Chapter 61: Don't Pretend with Me

Ruan Ruoshui couldn’t control her emotions; she covered her mouth and broke down in tears once more. On the other end of the line, Ye Yaoyao listened in silence, not pressing her for words. She could roughly guess what had happened. All she could say was that Ruan Ruoshui had made a wise decision to cut her losses in time.

“Ye Yaoyao, I have something I need to give you. You have to help me.” Ruan Ruoshui’s voice was choked and broken. Then came the sounds of her changing clothes and leaving her place. “Qin Miao, that wretch! I won’t let her get away with this. I truly treated her as a friend, and yet she did this to me…”

The blow was simply too much; just mentioning it brought Ruan Ruoshui to tears again.

“Do you need to give it to me right now?”

“Yes,” Ruan Ruoshui sniffled, “I want to give it to you right away. I’m afraid if I wait, something else will happen.”

“All right, send me the address.”

“Okay.”

As soon as the call ended, Ye Yaoyao received the address from Ruan Ruoshui. Since Ruan Ruoshui had been crying non-stop on the phone and it sounded serious, Ye Yaoyao set aside her work and hurried over.

But she waited for an hour, and Ruan Ruoshui never showed up. When she called, Ruan Ruoshui’s phone was already switched off.

A sense of dread crept over Ye Yaoyao. She suspected Ruan Ruoshui was in trouble.

She gripped the edge of her seat, forcing herself to remain calm on the sofa. Ruan Ruoshui was not a bad person, only unfortunate in her choice of friends. But as for what exactly had happened, Ye Yaoyao wasn’t sure, and she didn’t want to get involved hastily.

After much hesitation, Ye Yaoyao finally sent someone to investigate.

She discovered Ruan Ruoshui had been taken by Shen Yan’s men.

Shen Yan?

Why would he do such a thing? Was it because of Qin Miao? Other than that, Ye Yaoyao could think of no reason.

It was indeed unwise to interfere, so she had no choice but to step back.

That evening, as usual, she went to Shen Yan’s house to cook for him and help him with his stomach ailment.

During dinner, Shen Yan glanced at Ye Yaoyao several times. Did she know about Ruan Ruoshui being taken? If she knew, she wouldn’t be so calm. Yet his intuition told him she must know. So what was this woman thinking? Why didn’t she ask him?

Ye Yaoyao noticed his gaze and looked up, asking, “Why are you staring at me?” Of course, it was just a casual question—she wasn’t particularly interested in the answer. She unlocked her tablet and let her eyes drift away.

Shen Yan opened his mouth, about to say something, but swallowed his words. This woman…

Yet just at that moment, Gu Yancheng’s voice came from the tablet, fueling Shen Yan’s irritation until he nearly exploded.

Ye Yaoyao was watching Gu Yancheng’s video right in front of him? Did she have any regard for him at all?

Ye Yaoyao watched, her brows briefly furrowing and then smoothing again. It was a video in which Gu Yancheng directly addressed the public, explaining the recent decline in his condition.

“Some unfortunate things have happened recently, which affected my state and disappointed those who care about me. I’m truly sorry,” Gu Yancheng said sincerely, bowing. “But I want to say, none of this was my intention. I was set up and framed, powerless to struggle free.

“In the past, I was foolish, and because of a careless mistake, someone gained leverage over me. I could only swallow my frustration and endure, but now I understand: everyone makes mistakes, and many are not intentional. You don’t have to bear responsibility for things you never meant to do.”

For instance, with Ruan Ruoshui, he was forced, while she acted willingly. The one who should face the consequences of her choices was her, not him.

Therefore, the one tormented by guilt shouldn’t be him.

Ye Yaoyao nodded in agreement, thinking Gu Yancheng’s words made perfect sense. Morality is meant to restrain oneself, not to bind or weaken oneself, and it should never become a vulnerability.

Shen Yan, halfway to bringing a piece of meat to his lips, put it back in his bowl. Suddenly, he lost his appetite. He watched Ye Yaoyao intently for a long time, yet received no response from her.

Was she really so absorbed in watching Gu Yancheng?

Clatter. Shen Yan set his chopsticks down on his bowl with a clang. Ye Yaoyao frowned at him, pausing the video without forgetting. She spoke with a hint of impatience, “What is it?”

Shen Yan didn’t answer.

Ye Yaoyao was exasperated and turned back to the video.

“Many people have been curious lately if I have a girlfriend. I want to answer seriously: I do not.”

Hearing this, Ye Yaoyao let out a breath of relief. As an idol, having a girlfriend would be a career death sentence. There’s no other reason: if you want girls to spend money on you, you have to maintain the image of being single and a perfect lover.

It may seem unreasonable, but in reality, it makes sense. Every profession has its own requirements.

“But there is someone I like.”

At these words, both Ye Yaoyao and Shen Yan knew exactly who Gu Yancheng was talking about. His tone softened noticeably.

“The person I like is wonderful; in my eyes, she has no faults. What happened this time made me afraid to face her, made me feel ashamed toward her. I became obsessed, trapped myself in a dead end, unable to move.”

“In the end, it was she who enlightened me. She was right: regardless of gender, everyone has absolute autonomy over their own body. You don’t need to feel guilty toward anyone else for that. You only need to be responsible to yourself.”

“If you believe it’s acceptable, then it is.”

Ye Yaoyao met Gu Yancheng’s gaze through the screen, understanding his intent. He wasn’t just telling her he was all right—he wanted to use this incident to publicly spread this idea, so that others wouldn’t suffer the same torment.

In that moment, Ye Yaoyao truly felt the power of an idol.

Finishing the video, she looked contentedly away and focused on her meal.

Clatter. Shen Yan slammed his bowl and chopsticks together again.

Ye Yaoyao shot him a glare. “What are you doing? If you don’t want to eat, then don’t.”

“That’s right. If I die of starvation, it’ll free up a spot for Gu Yancheng, won’t it?” Shen Yan’s words made Ye Yaoyao instantly grasp his meaning.

She straightened and laughed. She hadn’t even confronted him yet about abducting Ruan Ruoshui, and now he was turning the tables on her? How bold of him!

Ye Yaoyao wasn’t about to indulge him. “Of course. So starting tomorrow, I won’t come to cook for you anymore.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Shen Yan glared at her. “Don’t forget why I developed stomach problems in the first place.”

“Because you neglected to eat properly due to work,” Ye Yaoyao responded, refusing to take the bait. “Shen Yan, don’t push the blame on me, and don’t act like only officials can set fires while the common people can’t light a lamp.”

Her words were pointed.

Shen Yan cleaned up Qin Miao’s mess, while she had only watched a video of Gu Yancheng. The nature of their actions was worlds apart, yet he was trying to blame her?

They stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

Shen Yan stood and went upstairs.

“If your stomach aches later, don’t blame me,” she called after him.

Though she said this, after finishing her meal, Ye Yaoyao still reheated some food and brought it to the study.

Shen Yan’s frustration eased. This woman still cared about him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, knowing full well.

“What do you think? Drop the act,” Ye Yaoyao replied, unable to tolerate any more pretenses.