“Mu Yanxi? Mu Yanxi!”
Only when her manager raised her voice, echoing throughout the dressing room, was Mu Yanxi finally pulled back from her daze.
“Ah, I’m here.” Mu Yanxi brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead and spoke with forced composure while looking in the mirror, “My hair was tied a bit tight.”
Hearing this, the makeup artist behind her adjusted her hair accessory. “How about now?”
“That’s fine, thank you.”
The manager stared at Mu Yanxi’s face and couldn’t help but give the show’s makeup artist a few instructions. “Our Yanxi has strong features. When you do her makeup, try to preserve her facial contours and don’t blur them too much.”
The makeup artist nodded. “Okay.”
After more than half a month, the recording for the pilot episode of the variety show 《Secret Room Rush Rush Rush》 finally began. It was supposed to have started much earlier, but the broadcasting authorities had just issued new safety regulations for variety shows. To create a thrilling atmosphere, many of the scenes in 《Secret Room Rush Rush Rush》 had crossed the line, and it took a long time to get approval for filming.
However, its arch-rival, 《Let’s Escape the Secret Room》, had already aired several episodes and had siphoned off most of the audience interested in secret room variety shows.
To attract viewers, 《Secret Room Rush Rush Rush》 decided to take a different approach and broadcast live.
But it was different from traditional live broadcasting.
During the filming period, the show would be broadcast live every Friday night, with one main live feed and five individual live feeds for each guest.
The genius of the show’s production team was that they wouldn’t broadcast everything live. Half would be live, and half would be recorded. The recorded content would only be released on the platform the following week, keeping the audience in suspense.
Broadcasting twice a week could win them double the traffic, killing two birds with one stone.
The only unfriendly aspect was that the recording period would be stretched out for a long time. A typical variety show could record three to four episodes at once, but if 《Secret Room Rush Rush Rush》 broadcasted live every week, it meant the recording would last for nearly three months.
A minor celebrity like Mu Yanxi, who treated the entertainment industry as a punch-in, punch-out job, naturally wouldn’t have scheduling conflicts. However, the two originally scheduled permanent guests had to drop out because this recording method clashed with their filming schedules. They were replaced by two newcomers who had just starred in a moderately popular drama.
After her makeup was done, the makeup artist left, and the manager finally couldn’t resist sitting down in front of Mu Yanxi. “You took some time off, so how come you can’t even concentrate now? Are you not feeling well?”
Mu Yanxi was speechless.
She was a little unwell, mainly from anger.
Last night, after she finished chatting with Yi Wulan, Yi Wulan had gone to sleep with a clear conscience, while she had to bottle up her anger and transfer her powers to Yi Wulan.
But she was very aloof and didn’t use her mouth, only her hands, to transfer the powers to Yi Wulan as a form of punishment.
Doctor Xiusina had specifically emphasized the importance of recovery during the rehabilitation period, so Mu Yanxi didn’t dare to let her guard down. During this time, she had been transferring all her accumulated powers into Yi Wulan’s legs every day.
As Yi Wulan underwent surgery during this period, the resistance from her legs when Mu Yanxi transferred her powers became less and less, almost approaching zero.
This also meant that Yi Wulan’s legs were not far from a complete recovery.
Mu Yanxi shook her head. “I’m fine, Sister Ling. Please continue.”
Her manager gave her a suspicious look, then carefully went over the key points for the upcoming recording, emphasizing, “You rarely get a permanent guest spot, but you don’t have to try too hard. Just follow behind them and don’t try to be a hero.”
Artists who rushed to the front and were ostentatious received more attention, but they were often either successful or heavily criticized. For someone with a hater-attracting constitution like Mu Yanxi, her manager preferred that she follow behind the other guests. Even if her persona wasn’t outstanding, she would still gain some popularity.
“Okay, okay, I know,” Mu Yanxi nodded perfunctorily.
“My dear ancestor, you really agree, right?” The manager was still a little worried. “You know they deliberately chose a horror theme for the pilot episode to create a gimmick. There will probably be a lot of scary sound effects and NPCs inside. Just stick with the main group, do what others do, and don’t offend anyone.”
The manager paused and said gravely, “Don’t rush to the front, okay? If there’s anything that requires intelligence to solve, observe more before you speak. Don’t expose the shortcomings of an art student, okay? Promise me.”
Mu Yanxi was speechless.
Did she look like the kind of person willing to be a guinea pig and scout the path ahead?
And who said she was an art student?
Mu Yanxi was utterly speechless.
Ling Yi had been getting more and more long-winded lately. Was it because she had been trending a few times that she had become more cautious?
But Ling Yi still hadn’t prevented her from liking that Weibo post last night…
Mu Yanxi studied herself in the mirror, looking completely zoned out, which made her manager even more worried.
It felt like an absurd premonition of “my daughter has come of age, only to be flamed by the entire internet after appearing on a variety show.”
It was still a while before the recording started, and the manager didn’t want to talk about the recording with Mu Yanxi right now, lest she end up in the ICU from anger before the show even began.
The manager took a deep breath and decided to talk about something else. “Did you check Weibo last night? Did you see the trending topic about Rongjia Group?”
Mu Yanxi’s hand, holding her phone, tightened, but her face remained calm and composed. “I saw it. What’s wrong?”
“The marketing of big companies is really impressive. Look at Rongjia’s recent trending topics, one linked to the next. After turning the Shuilin Fang situation into a beautiful comeback, they didn’t forget to specifically market their upcoming new product,” the manager lamented with a pointed tone.
She was like a teacher trying her best to enlighten a primary school student.
Unfortunately, that ‘primary school student’ was not appreciative.
Mu Yanxi gave her manager a strange look. “Isn’t that just standard procedure? What’s so surprising?”
“What do you mean, standard procedure?” Seeing Mu Yanxi’s nonchalant attitude, the manager’s anger flared up. “Have you forgotten what you posted after you finally went viral the last two times? I don’t expect you to have Rongjia’s foresight, but you could have at least cooperated with those official ‘Blue V’ accounts and said some pleasantries. Look at what you posted!”
The manager raised her voice, emphasizing, “You posted a selfie!”
Mu Yanxi was speechless.
She was the one who had planned to add the promotion of the holographic equipment to the Shuilin Fang press conference.
Weren’t they both just icing on the cake? Why was one considered superior to the other?
What was wrong with her selfie that it couldn’t compare to holography?
Mu Yanxi retorted righteously, “It’s all about capitalizing on the hype to market something important. What’s wrong with my selfie? Isn’t it the same?”
The manager was speechless.
“Forget it, I’m not going to argue with you.” The manager rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
“Sister Ling, Teacher Mu, the recording is about to start. You can go get ready.” Just then, the newly hired assistant poked her head in. “Were you guys also talking about the President of Rongjia?”
The manager frowned and chided, “Remember to knock before entering next time, especially when we’re out on a job. Don’t be rude and mess things up.”
The assistant nodded timidly. “I know, Sister Ling. I’ll be careful next time.”
Seeing the already timid assistant being scolded to the point of trembling, Mu Yanxi couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. She pulled the girl over, put her hand on the assistant’s shoulder, and started walking out. “What, you saw the trending topic yesterday too?”
At the mention of this, the assistant instantly perked up again. “Yeah, yeah, Teacher Mu, did you see it? The photos of Rongjia’s president online were all blurry before. I only realized how young she is after watching the press conference.”
Mu Yanxi chimed in, “Yes, she is quite young.”
“She’s so beautiful. I’ve never imagined such an ridiculously beautiful face even when reading novels.” The assistant got excited for a moment, then looked at Mu Yanxi’s expression with confusion. “Teacher Mu, why aren’t you surprised at all?”
Mu Yanxi winked at her, then lowered her voice mysteriously. “Be careful, walls have ears. You might not know since you’re new, but we celebrities can’t act too exaggerated. If people overhear, they’ll make a story out of it.”
The assistant said, “…So that’s how it is. Teacher Mu, you’re so amazing!”
Mu Yanxi’s face flushed, and she suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. Just as she was about to explain something, her manager spoke coldly from behind, “I wonder who was it that cluelessly liked a bunch of posts and then unliked them last night?”
Ugh…
Mu Yanxi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she turned back. “You knew?”
The manager was very calm. Having been tormented by this kind of thing for two years, she was used to it, and her tone was still even. “I knew.”
Seeing that the lofty image she had just built up in front of the assistant was about to collapse, Mu Yanxi changed the subject with a profound tone:
“Alright, alright, the President of Rongjia is no big deal. What’s there to be surprised about? Doesn’t she just have two eyes, one nose, and one mouth? You stick with me, and I’ll take you to see the world in the future.”
The assistant’s eyes lit up. “Really, Teacher Mu?”
Now that the act had gone this far, Mu Yanxi became interested and continued to tease her. “Of course it’s true. The President of Rongjia isn’t even that good-looking.”
After all, she saw her at home every day.
She didn’t think there was anything special about her.
She’d rather look at her own face.
The assistant racked her brain to agree with Mu Yanxi and finally squeezed out a sentence after a long while, “Yeah, look at her showing off her affection in front of so many people, but in the end, didn’t she just commercialize the gift for her wife?”
Mu Yanxi’s eyes lit up, finally finding a kindred spirit. “You think she was forced to change her story after being questioned by that male reporter?”
The assistant nodded, half-understanding. “Her wife is so pitiful.”
Mu Yanxi nodded, getting more and more into her act. “It’s really not worth it to marry someone like that. So tragic.”
She was so tragic, not only did she get shares from Shuilin Fang, but she also got that scenic private island in Shallow Islet Bay.
So tragic, really so tragic.
Sob, sob, sob.
However, before Mu Yanxi’s internal monologue could dance on for a few more seconds, someone suddenly laughed from around the corner, saying sarcastically, “Some people who only know how to freeload at shows and wear knockoffs just slander other people’s marriages behind their backs. Sour grapes, how ridiculous.”
Mu Yanxi turned her head to look, and after a good while of trying to recognize the person, it was the assistant who reminded her that this was Jiang Tong, who was recording with her.
Ever since Jiang Tong’s Weibo post flexing his wealth had involved Shuilin Fang, netizens’ opinion of him had plummeted. Especially now that many netizens had become die-hard fans of Rongjia Group because of the holographic technology, they didn’t have a good impression of this internet celebrity artist who had started the trouble.
Mu Yanxi had no good impression of this person who had brought Shuilin Fang into the public eye, and even suspected that Jiang Tong was connected to Yi Jingming and the others. Naturally, she didn’t give him a pleasant look.
She leisurely turned the corner and continued chatting with her assistant, “I heard that the people who spread rumors about Shuilin Fang were all arrested by the police. I wonder if they caught everyone?”
Hearing this, Jiang Tong’s face changed, and he pointed at Mu Yanxi and cursed, “Mu Yanxi, what do you mean?”
Mu Yanxi looked back innocently and blinked. “Teacher Jiang, why are you so agitated? I was just trying to catch my assistant up on the latest news developments. Could it be that you were also involved?”
The assistant, who had been watching the drama, landed a rare direct hit, reminding her in a low voice, “Teacher Mu, he was the one who posted photos of his trip to Shuilin Fang and bought a trending topic. That’s how everyone started paying attention to Shuilin Fang. Maybe the police will really look into him.”
Mu Yanxi let out an ‘ah’ and looked Jiang Tong up and down. “No way. If Teacher Jiang was really involved in that matter, he should have packed his bags and run away long ago. Why would he come to record a variety show? Quickly, apologize to Teacher Jiang.”
The assistant looked aggrieved and gave a small bow. “I’m sorry, Teacher Jiang.”
Jiang Tong’s face turned pale and then dark, and he was so angry he looked like he wanted to jump up and down. The trending topics he had accumulated recently were almost all gone because of the Shuilin Fang incident. Now, every time he posted on Weibo, he got flamed.
He had been trying so hard to flex his wealth recently to surpass Mu Yanxi in popularity, but he never expected to become a laughingstock online. How could he accept this?
But he never expected that Mu Yanxi’s words could be so venomous, hitting the nail on the head about the very thing that had kept him up all night.
He glared at Mu Yanxi’s assistant and was about to leave.
But at this moment, Mu Yanxi added insult to injury, “Teacher Jiang, although my assistant isn’t very good with words, she was reminding you out of kindness. Honest advice is hard to hear but good for you. Are you not even going to give a little girl some face?”
After a pause, Mu Yanxi added, “The entertainment industry can’t accept psychologically fragile people. As a senior, I’ll give you a free reminder. You don’t have to thank me too much.”
Jiang Tong was speechless.
What kind of senior are you?
A senior who’s still an 18th-tier celebrity after debuting for two years?
Or a senior who got lucky twice and had so many influential official accounts speak up for you, yet still can’t get popular?
Jiang Tong was so angry that he quickened his pace, not wanting to spend another second with Mu Yanxi.
At 7:50, all the guests had arrived. Besides Mu Yanxi and Jiang Tong, there was a male singer who debuted from a talent show, Hang Yunfan, and a screen couple, Yu Jin and Shen Yi, who were currently popular from a hit drama.
This lineup was no match for the A-list stars and variety show regulars on the rival show 《Let’s Escape the Secret Room》. The first live broadcast was extremely important, as it would likely determine the future popularity of this show.
When Mu Yanxi arrived, Jiang Tong was already mingling with the other guests and the director’s team. He had generously bought milk tea and small desserts for everyone, but his eyes still hid a trace of worry about being implicated in the Shuilin Fang rumors.
This worry materialized when he saw Mu Yanxi, and he proactively greeted her, “Teacher Mu, you’re here!”
After all, Mu Yanxi’s usual style of fighting with fans on Weibo and having her popularity snatched so many times in the past two years made her look like someone without backing. If Jiang Tong wanted to gain popularity on this show, he naturally had to suppress Mu Yanxi before the broadcast started.
But Mu Yanxi didn’t even look at him and walked straight past him towards the director.
Jiang Tong had just been distributing food to everyone and was the center of attention. Being ignored by Mu Yanxi like this was seen by everyone.
He froze awkwardly.
Although he had just experienced Mu Yanxi’s sharp tongue and bad temper, he didn’t expect her to dare to embarrass him in front of so many people.
Especially since he had suggested the director start the broadcast early to attract netizens, all to market his warm-hearted persona…
“Teacher Mu, do you not know me?” Jiang Tong gritted his teeth, followed her, grabbed her arm, and raised his voice mockingly, “Ah, that’s right. After all, with Teacher Mu’s status, it’s normal not to know a small fry like me in the entertainment industry.”
With that, the tension on set grew even thicker. Everyone watched, not minding the drama, waiting for Mu Yanxi to retort.
Who would have thought that what they got instead was Mu Yanxi slowly taking off her Bluetooth earbud.
Everyone was speechless.
“Why are you pulling me?” Mu Yanxi frowned and looked Jiang Tong up and down, surprised that he had recovered so quickly. “Were you talking to me?”
“Were you listening to music just now?” Jiang Tong was incredulous.
“Ah, no.” Hearing that the secret room recording would have horror elements, her manager had specially downloaded a funny crosstalk segment and told Mu Yanxi to listen to it before the recording to adjust her mood, lest she get too scared and steal someone else’s thunder.
Mu Yanxi kindly explained, “It’s a crosstalk from Defeng Society, they’re at the part about a buffoon. Do you want to listen?”
Jiang Tong’s expression instantly became extremely awkward.
His brow furrowed with anger that was about to erupt but was suppressed in front of the camera.
At the same time, the audience watching the live stream exploded, and the bullet comments scrolled by rapidly:
【Hahahaha family, I’m not even surprised by this scene, who gets it?】
【Dying of laughter, what kind of idol did I stan? Little Flower Vase, it really is you.】
【Starting a fight right at the beginning of the variety show, Mu Yanxi, do you even want to stay in this business?】
【Hey you in the front, stop right there, don’t wrongly accuse Little Flower Vase. Little Flower Vase was just listening to some crosstalk.】
【Innocently listening to crosstalk.】
【I wasn’t really interested in this show, and it clashes with the rival 《Let’s Escape the Secret Room》, but now I kind of want to watch it.】
【I’m telling you, you guys should stop playing escape rooms. Just run when you see Mu Yanxi.】
Of course, there were also many passersby:
【Who is this young lady listening to crosstalk? Her side profile is divine, I’m seriously drooling.】
【Tbh, I could tell that guy was acting all along. The barrage of comments from his fans defending him made me sick.】
【Just for the clean bullet comments without fan-controlled spam, I’ve decided to become a fan of this Mu-something.】
The bullet comments were lively, and by just past seven o’clock, the total popularity of the live stream had been pushed past three hundred thousand.
An assistant director on the production team was sweating profusely. “Director, it’s already this chaotic right at the start. This Mu Yanxi is not someone to be trifled with. Since we’ve already replaced two permanent guests, should we find a reason to replace Mu Yanxi too?”
The director, seeing the real-time viewership and the number of bullet comments, grew more and more excited. He didn’t even consider the assistant director’s words and waved his hand. “I wanted Mu Yanxi’s face to carry the show from the beginning. I didn’t expect this girl to be so witty. My ratings for this season depend on her. Why would I replace her?”
The assistant director was worried. “Mu Yanxi just happened to hit the netizens’ funny bone. It’s hard to say if there will be another funny moment. But Jiang Tong has connections.”
“He has connections, but isn’t he also getting flamed online these past two days? Do you want the artist or the variety show? You choose.”
The assistant director opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t try to persuade him further.
The pilot episode soon entered the official recording phase. The five guests were asked to put on blindfolds and were then helped into a car.
The bullet comments were filled with schadenfreude, claiming they loved watching this kind of segment where blindfolded guests were ‘kidnapped.’ No matter how mischievous an artist usually was, once blindfolded, they could only be a docile little rabbit, making many jokes because they couldn’t see the road.
Mu Yanxi and the others didn’t know where they were being taken. Throughout the car ride, a guide was inhumanely narrating a horror story related to the upcoming recording.
However, the audience in the live stream could see everything clearly.
The bus didn’t drive to some century-old haunted house deep in the jungle as the guide claimed. Instead, it circled the filming base three times and then returned to the filming location.
Saving the show’s budget in a very obvious way.
Instantly, the bullet comments went crazy with laughter: 【Sisters, am I seeing things? Isn’t this the place they just came out of? Hahaha, look at Yu Jin, her legs have gone soft.】
【The production team is so ruthless, hahaha.】
【What do I do? Seeing them being deceived like this, my secondhand embarrassment is acting up again.】
Mu Yanxi was unaware of how the bullet comments were mocking them.
After all, as they walked into the original assembly hall and the sound of a woman humming the song “Little White Sail” played in their ears, her fellow female guest, Yu Jin, was already so scared that she grabbed Shen Yi, her on-screen partner. Jiang Tong and Hang Yunfan also slowed their pace.
Yet, Mu Yanxi walked forward as if completely undisturbed. She even took advantage of the fact that she hadn’t entered the secret room yet to toss her manager’s instructions to the back of her mind.
She was practically walking with the imposing aura of a 2.8-meter-tall person.
Was Mu Yanxi scared?
No, she really wasn’t.
She had already died once and been a ghost. No matter how terrifying and bizarre the haunted house the production team found was, it probably couldn’t be more bizarre than her own rebirth.
Moreover, Mu Yanxi could attest from personal experience: people in this world do not become ghosts when they die.
—They are only locked in a white alternate space to be an idle salted fish, and that’s it.
Thus, the filming production team was stunned.
The bullet comments were also stunned!
The production team’s first reaction was to suspect that Mu Yanxi had secretly put on her Bluetooth earbuds again.
But she hadn’t.
So, the production team turned the volume up even louder. Even many members of the camera crew found the sound effects a bit creepy.
But Mu Yanxi still didn’t have much of a reaction. She just rubbed her ears and complained, “So noisy.”
The staff member helping her walk felt his mouth twitch. “Is it noisy?”
“Yeah.” Mu Yanxi walked with a steady gait, turning the terrifying environment into something akin to the atmosphere of rushing to get off work.
At the same time, she had the leisure to complain, “Are we there yet? I think these shoes are chafing my feet.”
The staff member was speechless. …Is that the real reason you’re walking so fast?
This is ridiculous!
The bullet comments had all turned into: ???
【Help, what did I just see? Is Little Flower Vase’s eyes really blindfolded?】
【Terrifyingly so. Could Mu Yanxi have gotten the script in advance?】
【Is she deliberately showing off a persona?】
【You guys in front, what’s there to be so surprised about? It’s just some music playing.】
【To the person who said it’s just some music playing, I dare you to turn off all the lights in your house, put on a blindfold, and listen to this song. I’m getting goosebumps just watching from the screen.】
【Maybe the others are good actors, and Little Flower Vase, who has no acting skills, can’t act it out (doge face)】
As soon as this comment appeared, the bullet comments instantly became even more heated, with one side saying she was putting on a show, and the other saying it was genuinely terrifying.
It wasn’t until the director used a megaphone to announce, “We have arrived at the recording location. Guests, please remove your blindfolds.”
Mu Yanxi seemed to finally react, abruptly stepping back until her back was against a wall before she felt at ease. Then, she slowly removed her blindfold.
What met her eyes was a dimly lit room with very low visibility. The camera even had to be on night vision mode.
The other four quickly found their companions, but they couldn’t find Mu Yanxi.
Yu Jin called out, “Mu Yanxi? Mu Yanxi? Where are you?”
“Could she have been deliberately led away by the production team?” Shen Yi replied.
Hang Yunfan sucked in a cold breath. “They’re playing this big right from the start? Is the show’s team this ruthless?”
Just then, Mu Yanxi, who thought she had successfully established a weak, pitiful, and too-scared-to-speak persona, finally spoke, “I’m here.”
Only then did the four in front finally turn around at the sound of her voice. They had to walk several steps before they saw Mu Yanxi. “Why are you so far away from us? Weren’t the staff helping you just now?”
Mu Yanxi let out a soft ‘ah’ and tremblingly uttered three words, “I’m scared.”
As if on cue, her leg, with its chafed heel, trembled slightly, as if she was genuinely frightened by the environment.
The other guests didn’t know the truth and naturally assumed the female artist was timid, so they all came forward to comfort her.
But the bullet comments were silent for a full three seconds.
Then, they blew up like a tornado: 【What the f…】
【There’s a curse word I don’t know if I should say, I @#*…】
【‘I’m scared’】
【This is beyond absurd. Am I blind or does Mu Yanxi have multiple personalities?】
【Am I the only one whose focus is off? Little Flower Vase pretending to be weak and pitiful looks so delicate and pitiful. I beg her to keep up the act for the whole season.】
【Hey you in front, your thoughts are very dangerous.】
…
After this live broadcast ended, this scene even became a famous introductory moment for many of Mu Yanxi’s fans.
In the subsequent recordings, various fearless moments of Mu Yanxi were made into reaction images, all stamped with the three words ‘I’m scared.’
Paired with Mu Yanxi’s fearless face, it gave off a sense of casual contempt, forming a sharp contrast with the word ‘scared.’
Opening a coffin with bare hands to find something: I’m scared.jpg
Chasing a zombie in reverse: I’m scared.jpg
Mu Yanxi: I’m really so scared.jpg
Of course, this was all for later.
Usually, after finishing a job, Mu Yanxi would call her own driver to pick her up.
Her manager, banking on Mu Yanxi’s obscurity, didn’t manage it much. After all, if an 18th-tier minor celebrity walked on the street with a mask on, even if someone saw her, they would just think she was some internet celebrity.
Of course, for the past two years, Mu Yanxi’s status was indeed similar to an internet celebrity, perhaps not even as famous as many well-known ones.
But ever since she went viral on Weibo those two times, her manager no longer let her roam free. This time, she insisted on taking Mu Yanxi home.
After Mu Yanxi got out of the car, her manager glanced at the intersection, which was in a completely different direction than before, but didn’t plan to ask for her specific address.
Although Mu Yanxi had been obscure for the past two years, she had earned a little money. With some help from her family, it shouldn’t be too difficult to make a down payment in this area.
Tonight, the shoes the variety show gave Mu Yanxi were extremely uncomfortable, and her heel was bleeding when she changed out of them.
When she got out of the car, the newly hired assistant couldn’t bear to watch and volunteered to help Mu Yanxi home.
Mu Yanxi refused twice but then didn’t decline the assistant’s kind offer again.
It wasn’t until the assistant brought Mu Yanxi to the front of the villa and saw the magnificent front gate and the garden that stretched out of sight inside that she finally snapped back from her dreamlike shock after a full ten seconds.
She looked at Mu Yanxi, trembling, “Teacher Mu…”
Mu Yanxi had never intentionally hidden her identity from her management team. The fact that her manager, Ling Yi, didn’t know for two years was purely because she had never asked.
Mu Yanxi leaned on the gate for support and smiled, “I’m here. You should call a cab. I’ll go in after your car arrives. Thanks for tonight.”
The assistant said, “…Is this a place you specially rented to show off and take pictures?”
Mu Yanxi was speechless. …Ah, this assistant’s intelligence might not be very high.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered to explain to the assistant. “There are so many studios to go to. Do I look like I need to rent a house for a photoshoot?”
“But this house…”
At this point, Mu Yanxi suddenly became a little interested. She rolled her tongue in her mouth and said slowly, “Oh, this house? Actually, I’m being kept.”
The assistant was shocked!!!
Mu Yanxi got more and more into her act. “Didn’t Sister Ling tell you? I’m already married, to a very old woman.”
The assistant was aghast and took several seconds to find her voice. “So… so this house is…”
Mu Yanxi nodded. “That’s right.”
The assistant jolted and immediately raised her right hand to swear to the heavens, “Teacher Mu, don’t worry, I will definitely keep your secret!”
After the assistant left, Mu Yanxi finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the house.
With every step, Mu Yanxi could faintly feel the pain of her shoe rubbing against the raw skin on her heel. She kept sucking in cold breaths, walking forward with her head down.
But she hadn’t walked far before she heard a few footsteps ahead.
Mu Yanxi’s steps paused. Seeing Yi Wulan, she felt a bit dazed. “What are you doing here?”
Yi Wulan’s expression was faint, showing no emotion. “Practicing walking.”
Mu Yanxi looked at the pitch-black surroundings, where not even a garden light was on, and her expression was rather strange. “It’s almost eleven, and you’re practicing walking here?”
“Mm… I just felt like walking.” Yi Wulan averted her gaze.
Mu Yanxi nodded. “Then I’ll head back first.”
Who knew that just as she took a few steps, Yi Wulan’s voice turned cold. “What’s wrong with your foot?”
“During the variety show recording, the shoes the production team gave me didn’t fit. They rubbed my skin raw.”
Yi Wulan frowned and slowly took two steps in Mu Yanxi’s direction. “There’s still such a long way to go. Are you planning to walk on those two legs?”
“Yeah.” Mu Yanxi nodded. “Can’t I?”
Yi Wulan looked at Mu Yanxi’s trembling calves as she stubbornly tried to walk. “I’ll have the auntie come carry you.”
…It was the auntie again.
Seeing the doubt in Yi Wulan’s eyes, Mu Yanxi’s competitive spirit immediately flared up.
If even Yi Wulan, who was deemed unable to recover by the original author, could walk, there was no reason she couldn’t.
So, Mu Yanxi stubbornly walked forward, vowing to walk home on her own two feet.
But after only three or four steps, Mu Yanxi stopped, panting slightly, and let out a difficult grunt. Without the assistant’s support, her heel felt like it was being constantly tortured. Her forehead was covered in sweat, which trickled down her cheeks and smudged her makeup.
She couldn’t hold on any longer. She stumbled and sat down directly on a raised patch of lawn, not wanting to get up for a long time.
Yi Wulan slowly walked up. “The ground is dirty, don’t sit there. I’ll find someone to come carry you.”
Mu Yanxi ground her back teeth and glared fiercely at Yi Wulan. “I’m just tired and taking a break. Who said I can’t walk?”
She carefully used her hand to touch her heel. The blood had completely glued her sock to the wound.
She was silent for several seconds before finally admitting defeat. She suddenly asked, “Yi Wulan, where’s your wheelchair?”
It was still some distance from the villa. Even if Yi Wulan had come for rehabilitation walking, she must have come in her wheelchair to be considerate for after she finished practicing.
“It’s over there.” Yi Wulan pointed to the wheelchair hidden by the darkness.
Mu Yanxi had wanted to say, ‘Bring the wheelchair over for me,’ but fortunately, her conscience kicked in before she said it, and she didn’t do that.
Instead, she slowly said, “You sit in it.”
Yi Wulan nodded and slid over in the wheelchair a few seconds later.
Seeing this, Mu Yanxi reached out her hand towards her and said matter-of-factly, “Take me with you.”
Yi Wulan was speechless.
Yi Wulan said with difficulty, “Didn’t you say you wanted to rely on yourself?”
Mu Yanxi didn’t give Yi Wulan a chance to refuse. She forcefully pulled the wheelchair over, wrapped her arms around Yi Wulan’s waist, and climbed up, settling onto Yi Wulan’s lap. Her hands clung tightly to Yi Wulan’s neck before she let out a sigh of relief.
She said very contentedly, “I’m also moving while the wheelchair is moving. How does that not count as relying on myself?”
After thinking for a moment, she added forcefully, “It’s very tiring to keep myself from falling off.”
Feeling Mu Yanxi’s hands clinging tightly to her neck, Yi Wulan felt the force and found herself unable to refute this twisted logic.
She could only silently wheel Mu Yanxi towards the villa.
The surroundings were dark and quiet, with only the sound of the wheels rolling over the stone path. The moonlight enveloped the two of them. The security guard on duty at the main gate watched them leave, standing there for a long time as if admiring a painting.
Mu Yanxi’s foot had been in too much pain earlier. Now, sitting on Yi Wulan’s lap and feeling a bit better, she belatedly began to feel embarrassed as the lights of the villa drew closer.
She let out a grunt and said in a small voice, “Yi Wulan, you can put me down now.”
Yi Wulan didn’t say anything, instead increasing the wheelchair’s speed by one gear.
Mu Yanxi thought Yi Wulan hadn’t heard her, so she leaned forward, hugging Yi Wulan’s neck, and moved closer to Yi Wulan’s ear. “Yi Wulan, let me down.”
Yi Wulan only stopped the wheelchair after reaching the villa entrance and going up a long ramp. She turned her head slightly to look at Mu Yanxi and asked strangely, “It’s not the first time we’ve been this close. What are you shy about?”
Mu Yanxi was speechless.
Mu Yanxi’s eyes widened, and she retorted loudly, “I-I’m not!”
Yi Wulan said with certainty, “Yes, you are.”
After saying that, she reached out and gently rubbed Mu Yanxi’s already red earlobe.
This time, it was so red it looked like it could bleed.
Mu Yanxi was speechless.
Mu Yanxi suddenly felt that this scene was very familiar.
—Wasn’t this exactly what it was like when she used to tease and flirt with Yi Wulan?
Except their positions seemed to be reversed?
Mu Yanxi felt like she had lost another round. She became angry out of embarrassment and decided to throw caution to the wind. “Yes, yes, I’m shy, so what? I’m a normal person, not a block of wood. Is it a problem to be shy when I’m not used to being this close?”
Her mind raced, and as soon as she finished speaking, she started accusing Yi Wulan, “I haven’t even settled the score with you for biting me after you woke up from surgery, and now you’re picking on my faults?”
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