Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

Nearly half an hour had passed by the time Yan Heng finally came out of the pool.

He climbed ashore, panting, and took a few gulps of water from a bottle.

He had just tried several different swimming styles, including a very professional butterfly stroke. His strong muscles were taut, slapping the water with each stroke; Xu An'an felt tired just watching him.

She handed him a towel and exclaimed sincerely, "You have amazing stamina!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Heng choked on a mouthful of water.

Xu An'an then realized she had misspoke and quickly explained, "What I meant was that you were able to hold on for so long—"

She abruptly stopped talking.

That's even stranger.

Sure enough, Yan Heng, who had just caught his breath, choked again.

Xu An'an promptly changed the subject: "Um... how long did I swim by myself before?"

Yan Heng finally stopped coughing and replied, "About ten meters. Have you got the hang of it?"

Xu An'an nodded.

"Shall we practice a little longer?"

"it is good."

As it turned out, Yan Heng's teaching method was indeed effective.

When Xu An'an went into the water again, she was no longer so afraid of it, and she was able to float on the surface of the water.

After swimming in the water for a while, the two of them, wrapped in bath towels, walked back.

Xu An'an was in a good mood after learning to swim, but when she calmed down, she realized that Yan Heng had been unusually quiet tonight.

She had a feeling that Yan Heng wanted to say something to her. Sure enough, after the two of them stepped out of the elevator, Yan Heng called out to her.

"Xu An'an... are you alright?"

Xu An'an was surprised that Yan Heng, after struggling for so long, only managed to utter such a seemingly ambiguous question: "Why do you ask that?"

Yan Heng frowned slightly, not answering directly: "That kind of trending topic won't happen again. Don't pay attention to those comments."

Xu An'an was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized: "Did you suppress today's trending topics?"

Yan Heng nodded silently.

He was in a meeting when those photos went viral. By the time the meeting ended, more than an hour had passed, and the situation had escalated beyond recognition.

Yesterday at the airport, he had actually considered the possibility of this happening. He even selfishly thought that being exposed wouldn't be a big deal; maybe it would force Xu An'an to be with him sooner.

After all, Xu An'an had previously announced her divorce in this manner.

But Yan Heng underestimated how harsh the world is on married women.

The insults directed at Xu An'an in the comments section felt like knives stabbing into his eyes.

"Marital infidelity", "immorality", "chaotic private life", "rushing to find another partner before even getting a divorce"...

Even though he was in the photo, the criticism was directed solely at Xu An'an.

Those people couldn't even be sure who was behind the mask, and had no idea what had happened. Based on just a few photos, they verbally abused someone from head to toe.

Yan Heng immediately had his public relations department send a letter clarifying that he had been pursuing Xu An'an all along and had nothing to do with her.

But they were stopped.

"President Yan, this matter is currently only in the dissemination stage. Ms. Xu is wearing a mask, so it won't cause much of a stir. However, if you personally intervene now, it would be tantamount to condoning this matter and igniting public opinion."

"Although Ms. Xu has already initiated divorce proceedings, she is not yet legally divorced. In this situation, regardless of how you prove your innocence, given current online trends, the public will likely place the blame on the woman. Ms. Xu will then face far more public scrutiny than she does now."

"Therefore, the best approach at present is to suppress the issue and not respond at all."

The public relations department is right.

After the trending topics were removed, those photos didn't cause any further stir.

But those hurtful words still stung his heart.

For the first time, he truly realized Xu An'an's awkward situation and predicament in this matter, and he also understood why Xu An'an insisted on getting a divorce first before responding to his feelings.

He hated himself once again.

He claimed to love Xu An'an, yet he repeatedly pressured her, leaving her to bear all of this alone.

"I'm sorry..." Yan Heng said with difficulty.

"What's it to you?" Xu An'an's eyes widened. "I didn't even care about this!"

Fearing Yan Heng wouldn't believe her, she emphasized again, "Really! I didn't even read those comments. You really don't understand the entertainment industry. Would an actor have nothing better to do than read the comments?"

"There are so many people in this world. Some will like me, and some will hate me. Even if nothing's wrong, they'll find something to criticize me for, let alone what's happening now."

Yan Heng looked up at her, his dark eyes filled with heartache.

Xu An'an couldn't stand his gaze and said, "It's nothing. Isn't it said that salary is just a form of humiliation? Well, part of our job is to endure this humiliation. Actually, it's a worthwhile thing."

"Besides, I didn't even show my face. As long as I don't respond, this matter will just pass."

Yan Heng looked at Xu An'an's calm and collected demeanor, but his brows were still furrowed.

Maybe she doesn't care.

But he absolutely could not allow her to get hurt again because of his selfishness.

……

Yan Heng became very strange.

Normally, Xu An'an would ride to the film set in Yan Heng's car, but this morning Yan Heng left first.

Xu An'an thought he had some urgent business, but when she arrived at the set, she found that Yan Heng had also come to the crew.

Does he not have any work scheduled for today?

Since you're on set, why didn't you leave with her?

Xu An'an was about to go up and ask when she noticed that Yan Heng deliberately avoided eye contact with her and turned to talk to Shao Feng.

Xu An'an only learned from the makeup artist that Yan Heng had been supervising the entire day.

He came to monitor the group, but he didn't talk to her... Xu An'an really didn't know what Yan Heng was up to this time.

But she didn't have time to guess.

Once on set, her most important task was to perform her role well.

Today, her main co-star is a puppy.

This little dog is named Miaomiao, and it is a 1-year-old Chinese rural dog.

It really likes Xu An'an. Every time she comes to the film set, it follows her around like a shadow.

As if knowing she and Xu An'an had an important scene together today, it kept circling around her while she was getting her makeup done. Xu An'an was almost dizzy from its circling, so she bent down and picked it up. Miao Miao happily licked her hand in her arms.

Miao Miao will also go into the water later and splash around for a while.

Xu An'an fed it some snacks, patted its head, and whispered, "Try your best later, let's try to pass it in one go."

Miaomiao rubbed against her hand and barked in agreement.

The makeup artist, watching the two women and their dog chatting animatedly, smiled and said, "Teacher Xu, Miaomiao really likes you! Would you consider taking it home?"

Xu An'an paused in touching Miao Miao's hand.

Ever since the kitten incident, she has refused to keep any pets. In fact, she won't even approach them unless it's for filming purposes.

She had killed a tiny life, and she would never forgive herself.

As if sensing Xu An'an's emotional fluctuations, Miao Miao snuggled closer to him.

Xu An'an looked down and saw Miao Miao looking up at her, her eyes sparkling, her tail wagging like a little motor. Xu An'an's heart softened for a moment, but she quickly suppressed that tenderness.

"We'll see..."

She heard herself say, "I may not have time to take care of it."

Miao Miao let out a "woof" in her arms, as if in protest.

......

When Xu An'an came out of the dressing room, the film set wasn't ready yet. She and Miao Miao played around for a while.

Suddenly, Miao Miao shouted loudly in one direction a few times.

Miao Miao rarely acts this fiercely. Just as Xu An'an was about to go over to check on her, Miao Miao suddenly rushed out.

Xu An'an quickly chased after her, only to see Miao Miao catch up with a props crew member and bite her trouser leg.

"Miaomiao!" Xu An'an quickly pulled it away and picked it up.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the person.

The staff member was clearly startled, but said nothing and quickly ran away.

The person was wearing a mask, so Xu An'an couldn't see her face clearly.

Yet it always felt strangely familiar.

Ye Ruyan ran into the toilet stall in one breath before stopping.

She was breathing heavily, her heart pounding.

Why did a dog suddenly appear?

Thankfully she acted quickly, otherwise she would have been caught again.

Fortunately... the necessary tasks have already been completed.

Once she had finally calmed down and could breathe steadily, she took out her phone and sent a text message to a number with the surname Lin:

"Everything is ready. This time, she definitely won't be able to escape."