Chapter 55: Mahjong God Part 1

Xuan Zhelu never imagined that one day she’d catch a duck disaster from the sky.

Yan Muyu’s throw was spot-on, and Xuan Zhelu had just glanced up at the sound of Qiu Chao stumbling over the threshold. She caught it on pure instinct.

The next second, the audience felt the volume spike as Xuan Zhelu’s agonized wail rang out—

“Yan Muyu, you jerk! Aaaah, it pooped!!!”

【I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts.】

【One second it’s a rom-com, the next it’s straight-up goofy comedy.】

【Did not expect it to be this hilarious when I clicked in.】

【Xuan Zhelu has fully turned into comic relief, save me—I wanna interview her fans so bad.】

【Qiu Chao really overestimated her height; that threshold is no joke.】

【Even Boss Xiao Qing opens the threshold gate when she heads out.】

【Shipping these random NPCs’ romance again…】

【Isn’t Yan Muyu way too smooth at catching people? This scene feels familiar.】

【Yeah, she caught Qiu Chao just the other day too.】

【Sister Qiu’s lost it, so I’m losing it too!!—They’re perfect, get them together NOW!!】

【I always thought Qiu Chao had that untouchable solo beauty vibe despite all the gossip, and none of those guys ever seemed right… Turns out she pairs better with women?】

【What happened to the Xi Xi x Qiu Chao shippers?】

【Liu Song’s got that jealous puppy energy that’s too strong—can’t beat the love-hate tug-of-war of an in-law romance.】

Yan Muyu released the still-dazed Qiu Chao and walked over to Xuan Zhelu, unable to hold back her own laughter.

Pei Wan had heard Xuan Zhelu’s roar too, but Ding Yingxue straight-up lost it and burst out laughing.

Xuan Zhelu sniffled, her despair plain as day.

The warm duck poop made her skin crawl. Yan Muyu sighed and pulled some tissues from her pocket to wipe her down.

Meanwhile, Qiu Chao hadn’t snapped out of it yet.

Her mind was replaying Yan Muyu’s words: “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Try what?

Did she mean what Qiu Chao thought she meant?

Marriage?

No, probably not marriage—dating?

She already felt lightheaded, and Pei Wan, thinking she looked unwell, leaned in. “Are you sick?”

Qiu Chao let out a laugh, her expression almost dreamy, floating on cloud nine.

But she was a pro at masking her feelings. With her back to the camera, the viewers couldn’t tell just yet.

“I’m fine.”

Qiu Chao’s voice still sounded faint. The next moment, she started to sway again, and Pei Wan quickly steadied her.

She realized the woman’s skin was scorching hot—unusually so.

Pei Wan asked, “Do you have a fever?”

She reached up to feel Qiu Chao’s forehead and found the temperature normal.

Qiu Chao shook her head. “Really, I’m okay.”

She puffed out her cheeks, took a deep breath, and couldn’t hide the sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

At first glance, she looked just like an giddy little girl—even Pei Wan found it adorable.

【Did Qiu Chao sneak some drinks? She seems kinda tipsy.】

【They had that whole flirty chase vibe a second ago… hilarious.】

【Wahh, over a decade as a fan and I never knew Sister Qiu had this side!!】

【Did Yan Muyu whisper something to her?】

【This seals it—she’s totally into Yan Muyu. Looks just like me at sixteen with a crush.】

【Sigh, the person I crushed on at that age was a total scumbag. What’s up with that? Qiu Chao’s gonna get played like this.】

【What are y’all worrying about? She almost married into a big-shot family at eighteen.】

【And if she leaves the elite world, she’ll make a glamorous comeback, right?】

Qiu Chao patted her cheeks, trying to steady her racing heart. Over there, Yan Muyu had finished wiping the duck poop off Xuan Zhelu.

Xuan Zhelu’s face was just too funny, though. Ding Yingxue couldn’t stop laughing, and even Yan Muyu cracked up—while agreeing that the poop stank.

Yan Muyu said, “Your luck is unreal. Go buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.”

Xuan Zhelu shot her a glare. “This is all your fault for throwing it. Look how scared the duck got.”

Yan Muyu replied, “What a shame—it doesn’t scare-poop. Would you rather get peed on?”

She always had a comeback; no one could win an argument with her, let alone Xuan Zhelu right after her “sky poop” incident.

【Shut up already.】

【This moment’s going in the hall of fame for variety show shenanigans.】

【I live for these random chaotic scenes hahaha.】

【Sigh, Xuan Zhelu’s fans on the front page are ripping into her for being so unladylike on this show just to chase a girl! Total image killer.】

Yan Muyu kept laughing as she wiped, looking a bit mean but actually being pretty gentle about it.

Boss Hong came over and asked Xuan Zhelu if she wanted to change clothes. Xuan Zhelu glanced at Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu said, “You can head back to change if you want, but then Boss Hong’s treating us to dinner.”

She seemed in high spirits, even lighter than before, which put Xuan Zhelu at ease.

Yan Muyu tossed the tissue and told Hong Long to take Xuan Zhelu to change. “Xi Xi and Liu Song can have their little world—Liu Song loves Xi Xi’s cooking anyway.”

【She really loves taking shots at Xi Xi…】

【Hahahaha, Xi Xi’s noodles are nightmare fuel! Liu Song, don’t get food poisoning!!】

【Liu Song’s probably cooking right now lmao—picturing that jealous puppy by the fire.】

Pei Wan asked, “Aren’t we calling them?”

Yan Muyu said, “Xi Xi’s too lazy; she won’t come.”

Pei Wan couldn’t argue with that and went off to help Xiao Qing with dinner.

Hong Long led Xuan Zhelu away to change, while Qiu Chao and Ding Yingxue kept checking on the dogs. Yan Muyu grabbed her camera from the car and wandered around.

Night had fully fallen outside. Some elders who had finished dinner sat by their doors, chatting idly.

Yan Muyu strolled with her camera on her back, making the follow-cam a little shaky.

By the time Qiu Chao finished looking at the puppies and turned around, Yan Muyu was nowhere in sight.

Xiao Qing and Pei Wan whipped up dinner fast.

Hong Long set the table, and Xuan Zhelu, now changed into one of Xiao Qing’s outfits, was full of questions about everything in the village. The stream even added tag effects to the screen.

Qiu Chao asked, “Where’s Little Yan?”

Xuan Zhelu was wearing a trendy green-and-white polka-dot set—Boss Wu clearly loved bright, colorful clothes. With her hair tied back, she looked puzzled as she asked Qiu Chao, “Wasn’t she with you?”

Qiu Chao scanned off-camera.

She fired off a WeChat to Yan Muyu.

No reply.

A staffer pointed the way, and Qiu Chao set off to find her.

Yan Muyu had always loved wandering. These past few years, she hadn’t shot many portraits, but her landscape photos were plentiful.

Her social media albums always wowed people with their killer angles—ordinary shots that captured an effortless vibe.

They hinted at something extraordinary about her.

Yan Muyu wandered aimlessly, passing elders chatting by doorways. Village nights were quiet, busier only during tea-picking season.

Most of the left-behind elders and kids came out after dinner. Little ones played in small groups by the roadside, a few dashing to the village shop at the entrance.

It was a sunken mini-supermarket, a step up from Boss Xiao Qing’s converted cooperative store.

Yan Muyu peered down from above and spotted people playing mahjong.

She hopped right down to join.

【This girl’s a true wanderer.】

【Love this filming style—feels so real.】

【Bet a ton of people will tourist here after the show’s over.】

【Lmao, Yan Muyu actually sat down to play mahjong.】

When Qiu Chao found Yan Muyu, she’d already lost a round.

She wore an oversized cotton tee and fit right in with the table of folks way older than her, chatting and laughing easily.

Onlookers tossed her tips, but Yan Muyu frowned in concentration, playing super seriously.

【She’s trash at this.】

【Thought my skills were bad, but… wow.】

【Kinda feel bad for her now.】

【Doesn’t the camera feel embarrassed? Lmao, that grandma’s disdainful look was gold.】

Yan Muyu only had thirty bucks in her pocket—it was gone the moment she sat down.

Spotting the woman strolling down gracefully, she lit up like she’d found her savior. “Quick, Qiu Chao—lend me some cash.”

The sunken supermarket’s entrance was piled with odds and ends, its glass cases straight out of another era.

Across from the mahjong table sat a square case stuffed with snacks. The camera panned over it, stirring childhood memories for plenty of viewers.

Locals glanced curiously at the newcomer, then back at Yan Muyu.

Viewers couldn’t see the camera, but locals could—and even the kids shifted their gaze from the TV to Qiu Chao.

In the stream, it was like Qiu Chao had pulled every eye to her.

【Why does Qiu Chao always show up with this glow…】

【Yan Muyu looks like a deadbeat gambler who bagged a drop-dead gorgeous wife.】

【Harsh! But her mahjong game’s straight garbage.】

【Did she dump all her skill points elsewhere?】

Qiu Chao was speechless too. She’d never pegged Yan Muyu for someone who’d jump into a mahjong game.

Off-camera staff probably hadn’t seen anyone blend in with the locals this fast.

It fit Qiu Siyuan’s variety show vibe perfectly—total local immersion. Yan Muyu had even picked up some dialect.

For card calls, naturally—with a goofy accent that had the watching kids cracking up.

Qiu Chao said, “I don’t have any money.”

Yan Muyu turned desperately to the off-camera producer. “Can I use my own money to pay up?”

The producer replied, “No.”

Yan Muyu said, “Cut that out. Then lend me fifty.”

She declared it so boldly and righteously that the producer was momentarily stunned.

【Hahahahaha, asking for money so aggressively!】

【Qiu Chao even nodded along.】

【Didn’t I vaguely hear that Qiu Chao knows how to play cards too?】

【It was on her last flying guest variety show—she mentioned it herself, but never actually showed it.】

The producer replied, “That’s not a good idea.”

Yan Muyu shot back, “I’m already here, and it’s not like I won’t pay you back.”

With a sigh, she added, “Fine then. I’ll just call Qiu Siyuan. I know she’s holed up in her room, staring at my every move all day long.”

Yan Muyu spoke at a rapid clip, lacing her words with digs and mockery—it came off utterly passive-aggressive no matter how you sliced it.

The producer: ……

The very next second, a message from the director popped up: Give it to her.

Yan Muyu gleefully pocketed the fifty bucks and was about to take her seat when Qiu Chao blocked her path.

Yan Muyu blinked. “You can play?”

Qiu Chao arched a brow. “You think you know everything about me?”

She was in high spirits that day. With a graceful sweep of her hair, she settled onto the wooden stool with elegant poise.

Yan Muyu knew full well how lousy her own card skills were—she’d been relentlessly teased about it by Shen Tianqing in the past.

“Don’t blow hot air,” Yan Muyu warned.

Qiu Chao glanced up at her. From this angle, the warm yellow lamplight set the glitter on her eyeshadow ablaze, making even her blinks mesmerizingly beautiful.

“What if I win back every cent you lost?” Qiu Chao teased.

She regarded Yan Muyu with leisurely amusement amid the crisp clatter of shuffling mahjong tiles, mingled with the small supermarket’s ambient chatter.

Yet the way the two women locked eyes infused the scene with a soft, lingering intimacy for the onlookers.

It was as if the merest brush of their gazes ignited invisible undercurrents beyond the audience’s sight.

Yan Muyu cut straight to it. “Just say what you want.”

Qiu Chao’s smile turned flirtatiously alluring. “Then you carry me all the way back.”