Chapter 150: If It Doesn't Work, Then Let It Go

Lan Qing left with a gloomy expression, followed closely by her camera crew. Shen Jin trailed a few steps behind her. They maintained a distance typical of strangers, yet the tension between them made them look less like strangers and more like bitter enemies. The director of the filming crew didn’t know what had transpired, but he signaled the cameraman to keep shooting.

As they reached the elevator, Lan Qing waited while Shen Jin approached and stood beside her. "Why are you leaving so early?"

Lan Qing tilted her head to look at him. "Aren't you leaving early too?"

"That’s because of you," Shen Jin chuckled. "Our fate is intertwined; how could I watch you leave alone?"

Lan Qing’s lips tightened. She looked at him with a complicated expression. "Shen Jin, what exactly do you want?"

"I told you that from the very beginning," Shen Jin replied with a smile.

Lan Qing let out a mocking laugh. "If you were the young master of the Shen family, I might consider it. But you are nothing. You want me to keep you company? You should take a mirror and look at yourself." She did not hold back her biting remark.

Shen Jin’s jaw tightened. Glancing at the camera, he carefully stepped out of its line of sight, leaned into Lan Qing’s ear, and, catching her off guard, gave her earlobe a sharp nip. "Look at what, exactly? Lan Qing, don't act so high and mighty. Aren't you exactly the same? What right do you have to judge me? A fake heiress."

Lan Qing struggled to suppress an urge to slap him. She clenched her fists tightly, took three deep breaths, and finally managed to hold back. "You’re no different, Shen Jin. Tell me, once this episode airs and people realize that this 'Shen Jin' is not the 'Shen Jing' they thought, how many will still be willing to invest in you?" The industry was cruel; without capital, there was no way to stand firm. Even with talent, what did it matter? Would he not be stuck playing supporting roles forever?

Lan Qing curled her lips in a cold smile. "Shen Jin, besides having a face that’s barely passable, what other merits do you even have?" Seeing the elevator arrive with a chime, she added calmly, "And now, even your face doesn't look very photogenic anymore. How do you think you got your resources before?"

That was enough said. Lan Qing remembered how Shen Jin had refused to help her in the past; it was already a mercy that she wasn't kicking him while he was down.

"Heh, Lan Qing, you’re something else," Shen Jin said. He didn't follow her into the elevator, but Lan Qing's camera crew did. There wasn't enough space for everyone else.

Shen Jin stood before the elevator doors, watching them slide shut and the lift ascend. The scene felt familiar. He suddenly remembered: it was that day, with Sang Yijia. Ever since Sang Yijia stopped chasing after him, nothing had gone according to plan. Shen Jin frowned; he felt that events shouldn't be unfolding this way, yet reality was exactly as it was.

—

With both Lan Qing and Shen Jin gone, Yan Sisi glanced at the private room door several times before looking back at the slip of paper in her hand. She opened it distractedly, and upon seeing that she had been paired with Shen Jing, her brow furrowed immediately. "Forget it, I’m done playing."

"Giving up already?" Bian He disagreed. "Let's go one more round."

"No," Yan Sisi said, losing interest. It was impossible for her and Bian He to be a match anyway. Even if they were down to just four people, no matter how they played, they never ended up paired together. She decided to stop forcing it.

"Try one more time, how about that?" Sang Yijia looked at Yan Sisi. "The very last time. If it still doesn't work, then let it go."

"And what if it still doesn't work?" Yan Sisi pouted. She didn't even know why she was so obsessed with this little game.

Lu Wenchuan glanced briefly at Yan Sisi, then at the anxious-looking Bian He. "It's just a game. It's not meant to be taken seriously." He lowered his eyes to look at their hands, his fingers interlaced with Sang Yijia's. "If the result isn't what you desire, then change it."

Bian He placed the slips back onto the turntable. "Let's do it. One last time."

Shen Jing, who was not blind, had clearly seen through the desired outcome both Yan Sisi and Bian He were hoping for. Xu Wei thought for a moment. "If it still doesn't work, how about we just choose for ourselves?"

"That's a good idea," Director Chen agreed. He had no desire to record this anymore; he wanted the guests to go on dates, take walks, hold hands, and be romantic, rather than sitting in a private room feeling dejected over a silly game.

Yan Sisi hesitated, then agreed. "Fine, one last time." *If it’s truly fated, then I will give up.*

Bian He interrupted before she could finish. "No 'ifs,' let’s start." He shuffled all the slips, placed them on the turntable, and said, "This time, we go first."

"Whatever." Yan Sisi didn't even look; she picked one at random, opened it, and placed it on the table. "It's a capital B."

Bian He held his breath. He stared at the remaining three slips, his palms sweating, before picking one. He opened it slowly, afraid to look, stealing only a quick glance before closing it again.

Shen Jing, unable to watch, picked one up and opened it. "It's a lowercase c."

"I have the capital C," Xu Wei answered, holding up her slip. She looked at Yan Sisi and Bian He. "Congratulations."

Bian He froze. Yan Sisi stared at her slip in a daze, unable to believe it. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, checking again and again before finally accepting it was real.

Lu Wenchuan found it quite miraculous. He whispered to Sang Yijia, "How did you know?"

"I guessed." Sang Yijia tilted her head and leaned against Lu Wenchuan's shoulder. The movement was incredibly natural, as if she had done it thousands of times. Lu Wenchuan caught the faint scent of her shampoo mixed with body wash, but what lingered most was the sweet, creamy scent unique to Sang Yijia. It felt like a subtle lure, drawing him in, making him want to do something.

"Some people will eventually end up together no matter how much they wander." In the original story, Yan Sisi and Bian He had ended up with unrequited feelings. Sang Yijia had found it a pity, but now that their feelings were mutual, it would truly be a shame if they didn't end up together.

"Then we are destined for smooth sailing," Lu Wenchuan replied.

Sang Yijia raised an eyebrow. "Not necessarily." Before this, her original self had been obsessively chasing Shen Jin.

"What happened before doesn't count," Lu Wenchuan said. "Every moment from now on is what's real."

Suddenly, Sang Yijia’s heart skipped a beat. Looking into Lu Wenchuan’s deep, dark eyes, she felt as though he knew something.