Chapter 69: Thirteen

This kiss seemed like nothing more than Ye Can’s spur-of-the-moment impulse. Her lips and tongue lingered only briefly on that patch of cool skin before she pulled away.

Before Lin Zixi could decide whether this was an offense or not, Ye Can pulled her into an embrace, whining like a child: “Lin Zixi, your neck is so cold. I was just warming it up for you.”

Lin Zixi lay in her arms, her body trembling from the indescribable thrill of that earlier touch.

She shrank back, dodging Ye Can’s hot breath, swallowed her startled gasp with effort, and said, “Ye Can… from now on… don’t just kiss me like that so casually.”

This kind of behavior makes my head spin.

Ye Can mumbled, “I didn’t kiss you. I just licked it a little.”

Lin Zixi’s face flushed pink in an instant. She pushed Ye Can away, forcing herself to stay composed as she told her, “Licking isn’t allowed either. Nor is biting.”

She took a deep breath and said solemnly to Ye Can, “In short, you can’t do this kind of thing anymore.”

Ye Can gave a nonchalant “oh,” figuring that since she’d already done far more scandalous things like warming the bed, did she really need to sweat the small stuff?

Lin Zixi was always like this—saying no with her words while her body responded with even more enthusiasm and honesty.

Ye Can decided to play it by ear for now and judge based on Lin Zixi’s needs later.

The late-night snack dragged on for over half an hour, and Ye Can received quite a few little gifts. Meng Jiaren from the neighboring crew stopped by on behalf of the fan club aunties to deliver a birthday present for Ye Can.

With nothing to offer in return, Ye Can just took a photo with Meng Jiaren.

Meng Jiaren was thrilled to hear Ye Can was starring in Limbo Inn. When she learned about the filming progress, she said excitedly, “By New Year’s, we’ll get to see Can-Can on TV. That’s way faster than waiting for a movie release.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ye Can and asked, “You’ve been filming dramas nonstop—does that mean you’re thinking about debuting for real?”

Ye Can hugged her flowers, tilting her head in thought for a long moment before asking, “After I debut, will there be people who like me like you do?”

Meng Jiaren nodded vigorously. “Of course! Can-Can is so amazing—tons of people will love you.”

Ye Can thought it over and asked again, “Will they like me forever? Like you do?”

Meng Jiaren nodded even harder, her eyes welling up with emotion as she gazed at this innocent girl. “Yes, of course they will!”

Ye Can nodded, finally making up her mind. “Alright then, I’ll debut. And let more people recognize me.”

Meng Jiaren nodded frantically. “Yes, yes! Go for it, Can-Can—keep up the great acting! And make sure to do some fan service on Weibo when you have time.”

Ye Can smiled. “Of course, I will.”

Meng Jiaren had work to do, and she left with red-rimmed eyes from excitement. As she said goodbye to Lin Zixi, she gripped her hand like a worried mom: “Thank you, Teacher Lin, for nurturing her. Can-Can is in your hands from now on.”

Lin Zixi was baffled. After seeing Meng Jiaren off, she turned to Ye Can. “What did you say to her? You made her cry?”

Ye Can hugged her flowers and blinked at Lin Zixi. “Nothing much. I just told her I’m planning to debut.”

Lin Zixi was stunned. “Debut?”

Ye Can nodded. “Yeah, debut.” She looked at Lin Zixi and sighed. “It’s a hassle, but I have to make this call eventually. Lin Zixi, I want more people to like me and acknowledge me, so I need to become a big star.”

“I’ve decided to debut.”

Her expression was dead serious, no joking around. Lin Zixi looked at Ye Can and asked, “So… you’re done just playing extras?”

Ye Can nodded. “Yeah, more than just extras.”

She gazed at Lin Zixi, utterly solemn. “I’ve learned a bit about this world. Becoming a big star comes with harsh conditions.”

“My personality sucks, my temper’s awful, my brain’s a mess—I probably won’t win over the world.”

“So I need you. Will you be my agent and help me earn the world’s approval?”

Lin Zixi, who had written scripts for over a decade, played countless extras, and directed scenes, found her first instinct upon hearing Ye Can’s invitation was to say yes.

Only then did she realize that, just as she’d feared, she could no longer refuse Ye Can anything.

She paused for a moment, then smiled at Ye Can. “Being your agent isn’t out of the question, but we’d need a contract.”

“We can talk splits when we get back.”

Her previous twenty-nine years had all been a solitary struggle. Now, encountering someone who couldn’t mesh with the world but saw her as the key to it all—maybe she could try living together with her.

As Ye Can had said, she knew her own brain was off, and Lin Zixi knew she did have some condition. But once Lin Zixi realized this “patient” had come for her, none of it mattered anymore.

Lin Zixi sighed inwardly, mocking herself: Maybe I’m a little off too, just like Ye Can.

But what normal person would go all-in for her like Ye Can does?

Sure enough, Ye Can didn’t hesitate. “Why talk splits? Everything I earn can go to you.”

She smiled, her gaze tender. “Anyway, you feed me. As long as you keep feeding me, that’s enough.”

Look at this pretty little nutcase—who could resist her?

Lin Zixi sighed softly and teased, “You trust me that much? What if one day I just ditch you?”

Ye Can smiled. “You know, a well-cared-for puppy can die if abandoned suddenly.”

“Lin Zixi, you’re a good person. Once you take on responsibility, you don’t abandon people easily.”

She looked at Lin Zixi with a confident smile. “You won’t do that, so I trust you.”

Lin Zixi marveled at her sharp insight, helpless as she said, “Yeah, yeah, you know everything.”

She lowered her eyes, reached out, and took Ye Can’s hand. “It’s late. Let’s head back.”

But Ye Can grabbed her instead, pulling her into a one-armed hug. “Wait, wait, don’t rush.”

As she spoke, Ye Can shoved the flowers into Lin Zixi’s arms for her to hold. Lin Zixi blinked up at her in confusion. “What is it?”

Ye Can pulled out her phone, switched to the front camera, and aimed it at them both. “Gotta do some fan service with a selfie. I looked it up—stars always post selfies to promote.”

She wrapped her arm tight around Lin Zixi, draping her hand over her shoulder and deliberately showing off the dazzling Golden Leaf bracelet on her wrist. She flashed a super photogenic smile at the lens.

Lin Zixi was exasperated. “If you’re doing fan service selfies, just do yours. Why drag me in?”

Ye Can ignored her, using her free hand to tilt Lin Zixi’s chin and pull her close, grinning at the camera. “Smile, smile—make it cute! Say cheese!”

Lin Zixi had no choice. Looking at Ye Can’s beaming face in the lens, she let a soft, gentle smile curve her lips.

After snapping the photo, Ye Can admired the shot—the two of them looked perfectly matched. She was thrilled.

No filter needed. Ye Can posted it straight to Weibo with the caption: “The coming-of-age ceremony was splendid, my beloved consort is exceedingly beautiful, and I am greatly pleased.”

After posting, she nudged Lin Zixi. “Quick, repost it. Repost!”

Lin Zixi cringed at the Weibo post—it was mortifying. She ignored Ye Can at first, but Ye Can kept pestering her. Finally, she caved, logged into her dusty Weibo account after ages, and reposted it.

“Happy birthday! 🎂🎂 Ye Can’s coming-of-age ceremony was splendid, my beloved consort is exceedingly beautiful, and I am greatly pleased. [Image]”

Jiang Yue, who was riding back to the hotel, scrolled right into it. She cracked up at the content.

Ever the drama-stirrer, she reposted Lin Zixi’s Weibo with a tease: “Happy birthday, Golden Leaf.”

Soon, crew staff who saw it on Jiang Yue’s feed started reposting too.

Jiang Yue’s fans were mostly face-cons. They fogged up at the two unfamiliar beauties.

“Wow! Two stunners! New signees from Yue-jie’s agency?”

“Yue-jie signed two more beauties? That face value is insane!”

“No, the one hugging her is so A! Face is perfection!”

“That’s Teacher Lin being held—the acclaimed beauty screenwriter! So is this a new Limbo Inn actress?”

“Someone spill the tea!”

Jiang Yue’s repost sent a flood of visitors to Ye Can’s Weibo, which had only a few hundred followers before.

Ye Can didn’t use Weibo much and froze at the barrage of DMs.

Then Meng Zhiqiu, shooting an ad in Iceland, spotted it too. For reasons of her own, she reposted Ye Can’s Weibo and sent birthday wishes.

With two top female stars blessing her, this newbie’s connections were enviable. In just an hour, Ye Can’s followers shot up by tens of thousands.

Ye Can stared blankly at her phone buzzing nonstop with notifications and handed it to Lin Zixi. “Fan service actually works! These people followed because they like me, right?”

Lin Zixi was surprised too. She took the phone, scrolled through, and figured it out. “Probably because Jiang Yue and Meng Zhiqiu reposted yours—brought you a wave of traffic.”

“Ye Can, your face is killer. They probably clicked because they like it. Some out of curiosity too…”

Ye Can nodded in understanding. “Oh, cool. Do I need to reply or anything?”

Lin Zixi thought for a second. “I’ll set up an auto-reply for you.”

She tinkered with Ye Can’s phone for a few minutes. Soon, every new follower got this: “Hello, I’m Ye Can. I’m thrilled to have your like.”

Lin Zixi sincerely hoped that one day, the Ye Can who craved likes and recognition would make her fans feel the same: that the world was better for having a Ye Can in it.