It was a real shame she wasn’t in intelligence work.
Yan Muyu was pulled aside by Liu Song to sit down. Li Xi naturally handed her a pile of unpeeled edamame beans.
She didn’t forget to tease Yan Muyu either. “You’ve got one of those faces that’s easy to block.”
Yan Muyu shot back, “Don’t come at me like that. The only messages I get are people asking for my WeChat.”
Li Xi just smiled.
Yan Muyu went on, “If someone’s blocked you, just unblock them.”
She grabbed Liu Song’s phone and pulled up Li Xi’s WeChat profile as she spoke. “It might’ve been the kid at home who did it. My niece pulled that on me once—blocked a bunch of my friends.”
Li Xi asked, “How old is Song Bao’s niece?”
The tension crackled even through the screen for the viewers at home, let alone for Yan Muyu right there on the scene.
Liu Song insisted, “I don’t have a niece, but I really don’t know what happened.”
Yan Muyu pressed, “How long has it been since you two talked? No way—you lost touch right after that survival show ended?”
Liu Song replied, “No, I even sent Sister Xi some local specialties.”
【Liu Song doesn’t seem like the type to chat much on social media, does she…?】
【That’s my impression too. She’s young, but her habits are anything but trendy.】
【The specialties weren’t stinky grass, right?】
Li Xi clarified, “Were you talking about me, or your manager?”
【I’m done for—wheeling in the ventilator.】
【The resident psycho on this show must be rotating.】
【Li Xi’s savage! Is this scripted?】
【Yan Muyu’s speechless face has me rolling, hahaha.】
Liu Song explained, “You. I sent stuff to the address you gave me. Every year. It’s in Shuangxuan District…”
Li Xi hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ve moved ages ago. Didn’t you know I opened a bar?”
Rain was still pattering down into the courtyard. Yan Muyu suddenly decided that Xuan Zhelu seemed pretty decent after all—at least she wasn’t as aggressively confrontational as Li Xi.
And this wasn’t even an ex. How did she pull this off…?
By comparison, Qiu Chao seemed downright adorable.
Yan Muyu took a deep breath. “Can we save this for tonight? You haven’t peeled many beans—look how worked up the kid is.”
Liu Song kept her head down, absently pinching at the pods. She looked visibly dejected.
Li Xi said bluntly, “I came because I missed you.”
She was so straightforward that even Yan Muyu, the eager spectator, started squirming in her seat.
Liu Song murmured, “I thought you were mad.”
She added softly, “Back then.”
Yan Muyu thought to herself: Relationship drama was such a pain. The audience probably loved it, but she’d rather be upstairs smooching with Qiu Chao.
What a miscalculation.
The next second, Xi Xi emerged. She shoved Yan Muyu aside and plopped down next to Liu Song. Looking straight at Li Xi, she declared, “I did the blocking.”
Yan Muyu and Liu Song blurted out in unison, “Huh?”
~~~
Li Xi had always been a hot topic—a former variety show debutante who’d vanished from the spotlight years ago—and now Liu Song was a top-streaming singer.
Ever since Li Xi had shown up the day before, the trending topics had been packed with related searches.
By noon, her direct questioning had shot them back to the top.
LiuSongBlocksLiXi#
FormerYangLiu#
XiXiIDidTheBlock#
…
Lunchtime rolled around, and Qiu Chao came downstairs. Yan Muyu had planned to bring her some food, but Qiu Chao had been lying down too long and wanted to stretch her legs.
She was the sort who could never sit still anyway. While others her age had been out playing, she’d been working; now, at her current age, she was still making up for all that missed teenage fun. Yan Muyu teased her about her workaholic life.
Viewers who’d assumed Qiu Chao wouldn’t show her face watched in astonishment as Yan Muyu carried her down the stairs.
Qiu Chao had been in high spirits at first, but once downstairs, she immediately sensed the off-kilter atmosphere.
She glanced at Yan Muyu, who just shrugged.
Li Xi was sitting next to Yan Muyu, putting on a show of casual chit-chat with Pei Wan.
Pei Wan was clearly trying to smooth things over.
Ding Yingxue was asking Liu Song whether her own sister’s cooking was any good.
The vibe was still… excruciatingly awkward.
Qiu Chao looked to Yan Muyu again.
Yan Muyu pointed at her phone, signaling for Qiu Chao to check her messages.
Qiu Chao whispered, “My phone’s in your pocket.”
Her voice was barely audible.
Yan Muyu froze for a second, then patted her other pocket. Lowering her own voice, she asked, “When did you sneak it in there?”
Qiu Chao whispered back without thinking, “When you were carrying me down.”
Yan Muyu replied, “I didn’t exactly volunteer for that piggyback ride.”
Qiu Chao said, “I begged you to do it.”
Yan Muyu let out a knowing hum of agreement.
Neither of them realized how conspicuous their huddled whispering was—like a pair of schoolgirls at adjacent desks passing notes.
【What are they whispering about? I can’t hear a thing.】
【Yan Muyu carried Qiu Chao downstairs? It’s just a fever! I want her to carry me too.】
【Qiu Chao really seems to be cherished.】
【Yan Muyu lives up to the rumors. Her face when she stumbled into that love triangle mess earlier killed me.】
Liu Song ventured, “Should we keep making fish lamps this afternoon?”
Ding Yingxue said, “The director wanted us to do some blacksmithing. I’m over it, but thankfully there were no tools.”
Pei Wan asked, “Fish Lantern Festival is next week for the finale, right? Do we need to make more little fish lamps?”
Ding Yingxue replied, “I made one for the fans. I’ll raffle it off then.”
Liu Song glanced at Xi Xi, still feeling awkward about her earlier bombshell: “I did the blocking.”
But Xi Xi met her eyes without a hint of embarrassment. “What’s with the look? You want to make one too?”
Liu Song said, “Sister Xi, did you forget I already made one?”
Xi Xi let out an “Oh.” “Right, forgot. Why not make one for Li Xi? She’s here now.”
The tension lingered.
Yan Muyu quickly WeChatted Qiu Chao a summary of what had gone down.
She added her take: “Li Xi’s way too aggressive. Feels like I’m on 9898 Golden Eye.”
Qiu Chao: “What’s that?”
Yan Muyu: “It’s a show about mediating all kinds of disputes.”
Qiu Chao: “Did you mediate?”
Yan Muyu: “Hell no. You think this is the kind of thing you can mediate?”
Qiu Chao: “Why would Sister Xi block Li Xi’s WeChat? Did you skip a part?”
Yan Muyu: “They haven’t explained it at all. This could’ve been cleared up with one phone call, and they let it drag on for four years. Impressive.”
The two of them sat there eating—or rather, one barely touched her food while texting up a storm, and the other hadn’t eaten a bite, utterly absorbed in the gossip.
Good thing the production team wasn’t filming their chat screen, or the gossip queen label would be getting reassigned.
Qiu Chao typed: “That’s just because you’re heartless about this stuff. The emotional types are the ones who drag it out—too scared to say it outright.”
Yan Muyu: “?”
She glanced at Qiu Chao and whispered, “Why are you dissing me?”
Qiu Chao whispered back, “I’m not dissing you. Just stating facts.”
Their constant murmuring was starting to grate, especially since they kept stealing glances at Liu Song.
Xi Xi finally snapped, “If you’re gonna whisper sweet nothings, take it to the bedroom. Quit muttering over your food.”
【I just spit out my water.】
【Xi Xi’s on a rampage.】
【She sounds seriously pissed.】
【Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao choking on laughter—I’m dead.】
Yan Muyu said, “Here, have some cool tea to chill out.”
She unceremoniously poured Xi Xi a cup.
Ding Yingxue couldn’t hold back her laughter and ended up choking, coughing her lungs out in a massive fit.
Liu Song started to say, “Sister Xi, don’t—”
Xi Xi cut in, “Who’s ‘Sister Xi’?”
【How is this so hilarious!!】
【Grown women acting like total kids, hahaha.】
【Is it okay to say this? Peak brainrot!! The kind where I’m cringing so hard but can’t look away.】
【How long are they dragging this gag out? Poor Liu Song must be suffering the most!】
Yan Muyu intervened, “Alright, alright. If you’re gonna fight, wait till after the stream ends. Otherwise, this show’s toast.”
Qiu Chao had reached for a dish that was a bit too far away and retracted her chopsticks. Yan Muyu noticed and promptly clipped a serving right onto her plate.
For a moment, Qiu Chao’s composure slipped, her smile blooming a little too brightly.
Ding Yingxue remarked, “It’s fine. The viewers will just say it’s all staged.”
Xi Xi retorted, “Fight about what? So I did the blocking—what of it?”
Even Pei Wan thought this wasn’t the kind of thing to air on the show. But the manager heiress seemed a bit unhinged today—or maybe ever since Li Xi had arrived.
Pei Wan hadn’t gotten a wink of proper sleep through the night. She even overheard what sounded like Xi Xi arguing with the production team.
It left Pei Wan worrying whether they’d bring on a guest who would drive Ding Yingxue completely over the edge.
The dread of [It’s Your Turn] was downright chilling.
Yan Muyu said, “Then spit it out properly. Let me state upfront: I don’t want this variety show scrapped. You’d have to pay the breach-of-contract penalties.”
She didn’t even notice Qiu Chao picking out the fish meat and placing it in her bowl.
Yan Muyu continued, “I know you, Sister Xi, aren’t short on cash, but could you consider everyone else’s feelings for once?”
Xi Xi shot back, “You invited a flying guest without even notifying the other participants ahead of time.”
Yan Muyu replied, “I didn’t know Xuan Zhelu was coming back either. Can you really compare Li Xi to Xuan Zhelu?”
Li Xi chimed in, “Exactly. You and Xuan Zhelu are friends. Liu Song and I stopped being friends ages ago.”
【Epic!】
【Drama! Rip into it harder!】
【Bet this tops the old Li-Liu hot search.】
【I’m dying. Thought this show was all cozy vibes, but turns out only the staff get the peaceful life.】
【Ding Yingxue, where are you even getting more melon seeds from?】
【Qiu Chao, don’t simp too hard—you’re picking out the bones, and Yan Muyu’s already juggling three.】
【Li Xi’s line hits so deep. We know Xuan Zhelu and Yan Muyu hooked up as friends, so “not friends” means they never did…?】
【Too funny. This clip’s going down in variety show history.】
Xi Xi opened her mouth to respond, but Liu Song suddenly stood up. “I’m full.”
Yan Muyu smirked. “Stuffed on anger, huh, little pitiful?”
【Young Boss Yan, don’t be so savage…】
【Qiu Chao’s already piled Yan Muyu’s bowl to the brim.】
Liu Song shot Yan Muyu a glare, then glanced at Li Xi, who was staring down at her plate. “Let’s talk.”
Xi Xi protested, “You haven’t eaten…”
Liu Song replied, “Sister Xi, you go ahead.”
Li Xi set down her chopsticks and gave Liu Song a small smile. “Where to?”
Rain was still falling outside. From a distance, the table looked perfectly harmonious at first glance, but in reality, it had already delivered way more entertainment than expected.
In the other house, Qiu Siyuan watched the feed with great satisfaction.
She shrugged. “Let them head upstairs to chat. Cut the audio up there.”
With two people gone, Xi Xi lost her appetite and returned to her room.
Yan Muyu shrugged too. “We’ve got work this afternoon. You’re not making me build the lanterns solo again, are you?”
She looked down to pick up her bowl—and jolted in surprise.
The food was piled so high it was about to spill over.
She turned to Qiu Chao. “Having fun with this?”
Qiu Chao propped her chin on her hand. “Eat up. I’ll help you out.”
Seeing Yan Muyu furrow her brow, Qiu Chao quickly added, “Help you with work.”
Ding Yingxue remarked, “Sister Qiu’s so thoughtful.”
Yan Muyu thought to herself: She’s clearly just trying to wear me out completely.
