Chapter 742: Scandal Queen vs. The White Lotus Actor 13

Old Wei was silent.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

He stood there with his phone pressed to his ear, completely dumbfounded.

Five seconds later, his brain finally seemed to restart.

"What did you just say?"

There was no response.

Old Wei frowned.

"I didn't hear that clearly. Say it again."

"Can't hear?"

Shang Baitong's lazy voice came through the phone.

"Then go see an otologist."

"..."

Old Wei's face twitched.

Before he could say anything else, the call was cut off.

"Hello?"

He stared at his phone.

"...He hung up?"

After ending the call, Shang Baitong sat there for a moment, deep in thought.

Then he got up and walked into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he came back out.

His face looked noticeably paler.

He had deliberately dusted a thin layer of powder over his skin, carefully adjusting his complexion until he looked like someone who was genuinely in poor health.

Shang Baitong studied his reflection.

Not bad.

He looked pretty sick.

Satisfied, he returned to the living room and waited.

Tang Wan arrived in a hurry.

The moment she pushed open the door, she froze.

"Shang Baitong!"

He was leaning weakly against the sofa, his complexion even worse than before.

Tang Wan's heart immediately tightened.

She hurried over and supported him.

"Why do you look even worse?"

She looked him over anxiously.

"Should we go back to the hospital?"

"No."

Shang Baitong raised a hand and stopped her.

"If I go to the hospital, the fans will find out."

Tang Wan blinked.

"And then?"

"Then it'll be chaos."

He looked completely serious.

"Once they know I'm there, who knows how many people will come running over in the middle of the night."

Tang Wan imagined the scene.

A crowd of obsessive fans surrounding the hospital...

She shuddered.

"You're right."

She nodded immediately.

"Staying home is probably safer."

"Exactly."

Shang Baitong looked satisfied.

"Besides, I'm much more comfortable here."

Tang Wan carefully helped him sit down on the sofa.

After making sure he was settled, she glanced at the time.

"It's getting late."

She hesitated.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Then I'll cook something for you."

Shang Baitong looked at her.

"You can cook?"

Tang Wan's confidence immediately wavered.

"...A little."

She couldn't exactly claim to be good at it.

Across all those worlds, she had usually been the one being taken care of. There had never been much reason for her to develop her cooking skills.

She could make a few simple dishes.

As for whether those dishes tasted good...

That was another question.

Shang Baitong didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

The corners of his lips lifted.

"Go ahead."

"I'm not picky."

Tang Wan immediately perked up.

"Then you rest here and watch television. I'll make something."

"Mm."

She headed into the kitchen.

The moment Tang Wan stepped inside, she looked around curiously.

The kitchen was clean.

Not just clean—it was clearly used regularly.

The counters were spotless, the ingredients were neatly arranged, and everything was exactly where it should be.

Tang Wan couldn't help wondering.

Shang Baitong was so busy.

When did he even have time to take care of all this?

She looked toward the living room.

"Shang Baitong?"

"Mm?"

"Did you hire a nanny?"

"No."

His answer came immediately.

"I don't like other people entering my home."

Tang Wan was surprised.

"You do all of this yourself?"

"Of course."

He said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I value my privacy."

Tang Wan looked around the spotless kitchen again.

Then she couldn't help praising him.

"You're really impressive."

"You're so busy, yet you can still keep your house this clean."

Shang Baitong's expression remained calm.

"I just like things clean."

Tang Wan nodded approvingly.

That was actually a very good quality.

Shang Baitong said nothing else.

But privately, he thought...

Of course it was a good quality.

People tended to have a favorable impression of someone who was clean and tidy.

It didn't hurt to cultivate a few advantages.

---

In the kitchen, Tang Wan washed the rice and began preparing the ingredients.

At first, her movements were a little clumsy.

But once she got into it, she became increasingly focused.

Meanwhile, Shang Baitong turned on the television.

The screen lit up.

He glanced at it casually.

Then paused.

Wasn't that...

Tang Wan?

A costume drama was playing.

On the screen, Tang Wan was dressed in elaborate palace robes.

In the drama, she played a concubine who had come from a humble background.

Her beauty, however, was extraordinary.

Using her intelligence and luck, she slowly climbed her way through the dangerous palace intrigue.

From an insignificant concubine...

To an imperial consort...

And eventually, the emperor's most favored woman.

Shang Baitong watched for a while.

The plot itself wasn't particularly impressive.

In fact, it was rather shallow.

There were plenty of exaggerated twists, palace scheming, and dramatic misunderstandings.

But the costumes were beautiful.

The pacing was surprisingly engaging.

And Tang Wan...

She was genuinely good-looking on screen.

It wasn't difficult to understand why the drama had become so popular.

After the recent scandal, Tang Wan's name had already been everywhere.

Now that the drama was airing at the same time, the attention had only grown.

The result?

It had practically exploded in popularity overnight.

Shang Baitong stared at the screen for a moment.

Then he glanced toward the kitchen.

Tang Wan was still busy cooking.

His lips curved slightly.

Perhaps things were going to be easier than he'd expected.

---

Translator's Note

I'm trying something with the density again, so sorry if you notice some inconsistencies here and there—especially in the parts where the chapter suddenly gets SUPER dense. 🙈

I'm still experimenting with what works best, so thank you for bearing with me!