Su Yaya headed to the dressing room to get her makeup done. Just as she finished, she saw Yan Junyi and his team arrive. Yan Junyi’s agent, Sister Wu, greeted everyone with a smile. “Sorry for being late,” she said. “The plane was delayed. Xiao Yan will treat everyone to coffee later.”

“Brother Yan, you’re too kind,” one of the staff members responded with a smile.

“That’s right, the plane delay wasn’t your fault!” another staff member chimed in.

“Brother Yan, this way. I’ll take you to the dressing room for your makeup,” a staff member offered, leading Yan Junyi toward the dressing area. As soon as he looked up, he spotted Su Yaya standing nearby.

Su Yaya had already finished her makeup. The corners of her mouth lifted into a radiant smile, and her bright, captivating eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

“Brother Yan,” she called sweetly, just like she used to when they were kids.

Yan Junyi stared at her in surprise, his gaze fixed on her smiling face. She was just as beautiful and charming as she had been in their childhood, and his heart fluttered at the sight. He was about to say something when Sister Wu came over and tugged at his arm. “Xiao Yan, why haven’t you started your makeup yet? It’s getting late.”

After hearing Sister Wu’s words, Yan Junyi remembered the warning she had given him a few days ago. He could only suppress the feelings stirring in his heart, giving Su Yaya a slight nod before following the staff to get his makeup done.

Su Yaya remained where she stood, puzzled. Even if she was a bit slow to catch on, she could tell that Yan Junyi’s attitude toward her was different today.

Just a few days ago, he had been perfectly fine—friendly, even. But now, it felt like he had turned into a completely different person in such a short time.

Surprised by the sudden change, Su Yaya watched Yan Junyi walk away, only to lock eyes with Sister Wu from a distance. Even from afar, she could sense the wariness and rejection in Sister Wu’s gaze.

Su Yaya: “???”

Was she really that intimidating? She hadn’t done anything to Yan Junyi, so why was his agent looking at her like that?

Fortunately, Su Yaya wasn’t completely clueless. She quickly considered a possibility—had Yan Junyi also gotten dragged into the drama surrounding her?

Thinking about it this way, Su Yaya realized this was likely why Yan Junyi’s attitude toward her had changed so drastically! Although Shen Xiuqi had stepped in and resolved the issue perfectly, and Yan Junyi had posted a statement on Weibo to clarify their relationship, Yan Junyi had still been criticized by many people because of the incident. The rumor must have affected him, too. Sister Wu was probably still worried that Su Yaya might drag Yan Junyi into trouble again. After all, Yan Junyi was a popular actor, and countless eyes were on him. He couldn’t afford any more damaging rumors involving her. So, it made sense that Sister Wu was being so cautious and guarded.

After figuring out the cause, Su Yaya didn’t blame Yan Junyi for his cold behavior. They had different positions, and Yan Junyi had to avoid any hint of suspicion because of his career. If that was the case, Su Yaya decided she would keep her distance from him too.

Perhaps because they both wanted to maintain their distance, things became awkward during the advertisement shoot.

Director Qu Jing grew frustrated and began scolding them. “What’s going on with you two? You’re supposed to act like a couple, understand? When a couple looks at each other, their eyes should be full of love! Neither of you did that! You looked at each other like you were next-door neighbors! If that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t have bothered with all of this. Remember, we’re shooting a couple’s watch ad—the whole scene needs to ooze sweetness, even the air should feel sugary! I don’t want lifeless, dull expressions, okay?”

Yan Junyi immediately stepped forward to apologize. “Director, I’m sorry. I didn’t get much rest yesterday, and I’m not feeling great, which affected the shoot. I’ll adjust myself right away, and it won’t happen again.”

Seeing Yan Junyi take the blame, Su Yaya quickly apologized too. “I’m sorry, Director. I’ll also adjust my emotions and do better.”

Director Qu Jing’s anger softened after the scolding and Yan Junyi’s apology. Noticing Su Yaya’s sincere and obedient attitude, he decided not to berate her any further. He waved them off and said, “Take a two-minute break. We’ll start again after that.”

Su Yaya and Yan Junyi exchanged a brief glance but didn’t say anything to each other. They retreated to their respective areas to rest and adjust their emotions for the next take.

Two minutes quickly passed, and they returned to the set to continue filming. This time, both of them were back on track, delivering their best performances. Their gazes were filled with warmth and affection, as if they were truly a couple in love. The rest of the shoot went smoothly from there.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiuqi had arrived secretly without informing anyone. He quietly entered through the back door with Assistant Chen, just in time to see the scene where Yan Junyi presented the couple’s watch to Su Yaya, followed by a hug and a kiss.

Shen Xiuqi glared at the screen, frowning as he watched the two embrace and kiss. His lips twisted downward in displeasure as he muttered, “It’s just an advertisement. Why do they need to kiss for an ad? What kind of nonsense is this?”

<<< 

The author has something to say: Shen Xiuqi: When we get home, I’m getting my payback!