“Not what?” Yi Wulan set the medicine aside and leaned over, wanting to see what was on the phone screen.
Before Mu Yanxi’s brain could even react, her upper body flew towards Yi Wulan.
But her dizzy head made her misjudge her strength. When she wrapped her arms around Yi Wulan’s neck, the momentum even pushed Yi Wulan’s wheelchair back a short distance before it stopped, moving them completely out of the livestream’s view.
Meeting Yi Wulan’s surprised gaze, Mu Yanxi opened her mouth, intending to apologize, but another wave of dizziness swept over her.
Mu Yanxi quickly tightened her arms around Yi Wulan’s neck and uncomfortably buried her head in the crook of Yi Wulan’s neck, trying to suppress the discomfort.
Strands of hair brushed against Yi Wulan’s neck, their warm bodies pressed together, finally bringing Yi Wulan back to her senses. Her body had stiffened the moment Mu Yanxi hugged her, but now she finally moved.
She looked down at the person holding her and, after a slight hesitation, cautiously and a little unaccustomedly, wrapped her arm around Mu Yanxi’s waist, steadying her swaying body that was about to slip down.
The central air conditioning in the study was already set low. Now, a body temperature a degree higher than normal radiated through the thin layer of clothing, a familiar sensation from the night Mu Yanxi had a persistent high fever.
However, before Yi Wulan could react further, she felt a scorching breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and asked with difficulty, “Are you running a fever again?”
Mu Yanxi’s brain felt like it was about to burn up. The core of her supernatural ability was being activated in waves, making her entire body feel as if it were being continuously forged in a furnace.
Hearing Yi Wulan’s voice, Mu Yanxi managed to regain a sliver of rationality and explained in a low voice, “It’s nothing, I just have a slight fever.”
Yi Wulan pressed down on Mu Yanxi’s waist, making her sit on her lap.
Just as she was about to say something, the person she was holding down seemed to find a sudden burst of strength and struggled, trying to stand up.
“My thighs aren’t injured,” Yi Wulan said, seeing through Mu Yanxi’s intentions, and pressed her back down.
Sitting face to face, Yi Wulan finally began to study Mu Yanxi. Her complexion was visibly terrible, and even her mental state was a far cry from her usual self.
Especially when she held Mu Yanxi down, Mu Yanxi’s resistance was much weaker. She was like a delicate porcelain doll that seemed as if it would shatter at any moment.
Yi Wulan’s hand on Mu Yanxi’s waist slowly tightened, only loosening when Mu Yanxi let out a soft grunt. Her voice held a hint of restraint. “Is this how you take care of yourself?”
Mu Yanxi’s gaze wavered under her scrutiny. She pointed to the nearby desk and whispered, “Can I talk to you later? I’m in the middle of a live stream.”
Yi Wulan frowned and reached out to touch Mu Yanxi’s face.
Mu Yanxi tilted her head to dodge it. “Hey, I’m really not…”
Before she could finish, Yi Wulan cupped her chin and forcefully checked her forehead temperature.
The temperature she felt was abnormally high. Yi Wulan’s expression changed, and her tone suddenly grew heavy. “Stop the stream. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Mu Yanxi pressed down on the hand Yi Wulan was using to grab her phone. Her palm was slightly damp with sweat, and she had no strength; a slight movement could have shaken her off.
But Yi Wulan didn’t move.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just call the family doctor for me. I’ll be done by the time the doctor arrives.”
Mu Yanxi pointed behind her, her voice weak but tinged with a strange persistence. “This isn’t just my stream. If I stop, it will directly affect the traffic for the artists after me.”
Mu Yanxi forced herself to look into Yi Wulan’s eyes, trying to convey her determination. In truth, she didn’t have any extravagant hope that Yi Wulan would understand, only that she wouldn’t stop her.
After all, in their circle, the entertainment industry was mentioned only as an investment vehicle or a playground for rich kids to show off. Given her usual personality and style, no one would probably believe she was actually treating it as a job.
Mu Yanqing wouldn’t, and Yi Wulan probably wouldn’t either.
Mu Yanxi looked at Yi Wulan. Three seconds, five seconds, even after ten seconds, she still hadn’t received a response.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe. She slowly lowered her eyes.
But just then, a soft “Mm” sounded by her ear.
Mu Yanxi looked up in pleasant surprise, thinking she was hearing things. “Really?”
Yi Wulan maneuvered the wheelchair slowly back to the desk and helped Mu Yanxi into the office chair. “I’ll go call the doctor. You must see him immediately when he arrives.”
“Okay.”
After speaking, Yi Wulan adjusted the room temperature and then left. Mu Yanxi stared blankly at her retreating back until she disappeared through the doorway.
Mu Yanxi sat back down in front of the livestream camera.
Yi Wulan’s appearance had already caused a two or three-minute delay, and her sudden disappearance sparked immense curiosity in the bullet comments.
【Fess up, were you two having a secret rendezvous? (doge)】
【I’m reporting this stream for public displays of affection! It’s torture for us single dogs!】
【So that was your wife, right? Since she’s here, why not let us see her?】
【Did you guys hear her say ‘you must see him immediately when he arrives’? So commanding, yet so swoon-worthy. Truly the woman who managed to snag our little vase.】
【I want all the information on the owner of that voice within ten minutes.】
【Same here. Mu Yanxi, don’t make me get on my knees and beg you.】
Mu Yanxi watched the rapidly scrolling comments and frowned. “Is there something wrong with you all? It’s the Qixi Festival, and you have time to care about someone else’s love life. Can’t you find someone for yourselves?”
And so, the bullet comments instantly changed their tune:
【She’s getting flustered, she’s getting flustered! The little vase is flustered because we hit the nail on the head!】
【Sisters, we’re on the right track! Chant with me: We want to see a couple’s stream on Qixi!】
【We want to see a couple’s stream on Qixi!】
【LMAO, we give you an inch and you take a mile, huh? What’s there to hide? Is there anything a distinguished paying user like me can’t see? (Gift: Lollipop x1)】
Where there was one, there were more. A trend of sending gifts to see Mu Yanxi’s other half’s face instantly swept through the stream.
After getting off Yi Wulan and walking a few steps, Mu Yanxi had managed to stay lucid at first. But the longer she sat there, the more intense the reaction from her ability’s upgrade became.
She glanced at the time—7:18 PM—and forced herself to focus, staring at the new gifts popping up on the list. She began to speak mechanically, “Thank you to the user ‘Mufeng is the Top, no doubt’ for the fairy wand…”
After announcing gifts like this for two minutes, Mu Yanxi finally succumbed to the dizziness caused by her ability. Her breathing grew rapid, and her consciousness began to fade.
The words on her phone screen blurred, dissolving into brilliant specks of light. Finally, as her head slowly drooped onto her arm, the light before her eyes faded to black.
At the same time, the viewers in the stream were stunned: 【No way? Little vase, you’re not trying to pull a scam, are you?】
【Sisters, you have to vouch for me! I swear I didn’t scold the little vase until she fainted!】
【Her complexion has been bad this whole time. Is she really sick? Where’s her manager? Where’s that lady from before? Someone, help!】
【Please, if no one comes soon, I’m really going to call the police! I may roast her, but the little vase is my source of joy. Nothing can happen to her!】
Fortunately, the anxiety only lasted for half a minute before a hand suddenly wrapped around the shoulder of the person slumped over the desk.
It was the same woman from before, the one suspected to be Mu Yanxi’s other half.
The bullet comments immediately exploded:
【Someone’s here, someone’s here!】
【I’m relieved someone’s here. I was so scared I almost called an ambulance.】
【Thank heavens. I was really afraid something would happen to her tonight.】
【Hug her, hug her!】
【Holy crap, she really hugged her! So this person really is the little vase’s other half!】
【Miss, a little more to the left, let me see, please!】
However, everything in the bullet comments had nothing to do with the two people in the study.
After helping Mu Yanxi up from the desk, Yi Wulan checked her forehead temperature.
As expected, her temperature was still a bit high. But looking at the rapidly scrolling comments on the livestream phone and remembering Mu Yanxi’s insistence on finishing the stream, she was slightly taken aback.
Yi Wulan truly hadn’t expected Mu Yanxi to be so professional. It shattered some of the perceptions Yi Wulan had formed of her since their marriage, yet she also felt that such a contrast wasn’t entirely surprising coming from Mu Yanxi.
The family doctor was on his way. Yi Wulan glanced at the time; there were about eight minutes until 7:30. So she asked, “Does she finish at 7:30?”
The scrolling comments seemed to freeze for a moment. Through the screen, one could almost feel an unquestionable aura.
Then, even the anti-fans who had been roasting everyone and everything became excessively well-behaved, as if answering a teacher’s question in class:
【Yes, yes, 7:30.】
【There are still eight minutes until the next artist’s turn.】
“Okay.” Yi Wulan adjusted her position, trying to make Mu Yanxi more comfortable as she slept. She tidied her hair, revealing her delicate little face to the camera, and carefully dabbed away the light sweat on her forehead with a tissue.
But from beginning to end, Yi Wulan never showed her own face. The camera only captured her soft jawline and a slender neck, leaving everything else to the imagination.
Their intimate posture was on full display. Without a word being spoken, anyone could guess their relationship.
The comments started to change again: 【So why are we here watching a still image?】
【Then why don’t you leave?】
【I think I can watch for a few more minutes. If you want to leave, you go first.】
【My favorite idol is on next. Can’t I wait here early?】
【Well, I’m idle anyway, and… it’s kinda nice to look at.】
【I’ll cut the crap. I’m shipping this so hard, for real.】
【I suddenly wish Mu Yanxi was the one streaming the whole time now. Who gets it?】
Yi Wulan didn’t pay any more attention to the comments, simply holding Mu Yanxi and waiting for the time to pass.
Of the hundreds of thousands of fans in the stream, almost no one left.
They just chatted with others in the comments while watching Mu Yanxi’s sleeping face.
While also wondering what the owner of the half-shoulder on screen actually looked like.
This strange yet harmonious scene continued until the camera switched to the next celebrity.
The effect of this online livestream was explosive.
It was meant to be a quick, fast-food-style Qixi stream. In just half an hour, even with a script, there wasn’t much they could do, so the streaming platform didn’t have high expectations to begin with.
Who would have known that it would coincide with two things: Mu Yanxi getting sick and her other half appearing on the stream with her, perfectly satisfying the curiosity netizens had about her partner from the night before.
The buzz from Mu Yanxi rejecting Yi Jingming hadn’t completely died down yet. Now, her intimate posture with her partner formed a stark contrast to her attitude towards Yi Jingming.
As a result, the moment the stream was handed over to the next artist that night, Mu Yanxi was already on the hot search list: #MuYanxiLivestream#, #MuYanxiKeepingDistanceIsBasic#
When her manager saw the hot search, she was stunned for several seconds. She racked her brain, trying to recall her artist’s relationship history, before finally remembering that her little ancestor was married.
She clicked on the hashtag and saw the content of Mu Yanxi’s trending topic, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
On a special holiday like Qixi, every artist in the entertainment industry with a partner was showing off their affection in various fancy ways. Mu Yanxi’s method—not even showing her partner’s face, yet having people ship them to death—was truly a breath of fresh air amidst all the artificial sweetener.
However, because Mu Yanxi’s line, ‘Married people should know to keep their distance,’ was directed at Yi Jingming from the same circle, this hot search topic bizarrely fermented into a statement about rejecting workplace unspoken rules, and it went viral outside her usual fanbase.
Faced with this absurd way of going viral, the manager felt both emotional and amused. Since someone was taking care of Mu Yanxi, she didn’t need to worry and immediately arranged for the PR team to guide public opinion.
Mu Yanxi, who was usually plagued by her flop-prone constitution, for once had a trending topic that didn’t crash and burn. Even her most loyal anti-fans had been fed so much “dog food” in the stream that the comments section for this topic was surprisingly clean.
It was actually the best public reception Mu Yanxi had received since entering the industry.
There was almost no need to manage the comments; the hot search was filled with praise. It was clear just how many netizens had experienced workplace pressure in their own lives:
【When you’re out there working, who hasn’t met a few average-yet-overconfident male bosses? It’s absolutely disgusting.】
【Me too, me too! If you refuse their dinner invitation, they give you a hard time. People like that should be extinct in the workplace, okay?】
【But there are still plenty of people who take shortcuts by accepting the unspoken rules, stealing the credit from those who actually work hard. I wish there were no special privileges in the workplace.】
What started as a small-scale crusade by netizens in the hot search topic turned into a nationwide social hot-button issue as they talked.
Various marketing accounts, eager to ride the wave of popularity, churned out articles one after another, each more enthusiastic than the last.
This hot topic happened to align with the authorities’ intention to promote proper workplace values. So they seized the opportunity of Mu Yanxi’s popularity to spread the message. More and more official accounts with Blue Vs joined in, retweeting and creating a new hashtag: #HoldTheLine, #RejectUnspokenRules#
Mu Yanxi had always gone viral for being criticized, with the negative content being a messy mix of everything. This was the first time she had been singled out for praise by major official accounts.
Countless official accounts joined in. The overwhelming publicity completely overshadowed all other Qixi-related trending topics.
Best actors and actresses, top-tier celebrities—they were all pushed aside. The momentum was so great that even her manager was stunned, wondering what kind of metaphysical luck her little ancestor had stumbled upon.
After all, for the manager, it was already a blessing that the initial livestream hashtag could remain on the hot search list untarnished. Plus, considering Mu Yanxi had just offended Rongjia’s “crown prince,” not being targeted by Rongjia was already a stroke of immense luck.
Who knew that after trending, netizens would carry the momentum in a higher, more profound direction, causing it to go completely viral!
How was this the treatment of a D-list flop? It was more like a heaven-sent star of destiny had arrived, wasn’t it?
Other than metaphysics, the manager couldn’t think of any other explanation.
With so many Blue V accounts providing cover, it was as if she was being carried to victory, dominating the hot search list and camping out at the number one spot.
But Mu Yanxi was unaware of everything happening on the internet.
The next day, Mu Yanxi’s elevated temperature from the night finally subsided. When she opened her eyes, she slowly placed a hand over her abdomen, quietly feeling the abundant power within her upgraded ability core.
Before she could grab a plant to run a comparative test, the sound of a door opening came from outside.
Mu Yanxi snapped back to her senses slightly and turned her head to look.
A familiar wheelchair appeared slowly from around the corner, moving until it stopped beside her bed.
Mu Yanxi lay there without moving.
“You’re finally awake.” With a dark expression, Yi Wulan placed the tray in her hands on the bedside table, then used a thermometer to check Mu Yanxi’s temperature. “The fever’s gone. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else?”
Mu Yanxi didn’t answer, just looked at Yi Wulan with an expression that could hardly be called surprised or touched. For some reason, after being questioned like that, a sour feeling welled up in her eyes.
Yi Wulan noticed her expression and recalled how, the last time Mu Yanxi woke up from a high fever, she had insisted on washing up before eating. She paused, then picked up the mouthwash from the side. “You must be hungry. Rinse your mouth first, then have something to eat.”
Her tone was noticeably a few degrees softer than before.
Mu Yanxi averted her eyes, still not speaking, and pulled the blanket up a little higher in a refusal to communicate.
Yi Wulan put the mouthwash back and asked patiently, “What’s wrong?”
When Mu Yanxi first saw Yi Wulan return last night, combined with the torment of her ability upgrade, she naturally hadn’t thought too much. As someone who had probed Yi Wulan’s condition many times with her ability, she probably knew the actual state of the other’s body better than Yi Wulan herself.
The main injury to Yi Wulan’s legs was below the knees, but the nerves in her thighs were also severely damaged, making them immobile.
Teasingly hooking a foot like she did on the bed last time was one thing, but sitting directly on Yi Wulan’s lap like last night would definitely put more pressure on her already injured legs.
What had Yi Wulan said last night?
—‘My thighs aren’t injured.’
Mu Yanxi said nothing, quietly observing Yi Wulan’s face, which was much paler than before she left. She suddenly reached out and pressed her hand on Yi Wulan’s thigh.
Yi Wulan’s body stiffened. She quickly pulled Mu Yanxi’s hand away, holding it gently. “Your hand was so hot last night, why is it so cold now? Should I turn up the air conditioning for you?”
Mu Yanxi still didn’t speak, but she didn’t pull her hand back either.
After a while, once she had warmed Mu Yanxi’s hand, Yi Wulan slowly let go. “I’ll go turn up the air conditioning.”
Mu Yanxi finally moved.
She pulled back the hand Yi Wulan had released, raised her other free hand, and placed it on Yi Wulan’s thigh again, patting it lightly. “Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. Where did you go?”
Yi Wulan: …
“A girl shouldn’t be so rough.” After saying this, Yi Wulan noticed Mu Yanxi’s gaze, thought of Mu Yanqing’s usual methods, and added, “I also brought you a gift.”
“Oh,” Mu Yanxi replied perfunctorily, automatically ignoring the second half of the sentence. “Didn’t President Yi know this was my personality before marrying me? Even if you didn’t, you must know what kind of person I am after seeing the comments in the stream yesterday.”
Yi Wulan studied Mu Yanxi for a moment, then suddenly let out a low chuckle. She reached out and pinched Mu Yanxi’s cheek, then picked up the mouthwash from the bedside table and offered it again.
This time, Mu Yanxi didn’t refuse. She took a sip from Yi Wulan’s hand, puffed out her cheeks, and then lifted her chin in a coolly noble manner, motioning for Yi Wulan to bring the trash can over.
As Yi Wulan bent over, Mu Yanxi noticed that she seemed to exert a little force in her thighs, lifting them slightly for half a second.
Mu Yanxi’s eyes widened slightly, her suspicion growing more certain.
She remembered the description of Yi Wulan’s illness in the novel from before her rebirth. In that novel, Yi Wulan’s legs never recovered, not until the after-effects in her brain relapsed and the clotted blood spread, compressing her entire brain.
But now, her thighs, the least affected part, seemed to have actually improved slightly.
Could it be that her ability had really alleviated Yi Wulan’s condition recently, revitalizing her thighs and making them eligible for restorative surgery?
Under Mu Yanxi’s questioning gaze, Yi Wulan slowly spoke, “I went for a physical examination.”
Mu Yanxi came back to her senses and found Yi Wulan wiping her mouth with a tissue. She looked at Yi Wulan and asked, “And then?”
Yi Wulan tossed the tissue into the trash can and replied in a very casual tone, “And then I had a minor, minimally invasive surgery on my legs. A very small one.”
So that was it.
Mu Yanxi once again placed her hand on Yi Wulan’s thigh and asked, “How did the surgery go? Are you better?”
Yi Wulan looked down at Mu Yanxi’s hand on her leg, a rare softness coloring her features, lessening her usual aloofness and coldness. “There’s hope… In the future, I won’t get angered by you because I can’t get away.”
Mu Yanxi shot her a glance. “When have I ever angered you? It’s clearly your troublesome Yi family that’s always causing problems for you.”
After saying that, she suddenly started tattling, “While you were away, they didn’t forget to come and cause trouble for me.”
Yi Wulan played along. “Mm, it’s their fault.”
Not being contradicted, Mu Yanxi hummed in satisfaction and asked again, “There’s hope for your legs, but what about the other place?”
The smile on Yi Wulan’s face faded slightly.
“The other place…” She picked up the breakfast from the side. “Will take time. You should eat something first.”
Mu Yanxi wasn’t too surprised. After all, based on the feedback from her previous ability probes, the injury in Yi Wulan’s brain hadn’t shown any significant improvement yet.
But with her ability upgraded, there was still hope.
She hooked Yi Wulan’s fingertip and said with a lazy smile, “Yi Wulan, according to the plot development in the novel, there’s an eighty percent chance your recovery has something to do with me.”
“You should read fewer of those nonsensical novels.”
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi gave Yi Wulan a strange look as she averted her gaze after saying that. After a moment, she chuckled and asked, “Can’t you just admit it to humor me?”
Yi Wulan’s personality had already been pushed to its limit. She didn’t know how to answer. But deep down, a voice was telling her that ever since Mu Yanxi came into her life, everything had been moving in a better direction.
It was just that her dignified and self-possessed character, cultivated for nearly thirty years, wouldn’t allow her to say something so superstitious. She simply held Mu Yanxi’s hand, not letting go even as Mu Yanxi swung it around.
Mu Yanxi could vaguely sense Yi Wulan’s thoughts. She had only brought it up casually to tease her; if Yi Wulan had actually agreed, she probably wouldn’t have known how to respond herself.
Supernatural things like abilities and rebirth were best kept to herself.
Mu Yanxi tugged on Yi Wulan’s hand, looked at the insulated container she was offering, and said softly, “But I have no strength.”
Yi Wulan didn’t know how much Mu Yanxi had recovered after running a fever all night, but she certainly couldn’t be feeling comfortable.
Hearing this, she carefully examined Mu Yanxi’s face and saw that her complexion was indeed still a little pale. The girl looked listless, as if she might faint again at any moment.
She held Mu Yanxi’s hand a little tighter, leaned closer to the pillow, and stammered, “Where do you feel uncomfortable?”
“My head hurts, my throat is a little sore, and I have no strength in my whole body.” Mu Yanxi snuggled deeper into the covers, closed her eyes, and smiled despite her pale face. “It’s all because you angered me.”
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of playful blame. “It’s all your fault.”
Yi Wulan lowered her eyes, her lips pressed together. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally said, “Then… shall I feed you?”
Mu Yanxi didn’t make things difficult for herself. Why do it yourself when someone was offering to serve you?
She immediately nodded.
Outside the window, the daylight grew brighter. Yi Wulan helped Mu Yanxi sit up, propped against the pillows, and fed her the congee spoonful by spoonful.
The sound of the air conditioner seemed to quiet down, as if they were the only two people left in the world.
After finishing most of the bowl of congee, Mu Yanxi had regained some strength. She suddenly brought up, “Yi Wulan, where’s your gift?”
Yi Wulan offered another spoonful. “I’ll show you after you finish eating.”
“Ah, then I don’t want it,” Mu Yanxi said decisively, but her eyes secretly darted towards Yi Wulan, studying her expression.
If it were anyone else, the recipient wouldn’t openly say they disliked a gift, since it’s rude to look a gift horse in the mouth.
But Mu Yanxi was different. She was just an innocent, wealthy person who was already used to being showered with gifts from her sister.
Naturally, she had to be a little picky.
“Is that so.” Yi Wulan put down the insulated container with a hint of regret and picked up a document from the side. “Then it seems this island…”
Before she could finish, Mu Yanxi snatched the document from her hand. Without even looking at it, she grabbed a pen and signed it.
As if she were afraid Yi Wulan would snatch the gift back at any moment.
Seeing this, Yi Wulan couldn’t help but laugh. “Aren’t you afraid I’m selling you off?”
Mu Yanxi capped the pen and only then began to read the document carefully, her voice filled with certainty. “I’m not stupid.”
The document was a transfer deed for Shallow Islet Bay. It was an independent island located near China but not belonging to any country, boasting natural white sand beaches, clear waters, and a pleasant climate, making it perfect for a vacation.
However, Shallow Islet Bay was not unfamiliar to Mu Yanxi.
She had owned this island in her past life.
At that time, she had asked someone to inquire about private islands in the seas near China, and the agent recommended Shallow Islet Bay, which was for sale. The agent claimed the owner was in a hurry to sell, so the price was far below her own estimated value.
After acquiring Shallow Islet Bay in her past life, she had even used the island to host a celebration party for one of Yi Jingming’s projects.
At that party, a few rich kids had mentioned the island, their voices full of envy, particularly pointing out its high price and how many parties had tried and failed to acquire it.
However, Mu Yanxi’s process of buying the island had been excessively easy. When it came time to pay, the price was even a few points lower than what they had negotiated.
At the time, Mu Yanxi hadn’t paid it much mind, assuming it was just empty flattery from those rich kids.
But now… Mu Yanxi looked at Yi Wulan and asked tentatively, “Did you just buy it?”
“I’ve had it for several years. Didn’t you say you liked Shuilin Fang? That place is going to be used for commercial purposes by Rongjia, after all.” Yi Wulan paused for a second. “I saw that the climate at Shallow Islet Bay is similar, so I thought you would like it too.”
Mu Yanxi’s mind went blank. In her past life, when she bought this island, Yi Jingming’s career had some success, but it was nowhere near the point where he could shake Rongjia or affect Yi Wulan.
And thinking back to the two completely different stories from her past life. The agent said the owner was in a hurry to sell and lowered the price, while her partners said it was expensive and difficult to acquire.
In her past life, Yi Wulan had transferred the island so easily. It couldn’t be that she was doing charity for her, could it?
Mu Yanxi’s thoughts were a mess. She felt like she had forgotten some important piece of information but couldn’t recall what it was.
Seeing that Mu Yanxi hadn’t answered for a while, Yi Wulan asked again, “You don’t like it?”
“No, I love it.” Mu Yanxi finally came back to her senses, hooking Yi Wulan’s fingertip. “We can go there together next time.”
“Okay.”
After breakfast, Yi Wulan went to the study for a video conference.
Mu Yanxi had wanted to catch up on some more sleep, but when she turned on her phone, dozens of missed calls from her management team popped up, instantly waking her up and reminding her of what happened last night.
With so many missed calls, it must be something big.
But her last memory of last night was thanking netizens for their gifts in the stream. Could something else have happened afterward?
Could it be that she sleepwalked after falling asleep and performed a Sadako-style haunting for the netizens?
As her imagination ran wild, her manager’s call came through again. Mu Yanxi hurriedly answered, “Hello?”
“You’re finally awake?”
Her manager’s voice came through, trembling slightly, which sent a chill down Mu Yanxi’s spine and made her more certain of her initial guess. “Last night… did something happen?”
The manager’s deliberately hushed, breathy voice came through, like a thief in the night. “You’re famous.”
“What did you say?”
The manager raised her voice slightly. “I said, you’re famous!”
This time, Mu Yanxi finally heard her clearly and said hesitantly, “Oh… well, congratulations?”
Manager: …
The manager’s voice instantly returned to normal, firing off questions like a machine gun. “Wait, why aren’t you surprised at all? How are you feeling? Have you been online already? That can’t be right, I just got the notification that your phone was turned on.”
Mu Yanxi was rather skeptical of her manager’s overreaction.
With her flop-prone constitution that had created a wall between her and the entertainment industry in two lifetimes, how could she possibly be famous?
So she asked, “I’m fine now. I haven’t been online. So what exactly happened?”
The manager confirmed, “You know you fell asleep during the livestream last night, right?”
“I know.” Mu Yanxi’s tone was a little uncertain. “Don’t tell me I sleepwalked and did a striptease?”
“No, no, no! Just go look at Weibo right now, and you’ll see.” The manager’s voice was once again tinged with excitement. “You’re really famous!”
Mu Yanxi: …
She was baffled but did as she was told.
After opening Weibo, she saw that her private messages had exploded, and her name was once again high on the hot search page.
Mu Yanxi’s first reaction was, “Did someone buy a trending topic to frame me again?”
Her manager’s voice grew more and more excited. “No, my dear ancestor, you’re really famous! Click on those hashtags and see how many official accounts have joined in!”
Mu Yanxi clicked on the #MuYanxiLivestream# hashtag. A video clip of her leaning on Yi Wulan’s shoulder during the stream was displayed triumphantly.
Mu Yanxi froze.
She opened the video, dragged the progress bar, and closed it.
Then she opened it and closed it again.
Only after repeating this mechanically several times did she dare to confirm that it was really a timed video and not a still image…
No, that wasn’t the point.
The point was, after she had fainted from the torment of her ability upgrade last night, Yi Wulan really hadn’t taken her away, but had held her in front of the camera for that long, until the stream ended?
Yi Wulan held her.
Held her.
Until the stream ended?
Had Yi Wulan been possessed, or was she still dreaming?
A person like Yi Wulan, who treated her work like her wife, would actually cooperate with her livestream?
Mu Yanxi felt like the world had turned magical.
She quickly scrubbed through the progress bar again, examining the parts of Yi Wulan that were visible as if with a magnifying glass.
After confirming that only she was fully visible in the shot, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Like a little puppy fiercely guarding its meaty bone.
The tone of the comment section below was also very friendly: 【I’m shipping this couple so hard it’s killing me. What kind of divine love is this?】
【She’s working, and I’m by her side, protecting her.】
【@MuYanxi, can you show us your partner’s face? I’m dying of curiosity!】
【I love roasting celebrities for staged photos. I clicked on this trending topic ready to start flaming. Turns out… I was the clown.】
【Help, oh god, help! Just kill me to add to their fun!】
【Why did I torture myself by clicking on this hashtag? Single dogs truly don’t deserve this.】
【For every single dog that falls today, Mu Yanxi bears a debt.】
【Usually, the little vase roasts everyone and everything, but watching this video, I actually find her quite… submissive.】
【To the person above, you’re not alone. This is the first time I’ve seen the little vase so well-behaved.】
【Don’t say it. No matter how well-behaved she is, she belongs to someone else, and I have nothing.】
Looking at these comments, Mu Yanxi’s first reaction was to ask her manager on the other end of the line, “How much money did you spend last night?”
So many paid commenters must have cost a lot of money, right?
When did her management team become so generous?
“Who bought paid commenters for you?” the manager quickly retorted. “I told you, you really got famous last night because of this video of you sleeping! Do you know that by the time your stream ended last night, the view count had surpassed a million?”
Mu Yanxi found it even more absurd. She didn’t know if it was an after-effect of the fever, but she started coughing uncontrollably in bed and couldn’t stop for a long time.
“A million?”
“No.”
Just as Mu Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief, her manager answered firmly, “Over a million!”
Mu Yanxi: …
If she remembered correctly, in her last memory, the number of people in the stream hadn’t even reached two hundred thousand.
So her talking was useless, but sleeping could attract traffic?
Seriously, are netizens these days that idle?
Have they never seen someone sleep before that they had to come and watch?
Just as she was in disbelief, her manager spoke again, “If you don’t believe me, go look at the other trending topic with your name in it. See how many official Blue V accounts have come out to speak for you. I couldn’t have bought all of those, could I?”
To prevent her manager from continuing to freak out on the other end of the line and interrupting her “tea-sipping,” Mu Yanxi hung up first before clicking on the other hot search topic.
This time, Mu Yanxi wasn’t as shocked as before.
Just as her manager had said, many official accounts with the Blue V tag had joined in, many of which were influential Blue V accounts from government departments.
However, she recognized them after a quick glance at the Blue Vs. This indeed wasn’t bought by her manager, because it was Rongjia Entertainment doing her a favor.
In her past life, Rongjia Entertainment was handed over to Yi Jingming. Therefore, a large part of the support for his career came from internet traffic.
Although Mu Yanxi didn’t know the full extent of which official accounts had good relationships with Rongjia, she knew the general picture.
Looking down the list of Blue Vs that were speaking up for her and retweeting her, many were ones Yi Jingming had often collaborated with in her past life. She immediately understood the cause and effect.
The thrill of “being famous” instantly vanished.
She really didn’t know why they were so eager to jump on this brown-nosing bandwagon. All she did was reject Yi Jingming.
She and Yi Wulan were legally married. What was so surprising about a hug?
How speechless.
The manager, who had been hung up on, timed it perfectly and sent another WeChat message, urging Mu Yanxi to pick a Blue V post with high likes to retweet after she was done “sipping her tea,” to show her stance and maintain the heat.
Lest Mu Yanxi’s eternally flop-prone constitution acted up and the netizens’ goldfish-like memories made them forget this incident.
Mu Yanxi obediently replied with an “Okay.”
As it happened, she had a stash of unposted selfies in her photo album from the last auction, and she had been looking for a reason to post them. So, she quickly put together a nine-photo grid:
【Mu Yanxi: The universe, mountains, and rivers are romantic; the warmth in the little drops of life—all are worthy of my progress and love. (9 photos attached)】
After she fell asleep during her stream last night due to feeling unwell, many netizens had been concerned about her health. Coupled with the heat from the trending topics, her Weibo post was immediately flooded with people the moment it was published:
【Hey, little vase, you’re finally alive! Have you seen the hot search? Have you seen the glorious empire we’ve built for you?】
【LMAO, family! The world is in an uproar, and the little vase is still off in her own world, trying to be cool.】
【Is the caption copied from Xiaohongshu again? Can you be a little more original next time?】
【I already wrote down what I was going to flame you with in my notes. So why aren’t you riding the wave of popularity and building a persona? Can’t you just follow the script?】
【Replying to the person above, little vase be like: Selfies are the most important. What do Blue V accounts have to do with me?】
【…】
The manager had been camping on Mu Yanxi’s Weibo. After refreshing several times, she thought Mu Yanxi had come up with some grand, high-minded statement to promote proper workplace values.
So, full of anticipation, she was greeted by the sight of a flashy nine-photo grid of selfies.
The manager was completely dumbfounded.
The manager immediately sent a life-or-death WeChat message: 【You actually posted selfies?】
Mu Yanxi replied with an air of “what’s the big deal?”: 【Didn’t you tell me to post on Weibo? What else was I supposed to post?】
She had the arrogant air of someone who thought, “I’m this good-looking, so of course I should post selfies for everyone to see while I’m popular. Besides, nine photos aren’t even enough to showcase my beauty.”
Manager: …
So many Blue V accounts came out to praise you by name. Shouldn’t you take advantage of the heat and post a few more statements to show your resolve?
You actually posted nine fucking selfies?
Don’t think she didn’t notice that the nine pictures were even specially arranged according to their camera angles.
If you have this much free time, why not cater to the hot topic and say a few more things about proper workplace conduct? Even Baidu-ing it would have been fine!
This was a result the manager had never anticipated.
But somehow, as the manager got angrier and angrier, she was so exasperated she started to laugh.
That the ancestor she had signed would do this seemed very much in line with her character.
It seemed Mu Yanxi never tried to create a persona for herself. She did whatever she wanted, arrogant and spoiled, a one-of-a-kind in the entertainment industry.
She did what she wanted and never put on a show for anyone.
Whether it was being chased and flamed by anti-fans for two years like before, or being praised by countless official accounts today, it seemed to make little difference to Mu Yanxi.
Acting out openly, living happily.
“Forget it.” The manager had no anger left. She deleted the text she was about to send and comforted herself, “Let her post whatever she wants.”
Mu Yanxi’s fever from last night had long since subsided, but Yi Wulan was still worried and made her stay in bed for the entire day.
Mu Yanxi had nothing to do anyway, so she spent the whole day scrolling through Weibo, patrolling her own comment sections. She was very satisfied with the overwhelmingly friendly comments and rolled around happily in bed.
And so, the little peacock, in a very good mood, finished her bath, preened her beautiful ‘feathers’ in front of the mirror, and thought about her newly upgraded ability, growing impatient for the coming night.
Yi Wulan had just finished blow-drying her hair and was looking thoughtfully at a Weibo hot search link sent by Gu Yan.
Just then, the bathroom door was gently pushed open.
Hearing the sound, Yi Wulan slowly turned her head to look. Before her gaze could land, a flash of red fluttered towards her like a butterfly.
Carrying the sweet, milky scent of the body lotion Mu Yanxi always used.
The figure pounced right on her. Yi Wulan frowned, about to say something, when she came face to face with a dazzling and flamboyant face.
Yi Wulan’s whole body stiffened.
Mu Yanxi’s fair, soft body was wrapped in a thin, red nightgown, cinched slightly at the waist, so slender it looked as if it would break with a snap. Below were two fair, straight, jade-like legs, which landed casually on the bedsheets as she pounced onto the bed.
Mu Yanxi’s hands were wrapped around Yi Wulan’s waist. Strands of her hair fell onto Yi Wulan’s chest, lightly brushing against her skin with her movements, bringing a tingling, ticklish sensation.
Then, those soft, boneless hands began to move again, slowly sliding up from Yi Wulan’s waist to encircle her neck, pulling her entire body into Yi Wulan’s embrace. She tilted her head up slightly, a bewitching smile playing on her lips.
Yi Wulan: …
Satisfied, Mu Yanxi watched Yi Wulan’s pupils contract. She casually toyed with a strand of Yi Wulan’s hair, wrapping it around her finger. Her gaze shifted, slowly meeting Yi Wulan’s eyes.
Those already bright, fox-like eyes were now filled with an ambiguous shimmer, as if her gaze alone could steal a person’s soul. Mu Yanxi deliberately lowered her voice, imbuing it with an enchanting softness, and asked with a smile, “Yi Wulan, am I beautiful?”
Huge thanks to erzues and Jack Menhoff for the support!
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