After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 56

A ‘Star Cloud’ (Xing Yun) solo fan, who was mixed in with the crowd during the daytime airport pickup, turned out to be a ‘CP fan’ (shipping fan), and what’s more, a microscopically meticulous “shipper” (literally, ‘microscope-wielding scientist’).

As is well known, where there are shippers, miracles happen!

Therefore, a new post on the Star Moon Myth (Xing Yue Shen Hua) Super Topic instantly garnered three hundred likes, which was a very rare sight for this bottom-of-the-barrel CP super topic.

The young girl who had presented Song Xingzi with a bouquet of lilies earlier in the day furiously tapped her phone screen. On it was the post she had just published:

Look, look, look, what did I discover!!!! It looks like there’s a red hickey on Xingxing’s (Star’s) left wrist, and right in that spot! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, I can’t handle this!!!

Also, did you see the pictures from the fan site next door? I was there, seriously! I personally saw that Yue Liang (Moon) was even more deeply affectionate than in the photos. Protected by bodyguards, Yue Liang stood a distance away—about two or three meters—gazing at Xingxing. Xingxing, in turn, spoke to us very gently, took photos with us, and signed autographs for every single sister.

I am genuinely bawling my eyes out!!! Gentle and wonderful Xingxing, paired with deep, affectionate, and utterly A-list Yue Liang—this is too perfect a match; everyone must ship them! Why isn’t our little corner site popular yet? It’s illogical for such a perfect CP to not be a hit!!!

Would a writer please come write a story? @Star Moon Myth Wuwuwu, divine writer, we need you!!!

Below, a group of CP fans commented wildly:

My CP will definitely have a happy ending (he): Sweet, sweet, sweet! Too sweet! I am revived! Hurry up and air the low-budget drama! I want to see the ‘fish fry’ [presumably a nickname for the in-character CP]!!

Cang Qing (Dark Blue): I really want to know if Yue Liang got jealous when Xingxing hugged the fans one by one.

Did my CP kiss and cuddle today?: Shipping it! Shipping it! Tears-streaming-down-face.jpg X 3 Author, hurry up and come! @StarMoonMyth

Star Moon is Yue Xin [a pun]: Kdl! I absolutely adore Yue Liang’s expression! Honestly, these two really can’t be apart for even a second!

Liangban Xingyue (Star Moon Salad): Go on, say it! Just tell me which university you want to attend, and I’ll help you @. [A common joke promising to fund a fan’s education for providing shipping evidence.]

The post was made in the evening, and before long, the eagerly awaiting “little lesbian chicks” [a colloquial self-reference for female CP fans] pushed the post onto the main page’s “Essence” section and furiously tagged @StarMoonMyth.

Li Yu, who received a new Weibo notification, opened the Super Topic, first shedding tears of excitement, and then regretting her earlier decision, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, saying, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! I’m so angry! They actually went through with it!! Why didn’t I follow them? If I had gone with them, would I have to produce my own content here?”

As the veteran host and founder of “Star Moon Myth,” Li Yu initially shouldered the burden of the entire Super Topic, writing and drawing content frantically to keep it afloat.

It wasn’t until this latest incident, where the two fanbases were at war, that Li Yechen released intimate photos of Ji Ruyue and Song Xingzi, along with other pieces of evidence, attempting to “clear his name” by claiming that everyone “stole flowers and stirred up grass” (flirted/cheated) and that his own mistake wasn’t too severe.

Of course, the attempt to clear his name was unsuccessful, but he did manage to use the opportunity to boost this struggling little CP Super Topic.

Furthermore, since the TV series was set to be streamed online, a three-minute teaser trailer was released after the post-production was complete. In the preview, the interactive scenes between Mu Yu, played by Ji Ruyue, and the female protagonist, played by Song Xingzi, totaled a full 49 seconds. Under the combined effect of their strangely compatible aura and the entertainment industry’s top-tier visuals, the “Star Moon Myth” CP Super Topic finally surpassed thirty thousand fans, clinging onto the tail end of the CP Super Topic rankings.

Although the growth was primarily driven by organic interest, Star Light’s public relations team noticed this ‘Arctic Circle’ CP. They were very nervous and unsure how to handle it, even calling Lin Shu to ask for Song Xingzi’s agent’s opinion.

Lin Shu was long aware of the true feelings between the two women, and Zhang Yuan had already discussed Song Xingzi’s future development plan with him. Therefore, he calmly told the PR department to let them be. Our CEO might even be happy to see it happen.

Having received the go-ahead, the PR department relaxed and even occasionally lent a helping hand, suppressing some unfavorable comments. Gradually, “Star Moon Myth” began to develop, and Li Yu could finally free up time to update her sweet short story.

Getting back on track, due to certain circumstances, Li Yu did not accompany Song Xingzi to Paris for the advertisement shoot this time. While she was at home frantically typing out and saving drafts, she secretly felt lucky: Finally, I don’t have to watch their tug-of-war anymore. It was truly exhausting; it’s much more enjoyable to write a sweet short story.

However, the reality check came as quickly as a hurricane. Just as she was about to end her ten-day long vacation, happy to be her own boss and singing praises about not having to ‘babysit,’ Li Yu saw the message that made her guts twist with regret. She was pounding her chest and wiping away tears as she replied in the comments.

“OK! Sister Shipper! I’m shipping it! I’ll make the arrangements!”

The original poster finally received a reply. Wearing a face mask, she burst into maniacal laughter in her bedroom, causing her mask to crack.

“W-T-F, my mask cracked?”* The blogger roughly slapped the mask back into place on her face and clutched her phone, desperately searching for more ‘sugar’ (shipping evidence).

While Li Yu was furiously writing for her CP, Li Yechen, who had received the news of Ji Ruyue’s return in the morning, waited until the evening. When his ex-fiancée still hadn’t called him, he finally couldn’t sit still and took the initiative to call her.

Strange. Normally, she’d act like a hysterical madwoman over the slightest rumor around me, insisting on thoroughly lecturing the other party. How come she’s had no reaction this time, even though the news is so widespread? Could she really have been ‘bent’ by that little celebrity?

Impossible. A woman like her, who has been obsessed with me for so long, how could she be a lesbian?

Li Yechen knit his thick eyebrows into a furrowed ‘Chuan’ shape. He shook his head to clear the thought, and the phone rang a few times. He suddenly noticed a detail: the ringtone wasn’t the previous one. Li Yechen listened intently.

“I would be honored if you would take me as I am. If you can face the real me, I would feel greatly honored.”

“I want you to look right in my eyes.”

“To tell me you love me, to be by my side. Tell me you love me; you will always be by my side.”

“I want you at the end of my life. To be with me when I am old and frail.”

“I wanna see your face, when I fall with grace. I want to see your face when I lose everything but have your grace.” (Note 1)

Li Yechen, bored while waiting, translated the lyrics along with the ringtone.

“That’s different from before?”

The ringtone didn’t play for long before the other party answered the call.

“Xiaoyue.”

After Ji Ruyue returned with Song Xingzi, she was in the study on a video conference with the shareholders to catch up on the domestic progress, while Song Xingzi was discussing the schedule with Lin Shu in the main hall.

Receiving a call from the male lead, Ji Ruyue, who had just finished her meeting, was initially stunned, not understanding why he was calling her at this moment. She then realized: according to the shareholders, due to the Ji family’s unilateral termination of the partnership, the stock trends of both companies were sluggish. The male lead must be bowing his head for money again.

“Brother Li?” Unable to determine the extent of the plot’s collapse, Ji Ruyue addressed Li Yechen using her former term of endearment, but the voice that entered his ear was no longer the deliberately sweet, youthful tone.

This… has she truly changed?

Ji Ruyue’s hand, holding the phone, trembled slightly. Before she could confirm, she heard the male voice on the opposite end say, “Xiaoyue, are you back in the country? Why didn’t you come to see Brother Li?”

Ji Ruyue took a deep breath, clutching her free hand tightly. “Li Yechen, if you are calling about the engagement, you don’t need to say anything. Everything will proceed according to the official Weibo announcement.”

“Xiaoyue!” Li Yechen clenched both fists and slammed them heavily on the solid wood table. His recently healed palm started to bleed again. He gasped in pain and motioned for the servants to come and tend to him.

“Am I paying you all to sit around doing nothing? You have no common sense! Bring the first aid kit over immediately!”

“Yes, Young Master, please don’t move.”

“A bunch of useless people.”

Listening to the noisy, chaotic sounds coming from the phone, Ji Ruyue suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. It was like a person who had always been bullied thought they had found a peerless martial art and could finally defeat their perpetually arrogant tormentor, only to find when they made their move that he was merely an insignificant minion. Her previous surge of anger vanished, replaced instead by a sense of absurdity and exhaustion.

Li Yechen was never her true opponent. Ji Ruyue knew he was merely a dog of the Heavenly Dao, who just happened to be standing in the path of fate’s advantage.

“I’m hanging up if there’s nothing else,” Ji Ruyue flipped her phone over, her precisely calculating brain quickly analyzing the plot development and corresponding countermeasures.

I will tear this deformed storyline to shreds.

She lowered her gaze to her smooth, soft palm. The lifeline extended from the center of her palm all the way to her wrist.

No matter what, I must hold onto her.

“Xiaoyue, don’t you dare hang up!” Li Yechen commanded sharply. He was always like this, arrogant and selfish, always believing he was the center of the world and everyone should revolve around him.

“Listen to me, the pictures online are all fake, and those are just rumors. The things that happened before, you’ve already handled. And every time you even frown, my heart breaks. How could I possibly continue to see them?” Under the pressure of financial concerns, Li Yechen, the ‘Son of the World,’ spouted a basket of flowery words without a moment’s thought. “You absolutely must not overthink this!”

The Ji family’s actions were so blatant, yet why was the male lead still completely oblivious, thinking everyone should stay on their original path and listen to him?

Ji Ruyue sighed. The constraints on her had not been fully lifted. She tried her best to speak in a good-natured tone: “No need to explain, Li Yechen. You only overthink when you care. I don’t care, so I won’t think about it at all.”

“Xiaoyue, don’t say things you don’t mean!” Li Yechen frowned, his tone once again carrying an air of condescending command. “Don’t challenge me easily. Things can’t be explained clearly over the phone. Surely you understand the serious implications.”

This crazy woman, could she really be completely disillusioned? That won’t do! The Ji family is not yet in my hands, and the Li family is also in a little trouble. She wants to back out? Impossible!

Li Yechen switched to a softer tone. “Xiaoyue, you know that the only wife in Brother Li’s heart has always been you. Hearing you say something like that hurts my heart!”

“Li Yechen,” Ji Ruyue leaned back against the executive chair, crossed one leg over the other, and spun around once, lightly tapping the floor with one foot. “Our engagement was merely a verbal agreement to begin with. Since you are not serious about it, I won’t cling to you. What’s wrong with that? The Ji and Li families are enormous enterprises; even if we temporarily face a few setbacks, it’s not a big deal. Or, do you want to…?”

Li Yechen was incredulous: “Xiaoyue!”

Ji Ruyue felt tired and bored. “What do you want to say?”

“Do you really like that little celebrity? Are the online rumors not just rumors?” Li Yechen’s tone carried a threat. “Let’s find a time to meet and talk. Some things may seem trivial, but they affect the whole picture. The engagement and the collaboration between our two families.”

Ji Ruyue used the tip of her pen to push aside a photocopied document and drew a large ‘X’ over the words ‘Li Family.’

She casually replied, “Fine.”