"It's almost lunchtime now. Let's eat first," Gu Lichen said after looking at the time."Let me treat you. You've been modeling for so long today that we almost missed lunch," she said."You're treating me?" His eyes glimmered."Of course. I can't afford anything too expensive though." She added after touching her nose. After all, the restaurant he brought her to before was out of the question as it cost tens of thousands of dollars for a meal."Anything will do. I'm not a fussy eater," he said.She was relieved. The two walked out of the studio. Zhong Keke asked as they walked, "What would you like to eat? Chinese food or Japanese food? Korean food or Thai food?""Anything works," he said, glancing suddenly at a nearby small restaurant. Her studio was close to the small restaurant where they met for the second time. "Do you often eat at that small restaurant?""Yes," said Zhong Keke."Let's have lunch there, then," said Gu Lichen."There?" Zhong Keke froze. After all, the don
However, even so, it was still a matter of great joy to her. There was something very satisfying about seeing her comics being adapted into a show and played by real people."A company is interested in the adaptation and has decided to invest more money in it. There's a good chance that it’ll be broadcasted through satellite and on TV. Besides that, I think I heard they're getting Bai Ruoqing to play the male lead," Zhou Xinmian said excitedly.Zhong Keke froze on the spot. Bai Ruoqing was a popular celebrity. His acting skills were favored by many people.There was no TV series that Bai Ruoqing starred in that did not get broadcasted through satellite! If he was indeed the male lead, there was a real chance the show would be broadcasted through satellite."Really?" Zhong Keke muttered after some time.Zhou Xinmian said, "Nonsense. Would I tell you fake news? The producer called me. If this series is a hit, then maybe you’ll be a hit too!"Zhou Xinmian was happy for her best frie
'He must be trying to reassure me not to worry!'Zhong Keke thought to herself. Then, she smiled and said, "Thank you for the kind words. I hope he'll take the role. But it doesn't matter even if he doesn’t. I'm content enough that my creation can be adapted and is given additional investment because they have high hopes for it."His eyes glimmered slightly. Her smile was still full of contentment. 'Contentment is bliss?'What would become of a woman like her if she became greedy?However, if he found her to be greedy one day, maybe it was time to end their relationship.When the date was over, Gu Lichen returned to his car alone and called his secretary. "Get someone to contact Bai Ruoqing and tell him to accept the comic adaptation role he was recently offered.” The secretary could not help pausing. 'Get... Bai Ruoqing to accept a comic adaptation? President Gu shouldn’t have to personally give orders on such a small matter, right?’After getting an affirmative reply, the sec
'I'll find out the answer!'...Ling Yiran video-called Zhuo Qianyun, asking how her ankle injury was."I've almost recovered," said Zhuo Qianyun."What about you and Ye Wenming?" Ling Yiran asked again."We're still the same. He doesn't want to accept me, so maybe we'll end up getting divorced," muttered Zhuo Qianyun.Ling Yiran suggested, "Why don't we try and see how we can dehypnotize him? We could find a good hypnotist to do reverse hypnosis. I've looked into some cases, and there have been some successful cases."Zhuo Qianyun shook her head. "No thanks. He's the one who doesn't want to get rid of the hypnosis. He knows the secret password and can get rid of the hypnosis himself at any time. He's unwilling to do it because he doesn't want to love me anymore. In that case, there's no need to force him.""But you..." Ling Yiran said with concern."I'm mentally prepared. We’ve missed out on so many things. If he really doesn't have feelings for me by the time we’ve agreed on
"Are you hungry? Why don't... I make a bowl for you too?" She turned to look at him and spoke.He stared at her with his thin lips pressed together but said nothing."Forget... I said anything, then," she said awkwardly. Come to think of it, the chef at the mansion cooked much better food than her simple tomato and egg noodles. Besides, he did not say he was hungry."Since you asked, how can I forget? Zhuo Qianyun, do you like going back on your word?" With that said, he ignored her, left the kitchen, and sat down at the dining table.Zhuo Qianyun froze. 'Does he... want me to make a bowl for him too?'Therefore, she began to prepare another bowl of noodles.Soon, two bowls of tomato and egg noodles were ready. Zhuo Qianyun brought them to the dining table, a bowl for each of them."Okay, go ahead. But the noodles just got out of the pot. Be careful not to burn yourself," she reminded and lowered her head to eat the noodles in the bowl.Ye Wenming looked blankly at Zhuo Qianyun
She was the one who did not believe him.Now, he did not believe her!It turned out that two people believing in each other was such a difficult thing!...Zhong Keke was stunned to learn from Zhou Xinmian that Bai Ruoqing had agreed to play the male lead in the adaptation."Really?"Zhou Xinmian said excitedly, "Could it be fake? The producer told me! I heard Bai Ruoqing had turned down the role at first, but for some reason, he agreed in the end. You're so lucky."Zhong Keke thought she was lucky too. After all, Bai Ruoqing was said to be picky about the projects he chose to star in."Alright, now that Bai Ruoqing is playing the male lead, the drama’s success is almost guaranteed. By the way, what's going on with you and your boyfriend?" said Zhou Xinmian."I guess we're familiarizing ourselves with each other," said Zhong Keke."Is he looking for a fake girlfriend because his family's forcing him to marry or something?" After all, there was a lot of such news. Renting boyf
After chatting for a while, Zhou Xinmian said, "By the way, remember to attend the booting ceremony in three days.""Okay, got it," answered Zhong Keke."Remember to buy a nice outfit and dress up for that day. Don't come without dressing up. There’ll be a lot of reporters at the booting ceremony. They’ll probably include you in their shots.""Okay, okay, got it. I’ll dress up for the booting ceremony!" replied Zhong Keke.When she was on a date with Gu Lichen the next day, Zhong Keke said, "Can you go shopping with me? I want to buy a new outfit for the booting ceremony.""Which shopping mall do you want to go to?" he asked."Maybe we should go to Harbour Building downtown. There are more boutiques there," said Zhong Keke."Sure." Gu Lichen started the car and drove toward Harbour Building. On the way, he asked, "Is the drama starting so soon?""Not really. We've been preparing this for some time. We just hadn't decided on the male lead, but Bai Ruoqing has agreed to take the
"Okay, mint green is in trend this year, and the color sells very well here," the shop assistant said as she brought over a mint green dress in size M.Zhong Keke took the dress into the fitting room to try it on, while Gu Lichen stood in the boutique's open space and glanced at the pastel purple dress hanging on a shelf not far away.Purple was Yiran's favorite color. He once told her that he would buy her a beautiful purple dress.Later, he bought a lot of purple dresses, but none of them were delivered to her.Those dresses were proof of his longing that was hidden with pain. These dresses were still in his mansion's wardrobe, and no one was allowed to touch them.When Zhong Keke wanted to try the purple dress, he subconsciously asked her to change it to a mint green one. It meant he had not let go of his feelings for Yiran.With that in mind, Gu Lichen looked away from the dress and looked somewhere else.However, his pupils shrank immediately as he caught sight of a familia
He clenched his jaw and felt his teeth ache. 'Yeah, she’s broken up with me. She has every right to find a new boyfriend, but... the thought of her smiling at another man, and kissing and hugging him makes me uncomfortable.’ Gu Lichen could not help feeling irritated."You can't find one! Do you think you can find another man like me to love when you love me so much?" he said.Zhong Keke retorted with a slightly red face, "You... You're too confident. Who are you to say I can't find one? I love you now, but I can slowly get over you. Besides, I don't need to find a man like you in the future. I just need to find an ordinary man with a good personality who treats me well! I’ll give him all my heart, and he’ll do the same!"It was more like she was telling herself that.'Yes, I can move on from him. I can do it!'However, her words seemed to have provoked him as he turned the steering wheel sharply, slammed on the brakes, and pulled over at the roadside.She was thrown forward and
The fact Zhong Keke accepted was that she feared she would love him more and more!When Yi Jinli and Gu Lichen returned to the ward, Ling Yiran was still chatting with Zhong Keke about the children, not only the new baby but also the triplets."Alright, Lichen and I are going home first. Yiran, have a good rest. I'll visit you and the baby again next time," Zhong Keke said and got up after seeing the exhaustion on Ling Yiran's face.Ling Yiran replied, "Okay. I'll let you meet my triplets next time.""Sure."After Zhong Keke and Gu Lichen left, Yi Jinli lay on Ling Yiran's bed and said, "If you're sleepy, sleep first. The doctor said you need more rest."Ling Yiran said, "I'm a little sleepy, but I had a nice chat with Keke today. Jin, you know what? I think it's great that Lichen has fallen in love with Keke. Keke's a wonderful woman, and Lichen has finally found his happily ever after."She said as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.Looking at his wife's sleeping fac
"Thank you! It's a good painting, and I like it very much. I didn't expect you to draw my daughter like that.""I saw the baby when I came to the hospital that day, so I remembered," said Zhong Keke."I heard from Jin that you and Lichen both came to the hospital that day. I didn't scare you, did I?" said Ling Yiran.Zhong Keke smiled softly, "All that matters is that you're safe. Being alive is better than anything."The two women chatted while the two men looked at each other. Then, Yi Jinli said, "Lichen, let's go get some air."The two men got up and walked out of the ward.Zhong Keke looked uneasily at the ward door.Ling Yiran said, "They’ll be back soon. Don't worry. My Jin won't kidnap Lichen."Zhong Keke smiled, knowing that Yi Jinli probably had not told Ling Yiran about what happened that day."By the way, how are you and Lichen's relationship? Does he treat you well?" Ling Yiran asked."He treats me well." It was true. He treated her well. He would give her everyt
He and Song Qingyao were not even friends."You don't have to explain this to me," said Zhong Keke. They had broken up, and she did not need these explanations.Besides, she knew better than anyone that he had always been in love with Yiran.Thinking of Yiran, Zhong Keke said, "I want to go to the hospital to see Yiran. Can I?" The last time she visited Yiran, Yiran was still unconscious, so she wanted to check on her.Hesitation flashed across Gu Lichen's face."Don't worry. I won't say anything to trigger Yiran. I’ll still pretend to be your girlfriend in front of Yiran. If Yiran asks you, you can say we're doing quite well. When Yiran has recovered, I can make an excuse to say we've broken up. Of course, I can take all the blame. For example, I thought being with you attracted too much attention, or I couldn’t get used to being with you, or I had fallen for someone else—"Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly pulled into a wide embrace.His hands held her tightly
Zhou Xinmian: [I said you were living with Gu Lichen now. Then they said nothing and left readily.]"..."Zhou Xinmian: [Did you block their phone numbers? They said you're not answering your phone.]Zhong Keke: [Yeah.]She should have blocked her uncle's family's phone numbers long ago. Even blocking them now was considered late!Zhou Xinmian: [Well done! But didn’t they try calling you using another phone number?]Zhong Keke: [They did. But as soon as they spoke and I heard their voices, I hung up and blocked their phone numbers.]In other words, she did not give them a chance to talk.She did not want to listen to what they had to say anyway. They had worn out the last of her affection.Zhou Xinmian: [Have you made up your mind this time?]Zhong Keke: [I’ll just consider that my grandparents only gave birth to my father!]In other words, she no longer considered her uncle and his family her family!Zhou Xinmian: [You should have done that long ago! They told me Gu Lichen
It was why he had said such things at the time to keep the woman from leaving!"Maybe I've liked you since then." It probably started earlier than he thought.Zhong Keke's eyes watered as tears were about to pour out. She raised her hands and covered her eyes, "Gu Lichen, stop telling me such things!"Such things would only make her waver when her resolution was hard-won. Did he know how much determination and perseverance it took her to ask for a break-up and keep her distance from him to stop loving him when she loved him so much?Though her hands shielded her eyes, they could not stop the tears.His fingers pulled her hands away. "Alright, I'll stop. I'll stop talking. Don't cry."Her tears had always left him flustered.He hugged her and coaxed her. The indifference in his phoenix eyes had become affection.Zhong Keke finally stopped crying, but she still sniffled occasionally.Holding a tissue, Gu Lichen carefully wiped the tears from her face. After a moment, he said,
"Do you care about me?" She smiled bitterly. "That word isn’t only something you say but..." She did not continue speaking after a pause.However, he already knew what she was going to say.Gu Lichen turned pale. He knew that the incident at the comic fiesta was something that bothered her.He was the one who caused it!"Also, I think we'd better talk about the possibility of me getting pregnant!" she said."Okay, go ahead," he said as he asked the others in the living room to leave."Will you insist that I have the baby if I get pregnant?" she asked, looking at him."If you’re pregnant, I don't want to lose the baby," he said. He had never longed for children even though his parents had always wanted grandchildren, even if it was out of wedlock.However, such ideas had never occurred to him.Now, he wanted to have the baby because they would be... his baby with Keke!"Even if I don't want the baby, are you still going to stop me from having an abortion?" she asked.He was s
Even though he did not love her, she still thought she was a better candidate than Zhong Keke.However, to her disappointment, the way Gu Lichen looked at her was still icy."I'm not interested in you. The Song family you're so proud of will no longer exist in Shen City a year later. Perhaps the Song family can keep some things if you start planning now. Otherwise, you'll have nothing left."With that said, Gu Lichen left the ward, leaving Song Qingyao standing where she was in a daze.Other than reluctance, resentment, and jealousy, there was more shock and fear on her face.'Does Lichen intend to eradicate the Song family within a year? Is... Is he going that far for Zhong Keke? He doesn't love Zhong Keke, right? Why is he doing it? Why?' Unfortunately, no one could give her the answer.Gu Lichen walked out of the hospital and got into the car. He slowly closed his eyes as Song Qingyao's last words flashed through his mind.'It doesn't matter... even if I don't love her?'Kek
Song Qingyao's heart sank. Sure enough, he could find out anything he wanted to."Why did you do it?" Gu Lichen said coldly.Song Qingyao suddenly laughed. "You're asking me why? Gu Lichen, I’ve loved you for so many years. What do you think?""I wouldn't love you even if Zhong Keke didn't exist. If I wanted to fall for you, I would have done so from the beginning," said Gu Lichen.Song Qingyao's mouth was full of bitterness. She knew that!However, knowing was one thing. Her being reluctant and unwilling to accept it was a different matter!She shouted, "Why did you choose Zhong Keke? You love Ling Yiran because Ling Yiran saved your life when you were a child. What about Zhong Keke? Why her?"She accepted losing to Ling Yiran because she had never saved Lichen's life.However, how could she accept losing to Zhong Keke? "Because she's the one who saved me from the messy relationship," replied Gu Lichen."What do you mean?" Song Qingyao was puzzled.Instead of explaining, he