CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 136: HOODWINK

"I..."

Mo Shiyan turned his head to glance at their tent. Thinking that there were already two men lying inside, he no longer wanted to enter.

Perhaps it was a problem developed over years of being pampered. He couldn’t sleep with someone else around.

His gaze shifted to An Yan’s tent.

"I’m not sleepy," he said. "If you’re tired, you can go back and rest now."

"Really?"

An Yan unceremoniously stood up. "Then thank you, Film Emperor Mo!"

Without any hesitation, she entered her own tent.

Little Squirrel saw her leave and quickly hopped over, terrified of being locked out if it was too late.

Inside the tent, An Yan turned on her flashlight, tidied up a bit, and then picked up Little Squirrel.

"I’ll help you detoxify, but you have to do me a favor in return, okay?" she asked.

Little Squirrel looked at her without speaking.

An Yan didn’t know if it understood her or not. She took out a Cultivation Pill from her bag, dissolved it in water, and poured a bottle capful for Little Squirrel.

The little guy hesitated before taking it, then tasted it with its tongue and gulped it all down.

Afterward, it felt a marvelous energy within its body, a sensation even more comforting than the feeling of health it had before.

It was so comfortable that Little Squirrel felt its entire squirrel life had been elevated in that moment.

It looked at An Yan with eyes full of adoration and submission.

"Come here."

Little Squirrel obediently went over and sat in the palm of her hand.

With the flashlight’s beam, the figures of one person and one squirrel cast two shadows on the tent wall.

It was a cozy and cute scene.

[This scene just feels so comfortable.]

[Little Squirrel is so adorable. I wonder who raised it; how could they bear to abandon it on the island?]

[Pets are actually pretty pitiful. They live with humans all their lives, and once they are abandoned...]

[If you can’t commit to keeping them, you shouldn’t take them home.]

[Yeah.]

[...]

Outside the tent, Mo Shiyan silently watched this scene.

He truly didn’t understand why An Yan was so guarded against him.

At that moment, the live stream switched to him. Seeing his slightly disappointed expression, the fans couldn’t sit still anymore:

[What’s with that An Yan, anyway?]

[It was agreed she would be on guard duty until ten o’clock. Why did she go to rest so early?]

[Exactly! Our Brother Shiyan was just being polite, and she actually went to sleep. What kind of person does that?]

[She even wanted to use a needle that had pricked a squirrel on our Brother Shiyan. I’m so angry!]

[Film Emperor Mo’s fans are really amusing. When she’s close to your star, you accuse her of clinging, and when she’s far, you say she doesn’t appreciate kindness. You guys have an opinion on everything!]

[I support Miss An Yan. Clearly, she was trying to avoid any appearance of impropriety. I like such a clearheaded girl.]

[I agree with the previous comment! I like her too!]

[I only like Little Squirrel! Our Little Squirrel likes Miss An Yan, so I like Miss An Yan too. Film Emperor Mo’s fans, you’d better shut your mouths! Otherwise, if I start flaming, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it!]

[Ha, as if we’re scared of you! Our Brother Shiyan is upright and honorable. If he chooses to accompany An Yan outside, it’s because he’s a gentleman! But An Yan going to sleep during her guard shift is her fault.]

[...]

As the live comments heated up, An Yan opened her tent flap and waved at a drone outside.

The drone immediately flew over, its camera focusing on her.

An Yan smiled and said, "Are there a lot of Film Emperor Mo’s fans scolding me for being ungrateful right now?"

Film Emperor Mo’s fans:

[...]

An Yan continued with a smile, "You shouldn’t scold me. Just because I don’t like him—no matter how good-looking he is, how great his acting is, or how rich he is—I will always avoid any appearance of impropriety. You might say that Film Emperor Mo only wants to be friends with me, but I want to say that I don’t need his friendship. A friend should be someone who helps you solve problems, not someone who brings you trouble. Look, I haven’t even become friends with him, and I’ve already received so much criticism because of him! If we really became friends, who knows how much more I would have to endure? I just want to express my attitude in my own way: I don’t send any signals to someone I dislike. This is respect for myself and also respect for the other person."

Film Emperor Mo’s fans:

[...]

On screen, An Yan was still speaking: "I don’t know if you have people around you who clearly don’t like someone but still act ambiguously, ultimately hurting both themselves and others. Anyway, I don’t want to be that kind of person!"

[I don’t want to be either, so I’m always clear about my attitude towards people I don’t like! I support you, Miss An Yan. You’ve done nothing wrong!]

[I have someone like that around me! A friend of mine always says he doesn’t like a girl, but he never makes it clear! He claims he’s worried that being straightforward would hurt her.]

[I hate those kinds of people the most! The girl I used to pursue was like that. If a friend hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve still thought I had a chance. Thankfully, I realized in time and cut my losses.]

[Um, a hesitant question: what should you do when someone is ambiguous towards you, and you can’t figure out their real intentions?]

[Uh, to the person above, I suggest you just ask them candidly! Face to face!]

[How come I feel like Miss An Yan seems to know so much, despite her young age?]

[Her values are so upright! I really like that!]

[Are you into Miss An Yan’s values, or just her looks?]

[Who would bother getting to know someone’s values if they weren’t good-looking first?]

[...]

The director hadn’t expected that after the reality show aired, An Yan would become the guest generating the most buzz.

Meanwhile, An Yan was happily counting tree leaves.

This time, more than a dozen new leaves had appeared out of the mist.

Moreover, the number of glowing spots on her thumb ring had increased.

Indeed, participating in the show was the best way to earn tree leaves! It was just a pity that this was a survival reality show, and she needed to find opportunities to voice her own opinions. Alas!

「At Qin Song’s house.」

Qin Yaya had been doing her homework for a while. She picked up her phone, intending to watch some videos to relax, when the first thing that popped up was An Yan.

"Daddy, it’s the Miracle Doctor!" she exclaimed.

Qin Yaya ran excitedly into Qin Song’s room, holding up the phone for him to see.

On the screen, the thumb ring An Yan wore around her neck was particularly eye-catching.

And Qin Song distinctly felt that his connection with the thumb ring was now tenuous, unsure when it would completely vanish.

"Yaya, you like the Miracle Doctor?"

"Yes, I do!"

Qin Song opened a drawer, took out a Bronze Bell, and handed it to her.

"This is an antique I came across by chance," he said. "Next time you see her, give this to her to express our gratitude."

"Okay. Thank you, Daddy."

"Go to sleep now."

After Qin Yaya left, Qin Song took out his phone and sent a message: "Find a way to retrieve the thumb ring from An Yan’s neck!"