005: Faithful to Deep Affection

For the casting of the new drama, Gu Yan constantly shuttled between Hangzhou and Hengdian. As the screenwriter, she insisted on being present at both the preliminary and final rounds. The success of the preliminaries was, after all, expected.

“Cheers!” In the simple yet elegant private room sat a group of extraordinary individuals.

“I must make a toast alone, to our most promising Gu Yan. Cheers!” Cai Mei raised her glass boldly.

“To our reunion,” Gu Yan responded, signaling with her glass before taking a sip.

Li Min, seated beside them, observed Gu Yan thoughtfully. He never would have guessed that the “Gu Yan” spoken of by Xiao Mei was none other than the playwright Alisa. Though the woman before him smiled warmly, she exuded an aura of cool detachment and proud solitude.

“Cai Mei, I toast to you as well. May true love find its rightful place!” Cai Mei’s gaze flickered between Zheng Yingqi and Gu Yan before she finished her drink with a smile. The welcome dinner went smoothly, during which Gu Yan only whispered two words to Li Min: cherish blessings.

The next day, Gu Yan and Cai Mei returned to Hengdian. As she left, Gu Yan promised that the male lead would be Li Min. It was no surprise that Gu Yan showed favoritism—this was reality. Connections were always an essential part of power.

Back in her familiar hometown, Cai Mei chose to visit the hospital first.

The ward was quiet, broken only by the steady beeping of the heart monitor. After several days apart, Gu Yan noticed the girl in the bed had grown even thinner. Cai Mei’s trembling lips and sorrowful expression betrayed a wellspring of tears.

“Da Xian... Da Xian... Stinky Mei is here... Da Xian... Stinky Mei doesn’t want Li Min anymore; Stinky Mei has returned. Gu Yan too—Gu Yan doesn’t want Shen Hong. Wake up, after all these years, don’t let Jiang Yun’s cruelty torment you anymore, don’t let us look down on you. I know you can hear me. Wake up, wake up...”

Unable to bear seeing Cai Mei weep so bitterly, Gu Yan turned away, a single tear slipping down her cheek. Yet, she did not realize that, at that very moment, a tear also traced down the corner of the girl’s eye.

In the end, Cai Mei chose to stay in the hospital. “Xiao Yan, like you, I have a home I can’t return to. Let me stay here to care for Da Xian.” Back at the hotel, Gu Yan collapsed into sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. After days of relentless busyness, such exhaustion was no surprise.

“You wretched woman, you come back from Hangzhou and don’t even check on me? Do you know how much I’ve missed you?” Wei Hao spoke as he entered the room. Seeing Gu Yan asleep, his voice faltered. “Forget it, I’ll forgive you this time.” With that, his hand gently caressed her face.

“Dad... Mom...” A tear slipped from the corner of the woman’s eye.

Sitting by the bed, Wei Hao’s heart felt as if it had been struck. He had seen Gu Yan in countless moods—fierce and unreasonable, brilliant and spirited, cold and aloof, even sobbing uncontrollably—but never vulnerable and helpless. In this moment, he realized that after three years together, he had never truly known her. He should have expected this: returning to the hometown where she grew up, she had met friends but had never greeted her closest family.

Suddenly, Wei Hao felt a pang of sympathy for this woman who was a few years his senior, curious about how much pain and sorrow she had endured.

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The drawn-out scenes are about to conclude; the story is soon to enter a sharp, satirical phase.