Chapter 66: A Photo Together

Yan Qingxu was faking it.

No one with a low tolerance for alcohol would touch a drop in this half-business, half-social setting—especially not without anyone pressing her to drink.

There was only one possibility: she did it on purpose.

Everyone could see that Yan Qingxu was gunning for Jiang Shumo. Her intentions were crystal clear. So what about Jiang Shumo? Would she go along with it, or turn her down?

If Jiang Shumo was interested, a bit of encouragement from them would be fine. But what if she didn’t bite?

The safest move was to stay out of it.

And so, everyone at the table pretended not to notice, turning to chat with the person next to them instead.

Ji Hong almost blurted out, “Your seduction tactics are way too obvious—you should tone it down a notch.” But before the words left her mouth, she remembered this wasn’t a scene from the set. Little Yan was just chasing after Little Jiang, after all.

She could only close her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.

Everyone could tell, so naturally, Jiang Shumo—the one at the center of it—saw right through it too. She wanted to laugh, but there was a hint of helplessness in it as well.

Little Yan Pig had gotten bold, pretending to be drunk right in front of everyone.

Jiang Shumo didn’t buy her poor alcohol tolerance for a second. If she really couldn’t hold her liquor, why would she go bar-hopping with friends?

But seeing her all flushed and woozy like that, Jiang Shumo couldn’t bring herself to call her out in front of the crowd. She reached out to steady Yan Qingxu’s shoulder and murmured, “Do you want to head back and rest?”

She never seemed to make it through a full wrap party. There was always some reason pulling her away early.

Not that most people were all that into these things anyway.

Yan Qingxu felt a low, husky voice rumble through her, right into her ear, accompanied by that familiar faint fragrance. It was like she really was drunk. She couldn’t help nuzzling into the crook of Jiang Shumo’s shoulder, clinging to the last thread of her sobriety to keep up the slurred tone. “Mmm… I’m a little dizzy. Can you take me back? Please?”

That soft “please” landed as lightly as a snowflake, melting on contact. Jiang Shumo’s ear tingled. She was about to turn to Ji Hong when the woman beat her to it. “Go ahead and take her back. Little Yan’s had a rough go of it.”

Chasing after someone and throwing a female celebrity’s dignity out the window.

Who pulled a stunt like this at a drama wrap party? If word got out, what would people think of Yan Qingxu?

Ji Hong sighed in exasperation, but she could only help clean up the mess—thank goodness it was all her team, and they were reliable enough not to cause trouble.

“…”

That line about Little Yan having it rough nearly choked Jiang Shumo. It felt like the whole table knew what Yan Qingxu was up to. She couldn’t help but flush on her behalf.

Jiang Shumo glanced down at Yan Qingxu, who had practically plastered half her body against her arm, but in the end, she said nothing. “Alright, I’ll take you back.”

Yan Qingxu immediately melted against her, even wrapping her arms around Jiang Shumo’s waist. “Thanks…”

Jiang Shumo: “…”

I have zero doubt you’re just craving my body.

Jiang Shumo eyed the hand around her waist but didn’t pry it off. Instead, she half-supported, half-hugged her up to her feet. “Everyone, enjoy the meal. I’m heading out.”

“Sure thing…”

The main cast and crew, who had been studiously ignoring them, chimed in at once, wishing her a safe trip and telling her to watch her step.

Jiang Shumo managed a smile, her arm around Yan Qingxu’s shoulders as she steered them toward the door.

Yan Qingxu kept up her drunk act to perfection—not just leaning heavily on her, but lagging half a step behind, looking every inch like she was stumbling along in tow.

They were only a few meters from the private room when Jiang Shumo stopped short. Yan Qingxu, caught off guard, bumped right into her embrace.

Before she could say a word, Jiang Shumo spoke. “I’ll call your assistant to come pick you up.”

Yan Qingxu went rigid.

No way. That cold? Dumping her the second they were out the door?

Jiang Shumo felt the sudden tension under her palm but pretended not to notice as she pulled out her phone to call Yu Xiaozhou.

Yan Qingxu immediately started whining. “…Can’t you just take me back yourself?”

Jiang Shumo ruthlessly exposed her. “Someone who gets drunk off two sips doesn’t go hanging out at bars.”

Yan Qingxu: “…”

She had totally forgotten about that.

Eyes squeezed shut, Yan Qingxu whined even louder. “…I really can’t drink. My friend dragged me there—she had a thing for the bar’s owner.”

A friend of Yan Qingxu’s crushing on Song Ge?

The revelation threw Jiang Shumo for a loop, but she recovered quickly. So what? Half the customers who went there were there for Song Ge.

“You know you can’t hold your liquor and still ordered a drink?”

Jiang Shumo squeezed her shoulder. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…”

Yan Qingxu steeled herself, still plastered against Jiang Shumo’s chest, and shot back defiantly. “Yeah, I did it on purpose.”

Before Jiang Shumo could respond, she twisted like a spoiled child, her voice going all saccharine. “I just wanted to get close to you~”

The tone sent goosebumps prickling down Jiang Shumo’s arms.

Jiang Shumo: “…”

Even though she had known all along, hearing it out loud left her a bit exasperated. “There were so many people watching just now—”

Truth be told, she wasn’t a fan of airing her feelings in public like that, especially not in front of a crowd. But… she didn’t exactly mind Yan Qingxu’s attention either.

Little Yan Pig was pretty cute, after all.

Before she could finish, Yan Qingxu jumped in eagerly. “I could just pretend to be drunk and bow out early!”

Only then did Yan Qingxu look up, her eyes bright and clear—no trace of a buzz left. “Isn’t that a perfect excuse?”

Jiang Shumo: “…”

With how clingy she was being, who would buy that she faked drunk just to slip out early?

Yan Qingxu’s eyes lit up even more, like she’d just had a brainstorm. “How about we go eat hotpot instead? We missed out last time, but now it’d be just you and me!”

Jiang Shumo was calling Xiao Zhou to pick her up anyway, so she wouldn’t get her way. Might as well pivot—hotpot with her sounded good enough!

Jiang Shumo: “…”

She eased her grip on Yan Qingxu a fraction. “Stand up straight.”

Yan Qingxu’s smile faltered, her arms tightening around Jiang Shumo’s waist unwillingly. She grumbled under her breath. “Just a little longer…”

What was wrong with a hug between girls? They were screen sweethearts, after all. If she couldn’t get a kiss, she wouldn’t even get a hug?

“Didn’t you say you wanted hotpot?”

Jiang Shumo shot her a sidelong glance. “Do you expect me to carry you there?”

Yan Qingxu: “!!!”

She broke into a beaming grin. “Can I?”

Jiang Shumo: “…No.”

If she had to carry her anywhere, it wouldn’t be a hotpot place—it’d be the hospital.

Yan Qingxu huffed in protest, reluctantly letting go and straightening up. “…Fine, let’s go then.”

Sure, it wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but at least she’d scored hotpot.

~~~

Getting that hotpot wasn’t straightforward. The two of them made a special trip back to their rooms for some serious disguises.

It all tied back to the finale of Mountains and Rivers.

You Xin had rewritten the scene where He Yunqing turned down Ming Zhao’s offer. The rest of the plot adjusted accordingly, with the biggest change being He Yunqing rejecting Prince Jin’s marriage proposal.

The book fans could get behind He Yunqing being awakened by Ming Zhao, unwilling to rot away in the palace and eager to chase her ambitions. But for fans who loved the original novel’s happy romantic ending, it was a tough pill—could they really stomach the leads not ending up together?

You Xin had cleverly added a little Easter egg to smooth things over: He Yunqing, living incognito in a border town as a teacher, runs into an old acquaintance in a blue robe five years later—Prince Jin, who never forgot her. He’d passed the throne to a talented royal cousin and come searching alone.

The tweak won over the fans. Sure, it was a bit far-fetched, but what romance reader didn’t swoon at a prince giving up the crown for love?

The egg dripped with irony, though—Ming Zhao schemed ruthlessly for the throne that Prince Jin tossed aside without a second thought for love.

Mountains and Rivers shed its “possible flop” stigma, earning rave recommendations from bloggers after the finale.

Now in its second broadcast round, the drama’s hype dwarfed the premiere. Ming Zhao stood out as the breakout role, drawing tons of fans to Jiang Shumo. Even when haters piled on, random fans jumped in to defend her.

In this spotlight, the odds of Jiang Shumo and Yan Qingxu getting recognized out in public had skyrocketed. If they were spotted dining together, the internet would explode—mostly aimed at Yan Qingxu.

The reconciliation alone had cost her a chunk of diehard fans. Photos of them eating together…

Jiang Shumo didn’t even want to imagine the fallout.

But Yan Qingxu, never one to shy from drama, snapped pics of their hotpot feast anyway. Not just the food—she took a selfie too, dragging Jiang Shumo into the frame.

After returning to the hotel, Yan Qingxu finally finished editing her caption and posted it separately to Moments and Weibo—Moments for some genuine life sharing, and Weibo to show it to the Chichi crew.

She had pretended to be drunk not to take advantage of Jiang Shumo’s body, but to drag Jiang Shumo out for hotpot.

…Well, her scheme had fallen through, so she had to settle for second best.

“@YanQingxuV: Feeling great today, headed out for hotpot with Highness Ming Zhao~ [Image][Image][Image]”

The first image showed a yin-yang hotpot, with red oil bubbling furiously on one side and a milky-white broth on the other. It looked so tantalizing that one could almost smell the fresh, spicy, numbing aroma, whetting the appetite instantly.

The second was a filter-free selfie of a beauty in a hat and mask, but the striking phoenix eyes peeking out made it unmistakable: Yan Qingxu herself.

In the third, Yan Qingxu was dressed the same way but occupied only a third of the frame. Her phoenix eyes curved in a smile as she glanced sideways, and the camera had clearly tilted to follow her gaze, trying to capture the person next to her. That figure was dressed similarly, in a hat and mask, and seemed oblivious to the movement beside her as she looked straight ahead.

Even with just their eyes visible, plenty of netizens were utterly slain by their beauty—

[Oh my god, those are such perfect phoenix eyes. Yan Qingxu’s gaze is so distinctive!]

[Done in by Jiang Shumo’s eyelashes. Is she an eyelash spirit? I’m dying from the beauty!]

[Snacking on this CP here—no one’s gonna curse me out, right? I just love watching pretty girls get cozy!]

[I’m still crying over He Yunqing getting revenge on Ming Zhao, and you two sneak off for hotpot?! Doesn’t your conscience hurt? Where’s your morality, your sense of decency, and hey, what’s the hotpot shop’s address?]

[…]

Surprisingly, Yan Qingxu’s fans and the other netizens were remarkably unified in their comments—either fawning over Yan Qingxu’s looks or Jiang Shumo’s.

None of the unfriendly remarks she had imagined appeared.

After all, the truly extreme fans who couldn’t accept Yan Qingxu’s quiet reconciliation had already unfollowed her during the last controversy. The remaining fans, taking Yan Qingxu’s attitude into account, weren’t about to leave nasty comments about Jiang Shumo. And there was one more reason: Jiang Shumo’s portrayal of Ming Zhao was just too perfect!

With that Ming Zhao filter in place, it was hard for them to say anything too harsh about her.

It just went to show how vital character filters were!

The next day, the Chichi shoot wrapped up, and the leads were free to head home.

Before leaving, Yan Qingxu still went to ask Jiang Shumo, “Where are you planning to go play?”

She figured she’d check her own schedule—maybe they’d cross paths.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shumo let out a sigh. “Can’t play for now.”

She had told Liu Wan about her plans to travel right away, only for Liu Wan to remind her that Mountains and Rivers was still airing to massive popularity. Her fame was at its peak, so unless she went abroad, traveling domestically would mean getting recognized by passersby left and right. She’d be too constrained the whole time, so it was better to wait until the hype died down.

Jiang Shumo thought it over and agreed it made sense, so she temporarily scrapped her travel plans.

“!!!”

This was such great news that Yan Qingxu’s mood instantly brightened. “Then, can I go home with you?”

Jiang Shumo: “…?”

Little Yan Pig wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore, was she?

A beat late, Yan Qingxu realized she’d let her inner thoughts slip out. She cleared her throat. “I mean, can I stay at your place for a few days? I’ve been missing Aunt Qiu’s cooking!”

Jiang Shumo fell silent for a moment. “…Aren’t you going to check on your cat?”

“!”

With that reminder, Yan Qingxu suddenly remembered that Little Beauty had been at her parents’ house for over half a year now. Who knew if it had been fattened up into a little piggy? She panicked at once. “You’re right! I need to bring Little Beauty back first.”

Jiang Shumo nodded in approval.

What kind of owner didn’t go check on their beloved pet?

But right after, Yan Qingxu said with utter sincerity, “Then, can I bring Little Beauty to your place?”

Jiang Shumo: “…”

Bringing the whole family, huh?