After leaving Gu Ting’s house, Wen Ke’an thought for a moment and decided not to go home just yet.
At this time, her parents might come back at any moment. To avoid any unnecessary conflicts, Wen Ke’an felt it was better to stay out for a while.
Coincidentally, Chu Han sent her a message asking if she had time and if she wanted to come over to her place to see something interesting.
Wen Ke’an asked what it was, but Chu Han remained mysterious, insisting she come and see for herself.
Wen Ke’an didn’t live far from Chu Han. Currently, no one was home at Chu Han’s place, except for Chu Han herself.
Wen Ke’an rang the doorbell, and when the door opened, she took a look at Chu Han and froze on the spot.
“What is this…”
At that moment, Chu Han’s face was covered in colorful eyeshadow and exaggerated eyeliner, although her lipstick was applied well.
Chu Han blinked and asked, “Do I look beautiful?”
“…”
Wen Ke’an took a deep breath, “Beautiful.”
“Hehe,” Chu Han happily pulled Wen Ke’an to her room. “I bought so many things!”
Chu Han’s room was very cute and pink. At this time, her desk had no books on it, but was piled high with various cosmetics.
Wen Ke’an asked, “Why did you buy so much makeup?”
“I can finally do makeup, and I want to look beautiful!” Chu Han said, slowly turning to look at Wen Ke’an. “Want me to do yours?”
“…”
In the end, Wen Ke’an took it upon herself to teach Chu Han how to do makeup.
Chu Han had good features and looked pretty, so even slight enhancements made her a little beauty.
Chu Han was very satisfied with Wen Ke’an’s skills. She looked in the mirror, saying left and right, “An’an, you are amazing!”
Wen Ke’an, although she didn’t wear makeup often, had once attended makeup classes at her company. Back then, she was almost like a semi-public figure and needed to maintain a good image.
“By the way, An’an,” Chu Han turned her head to ask in a whisper, “Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?”
“I have,” said Wen Ke’an.
“What do you want to do?” Chu Han asked curiously.
“A landlady,” replied Wen Ke’an.
Chu Han was stunned. “What?”
Originally, Chu Han thought Wen Ke’an would say something like being a dancer or some high-profile career. Becoming a landlady was completely unexpected.
Suddenly, Chu Han understood, “Haha, buying several properties and earning rent passively, that does sound great!”
Coincidentally, there were many cosmetics at Chu Han’s place, and Wen Ke’an used some to cover up the marks on her collarbone.
When she turned around after finishing, she found Chu Han staring at her.
“…”
“Got bitten again?” Chu Han asked.
“Mm.”
“…”
With the competition approaching, apart from her regular dance practice, Wen Ke’an found herself with a lot of free time.
When she finally had some free time and didn’t have to work on problems, Wen Ke’an would occasionally watch some videos. A video platform had just emerged a month ago, and very few people knew about it yet.
Wen Ke’an opened the app store on her phone and downloaded the platform’s app. There were not only few users but also few creators on the platform.
Knowing that this platform would grow significantly in a year, Wen Ke’an saw it as an opportunity and registered an account with her phone number.
In her past life, she had posted some videos on this platform and managed a food account.
However, at the moment, she didn’t have time to cook.
Wen Ke’an thought for a while, then changed her clothes and decided to film a video on the rooftop.
There were some performance costumes in the dance room. She put on a pure white Hanfu and planned to sneak to the rooftop while the teachers weren’t paying attention.
But unexpectedly, while the teachers indeed didn’t notice, she ran into Gu Ting coming to pick her up.
“Where are you going?”
Seeing her outfit and slightly guilty expression, Gu Ting knew she didn’t plan to go home.
“Filming a video,” Wen Ke’an said softly.
“What kind of video?”
“A dance video.”
“Is it for homework?” Gu Ting asked.
“No, I want to post it online.”
Gu Ting always knew she loved doing this. In her last life, while she was healthy, she spent quite a lot of time filming videos at home. But later, her health couldn’t keep up, so she had to gradually give it up.
“Where do you plan to film it?”
“On the rooftop,” Wen Ke’an said, feeling a bit nervous while staring at him.
If Gu Ting didn’t agree, she would have to find another place to shoot.
Gu Ting deliberately stared at her for a while before saying, “I’ll film it for you.”
Wen Ke’an’s eyes lit up instantly, “Okay!”
Gu Ting’s filming skills were quite good, and the two of them worked much more efficiently together.
The sunset in the afternoon was beautiful, casting a golden glow over her, giving her a dreamy aura.
Her movements were graceful, like a dancing fairy.
“How is it?” Gu Ting asked softly, looking down at Wen Ke’an, who was meticulously reviewing the video.
Wen Ke’an looked up with wide eyes, “So impressive!”
Gu Ting’s filming was indeed much better than her own.
Taking advantage of Gu Ting not paying attention, she quickly stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, smiling, “My personal cameraman is pretty good!”
Feeling satisfied with the video, Wen Ke’an was in an exceptionally good mood.
Walking toward their neighborhood, almost at the entrance, she still held his hand.
Gu Ting looked down and asked softly with a smile, “So bold, aren’t you afraid of being seen?”
Wen Ke’an replied, “It’s fine, my mom isn’t home today.”
Her parents had gone to look at some houses, so they probably weren’t back yet.
Wen Ke’an thought for a moment and continued, “You can come to my place today.”
Gu Ting smiled and asked, “Really?”
Wen Ke’an was about to say of course but was interrupted by the sudden sound of footsteps in the hallway. She instinctively looked up and swallowed her words.
A few seconds later, Wen Ke’an quickly let go of Gu Ting’s hand and looked towards Liu Qing, who was coming down the stairs with garbage. She softly called out, “Mom.”
“………”
Liu Qing unconsciously glanced at their previously held hands, looked at Gu Ting, and then at Wen Ke’an. “Are you… together?”
The evidence was undeniable; there was no point in denying it.
Wen Ke’an lowered her head, “Yes.”
Liu Qing looked at Gu Ting with a complicated expression, suddenly unsure of what to say.
With a sigh, Liu Qing said, “Let’s go home first.”
Upon reaching home, Wen Ke’an realized that her father had already fallen asleep in his room.
“How long have you been together?” Liu Qing softly asked, catching Wen Ke’an off guard.
“We just got together.” Wen Ke’an didn’t dare to tell the truth.
Liu Qing was silent for a moment before saying, “Don’t tell your father about this yet.”
After thinking for a moment, Liu Qing added, “Your dad would be furious.”
“………”
Unaware that his precious daughter was in a relationship, Wen Qiangguo woke up in high spirits and made a large meal.
“Is Xiao Gu home? Invite him for dinner!” Wen Qiangguo said while bringing dishes from the kitchen.
Wen Ke’an didn’t dare respond; she first glanced at Liu Qing.
With a cold expression, Liu Qing said, “Xiao Gu is not home.”
“………”
Wen Qiangguo glanced at Liu Qing and quietly asked, “What’s wrong? You haven’t been happy all afternoon.”
“Cheer up, look at the food your husband made for you,” Wen Qiangguo gently coaxed.
After dinner, the family sat on the sofa watching TV.
Wen Ke’an was absent-minded and wanted to play with her phone. However, she felt her mother’s occasional glances, and every time she picked up her phone, Liu Qing would look over, causing Wen Ke’an to quietly put it down again.
“By the way, An’an, we’ve got some good news,” Wen Qiangguo said, smiling as he picked up a brochure from the table. “We’re planning to buy a house here.”
“Which one do you like?” Wen Qiangguo asked.
Wen Ke’an looked carefully for a while and then chose one. “This one.”
“This house is nice, but it’s in a remote area,” Wen Qiangguo hesitantly said.
Wen Ke’an knew the area was remote, but in a few years, the city government would move nearby, and large malls, schools, and hospitals would be built. The house prices there would soar.
“With the same budget, we could buy three houses there,” Wen Ke’an said.
Seeing her parents waver, Wen Ke’an continued, “Dad, I think that area has a lot of potential.”
Wen Qiangguo acted quickly, signing a contract and buying the houses outright.
He registered two in Liu Qing’s name and one for Wen Ke’an.
Satisfied, Wen Qiangguo wanted to cook something nice and took Wen Ke’an to the local market, where they ran into Li Yuanyuan and Wen Xing’er.
Wen Ke’an hadn’t seen Wen Xing’er for a while; she looked thinner and listless.
Without saying a word, Wen Xing’er glanced away. Wen Qiangguo didn’t greet them either, riding past with a blank expression.
Afterward, Li Yuanyuan spat, “No manners at all.”
Wen Xing’er quietly said, “Dad said they bought a house in the western district.”
Li Yuanyuan sneered, “No vision at all. That area’s so isolated; they won’t even be able to rent it out.”
Later, Wen Ke’an saw a surge in traffic on her platform. Previously low-viewed videos now had thousands of views and over ten thousand likes, filled with various private messages and comments.
She nervously checked the comments.
“OMG, what a goddess, so beautiful!”
“This girl dances so well, why doesn’t she show her face?”
“Is this an immortal descended from heaven?”
“Is she too ugly to show her face?”
“………”
The first video, with such viewership, made Wen Ke’an quite happy.
However, she had no time to think about the video now. In the evening, Wen Ke’an received a message from Teacher Wang.
There was some capital involved in this competition, and Teacher Wang advised her to find a management company, saying it would be better this way.
Wen Ke’an didn’t want to sign a contract; besides, there weren’t any suitable management companies around her. Although Teacher Wang recommended a few good ones, Wen Ke’an remembered that these companies had some issues to various extents.
Wen Ke’an hesitated for a long time and then quietly returned to her room to video call Gu Ting.
Gu Ting had been busy at the company these days. Even though it was already late, he was still working in the office.
As soon as the video call connected, Gu Ting saw Wen Ke’an looking troubled, with her small brows furrowed.
“What’s the matter?” Gu Ting asked.
Wen Ke’an briefly explained the situation to Gu Ting. “If I want to compete, it’s best to sign with a management company.”
Wen Ke’an was still contemplating whether to drop out of the competition.
However, before she could say more, Gu Ting smiled softly in the video and said, “Did you forget about me?”
Wen Ke’an was puzzled. “Hmm?”
Gu Ting’s reminder made Wen Ke’an recall that he had previously mentioned establishing an entertainment company, but she was under a lot of study pressure at the time, and Gu Ting hadn’t mentioned it afterward, so she had forgotten about it.
Gu Ting sighed and teased her on purpose, “So the boss lady doesn’t remember her own company?”
“”
“I remember now,” Wen Ke’an said with a smile after a while, “Can I sign with your company?”
“Of course you can. The entire company is yours,” Gu Ting said. “The company is doing well right now. How about visiting it tomorrow?”
Wen Ke’an nodded, “Sure.”
—
Gu Ting’s company was in City A, and coincidentally, the competition would be held there too. Wen Ke’an packed her things briefly and prepared to leave.
Knowing Wen Ke’an was going out, Chu Han also wanted to tag along.
Since a car came to pick them up, Wen Ke’an told Gu Ting and brought Chu Han with her.
Chu Han was happy at first, but her smile froze not long after getting into the car.
She glanced at Xie Huaiyan in the passenger seat and quietly asked Wen Ke’an, “Why is he here too?”
Wen Ke’an shrugged, indicating she didn’t know either.
Gu Ting was currently in City A and didn’t have time to come back, so he arranged a car for her.
Wen Ke’an honestly didn’t know why Xie Huaiyan was in the car either. She thought for a moment before whispering, “Maybe it’s because he has some business to discuss.”
Halfway through their journey, Wen Ke’an suddenly received a message from Teacher Wang.
It was the list of participants for this competition, totaling forty contestants. Most appeared to be teenagers around seventeen or eighteen years old. Wen Ke’an scanned the list one by one.
Suddenly, she saw a familiar name.
Wen Ke’an’s knuckles turned white.
Chu Han noticed Wen Ke’an’s unease and glanced at her. “Xia Xiangwan?”
Wen Ke’an’s phone screen was currently showing Xia Xiangwan’s profile.
“You know her?” Chu Han asked.
“No,” Wen Ke’an replied as she closed Xia Xiangwan’s profile page.
“Actually, I saw her before. She’s a really arrogant girl, and she looks very difficult to get along with.”
Wen Ke’an didn’t listen to what Chu Han was saying. She knew she would meet Xia Xiangwan someday, but she didn’t expect it to be so soon.
Now that the day had come, she felt surprisingly calm.
She even felt a strong sense of competitiveness.
This time, she didn’t want Xia Xiangwan to win.
—–
There was a dance studio in Gu Ting’s company where entertainers practiced dance. After dealing with the contract issues, Wen Ke’an had been practicing with a company instructor for the past few days.
Since Wen Ke’an wasn’t an official artist of the company, the dance instructor wasn’t strict with her.
When taking breaks, Wen Ke’an could check her phone. As soon as she opened it, she received a message from Gu Ting.
“What do you want to eat?”
It was 10:30 in the morning, so Gu Ting was clearly planning to bring her lunch.
The company’s meals didn’t quite suit her taste, so Gu Ting cooked and brought food for her at noon.
Wen Ke’an thought for a moment and began to order: “Corn ribs and red eggplant.”
Gu Ting quickly replied to the message: “I’ll pick you up in a bit.”
Wen Ke’an: “No need, I’ll come find you.”
The office was on the top floor, just a short elevator ride away.
Gu Ting: “Okay.”
It was already twelve o’clock, and Wen Ke’an still hadn’t arrived.
Just as Gu Ting was about to go get her, he opened the door to see Wen Ke’an limping his way.
She was wearing a floral dress in shades of pink and purple, looking particularly fresh and pretty.
Seeing him come out, she smiled at him.
Gu Ting walked over to her and supported her, slightly frowning as he asked, “What happened?”
Wen Ke’an: “It’s nothing, just overexerted during training.”
“Let me take a look.”
Gu Ting crouched down to examine her ankle, suspecting it might be injured.
But before his hand could touch her, she pulled her foot back, not wanting him to touch it.
Gu Ting paused and looked up at her.
“It’s really nothing, just a small injury that will heal soon,” Wen Ke’an said softly.
Gu Ting said nothing, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Wen Ke’an held his gaze for a few seconds before finally relenting and quietly extending her foot, saying, “Here.”
Gu Ting gently pulled her white sock down a bit and saw that her ankle was quite red.
“Did you twist it?”
“No, no bones or muscles are hurt. It’s red because it got bumped,” Wen Ke’an’s voice grew softer as she spoke. She added, “It’s really not a big deal, and it doesn’t hurt.”
The more she spoke, the more off Gu Ting’s expression became.
Wen Ke’an finally chose to stay silent.
Gu Ting didn’t say much while treating her injury, only asking her a few times if it hurt.
Wen Ke’an had the feeling that Gu Ting was angry. She leaned forward, pinched his cheek gently, and softly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“”
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you mad?”
“Gu Ting~”
Finding herself at a loss, Wen Ke’an clutched his hand, looking at him pitifully as she coaxed, “Don’t be mad.”
Though her words lacked genuine sincerity, Gu Ting couldn’t withstand her speaking to him in such a tone.
Finally, he relented.
“I remember someone telling me last night that she would participate in the competition while ensuring her well-being,” Gu Ting said, looking at her. “And yet, today, you’ve managed to injure yourself.”
Wen Ke’an glanced at him for a long moment, then mumbled softly in rebuttal, “It’s not like I’m completely injured.”
“”
Seeing Gu Ting’s expression, Wen Ke’an knew she had misspoken again and quickly changed the subject.
“I’m hungry, hubby, so hungry.”
“”
Even in anger, he couldn’t let her starve.
Silently, Gu Ting took out a lunch box and set it up for her to eat.
Wen Ke’an looked up at him and asked quietly, “Aren’t you eating?”
Gu Ting: “I’m full from anger.”
“”
As Wen Ke’an ate, she couldn’t help but praise, “So delicious, the food my Gu Ting makes is the best~”
After eating, Wen Ke’an took a nap directly in Gu Ting’s office.
Gu Ting still had some work to finish and didn’t want to disturb her. After covering her with a blanket, he quietly left his office.
Upon leaving, he saw his business partner and the company’s vice president, Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng had just returned from a business trip. Hearing that Gu Ting was in, he was quite happy and wanted to chat with him, but to his surprise, he wasn’t allowed into the office.
“Got someone hiding in the office?” Qin Sheng asked, raising an eyebrow.
Gu Ting knew it was impossible to hide anything from Qin Sheng, this old fox. He said, “She’s asleep, don’t disturb her.”
Before Qin Sheng could respond, Gu Ting walked over to the window. Looking down, he unexpectedly saw a black sedan parked downstairs.
“Gu Yu is here?” Gu Ting asked coldly.
“Yes, he’s here to discuss business with us,” Qin Sheng replied.
“When did he come over?”
Qin Sheng thought for a moment, “It seems he has been here for quite a while.”
Gu Ting was deep in thought and did not speak.
Qin Sheng glanced out the window at the car and asked, “What’s up?”
Gu Ting clearly didn’t want to talk much with Qin Sheng, “Nothing.”
Qin Sheng didn’t mind much and changed the topic to something he was more interested in, “What’s your relationship?”
Qin Sheng smiled and asked, “Are you a couple?”
Gu Ting had a good family background and good looks. He only came to work a few days each month, and many female artists in the company were attracted to him, trying various ways to get close to him.
Although Gu Ting had a charming face, Qin Sheng had never seen him with a girl. He even kept a very, very distant relationship with most girls.
There was a time when Qin Sheng even suspected that Gu Ting didn’t like girls. But now it seemed, it wasn’t that he didn’t like girls, he just followed some male social norms strictly.
Qin Sheng was just about to ask how long Gu Ting had been in a relationship.
Before he could ask, he heard Gu Ting say, “No.”
Qin Sheng: “Hmm?”
Gu Ting looked up at the office and said, “That’s my ancestor.”
“?”