Chapter 31: What Kind of Bird Eats This Much?

As soon as Li Fan heard the system speak, she completely lost her appetite.

006: [Yuan Huan’s father is also here. The man behind Ren Xuan is Yuan Huan’s father.]

Since this was a show being filmed, there were naturally plenty of staff members around.

Besides Li Fan, everyone else had brought their managers and assistants. A crowd had gathered.

Li Fan’s gaze locked onto Yuan Huan’s father. His face, placed among the crowd, was completely unnoticeable.

He looked at Yuan Huan as if she were a product—completely devoid of emotion.

The table was full of dishes. As usual, Ruan Li only ate a couple of bites before saying, “I’m full. I really hate my tiny appetite. With so much food, all I can do is drool over it.”

Yuan Huan immediately grabbed her. “How is that enough? You’ve only had two bites. Even little birds eat more than you. Come, come, try this braised pork. It’s got a perfect mix of fat and lean meat. I’ve stewed it until it melts in your mouth. It’s divine with rice!”

Ruan Li looked at the braised pork right in front of her—duang duang—and couldn’t help but swallow. Her self-control was slowly crumbling.

Before she could even refuse, Yuan Huan had already stuffed the braised pork into her mouth.

Sure enough—it melted instantly!

Braised pork, pig knuckles, stewed beef brisket—Yuan Huan kept piling food into Ruan Li’s bowl.

By the time Ruan Li snapped out of it, she had already finished two bowls of rice and felt like she might as well cut off her own tongue.

Li Fan looked at her. “Didn’t you say you had a tiny appetite? What kind of bird eats that much?”

Ruan Li covered her face, sobbing. Her carefully maintained image was ruined.

[Hahahaha, Ruan Li is too much. Turns out she can really eat. How much did she have to hold back before this?]

[Shocked! Once the ‘tiny appetite’ queen, now scarfing down two bowls of rice!]

[Li Fan totally got me with that line—‘What kind of bird eats that much?’ Hahahahaha!]

Yuan Huan laughed heartily. “What’s so good about a tiny appetite? Being able to eat is a blessing.”

This line sounded normal to others, but only Li Fan knew how heartbreaking it truly was.

This was the heartfelt thought of someone suffering from an eating disorder. For them, being able to eat was a real blessing.

Yuan Huan was a great cook, but no matter how many delicious dishes were in front of her, she could hardly bring herself to eat.

“Jie Huan, you should eat too,” Li Fan said, placing a piece of meat in her bowl.

Yuan Huan smiled faintly. “No thanks, I’m on a diet.”

Li Fan’s eyes darkened with complicated emotions. She looked up at her.

Yuan Huan froze. That look—it was as if Li Fan could see right through her.

After the meal, once the dishes were cleared, everyone got a two-hour lunch break.

Ruan Li, still distraught over her broken persona, was rolling around on the bed.

Li Fan received a message on her phone.

XZ: [19:36.]

FanFanNotAnnoying: [?]

Han Xuzhou didn’t reply, but 006 did:

006: [The big villain is coming to see you. His flight’s this afternoon, so he should be arriving around then.]

Li Fan raised an eyebrow. Coming to see her? Yeah, right.

[Gu Lan isn’t here, Shen Yuwan is the ex-fiancée, and Gu Lanyi is the white moonlight. No matter how I look at it, he’s not here for me. Could it be that he saw Gu Lanyi was upset today and came to comfort her? Oh ho—true love, huh.]

The system said nothing. Whenever it came to Han Xuzhou, Li Fan had zero tolerance or interest.

After the nap, the livestream resumed.

Gu Lanyi was uneasy, clearly affected by the buzz of being paired as a CP. She hadn’t even benefited from the gossip but had instead been thoroughly backlashed.

The rumor that stirred the morning had already collapsed by midday, dragging her image down with it.

Li Fan: [I thought she’d quit the show.]

006: [She was going to, but then she heard Han Xuzhou was coming. She gritted her teeth and stayed.]

Li Fan: [She’s not putting on a front anymore? I’m still the legal wife here. If she starts acting all lovey-dovey with Han Xuzhou in front of me, won’t that shatter her public persona even more?]

006: [Very few people actually know Han Xuzhou is married. At least his fans are clueless. If she can use this to stir up another scandal and divert attention, people will forget all about Bai Xiaoxian. And she might even act pitiful to get Han Xuzhou’s sympathy—win-win.]

Li Fan: [Didn’t you say Han Xuzhou and she had nothing going on?]

006: [Pff. I said that and you didn’t believe me, now you suddenly do? Han Xuzhou really doesn’t have that kind of feeling for her. Just like with Gu Lan—he’s using them for rumors to maintain a flirty public image. But Gu Lanyi is… a bit different. You see, Han Xuzhou didn’t return to the Han family until he was sixteen. He was an illegitimate child and had a rough time with his mother before that. His connection with Gu Lanyi comes from a brief childhood interaction.]

Li Fan’s expression turned thoughtful. So it was like that.

[Gu Lanyi and Han Xuzhou’s backstory sounds even more like a main couple than Shen Yuwan. You could write a million-word dog-blood novel from this: childhood crush, substitute love, unspoken affection—it’s got all the drama.]

006: […Not really. It was just a couple of encounters. No secret crush. Don’t go overboard with your imagination.]

Yuan Huan came downstairs, looking a little healthier than before.

She stretched. “It’s so relaxing here. I don’t want to leave.”

Li Fan gave her a sincere smile. “Jie Huan, there aren’t many days left of the show. Why don’t you just stay on as a regular guest? Stay a few more days.”

Yuan Huan’s smile faded slightly. She instinctively looked at her father and shivered when she met his warning gaze.

“No, I have to leave at the latest by tomorrow. I still have auditions and work to catch up on.”

Li Fan replied, “Things can be rescheduled. A few days won’t hurt.”

Shen Yuwan sighed and said meaningfully, “Li Fan, you don’t seem to have much ambition, so you naturally can’t understand what Jie Huan is thinking. Ever since I started my jewelry brand, I’ve been so busy I barely have time to eat. I’m practically developing stomach problems. But what can you do? Some things you just have to do yourself.”

Liang Kang, holding her hand, added, “Some women like being a housewife, others like building careers. Full-time wives can’t possibly understand how hard working women have it. It’s normal that Li Fan doesn’t get it.”

Shen Yuwan feigned helplessness. “I worked hard to get into college and master my field, all so I could fulfill my ambitions in the workplace. I’m very much like Jie Huan in that way. I could never give up my career. Li Fan just has a more laid-back view of things.”

Gu Lanyi, seeing that Li Fan was speechless, suddenly felt a bit pleased.

She smiled sweetly. “Newbies in the entertainment industry pop up one after another. If we veterans don’t work hard, we’ll be replaced in no time. Jie Huan is at a key point in her career—it’s only right for her to seize the moment.”

Shen Yuwan echoed her, “No wonder Li Fan doesn’t understand. After all, she’s only ever played small roles that don’t require auditions.”

Yuan Huan slightly lowered her head and pressed her lips together.

But Shen Yuwan and Gu Lanyi’s words didn’t bring her any joy at all.

Because her parents had repeated those same words to her over and over again:

“You have to work harder. What will your little brother do otherwise?”

“The entertainment industry is cutthroat. You’re not tall or particularly beautiful, so you have to outwork everyone else.”

“We raised you this far—it’s time you gave something back.”

“He’s your only brother. If you don’t support him, who will back you up in the future?”