Chapter 58

[Under the lemon tree, you and me, so sour I’m crying. One second it’s 37 million, the next it’s “Here, sis, it’s yours.” What??? I hate that I understand this language.]
[Why hasn’t my tycoon bestie found me yet? Did she get lost? Bestie, I’m right here!]
[Wait, did no one catch the key point? NEW HOUSE. Does that mean the house was also a gift from the young lady?]
[Now I finally understand why the title isn’t “sis” or “bestie” or “Yao Yao,” but “Young lady.” She deserves it. If someone spent money on me like that, I’d call them “My Queen” in public without a shred of embarrassment.]
[Reincarnation is a skill, sure, but luck matters too. I remember not long ago watching Ms. Wen fight her sexist birth family. Now she’s sitting in a Pagani supercar.]
[But Wen Jiu really suffered early on. With my brain, I couldn’t even get out of my village, let alone into Nancheng University. Still better to be born a young lady…]
The chief director stared at the scrolling comments in silence for a moment.
It was rare to see a variety show with no arguments and this much traffic.
Truly rare.
Everyone had already seen the Su family’s mansion-like estate in Haicheng. Now seeing the Qin family’s equally extravagant home through the camera didn’t shock them as much.
Guess we’re worldly people now.
+1
+100000
At the Qin residence, it was once again an enormous, empty villa with only the young lady living there. Dad, Mom, and Big Brother were all busy working elsewhere.
“The room you stayed in before is still reserved for you, Wen Jiu. You can move back in, or pick any other room you like.”
“There are plenty anyway. No one lives in them.”
The young lady said this while sitting down, but in Wen Jiu’s eyes, she looked taller than if she were standing.
Wow. Falling in love with the young lady again and again over the smallest details.
In the end, Wen Jiu didn’t choose another room. She stayed in the same one as before.
The young lady had Qin the butler arrange Wen Jiu’s room. At a glance, it was clearly different from the guest rooms, just the color scheme alone set it apart.
She set her bag down and went downstairs. It happened to be dinnertime, and the butler instructed the kitchen to start serving.
Wen Jiu locked eyes with the king crab on the dining table.
So tempting, no, so cruel.
Her hands were more honest than her brain. She immediately took a plate and accepted the chilled king crab leg meat from the young lady’s hand.
It tasted amazing, sweet and rich.
Perhaps the young lady knew they’d had Chinese food yesterday, so tonight’s dinner leaned more toward Japanese and Korean cuisine.
After five different ways of eating crab, there was freshly cooked sukiyaki.
Wagyu beef was easy to get greasy, but with white sugar sprinkled into the broth, it became sweet on top of sweet. One slice of meat could take half a bowl of rice. Wen Jiu ended up rubbing her belly, completely stuffed.
Dessert afterward was French.
The young lady loved all kinds of French desserts, not only were they beautiful, but they tasted incredible too.
Wen Jiu ate blissfully, and two hours later, she quietly slipped into the gym.
She’d gone way over her sugar intake today.
Unexpectedly, the young lady was already there. When she saw Wen Jiu, she even made a call to summon the private fitness trainer living in the villa for one-on-one coaching.
Wen Jiu had originally just wanted to work out a bit. She ended up staying in the gym for a full two hours.
Afterward, she showered and collapsed onto the bed. Another wonderful, pleasant day came to an end.
The livestream viewers wanted to leave, yet couldn’t bear to. When what you think about during the day fills your mind to a certain degree, it naturally seeps into your dreams at night. As they fell asleep, they subconsciously became Wen Jiu, enjoying the overwhelming riches brought by a bestie.
“Are we going to look for Sister Yue Ling today?” Su Yaoyao, as usual the earliest riser of the three, took a bite of her soft-boiled egg and looked up at Wen Jiu and Qin Yao.
The young lady’s biological clock had kicked in; she was fairly energetic. Wen Jiu, on the other hand, was dazed, she could fall back asleep the moment she closed her eyes, just short of burying her face in her plate.
“We’ll leave after breakfast.” The young lady glanced left at the spirited Su Yaoyao, then right at the half-asleep Wen Jiu, indicating they could head out immediately.
After breakfast, Wen Jiu got into the car and slept all the way from the ride to the plane, and then until the plane landed. Only then did she finally wake up properly.
Seeing the familiar film city again, they hadn’t walked far when Su Yaoyao received a call.
After hanging up, she lifted her smiling face and said to Wen Jiu and Qin Yao, “Jiujiu, Yao Yao, the director adapting my second book is filming here. He said he saw us, he’s on the city wall. We can go check out his set.”
Wen Jiu remembered this. Su Yaoyao had mentioned it before.
While The Rich Family was being filmed, Su Yaoyao’s second drama, Xianxia, had entered pre-production. The female lead was a white-moonlight young lady type. Once this current drama wrapped, she would seamlessly move into Xianxia. The director was someone who had previously produced several hit xianxia dramas and was currently filming as well, once his current project finished, he’d move straight into Xianxia.
Coincidentally, the white-moonlight young lady had many scenes today. Arriving a bit later wouldn’t affect anything, so they accepted the director’s invitation.
What Wen Jiu didn’t expect was that after going upstairs, she discovered the male lead of this drama was Xie Junyu.
A nearly forgotten piece of trivia: Xie Junyu and Su Yaoyao were each other’s first love.
Without drawing attention, Wen Jiu slowed her steps and glanced sideways at Su Yaoyao.
On Su Yaoyao’s stunningly bewitching face, her peach-blossom eyes blinked lightly. Her long, curled lashes cast inverted shadows, completely concealing the shimmering emotion beneath.
It was impossible to tell what she was feeling.
The tear mole at the corner of her eye glimmered faintly as her gaze drifted over Xie Junyu, silent, yet saying everything.
Wen Jiu scratched her head.
Headache.
Was there still feelings, or not?
Because of the original novel, Wen Jiu had always supported Su Yaoyao being emotionally detached and fully focused on her career. If she really ended up dating someone, Wen Jiu wasn’t even sure how she should protect her.
Su Tan was already the biggest obstacle on Su Yaoyao’s emotional path, not to mention the quietly dangerous Su Heng.
Xie Junyu finally finished the scene.
As he stepped out of his professional actor mode and turned around, he saw Su Yaoyao, and froze on the spot.
The moment he saw her, two red clouds floated onto his face. Then his entire face flushed red, all the way to his ears and neck.
Xie Junyu was simple and sincere, yet bore the refined face of a clever gentleman.
Now even that one feature that made him look smart stopped working, he looked like an honest country boy seeing the girl he liked.
He clearly wanted to approach her, yet didn’t dare get close. From afar, he already treated Su Yaoyao like a fragile piece of glass.
“Xie Junyu, come here! Why are you standing there spacing out?
Aren’t you the type who won’t sweat even at forty degrees on a set? Why is your face this red today filming outdoors? Don’t tell me you’re allergic to something.”
The director came over cheerfully to introduce them, but when he saw Xie Junyu drenched in sweat and at a loss, he became both surprised and concerned.
Others might not understand what was going on, how could Wen Jiu not?
Xie Junyu’s face turned even redder, looking exactly like a boiled tomato.
“Come, let me introduce you. This is the author of Xianxia: Su Yaoyao.”
“Teacher Su, this is the male lead of my current drama, Xie Junyu. His acting is solid. If it works out, I’m planning to arrange a suitable role for him in Xianxia.”
“I, I can!” Xie Junyu blurted out loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
Under Su Yaoyao’s gaze, he didn’t know where to put his hands or feet. His whole body went stiff.
Wen Jiu: “……”
Anyone who didn’t know they’d dated would think he’d been secretly in love with her for over a decade, only daring to steal glances.
No misunderstandings, no ex-lovers tearing into each other. This was her first time seeing a guy react like this upon meeting his ex.
The young lady smiled without saying anything, pulling Wen Jiu and the director aside to leave space for Su Yaoyao and Xie Junyu.
The moment was so sudden, the sweet, hazy romance made everyone’s heads spin, and they forgot they were still livestreaming.
Viewers: ???
Viewers: !!!
Does Xie Junyu like Su Yaoyao? Is this love at first sight? Oh my god, so people really do turn tomato-red without special effects.
[!!! I’ve eaten this melon. Fun fact: they’re exes.]
[With this reaction, you’re telling me they dated before? Then he must’ve been the kind of drowned puppy begging not to break up. My cold gentleman image is shattered.]
[He’s always been funny; fans know that. But we didn’t know he was this much of a simp.]
[That said, if Xie Dog dates a rich woman, we Jade Plates think he’s the one marrying up, especially when that person is Su Yaoyao. Her looks alone completely outclass him…]
[With that personality, if he really dates Su Yaoyao, he’ll probably go home to be pretty, wash clothes, and cook. We won’t get to see him act anymore.]
[First time seeing top-star fans not stopping their idol from dating… you guys are wild.]
[It’s not that we won’t stop it. It’s just… if the sister-in-law is Miss Su, maybe it’s acceptable.]
[Because if it’s Su Yaoyao, in every sense, brother is marrying way up.]
[Straight into being a prince consort, saving a hundred years of struggle. Totally doable!]
The camera focus shifted entirely to Su Yaoyao and Xie Junyu. Wen Jiu stood in the corner and simply opened the livestream chat to read the comments.
Normally, when a top idol even hints at having a partner, the woman gets shredded by girlfriend fans.
She hadn’t expected Xie Junyu’s fans to be this calm, some were even raising both hands and feet in support.
Thinking back to the Jade Plates who’d come to visit the set in winter, it suddenly made sense.
If all Jade Plates were like this, then they really were kind and adorable.
[I do NOT approve of this marriage!!]
Large golden text floated across the screen.
Wen Jiu saw the username, a string of raw numbers. A new account, but clearly someone who’d deliberately spent money to send this… unsurprisingly, it was probably Su Tan.
Xie Junyu’s fans hadn’t opposed it in the first place, now they became even more rebellious.
[Objection overruled. I approve.]
[Objection overruled. Same.]
The barrage stacked endlessly, making the person behind the golden comment seethe.
“Long time no see… y-you’ve been well?” Xie Junyu pressed his lips together, lashes fluttering. He stepped closer, then feared disturbing the moon in his heart and stopped again.
Wen Jiu stopped paying attention to the chat entirely, ears perked and eyes wide, watching the live drama.
Director: “…” Suddenly felt like his earlier introduction had been awkwardly unnecessary.
The young lady grabbed Wen Jiu’s arm, eyes sparkling. She whispered, “Is this the little brother you said you took in before? He looks… decent.”
“Though he seems a bit unworthy of Su Yaoyao. But dating-wise, he’s fine. Someone with a love-brain like this is perfect for Yaoyao.”
Wen Jiu found it strange hearing that.
One love-brain evaluating another love-brain, it felt oddly surreal.
“Yaoyao, are you single right now?” Xie Junyu shot straight for the heart, stunning Wen Jiu, the other two, and the viewers.
But his next sentence was even more explosive and incomprehensible.
“If you have someone, I can be the side one. If you don’t want that, I can line up and wait.”
Wen Jiu covered her face. “Actually, he’s not my little brother. I don’t know him.”
The young lady was so excited she nearly jumped. “Wen Jiu, do you think he’d, you know… worship Yaoyao’s feet?”
She said it softer than a mosquito’s buzz, and even muted the mic so it wouldn’t be recorded.
After all, that kind of thing really wasn’t suitable to be said in public.
The director hadn’t heard it, but even without anyone explaining, he understood perfectly.
Hah. To think the male lead of his crew was that kind of person. This was his first time finding out.
Su Tan was so angry he was about to smash his phone. He forcibly restrained himself just so he could keep watching Su Yaoyao. Even so, he was already on his way to the film city.
Su Yaoyao, however, completely dropped her usual shyness. This time, she was open and natural, there was even a hint of teasing in how she treated Xie Junyu.
“You still like me?
If you can convince my older brother and my younger brother, then I can give you a chance.”
When Su Yaoyao smiled, her breathtaking beauty made even the deep blue sky above the city walls lose its color for a moment.
Xie Junyu smiled foolishly along with her. “I will.”
Wen Jiu: “……”
Whether you can actually do it is one thing, but I sincerely hope you don’t get beaten to death by Su Tan or secretly dealt with by Su Heng.
But one thing was certain, teasing Xie Junyu like this was absolutely not something she’d taught Su Yaoyao.
Then again, a universally adored young lady should shine brilliantly in public like this, not be locked away like in the book, a pearl dimmed and buried.
Speak of Su Tan and he appears. That very night, Su Tan found them at the film city hotel.
“Sister, I don’t agree with you being with Xie Junyu!” He had run all the way there, stopping abruptly at the door. Sweat poured down his forehead in big drops.
Wen Jiu was even more flustered than the person involved, her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
She was terrified that Su Tan might do something irrational to Su Yaoyao. This time, there was no Ji Yujing standing in front to take the hits.
“It’s fine, Jiujiu. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my brother myself.” Su Yaoyao stopped Wen Jiu from following.
She leaned slightly closer to Wen Jiu, her voice as sweet as ever, yet carrying a new strength beneath it. “Jiujiu, I’ve already come out of it. I know how to talk to my brother now. You’ve worried too much for me. Let me handle this myself.”
Wen Jiu watched the two of them disappear behind the door.
She rubbed her eyes and opened them again, unsure of what she’d seen.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but why did it feel like Su Yaoyao was leading Su Tan out like she was walking a dog?
In her memory, the rebellious and unruly Su Tan was never this obedient…
Yue Ling and Qin Yao were sitting on the sofa behind Wen Jiu, one flipping through a script, the other choosing nail polish colors.
They patted the empty spot beside them and said in unison, “Come sit down. Yaoyao will be fine.”
Wen Jiu’s heart still hadn’t fully settled. Even after sitting down, she felt shaken.
The young lady spared Wen Jiu a bit of attention. After thinking for two seconds, she sent her a red envelope.
Wen Jiu’s mind was a mess, but her body reacted instinctively, she tapped it open and instantly received 20,000 yuan.
Now her heart was beating even faster, though it shifted from worrying about Su Yaoyao to being thrilled about the money.
“Young Lady, this is for me?” She turned her head and looked up, exclaiming, “It’s so sudden, why?”
“See? You snapped right back.” The young lady spread her hands.
She explained, “You looked like your soul had flown away earlier. A small red envelope to pull you back.
You definitely didn’t listen to what Yue Ling and I said. Relax about Yaoyao, she’s not just moved on. She handles everything with ease now.
Otherwise, with her previous personality, how would she have come to participate in this show?”
Yue Ling finished reviewing tomorrow’s scenes, set down the script, and continued Qin Yao’s words. “Yao Yao’s right.”
Wen Jiu was stunned.
She’d thought she was the one protecting the young ladies, but at some point, it had quietly become the other way around.
She wasn’t discouraged. If anything, she felt proud.
The young ladies were the best! Growth speed, up, up, up!
They had always been good people. They’d just taken a wrong turn in the book, or been written poorly. Pull them back by the hand once, and they’d return.
Qin Yao and Yue Ling went off to rest, while Wen Jiu stayed on the sofa waiting for Su Yaoyao to come back.
Even though she felt reassured after hearing the two young ladies, she still couldn’t fully relax until she saw Su Yaoyao return safely.
At 9:10 p.m., she finally did.
Su Yaoyao was perfectly fine, eyes bright and shining. One look told Wen Jiu she’d handled Su Tan successfully.
Wen Jiu felt relieved and satisfied.
Thinking about how each young lady had her own beloved career and sincere love, Wen Jiu went to bed that night smiling.
The next day, the three of them followed Yue Ling to the set.
Whether it was coincidence or the bond between a female lead and female supporting role, the drama’s female lead was Yue Ling, and the supporting actress was Wen Ling.
When Wen Ling wasn’t causing trouble, her professional ability was solid. Watching the two of them act opposite each other was a visual treat.
Everything was fine, until after filming ended, when Wen Ling walked over to Wen Jiu.
She had the cold, moonlight-type beauty. As she approached, she seemed light as air, as if lotus flowers bloomed beneath her steps.
There was no malice in her heart; her whole demeanor was calm and peaceful, fully embodying the elegance of an orchid growing in a secluded valley.
In this historical drama, she wore a white dress and held a fan, graceful like a fairy from the Moon Palace.
She walked up step by step, performed a bow from the drama toward Wen Jiu, and spoke in a voice soft enough to melt water. “Thank you, Wen Jiu.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and placed it on Wen Jiu’s shoulder. “Without you, I probably wouldn’t be able to stay here filming properly right now.”
What she meant was that she hadn’t gone down the wrong path.
But she had her little schemes too. Seeing the cameras there, and knowing Wen Jiu was on a livestream variety show, she wanted to hype up a CP. She also wanted people in the industry to know she had ties to Wen Jiu and would be looked after by the young ladies, smoothing her future career.
Wen Jiu: “……”
She wasn’t stupid. From Wen Ling’s unhidden gaze, she could see the ambition clearly.
Wen Jiu didn’t oppose girls having ambition, that was a good thing.
But she couldn’t be used.
She stood up and retreated backward, hiding behind the young ladies.
To her front left was Qin Yao, to her front right Yue Ling, and directly ahead Su Yaoyao.
Wen Jiu felt an overwhelming sense of security.
“Wen Jiu only has a cooperative relationship with you. You provided information, and Wen Jiu helped you terminate your contract, mutual benefit, that’s all. You’ve said thanks, so you can leave now. Can’t you see she’s timid?” The young lady spoke up and laid out the entire situation clearly, preventing confused viewers from being led astray.
The young lady had never been one to save face. She showed Wen Ling no mercy, and while she was at it, defended Wen Jiu with her eyes wide open, blatantly bending the truth.
Yue Ling said nothing. She simply lifted her gaze and glanced at Wen Ling, her eyes sharp and cold. She was usually gentle, this sudden chill truly frightened Wen Ling.
Su Yaoyao smiled warmly, looking like the least temperamental of all. Yet somehow, that smile made Wen Ling uneasy.
Wen Ling retreated in defeat and quietly went back.
Failing three times on the same person, it was better not to provoke Wen Jiu anymore.
Even borrowing some traffic wasn’t going to work.
The livestream chat became lively again.
[Who said they’re fake besties? WHO? Step out! This is what real sisters helping each other looks like!! What’s wrong with calling her “Young Lady”? Didn’t you see the Young Lady protecting Wen Jiu?]
[Who’s crying from jealousy, I won’t say. Let me wipe my phone first, everything’s salty. Wen Jiu is so happy. Her besties protect her and give her money.]
[Right? Haicheng, Beicheng, film city, running back and forth, going wherever they want. I’ve never even traveled far.]
[That’s not the point. Haven’t you noticed Wen Jiu never brings luggage? Toiletries I can understand, but even her clothes are prepared by the Miss! Brands send them straight to the hotel!]
[I came in to watch Su Yaoyao. Stayed two days and realized the real protagonist is Wen Jiu. Wuwuwu, let me reincarnate as Wen Jiu! The Miss still has to handle family affairs, Wen Jiu just follows her to eat, drink, and enjoy life.]
In truth, this show really was Wen Jiu following the young ladies around, eating, drinking, playing, and having fun.
During their two days in the film city, since the white-moonlight young lady had too many scenes to film and couldn’t always record with them, the three of them simply wandered around the area.
They passed by a crew that seemed to be recruiting extras on site.
Wen Jiu wasn’t interested in acting, but Su Yaoyao wanted to experience it, so they went over to take a look.
“That’s just some no-name small crew. Don’t go there, only 80 yuan a day. You’d be better off going to the spy drama next door; they pay 100 a day.” A passerby stopped them. “Want to go together? I know the assistant director next door. You’re all so pretty, I can get him to arrange special extra roles for you.”
“No.” Growing up in Nancheng, Wen Jiu had a built-in sensitivity to trafficker vibes and immediately refused.
The passerby tried to continue talking, but Wen Jiu chased him off with a cold face. He muttered curses as he left. “Not knowing good intentions.”
Then he turned to look for other pretty girls.
These girls all came with dreams of being extras and were easily lured away by unrealistic, glittering promises.