Chapter 23.1

Yan Qiuzhi paused, feeling a bit surprised for a few seconds. She had never expected Chen Lunan to send her such a message.

But then, upon further thought, she felt he might have been annoyed by her.

Just like last time when he occasionally indulged her by bringing takeaway.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Yan Qiuzhi stood up from her chair.

Glancing at the camera, she pondered how to discreetly return upstairs and also how to avoid the camera while turning off the microphone.

While in the courtyard and inside the house, there wouldn't be any cameramen following them, which was relatively better.

She remained calm on the surface. Just as she was about to enter the house, Shao Yue emerged from inside.

"Where are you going, Qiuzhi?" he asked.

Yan Qiuzhi paused in her steps and looked at him, "I'm going upstairs to get something. What's up?"

Shao Yue made a sound of understanding, "It's nothing, go ahead."

He was holding a basket with some green beans in it.

Yan Qiuzhi glanced at it, "Are you going to pick vegetables? I can go with you."

Shao Yue nodded, "Will it not affect you?"

"It won't," Yan Qiuzhi said without much thought.

Shao Yue smiled, pointing outside. "Then we will go there to pick vegetables. There are small stools."

"Alright."

The two of them found small stools to sit on. There were quite a few green beans and Yan Qiuzhi wasn't very skilled at picking them. She glanced at Shao Yue's technique before starting to do it herself.

She moved quickly, as if she were in a hurry for something.

While she was focused on picking the beans, Shao Yue spoke.

"I didn't expect us to meet again on the show."

Yan Qiuzhi smiled faintly, "Yeah, it's quite a coincidence."

Shao Yue vaguely felt that this conversation sounded familiar. He looked at Yan Qiuzhi's movements. The girl's hands were delicate and slender, fair and tender. Her nails were not painted with any color, just retaining their original light pink, which was particularly beautiful.

Shao Yue vaguely felt that this conversation sounded familiar. He watched Yan Qiuzhi's movements; her hands were delicate and slender, fair and tender, with nails left unpainted, retaining their original light pink color, which was exceptionally beautiful.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on her face.

After bathing, Yan Qiuzhi had only applied a bit of skincare product, leaving everything else untouched. But her natural beauty was captivating up close, making people involuntarily fix their gaze on her face.

Strangely, Shao Yue experienced a moment of distraction.

Suddenly, Yan Qiuzhi asked, "Besides green beans, is there anything else?"

Shao Yue snapped back to reality, his voice carrying a hint of amusement as he replied gently, "I don't think so. I'll go ask Teacher Xu and the others."

"Okay," Yan Qiuzhi responded.

She continued picking the remaining dozen or so green beans, but as she did, she felt something was off, as if someone were watching her.

Instinctively, Yan Qiuzhi raised her head.

As she did, her eyes met a pair of light-colored irises.

Those beautiful eyes didn't reveal much emotion. Even from a distance, Yan Qiuzhi couldn't discern what emotions lay beneath them.

But inexplicably, she felt nervous for a moment.

How long has this dog man been watching?

Could it be that he saw her talking with Shao Yue? No, there shouldn't be any problem with talking. She hadn't done anything ambiguous with Shao Yue.

Why was she feeling nervous?

As she was pondering, Xu Kaishi called out, "Lunan, is the call finished?"

Chen Lunan replied softly, "En."

He didn't linger upstairs for long and went downstairs directly.

Yan Qiuzhi lowered her head and continued to pick vegetables.

After they were done picking vegetables, Mu Xin suggested, "We can't help in the kitchen, Sister Qiuzhi, why don't we go play badminton?"

The courtyard was spacious enough for them to play.

Yan Qiuzhi chuckled and nodded, "Sure."

Mu Xin excitedly went to get the badminton rackets, and the two of them leisurely played under the camera's gaze.

Xu Song looked at them from the window and spoke to Chen Lunan, who was standing beside him.

"Being young is really good," he remarked.

Chen Lunan glanced at him.

With a smile, Xu Song looked at him, "You're young too. Why don't you stop helping me in the kitchen and go play tennis?"

"No need," Chen Lunan replied in a low voice, "I will watch and learn from you."

Xu Song chuckled and teased, "Learn from me and you won't have time to do anything else."

Chen Lunan chuckled as well.

Xu Song looked at him and suddenly said, "You seem a bit different from before."

Chen Lunan raised an eyebrow.

Xu Song continued, "I don't know how to evaluate it, but you seem to be in a better state now than before."

Chen Lunan grunted, "You're exaggerating, Teacher Xu."

"It's not an exaggeration," Xu Song insisted, "You should ask your fans; they should also feel the same way."

After pondering for a while, Chen Lunan finally realized where he might have changed.

"You seem to have a bit more of an ordinary person's vibe now, not in a derogatory sense."

Before, Chen Lunan was too cold and aloof. He never smiled sincerely; his face always wore a distant, indifferent smile. He seemed like a machine devoid of emotions, hardly anything could stir his feelings.

Although it wasn't much different now, at least Xu Song felt that he occasionally showed some emotions.

While the two chatted inside the house, Xu Song glanced outside several times and commented, "Mu Xin is quite cute."

Chen Lunan remained silent.

Xu Song gave his opinions one by one. When he talked about Yan Qiuzhi, he glanced at Chen Lunan and said, "I feel like Qiuzhi is somewhat similar to you."

Chen Lunan paused slightly, "What do you mean?"

Xu Song was always very accurate in judging people. He stared at Yan Qiuzhi for a moment and said, "She is similar to you in that she doesn't care much about anything, she's carefree, but in reality, she cares."

Actually, to be more precise, they were both reclusive. Both of them seemed to be able to blend in with everyone on the surface, but others couldn't penetrate their inner thoughts. Yet, deep down, they both yearned for attention.

This was probably why both of them chose to be public figures.