Chapter 79

She and Gu Shuang hadn’t seen each other for a while. They had previously agreed to video call every day so she could show Gu Shuang how the rose was growing.

Before she even found it troublesome, Gu Shuang said she was busy lately and told her to just send photos or videos whenever she was unsure about the situation.

Lin Shixia knew she cared deeply about the flower. She assumed she simply loved this rose that bloomed so vibrantly year-round and would often wander out to the balcony to check on it, watering it or adding fertilizer as needed.

When Gu Liuguang was tinkering with live streaming setups in the study, Lin Shixia would snap photos and send them over, saying she was taking great care of their daughter.

When she had no time to return from the set, she would ask Gu Liuguang to send a photo of their daughter.

Wang Li accidentally glimpsed the chat content and thought the two of them had caused a major scandal. Before she could ponder how two women had managed to have a daughter, Lin Shixia gave a simple explanation.

She even showed Wang Li a photo of that very unusual rose.

After two days of live streaming, her fan count hadn’t grown much, but they kept nagging her to open a fan group.

She couldn’t manage it herself. Lin Shixia volunteered, but Gu Liuguang considered it and refused—Lin Shixia was already swamped with her own filming and wasn’t suited to help manage a fan group.

Lin Shixia pestered her endlessly; no matter where she looked, there were Lin Shixia’s long-winded messages. In the end, she compromised by having Wang Li create a side account to join the fan group as an admin.

To keep the fans happy, she also set several big gifters as admins: Fox, Please Hide Your Heart Well, Litchi Ice Milk, Liangkuai Yixia…

She filled up ten admin spots in total.

The group had already surpassed two thousand members, but that was still a huge gap from the task’s “platform top anchor.” She truly couldn’t fathom how the original host had achieved it.

She had arranged to meet for dinner, so Gu Liuguang sent a WeChat message to Aunt Huang, saying she was heading out to eat that evening and that Aunt Huang only needed to prepare her portion.

-Aunt Huang: Eating out with Miss Lin?

Aunt Huang had the heart of a master chef. Gu Liuguang wasn’t sure if it was worry over losing her job, but whenever Gu Liuguang ate out, Aunt Huang would ask which restaurant and then look up recipes online to study them.

Lin Shixia had once joked that Aunt Huang might open her own private kitchen someday.

Gu Liuguang didn’t think much of it and simply sent the address to Aunt Zhang.

-Aunt Zhang: Miss Lin knows a lot about these private kitchens.

-Little Light: Not with her.

Aunt Huang didn’t press further. Gu Liuguang had spent the afternoon playing a hugely popular game and ended up dizzy from the 3D graphics. She threw up three times in the bathroom and figured it was probably the oversized screen—she just wasn’t used to it yet.

She rested for an hour before heading out, without bothering to change; she wore a plain T-shirt and shorts.

The driver arranged by Gu Shuang came to pick her up.

This time, they went to a seafood buffet on the same street as the previous Japanese restaurant. The storefront was larger and more modern, nothing particularly remarkable about it.

She was led to a seat on the open-air garden balcony before realizing this place was all about check-ins and photo ops. From the balcony, she could see a grand, history-laden building across the street that resembled a palace.

It was stunningly beautiful, and best of all, it wasn’t hot here—who knew where the cooling system was hidden.

Gu Liuguang couldn’t resist staring a bit longer until someone called her name, snapping her back.

She turned to see Ye Qingying and Gu Shuang seated on a wide black sofa. The sofa curved along the green plants behind it, blending seamlessly with the surroundings without looking out of place.

It reminded her a little of their first meeting at the bar. Gu Liuguang sat down next to Gu Shuang and glanced up at Ye Qingying.

Ye Qingying wore a beige dress with lace-embossed patterns that draped beautifully without being tacky. She lounged haphazardly on the sofa, one hand propping her cheek as she tilted her head to look at Gu Liuguang.

“You’ve been in C City for days now, but you won’t meet me no matter how much I ask. I’m so heartbroken…” Her other hand clutched at her chest, as if she were truly wounded.

Gu Liuguang hadn’t planned to acknowledge her at first, but Ye Qingying seemed so different from the film empress the System had described that she couldn’t match them up. “Don’t you have a new drama to shoot? Why haven’t you joined the crew yet?”

Seeing Gu Liuguang engage, Ye Qingying perked right up. She straightened slightly on the sofa, her roguish grin fading as she complained a bit, “I’m dying of guilt here. You ignore all my WeChats—I thought you’d never speak to me again for the rest of your life.”

Gu Shuang poured her a glass of juice from nearby. Gu Liuguang picked it up guiltily and took a sip. Back when she was in A City, she had barely any free time each day. Just replying to messages from Lin Shixia and Gu Shuang kept her busy, so when she saw Ye Qingying’s, she irritably blocked her outright.

If Ye Qingying hadn’t brought it up, she might have forgotten all about it. “This is because…”

She racked her brain for an excuse, but Gu Shuang spoke up calmly beside her. “Isn’t this because you messed up yourself? Not calling the cops was already showing you mercy.”

The air went quiet for a moment. Gu Shuang continued, “Would you like to see ‘Film Empress Ye Qingying Detained for Sexual Harassment’ trending on the hot search? Or maybe some paparazzi shots of your bare-faced, haggard mug as the top headline?”

Ye Qingying poured herself a glass of juice and smiled earnestly. “I’m here today specifically to apologize.”

Gu Liuguang breathed a sigh of relief and gulped down some juice before clearing her throat. “This is all in the past. You could have said it over the phone just the same.”

Ye Qingying: “I did call, but you blocked me like I was some scammer.”

Gu Liuguang: “…It’s not too late now.”

Ye Qingying didn’t seem embarrassed at all. She straightened her expression and raised her glass to Gu Liuguang. “To show my apology, I’ve quit drinking already. Since you don’t like alcohol anyway, I’ll atone with juice.”

“That night was my fault. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t make excuses about being drunk or muddle-headed. She just finished what she had to say. After downing her juice post-apology, she added, “And I really do like you.”

Lin Zhenshuang: “That last bit was unnecessary.”

Ye Qingying smiled. “At least I had the guts to say it.”

Lin Zhenshuang: “Since you’ve gone and confessed, perfect—have Liuguang reject you right here today.”

She glanced around. “It’s a great spot for turning down a confession.”

Gu Liuguang listened in a daze, scratched her forehead, then dropped her hand and said helplessly, “Stop with the jokes already. It’s not funny.”

It was downright terrifying.

This could really get someone killed!

The two fell quiet. Ye Qingying looked at her and smiled. “I know your answer now.”

Lin Zhenshuang: “Stealing your friend’s niece? Planning to follow up the sexual harassment scandal with some homewrecker love story?”

Ye Qingying frowned. “Are you done? They’re not married yet. I’m just competing fair and square. If you don’t like it, join the competition yourself.”

On that last line, she gave Lin Zhenshuang a meaningful glance.

Gu Liuguang couldn’t hold back anymore. “Shouldn’t we have some basic morals… or something?”

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. After all, she still had to play the scumbag later. But even if she was going to scum Lin Shixia, there was no way it would involve anything with Ye Qingying.

Lin Shixia and Ye Qingying were the official couple! If she hooked up with Ye Qingying too, how could those two get their happy ending? And how could she end up as cannon fodder?

Her mind was a mess. She gestured for the two to stop “arguing.” “Let’s just eat first.”

“I’m hungry.”

They had tablets for ordering right there—whatever they wanted, they could tap it in, and staff would bring it over. No need for the three of them to go fetch it themselves.

Once they ordered, Ye Qingying started up again, spouting lovey-dovey lines mixed with confessions and jabs from Gu Shuang.

Gu Liuguang had been mulling over how to broach the topic of getting these two to help her reach platform top anchor status. But Ye Qingying’s antics derailed her thoughts, leaving her unable to speak. She just sat there listening.

She went from initial fluster to eventual nonchalance, and finally impatience. She pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and started recording.

“I’m recording now. Please go on.”

Lin Zhenshuang’s lip corner curved up ever so slightly.

Ye Qingying’s expression shifted, but she suddenly broke into a bright smile. “I was just messing with you. Why’d you take it seriously?”

Gu Liuguang calmly set her phone down.

Ye Qingying behaved herself. At that point, Lin Zhenshuang finally spoke up. “Hold on.” She glanced at Ye Qingying. “Sign the documents first.”

Ye Qingying caught on, rummaged in her large bag, and pulled out a stack of papers. She handed them toward Gu Liuguang with a soft smile that carried a hint of flattery. “This is my sincerity in apologizing to you. I hope Baby will accept it.”

Gu Liuguang was baffled. She looked toward Lin Zhenshuang, who gave a slight nod. “Take a look first.”

Gu Liuguang took them in a fog and quickly spotted the bold word on the first page: Transfer.

Her eyes widened as she skimmed through. She finally understood—Ye Qingying was transferring Night Moon Villa to her.

She flipped through the later pages. They covered Night Moon Villa’s ongoing matters: staff wages, maintenance fees, and more, all to be covered by Ye Qingying for the next fifty years.

Ye Qingying had already signed her parts; all that was left was Gu Liuguang’s signature.

Gu Liuguang set the documents down and looked from Lin Zhenshuang to Ye Qingying. Without thinking, she said, “There’s no way I can accept this.”

Night Moon Villa even had its own documentaries—it was worth more than some people. Ye Qingying might dare to give it, but she didn’t dare take it.

Lin Zhenshuang remained unfazed. “Not sending her to prison already spared her a ton of losses.”

Negative press would hit her entertainment endorsements and family business alike. Night Moon Villa was Ye Qingying’s private property; no one could dictate who she gifted it to.

Ye Qingying blinked at Gu Liuguang. “Don’t feel burdened. I’ll only rest easy once you accept it.”

Seeing Gu Liuguang still hesitate, Lin Zhenshuang remarked casually, “Night Moon Villa has quite the reputation. Streaming from inside the villa should draw a huge audience, don’t you think?”

These people could reclaim the villa anytime if they wanted anyway. Gu Liuguang signed without further delay. They made two copies, each keeping one.

Even after signing, Gu Liuguang couldn’t quite adjust. She kept wondering if the two were pranking her or if Ye Qingying was on some hidden-camera prank show with micro cams filming her right now.

Lin Zhenshuang suggested, “After we eat, how about we swing by your villa for a look around?”

When she said “your villa,” her gaze was on Gu Liuguang—she’d adapted to it faster than Gu Liuguang had.