The Scumbag A Really Doesn't Want to Become Famous [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 45

Little one.

Was she referring to her?

After saying this, Jiang Musheng naturally placed the freshly cooked ingredients into Yu Youqing’s bowl, as if taking care of her was something she had done countless times before.

Small bubbles began to rise in the pot in front of them, mingling with the celebratory fireworks outside and the New Year’s greetings from the TV, blending into a scene of warmth and happiness. At least in this moment, Yu Youqing felt a deep sense of comfort in her heart.

She wanted to say thank you to Jiang Musheng, but she also knew that the last thing Jiang Musheng needed right now was her gratitude.

The special moment had stirred many emotions in her, one of them being vulnerability. Yu Youqing lowered her head, trying to suppress the rising sting in her eyes. This was supposed to be a happy time, yet all she wanted to do was cry and to bury herself in Jiang Musheng’s arms while doing so.

“Don’t just sit there.” Jiang Musheng had noticed Yu Youqing’s emotional turmoil early on but chose not to point it out, allowing her to maintain her facade. If Yu Youqing didn’t want her to know, then she wouldn’t. For now, all Jiang Musheng could do was make sure Yu Youqing was well-fed.

She had heard that when the stomach was warm, the body and heart would naturally follow.

If she hadn’t come back tonight, this girl would have been truly alone, crying by herself on the couch.

“Is it good?” Jiang Musheng asked again.

Yu Youqing replied softly, “It’s delicious. I haven’t eaten like this in a long time. Thank you, Teacher Jiang.”

“These are just small things. No need to thank me for them.” Jiang Musheng smiled. She no longer dwelled on the formality in Yu Youqing’s address toward her and understood that some things simply took time. “I haven’t eaten like this in a while either. If anyone should be thanking, it’s me for having you here with me.”

“Don’t feel pressured. My family isn’t here either, and I didn’t have time to go back.” Jiang Musheng began answering the questions Yu Youqing had asked earlier. “But I also had my own selfish reasons, I didn’t want you to spend it alone, so I came back without asking for your permission.”

Hearing this, Yu Youqing couldn’t help but curl her lips into a small smile. She could tell Jiang Musheng was trying to lighten the mood between them, and she had succeeded.

“Did you get in touch with Miaoyi?”

“Yes, she reached out to me while I was on my way back.” Jiang Musheng nodded. “She cares about you a lot.”

Ye Miaoyi was the only one who knew Yu Youqing and Jiang Musheng were living together. Given the extensive connections of the Ye family, it wasn’t surprising she had managed to contact Jiang Musheng.

Yu Youqing turned her gaze to the fireworks outside.

Their home was far from where the fireworks were being set off, but it happened to be the perfect vantage point. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the dazzling display in all its glory.

“Do you want to go out and play with them later? We can,” Jiang Musheng offered.

“No, I was just looking.” Yu Youqing withdrew her gaze, her mood already much brighter. She turned to look at Jiang Musheng and, for once, didn’t immediately avert her eyes as she usually would.

Jiang Musheng, who had been busy cooking, found this unusual. Normally, Yu Youqing would never stare at her for so long.

Jiang Musheng waited for a while, noticing that Yu Youqing still hadn’t looked away from her. Only then did she meet Yu Youqing’s gaze with a faint smile and asked, “Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, I just realized something.” Yu Youqing continued eating, her cheeks slightly puffed with food, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help curling upward. “I’ve noticed that no matter what it is, whether it’s an object or a matter if I so much as glance at it twice or mention it in passing, you seem determined to make it happen for me.”

She paused deliberately, adopting a questioning tone, “Teacher Jiang, are you always this eager to help others?”

“I’m not like this with others,” Jiang Musheng replied without the slightest irritation, answering earnestly. “Besides, isn’t it only natural to fulfill all of a child’s wishes? That’s how they stay happy. For me, I just want to see her happy.”

This round, Yu Youqing admitted defeat.

She couldn’t out-tease Jiang Musheng because every time she deliberately posed a teasing question, Jiang Musheng would ponder and respond with utmost seriousness, never treating them as jokes. Instead, it was Yu Youqing who found herself at a loss for words.

Jiang Musheng chuckled. “If you have something to ask, just say it directly.”

She sensed that Yu Youqing seemed to have much to say to her but had been holding back. Sometimes, the words were already on the tip of her tongue, yet she stubbornly refused to voice them.

Yu Youqing stubbornly retorted, “I have nothing to ask.”

The meal progressed slowly. Yu Youqing, who had been controlling her diet for so long, rarely had the chance to eat like this. Plus, she was genuinely hungry after a busy day, so she ate everything Jiang Musheng served her, her bowl was never empty.

“You should eat too,” Yu Youqing said, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I am eating. Don’t worry about me.” In truth, Jiang Musheng had already eaten backstage after the show before returning.

Half an hour later, Yu Youqing lay sprawled on the sofa, rubbing her full belly in guilty repentance.

This practically counted as a midnight snack, didn’t it? And she had eaten so much, what a disgrace to her identity as a female celebrity. She thought about getting up to clean, but Jiang Musheng had already taken care of everything without letting her lift a finger.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Youqing even had the illusion that she was some pampered, useless pet being kept by Jiang Musheng.

Too full to sleep and with the clock nearing 1 AM, going to bed now was out of the question.

Jiang Musheng tidied up and was still organizing the kitchen. With nothing else to do, Yu Youqing could only watch her, occasionally averting her gaze to the TV whenever Jiang Musheng seemed about to meet her eyes, pretending nothing had happened.

The scene felt somewhat surreal, why did it seem like she was the lady of the house instead? Wasn’t this backward?

It had to be said, Jiang Musheng was truly someone well-suited for cohabitation. At least from what Yu Youqing had observed during this time, Jiang Musheng carried none of the airs of a big celebrity. Her movements while doing chores were practiced and effortless, but it didn’t seem like she had deliberately learned them rather, they stemmed from her inherent refinement.

The same went for when they were filming the show.

Jiang Musheng might not know how to cook, but she would handle whatever tasks she could within her capabilities, like washing dishes and clearing the table afterward.

Why say it came from her inherent refinement?

Yu Youqing had noticed that even when she wasn’t the one cooking that day, Jiang Musheng still wanted to help out. But since Wei Xi had already gone to assist Ji Fu earlier, Jiang Musheng ended up taking out the trash while in the living room.

This made Yu realize something about Jiang Musheng, she never took others’ help or efforts for granted. She always reciprocated with equal value, showing respect to everyone around her.

No wonder everyone adored someone like that.

And as an alpha, it was no surprise Jiang Musheng was the most sought-after marriage candidate.

When Yu Youqing moved from the floor to the sofa, Jiang Musheng returned from taking out the trash. She seemed to be on a call with family, as Yu occasionally caught phrases like “already ate” and “take care of yourself.”

After hanging up, Jiang Musheng sat beside Yu, who let out a yawn.

“Tired? You should go to sleep if you are,” Jiang Musheng said.

Yu Youqing replied, “Sleeping right after eating? I’d turn into a pig. I’ll rest a bit longer.”

Jiang Musheng chuckled.

Yu stayed silent for a while before Jiang suddenly remarked, “Being a happy little pig wouldn’t be so bad.”

“No, I’m an actress, I refuse to be a pig,” Yu retorted, immediately standing up in an attempt to speed up digestion. She began stretching exaggeratedly, while behind her, Jiang Musheng watched with an amused, doting smile.

Late into the night, the fireworks outside gradually faded.

Exhaustion eventually caught up with Yu Youqing, and she couldn’t stop yawning. As much as she wanted to cherish this rare moment alone with Jiang Musheng on the same sofa, she knew it was time to sleep.

“Jiang, you should rest early too,” Yu said as she prepared to head to her room. Jiang nodded.

Yu climbed the stairs but didn’t hear Jiang moving below. At the landing, she suddenly turned back, descending a few steps to look at Jiang, still seated on the sofa.

“Jiang, happy New Year!”

Jiang Musheng tilted her head slightly, warmth glowing in her eyes.

“Happy New Year.”

Content, Yu returned to her room. Before drifting off, she replayed the night’s events in her mind, it all felt like a dream, a beautiful one.

For a fleeting moment, she even wished it would never end. Why cling to reservations? Why not just lose herself in Jiang Musheng?

But her lingering worries always left her feeling insecure in Jiang’s presence.

That was why it all still felt like a dream.

The next morning, Yu Youqing woke up early, a habit from her busy schedule, where call times often started at 5 or 6 a.m. for makeup.

Remembering she had no work today, she considered sleeping in but found herself unable to. She got up instead.

Checking her phone, she saw a message from Ye Miaoyi sent fifteen minutes earlier:

Ye Miaoyi: [So? Did you have a wonderful night?]

Yu replied: […]

It was only 6:30 a.m., and Ye, likely also up early for work, hadn’t expected such a quick response. A question mark shot back:

[?]

[You’re awake already? Shouldn’t you be?]

[“Uh! wait a minute, are you not asleep or what???”]

Yu Youqing: [“What on earth do you have in your head every day? My relationship with Teacher Jiang is completely normal and pure.”]

After seeing Yu Youqing’s message, Ye Miaoyi took advantage of her free time to make a phone call.

“How can there be anything pure between adult alphas and omegas? If there is, it’s just because one of you isn’t pulling your weight is it you or Jiang Musheng?” Ye Miaoyi’s tone was full of regret as she sighed. “Aren’t you interested in Jiang Musheng? Why aren’t you making a move? You didn’t even take advantage of such a perfect atmosphere yesterday.”

“Can you stop with the wild talk?” Yu Youqing yawned and rolled over in bed, her voice lazy. “First of all, regardless of how I feel about her, have you considered Teacher Jiang’s own opinion when you say these things? You know as well as I do that in the industry, Jiang Musheng and I are the last pairing fans would ever want to see together.”

Ye Miaoyi scoffed. “Since when do you care what others think? Have you ever stopped to consider that if Teacher Jiang wasn’t interested in you, why would she specifically come to spend New Year’s Eve with you? She could’ve easily said she was busy when I asked her. You know how exhausting it is to rush back right after performing at a New Year’s Eve gala.”

Yu Youqing fell silent for a moment, her voice lowering slightly. “Even if she is interested, it’s not in the way you think, Anyway, you wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re just scared,” Ye Miaoyi clicked her tongue in frustration. “You and Jiang Musheng are practically living together now, living together, you hear me?! An alpha right at your fingertips, and you keep pushing her away?”

Yu Youqing frowned. “Teacher Jiang doesn’t like me, and we’re not living together. Renting her place was purely a coincidence.”

“If there are too many coincidences in this world, you have to start wondering if they’re intentional.” Ye Miaoyi laughed, finding Yu Youqing oddly naive for her age when it came to Jiang Musheng. “If she doesn’t like you, then who does she like?”

So Yu Youqing briefly explained Jiang Musheng’s situation with her so-called “white moonlight.”

After thinking for a moment, Ye Miaoyi said, “I think you should ask Jiang Musheng directly about this.”

“Do I really need to ask?” Yu Youqing couldn’t fathom Ye Miaoyi’s thought process. “Knowing this much, I should just step back. Teacher Jiang is wonderful, but she doesn’t belong to me, and I don’t have any plans to start a relationship. Stop worrying about it.”

Ye Miaoyi: “Then why did you instinctively throw yourself into Jiang Musheng’s arms in the haunted house?”

Yu Youqing hung up the phone expressionlessly.

Her little unconscious actions around Jiang Musheng did make her explanations seem feeble. She couldn’t control her body’s instinctive reactions.

Her good friend Ye Miaoyi was merciless, always seeing right through her.

Yu Youqing lazed in bed for a while, replaying everything Ye Miaoyi had said in her head. Had she really been that obvious in the first episode of the show?

Her assistant, Tiantian, had told her the first episode had received good feedback, so Yu Youqing hadn’t bothered checking the fans’ reactions herself.

She got up to go to the bathroom, and when she returned, she noticed an additional text message on her phone. The sender wasn’t in Yu Youqing’s contacts just a string of numbers.

Reading the words of concern in the message, Yu Youqing’s expression faltered slightly. Yet she carefully reread the brief text several times before finally replying with a distant: [Thank you. You too.]

The other person responded: [Since you’re back in Songcheng for recording, why not come home to have a meal with Mom?]

Yu Youqing blinked twice but didn’t reply again.

She didn’t know how to continue the conversation. Over the years, she had deliberately stopped thinking about family matters. Having grown accustomed to living alone, her family had long become nothing more than occasional holiday greetings.

Yu Youqing assumed Jiang Musheng was still asleep.

She went out to get some water but noticed Jiang Musheng’s shoes from yesterday still at the entrance it didn’t seem like she had left.

Just as Yu Youqing was about to go upstairs with her water, the door opened.

Jiang Musheng appeared at the entrance, dressed in light workout clothes, as if she had just returned from a morning jog. Surprisingly, she was also holding two bowls of congee. Seeing Yu Youqing’s stunned expression, Jiang Musheng raised what she was carrying slightly.

“You’re up so early? Want some breakfast?”

Yu Youqing changed direction and headed to the dining area instead.

“No schedule today?” she asked.

“I do, I’ll be heading out soon,” Jiang Musheng said, watching as Yu Youqing obediently took a seat. She then handed her a pair of chopsticks. “But I figured you wouldn’t eat properly once I left, so I got some congee.”

Yu Youqing paused.

Jiang Musheng sat across from her. “When you’re alone, it seems like you don’t take care of yourself.”

The way Jiang Musheng said these things made it feel even more like an elder looking after a child. As Yu Youqing sipped the congee, she felt that the atmosphere between them had taken on a strange quality since last night.

She wasn’t resisting Jiang Musheng’s care today, nor had she thanked her.

No, this wasn’t right. A version of herself that didn’t thank Jiang Musheng was very wrong. In the past, she would’ve already turned into an overly polite “thank-you machine.”

Yu Youqing had to admit that while she was used to living alone, being cared for by someone else was a different kind of happiness. Right now, she was clinging to this feeling and didn’t want to refuse it.

Watching Jiang Musheng eat breakfast across from her, Yu Youqing recalled Ye Miaoyi’s words, You two are practically living together.

It really did feel that way.

“I do take care of myself, it’s just that you’ve caught me these past couple of times,” Yu Youqing said, taking another warm sip of congee. The comfort spread through her stomach, and she added, “I usually manage just fine. Otherwise, how would I know how to cook?”

Jiang Musheng replied, “Your cooking is delicious, but you don’t eat much of it yourself.”

Yu Youqing hadn’t expected Jiang Musheng to notice that.

She had cooked on the show but hadn’t had much of an appetite. Cooking was exhausting after preparing a whole table of dishes, seeing everyone enjoy them was satisfaction enough. When alone, Yu Youqing couldn’t be bothered to take care of herself. Eating by herself just wasn’t that appealing.

Yu Youqing remained silent, unsure how to explain her thoughts to Jiang Musheng. Subconsciously, she felt they weren’t close enough for this level of familiarity.

So she said, “Female celebrities don’t eat much.”

Jiang Musheng replied, “Don’t you take care of yourself?”

“Yeah,” Yu Youqing admitted impulsively, deciding to be honest. “Taking care of myself is quite troublesome, and I haven’t fully mastered it yet. But caring for others is much easier that skill I’ve pretty much got down. People always give their perfunctory side to themselves, making do with half-hearted efforts.”

Jiang Musheng pondered her words with interest before looking up. “You’re right the skill of caring for others is indeed much simpler.”

“Exactly!” After a thoughtful pause, Jiang Musheng watched Yu Youqing sipping her porridge intently and added, “In that case, you don’t have to care for yourself. I can take care of you instead. Would you like to go out with me?”

Yu Youqing nearly choked on her mouthful.

???

Jiang Musheng, what kind of logic is that? Was that what I meant just now?

Forcing down her bite, Yu Youqing considered the question before responding, “Teacher Jiang, just treat what I said as nonsense. It’s rare to have a day off, I think I’d better stay home and rest. I couldn’t possibly trouble you to look after me.”

“It’s no trouble. I just worry you might skip meals,” Jiang Musheng persisted. “If you rest at home, would it be alright if I send someone to pick you up at mealtimes?”

Yu Youqing genuinely felt the cost of a meal was becoming too high. Sensing Jiang Musheng wasn’t joking in the slightest, she quickly declined, “No need, Teacher Jiang. That wouldn’t be proper, please don’t go to such lengths for me.”

Jiang Musheng gave a quiet “Mm” and didn’t press further.

Eager to shift the mood, Yu Youqing casually asked, “Is it a work dinner after finishing up?”

“Not exactly. Lin Xuqiao and the others invited me, saying it’s a New Year’s gathering.” Jiang Musheng mentioned offhandedly, “They’ll probably drink a bit. I might return late tonight old friends won’t let anyone go home until they’ve had their fill of fun.”

Drinking?

There were too many key points in Jiang Musheng’s statement, so Yu Youqing missed how the tone sounded like they were in some incredibly intimate relationship, focusing instead on the drinking.

Not just drinking, but staying out very late.

Naturally, Yu Youqing asked, “Can you hold your liquor?”

“Not really, but they’re heavy drinkers hard to avoid getting pressured into it.” Jiang Musheng stood up, preparing to leave, and added over her shoulder, “It’s fine.”

How is that fine?

Never mind that Jiang Musheng was a major celebrity even for an ordinary person, staying out late while drunk wasn’t safe.

“Then how will you get back? Will they see you home?” Yu Youqing immediately pressed. “They’ll look after you, right?”

“Them? They’ll be drunk too.” Jiang Musheng shook her head. “I’ll just call a designated driver to bring me back alone. I can take care of myself.”

Jiang Musheng deliberately emphasized the word “alone.”

“That won’t do! It’s really unsafe!” Yu Youqing took the bait, frowning as she seemed to wrestle with something.

Jiang Musheng said, “It’s always been like this. You’ll get used to it. Even if I throw up, I can just open the window myself.”

With just that short sentence from Jiang Musheng, Yu Youqing could already picture the pitiful scene. It was as if she could see Jiang Musheng in the car, struggling in discomfort while trying to open the window by herself.

No way!

“You can’t take care of yourself.” Yu Youshen decided to fulfill her duties as a responsible roommate and tenant. With a conflicted expression, she asked, “How about I go with you? I’m just worried it might be unsafe for you to return alone after drinking.”

Yu Youshen added, “I don’t mean anything else by it. Since I know Director Lin too,, maybe I could help moderate the drinking or something.”

“Alright, you’re right. Taking care of oneself is difficult, but looking after others is much easier.” Jiang Musheng repeated these words with a gentle smile, her eyes sparkling. There wasn’t the slightest hint of triumph in her expression just pure happiness that lifted the corners of her eyes. She said softly, “Then you rest first. I’ll arrange a car to pick you up tonight.”

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