Article 23: There's a pig coming to root up the cabbage.

Yu Ling sensed her hesitation. She forced her stiff facial muscles to pull into a smile and said, "Sister Li, I’m fine."

"Everything will be resolved soon, don't worry."

Hearing this, Li Wan’s heart settled, but it immediately soared back up again. She asked skeptically, "How will it be resolved?"

Gu Tingchuan could cover the sky with one hand in the entertainment industry; the power behind him was something commoners like them couldn't even dream of, let alone challenge.

To get something, one inevitably has to pay a corresponding price.

Li Wan understood this truth well. She gripped Yu Ling’s hand tightly, her eyes locked onto her, not missing a single expression on her face. She asked again, "How is it being resolved?"

Yu Ling lowered her gaze, her eyelids fluttering. She averted her eyes calmly and said two words: "Chi Ran."

Chi Ran?

Li Wan looked at Yu Ling, stunned, as if struck by lightning.

Yu Ling pursed her lips and, taking advantage of the moment Li Wan was dazed, pulled her hand back. "Sister Li, don't stand there. Sit down first."

She pulled Li Wan onto the sofa and poured her a glass of water. Li Wan took the glass, still in a daze, moving like a programmed robot. Once her brain finally processed Yu Ling’s words, she turned her stiff neck toward her.

"Are you saying... Chi Ran, the one in the industry?"

Yu Ling nodded obediently. "It’s him."

Upon receiving the confirmation, Li Wan still asked in disbelief, "Is it really that Chi Ran?"

Yu Ling smiled bitterly, took a sip of water, and said slowly, "Yes, it’s him."

Once it was confirmed to be Chi Ran, Li Wan felt even more uneasy. Who was Chi Ran? He was a young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Everyone in the industry knew his status was noble; he only worked as a singer for fun and would return home in a few years to inherit the family business. Many female celebrities coveted this prize but dared not make a move.

There was a popular saying in the circle: "Master Chi is like the moon in the sky—one can only view it from afar, not touch it. Anyone who harbors delusions about him has simply lived a good life for too long."

The moon is noble and bright, yet it hangs forever out of reach. Humans occasionally develop the thought of touching it when they see its reflection in the water, but the moon in the water shatters at the slightest touch. Trying to scoop the moon from the water is a futile desire; one might accidentally fall in and drown.

Having failed to catch the moon, one ends up losing their own life instead.

Thinking of this, Li Wan worried even more for Yu Ling. She couldn't bring the cup in her hand to her lips. She rubbed the rim of the glass with both hands, restless and anxious.

Could Yu Ling have been tricked?

Li Wan stole a glance at Yu Ling. She looked once—Yu Ling was drinking water. She looked again—she was still drinking water!

Finally, Yu Ling couldn't take it anymore and turned to ask, "Sister Li, aren't you thirsty?"

Caught slacking, Li Wan uttered a confused "Ah?"

Yu Ling looked at the cup, pursed her lips toward it, and said bluntly, "You’ve been turning that cup around and around so much that you’re about to make patterns on it."

Li Wan gave an awkward smile and, under Yu Ling’s gaze, raised the cup to her lips. She didn't manage to take a sip in the end. She set the cup down and asked Yu Ling directly, "Why would Chi Ran help you?"

Yu Ling pursed her lips, seemingly not surprised by the question. Chi Ran’s situation was hard to explain, so she decided to play dumb.

Yu Ling shook her head, feigning innocence. "I don't know. I asked him if he could help me, and he agreed."

Li Wan’s eyes widened. "It’s that simple?"

Yu Ling blinked her large eyes and nodded guilelessly. "It’s just that simple."

Li Wan felt her world had been shaken. She tremblingly picked up the glass and took a quick gulp to soothe her parched throat. As the warm water moistened her dry throat, she felt her brain soothe as well.

Consequently, she leaned in close to Yu Ling—their faces were so near that they could have kissed with three centimeters less distance.

Yu Ling leaned back uncomfortably, looking at Li Wan with an indescribable expression. "Sister Li," she glanced at the empty glass in her hand and asked tentatively, "Do you still want water?"

Li Wan followed her gaze to the cup, immediately set it on the table, and fixed her eyes back on Yu Ling. The movement was lightning-fast, as if she feared Yu Ling might vanish if she were a second too slow.

Yu Ling sighed helplessly; having a manager who cared too much wasn't always a good thing. In the past, when faced with such awkward situations, Yu Ling liked to sigh and press her hand to her forehead, but she couldn't do that now because her arms were being gripped by Li Wan.

Yu Ling could only watch her, waiting to see what she would do.

Li Wan looked seriously into Yu Ling’s eyes and asked, "You asked Chi Ran for help, and he just agreed?"

It was the same old question. Yu Ling sighed again and replied patiently, "Yes, he agreed."

Li Wan still looked skeptical. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else." Yu Ling nodded firmly.

She was lying. But since Chi Ran hadn't stated his conditions yet, she would pretend they didn't exist for now. The truth was, she didn't dare tell Sister Li at this juncture. Given Li Wan’s temperament, if she found out, she would likely be worried sick all day long.

Li Wan stared into Yu Ling’s eyes, but her expression remained constant, showing no signs of guilt. That aside, looking at her up close, she felt like she had been hit by a beauty bomb.

What a beautiful face!

The porcelain-white skin was smooth and delicate, without a single fine line even up close, just like a peeled, hard-boiled egg. Her superior bone structure was a masterpiece crafted by the gods; a fraction more would be redundant, a fraction less would be lacking.

Her affectionate peach-blossom eyes were shimmering and evocative; when she looked at someone earnestly, the latter would lose their ability to think, unconsciously drawn into those black pupils.

Li Wan felt her face grow hot, and her heart, too. She forced herself to look away, struggling to avoid eye contact with Yu Ling. Then, she patted her own chest.

Yu Ling’s face was truly a final masterpiece from the gods—it could captivate men and women alike. That was close; she had almost fallen for Yu Ling.

Hm?

Li Wan’s hand froze. She suddenly realized she might have discovered something incredible. With her artist being this beautiful, if Chi Ran wasn't after anything else, could it be... he was after the person?

Li Wan whipped her head around to look at Yu Ling, her eyes wide, which made Yu Ling’s scalp crawl. She looked at Li Wan with concern, thinking, "Oh no, she hasn't lost her mind, has she?"

Meanwhile, Li Wan was thinking: "Oh no, there’s a pig coming to root up the cabbage I’ve been growing."