Chapter 27: Secret Part 1

The fixed camera had lost sight of Yan Muyu. Instead, Liu Song emerged from the bathroom after showering and blow-drying her hair, continuing to boil water as she planned to fill the kettle to the brim.

She glanced toward the bathroom, looking somewhat puzzled.

【Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao already went to shower?】

【When did she grab the pajamas?】

【Didn’t they say they’d go one by one?】

【She boiled extra water earlier just so she wouldn’t have to shower with Qiu Chao, right?】

【These two definitely have something going on!】

【I really want to know why. From the previous news, Yan Kai and Qiu Chao didn’t have any bad blood, so why is Yan Muyu…】

【Uh, maybe some people don’t know, but there were rumors that Qiu Chao was a stand-in back in the day.】

The live stream chat buzzed with debate, while the assistants off-camera had been assigned their tasks, waiting to follow the celebrities the next day.

This kind of variety show rarely involved much work for the assistants anyway—just helping out after the stream ended.

Inside the cramped bathroom, Yan Muyu felt the soft sensation pressing against her back and was speechless for a long moment.

“You’re not serious, are you? Flirting even here?”

Qiu Chao chuckled, standing on her tiptoes to lean close to Yan Muyu’s ear. “What are you thinking about?”

“I stashed a little bun in the pocket of those pajamas. It’s pretty good—want to try it?”

Yan Muyu pulled away from Qiu Chao’s embrace and turned off the cold water faucet.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and reached for the bun tucked into the pajamas hanging on the back of the door.

Qiu Chao, as a seasoned female celebrity, kept her figure under strict control, so the bun wasn’t the sweet kind—it was as tasteless as chewing wax.

Yan Muyu took one bite and was about to head out.

It was too hot inside. The steam from the freshly boiled water hung thick in the air, stirring up an restlessness deep within her—not to mention Qiu Chao’s intense stare.

Just as Yan Muyu reached for the door, Qiu Chao grabbed her again.

The woman let out a yelp.

Yan Muyu said, “Can you hurry it up? I need to shower too.”

Strands of hair on her forehead were damp with sweat, and visible exhaustion lingered in her brows. Compared to her usual radiance, she almost seemed to have fallen from the heavens, which shamefully excited Qiu Chao.

Qiu Chao didn’t let go. Her hand gripped Yan Muyu’s right hand, which hung at her side, and slid upward in a caress. “Why can’t we shower together?”

Yan Muyu didn’t even bother lifting her eyelids. She gulped down the rest of the bun, wondering where this woman had gotten contraband like this.

She inwardly cursed Qiu Siyuan for being so nosy. After a full day on the road, wasn’t she exhausted? Was it too much to ask for a snack without interference?

The next second, she remembered there would be late-night snacks after the stream ended, and her heart skipped a beat.

She realized she kept falling right into Qiu Chao’s traps.

Qiu Chao’s fingers trailed up Yan Muyu’s arm, sticky and insistent, nearly reaching her shoulder.

Yan Muyu said, “This is a live stream.”

She took a deep breath, truly worn out and sleepy. “Right now, we’re manager and artist, Miss Qiu. Can’t you handle your own… urges?”

The faucet must have been faulty, not fully shut, because it dripped steadily now.

Through the wooden door, Yan Muyu could still hear Liu Song and Ding Yingxue outside. Ding Yingxue was asking if she had a hairdryer.

Qiu Chao asked, “Does the law say managers can’t sleep with their artists?”

Yan Muyu let out a surprised “Oh?” “Look at the others. Who’s as desperate as you?”

Qiu Chao replied, “I’m at that age, you know.”

Yan Muyu brushed back her bangs and turned around to look at Qiu Chao.

The other woman was still in her tight miniskirt, one strap of the slip dress fallen to the side—maybe the skirt was too snug, or perhaps the strap was loose.

Her breathing came a bit quick.

Yan Muyu said, “Come on. Xi Xi’s older than you, and look how polite she is.”

Her tone was light and dismissive; she really didn’t want to linger in this stifling space chatting with Qiu Chao.

The next moment, Qiu Chao seized her hand. Under Yan Muyu’s incredulous gaze, she did the unthinkable…

Yan Muyu yanked her hand back. “Are you insane?”

Qiu Chao laughed delightedly and opened the door, shoving her out.

Her face flushed with a coy glow, her smile like peach blossoms in March—then she said four words:

“Little Yan, get lost.”

The door slammed shut. Over there, Liu Song turned her head and called out in delighted surprise, “Young Boss Yan!”

The live stream viewers finally spotted Yan Muyu, a bit shocked by her contorted expression.

【What happened, what happened?!】

【There’s crumbs on Yan Muyu’s mouth—did she sneak a snack?】

【What went down in that one-minute-thirty-two-second bathroom stint…】

【Did I hear ‘get lost’?】

【Something’s definitely up… love-hate vibes.】

【Yan Muyu’s face looks so twisted… did they fight in there?】

Liu Song saw Yan Muyu’s poor expression and asked, “What happened to you?”

Yan Muyu kept staring at her right hand. Liu Song glanced at it too. “Did you hurt it chopping wood earlier? But weren’t you wearing gloves?”

Yan Muyu instinctively clenched her fist, curling the sticky sensation between her fingers into her palm. She couldn’t quite name the feeling.

She only knew she was pretty pissed off right now.

What does Qiu Chao take me for?

Am I just a tool?

Do I owe her something?

Who owes who here?

How can there be such a shameless, licentious woman?

Part of her wanted to expose the woman’s true colors.

But…

But…

Her palm felt unbearably hot, like a damp chill had ignited into cold fire, scorching her in this summer night until she wanted to scream.

Liu Song said, “Young Boss Yan?”

Yan Muyu shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

【I’m dying of curiosity.】

【Damn, why no camera in the shower… oh right, of course not.】

【It’s only just starting, and I’m already on pins and needles, wuwuwu.】

【Liu Song… clueless kid, that’s adult games, hahaha.】

The live stream shut down at eleven, with twenty minutes left.

Yan Muyu helped Liu Song top off her hot water, then went over to confirm tomorrow’s budget and shopping routes with Pei Wan and the others.

According to the map from the staff, their house was a twenty-minute drive from the nearest village center.

Twenty minutes by car—but their transport was just one electric tricycle and two bicycles.

Yan Muyu washed her hands again. The other four at the table eyed the full kettle and asked, “Aren’t you taking a hot shower anymore?”

Yan Muyu didn’t even lift her eyelids. “I’m way too pissed off.”

The strong emotion in her words left the four exchanging glances, clueless about what had happened.

But they could guess it involved Qiu Chao.

The managers and artists present had mostly worked together for years, with great rapport and mutual understanding—their vibe was harmonious.

But Qiu Chao and Yan Muyu were different.

Many had been surprised at the official announcement about their pairing.

It turned out Qiu Chao’s former manager had been in a car accident, and Yan Muyu—though still part-time boss—was Whale Entertainment’s only manager without an artist.

Of course, plenty of viewers thought it was a deliberate setup.

A manager-artist lifestyle variety show like Pastoral Idyll clearly needed drama and hooks.

Right now, the hottest topic was Qiu Chao’s ties to the Yan Family.

It hadn’t been cleared up back then—would this time finally reveal it?

【Hahaha, ‘way too pissed off’! What did Sister Qiu do?】

【What else would a straight girl do? Maybe the straight-wife manager got hit on by the butch artist little auntie—terrifying!】

【Qiu Chao definitely… didn’t she respond to female fans’ confessions pretty…】

【She seems like she really wants to get married…】

【What’s wrong? Gay marriage is legal abroad!】

【Lots of sugar babies in the industry; doesn’t have to be public.】

Yan Muyu continued without a peep from the others, efficiently laying out the plan.

“We can just buy veggies in the village, right? No need to go to town?”

She checked her phone map and the one from the production team. The roads here were rough—no public transit to hope for.

The only bus to the outside world was at the mountain foot highway, running once every two days.

Pei Wan nodded. “There’s a fixed veggie market in the village every day.”

Xi Xi still had a face mask on and couldn’t speak easily.

Liu Song said, “Then I’ll go with you?”

Ding Yingxue replied, “Don’t we start work tomorrow?”

Yan Muyu turned straight to the staff outside. “Get your director over here.”

【What a bossy tone!】

【Sounds like ordering food.】

【This variety show’s so casual.】

【Xi Xi’s face mask looks expensive… big-spender family.】

【Yan Muyu looks so wild. She’s so pale too—sweating would probably look good on her. Am I crazy?】

【Tomorrow we get to see duck herding, yay!】

Yan Muyu then said to Pei Wan, “Let’s swap jobs. I’ll drive, you do the pig farm?”

Pei Wan replied, “You got a license I don’t?”

Liu Song, brimming with curiosity, asked, “Why’d you two get vet and truck driving licenses anyway?”

Ding Yingxue jumped in. “Our family has this dog we’ve had for over ten years. It watched us grow up, so my sister got them to take good care of it…”

Liu Song was a total dog lover. She’d teared up saying goodbye to one that morning and had to be dragged away by Xi Xi.

Just hearing the story had her sniffling.

Yan Muyu: …

What kind of people are these?

She hadn’t heard that the pop music superstar was such a crybaby.

Sniffling, Liu Song looked at Yan Muyu. “What about you, Young Boss Yan?”

Yan Muyu sketched out a route map as she spoke. “I signed up for the wrong class.”

This excuse wasn’t particularly touching. In fact, it left everyone utterly speechless.

【Fits her character perfectly.】

【Is Yan Muyu the comic relief on this variety show?】

Once she finished, Yan Muyu turned to Pei Wan. “I hear you’re a great cook, so why don’t you get up early tomorrow and come buy groceries with me? Your shift at the pig farm starts at eight thirty, right? Way better than those poor souls kicking off at eight.”

Pei Wan nodded. “Cargo hauling starts earlier. You have to be onsite by seven.”

Liu Song chimed in. “Tea picking’s the worst—we have to roll out at dawn.”

She felt especially bad for Xi Xi and shot her a sympathetic glance.

Xi Xi slung an arm around her shoulders, cooing at her like she was a needy puppy.

But with that pricey yet ridiculous seaweed face mask plastered on her face, one extra peek was enough to crack anyone up. It completely snuffed out Liu Song’s budding sympathy.

Yan Muyu said, “Alright then… I’ll have to trouble you tomorrow, Pei Wan…”

The next moment, a freshly showered figure glided in gracefully, draped in a blue-and-white floral strap nightgown.

The guests’ sleepwear was all pretty dorky—standard issue from the production team—but their killer looks made it work.

The fabric felt comfy enough, at least.

“Little Yan.”

Qiu Chao stepped over the threshold and plopped down right beside Yan Muyu.

Her hair was still damp, wafting warm, steamy moisture and the sweet scent of her body wash straight into Yan Muyu’s face.