and you really did!”

His soft, babyish voice echoed gently inside the elevator. His eyes were wide open, trying hard not to fall asleep.

“Mommy wanted to surprise Dudu,” Ye Fan whispered with a smile.

She hadn’t told Auntie Li she would be coming home tonight—plans were always uncertain, and she didn’t want to promise anything too soon.

Dudu’s eyes were half open. He had already dozed off in the car, but now he was forcing himself to stay awake.

Ye Fan supported him with one arm and gently covered his eyes with the other.

“Go to sleep, baby.”

With the bright lights blocked, Dudu could no longer fight off the drowsiness.

He wanted to sleep, but still mumbled stubbornly, “Baby’s not sleepy…”

Ye Fan could tell he was trying hard to stay awake. She coaxed him softly, her voice gentle and soothing.

Slowly, Dudu’s little body relaxed in her arms, and his eyes fluttered shut. Safe and warm in Ye Fan’s embrace, he drifted off to sleep.

Even in his sleep, his tiny fists remained clenched and tucked against his chest.

The next day, Ye Fan had no work scheduled, so she stayed home with Dudu.

He lay on his back, sound asleep, belly slightly poking out.

Morning sunlight streamed into the room, spilling onto Dudu’s small body. It was warm and lazy, wrapping the space in a soft stillness.

Ye Fan sat by his side. He stayed fast asleep, not stirring once.

Eventually, she slipped quietly out of bed and went to wash up in the bathroom.

When she stepped out, she saw Dudu’s small body shift slightly.

He turned over in his sleep—his little face now facing in Ye Fan’s direction.

Ye Fan smiled as she walked over to the bed and crouched down to look at Dudu.

His long eyelashes fluttered, and then he opened his eyes.

The moment he did, Ye Fan was right there in front of him.

Dudu grinned wide and reached out his arms. “Mommy, pick me up!”

Ye Fan leaned down and kissed his soft little cheek.

Then she gently lifted him up from the bed.

To Dudu, life felt wonderful—opening his eyes to see Mommy right beside him.

The moment he woke up, Mommy was holding him.

“Mommy, lift me up high!” he said suddenly, his voice soft and sweet.

Dudu had seen other parents lifting their kids up high outside.

Those children would giggle happily.

He had been hoping that after Mommy came home, she’d lift him up like that too.

Worried she might not understand, he raised both his hands high into the air.

Striking a double-arm lift pose, he looked up at Ye Fan with sparkling eyes and excitement.

Ye Fan froze for a moment—had Dudu seriously misjudged her strength?

If Ye Fan held Dudu for too long, her arms would start to feel strained.

And lifting him up? That was out of the question—she definitely didn’t want to risk dropping him.

She even tried to shift his weight a little, but quickly gave up on the idea.

Forget lifting him high—just raising him up a bit was already a challenge.

Not wanting to crush Dudu’s enthusiasm, Ye Fan tried to negotiate with him gently.

“Baby, you’re a little chubby—Mommy can’t lift you all the way up.”

She added quickly, “How about Mommy carries you and we walk around the room a few times instead?”

Dudu hung his whole little body on her, looking a bit disappointed.

Dudu buried his head in Ye Fan’s neck, his soft, childish voice muffled.

“Well, okay then.”

Wanting to cheer him up, Ye Fan carried Dudu as she walked in circles around the living room.

Dudu lay on her shoulder, his chubby cheek pressed against her back.

His little face was serious, tight with concentration.

It was the first time Dudu had started to ponder life—and, naturally, it was all about his chubbiness.

Was he really that fat?

Suddenly, a flash of He Han’s face popped into his mind.

On TV, that uncle looked so cool—he would definitely be able to lift Dudu up.

But Dudu was worried again. He didn’t even know the uncle’s name, so how could he ask him to lift him up high?

Little did he know, tomorrow his wish to be lifted high would come true.

…

The Greece episode of “Let’s Traveling” aired.

The first episode was calm, without any major surprises.

Because He Han and Ye Fan were both in charge of the money, they interacted a lot, which fired up the fans who shipped them as a couple.

That night, hundreds of new videos suddenly appeared on site E.

[“Cold Night Couple’s Honeymoon in Santorini”]

[“He Han, look here! I have a love story I want to tell you.”]

[One Hundred Ways to Publicly Flaunt a Relationship]

The production team’s plan worked perfectly—the audience’s attention was firmly fixed on He Han and Ye Fan.

That previously hyped transparent actress who tried to capitalize on the buzz had completely faded from public interest.

However, what no one expected was that an even fiercer drama was still waiting to unfold.

Mai Ruxiang’s filming in Greece was finally over.

Her team had only promised the show’s producers not to cause trouble while in Greece, but once back home, they didn’t hesitate to release their press statements as usual.

Soon, Mai Ruxiang gave an interview, tearfully accusing Gu Yachen of bullying her during the shoot—without mentioning any show details.

Her words sparked a huge online debate. Some viewers accused Mai Ruxiang of stirring up drama, while others defended her.

Of course, there was no shortage of paid online trolls backing Mai Ruxiang.

Gu Yachen was furious when she saw the interview at home.

Fortunately, the production team had long been annoyed by Mai Ruxiang’s behavior and had prepared a backup plan.

The footage of Gu Yachen not waking Mai Ruxiang up in Athens would be cut from the final edit.

Honestly, every other female cast member was more popular than Mai Ruxiang, and the production team wasn’t about to give her another chance to ride on free publicity.

After the episodes filmed in Austria aired, Gu Yachen faced severe backlash online. Her team decided it was time to switch up her image.

Her new drama was about to be released, and in the trailers, she played a spoiled and headstrong imperial consort—much closer to her true personality.

The innocent schoolgirl image was officially gone, but the dark, genuine diva persona was actually pretty compelling.

Since she was going to get criticized anyway, Gu Yachen figured she might as well turn the negativity into more fame. Once the Athens episodes aired, the public would see through Mai Ruxiang’s attempts to sow discord.

Soon, Gu Yachen’s studio fired back!

They released a gif of the imperial consort slapping her hand, captioned: “I am just being true to myself.”

The reaction from netizens was predictably intense.

[What’s this? After losing the innocent image, is she just going to let loose now?]

[Haha, is Gu Yachen planning to become the expert at shutting down haters?]

[Are celebrities starting to get into public feuds themselves now? Impressive.]

The “expert at shutting down haters” persona was pretty much unique among current rising stars.

The feud between Mai Ruxiang and Gu Yachen only boosted their popularity.

Both used scandal and controversy to stay in the spotlight—it was basically a dog-eat-dog fight, messy and noisy.

Mai Ruxiang clearly wasn’t satisfied. Throwing shade at Gu Yachen was just a warm-up; she was barely semi-famous and couldn’t compare to Ye Fan or Tang Jin.

Her team, pushing hard, dragged Ye Fan into the drama too.

They bought a trending topic titled “Ye Fan the White Lotus,” prompting gossip accounts to question what role Ye Fan really played in this whole incident.

Her team even hired internet trolls to flood Ye Fan’s Weibo comments with insults and smear campaigns.

Because of Mai Ruxiang’s involvement, what was once a smooth-running show had turned into a full-blown public feud.

[Ye Fan always seemed so low-key—I never would’ve guessed she’s a white lotus behind the scenes.]

[Do you really think Ye Fan’s that kind of person? Last time the producers tried to throw shade at her, she stayed completely silent and never complained.]

[Heh, don’t mistake her quietness for weakness. Now that Ye Fan’s popular, some people just want to ride her coattails.]

But no one expected that just a few hours later, a major scandal would suddenly break!

[During filming, He Han and Ye Fan mysteriously disappeared together in Athens for a while.]

The accompanying photo was telling—a nighttime shot of He Han and Ye Fan strolling through the streets of Athens, with no staff around them.

Once the news broke, the entire internet erupted in shock!

At that moment, Ye Fan was at home with Dudu. After finishing dinner, they were sitting in the living room.

Suddenly, the phone on the table lit up with a notification—a gossip headline.

Ye Fan glanced at it and immediately froze.

She gently turned to Dudu and said, “Baby, wait for me a moment, okay? Mommy needs to make a phone call.”

Dudu nodded obediently, “Okay, Dudu will wait for Mommy.”

Ye Fan walked over to the window and made a call to Dai Jinshan. “Did your team buy that press release?”

Dai Jinshan replied, “No, we didn’t.”

Ye Fan paused for a moment. “Then who do you think it could be? Paparazzi?”

Dai Jinshan said, “That’s definitely a possibility.”

“If it were paparazzi, news like this would normally be screened by the team first,” Dai Jinshan explained. “They’d buy the photos outright to keep the story from going public.”

Ye Fan furrowed her brow slightly.

Dai Jinshan said, “Actually, the paparazzi didn’t approach our team. We only just saw this news ourselves.”

His implication was clear.

Which team was behind spreading the rumors about He Han and Ye Fan?

It turned out to be He Han’s own studio.

The bitter feud among several female celebrities had dragged innocent Ye Fan into the mess, while the scandal involving He Han conveniently served to clear her name.

Ye Fan thought it over carefully.

He Han’s last-minute involvement to save the show, the wedding scene in Santorini, the missing crew members in Athens that night, and all the seemingly accidental coincidences suddenly came to mind…

It seemed that He Han’s team had agreed to let the paparazzi release the story.

But as a celebrated Best Actor, He Han was already the center of attention wherever he appeared—there was no need for extra publicity to keep him in the spotlight.

So why stir up a “ship” with her, a newcomer just starting out?

In terms of fame, her popularity and public recognition were nowhere near his level.

As for her work, she had only played a minor role and never won any awards.

Among the trending young stars, there were clearly more suitable candidates.

Usually calm and composed, Ye Fan felt increasingly uneasy the more she thought about it.

She stood there, gazing down through the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

The night deepened, and below the towering buildings, the city’s traffic flowed steadily like a river of lights.

The city was aglow with thousands of lights, making the entire skyline shine brightly.

On the streets below, pedestrians bustled like tiny ants, small and fleeting.

Ye Fan tilted her head slightly and glanced over at her little Dudu.

With his back to her, the chubby little figure sat on the floor playing with toys.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned around and called out in his soft, childish voice, “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

Dudu’s chubby little arms looked as soft and pale as young lotus roots, his hand clutching a small toy car.

As time passed, his features began to take shape, faintly resembling He Han.

Soon enough, the resemblance would likely become even clearer.

Gazing at that carefree little face, Ye Fan sighed thoughtfully, lost in her own reflections.

=^_^=