Chapter 50: Birthday Gift Part 2

【Holy shit! Am I seeing this right?!!】

【This is too intense!!】

【Am I blind or has the show gone off the rails??】

【No need to go this far just for hype!!】

【Is Yan Muyu really the top? I’m starting to doubt it…】

【That close-up is killer. This slow-mo is saving my life! I seriously suggest Director Qiu make a movie instead.】

Yan Muyu was just about to push her away when Qiu Chao said, “You’ve got an eyelash on your face.”

Her voice was soft and gentle as she blew it away.

Yan Muyu instinctively closed her eyes.

But Qiu Chao let go and walked off with a smile.

【Qiu Chao lives up to the hype… total dream girl.】

【I’m conquered.】

【Need Yan Muyu’s trauma right now…】

【This isn’t what we were promised! Wasn’t it supposed to be the yuri-obsessed sister-in-law plotting after the straight wife?】

~~~

Thankfully, they reached their destination after squeezing through the alley.

The breakfast stall was packed. The rest of the group had split into three tables, and Xuan Zhelu waved as soon as she spotted Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu had barely reached her when Xuan Zhelu grabbed her hand to inspect it. “How is it? How many days till it heals?”

Yan Muyu sat down next to Xuan Zhelu, which left Qiu Chao no choice but to join Xi Xi’s table.

Xuan Zhelu had assumed Qiu Chao would squeeze in with them too, but she really didn’t.

She glanced at Qiu Chao, now settled beside Liu Song, then back at Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu ordered a bowl of wontons. She eyed what the others were eating and added some local specialty: azure buckwheat balls.

Yan Muyu said, “I told you it’s fine. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

She looked at Xuan Zhelu. “Didn’t sleep well?”

Even with makeup, Xuan Zhelu looked radiant, nothing like the frazzled mess who’d nearly tumbled down the stairs that morning.

But a variety show laid everything bare—her morning impatience had been caught on camera, and even Sun Sitiao had bombarded her with WeChat messages asking if her life was that miserable.

And there were more headaches to come.

Still, Xuan Zhelu figured she had it better than Sun Sitiao’s incurable lovesickness, no matter how much herbal tonic she choked down.

After all, she’d actually dated Yan Muyu for real.

Xuan Zhelu said, “Yeah, sleeping alone is so lonely. You all had someone to share with.”

【Is this a hint? This is straight-up blatant!】

【Xuan-jie, get a grip! I know you don’t live off fans, but no need to be this bold…】

【What breed is Yan Muyu? She attracts…】

Yan Muyu replied, “Then you sleep downstairs tonight.”

Xuan Zhelu stammered, “I…”

Yan Muyu continued, “How about you and Qiu Chao share?”

Xuan Zhelu protested, “Why would you say that? How could I possibly share a room with Teacher Qiu Chao?”

Yan Muyu shot back, “Would it be appropriate for me to share with you?”

She said it so matter-of-factly that when the camera panned over, Ding Yingxue watched the drama unfold with wide eyes, nearly snorting her porridge and earning a thwack from Pei Wan.

【This show’s pretty great. Front-row seats to the gossip.】

【I feel like Ding Yingxue knows all the tea. Can she drop a recap after the show?】

【Yan Muyu’s pretty straightforward.】

【Hahaha, doesn’t this confirm they’ve dated?】

Xuan Zhelu insisted, “Just sleeping, nothing else.”

The boss brought over Yan Muyu’s wontons, and Xuan Zhelu passed her the chili sauce. Yan Muyu took it and said, “Exactly, no.”

She turned to Xuan Zhelu. “We’re here to experience the place. Don’t dwell on nonsense. Focus on work.”

In front of Xuan Zhelu, Yan Muyu always carried a bit of that older-sister tone, lecturing with weight. Ding Yingxue thought it felt a little off.

Xuan Zhelu murmured, “Can’t I be the one to break your rules?”

Her voice was soft, but the mics were crystal clear that day—even amid the din, her wistful complaint came through loud and clear.

The audience caught the full weight of her regret and longing, mirrored in her gaze fixed on Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu replied simply, “No.”

She was her usual self, just a bit clumsy spooning with her left hand since her right was injured.

But she wasn’t remotely pitiful.

In Xuan Zhelu’s memory, this woman never cheapened herself. Even after she’d touched her, hugged her, had her—if only briefly—she slipped away like a breeze across the face, impossible to hold onto.

The security Yan Muyu offered was always fleeting.

Even now, she still felt steady in her presence.

Xuan Zhelu grumbled, “You’re so annoying.”

Ding Yingxue couldn’t take it anymore. She glanced at Pei Wan, who was staring at her phone, texting someone.

Ding Yingxue looked again, but Pei Wan had already locked the screen.

【This is straight-up coquetry.】

【Xuan Zhelu’s big-sis idol persona is in tatters.】

【Older women crushing on even older women…】

【I think it’s fine. Yan Muyu shutting it down like this avoids any more ambiguity later.】

【She’s been keeping distance since Xuan Zhelu showed up.】

【Sure, it’s good TV, but I like it anyway. Shows what kind of person Yan Muyu is.】

【Her worry when Xuan Zhelu almost fell was genuine too. Explains why Xuan Zhelu…】

Yan Muyu said, “Yeah, then why’d you come? Didn’t your manager warn you?”

Her voice was clear and lazy, half-joking.

Xuan Zhelu replied, “She chewed me out. Even rolled her eyes at me this morning.”

With the manager absent and the vibe perfect for chatting amid the noisy, accented bustle—the steaming heat dissolving the awkwardness from Yan Muyu’s rebuff—Xuan Zhelu let her composure slip.

Yan Muyu warned, “You spill everything. One hot search about you beefing with your manager, and your fans will unfollow in droves.”

Xuan Zhelu sighed. “What fans? I got flak just for joining this show, but I came anyway.”

Her tone was stubbornly defiant as she blinked up at Yan Muyu with puppy eyes. “Can’t you be a little touched? I even took a pay cut!”

【Begging now?!】

【Wanna poll Xuan Zhelu stans’ feelings rn…】

Yan Muyu said, “I’m super touched. Now stop leaning over.”

Xuan Zhelu huffed. “If you’re touched, take me off your blacklist.”

【She’s blocked?! LMAO】

【What is this plot? Wife-chasing across a thousand miles?】

【Meanwhile Qiu Chao and Xi Xi are chatting about clinics.】

【My brain’s stuck on Qiu Chao cupping Yan Muyu’s face. Visually, she matches Yan Muyu better.】

Yan Muyu exclaimed, “Why’d you have to say that out loud?”

Xuan Zhelu retorted, “In broad daylight, everyone watching—how could you leave me blocked?”

She was pulling out all the stops.

Yan Muyu hummed and pulled out her phone. Xuan Zhelu leaned in to peek but noticed Yan Muyu’s pinned WeChat contact.

Qiu Chao.

Yan Muyu re-added Xuan Zhelu and was about to ask if that satisfied her when a new message popped up from Yan Tianxing.

It was straightforward.

Yan Tianxing: [Image][Image]

Yan Tianxing: Little aunt, look—it’s this oil painting. Isn’t that Sister Qiu Chao?

【WHAT DID I JUST SEE!!】

【This show’s spilling everything!】

Xuan Zhelu knew it was rude, but curiosity won out. “What oil painting?”

Yan Muyu knew exactly what it was.

If she’d forgotten earlier, the memory had now come flooding back.

Hidden behind the curtains—the gift she’d made for Qiu Chao.

A replica, though.

Qiu Chao had taken the original.

Yan Muyu said, “One I painted for Qiu Chao a long time ago.”

Xuan Zhelu let out an “Ah” and leaned closer. “Can I see?”

Ding Yingxue whispered, “Me too?”

【Lemme see!】

【Is it that partial one Qiu Chao posted during New Year’s? It was stunning, but no full version.】

【Qiu Chao’s so private. Doesn’t seem to have celeb friends or anything.】

Yan Muyu hesitated.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Chao from the next table turned around and handed over her phone. There was the photo of the oil painting.

A woman deep in a snowy mountain, blanketed in white.

The vast world didn’t diminish her at the center.

It easily evoked memories of that photoshoot Yan Muyu had done for Qiu Chao years ago.

【Just like those photos!!】

【Same vibe, but painting first then photos?】

【Am I hallucinating? Feels like Qiu Chao and Yan Muyu are the divorced ones.】

【Was Yan Kai even dating Qiu Chao back then?】

【Help! I never got anything this good even when I was dating!】

【No wonder everyone warns you not to fall for Yan Muyu. Everything she gives feels so high-class.】

【Xuan Zhelu, are you jealous?】

【Qiu Chao, don’t get too smug about it.】

【I’d be smug too if I got one. How does Yan Muyu know how to do everything?】

Xuan Zhelu did feel a twinge of jealousy, but it wasn’t that dramatic—because the painting really was stunning.

Her first reaction wasn’t jealousy at all. It was pure shock.

Qiu Chao was beautiful, of course, but not every female celebrity came across that way in photos.

Yet from her debut onward, Qiu Chao had scarcely a single bad shot.

Yan Muyu had placed her at the pinnacle. Even other stars of similar fame had done high-end magazine spreads, but none had outshone Qiu Chao’s set.

A true lens captured the soul, and so did that brush.

Everyone in the room thought of that photoshoot now.

Gazing at the photo of this oil painting, they couldn’t help wondering: Who deserved the credit?

It was like certain directors who could never coax allure from female stars, yet made even their plain-looking wives glow with unexpected charm under the camera.

In Yan Muyu’s gaze, Qiu Chao grew more captivating by the day.

That had been over a decade ago.

What about now?

【I suddenly feel so hot.】

【Is there really some secret here?】

【Qiu Chao didn’t get together with Yan Kai just to get close to Yan Muyu, did she?】

【If she likes Yan Muyu, and Yan Muyu’s a lesbian anyway, why go the long way around?】

【So weird.】

Yan Muyu said, “Why do you still have it?”

Qiu Chao shot back, “Then why do you still have yours?”

Xi Xi went to pay the bill. The Boss Lady urged them to finish eating and head out.

The rain outside was still falling, though not hard enough to warrant umbrellas.

They strolled along under the eaves, making their way to the Fish Lamp Workshop.

Qiu Chao stuck close to Yan Muyu’s side. She could have stepped ahead to stay dry, but she insisted on walking abreast.

It was as if all her stubbornness went into that one detail, her intentions plain as day.

Yan Muyu said, “That was just a copy. I forgot to have the housekeeper toss it.”

Qiu Chao replied, “You gave it to me. It’s worth cherishing for a lifetime.”

Yan Muyu avoided Qiu Chao’s gaze, but reached out to nudge her ahead.

Her palm felt a little sore, a little itchy.

As they passed the noisy blacksmith’s shop, Yan Muyu asked, “What about your first love, then? Why not go back to him?”