Chapter 45: Wanting a Status?

Shishi was wearing a black short skirt paired with a light-colored T-shirt, and she had sunglasses on as well.

Shen Yan was in the middle of drinking some watermelon juice. When he saw her coming down, he smiled warmly and praised, "Wow, what a great beauty!"

Shishi gave a small smile and replied, "Not bad, not bad!"

"Here, have some watermelon juice!"

"Just in time, I was getting a bit thirsty..."

"Want to go get something to eat?"

"...Alright..."

Shishi followed him toward the small snack street.

Noticing the sunglasses she was wearing, Shen Yan couldn't help asking, "Why are you wearing sunglasses so late at night?"

"...I'm somewhat of a celebrity, you know..."

Well, Liu Shishi was indeed quite popular lately. During the filming of *A Weaver on the Horizon*, her fans had even visited the set to show their support and brought drinks for the entire crew...

Over the past two years—or more precisely, ever since *Chinese Paladin 3*—Shishi had been in a phase of rapid upward momentum. Apart from Chinese Entertainment Shanghai (Tangsheng) productions, she had also taken a role in Huayi Brothers' *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, playing the Yellow-Clad Maiden, and was one of the female leads in Jiayi Film and Television's *Legend of the White Snake*.

Of course, those two dramas hadn't become massive cultural phenomenons, but they were still clear reflections of Shishi's growing popularity!

Otherwise, they wouldn't have cast her.

However, none of that had anything to do with Shen Yan, so he countered with a question of his own, "Then why aren't you wearing a face mask?"

"...It's too hot..."

"...Let's get some mutton skewers grilled, and we can eat while we walk?"

"Sounds good!"

……

The beach in Xiangshan was called Hepu Dasha Beach.

At this time, it hadn't been overdeveloped or heavily commercialized yet, so there were very few people around.

The seawater displayed a breathtaking shade of blue...

Shen Yan was carrying Shishi's shoes while she walked barefoot on the sandy shore. A gentle sea breeze blew past, carrying waves of refreshing coolness, and wave after wave lapped rhythmically against the beach.

It was quite romantic!

Suddenly, Shishi broke the silence: "Is *The Legend of Crazy Monk* the same as *The Biography of Ji Gong*?"

"Pretty much... Actually, *The Complete Biography of Ji Gong* is structured in episodic narratives, telling a complete story every six episodes or so..."

"Oh," Shishi understood now, "so which part are you in?"

"The younger brother of the female lead... The unit I participated in is called *The Good Wife*, and the character played by Li Lin is named Xu Yulian..."

"Who is Li Lin?"

"Du Bingyan from *Wrong Carriage, Right Groom*..." Shen Yan continued, "Xu Yulian and Dong Zhongqing are a poor couple. Yulian is completely obedient to her husband and takes all sorts of unfair treatment from her mother-in-law without a word of complaint. Unfortunately, Dong's mother looks down on Yulian because of her impoverished background and is determined to chase her away so Dong Zhongqing can marry the daughter of a wealthy family...

Later on, Ji Gong happens to pass by the area during his travels. After learning about the whole situation, Ji Gong decides to lend Yulian a helping hand and teach her wicked mother-in-law a lesson... It's a very traditional story!"

"So you have a part in this?"

"I play Xu Yulian's younger brother... basically a functional plot device!"

"...And how many days did you shoot?"

Shen Yan answered, "Just three scenes, filmed over two days... and I earned three thousand yuan!"

"...Then after you finish *A Weaver on the Horizon*... where are you going?"

"Going back to promote my EP... for about two months, and then I'll come back to join the cast of *The Vigilantes in Masks*..."

……

"And after that?"

"After that... after that, I might shoot an anti-Japanese war drama called *Snow Leopard*, recommended by Wen Zhang!"

Shishi looked surprised. "You even know Wen Zhang?"

Shen Yan explained, "I was previously a background actor on the crew of *The National Anthem*, and Brother Wen introduced me to Wang Jinghua—Sister Hua... So I signed with her agency, and Ji Xiang was the manager she assigned to me!"

"You know quite a lot of people! You're almost surpassing me!"

"No way..." Shen Yan waved his hand dismissively. "How could I ever compare to you? You're a real celebrity, after all!"

Shishi rolled her eyes at him. "...Are you making fun of me?"

"Absolutely not!" Shen Yan suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, after you finish *A Weaver on the Horizon*, are you heading back to Beijing?"

"...I should be going back to stay for a week!"

"Then let's go together when the time comes?"

"...It seems you'll wrap up filming before I do."

"No worries, I'll wait for you... Besides, I need to record the song I wrote!"

"You've already written a song?"

"Already written..."

"Then sing it for me!"

"Ahem," clearing his throat, Shen Yan started singing directly: *'Unwilling to be tainted by right and wrong, who knew things would go against our wishes; the flowers in my heart have withered, and time will never return~'*

After listening, Shishi asked, "...What's the song called?"

*"Untainted" (Buran)...*

*"...Bu ran?"*

*"Ran, as in dyeing colors!"*

*"...You're amazing, you actually managed to write one!"*

*"Moderately amazing..."*

Glancing at the time, it was almost ten o'clock. Shen Yan suggested, "Let's head back!"

Liu Shishi made a bitter face and complained, "...It's too far, I don't want to walk."

"Then I'll carry you..."

"...Alright!"

"Put your shoes on properly first!"

As he spoke, Shen Yan squatted down and helped her put her shoes back on...

Her little white sneakers...

Shishi hopped straight onto his back, and Shen Yan hurriedly reached behind to support her legs, worried that she might slip off.

"Let's go!"

Shen Yan tested her weight for a moment and muttered softly, "Around ninety-five jin, right?"

"I am not that heavy, ninety jin at most!"

"...A bit on the thin side, though. How tall are you?"

"165..."

"Weight under a hundred..."

Before Shen Yan could finish the rest of the sentence, Liu Shishi angrily gave him a light punch. "I am not flat-chested!"

……

"Yeah... I can feel that..."

"Pfft, shameless!"

"You're the one leaning so close... Of course I can feel it... I'm not numb or anything..."

Shen Yan retorted while walking toward the direction of the film studio...

It was still quite a long way. Halfway through the walk, his legs started feeling a bit heavy...

So he simply found a resting bench by the roadside, planning to take a short break.

Liu Shishi hopped down from his back. "Let's walk together for the rest of the way!"

Shen Yan shook his head. "Are you kidding me? The person I'm carrying is Liu Shishi! If I let you down now, I'll definitely regret it later."

"You're sweating... I heard you panting just now..."

Although he knew she was right, Shen Yan refused to admit defeat verbally. "...Kiss me, and I'll walk with you!"

"...No way~"

Shishi turned her body away, but Shen Yan pulled her right back. "Then I'll kiss you!"

With their eyes locked, Shishi shyly closed her eyes... Shen Yan parted her lips with the tip of his tongue... while his hands grew restless, cupping her peaks...

And then he got slapped for it. "...What do you think you're doing?"

"Wanting you!"

*"...What?"*

*"...Nothing,"* Shen Yan stood up, pulling her up along with him. "Let's go, we still have at least twenty minutes of walking left!"

*"...Okay..."*

Shen Yan held her hand, and the two of them chatted casually as they walked...

They talked about what had happened during the four days Shen Yan was absent from the crew.

Nothing major, just some everyday trivialities...

As they approached the hotel, Shishi suddenly remembered something. "Old K is coming tomorrow!"

"Cai Yisong (Kary)? [Trans Note: referring to Karen Tzai]"

"Right!"

"What is she here for?"

"I don't know..." Shishi shook her head, then added, "But she's quite interested in you."

Shen Yan was curious. "Have you talked to me about her?"

"Yeah, I recommended *Lotus Casebook* to her... and I recommended your song to her as well... She really liked it!"

*"...And then?"*

Shishi said, "Let's have dinner together tomorrow, I'll introduce you to her."

Shen Yan pursed his lips and smiled. *"...So eager?"*

"What?"

*"...Aren't you trying to get her approval for us to date?"*

Shishi couldn't help hitting him again. *"...I did not think like that!"*