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Yan Man thought about the kiss she had just given, trying to piece together a coherent line of reasoning.
But her emotions were too tangled and complex, and she couldn’t make sense of them. She leaned back slightly.
Ye Lin watched as her fingers slipped out of his hand. He furrowed his brow but didn’t try to hold on.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was dry: “Do you regret it?”
“Ah,” she paused for a moment. “…Not really.”
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Yan Man answered the call, and Zhu Wenxuan’s voice came through.
Zhu Wenxuan: “Have you seen the trending topics from the past few days?!”
“Thanks to you,” Yan Man said, “as soon as I landed, my agent bombarded me with WeChat messages. He’s probably working overtime to issue a clarification right now.”
Ye Lin abruptly raised his eyes.
Zhu Wenxuan: “This is ridiculous. How did they write us together like that?!”
Yan Man: “Remember when the chairs were blown over at Meng Xishuang’s wedding? Everyone was busy fixing the arch, so we sat on the chairs to stabilize them, and someone took a picture. They even claimed that bouquet was a gift from you.”
Zhu Wenxuan laughed helplessly. “You’re really famous. Even traveling overseas to attend a wedding, the paparazzi still chase after you.”
Yan Man glanced up and looked across at him.
“The paparazzi making things up is one thing, but the problem is, some people actually believed it.”
Ye Lin: “….”
“Should I hang up? I’ve got a patient here,” Yan Man said. “When your team posts the clarification on Weibo, remember to retweet it. If you don’t have time, just give it a like.”
“Alright, then I won’t worry about it. Let your team handle it.” Zhu Wenxuan relaxed a little. “Good thing I called you. Otherwise, I’d have to deal with it myself.”
After hanging up, Yan Man placed her phone on the table.
She pursed her lips: “Did you hear that?”
“I heard it.” After a pause, Ye Lin said, “That ring…”
“What ring?” She thought for a moment. “Oh, the wedding ring? It belongs to my friend.”
Ye Lin: “But there’s an ‘M’ engraved inside.”
She understood what he was getting at. “It’s Meng—her last name is Meng. The ring fell in my car when she visited.”
“….”
“It’s not my ‘Man,’ it’s Meng Xishuang’s Meng,” she repeated. “I’m not related to Zhu Wenxuan. The media made it all up. But my phone was lost at the time, so no one paid attention to this news. I just found out.”
It wasn’t surprising that he misunderstood—it was easy to jump to conclusions.
After thinking for a moment, she added: “I’ve always been single. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Ye Lin lowered his gaze, deep in thought. After a while, he looked up again, meeting her eyes.
Yan Man: “What?”
He raised his hand and pointed to the corner of his mouth.
Yan Man looked at his dry lips and realized: “Do you want water?”
“No.”
After a pause, the man said: “You kissed me. You need to take responsibility.”
“……”
Yan Man: “What, are you taking advantage of my single status now?”
“You don’t want to take responsibility?”
“It’s not that… but how do I take responsibility?” She ventured cautiously. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“….”
She asked again: “If not, can we just pretend it didn’t happen, like being bitten by a Maltese?”
Ye Lin frowned: “Why a Maltese?”
“Because I think it’s the cutest dog breed.”
……
How did the conversation veer off track again?
The man pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing: “Don’t kiss people casually. I’ll take it seriously.”
She found his words strange: “I never said you shouldn’t take it seriously.”
Noticing his suddenly brightened expression, Yan Man quickly added: “But I…”
Unable to figure it out, she simply poured him a glass of water: “Drink some water first. Let me think about it.”
After finishing the water in the paper cup, he licked his lips: “I’m not asking you to marry me. A relationship would be fine.”
Yan Man: “Huh?”
Ye Lin: “I said, let’s date.”
“It’s not impossible… it’s just—” Yan Man licked her lips. “My family has been going through some issues lately. I’m not sure if I can fully commit to another romantic relationship.”
In fact, just moments ago, before he spoke, she had considered whether she should give it a try with him.
After all, she had acted on instinct just now. Minutes earlier, she had felt her heart skip a beat and race when looking at him. She must feel something for Ye Lin, though the extent of it was unclear.
But her belief in love had already been shaken because of Yan Wendong.
For her, Yan Wendong was more than just a father—he represented her direct perception of love and relationships. Even days ago, she had thought his remarriage was just a fleeting impulse, that he still loved her mother the most. Because of this, she still believed in love and being loved.
That’s why discovering the affair had started a year earlier was such a shock.
Even Yan Wendong, who had loved her mother deeply before her death, remembered her habits and preferences. They used to take walks in the park together. He washed her hair, read to her, bought her trinkets he saw while passing by, and stayed by her side day and night when she was critically ill. Though their love story wasn’t extraordinary, it was more than what many men in his position could achieve.
Yet even that love had faded so quickly.
It was hard for her to believe in lasting love or being loved anymore.
Yan Man said: “If I start a relationship with you, but I’m not sure if I can love you properly or trust that you’ll love me, wouldn’t that be unfair to you?”
Ye Lin gazed at her for a long time. For a moment, she thought he might retract his words. But instead, he said: “No.”
Give him a chance to love her, even if only for a day.
He would prove to her that good love still existed in the world. Though he wasn’t perfect, he would give her the best. He would make her believe that she could still be embraced by love.
He would give everything he had to love her.
He said: “We can… try first.”
“One week? Or two weeks? We’ll act as lovers. If you feel comfortable or want to continue developing the relationship—if it’s the kind of love you want—we’ll keep going.”
She gasped: “And if I don’t mention continuing, then we’ll end it on that day?”
“…Yeah.”
After a long silence, his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. “Is that okay?”
Sweat seeped from his palms.
“Sure,” she said. “Let’s try it out. It doesn’t sound bad.”
Giving him a chance—and giving herself one too.
“How about two weeks?” Yan Man thought for a moment. “One week isn’t enough. I’ll be filming a drama during that time, and we might not even see each other.”
Ye Lin: “I can come find you.”
She nodded: “Then when do we start?”
The man glanced at the calendar. Just as Yan Man thought he was going to pick an auspicious day, he calmly stated—
“Why not start now?”
She was startled: “So soon?”
“…”
“Alright, let me call the doctor over first. Bi Tan said to notify the doctor once you woke up—”
“Not yet.”
He was about to say something when Yan Man interrupted: “Are you even listening to your girlfriend?”
……
…………
“Hmm,” within two seconds, he was already sitting upright on the bed. “You can call them now.”
“…”
The doctor arrived, checked his condition, and confirmed that it was mostly superficial wounds. No bones were broken, though some cuts were deep and looked a bit frightening.
After the doctor finished applying the medication and re-bandaging his wounds, they sprayed some epidermal growth factor on the superficial injuries. That task was left to them to handle. Yan Man studied the small spray bottle for a moment, then sprayed it twice on the wound near his shoulder.
The medicine was cold, and upon contact with his skin, Ye Lin shifted slightly in discomfort. She quickly asked, “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head: “It’s just cold.”
Looking at his wound, Yan Man couldn’t help but say: “Next time, don’t do something like this again. If it were for filming, I could understand, but for that teddy bear? It’s not worth it. If you like it, I’ll buy you a dozen. Hang them all over your car.”
“I’m not fond of that teddy bear.”
Ye Lin raised his head and noticed the furrow in her brow and the tightness of her lips. He couldn’t help but smile faintly and reassured her: “It’s nothing serious. A few anti-inflammatory injections will do.”
“But these wounds look really scary—”
Halfway through her sentence, Yan Man looked at him suspiciously: “Why do you seem so happy seeing yourself injured?”
“No,” he suppressed a smile and added, “I’m not happy about that.”
Meanwhile, Yan Man placed the spray on the table and sat down.
“Are there any other things to do?”
He pulled back the blanket and said: “I’ll take a walk downstairs. I’ve been lying down for too long; I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“You’re still complaining about being tired while lying down?” Yan Man envied him. “I’m so exhausted, haven’t rested all afternoon, and wish I could lie down.”
“Hmm, then go up and sleep.” He said, “I’ve warmed up the bed anyway.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll call you when I come back.”
Yan Man thought for a moment, found it reasonable, and decided to make use of the available resources. She lifted the blanket and lay down. Her head had barely touched the pillow when she fell asleep from exhaustion.
He stood by and watched for a while, unconsciously lifting the corners of his lips before sitting down beside her.
The IV drip slowly entered his veins. After sitting for a while, he heard noisy voices outside. Soon, the door was pushed open by the two agents.
Bi Tan froze first.
Simon: “What are you doing? Standing at the door like a metal rod, move aside and let me in…”
Then, looking up, he also froze in place.
It took Bi Tan three minutes to interpret the scene: “Am I blind?”
He pointed at the person sleeping on the bed and the patient sitting nearby: “She’s sleeping on the bed, and you’re sitting in the chair with an IV drip?”
Yan Man was half-asleep, finding the noise bothersome, covered her ears, and turned over.
Ye Lin used his free hand to take out his phone and sent a message: [Not okay?]
Bi Tan found it strange: [It’s fine, but why are you typing on your phone?]
But the man didn’t reply: [What are you here for?]
Bi Tan: [To talk to you about something.]
[What thing?]
Bi Tan: [I just remembered it, but after you startled me, I forgot.]
Ye Lin: [Then get out.]
[Why?]
[I don’t want to see irrelevant people.]
Bi Tan took a deep breath.
[Hmm, I’ve given my youth to you for so many years, and in return, I get a thank you for letting you be free…]
Ye Lin: [Go sing outside.]
“…”
That evening, Ye Lin was discharged from the hospital. On the way back, he frequently glanced at her.
Yan Man: “What?”
After a pause, the man softly confirmed: “Do you remember what you promised me today?”
Her nerves tightened instantly, thinking she had forgotten something important: “What is it?”
Ye Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he said: “Two weeks, did you forget?”
Yan Man sighed in relief, “I thought it was something big. You scared me.”
“Of course I remember,” she said, “Is this worth you asking me so anxiously? I thought I forgot about some resource needing to be activated.”
“…”
Yan Man looked out the window: “I see that I need to write you a contract in black and white to make you feel secure.”
“Hmm,” he said, “Can you really write one?”
Yan Man: “… “
The next day during filming, Yan Man found an opportunity.
In the morning, they were shooting a distant scene of a meeting where she only needed to be seen writing something continuously. Unsure of what to write, she recalled their agreement, which inspired her. She quickly filled a sheet of paper with writing.
During lunch break, she was about to send him a message when his message arrived first.
Ye Lin: [Come immediately.]
She typed slowly: [Where are you?]
[At home, getting something.]
She intended to reply but was too sleepy from waking up early. So she leaned against the window and closed her eyes for a rest. Not long after, she heard voices outside, high and low calling “Teacher Ye.”
Yan Man opened her eyes, somewhat dazed, and looked out the window.
It was indeed Ye Lin.
Today, he wore a long wool coat, the deep blue complementing the winter atmosphere. The unbuttoned long coat made him appear even taller and more upright, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, the hem swaying with each step.
Yan Man leaned against the window, surprised: “Didn’t you go home?”
“Yeah,” he said, “My place is very close to here.”
Hearing this, Yan Man perked up.
“Close?” She blinked, feeling hopeful about her sleep situation, “How close?”
“About five to six minutes by car. I just stepped out when I messaged you.”
“No wonder you came so fast,” she tilted her head, looking at his eyelashes, and asked, “How many rooms does your house have?”
His Adam’s apple moved: “Quite a few.”
“Oh—”
She nodded emphatically and said: “My hotel stay is about to expire.”
Ye Lin looked at her for a while, reading between the lines, but still wasn’t entirely sure.
After a moment, he slightly furrowed his brows: “You want to stay at my place?”
Yan Man scrutinized him: “What kind of expression is that? Sounds like I’m taking advantage of you.”
With pride, she stood up and walked out of his sight: “I won’t stay.”
“…”
When Yan Man hopped out of the car, the man finally stepped forward and said: “I didn’t mean that. I was just worried—”
“I—won’t—stay.”
“…”
“Well, this is for you,” she said, “Repaying kindness with kindness. See?”
Taking the paper she handed him, Ye Lin unfolded it.
1. After discussion, Party A and Party B will maintain a romantic relationship from January 17th to January 31st, wholeheartedly and without developing ambiguous relationships with others.
2. During this period, Party A must fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of a girlfriend, and Party B likewise.
3. If Party A says the word “breakup” during this period (though unlikely), it should be considered a heated remark, and Party B should comfort her.
4. This contract is voluntary and does not involve any interest relations.
5. After January 31st, if Party A does not actively propose renewal, this contract will be nullified, and the romantic relationship will automatically terminate.
Party A: Yan Man (Signature) Party B: Ye Lin (Signature)
Seeing the third clause, he couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips, but upon reaching the last point, his smile slowly faded.
It was like a dessert served to you, where every indulgent bite counted down the time you had to enjoy it.
Yan Man had no idea what he was thinking and leaned over to point at the third clause, adding: “This ‘comfort her’ part makes me seem like I lack principles, but it’s actually about the spirit of the contract. Do you get it?”
Without looking, he knew exactly what expression she had on her face.
The earlier shadowy emotions dissipated like clouds under the sunlight, and he couldn’t help but smile faintly, agreeing:
“Hmm, I understand.”
Yan Man nodded, then indulged in her own self-satisfaction: “I wrote this randomly in a few minutes, but look, it has everything. The signatures at the bottom are professional, and there are even two circles drawn for where to stamp. Isn’t it meticulous?”
He lowered his gaze, studying it for a moment before thoughtfully putting the paper away.
“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Yan Man lightly kicked the tip of his shoe. “What are you thinking about?”
He reached out, flipping up the brim of the hood on her jacket, and murmured softly:
“Thinking about how to make the boss renew the contract.”
“Which boss?”
“Boss Yan.”
The title sounded pretty good to her ears, so Yan Man nodded: “Mm, it depends on the boss’s mood.”
“…”
After their chat, the two got into the car for lunch. He carried the meal boxes, having specially prepared a low-fat yet relatively tasty one for her.
“I don’t know what you like to eat. If there’s anything you dislike, tell me, and I’ll make sure they don’t prepare it next time.”
“This good?” Yan Man rested her chin in her hand, opening her phone to play a video. “I don’t think there’s much I don’t like.”
Then she glanced down and pointed: “Except this.”
He didn’t find it annoying and generously pushed his meal box toward her: “There aren’t any extra lids, so just put it in my bowl.”
Zhou Xuan had taken leave and hadn’t returned yet, so Yan Man wasn’t used to eating alone. She had queued up a video earlier that morning and hadn’t finished watching it.
At this moment, she happened to scroll to her homepage browsing history. After hearing what he said, she set her phone down and scooped some barley into his bowl.
She had previously heard people say that Ye Lin seemed to have a bit of OCD, but looking at this, it didn’t seem so?
As she thought this, she raised her head again and noticed his gaze lingering oddly somewhere.
He was looking at it upside down and couldn’t see clearly, but he still pointed to a spot and said: “Doesn’t that picture look like it has both our faces on it?”
Yan Man looked down and saw a small line of text at the bottom of the image: My Video.
…It was the BE (Bad Ending) video she had edited.
Yan Man quickly exited the page and feigned calmness: “No, it’s just… I accidentally came across it while scrolling. You know, there are all kinds of edits about us lately, made by others. I must’ve clicked on it by mistake.”
He obviously didn’t believe her nonsense, but he simply assumed she was embarrassed about being caught sneaking a peek, so he didn’t press further.
After finishing lunch, Yan Man went back to filming, while Ye Lin said the contract needed to be duplicated and kept as a backup. He took the document to get printed.
During her shoot, the man smoothly returned to his house and handed the task of printing the contract to Bi Tan.
Bi Tan glanced at it and marveled while sitting on the edge of the bed: “Only Yan Man would dare write something like this for you. What is this, a trial period before marriage? If unsatisfied, she can kick you to the curb? She’s got guts—”
“I proposed it.”
“Huh??”
Ye Lin: “I said, this opportunity was something I fought for.”
“…”
Bi Tan fell silent for a few minutes, then accepted it.
He sighed dramatically: “You’ve already been driven mad by love, man.”
Ye Lin folded the blanket and glanced at him sideways: “Do you even have the chance to lose your mind over love?”
Bi Tan flared up: “Why are you attacking me personally now?!?!”
A little later, after seeing him tidy up the room, Bi Tan remembered something.
“She said she’d stay over, but did she say you should stay over too?”
Ye Lin, exasperated: “Does the company not have an agent code of conduct?”
“No, why bring this up suddenly?”
“Well, I’m establishing one now. Rule number one: Don’t talk when you’re not supposed to.”
“…”
At 6 p.m., when Yan Man wrapped up work, she received a message from Ye Lin just in time.
[On my way to pick you up.]
She thought for a moment: [Where are you taking me?]
[My place.]
She snorted.
Before she could even add an exclamation mark to “I’m not going,” his next message arrived.
Ye Lin: [I’ve made the bed.]
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