Chapter 038: Her Stubbornness

Fang Yimeng stared blankly at the transparent spoon in her hand, lost in thought for a moment.

“There’s no more matcha cake. I only saw mille crepe cake, but it’s made with plant-based cream. Just have a bite to satisfy your craving.”

The man’s voice was deep and magnetic, his words slow and deliberate. It was just a simple reminder, yet his unique tone imbued it with a tender intimacy.

Due to the need for specialized microphones in the livestream setup and the surrounding noise, no one else could hear what he said clearly.

Except Fang Yimeng—she heard his voice distinctly.

Following the curve of the spoon upward, her gaze landed on his handsome face. His deep, charming eyes were filled with a tenderness that made her heart burn just from meeting his gaze.

As if under a spell, she leaned forward slightly.

Her bright eyes shimmered with a ripple of emotion as she looked directly at Lu Jingshan. Locking eyes with him, she slightly parted her glossy lips and gently bit down on the spoon with the small piece of cake on it.

Her stunning beauty, paired with the sweetness of the cake, softened her previously aloof expression. It was like a spring breeze brushed her face, bringing a gentle smile to her lips.

Their eyes remained locked, while off to the side, Ou Xiangchen kept a watchful eye on Lu Jingshan, wary and alert.

In the livestream chat, everyone was focused on her delicate arm and Fang Yimeng’s sudden, smiling expression.

At that moment, in the live channels of the five mentors, the viewer count on Fang Yimeng’s stream was skyrocketing.

Even the bullet comments were refreshing faster than they had during the earlier acting scenes.

[CP Forever, No Deletion]: “Damn! If I hadn’t been lurking in the emo supertopic, I would’ve missed this hidden candy drop!”

[Just in Case]: “OMG, 33’s arm lines are just too good. Lit squad, assemble! Someone write a spicy fic, stat! Emo’s gaze is practically sticky!”

[Artificial Sweetener Addict]: “Glamorous vase wife x behind-the-scenes big boss—who wouldn’t ship this CP!?”

[Sunflower]: “Baby! Promise us—you’re still young, don’t look at this stuff!”

[Emo’s Anti-Fan Leader]: “Can some of y’all who ship CPs stop disrespecting the real star? Our wuli emo is NOT a vase. Her acting right now? She’s leaving all her peers in the dust!”

While fans argued and gossiped in the chat, some clever netizens had already clipped the scene, added sugary background music and catchy captions, and started uploading their CP edits across social media—spreading the new ship like wildfire.

Unaware of the bullet chat frenzy, Fang Yimeng waved toward Lu Jingshan after satisfying her craving.

He calmly picked up the spoon she had just used, scooped up a bite of cake, and ate it.

Though he said nothing, the casual way he ate combined with the deep affection in his eyes, as if invisible threads were tugging at her heart, left Fang Yimeng flushed.

With the spoon still between his lips, Lu Jingshan’s gaze shifted naturally to Ou Xiangchen after Fang Yimeng looked away.

He was clearly displeased about the previous episode of The Actor, where the eunuch commander and consort CP had gained traction on Weibo.

Lu Jingshan could more or less guess what was happening in the stream. His dark eyes glinted with calculation as he gave Ou Xiangchen a subtle, meaningful glance.

When it came to CP hype, no one could beat him.

This little interlude brought great joy to some viewers—particularly CP fans, who emerged as the biggest winners of the day.

By around 4 to 5 p.m., the third episode of The Actor’s livestream officially ended.

As the streaming equipment was disconnected, Fang Yimeng stood up and casually told Ou Xiangchen, “You’ll take my nanny van back to the training camp later.”

Just a small gesture of a senior taking care of a junior.

Without waiting for his response, she grabbed her insulated bottle, stepped into her towering high heels, and walked out of the private room. She needed to rush back to the Yuemei luxury apartment to prep for the evening livestream variety show.

Lu Jingshan had been waiting by the studio entrance since early on. His black suit jacket draped over his arm, his deep peach blossom eyes immediately spotted Fang Yimeng walking toward him.

The corners of his cool lips curled slightly. Just as he was about to stride forward to meet her—

A figure suddenly stepped into his path.

“Jingshan, do you have a moment? Can we talk privately?”

Liao Ran appeared out of nowhere, walking straight up to him. Her gentle face was filled with determined defiance.

The unexpected intruder cut off the visual exchange between the two leads.

As his view was blocked, the warmth on Lu Jingshan’s face instantly faded.

His gaze, deep as the ocean, turned icy as he looked at Liao Ran.

Seeing his lack of response, Liao Ran thought he hadn’t heard her clearly and repeated herself.

“There’s nothing for us to talk about,” he said coldly, devoid of emotion.

Meanwhile, Fang Yimeng had just exited the room. Her eyes immediately sought out Lu Jingshan—and spotted a familiar figure.

Her heart skipped a beat without reason.

If Lu Jingshan really walked off with Liao Ran in the next second…

Just as chaotic thoughts began swirling in her mind, she saw the tall man—with golden proportions—step around Liao Ran and walk directly toward her.

“Are your heels too high?” was the first thing he said, glancing down at her delicate stilettos with his deep eyes.

She reflexively tested her footing. “No.”

His voice carried an unconscious tenderness. “Then why are you standing here? Let’s go home.”

His warm palm wrapped firmly around her slender wrist. Fang Yimeng’s gaze lingered on the spot where they touched, a little dazed.

“Didn’t Liao Ran just stop you?” she asked, eventually voicing the question in her heart.

As they walked out of the studio together, the noise fell away and their pace naturally slowed.

Lu Jingshan glanced sideways at the woman clearly fishing for answers, but answered patiently, “There’s nothing worth discussing with Liao Ran. If I’d gone with her, someone would’ve been stranded.”

Oh, right. She had just generously lent her nanny van to Ou Xiangchen. If Lu Jingshan had abandoned her for Liao Ran, she would’ve had to wait until Ou was dropped off before getting a ride home.

So, her moment of emotional dip earlier wasn’t because she was jealous of Liao Ran. She was just subconsciously worried she wouldn’t get home.

And now, everything was resolved.

“Tch. You think I can’t manage without you?” Fang Yimeng tossed off his hand and walked forward in elegant, high-heeled strides.

But before her proud tone could even fade, her foot landed on something hard. Her ankle twisted, and her upper body lost balance—

She was about to fall to one side—