Chapter 60

Yan Zhao was asked by the “Trace Back to That Night” drama crew to help them out.

This is a criminal investigation TV drama that had invested a lot of manpower and resources in promotion before it even started filming, making it famous before its release. However, the drama is related to solving crimes, and the original male lead actor actually got involved in crimes himself. After being exposed to several major scandals, he was caught in a legal storm.

Halfway through the filming, the crew dared not use him anymore. The director, in desperation, sought help everywhere and finally found Yan Zhao among the actors with a relatively free schedule to assist in the shooting.

The schedule was set, and the other actors would leave for their next engagements in a few weeks. With time pressing, Yan Zhao was incredibly busy from the moment he joined the crew, shooting day and night. He had just come back from the hospital after an IV drip and rolled up his sleeves to get back to work.

The male lead he played was a forensic doctor, a profession that, aside from its high standards, also comes with overtime and poverty.

To strive for authenticity, the operation of dissecting bodies had to be learned from professionals, and the props used for dissection were very realistic.

The scene being filmed now was a drowning and poisoning case. Yan Zhao, wearing a sanitary cap and mask, held a scalpel with an unchanged expression, and cutting open the delicate props. The touch of the fake flesh making his scalp tingle.

After the dissection, he put the scalpel back on the tray, took off his plastic gloves, and after hearing the director’s “cut,” he covered his mouth and went to the bathroom.

He felt quite nauseous.

The lunch box contained cabbage and potato shreds with chicken legs. With the image of the dissection lingering in his mind, Yan Zhao barely ate a few bites, having no appetite.

Zhong Ling saw that he didn’t want to eat and suggested, “Shall I order some takeout?”

Yan Zhao replied, “No need. I’ll just take it easy.”

After putting down the lunch box, he messaged Shen Yuanting.

Yan Zhao: [The smell of oil makes me want to vomit. [Sad]]

Shen Yuanting: [Pregnant? How many months?]

Yan Zhao laughed in disbelief at the nonsense. If he could get pregnant, he’d have given birth to his tenth child by now!

Yan Zhao played along: [Three months.]

Shen Yuanting: [Must have been during the vacation. Let’s name it Shen Xiaohai.]

Yan Zhao: [Why not call him Pang Dahai (Fat Sea)???]

After the joke, Shen Yuanting instructed him: [Eat well, don’t be picky, rest well, I’ll be mad if you end up in the hospital again.]

Yan Zhao had already received a barrage of calls from Shen Yuanting while in the hospital out of town, and he had almost flown over to visit, but Yan Zhao sent him back.

Remembering Shen Yuanting’s tone of both distress and gloom, Yan Zhao guiltily glanced at his lunch box and silently chewed on a leaf of cabbage: [I’m eating now.]

Shen Yuanting: [How’s the wound on your hand, send me a photo.]

Yan Zhao: [It’s already healed!]

Shen Yuanting: [The photo.]

Unable to argue, Yan Zhao, with a grimace, took a photo of his left hand, which still had needle marks. Then, with a moment of inspiration, he took a photo of his unharmed right hand, flipped the image, and sent it over: [Here.]

Half a minute later, Shen Yuanting: [The left hand.]

Yan Zhao: […]

He couldn’t deceive this man!

Reluctantly, he sent the photo. After a silence, Yan Zhao could feel his low pressure even through the screen. He admitted his fault cutely: [It was just an IV drip, not that serious. I did it because I didn’t want you to worry, it won’t happen again [pitiful].]

Shen Yuanting: [When you get back, I’ll have to tie you to a scale. If you lose a pound, you’ll get ten spankings.]

Yan Zhao knew he was soft-hearted despite his harsh words, and replied with a silly smile: [Would you really do that? I’ll answer for you, you wouldn’t.]

Shen Yuanting: […You can try to challenge me.]

Yan Zhao: [[Wang Zai is proud].]

Putting down his phone and suppressing the feeling of nausea, Yan Zhao finished the rest of his meal and continued to immerse himself in filming.

He met Shen Yuanting sooner than expected because he received a wedding invitation—

The goddess of the entertainment circle, Lin Fei, the movie queen, is getting married. Lin Fei’s parents passed away early, and she had little contact with relatives, so she invited her colleagues from the entertainment industry to witness her wedding. Anyone who was a known figure in the circle was on her invitation list.

The other host of the wedding, the groom, is a financial tycoon, who, besides family and friends, also sent invitations to various business magnates.

He and Shen Yuanting have both been very busy, and it’s been almost a month since they last saw each other, relying solely on video calls and phone calls for communication. Unexpectedly, thanks to Lin Fei’s wedding, they would have a chance to meet.

He missed him dearly.

Yan Zhao glanced at his own complexion in the rearview mirror. After working non-stop for nearly three days and rushing over from the set, his makeup was a bit smudged. From a distance, there seemed to be no problem, but up close, there was a hint of dark blue around his eyes, and his complexion was not very good, looking haggard from work.

Yan Zhao called his stylist: “Cover up my dark circles.”

As the stylist rummaged through the makeup bag for concealer, Yan Zhao changed his mind: “No, forget it. I’ll just remove my makeup.”

Zhong Ling was puzzled: “Brother, why remove your makeup???”

At such an event, everyone else would be applying more makeup, not taking it off.

Yan Zhao smiled slightly: “I have my own plans.”

Zhong Ling: “???”

When Shen Yuanting arrived at the scene, what he saw was a wilted little rose—pale skin, heavy tiredness in the eyes, and lips not as rosy as usual.

It felt like a needle prick in his heart, sour and painful. Shen Yuanting touched his face and frowned, “Why are you so tired?”

Yan Zhao said weakly, “I stayed up all night and haven’t touched a pillow since.” More precisely, he hadn’t really slept since the day before yesterday.

Shen Yuanting: “Why didn’t you sneak in a nap?”

Yan Zhao lifted his eyelids, “I was thinking about meeting someone and couldn’t sleep.”

Shen Yuanting’s heart ached, he sighed, and offered his shoulder: “There’s still some time before we enter, you rest first.”

Yan Zhao “hmmed” softly, rested on the man’s shoulder, closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Zhong Ling, who witnessed everything: “…”

So, it was all to look pitiful in front of President Shen!!!

That’s so like you, Brother Yan!!!

Despite her complaints, she quietly got out of the car with Xiao Dou and the stylist, not wanting to disturb their moment. She was well aware of how tired Yan Zhao had been these days.

Outside the cruise ship, the ground was covered with media. Whether it was Lin Fei or her husband, both were notable figures in the circle, and everyone wanted to get the first-hand news. Unfortunately, the hosts of the wedding only sent invitations to a few heavyweight media, and with strict security checks, the rest had to camp outside.

So, some turned their cameras towards the red carpet to livestream the arrival of the stars and business elites attending the wedding.

Just a moment ago, the arrival of a returning business mogul had caused a stir, and the next moment, Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting appeared together.

Both wore black suits but exuded completely different auras; one was subtly sharp, the other overtly cold. Though their styles were contrasting, the atmosphere between them was incredibly harmonious, and even through the screen, viewers could sense the blend of their hormones.

It was rumored that Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting had a good relationship, but seeing is believing, and no amount of words could match the impact of them appearing together.

The comments section exploded.

Their long-missed appearance together nearly overwhelmed the fans of the Shen-Yan CP with sweetness. If asked how they felt, only a meme could express it:

Many really hope these two would get married.jpg

The live broadcast was a bit blurry, not high-definition, but some viewers still noticed that Yan Zhao seemed unwell and asked about it in the comments.

Even outsiders could see it, and of course, Yan Zhao himself felt it. His mind was a bit slow, his eyelids heavy, and it seemed like the scenery in his vision was shaking.

The strain of filming for several days in a row without proper rest was obviously not something a short nap could overcome.

When boarding the ship, he lost focus for a moment and stumbled at the joint of the ship’s ladder.

His body suddenly leaned forward, the red carpet on the ground rushed into his view, and before he could react, a strong arm had already caught his waist. After being spun around, he fell into Shen Yuanting’s embrace.

His nose brushed against the man’s strong jawline, enveloped by a familiar scent, Yan Zhao subconsciously wrapped his arms around Shen Yuanting’s neck, locking eyes with the man’s light-colored pupils.

They had been even more intimate before, so a hug didn’t make his heart race too much.

Yan Zhao blushed and his eyelashes trembled.

Shen Yuanting said, “Don’t fall.”

The warmth and strength from his waist dissipated, and Yan Zhao became more awake, feeling a mix of fright and longing for his touch, but he knew this wasn’t the place for it.

He straightened up, jokingly said, “Lucky you were here, or I would have made a fool of myself. How should I repay you?”

Shen Yuanting glanced at him, “Marry me.”

Yan Zhao chuckled softly, “Haven’t I already given myself to you?”

This brief incident, lasting less than a minute, sparked a wave of discussion.

Netizens were initially confused, then shocked as they realized what had happened.

What just happened??? Yan Zhao almost fell?!!!

With journalists camped outside the cruise ship, this scene quickly spread online and surged to the top of the search rankings.

Seeing Yan Zhao with dark circles under his eyes, walking unsteadily yet trying to maintain his composure on the red carpet, Salt Soda felt extremely heartbroken.

Yan Zhao hasn’t posted on Weibo for a month, saying he was going into seclusion to film, so they waited for him to finish. It wasn’t until a few days ago when someone spotted Yan Zhao entering the hospital that they realized how hard their idol had been working these days.

When they saw someone mocking Yan Zhao, saying “Such a grown person and still can’t walk properly”, they really wanted to smack that hater with a brick—

My Zhao had barely closed his eyes this week; anyone would be worn out. Do we need an idiot like you to be here giving directions?!

Despite being furious, the anti-hater team still calmly explained the ins and outs in the hot comments. After learning that Yan Zhao had been filming continuously for 72 hours, most netizens also expressed their admiration and praise, and the actors and crew who had worked with him even sent their concerns and well wishes.

[Teacher Yan has always been so good, never complains about working overtime, even proactively asks for retakes, and is very gentle with the crew members. We hope he stays healthy.]

[He was reciting his lines even while getting an IV drip; Yan Zhao is really dedicated.]

[When the crew can’t find the lead actor, it’s great that he could step in to help the production team in an emergency situation. He also has high standards for himself. Where can you find such a good actor?]

Salt Soda were really shocked, their emotions fluctuating like a roller coaster. Fortunately, Yan Zhao didn’t actually fall, as Shen Yuanting caught him, and it was all just a false alarm. Otherwise, Salt Soda would really have fainted from crying.

So, once they calmed down, everyone realized that this scene was like something out of a shoujo manga…

The moment Yan Zhao was caught by Shen Yuanting, the two were almost pressed together, with Shen Yuanting’s hand supporting the young man’s waist, making the waist hidden under the suit shirt appear even slimmer, while Yan Zhao was hugging the man’s neck, looking at him with a dazed expression.

It was like the beginning of a love-at-first-sight story from countless romance novels.

If they could hear the conversation between Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting, they would probably scream even louder. But just this one photo was enough to make hearts race.

[OMG, I’m just a passerby, but this pair seems really sweet. How do I start shipping them!!!]

[Where is President Shen’s hand going, why is he hugging so tightly, is Zhao zhao’s waist really that slim?!]

[Legend says if you gaze into each other’s eyes for eight seconds, you’ll fall in love. Anyone who watched the live tell me, how long did they look at each other!!!]

[I know this one, it’s love at first sight!!!]

[Damn, Yan Zhao blushed from his ears to his neck, oh my god, this is heart-fluttering even if you don’t feel anything, wuwuwu.]

[I really want to edit a MV, I’ve already chosen the BGM, but I don’t have the materials. Need more shots of them together ahhh!!!]

This photo went viral, and Shen-Yan CP became popular once again. While the CP fans were screaming in excitement, the cruise ship sounded its long horn and set sail.

Yan Zhao sat next to Shen Yuanting, waiting like the other guests for the bride to arrive in her wedding gown. Among the sea of familiar and unfamiliar faces, he suddenly saw someone he didn’t want to see—