Chapter 28: Sweetheart Part 2

Xi Xi still hadn’t gotten up. She was sleeping so soundly it was like she was in a coma. When Liu Song kept calling her, she got annoyed and yanked her onto the bed to sleep together.

Even without much lighting, the viewers could tell Liu Song’s face had turned red.

【Switching perspectives now feels like a blind mole rat bouncing around in a melon patch.】

【Xi Xi’s figure… slurp slurp… Liu Song, you’re so lucky.】

【The scenery here is gorgeous.】

【Why can’t our lesbians get married? I really wanna see Xi Xi and Liu Song tie the knot…】

【Xi Xi’s straight, no way.】

Yan Muyu was practically sleepwalking. After being woken by Qiu Siyuan and changing clothes, she went straight to splash water on her face.

Pei Wan happened to be in the yard helping Liu Song pump water from the well, the handle creaking rhythmically with each pull.

It was just barely dawn, the moon still hung in the sky, and the birds in the mountain woods probably hadn’t woken up yet.

Yan Muyu yawned and glanced at Liu Song, who was washing her face at the basin. A bit dazed, she asked, “Wasn’t Xi Xi supposed to go tea picking? How come it’s you?”

She still remembered Liu Song drawing the fun job of cow herding yesterday.

Liu Song dunked her face into the basin. A few seconds later, she lifted her dripping face and said, “Sister Xi couldn’t get up. Cow herding doesn’t start this early anyway, so I’ll cover for her.”

【So tragic.】

【True young miss energy from Xi Xi.】

【Yan Muyu seems pretty chill all of a sudden…】

【Cow herding… What kind of variety show actually makes you herd cows!!!】

【Can you even sleep well on this show?】

【Liu Song… you look like Xi Xi’s manager.】

【Is Xi Xi treating our Song Bao like a servant? Hateful!】

Yan Muyu was speechless for a good while. She worried that starting the first day like this might mean Liu Song would end up slaving away for Xi Xi for real.

But this little sister didn’t seem upset at all. In fact, she looked downright cheerful.

Before long, the production team handed out their gear. Yan Muyu was assigned to drive the electric tricycle to the village to sell vegetables—and conveniently drop Liu Song off at the Tea Pickers’ Gathering Center.

In the faint morning light, Pei Wan watched Yan Muyu climb onto the tricycle and give it a test. When she nearly crashed into the pine tree outside the gate, Pei Wan felt a surge of unease.

She asked, “Do you know how to drive this?”

Yan Muyu had never driven one before. She hesitated with an “uh” and turned the question back. “What about you?”

Pei Wan: “Then I’ll drive. You don’t seem like you’ve ever handled an electric vehicle.”

She had that soft-spoken, scholarly air about her—the type who’d always been the top student, exactly the campus goddess vibe Yan Muyu avoided like the plague.

Yan Muyu nodded. “You give it a shot first.”

The next second, the viewers heard a louder thud. The pine tree at the courtyard entrance took a hit, showering the ground with pinecones.

Yan Muyu: “Whoa.”

Liu Song: “Whoa!”

Pei Wan was seeing stars, while Qiu Siyuan took a deep breath beside her. She thought to herself that this crew didn’t even need scriptwriters—they were comedy gold on their own.

【I’m dying laughing hahaha. One second: “Then I’ll drive.” Next second: Crash!】

【Yan Muyu’s twitching lips are iconic.】

【Liu Song… why are you still clapping?】

【Early morning and you’re not sleeping—let the squirrels in the tree get some rest!】

【This bit’s definitely gonna get them flamed for damaging vegetation.】

【Pei Wan’s expression is still so calm…】

Pei Wan: “Sorry, it’s been too long since I drove one. Let me try again…”

Yan Muyu: “You and Liu Song sit in the back. I’ll drive.”

The mountain village at 4:30 was thick with humidity. Even in summer, there was a chill in the air.

All three wore jackets. Yan Muyu’s loose cotton one paired nicely with her black cargo pants below, fitting the image of someone hauling goods in a truck.

Pei Wan: “You sure you can handle it?”

Yan Muyu tested the brakes, throttle, and reverse.

A few minutes later, she looped around and pulled up in front of Pei Wan. She’d made the tricycle handle like a sports car. Lifting her chin, she said, “You don’t seem like you’ve ever driven an electric vehicle.”

Pei Wan: …

Liu Song: “That’s awesome!”

【Baby, you’re the best hype girl.】

【Yan Muyu’s holding a grudge xs】

【Why does pulling the handbrake look so cool on her? Someone wake me up…】

【Sister Pei Wan, don’t be sad. I’ll love you.】

And just like that, the tricycle rumbled off with two passengers in the cargo bed.

The follow-cam was on an electric scooter, so the footage had some shake to it.

This kind of live stream was utterly novel. Kicking off at dawn, it quickly claimed the top spot on the live rankings.

At first, lots of people thought it was some survival challenge. But when they tuned in and saw one stunning woman after another, they hunkered down in the chat.

Not to mention Liu Song, who had a natural urge to sing. Sitting in the back, she hummed a few bars.

Yan Muyu found driving the tricycle for the first time surprisingly easy.

The electric tricycle chugged toward the village market, morning breeze tousling her hair. In the close-up, Yan Muyu’s face still carried traces of sleepiness, but she seemed in a good mood.

Maybe it was the charming mountain village scenery, or the fresh experience—at least it was captivating the audience.

The Tea Pickers’ Gathering Center was closer than the village market. They dropped Liu Song off first.

Yan Muyu sat in the driver’s seat watching Liu Song squeeze into the crowd. The follow-cam, probably seeing this vibrant scene for the first time, shook like crazy.

Pei Wan let out an “oh.” “They have to fight for spots like this?”

The live stream overlaid text explanations about seasonal tea varieties and the local economy.

For Yan Muyu’s side, a staffer provided commentary.

“It’s peak season now. Average tea pickers make about five hundred a day.”

Pei Wan: “Five hundred?! That’s insane—worth more than both of us make in a week.”

Staffer: “From dawn to dusk, the fast ones can pick over a hundred pounds…”

Yan Muyu let out a “whoa,” too quick for post-production to bleep it—the beep came late.

“That’s incredible.”

Staffer: “Most are from out of town. Lots of tea mountains around here, always short on hands.”

Yan Muyu: “Then why didn’t you assign us all to tea picking?”

Staffer: “We’re filming a variety show, not Metamorphosis.”

【Hahaha, poor PD!!!】

【Dead, what kind of dumb question is that? Yan Muyu, you ain’t never worked a day!】

【I wanna see her suffer now… Tea picking’s brutal, wrecks your back even if the pay’s good.】

【Hard work pays off! Same everywhere!】

In Liu Song’s camera feed, she looked small, pitiful, and helpless.

She’d snagged a job and been assigned to a specific tea field. A kind auntie even gave her a tea basket and hat, then invited her onto the back of an electric cart to head out picking.

【Baby, you’re carrying your manager on your back big time.】

【Meanwhile, Xi Xi’s still snoozing…】

【Can’t imagine Xi Xi jostling through this crowd…】

【Xi Xi’s the type who glows post-divorce… Who the hell recommended this show to her? So savage.】

Yan Muyu and Pei Wan didn’t linger. They headed straight off to buy vegetables.

After they left, the cameras in the remaining guests’ rooms at the Little Mud House flicked on.

Qiu Chao had woken early—or rather, when Qiu Siyuan slipped in.

But she was still sleepy. Buried under the covers, she grabbed her phone, logged into the Whale Entertainment app with her alt account, and tuned into the stream to watch Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu was selling vegetables with Pei Wan. It wasn’t much of a market—just stalls at a crossroads.

Tofu, cooked foods, meat and poultry, all thick with rural flavor.

Not just Yan Muyu—Pei Wan and plenty of viewers had never seen the like.

By five a.m., the chat was exploding with comments. Lots had seen the buzz on Weibo and piled in to check out this rustic variety show.

Yan Muyu and Pei Wan screamed city folk, even in their budget outfits—their vibes stood out.

Pei Wan had that heavy bookish aura, while Yan Muyu gave off rich airhead jock energy.

She had no clue what anything cost per jin and blankly asked Pei Wan if her guess was right.

Pei Wan had a vague idea but couldn’t haggle to save her life.

They looked doomed.

【We’re screwed. Not one reliable person in this bunch—all fairies.】

【Yan Muyu, you got scammed and think you came out ahead?!】

【I suddenly got curious what Qiu Chao’s words would look like…】

【Qiu Chao and Liu Song seem the most reliable— one used to set up stalls as a kid, the other comes from a family that runs a shop…】

【Tomorrow, swap people for grocery shopping!!】

【Wahhh, Liu Song clumsily picking tea leaves—Mommy feels so bad for her!】

Qiu Chao wasn’t paying the slightest attention to anyone else’s moods. She stared at Yan Muyu on her phone screen, her mind drifting back to the other’s steady breathing in the dead of night.

Yan Muyu’s sleep had been light, but even when Qiu Chao leaned in close to her cheek, she hadn’t stirred.

In the dim light, Qiu Chao had traced Yan Muyu’s features with her fingertip, then gently touched her lips.

It had been years since she’d wanted to crawl into bed with her again, but the single bed was too small—waking Yan Muyu would have ruined everything.

Besides, what she craved was a quiet, peaceful kiss.

The kiss landed at the corner of Yan Muyu’s lips, then shifted to brush her full mouth.

It had been so long since she’d felt Yan Muyu’s tenderness.

That drunken gentleness, the intimate whispers by her ear, soft and lingering, as if Qiu Chao truly was her sweetheart, her precious baby.

What a pity—if only she’d been a little bolder back then.

After all, it was Yan Muyu who’d taken her away. After all, it had been her birthday. After all, she hadn’t been entirely sober.

Could she make Yan Muyu fully aware, make her remember Qiu Chao’s name?

That night, her life had flashed before her eyes in endless loops as she lay sprawled on the ground, tears streaming down her face in utter desperation.

Her eyes had been red-rimmed, her once-broken nose—now healed—even then a faint flaw marring her otherwise exquisite features like a chip in fine porcelain.

She’d had her nose fixed perfectly now, though some people said it looked like she’d gotten fillers.

The dip hadn’t been too noticeable, but Yan Muyu’s breath had washed over it, right after that off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday,” as she leaned in close.

She’d called her Xiao Miao. Why are you crying?

Her savior had mistaken her for someone else.

She’d thought Qiu Chao was that flirtatious Xiao Miao from the bathroom.

But it didn’t matter. She could be intimate with this spirited girl right in front of her.

Qiu Siyuan startled as she pushed through the door.

Of course she could tell it wasn’t Wen Miao—Wen Miao never wore skirts that long. She always favored ones that barely skimmed her hips.

Yan Muyu’s beautiful hands wrapped around the girl’s waist, the angle just right for Qiu Siyuan to spot the scars on her legs.

They looked like the marks of cruel abuse, heartbreaking in their pity.

Or perhaps like a graft onto a life that should have been one of lonely hardship, suddenly stirring up a storm of shock and turmoil.

The music blared loudly. Yan Muyu seemed clear-headed, but she could barely make out faces.

This embrace left Qiu Chao’s heart pounding wildly, as if it might leap right out of her chest.

Qiu Siyuan demanded, “Who are you?”

Yan Muyu leaned in closer still, her breath carrying the scent of rosemary, leaving Qiu Chao dizzy and lightheaded.

Qiu Chao fled.

From that day on, every single day, Qiu Chao daydreamed about that embrace.

The warmth of those palms at her waist, the indulgence, the adoration, and those soft words murmured at her ear—

“Sweetheart.”

As if she, too, could be cherished like that.