After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

They struggle and persevere in the high-pressure environment of the entertainment industry.

Ye Wanxing almost always ate her meals hastily in the van while rushing to her gigs or in a corner of the dressing room.

To avoid swelling, she ate like an ascetic.

But this seemingly ordinary stuffed tofu not only soothed the cramps in her stomach, but also brought a long-lost sense of security that comes from "eating" itself.

She no longer cared about carbohydrate intake standards, nor did she heed her agent's repeated instructions on the diet plan.

Ye Wanxing picked up the bowl of steaming clear broth beef brisket noodles, picked up the last piece of stuffed tofu with her chopsticks, and put it into her mouth along with the thick and bright broth.

The rich broth, the chewy noodles, the sweetness of the black mountain pork, and the delicate aroma of the handmade tofu create a perfect interplay on the tongue.

The pure sweetness of top-quality ingredients makes you feel incredibly at ease when you eat them.

Ye Wanxing didn't put down her chopsticks until she had eaten every last bit of scraps of meat and broth from the white porcelain plate, mixed with noodles.

She let out a long breath and leaned back in the wooden chair.

Ye Wanxing only put down her chopsticks with lingering relish after she had eaten every last bit of scraps of meat and broth from the white porcelain plate, mixed with noodles.

She grabbed a tissue, carefully wiped her mouth, and leaned back involuntarily against the slightly stiff wooden chair, letting out a long breath.

That heavy, warm feeling in my stomach.

This long-lost sense of security made her thoughts wander.

Since entering the fame and fortune of the entertainment industry, if you think about it carefully, she hasn't had a truly "full meal" in almost five years.

In order to maintain that paper-thin, slender look on camera, and to cater to the public's demanding standards for female celebrities' figures.

For the past five years, boiled broccoli, vegetable salads without sauce, and dry, whitish boiled chicken breast have made up almost all of her daily meals.

Even when attending top-tier celebrity banquets, surrounded by a table full of delicacies, she could only hold a glass of water and pretend to be elegant in front of the camera, not daring to eat a single bite.

Long-term excessive dieting, coupled with working day and night to attend events and film night scenes, has long since depleted her physical health.

Insomnia, low blood sugar, and stomach cramps that flare up whenever she's exposed to cold air—these afflictions plagued her like an inescapable shadow.

Because of this, she didn't dare drink much water all day yesterday, for fear that her face would be swollen when she woke up this morning.

But in this unassuming old street restaurant, two meals over two consecutive days actually smoothed out the weakness and chill that clung to her bones.

Ye Wanxing looked down at the empty white porcelain plate in front of her.

As a top-tier actress, she knew very well that this was definitely not ordinary cooking skill.

The ingredients are so clean and pure, without any artificial flavorings or MSG added on.

The immediate and pleasant sensation in the body after eating it is something that high-end restaurants that claim to be "Michelin" or "custom-made private chefs" cannot provide.

She raised her eyes, her gaze passing through the hall and landing on the back of the male owner in the open kitchen.

Lin Fan was washing a frying pan. The water flowed over the bottom of the pan, and his movements were steady and efficient, without a trace of impatience.

Ye Wanxing saw no trace of a businessman's profit-seeking cunning in this man, nor did she see the forced smiles that were deliberately put on to please customers.

Whether the customers outside were praising him loudly or leaving after they had eaten and drunk their fill, he didn't even bother to lift his head, as if the only center of his world was the small space on the chopping board.

Having spent too long in this circle full of hypocrisy and scheming, Ye Wanxing longed for this kind of purity.

She secretly rejoiced that she had remained rational yesterday and hadn't posted about the store on her Weibo side account.

Once their location is exposed, given the current speed of internet dissemination, those ubiquitous paparazzi and internet celebrities frantically checking in for traffic will absolutely overwhelm this quiet Phoenix Golden Street within a day.

By then, she will no longer have a safe haven where she can let her guard down and quietly enjoy a hot meal.

Ye Wanxing picked up the black mask that was placed aside and put it back on her face.

Then he put on a baseball cap, pulling the brim down to cover most of his face.

She stepped out of the restaurant. The early winter wind hit her face instantly. But this time, it didn't feel so biting.

The comforting warmth in her stomach made her walk lighter as she faced the wind on the chilly street.

Walking to a slightly wider road next door with less traffic, Ye Wanxing took out her phone from her pocket and dialed her assistant Xiaoyu's number.

The phone was answered after only one ring.

"Sister Xing! Where are you?!" Xiaoyu's voice was trembling with tears, clearly she was extremely anxious.

"Those paparazzi cars were shaken off by driver Qiang Ge by taking a detour onto the overpass. Sister Hui is in the car right now, her face is all black with anger, and she's searching the whole world for you!"

"I'm at the intersection of Changchun Road and Huaihai Street, next to a repair shop with its lights on," Ye Wanxing said calmly.

"Bring your car over and pick me up."

"Okay, I'll be right there! Five minutes at most!"

Ye Wanxing hung up the phone, put her hands back into her down jacket pockets, and stood quietly waiting in the shadow of the repair shop's sign.

Less than five minutes later, a black Toyota Alphard minivan silently slid to the side of the road.

The electric sliding door opened, revealing Xiaoyu's anxious face.

Ye Wanxing quickly checked that there were no suspicious vehicles around, then ducked into the car and closed the door behind her.

The heating in the carriage was on full blast.

As soon as Ye Wanxing settled into her airline seat, her manager, Sister Hui, suddenly turned around and began to berate her.

"Ye Wanxing, are you crazy?" Sister Hui lowered her voice, but the anger in her tone was impossible to hide.

"You're about to start filming. The day before yesterday, during the script reading, Director Zhang got angry because you looked terrible and your voice wasn't strong enough when you were speaking."

"There's a crucial producers' meeting at 3 PM this afternoon! And what did you do? You jumped out of the car halfway there and disappeared!"

Sister Hui took a deep breath and stared at Ye Wanxing, who was covered up tightly.

"If you get photographed by paparazzi meeting someone you shouldn't be seeing, or eating some high-calorie junk food, the breach of contract fees for those luxury endorsements you have would be more than you could pay even if you sold yourself!"

Ye Wanxing did not refute.

She slowly took off her baseball cap and then removed her mask.