Chapter 7: Off to Work

She quickly logged onto Weibo, and Lin Shixia had really followed her!

Lin Shixia’s Weibo followers weren’t as many as hers yet. If not for that yellow V verification, she would have thought it was a fake account.

Scrolling down, she discovered Lin Shixia had just registered her Weibo account. The first post didn’t use the official drama crew photo—instead, it used the professionally edited image Gu Liuguang had posted—

The girl stood in the reed thicket in plain clothes, her hair simply tied back. The wind lifted the ends of her hair, brushing them across her front and partially veiling her face. Her eyes gleamed like sunlight-dappled ripples, or as if the wind god had lowered his gaze to kiss the lake’s surface.

The half-person-tall reeds obscured most of her figure, her plain clothes blending seamlessly with the scenery to become one with heaven and earth—not like a mortal woman, but a goddess who had happened to pass by.

Caption: Looking forward to Yao Xia’s next plot~ [Cute]

The System emphasized: 【This is the one I edited.】

Gu Liuguang refused to back down: 【This is the one I spent points to professionally edit.】

The System huffed in frustration, unable to argue back, and could only take deep breaths in her mind.

Gu Liuguang suddenly thought of something: 【Does she have any alt accounts?】

The System refused with an excuse: 【This involves plot tasks. I can’t tell the host.】

So she did?

Gu Liuguang ignored the System and frantically scrolled through the top comments under her own Weibo post. Now, she saw Lin Shixia behind every one, though she figured an alt account wouldn’t draw much attention anyway.

She held back for a moment but couldn’t resist and sent a private message to Lin Shixia’s Weibo.

【Little Light: Sister, you’re so beautiful [starry eyes]】

Lin Shixia replied instantly. Gu Liuguang held her breath in tension as she tapped to open it.

【Lin Shixia V: Thank you for your private message】

Gu Liuguang’s eyes lit up, and she started typing furiously to pour out her feelings for Lin Shixia’s role—but the System stopped her just in time.

With the host distracted by beauty, it had to sever those budding emotions: 【That’s an auto-reply. She didn’t even open your DM.】

Gu Liuguang got angry. She felt like she was about to blacken!

Gu Liuguang: 【I’m going to toy with her ruthlessly.】

The System affirmed her decision at just the right moment: 【Well done, host.】

After saying that, Gu Liuguang rapidly posted ten stunning photos of Lin Shixia. Likes broke a hundred instantly, and the comments were full of praise for the big shot’s editing skills, begging for a tutorial.

Though she had trended on Hot Search, it was mostly passersby marveling at the killer looks and dipping a toe into Tian Dao.

True fan conversion was still low. Her fan group—capped at two thousand people—wasn’t even full, despite the super membership she’d opened using Lin Zhenshuang’s money.

She was about to lock her screen when a new notification popped up. Opening it, she saw Lin Shixia had liked her latest post.

Gu Liuguang narrowed her eyes. Plenty of time to like her post but not reply to her message? This woman deserved to be toyed with.

She screenshotted it and sent it to the fan group admins, hinting that she could reach Lin Shixia while praising their diligent management. She calmly accepted their excitement, asked about a few suitable candidates, and set them as admins.

By the time she finished all that, Gu Liuguang had already been waiting downstairs at the company for a while.

The human body was pretty resilient. She’d stayed up late last night, but with her excitement for the task, she didn’t feel sleepy at all today.

The only problem was facing Zhang Xibai—Gu Liuguang’s expression soured at the thought.

The System had explained that Zhang Xibai had introduced Lin Shixia for the audition, so Gu Liuguang pulled traffic to her live stream as thanks.

If she asked Zhang Ze to switch teachers, she’d miss out on Lin Shixia. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and stick it out.

This batch of signed streamers all had some foundation—some already knew how to dance, others had practiced at home. The moves weren’t hard, and most live streams used the same dance BGM anyway, even for group lives.

They were scheduled for four hours, but after two, everyone else had nailed the choreography and clocked out early.

Zhang Ze announced in the group chat that they should wear live stream outfits tomorrow.

That left only Gu Liuguang—and Zhang Xibai, who pretended to organize her personal items while actually watching her through the practice room mirror.

Gu Liuguang’s face turned ashen. Even if she wanted to accuse Zhang Xibai of targeting her, she had to get her own work right first—and she just couldn’t nail those moves.

Zhang Xibai humiliated her in front of everyone: “Even a duck doesn’t jump as stiffly as you.”

Gu Liuguang’s face flushed beet red, while the others couldn’t hold back their laughter.

In truth, though Gu Liuguang danced stiffly, her beauty made even her lazier, smaller movements look like a tipsy beauty teasing with light provocation.

Even her naturally aloof eyes gained a hint of seductive charm when half-lidded.

Gu Liuguang crossed her arms and stared straight at Zhang Xibai. “How long are you going to take organizing?”

Zhang Xibai packed up her things and stood straight, tilting her head slightly. Her voice was cool and detached: “You don’t think I stayed behind on purpose for you, do you?”

Gu Liuguang rolled her eyes—the look screamed that even a dog would be too much trouble. She turned her head away. “Then what?”

Zhang Xibai didn’t reply. She walked toward Gu Liuguang, her footsteps echoing in the empty practice room. She stopped right in front of her, bent down slightly, and spoke in that same cool, indifferent tone: “Why haven’t you accepted my friend request?”

Gu Liuguang raised a brow and turned back—only to find Zhang Xibai too close, their lips nearly brushing her cheek. Gu Liuguang recoiled in shock, stumbling back a step and almost falling. Zhang Xibai caught her waist, holding her steady before letting go.

“What are you doing!” Gu Liuguang cried out.

Zhang Xibai remained cool and aloof. She’d clearly done her makeup today, adding a touch of softness to her usual high-mountain flower vibe—like a pale ink painting suddenly bursting into vivid color, her features even more refined.

She didn’t feel as unapproachably distant as yesterday, but she still wasn’t easy to get close to.

Gu Liuguang had sized her up the moment she walked in: Peacock in Full Display.

The System thought it felt off too. Gu Liuguang griped to it that Zhang Xibai was totally out of character.

Zhang Xibai stared at her without answering, then asked again: “Why haven’t you accepted it?”

Gu Liuguang was speechless—and a little scared Zhang Xibai might hit her. She hemmed and hawed: “We’re in the same group already. Just @ me there if something comes up.”

Zhang Xibai lowered her gaze. “You added everyone else.”

Gu Liuguang was at a loss for words. Her fox eyes narrowed suspiciously as she bullshitted: “The others will be colleagues going forward. After you teach us for a few days, we won’t be in touch anymore.”

Zhang Xibai stared at her in silence, her thick lashes casting shadows. Finally, she glanced at her one last time and turned to grab her phone to play some music.

Gu Liuguang vented to the System: 【Has Zhang Xibai been possessed or something? She feels so weird. Should I advance the plot and mess with her a bit early?】

System: 【She does seem weird… How would you mess with her?】

Gu Liuguang racked her brain. Delaying practice time would just mean she got off late too—and she’d be the one suffering.

On second thought, Zhang Xibai was rich and flawless. Gu Liuguang had no idea how to make her life miserable.

Sensing her dilemma, the System immediately checked the original plot: 【One of them was you spreading dirty rumors about Zhang Xibai—saying she was a kept woman and only got into the company through an improper relationship with the boss.】

Gu Liuguang took note: 【Spreading yellow rumors is too vicious. She’d probably want to strangle me.】

System: 【You also grossed her out a lot with petty stuff—like eating her snacks by “mistake,” using the wrong water cup, sneaking wears of her clothes… Basically, taking every cheap advantage.】

【But Zhang Xibai hates you. She threw out anything you’d touched.】

Gu Liuguang bristled: 【She acts like she dislikes me? I dislike her even more!】

The music started, and Gu Liuguang’s muscle memory kicked in. She squinted and twisted her hips, hand sliding from thigh to chest, fingers lingering at her lips.

The song switched.

Hand trailed from face to neck and down, salute with raised hand, hands circling like a gurgle, explode into flower then retract, hands on hips, hip twist.

…

After one run-through, Zhang Xibai said: “Pretending to be pure?”

Gu Liuguang was stunned.

Zhang Xibai paused the music. Her gaze landed on Gu Liuguang’s straight, slender legs, traveling up to her slim, flexible waist, then higher to the soft, full breasts that made one’s face heat just looking—lingering there for a moment before she spoke.

“Legs glued together? Need me to spread them for you?”

Gu Liuguang’s cheeks burned red, her fox eyes misty and watery. The glare she shot was more like a coquettish pout, as if she hadn’t expected Zhang Xibai to say something like that. Her little mouth hung open, speechless, her breasts heaving dramatically with each breath like trembling baby rabbits—pitiful and adorable.

Zhang Xibai fixed on her flushed, glossy little face: “Are you going to cry?”

Gu Liuguang glared at her with shimmering eyes: “Who’s crying?”

Zhang Xibai let out an “oh,” her expression indifferent, her gaze cool. It clashed with her ethereal, otherworldly face—her mouth was pure venom.

“Spread your legs.”

“Lower your waist more.”

“With tits that big, no need to thrust your chest out so much.”

Gu Liuguang’s fox eyes misted over. During the backbend, Zhang Xibai said it wasn’t low enough, walked over, gripped her calf, and yanked—then called her delicate for complaining, even though she hadn’t pulled hard.

Gu Liuguang felt like she’d pulled a muscle. Zhang Xibai was definitely getting revenge.

Her entire face was red now. After the prolonged practice, a faint pink flush spread across her snowy skin, trailing down from her neck into her collar until it vanished from sight.

Zhang Xibai stood beside her drinking water, then nudged her foot. Her voice drifted over: “Accept my friend request first.”

Gu Liuguang lifted her face—flushed cheeks, sweat-dampened bangs clinging to the sides, glistening beads on her pale skin, dark lashes clumped together, the corners of her eyes reddened: “Not adding.”

Zhang Xibai squatted down beside her, the girl’s rich fragrance wafting over: “In live streams later, fans will spam gifts to wear you out. Two hours nonstop is common.”

Gu Liuguang hadn’t really listened to Zhang Xibai. She suddenly snapped out of it, pulled up her phone, found the request list, and accepted Zhang Xibai’s friend request. Only then did she look over, probing: “Can we clock out now?”

Her expression shifted to pleading: “I really can’t dance anymore.”

Zhang Xibai saw the acceptance notification pop up on her phone. She nodded coolly: “Hungry? My treat for dinner.”

Gu Liuguang was starving. Hearing it was on Zhang Xibai, she agreed without thinking and ordered the System: 【Quick, search for the most expensive restaurant nearby!】

The System didn’t want to discourage the host—a single meal couldn’t bankrupt a rich second-gen like Zhang Xibai.

In the end, Gu Liuguang settled on a private club nearby.

Zhang Xibai looked at her in surprise: “You know about this club?”

The System had recommended it, and Gu Liuguang had forwarded it without a close look. Only now did she check and realize she’d been there before.

The guy who’d taken her had bragged nonstop about being a super member, how membership was by referral only, and regular rich folks couldn’t get in no matter what.

The food had tasted fine, but the guy was so obnoxious she felt like his spit had contaminated the dishes, killing her appetite.

“What, no membership? Can’t get in?”

Gu Liuguang had already packed up. She messaged Lin Zhenshuang that she was eating out and didn’t need dinner delivered.

【Lin Zhenshuang: With who?】

【Gu Liuguang: An annoying colleague.】

After sending the message, Zhang Xibai still hadn’t replied. Gu Liuguang glanced up curiously—and found Zhang Xibai staring coldly at her, eyes flicking to her phone screen.

Gu Liuguang inexplicably tensed under the gaze and played it cool: “If you really don’t have membership, forget it. I’ll just eat at home.”

Zhang Xibai looked away first and headed for the elevator: “Follow me.”