Chapter 10

Early in the morning, Qin Lan arrived here, holding the script in her hands, but she wasn't as focused as usual. Instead, she occasionally glanced around. As the sun gradually rose, Qin Lan felt a hint of disappointment in her eyes. It was understandable. Hengdian wasn’t too big or too small. The fact that they could bump into each other while studying scripts at the same location meant their activity zones were close. So, meeting a couple of times in other places wasn’t surprising. One shouldn't assume fate or destiny just because someone looks good and shares a breakfast; that would be too far-fetched. Still, despite her mood, Qin Lan lingered for a while longer. It wasn't until the sun began to get too hot that she decided to pack up and leave. Just as she was about to remove her headphones, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes lit up. Yan Lizheng, dressed in ancient costume, was smiling at her. "No shoot today?" "Mm~" Qin Lan responded, and her heart stirred as she saw him appear unexpectedly. "You... have a shoot today, why are you here?" she asked. "Ah, don’t mention it." Yan Lizheng waved his hand and sighed. "I lost my key. I searched for it elsewhere yesterday, but today I don’t have much work, so I came to see here." Qin Lan immediately offered, "I’ll help you look." "Alright." Yan Lizheng didn't refuse. He joined her in searching for the key, but they had no luck. He shook his head. "Forget it, I’ll tell the hotel to give me another key when I get back after the shoot." While still bending down, Qin Lan heard him and stood up, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You still have a shoot, and I have nothing to do today. How about this—you go ahead with your work, and I’ll keep looking for the key. If I find it, I’ll bring it to you." Yan Lizheng was speechless. The girl was so sincere that he felt a little guilty! The lost key was just an excuse. In fact, he came to the small forest because of the “fate” mentioned in the intel. No other intention, just didn’t want to disappoint her. That was all. Yan Lizheng had actually thought about coming here in the morning, but with his makeup for the shoot, it wasn’t easy to take time off. By the time he had some free time, it would have been too late to appear suddenly in the small forest, so he needed a logical reason. Unexpectedly, Qin Lan not only believed him but also seemed so eager to help, making him feel a bit guilty. While Yan Lizheng felt a slight moral dilemma, Qin Lan, completely unaware of the truth, was lost in thought. If today was a day when Yan Lizheng had no shoot and they ran into each other while both studying scripts, it would be a simple, small fate. After all, they had met a few times before. But today, Yan Lizheng happened to have a shoot. By all logic, he shouldn’t be here, yet he showed up at the small forest for some reason, and at the perfect timing, they bumped into each other. Could this be fate? For a girl in her early twenties like Qin Lan, any encounter with the word “fate” attached to it could be quite impactful. Of course, this also had a lot to do with Yan Lizheng’s handsome appearance and fit physique. If he had been average-looking, it wouldn’t be a big deal. If he had been unattractive, she might even have cursed her luck. Similarly, if Qin Lan hadn’t been beautiful, she would have waited until evening and still wouldn’t have seen Yan Lizheng. Regardless of gender, a few encounters that build a certain level of liking often boil down to “appearance first…” Qin Lan finally gave up on searching for the key alone, and as it neared noon, Yan Lizheng, wanting to avoid the risk of food poisoning from the crew's lunch, decided to treat Qin Lan to a meal as a thank you for helping him look for the key earlier. "You should let me treat you, I still owe you a breakfast," Qin Lan insisted. Yan Lizheng didn’t hold back, it was all about mutual respect. When it came to who would pay, Qin Lan found a restaurant, ordered several dishes, and Yan Lizheng quickly tried to stop her. Not because he didn’t want to pay, but because a simple breakfast only cost a few bucks, yet Qin Lan ordered hard-to-find, signature dishes along with drinks, easily making it a bill worth a three-digit number. Yan Lizheng sighed, "Looks like I really got a bargain." Qin Lan, while washing the dishes with tea, smiled. "If you feel bad, just treat me next time." "Deal, I know a good BBQ place. I’ll treat you there." Qin Lan had a soft and gentle appearance but was surprisingly outgoing. She mentioned that she was from the Northeast. Yan Lizheng, familiar with Northeastern girls, thought of his ex-girlfriend, Dong Xuan, who was also from the Northeast. Dong Xuan had a fair, pure appearance with a baby-faced charm, adding sweetness to her look. She was gentle and demure but, after getting close, Yan Lizheng realized she had a dominant side. She was possessive, jealous, and clingy, and that led to their breakup. Thinking of this, Yan Lizheng’s previous thoughts about romance faded. Love and relationships were too troublesome. Focus on career was more important. With this mindset, his interactions with Qin Lan were natural and unpretentious—he treated her as a friend. But oddly enough, Qin Lan felt very comfortable around him. In the set of "My Fair Princess 3," Qin Lan had a suitor. The guy was good-looking and had a good personality, but his somewhat inexplicable confidence made him less appealing. It wasn’t a big deal, but the guy had been overly enthusiastic, and since Qin Lan was a newcomer, she didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention or affect her work. When she made it clear she wasn’t interested, the guy misunderstood and became even more persistent, which made Qin Lan uncomfortable. These days, she would come to the small forest during her free time to rehearse, partly to avoid the suitor. In contrast, Yan Lizheng’s casual and peaceful companionship made Qin Lan feel relaxed and unburdened. Of course, it might also be because of the "fate" word earlier that made Qin Lan see Yan Lizheng in a more favorable light. As is often the case, when you find someone likable, everything they do feels right, and when you dislike someone, everything they do seems wrong. Yan Lizheng’s attitude was calm, and Qin Lan found their time together comfortable. If Yan Lizheng had been overly enthusiastic, she might have thought he was too forward and outgoing. "Wait, you just graduated from university?" During lunch, as they talked about each other’s situations, Qin Lan looked surprised at Yan Lizheng. From the first time she met him to when they became a bit more familiar, Yan Lizheng had always given off a mature and steady impression, making her think he was around 25 or 26 years old. "Why would I lie? I took my graduation photo and then came straight to the set. I was born in November 1980, so in a few months, I’ll be 22. Doesn’t seem like it?" Yan Lizheng explained. He had attended a two-year vocational program at Beidian but had delayed for two years due to martial arts school, so he wasn’t exactly a typical recent graduate. His age was similar to that of a regular four-year university graduate. "Well... a little," Qin Lan replied, then her eyes brightened. "You’re from 1980, so doesn’t that make you my younger brother?" She was born in July 1979, a year older than him. "Why do girls always want to be the older one?" Yan Lizheng couldn’t help but tease. Qin Lan’s eyes sparkled as she asked, "Always? Who else wants to be your older sister?" "My ex-girlfriend, also born in 1979, just a few months younger than you. When we first met, she kept insisting on calling me her younger brother." Yan Lizheng casually admitted it. He didn’t have any feelings for Qin Lan and didn’t mind talking about his ex. After all, they had broken up. Qin Lan felt a little uneasy hearing this and became more curious about his ex. "Is she a classmate of yours? Is she pretty? Famous?" Yan Lizheng wasn’t eager to talk about his past relationships. Regardless of what happened later, he didn’t want to gossip about someone he once dated. That was a slip-up, but fortunately, Qin Lan didn’t know Dong Xuan, so she wouldn’t make the connection. But the more Yan Lizheng refused to talk about it, the more curious Qin Lan became. When she realized she couldn’t ask directly, she switched to indirect methods. "Can you at least tell me if she’s pretty?" Yan Lizheng thought for a moment. It wouldn’t affect Dong Xuan, so he nodded. "She’s pretty. In our school, she was one of the most beautiful." That comment sparked Qin Lan’s competitive spirit. She wasn’t a professional actress, yet she had made it into the entertainment industry, even getting noticed by Qiong Yao to star in "My Fair Princess 3." It was all thanks to her looks. Qin Lan, with a smile, asked the killer question: "Is she prettier, or am I?" Yan Lizheng wasn’t dumb. He knew this was a trap, but Qin Lan kept pressing, promising not to be angry. Finally, he reluctantly answered. "You both are beautiful..." He hesitated before adding, "You have a better temperament and are more slender. Her skin is fairer though..." There was supposed to be a comparison of their figures, but when Yan Lizheng saw Qin Lan’s forced smile, he wisely decided to stop.