The plane landed rather early, and on the way from the airport, they even ran into the morning rush hour. The original plan was to drop Mu Yanxi home first, but when she saw that Yi Wulan had to rush to Rongjia for an early meeting, she decided to go along with her.
The recording for Secret Room Rush Rush Rush had ended after midnight last night. It wasn’t until Mu Yanxi was lying down in the break room of Rongjia’s president’s office and turned on her phone that she discovered the people on Weibo seemed to function without sleep, already in a complete uproar over last night’s livestream.
The topic #JiangTongGenius# was hanging high on the hot search list. When she clicked on it, the top marketing accounts were all posting photos of Jiang Tong and recommending him to passersby, having almost nothing to do with the content of the tag itself.
It was a clear attempt to muddy the waters.
Only after Mu Yanxi scrolled down did she see the dissenting comments that hadn’t yet been suppressed by the paid commenters, and she finally understood what had happened with this tag.
It started when Jiang Tong’s team bought him this hot search topic last night. To build hype, they had major marketing accounts start a coordinated spam campaign the moment Jiang Tong answered the first question about classic literature.
With so many marketing accounts working together, the topic naturally gained a lot of traction. But then, Jiang Tong crashed and burned on the advanced math problem, not even understanding the factorial symbol. The topic’s popularity couldn’t be withdrawn in time, and he was immediately mocked by the entire internet.
All sorts of GIFs and images of Jiang Tong struggling with the problem, yet not understanding factorials, were being spread everywhere.
The marketing accounts that had been hyping up Jiang Tong’s genius persona received the news and quickly deleted their original Weibo posts, but the internet has a memory.
Netizens had already taken screenshots of all those posts and compiled them with the images of Jiang Tong’s failure, posting the collection right below the Weibo posts where fans were recommending his photos.
There was even a trend of it surpassing the original posts in popularity.
Mu Yanxi scrolled through the collection and was surprised to find that Jiang Tong’s previous marketing materials were truly comprehensive.
Some praised his memory because he had played the escape room for over half a year and still remembered the answers. Others praised his profound knowledge and well-rounded development, claiming he had studied abroad just like the escape room’s owner.
Some even went as far as to combine his knowledge with his “rich second-generation” title, promoting him as the ideal boyfriend…
In short, if Jiang Tong hadn’t failed on that factorial symbol, he might have successfully generated a huge wave of popularity last night.
But unfortunately, he failed.
The comment section under this Weibo post was also remarkably consistent. Netizens expressed their confusion over the content of the tag. They found it particularly unbearable that Jiang Tong had written down the answer but omitted the factorial symbol, even smugly removing it. They began to boycott him in droves.
Jiang Tong’s management team tried every possible way to get the topic taken down from the hot search, but they never expected it to attract so much attention. Every time they managed to lower its popularity, passersby would push it back up.
Some of Jiang Tong’s fans tried to defend him, saying that the recording went on too late last night and Jiang Tong was tired, which was why he made such a low-level mistake.
The low academic qualifications of celebrities in the entertainment industry had always been a subject of criticism, and those with poor education often became targets of ridicule. The fans frantically tried to clear his name by brandishing his master’s degree from abroad.
When netizens saw that Jiang Tong’s fans still had the audacity to defend him, they got angry and started arguing with them:
【I used to have a pretty good impression of Jiang Tong, but now it’s a major turn-off.】
【Jiang Tong only mentioned once that he was studying for a master’s abroad. Who knows if it’s a degree from some diploma mill? There are plenty of shady schools overseas.】
【Jiang Tong looks like he’s not very bright. He doesn’t even know what a factorial is. He’s worse than a brainless little vase.】
【Yeah, even Mu Yanxi, an arts-track student, knows what a factorial is. Did Jiang Tong even go to middle school?】
【How dare you! How dare you say Jiang Tong didn’t even go to middle school? Don’t you know the young master can go home and inherit the family business to become your boss at any time?】
Seeing the line ‘worse than a brainless little vase,’ Mu Yanxi knew it was one of her anti-fans. She wanted to reply but decided against it since it was someone else’s comment section.
Just then, her manager, who was never late when there was a hot search, made a video call.
The manager’s face was full of schadenfreude, but she still went through the motions, asking, “Are you back in Yuncheng?”
“Yeah,” Mu Yanxi leaned against the headboard and sat up straight. “Just arrived. I was planning to catch up on some sleep.”
The manager finally got to the point: “You probably haven’t had time to check the hot search yet. Jiang Tong finally crashed and burned! Aiya, you should have told me earlier about what happened during the livestream yesterday. I can’t believe I had to find out from someone else. You are truly, unprecedentedly…”
The manager suddenly faltered, unable to find the right words for a moment, but the excitement on her face was still evident. She had clearly gained a lot of face when someone informed her of the matter.
Mu Yanxi picked up a glass of water from the side, drank a sip, and licked the water from the corner of her lips. Her fox-like eyes curved slightly, and her smile turned mischievous.
“Did I make you look good in front of your colleagues? If you like this kind of persona, you should have said so earlier. I could have cooperated. Why did you always tell me not to stand out? Hey, what were you saying just now? Unprecedentedly… what?”
Manager: …
The manager was silent for two seconds, probably lamenting once again how shallow her understanding of her own artist was.
She said faintly, “…Unprecedentedly thick-skinned.”
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered with her. She turned her head, grabbed the remote, and drew the curtains tightly, instantly plunging the room into dimness with only the bedside lamp providing a faint glow.
Meeting her manager’s scrutinizing gaze, she suddenly let out a “pfft” and sighed.
The manager felt that Mu Yanxi’s smile was ill-intentioned. She frowned and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Mu Yanxi lazily leaned back again, her tone light and soft, “Isn’t it tiring to hold it in? Just ask what you want to ask.”
The manager was taken aback, then quickly reacted, “So the director of your show yesterday gave you the questions in advance too?”
Mu Yanxi: …Are you really my manager?
“In college, my GPA was always number one in my major,” Mu Yanxi said faintly. “Before I graduated, some professors at my school even wanted to offer me a recommendation for postgraduate studies. Do you think I relied on this face and my glib tongue that spouts nonsense?”
Manager: …
So you know you spout nonsense?
Then can’t you say a few less words to your anti-fans?
Seeing her manager’s stunned expression, Mu Yanxi said flatly, “Last night’s advanced math problem was just a basic higher-order derivative where you plug it into a formula and break down the terms. Only an idiot like Jiang Tong wouldn’t even include the factorial symbol.”
Mu Yanxi’s face was filled with an expression that said, ‘Isn’t this the simplest, most basic thing that everyone knows?’ She made the advanced math problem sound as easy as 1+1=2, which horrified her manager, who hadn’t studied advanced math and had gone to look at the problem.
But she still defended her dignity, “Many majors don’t require advanced math.”
“Ah, of course, it’s an exception if you haven’t studied it,” Mu Yanxi shrugged. “But aren’t Jiang Tong’s fans all bragging about him being some kind of finance master? How could someone studying finance not learn this?”
The manager fell silent.
She felt as if she was getting to know Mu Yanxi for the first time. When she had first met Mu Yanxi while strolling through Yuncheng’s university town, she had been right next to Yuncheng Arts University.
Coupled with Mu Yanxi’s face, which didn’t look like that of a scholar, and her usual indifferent attitude, she had always subconsciously assumed Mu Yanxi was just a slacker from a well-off family who was just getting by.
But now…
Adding what Mu Yanxi had just said about her GPA, the manager felt a flicker of doubt for the first time. She swallowed and asked tentatively, “So… where did you go to university?”
Mu Yanxi let out a soft “ah” and smiled, “I dare to say it, but would you dare to believe it?”
Manager: …
Looking at Mu Yanxi’s mouth, which was accustomed to spouting nonsense, the manager couldn’t be bothered to get to the bottom of it. “Alright, alright. You just got off the plane, so get some sleep. We can watch Jiang Tong’s drama together when you wake up.”
Mu Yanxi tilted her head slightly, letting her long hair fall to cover half her face, and let out a slow yawn. “See you later.”
Seeing that the situation in the comment sections was getting more and more out of control, Jiang Tong’s team finally made a ruthless decision and nuked the hot search topics they had originally bought.
But they had barely breathed a sigh of relief when those netizens, as if by prior agreement, decided to fight back. A new hot search, #JiangTongIlliterate#, climbed higher and higher on the list.
“Illiterate, illiterate! You were so quick to take down the hot searches just now, why can’t you take this one down? Is the money I gave you meant to be used to slander me?” Jiang Tong raged in his studio.
“There are too many people paying attention to this online right now. We just nuked a few hot searches, and they’re using this ‘illiterate’ tag to protest. If we nuke this one too, it will provoke them even more,” his manager advised from the side.
“So we just let this tag climb to the top of the hot search?”
“Don’t be anxious yet. I’ve already contacted Weibo to suppress your popularity for now. We need to think of a way to shift the attention to someone else.”
At that moment, someone nearby gossiped, “Hey, did the director’s team really not give Mu Yanxi the questions yesterday? How could someone like her possibly know such a difficult problem? Even I, who took the postgraduate entrance exam last year, was stumped when I saw it.”
The manager seized on the key point and pointed at the assistant. “What did you say?”
The assistant was just idly chatting with someone next to him and quickly denied it, “I, I didn’t say anything.”
The manager scolded, “Nothing? Didn’t you say the director gave Mu Yanxi the questions?”
“Y-yes,” the assistant looked at the manager blankly. “Otherwise, how would an arts-track student like Mu Yanxi know the answer included a factorial?”
Jiang Tong was instantly inspired. “Then hurry! Go expose that Mu Yanxi was given the questions. Let’s see if she can get out of this unscathed.”
“Exposing that is useless,” the manager was clearly more rational. “No matter who gave Mu Yanxi the answer, you’re the one who actually took the questions. If it gets traced back to you, it will be very troublesome. So we can’t use this.”
Just as Jiang Tong was about to lose his temper again, the manager’s tone shifted, and she said meaningfully, “Using that is no fun. If we’re going to take her down, we have to dig up her background. Mu Yanxi’s profile says she’s from Yuncheng Arts University.”
Artists don’t rely on their academic qualifications for resources, but some basic information still needs to be filled out on their profiles. Yuncheng Arts University wasn’t the top arts school in the country, but it had produced many famous artists, making it perfect for faking a degree.
“Isn’t that the degree you wanted to fabricate for me back then?” Jiang Tong was stunned. “Mu Yanxi actually graduated from Yuncheng Arts University?”
The manager had some connections in the industry and happened to know a teacher in the admissions office of Yuncheng Arts University. She smiled slightly. “Of course not. Later, I’ll have someone from Yuncheng Arts University deny it, and that will be enough to humiliate her.
Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with your degree. As long as we insist on your master’s degree, unless they have a professional investigate it, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
A smile finally appeared on Jiang Tong’s face. “Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and buy a hot search for Mu Yanxi’s academic fraud.”
The manager smiled. “No rush. Doesn’t Mu Yanxi want to steal your spotlight and show off how smart she is? Then we’ll build up momentum for her and let the netizens dig up her academic background themselves. That’s when the real show will begin.”
This heaven-sent good news instantly dispelled the gloom in the studio. Jiang Tong’s studio began its public relations campaign, first suppressing the fermentation of public opinion, then hiring a large number of paid commenters to clean up the comment sections of all topics related to Jiang Tong, focusing on marketing his former rich second-generation persona.
Then they had the paid commenters muddy the waters, emphasizing that playing an escape room required high intelligence and that ordinary people couldn’t handle it, trying every way to praise the difficulty of the escape room’s questions. When someone praised Mu Yanxi, they would enthusiastically agree.
Seeing that Jiang Tong’s comment sections had been more or less cleansed by the power of money, they had several marketing accounts with millions of followers join in, directly building momentum for Mu Yanxi.
Perhaps to increase their persuasiveness, Jiang Tong’s management team was ruthless. They followed the netizens’ logic and had Mu Yanxi build her momentum by stepping on Jiang Tong.
Those netizens, who had their hot searches repeatedly taken down and their popularity suppressed, had no goodwill towards Jiang Tong. Seeing that these marketing accounts were also criticizing Jiang Tong, they were led by the nose.
Even netizens who didn’t know Mu Yanxi would praise her.
Because praising Mu Yanxi was equivalent to slandering Jiang Tong, it almost became a form of political correctness.
Suppressing popularity, muddying the waters, stepping on themselves, and diverting attention—after this whole process, public opinion had basically stabilized, and the attention was successfully shifted to Mu Yanxi. And because she had risen by stepping on Jiang Tong, for a time, no one suspected that someone was manipulating things from behind the scenes.
Half an hour later, when the popularity was about right, Jiang Tong’s team revealed their true purpose, parachuting the topic #MuYanxiGenius# to the twelfth spot on the hot search list.
Although it was just a name change from Jiang Tong’s previous topic, the netizens were very satisfied, wishing they could snatch away all the positive topics Jiang Tong had ever had.
In the studio, Jiang Tong watched the orderly development on Weibo and couldn’t help but ask, “So when will Mu Yanxi’s academic background be exposed?”
The manager typed a few words on her phone, then looked up and replied, “It’s already been arranged. It’ll be exposed soon.”
Just as netizens thought the matter was settled and were about to go eat after watching the drama of Secret Room Rush Rush Rush unfold, an anonymous forum on Lujiang suddenly coordinated with a Douban group to tease a new exposé:
【A certain three-character female variety show star faked her academic qualifications. Guaranteed to be true (If you can’t guess, we’ll drop the hammer in half an hour).】
Exposing academic qualifications at this particular time made it hard for people not to connect it with the “genius” topic currently on the hot search. The comment sections of both groups exploded:
【??? WTF WTF, is the female variety show star Mu Yanxi? She faked her degree?】
【Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is. I just finished cursing out Jiang Tong this morning, and now you won’t even let me eat my lunch in peace by telling me that Mu Yanxi, whom I just praised, faked her degree?】
【Amazing. The entertainment industry has all sorts of demons and monsters. Now they’re even faking degrees.】
【I thought from the beginning that Jiang Tong was just a stepping stone. In the first half of the livestream, Mu Yanxi got on the hot search for the civil code, and in the second half, she got on for the advanced math problem. But at the beginning, they were all hyping Jiang Tong. It’s hard not to think deeper.】
【She just bought herself so much marketing for being smart and a genius to build her persona this morning. I wonder if Mu Yanxi’s face hurts now?】
【I’ve been wanting to say this for a while. Although Yuncheng Arts University can’t compare to Yan Film Academy, it has produced so many best actresses. How dare Mu Yanxi, with her terrible acting, write that she graduated from Yuncheng Arts University?】
Netizens guessed for half an hour. Seeing that the popularity was about right, several marketing accounts on Weibo suddenly appeared and exposed it together. This time, they didn’t bother with censoring, clearly naming names and starting the mockery:
【I really can’t stand it anymore. A person who gets ahead by being fed answers is worthy of your defense? @MuYanxi, how come I’ve never seen you at Yuncheng Arts University?】
Another marketing account directly proclaimed: 【I’ve already asked a teacher at the Yuncheng Arts University admissions office. Yuncheng Arts University has never admitted a person named Mu Yanxi.】
And so, the fire finally spread from the anonymous forums to the real-name section of Weibo.
As public figures, celebrities are expected to serve as positive role models. However, due to the low barrier to entry in the entertainment industry, netizens have become increasingly strict with new artists in recent years.
Most people spend more than a decade studying hard for their diplomas, and the importance of a diploma when job hunting is self-evident. Although job applications now repeatedly verify the authenticity of academic qualifications, many people suffered in the early years due to frequent incidents of academic fraud. To this day, people still deeply detest those who fake their degrees.
The entertainment industry is a circle that doesn’t particularly value academic qualifications. Many best actors and actresses even only graduated from high school. Therefore, netizens never thought someone would specifically fabricate their academic background.
But they didn’t expect this incident to blow up so much. The number of comments from netizens skyrocketed:
【How many people in the domestic entertainment industry have a presentable degree? Wasn’t someone just exposed for not having a graduation certificate a few days ago? She’s still walking the red carpet. Everyone, don’t take it too seriously.】
【LOL, is this the confidence of an unknown celebrity? Faking a degree just because you’re obscure?】
【What did Yuncheng Arts University do to deserve this? One after another, they all come to spread rumors.】
【I’m telling you, Mu Yanxi is really bold. To market her genius persona, she even dared to step on Jiang Tong, who has a master’s degree.】
【You guys are really giving this obscure person too much credit. Everyone knows the little vase is an 18th-tier internet celebrity. The title ‘female variety show star’ is looking down on her too much.】
【With the little vase’s show-off personality, if she really graduated from Yuncheng Arts University, wouldn’t she have posted a picture long ago? Don’t forget she has a dark history of wearing counterfeit clothes. What is she not capable of doing?】
【Let’s be cautious with this gossip. Haven’t recent scandals all had reversals?】
【Although I don’t like her, spreading rumors and slandering her is pointless. I’ll wait for an official explanation.】
【The internet has a memory. Don’t think that just because she’s had a couple of breakout moments, no one remembers her dark history. I’m siding with the marketing accounts on this one.】
【To the neutral person upstairs, stop trying to clear her name. How much did Mu Yanxi pay you? Why not share the wealth?】
At the same time, Mu Yanxi’s group of anti-fans with ambiguous attitudes also mixed in:
【LOL, faking a degree? Do you think the little vase has the brains to come up with something like that?】
【@MuYanxi, one hundred yuan per post, and I’ll immediately help you counter the slander.】
【It’s one thing to be dumb, but can’t you be more careful? You don’t rely on this stupid diploma for resources, so what’s the point of faking it?】
【They said they can’t find you in the graduation photos. Why don’t you hurry up and post a picture of yourself before plastic surgery?】
【Speaking of which, I remember in an interview a year ago, the little vase denied this degree. We even laughed at her for a long time back then. Why hasn’t it been changed yet?】
【Hahaha, I remember that interview too. The little vase was completely stunned when she heard she was from the arts university. Her real academic background must be too embarrassing to show, so her manager probably arranged it.】
【WTF… then there’s no need to counter the slander. The academic fraud is confirmed. Let’s congratulate the little vase on retiring from the entertainment industry starting today and going back to being an 18th-tier internet celebrity (clapping).】
In just ten minutes, the topic #MuYanxiAcademicFraud# shot into the top five of the hot search list, placed right above the previous #MuYanxiGenius# topic. The two sitting side-by-side were incredibly ironic.
Suddenly, more and more ‘insiders’ came to add fuel to the fire:
A staff member from a certain escape room variety show: 【Before the recording of the second half of the livestream yesterday, Mu Yanxi went to see the director. I didn’t know what she was doing then, but now…】
It was all but explicitly stated that Mu Yanxi went to the director to get the answers to build her persona.
A graduate of Yuncheng Arts University: 【Dude, I don’t have many hobbies at the arts university, but I love looking at beautiful women. I would never forget a face like Mu Yanxi’s. Anyway, I never saw her in my four years there. You guys can guess the rest.】
A counselor from Yuncheng Arts University: 【I stayed at the university after graduating. Every time I see news about the arts university, it’s about an alumnus winning some award. I didn’t expect it to be used for clout-chasing this time. If you really like it, please get in through your own abilities. The arts university also has non-full-time postgraduate programs.】
When her manager, Ling Yi, saw the hot search, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.
After her video call with Mu Yanxi in the morning, she had accompanied a new artist she had just signed to an audition. The signal at the audition venue was poor, and thinking nothing major would happen, she didn’t check her phone.
Who knew that the academic qualification she had carelessly filled in for Mu Yanxi would be exposed?
This whole thing was an accident. Two years ago, she had been captivated by Mu Yanxi’s face at first sight. After much pestering and pleading, she hadn’t asked too many private questions.
Moreover, Mu Yanxi was born with a face that didn’t look like it belonged to a good student. The manager didn’t want to discourage her own artist, so when filling out the profile card, she casually wrote down Yuncheng Arts University, a school that eight out of ten people in the industry would use to fake a degree.
Two years had passed, and the manager had never used this to market her or exchange for resources. Over time, even the manager herself had forgotten about it.
Who knew it would be specifically brought up today?
She was caught completely off guard.
But now, regardless of whether Mu Yanxi had denied the arts university diploma, the negative impact had already been made.
In the eyes of the netizens, Mu Yanxi had become a hypocritical empty shell who flaunted a persona, just like Jiang Tong. And because it was a second deception, her actions were far more malicious than Jiang Tong’s.
The manager quickly called Mu Yanxi. Forgetting any comforting words, she immediately said in a rush, “Leave everything on Weibo to me. It’s all my fault for filling in a fake degree on your profile card, thinking I could get away with it. This was my oversight. It must be Jiang Tong’s doing. Just like you said, Jiang Tong, a finance master, doesn’t even know that exclamation point thing. His degree is probably fake too. He can buy a hot search for us, and we can buy one for him. He faked a master’s degree, which is even more ridiculous than yours!”
Mu Yanxi had just woken up and was still a bit groggy. After listening to her manager’s words intermittently, she gave a casual response and picked up the tablet next to her to log into Weibo and see for herself.
The manager was still on the phone comforting Mu Yanxi, acting like an old mother worried about her child being traumatized, using all her skills to coax her.
But the more she comforted, the quieter it became on Mu Yanxi’s end.
A bad premonition suddenly washed over the manager.
She asked in a low voice, “Teacher Mu, don’t tell me you’ve personally waded into the fight again?”
Mu Yanxi’s typing hands paused. Perhaps having been caught too many times, she didn’t hide it this time and replied slowly, “I have.”
Manager: …
The manager didn’t need to look to know what kind of bloody storm Mu Yanxi had stirred up on Weibo.
Arguing with those netizens at a time like this was just asking for trouble, wasn’t it?
Sure enough, post after post was in her familiar tone, enraging those netizens, who then worked even harder to spam the topic of Mu Yanxi’s academic fraud.
And as if things weren’t chaotic enough, this little ancestor of hers included the tag #MuYanxiAcademicFraud# and posted a very frank Weibo: 【What’s there to explain? The degree was fake to begin with.】
As soon as this Weibo post was out, the netizens on Weibo became even more agitated. Like little guardians of justice who had found their evidence, they all clamored for the broadcasting authorities to ban such a subpar celebrity.
This time, the manager was speechless. By the time she recovered slightly, she found that Mu Yanxi had already hung up the phone on the other end.
Manager: …
The manager couldn’t help but think mournfully: Forget it. She’s going to quit the industry anyway.
Let her do whatever she wants.
However, Mu Yanxi didn’t hang up because of Weibo.
It was because she was so focused on arguing with people that she didn’t even hear the door to the break room open.
It wasn’t until she typed out the words ‘The degree was fake to begin with’ that a voice came from behind her, “Your degree is fake?”
Mu Yanxi was so startled she almost dropped her phone. When she came to her senses, she immediately hung up before daring to turn and look at Yi Wulan. “Wh-when did you come in?”
“Just now. I was going to ask you to lunch,” Yi Wulan’s expression was faint. “What was that about just now?”
“Ah, just some stupid stuff in the entertainment industry,” Mu Yanxi said nonchalantly, not forgetting to post the Weibo she had just written. “I might have to go back home to get something. The Mu family house, my parents’ house. Can you come with me?”
Since it involved academic fraud, the matter was definitely not as simple and easy as Mu Yanxi made it sound.
Of course, Yi Wulan didn’t suspect that Mu Yanxi had actually faked her degree; she simply thought she was being targeted again because of her identity as an artist.
But Mu Yanxi’s attitude was too casual.
It wasn’t like someone who had been accused of academic fraud, but more like someone who had been praised for her beauty on Weibo again—completely at ease.
So natural that it made Yi Wulan’s mind wander for a moment.
The curtains on the side had been opened at some point, and the sunlight just happened to spill onto half the bed.
Mu Yanxi lay in the dimness, her eyes lowered as she typed something on her phone. Her fair fingertips were exposed to the sunlight, seeming to glow faintly.
Yi Wulan took half a step forward and sat directly on the side of Mu Yanxi’s bed.
Mu Yanxi’s fingers, which had been arguing with netizens, paused. As if afraid Yi Wulan would see something she shouldn’t, she quickly hid her phone.
Her pair of fox-like eyes were now wide and round, blinking at Yi Wulan, which was practically against the rules.
When Yi Wulan approached, she brought a chill with her from outside. Her towering posture carried a certain possessive dominance.
She looked at Mu Yanxi and said in a low voice, “Do you really not need my help?”
Every time Yi Wulan took the initiative to get close, Mu Yanxi would feel a little unaccustomed. For example, right now, her hands were so stiff she didn’t know where to put them, and her eyes darted around. “No need.”
Yi Wulan studied her for a moment and said nothing more.
But the pressure around her seemed to drop by several degrees.
Sensing the change in Yi Wulan’s mood, Mu Yanxi’s eyes shifted, and she slowly reached out to hook Yi Wulan’s finger.
Yi Wulan looked up at her.
Mu Yanxi gave her a brilliant smile. “Actually, there is something you can help me with. Can you come with me to my house to get something? Are you free for lunch?”
Yi Wulan frowned at her, squeezing the hand that had hooked hers. “Are people on Weibo cursing you out again?”
The smile on Mu Yanxi’s face vanished. She used all her strength to pull her hand away, suddenly getting angry for some reason. “Yeah. So is your next sentence going to be telling me to quit the industry and go home, just like my sister?”
Yi Wulan’s hand was suddenly empty, brushed aside.
“President Yi is so smart, can’t you tell I don’t want to talk to you about this?” Mu Yanxi’s temper flared, and her tone became a bit sarcastic. “Right, you presidents don’t like people from the entertainment industry anyway. Then why did you marry me?”
Yi Wulan was taken aback. “I didn’t.”
But Mu Yanxi didn’t care whether Yi Wulan did or not. She continued to put on her clothes with a cold face. “Anyway, an obscure celebrity like me can’t earn much money. I’m afraid I can’t afford to waste President Yi’s precious money-making time. You should just leave me alone.”
As Mu Yanxi got dressed, she shifted to the side, half of her body bathed in sunlight. The light fell on her gentle jawline, but her thin lips were pressed tightly together.
Suddenly, Yi Wulan stood up.
Hearing the movement, Mu Yanxi put even more force into getting dressed, as if venting her frustration, the fabric making a ‘whooshing’ sound in the air.
It wasn’t until she had finished dressing and turned around that she found Yi Wulan still standing there. Mu Yanxi said irritably, “Why haven’t you left yet, President Yi?”
Yi Wulan was getting annoyed by Mu Yanxi’s constant “President Yi.” She gave her a cold look and didn’t move an inch.
Mu Yanxi: …
It took Mu Yanxi a few seconds to react. She asked with the most unlikely guess, “Don’t tell me you’re going to accompany me home?”
Yi Wulan still had that same unruffled expression, only asking coolly, “Leaving now?”
“If Rongjia’s business gets delayed, it’s not my fault. You’re the one who wanted to accompany me, I didn’t force you,” Mu Yanxi skillfully shifted the blame. She jumped off the bed, quickly put on her shoes, and as she passed by, the corner of her lips curled up. “…Let’s go.”
With that, Mu Yanxi started to walk out.
“Wait.” Yi Wulan caught up to her, took a disposable mask she always carried from her pocket, tore open the package, and put it on for Mu Yanxi. “Be careful yourself.”
Mu Yanxi didn’t forget to tidy her beautiful hair, deliberately muttering, “My fans will recognize me even with this on.”
Yi Wulan glanced at her. “Wear it anyway.”
When they got in the car, Mu Yanxi rarely saw Yi Wulan walk around to the driver’s seat. She followed her to the passenger seat and, as soon as she got in, stared at Yi Wulan’s leg and asked, “You can drive now?”
Yi Wulan grunted in acknowledgment and started the car. Seemingly sensing Mu Yanxi’s concern, she added, “I won’t let you get into a crash.”
Mu Yanxi hummed lightly, which was a tacit agreement.
Just as she said, Yi Wulan drove the car very steadily.
Mu Yanxi sat quietly for a rare moment, studying Yi Wulan’s side profile, slightly lost in thought.
Since her rebirth, this was the first time she had seen Yi Wulan drive, but she felt as if she had experienced it before. When she tried to recall it carefully, she couldn’t remember anything.
It was as if she had discovered a new continent. She found every one of Yi Wulan’s movements novel, looking left and right, as if trying to make up for all her lost memories.
She watched for a while and couldn’t help but call out, “Yi Wulan?”
Yi Wulan ignored her.
Mu Yanxi called out again, “President Yi?”
Still no response.
Mu Yanxi thought for a long time and used her trump card, “Elder Sister Yi?”
She didn’t know what special magic those three words held, but Yi Wulan, who had been treating her like air, finally relaxed her tightly pressed lips. “…What is it?”
Mu Yanxi shook her head. She didn’t know what to say either.
She closed her mouth again.
But she couldn’t help but sneak glances at Yi Wulan.
Perhaps her repeated stolen glances were too obvious, as Yi Wulan finally noticed her gaze and glanced over.
Mu Yanxi froze and quickly looked away.
The space in the car was small. When she met Yi Wulan’s glance, for some reason, her whole body gradually tensed up, and she leaned back unnaturally.
Only after retreating did Mu Yanxi belatedly realize her own guilt.
Just then, Yi Wulan said, “Open the door.”
“Huh?”
“The garage.”
Only then did Mu Yanxi realize they had arrived at their destination. “Ah, okay.”
She fumbled in her bag for the electronic key and opened the garage with practiced ease.
When the car was parked, Mu Yanxi coughed lightly to dispel her earlier embarrassment.
Perhaps being back in the home where she grew up gave her confidence. Mu Yanxi looked at the enclosed parking garage around them, a familiar smile on her face as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
Then she slowly leaned towards Yi Wulan.
Her entire face seemed about to press against the tip of Yi Wulan’s nose as she asked with a grin, “Yi Wulan, there are so many parking spots in front of my house, yet you specifically had me open the indoor garage. You…”
Yi Wulan’s brow twitched slightly. Before she could get out of the car, she subconsciously closed her eyes.
It was as if by closing her eyes, she wouldn’t have to listen to Mu Yanxi’s upcoming provocative words.
Sure enough, Mu Yanxi let out a low laugh and practically draped her entire upper body over. If it weren’t for the difficulty of moving in the car, she probably would have wanted to sit on Yi Wulan’s lap.
Mu Yanxi’s lips moved close to Yi Wulan’s ear, her voice soft and carrying a seductive, ambiguous smile, “…Elder Sister Yi, don’t tell me you drove into this enclosed garage just to have some intimate time with me?”
As her voice fell, the garage door finally lowered slowly.
The sound of a remote control falling to the ground was heard.
Only a few safety indicator lights were left in the garage, glowing faintly.
After speaking, Mu Yanxi stared straight into Yi Wulan’s peach blossom eyes.
Perhaps influenced by the environment, Mu Yanxi noticed that Yi Wulan’s eyes had also deepened.
Mu Yanxi vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but the fun of teasing Yi Wulan lingered in her mind, so she didn’t pay much attention, her tone a gentle murmur, like a bewitching demoness, “Yi Wulan, why aren’t you answering me?”
Yi Wulan’s lips moved slightly.
Yi Wulan had always been calm and self-possessed; she would never deliberately do something like this. The answer was obvious without asking.
But what puzzled Mu Yanxi was that while waiting for this obvious answer, she herself had become so nervous that even her breathing had lightened.
In the small car, their breaths intertwined, and their different heartbeats seemed to gradually synchronize.
After waiting for a while, Mu Yanxi still hadn’t received an answer.
She had been holding the leaning posture for a long time, and her waist was aching. She decided to pull back and end this boring standoff.
But as soon as she moved, her sore and weak waist couldn’t exert any strength. Coupled with her numb legs, she fell directly towards the steering wheel.
Mu Yanxi closed her eyes, preparing to welcome the piercing sound of the horn.
Fortunately, in the next second, a hand landed on her waist, forcefully pulling her towards the seat and holding her tightly.
When Mu Yanxi came to her senses, she was sitting on Yi Wulan’s lap in a very awkward position. Her feet were still on her own seat, but her body had been half-pulled over.
Her whole body was like a soft, boneless mermaid, nestled in Yi Wulan’s arms.
Their long hair had also become intertwined during the movement, indistinguishable from one another.
The environment in the garage made everything in front of her dim, and her ears were filled with silence, leaving only the sound of each other’s breathing.
Only her sense of touch seemed to have been magnified several times, becoming incredibly sensitive.
The hand on her lower back was scorching hot, and there seemed to be a gaze in front of her that slowly moved down from her eyes, silently landing on her lips.
And stopped.
Mu Yanxi was stunned, her whole body tensing up.
But it only tensed for a moment. Her body had already gone soft from the awkward posture.
Just as she was about to lean back, the strong hands behind her gave a gentle push, and she was pressed tightly against her again.
A powerful heartbeat came from her chest.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
The restraint behind her left her with no room to retreat.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t help but clutch the fabric of Yi Wulan’s sleeve, beginning to regret her earlier verbal bravado. Her fingertips even sank slightly from the force.
Just then, a soft sigh came from above her head, “If you’re scared, don’t go around provoking people.”
Mu Yanxi was stunned and slowly looked up.
…Yi Wulan actually spoke.
While she was still dazed, Yi Wulan had already let go of her, helped her move back to her seat, and then pushed open the car door and got out.
Mu Yanxi blinked in a daze, rarely stunned.
Wh-wh-where was I scared?!
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