"..."
Sensing Bai Yi's faint, almost imperceptible gaze, Yan Huan's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously turned to look in her direction.
"!!"
Seeing Yan Huan turn his head, Bai Yi imdiately snapped out of her pink pufferfish state, her expression instantly shifting back into that of an aloof goddess.
As a result, by the ti Yan Huan looked over, he could only see her staring blankly as she focused on touching up her makeup in the mirror.
Unconcerned, indifferent, focused entirely on her work, absolutely breathtaking...
This was the current state of the beautiful young girl, Bai Yi.
"..."
Before Yan Huan could retract his gaze, his hand was tightly gripped once again the very next second.
A gentle tug yanked both his arm and his attention back to the front.
Staring straight at him was the pink-haired young girl, Lemon.
"Brother Yan Huan, your clothes... Wait, do you work here too?!"
Looking at the young girl in front of him, whose breathtaking beauty was well-matched with Bai Yi's, Yan Huan's eyes flickered slightly.
Instead, he glanced to the side, noticing a Golden Lion Entertainnt staff mber who had raised a cara, seemingly sensing so juicy news unfolding.
Seeing this, Yan Huan's face instantly darkened.
'Good grief, the incident of
dancing with Sakuramiya Hitomi the night before last hasn't even passed Auntie Elvira's survival check yet!!'
'If you start snapping random pictures of
now, are you trying to get
killed?!'
"Ah, you could say that..."
Thinking of this, Yan Huan remained calm and composed, discreetly twisting his hand to grasp her wrist and gently prying off her tight grip.
"That's wonderful! We have to shoot promotional photos soon, so I will be a bit busy, and tonight as well... Ah, how about this, what about tomorrow?
"The first episode of the live variety show doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon. Brother Yan Huan, you can co find
at noon, or I can co find you!"
'So the live broadcast variety show starts recording tomorrow...'
'I might as well co over and take a look tomorrow.'
On the surface, however, he gave a noncommittal response, neither agreeing nor refusing.
"I work upstairs. We will see when the ti cos."
"Okay!"
Faced with Yan Huan's lukewarm response, Lemon smiled sweetly, nodded, and turned to leave.
Watching her back view as she walked away with a large group of staff mbers, Yan Huan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Stare~
Behind him, Bai Yi appeared to be touching up her eyebrows with a pencil, but her eyes were strained so far to the side they were practically rolling into the corners of their sockets.
She had been secretly observing Yan Huan's situation the entire ti.
'Well...'
'Although things are already over between
and Yan Huan, how does the saying go?'
'An ex is like the deceased; out of respect, it's best not to ntion them.'
'But seeing my ex so happy, even catching the attention of Lemon, who has such high star status...'
'Is that fair?!'
'So, I am just gathering evidence of his romantic entanglents. Later, I will bundle it all up and secretly send it to Sakuramiya Hitomi or sothing...'
'When that happens, she will surely be absolutely miserable, right?'
'Hehe, that is what you get for two-timing...'
'Yes, exactly. I am rely collecting evidence!'
'Hehehe...'
"Yi Yi, look at you, your eyebrows are drawn completely crooked!!"
Just as Bai Yi was ntally drafting a premium revenge plot—the kind of juicy gossip people would pay fifty bucks to hear—her agent beside her nearly shrieked, hastily pushing down the eyebrow pencil in her hand.
"Huh?!"
Bai Yi only just realized that she had been so focused on the situation over there that she had drawn entirely outside her eyebrow, leaving a faint streak across her skin.
"Ahhh, I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry..."
Bai Yi's small face flushed red again, and she hurriedly grabbed so tools to fix the mistake.
Not only was her makeup ruined, but when she glanced from the corner of her eye, Yan Huan was gone from behind her.
"Ugh! Damn it!!!"
anwhile, out in the corridor, Lemon humd a song as she walked into the venue for the promotional photo shoot. The staff were still setting up the area.
"It will be ready in just a mont. Please wait a few minutes while we adjust the lighting."
"No problem, take your ti."
Lemon gracefully took a seat nearby, offering a pleasant smile.
From behind, her assistant stepped forward, casting a glance at the Golden Lion Group photographer who had previously captured her reunion with Yan Huan, and warned her,
"Is it really okay? If the public misunderstands and thinks you have soone you like, it could affect your career..."
"Of course it's fine. I won't let the public misunderstand. I only want 'him' to misunderstand."
"Him?"
Lemon nodded and smiled sweetly.
"Returning to Linn after many years, only to encounter my childhood sweetheart who used to like . He pursues
relentlessly, but things have changed, and I firmly reject him... Don't you think a storyline like that would generate huge buzz in the upcoming variety show?"
"Hmm, it certainly would."
Saying this, Lemon tilted her head in distress and muttered quietly,
"Uncle has a new favorite recently, and all the company's resources are being poured into soone else. Heaven knows how long it will take for
to take the next step forward in my career...
"I can't even voice the slightest complaint, or I will get blacklisted and shelved. It is so frustrating...
"If it weren't for this situation, why would I ever lower my status to take on a variety show in Linn?"
The assistant tidied up Lemon's hair and continued,
"Stay calm. For us right now, opening up the Linn market is the most important thing, and we need the Golden Lion Group's approval for that...
"They highly value this variety show. You did exceptionally well last season, and if you can maintain that montum this season—or even improve upon it—your position in Linn will be completely secure.
"It's just that, judging from that boy's reaction, he doesn't seem to feel anything for you, does he?
"You shouldn't force things too deliberately, either. Be careful not to suffer a backlash from the publicity."
Lemon nodded with a sweet smile.
"I know~"
As ntioned before, during the previous season, many scandals erupted among the other female guests.
From incidents brewing within the variety show to offline fan wars, the resulting drama constantly pushed the show's popularity to new heights.
While all the other guests were dragged into the quagmire, Lemon alone remained completely unblemished, allowing her to attract countless fans in Linn.
Although this was partly due to the high production value ensured by the Golden Lion Group's massive investnt, the behind-the-scenes orchestration by a certain soone was also indispensable.
"Click~"
Right at that mont, the door to the shooting room opened, and several beautiful young won walked in.
"Hi~ Big Sister Lemon..."
"Hello, hello."
Lemon smiled gently and greeted them one by one.
When her gaze finally landed on Bai Yi, she noticed the girl was staring back at her.
After looking Lemon up and down a few tis, Bai Yi realized with a shock that Lemon was genuinely gorgeous—only slightly inferior to herself.
"..."
This realization made her discreetly puff out her cheeks, transforming her back into a pouting pink pufferfish.
Of course, she did not even know who Lemon was. Her annoyance was not directed at the idol, but entirely at Yan Huan.
'How should I put this... It is kind of like when your ex breaks up with you, only to not just live a better life, but also find a new girlfriend who is super pretty...'
'Why is that fair?!'
'That stupid Yan Huan...'
'Hmph!!'
"Is sothing wrong, Miss Bai... Bai Yi, right?"
"Ah! I am sorry... I zoned out for a mont."
Snapped out of her daze by Lemon's voice, Bai Yi hurriedly collected herself and sowhat embarrassedly grasped Lemon's hand.
"Um, Teacher Lemon, it is wonderful to et you!"
"Hehe, the pleasure is mine~"
Looking at the immature and incredibly raw face of Bai Yi before her, the highly experienced Lemon narrowed her eyes.
Seeming to catch the scent of sothing valuable, she suddenly smiled and asked,
"Miss Bai Yi, do you know Brother Yan Huan?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Yan Huan's na, Bai Yi's head imdiately shot up.
But a second later, she pouted, her eyes darting away evasively as she feigned confusion.
"Who? I do not know him..."
"I see, never mind then. I thought I saw Brother Yan Huan looking at you earlier, so I assud..."
"Really?!"
Upon hearing that Yan Huan had been looking at her, Bai Yi's eyes could not help but light up slightly.
'I knew it!!'
'My script is playing out exactly as planned!'
'He must have already started regretting breaking up with , hasn't he?!'
'Hahahahaha!!'
'But what a pity, Yan Huan~'
'This lady is not the kind of girl who goes back to an ex~'
'No matter how deeply you confess your feelings and try to win
back...'
'Hmm, I will pretend to consider it carefully, act a little swayed...'
'And then ruthlessly reject you!!'
"Ahem."
Feeling an inexplicable surge of satisfaction, Bai Yi cleared her throat, though she maintained her aloof facade.
"Ah, but unfortunately, Teacher Lemon, I have no idea who you are talking about, haha."
"I see..."
Lemon remained noncommittal, simply maintaining her sweet smile.
"The shoot will begin shortly. Good luck, Bai Yi."
"Ah, okay! Good luck to you too, Teacher Lemon!"
"Just call
Lemon~"
Lemon smiled softly, then glanced at her assistant and whispered,
"I am going to the restroom."
"Alright."
With another polite smile, Lemon waved to everyone present before turning to leave the room.
Once in the corridor, she took a deep breath, walking toward the restroom while deep in thought.
'Sigh...'
'If two of the guests are connected to Yan Huan, is there a way to generate hype while still drawing a clear boundary between myself and him to avoid alienating my fans?'
"Sakuramiya Hitomi?"
"Pres... President!"
Just as she headed toward the restroom, walking into a more secluded area, a familiar voice from upstairs caught her attention.
She subconsciously turned her head and saw a petite girl in a uniform joyfully throwing herself into Yan Huan's arms.
"..."
Seeing this, Lemon instinctively took a step back, hiding in a blind spot outside their field of vision.
However, she scrutinized their intimate and affectionate behavior closely.
"Oh my~"
As she watched, a smile spread across Lemon's face, as if she had just unearthed a hidden treasure.
"Well now, this looks very interesting~"
"This... is where I will be working?" "Yes, exactly. Starting today, you will temporarily join our team."
Rewinding ti a little, upstairs at Golden Lion Entertainnt, a young woman reviewed so docunts and introduced Sakuramiya Hitomi to her workstation.
Sakuramiya Hitomi looked at the desk in front of her, then glanced at the courtyard to the side.
Through the railings across the way, she could clearly see the exterior floor-to-ceiling window of an office.
That was the private office Elvira had assigned to Yan Huan and Aria.
"Phew..."
Seeing that she could monitor the situation over there at any given mont, Sakuramiya Hitomi breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Um, Miss Maria, how do I get into that office over there?"
"Ah, that is a restricted area. You need an authorized access badge to enter."
"..."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi glanced down at the badge on her chest.
There was no need to guess; hers absolutely lacked the necessary clearance.
'So...'
'I just have to sit here and watch?'
'What kind of useless girlfriend am I?!'
'Just thinking about working my fingers to the bone over here, only to look up and see Yan Huan and Aria flirting in their fancy office...'
'What a bright and promising life this is.'
'If I endure a few more days of this, I might just invent a new way downstairs that skips the elevator and the stairs entirely, right?'
"Now, our departnt is mainly responsible for logistics, purchasing, and other support tasks.
"I heard you are from Far Moon Academy? You should be very familiar with that area. Go check out this location this afternoon and see if any new goods have arrived. If they have, let
know."
'You an I don't even get the chance to watch from the outside??!!'
"..."
Watching her supervisor hand over the address and the inventory list before turning to leave, Sakuramiya Hitomi's face instantly went dark.
At that mont, she genuinely wanted to slam her badge onto the desk, quit, and march straight ho.
"Sakuramiya Hitomi?"
Right then, Yan Huan's voice called out from behind her, causing Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes to light up instantly as she whipped her head around.
"President!!"
She subconsciously ran toward Yan Huan and threw herself into his arms.
Just as a smile touched Yan Huan's lips, the figure of Myau-chan materialized on his shoulder, softly warning him,
"Yan Huan, it seems soone is watching you from below, ow."
"Hm?"
Yan Huan glanced over the side railing, catching sight of Lemon's back view just as she turned and disappeared into the restroom.
"..."
Seeing this, Yan Huan wrapped his arms around Sakuramiya Hitomi and walked a few paces inward to ensure no one below could see them. Only then did he look down at her with a helpless smile and say,
"It is too weird to call
'President' here. I heard that many people inside the Golden Lion Group also refer to Auntie Elvira as 'President'."
"I am just used to calling you that..."
Speaking of which, Sakuramiya Hitomi suddenly recalled what Aria had said in front of Elvira.
'We don't need dancing to prove anything...'
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi felt an inexplicable surge of resentnt, but thinking about it carefully, she had only officially confird her relationship with the President the day before yesterday. And yesterday... she had fainted after just a single kiss. Honestly, their progress was rather concerning.
'But I am still so mad!'
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi placed the shopping list on the desk and said softly,
"It is just that they assigned
to go to the warehouse near the school this afternoon to check if the supplies we need have arrived."
"The school area is incredibly remote. They actually have a place like that over there?"
"Yeah... By the way, President, how is your internship? Do you have any work this afternoon?"
"My supervisor just told
to wander around freely today and that they will familiarize
with the work tomorrow."
"..."
Hearing this, it truly felt sowhat absurd.
Sakuramiya Hitomi, a dignified Eldest Miss, was being ordered around to do nial warehouse chores in the afternoon, while Yan Huan had absolutely nothing to do.
But strictly speaking, they had both been set up.
One was set up by corporate capitalism, and the other had been manipulated by Ye Shiyu.
"More importantly, Sakuramiya Hitomi, have you had lunch yet?"
"Not yet. I was just planning to grab a bite to eat when I get near the school."
"I see."
Sakuramiya Hitomi tucked the inventory list into a bag. Glancing over, she saw Yan Huan staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.
Yan Huan was actually wondering who he could ask to figure out where exactly he was supposed to be working. But do not forget, Sakuramiya Hitomi had just co down from the top floor...
And she had just suffered a devastating combo attack from that shaless mother-daughter duo!!
Therefore, she completely misunderstood, assuming Yan Huan was staring at the ceiling—toward the top floor—because he was thinking about finding Aria Spencer.
"President."
Thus, she spoke up softly.
"Hmm, what is it?"
"Since you have nothing to do this afternoon, President... how about you accompany
to the school area to check on the purchased goods?"
"I can do that, but is there so sort of trouble?"
Yan Huan instinctively looked at the list tightly held in her hand, about to reach out and take it to see the details.
But just as he extended his arm, a soft little hand grasped his palm.
"..."
Feeling that gentle softness, Yan Huan froze slightly and looked back at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
With her height barely reaching his chest, Yan Huan could only see the top of her beautiful gradient hair.
Yet the next second, she stepped closer to him, bit by bit...
Until she was just an inch away from his chest.
Then, she tilted her head up to look at Yan Huan, her small face blushing profusely as she murmured,
"Because our original date yesterday... got ruined, didn't it?
"So, I wanted...
"To go on a date with the President this afternoon~"
Her warm breath brushed against Yan Huan's jaw as she spoke, causing his heart rate to gradually accelerate.
But the very next second, that terribly familiar, bone-chilling sensation—the exclusive Ye Shiyu debuff—surged through him once again.
"Eek!"
Yan Huan shuddered slightly, imdiately radiating a sacred, zen-like aura.
"Pres... President?"
eting Sakuramiya Hitomi's gaze, Yan Huan's face darkened slightly. He gripped the mobile phone in his hand and nodded in agreent.
"Alright."
Turning his head, he also spotted Myau-chan on his shoulder, eyes practically glowing as he impatiently kneaded his paws against Yan Huan's shoulder.
"Fragnts, ow! Fragnts, ow! Fragnts, ow!
"You upgraded the Modifier again yesterday, so if I try really hard, I can temporarily store them in my belly and bring them back!
"Then we can just absorb them directly later, ow!!"
That was right. The toxic fragnts Bai Yi had dropped were still over there.
'You are so impatient, Myau-chan...'
"Perfect timing. I also have so business to attend to over there."
Yan Huan stated.
"No problem, no problem. The goods are all prepared, you can inspect them..."
"Yes, these are indeed the ones."
"Yeah, they just arrived the day before yesterday. Just tell your supervisor to send a truck to haul them away anyti."
"Understood."
Not long after, in Kyogo Ward, near Far Moon Academy.
As previously ntioned, Far Moon Academy was located in the suburbs of Kyogo Ward, surrounded almost entirely by high-end residential complexes that preserved the natural landscape.
In plain English: It was out in the middle of nowhere.
Standing at the entrance of the warehouse, Sakuramiya Hitomi finished her task. Only after sending a ssage to her supervisor on Plane did she slip her mobile phone back into her bag and gaze into the distance toward Far Moon Academy.
"President, are you done on your end?"
"I am done. I will co over and et up with you."
"Okay... However, I just checked, and it is too remote here. We can't even get a ride-hailing app to send a car. If we want to head into the city for our date..."
"Let's just et up first. We can walk outwards for a bit, and once we reach the bus stop on the main road, we should be able to flag one down."
At that mont, Yan Huan stepped out of the school gates, looking at his phone as he spoke.
It was exactly the sa situation as the last ti, back when Ye Shiyu was attacked by An Le and the two of them had to check into a hotel room.
Sotis it was impossible to catch a cab around Far Moon Academy, and the only option was to trek over to the bus stop.
"By the way, Myau-chan, are you alright?"
Lowering his phone, Yan Huan looked at Myau-chan perched on his shoulder.
The entire cat looked visibly bloated, completely swollen by a full size, and shockingly, its fur had started turning green.
Clearly, it had been poisoned.
"I-I'm fine, ow... For the sake of the fragnts, it is totally worth it, ow!!"
Myau-chan's whiskers curled upward, and despite its state, the cat still looked imnsely overjoyed.
"..."
Yan Huan was left utterly speechless. He could only lift his feet and head toward the bus stop, planning to reunite with Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"Rumble!!"
However, the very next second, just as he took a step...
A sudden, deafening clap of thunder exploded across the sky above.
Yan Huan instinctively looked up, only to be astonished to find the sky heavily blanketed in thick, ominous storm clouds, having already turned incomparably dark.
"Boom..."
"Whoosh..."
In an instant, fierce gales kicked up as thunder continued to rumble faintly in the background.
Yan Huan blinked and hurriedly looked down at his phone.
"Linn Severe Wind and Rainstorm Warning Alert..."
"You have got to be kidding ..."
Feeling the damp, earthy rain scent rushing against his face and the forceful gale that beat against his body, Yan Huan's expression could not help but shift slightly as he looked toward the factory warehouse.
"Oh no, Sakuramiya Hitomi?!"
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