That day, after Cheng Lulu woke up and changed her clothes, she headed straight to the hospital. Before leaving, she only said one thing to Mo Lin:
“I observed He Ye’s livestream, and it doesn’t seem that hard. We should consider doing something similar to expand our sales.”
Though said casually, Mo Lin took note. After sending her sketches to clients in the afternoon, she began researching livestreaming. Upon registering an account named “Mo Lin,” she discovered she needed a certain number of followers to start a livestream. She informed Cheng Lulu about this.
Cheng Lulu replied with a simple “OK” accompanied by a cute sticker.
Over the next half month, Mo Lin hardly saw Cheng Lulu.
During that time, she found herself spending more time with Jiang Yuanmu, all because of the dog walking.
The little Border Collie was growing fast. In just a couple of weeks, it had gotten significantly bigger. It had also developed the habit of going to the bathroom while out on walks. No matter how busy Mo Lin was, she always tried to take the dog out after coming home, and Jiang Yuanmu usually accompanied her.
This surprised Mo Lin.
She had initially thought that Jiang Yuanmu’s monthly payment of five thousand yuan meant he wouldn’t be involved at all.
After all, he wanted her to give up.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuanmu took his role seriously. He fed the dog in the morning, walked it in the evening, cleaned up after it without complaint, and even arranged for someone to bathe the little Border Collie when needed.
After a few days, Mo Lin realized that taking care of a dog wasn’t as exhausting as she initially thought.
It seemed… the one who needed to “try it out” wasn’t just her.
Today, Mo Lin came home especially late because a client was delayed. By the time she finished her work and rushed home in a taxi, it was already 11 PM.
She hurriedly ran all the way to the apartment complex entrance, worried that the little Border Collie might be uncomfortable. But as she reached the building, she saw a familiar figure dressed in casual clothes walking the dog.
Jiang Yuanmu looked like he had been walking the dog for a while, as the Border Collie was biting the leash, signaling it wanted to go back home.
However, Jiang Yuanmu tugged at the leash, “Let’s take one more lap. Eight hundred steps left.”
“Awooo…” It sounded like grumbling, clearly reluctant.
“Yuan… Yuanmu?” Mo Lin called out, panting, as she walked over.
Seeing her, the little Border Collie immediately perked up, bounding over for affection.
Mo Lin knelt down to pet the dog for a bit, then looked up at Jiang Yuanmu, “You have eight hundred steps left?”
Since moving back, Jiang Yuanmu had incorporated a fitness plan into his routine, sometimes exercising after work, other times running a few laps while walking the dog.
Mo Lin didn’t quite understand his sudden change, but she trusted that Jiang Yuanmu always had his own plan.
“I’ll walk the rest with you,” Mo Lin reached for the leash.
Jiang Yuanmu glanced at his fitness watch, “We’re almost done. You’ve worked too late today. Let’s go back and rest.”
“Let’s walk,” Mo Lin insisted, “I’ve been sitting all day, walking a bit before resting will help.”
Jiang Yuanmu didn’t refuse and handed the leash to Mo Lin.
At midnight, the neighborhood was very quiet as Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu walked the little Border Collie.
In their five-year “marriage,” they always enjoyed such quiet moments, their mutual understanding making them both very satisfied. But recently, the little Border Collie often disrupted this tranquility.
As they walked, Jiang Yuanmu would suddenly command, “Drop it.”
The Border Collie would reluctantly drop whatever it had picked up in its mouth.
Walking further, if they encountered other dogs, the young and excitable Border Collie would eagerly try to greet them. Its lack of manners often annoyed other dogs, and Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu would then divide tasks—one holding their dog back, the other apologizing to the other owner.
As they walked, their conversation naturally flowed:
“I bought it a frisbee; it should arrive tomorrow. When we have more free time, I’d like to take it to play somewhere nearby,” Mo Lin said.
“Let’s go together. Thursday… around 3 PM, we can go together. It’s more convenient than you going alone without a car.”
“Sounds good,” Mo Lin agreed, appreciating the efficiency. “You seem less busy lately.”
“The influencers we signed are quite established and don’t need much planning. Ji Ming can handle management.” Jiang Yuanmu glanced at Mo Lin, “Ji Ming mentioned that Cheng Lulu has been appearing frequently in He Ye’s livestream. The public sentiment isn’t great. You might want to remind her if you have time.”
Mo Lin was taken aback. “What’s going on?”
“He Ye admitted that he’s pursuing his first love again. Some of his previous fans are unhappy about it.”
“Oh.” Mo Lin nodded, thought for a moment, and then smiled. “I guess this is fate.”
Jiang Yuanmu was curious, “Fate?”
“Back in university, He Ye was two years younger than us. He was really good at gaming, and Lulu met him in a game. They played a lot together, and when they found out they were at the same school, they met and started dating. Lulu was very popular back then, and many people caused trouble for He Ye because they liked her. She even stood up for him once.”
Mo Lin’s voice was calm and gentle as she recounted the story, without much fluctuation, making it less engaging but easy for Jiang Yuanmu to listen to.
“They had a good relationship. Why did they break up?”
Mo Lin shook her head, “I’m not sure. When we graduated, they went on a trip together. After they returned, they broke up. Lulu mentioned vaguely that He Ye was the one who ended it. She was heartbroken for a long time, more than two years, before she fully recovered…”
“It’s hard to understand,” Jiang Yuanmu commented, “What kind of emotion takes two years to get over?”
“I can’t understand it either,” Mo Lin agreed, “I’ve never experienced it.”
Chatting along the way, they finished their walk of eight hundred steps, and Jiang Yuanmu exceeded his daily goal of ten thousand steps by fourteen hundred steps before heading home.
The little Border Collie was exhausted and fell asleep immediately after returning to its bed, now fully accustomed to its new environment and no longer whining.
Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu exchanged polite goodnights and retired to their respective rooms.
They might never know, but that night, both Jiang Yuanmu and Mo Lin had the same dream. In the dream, they were walking the little Border Collie around the quiet neighborhood, having calm and seemingly meaningless conversations.
Through “Meaningless words” and “waste of time dialogues,” they chatted the entire night in their dream.
The next morning, both Jiang Yuanmu and Mo Lin couldn’t understand the dream’s significance.
The weather was beautiful, and sunlight filled the living room. When they saw each other, neither mentioned their dream. They politely greeted each other and went to work as usual.
Mo Lin had a busy morning and had just ordered takeout when Cheng Lulu came rushing in, holding an account with around a thousand followers.
“We can start livestreaming today!”
It wasn’t easy for a newcomer to gather a thousand followers. “Did you buy them?” Mo Lin asked.
“They’re all real followers!” Cheng Lulu touched her nose, “I got He Ye to help a bit.”
“Did you two reconcile?”
“Not at all, I’m just taking responsibility for his leg. I’ve been watching his livestreams and learning the ropes. I gifted him some virtual gifts, and some of his followers started following me.”
Mo Lin thought for a moment and then decided to be honest, “Jiang Yuanmu said the public sentiment isn’t great. You should be careful.”
“No worries. I’ve been keeping an eye on the comments. I know what’s going on.” Cheng Lulu sat down and started setting up her phone, plugging in the power and adjusting the stand. “I’ll try it out today.”
Mo Lin nodded, watching Cheng Lulu get to work.
When the livestream first started, there were hardly any viewers. While Cheng Lulu was discussing livestreaming strategies with Mo Lin, she was also uploading their products in the background, making the scene a bit chaotic.
Mo Lin noticed a few fans popping in, making playful comments like “sis-in-law,” but they left quickly when they didn’t get a response from Cheng Lulu.
Finally, when the setup was complete, Cheng Lulu began introducing the jewelry. However, after just a couple of sentences, she ran out of words and urgently called for help:
“Mo Lin, what was the design inspiration for this piece again?”
With only two or three viewers in the livestream, Mo Lin didn’t feel any pressure and decided to sit down and explain, just as she would with clients, in her calm and gentle manner.
Mo Lin’s quiet and composed speaking style had always been calming, though Cheng Lulu had been thinking of ways to “liven things up”, using techniques she had learned over the past couple of days. But it seemed there was no need.
Mo Lin’s introduction was logical, covering the origin of the stones, their symbolism, the design concept, and how it was brought to life. Cheng Lulu found herself engrossed, occasionally forgetting they were livestreaming, exclaiming:
“My long-forgotten knowledge feels like it’s attacking me.”
Mo Lin smiled and continued her introduction, occasionally answering comments. The livestream, intended for selling jewelry, felt more like a “design discussion” chatroom.
The audience began to grow, with some fans spamming the chat: “You surf for fun, I surf to learn. My friend, this is the difference between us.”
Another commented: “Elegant, truly elegant. I’m eager to learn, really eager.”
After a short while, someone actually placed an order.
Hearing the “ding-dong” notification, Mo Lin was momentarily stunned. Although their designed pieces weren’t luxury items, they were priced at nearly two thousand yuan each, which she hadn’t expected to sell so quickly online. She was surprised that they made a sale on the first day.
Cheng Lulu was even more thrilled, jumping up and down with joy, happier than she would be from selling tens of thousands of yuan worth of jewelry offline:
“Sweetheart! We’ve got great potential! We made a sale!…”
Before she could finish, her moving hand knocked over the nearby stand. Cheng Lulu hurried to fix it, but the tripod legs tripped her, and with a series of clattering sounds, Cheng Lulu fell awkwardly to the ground.
The phone stand fell too, capturing Cheng Lulu’s embarrassing moment. Blood started dripping from her nose, and she was in a lot of pain.
The sudden turn of events startled Mo Lin, who quickly ran around the table to help her.
As Cheng Lulu sat up, she immediately saw the phone still filming her face. With her nose covered in blood and hands stained, she began to cry, “Turn it off! Turn it off! How embarrassing! I’ve embarrassed myself in front of the entire internet! I’m done streaming.”
Mo Lin handed Cheng Lulu some tissues and quickly picked up the phone, using her face to shield Cheng Lulu. Mo Lin felt a bit helpless seeing the screen filled with “hahaha.”
“Sorry…” Mo Lin apologized, “We will ship the ordered items shortly. That’s all for today’s livestream. See you next time.”
Mo Lin then ended the livestream.
Turning back, she saw Cheng Lulu’s tissues soaked in blood, her eye makeup ruined from crying.
Mo Lin was worried, “If it hurts a lot, we should go to the hospital.”
“It hurts, woo woo woo… I need to go…”
The first day of livestreaming, despite making a sale, the cost was Cheng Lulu’s nasal bone CT scan, which showed a nasal injury that required half a month of rest.
They earned less than they spent. That evening, Mo Lin returned to the studio, packing the jewelry with a bitter smile. She thought: once Cheng Lulu recovered, if she was up to it, they might try livestreaming again.
Before Mo Lin could leave the studio, Cheng Lulu, with her injured nose, sent multiple voice messages. Playing the first one, Mo Lin heard her speaking with a nasal tone:
“We’re viral, darling! We’re viral!”
