After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 69

Ji Ruyue raised an eyebrow, playfully teasing the little squirrel. When the reporter from the Onion Daily couldn’t help but repeat his question, Ji Ruyue gently batted away the squirrel’s paw that was bothering her palm, looked down at the reporter from the stage, and said flatly, “That is a very good question.”

The Onion Daily reporter was incredibly bold and continued his fearless questioning: “Then, does the Ji Group possess relevant evidence to prove the accident was man-made?”

“Did I say it was man-made? Do not speak nonsense without evidence.”

Ahhhhh!!! Ji Ji is too handsome! I want to kiss, hug, and sleep with her! Wuwuwu, when can I gather enough spiritual power to transform back into human form? This trash world is like a desolate wilderness, without any spiritual power. I’m just living off my savings, wuwuwu! Pine Nut is aggrieved!

The little squirrel lay on the table feeling utterly wronged, its fluffy big tail drooping.

For a moment, the live audience didn’t know whether to praise CEO Ji for being breathtakingly cool or to praise the little squirrel for being adorable, resulting in a chaotic flood of bullet comments:

“My sanity is going up in smoke!! I’m gone. The little squirrel is going to be the death of me with its cuteness!”

“Sanity is dead! CEO Ji is stunningly cool! Killing me a thousand times a day!”

“I apologize, I am a mature adult. I need the CP to be sweet, and I also need the cute creature!”

“No couple is innocent when a single person dies (alone)!!!”

There were also Sherlock Holmes-style viewers focusing on the facts, analyzing the meaning of Ji Ruyue’s words online:

“No evidence means the person has been identified, but the case is difficult to handle.”

“Sigh, that extremely tough announcement earlier already showed her attitude.”

“Trust the Ji Group, and trust the law. Justice will prevail!”

At this point, Ji Ruyue’s segment was completely over. Afterward, Lin Shu, as Song Xingzi’s agent, went through a similar process. However, since he didn’t know that the wooden dummy lying in the hospital was not Song Xingzi, Lin Shu, who had grown accustomed to being Song Xingzi’s ‘father,’ couldn’t accept the reality after visiting the wooden dummy. He choked up several times during his speech, successfully earning another wave of tears from the audience.

The live broadcast consistently occupied the tail end of the hot search list. After it concluded, the team quickly got to work, editing some touching and emotionally provocative clips. With marketing accounts and online promoters joining in, the hashtag #CEOJiLiveBroadcast# quickly climbed to the number one spot.

The tide of public opinion often brings substantial additional benefits, such as rising stock prices and isolating opponents.

Li Group Headquarters

Li Yeběi was on an international call with his ‘White Moonlight.’

“Brother Li, I won the Rising Star Award at the BAFTA!”

The girl’s jubilant tone was very touching, but Li Yeběi’s thoughts were elsewhere. He answered dismissively, “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Brother Li, aren’t you happy for Xiao Bái?”

Liu Bái felt a little wronged. She heard that Li Yeběi had recently become infatuated with a small celebrity who had made the hot search list several times, which gave her a strong sense of crisis. Furthermore, the donor of her heart requested that the recipient love the film industry as much as she did. With these two factors combined, Liu Bái inexplicably embarked on the path of “chasing dreams in the entertainment industry.”

Fortunately, just like the smooth sailing she had in the first half of her life, after inexplicably stepping into the entertainment world, she immediately received the full support of Fu Na, the Chinese Oscar-winning actress. Her first film cast her as the female lead for a major director, and she smoothly won the Rising Star Award at the BAFTA (equivalent to the American Oscars). She was truly the “Zìwēixīng (emperor star) of the entertainment industry with a high starting point, taking the lead.”

Having just received the award, Liu Bái, with her little-girl mentality, couldn’t help but call her Brother Li to show off, hoping for Li Yeběi’s approval. However, Li Yeběi, immersed in the frustration of losing his true love and his entire empire, was in no mood to comfort Liu Bái, who had been internally downgraded to a ‘little sister.’

Hearing the veiled complaint in the girl’s voice, Li Yeběi painfully rubbed his temples and coaxed her gently, “Little Sister Bái is amazing! Taking the lead in your first movie! You actually won the Rising Star Award at the BAFTA!”

Hearing Li Yeběi’s use of “Little Sister Bái,” Liu Bái felt inexplicably harsh, though she couldn’t pinpoint where the emotion came from, since Li Yeběi often teased her with “Little Sister Bái” when he was happy.

Liu Bái coquettishly covered her face: “Of course! I am your Xiao Bái! Sister Fu Na said a new art-house film by a cutting-edge domestic director is particularly suitable for me. Do you think I should accept the role?”

Li Yeběi, while staring at the stock price changes on the vertical display, answered absentmindedly, “Oh, that’s good. If it suits you, take it. If you don’t like it, forget it. Don’t force yourself.”

“Hmph, Brother Li only knows how to care for me,” Liu Bái covered her face, blushing. “Aren’t you looking forward to me coming home to be with you? My agent is already working up hype for me.”

Li Yeběi nodded. “Coming back is also good. Just follow your heart.”

Why did the stock price, which had been in a stalemate for so many days, suddenly drop a little? What’s going on?

Li Yeběi frowned, rose, and stood in front of the LCD screen. The time stamp was an hour ago! What happened? This clearly indicates a large-scale sell-off by scattered shareholders.

Liu Bái’s background noise was extremely loud. She covered the phone’s speaker and said into the phone, “Aiya, Brother Li, my agent is rushing me. I can’t talk anymore. Brother Li, remember to check the hot search! Your Xiao Bái is on it! I did you proud!”

“Alright, talk later.”

Li Yeběi hung up the phone, his brow furrowed into a frown, staring at the LCD screen.

Scattered shareholders, two-thirty. What’s the situation?

The hot search! Right, the hot search that Xiao Bái mentioned. Starlight was having a press conference today!

Li Yeběi realized with a start, opened his phone, and clicked into Weibo. The top three trending topics all had the explosive “HOT” symbol appended to them.

Not looking was fine, but looking was a shock.

The third item was the award Liu Bái mentioned, which Li Yeběi quickly skimmed. But upon clearly seeing the title of the number one hot search, Li Yeběi’s body shuddered, and his sides ached with anger. Resisting the urge to smash his phone, the domineering CEO clicked on the hot search entry named #CEOJiLiveBroadcast#: the screen was full of comments like “Murderer L Y B,” “Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic CEO Ji Ruyue,” “Li Group Bankruptcy Previews,” and “CEO Ji is killing me a thousand times over with her coolness”…

Faced with a screen full of negative comments, Li Yeběi opened the clip with the highest play count. Ji Ruyue’s arrogant and cold declaration on the screen made him understand the reason.

“Damn her! Do you think this little trick can scare me? Impossible!”

Li Yeběi was furious, striding quickly to his workstation, ready to fight back. Then, a new call came in.

It was Old Master Li, likely calling to scold him about the stock price.

Li Yeběi answered the call and asked somewhat nervously, “Grandpa, why are you calling at this hour?”

“I didn’t just call; I’m going to break your legs!” The old man’s roar, as loud as a bell, and the sound of a cane hitting the ground came through the phone. “I leave you alone for a few days, and you bring such huge trouble to the Li Group?”

Li Yeběi clenched his phone. “Grandpa.”

“Don’t call me Grandpa. Why didn’t your father take you with him when he died? What did you say? You went on the show to win back the Ji girl and for the company. What was the result? What did you do?”

Li Yeběi inhaled. “Grandpa.”

“Why weren’t you more ruthless when you made your move? You should have just let her die completely. Now you’ve given people something to hold against us, and we are being constrained at every turn! How could I have raised such a stupid grandson!” The old man had spoken too much in one breath, and he gasped before continuing, “Hmph—since things have come to this, the Ji Group dares to turn against us, and we cannot retreat! I’m going to the US to discuss business. I’m leaving the domestic affairs to you. Do you understand what I mean?”

Li Yeběi: “Understood. The next time I make a move, I will definitely make sure she dies without a proper burial and can never recover.”

Old Master Li: “Don’t rush to act first. Reverse the public opinion and stabilize the stock price. The Ji Group has been powerful for too long. There are many people who dislike it, and it’s impossible for them to be an iron plate. Since the Ji girl dared to make such a forceful statement, she should be prepared to handle the consequences.”

Li Yeběi: “I understand. I will immediately organize personnel to contact the news media.”

Both sides hung up the phone. Li Yeběi emerged from his rage and began to handle his official duties.

That crazy woman, Ji Ruyue, dares to use a tactic that hurts the enemy a thousand but harms herself eight hundred! Then let me witness it! Let’s see who is the ‘lone wolf in the business world’! I will forever stand undefeated!

“Tang Wen, come in. Notify the PR department to prepare an announcement, focusing on the Ji Group’s lack of contract integrity and bullying nature. The Big Data department is to collect and analyze the impact of the stock market fluctuations on people’s livelihoods and predict the possibility of a new economic crisis caused by the rivalry between the two companies. Contact Starlight’s and Ji Group’s competitors…”

One by one, the directives were issued, and the massive corporate machine began to operate from top to bottom.

Ji Group Headquarters, 17th Floor, Chairman’s Office

Song Xingzi was scrolling through Weibo when she suddenly stared at Ji Ruyue, who was working, with a complex expression. She recited a passage she had just read and felt deeply about: “‘You must learn to swallow a long paragraph of words and all your emotions, using only ‘Mm’ to express all your thoughts. This is not to make you cold, but you must learn to endure.'”

Ji Ruyue: “…” What drama are you putting on now? The little squirrel is really good at adding dramatic flair lately!

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

The little squirrel put down the phone, jumped from the sofa onto Ji Ruyue’s desk in a few bounds, and tearfully hooked out a tissue with its sharp claws. It rubbed its eyes and whimpered, “Wuwuwu, Ji Ji is too pitiful. Forced to endure the suffering of life, changing from a bright, unrestrained, and untamable red rose into a giant iceberg who can’t speak three words! You must have suffered so much, wuwuwu…”

Ji Ruyue: “…” You might not believe it, but I just spoke four words.

“Stop crying. I’m doing quite well.”

That’s seven words now. Ji Ruyue thought, pinching the corner of the tissue and carefully placing it on the little squirrel’s fur to wipe away its tears.

“Yingyingying, you’re not doing well at all, you liar,” Song Xingzi enjoyed Ji Ruyue’s meticulous and thoughtful service, wriggling her body as she said, “You are always restraining yourself. You don’t express your emotions, and bottling them up will make you sick!”

Restraining myself? Hearing the little squirrel’s comment, Ji Ruyue stopped moving. She looked down at the densely packed official documents, but what she saw in her mind were past moments of countless futile struggles and failed resistance.

In the endless cycles, Ji Ruyue had rebelled countless times, but each time her consciousness was eliminated, and her body was controlled to follow the old path. Yet, the will of Heaven could not entirely control her; no matter what, Ji Ruyue always remembered everything as soon as she appeared.

In the constant reincarnation, Ji Ruyue’s body was controlled, her desires were erased, and her freedom was stripped away… Although the will to resist remained eternal, she did indeed become increasingly restrained, like an emotionless machine. If Song Xingzi hadn’t appeared, she might have continued this way until, in a certain life, she completely collapsed and became the will of Heaven’s puppet.

Fate made me ruthless, but you made me gentle.

“Ji Ji, you should be more direct and be yourself! Just like the script I wrote. Be tough when you need to be tough, and fight back when you need to fight back! Even if you are not the Red Rose from the book, you are still incredibly dazzling!” Ji Ruyue’s technique and pressure were just right, and Little Pine Nut made comfortable little purring sounds. She continued, “Show the world your world-weary side, because that’s who you are! I absolutely love it! I love every version of you.”

“Didn’t saying those things make you feel much better? Hehe, thankfully I’m here, or else how much hardship would you have to endure, Ji Ji!”

The little squirrel was so comfortable that she simply lay down, exposing her soft abdomen to the person she trusted most.

Was it all for me? Why are you so good? You are clearly a brilliant light. Why did you rush into the high tower without hesitation, willingly being consumed by the darkness? I am so awful; I just want to devour you, skin and bones.

“I’m lucky to have you,” Ji Ruyue gently rubbed Song Xingzi’s belly, her voice soft and slow. “I’ll sing a song for you. Do you want to hear it?”

Song Xingzi: “Yes, please! Are you not busy anymore, Ji Ji?”

“No, the Li Group is weak,” Ji Ruyue scratched the little squirrel’s soft, warm belly, and her voice was gentle and ethereal:

“I hear you whisper underneath your breath / I hear your SOS, your SOS / I will send out an army to find You / In the middle of the darkest night / It’s true, I will rescue you / There is no distance / That cannot be covered / Over and over / You’re not defenseless / I’ll be your shelter / I’ll be your armor…” (Note 1)

The soothing, sacred song echoed in the spacious and quiet room. Song Xingzi lay quietly, immersed in the melody.

Ji Ruyue’s voice was ethereal, gentle, and pure, like the morning mist in the mountains, the ocean currents in the sea, and the clear breeze in the woods, filled with sincere and ardent emotion, like a hymn sung by a pilgrim to a deity.

Song Xingzi hadn’t been studying English for long, so her listening was poor, and her vocabulary was limited. Besides sentence structures like “How am I” and “What should I do,” she could only vaguely distinguish common words like “whisper,” “breath,” “dark night,” and “armor.”

But this did not prevent the singer and the listener from understanding each other. Even though she couldn’t comprehend the specific lyrics Ji Ruyue was singing, Song Xingzi could feel the inner trembling and longing of her lover. She quietly jumped into Ji Ruyue’s arms and rubbed her waist with her large tail, clumsily offering comfort.

“You will rescue me.” Ji Ruyue stroked the little squirrel’s back, reversing the subject and object of the last line of the lyrics.

You will save me. You have already saved me.

I understood the last line! Little Pine Nut has never saved Ji Ji; I just fell in love with my destined lover.

“Hehe, Ji Ji sings really well!”

Song Xingzi gave Ji Ruyue a thumbs-up with the paw she used to gnaw pine nuts. Ji Ruyue was so charmed she felt dizzy, reaching out to poke her little paw and asking with a laugh, “Silly little thing, do you understand it?”

Song Xingzi hummed and whined coquettishly, “Hmph, I don’t understand it.”

Ji Ruyue: “Then why did you praise me?”

Song Xingzi: “But it sounds really good! You are just bullying me because I don’t understand English.”

Ji Ruyue: She is adorable even when she’s talking nonsense. I might truly be beyond help, having successfully become a doomed soul under the female lead’s halo.

Ji Ruyue: “Yes, well, it’s your own fault for not studying properly. You wouldn’t even understand if I confessed to you.”

Song Xingzi: “…” She changed, right? She changed, didn’t she? Just a moment ago, I was her most precious treasure, and now, so soon after, I’ve become an annoyance?

Song Xingzi kicked her legs in dissatisfaction. “I understood ‘I love you,’ you big meanie. I’m going to play by myself now!”

Big meanie? ‘I’m going to play by myself?’ What has she been watching lately?

“Hahahahaha, you are so cute!” Ji Ruyue bent over laughing, resting on the table, breathless. “How, how are you so cute?”

Song Xingzi jumped from Ji Ruyue’s lap to the floor and hopped back to the sofa. “Big meanie, calling me cute won’t work! I’m going to play by myself!”

Ji Ruyue: “Mm, then you go play for a while.”

Ahhhhh! Ji Ji is a big meanie! She doesn’t even try to coax me! I’m clearly so adorable! All my fans call me a Gardenia in the human world! They tell me they love me every day on Weibo!

But! This woman who has monopolized my heart! Is so cold to me! Fate is truly unfair! This is probably a case of the drought-afflicted being dried up and the flood-afflicted being drowned!

Alas, there’s nothing I can do. Who made me love her so much?

Song Xingzi opened Weibo and skillfully clicked into the “Star-Moon Myth” Super Topic to get her dose of sweetness. With more material and incidents these past few days, the great spiritual sustenance had also increased dramatically.

Before I met her, I never thought I could love someone so much. After I met her, I can never love anyone else. — Encounter by Star-Moon Myth

The legendary fan writer on the homepage posted again! It’s the same writer who wrote Indulge in Pleasure last time! I can handle this! If the main characters aren’t giving out sweetness, I can eat fan-fiction!

Song Xingzi, with an infatuated smile, felt like she had been hit by a sudden windfall. She nervously clicked to view the details, and then, with a pained expression, she rubbed her chest and collapsed on the sofa, gasping for air!

Grass (a plant)! The writer tortures me a thousand times, yet I treat her like my first love! This is truly angst-filled! Wuwuwu! It’s killing me! I’m perfectly fine! I didn’t die! Why did you write me as dead??? And why did you make Ji Ji live out her life alone? Ma’am, are you really a CP fan of me and Ji Ji?

The general plot of Encounter was that Ji Ruyue, finally breaking free from an arranged family marriage, participated in a rural life experience program to relax. Unexpectedly, she met Song Xingzi, the idol she had a crush on since she was a teenager. Everything seemed fated. The two instantly hit it off and were assigned to the same house. With day-to-day closeness, the cold and ruthless Ji Ruyue fell deeply in love with Song Xingzi, planning to propose to her after the program ended. But how can things in the world always go as planned? The man she rejected designed an assassination attempt. As a truck barreled toward them, Song Xingzi pushed Ji Ruyue away, sacrificing herself.

The secret, unspeakable affection was finally revealed, but the summer encounter could only stop at the point of meeting.

A long time later, Ji Ruyue raised a little squirrel, treating it like a daughter, because the squirrel always reminded her of the pomegranate flowers and the gentle breeze of summer, and her graceful lover.

Having caught her breath, Song Xingzi clicked on the post again and found that the author had mentioned the source of inspiration in the comments: a bullet comment: “I have a bold idea: Song Xingzi, Little Pine Nut (Xiǎosōngzi), Little Squirrel (Xiǎosōngshǔ). Is CEO Ji being so gentle with the little squirrel because it reminds her of Xingzi?”

Song Xingzi: “…” ??? No! That squirrel is me! Your Little Star, Song Xingzi!

Song Xingzi silently commented on the thread using a secondary account: “I think that squirrel is Song Xingzi.”

Li Yu, immersed in the sorrow of her “daughter’s” coma: “Don’t use the full name. Have you gone crazy with CP shipping? You’ll say anything. Blocked!”

A group of CP fans followed suit, refuting her.

Looking at the fans, all of whom used pictures of her and Ji Ji as their profile images, Song Xingzi fell silent: Although, I am your Little Star! How can you talk back to me? I am your Sister Xing! Weren’t you always wanting Xingxing to see you? I saw you! Wuwuwu…

Song Xingzi’s feelings were hurt. She exited the Super Topic and idly scrolled through the hot search, where she spotted a familiar name!

“Ji Ji! Why is Liu Bái acting in a movie? And she won an award and is on the hot search. Isn’t her heart not well?”

Song Xingzi cried out, jumping onto the desk with her phone, and showed Ji Ruyue the details page for the hashtag #ChineseActressLiuBaiWinsRisingStarAward#.

Ji Ruyue’s expression was calm. “I know. She had an operation. Didn’t you stop acting? For the plot of the book to continue, someone has to take over.”

“Fine. Anyway, Liu Bái isn’t some formidable villain. She definitely can’t outsmart Ji Ji!” Song Xingzi found a comfortable spot on Ji Ruyue’s lap and lay down again.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly turned over and asked coyly, “Ji Ji, Ji Ji, what, what is the name of the song you just sang?”

Ji Ruyue: “What? Do you want to hear it again?”

Song Xingzi snorted and lay back down. “Absolutely not. It’s fine if you don’t say.”

“Rescue,” Ji Ruyue said softly while stroking Song Xingzi’s tail. “Little Tsundere.”