Chapter Twenty-Eight: "When the Old Man Lost His Horse, Who Could Know It Was Not a Blessing?"

Fang Zhiyin was still trembling from the ordeal, but Ouyang Junyan’s timely arrival had left her feeling somewhat touched. Yet, the first words out of his mouth shattered any sense of gratitude she felt.

Fang Zhiyin struggled desperately, demanding to be let down. Ouyang Junyan, looking impatient, set her on her feet at once.

“I’ll walk by myself!” Fang Zhiyin declared angrily.

Ouyang Junyan’s brow twitched ever so slightly, but he said nothing more.

After returning to the hotel, Fang Zhiyin lay down for a while. By afternoon, feeling she’d rested enough, she called the director of the show to ask about the situation. The director, however, was evasive.

“Director, don’t tell me you didn’t send that man to the police station?!” Fang Zhiyin was so furious she thought her heart might give out.

“Well, Miss Fang, the thing is, Xiao Wu’s agent pleaded with us. If this incident gets out, he’ll have to quit the industry.”

“So you went soft?” Fang Zhiyin couldn’t comprehend it. “But if he’d pushed me off, my life would have ended right there!”

“Xiao Wu insists it was an accident, that he just bumped into you. Besides, you’re perfectly fine, aren’t you? Just a little shaken!” the director replied self-righteously.

What?!

Fang Zhiyin wasn’t even sure how she ended up hurling her phone across the room; it instantly shattered into several pieces.

At that moment, Chen Chen arrived and recounted what Fang Zhiyin had just heard over the phone.

“I wanted to send that guy to the police myself!” Chen Chen said indignantly. “But the director beat his chest and promised he’d handle everything.”

“This director is a real bully, picking on the weak and fearing the strong!” Fang Zhiyin muttered, frustration mounting.

She hesitated. “Chen Chen, I don’t want to record this show anymore.”

There was no point in continuing. And nothing but trouble had come from it.

Chen Chen was wracked with guilt. “I’m sorry! This is all my fault—I shouldn’t have trusted the director or agreed so hastily to join the show.”

Fang Zhiyin looked at him quietly.

“Let’s go ask the director to terminate our contracts.”

Her initial intention had been to gain some exposure, maybe advertise her publishing company, and make connections. But after two episodes, Fang Zhiyin was convinced hardly anyone would want to watch this show.

No sooner had they reached the director’s door than he opened it, as if he already knew why they’d come, holding out two contracts. “You’re here to talk about terminating, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” Fang Zhiyin replied at once, even though she was a bit baffled. “Director, don’t you think your show is completely unwatchable?” Since she was leaving anyway, she didn’t bother holding back. “And you keep catering to Ouyang Qingqing just because she’s more well-known—any dog on the island could see that!”

“You—!” The director was so provoked he nearly lost his temper, but then he seemed to think better of it and swallowed his anger. “If you’re done, let’s just terminate the contract.”

Fang Zhiyin wanted to scold him further, but Chen Chen, afraid the director might change his mind, hurried her into signing the termination papers.

Once the contracts were signed, they wasted no time leaving the island, planning to take the next boat back.

As Fang Zhiyin packed, she remembered Ouyang Junyan and went to his room, only to find he’d checked out half an hour earlier—without a word to her.

“So petty!” Fang Zhiyin couldn’t help but mutter.

What surprised her was that, after she and Chen Chen returned, she learned that Xiao Wu had eventually been sent to the police station after all—not by the director, but by Ouyang Junyan himself.

“Ouyang Junyan?” Fang Zhiyin was puzzled. “He did me a favor?”

“That’s what I heard,” Chen Chen replied. “Mr. Ouyang loves you so much—of course he wouldn’t let Xiao Wu off easily.”

He loves me…

Fang Zhiyin thought it was the biggest joke in the world, though it wasn’t funny at all.

Back home, she found Ouyang Junyan there as well.

“You didn’t go to work?” Fang Zhiyin teased, remembering how much he loved his job.

“I’ve already finished all my work for the week,” Ouyang Junyan replied smugly.

Fang Zhiyin was stunned.

“And Xiao Wu was released after a few days,” Ouyang Junyan added, a little disgruntled. “People like that ought to be kept in longer!”

“You’re standing up for me?” Fang Zhiyin’s eyes widened. These days, whenever she had questions, she asked them outright—she couldn’t guess what other people were thinking. More precisely, she couldn’t guess what Ouyang Junyan’s other personalities were thinking.

“You’re my wife.”

…Such a grand, proper reason.

“I want to find him! I want to ask why he pushed me!” Fang Zhiyin was relentless. “And I want a personal apology from him. No matter how many people say this should end peacefully, to me, it never will!”

“You… I’ll go with you.” Ouyang Junyan couldn’t help but admire her resolve. From what he knew of her past, she’d always been the type to let things slide. He hadn’t expected her to be so assertive now, though her boldness never crossed the line.

Of course, he kept this to himself.

Together they went looking for Xiao Wu, only to discover he’d already terminated his contract with his agency and moved out of town overnight.

Fang Zhiyin thought to herself: clearly, he hadn’t acted by accident. As for who wanted her harmed, she truly had no idea.

The next morning, the real Ouyang Junyan returned. Seeing her husband, Fang Zhiyin wanted nothing more than to pour out all that had happened.

“Zhiyin, have you been well these past few days?” he asked gently.

“Not at all!” she blurted out, but then stopped herself—she didn’t want to worry him.

“Take care of yourself.” Seeing her hesitate, Ouyang Junyan looked a little disappointed, but said no more.

Though they stood so close, the distance between them felt vast.

Soon after, the first episode of the show she and Chen Chen had filmed aired. To her surprise, because Ouyang Qingqing was also in it, the initial response was quite good.

“My biggest reason for watching is Ouyang Qingqing!”

“I think that writer is really good-looking! He’s only twenty-five—just my type!” Unexpectedly, after the first episode aired, Chen Chen gained a slew of female fans.

Seeing his social media followers skyrocket, Chen Chen quickly reposted the company’s account, giving Fang Zhiyin’s publishing house a burst of publicity.

Fang Zhiyin hadn’t expected that nearly losing her life for a show would yield anything good, but despite her and Chen Chen quitting, his newfound popularity might just bring opportunities to her company as well.

At that moment, a saying came easily to her mind—“A blessing in disguise.”