Lin Yi blinked. “It… failed?”
Xu Shuyan looked at her with a complex expression, hummed ambiguously, and repeated her words. “It failed.” Before Lin Yi could speak, she suddenly covered her face and buried it in her knees. “I’m sorry, it really is disgusting.”
Lin Yi: “?”
A nameless anger rose in her. “Xu Shuyan, you’re seriously sick! Your brain is full of water! You were the one who suggested this stupid desensitization experiment, and now you’re saying it’s disgusting? Who are you trying to insult?”
Xu Shuyan didn’t look up. “Have the assistant ask the driver if he’s done eating.”
“I’m not asking!” Lin Yi opened a whole pack of Pocky and stuffed them into her mouth, pushing Xu Shuyan resentfully and using her own words against her. “The fans would still like it if we could complete the mission!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
“Acting like this, they’ll think we’ve BE’d!”
“…”
“Wow, then the CP fans will say they were just shy, and the solo fans can counter with ‘She was just disgusted!’ Sweetness mixed with glass shards.” Lin Yi clapped. “You’re quite the expert at fan service, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Oh, right.” After that outburst, Lin Yi finally felt a bit better. She leaned back and dealt Xu Shuyan a fatal blow. “What kind of dog do you want to be? How about a Papillon?”
“…Lin Yi, don’t push it too far!”
“I’ll even get you a big bow to wear on the back of your head. You’ll look exactly the same, so cute.” Lin Yi deliberately bumped her shoulder. Seeing that she still wouldn’t look up, she finally grew impatient. “Even if you were going to throw up, you’d be done by now, right? Stop playing coy with me. Look up!”
Xu Shuyan paused for a moment, then sat up straight.
Perhaps because she had been looking down for so long, the blood had rushed to her head, making her whole face flush. Her licked lips glistened, and even without makeup, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
Lin Yi was dazed for half a second and blurted out, “What perfume are you wearing?”
Xu Shuyan tucked her hair behind her ear and paused. “What?”
Lin Yi didn’t know why she had asked. She felt a bit strange, but since the question was already out there, she didn’t dwell on it. She moved forward, leaned on Xu Shuyan’s shoulder, and sniffed. “What perfume is it? It smells so good.”
Xu Shuyan’s body stiffened. She placed her fingers on Lin Yi’s shoulder and pushed her away. “Keep your distance.”
“What?” Lin Yi moved closer. “Am I disgusting to look at?”
Xu Shuyan gritted her teeth. “Yes.”
She had originally wanted to anger Lin Yi further, but unexpectedly, Lin Yi laughed out loud. “I’m so happy I could disgust you!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Get lost.”
[Fake Rumor: Even though Yan Zhi You Yi doesn’t have a duet stage at this concert, they still have a duet dance!]
[And now my expectations are through the roof!]
[Don’t lie to me, I’m a poor little shipping machine. I’ll believe anything you say.]
[Speaking of which, wasn’t Lin Yi the last one to leave on the day of the blocking rehearsal? A sasaeng followed them to the hotel and found that Xu Shuyan didn’t go back with Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi. Could she have been waiting for her wife?]
[???]
[I don’t ship sasaeng candy.]
[Even though I don’t ship it, I have to say I’m not surprised. Xu Shuyan had nothing to do when she went back, so it’s normal for her to wait for her wife. That’s how little couples are when they’re passionately in love.]
[According to you CP fans’ timeline, Yan Zhi You Yi has been passionately in love for two years already.]
[When you’re with the person you love, you’re always passionately in love!]
On the day of the concert, the rain finally stopped. The sky was vast, clear, and clean. The intense early summer sunlight spilled down, landing in the puddles on the road like colorful glass bottles, refracting magnificent colors.
However lively the stadium plaza was, the backstage area was just as chaotic.
It was still a livestream.
Still a ten-thousand-person venue.
And still, amidst the cheers of the entire venue, Yan Qi led the group in a bow and said the words, “Hello, everyone! We are The Notes!”
[I really love concerts QAQ!]
[I want to rock out with all my heart! Ahhh, I’ll love the stage forever!]
[I absolutely cannot live without the stage! Idols can’t live without the stage either!]
[Yan Zhi You Yi is in such good form today, holy shit! Those moves! That timing! That execution! I’m losing my mind! Gods of the stage!]
[Hehe, the duet dance in “Sky” is so shippable. There’s barely any physical contact, but it’s so ambiguous. I love it ahhhhhhh!]
[And Lin Yi dancing blindfolded with a ribbon, following Xu Shuyan, was just incredible, right? Like a fragile marionette. It’s giving “Puppet Show” vibes!]
[??? Wait, what guardian angel?]
“That’s right!” The host held up a cue card and said to the excited fans below, “Before the concert, our girls played a little game called Guardian Angel. Now it’s time for the final reveal.”
She then said to the five members of the Gu Group, “If you’ve figured out who your guardian angel is, or someone else’s, you can report them now.”
Lin Yi asked, “Is there a penalty for a failed report?”
Host: “There is. The penalty is to hula hoop your way to the other side of the stage and blow up a balloon within thirty seconds. Each person can only report once. Xiao Yi, do you want to report someone?”
Lin Yi held the microphone. As the youngest, she stood at the end of the line. She took a step forward and scanned everyone from Yan Qi at the head of the line to Xu Shuyan, her gaze finally landing on Xu Shuyan. The stadium’s big screen faithfully magnified this moment, causing the CP fans in the venue and the livestream chat to erupt in screams.
Xu Shuyan asked, “You’re not going to report me, are you?”
Lin Yi thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. “I’m reporting you! You’re my guardian angel!”
CP fans below the stage: Ahhhhhhh!
Xu Shuyan was unconvinced. “Where’s your proof? Do you have any evidence?”
“Of course I have evidence!” Lin Yi placed a hand on her hip, looking accusatory. “If you weren’t my guardian angel, why did you wait for me on the day of the blocking rehearsal? You even ordered me oden!”
Zhou Shichen: “Woooow!”
The CP fans below the stage and in the livestream chat: “Woooow!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Yan Qi also wooowed. “How come you secretly ordered oden? We didn’t get any.”
Xu Shuyan: “Captain, let me explain…”
[I’m telling you, Yan Qi doesn’t usually ship CPs, but when she does, she goes big. She asked the question that was in my heart!]
[Xu Shuyan: Captain, let me make something up for you.]
[Yan Qi is just playing the game seriously! Speculating on the possibility that Xu Shuyan is Lin Yi’s guardian angel!]
[Zhou Shichen is clearly high on shipping.]
“Weren’t we all chatting before the rehearsal?” Xu Shuyan started fabricating on the spot. “I saw that Xiao Yi hadn’t eaten much, and she was leaving later than us, so I was afraid she’d be hungry. That’s something you can do even if you’re not a guardian angel, right?”
“Then how do you explain constantly complimenting me on how pretty I am these past two days?!” Lin Yi asked again.
[How do you explain it! I’m asking you, how do you explain it!]
[I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t think Xu Shuyan is actually Lin Yi’s guardian angel. She does this stuff all the time. Isn’t this just Yan Zhi You Yi’s daily life?]
[She’s not nice to you because she’s your guardian angel, it’s because she likes you!]
Seeing Xu Shuyan fall silent, Lin Yi became even more certain. The host asked, “Are you sure you’re reporting Yanyan as your guardian angel, yes or no?”
Lin Yi said decisively, “Yes!”
Host: “Okay, report failed.”
Lin Yi: “Yay! …Huh? Failed??? Then you-“
She looked at Xu Shuyan, who gave her a slight smile. Lin Yi cursed inwardly. Everything Xu Shuyan had done was just normal fan service! She had been preconceived, assuming Xu Shuyan was protecting her, so she saw everything as evidence.
Xu Shuyan had orchestrated this whole thing just to see her get punished!
So scheming!
Lin Yi’s report failed, and she stood there, depressed. “I don’t know how to blow up a balloon ahhhhh QAQ.”
Chen Yuan lovingly patted her head.
She suggested, “Why don’t you have Yanyan help you blow it up? It’s her fault you failed, anyway.”
Xu Shuyan protested, “You can’t spoil the youngest like this!”
But Lin Yi acted as if she’d found her backbone. “Right! Listen to Yuanyuan! You’re coming with me to blow up balloons. Two of them! Aren’t you the best at blowing things?”
Xu Shuyan was helpless. “Fine, fine, I’ll go with you, okay?”
[Yan Zhi You Yi, this is a concert, not a place for you to be all lovey-dovey…]
[Chen Yuan, I thank you.]
[Tonight, if Chen Yuan is on stage, I’m not even going to the bathroom.]
Surprisingly, aside from Lin Yi reporting Xu Shuyan, no one else wanted to report anyone. So, they logically moved on to the reveal segment. Taking advantage of her proximity to Chen Yuan, Lin Yi draped an arm over her shoulder and complained, “This is so unfair! You’re all just afraid of the penalty, so you won’t report anyone. Do you even know how to play the game?”
“You should probably worry more about how you’re going to hula hoop.” Xu Shuyan walked over and nonchalantly peeled her off Chen Yuan. “You can’t blow up a balloon, but you can hula hoop?”
Lin Yi: “It doesn’t say I can’t stop. I can do it.”
Xu Shuyan: “…Leave it to you to find a loophole.”
Lin Yi: “Hee hee.”
The two of them whispered unscrupulously on stage, counting on the fact that no one could hear them, which only served as more candy for the fans who screamed whenever they got close. While they bickered endlessly, the host continued to cue the next part of the show. “Why don’t we all sit down now and have a nice chat?”
Chairs were lined up in a row on the stage. Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi were used to their fan service routine, and Chen Yuan consciously gave up her spot to let them sit together.
Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi looked at Chen Yuan, who was sitting between Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen: “…”
Can you not be so considerate, Yuanyuan!
Meanwhile, the Qi Shi CP fans: “…”
Can you be a little more considerate, Yuanyuan!
The host said, “Let’s start with the Captain. Who were you protecting? And how did you protect them?”
Yan Qi stood up, took a step forward, and cleared her throat. “I was protecting Lin Yi.” She looked at Lin Yi, a faint smile in her eyes. “I didn’t really do much. When she said she was tired during practice, I told her to rest. When she was thirsty, I handed her water. But it seems she didn’t notice.”
Lin Yi: “…”
The host asked, “Xiao Yi, you didn’t feel it?”
Lin Yi told the truth: “I felt it.”
Yan Qi was surprised. “Then why didn’t you guess?”
Lin Yi said pitifully, “I thought you were reminding me in your own way not to slack off… Didn’t you notice I was working especially hard those few days?”
Yan Qi tilted her head, looking thoughtful. “No wonder.”
She said, “I wasn’t threatening you. I was protecting you.”
Lin Yi forced a smile. “…Thank you, Captain.”
Yan Qi: “…”
The other three Gu Group members: “Hahahahaha!”
[Hahahahahahaha! What kind of image does Yan Qi have in the group! She’s too strict! Look how scared our Xiao Yi is!]
[Yan Qi: Xiao Yi, here’s some water. Lin Yi: Captain, if I did something wrong, just tell me directly. Don’t scare me.]
[It’s hard to guess when Yan Qi does it like that! Look at Xu Shuyan!]
[Don’t make things difficult for our Captain by comparing her to a real couple…]
Yan Qi felt very defeated and decided to go back and reflect on her experience to ensure her protection was on point next time. While reflecting, she took out her gift—the bracelet Lin Yi had been eyeing for a long time.
Lin Yi shot to her feet. “Captain!”
She grabbed Yan Qi’s hand, her eyes welling with tears. “So you really were protecting me properly!”
Yan Qi: “…”
As expected, team friendship without material goods is like a plate of loose sand. Good thing she was rich.
Xu Shuyan couldn’t stand Lin Yi’s “eyes lighting up at the sight of money” expression and picked up the microphone. “Can we move on to the next person? Who was Yuanyuan protecting?”
[She’s getting antsy, she’s getting antsy, she’s getting antsy.]
[I’m not exaggerating, the moment Lin Yi grabbed the Captain’s hand, Xu Shuyan’s eyes went wide.]
[It’s like there are nails on her stool. Your wife isn’t going anywhere!]
Chen Yuan was protecting Yan Qi. Yan Qi had noticed, but she didn’t want Chen Yuan to be punished, so she didn’t expose her. The two of them spoke harmoniously for a while and then shared a harmonious hug.
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan, who were holding hands, squeezed at the same time. They looked at each other and saw envy in the other’s eyes.
So envious! Why wasn’t Chen Yuan protecting me!
[Are Yan Zhi You Yi secretly holding hands?]
[Can someone please control them! Do you two want to hug too?]
The dejected mood turned into roaring laughter when Zhou Shichen revealed that she was her own guardian angel. Zhou Shichen stood up, looking aggrieved. “That’s right, I protected myself! Darlings! Big sister only has herself!”
Fans below the stage: Hahahahahahahahaha!!!
Lin Yi had been laughing too, but as she listened to Zhou Shichen describe how she had protected herself these past few days, she did a quick calculation in her head. She was protecting Xu Shuyan, so Xu Shuyan… couldn’t be protecting Yuanyuan, right?
This realization made her heart sink. Unable to wait for the answer to be revealed, she poked Xu Shuyan.
Xu Shuyan turned her head to look at her and mouthed, “What?”
Lin Yi felt bitter. No matter how she looked at it, she felt Xu Shuyan’s gaze was full of provocation. Yet, as if torturing herself, she had to have an answer before the death sentence was carried out. “You’re protecting Yuanyuan?”
Xu Shuyan raised an eyebrow, seeming a bit helpless. “You only just realized?”
Lin Yi: “…Discovered it through the process of elimination.”
As she said this, she started picking fault with Xu Shuyan again. “Well, you didn’t do a good job protecting Yuanyuan either. I didn’t even notice you being nice to her. You’re an incompetent guardian angel!”
Xu Shuyan chuckled dryly. “You were protecting me. Were you competent?”
Lin Yi was shocked. “How did you know?”
Xu Shuyan was so exasperated by her stupidity that her teeth itched. She reached out and gently tugged her ear. “So you’re the only one who knows how to use the process of elimination? Lin Yi, what did you even do to protect me? Did you insult me less, or did you shower me with concern?”
“Haven’t you felt my warm, spring-breeze-like care for you these past two days?” Lin Yi dodged Xu Shuyan’s hand. “Don’t ask for too much from your love rival!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Anyway, I get to ‘confess’ to Yuanyuan in front of all these people. Do whatever you want!”
Lin Yi: “…”
She was so full of hate, ahhhhhh!
[A battlefield! Fuck! My favorite kind of battlefield!]
[Xu Shuyan was protecting Chen Yuan! LMAO, when Xu Shuyan was talking about how she protected Chen Yuan, Lin Yi didn’t even look in that direction. Lin Yi: So for now, I’ll just close my eyes.]
[Lin Yi must be dying of jealousy.]
[Then doesn’t that mean Lin Yi was protecting Xu Shuyan???]
[So after all that, Lin Yi wanted to mutually protect Xu Shuyan!]
Lin Yi couldn’t care less what the CP fans were shipping. In short, she didn’t want to see Xu Shuyan’s “deep confession” to Chen Yuan for even a second. She swiveled her chair back and forth, thinking about how to do fan service with Xu Shuyan later, then looked down at the pattern on her chair. But when the screams from the audience were at their loudest, she couldn’t resist and glanced back at the big screen.
Xu Shuyan and Chen Yuan were hugging.
…Fuck!
Lin Yi’s heart clenched, but she still smiled and nodded, gritting her teeth. Fine, Xu Shuyan, you’ve really got guts now. Using the game as an excuse to hug Yuanyuan, huh?
Shameless! Scheming!
“Well then, it’s obvious who Xiao Yi was protecting.” The host, enjoying the drama, cued Lin Yi, but instead asked the audience, “Who was Lin Yi protecting?”
Fans below the stage: “Xu- Shu- Yan-!!!”
The host wooowed. “Xiao Yi, were you protecting Yanyan? How did you protect her? Come and tell everyone.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Sister Host, don’t think I can’t tell you’re shipping our CP just because your Mandarin is perfect and your expression is so serious!
〔My little main vocal is so pretty today! She got caught zoning out by the host! Mommy gives her dazed little piggy bun a kiss!〕
〔Was she zoning out? I think she was jealous!〕
〔Ahhhhhh Lin Yi was protecting Xu Shuyan!!!〕
Lin Yi stood up with the microphone. She cleared her throat and began to complain, “When it gets to me, there’s no suspense at all! Fine, I was protecting Yanyan. As for how I protected her, she knows it in her heart. Do I even need to say it out loud?”
The host and the Gu Group all turned to look at Xu Shuyan in unison.
Xu Shuyan’s smile froze on her lips. She looked at Lin Yi, and their gazes intertwined in the heated air. The moment they met, sparks flew with a crackle.
– Do I know it in my heart?
– You don’t?
– What did you do to protect me?
– Just make something up on the spot!
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Having received Lin Yi’s signal to make something up, Xu Shuyan really wanted to just throw caution to the wind and say that Lin Yi hadn’t played the game properly at all, that she hadn’t protected her, that Yan Zhi You Yi was fake, and that they should stop shipping it!
But thinking of the consequences—she took a deep breath and started fabricating. “So your way of protecting me was telling me bedtime stories?”
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
“That explains it. You were sitting on the edge of the bed with a book of fairy tales, reading so seriously.” Xu Shuyan’s fabrication actually sounded quite convincing. “You made me breakfast, and you almost blew up the kitchen in the process.”
She gave Lin Yi a thumbs-up. “You protected me, and you almost destroyed our home.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Don’t think I can’t tell you’re using this chance to insult my cooking!
Though she thought this inwardly, on the surface, she was all smiles. “Since I was your guardian angel, what does our home matter? Of course you’re more important.”
[Our home…]
[Pass it on, Yan Zhi You Yi are living together.]
[Bedtime stories, hahaha. Xu Shuyan is really Lin Yi’s little princess. She even needs to be coaxed to sleep!]
[Someone help! A solo fan has fainted from anger over here! Yan Zhi You Yi, give the solo fans a break! Stop being so love-brained!]
Lin Yi’s gift for Xu Shuyan, however, was very thoughtful. It was a dress Xu Shuyan had seen in a fashion magazine. Not only was it ridiculously expensive, but it also wasn’t available in the country. Lin Yi had asked someone to bring it back from Europe for her.
Xu Shuyan was caught completely off guard by the sudden surprise. She blinked. “Ah, this, this? Xiao Yi, you, I?!”
Lin Yi smiled and gave her a light punch. “Why are you stuttering?”
A wave of guilt instantly washed over Xu Shuyan. Lin Yi was so good to her, even preparing a surprise, yet she had deliberately angered her by hugging Chen Yuan on stage. That was so wrong! At the very least, she shouldn’t have hugged her today!
Just as she finished that thought, Lin Yi wrapped an arm around her. She turned her head, her lips brushing against Xu Shuyan’s neck. The warm breath as she spoke sent shivers down her spine. Xu Shuyan subconsciously tried to push her away, but Lin Yi held on tight. “Are you happy?”
Xu Shuyan hummed in a fluster.
She had expected Lin Yi to say something like, “Then stop fighting with me over Yuanyuan, okay?” or “How about you let me have Yuanyuan?” But unexpectedly, Lin Yi just patted her on the back and said, “As long as you’re happy.”
Xu Shuyan was startled. Could Lin Yi have been so angered that she’d lost her mind?
She actually told her… as long as you’re happy???
Was that even her line!
This feeling of shock didn’t disappear for the rest of the concert. In fact, it grew stronger with every gentle smile Lin Yi sent her way. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she took advantage of a moment when everyone was busy and yanked Lin Yi into a nearby dressing room.
Lin Yi was caught off guard and shook her hand off. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” Xu Shuyan closed the door. “I should be asking what you’re doing! Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? Are you planning to pull some big move later?”
Lin Yi looked completely baffled. “What are you talking about? I was protecting you. Who else would I be nice to?”
Xu Shuyan didn’t believe a word of it. She thought about how she and Lin Yi were still roommates. What if Lin Yi held a grudge and offed her in her sleep? She’d have nowhere to plead her case. So she explained, “I was protecting Yuanyuan, so of course I had to be openly nice to her. Don’t hold a grudge out of jealousy and try to murder me!”
Lin Yi finally understood, which only made her more baffled. “Am I that kind of person?”
Xu Shuyan nodded. “You are!”
“…” Lin Yi rolled her eyes at her, not bothering to argue. “Move, I’m leaving.”
Xu Shuyan tilted her head, studying her expression. “Really not angry?”
“…I am angry.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Lin Yi glared at her. “I’m jealous, I’m angry, I’m envious, are you satisfied now? Xu Shuyan, don’t go too far! Did you come here just to show off in front of me? When the fans post pictures of you and Yuanyuan hugging, are you going to send me all eight camera angles so I can see them?”
Xu Shuyan froze for a second. “I didn’t…”
Lin Yi scoffed. “You know perfectly well whether you did or not.”
She said, “Hurry up and move. I’m leaving.”
Xu Shuyan moved aside. Just as Lin Yi placed her hand on the doorknob, she suddenly grabbed her wrist. “I just hugged Yuanyuan. Do you want to hug me and experience it?”
Lin Yi: “?”
Lin Yi was dazed for a second, wondering what nonsense Xu Shuyan was spouting now. Was this some new way of showing off? Then it dawned on her, and she stared blankly at Xu Shuyan.
Xu Shuyan also seemed a bit reluctant. She averted her gaze and said, “I’m only doing this because of the dress. Opportunity knocks but once. You can’t hug Yuanyuan, so hugging me, who has hugged Yuanyuan, is the next best thing!”
Lin Yi stood rooted to the spot.
Xu Shuyan turned around and said tentatively, “If you’re not going to hug me, I’m leaving.”
She was about to open the door, but before she could even raise her hand, Lin Yi suddenly hugged her from behind, burying her face in her shoulder and nuzzling her like a little puppy.
Xu Shuyan flinched away. “…That tickles.”
Lin Yi kept nuzzling into her neck, sniffing hard. “It smells so good. Is this Yuanyuan’s scent? Just how long did you hug her!”
“…That’s my perfume.” Xu Shuyan raised her hand, covered Lin Yi’s hand on her waist, and pulled it away. “It’s called Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin.”
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