Chapter 23: Something Special… What Could It Be?

Xu Yueliang usually thanked her fans in a variety of adorable ways—singing songs, dancing, telling jokes, even… oinking like a pig.

They were all so cute.

But since this meant so much to Xu Yueliang—nagging her for an entire week and even offering something special—if Lin Qimian suggested one of her usual requests, it would feel like letting down all that heartfelt sincerity.

With no good ideas coming to mind right away, Lin Qimian sent a quick reply first: 【Let me think about it.】

This way, she didn’t seem too eager, as if she’d gone through all this just to extract something from Xu Yueliang.

Xu Yueliang’s response popped up almost immediately, brimming with delight:

-【Okay!】

-【Take your time thinking, 11.】

-【No deadline at all—whenever you’re ready.】

Lin Qimian’s lips curved into a smile, but then another message arrived: 【Deal then! I won’t bother you anymore. Sorry for pestering you these past few days~】

Her smile vanished.

Could she make a request for Xu Yueliang to keep pestering her forever?

That evening, Lin Qimian finally logged into her account and entered the live streaming room.

The moment she appeared, Xu Yueliang jumped to her feet and launched into an extravagantly over-the-top welcome routine—a full sequence of movements that rivaled a set of radio calisthenics.

“Wel——come——z——9——2——5——6——5——6——1——1——”

Lin Qimian: “Pfft.”

She had even memorized Lin Qimian’s utterly nonsensical account name.

Xu Yueliang: “11, it’s been so long. Moon and everyone in the live streaming room have missed you terribly…”

A barrage of comments scrolled by immediately:

【The streamer’s the one who misses you—it’s got nothing to do with me】

【I’m a straight dude who doesn’t miss other dudes, but if the top bigshot tosses me a yacht, I could miss him too】

【Not just miss—I’d go gay for it】

【Has 11 been hanging out in other streams?】

【No.】 Lin Qimian typed two words and hit send.

【Thanks, everyone.】 Lin Qimian launched some fireworks.

Xu Yueliang bit her lip, clearly fighting back a laugh.

Ding ding ding—the Voyage Group admin’s private messages rolled in.

-【Big Bro been busy lately?】

-【Did Moon manage to refund you?】

-【If she did, I’ll throw extra gifts her way to make up for it.】

This admin really had Xu Yueliang’s best interests at heart.

Lin Qimian replied:

-【No need.】

-【That’s all settled.】

-【Got a new question for you.】

-【What kinds of requests do top rankers usually make after showering gifts?】

Admin: 【In the stream?】

Lin Qimian: 【Privately too?】

Admin: 【Most big spenders want some private contact. Like meeting up for dinner or something…】

Lin Qimian: “…”

Such tempting requests.

Her heart pounded wildly at those words, as if she’d never laid eyes on Xu Yueliang in person before.

Shifting her gaze back to the stream feed, she saw Xu Yueliang explaining to her viewers: “It’s not that I don’t thank 11—it’s just that he doesn’t like my usual thanks. He’s always telling me to rest…”

“You guys still don’t believe me? It’s true!”

“11 rarely makes any requests,” Xu Yueliang said, cupping her cheeks and beaming like a flower in full bloom. “He’s probably just obsessed with my looks. Seeing my beautiful face is enough to satisfy him~~~~”

Lin Qimian: “…”

She waged an internal war.

Of course she had requests—countless ones, all born of selfish longing.

Of course she wanted that face right there in front of her, with no screen between them, no crowd of onlookers.

Just the two of them. Eating together, talking, while she gazed quietly—and Xu Yueliang’s eyes held only her.

If she dared to push further, even more selfishly… she wanted to knead those cheeks, to clasp those hands.

She knew the texture of Xu Yueliang’s skin from firsthand experience, under the guise of a doctor’s examination—touching it openly, though she couldn’t linger even a second. Those sensations had burrowed deep into her body, stirring restlessly whenever she recalled them.

In truth, she wasn’t so different from those top donators who made excessive demands of Xu Yueliang.

But she had crafted the image of “11” as a lavish yet utterly undemanding benefactor. She didn’t want to shatter it.

She didn’t want to disappoint Xu Yueliang.

【Mm.】 Lin Qimian typed a single character and sent it to the barrage.

It stood out stark and solitary amid the flood of comments joking about Xu Yueliang’s narcissism.

Xu Yueliang blinked, probably because she’d been cupping her face for so long that two red marks had bloomed on her cheeks.

“I told you…” Her voice came out soft and shy, her gaze dropping to evade the camera. “11 is my true love~~~”

Lin Qimian sank into the plush depths of the lazy sofa, torn between satisfaction and frustration.

This ethereal, dreamlike perfection felt almost too good to be true.

Once the stream ended, Lin Qimian headed off to wash up and get ready for bed.

On her way back, she spotted the backup phone’s breathing light pulsing from across the room.

A message. She paused mid-step.

Messages had come before—after a long surgery, post-dinner, or once she’d stepped out of the bath, skin still damp.

But back then, it was Xu Yueliang hounding her for money, all eager desperation wrapped in pitiful charm.

So what was the reason now?

Lin Qimian crossed the room and picked up the phone.

Sure enough, it was from Xu Yueliang. Little Moon had written: 【1111, have you thought it over?】

Oh. Urging that request again.

Lin Qimian felt a pang of gloom and typed back:

-【Does it eat at you if you feel like you owe someone?】

-【Even if it’s just in your own mind?】

Xu Yueliang:

-【Hehe.】

-【Cat cat launches heart.gif】

-【11 is so smart! Nailed it on the first try!】

-【Thumbs up.gif】

Lin Qimian: “……”

Lin Qimian: 【No more nagging. I’ll let you know once I’ve decided.】

No nagging—or it was like the forbidden fruit waving right in her face.

Tempting her to waver, tossing and turning all night.

Luckily, it was the weekend. Lin Qimian indulged in a rare lie-in, not stirring until past ten.

She suspected Xu Yueliang’s wake-up time matched hers, since at 11, Little Moon posted a Moments update on WeChat: a photo of herself chowing down on breakfast.

Fine, eat away—but did she have to chomp on that bread slice, shove her face right up to the lens, and grin until her nose and eyes vanished into her cheeks?

Lin Qimian stared at Xu Yueliang in the photo, hand pressed to her chest.

Then inspiration hit like lightning, striking the perfect balance between tangible temptation and illusory bliss.

She swiped rapidly through Little Moon’s Moments from the past three months.

Grabbed her other phone and scrolled through Jiaojiao’s.

Finally, she locked in her choice and messaged Xu Yueliang:

-【PinkD’s Dirty Bag. Do a mukbang of it.】

Xu Yueliang fired back almost instantly: 【Ah——】

Lin Qimian smiled as she typed: 【What, too much for you?】

Xu Yueliang: 【That’s it? So easy?】

Lin Qimian: “……”

Was that a jab?

Xu Yueliang:

-【Did 11 think I care too much about my image to do mukbang?】

-【You seriously underestimate me hahahaha…】

-【You showed up late—you never saw my old mukbangs. I could polish off a whole table solo!】

Lin Qimian: 【No hands.】

Xu Yueliang: 【……】

Lin Qimian: 【Good. Go prep. I want to see it tonight.】

Xu Yueliang: 【！！！！】

Time was short; no more messages came through.

The instant Lin Qimian set her phone down, she sprang off the sofa and bolted to the walk-in closet.

PinkD, the dessert shop, had two quirks: only one location in all of S City, and no delivery—dine-in only.

Xu Yueliang’s streams kicked off at two in the afternoon, straight through with at most a ten-minute breather.

Given all that, if she wanted PinkD sweets on tonight’s stream, she’d have to head out now and snag them ASAP.

Or rope in a friend.

Or hire a runner.

Lin Qimian bet on doing it herself.

If she won that bet, she could catch a glimpse of Xu Yueliang.

PinkD sat right in Lin Qimian’s neighborhood. She knew Xu Yueliang’s area—it’d take time to cross over.

Xu Yueliang always cabbed it to the hospital, no car of her own. Driving there, Lin Qimian would beat her every time.

Traffic flowed smooth; Lin Qimian pulled up at the mall housing PinkD without a hitch.

The shop was on the second floor, single entrance. Across from it loomed a cafe decked out like a dim tree-hollow forest, shadows pooling inside.

Perfect.

Lin Qimian slipped into the cafe, ordered something offhand, and claimed a seat with a clear view of the dessert shop’s door. She even had the waiter clear the candlestick from her table.

The shop’s interior was shrouded in darkness, while the outdoors blazed with light—a perfect setup for concealment.

At the table beside hers sat two young women, snapping selfies with an assortment of bizarre props. A customer like Lin Qimian hardly stood out amid that.

No one disturbed her. Lin Qimian gazed out the window, sitting in perfect stillness.

She excelled at this kind of quiet sitting. Her mind could churn through countless thoughts, or it could drift into perfect emptiness.

Emptiness was what filled it now. She was simply waiting for one person.

Waiting for Xu Yueliang to hurry in, buy the specified dessert, and hurry back out.

What would she be wearing? Would she really be in a rush? Would she come alone, or trailed by others? Would she grab just that one Dirty Bag, or clear out the entire shop?

After all, she loved food so much.

It seemed eating was the pinnacle of happiness for her—the greatest joy the world had to offer.

Minutes ticked by relentlessly. Her coffee grew cold; the ice cream melted into a puddle.

Lin Qimian’s thoughts occasionally veered off course. Wow, you’ve turned into a full-blown voyeur.

All this elaborate scheming, this patient vigil.

At least her intentions weren’t malicious. She could catch a glimpse without putting the other woman on edge or making her uncomfortable.

It preserved the 11 Bigshot’s dignity while indulging her own private whim.

Her wristwatch read twelve-thirty. Ninety more minutes until the wait concluded.

At last, Lin Qimian spotted a familiar silhouette jogging lightly down the brightly lit mall corridor. Her skirt fluttered with each step, the floral patterns dancing in the light.

Xu Yueliang wore a baseball cap, but her face was visible when she tilted her head up, her makeup far bolder than usual.

Glittering eyeshadow sparkled across her lids, and the long hair peeking from under the cap was woven into a cascade of tiny, colorful braids. Clearly, Moon was going for a sweet-yet-edgy, spicy-girl vibe in today’s stream.

Lin Qimian straightened in her seat, eyes locked on her.

Voyeurism had its advantages, chief among them the freedom of an utterly unrestrained gaze.

She drank in every minute detail without inhibition, committing the impressions to the depths of her memory for endless future replays.

That brief stretch of path felt infinitely prolonged under Lin Qimian’s intense focus.

Xu Yueliang vanished in a flash, shoving open the shop door. Lin Qimian let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

She could no longer see inside the dessert shop clearly.

Lin Qimian ducked her head, idly stirring the liquefied ice cream in her cup.

Xu Yueliang moved with impressive speed. In under ten minutes, she emerged, hefting a substantial bag that bulged promisingly—not just one treat inside.

Lin Qimian smiled.

Xu Yueliang turned and strode forward.

Lin Qimian shifted seamlessly into a mode of wistful farewell-watching, but Xu Yueliang halted abruptly in her tracks.

She glanced around, as if searching for a particular store.

When her eyes settled on the coffee shop, Lin Qimian flinched back on instinct.

Xu Yueliang started toward it without hesitation.

Her purpose was unmistakable, her steps resolute—leaving no space for alternative theories.

She’d simply finished with desserts and was now after coffee.

Food and drink—what could be more perfect?

Panic surged through Lin Qimian. She hadn’t bothered with a mask or sunglasses. In her haste, she’d skipped makeup entirely.

Her outfit was a haphazard grab—shirt with a wrinkled collar, the most uninspired pair of tight jeans imaginable.

Her hair was tied up in a careless ponytail, strands escaping in disarray. Worst of all, her heart was in utter turmoil.

Each of Xu Yueliang’s buoyant footsteps landed like a drumbeat on her chest: thump-thump, thump-thump.

In the instant Xu Yueliang pushed open the coffee shop door, Lin Qimian gained crystal clarity on her deepest wish. A dramatic reveal? A fated reunion? Fine, anything—but not here, not now, not like this.

The girls at the next table were still giggling and chattering. Lin Qimian stepped right over, snatching up their novelty headpiece. In a voice sharp as ice, she said, “Please, I need to borrow this for a moment.”

The two froze in shock. And as Xu Yueliang stepped into the dim interior, she turned her head—and beheld a tall, long-legged figure with a killer waistline… dressed as a Green-headed Fish.

How on earth was there a Green-headed Fish with a body like that???