Chapter 93: 93. The Actress Whose Reputation Lies in Ruins (8) Part 2

The young woman nodded. “I love every drama you’ve been in, so I saved all my favorite stills as photos and made them into an album. When I heard you’d be on this variety show, I brought it specially.”

“I was planning to sneakily ask you on the last day, but since you came to me today, I couldn’t pass up the chance.” She flushed a little, bashful. “Teacher Shen, I’ll keep He Nianyou occupied for you. By eleven, everyone should be lights-out and asleep. Sneak back here then—I’ll bring the pen and the album, okay?”

The woman fell silent for a long moment before speaking. “It’s just a signature. Why go to all this trouble?”

She’d thought…

Chi Hua explained earnestly, “It’s all my manager’s fault. She insisted I play up this ‘dainty fairy girl’ image in front of fans. I have no idea what she was thinking—no milk tea for me! No hot pot! Nothing fun at all! And then she went full tyrant and banned me from stanning celebs!”

The young woman pouted, aggrieved. “I’ve got a bunch of these albums, but she hid them all. This one I brought? I snuck into the bathroom at midnight while she was asleep and made it myself. There are mosquitoes in here! Let’s get out. Oh, and everything I told you today? Don’t breathe a word to anyone—especially not where the cameras can catch it. My manager’s watching the live stream. If she finds out, she’ll hide this one too. Right, Teacher Shen—don’t forget. After lights-out, come find me. I’ll be here with everything ready.”

【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA】

【Sorry, that was just me cursing way too loud.】

【Rename Chi Chichi and He Xiaogou’s CP to ‘Comedy Duo’ lmao.】

【Thought she was a villain, turns out she’s just a lovable dummy. Opposites attract? Nah.】

【But we all saw that, right? Manager little sis, did you catch it too?】

【HAHAHAHAHA, manager little sis—you there? If you’re pissed, just chuck Chi Chichi’s album already. Where’s the nearest trash bin? Hit me up ahead of time—my number’s XXX.】

When Shen Yunchu and Chi Hua returned to the house, the others were already gathered in the living room, watching a drama together.

The sofa had been swapped out, and Bai Kitty, curled up on it, wore the softest expression imaginable.

Xia Hengtao was in the exact same position as at noon, her thigh serving as a pillow while she meekly let her lean against it.

He Xiaogou was sharing a sofa with Yu Jingqing. When she saw Shen Yunchu heading for the one where Bai Kitty was lounging, she hurriedly intervened. “Can’t you see there’s no room? The sofa’s not that big—do you want to sit right on Bai Qian’s feet?”

Shen Yunchu shot her a glance, unflinchingly meeting her dissatisfied stare. With calm composure, she lifted Bai Kitty’s leg, sat down, and draped the other woman’s leg across her own lap.

He Nianyou: ???

Before she could even process it, the Little Drama Queen took offense.

Her bare, tender foot gave a restless little kick at the woman’s abdomen. Pressing her cheek against Xia Hengtao’s side, she twisted her face around and shot the intruder a half-coquettish, half-petulant glare. “Shen Yunchu, move away. This isn’t comfortable.”

A brilliant smile bloomed across He Xiaogou’s face in an instant.

She watched with gleeful schadenfreude as the woman was driven to her side, then leaned in to whisper something only the two of them could hear. “Bai Qian’s never told me to scoot away. She doesn’t like you one bit. You should give up on trying to be her friend!”

“…”

…

They’d barely watched two episodes of the crime drama when Bai Qian sat up.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

The moment Xia Hengtao spoke, everyone else instinctively turned to look.

“I’m going to bed. You all keep watching without me.”

She’d only taken a single step when the sounds from behind her cut off abruptly.

Bai Kitty turned her head in confusion and saw that the TV had been switched off.

The others, who had been sitting there moments ago, now all looked ready to head upstairs.

Bai Qian: ?

Xia Hengtao made no effort to hide her affection. “Without you here, sister, the TV’s not worth watching anymore. Guess I’ll head up too.”

With that, she stepped closer to Kitty and gently took her hand. “Sister, let’s go up together.”

【Mao-Tao is way too shippable!】

【Let me just quietly stan Mao-Tao for a moment. I know the bottoms getting together has no future, but that doesn’t stop me from shipping their platonic romance!!!】

【Teacher Shen, step it up! Kitty’s about to get stolen away!!】

The moment those barrages scrolled by, Shen Yunchu strode forward in a big step.

Just like Xia Hengtao, she reached out and took Bai Qian’s hand.

Bai Kitty frowned. “Shen Yunchu, why are you pulling me?”

Teacher Shen replied coolly, “I just learned about another Sunday challenge. Staff are coming to the island to have us play some games, and one of them tests how in sync we are with our partners.”

“Hm?”

“It’s simple. One person gets blindfolded and has to identify their teammate by feeling their hand. So before then, we should practice holding hands more. That way, it’ll be easier for you to recognize mine later, right?”

【Teacher Shen’s totally lying, right? Lying through her teeth!!】

【Yup, 100% sure Teacher Shen’s fibbing.】

【Anyone keeping count of how many lies Teacher Shen’s told just for this cat?】

【Love, you’ve ruined so many people.】

【But He Xiaogou’s still in the mix. Even if Bai Kitty falls for it, I bet He Xiaogou stops her—Teacher Shen won’t get three minutes of hand-holding!】

【Overestimating upstairs. One minute tops.】

【Thirty seconds in and Bai Kitty hasn’t pulled away. She’s bought it. Wonder if Teacher Shen’ll trot out the same excuse next time to fool her again?】

【Like some game involving mouths—trying it out, and oops, accidental kiss. Totally unavoidable, right? (doge)】

【He Xiaogou’s not stopping her—she’s even pondering?? I smell a face-slap from He Xiaogou coming up.】

No sooner had that barrage appeared than He Nianyou sprang into action.

Mimicking Shen Yunchu, she reached out and grabbed Chi Hua’s hand.

The move was so abrupt that the young woman forgot all about maintaining her “dainty fairy” persona. Her panicked squeak came out high-pitched and shrill, like water boiling over. “He Nianyou! What are you doing?”

He Xiaogou shot back, “Didn’t Shen Yunchu just explain? It’s a hand game. I was gonna let Bai Qian win, but now I think that’s wrong—we have to win! I’ll prove with my skills that only someone as awesome as me is the perfect friend for her!”

Chi Hua: “…”

Her mouth opened and closed twice without a sound, but the viewers were sharp-eyed enough to read her lips.

【Hahahahaha, Chi Chichi’s definitely mouthing “you’re insane”—that’s exactly how my friend looks when she calls me crazy.】

【Hahaha, looks like Chi Chichi’s airheaded trait has specific triggers. It kicks in when she’s facing her idol, but the moment she runs into someone even dumber than her, she turns clever again.】

【Hahahahaha, why are all the viewers of this variety show so savage with their mouths? Keep this up, and the Giant Panda’s gonna starve!】

Chi Hua silently finished cursing the girl out in her mind and tried to shake her off.

Up ahead, Shen Yunchu glanced back as if by accident. The girl froze for a moment before finally yielding to the allure of an autograph from her idol. She gave up struggling.

~~~

Bai Qian had taken a bath that evening and even washed her hair while she was at it.

The hairdryer was in the room, and as she toweled off her still-dripping locks, she called out to the person beyond the door.

“Shen Yunchu, I’m gonna blow-dry my hair now.”

Her voice carried its usual, unwitting softness. Perhaps it was the steam filling the bathroom, but it came out sounding almost coquettish.

Footsteps drew near, and soon the woman appeared in the doorway.

The Little Drama Queen twisted her head around. Seeing her empty-handed, a hint of displeasure crept into her lovely features. “I meant for you to bring the hairdryer in here.”

Shen Yunchu asked, “Do you want to do it yourself?”

Bai Qian paused mid-wipe, catching the unspoken offer in her words. Without hesitation, Bai Kitty tossed the towel aside and stepped out.

“Don’t pull my hair.”

【Thanks, Teacher Shen! I thought we’d miss out on seeing Wifey get her hair blow-dried.】

【Teacher Shen really is a saint. She’s feeding us sweets every day so we don’t die of jealousy.】

【You two keep this up, and you might as well get married already.】

【Wifey’s hair is so thick and lush, and her hairline’s perfect too. Wuuu, I’m so envious!】

【It’s that time again—when you don’t know who to envy more. I wanna soul-swap into Bai Kitty and get my hair gently blow-dried by Teacher Shen… but I also wanna soul-swap into Teacher Shen and be the one blow-drying Bai Kitty’s hair. Wuuu, such a tough choice!】

【Hair-drying only takes a few minutes, sis upstairs. If you can’t decide, why not boldly sit in a chair with Bai Kitty in your lap, guide Teacher Shen’s hand, and blow-dry it that way?】

【Sis upstairs is bold! Got my dream fuel for tonight—thanks!】

The woman’s slender fingertips threaded through the silky strands, lifting a lock and directing the warm airflow from the dryer before releasing it and moving to the next.

Her movements were as gentle as a spring breeze, lulling the already drowsy girl into slowly closing her eyes.

As Bai Kitty drifted toward sleep, her body began to tilt sideways, on the verge of toppling to the floor. The woman, who had been gazing down at her all the while, reached out at just the right moment and cradled her soft, pale cheek.

The sensation was like sinking into a cloud—impossibly plush, impossible to let go.

With her hair nearly dry, Shen Yunchu switched off the dryer and set it casually on the table.

The hand against her cheek gently righted the girl’s posture. Shen Yunchu stepped forward, scooped her up effortlessly in her usual hold, and cradled her close.

The cat nestled in her arms nuzzled unconsciously.

Stray wisps of hair brushed her chin, sparking an exquisite itch.

But the itch seemed to spread beyond her chin. Everywhere the girl unwittingly rubbed against her tingled like the bite of a tiny insect, sending waves of subtle numbness rippling through her skin.

Tonight’s bath had lasted longer than usual for the woman.

She had scrubbed her prickling skin until it was nearly raw, yet the sensation refused to fade.

Her skin was too delicate; any more rubbing and it would bleed. Shen Yunchu finally gave up.

With the lights switched off, she slipped under the covers—and a fragrant, soft little cat promptly burrowed into her embrace.

It had only been one night, and already her guard was down. If she didn’t keep a closer eye on her, who knew who might come along and snatch her away.

At the thought, Shen Yunchu’s gaze darkened.

The girl had thrown herself into her arms, and she had no intention of refusing. Breathing in her scent, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Vaguely, she felt like she’d forgotten something.

But whatever it was, it clearly didn’t matter anymore.

Smack.

That was the sound of Chi Hua swatting her tenth mosquito.