Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

Shi Xiang wasn’t happy to hear that.

Yan Su knew Mo Liuxi was hassling her again, so she said to Shi Xiang, “It’s okay. Let’s sit here.”

“I don’t care where you two sit, but if the reporters take any pictures of you two sitting together, you’ll both suffer the consequences,” said Mo Liuxi. “I advise you to sit separately.”

Shi Xiang raised his eyes and smiled. “You’re just jealous we can sit together,” he said flatly.

“You can try to sit together,” said Mo Liuxi raising his chin. “I assure you you’ll be in the headlines tomorrow.”

Yan Su had just come back to work. She wanted people to see her ability, not the scandals; that’s the last thing she needed. “No worries, she muttered meekly. “I’ll be sitting over there. We’re gonna stay in Venice for a few days anyway, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up then.”

“Sure thing,” said Shi Xiang, suddenly feeling better.

Being around Yan Su was humbling for Shi Xiang. He had desperately wanted to see her again but was afraid she might be too disgusted with him to agree.

Hearing Yan Su making an appointment with Shi Xiang right in front of him made Mo Liuxi angry. It was more than his ego could bear.

He would not believe that Shi Xiang wasn’t the father of her child.

Thankfully, the others from the crew started to arrive and not a moment too soon. Phew! The atmosphere was getting tense.

Not many people were invited at this time. Except for the leading actors and actresses, the others were the behind-the-scenes staff.

Ji Nuanyi was the last to arrive. She was wearing a long black dress and light makeup, her hair falling gracefully over one shoulder. On such a beautiful night, she and Yan Su were like two elegant scenery lines.

“So, Ms. Yan. We meet again.” Ji Nuanyi sat next to her and greeted her with a smile.

Yan Su took note of the ring on her finger and recalled some media postings of her and Xiao Si in a hotel together. “Congratulations,” said Yan Su.

Ji Nuanyi noticed Yan Su looking at the ring on her finger and chuckled. “Sometimes, it just happens unexpectedly. You thought he wasn’t the right guy, but it turned out you two are a perfect match.”

Yan Su wasn’t expecting to hear that from her. She stopped short, then nodded and said, “Mr. Xiao looks like a very nice guy. He’s Mr. Nian’s good friend. Like attracts like. They’re both great guys.”

“If you say so… Yuxi is Mr. Nian’s brother-in-law,” Ji Nuanyi turned up her mouth corners.

Yan Su paused again.

“I said nothing. Oh, try some of this risotto. It’s out of this world.” Ji Nuanyi tasted some and nodded in agreement. “Mmm. Absolutely!”

Yan Su felt a little embarrassed. Ji Nuanyi seemed to know about what happened between her and Mo Liuxi.

During the meal, all the male guests had drunk some alcohol. Yan Su had a few drinks, too.

The meal ended at eight, but people wanted the fun to continue and happily agreed when someone suggested playing a game called Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow.

In the first round, Yan Su was a villager. She was killed after she opened her eyes.

She spent 20 minutes watching the others continue the game. Then in the second round, she was killed at the beginning again.

Twice in a row? What’s up with that? People were giving her a confused look.

In the third round, she was, finally, not a villager again. She was the police. But in the end, Mo Liuxi made people believe he was the werewolf and he killed her.

Yan Su angrily downed two glasses of beer. Shi Xiang noticed she was upset, so he stood up and said, “Hey, everybody. It’s getting late. Some of us are tired. Let’s all go back to our rooms. Don’t we need to talk about our positions on the red carpet tomorrow?”

“That’s right. There will be a lot of reporters there tomorrow. Let’s get some shut-eye.” Ji Nuanyi stretched and agreed.

Since the two of them wanted to leave, the party ended and everyone left.

…

Venice at half-past nine in the evening was bustling with activity.

Since a large number of stars had come to Venice, many fans followed them there. The streets were all so crowded.