A Sweet Soft Alpha and a Psycho-Beauty Go Viral Online - Chapter 30

The kiss lingered for a long time.

That soft, sweet sensation was intoxicating.

For the first time, Qiao Sanghe reevaluated her relationship with Yu Wanyin — this time more seriously than ever. There comes a moment in life when you suddenly realize just how important someone is to you.

This was her moment.

Her slender fingers gently clasped Yu Wanyin’s hand. Their fingers intertwined, and she softly made a promise.

“You said it yourself. I’m taking it seriously.”

Yu Wanyin nodded sincerely. “Okay.”

They stayed up all night.

That weekend, the two were scheduled to shoot a commercial for a beverage brand called Qingshuang (“Refreshing”).

Qingshuang is a sports drink, and both Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin had been chosen as brand ambassadors for a one-year endorsement. Qiao Sanghe’s fee was around 8 million yuan, while Yu Wanyin’s was approximately 2 million.

Yu Wanyin’s value had only risen recently, thanks to her appearance on the variety show Midnight Fairytale. Her popularity was largely due to her pairing with Qiao Sanghe as a “CP” (a romantic or close partner dynamic beloved by fans). In reality, she didn’t yet have any notable works to her name. Her fame was somewhat inflated, so her fee naturally didn’t compare to Qiao Sanghe’s.

As for Qiao Sanghe, she was previously a low-key second- or third-tier celebrity with little industry presence. Her sudden rise in fame came from the show’s overwhelming success. This was her first endorsement breaking the 8-million mark — and that was just for a beverage. If it had been a luxury brand, the price could’ve easily been tens of millions.

But Qiao Sanghe was already content. She didn’t enter the entertainment industry for the money; it was more a personal interest and hobby. As long as her career progressed without disrupting her life, she was satisfied. Her emphasis had always been on maintaining privacy — which was why she kept her personal life tightly guarded.

Yu Wanyin understood this about her — that Qiao Sanghe valued freedom above all else. She disliked being constrained, refused to live within rigid boundaries, and wanted the freedom to make her own choices at every moment without worrying about others’ opinions or pressures. That kind of life — lived by her own truth — was what suited her best. And Yu Wanyin had made up her mind: she would protect that life for her.

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The commercial shoot was held at the production studio of the Qingshuang company.

Both Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin changed into fresh, summery outfits: sleeveless athletic tops paired with simple sandals. Their hairstyles and makeup radiated a youthful, sunny energy. Once the styling was complete, their fresh and striking visuals captivated everyone on set.

In one scene, they walked hand in hand across a beach setting — a realistically crafted artificial set, complete with heat-blown wind and humid air that made it feel like an actual summer beach.

The tagline for the Qingshuang commercial was simple: Cool refreshment to beat the summer heat.

Yu Wanyin passed the drink to Qiao Sanghe with a smile, inviting her to try it.

Qiao Sanghe twisted open the bottle and took a sip. Their eyes met. They smiled at each other. The moment was captured — natural and beautiful.

“Excellent. Great chemistry,” the director praised. “Let’s move on to the next scene.”

The next setting was under the moonlight on a mountainside.

The two sat close together at the mountain’s peak. With each other’s companionship, the loneliness vanished. For them, happiness was found in that fleeting moment — and with Qingshuang beside them, it became eternal.

Qiao Sanghe leaned gently against Yu Wanyin, this time offering the drink to her. But as she moved closer, she accidentally leaned in too far. Their delicate, beautiful faces came just inches apart. Her nose brushed softly against Yu Wanyin’s lips.

It created an unforgettable image.

This moment wasn’t in the script, but the effect was so good that the team decided to keep it as one of the main highlights of the commercial.

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The day of filming ended quickly.

For Yu Wanyin, this commercial shoot was eye-opening.

She’d never imagined how stark the gap could be between different professions. No matter how many jobs she’d worked in the past, none of them came close to the earnings from a single endorsement deal in the entertainment industry — and this wasn’t even the upper limit.

Many celebrities made far more. Compared to that, this was nothing.

Since fate had brought her into this world, she wanted to make her mark and stay for the long haul.

Her first thought: she wanted to create her own variety show.

In this industry, people relied on talent, performance, or charisma — but personal talent had its limits. She needed a new path forward.

Her future plan was to launch a show of her own.

But that was for later.

For now, she belonged to Qiao Sanghe.

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The next round of Midnight Fairytale — the 7th escape room — was about to begin.

After a contestant was eliminated in the previous episode, the remaining teams were now at different stages of progress. Only two teams made it to this challenge: Liu Chu & Hu Xueqi, and Qiao Sanghe & Yu Wanyin.

Their points were different: Qiao Sanghe’s team had 10,000, while Liu Chu’s team had 6,000.

To gain points, they needed to escape the haunted house by solving puzzles. If they failed, they would lose points — and face penalties.

This episode was titled “The Grudge.”

The setting was a haunted mansion. The story: the former owner had suffered a massacre — the entire family perished under tragic circumstances, from the elderly to children. Their unjust deaths left behind heavy resentment, which now haunted the estate, becoming an obstacle for the players.

To earn points, the players had to escape. Staff members disguised as ghosts would try to stop them. If a player got caught three times, they would be eliminated.

There were a few rules to avoid being caught:

• Each room in the mansion had a locked door that had to be solved via a puzzle.

• Once a room was solved and exited, the team would get a bonus from a spinning wheel: either 10–60 minutes of immunity or a chance to rescue a teammate.

• Each player had 3 spins per day.

• The map included 48 indoor rooms, 12 exterior doors, 8 hallway/backyard exits, and 34 basement rooms.

• The more rooms unlocked, the more points earned.

• The challenge lasted three days.

• Only the highest-scoring team would advance.

The other would be eliminated and sent back to the previous level.

Knowing the stakes, Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin were ready to face Liu Chu’s team head-on. There could only be one winning team — and it had to be theirs.

Yu Wanyin wouldn’t let Qiao Sanghe down. Just imagining her disappointed expression was enough to fuel her determination.

They pushed open the door to the set.

Their starting room was designed like a vintage chamber: red paper cutouts on the windows, an old smoking pipe and porcelain teapot on the table, a rosewood footstool by the bed, and a worn bronze mirror.

Qiao Sanghe checked the map. This was Room 33. No basement access, but two puzzle doors — one to the east, one to the west. They had to pick one to solve.

“There are two doors. Which one do we solve first?”

Yu Wanyin grabbed her hand. “We’re not choosing — we’re doing both. Adults don’t make compromises.”

“Do we have time? We only have five minutes. NPCs will show up after that,” Qiao Sanghe said, heart pounding. Maybe it was lingering fear from the last challenge, where the killer NPC had chased them relentlessly.

This round had even stricter rules: less time and only three chances to make mistakes. More than three, and they would be eliminated. She didn’t want to be the first one out — how embarrassing would that be?

Yu Wanyin didn’t waste time explaining. Her fingers worked quickly on the puzzle door.

It wasn’t particularly hard — the challenge was the time limit. This was a tile-sliding puzzle. The only way to solve it was by quickly rotating the tiles into place. No time to think, only act.

Then, without warning, Qiao Sanghe leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on Yu Wanyin’s lips.

With a whisper of reassurance, she said:

“Believe in me. I can do this.”