Chapter 70: Firefly Confession Part 2

Lou Haiyan: “Then I wish you all the best.”

Yan Muyu: “You’re so boring.”

The secretary, dressed in her usual business suit skirt, was always like this in work mode.

Curious as Lou Haiyan was about Yan Muyu’s current emotional state, she didn’t pry. She simply added, “Then I wish you a happy life.”

Yan Muyu laughed. “What are you, customer service? Go on, get out of here. Let me be alone for a bit.”

Lou Haiyan closed the door. In that final glimpse, she saw Yan Muyu pick up the cigarette box from the table and light one with practiced ease.

As far as she knew, Young Boss Yan didn’t smoke.

~~~

The next afternoon, it was time for Li Xi to bid farewell to the guests.

Qiu Chao saw them off as usual, though only as far as the door.

Qiu Siyuan had arranged a live interactive session for Qiu Chao, who looked in fine spirits that day. The bookings nearly crashed the server.

Liu Song had Boss Hong drive her and Li Xi down the mountain.

The camera crew tagged along. Xi Xi was assigned to deliver lunch to the mountaintop school with Ding Yingxue. That left Pei Wan, who had been tasked with interviewing Qiu Chao.

To the audience, the production team seemed utterly insincere—not even a proper set in sight.

They had simply handed Pei Wan and Qiu Chao fifty bucks as an afternoon tea stipend and told them to spend it however they liked.

【Too stingy, right? What can you even buy with fifty bucks?】

【Feels like it’s not enough even for snacks.】

【But Pei Wan and Qiu Chao seem pretty thrifty. Qiu Chao’s version is… well, a limited edition of thrifty, I guess.】

【The booze is all self-funded…】

The entire afternoon was just two women in the kitchen whipping up snacks.

They added eggs to the scalding liquor and watched as the boiling water turned them into delicate egg flowers. They stir-fried a plate of salted peanuts but decided the calories were too high, so they switched to green tea pastries instead.

【All-female variety show is just so pleasing to the eye, wuwuwu. Any combo of these ladies works for me!】

【Ding Yingxue must be seething with jealousy.】

【Qiu Chao and Pei Wan together have insane hands-on skills. They can make whatever they crave.】

【I love this low-cal green tea cake, wuwuwu. And they even piped frosting on it—they’re so full of ceremony!】

【Where the hell is Yan Muyu? When’s she coming back?】

【Her brother apparently woke up, so it makes sense if she went back.】

【Is the chaebol drama and abusive romance I was waiting for finally here?】

Pei Wan said, “The production team gave me a ton of questions to grill you with.”

She picked up a flower-shaped cookie and eyed Qiu Chao. “They don’t seem easy to answer.”

Qiu Chao: “Then I just won’t answer.”

Qiu Chao seemed much more energized today. She smiled. “This is called smart slacking.”

Pei Wan: “You made way too many. Are you saving some for everyone?”

Qiu Chao: “Yeah, Little Yan likes these too.”

【Knew it.】

【She loves her so much.】

【Yan Muyu, come out here and take my punch!】

Pei Wan: “Hasn’t it been years since you last saw her? How do you still remember so clearly?”

They sat at a wooden table in the hall, covered with the willow catkins Liu Song had picked that morning.

The pale purple buds added a touch of texture to the scene.

Qiu Chao: “Has the questioning started already?”

Pei Wan: “This is just my personal curiosity.”

【Their vibe is so serene.】

【Qiu Chao seems like such a lofty flower without Yan Muyu around.】

【Objection! Qiu Chao’s a flower around Yan Muyu too—she just gets a little flirty!】

Qiu Chao: “Because Little Yan was always so good to me. Before I met her, no stranger had ever treated me that kindly.”

Qiu Chao’s voice had a natural softness to it, easy to warm to.

But she’d never liked being so likable.

Back home, she had always been the stubborn girl, running wild through the hills, never fitting in, preferring to hunt crabs alone by the riverbank.

The public didn’t know these things, but Qiu Chao had once told Yan Muyu.

It had been at that seaside restaurant one day, in the casual chat on the beach after dinner, with the wind whipping around them.

Some things just happen without thinking. I hope you understand me, even if you don’t take it to heart.

【Huh? What about Yan Kai?】

【When exactly did she meet Yan Muyu? I’m starting to think her ‘first love’ was actually her.】

【If Qiu Chao comes out, tons of people will call her out for faking being straight before. Sis, think about your career!】

【Qiu Chao doesn’t need to care about her career anymore. She’s already at the top. After all these years of hard work, she deserves some freedom.】

Pei Wan: “What about your family?”

Entertainers were people whose private lives were laid bare for the public.

They had no privacy to speak of—no suing paparazzi over photos.

Over the years, Qiu Chao had been hit with countless rumors, most baseless. She’d fought lawsuits, ignored them, but in interviews, no one could pry into this area. It was like her personal forbidden zone.

All anyone had were scraps from the internet to speculate on.

She had endured some truly tough times.

Qiu Chao: “I only have one sister left.”

The egg liquor was still steaming hot.

The weather wasn’t great that day—a bit of sun in the morning, now overcast again.

Qiu Chao: “She’s my blood sister, and she’s doing okay now. I’m content with that.”

Pei Wan: “Any memorable moments from when you first met Young Boss Yan?”

A stack of production team questions sat by her hand. Pei Wan felt like some kind of matchmaking host.

【What is this show? Feels like ‘100 Questions on Sexuality.’】

【Pei Wan, you look kinda done.】

Qiu Chao took it in stride, leaning back in her chair, looking quite relaxed.

Neither woman was dressed up. Their casual outfits fit the house perfectly—Qiu Chao was even in slippers.

Qiu Chao: “Plenty. Little Yan’s a great person.”

She smiled. “Don’t let her vibe fool you—she’s super attentive. Sometimes she’d glance at something I liked and just know. The next day, it’d show up right in front of me.”

【What do you mean ‘not dating’? Damn, they were together ten years ago?】

【What ‘not close’? They’re clearly super close.】

【So even after years apart, there’s still that lingering connection.】

【I’m dying from this ship.】

Pei Wan: “Were you living at the Yan Family back then? Not with Mr. Yan?”

Qiu Chao: “That didn’t stop Little Yan from being good to me.”

She paused. “Mr. Yan was rarely home. He was always busy.”

Pei Wan was starting to buy into the rumors of a contract relationship—and even the wilder gossip seemed plausible now.

Like how Yan Kai was ostensibly finding a partner for himself but actually securing a future wife for his wild younger sister.

Outwardly, Pei Wan kept her composed and gentle facade, but inwardly, she itched to wrap up and probe further.

Qiu Chao: “I’m not as great as everyone thinks. I’m pretty materialistic—always chasing heights to reach, things to get. If I fall short even a little, I can’t sleep from the anxiety.”

It fit the public’s image of her well enough.

But there were contradictions. She was gold-digging, wildly ambitious, embroiled in scandals left and right—yet her achievements spoke for themselves.

No amount of mudslinging could strip away her trophies. She could still show up glammed out at film festivals, even claim a judge’s seat.

Qiu Chao: “Being with Mr. Yan matches what everyone guesses. I wanted opportunities—you all know that. At first, I just got lucky.”

She admitted it plainly, then took a sip from her bowl. Every close-up drew viewers in with her unapologetic desire.

And the insatiable longing that contradicted it.

The production team had given Pei Wan plenty of questions, but hadn’t required answers to all.

The one that got the audience most hyped was the final viewer-submitted question.

Qiu Chao pulled up a screenshot on her phone and picked the first one.

Pei Wan read it aloud: “What’s the most memorable part of this show for you?”

Qiu Chao didn’t hesitate for a second. “Sharing a room with Little Yan.”

【Too obvious!!】

【Shipping phobia hitting hard wuwuwu.】

Pei Wan asked, “Out of all the guests, who do you think is the most fun?”

Qiu Chao replied, “Little Yan.”

Pei Wan couldn’t hold back. “No other answers?”

Qiu Chao shrugged. “Then Liu Song. She’s really cute.”

Pei Wan continued, “The third question: What was the most memorable gift from your childhood?”

Qiu Chao shook her head. “Besides the clothes Mom bought me, nothing really stands out.”

She smiled. “The gift I gave myself was fireflies, trapped in a plastic bottle. They looked so beautiful.”

~~~

Yan Muyu had spent the entire day bouncing along in a car. Before setting out, she’d even handled Lin Yumian’s latest “boyfriend.”

She didn’t care one way or the other about gold-digging guys or girls—everyone had their own tricks.

But letting Lin Yumian bankroll a company for the guy and pulling in people from the Yan Family? That was going too far. It left Yan Muyu absolutely floored.

Lin Yumian, however, was completely smitten. She picked a massive fight with Yan Muyu, hurling accusations that she was just as cold and heartless as her father.

Lou Haiyan, standing off to the side, felt like she didn’t belong in that moment.

Yan Muyu’s expression had turned utterly grim.

Even after Lou Haiyan stepped out into the hallway, she could still hear Yan Muyu’s words, laced with deep resentment and frustration—like she couldn’t believe Lin Yumian was squandering her potential. It was a far cry from Yan Muyu’s usual breezy demeanor, offering Lou Haiyan a rare glimpse of the anger she’d carried from childhood.

By the time Lou Haiyan saw her off at the airport, Yan Muyu’s face was still a mask of ice.

Xing Wen sat nearby and said to Yan Muyu, “Sister Qiu’s live stream starts in two hours. Want to watch?”

Yan Muyu ignored her.

But after the plane landed and she switched to the van heading back to the village, Yan Muyu pulled up the replay on the winding mountain road.

The twisting path through the night brought her a long-lost sense of peace.

Lin Yumian’s angry tirade faded entirely from her mind. She gazed out at the tea garden and the woods, her tension easing a little.

In her earbuds, Qiu Chao and Pei Wan were chatting.

When Qiu Chao talked about the fireflies, the question might have been ordinary, but Yan Muyu could hear the thrill in her voice.

It was a longing—one that persisted even now, after Qiu Chao had gained so much.

Just then, Yan Muyu spotted fireflies flickering in the valley.

~~~

Li Xi had already left by then. That evening, the production team announced the schedule for the final days.

The highlight was the Fish Lantern Festival, complete with a bonfire talent show where everyone had to perform.

No one was thrilled about it. Xi Xi openly pushed back. “Why should we perform? Are they paying us?”

The barrage exploded with activity.

Suddenly, the screen showed a figure dragging a suitcase, looking travel-worn from crossing mountains and rivers.

She pushed open the courtyard gate, stepped over the threshold, and circled the central well. Every eye in the room turned to her.

【Holy crap! Firefly girl?】

【Help… Yan Muyu, was this on purpose?】

【I can’t breathe—perfect callback!】

【As expected… of Yan Muyu.】

Yan Muyu tossed the bottle in a graceful arc. It landed right in Qiu Chao’s arms.

The atmosphere was electric. Everyone started whooping it up, like the excited chaos of a late-night study hall confession—clapping, teasing, even whistling.

Liu Song casually picked up the piano Li Xi had left behind and started playing.

The melody drifted through the air. Qiu Chao looked up and met Yan Muyu’s gaze.

In that instant, she realized she didn’t need to tame her feelings anymore.

Her affection for Yan Muyu was pure instinct, met with an instinctive response in return.

This was taming in another form.

Fate had given her its most precious gift.

It was Yan Muyu.