“I…”
As if separated by a layer of glass, Song Yushi’s voice was inexplicably distant. Qi Ke glanced at the foreign street scene outside the window and nervously licked her lips.
Finally, Song Yushi’s voice became clear, falling upon the ears of Qi Ke and thirty million viewers: “…Candy and I both miss you very much.”
After this recording session ended, the next one wouldn’t be until after the New Year, so Song Yushi had taken Candy home.
As soon as she said this, the entire internet erupted.
Song Yushi refreshed the forum she had just been browsing. New posts were emerging one after another, all discussing Qi Ke’s livestream.
【My dog and I both miss you?? Woof woof woof, the dog: You miss her yourself, don’t drag me into it.】
【This is obviously a wife and child missing their beloved, sob sob sob. ‘The child and I both miss you, why aren’t you back yet?’】
【Qi Ke, why aren’t you back yet [furious]】
【Hahaha, is this a slap in the face for the marketing accounts? The Qi Yu relationship is for business, but the feelings are real!】
【Qi Ke is so cute, she really seems nervous.】
【What nonsense is Qi Ke spouting? Explaining audio tracks to the Captain on the spot? Are you sure the Captain wants to hear that!!! Say you miss her too! Immediately!!】
Song Yushi looked at the replies and wanted to laugh. The netizens had such rich imaginations; a single look, gesture, or word was enough for them to conjure up an entire love story.
She, being one of the parties involved, knew that they didn’t miss each other.
At least, not as much as the netizens were saying.
On the other end of the line, Qi Ke took a sip of water and said an exaggerated “Hello?”: “You guys don’t think I’m boring, do you? Captain, did you fall asleep?”
Song Yushi: “…No.”
She sighed inwardly. With so many people listening, she couldn’t very well hang up, so she was forced to put on an act: “I’m working too.”
Almost simultaneously, both Song Yushi and Qi Ke cringed at the final particle “ne.”
The gossipy netizens and CP fans all perked up their ears.
“So late?”
“Just a few things to handle, I’ll be done soon.”
“I have some of your fans here, and they asked me to ask you,” Qi Ke leaned closer to the camera and pulled up a few comments about Song Yushi. “Has Yushi been eating well?”
“I have,” Song Yushi’s voice carried a hint of a smile.
“Don’t work too hard, get plenty of rest, and we’re looking forward to 《Awakening of Insects》!”
“Okay.”
“What gift is Yushi planning to give Keke for her birthday?”
“…?”
【I scrolled through, Qi Ke mentioned the birthday gift twice, but seriously, no one asked that question!】
【No one asked if she was eating well either! The little couple wants to ask but is making the netizens and the dog take the blame?】
【Qi Ke: People with guts ask for their own birthday gifts.】
Song Yushi obviously knew Qi Ke was making it up. She was speechless for a moment, then said, “Wait a second.”
She typed on her keyboard, searched for Qi Ke, and followed a link to open the livestream.
Qi Ke appeared on the screen, her chin resting in her hand as she looked at the camera. During this brief lull, she chatted idly with her fans, casually answering some questions she could, so well-behaved that any reporter who had ever interviewed her would be moved to tears.
“I’ll release a new album this year, tentatively scheduled for the latter half.”
“There will be singing and dancing.”
“Mhm, I’ve taken a supporting role in 《Awakening of Insects》. I want to learn about filming from the Captain.”
“The broadcast date for 《30 Days of Cohabitation Life》 isn’t set yet. We’re waiting for the official announcement.”
“There will be a concert, during the summer vacation…”
Before she could finish, the comments in the livestream suddenly went silent for a second, and then—
Fans: !!!!!
Qi Ke: “?”
The lagging network belatedly displayed a notification. No, not just one, but a stream of them, announcing that someone had sent the streamer a gift.
【Fuck! How much… how much is that? Can anyone do the math?】
【I don’t know if my math is right, 1.04 million? No, no, it has to be split with the platform, so it’s???】
【520,000!!! I love you!!! I’m in tears, Sister, you’re so rich!】
Qi Ke was also dumbfounded. Her livestream froze for a moment, and after it returned to normal, she was still stuck there.
Fans: Attention, this is not a frozen screen.
Song Yushi, on the other hand, was calm. She was flipping through financial reports. Only after a long while did she hear any movement from Qi Ke’s side. The great lead singer took a sharp breath and blurted out, “Captain, your ID is so cute!”
Song Yushi’s ID: Sweet Day’s Rich Woman.
A very un-Song-Yushi-like ID.
Netizens: Isn’t your focus a bit off?!! Five hundred and twenty thousand!!! And another five hundred and twenty thousand that goes to the damn platform!!! Wouldn’t a WeChat red envelope have been nicer?
CP fans struggled to maintain their cool aloofness: What do you all know! The money is not the point! The point is the public display of affection! Sending a red envelope just wouldn’t have the same vibe!
Netizens: Hehe!
You damn couple!
The clock on the wall ticked on. The moment the second hand slid to twelve, Song Yushi said, “Happy birthday.”
After speaking, she hung up the phone, leaving the time to Qi Ke and her fans, completely unaware of the huge waves her earth-shattering gift had stirred up.
She just vaguely felt that when she went out to pour some water, the eyes of the head of the marketing department, which were surrounded by dark circles, held a hint of mournful resentment.
【Sweet Day WeChat Group – We’re Gonna Get Rich Today】
Meng Ying: My birthday is on the sixth of next month. @Song Yushi
Chengzhi: 0716, thanks. @Song Yushi
Zhong Yi: 0923, I’ll remind you. @Song Yushi
Song Yushi: ?
Qi Ke: Ahaha, ahaha, ahahahahahahahahaha!
The rest of Sweet Day: Pah!
The trending topics online were also set: Qi Ke’s Birthday Livestream, Song Yushi Spends Lavishly, Song Yushi Sweet Day’s Rich Woman, The Rest of Sweet Day Cried, Qi Yu is Real.
Accidentally, the Weibo posts speculating about Song Yushi and Qi Ke’s relationship all sank, replaced by a new wave of posts shipping them.
Only Song Yushi’s solo stans remembered the rounds of smear articles. They united with major fan sites to defend her rights, demanding an explanation from the studio. Of course, some also went to Sister Fei’s Weibo page, telling her to get to work and sue those who needed to be sued.
After several days of this rights defense, Sister Fei finally posted on Weibo, but it made all the solo stans explode with rage.
She stated ambiguously: “What was said is the truth, so how can I sue?”
Instantly, this pushed the public opinion of the past two days to a new climax.
Song Yushi clocked in downstairs at the company. It was only when she saw the holiday notice posted at the front desk that she belatedly realized the New Year was just around the corner.
The studio was as busy as ever, filled with the clatter of keyboards and a chorus of “good mornings” amidst the aroma of coffee. After returning the greetings one by one, Song Yushi paused her steps.
Sister Fei was waiting for her at her office door. Seeing her arrive, she got straight to the point: “Xiao Nan said you were looking for me?”
Song Yushi nodded and pushed the door open. “Come in.”
Sister Fei followed her. “What? Now that you’ve taken over, you finally realize how difficult the work is and how hard I’ve had it, right? You’re busy all day and have no idea how hard my job is. Those online articles…”
“You’re fired.”
Song Yushi turned and leaned against her desk, calmly watching the smile on Sister Fei’s face freeze.
Soon, Sister Fei recovered from her shock. “You think you can fire me?!”
The smile in Song Yushi’s eyes faded, and her tone grew cold. “I went to the vice president’s office yesterday. He stamped it himself.”
Sister Fei was incredulous. “On what grounds?”
Without turning her head, Song Yushi pulled a file folder from her desk and threw it at Sister Fei. “On what grounds?” Her tone was light, but her presence was imposing. “Is buying smear articles to defame your own artist enough? Is abusing your power for personal gain by accepting fan gifts on my behalf enough? Is leaking my personal schedule and suggesting I sleep with people for opportunities enough?”
Sister Fei stammered, “You… you… you…”
“How do I know?” Song Yushi chuckled lightly. “Did you think I would never investigate these matters, so you acted so carelessly?”
Song Yushi raised her hand to look at the time. “Finance should be in by now. You can go settle your salary.” She then added an “oh.” “The vice president told me to remind you about the confidentiality agreement you signed. If you disclose anything, we reserve the right to pursue legal action.”
Sister Fei didn’t move. After a moment, she forced a smile. “Yushi, I’ve managed you for over two years. Even if I haven’t achieved great things, I’ve put in the hard work. Besides, there’s no one else in the company who can manage you right now.”
The implication was: you’re nothing without me.
How could Song Yushi not understand? She said, “I’m very grateful for your care all this time. Even when I couldn’t agree with some of your methods, I never said anything. But I cannot tolerate you smearing the relationship between me and my friend.”
Sister Fei shrieked, “Aren’t you and Qi Ke just putting on a show for business? Does that even need me to smear it?”
Song Yushi watched her quietly, saying nothing.
After a moment, she pressed a button on the phone beside her. “Xiao Nan, show our guest out.”
Xiao Nan quickly opened the door and came over. “Sister Fei, I’ll see you out.”
“Was I wrong?” Sister Fei flung off Xiao Nan’s hand, exasperated. “You’re profiting from the CP fans while trying to act all high and mighty. I wanted to purify your fanbase, what did I do wrong? You’re just a commodity at this company, do you really think of yourself as a person?”
The office door was open, drawing the gazes of colleagues outside. As if that wasn’t enough, Sister Fei’s voice grew louder. “Or are you saying you actually like Qi Ke? Her sexual orientation isn’t normal, so are you abnormal too? Otherwise, how could someone with your orphan persona have any friends!”
Sister Fei’s words grew more and more outrageous as, in her anger and embarrassment, she tried to drag Song Yushi down with her.
Xiao Nan couldn’t restrain her and looked at Song Yushi, at a loss.
Song Yushi closed her eyes, strode over, grabbed Sister Fei by the wrist, and pulled her out, casually turning on a nearby vacant computer.
Sister Fei panicked. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Starting a livestream.”
“What?”
“You’re so good at talking, I’ll give you a stage to speak your mind.” Song Yushi looked at Sister Fei mockingly. “I have a clear conscience. What about you? Do you want everyone to hear you talk about what you’ve done?”
The air suddenly fell silent.
Sister Fei stopped struggling, staring at Song Yushi as if she didn’t recognize her, until the sound of the computer booting up broke the silence. As if she had just come to her senses, Sister Fei shot Song Yushi a vicious glare, violently wrenched her hand free, and ran out of the studio.
The air remained silent.
Song Yushi: “…”
She had never lost her temper in front of so many people before and only now felt embarrassed. She pursed her lips. “I…”
“Boss, that was so cool!” someone shouted.
“So handsome, so handsome! I want to marry you!”
“You did what I’ve long wanted to do! Boss, I will dedicate my life to you and serve you until my last breath!”
Song Yushi was stunned for a moment, then she started to laugh.
But just then, the sound of applause suddenly came from the doorway. It was rhythmic and well-paced, effectively silencing the colleagues’ effusive praise.
Someone let out a gasp of surprise.
Song Yushi looked over. The person who had arrived was leaning against the doorframe, her long, straight legs bare in the dead of winter. A red dress set off her fair skin and beautiful features. Her dimples appeared as she beamed, a smile that was absolutely radiant.
…Why was she standing at the entrance of someone’s studio smiling so happily?
Xiao Nan, who was beside her, called out, “Teacher Qi!”
Teacher Qi, ever the big star, walked over greeting everyone as if she were on a red carpet. As she passed Song Yushi, she grabbed her hand. “Borrowing your boss for a moment, okay?”
The office door closed behind them.
Song Yushi swore that in the instant before the door closed, she definitely heard someone in the studio say, “See? I told you Qi Ke and our boss are the real deal!”
Song Yushi leaned against the door, gritting her teeth. “Teach-er! Qi! You—”
Her unfinished words were cut off. Song Yushi lowered her gaze. An index finger was pressed to her lips, with stars glittering on the nail. Qi Ke let out a soft “shh.” “The paparazzi followed me here.”
Song Yushi was baffled.
Qi Ke explained, “To further validate our relationship, of course.”
Song Yushi: “…Oh.”
“I saw you teaching Sister Fei a lesson just now. So cool, Captain!” Qi Ke withdrew her finger, the soft sensation lingering on its pad. She stepped back a little, tilted her head, and smiled with childlike innocence. “But I have a question.”
“What?”
Qi Ke asked, “A clear conscience… is that really true?”
Why wait for updates? Get all chapters now and read the entire story on your schedule.
