Chapter 20: As a Fan, I Only Wish You Happiness

Jiang Wan: “………………”

Her toes were curling into the floor frantically, and she didn’t know whether she should curse out loud or not.

She was already preparing to stand up and apologize to the girl, but she didn’t expect that when Jiang Qi “fiercely” questioned her, the girl didn’t get angry at all—instead, her eyes lit up.

As if, in the moment Jiang Qi spoke, she had finally confirmed a long-held suspicion.

Jiang Wan screamed internally.

No—!!!

Please don’t recognize them!

Could Jiang Qi be a little more low-key?!

Under Jiang Qi’s puzzled gaze, the girl exclaimed with joy, “Jiang Qi! I knew it was you!”

They were recognized after all.

Jiang Wan’s heart sank. She quickly lowered her head, trying to shrink her presence.

If they recognized Jiang Qi, fine. Just please don’t notice her…

The next second—

Jiang Wan’s prayers failed again.

The girl continued, “So you really are with Jiang Wan!”

Jiang Wan: “……”

Hold on.

They were together, not together-together.

Although those two phrases sound similar, they absolutely do not mean the same thing! Isn’t this girl a Jiang Qi fan? Could she be a bit more careful with her wording? Don’t say things that are easily misunderstood!

But Jiang Qi didn’t realize there was any issue. Seeing that hiding it was pointless, he simply took off his sunglasses and flashed a charming smile. “Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Qi. Nice to meet you all.”

Jiang Wan could only silently remove her mask as well.

Since Jiang Qi had already “outed” himself, she might as well act openly too. That way, people would be more likely to believe they were just ordinary friends.

Well, not even friends at this point.

Just… colleagues who happened to be walking together.

The surrounding subway car erupted in gasps of recognition, and many people quickly raised their phones to start taking pictures.

The girl with twin ponytails squeezed forward, enthusiastically introducing herself to Jiang Qi: “Oppa, I’ve liked you for so long! I’ve been following you since your very first drama!”

As she spoke, she pulled a card binder out of her bag to prove her loyalty. It was filled with collectible photo cards from Jiang Qi’s various endorsements.

Seeing that the girl really was a die-hard fan—and that she had brought out so many of his “handsome” photos—Jiang Qi’s mood instantly improved. His exhaustion vanished.

Unfortunately, the situation wasn’t ideal for taking selfies, but Jiang Qi still generously signed his autograph on one of her photo cards. “Thank you for supporting me.”

Jiang Wan, standing silently to the side, thought to herself: With the celebrity’s autograph, that little card probably just multiplied in value several times over.

The girl’s eyes filled with tears. It looked like she was going to cry at any moment.

Jiang Wan quickly reached into her backpack, took out a pack of tissues, and handed it to Jiang Qi for him to pass to the fan.

The girl wiped her tears, looked at Jiang Qi, and said, “As fans, we only wish for your happiness.”

The next second—

She turned to Jiang Wan, shouting with conviction: “You two must be happy together!”

The subway arrived at the next stop.

She ran out crying without giving them any chance to explain.

Her whole emotional performance had left not just Jiang Qi and Jiang Wan stunned—but everyone in the subway car.

It was like the moment before the protagonist goes into battle and gives a long speech—except no one had interrupted her.

After the girl left in tears, the atmosphere suddenly turned chaotic. A crowd of people raised their phones and began closing in on them.

One man even thrust his phone practically in Jiang Wan’s face. He spoke rudely: “Aren’t you a celebrity too? You’re pretty good-looking. Smile for me—I wanna post this on my Moments.”

Jiang Wan had never experienced something like this before.

She instinctively wanted to respond with a polite fan-service smile, but when she noticed the man’s lecherous gaze, her expression froze.

Jiang Qi frowned.

He stood up and stepped in between Jiang Wan and the man, casually giving himself an excuse: “Sitting too long made me stiff—needed to stretch a bit.”

Then, turning around, he flashed the middle-aged man a dazzling smile and held up a peace sign toward the camera: “I’m a celebrity too. Why don’t you just take pictures of me instead?”

The man was clearly taken aback by Jiang Qi’s boldness. He looked like he wanted to say something nasty, but after noticing that Jiang Qi was at least half a head taller than him—and seeing the toned muscle lines on Jiang Qi’s arm—he chickened out. Grumbling a few words under his breath, he turned and squeezed his way into the crowd.

Jiang Wan clearly understood that Jiang Qi had stepped in to help her. She whispered, “Thank you.”

Jiang Qi scoffed, “That guy just had no taste. I’m clearly the more popular one—if he’s gonna take pictures, he should take pictures of me. Don’t overthink it.”

Jiang Wan believed him. And she was shocked.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Qi to be this competitive.

Soon—

The subway arrived at their stop, where several media outlets were already waiting.

After Jiang Wan finished her meeting with Meng Yan yesterday, she had gone to eat alone nearby. A passerby had taken a photo and uploaded it online.

Under normal circumstances, this sort of minor incident wouldn’t cause a stir. But entertainment reporters have the sharpest instincts. They had already split into two groups—one stationed near the subway stop by Jiang Wan’s house, and the other waiting here.

The subway doors opened.

Jiang Wan glanced at the time, looking conflicted. “We don’t have time to explain anything right now.”

“I understand.”

At the critical moment, Jiang Qi proved himself reliable. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’ll pull you—just follow me and run.”

Jiang Wan nodded.

The moment they were recognized, the reporters—who had been crouched and waiting for them—swarmed forward excitedly.

Jiang Qi loudly said, “Let’s not disrupt everyone’s commute. We can talk outside,” and in that brief moment when the reporters’ guards were down, he grabbed Jiang Wan’s wrist.

Jiang Wan instantly understood.

The two of them took off running. Most of the reporters were carrying heavy equipment and hadn’t been mentally prepared—so they were easily left behind.

To those reporters, it was just another day at work.

Getting a few pictures of the two stars appearing together was more than enough. There was no need to chase them to death over it—that’d be completely not worth it.

When Meng Yan opened the studio door, he was stunned.

Jiang Wan had been running too hard. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed right onto the ground.

Jiang Qi had reached out to catch her—but failed. In fact, trying to help only made things worse: he accidentally tripped over her…

And the two of them ended up kneeling together—

Right at Meng Yan’s doorstep.

Meng Yan was so shocked by the scene that his brain froze for a second. Then, as if acting on pure instinct, he dropped to his knees as well with a loud thud, returning their “greeting.”

At the same time, his voice was filled with panic: “What are you two doing?! Jiang Wan, I only agreed to give Jiang Qi another audition—whether he gets the role or not depends on performance! Even if you kneel and beg, it won’t make a difference!!!”

Jiang Qi: “?”

What the hell is Meng Yan talking about? He didn’t understand a single word.

Jiang Wan: “……”

No, this is just a misunderstanding. They didn’t mean to kneel at all.

Creak—

The inner room door opened.

At that moment, Xie Zhiyi walked out—and what he saw was this utterly absurd scene: all three people kneeling on the ground in sync.

Xie Zhiyi had no idea what had just happened.

But he instinctively pulled out his phone and, with a loud click, captured this ridiculous scene.

The three of them: “……”

Jiang Wan got up calmly, smoothly changing her posture from kneeling to squatting. Then she began scanning the floor intensely, clearly looking for something.

Jiang Qi crouched down and started helping her. “What are you looking for?”

Jiang Wan replied, “My dignity. You made me lose all my face.”