My Wife Became a Top Star After I Came Back from Quick Transmigration - Chapter 63

The Guesthouse was the most popular variety show of the month, and perhaps even the year.

Li Xinling’s departure naturally put her name on the trending search list. Numerous fans in the comments section wished Li Xinling a smooth journey from now on.

The audience, in a show of reluctance, expressed their hope that she would return to visit everyone in a future episode or in the finale.

Li Xinling responded that night, saying, “I will definitely if I get the chance.”

This showed that her relationship with everyone on the show was very strong, which in turn drew likes and comments from fans everywhere.

Meanwhile, at the beach parking lot, after watching Li Xinling’s car drive away, the group felt a brief moment of sadness before they heard Xia Zhen on the megaphone again, “Get on the bus, get on the bus, we’re leaving!”

So, everyone took one last look at the small road where the car had disappeared and got on the bus.

The umbrellas they had brought from the “Ink Guest House” were still on the luggage rack because it had stopped raining when they arrived at the beach. When they got on the bus and saw them, a wave of melancholy washed over them.

Farewells in this world are always difficult, but you have to learn to cope with them.

Yun Yue also glanced at the umbrellas before silently closing her eyes to rest.

On the way there, they had all been dozing for an hour, but on the way back, no one was sleepy.

The bus pulled out of the parking lot, and instead of taking the main road back, it followed a different route through a small village to get to the highway.

The village roads were quite narrow, with streetlights only at long intervals. The vegetation on both sides was overgrown and tall, with some branches even reaching into the bus windows.

Lin Mo was staring out the window, watching the dark night scenery gradually fade behind the bus.

Her hand, resting on her lap, suddenly felt a tickle. Lin Mo was startled and turned to see Su Qixi, who had woken up at some point, holding and playing with her hand.

Su Qixi had pulled Lin Mo’s hand into her lap, and it occasionally brushed against her soft skin, making Lin Mo involuntarily shift.

Su Qixi placed her own hand against Lin Mo’s. Su Qixi’s height of 163 cm was naturally shorter than Lin Mo’s, and their hands were also a size apart.

Su Qixi looked back and forth curiously, and then suddenly noticed a small scar on Lin Mo’s finger.

She pointed at the scar and asked, “How did you get this scar?”

Lin Mo looked down at the spot Su Qixi was pointing to—a very small scar on the inner side of her left pinky finger.

If you weren’t looking carefully, you wouldn’t notice it. But Lin Mo remembered it well. She didn’t even need to think too hard. “A little girl I knew cut it.”

“A little girl?” Su Qixi’s brows slowly furrowed. She felt a bit uncomfortable. Suddenly, she understood that the eight blank years between them had been filled by others.

How many “little girls” had she met in those eight years?

Lin Mo nodded. “Yes, she was only 12 years old.”

Su Qixi froze, then coughed and said, “Oh, well, she was pretty young then.”

Lin Mo lifted her hand into the light, looked at the scar, and fell into a memory.

In her early missions, even if the danger was real, the difficulty level wasn’t that high. In most situations, she could rely on her wits to avoid danger.

Later, as the difficulty level slowly increased, so did Lin Mo’s fighting ability.

In almost every world she went to, she would learn new skills to prepare for the next.

But after she left Su Qixi’s world, Lin Mo’s plans were disrupted. In order to get back as quickly as possible, to get back to the world where Su Qixi existed, Lin Mo had to keep taking on missions in worlds that were more dangerous than the last.

High risk was always accompanied by high reward.

After leaving Su Qixi, Lin Mo went to a post-apocalyptic world. At that time, her understanding of human nature was not yet deep enough.

The post-apocalyptic world was a dangerous place for both the environment and human nature. In that world, Lin Mo had also saved a young girl.

Unfortunately, in a post-apocalyptic world, human nature and moral standards were low. The grace of a savior couldn’t make people give up what they stood to gain. After all, in that kind of world, parents ate their children. The kindness of saving a life was indeed rare, but it wasn’t enough to make people want to repay it with their all.

In the face of sufficient gain, anyone can betray you.

Although Lin Mo was furious about being betrayed, it had certainly helped her grow a great deal.

To be able to talk about the incident so calmly and without any resentment now, Su Qixi was definitely a big part of that.

Su Qixi looked at the spot on Lin Mo’s hand. It clearly wasn’t an accident.

She said with great dissatisfaction, “She was only 12 and already daring to cut someone with a knife. When she gets older, she won’t be afraid to kill people.”

Lin Mo recalled that when she left, the girl had already joined the base’s defense force. She nodded. “True.”

Lin Mo hadn’t even been the first person she had cut.

“But she was just trying to stay alive.”

Su Qixi’s eyes widened. “Stay alive? At 12?”

She suspected that she and Lin Mo were not on the same page.

Lin Mo simply smiled at her confused expression and didn’t offer any more explanation.

She wasn’t trying to excuse the child; she simply chose not to dwell on it. It wasn’t that Lin Mo didn’t want to get even, but that she was more focused on not getting absorbed into that world.

The fall of human nature is often quick and difficult to reverse. Therefore, she constantly reminded herself: You are Lin Mo. You are the Lin Mo that Su Qixi loves.

So, don’t change.

Don’t become a Lin Mo who, even if she stood right in front of Su Qixi now, she wouldn’t recognize.

To see her again, to have her fall in love with her again, Lin Mo wouldn’t allow herself to grow in hatred.

Su Qixi didn’t quite understand. What kind of staying alive? Did they encounter a typhoon while fishing?

Wait, that’s not right! Su Qixi tapped her head. How did I get sidetracked by her thinking? Not only would Lin Mo not go fishing, even if she did, she wouldn’t meet a 12-year-old child on a fishing boat.

In the endless sea, they wouldn’t let a 12-year-old go fishing, would they?

Lin Mo didn’t interrupt her thoughts. She leaned against the window and closed her eyes to rest. Xia Zhen had put on some music, and the bus gradually grew quiet as the gentle melody played.

Su Qixi also leaned her head on Lin Mo’s shoulder. The bus swayed, and the music rose and fell. Su Qixi began to doze off.

She thought, No matter what Lin Mo meant to say, for now, she and Lin Mo were together on this show.

And they would leave together when filming ended…

The next day, business continued.

Since the identity of the next visiting guest was no secret, Director Feng announced ahead of time, “In two days, a new guest will be arriving. I hope you’ll all get ready to welcome our new guest.”

Magically, the guest hadn’t even arrived, but “Who is the new guest?” became a trending topic on three different social media platforms.

That night, Su Qixi received a call from Xiong Jingjing, who told her the new person was Zhao Lin.

Zhao Lin was the hottest rising actress right now.

Su Qixi sat down in front of the vanity mirror to take off her makeup. When she heard this, she paused, and her expression turned a little cold.

“Zhao Lin’s character… isn’t very good, is it? I thought The Guesthouse wasn’t looking for people with questionable character anymore.”

Xiong Jingjing scoffed. “Don’t worry, she won’t dare to touch you.”

Su Qixi was not reassured. “What about Lin Mo?”

Xiong Jingjing was momentarily speechless. “She doesn’t seem like the type to be bullied, either. More importantly, I heard Hua Ling Company has been a mess lately and might be in trouble.”

Su Qixi’s cold expression softened, and she asked, confused, “Huh?”

Xiong Jingjing: “Just be careful. Don’t get too close to Qi Youxuan lately. As for Lin Mo… tsk, do whatever you want. And don’t worry about Zhao Lin. The reason she’s on the show is because an investor requested it and because she offered a lot of benefits. The Guesthouse has made a big comeback, and I heard it has already been sold. It’s taking the slot after Apple TV’s Desperate Escape variety show, which is a prime-time slot.”

Desperate Escape was a survival-themed variety show. The first season aired last year and became a hit even overseas.

Its viewership in China was unparalleled. The variety show that came after it was no small production.

That The Guesthouse could take the slot after Desperate Escape showed how popular it had become. Otherwise, Zhao Lin, who was at the peak of her popularity, wouldn’t have been interested in it.

Xiong Jingjing had investigated every guest who had come on the show, as Su Qixi’s reputation was extremely important to her. They no longer had to lower themselves for fame or money, so they didn’t want to get involved in any trouble.

It was Yi Mei’er herself who had invited Su Qixi to join The Guesthouse and spoke with Xiong Jingjing personally, mentioning the other guests.

There would be no unpleasantness, and it would be like a vacation. Xiong Jingjing had agreed to it because it sounded like a good deal.

Now, with the addition of Zhao Lin, she was annoyed.

However, they didn’t realize that Zhao Lin was not the worst of their problems.

Zhao Lin’s appearance on a variety show for the first time had been carefully planned.

To make her debut as stunning as possible and her data look better, they had bought a trending topic the day after Li Xinling left: “Who is the new guest?” This was a hook to create suspense and attract attention.

Then, they planned to reveal her schedule today to confirm that she was the new guest.

As they had planned, after Zhao Lin’s biggest fans had a word with her manager, Lei Zhiming, they hinted in their fan groups that their idol might be the one.

This time, they didn’t have to pay for a trending topic. The fans’ own efforts put Zhao Lin’s name at the top of the trending list.

#ZhaoLin #TheGuesthouse

Just as they had predicted, they had built up enough hype the day before her appearance.

Unfortunately, people can’t control everything. That day, Hua Ling Company had a problem.

The trending topic for Hua Ling went straight to #1 on both the social and entertainment boards, because it was not a small issue.

But at first, Hua Ling was not aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Just as Zhao Lin’s fans had pushed the trending topic to the top, news of Hua Ling Company’s tax evasion broke. It went straight to #1, and it was a hot topic.

The netizens today cared a lot about the law. Tax evaders were put on a pillar of shame.

Hua Ling not only evaded taxes, but many of its artists had also followed suit. That day, eight or nine trending topics were about them, and the names on them were all Hua Ling artists.

Among them was Qi Youxuan.

Because of this, the comments on the live stream were not optimistic at all.

[So, Qi Youxuan probably evaded taxes, too?]

[No doubt. Out of the 10 artists at Hua Ling, 7 of them evaded taxes. Qi Youxuan is Hua Ling’s top artist. She probably evaded at least tens of millions in taxes in the last two years, right?]

[The people who haven’t evaded taxes have already shown proof. If Qi Youxuan is innocent, she just needs to show proof of her tax payments, right?]

[Yes, that’s right! If you react quickly, it should be easy to clarify, right?]

[Don’t talk nonsense! Our idol is still working! She doesn’t have time to deal with it right now. She’ll respond soon.]

The comments stopped talking about the couples. Everyone was talking about the tax evasion scandal.

As Hua Ling’s top artist, Qi Youxuan was now being watched by millions of eyes.

The hype that Zhao Lin had hoped for naturally vanished.

Even the cameras of The Guesthouse that day focused more on Qi Youxuan.

But surprisingly, Qi Youxuan didn’t seem to be affected by the scandal at all. She and Wu Qingqing were making coffee. Qi Youxuan’s hands were beautiful, and her movements were graceful.

She had been completely focused on her work since morning. Even on camera, she kept her head down slightly, her side profile looking gentle and soft, and her eyes clear and serious.

She was usually a carefree person, but now she looked calm and indifferent.

The other guests on the show, not wanting to make things awkward, didn’t dare to look at her but couldn’t help but worry.

Even Yun Yue, who no longer had any ties to her, kept turning around to look at her, but Qi Youxuan just continued to make coffee seriously, paying no attention to anyone’s gaze.

That day, the atmosphere in the restaurant was quieter than usual.

By noon, Qi Youxuan still hadn’t clarified anything online. The discussion about whether she had evaded taxes was still raging.

After a morning of silence, Hua Ling Company finally realized that evading the problem wouldn’t help. They released a statement denying the tax evasion.

Unfortunately, they were exposed so quickly. In the afternoon, the tax authorities showed up at their office. Everything was heading in a direction they couldn’t escape.

That evening, the situation officially began to ferment. The trending topic went up, and more people started to pay attention.

It was no surprise that Lin Mo saw this news; after all, no matter which app she opened, Qi Youxuan was everywhere.

Lin Mo was lying in bed, reading the comments, when she heard her room door open. She was startled and saw Su Qixi sneak in.

With that mischievous and cute look, she was trying to hide from the cameras, as if they couldn’t see her like that.

Lin Mo: “…Can you come in? The cameras outside are still on.”

Su Qixi turned and smiled at her. “It’s okay. If we get caught, we’ll just make it official. So, when will we get caught?”

The last part of her sentence even had a hint of resentment.

Lin Mo smiled and shook her head. “Come here.”

Seeing her reaction, Su Qixi became a little shy. She walked over and sat down beside Lin Mo. “You’re the one who said you wanted to pursue me. You talked big at the hotel and followed me to the show, but you’re not even trying to pursue me properly.”

“How could I not be trying to pursue you properly?” Lin Mo innocently pulled her into her arms, and the two of them lay on the bed. Su Qixi glanced at her phone and saw the news about Hua Ling Company, which was the most-talked-about topic at the moment.

Su Qixi snuggled into her shoulder and asked, “Why are you looking at that?”

“No reason. It was trending at #1, so I clicked on it.”

Su Qixi didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not, but she had come to see Lin Mo for a reason.

“Do you know our new teammate is Zhao Lin?”

Lin Mo shook her head and then asked matter-of-factly, “Who is Zhao Lin?”

Su Qixi: “You don’t know her?”

Lin Mo chuckled, hugging her even tighter. “You know I don’t follow that stuff.”

Su Qixi sighed and said, “Zhao Lin became popular two years ago. She had been in the industry for a while and was somewhat well-known, but a historical fantasy drama two years ago made her a big star. She’s talented and has good taste. Everything she does becomes a hit. This year, her historical romance drama made her even more popular. She has more followers on Weibo than I do.”

Lin Mo nodded, a little confused. “Why are you telling me all this?”

Su Qixi looked up at her, smiled, and rubbed her head against Lin Mo’s chest. “If I’m telling you, there must be a reason. Zhao Lin is a bit arrogant.”

Lin Mo: “Is that her reputation in the industry? Or have you met her? That kind of personality… she must offend people, right?” Lin Mo didn’t understand. A personality like that shouldn’t be very successful in the entertainment industry.

Su Qixi sat up. “That’s why her manager, Lei Zhiming, never let her do a variety show.”

Lin Mo was even more confused. “This show is a live stream, right?” If so, why would her manager let her do it?

Su Qixi smiled. “Her manager must have arranged everything. He probably told her to talk less and work more. And she does have a good sense of who’s important. She’s very friendly to people who are more famous than her. So far, she’s never messed up.”

Sighing, Su Qixi continued, “But to people who aren’t as successful as her…” Su Qixi didn’t approve of her behavior, but she still warned Lin Mo, “She won’t be so polite. I’m afraid she’ll bully you.”

Lin Mo naturally understood what she meant. She smiled and lifted Su Qixi’s chin. “So you’re worried about me.” As she said this, her voice was light and gentle, like a soft melody.

Su Qixi’s heart fluttered, and her face turned red. Her mischievous side came back.

She looked at the pale skin showing at Lin Mo’s collar and reached out to touch it.

But before she could, Lin Mo grabbed her wrist. She looked at Su Qixi helplessly and asked, “What are you doing?”

Caught in the act, Su Qixi’s face turned even redder. “We’re already in a relationship like this. What’s wrong with me touching you?”

She wasn’t very confident at first, but the more she came up with reasons, the more she felt she was right. What kind of couple doesn’t touch each other? What kind of couple doesn’t like to be close? What kind of person, after having meat, goes back to being a vegetarian?

The more Su Qixi thought about it, the more right she felt. The look in her eyes was no longer guilty.

Lin Mo pinned her hands above her head and leaned over to look at her. Lin Mo’s eyes were already bright and beautiful, and with her gentle personality, her gaze always had a doting and affectionate quality.

Hearing Su Qixi’s words, a ripple appeared in her eyes, and she smiled faintly. “You’re right.”

Then she leaned down to kiss her. Lin Mo’s grip on Su Qixi’s wrists wasn’t tight. Su Qixi knew she could easily break free with a little effort.

But she didn’t want to. She loved every side of Lin Mo.

Responding to Lin Mo’s kiss, Su Qixi would have been even more passionate if her hands hadn’t been held.

But with her hands controlled and Lin Mo pressing down on her, Su Qixi felt like she couldn’t perform. It felt different from before, and she was a little confused about how to respond.

Lin Mo smiled and whispered in her ear, “Follow your feelings.”

A hazy look came into Su Qixi’s half-closed eyes, and she looked at Lin Mo blankly. She felt as if Lin Mo’s hands had a magical power; wherever they touched, a tingling sensation would spread, making her tremble.

Su Qixi didn’t know when her hands were released. She instinctively reached out to hug Lin Mo. She felt her whole body ignite.

She needed to release it, and she needed Lin Mo to touch her more deeply.

“Lin Mo.”

“Shh.”

In the dim room, Lin Mo whispered, “The people next door will hear us!”

Su Qixi’s eyes were still moist with tears of passion. She was so shocked by Lin Mo’s words that she covered her mouth with her hand. Her brows furrowed, and her moans became more and more suppressed.

The moon was high in the sky. Coming down from the peak had made her a little sleepy.

Lin Mo propped herself up and watched her fall asleep. She pulled a blanket over her. She leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Su Qixi, go to sleep.”

Then, she got up, got a basin of warm water, and gently wiped away the sweat and stickiness from Su Qixi’s body.

Su Qixi only woke up briefly in the middle, smiling contentedly and calling out, “Lin Mo.”

Lin Mo reached out and ruffled her hair. “Sleep,” she said softly.

Su Qixi fell asleep again. She hugged the pillow and was covered by the blanket, all of which smelled like Lin Mo. It was so simple and so safe to fall asleep.

After she had tidied up everything, Lin Mo checked her phone. It was 10:30.

Lin Mo took her phone and went to the small balcony in her room, then called Xiong Jingjing.

Xiong Jingjing frowned. “Why didn’t you answer my call earlier?”

Lin Mo: “…” I can’t exactly tell her it was a crucial moment, can I?

Xiong Jingjing saw Su Qixi more as a child. Saying that would just be asking for trouble.

Lin Mo paused for a moment and then lied with a straight face. “I was busy.”

Xiong Jingjing said, “Okay,” then continued, “It’s about Zhao Lin.”

Lin Mo stood on the small balcony in her room and looked up. The half-moon hung in the cold night sky, accompanied by a few stars.

The lights below were dim, and everything was enveloped in silver moonlight.

Unlike the nightlife in the city, this small town was silent, with only the occasional dog bark.

The night was quiet, and the people were asleep.

“That Zhao Lin, you need to be careful with her. Don’t provoke her,” Xiong Jingjing warned.

“Okay, thank you. I wanted to ask, what are her fans like?”

Xiong Jingjing laughed. “Zhao Lin’s fans are probably the craziest in the industry right now. They’ll do whatever they’re told.”

Lin Mo nodded. “Then I think I might be in a bit of trouble.”

Xiong Jingjing scoffed. “You’re always in trouble.”

Lin Mo chuckled, leaning on the railing, and looked up at the stars. “Forget it, I’ll just let nature take its course.” Some troubles you just can’t avoid.

“By the way, where’s Qixi?” Xiong Jingjing asked casually.

Lin Mo: “…She’s asleep.”

Xiong Jingjing frowned. “In your room?”

Lin Mo gave a low hum of agreement, and Xiong Jingjing was furious. “She’s sleeping in your room!!!” Does Su Qixi think the cameras won’t catch her? What kind of nonsense is this?

Lin Mo was stunned. “Should I… should I carry her back?”

Xiong Jingjing was speechless. “Carry your sister!” If she stays there, you can say you’re just friends and she fell asleep while talking. But carrying her back? What kind of story is that?

The next day, the trending topic about Hua Ling Company finally went down a bit.

#ZhaoLinJoinsShow #ZhaoLinVarietyDebut #ZhaoLinOutfit, you name it. It was unclear if her fans were really the ones pushing these topics or if she had bought them.

When you opened the trending search list that day, Zhao Lin’s name was everywhere.

Unfortunately, for some reason, either she was not compatible with The Guesthouse, or she was jinxed by Hua Ling Company.

Less than two minutes after Zhao Lin’s trending topic went up, Hua Ling’s trending topic came crashing down again.

It was another #1 trending search, and it completely destroyed Zhao Lin’s.

Today’s topic: Hua Ling Media’s “yin-yang contracts.”

Zhao Lin: “…” She was so angry she was laughing.