Reborn to Stew Soup (GL) 161-162

Chapter 161: Protection

The final reward in the Reality Online escape rooms was a surprise.

Unlike Lu Changhuai and Yu Naihao’s tomb, and Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin’s recreated courtyard, the other two teams’ rewards lacked that… bittersweet touch. They also received props from the two films, memorable items used by their characters: costumes, jewelry boxes, a table, the imperial seal…

Although the props were exquisite, they lacked the emotional resonance of the other two. The crew, realizing this, also included a small gift:

A doll of their respective characters from the films, meticulously crafted and incredibly lifelike, with real jewelry and embroidered clothing. Regardless of the cost, it was a thoughtful gesture.

So, two teams received sentimental rewards, and two teams received less sentimental rewards and dolls of their characters. It was the best balance the show could offer.

But the “LuYu” and “Sweet Red Bean Soup” fans disagreed. Why no dolls for our CPs! It’s like rubbing salt in the wound after the wasabi candy! We’re breaking up with the show!

Regardless of the fans’ online protests, Reality Online was coming to an end.

Like many shows, after the final reward ceremony, the live stream ended.

The four, holding their dolls, waved goodbye to the cameras. Yu Naihao, trying to take the clothes and the knife from the empty coffin, was dragged away by Lu Changhuai. Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin left the rooftop, hand in hand.

Madam Wang closed the chicken coops. Uncle Niu filled the pig trough. Miss Liu folded the clothes. Grandpa Li swept the courtyard.

The screens on the Reality Online live stream page went dark.

Soon, only darkness remained, the stats and the still-scrolling comments the only evidence of the earlier excitement.

At midnight, the comments section would also close.

Every journey, no matter how wonderful, eventually ends. Every show, no matter how captivating, eventually concludes. The memories, however, would linger.

They removed their microphones, waved goodbye to the cameramen, and the cameras stopped rolling. The twelve days of live streaming were finally over.

Managers, assistants, movers, the village was suddenly filled with people.

Dengjia Village, bustling with activity at dusk, but a different kind of bustle.

People carried equipment out of the village. Ji Junxin, watching them, frowned and held Mi Hongdou’s hand tightly. Mi Hongdou squeezed her hand and smiled. “What’s wrong? Sad to leave?”

With the live stream over, they could speak freely.

Ji Junxin nodded. “I’ve gotten used to living here, it’s hard to leave. Seeing them packing up, it feels like… my village is being demolished.”

Mi Hongdou, understanding Ji Junxin’s tendency for immersion, thought, So, after filming a reality show, she’s now attached to the village?

“It won’t be demolished, they’re just removing the equipment. I think Qiao Rubai and the others will probably turn it into a tourist attraction. Even if not, they wouldn’t just abandon it after all this effort, we can always come back and visit,” Mi Hongdou said, wanting to reassure her.

But Ji Junxin smiled and said, “It’s okay, as long as you’re here, I’m happy anywhere.”

Such sweet words… Mi Hongdou tightened her grip on Ji Junxin’s hand. As long as you’re with me…

“Ahem!”

The sudden, loud cough broke the spell, and they quickly released each other’s hands, turning around.

Jiang Lingling, who had been waiting, her face full of barely suppressed frustration, interrupted their sweet moment. “So, are you coming with me, or what?”

“Sure, we’ll bring some local specialties back, do you want any?” Mi Hongdou said, thinking of the things they had accumulated. Jiang Lingling’s car would be more convenient.

Jiang Lingling’s expression turned even more frustrated. “We ate everything we had…”

“…Filming is over, we can buy some from the show,” Mi Hongdou said, surprised. “Can’t we use money now?”

Jiang Lingling’s eyes lit up, her status instantly shifting from peasant to tycoon. After quickly agreeing on a meeting point, she rushed off to gather the specialties.

In their courtyard, Zhong Yin, Ji Junxin’s assistant, had already packed their share, all acquired through tasks, no need to spend coins.

Zhong Yin was, as always, efficient, but Ji Junxin felt that her gaze towards them was… strange.

Her suspicion was soon confirmed.

Piles of local specialties were loaded into Jiang Lingling’s RV, transforming the luxurious vehicle into a cargo truck. But after twelve days of village life, this wasn’t a big deal.

Because… they had packed, were in the car, had their phones back, had internet access… Reality Online, what had happened online during their isolation, was overwhelming.

The player stats and skills, “Strong” and “Eating,” made Jiang Lingling and Ji Junxin cringe.

And the NPC Favorability System, so they have this too, no wonder the NPCs’ behavior became so… individualized, this show is too real! Jiang Lingling glanced at Mi Hongdou, no wonder their pantry was always full, using cooking to increase favorability, how unfair.

The 9 PM Special Missions, actually Welfare Missions voted on by the viewers… although it was for a good cause, thinking about those missions… the viewers’ imaginations were truly boundless.

And the offline escape room game was great, but why was the final reward also in the game? This show…

And the live stream comments… the earlier ones were gone, but the screenshots, GIFs, videos, analyses… the omnipresent “Sweet Red Bean Soup,” her skyrocketing Weibo follower count…

Mi Hongdou leaned back, exhausted. She needed a moment.

They had missed so much in twelve days. The world changed so quickly.

She had to ask Qiao Rubai for the recordings later…

The ride home was filled with the sounds of tapping on phone screens, the world is changing too fast, we have to keep up!

The three, engrossed in their phones, didn’t notice Jiang Lingling, after browsing Reality Online related content, switch to a green interface, a familiar author, familiar words, and… an unfamiliar atmosphere in the comments.

After a while, Mi Hongdou, her neck stiff from looking down at her phone, stretched and saw Jiang Lingling furiously typing.

She rubbed her neck, stood up, stretched her back, looked out the window, then sat down again. Jiang Lingling was still typing.

After chatting with Ji Junxin and exchanging GIFs, Mi Hongdou, without even looking up, could hear the furious tapping.

“Jiang Lingling, are you replying to Weibo comments?” she asked, curious.

Jiang Lingling looked up, her face grim. “No, I’m fighting trolls…”

“Is someone attacking you online?” Ji Junxin asked with concern. “Don’t use your main account, they’ll screenshot it and use it against you later.”

“Not me,” Jiang Lingling said, a little embarrassed by Ji Junxin’s concern. She glanced at Mi Hongdou. “It’s… an author I like.”

Mi Hongdou rubbed her arm, which had goosebumps from Jiang Lingling’s gaze. “Which author?”

Jiang Lingling’s gaze intensified.

“Oh!” Mi Hongdou finally understood.

Following Jiang Lingling’s earlier instructions, she opened Jinjiang, typed the author’s name, and found the latest chapter.

The comments were long and numerous. Most were debating the protagonist’s actions. One side argued that in the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, the protagonist, having killed to protect her loved ones, and those she killed not being good people, was justified. The other side argued that even if they were bad people, she didn’t have the right to kill, that even in a fictional world, there were laws.

The argument about the protagonist escalated to an attack on the author’s morals. Mi Hongdou frowned. It was a xianxia novel, a fictional world, and the protagonist seemed like a decent person, repaying kindness and taking revenge, never harming the innocent. Applying real-world rules to a fictional world was pointless. But moralists existed everywhere, there was no helping it. If they didn’t like the story, they could just stop reading, why attack the author’s morals? Did they want all xianxia novels to be about selfless righteousness? It seemed Pan Xiang was having a tough time…

Jiang Lingling’s comments were easy to find, the latest replies on every comment. And her replies were twice as long as the original comments. For those discussing the plot and criticizing the protagonist, she offered detailed counterarguments. For those attacking the author’s writing or even her morals, she responded with equal aggression, criticizing their own intelligence and morals.

In a world where mutual respect is expected, if respect isn’t given, then it’s an eye for an eye…

“Jiang Lingling…” Mi Hongdou said weakly, “they’ll say you’re interfering, that authors should be open to criticism, that it’s an honor to be reviewed by them…”

“And when they write comments, shouldn’t they be prepared for my reviews?” Jiang Lingling, the loyal fan, retorted. “I didn’t hire any trolls, it’s their honor to be reviewed by me!” She returned to her typing.

“Could you… be a little more… tactful? It would make the comments section look better…” Mi Hongdou said, remembering the online etiquette of her previous life.

Jiang Lingling thought for a moment and nodded, but Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure if she had actually listened.

She gave up. And Jiang Lingling probably didn’t know that the author was Pan Xiang… This will be interesting.

Late that night, as the last of the filming equipment was being removed from Dengjia Village, Pan Xiang, sitting in the car on her way back, finally had some time to herself.

That Qiao Rubai, not even staying for the wrap-up… as the showrunner, I have to supervise everything, so tiring…

She took out her phone, her first bookmark the link to her ongoing novel.

The comment section had been a battlefield for days, and Pan Xiang, experiencing this for the first time, was devastated. Fortunately, she had prepared many chapters in advance, otherwise, in her current state, she wouldn’t be able to write.

She was almost afraid to open the comments section… she sighed, then clicked on it.

Glancing at the latest comments, her heart sank. The earlier heated debate had been reignited…

Wait…

She rubbed her eyes. Wasn’t that… the ID of her most active reader, the one who always left long comments, who had become a friend? …

Authors are also human, they have feelings, they want support, not criticism.

Reading that familiar ID’s long, detailed rebuttals, Pan Xiang felt… a strange sense of… being protected.

No, it was her story, her created world, that was being protected…

Chapter 162: Teasing Until Dizzy

Returning by car, spending a night on the road, then taking a plane…

They arrived back in Jiang City the next afternoon.

They divided the local specialties and went their separate ways.

Compared to Jiang Lingling and Bao Yueqiao, who casually said their goodbyes, promising to meet again, Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, still in their honeymoon phase, lingered.

They lingered all the way from the airport to Mi Hongdou’s neighborhood.

Work was over, and they had to go home. They could only console themselves with the thought that a brief separation is for a better reunion.

By the time Mi Hongdou reached her apartment, it was almost dinner time. The familiar aroma of home-style cooking filled the hallway.

The table was already set: braised yellow croaker, salt and pepper shrimp, shredded eggplant with sweet bean sauce in pancakes, steamed minced pork with salted egg, stir-fried Indian lettuce… and Mi’s mother was ladling what seemed to be corn and pork rib soup from a pot in the kitchen.

Even though she had called to say she would be back before dinner, this was… a bit too much… Mi Hongdou felt a sense of unease.

And hadn’t her mother been staring intently at the door behind her when she brought out the soup?

Over dinner, they chatted about their twelve days apart. Mi’s mother’s life was quickly summarized, and the conversation naturally shifted to Mi Hongdou’s filming experience.

Mi Hongdou, after swallowing a shrimp, carefully considered her words.

Since leaving Dengjia Village, she had been browsing Reality Online related content online and had a good grasp of the situation.

The show had amplified the yuri subtext from Imperial Secrets. The screenshots, the videos, the analyses… even she had to admit… it was… sweet.

After twelve days of live streaming, the internet was practically confirming their relationship… they wouldn’t say anything publicly, of course, but they did occasionally browse the comments with their alternate accounts, enjoying the “Sweet Red Bean Soup” fans’ blessings.

However, online discussions, inevitably, had real-life consequences, and what they were most concerned about was their families’ reactions. That was one of the reasons they had gone home immediately after filming.

On the way back, they agreed not to tell their families the truth yet, they needed more time to prepare. If asked directly, they would just say they were good friends and then gradually introduce each other to their families, hoping to gain their approval.

They were both inexperienced in handling this kind of situation, so they could only plan and then improvise.

Reality Online was a huge hit, Mi Hongdou was sure her mother had watched the live stream… those comments… even if she didn’t know what yuri was, after hours of watching, she would have figured it out.

Mi Hongdou was prepared for her mother’s questions. But… throughout dinner, her mother just casually asked about the filming and whether they had any problems adjusting to the environment. Not a single word, not even a hint, about the… yuri rumors…

Mi Hongdou couldn’t tell if her mother was just being tactful, or if she simply dismissed the rumors… she hoped it was the latter.

Anyway, it seemed there wouldn’t be any problems on her side for now.

During their evening video call, Mi Hongdou shared this good news with Ji Junxin and asked about her situation.

Ji Junxin, holding her tablet and lounging in bed, said that everything was fine on her side as well.

More accurately, when she had returned to her parents’ place with the local specialties, they hadn’t even been home. She had waited a long time for her mother to return… after a few casual questions, Ji Junxin realized that her parents hadn’t even had time to watch Reality Online. She naturally wouldn’t tell them.

To Mi Hongdou, this was a bittersweet relief.

Having workaholic parents… is it a blessing or a curse? …

Anyway, with both their families seemingly oblivious to the online yuri frenzy, they were both relieved.

After discussing the serious matters, it was time for… sweet nothings.

“What did you have for dinner?” Mi Hongdou asked, also lying down with her tablet, so it was like they were lying side by side, chatting.

“Takeout…” Ji Junxin said, her voice slightly whiny.

“If I had known my mom wouldn’t mind the rumors, I would have asked you to come over,” Mi Hongdou said, slightly regretful. “We had a feast tonight.”

“What dishes?”

“Braised yellow croaker, salt and pepper shrimp, shredded eggplant with sweet bean sauce in pancakes, steamed minced pork with salted egg, stir-fried Indian lettuce…” Mi Hongdou, seeing Ji Junxin’s increasingly pitiful expression as she listed the dishes, quickly finished, “And corn and pork rib soup…”

“Ugh…” Ji Junxin buried her face in her pillow. “I just had… curry chicken takeout…”

So pitiful…

“How about I make you lunch tomorrow? What do you want? I’ll bring the ingredients over,” Mi Hongdou said, mentally planning the menu.

Ji Junxin lifted her head, her eyes shining with anticipation. “Then come over now! Let’s have a late-night snack together!”

“…” Mi Hongdou looked at the time, it was past nine. “I just got back…”

“Come on, come on, come on…” Ji Junxin whined, wriggling in bed.

“How about I order you some takeout…” Mi Hongdou suggested, not wanting to go out so late. And it wasn’t like she had urgent work.

“No!” Ji Junxin said. “It’s not about the snack…”

Her last words were soft, almost a whisper, but Mi Hongdou, wearing headphones, heard the mix of complaint and coquettishness clearly, her heart skipping a beat.

“Then what is it about?” Mi Hongdou’s voice also softened. She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Ji Junxin say it. She was becoming… a little mischievous.

You’re not even coming over, and you’re teasing me! Is this a flirting competition?!

Fine, let’s play!

“Wait for me,” Ji Junxin said and hung up, getting out of bed.

“Uh…” Before Mi Hongdou could even respond, Ji Junxin disappeared from the screen.

So easily flustered when we’re not living together… I should bring up the buying-a-new-apartment plan soon. I have the money now, I should move closer to her place. And if she’s also planning to move, we can buy adjacent apartments and install a secret passage connecting our bedrooms, and then at night… Mi Hongdou shook her head, what am I even thinking? This must be from playing too many escape room games… but… it’s not a bad idea…

Mi Hongdou, lost in her real estate fantasies, then, when Ji Junxin reappeared on screen, instantly forgot about them.

“Your… clothes…” Mi Hongdou stared at the screen, speechless. Ji Junxin had changed into a new nightgown!

“Do you like it? I bought it in Japan. See, the bottom part is sheer,” Ji Junxin said, sitting cross-legged on the bed and slowly tilting the tablet downwards.

The white, low-cut nightgown, tied on both sides, the thin fabric… and as the tablet moved… Mi Hongdou could see that she wasn’t wearing a bra… a surge of heat coursed through her.

The top part was already thin, and the bottom… transparent sheer fabric, revealing Ji Junxin’s slender waist, even her belly button… Mi Hongdou’s grip on the tablet tightened, her breathing heavy. This girl…

The camera stopped at Ji Junxin’s waist. Hearing Mi Hongdou’s slightly ragged breathing, Ji Junxin felt a sense of triumph. So you want to tease me? Come on then, who’s afraid of whom!

“Do you like it?” she asked softly, her voice a seductive whisper.

Mi Hongdou felt a jolt, as if she had been electrocuted.

Her heart pounded, her mind slightly hazy, her gaze fixed on the hem of the sheer fabric. “That’s a… nightgown, right? Where are the pants?” she asked, slightly dazed.

Ji Junxin seemed to adjust the angle of the tablet.

Mi Hongdou almost stopped breathing. So even her underwear is… tied? This is too much… She felt a wave of heat.

But Ji Junxin wasn’t done.

“Oh, I thought it was a nightdress, it is a bit short. I have so many clothes, I don’t know where the matching pants are,” she complained softly, then, her voice suddenly dropping to a seductive whisper, “Why don’t you… come over and help me find them?”

Mi Hongdou, who had been trying to regulate her breathing, choked and almost fainted…