My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 194

T/N:

Chapter 194: Eavesdropping for Gossip

“Shen Xiejie (senior) is really straightforward!” Jiang Xue exclaimed, looking at the new message. “It’s great to have her as an ally!”

She was glad that she had boldly advised Shen Xianyue that day, and during their later conversation, she had also offered her sincere opinions and tried her best to comfort her.

Having escaped the shadow of the modern-day Crown Prince, Shen Xianyue had gradually regained her confidence and the dignity of a Shen family heiress.

Xiao Luohan smiled and nodded, but still politely declined her offer.

“Yin Jiejie is already dealing with the trolls. If the studio also finds it troublesome, I’ll ask Shen Xiejie for help later,” she said, contacting Yin Yuan and explaining the situation.

Cheng Shizhu, who had provided the footage, was puzzled after hearing the whole story, but she didn’t want the video to be hidden, so she tentatively asked, “Can we set it to ‘friends only’? I remember Xiao Luo’s mutual followers are all acquaintances, right? We still want to watch the video.”

She had heard the two girls talk about the meaning behind posting the vlog and also liked the beautiful wish embodied in the “Traces of Xue Luo” ID. She also found the trolls disgusting. “The fans can see the video’s status, and if they ask, just don’t reply, they’ll understand. We can’t let those trolls bully us!”

“Yin Jiejie set it to private precisely for that reason,” Xiao Luohan said. “Since ‘friends only’ is better, I’ll discuss it with the studio.”

This situation was unprecedented for her, so she planned to adjust the solution with the studio’s help, gaining some experience in dealing with such matters.

So the video was set to “friends only.” The fans who had seen it and those who hadn’t were both angered, and some fans of smaller streamers who had been driven to quit by those “trolls” even sent the collected evidence anonymously to Ms. Silin’s studio’s email address.

It was Yin Yuan who informed them of the subsequent developments: 【Ms. Silin wants to help you solidify this connection and has negotiated a small collaboration with the Shen family’s company. The lawyer’s letter has been sent, and the internet police have also contacted M-Station to ban those accounts spreading false rumors.】

Just like with the Crown Prince incident, some people were like “pulling up a radish and bringing up the mud with it,” unable to withstand scrutiny.

Xiao Luohan didn’t care about those people at all. There had always been all sorts of strange people, and dealing with them one by one was a waste of time. “Making an example” was enough.

After the most prominent trolls were dealt with, and the rumors subsided, Xiao Luohan unhid the video, using her last opportunity to adjust the visibility settings.

She saw her fans celebrating in the comments section, with some naturally cursing the “trolls,” but most of the comments were still supportive, expressing well wishes and concern.

The fans who were worried about her were mainly concerned about her injured finger affecting her guqin playing, but some fans who enjoyed cooking also offered their perspectives.

【Being able to make delicious food for yourself is also a great joy in life!】

【I also play an instrument, the piano, and my younger sister plays the violin. Just take care of your hand if it’s injured!】

【It’s just a kitchen knife, the shape and size are in the video, it couldn’t have cut that deep, right?】

Uncle Seuss watched every one of their videos. By the time the incident was resolved, the “lazy person’s cooking gadget” set he sent from overseas had arrived at the new apartment, all high-end foreign brands, with functions for slicing, dicing, grating, and everything in between.

They were sharp and safe to use, put into action the day they arrived.

None of the three girls, including Cheng Shizhu, were obsessed with knife skills.

Practicing knife skills was simply to improve their cooking efficiency, and since they had tools now, they would naturally use them. After all, they were just cooking for themselves!

So a new vlog was quickly produced, also to reassure the worried fans.

On the day the N University admission letters were to be mailed, Xiao Luohan went to N University with Jiang Xue, to the faculty office of the Department of Traditional Music.

The guqin program was special, so the admission letters were also packaged and mailed from here after being stamped. Xiao Luohan went there to collect hers, to show her face in front of the professors she would be seeing for at least the next four years, and also… Shen Xianyue seemed to want to talk to her.

She solemnly and respectfully received the admission letter from the department head, and seeing those aged, wrinkled hands, she felt an unexpected surge of emotion.

“Congratulations, Xiao Luohan,” the elderly department head said with a smile. “Welcome to the N University Department of Traditional Music!”

Jiang Xue was just there as a guide. From the moment Xiao Luohan entered the office, she sat quietly in the empty seat next to Shen Xianyue, patiently listening to Xiao Luo’s conversations with the others, waiting for her to finish “making acquaintances” and come to her.

To be honest, she was very nervous.

Even though she knew that Xiao Luo, under their care, had healed from her past trauma and grown stronger, she was still worried that Xiao Luo might be bullied.

Fortunately, the professors in the Department of Traditional Music—at least those currently present in the office—were all good people, and their first impressions were friendly.

Even if there were any unpleasant people, they could ask Shen Xianyue in advance, and if they really encountered them after school started, they could just treat them politely and keep their distance. After all, you couldn’t punch a smiling face.

She was thinking about Xiao Luo’s university life when a familiar, fragrant shadow fell over her, followed by Xiao Luo’s hand.

After the two left the office, Shen Xianyue also followed.

“Let’s go to the school gate, my family’s driver is waiting there,” Shen Xianyue said. She was wearing a plain, traditional-style chiffon dress today, her demeanor completely different from her usual assertiveness.

However, deliberately minimizing her presence was also a way of being considerate of those she was with. It seemed that the matter Shen Xianyue wanted to discuss with them might require their help.

They followed Shen Xianyue to the Shen family’s car and arrived at a large hotel near N University.

“It’s my family’s hotel. The private rooms have interesting decorations. You can take a look later,” Shen Xianyue said calmly before they got out of the car.

Jiang Xue: ?

If she didn’t know Shen Xianyue’s character, she would have thought she was showing off her wealth.

The private room Shen Xianyue had booked was on the 22nd floor. She had originally wanted a larger one, but was afraid that being too extravagant would leave a bad impression, so she had chosen a more low-key room with a view.

As soon as they entered, Jiang Xue saw various musical instruments hanging on the walls and displayed on shelves, but a closer look revealed that they were all high-quality wooden models, not real instruments.

That made sense. People who truly loved their instruments wouldn’t display them in a dining area.

She was lost in thought when Xiao Luohan took her hand and led her to a seat.

“So, Shen Xiejie, what did you want to discuss with us?” Xiao Luohan asked, looking at Shen Xianyue after the waiter served the food and closed the door.

She had been wondering about the topic of their conversation along the way. Shen Xianyue hadn’t even mentioned it in her messages, keeping it a secret.

Could it be a highly important and confidential collaboration?

“I do have some ideas for the original song for the ‘annual guardian,’ but I want to donate the song to Non-Dream. So if you and the studio agree, I’ll contact them directly to draft a commercial contract,” Shen Xianyue said, getting straight to the point. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to compose music for Non-Dream, but I… can only write lyrics and play instruments.”

“I understand, Senior, you want the original song to be a duet character theme song, right?” Xiao Luohan guessed.

“Yes, although with my resources, I can find good composers and arrangers, ‘inspiration’ and compatibility are more about fate,” Shen Xianyue said seriously. “I really like your inspiration. Although you don’t seem to be actively pursuing it, your music still carries that quality… sorry, this is a bit abstract, I can’t describe it with concrete words.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” Xiao Luohan nodded. “Which character’s song do you want to write?”

“The female general, Qing Wuyi,” Shen Xianyue said. “And not just one song, I want her to have an uplifting dizi melody as her battle BGM, and also a calming guqin piece for when she’s resting.”

“Qing Wuyi is very popular and has many original character songs. Even if we submit a song, it might not be chosen,” Xiao Luohan reminded her. “If you don’t mind, I can try.”

“Let’s try. If it’s not chosen, we can just post it on M-Station and other music platforms for other fans to listen to,” Shen Xianyue said, already prepared for this possibility, but her voice still filled with excitement after the collaboration was agreed upon. “Then I’ll contact the Non-Dream studio when I get back. Thank you for this opportunity!”

After their discussion, the three started eating. Shen Xianyue only made a token toast with both of them at the beginning, then didn’t interrupt the young couple as they ate and fed each other.

After they had almost finished eating, she brought up another topic. “By the way… there’s another thing I want to ask for your help with.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue immediately looked up.

She noticed that Shen Xianyue had said “you,” plural, not “you,” singular.

But she didn’t play any instruments, what did this have to do with her? Could it be about the Crown Prince incident? It couldn’t be that Shen Xianyue was interested in her mediocre piano skills, could it?

Meeting their gazes, Shen Xianyue suddenly felt embarrassed.

After some hesitation, she finally spoke, “There’s another vice president in our club, the one who plays the yangqin, she likes wearing blue. Do you… remember her?”

Jiang Xue was used to observing people’s expressions and small actions during conversations. Noticing that Shen Xianyue’s ears were turning red, she roughly understood what was going on.

“Yes, yes!” she immediately said, her ears perking up with interest. “Yun Chanchan, right?”

“Yes, Yun Chanchan is my childhood friend and neighbor. We’re so close that we can wear each other’s clothes and sleep in the same bed,” Shen Xianyue said, trying to keep her voice calm. “We have a purely platonic friendship—that’s what I’ve always thought.”

“And then your best friend confessed?” Jiang Xue asked tentatively.

“No…” Shen Xianyue’s voice wavered, and the blush spread from her ears to her cheeks. “She… she skipped the confession and… fast-forwarded… to this!”

She couldn’t even bring herself to say the word, hurriedly picking up her spoon and touching her lips.