Chapter Fifty-Three: Candlelit Dinner

Only after pressing the man to the ground did Sang Yijia realize what she had done. She froze for a second before the plainclothes officer caught up.

“Thank you.” The female plainclothes officer wiped the sweat from her brow after cuffing the suspect. She glanced at Sang Yijia, about to ask her something, but Lu Wenchuan walked over, drew Sang Yijia behind him, and interrupted.

“Do you need our help with the rest?” Lu Wenchuan looked at the stunned suspect, then back at Sang Yijia. Seeing her still in a daze, he knew it was her first time and that fear had set in.

The officer shook her head. She’d already noticed the cameras and guessed they were filming a show. She pointed at a camera. “You might need to edit this out later.”

“All right,” Lu Wenchuan agreed.

The plainclothes officer led the suspect away.

The cameraman hadn’t filmed her face, capturing only from the neck down, but her voice was still recorded.

[Her voice is so beautiful.]
[I can just imagine she’s really pretty.]
[I saw her fall just now, but she got right back up. So dedicated.]
[Because of people like them, we can live in peace.]

The mood in the livestream chat suddenly turned solemn and respectful.

Unaware of the comments, Lu Wenchuan turned to check on Sang Yijia. Her lips were pale—she was still scared.

“Are you all right?”

Sang Yijia forced a smile. “So-so.”

How could she possibly be okay? Her heart still thundered in her chest.

“You responded quickly just now,” Lu Wenchuan observed. “Have you trained before?”

He narrowed his eyes, recalling old rumors. Perhaps the Sang family had put her through special training.

“Yes,” Sang Yijia lowered her head, staring at her trembling hands, uncertain how she’d managed to stop the criminal. “My second brother studied martial arts.”

“He used to make me practice with him.” Though she hadn’t trained recently, the original host’s foundation remained.

Lu Wenchuan recalled that Sang Qiwu ran a martial arts school.

“How do you feel now?” He noticed her color hadn’t improved, his brow furrowing.

Sang Yijia shook her head. She tried to take a step but her legs gave out. Embarrassed, she looked up. “Could you help me?”

Lu Wenchuan hesitated for a moment. “Of course.”

“Next time, help if you can, but if you can’t, it’s okay,” Lu Wenchuan said, thinking of the girl he’d seen earlier. She knew she was outmatched and didn’t rush in recklessly, but still tried to help in her own way.

Even though she hadn’t succeeded, she’d tried.

Sang Yijia nodded. “I understand.”

She hadn’t expected it herself. In that instant, her instinct was to dodge, but first her hand, then her body, acted on their own.

Clenching her soft, trembling palms, Sang Yijia decided that after the show, she’d ask her second brother for more training. She couldn’t rely on instinct forever.

The two figures supported each other as they walked away, shrinking on camera until they vanished entirely.

The livestream audience fell silent.

After a while, the comments resumed.

[I thought Sang Yijia wasn’t afraid of anything.]
[But she did it.]
[Honestly, thinking back, Sang Yijia never really did anything terrible. She just chased after Shen Jin a bit foolishly.]
[She’s amazing.]
[That other girl was really brave too.]
[If it were me, I’d have just run past without realizing what was happening.]
[I’d have been too scared to even think of helping.]

—

Meanwhile, Lan Qing was still hoping to shine in the kitchen, unaware that Sang Yijia had become an overnight sensation for helping catch a suspect on her way home.

Director Chen watched the footage, growing more satisfied the longer he looked. He was eager to share it.

“Someone must have already clipped this part,” Director Chen said to the staff behind him. “Have them edit it, and let’s release it as the first behind-the-scenes highlight.”

“As for the rest, we’ll trickle it out gradually.” This variety show was scheduled for a week of filming, and it was only day two, yet they already had a viral moment.

In a few days, Director Chen could hardly imagine what else might happen.

—

Back at the farmhouse, Sang Yijia spotted a styling team waiting in the courtyard. She raised an eyebrow and turned to the segment director.

“What’s going on?” Lu Wenchuan had noticed them too, a frown creasing his brow.

The team leader beamed as Sang Yijia and Lu Wenchuan approached. “Miss Sang, Mr. Lu, good afternoon.”

He handed his card to Lu Wenchuan and explained, “Mr. Wei heard you both won the quiz segment, so he sent us to style you for your date tonight.”

The segment director was baffled. Wasn’t Sang Yijia Mr. Wei’s woman?

Why would he send her to date another man?

Director Chen, upon hearing the news, was equally stunned. He frowned at his phone, then called his assistant. “Look into the relationship between Sang Yijia and Wei Heng.”

“And this Lu Wenchuan…” Director Chen tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “Check on him too.”

—

“Mr. Wei?” Sang Yijia tilted her head, asking Lu Wenchuan, “Do you know him?”

“Yes,” Lu Wenchuan nodded. “The orchard this morning belongs to him.”

Sang Yijia arched her brow, searching her memory for any Wei mentioned in the novel, but nothing came to mind. Likely, he hadn’t appeared.

Lu Wenchuan continued, “He’s the CEO of Ancheng Entertainment, though he’s not involved in daily affairs.”

“His sister, Wei Yu, is running things now.”

Sang Yijia fell silent.

[Wait, is Lu Wenchuan really just an ordinary person?]
[He knows such a big shot!]
[Ancheng Entertainment—aren’t they producing this show?]
[There’s definitely something fishy going on!]
[So was the cheating rumor true after all?]
[Forget cheating—Sang Yijia must’ve used her connections to get on the show!]
[In the end, it’s all about Shen Jin.]
[Can you stop dragging our idol into this?]

“Do you want to get styled?” Lu Wenchuan asked, seeing the team still waiting. “If not, we can send them away.”

Sang Yijia considered how much effort they’d made. “Let’s do it.”

“Dress up and enjoy a good meal,” she said, giving a gentle smile.

In the original plot, tonight’s luxurious candlelit dinner was meant for the male and female leads. The original Sang Yijia, unwilling to watch them flirt, had tried to interfere, but only ended up pushing them closer together.