My Deceased Wife Came Back and Joined Me in a Romantic Reality Show - Chapter 27

Luan Yi placed the piglet doll, which stood with its hooves on its hips, next to the little piglet toy he had brought back from the camping site before. He happily stared at them for a while before picking up the little piglet toy and pulling its string.

The little piglet responded to the pull, dutifully twisting on the disk.

Luan Yi followed along, twisting with the little piglet. When it finally stopped moving, he gathered both toys in his arms, chuckling softly.

All the bad feelings seemed to have disappeared, just like tender buds sprouting in early spring, unfolding in the gentle breeze.

He flopped onto the bed with the piglets, happily lying askew.

However, it seemed that extreme joy could lead to sorrow. Perhaps it was because he caught a cold again last night when he was on the terrace. The next morning, Luan Yi felt that his symptoms had worsened.

The medicine he’d taken before going to bed last night didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

Following the instructions, he increased the dosage and brewed another cup of medicine for himself. He drank it all in one gulp, but as he stood in front of the coffee machine for a moment, he felt like his reactions were slower than usual after catching a cold.

It was a workday morning, and most of the guests had already left the villa.

Luan Yi sniffed and walked to the first-floor entrance of the villa, dragging a chair from under the shade of the umbrella to a sunny spot. He sat down and leaned his head back against the chair’s back, letting himself bask in the warm sunlight.

It was a superstition of Luan Yi’s that sunbathing while sick could kill germs.

His face was fully bathed in sunlight, and from the side, it appeared almost translucent. Tiny hairs on his face gently rose and fell with his breath, resembling the thin morning mist enveloping the mountains, exuding a visible vitality that quietly flowed beneath.

Jiang Zhirui came down from upstairs, walking through the empty living room. The deserted first floor of the villa surprised him, and he never expected to find Luan Yi sitting outside, basking in the sun like a piece of dried fish.

Jiang Zhirui’s footsteps halted in front of him.

Luan Yi had taken medicine, and drowsiness had crept from all corners of his body into his head, causing a slight delay in his reactions, which wasn’t entirely his fault.

After a few seconds of processing the fact that someone was standing nearby, Luan Yi used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and looked at the person in front of him. However, as he opened his eyes, the sun directly shot into his eye sockets, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, you’re so blinding.”

Jiang Zhirui: “…”

“What are you doing sitting here?” Jiang Zhirui asked him.

Luan Yi pulled out a piece of tissue from his pocket, covered his nose, and sneezed before replying, “Killing germs.”

Jiang Zhirui was once again rendered speechless. Luan Yi’s nonchalant tone made him feel like he was the one with little experience.

However, he didn’t stop here to engage in meaningless chit chat with Luan Yi. Jiang Zhirui maintained his usual attitude of not caring whether the camera was focused on him or not. He pulled over another chair next to the other, sat across from him, and directly asked, “Did they give you a hard time in this reality show?”

“What?” Even if Luan Yi’s reactions were not slow right then, he would still need a moment to process the question.

He had zero experience in participating in reality shows, and if there were cameras following him all the time, Luan Yi felt some pressure. When the cameramen weren’t around, he often forgot about the fixed cameras in the villa. 

“Who are they?” Luan Yi genuinely didn’t know, so he asked with an open mind.

Jiang Zhirui patiently explained, “The company, and also the production team over here.”

Was it okay to say this directly in front of the camera? The salted fish was shocked.

Belatedly realizing it, though not sure why Jiang Zhirui had asked that question, Luan Yi still answered honestly, “No, it’s nothing like that.”

Apart from the occasional disobedience of the cameraman, who always tried to sneak from multiple angles, Luan Yi’s initial fears of a terrible script arrangement did not happen.

Jiang Zhirui frowned slightly but nodded, “That’s good then.”

“What’s the matter?” Luan Yi asked in a hushed voice, knowing that the part they just spoke about wouldn’t be included in the final footage. He was curious about Jiang Zhirui’s intentions and wanted to get to the bottom of it. He leaned closer to the other, using his hand to partially cover his face, and spoke in a whisper, “Why did you ask me this question?”

Jiang Zhirui’s serious mood was being muddled by Luan Yi’s behavior.

He took a step back, seeing that Luan Yi didn’t seem to be mistreated by the production team. He relaxed his previously furrowed brows and said, “It’s nothing. I just asked randomly. I’m leaving now and won’t be back tonight.”

Jiang Zhirui was supposed to take part in the show “Time Difference In Love” to promote new talent. However, as the filming date approached, the production team added several demands that annoyed him. So he decided to back out at the last minute, and he didn’t care how the company dealt with the situation with the production team.

However, he hadn’t expected that the company would send Luan Yi to fill his place.

Having worked with the production team before, Jiang Zhirui knew how they operated and how they prioritized ratings above all else. Even when his relationship with them was relatively good, they were still willing to bend things their way. But for someone like Luan Yi, who had no background or support, joining the show meant he would likely become the scapegoat, with no room to defend himself.

Jiang Zhirui was used to creating problems and letting others solve them, but he didn’t want Luan Yi to be the cannon fodder caught in this crossfire.

The scene in which Jiang Zhirui and Luan Yi had acted together was during the filming of a TV drama. Jiang Zhirui had played the role of the third male lead, and despite having many scenes, he couldn’t get into character and ended up wasting a lot of time.

When it was time to film the scene with Luan Yi, Jiang Zhirui saw him silently rehearsing his lines from afar. Luan Yi wasn’t particularly noticeable on the set, but he seemed gentle and easy-going, so Jiang Zhirui didn’t pay much attention to him.

However, after they started filming their scene together, Luan Yi immersed himself so deeply into his character that he seemed like an entirely different person, astonishing Jiang Zhirui.

It was the first time Jiang Zhirui had witnessed a character come to life in front of him like that.

Although they’d filmed the scene with Luan Yi three or four times, it was the fastest Jiang Zhirui had ever gotten into character, and even the director had praised him for it.

From that point on, Jiang Zhirui had a deep impression of Luan Yi. He noticed that Luan Yi’s behavior was intriguing; he completely immersed himself in what he loved doing, but the rest of the time seemed laid-back.

Later, Jiang Zhirui’s assistant talked to Luan Yi on set, and that was how Jiang Zhirui found out that they knew each other. He didn’t know what had come over him, but he asked his assistant to share his WeChat contact with Luan Yi.

At that time, even though he wasn’t very famous, Jiang Zhirui had gained some popularity due to his brother’s influence, and many people were already praising and supporting him.

He thought his proactive gesture of sharing his WeChat would make it clear to Luan Yi, but to his surprise, Luan Yi had never added him.

Jiang Zhirui, being sensitive back then and aware of his lack of acting skills, immediately thought that perhaps Luan Yi, who was talented, didn’t want to add him because he disliked his acting. This thought crushed the budding admiration he had for Luan Yi.

Although they were both from the same company and had seen each other from afar, Jiang Zhirui never took the initiative to say hello to Luan Yi.

He had taken the initiative, and Luan Yi had ignored him.

With time, the admiration gradually faded, and any special feelings he had harbored for Luan Yi disappeared. Jiang Zhirui still admired him as an actor, but there was nothing more than that.

For Jiang Zhirui, Luan Yi was neither a stranger nor a friend – he just didn’t want Luan Yi to be caught up in any trouble.

He was used to facing malicious editing, and whenever it happened, his fans would fiercely defend him, and the company would control the situation. But if it happened to Luan Yi, he might not be able to recover from it.

Unexpectedly, Luan Yi seemed to be doing fine despite the production team’s tendency for controversial editing, as he and Wen Yang’s relationship on the show proved to be popular and attracted a lot of viewers.

As Jiang Zhirui walked away, Luan Yi watched him, puzzled by the situation and felt that it was all very strange.

He watched Jiang Zhirui drive that familiar sports car away, and was about to continue lying on his back to bask in the sun when he saw a man leaning on the edge of the balcony looking at him.

It was Wen Yang.

“Hey,” Luan Yi looked up and loudly greeted him with a smile, “Good morning.”

His butt immediately protested against the hard chair, and he stood up. The cold medicine he took seemed to be working too well; he felt like he was walking on cotton.

But Wen Yang, who was on the upper floor, didn’t show any change in his good mood from the night before, and Luan Yi wanted to confirm it once more.

Wen Yang appeared at the corner of the staircase just as Luan Yi was about to reach the staircase.

“When did you come out?” Luan Yi asked.

“A while ago,” Wen Yang replied.

During that time, he’d had ample time to observe the interaction between Luan Yi and Jiang Zhirui, as well as how Luan Yi had leaned closer to talk to him.

Though Wen Yang felt a bit displeased, he knew it was an emotion he had to handle internally and not Luan Yi’s fault.

“So, where were you hiding? Why didn’t you come out?” Luan Yi took a step back and called out to Wen Yang to come downstairs.

Wen Yang had willingly informed Luan Yi that he had no intention of going on a date with any other guest. Luan Yi also wanted to express his feelings of fondness towards Wen Yang. However, he was feeling the effects of the cold he caught today, and although it didn’t heavily affect his movements, he still felt a bit weaker than usual. Clearly, it wasn’t the best timing.

Sigh, nothing seemed to be going right today.

“I’m planning to watch a documentary. Do you want to join me?” Wen Yang asked.

He was trying to dispel any lingering annoyance, not dwelling on those emotions, but creating a comfortable atmosphere for himself.

“Sure,” Luan Yi readily agreed.

His condition today didn’t allow him to go out on a date, but spending time in the cinema room was entirely okay. As he stood in front of the room’s door, Luan Yi couldn’t help but let out a yawn.

The dark environment and the comfortable soft seats made him feel like dozing off.

But he absolutely wouldn’t fall asleep! Luan Yi stole a glance at Wen Yang’s figure. Since he was invited to watch the documentary together, it must be something that piqued Wen Yang’s interest. Sleeping in the middle of it would be incredibly rude.

Not only must he stay awake, but he also had to give a polite response at the right moments. That was what a well-mannered person would do.

Luan Yi settled down on the sofa, but just as he sat, he heard Wen Yang beside him asking, “Do you want to adjust the height of the seat back?”

“How do I do that?” Luan Yi asked.

Wen Yang directly pressed the adjustment switch, causing the sofa chair Luan Yi was on to gradually lower, forming an angle almost perfect for comfortably watching movies while lying down.

Luan Yi leaned against it, and naturally, he followed the adjustment and fell backwards.

Terrifying! This angle was incredibly comfortable, and the drowsiness rushed in, making Luan Yi’s eyelids feel heavy.

“How is it?” Wen Yang’s voice sounded as if it came from outer space.

Luan Yi struggled to open his eyes, forced himself to focus, and smiled, saying, “It’s, it’s good, of course.”

Seeing his eyelids waging a battle, Wen Yang couldn’t help but want to laugh. He didn’t reveal Luan Yi’s state and just adjusted his own seat to be level with Luan Yi’s position. Then he grabbed a blanket from the side and covered the other’s waist and legs.

The documentary started playing, but with its dark color tones, it resembled more of a lullaby. Despite thinking a second ago, “I absolutely won’t fall asleep! Whoever sleeps is Pigsy¹“, Luan Yi’s head tilted, succumbing to the drowsiness induced by the cold medicine.

With both chairs reclined, the partition between them was almost negligible. From a high view, they seemed to blend together.

Wen Yang didn’t pay much attention to the content of the old documentary playing. Luan Yi had fallen asleep, and due to a slight stuffy nose, he had to breathe through slightly parted lips. The soft angle of his lips under the alternating light and shadow of the screen was incredibly captivating to Wen Yang’s gaze.

Staring like this was impolite, but Wen Yang allowed himself to momentarily disregard manners.

After falling asleep, Luan Yi’s head had no support and occasionally swayed against the backrest.

Wen Yang’s body acted ahead of his rationality, moving closer to Luan Yi’s side to catch his head as it finally leaned over.

The slight impact woke Luan Yi up, and Wen Yang quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be earnestly focused on the documentary.

But Luan Yi’s previous thought of “I can’t sleep, I must praise” suddenly rushed back into his mind, and considering the current situation of bumping into Wen Yang’s shoulder, there was no way he could pass off looking like he was genuinely engrossed in the documentary. It was clearly an escape from his attention that ended up with him falling into another trap.

Wen Yang must have felt it!

Feeling guilty, Luan Yi hurriedly tried to justify himself, “I wasn’t asleep; I was just contemplating the depth of this particular segment. It’s worth pondering.”

After speaking, he looked up and saw what was playing on the screen.

It was a scene in the East African savanna, showing a young male lion, having claimed the position of the pride leader, vigorously mating with a lioness.

Luan Yi: “…”

He fell silent.

Who in their right mind would claim such a scene to have depth?!

Luan Yi: “I take it back.”

Wen Yang finally couldn’t help it, and let out a low laugh.

Luan Yi pulled the blanket over his face.

Oh well, might as well die.

【Barrage Loading】

Octopus didn’t blatantly expose the content of Jiang Zhirui’s talk about their platform, but they still caused a stir. They selectively released the parts of Jiang Zhirui’s conversation with Luan Yi that they could use, including close-ups, such as the moment when Jiang Zhirui stopped in front of Luan Yi, and Luan Yi mentioned how blinding he was, and the scene where Luan Yi leaned in closer to speak to Jiang Zhirui.

“Haha, so blinding, I’m laughing like an idiot.”

“Hahaha, if it weren’t the silly wife’s comment, I’d even suspect the person talking was being sarcastic about Jiang Zhirui.”

“It reminds me of some Jiang Zhirui fans who used to shower him with flattery about his looks. Now there’s a new term just for Brother Luan Yi — ‘blinding’. Hahaha.”

“The wife has some skills indeed; every word he said left Jiang Zhirui speechless.”

“Hahaha, Jiang Zhirui’s helpless expression; I could sense a hint of indulgence.”

“Wife: ‘I’m just an ordinary person, but I’m the nemesis of the top idol.'”

As Wen Yang emerged from the balcony, the barrage of comments continued, with viewers enjoying the spectacle.

“A red apricot branch comes out of the wall² hahaha.”

“Tauren³!!”

The traces of sarcasm in his conversation with Luan Yi were quickly picked up by sensitive netizens.

“Where were you? Hiding on the balcony, watching you talk with Jiang Zhirui, hahaha.”

“The wife takes control and turns the tables, hahaha.”

“Wife: I’m just taking the initiative.”

The cinema room also had surveillance from all angles, giving netizens a clear view of Luan Yi falling asleep.

Under a fixed camera angle, the lighting from the documentary shone on Luan Yi’s face, making it appear white and small, with one side leaning against the sofa, and his lips naturally blood-red.

As Wen Yang turned his head and appeared in the fixed camera angle, there were a few seconds in the middle where almost no one doubted that Wen Yang would kiss him, but then Luan Yi’s head bumped into him, breaking the atmosphere of the whole scene.

“If he doesn’t kiss now, I’ll start suspecting Wen Yang is a eunuch.”

“Alright, now there are only two possibilities: Either the Octopus Platform has already cut off a kissing scene, or Wen Yang can’t do it.”

“Hahaha, I’m dying from laughter! Lions mating, and the wife says, ‘It has deep meaning.'”

“The wife said it has deep meaning, so why don’t you guys study it in detail?”

1. Zhu Bajie
2. humorous and playful expression used to describe a situation where someone is caught in a compromising or embarrassing position. It implies that someone has been seen or discovered doing something they shouldn’t be doing, similar to how a red apricot branch sticking out of a wall would be a noticeable and unusual sight.
3. popular slang term among gamers and internet users to describe someone who is powerful or skilled in a particular game or activity.