Chapter 12: Chapter 012: Play by the Rules Chapter 12: Chapter 012: Play by the Rules After a moment, Chu Jinghe finally placed her hand in Shen Yan’s.
“I’ll do it.”
The moment Shen Yan held Chu Jinghe’s hand, Mu Jincheng forcefully grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. If it were the old Shen Yan, she would have definitely been yanked backward and fallen.
The area behind them had deeper water.
Mu Jincheng didn’t like Shen Yan touching Chu Jinghe.
When he saw Shen Yan’s movement, he instinctively went to pull her away.
Plus, he was already displeased by Shen Yan’s earlier actions and didn’t control his strength.
Shen Yan staggered backward a couple of steps before barely regaining her balance.
Mu Jincheng quickly pulled Chu Jinghe up and heard her gentle thanks.
The live streaming room became chaotic.
Whenever everyone appeared on screen together, the feed would switch to the live hall.
Each live stream channel showed the same screen.
[Is Mu Jincheng a little hostile toward Shen Yan?]
[That look in his eyes earlier was definitely disdainful.]
[Come on, if you were being pestered by a fake princess like that, you’d be annoyed too. Brother Mu isn’t a saint; he has emotions like everyone else.]
[Brother Mu has already been pretty good about it. If it were me, I’d have lost my temper in the first episode.]
The camera accidentally caught Shen Yan massaging her wrist. Because of her fair and delicate skin, Mu Jincheng’s grip left visible finger marks.
[Take a closer look, Shen Yan was just trying to help Chu Jinghe. Mu Jincheng suddenly grabbed her without considering his strength and almost made her fall into the deeper water.]
[Who doesn’t remember Shen Yan scheming against Chu Jinghe in the previous episodes? The internet doesn’t forget easily.]
[Shen Yan did nothing wrong this time. I don’t know why you’re all arguing.]
[We’re not arguing, just stating facts.]
[If it weren’t for Shen Yan, would Brother Mu and Chu Jinghe have fallen into the water? It’s clear she was being manipulative.]
Shen Yan didn’t know if her actions would spark a heated discussion, but at least everyone saw that Mu Jincheng wasn’t so great.
*
Even though it was summer.
Mu Jincheng and Chu Jinghe, both soaked, left the live stream to change into dry, clean clothes.
Because of this, the two of them who had ruined their image earlier needed to thank Shen Yan.
By the time they returned, the others had almost finished.
They handed the river snails to the production team to make stir-fried snails for their dinner bonus tonight.
The dining area for dinner was set up at a flat spot at the finish line, where small tables were already arranged.
At 6:45 p.m., the production team started bringing out the dinner for the evening’s first-place winners.
When they saw the two who had changed into clean clothes, the others who were still wearing their sweat-soaked outfits weren’t too pleased.
Chu Jinghe had obviously freshened up.
She had also reapplied some light makeup.
She looked fresh and radiant.
Jealousy was barely hidden in Liu Qiang’s eyes as she said, “I was just wondering where Mr. Chu disappeared to. Turns out you were changing clothes.”
The atmosphere turned awkward as soon as she said that.
All eyes turned to look at Chu Jinghe.
Shen Yan pulled up a small stool and sat down to watch the drama unfold.
Chu Jinghe smiled and said, “I accidentally bumped into Shen Yan and fell into the water. I was worried about getting sick and delaying the show’s schedule, so I asked the production team for a favor!”
Shen Yan couldn’t help but smirk.
Even in explaining, she didn’t forget to drag her down.
Liu Qiang couldn’t say anything more.
She didn’t want to offend the production team directly.
If they decided to target her, showing her in the worst light, it could ruin her career.
Chu Jinghe then smiled sweetly at the camera, her face slightly blushing, “I’m sorry for causing trouble for the production team.”
The filming VJ quickly shook his head, indicating it was no problem.
The audience in front of the screen was moved.
[Hehe, you don’t need to apologize. If it weren’t for Shen Yan, this special treatment wouldn’t be necessary.]
[The one who should apologize is Shen Yan.]
[These fans really know how to twist things. Did everyone not see it was Mu Jincheng who intentionally caused trouble for Chu Jinghe?]
[Pfft, Shen Yan still has fans? Learned something new.]
[Shen Yan can’t wash away her bad reputation. Stop trying.]
“Mr. Chu, we don’t blame you at all.”
Qin Dingyue blurted out bluntly.
Xu Zishen also looked over and, for once, agreed, “Don’t mind what others think.”
The comment was pointed.
Shen Yan was well aware of the female protagonist’s charm.
It would be odd if no one spoke up for her.
Zhou Jingming and Wen Yan also chimed in with comforting words, saying they hadn’t thought much of it.
Chu Jinghe gave them all a sweet smile.
The atmosphere became warm and cheerful again.
But when dinner was served at the two tables, the good mood turned a bit awkward again.
One table was lavish and plentiful.
The other table only had one vegetarian dish and two bowls of rice.
“How about we eat together…” Wen Yan glanced at the pitiful single vegetarian dish and looked at Shen Yan.
Shen Yan remained silent.
The others turned to look at her.
Shen Yan found it amusing.
“Let’s follow the show’s rules; it doesn’t matter to me.”
Shen Yan generously threw the issue back to the production team.
The production team: “…”
Mu Jincheng frowned again.
Shen Yan was deliberately targeting Chu Jinghe—he knew it was because of him.
He had already told Shen Yan very clearly.
He would never like someone like her.
Chu Jinghe sympathetically said, “We came in second, we should enjoy what we deserve without any special treatment.”
“Actually, eating together isn’t a big deal. There’s enough for everyone. We should share our blessings,” Liu Qiang couldn’t stand seeing Mu Jincheng suffer and couldn’t help but speak up.
The others remained silent.
But their looks toward Shen Yan were the same as before—expecting her to give in.
Only Qin Dingyue felt a bit embarrassed.
They had lost and could still benefit from Shen Yan’s reward, which was already fortunate enough. They had no right to divide the rewards.
“Shen Yan, I eat very little,” Qin Dingyue secretly approached Shen Yan and whispered, “I can even eat your leftovers, I’m not picky.”
Shen Yan glanced at Qin Dingyue and smiled.
Her smile caused an uproar among her fans watching the screen,
The person they were stanning was indeed very attractive!
When she smiled, it was like a fairy enchanting the world!
“Shen Yan, you and Wen Yan should eat first,” Zhou Jingming was getting hungry, especially after smelling the delicious food, and his stomach was beginning to rebel.
Shen Yan: “Let’s eat together. It’s awkward if you just watch us eat.”
Liu Qiang, hearing this, didn’t hesitate and was the first to grab a bowl and chopsticks to start eating the meat.
After being hungry for most of the day, Liu Qiang found the meat dishes the production team prepared to be incredibly delicious!
Shen Yan followed suit, and Xu Zishen and Zhou Jingming also joined in.
Even though they were starving, they maintained their image in front of the camera.
Mu Jincheng and Chu Jinghe were left out, with no one to speak up for them.
Chu Jinghe felt restless.
Why did she have to arrange a meal for the other two groups? There was a sense of frustration at making a wedding dress for others.
No matter how unsettled she felt, Chu Jinghe maintained her graceful and quiet persona.
Sitting at the small table, staring at the scant vegetarian dish, she didn’t have any appetite.
Mu Jincheng had never worried about food and clothing, ever before or after his debut. Today, seeing his beloved eating a single vegetarian dish, he naturally directed his anger at Shen Yan.
This dinner was tasteless for Mu Jincheng and Chu Jinghe as they swallowed their food with difficulty.
The fans watching felt extremely distressed.
Unable to help it, they ran to Shen Yan’s live stream to curse her out.
But Shen Yan’s new fans weren’t pushovers; they retaliated in turn.