Chapter 65: Teasing Part 1

Liu Song and Li Xi had gone outside to chat and still hadn’t returned even after dinner.

Today, it was supposed to be Qiu Chao’s turn to wash the dishes, but considering she was sick, Yan Muyu ended up taking over the chore.

Ginger tea was simmering on the wood-fired stove. While Ding Yingxue stoked the fire, she kept glancing outside, looking even more eager than the audience to find out what those two were talking about.

Yan Muyu rolled up her sleeves and got to washing the dishes. Her movements were clumsy, making it clear she’d probably only washed dishes a handful of times in her life.

Yan Muyu said, “Stop staring. If you’re so curious, just ask Liu Song when she gets back.”

Ding Yingxue replied, “I’m not that curious.”

She was still being stubborn. Yan Muyu chuckled.

Rain was still drifting down in the courtyard. Yan Muyu had changed into pants, rolled up the cuffs, and was padding around in flip-flops. Paired with her loose jacket, she looked utterly carefree and unbound.

Qiu Chao lounged in the rocking chair with her eyes closed, resting. Pei Wan was checking the materials for the fish lamps.

Yan Muyu had brought back a bunch of candles that morning, but time had been short, and some of them clearly wouldn’t fit inside.

Seeing Ding Yingxue so distracted while tending the stove, Pei Wan called her over to light the candles and went to check on the ginger tea herself.

Qiu Chao’s “resting” mostly consisted of sneaking occasional glances at Yan Muyu.

The weather was cool today, so no need for a fan, but earlier Yan Muyu had gone upstairs and fetched her a silk scarf.

The beauty reclined in the rocking chair, swaying gently, her eyes shimmering like rippling waves. From any angle, they overflowed with affection, making anyone envy the person they were fixed on.

Yan Muyu, meanwhile, was grumbling about how there were so many dishes. “Do we really eat this much?”

Pei Wan said, “Boss Hong sent over a chicken for us to eat, too.”

Yan Muyu let out an “ah.” “When did that happen?”

Pei Wan: “When you went out this morning.”

Yan Muyu: “Was it live or dead?”

A sense of foreboding rose in her heart, and she eyed Pei Wan with a touch of trepidation.

Pei Wan: “Don’t worry, it’s already been taken care of. Just wondering if you want it roasted or boiled.”

She stoked the fire and lifted the lid off the ginger tea. Soon after, she called Ding Yingxue over to hand her some cups.

Yan Muyu: “Roast it. That’s how they do it in the dramas—nice and primal, roasting it over an open fire ourselves.”

She rinsed a bowl and set it in the basin one by one, then stood to carry them into the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Qiu Chao still staring at her.

Yan Muyu: “Why don’t you go upstairs and rest?”

Qiu Chao didn’t even pretend anymore. Her voice came out soft and pleading: “I can’t walk.”

【Sister Qiu, come on.】

【She didn’t even blink during those explosion scenes before, and now she can’t walk? This isn’t right.】

【Qiu Chao, aren’t you being too obvious?】

【Looks like her cold’s all better now.】

【This show has so many beauties, I can’t even focus on homework anymore.】

【Is Ding Yingxue an idiot? She spilled the ginger tea. I’m so mad—Pei Wan is so nice, why does she have to babysit this klutz!】

Ding Yingxue’s hand shook when she heard Qiu Chao’s line.

Pei Wan glanced at her, and Ding Yingxue pressed her lips together.

Pei Wan: “Why are you always so unfocused no matter what you’re doing?”

Yan Muyu had heard it too. She laughed. “Does that happen on set too? That won’t fly.”

Ding Yingxue: “There’s no script right now. Nothing to act out.”

Yan Muyu: “Just look at Qiu Chao. She’s got plenty of drama going on.”

Her teasing was blatant, but so straightforward that even the fans who wanted to call her out for shade thought it was too low-level.

Besides, Yan Muyu was still officially Qiu Chao’s agent, which made it all the stranger.

Qiu Chao played along even more, letting out an “aiya.” “My head hurts, my legs hurt—everything hurts.”

Yan Muyu: “Want me to take you to the hospital?”

As she spoke, she dried her hands, wrinkling her nose at the dish soap smell clinging to her skin.

Yan Muyu, who had hardly ever washed dishes in her life, had managed to soak her clothes while scrubbing.

Qiu Chao looked up at her. “How? Piggyback?”

【Sister Qiu, that’s enough. Are you always this clingy?】

【Wuwu, my cool big sis turned out like this.】

【I kinda like it, though. I used to admire Qiu Chao and want to be like her, but it felt so distant. Now she just feels… close.】

【When can I be like Sister Qiu and just do whatever I want?】

【She’s the career-first type…】

Yan Muyu shrugged. “Piggybacking you down the mountain? I’d end up a drowned rat and land in the hospital with you.”

Her tone had softened noticeably from the sharp edge at the start—visibly so.

Even the viewers felt this was the real Yan Muyu: approachable as the rumors said, considerate, and surprisingly witty.

Qiu Chao: “I’d feel so bad about that.”

The two carried on their conversation as if no one else was there. Pei Wan, standing nearby, poured ginger tea into Qiu Chao’s thermos and handed it to Yan Muyu.

Yan Muyu sighed. “Quit acting. Here.”

She actually moved to give Qiu Chao a piggyback. Ding Yingxue’s eyes widened—she felt like she’d missed something big.

Qiu Chao climbed right on without hesitation, wrapping her arms around Yan Muyu’s neck. “You’re really taking me to the hospital?”

Yan Muyu: “How about I just take you home instead? You seem plenty spirited.”

Qiu Chao: “Home? Which one? Can I go to yours?”

【That’s too much!】

【Am I watching a dating show or what?】

【I just checked the stream title: Me and My Agent. Heh, I thought it was Me and My Wife.】

【Qiu Chao, you’re grinning way too happily.】

Yan Muyu: “Mine? You know damn well I live in a suite. Don’t play dumb.”

She hefted Qiu Chao up a bit higher and just started walking.

As she turned, the thermos dangling from her wrist swayed.

Qiu Chao reached out to steady it. The red rope bracelet on her wrist caught the camera’s eye, its color strikingly vivid.

Ding Yingxue let out an “eh.” “No idea what Sister Qiu’s wearing there. Is it expensive?”

Pei Wan: “You could just ask her.”

Ding Yingxue: “Are we really roasting the chicken, then?”

Pei Wan: “Wait for Young Boss Yan to come back down and do it with her. I need to call my mom.”

The atmosphere suddenly cooled. Ding Yingxue: “Is Mom making you…”

Pei Wan hummed in affirmation.

They exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away. Somehow, against this unchanged backdrop, it evoked a quiet sorrow that the viewers could feel viscerally.

When Yan Muyu carried Qiu Chao upstairs, she spotted Li Xi and Liu Song leaning on the railing, talking. Their expressions looked pretty normal.

Li Xi raised an eyebrow at the sight of Qiu Chao being carried like that. Yan Muyu said, “Don’t tease me, you two. Keep chatting.”

Liu Song: “Is Sister Qiu still not feeling well?”

The blue-haired singer’s face held an innocent bewilderment, like she’d been sheltered her whole life.

In a way, Liu Song did have a lucky fate: skyrocketing to fame, straight to the top. Her family wasn’t a burden—they even supported her.

Optimistic by nature, she was infectious, and anyone would call her smile “sunny.”

Unlike Yan Muyu’s surface-level brightness, Liu Song was genuine through and through.

Just a city kid at heart, her youthful crushes and flustered moments when liked were easy to spot.

That’s why she didn’t dare face Li Xi squarely.

Some things, once missed, were gone for good. Even the right person at the wrong time meant nothing.

Yan Muyu patted Qiu Chao. “She’s asking you.”

The upstairs cameras were off, but the downstairs ones could catch glimpses of the pair above.

Qiu Chao looked utterly immersed in the joy of being carried. She turned her head and hummed. “If Yan Muyu puts me down, I’ll feel even worse.”

Yan Muyu laughed in exasperation. “Aren’t you afraid of drowning in spit?”

Qiu Chao: “Your spit?”

Li Xi couldn’t listen anymore. She hadn’t expected these two to have this kind of dynamic.

Qiu Chao was nothing like the poised beauty from their last encounter—all cold allure gone, replaced by a shy boldness that didn’t suit her age.

Contradictory yet vibrant, like mountain wildflowers finally blooming after waiting over a decade for spring.

Yan Muyu: “Just go inside and sleep already.”

Qiu Chao looked at Liu Song and Li Xi. “You two done chatting? Keeping it off the record—dating on the down-low should be fine, right?”

She winked at Liu Song. “Having a hard time choosing? Taking both isn’t off the table…”

Yan Muyu: “Shut up already.”

Li Xi just smiled at Liu Song. “I don’t mind. But do you think Xi Xi would go for it with you?”

She was straightforward too, those seemingly indifferent eyes holding endless stories as they landed on Liu Song.

Combined with the fact that Xi Xi had blocked Li Xi—and Liu Song hadn’t unblocked her yet—Qiu Chao figured the answer was obvious.

Qiu Chao whispered in Yan Muyu’s ear, “Do you think Xi Xi would sleep with Liu Song?”

Yan Muyu: “You think everyone’s like you?”

Liu Song: “I never dared hope for that.”

She looked at Li Xi, her eyes full of apology. “The block… I really didn’t expect that. I thought after we fought that day, you didn’t want to talk to me anymore, so I avoided it…”

Liu Song wasn’t old, and her relationships were pure—Li Xi could see it at a glance, the kind where Xi Xi treated her well.

She had this innate quality that made people want to corrupt her ruthlessly, plus killer looks. Living together during the competition, her clumsiness stirred protective instincts.

It was no wonder Li Xi had moved on.

Qiu Chao said, “I heard Li Xi used to play the field pretty wildly. Does she have a girlfriend now?”

Yan Muyu whispered back. Her stamina was excellent anyway, so carrying Qiu Chao was no trouble at all. The two of them were murmuring right into each other’s ears.

“It’s been years since she dated anyone. See? I told you—romance is such a hassle.”

She spoke from plenty of experience, but Qiu Chao had already figured out that this woman wasn’t all that into sex. It was just a way to pass the time.

Qiu Chao nipped at Yan Muyu’s earlobe.

Yan Muyu held back and simply carried her straight into the room, tossing her onto the bed.

Qiu Chao exclaimed, “Whoa, are we getting it on?”

Yan Muyu said, “Can you tone it down a bit?”

Qiu Chao replied, “The cameras aren’t on anyway, so what’s there to fear? Besides, they can’t film us from downstairs.”

Yan Muyu shot back, “That’s not my kind of thing.”

Grinning, Qiu Chao looked up at Yan Muyu. “But you love me.”

The words came out of nowhere, like a thunderbolt crashing right over Yan Muyu’s head. She was left speechless for a moment.

After what felt like several breaths, she finally managed an “Ah.”

Yan Muyu added, “What are you talking about?”

Qiu Chao sprawled on the bed, one slipper kicked off to the side. Her fluffy socks hugged her ankles like the thin skin sheathing a green onion.