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Outside the window, the winter wind was fierce, whistling and shaking the leaves.
Inside, it was warm. Two cats were fighting by the fireplace, their meows mingling with the sounds of kissing in the room, spreading through the air.
Yan Man’s fingers were caught and placed on his shoulder. He gently sucked her lower lip, as if trying to taste something from it, again and again, his tongue occasionally darting out to trace her lip line. When he pressed into the gap, she opened her mouth, and his tongue slipped in.
Perhaps because she had just eaten fruit, there was a hint of grape. She couldn’t help but suck on his tongue, which earned her an even more violent assault. She was quickly kissed into a state of weakness, and the hand holding the bath towel slowly loosened.
Her skin gradually warmed, and a soft numbness spread through her bones. She couldn’t help but let out a soft moan from her nose, without even realizing it herself.
Ye Lin took two deep breaths and then released her.
He lowered his eyes again and slowly pecked away the water stains from the corners of her lips.
She hadn’t yet recovered, feeling as if something was churning inside her. Her eyes were still misty. “Hmm? Did I say stop?”
Her voice was nasal, and although she asked such a question, her eyes were clear, seeming to say that she wanted him to continue, even to be unrestrained.
Like a captivating and innocent little fox.
“...No,” his voice was also hoarse beyond recognition. He covered her with the bath towel. “But this is as far as it goes for now.”
Yan Man had clearly sensed it. “Why?”
He reached out and covered her already slightly cold shoulders. “Aren’t you cold?”
His question made it seem like she really was a bit cold.
“Then I’ll go put on clothes,” she said softly.
“Mm.”
After changing into her pajamas, she went straight into the quilt, clutching the corner to her chest, hearing her own heartbeat thumping.
...It was only a few minutes of kissing.
Her mind wandered hazily, recalling that he seemed to have only been aggressive with his mouth. She had been so dazed by the kisses at the time that she hadn’t opened her eyes to see his expression.
She always felt that being able to see his expression when he was lost in desire would be a very rewarding thing, right?
When she had gone back to look in the bathroom mirror just now, there was nothing special, the only thing worth mentioning was...
What kind of fetish was it to hold her thighs while kissing? It wasn’t like she was on top during sex, he had even made her legs red.
She let her thoughts drift on the bed for a while, then turned her head to look at the empty pillow beside her. Soon, the sound of a man’s footsteps came from the door of the room.
She patted the space beside her, and he obediently lay down.
Ye Lin reached out and put his arm around her waist. Yan Man turned to face him, a hint of anticipation in her fingertips. He reached out and took her fingertips in his.
Good, everything was very natural.
But Yan Man waited five seconds, and nothing else happened.
She raised her head with bright eyes. He seemed to be spacing out. Receiving her gaze, he finally lowered his eyes.
Top actors could speak with their eyes. For example, at this moment, he didn’t speak, but Yan Man read three words in his eyes: What’s wrong?
She suspected that only she was thinking, “Aren’t we going to continue?”
The bedside lamp was half-lit, and she saw him seem to raise an eyebrow slightly, then lean down.
Yan Man closed her eyes.
After waiting a few more seconds without any movement, she slightly opened her eyes and saw him seem to be smiling.
Well, you, deliberately playing with me?
Annoyed, she reached out and punched him. “Is it fun?”
“Not bad.” He caught the back of her hand and kissed it. Yan Man instantly pulled her hand away and distastefully patted it.
He seemed quite amused, watching her huffily rub her hand. After a while, the hand behind her waist applied some force. “Continue now?”
“Continue my ass, continue.”
Yan Man suddenly flipped over. “I’m not interested anymore.”
He seemed really happy tonight. His hand brushed over from behind and lifted her chin. “Then when will Boss be interested?”
Yan Man said stiffly, “Never in this lifetime.”
“...”
That night passed, leaving some unscathed and others feeling a sense of loss.
The next morning, as soon as Yan Man arrived at the set, she heard everyone discussing something in the distance.
Getting closer, she realized they were talking about “Cherry Ice.”
Although filming had been busy these days, she had vaguely learned from Simon about the show’s broadcast results. He had guessed it would be popular, but he hadn’t expected the level of popularity to far exceed his imagination.
An actor beside her was also saying, “Simultaneous broadcast on the web and TV station, the ratings broke records, and the total views have already exceeded five billion. And it hasn’t even finished airing yet, this is terrifying, I swear.”
Yan Man was naturally happy that her show was doing well. After all, this also meant that she would receive more and more high-quality scripts in the future, and her choices would be wider.
She said, “But the finale is tonight.”
“Yeah, when it finishes airing, even more people will definitely watch it. Your acting is just too good,” that person said. “The urban and campus scenes were filmed together, right? That requires a lot of switching between states, but you handled it perfectly. They felt like two completely different phases, without any overlap.”
“Really?” Yan Man thought of a highly shared clip from before and said, “I saw that rainy scene a few days ago and still thought my acting was a bit immature.”
“No way, it’s definitely good enough for an idol drama. You’ve improved.”
That night was the finale. Zhou Xuan also came back and insisted on staying up late to watch it together with Yan Man. Yan Man looked at the poster released by the official Weibo account, feeling a bit dazed.
Time seemed to always pass both quickly and slowly.
She took out her phone and posted a Weibo saying she was waiting for the update. The time jumped to eight o’clock, and Zhou Xuan immediately clicked on the page.
By the time Yan Man looked over, Zhou Xuan had been fiddling with her phone for a minute.
“Huh? Why isn’t there anything?”
“Your internet’s bad,” Yan Man said. “I’ll do it.”
As a result, when Yan Man opened the recommended banner on the homepage of the app, it was also completely black.
However, there was an extra line of text compared to Zhou Xuan’s.
【Too many users, the server is temporarily down, and emergency repairs are underway~】
Zhou Xuan nodded. “Indeed, the server was directly crashed. Looks like you’re the one who has to do it.”
...
The server was down for ten minutes before the official Weibo finally posted an urgent update, telling everyone that they could enter.
Yan Man was stuck for a while again before finally squeezing in.
She thought that watching the content she had filmed herself would unconsciously draw her into the scenes, but it didn’t. She didn’t get distracted, didn’t become herself, but became the female lead in the story, entering her life.
Her acting at that time, although slightly flawed in retrospect, was very sincere.
The last scene was a close-up. Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.
“I used to doubt your motivations, but today I must admit, Ye Lin is really handsome, and that handsomeness doesn’t diminish at all whether it’s in TV dramas or movies. It proves that real handsome guys look good even when filmed with a landline.”
It wasn’t until the words “The End” appeared on the screen that Yan Man turned her head. Thinking of his actions last night, she said solemnly, “Some people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
“...”
Early the next morning, the official Weibo of “Ice” released the broadcast report for the show, a long list encompassing all the famous scenes, trending topics, popular comments, broken records, and various honors.
It took Yan Man a long time to scroll to the bottom.
And the celebration banquet for the crew was scheduled for the evening.
The time had been coordinated long ago because when the show had aired halfway, the director had told them that the later advertisements were increasing, the platform was making a lot of money, and they should book the celebration banquet in advance to avoid any main cast members being unable to attend.
Tonight was a time when everyone was available.
Yan Man arrived at the last minute due to filming. She changed her clothes in the car and went directly on stage, seeing many familiar faces.
After everyone had answered the host’s questions one by one, they shared some thoughts about the drama.
When it was Yan Man’s turn, the host asked her, “Manman, what do you think is the biggest impact this drama has had on you?”
Yan Man thought for a moment, then slightly stretched out a small gap between her thumb and index finger.
She smiled and said, “Now I can say with a bit more confidence that I have a representative work.”
The live commentary, recalling all the harsh criticism she had faced along the way, couldn’t help but tear up:
[Sniffling, you do! You’ve always had confidence!]
[She really did face so much doubt...]
[Doubt is proof of popularity!]
The host also laughed: “Why just a little confidence? This drama’s ratings are so good; you should be very confident.”
“Because there’s only one,” she said. “I think an actor with real confidence should be able to bring at least two or three representative works to the audience.”
“Everyone can also look forward to my new drama, ‘City Traveler,’ which will also air on our platform.”
[2333 Wuli Manman understands the competition among platforms!]
Finally, it was the screenwriter’s turn to speak. The head screenwriter was pretty straightforward: “Actually, just the other day, I was telling a friend that finding such great actors for the script, as well as having such an excellent production team, left me with no regrets.”
“The only regret might be that the platform’s restrictions didn’t allow us to film many of the bed scenes I wrote.”
The live commentary burst into laughter again, laughing until some people started crying.
[That’s not your regret, it’s ours...]
[Don’t be discouraged, friends. What if they made up for it in real life?]
The final segment of the celebration banquet involved the main creators standing together to cut a big cake.
Next to Yan Man stood someone who appeared human but was beastly inside. She posed for photos, and after taking them, it was her turn to cut the cake.
Ye Lin handed her the cake knife and measured the length of the cake before saying, “Shall I cut it for you?”
She shrugged: “As you wish.”
He moved closer:
“Are you still mad at me?”
Live commentary: [What are you whispering about!! You two!! Caught red-handed!!!]
[‘Were you tired last night? Was my strength okay?’]
While the live commentary was busy imagining scenarios based on their proximity, the live broadcast ended, and the main creators exited the stage one by one. None of the female artists dared to eat the cake, but Yan Man was curious. The more Simon tried to stop her, the more she wanted to try it.
Unable to resist, Yan Man dipped her freshly washed fingertip into the corner of the cake and tasted it with the tip of her tongue.
It was rich in milky fragrance, not too sweet or heavy, fresh and light, and truly delicious.
Thinking no one would notice, she couldn’t help but taste a little more.
After coming off the stage, she received a message from Simon: [Your fans are urging you to post something on Weibo. Why not share some aspirations for the future?]
Yan Man thought for a moment, paired the message with a photo from the scene, and sent a Weibo post: [Thank you all for your support and love. I humbly accept all feedback and praise. Onward to the next goal.]
Soon, Simon sent her a screenshot: [Next goal? What is it?]
Sound Sound Man: [To have my own leading role and gain everyone’s recognition.]
Through a series of coincidences and Ye Lin’s deliberate closeness, almost all her works featured him. Occasionally, she wondered whether the success of this drama and the popularity of its female lead were due to his influence.
She also wondered if her performances with other actors were equally impressive?
She didn’t want to be known as someone who relied on Ye Lin because she never intended to.
She wanted to prove that her own abilities were enough.
She wanted to prove that Yan Man was an excellent actor solely because she could act.
After replying to Simon’s message, she looked up to find her seat at the banquet.
A celebration banquet, of course, included a feast.
There were over a dozen tables set up below the stage, filled with the drama’s staff, some investors, and several Weibo account operators.
Yan Man sat down and turned to see Ye Lin looking at her, causing her to squint slightly.
How dare he smile after doing what he did to her two days ago?
Just then, the actress seated next to her struck up a conversation: “You haven’t seen Teacher Ye for a while, right? Have you been in touch since wrapping up?”
Yan Man speared a piece of cod and bit into it with a crunch: “No, why would we keep in touch?”
Ye Lin raised an eyebrow.
Actress: “Don’t you ever gather at each other’s homes or anything?”
Yan Man: “No, I’ve never been to his house.”
“I thought you two seemed to get along well. Don’t you contact each other privately?”
Yan Man turned to her and nodded seriously: “Hmm.”
Bi Tan came over to talk to Ye Lin about changing clothes, holding a bag, and noticed the man tilting his head, seemingly hiding a smile from afar.
Manager Bi: “...”
Did you laugh this much before meeting Yan Man?
Soon, Simon also came over and handed Yan Man a bag: “Here, change into something else. It’s uncomfortable to eat in a dress, and you’ll need to move around later.”
Yan Man took the bag and felt the man follow behind her. After changing, she came out to find him waiting outside the dressing room as expected.
She was momentarily dazed, suddenly reminded of a long time ago during the Republican-era drama when it was her waiting outside for him.
Strangely enough, their roles were now reversed.
The man approached, blocking her path.
She caught a faint whiff of lily of the valley from him.
Ye Lin: “Your boyfriend is here, and you won’t even look at me?”
She proudly turned her head away: “No.”
He seemed to be smiling: “You’re right. I shouldn’t have deliberately avoided kissing you the other night.”
“Are you coming back tonight?”
Last night, she stayed at the hotel with Zhou Xuan.
“What’s it to you?” she said. “Even if I go to your place, I wouldn’t do anything with you.”
“I know—”
“No, your expression is suspicious.” Yan Man noticed his hand remained behind his back and said, “What’s your hand doing behind your back? Are you hiding a knife to kill me?”
With a tug, she pulled his arm out, revealing a small piece of cream cake.
He must have cut it after coming off the stage.
Yan Man: “Why did you bring this here?”
“I saw you tasting it twice earlier,” he said. “I figured you’d want some, so I brought it.”
In the mirror, she saw the corners of her lips curling up.
Ye Lin: “I only cut a small piece, and this is animal cream, healthier than plant-based.”
“It won’t make you gain weight. Eat it, and I’ll go to the entrance to check on your manager for you.”
Yan Man hummed a couple of times: “Do you really think this will make me happy?”
She reached out again, taking the cake from his plate, then nodded and said, “True, I am easy to please.”
He tilted his head, unexpectedly caught off guard by how adorable she was.
Although the live broadcast had ended, the trending topics continued. At events like these celebratory banquets, many attendees would take videos.
Someone was filming the banquet hall, completely unaware that Yan Man was sitting in the background. She was speaking at the time, and the segment where she mentioned “no contact, no gatherings, no private meetings” was inadvertently exposed.
People began to speculate:
[Girls, I feel like there’s no need to overthink this. The whole thing about lifting her skirt was probably just part of the usual promotional activities during the drama’s airing. After all, this is the first time a top star has stepped down from their pedestal to act in a romance drama, so they might not be familiar with the typical procedures—whatever the production team asks them to do, they do. They’re probably just friends; don’t overanalyze it~]
[Remember when So-and-So and So-and-So said they were just good friends? Now they have three kids.]
[Hope they stay as just friends.]
[Hope they stay as just friends +1.]
[Hope they’re the kind of friends who are calm and collected during the day but passionate at night ❤️.]
The comment section was filled with cheeky remarks, and the banquet concluded a few hours later.
Yan Man and Ye Lin returned to his place, finished showering, and it was already past eleven o’clock.
Being an artist truly felt like being nocturnal.
After sitting on the bed scrolling through her upcoming schedule for a while, Yan Man put down her phone and noticed Ye Lin lying beside her.
She said, “Why don’t you go sleep in your own room?”
“Cold.”
She hummed again, pulled the blanket aside, and lay down.
Though she had earlier said she wouldn’t let him do anything, having him sit so formally next to her made her feel a bit defiant.
Why? Other people’s boyfriends were always thinking about cuddling, kissing, and touching. Why could Ye Lin keep his head down, focused on his phone?
Did he not have any worldly desires for her?
Yan Man looked up at him, and before she knew it, words slipped out of her mouth: “Am I not attractive to you?”
“...”
“How could that be?” he said. “I’m looking at the flight schedule Bi Tan sent me.”
“What, are you going somewhere?”
“There’s a previous endorsement shoot. They want to film abroad.”
Yan Man: “Then go ahead.”
“I don’t take planes.”
To be more precise, unless it was an extremely important event, he wouldn’t board a plane.
Yan Man: “Are there actually artists who don’t take planes? Why?”
He also lay down, succinctly replying: “Too noisy.”
Yan Man couldn’t help herself from blurting out: “You can date me, but you complain about planes being noisy?”
“...”
“You’re not noisy.”
This response came out naturally, and his immediate reaction greatly pleased the chatterbox.
Yan Man nodded, feeling quite satisfied but unsure how to express it. Suddenly, she turned around, intending to look at something.
Scrolling through Weibo on her phone, she coincidentally saw everyone going wild over a certain married male celebrity with a hickey on his neck.
When this actor took off his shirt to go into the water during a variety show, he must have forgotten something. Not only was there a hickey on his neck, but there were also several scratch marks on his back.
It looked pretty intense.
Yan Man was astonished and spent quite some time zooming in on the picture. When she turned her head, she realized Ye Lin had been staring at her phone the entire time.
She watched him for a moment, and his gaze still hadn’t left the image.
What she didn’t know was that if someone hadn’t carefully observed the watermark on the edge of the picture, they might have thought it was a provocative late-night image someone had sent her.
After a few moments, he finally shifted his eyes away. Resting her head on her hand, she asked, “What, are you envious?”
“...”
He didn’t say anything, but his gaze moved to her face.
Yan Man subtly hinted: “Coincidentally, I don’t have any evening events this week.”
Her neck was smooth and fair, and the mysterious area below her pajamas seemed tantalizingly close, almost within reach.
Feeling mischievous, Yan Man leaned close to his ear and whispered seductively, “Want to give it a try?”
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