"I couldn’t use my phone on the set just now," Sheng Yi explained first, then asked, "Yuanyuan, you’re back from Yanjing?"

"Yes, I’ve been back for two days," Gu Yuan replied.

"Hmph, and you’re only telling me now after being back for two days. I’ve been stuck in the film crew lately, can’t get away, but I’ll have time after tomorrow because my scenes are almost wrapped up. I have very few scenes in the last two days."

Sheng Yi sounded particularly cheerful, in an unbelievably good mood.

Gu Yuan asked, "Judging from your voice, you must be in a good mood. Did something happy happen on set?"

The bathtub was filled with bubbles. The phone rested on an extendable board. Gu Yuan played with the bubbles while chatting with Sheng Yi on the phone.

Sheng Yi was extremely cheerful: "I was just about to share it with you. The actor I’m paired with in this play is hilarious. We’ve been on set for almost two months, and I just now realized he’s a comedian, a walking joke machine. What he says cracks me up."

Sheng Yi’s mouth was buzzing like a little trumpet, sharing with Gu Yuan, "Here’s what happened. His manager’s office has a fish tank, but no fish; they love keeping little shrimps and turtles. One time, a high-ranking official personally came to his manager’s office to notify him about taking on a tribute film, imagine that, a very important tribute film, so important that the official came in person. The atmosphere was very relaxed; they chatted until the official noticed the fish tank and asked what it contained since there were no fish. He said, shrimp! The official froze for a second, then turned and left... he panicked and hurriedly shouted after the official’s back: Shrimp, boss! Shrimp, boss! Really, shrimp!"

"So the tribute film deal fell through?" Gu Yuan asked with a smile.

"Hahaha, of course! It was such a huge misunderstanding, even now it’s still not clarified," Sheng Yi said as she laughed so hard she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

No wonder her mood was so cheerful.

Even Gu Yuan was amused.

Back to business, Gu Yuan asked, "Are you free the day after tomorrow?"

"I am! Definitely am!" Sheng Yi immediately agreed without thinking.

Gu Yuan didn’t want Sheng Yi to rearrange her schedule on purpose, but in the coming days, Dao An was about to go to M Country. The promised dinner gathering had to be arranged before Dao An left for M Country.

She told Sheng Yi on the phone, "Come over for dinner the day after tomorrow. Would that work for you?"

"It works! Definitely works!" Sheng Yi agreed directly, "You wait, Yuanyuan. I won’t just come over for dinner, I’ll come over for breakfast and lunch too."

So much free time?

"Are you off the day after tomorrow?"

"I almost have no scenes the day after tomorrow; my scenes for the next week combined are less than what I had in a day before," Sheng Yi said truthfully.

The two chatted aimlessly about everything under the sun.

After ending the call, Gu Yuan got up from the bathtub, rinsed off the bubbles, and changed into a nightgown before coming out.

A while later, a knock on the door.

Mom brought in warm milk.

As with yesterday and the day before, Mom would say, "That car is parked outside the mansion gate again tonight, same person."

Gu Yuan paused her hand holding the milk.

The night before last, Mom said while bringing the milk: A car was parked outside the mansion gate, and the person in the car was that man named Quan.

Last night, Mom said while bringing the milk: The man named Quan is here again, the car is parked outside the gate, Uncle Xiang checked the surveillance, it was parked outside all night, left at six in the morning.

Tonight, Mom said similar things when bringing the milk; Quan Jin came again.

Gu Yuan wasn’t avoiding seeing him.

She hadn’t even asked the guards at the gate to stop him; he could come in, but he didn’t. He just parked the car outside the gate every night and left by dawn.

Did he think she wasn’t aware?

Gu Yuan didn’t know what Quan Jin’s mindset was now. He crazily wanted to see her but was too embarrassed to come, thinking she hated him. He was anxious, unable to find a way to make amends, so he acted like an idiot, parking his car outside Gu Mansion every night.

Mom saw Gu Yuan was distracted and asked, "Miss Gu, do you want me to ask him to leave, not let his car park outside the gate?"

Mom had a pretty strong opinion of Quan Jin.

So did Uncle Xiang.

But they had no standing to speak on these matters and could only express their opinions inside their hearts, or on their faces when no one was around.

Gu Yuan placed the milk back on the tray in Mom’s hands: "I’ll go take a look."

Mom wanted to advise her out of it but held back; it was Miss Gu’s matter. She nodded and took the milk downstairs, planning to reheat it later.

The late night was shrouded in dew.

The branches and leaves of the Tuberose were lush, and its rich fragrance was scattered by a gentle night breeze, making it less intense.

It took a bit to walk from the mansion gates to the main gate. Gu Yuan didn’t initially want to walk over, but reconsidered and accepted it as a stroll.

It took her five minutes to reach the main gate.

Quan Jin’s car wasn’t parked discreetly; it blended into the night. Gu Yuan only saw it because the gate guard pointed it out.

He got out of the car and stood by it, a cigarette between his fingers. It was lit but not smoked; the wind burned it down bit by bit before he dropped the butt.

There were already four cigarette butts on the ground.

Mom said he did the same thing the previous nights, and when he left, he would dispose of the cigarette butts.

He probably didn’t expect her to come out herself, so he didn’t notice when she got close, until she was only two meters away, and called out to him: "Chi Yu."

He turned his head abruptly.

His reaction suggested he was greatly startled, but upon seeing her, surprise overtook joy. Instinctively, he threw away the cigarette in his hand and intended to ask why she was out but instead blurted out, "... I wasn’t smoking."