Are You Trying to Mark Me? (GL, ABO) - Chapter 34
“Then tonight, I’ll keep you company and chat with you.”
In the small room, Yu Ran looked at Min Wenyi sitting beside her and suddenly felt a little dazed.
It had already been half a year since they started working together.
Spending so much time side by side, they had gradually grown closer.
But…
Just thinking that she still had a matched Alpha out there made Yu Ran feel heavy in her heart.
If only that top-tier Alpha could be as thoughtful and gentle as Min Wenyi.
“No need,” Yu Ran said shyly. “You go downstairs, I’ll be fine alone for a while.”
Min Wenyi looked at her and smiled softly, “Don’t you understand yet?”
“What?”
Yu Ran looked up at Min Wenyi. Under the moonlight, she looked especially gentle today.
Their breaths were close, and Yu Ran felt a warm flush spread across her face.
“If the two of us sneak upstairs,” Min Wenyi whispered near her ear, “the camera crew will follow us.”
Since they were filming a show, it would be very obvious if they left their seats. The director’s team was probably already preparing to carry cameras upstairs.
Yu Ran froze. She still wasn’t used to this and didn’t realize they couldn’t just sneak away.
“Uh…” Yu Ran frowned, feeling awkward. “Then maybe we should just go back downstairs.”
Tilting her head, Min Wenyi looked at her little assistant with a happy smile.
“No need. I told the director you and I are going to prepare some snacks. They won’t follow us.”
Only then did Yu Ran realize Min Wenyi was teasing her!
Seeing Yu Ran’s face turn bright red, Min Wenyi reached out and gently held her struggling hand, whispering, “It’s the first day of filming. How do you feel?”
Yu Ran pouted, “It’s okay, I don’t think it’s too hard.”
Min Wenyi chuckled softly, “That’s because this is a slow-paced variety show. If it were some extreme challenge kinds of show, you’d find it really tough.”
Yu Ran looked puzzled.
Min Wenyi explained, “Extreme challenges are mostly intense, over-the-limit sports. They’re the kind of variety shows I hate the most. Even Alphas would struggle, let alone Omegas.”
As soon as she heard “Omega,” Yu Ran immediately got nervous, looking around like a little rabbit.
“Keep your voice down. What if everyone finds out??”
Min Wenyi looked at Yu Ran nervously, pursing her lips and smiling, “They’re all downstairs watching a movie.”
She lifted a hand and gently patted Yu Ran’s head. “They might stay up late tonight. If you’re tired, just rest.”
Yu Ran snuggled into Min Wenyi’s palm, feeling a little lazy.
She hadn’t felt such gentle care from Min Wenyi in a long time.
“I’m fine now,” Yu Ran whispered. “If they’re all watching a movie, it’s not really right for just the two of us to sneak away. Let’s go back.”
Min Wenyi checked the time. It had been about ten minutes since they came up. She nodded, “Alright, let’s go back down.”
They went downstairs. Everyone was still fully focused on the horror movie and didn’t notice their movements at all.
Yu Ran made a gesture to Min Wenyi, meaning she would go to the kitchen to prepare snacks, and told Min Wenyi to go back first.
By the time Yu Ran brought the snacks back, the horror movie was already halfway through. She sat curled up beside Min Wenyi, hugging a sushi roll.
She didn’t dare to watch—just the sound effects alone were scary enough.
Maybe sensing her fear, Min Wenyi took out some earphones from her pocket and put them into Yu Ran’s ears.
A gentle, flowing hum began to play, gradually driving away the fear.
Looking at Min Wenyi’s side profile, Yu Ran suddenly felt this scene was familiar.
It was like the time early in their work together when a crazy fan tried to break into Min Wenyi’s house. Yu Ran had been scared then, and Min Wenyi had used music to calm her down.
Thinking back, Min Wenyi really was a caring and gentle person…
When the credits finally rolled, the movie was over.
Lu An had long since run back to his room, scared out of his mind. Min Wenyi looked at the sleeping Yu Ran beside her and reached out to brush aside the stray hair on her forehead.
“It’s time to go rest.”
Yu Hongwen carefully walked over and looked at Yu Ran’s peaceful sleeping face. He said to Min Wenyi, “Wenyi, please carry her upstairs.”
Min Wenyi nodded and gently held her assistant in her arms.
“Hongwen,” Min Wenyi glanced back at her friend and spoke softly, “I’ve been a bit cold to you these past couple of days. Don’t take it personally.”
“Ha, am I that petty?” Yu Hongwen smiled softly at Min Wenyi, then looked at the girl in her arms. “I don’t mind. But you? It’s not good to keep everything bottled up inside. If something’s on your mind, you should say it.”
Min Wenyi looked down at Yu Ran in her arms and said quietly, “If I say it out loud, I’m afraid there will be nothing left.”
Yu Hongwen didn’t understand what she meant but watched the two go upstairs. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t figure it out, so he gave up.
Yu Ran slept soundly.
Without the experience of waking up freezing in the middle of the night, Yu Ran slept straight through until daytime.
She slowly heard voices nearby and opened her eyes to see Min Wenyi standing by the bed, talking on the phone.
It was probably just past six in the morning. The crew hadn’t woken up yet, so the guesthouse was quiet.
“How much longer do you think it will take?”
“I’m still filming here right now. Did you tell them?”
“It’s urgent? Why didn’t you say earlier?”
“…Got it. Arrange things on your side. I’ll try to get back as soon as I can.”
Min Wenyi hung up and saw Yu Ran sitting up in bed with her messy chestnut hair, looking at her confused and asking, “Where are you going?”
For some reason, Min Wenyi’s heart suddenly softened.
She looked at Yu Ran, walked over, and sat beside her. “It was Yi Qiao calling. She said the commercial we filmed before needs some reshoots.”
They called it “reshoots,” but after discussing it, they realized it basically meant starting over, which was pretty frustrating.
Yu Ran was surprised. “You’re going now? What about the work here?”
Min Wenyi looked a bit troubled. “I’m going to talk with the director and see if I can get a few days off.”
After Yu Ran finished washing up, she found Min Wenyi still downstairs discussing things with the director.
“The footage from yesterday can be edited into one episode. You should get a short break these two days,” the director told Min Wenyi. “Can you finish filming in two days?”
Min Wenyi thought for a moment and said, “I think so.”
“That’ll be tight. You might not even have time to sleep.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it.”
“Alright then.”
The director sighed and said, “Get your things ready. I’ll arrange someone to take you to the airport. We’ll wait for you for two days. If you can’t make it back in time, it’s okay to push this episode back.”
It wasn’t the first time they rescheduled something due to an actor’s schedule. The director was used to it, especially since Min Wenyi was such a popular star.
Once the time was set, the director arranged a ride for Min Wenyi to the airport.
Yu Ran looked at her packing with some reluctance. Maybe sensing her mood, Min Wenyi said to Yu Ran, “I’ll be back soon.”
“Mmm…” Yu Ran said reluctantly, “Then come back early.”
Min Wenyi left suddenly, which made some of the guests on the show feel a bit unsettled.
Especially Chu Jiazhi, who suddenly lost his usual sparring partner and looked extra lonely. He kept chatting with fans in the livestream chat, but listening to all the different flattering comments made him feel a little down.
That day, Lu An came to see Yu Ran and said as soon as he walked in, “The director said we won’t wait for Sister Wenyi today. It’s time to start preparing for filming.”
Yu Ran hadn’t caught on yet. She asked confused, “Weren’t we supposed to wait for the boss?”
Lu An said with frustration, “It’s already the third day, and the director said it might rain today. They want to go to the mountain to gather ‘di yi.’”
Di yi is a kind of edible lichen that only appears in rainy weather. It’s also called “earth fungus” and is a common wild vegetable in farming areas.
Yu Ran knew about this ingredient — it was highly nutritious and expensive.
Lu An looked troubled and said, “I don’t know if I’m getting used to the place, but I’ve had stomach problems these past two days. I feel awful and don’t know if I can film well today.”
Yu Ran was worried. “If you’re having stomach trouble, do you want to rest?”
Lu An really wasn’t feeling well these days, but after thinking it over, he refused. This was his first time on a variety show with two top actors and the legendary singer Yu Hongwen. He couldn’t just give up easily.
“I want to go too,” Lu An said. “You get ready. We’ll meet at the door.”
After putting on rain gear, the director checked the weather outside. The rain had lessened from a shower to a drizzle, so he told everyone, “Alright, let’s head out. Camera crew, keep up!”
Wearing raincoats and carrying small baskets filled with shovels and hoes, the group set off up the mountain.
When they arrived, the rain had stopped. Seeing fresh green di yi sprouting all over, everyone bent down carefully to pick it.
“When these dry, you can sell them at the market with radishes.”
Someone from the director’s team said, “They go for over a hundred yuan a jin at the market, so be careful picking.”
Yu Ran watched six people crouched picking the plants, while about ten camera crew stood nearby filming. She found it strangely amusing.
That night, far away in the north, Min Wenyi had just finished a day of filming.
“You okay?” Yi Qiao walked over with a cup of water. “You look exhausted. Are you sure you want to head back first thing tomorrow?”
Min Wenyi nodded. “We’ve already lost a lot of time. I heard Yu Ran and the others have started filming episode two. I have to hurry back.”
Yi Qiao sighed. “You work too hard. Someone really should look after you.”
Min Wenyi lay back in the chair, covering her eyes with the back of her hand, tiredly saying, “That would be too much trouble. I’m happier on my own.”
Actually…
Min Wenyi slowly exhaled. Maybe if two people liked each other, it would be a little easier.
She lowered her hand, watching Yi Qiao busy nearby, then reached for her phone.
Finding Yu Ran’s number, she thought for a moment and finally called.
After a long day, she really wanted to hear her little assistant’s voice.