Chapter 20: This Evildoer’s Smile!
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Jian Ningxuan had to admit that he often couldn’t keep up with An Bu’s thought processes, but it was always easy and enjoyable when she was around. The anger he had just felt on her behalf dissipated with just one sentence from her.
As the anger subsided, An Bu’s vitality score on her side inexplicably increased by 2 points. She immediately sent Jian Ningxuan a thumbs-up emoji (*≧▽≦)b.
It was only now that Jian Ningxuan noticed he had been holding onto her arm. Surprised, he quickly let go and looked at the patch of skin he had touched, which had turned slightly pink but soon disappeared.
“Sorry…” Jian Ningxuan was well aware of how his unusual body temperature could be troubling for others. He looked at An Bu with eyes that carried a hidden concern beneath their icy blue surface.
“Why suddenly apologize?” An Bu raised her arm. “Because you grabbed my hand? Don’t worry, you can grab it however you like if you enjoy it. I don’t mind.” More than not minding, she was actually very willing!
“Do you… not feel hot?” Jian Ningxuan hesitated to ask.
Hot? She hadn’t felt this sensation for almost a century! Please, let her experience it more when she was so thirsty!
“I have a cold constitution, not afraid of heat at all,” An Bu replied. “But how about you? Do you feel cold being around me?”
Cold? Not at all.
Jian Ningxuan’s concerns, like ripples in water, cleared away instantly. He lowered his head, gazing at the girl beside him. It was as if a stone had been thrown into the calm lake of his heart, causing ripples to spread. A clear smile slowly spread across his face, and his icy eyes sparkled like fireworks blooming, lighting up the night sky.
An Bu: Oh my, this evildoer’s smile! My old man girlish heart, there’s still a day to be electrocuted?
“Mr. Jian, you should smile more,” An Bu praised without reservation. “As long as you keep smiling, I’m sure 99% of the women and 50% of the men here will fall for you.”
99% of women he could understand, but what did she mean by 50% of men?
Jian Ningxuan restrained his smile, returning to his usual cold demeanor.
An Bu looked at him with some regret, then shifted her gaze to the other side of the garden.
Yang Qianqian, Ji Siqi, Bei Mengla, and Mr. Shen have become the focus of the banquet, surrounded by the crowd.
An Bu and Jian Ningxuan stand in a corner of the garden, out of place amidst the excitement.
Jian Ningxuan felt that the mission of attending the banquet was complete, so he said to An Bu, “Shall we go home?”
“Sure,” she naturally had no objection.
“Wait for me.” Jian Ningxuan instructed before turning to walk towards the direction of the restroom.
An Bu strolled along the stone path alone, and the night breeze lifted her skirt, making it sway gently.
“Teacher An.” A familiar male voice suddenly came from behind.
An Bu turned around to find Mr. Shen, who was in the crowd just now, walking towards her.
“Is it really you?” Mr. Shen stepped closer to An Bu, smiling, “Didn’t expect to meet you here. Are you Miss Yang’s friend?”
“No, I came with a friend.” An Bu politely replied.
“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself yesterday.” Mr. Shen looks at the elegantly poised girl in front of him. “I’m Shen Muran, Gule’s brother. Gule will start classes with Teacher An tomorrow. Please take good care of him.”
“He is my student, and I will definitely guide him well.” An Bu glanced at him. She noticed yesterday that there was a faint, unstable aura about him—an omen of an impending accident, which could only be confirmed three days before it happened.
“Well then, I’ll trouble Teacher An.” Shen Muran looked towards the center of the banquet and invited, “Miss Yang is about to cut the cake; shall we go over?”
Just as An Bu was about to refuse, she saw a girl quickly walking towards them.
“Muran, what are you doing here?” Ji Siqi reached Shen Muran, hugged his hand, and looked at An Bu with hostility. “Oh, isn’t this the extra from ‘Unrivaled Everywhere’? What happened? Did Zhang Tingnan fire you?”
Shen Muran raised an eyebrow slightly, while An Bu remained calm. She examined Ji Siqi closely, vaguely recalling her identity as the former female lead of “Unrivaled Everywhere.”
“Do you two know each other?” Shen Muran asked.
Ji Siqi sneers, “The reason ‘Unrivaled Everywhere’ disbanded was because Zhang Tingnan wanted her to replace Liu Waner, who originally played the second female lead. Her methods were so incredible that even Yu Hao ‘appreciates’ her.”
The word ‘appreciates’ carried a somewhat ambiguous and insinuating tone.
An Bu was somewhat perplexed, wondering what infuriating or grievous thing she had done to provoke such a vehement response from herself.
Although she disliked causing trouble, she won’t tolerate being bullied either. She retorted, “I suppose Mr. Shen is the one who invested in ‘Unrivaled Everywhere.’ Unfortunately, due to favouring Miss Ji, you withdrew your investment. The crew almost faced a crisis, but thankfully, Director Zhang managed to secure new funding, avoiding the dissolution of the crew.”
Shen Muran was slightly taken aback, while Ji Siqi angrily retorted, “Who do you think you are, talking to Mr. Shen like this? Do you know who he is?”
“Do people with such arrogant and domineering personas like to use this line?” An Bu laughed, “Always flaunting your family background, blatantly bullying others, is it satisfying?”
“You!” Ji Siqi’s face turned red, but she couldn’t find words to respond. Being confronted like this, should she still boast about her family background?
Shen Muran, however, wore an almost-smiling expression. He coughed lightly, saying, “Alright, today is Miss Yang’s birthday. If there’s any unhappiness, let’s discuss it later and not cause trouble for her.”
Ji Siqi’s anger was hard to subdue, glaring fiercely at An Bu.
“Mr. Shen, Miss Ji, Miss Yang is ready to cut the cake; let’s go over.” Just then, a gentle voice comes from not far away.
The three turn to look, and a bright figure stood under the light, smiling and waving towards them.
Upon seeing this person, Ji Siqi’s eyes light up. She said to An Bu, “That’s Miss Bei Mengla. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She is the second female lead in Mr. Shen’s new investment ‘Jiangshan Beauty.’ With her appeal alone, the popularity of ‘Jiangshan Beauty’ far exceeds that of ‘Unrivaled Everywhere.’ When the two shows are released, let’s see how you compare to us.”
An Bu was puzzled, “As the female lead, are you happy that there’s a second female lead in the cast with more popularity than yourself?”
Ji Siqi: “!” I’m so annoyed!!!
Shen Muran, having witnessed An Bu’s eloquence, realized that Ji Siqi, despite her beauty, didn’t match up to Teacher An in talent and demeanor.
At this moment, An Bu suddenly revealed a brilliant smile in a certain direction.
Shen Muran and Ji Siqi followed her gaze, only to see an elegant figure striding towards them. His deep brown hair slightly lifted, his eyebrows were sharp, radiating a compelling aura. His grey-blue eyes were cold and piercing, and his features carried the traits of a mixed-race heritage, stunningly handsome like a sculpture of the sea god.
Ji Siqi’s breath caught, and her heartbeat accelerated.
Shen Muran’s expression becomes slightly serious, as if trying to guess the man’s identity.
The newcomer was naturally Jian Ningxuan. He walked directly to An Bu’s side, and softly said, “You’ve waited for a long time; shall we go?”
“Sure.” An Bu took Jian Ningxuan’s arm, and they walked together towards the villa.
Sensing that Jian Ningxuan seemed a bit unhappy, An Bu didn’t know where she found a mango-flavored candy. She removed the wrapper and handed it to his mouth, saying, “Here, have something sweet.”
Expressionless, Jian Ningxuan placed the candy in his mouth. In just a few seconds, the pent-up frustration dissipated from his body, followed by a faint yellow glow.
An Bu immediately gave herself a mental checkmark: Successful feeding!
Carrying a bag of cat candy with me was indeed the right decision!
Shen Muran watched the two figures in the distance, his eyes revealing a hint of inexplicable regret. Soon, he heard Ji Siqi disdainfully whispering, “Humph, just now she had such a superior attitude, but in the end, she’s no different from me. Who is more noble than whom?”
Shen Muran furrowed his brows. He never thought that a woman’s shallow knowledge and spoiled personality were big matters before. But now, in comparison, the women around him suddenly seemed somewhat dull…
“What happened just now? Did those two trouble you?” Jian Ningxuan asked.
“Do I look like someone who can be troubled by others?” An Bu stretched on the car seat.
“You do.” Jian Ningxuan is firm, “From head to toe, you do.”
An Bu was surprised, “Mr. Jian, you can actually joke?”
Jian Ningxuan: “…”
With his unchanging serious expression, he clearly conveyed to her: he never jokes.
“Don’t worry, if I’m ever in trouble, I’ll definitely come to you for help.”
“Okay.” Jian Ningxuan relaxed his features, silently treating this statement as a promise, a commitment to protect her from being bullied.
Back home, An Bu asked Jian Ningxuan to go shower first, but he insisted that she should go first, adhering to the principle of ladies first.
Leaning against the bathroom door, An Bu lazily said, “How about we shower together?”
With a sweep of his big hand, Jian Ningxuan straightforwardly shoved her into the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Staring at the closed bathroom door, Jian Ningxuan’s body stiffenned. There was a moment just now when his heart rate was chaotic.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, the bathroom door suddenly opened a crack, followed by half of a head poking out.
Without waiting for An Bu to speak, Jian Ningxuan quickly extended his hand, covering the top of her head, then shoved her back in, closed the door, and coldly said, “Hurry up and shower!”
“… I just wanted to say,” An Bu’s muffled voice came from the bathroom, “I forgot to bring my pajamas.”
Jian Ningxuan: “…”
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