In the makeup room, the person in charge was briefly silent for half a second.

But soon, they became eloquent, “We didn’t say you absolutely had to wear the wedding dress, but this one is really hard to borrow, and it’s so beautiful, don’t you think?”

Yan Man: “Aren’t all wedding dresses pretty?”

Person in charge: “...”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to wear it,” Yan Man said, “but since it’s my first time wearing one, I still want to save it for a drama.”

Simon: “I thought you were going to say you wanted to save it for your first marriage.”

“The buzz around wearing a wedding dress for the first time is huge,” Yan Man said rationally. “Career is important.”

“...”

Besides, too many female celebrities had worn wedding dresses before getting married. For them, it had become a very common thing.

Given her personality and taste, who knew when marriage would happen? It was better not to think so far ahead, and seizing the present was the most important thing.

So in the end, Yan Man still chose a dress from Simon’s own collection.

One reason was that she didn’t want to owe the organizer a favor, so she wouldn’t have to repay it later.

The second was to avoid the organizer pulling any more tricks. What if her and Ye Lin’s outfits were a set again? Wouldn’t all this effort have been wasted?

Before entering the fitting room, she confirmed with Ye Lin, “Are you going to wear theirs?”

“No,” the man said, “it doesn’t fit.”

Bi Tan gestured, “After all, we work out, our figures are too good, some sizes just aren’t right.”

“...”

Before Yan Man even walked the red carpet, the buzz around her had already risen.

On a certain gossip forum, an “insider” came out to reveal:

【Internal news! Heard the organizer provided Yan Man with a super large train wedding dress tonight. If she wore it, it would be the global debut. But it seems like things fell apart, and in the end, Yan Man went back to her own car to get a dress.】

【Laughed to death, did they fail at sucking up to the organizer?】

【Could it be that she thought it didn’t look good after trying it on?】

【To be fair, don’t be fooled by the PR spin. Her current status is far from enough. She has to rely on sucking up for good resources. If she doesn’t curry favor well, she’ll crash and burn.】

【Good riddance, then how will she ‘shine’ tonight?】

【Bursting into laughter, my dear family. Wasn’t she always marketing her red carpet beauty before? If she doesn’t get three trending searches tonight, it’ll be hard to end well!】

The discussion in the thread was heated, and the live broadcast of the gala had already begun.

Her appearance was late. More than an hour passed, and the thread had already been filled with sarcastic comments for over two hundred floors.

At 9:40, Simon turned his head and said, “It’s almost over, should we go on first?”

Yan Man was still reading the script. “Huh?”

Simon: “Isn’t Ye Lin the last one? I just heard that the two artists before and after him will walk together and sign together. If we follow the normal procedure, you two will have to be together.”

Yan Man looked up.

Simon: “The artist right before him just went up. If we go early, we won’t run into him.”

“Okay,” Yan Man stood up. “How early?”

“Two ahead.”

Three minutes later, she walked out slowly.

The camera turned to her, but because it moved too quickly, it hadn’t had time to focus.

In a blurry, hazy mist, extremely bright lights shone down, only vaguely showing the light spots flowing on her body, like sunlight falling on the sea, brilliantly reflecting countless sparkles.

Finally, the picture came into focus.

She wore a long black dress that gracefully enveloped her soft body. Chains adorned both shoulders, and a red gemstone sat in the very center of her chest. Intricate chains cascaded down to her waist, exuding a magnificent sense of interwoven brilliance.

Her eye makeup was meticulously enhanced with shimmer, swaying with each step to reveal countless iridescent hues. Her lip makeup was deliberately softened, further highlighting her breathtaking beauty.

This extremely luxurious and surreal style required an exceptionally delicate face and temperament to pull off. Few female celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry dared to attempt such a look.

But she walked so straight on the red carpet, merely glancing sideways with a smile, that even the camera couldn’t help but tremble.

An indescribable, stunning beauty.

The comments section had already recognized it:

【Chanel’s Sailor Moon couture!! Ahhhhh, a dream collaboration!!】

【She’s practically human Chanel.】

【It suits her so well, the dress looks like it was custom-made for her.】

【Is this the kind of beauty a human can freaking grow?】

【Didn’t get silenced by Hou Yi and Hua Mulan in a round of King of Glory, but Yan Man silenced me with her beauty.】

【Holy crap, her flesh is so obedient, it all grew in the right places TAT】

【This couture is 1 million+, and it’s very slow to produce. How did she get it? She’s too awesome...】

Not only the dress, but she also wore the complete set of necklace and bracelet. Pearls were ingeniously woven into them, exquisite and dazzling.

Lifting her skirt slightly, she had just stood still and turned her head when she heard cheers again.

Yan Man had a faint premonition. Turning her head, Ye Lin was walking from the end of the red carpet, surrounded by flashing lights and constant screams.

Yan Man looked towards the stage. Simon looked at her.

Simon: “...”

Bi Tan, who had deliberately asked the artist to go on earlier to avoid Simon: “...”

Yan Man shrugged, having already accepted the fact that they would anticipate each other’s anticipations very well.

Seeing the ashen expressions of the two managers, she couldn’t help but lower her head and smile.

【Wife! Wife, you’re so beautiful when you smile, can you marry me!!】

【Damn! Did she smile because Ye Lin came?】

【CP fans: Huh? You didn’t say there would be sugar to eat before we watched the live stream?】

Under the host’s arrangement, the two stood in front of the backdrop. After taking a few photos, Yan Man quickly received a pink balloon.

Host: “Next, the two of you can sign your names on it.”

It wasn’t easy to sign on the balloon, and with Yan Man’s bracelet being so heavy, it was even harder to control.

Something was needed to support it to prevent it from moving around.

She looked up.

Ye Lin was turning to his right, waiting for the staff to bring the second balloon.

Yan Man thought for a moment, then also turned to her right, resting the balloon against his back.

【Hahahaha, are you using your husband as a writing board?】

【Using a top star with eighty million fans as a tool, you’re really something, Yan Man.】

【To be precise, almost ninety million now.】

The balloon finally stabilized. Yan Man signed twice and found that the pen had run out of ink.

In front, Ye Lin was smoothly finishing signing his name.

“Do you have any ink in your pen?” she said. “Can I borrow it?”

The man capped his pen with a click, his arm reaching back to hand it to her.

The pen was just taken away, and less than a second later, it was handed back to her, with the other end facing her.

Yan Man: “I don’t have a free hand to open it, can you help me?”

Ye Lin: “...”

【Aiyo yoyo aiyoyo】

【So sweet, damn it.】

【What are you two doing! Do you know there are cameras here?!】

【Isn’t this unnecessary, CP fans? Isn’t this just normal interpersonal interaction?】

【Interaction? [Drooling] What kind of interaction?!】

【Hahahahahahahahaha!!】

【Please be aware, I ship this CP not because they give me sugar, but because I want to ship them.】

【I say they’re doing it backstage, so they’re doing it!】

Amidst the nonsensical comments, Yan Man had already finished signing and was about to hand out the balloon when the host said, “There are also two ribbons here. Let’s tie the balloons together and take a photo.”

Taking the ribbon, Yan Man easily tied a bow at the bottom of her balloon, pulling the ends of the string into her palm.

Turning her head, the man pinched the end of his balloon and wrapped the ribbon around it several times.

Yan Man: “Are you wrapping a mummy?”

Ye Lin: “...”

“It doesn’t look good like that,” she reached out. “Give it to me, I’ll help you.”

After all, he had just been her writing board and opened the pen for her. It was only right for her to help him.

What’s more, this balloon would appear in the group photo later. It needed to look good to match her outfit.

After tying it, Yan Man handed it back to him. But the timing of their releasing and holding wasn’t synchronized, and both balloons were released together, slowly floating towards the ceiling.

Luckily, they were quick-eyed and quick-handed, each grabbing one.

After grabbing them, it was the media’s turn to urge them for photos. After taking a few shots, she realized something was wrong. Looking up—

The balloons were held upside down.

She had taken Ye Lin’s, and Ye Lin had taken hers.

Yan Man was about to switch them back when the host started cueing the next artist to prepare to go on stage.

Yan Man had no choice but to give up and went offstage, holding his balloon.

Soon, #YanManYeLinGotTheWrongBalloons# went viral.

In the video, the blogger circled the scene of the two taking the wrong balloons. In the following scene, Yan Man looked up, parted her lips as if wanting to say something, but was interrupted by the flow of the event and went offstage holding his balloon.

After going offstage, everyone had to tie their balloons to the back of their seats. She wanted to switch back with Ye Lin, but the crowd was too dense, so she had to give up in the end.

The comments quickly reached ten thousand:

【Hahahaha, she’s really beautiful and cute.】

【Taking the wrong balloon is so endearing, can anyone understand me?】

【#YanYeSuperTopic# ← Click in, everyone inside will understand you.】

Within the super topic, the most popular “Wandering Rainforest” CP fan site posted a picture right on time.

On the dark chair backs, their seats were next to each other, both looking forward, not close.

But the balloons hanging behind them had each other’s names written on them.

Caption: 【Imprint your mark on my body.】

【So romantic, so romantic, this kind of subtle sugar is so appealing and alluring!】

【This caption is too good, my fan site is truly made up of angels.】

【Imprint... ABO... Marking... Hehe...】

Nested comment: 【Sending you up to be embarrassed!】

【@CarSucksSucks, Teacher, aren’t you going to draw something?!】

【The last sickbed drawing was too good, I keep rewatching it.】

【Want to see Teacher draw the marking content!】

Perhaps stimulated by the comments, that night, CarSucksSucks’s long-inactive private account updated again.

On a dim desk, the curtains were slightly open, letting in a few strands of moonlight, vaguely showing the scene of the neighboring building’s evening self-study.

However, inside this classroom, her coat was slipped down to her shoulders, her hands were held behind her back by the man, and the man lowered his head, biting the gland behind her neck.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and tears streamed down to his fingertips.

Text: Permanent marking.

【Holy crap, the desk!】

【Holy crap, ABO!】

【Holy crap, lifelong marking!】

【Thank you everyone! The Yan-Ye fandom has all of you amazing people!】

【Everyone knows everything, only I’m a pervert who can only go “hiss hiss” QAQ】

【Don’t be sad, me too.】

That night was Yan Man’s highlight moment, hitting three trending searches in one go.

#YanManSailorMoon#

#YanManYeLinGotTheWrongBalloons#

#YanManEyeshadowShade#

As for the initial mocking thread, everyone fell silent after Yan Man’s appearance, as quiet as if it had never existed.

But the fans still arrived, though late:

【Indeed, three trending searches, thank you for everyone’s prediction!】

【And things fell apart? Don’t add too much drama. Fans specifically asked the stylist, and the stylist replied that Yan Man didn’t choose it. If they didn’t like her, would they have let her walk the red carpet so late?】

【Yan Man and Ye Lin are the only two stars with individual dressing rooms, please be aware.】

【Not a fan, but is that globally debuting wedding dress you mentioned real? Why didn’t we see it tonight?】

【Someone else wore it, bought half an hour of trending searches, but then the popularity wasn’t enough and it dropped.】

【……】

【So it’s the person who chooses the clothes, not the clothes choosing the person. Even if Yan Man’s outfit wasn’t a global debut, she could still wear it with the aura of one. It’s still trending and hasn’t moved. Your girl only chooses what suits her, please be aware.】

【Just like great painters never care about the painting materials and pigments, for you guys that’s a global debut! For Yan Man, it’s just a piece of clothing, lol.】

...

The whole event was too long, and after the red carpet, there was traffic outside, and they couldn’t leave.

Yan Man lived nearby and didn’t like traffic jams, so she simply waited in the dressing room until it cleared up before leaving.

The waiting time was too fragmented, the venue was noisy with loudspeaker sounds, and she couldn’t read the script either.

After thinking about it, Yan Man started a live stream to chat with everyone.

She originally thought that since the broadcast was sudden, there wouldn’t be many people, but after posting on Weibo, it broke a million in just a few minutes.

Yan Man: “So many people?”

Comments: 【Do you have some misunderstanding about your popularity?】

She was using a phone specifically for live streaming and was looking down at the trending searches,正好看到 (coincidentally saw) the #YanManEyeshadowShade# one.

Yan Man looked up and said, “Do you guys like today’s makeup? If you do, I’ll ask the makeup artist to do a tutorial later and mark all the product names.”

【Wuwuwuwu, baby, you’re too good.】

【Compared to some artists next door who hide everything for fear that others will learn, being so generous in sharing is too endearing.】

【We don’t like your makeup, we like your face.】

【Sisters, don’t get influenced by her! She would look good even with death Barbie pink eyeshadow!】

Yan Man: “...”

“But no one looks good with death Barbie pink eyeshadow, right?” she said deliberately. “I’ll wear it next time to scare you.”

【Are you starting to draw a pie again?】

【Do you think your makeup artist would agree, baby?】

【She only says it because she knows it’s impossible! Look at her expression! Damn, she’s so beautiful, fine, I forgive you!】

【The world’s three famous painters: Qi Baishi paints shrimp, Xu Beihong paints horses, Yan Man draws pies.】

After chatting for a while, Yan Man felt it lacked a theme. “How about this? You guys ask some questions, and I’ll pick some to answer. It’ll be good material for the next vlog.”

“My manager keeps urging me every day, but I don’t know what to film.”

The comments section immediately flooded with questions, making Yan Man dizzy. “Slower, slower.”

Because everyone’s IDs were also very funny, and it was convenient to read them out like this, she read them along with the IDs.

“Xiao Zhu Can Pass CET-4 and CET-6?: Baby, what have you been busy with recently?”

She first blessed the ID: “Can pass.”

Then said, “Recently preparing for the finals, no other work.”

“Wen Jiu: Baby, what kind of dramas do you want to film?”

She thought for a moment. “I want to film everything I haven’t filmed before.”

After answering a few questions, perhaps someone noticed her habit of reading out the IDs, and they started playing some tricks.

Soon, Yan Man saw a banner unfurl on the central screen. It must be a gift from the live streaming platform. The banner displayed an ID.

She naturally read it out: “Will Yan-Ye Get Married Tomorrow?: Yes.”

Yan Man: “...”

Yan Man: ???

Three seconds passed after she finished reading it before she realized it was a trap.

“Who asked that? Ah, have you ever seen a question with a period at the end—”

She was about to say something properly when she looked up and happened to meet Ye Lin’s lowered eyes.

Their eyes met, and she remembered the question she had just read.

【Why did it stop? Did it freeze?】

【No way, look, her eyeballs are still moving.】

【? Could she have run into Ye Lin?】

【Impossible, how could it be such a coincidence?】

The next second, Yan Man spoke, “Why did you come out?”

The man’s voice sounded slowly, “It’s stuffy inside, came out for some fresh air.”

【Holy crap, it’s really Ye Lin?!?!?】

【What kind of hellish scene is this? My toes are curling up in nervousness.】

【On: What’s it like to have your suggestive comments caught by the person in question?】

【Man, it’s okay, this lifetime will pass quickly.】

Yan Man also found the room stuffy and was broadcasting at the table outside. She hadn’t expected it to be right in front of Ye Lin’s休息室, and he had also pushed the door open and come out.

She originally didn’t intend to say anything, but when she realized the man had been staring at her for a few seconds, she looked up and said, “Oh, that sentence just now was probably CP fans messing around, you don’t need to mind it, they’re used to making a fuss in my live stream.”

【555, why does it feel like being spoiled?】

【She’s always been very good to people who like her! Whether they’re hardcore fans or not~】

【So my hardcore fans won’t fight too fiercely with CP fans. Everyone’s happy, preferences are free, as long as they don’t hurt her.】

Seeing him silent again, Yan Man thought for a moment and added, “CP fans, do you know what CP is?”

Ye Lin: “...”

“I go online.”

She nodded slightly and pursed her lips.

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“...”

【They said so many words today! Is this an icebreaker?】

【You’re overthinking it, there were a lot of words because she’s just naturally talkative.】

【Hahahahahahahahaha, how does Yan Man have such mean fans like you?】

The comments were right. Simon and Zhou Xuan were outside coordinating the cars. Yan Man was sitting alone inside, and it was too boring not having anyone to talk to face-to-face.

Ye Lin sat to the side drinking water. She quickly adjusted the camera.

“Don’t get in the shot. If you appear, they’ll go crazy.”

Ye Lin: “CP fans?”

“Yeah, I really can’t control it when they spam,” Yan Man took out another phone and showed him the live stream. “Look, the comments are flooding so much I can’t see anything, it’s lagging.”

He watched for a while, then frowned. “There are this many?”

Yan Man was slightly surprised. “You didn’t know?”

Were there still people whose news was more delayed than hers?

Ye Lin: “I knew there were some, but I didn’t know there were this many.”

“Do you find it astonishing?” Yan Man said, “If you do a live stream, you’ll have them all under yours too.”

【Laughed to death, you really understand us.】

【Don’t think we’re not here, we’re always here!】

【Lin! Hubby!! Do a live stream and let me see you!!!】

Finally, after broadcasting for another ten minutes or so, the traffic jam outside ended. Yan Man turned off the live stream and smoothly returned to the car.

Simon: “Heard you even chatted with Ye Lin during your live stream today? How is it, what’s your relationship now?”

Yan Man thought for a moment. “After all, we’ve collaborated quite a few times, just ordinary colleagues.”

Simon: “...Ordinary, colleagues?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong? Aren’t ordinary colleagues good?”

Please, that was her ex.

She said, “I used to think of him as No-Face or a tool person, this is already a big improvement, okay?”

“...”

Due to adjustments in the show’s set and to give the actors ample preparation time, the final recording of “This Is Acting” was slightly postponed, leaving several days in between.

The extra special episodes, short stories, were also continuing to be filmed.

Yan Man participated in this one as well, and it was her own choice.

This script was adapted from a real story. She had been deeply moved when she first saw the news. As soon as she heard that the screenwriter was coming to authorize it, she immediately took the initiative and told the production team that she could act in it.

This was a film with great real-world significance, based on performance.

The production team attached great importance to this short film. Although it was short, it was a collaborative effort of three or four screenwriters, directed by an award-winning director, and for the male lead, they also chose the best configuration from the show, Ye Lin.

Who she collaborated with at this moment was no longer important. She knew that the complexity of this role, besides Ye Lin, no one else could play well.

The day before filming, she even had a rare bout of insomnia.

The next day, when she arrived at the set, the first scene they filmed was the reunion after two months.

To prevent herself from not getting into the emotions enough, she turned around and just as she saw Ye Lin, she immediately turned back and sat on the sofa behind, making sure she wouldn’t bump into him at all.

She had seen such examples before.

Two actors, in order to film a farewell scene well, didn’t say a single word to each other for the entire day, and in the end, they successfully presented that scene in the best way, making many viewers cry.

This short film also had supporting roles, one of whom was Qi Geng, who hadn’t successfully acted with her before.

“Didn’t get a chance before, didn’t expect it to work out this time,” Qi Geng looked at her. “Why doesn’t your complexion look too good?”

“Didn’t rest well, a bit stressed,” Yan Man rubbed her temples. “Afraid I won’t act well.”

“It won’t happen. With your acting skills, you’re completely okay,” Qi Geng said. “It’s probably because you like this character too much, so you want to do it too well. I see that your state is also quite tense.”

Yan Man: “Trying to get into the character.”

Qi Geng also had representative works and analyzed with her, “I understand what you mean. Although the female lead is worried and angry at this time, haven’t you felt that there should also be some joy in the lovers’ reunion?”

After a pause, Yan Man felt what he said made sense. “That’s true.”

“Yes, so relax a bit, you won’t act well if you’re too tense,” Qi Geng said. “Let me tell you two jokes.”

Honestly, Qi Geng’s jokes weren’t very funny, but he laughed for a long time after telling them. His laughter was too infectious, and Yan Man, who was easily influenced, also curved her lips into a smile.

Opposite them, Ye Lin stood with his arms crossed, taking in this scene completely.

Bi Tan didn’t understand. “You hide when it’s your turn, but laugh together when it’s his?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Geng said something else, and Yan Man laughed, covering her forehead and shaking her head.

Just as the director called “Action,” Bi Tan stood up, seemingly hearing a short, cold laugh from the man.

Bi Tan stood in place, somewhat astonished.

He didn’t hear wrong, did he—Ye Lin—laughed coldly?

Yan Man and Qi Geng also stood up and walked towards the camera.

She suddenly thought of something and was checking the script, her pace a bit slow, unknowingly walking close to Ye Lin.

Qi Geng was walking backward, groping blindly. Looking at her at this moment, he suddenly wanted to ask, “This is your fourth time acting with Teacher Ye, right?”

“Is Teacher Ye your mentor or your benefactor?”

Yan Man didn’t even lift her head. “Just an ordinary colleague.”

“...”

Soon, the first scene began filming.

Both sides were at a stalemate.

He lowered his eyes to look at her, and she also looked down at the blanket beneath her. On the narrow sofa, the two were very close, almost within inches of each other.

A scented candle burned on the table, spreading a faint citrus fragrance.

The phone on the table rang. The caller ID showed a man. She moved her wrist, but he held it down.

The ringing stopped, but after a moment, it rang again.

She pulled away his hand covering hers. “I have another appointment, I have to go first...”

The last word didn’t have time to be spoken.

Suddenly, her hands were pressed onto the soft sofa, and she sank down, her body leaning against the corner, tilting her head back with the inertia—

The man pressed against her knees and kissed her unexpectedly.

His scalding breath covered and swallowed her own.