Chapter 19: The Rumor Hits the Hot Search

The more Jiang Qi tried to hide his blushing, the more speechless he became.

He hadn’t planned on acting at all—he just wanted to scold Jiang Wan for being “shameless”!

What kind of girl climbs into someone’s bed like that? And even shows such a shy and expectant expression! Even if it was just acting, this was going way too far!

Of course—

If Jiang Wan knew what he was thinking, she would definitely correct him: First of all, this is not your bed.

Watching Jiang Qi’s “performance,” Jiang Wan raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked, “You’re acting pretty well, aren’t you?”

This reaction speed was impressive—the emotional cue was simple, but the level of immersion and the blushing? That wasn’t something an average actor could pull off so easily.

Who said Jiang Qi was bad at emotional scenes?

Jiang Wan really didn’t get it.

From what she had seen, he was always acting well in front of her.

And people said he couldn’t do romantic acting? If that were true, then half the male actors in his age group in the entire entertainment industry might as well quit tomorrow!

Jiang Qi was nearly laughing in disbelief.

At the same time, he finally realized—Jiang Wan had come to him without any ulterior motives. She genuinely just wanted to act.

But…

With Wei Hao practically confirmed as the male lead, and Jiang Wan still coming to him to help him fight for the role—

Whatever the reason was, she clearly cared about him.

As Jiang Qi continued overthinking everything, Jiang Wan suddenly became serious and started asking questions: “Besides shyness, what else?”

Jiang Qi paused, confused. He looked at her with uncertainty.

He was stumped.

What else?

The script only mentioned keywords like “blushing” and “awkwardness.”

What else should a young man feel when facing an unintentional moment of flirtation from his crush, besides being shy?

Seeing his confusion, Jiang Wan generously gave him the answer: “There should be heartache too.”

“You should feel heartache. Heartache for the person you like, who has endured so much humiliation, disguising herself as a man for years, to the point where she’s almost forgotten she’s a woman. That’s why she invites you, a man, to share a bed with her so naturally.”

“After you refuse, the female lead realizes she acted inappropriately—but after hesitating, she still chooses to invite you again.”

“Even though you refuse once more, at that moment you should feel proud, secretly pleased.”

“If her first invitation was instinctual, the second is deliberate. After thinking it through, she’s still willing to risk exposing her identity to ensure your safety by sharing a bed with you. That means she truly trusts you.”

Jiang Qi hadn’t expected that a few simple lines in the script could contain so many layers of emotion, which Jiang Wan effortlessly uncovered.

Yes.

She was good at digging into characters, capturing every little detail that others might overlook.

Jiang Qi finally understood why, in comparison, his performance had failed to meet Meng Yan’s expectations.

He had only grasped the most superficial layer—and hadn’t even performed that well.

Jiang Qi put away all the messy thoughts from earlier.

He pursed his lips and said, “…I’ll give it another try.”

---

4 a.m.

After more than ten hours of rehearsal, Jiang Qi lay on the floor of his house, staring at the ceiling as if his soul had left his body.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wan jumped off the sofa, holding the thick script, and gave her assessment of his performance: “There are ten scenes with emotional parts. Meng Yan will pick from those. We’ve already done seven. Five are totally fine, the other two need some emotional adjustments—let’s refine the details. As for the remaining three… time might be tight, but with your level of comprehension, it’s definitely doable!”

Her voice was full of energy.

If it weren’t for the fact that she looked half-delirious from exhaustion, Jiang Qi might have actually believed she wasn’t tired.

Jiang Qi slowly turned his head and asked, “Can’t we take a break?”

Jiang Wan’s expression turned serious: “I asked Director Meng. At 3 p.m., he’s leaving to sign with Wei Hao’s agency.”

“Are you really okay with losing to Wei Hao?”

“His agency pushes him hard. Haven’t they used all kinds of tricks to steal your opportunities? I heard one of your luxury brand endorsements was taken by him, wasn’t it? You’re really okay with that?”

“Do you want to be Wei Hao’s loser forever?”

Jiang Qi reached out and placed a hand on the coffee table.

He didn’t say a word. He just slowly got up, face full of determination for revenge.

This time—

He would take back everything that belonged to him!!!

11:30 a.m.

Jiang Wan was sitting on the floor, upper body slumped over the sofa, fast asleep.

A blaring alarm sounded repeatedly next to her.

Jiang Qi had already washed up, changed clothes, and was walking out of the bathroom.

He bent down and looked at the peaceful sleeping face before him.

When she slept, she looked well-behaved and fragile. Her long lashes trembled slightly as if she were having a nightmare, evoking a protective instinct in others.

And because Jiang Wan was asleep, there were finally some words Jiang Qi could say.

He gently brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and whispered, “I won’t let you down.”

---

Weibo.

#JiangWanJiangQiRumoredRomance# shot to the top of the trending topics, quickly followed by a bold “BREAKING” tag.

A gossip account released a video clip.

In the footage:

Around 3 p.m. yesterday, Jiang Qi was seen wearing sunglasses and a mask, standing at the entrance of a residential complex in shorts and slippers.

Jiang Wan walked up to him.

They didn’t say a single word. No interaction at all.

Jiang Wan simply followed Jiang Qi into the complex.

She didn’t leave all night.

It wasn’t until 11:30 a.m. today—ten minutes before the video was posted—that they finally came out, one after the other…

And then walked into… uh, the subway.

Yes. They took the subway together.

The comment section was full of question marks:

【???】

【Are they already dating???】

【Didn’t the show just start filming? They’ve already wrapped a whole season’s worth of material?】

【They looked so awkward on the show, but in private…?】

【I don’t get it! I seriously don’t get it anymore!】

Some focused on other details:

【Can someone explain the comedy of Jiang Qi being fully disguised with sunglasses and a mask but wearing pink slippers while heading into the subway with Jiang Wan?】

【Wait—he’s a celebrity and takes the subway?!】

【Hello?! Is the subway the main point here??】

【What day did they take the subway?】

【Stop focusing on useless stuff!!!】

【What line did they take?】

【Okay wait—that might actually be important.】

【AHHH I was on the same subway as them! What car were they in?! I want a celeb encounter!!!】

【I’m at the next stop! Based on the timing, I might run into them too!】

【Let’s go, sisters!!!】

---

9 a.m., subway.

A cute girl with twin ponytails stared at them curiously.

And it wasn’t just her—there were other eyes on them too.

It was rush hour, and the subway was packed. Jiang Wan had just woken up and was still a bit dazed. She wasn’t sure if she was overthinking things.

She reached out and poked Jiang Qi’s arm, clearing her throat twice.

Jiang Qi, being totally oblivious, asked, “Your throat hurts?”

“…No.”

Jiang Wan lowered her voice and discreetly pointed, “Don’t you think that girl over there has been staring at us the whole time?”

Jiang Qi nodded seriously, indicating he understood.

Then he stood up directly, followed her finger, looked over, and loudly shouted:

“Hey! What are you staring at us for?”