After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Wine

◎Stay with me tonight◎

Before the chat could even begin spamming question marks, Wen Fengyue—whose brain was already short-circuiting—spoke first: “What wedding candy…?”

She suspected she had misheard, or perhaps misunderstood Jiao Qingyin’s meaning.

However, Jiao Qingyin turned her head to look at her: “Candy to celebrate a happy occasion, of course—Teacher Wen wouldn’t refuse to give any, would she?”

Wen Fengyue’s face turned red instantly. After a few seconds, she spoke in a very small voice: “I’ll give it.”

Not wanting to show her vulnerable side under the gaze of outsiders, she reached out and gave Jiao Qingyin’s sleeve a little tug.

Even though she didn’t say a word, Jiao Qingyin seemed to understand. She stopped answering the chat’s questions and directly turned with her toward the other person present.

The Machinist, who was currently occupied with “digging a three-bedroom apartment with her toes” (cringe): “…”

What had just happened was so incredibly awkward that the small flame of admiration in the Machinist’s heart was instantly snuffed out; she just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Now, being stared at by both Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue, she squeezed out a sentence: “Sor—sorry… everything I said was a joke, just teasing the viewers in the live room…”

The live room was filled with schadenfreude boos. The Machinist could only pretend not to see them and continued, bracing herself: “I don’t have any ulterior motives at all. If you two get married, I can even do a cameo as a wedding banquet security guard…”

“Mm-hmm,” Jiao Qingyin smiled slightly, “It’s good that the misunderstanding is cleared up.”

Hearing this gentle response, the Machinist’s eyes lit up slightly. “Teacher Xiao Jiao, I…”

Seeing the smile on Jiao Qingyin’s face that looked like spring breeze melting snow, the ashes in her heart showed signs of reigniting.

But before the sparks of love could fly again, Jiao Qingyin spoke the second half of her sentence: “But don’t make those kinds of jokes next time; it causes trouble for both Teacher Wen and me.”

She maintained her smile, but there was nothing in those ink-black eyes—they were deep and hollow, like black holes that could suck a person in.

The Machinist felt a strange chill and subconsciously shrunk back.

When she snapped out of it, Jiao Qingyin had reverted to the familiar star she knew and very kindly shared two portions of nutrient solution and water with her.

“This should be enough to last you until the end of the show,” Jiao Qingyin said. “We’re leaving now. Rest well and recover.”

With that, she didn’t linger. Taking the hand of the consistently silent Wen Fengyue, she turned and left the area.

Watching the two walk away hand-in-hand, the Machinist’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air before she pulled it back with a sense of loss.

She turned back, and seeing the chat comforting her, she made a face and joked around:

“If you guys really feel bad for me, send me some gifts—once the show is over, I’ll live stream ‘Satellite’ for you.”

“What do you mean, scamming for gifts! Stop telling the truth, the streamer just went through a breakup!”

With Wen Fengyue’s hearing, she could hear everything happening behind them perfectly clearly. She tightened her fingers, holding Jiao Qingyin even more firmly.

Many people were coveting her star; she had to protect her.

Feeling her tension, Jiao Qingyin squeezed back.

The next two days of wilderness survival were spent by Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue as if they were on a camping trip. They tried all sorts of foods that Blue Star people had never seen before, and the aroma wafting from the live stream kept countless people awake at night.

Among them, many people imitated Jiao Qingyin’s cooking techniques and tried cooking themselves—though it didn’t smell as fragrant as hers, the taste was decent!

Through these people’s sharing, the public realized that Jiao Qingyin’s recipes were replicable. A trend of home cooking swept across Blue Star, causing the prices of already expensive natural ingredients to skyrocket once again.

These market fluctuations brought them to the attention of people who usually didn’t care about entertainment news.

The popularity of Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue grew higher and higher through this process.

Although the way they “broke out” of their niche was a bit strange—relying on martial prowess and culinary skills—it was undeniable that they had become the most popular top-tier stars in the Blue Star entertainment industry.

Forged Star Entertainment was currently undergoing a high-level purge. The stock price was likely to plummet because of this. Lin Chu was prepared for the worst, but she didn’t expect the stock price to rise instead of falling, thanks to the influence of Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue.

This even left her with enough free time to cook dinner herself.

However… Lin Chu stared at the pot of black mush in front of her for a while, dragged the video progress bar, and replayed the video of Jiao Qingyin stewing soup once more.

Strange. Every step was clearly the same…

By this time, the current season of “Blue Star Adventurer” had ended, and both Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue had returned to Blue Star. Lin Chu immediately set to work causing trouble for the production crew.

Signing a contract behind Wen Fengyue’s back, allowing violent elements to participate in the show, exerting a bad influence on society… Because she had learned from Jiao Qingyin that K04 had “completely disappeared,” Lin Chu conveniently added the charge of “causing a guest’s disappearance” to their list.

K04 had no one to file a lawsuit for it. Its disappearance wouldn’t have caused much of a stir, but with Lin Chu pushing from behind the scenes, some of the stakeholders in “Blue Star Adventurer” were going to lose a layer of skin this time.

Lin Chu took a photo of the pot of mush she had made and sent it to Jiao Qingyin: “Which step went wrong?”

Jiao Qingyin: “…”

Jiao Qingyin: “It looks like a heat control issue. Turn on the intelligent flame control function.”

Lin Chu typed: “Then it wouldn’t count as cooking for myself.”

Seeing that Jiao Qingyin’s side kept showing “Typing…”, Lin Chu frowned. After weighing her words, she sent another message: “When are you coming home?”

This time, the “Typing” status on Jiao Qingyin’s side disappeared. Lin Chu waited for a long while before a message finally popped up:

“Auntie, I’m sorry, Jiao Jiao was too tired and fell asleep. When she wakes up, I’ll have her get back to you.”

Lin Chu: “…”

She didn’t believe a word of it. For a moment, she didn’t know if she was angrier at her daughter’s avoidance or at Wen Fengyue’s casual use of Jiao Qingyin’s optical computer.

With a fierce expression, she threw the spatula into the sink. Her finger moved to the call button several times but never pressed it.

After a long silence, she asked: “Are you two dating seriously?”

Jiao Qingyin saw this line and let out a soft sigh. Even as an outsider, she could feel Lin Chu’s maternal love, but the original host, who was loved by Lin Chu, didn’t cherish it at all and even treated it like trash.

She looked up at Wen Fengyue, who was napping on the sofa, then looked down to type: “Yes. When we get married, we will invite you to sit in the first row.”

Lin Chu: “You?”

Jiao Qingyin’s brow jumped. She quickly retracted the message.

Two minutes later, the other person sent a voice message.

As soon as she tapped it, Lin Chu’s cold laugh came out of the computer. Realizing that her attempt to pose as Wen Fengyue had been exposed, Jiao Qingyin decisively stopped the playback.

The voice message was 60 seconds long. She needed to be mentally prepared before listening to it.

Happily, Jing Ziqing, the director of “Satellite,” had also sent many messages waiting for her reply, so Jiao Qingyin switched to her chat interface first.

Disturbed by the small noise, Wen Fengyue woke up in a daze.

After opening her eyes, the first thing she did was look for Jiao Qingyin.

Seeing Jiao Qingyin doing something by the kitchen island, Wen Fengyue walked to her side before her brain was fully awake.

Following her heart, she directly wrapped her arms around the other’s waist.

Surrounded by Wen Fengyue’s warm aura, Jiao Qingyin’s hand holding the optical computer trembled, and it fell to the floor.

“Jiao Jiao.” Wen Fengyue hugged Jiao Qingyin from behind, her voice heavy with sleepiness.

Jiao Qingyin stroked her head, which was nuzzled into her neck. “Did I wake you up?”

“No…” Wen Fengyue spoke slowly, “I had a nightmare…”

Jiao Qingyin’s body tensed slightly. Recently, every time the other dreamed, it was about the previous world. What Wen Fengyue called a “nightmare”… could it be the scene of her leaving that world?

“What did you dream about?” She put down her device and asked softly.

“I dreamed… that you kept sleeping with a little puppy and left me watching from the side.”

Jiao Qingyin froze, then relaxed completely, feeling both annoyed and amused. “Can that even be called a nightmare?”

“Why not,” Wen Fengyue protested. “Why were you so good to a dog but ignored me instead!”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She leaned down and bit Jiao Qingyin’s shoulder—it wasn’t hard; it was the pressure of a teething puppy.

Afraid Jiao Qingyin would be angry, she guiltily looked away after biting, trying to pretend nothing happened.

Jiao Qingyin tapped her head in feigned anger. Wen Fengyue took it silently. Seeing Jiao Qingyin wasn’t truly angry, she pushed her luck and pulled her entire body into her arms.

“Dreams and reality are opposites,” Jiao Qingyin pinched Wen Fengyue’s arm. “Let go a bit.”

But Wen Fengyue shook her head immediately. “That won’t do. I have good dreams too.”

“Oh?” Jiao Qingyin arched an eyebrow. “What kind of good dreams?”

As soon as she asked, Wen Fengyue immediately became embarrassed. Her face turned slightly red, and she stayed silent sheepishly.

Just as Jiao Qingyin thought she wasn’t going to say anything, Wen Fengyue leaned against her ear and whispered, “I dreamed I pushed you down into a cage…”

She quickly and softly narrated a long, detailed plot. When Jiao Qingyin heard the first sentence, her ear tips flushed red instantly. She didn’t want to hear the detailed description, but Wen Fengyue, as if anticipating her reaction, held her tightly and wouldn’t let her leave.

“Stop talking…!” Jiao Qingyin tried to pry Wen Fengyue’s hands away.

“Is Jiao Jiao shy?” Wen Fengyue chuckled. The low voice entered Jiao Qingyin’s ears, making her waist go soft instantly.

Jiao Qingyin, blushing with anger, pinched Wen Fengyue’s hand. “No more talking!”

How could someone wake up from a dream and be able to recount the details so meticulously!

And—how could Wen Fengyue say so many words that made one unable to lift their head with a straight face…!

Some informal terms were spoken by her with such a serious attitude that they seemed scholarly, yet they made Jiao Qingyin’s body recall the feelings from that time.

Even though Wen Fengyue was just simply hugging her, she felt as if every part of her body was being touched by her.

“Did Jiao Jiao understand?” Because she had just woken up, Wen Fengyue’s voice still carried a bit of a raspy texture. “If you didn’t, do you want me to demonstrate?”

Realizing she was being led around by the other, Jiao Qingyin took a deep breath to adjust her emotions and then took hold of Wen Fengyue’s fingers.

Because she was sitting on a high stool by the island, when she leaned her head back, she met Wen Fengyue’s gaze.

Wen Fengyue was mesmerized by Jiao Qingyin’s misty eyes for a few seconds. Then, she heard her say: “Go to the master bedroom?”

Wen Fengyue’s eyes widened.

A long time later.

Wen Fengyue asked Jiao Qingyin while crying and panting: “Why won’t this come undone…!”

Jiao Qingyin stopped her movements, leaned forward with a smile, and kissed Wen Fengyue, who was tied to the headboard. “Take a guess.”

“Ugh…” Wen Fengyue dropped tears while unable to resist responding to Jiao Qingyin’s kiss, feeling incredibly aggrieved amidst the pleasure.

She could crush ore with one hand; why couldn’t she break free from a small pair of handcuffs!

Jiao Qingyin wouldn’t tell Wen Fengyue that she was using special handcuffs from the Point Shop. The magic circle on them ensured that anyone without magic could never unlock them.

She kissed Wen Fengyue again, tasting the saltiness of her tears, and preemptively accused her: “Teacher Wen, I told you just now, dreams are opposites. You didn’t listen… mmph!”

Jiao Qingyin was ambushed by Wen Fengyue, who bit her lip.

She touched her lip; it hurt a bit, but there was no blood.

The one who did the biting, Wen Fengyue, was more nervous than her. Seeing Jiao Qingyin was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Only realize you shouldn’t have bitten after you did it?” Jiao Qingyin laughed out of anger, reached out to pinch the other’s cheek, and gave it a tug.

Wen Fengyue knew she was wrong but still looked defiant, making a motion toward Jiao Qingyin as if she were going to bite again.

Jiao Qingyin was quick and pinched the tip of Wen Fengyue’s tongue.

In an instant, Wen Fengyue was like someone who had been hit in a pressure point; her whole body froze, unable to move at all.

Jiao Qingyin found it fun and twirled her finger on the tip of the other’s tongue. Her other hand slid down Wen Fengyue’s neck, leaving marks in various places with varying pressure.

While being mischievous, she also teased Wen Fengyue, “Tell me, when you go back to the set tomorrow, will anyone notice something’s wrong?”

Jiao Qingyin changed her tone, pretending to be a staff member from the crew, and said seriously: “Teacher Wen, it looks like your neck was bitten by a bug. Do you need a healing spray?”

“…” Wen Fengyue closed her jaw in anger and ground her teeth against Jiao Qingyin’s finger.

Jiao Qingyin let her bite lightly while her words continued to fan the other’s flames, “It seems our Al really needs a bite-stopper, or else what will we do if you can’t control your teeth…”

Wen Fengyue just wanted to pin Jiao Qingyin down and use actions to make her unable to say these words again, but with her hands tied, she could do nothing.

Even when she didn’t cooperate, Jiao Qingyin would mischievously stand up and look down at her from above, waiting until she couldn’t take being ignored anymore and begged for mercy before continuing.

In the most excessive instance, Jiao Qingyin actually picked up a book from the nightstand and started reading with great interest, ignoring her no matter what she said, leaving her there for a full fifteen minutes.

Wen Fengyue could only leave a resentful threat in the end, “Just you wait!”

Jiao Qingyin gave her a long-awaited kiss. “Fine, I’m waiting.”

Time passed quickly. The filming of “Satellite” had officially entered the post-production stage, and the officially aired episodes had reached Episode 10.

Drama fans gathered in front of their devices at 6 PM sharp.

As soon as the theme song played, the real-time chat began scrolling rapidly.

“According to a friend of mine working in the crew, there’s a big twist in this episode.”

“A sweet drama having a big twist? Please don’t tell me someone is coming between the leads’ relationship.”

“Sweet drama? 13 people died in the first ten episodes, all accidental deaths. If you didn’t say it was a sweet drama, I’d think it was the latest sequel to the classic Old Blue Star film ‘Final Destination’.”

“True… how can so many people die? The trash involved in the school bullying dying is one thing, but Cheng Xing’s friend died too. I really don’t get it.”

“The big twist won’t be Wei Ling dying and then Cheng Xing turning villain and destroying the world, right?”

“Why are there so many people who haven’t read the original novel? According to the novel’s plot, this episode should be when Cheng Xing witnesses the scene of Wei Ling taking action.” (This comment suspected of spoilers, has been blocked)

The chat was noisy as usual, while on the other side, Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue were filming a competitive acting variety show.

In each episode, this show invited several leads from hit dramas currently airing and had them perform improvised scenes based on keywords given by the production crew. Its popularity was always high, and its reputation was excellent.

Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue were supposed to come when “Satellite” first aired, but since they were participating in the survival show at that time, they pushed their schedule back to today.

The scene the two drew was a bar. For their identities, Jiao Qingyin drew the bartender, and Wen Fengyue drew a guest drinking away her sorrows after a breakup.

After the holographic setting was complete, Jiao Qingyin, wearing a white shirt and a black vest, walked onto the stage first.

There was a live audience who had bought tickets to see the show. Seeing Jiao Qingyin appear, cheers and applause broke out.

Because of the special nature of the show, to avoid affecting the viewing experience, the audience was generally only allowed to applaud when the actors first appeared.

Jiao Qingyin smiled and waved to the crowd. By the time she walked behind the bar, she had already entered her character.

As the lights went down, the corners of her mouth curled up—higher than a standard smile, giving her a bit of a cynical, playboy flavor.

She casually wiped the bar and cleaned the glassware, humming an out-of-tune song.

Soon, a figure in a long trench coat appeared on the other side of the stage.

Cheers erupted, and the smile on Jiao Qingyin’s face deepened.

Wen Fengyue’s expression was full of exhaustion. After walking to the bar and sitting down, she said listlessly: “A drink.”

The audience was a bit nervous because the scenes and identities drawn by the actors were completely random. None of the performances were rehearsed, so accidents could easily happen.

Many actors had made fools of themselves on this show before; they were afraid Jiao Qingyin and Wen Fengyue would follow in their footsteps.

Wen Fengyue was fine—she was the Movie Queen, after all, and her strength was obvious to everyone. But Jiao Qingyin had only just debuted, and before “Satellite,” her acting had never been very good, making people break into a sweat for her.

On stage, Jiao Qingyin turned her head and looked at the new guest resting both arms on the bar. Her gaze swept up and down. Instead of doing what the guest said, she asked: “First time here?”

Wen Fengyue still had her head down. “Mm—a tequila.”

She ordered a specific drink. Jiao Qingyin arched an eyebrow, took a glass from the side, and asked seemingly casually: “Broken heart?”

Wen Fengyue’s face was tense. She didn’t even want to look at the bartender, her tone irritable: “None of your business.”

Most people would be angry if their kindness wasn’t reciprocated, but Jiao Qingyin just smiled good-naturedly. “If I made you angry, I apologize.”

As she spoke, her fingers flew, cutting several regular ice cubes and placing them into the glass one by one.

Bitters, grapefruit juice, tonic water… Jiao Qingyin’s movements in pouring the wine were very elegant. When she opened the grapefruit juice, she succeeded with a gentle flick of the back of her knife.

Unfortunately, Blue Star drinks were all manufactured directly by repulsion converters, lacking some of the flavor of natural ingredients.

During the process of mixing the drink, Wen Fengyue, who had been keeping her head down, unconsciously followed the other’s movements with her eyes. It wasn’t until a glass of warm orange liquid was pushed in front of her that she snapped back to her senses.

Jiao Qingyin tilted her head and smiled. “On the house.”

Wen Fengyue’s lips opened and closed several times. To outsiders, it looked like she was acting, but only she knew she was controlling herself from agreeing directly. “…This isn’t what I ordered.”

“You can drink tequila whenever you want, but you can’t get a drink I mixed personally whenever you want,” Jiao Qingyin blinked. This action broke her slightly frivolous aura, showing a bit of playfulness. “This glass is called ‘Sunset’. Why don’t you try it?”

Wen Fengyue couldn’t take it anymore. If she didn’t know this was a show…

She silently picked up the glass and took a sip.

“…!”

Seeing Wen Fengyue’s expression, Jiao Qingyin couldn’t help but laugh. “Is it very bitter?”

“…Are you playing with me?” Wen Fengyue set the glass down heavily, looking as if she had lost her temper.

Jiao Qingyin put down the shaker and sighed: “That’s what a breakup tastes like.”

She lowered her eyebrows slightly, looking sorrowful and nostalgic. Wen Fengyue’s heart tightened, and she asked, breaking character slightly: “…You’ve been through a breakup?”

This sentence wasn’t out of place for the character she was playing, so no one noticed her change.

“No,” Jiao Qingyin sighed even louder. “Bad luck. I’ve never even been in love.”

Wen Fengyue’s teeth suddenly felt a bit itchy. She looked up, like a customer whose breakup stress had been diverted by the bartender, and asked: “Why? Haven’t met anyone you like?”

Jiao Qingyin just continued to sigh. Shaking her head, she took the “Sunset” back. “I’ll get you a different one.”

Wen Fengyue had unknowingly sat up straight. She took off her trench coat, placed it on the chair next to her, and said: “Change it to something you think is good.”

Once the coat was off, her professional suit underneath was revealed. Jiao Qingyin deliberately made herself look surprised. “Just got off work?”

“Mm,” Wen Fengyue straightened the folds at the collar of her shirt, “Busy with work.”

Jiao Qingyin’s gaze swept over the name tag hanging from her chest. “You’re an executive at that interstellar company next door…?”

Wen Fengyue nodded, her gaze always staying on the young bartender’s slightly youthful face.

“Mm… Executive Big Sister.”

Jiao Qingyin’s voice suddenly became sweet. Her hand, which was reaching for a low-alcohol drink, turned and picked up a bottle of rum and a bottle of vodka.

This time when she mixed the drink, she used techniques several times more flashy than before. Her fingers, stained with a bit of ice water, shone like jade under the lights.

Whether intentional or not, after mixing this glass and handing it over, she leaned her body down slightly, and the scenery inside her collar flashed before Wen Fengyue.

Wen Fengyue bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to wake up.

She tried to look natural as she reached out to take the drink.

When she held the glass, Jiao Qingyin slowly let go, her fingertip brushing against the back of her hand.

The blue-green liquid swayed gently, the foam on top fluffy like a cloud.

“What is this one called?”

After the question came out, Wen Fengyue found her voice was a bit raspy.

But fortunately, Jiao Qingyin didn’t seem to notice. She picked up a jar of honey from the side and gave Wen Fengyue a sweet smile.

“It’s called ‘Stay with me tonight’.”

Is there really a drink by that name…? Wen Fengyue was dazed, her body honestly bringing the glass toward her lips.

“Wait a moment.” Jiao Qingyin stopped her.

Wen Fengyue froze at her voice and put the glass back on the bar. Then she saw Jiao Qingyin holding the honey jar, squeezing the bottle to squeeze honey onto the white foam.

When she finished, Wen Fengyue picked it up and looked. She saw a string of numbers slowly dissolving on the foam.

“Sister, this is my contact information,” Jiao Qingyin propped up her chin, leaning on the bar to meet her eyes. “‘Stay with me tonight’—what do you think?”