Chapter 52: Jealousy at the Lunch Table

At noon, Jiang Yan and Gu Zhen finally finished filming and walked toward the lounge area, where they found Mu An holding a lunch box, standing next to a girl in a ponytail.

“Brother Jiang, you’ve worked hard. Time for lunch!” Mu An felt that calling Jiang Yan by his name out loud in public didn’t fit his persona as an assistant, so he took the liberty of adding “Brother.”

Jiang Yan’s gaze lingered on Chen Xi for a moment.

“This is my friend—Chen Xi. We used to eat lunch together all the time,” Mu An introduced them hastily.

“I’m such a big fan of yours and Ms. Gu’s acting!” Chen Xi’s eyes brightened, and she looked at Gu Zhen with a hint of shyness, “I’m your fan!”

Gu Zhen bent her eyes slightly, “Thank you for your support. Would you like to take a photo together later?”

Chen Xi nodded eagerly, looking overjoyed.

The four of them, plus Gu Zhen’s assistant, found a table to eat.

Mu An sat beside Jiang Yan, Chen Xi sat opposite Mu An, and Gu Zhen sat next to Chen Xi. Chen Xi was so excited that her face was flushed red.

By comparison, Mu An felt his acting was quite subpar; he hadn’t been this excited while eating with Jiang Yan that morning, which didn’t seem to fit his persona at all.

“System, can you give me a blushing effect?”

[Host, what are you trying to do?]

“Acting! I’m playing an excited yandere. Just match Chen Xi’s look and give me a blush effect.”

The system was speechless for a moment. Shortly after, Mu An felt an intense heat rushing through him, as if he’d downed a bottle of cheap liquor.

“System! What are you doing!”

[Apologies, Host. The system cannot directly manipulate your skin tone; I can only boost your temperature sensitivity, which is making your face turn red from the heat.]

Mu An was momentarily stunned by this explanation. He reached up to tug at his collar, eventually taking off his jacket to reveal the crew-neck sweatshirt underneath. As he lowered his head, the slightly wide neckline revealed a glimpse of skin.

Jiang Yan lowered his eyelids, watching the flushed Mu An, and then looked at Chen Xi, who was equally flushed across the table.

His heart sank. It seemed he had forgotten something very important.

Was An’an attracted to men?

Mu An lifted his eyes, trying to mimic Chen Xi’s demeanor. Thinking he had mastered the essence of it, he cautiously peeked at Jiang Yan beside him, only to be met by the other’s gloomy, piercing gaze.

Mu An was startled and hurriedly retracted his focus.

Holy crap! Who provoked this big guy again?!

Just as his mind was racing, a pair of chopsticks reached out in front of him.

Jiang Yan had picked out the chicken cutlet from his own meal and placed it in Mu An’s bowl, his voice gentle, “If you like it, eat more.”

Mu An blinked in shock and uncertainty. Just as he picked up the cutlet with his chopsticks, he looked up and caught Chen Xi’s envious gaze.

Glancing sideways, he saw the curious stares of Gu Zhen and the others, so he quickly improvised, “Thank you, Brother Jiang, for remembering that I wasn’t full this morning!”

Mu An attempted to rationalize the special treatment.

Hearing this, Jiang Yan glanced at Chen Xi, his grip on his chopsticks tightening.

To think An’an was distancing himself from him for the sake of this woman.

If An’an truly liked girls, what would he do?

Jiang Yan’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly from the force. He lowered his eyelashes, masking the emotions that were on the verge of spiraling out of control.

His heart felt as if it had suddenly plummeted from a great height, turning into a hollow void as endless cold and panic washed over him.

After lunch, Chen Xi finished her photo op with Gu Zhen and was bouncing with excitement. She wanted to grab Mu An, but as she looked up, she suddenly met Jiang Yan’s gloomy gaze.

Her heart tightened, and she silently retracted her hand, “Uh, Mu An, I need to go back to work. We can chat when you’re free.”

“Alright!” Mu An waved at her. Turning back, he found Jiang Yan standing behind him, his deep, dark eyes seemingly hiding some secret emotion.

He felt inexplicably nervous, “Brother Jiang, do you have any arrangements?”

Jiang Yan stepped forward a few paces, “You seem to be quite close with that girl?”

Mu An nodded, “A friend of mine, an old lunch buddy.”

Jiang Yan stood right in front of him, leaning in slightly, his hair casting a faint shadow over his eyes. His calm expression seemed to mask a complex swirl of emotions.

“Do you like her? More than you like me?”

Mu An’s heart skipped a beat. The genuine affection in the man’s eyes nearly made him fail to register what he had actually asked.

Mu An instinctively took a step back. Jiang Yan’s eyelashes trembled, and he let out a soft laugh.

“I just don’t hope for office romances on my set,” Jiang Yan said, feigning ease. “If you two have feelings for each other, I might have to fire one of you.”

Mu An waved his hands hurriedly, “I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her! We’re just good friends, ordinary friends!”

“Is that so?” Jiang Yan’s eyes filled with a hollow smile, “I find that hard to believe. You were blushing throughout the entire lunch.”

“Was seeing her sit in front of you really that exciting?” By the end of the sentence, his voice had leaked a hint of coldness.

Mu An’s heart nearly shattered. It turned out he had endured that intense heat all through lunch just to perform for a blind man!

“I was like that because…” Mu An stared at Jiang Yan’s face, truly too embarrassed to say it out loud.

“Because I was excited to be… eating with you!” Mu An gritted his teeth. “If I were really excited because of Chen Xi, then after eating with her so many times, I should be immune by now!”