Didn’t Expect That, Did You?

Are You Sick?

Shao Cixin didn’t know that this couple variety show had actually set its sights on her and Wen Zhihan long ago—on the day they officially announced their relationship.

Shao Cixin’s popularity had risen even further because of her role in the movie “Red Lotus,” making her one of the hottest actors of the moment.

Wen Zhihan, with her divine beauty, was always on various netizen-made beauty rankings, even if she did not rely on it to make a living. Her beauty was unforgettable.

The union of these two was the best topic, the hottest news, who wouldn’t want to invite them on their show to boost their ratings?

Shao Cixin never expected them to be so bold.

Was Wen Zhihan an ordinary person?

Doesn’t she have better things to do than be on a variety show?

The appearance fee might not even be as much as she earned from a single business deal!

“Let’s drop this matter,” Shao Cixin, holding her phone, said to Rong Ya on the other end, “Wen Zhihan doesn’t have time. Don’t bother her, help me reject this.”

Rong Ya’s voice came from the receiver, confirming over and over again: “Are you really not going?”

Shao Cixin was very certain: “Not going, not going.”

Rong Ya: “Aren’t you going to ask your wife, President Wen?”

Shao Cixin retorted: “Doesn’t the show crew consider that my wife, President Wen, doesn’t have time?”

“Heh, about that,” Rong Ya said, “they film once a week, so they only need President Wen to spare them a day each week.

“She can’t possibly not have even a single day off in a week, right?”

Shao Cixin was silent for a moment, then thought about it.

That might actually be the case…

In fact, she and Wen Zhihan hadn’t spoken in a long time because Wen Zhihan was busy, and she was too, and their rest times never coincided.

Well, no big deal. They weren’t exactly a lovey-dovey couple, it’s not uncomfortable if they don’t call each other every day.

What’s important is, the agreement did not state that Wen Zhihan was obliged to accompany her on the show or assist her with all her work.

As a person who values contracts, she strictly abides by the agreement, she didn’t want to cause any trouble for Wen Zhihan!

“Why would she use her day off to come on the show with me?” Shao Cixin asked curiously, “Why do I feel like you really want us to go?”

Rong Ya did not deny her intentions: “Of course I do. As your agent, naturally, I wouldn’t want to miss any chance that can boost your fame.

“A lot of people are curious about you and Wen Zhihan getting married. This could be a great opportunity.”

“……”

Shao Cixin could understand Rong Ya’s thoughts.

If she and Wen Zhihan were really together, they would have agreed without a second thought and shown off their love just like Zhou Hong.

It’s a pity that they’re not really together. She had no authority over Wen Zhihan’s time and had no right to make her “work overtime”.

“I understand, but our relationship isn’t good enough for her to go on a show with me, so let’s forget it.

“Please reject them, Sister Rong Ya. Thanks for your hard work.”

After hearing her out, Rong Ya said: “I see, it seems that your efforts to foster a good relationship at home aren’t very successful.

“You should hold more of these meetings when you are free. Get to know her better. Once you’re closer, you might be able to bring her onto the show.”

Shao Cixin: “…”

Rong Ya sincerely encouraged: “Hold more of them, hold more of them.”

Encouraged so earnestly by Rong Ya, Shao Cixin felt a bit embarrassed, scratching her forehead awkwardly: “Alright, alright, I got it!”

Rong Ya, knowing her wishes, had nothing more to say.

“That’s it then. I will reject them in a bit. Work hard on your filming over there, take care.”

“Mhm.”

The call ended.

Shao Cixin picked up the script, flipped through a couple of pages, put it down, and picked up her phone again.

In her friends circle[1], Wen Zhihan would like every post of hers and sometimes even leave a comment.

But in the chat interface, their conversations were pitifully scarce.

Afraid of disturbing Wen Zhihan with her erratic rest times, she rarely initiated a conversation, mostly just sending good morning and goodnight messages as greetings.

At this moment, she suddenly felt that their relationship wasn’t actually that close – just like in high school, not even friends.

To Wen Zhihan, she was no different from anyone else.

This was perfect.

A transaction should be like this, keeping relationships clear, no need to labor to maintain a relationship, free and easy.

So she once again casually put down her phone, continuing to memorize her lines without any worries.

Today it’s snowing heavily, making it impossible to work.

Shao Cixin was warming up in the hotel, memorizing lines, and when she got hungry, she would invite Lin Mumu to go down to the restaurant for a bite.

The restaurant in this hotel is open 24 hours a day, ready to serve at any time.

Quite coincidentally, Zhou Hong was there too.

——With her newlywed husband, the actor superstar, Zhou.

The moment Shao Cixin saw her, her steps paused for a fraction of a second.

While she wasn’t scared of running into Zhou Hong, she would rather avoid this ‘Yin and Yang master’[2] when she wanted some peace and quiet.

When she saw Zhou Hong, Zhou Hong also saw her. Like some kind of homing radar, her gaze always managed to lock onto her in an instant.

However, after a casual glance, Zhou Hong hummed silently, shifted her gaze, and continued to have a sweet meal with her husband.

Shao Cixin pretended not to see them and found a spot with Lin Mumu where no one was sitting in front or behind.

She prayed inwardly: hoping that Zhou Hong and Zhou Yi could eat their meal quietly without causing any disturbance.

After ordering, Lin Mumu sneakily glanced at Zhou Hong a couple of times.

This was already the third time Zhou Yi visited the film set to see his wife.

Their lovey-dovey sweetness was extreme, truly the model of newlywed bliss.

Lin Mumu withdrew her gaze and looked at her own artist and sighed.

Among the actors in the crew, Shao Cixin was one of the only two newlyweds, but Wen Zhihan had never visited even once.

Comparisons between the two couples were inevitable, leading to all kinds of wild speculations.

Shao Cixin noticed her gaze and put down her phone: “What’s up?”

Lin Mumu whispered, “Cixin, have you ever thought of inviting President Wen to visit the set?”

Shao Cixin looked away and answered quickly, “No.

“I’m poor, I can’t afford her appearance fee”[3].

Lin Mumu: “……”

You’re clearly poor but all you have left is money!

Shao Cixin’s eyes turned slightly, “Why, have you heard some rumors?”

Rubbing the water glass with her palms, Lin Mumu said subtly, “…Just a little.”

Shao Cixin raised an eyebrow, she understood.

“It’s fine, just ignore it next time.”

Lin Mumu: “?”

This didn’t seem like something she could control?

“But Cixin, are you really okay with people comparing you with Zhou Hong and them?”

“I don’t mind.”

Shao Cixin guessed that people were probably saying all kinds of things behind her back.

In the shadow of Zhou’s couple, she and Wen Zhihan probably looked more like a ‘business couple’, only discussing transactions and not feelings.

But since that was the truth, why should she be upset with others over such superficial falsehoods?

Moreover, being a celebrity meant being discussed by others. If no one talked about her, she’d either be successful and gradually retreat from the limelight or be smeared[4], and she didn’t want to be the latter at this point.

Lin Mumu “Oh”ed.

After some thought, she encouraged, “Cixin, I think if you need something from President Wen, you can try to speak up. She’s quite nice to you.

“Last time, when I helped you deliver something, she told me that if you encounter any difficulties in filming, you can find her.”

This was indeed news to her.

Shao Cixin picked up her water glass, “Did she really say that? Why haven’t I heard you say it before?”

Lin Mumu was stunned, then laughed awkwardly, “I forgot when I got back…”

Shao Cixin nodded in understanding, not blaming her.

It’s alright to forget, as long as she doesn’t forget her responsibilities and cause trouble for her work.

In a blink of an eye, it was a new year again.

This New Year’s Day, in order not to delay the filming process, Shao Cixin turned down several invitations to New Year’s Eve galas and stayed with the crew to shoot.

Rong Ya turned down a few more New Year’s Eve gala invitations for her, and the new year continued with new busyness.

Fortunately, Director Long Hui was very kind and gave the entire crew a day off on New Year’s Day.

Zhou Hong decisively chose to return to Feng City to surprise her husband.

The day before New Year’s Day, just as she was about to leave, she very coincidentally bumped into Shao Cixin and Lin Mumu.

Having seen them already, how could she not take the opportunity to badmouth Shao Cixin a bit?

“You’re not really planning on spending New Year’s Day alone after getting married, are you?”

Shao Cixin was surprised: “No way, is there a national rule that you can’t spend New Year’s Day alone after getting married?”

Zhou Hong smiled: “Of course not. But if I remember correctly, your wife Wen never once visited the set, and you never went to find her. Not having seen each other for so long after just getting married, that’s not good, right? Unless…”

She leaned into Shao Cixin and lowered her voice: “Are you two fake?”

Shao Cixin wasn’t foolish enough to admit this in front of her rival.

She still had to act the part she should.

So she said: “Indeed, you’re mistaken. My wife and I have met several times.”

“What?”

She’s obviously in the crew every day, when had she ever met Wen Zhihan on the set, let alone several times?

Zhou Hong, speechless and dumbfounded, said: “Nonsense, you’re not dreaming, are you?”

But Shao Cixin seemed even more shocked, covering her mouth with her hand and widening her eyes: “How did you know? Have you been secretly visiting my dreams?!

“Without the owner’s permission, how can you sneak into other people’s dreams! Get out of my dream, you uninvited guest!”

“What???”

Zhou Hong: “Are you sick!??”

Who the hell counts dream meetings!!!

“Indeed.”

Shao Cixin regained her seriousness in a second.

“If I weren’t sick, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you for so long, wasting time.”

“…”

“I can’t be bothered with you!”

Unable to keep up with her thought process, Zhou Hong stormed off angrily.

Shao Cixin turned around and waved kindly at her retreating figure: “Have a safe journey~”

Lin Mumu, who witnessed this whole exchange: “……”

They shouldn’t worry about Shao Cixin being taken advantage of by Zhou Hong, they should worry about whether Zhou Hong will be driven to illness from anger by Shao Cixin.

On New Year’s Day, Shao Cixin stayed dutifully in the hotel, making video calls to her parents, going nowhere.

She wasn’t like Zhou Hong who had nothing better to do and even made the effort to return home—after all, she didn’t have a wife to accompany!

Lying on the bed, the video on her mobile phone showed Lu Lan presenting a small potted plant sent by Joanna, as well as the new tea set that Wen Xingyun had given to Shao Heng.

During her absence, both sets of parents got along extraordinarily well, as if they had been one family in their previous lives.

Lu Lan also told her that Wen Zhihan would occasionally come to Shao’s house to accompany her, praising Wen Zhihan as a good kid and a good daughter-in-law at every turn.

Shao Cixin did not respond.

She strangely thought of her previous life, couldn’t help but compare it to the current one, and suddenly found it amusing.

The wife she treated sincerely, it turned out, wasn’t as genuine as the wife she got from a mere agreement.

Wen Yu, Wen Yu, God probably let you be reborn in this life just to let you see all the terrible things you did in your previous life, and see how much of a failure you were…

“Xinxin,” Lu Lan’s voice woke her up from her wandering thoughts, “It’s a holiday today, have you called Zhihan?”

Shao Cixin came back to her senses, nodding repeatedly: “Yes, yes, I’ll definitely call her. I just called you first, I’ll call her in a bit.”

Lu Lan sighed: “Ah, it’s hard on you two having to be apart for so long just after getting married.”

Shao Cixin reassured her: “It’s not tough, we still have mobile phones, it’s very convenient.”

Lu Lan: “It’s not as good as seeing each other in person, is it?”

Shao Cixin: “…it can at least alleviate the feelings of missing each other a bit.”

Lu Lan: “Alright then, I won’t bother you anymore, you go call her.”

Shao Cixin kept nodding, only hanging up after she had cheered Lu Lan up.

Then she pulled up Wen Zhihan’s WeChat and sent her a message: “Happy New Year.”

Perhaps because of the holiday, Wen Zhihan responded quickly.

[Wen Zong]: Happy New Year

[Wen Zong]: Aren’t you filming today?

Shao Cixin rolled over and typed in reply: [Director Long gave us a day off]

After she sent the message, she received a call invitation from Wen Zhihan the next second.

She picked up the call, and the familiar voice came out of the speaker, as gentle as always.

“What are your plans for your day off?”

Shao Cixin replied: “Staying in the hotel, sleeping all day.”

Wen Zhihan chuckled lightly: “Don’t you plan on going out for some fun?”

Shao Cixin wrapped herself in the quilt: “It’s too cold outside, I’m not going out.”

Wen Zhihan chuckled softly.

“Stay warm, don’t catch a cold.”

“Okay, what about our Wen Zong, what are your plans for today?”

“I’ve been busy with work recently, haven’t had much time to rest properly, so just like you, I’m resting at home.”

“Oh… you’re really busy with work.”

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing that Wen Zhihan had detected the implications in her words, Shao Cixin simply brought up Zhou Hong’s matter and chatted about it casually.

“Then she said it’s not normal for us, as newlywed wives, not to see each other for so long, and she even asked if we were pretending.

“How could I admit defeat?

“I definitely told her that we’ve met several times!”

Wen Zhihan curiously laughed: “Really? Where did we meet several times?”

Shao Cixin shamelessly responded: “In our dreams.”

Wen Zhihan paused for a moment, unable to hold back a smile: “Did she believe it?”

“She didn’t.”

Shao Cixin tucked her head into the quilt as well.

“She also said I’m sick.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhihan’s tone was evidently not as gentle: “How can she say that about you?”

Shao Cixin was used to bickering with Zhou Hong, so she didn’t take it to heart, but when she heard Wen Zhihan say this, she suddenly remembered something Lin Mumu had said and couldn’t help but want to tease Wen Zhihan.

“Right, she said that about me, is our President Wen going to come over and get justice for me?”

“Do you need me to get justice for you?”

“Of course, I need our President Wen so much!”

“Alright, I’ll come over and get justice for you.” Wen Zhihan responded with a laugh.

Another joke.

Shao Cixin curled her lips and chuckled, saying: “Alright, I’m just joking.

“I was joking with Zhou Hong too, dreaming was just nonsense I made up, don’t take it to heart, I’m the biggest nonsense talker.”

However, Wen Zhihan said: “This time it’s not nonsense.”

Shao Cixin: “What?”

The mobile phone was on her ear, Wen Zhihan’s voice came from inside, so light as if whispering: “Cixin, I have indeed dreamed of you.”

Shao Cixin was stunned.

Could it be that the uninvited guest is actually me???

[1] “Friends circle” 朋友圈 is a feature on the Chinese social media app WeChat, similar to Facebook’s newsfeed where users can share updates, pictures, and videos with their contacts.[2] ‘Yin and Yang master’ (阴阳师): This is slang for someone who is very good at harassing others.[3] ‘Appearance fee’ (出场费): In the entertainment industry, an appearance fee is the payment made to a celebrity for participating in an event or show. Shao Cixin is using this term humorously to describe her reluctance to invite Wen Zhihan to the set.[4] ‘Smeared’ (糊了): In the context of the entertainment industry, this term can mean to be ruined or tarnished in reputation. This is often caused by scandals or mishandling of public relations.