Catnip Perfume
Live broadcast of earthy love words1
Feng Xiao sat on the sofa as her manager stood before her, scolding her.
“What were you thinking, picking a fight with Lin Sifei? We’re in the middle of promoting the movie. A scandal like this will have a huge impact.”
“Isn’t everything fine now?” Feng Xiao rolled her eyes. “In fact, the box office numbers have climbed even higher. If you all hadn’t interfered, I would have reaped all the benefits.”
Her manager was so angry she was panting. “I think you’ve lost your mind. Did you really think you could handle all that? Let me tell you, Director Chen won’t indulge you like others do. If you make this too ugly, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
With that, she grabbed her bag and left.
Feng Xiao angrily threw off her jacket, took out her phone, and dialed Yan Yafei.
“Hey, Feifei, it’s me.”
Yan Yafei was in the middle of a face mask, preparing for a brand photoshoot. “What’s wrong?”
Feng Xiao sighed. “You must have seen the production team’s clarification. Everyone believes their story now. If I try to steer the narrative back, I’ll just be accused of deliberately slandering her, which will only get Lin Sifei more fans.”
“Don’t be anxious,” Yan Yafei chuckled lightly. “You just need to seize an opportunity and set up a plot twist.”
“An opportunity?” Feng Xiao was confused.
Yan Yafei sounded a little annoyed. Does she really need me to teach her step-by-step? “Later on, the production team will definitely make you two do promotions together to show harmony. Just shoot some behind-the-scenes video, and leave the rest to an editor.”
Feng Xiao’s eyes lit up, but then she narrowed them, testing the waters. “The company isn’t willing to go against Lin Sifei anymore. I probably can’t use the company’s team.”
“Oh, Xiao Xiao, I already told you I have my own team. Of course I’ll help you when the time comes.”
Hearing her assurance, Feng Xiao finally smiled. “Look at me, I forgot again.”
Yan Yafei didn’t believe a word of it. “I have to get ready for my shoot. Talk later.”
“Okay, you get to it.”
Feng Xiao stared at her dark phone screen, then got up to pour herself a glass of water, a smile spreading across her face. This Yan Yafei is pretty useful, just a bit disgusting. She clearly got ahead by going through the back door2, just like Lin Sifei, yet she acts like she’s so high and mighty.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. A person like that had her own team, while she still had to bow to the company’s whims. She furiously smashed her glass and stormed into her room.
Lin Sifei leaned against Luo Ke’s shoulder, scrolling through her phone. “Director Chen said there’s an interview tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?”
“Of course,” Luo Ke agreed readily. She had nothing else planned, and spending more time with Lin Sifei was always for the best.
“Director Chen wants to do a livestream first.” Lin Sifei furrowed her brow. “How do you even do a livestream?”
She found her tablet and downloaded the instruction guide Director Chen had sent. Luo Ke leaned in beside her and saw that they needed a stand. “We don’t have a stand. I’ll go buy one now.”
“Will you be able to find one?”
Luo Ke fell silent for a moment, then had a sudden idea. “Let’s have Li Tao send one over. He does livestreams all the time, he’ll know what to do.”
She made the call, but unfortunately, Li Tao was at a recording with a top-tier male actor he managed. The staff member who answered heard they needed a phone stand, so she grabbed one and sent it over.
Lin Sifei looked at the staff member with wide eyes. “Excuse me, do you know how to set up a livestream?”
“Sorry, I don’t. That’s not my department,” the young woman said, a bit embarrassed.
Lin Sifei immediately smiled and waved her hand. “Oh, I see. Well, thank you for bringing the stand over.”
Once the woman left, Lin Sifei and Luo Ke were back to having big eyes staring at small eyes3. “I guess we should try it ourselves first. It can’t be that hard, right…?”
She sounded completely unconvinced. She picked up the tablet and followed the instructions. After a good deal of fumbling, she successfully started the livestream.
Lin Sifei happily high-fived Luo Ke, then excitedly picked up the tablet. “How do we connect to Director Chen’s stream?”
Luo Ke searched for the others but saw that none of them were connected yet.
“I’ll ask,” Lin Sifei said. She messaged Director Chen, who told her they had to wait a bit longer.
“Then let’s wait.” Lin Sifei sat in front of the camera, brushing her hair back, a little unsure of what to do.
Before becoming a Film Empress, her public appearances were mainly for movie promotions—a form of “hunger marketing,”4 according to her company. As a result, she had never done a livestream before.
“This is my first time going live. It’s pretty novel. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Lin Sifei smiled, then frowned as she leaned in closer to read the comments scrolling rapidly across the bottom of the phone screen.
She got so close that only her forehead was visible in the frame.
Luo Ke, who was holding her own tablet nearby, couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out, pulled Lin Sifei back a little, and handed her the tablet. “I’m logged into your stream. Use this to read.”
“Oh, okay.” Lin Sifei took the tablet.
The number of viewers in the stream was skyrocketing. A new wave of people entered, confused to see Lin Sifei just staring down at a tablet.
【What’s going on? Isn’t this a livestream? What is she looking at?】
【Miss, look at the camera! We wanna see you!】
Lin Sifei looked up, a bit dazed. “No, I’m reading your comments. But it seems I can’t look at the camera at the same time. Uh—what do I do about that?”
She cast a pleading look toward Luo Ke, who was off-camera.
Luo Ke reached for her, took her wrist, and lifted her hand so the tablet was parallel with the phone. “This way you can read the comments and face the camera.”
“Hey, that’s a great idea.” Lin Sifei happily held up the tablet. “Let’s see the bullet comments5.”
【That lady’s hand was so beautiful just now! Lick, lick, lick!】
【Her voice is so nice too! Is she a staff member? Feifei’s assistant?】
Lin Sifei saw all the comments praising Luo Ke and couldn’t stop smiling, as happy as if she were the one being complimented.
“She’s not a staff member. She’s my… friend. Her specific identity will be revealed in the future.”
“‘Long fingers,'” Lin Sifei read from the comments, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. “That’s true.”
“‘Show your face?'” Lin Sifei looked at Luo Ke, asking if she was willing. Luo Ke shook her head.
Lin Sifei pouted. “She doesn’t want to. But that’s okay, you’ll all see her eventually.”
【Is she an artist too? Hasn’t debuted yet?】
【Maybe they’re from the same company. Looking forward to her debut!】
Lin Sifei smiled. I wonder how shocked these people will be when they see our engagement ceremony.
Lin Sifei held the tablet up for a while before frowning and lowering her hand, massaging her arm. “Holding it like this is so tiring.”
She looked at Luo Ke, only to be met with merciless laughter. Indignant, Lin Sifei grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and tossed it at her head.
The pillow hit Luo Ke in the face. She caught it and hugged it. “Want me to read them for you?”
Lin Sifei hesitated for a second before handing her the tablet. “Read them properly, okay?”
Lin Sifei sat obediently on the sofa, facing the camera and waiting.
A moment later, Lin Sifei and everyone in the stream heard a standard, announcer-like female voice—devoid of emotion yet perfectly modulated and rhythmic6—reading the bullet comments aloud.
“‘Ah! Miss, I really, really like you.'”
“‘Confession, confession.'”
“‘Feifei is so cute.'”
“Stop!” Lin Sifei covered her face with her hands, looking at Luo Ke in exasperation. “Why are you reading them like that? It’s so weird.”
Luo Ke spread her hands. “Didn’t you tell me to read them properly?”
Lin Sifei sighed in defeat and held her fingers a tiny distance apart. “Well, you could show a tiny bit of emotion.”
Luo Ke smiled and nodded, then began reading with a little more feeling, as if in a normal conversation.
“‘Is Feifei at home?'”
Lin Sifei nodded. “Yes, I’m at home. I haven’t gone out during the break, just been playing games and watching movies.”
“‘Will Feifei do more livestreams in the future?'”
“That’s not certain. I don’t really know what I’d talk about on a stream. I can’t just do Q&As like this all the time,” Lin Sifei said with a shy smile.
“‘Feifei, I love you.'”
Lin Sifei’s eyes shot wide open as she stared at Luo Ke in shock. Didn’t we agree to announce it at the engagement? Why so suddenly…
Luo Ke knew what she was thinking just by her expression. She held up the tablet. “I’m reading the bullet comments.”
Lin Sifei clutched her chest and shot her a reproachful glare. “You scared me.”
The comments filled with “hahaha,” and Luo Ke couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
Luo Ke glanced at the tablet and saw a comment float by: 【Got a hit of the ship7, got a hit of the ship! It’s my top GL couple8!】
Luo Ke thought for a moment and decided not to read that one aloud. However, her silence only piqued everyone’s interest, and all sorts of strange comments started to appear.
Luo Ke raised an eyebrow and began to read, “‘You wake up early, I wake up early, sooner or later we’ll be together. You don’t sleep, I don’t sleep, look how perfect we are for each other.'”
“‘Do you know the difference between you and the stars? The stars are in the sky, but you are in my heart.'”
The bullet comments completely devolved into rows and rows of earthy love words9.
Lin Sifei grabbed a pillow to hide her face. “That’s enough, you guys!”
Luo Ke couldn’t help but smile as she watched her, continuing, “‘The simplest love phrase is, I love you.'”
Lin Sifei turned to glare at her, but the smile on her lips was impossible to suppress.
Her attempt to cover it up only made it more obvious10. “Those are all earthy love words. They’re so cheesy.”
A delayed comment flew by. 【Feifei, pay attention to her! Give her a response!】
Luo Ke looked at the comment, a smirk playing on her lips. She lowered her voice. “When are you going to respond to me?”
Hearing her voice, Lin Sifei’s ears instantly burned hot.
She glanced at Luo Ke. “Are these comments real? You’re not just messing with me, are you?”
【That one wasn’t there! I swear!】
【It’s real!】
【That one really wasn’t there! Oh my god, Feifei, hurry up and respond to her!】
Luo Ke watched the comments, her expression unchanging. “Of course I’m not tricking you. It was in the bullet comments.”
【Feifei, she’s lying to you!】
【What is with this woman! Feifei, say yes!】
【Get together, get together, get together!】
Lin Sifei narrowed her eyes, watching her suspiciously.
Just as she was about to lunge for the phone, Luo Ke took a step back. “Director Chen just sent a message. She said she’s connecting the streams now.”
The mention of work immediately made Lin Sifei forget what had just happened. “Do I need to do anything? How does it work? I don’t know how.”
“You just have to link up. Search for Director Chen’s stream and click to join.”
Lin Sifei walked over and tapped the screen with her finger.
【Ahhh! That finger! Feifei is touching me!】
【She’s touching me, me!】
【Stop dreaming up there. Drag them out for This Palace11.】
【Feifei’s face is so gorgeous, even right up against the camera.】
“I’m connected!” Lin Sifei sat back down happily. Seeing the new faces appear on her screen, she smiled and greeted them. “Hi, Director Chen! Hi, Lu Heng-ge12! Hi, Yuanyuan13!”
【Feng Xiao isn’t here?】
【Uhh…】
Lin Sifei didn’t see Feng Xiao and instantly guessed what she was up to. There were already rumors swirling, so showing up late now was just a deliberate attempt to annoy everyone.
“Hasn’t Feng Xiao joined yet? Director Chen, you should contact her. That livestream manual of yours is way too hard to understand. You made something simple so complicated. See if Feng Xiao got confused.”
Director Chen, wearing a duck-tongue hat, shot her a displeased look. “That’s reckless talk in eight ways14. My manual is perfectly concise and easy to understand. If you can’t get it, that’s your problem. Go on, ask Lu Heng if he understood it!”
Suddenly thrown out as cannon fodder15, Lu Heng pursed his lips and mulled it over for a moment. “I wouldn’t know. My assistant set this up for me. He’s handled my livestreams several times.”
【I can feel Lu Heng’s desire to live16.】
【Heng-ge was just complaining in his own stream that he couldn’t understand it at all. He had to call over his assistant who was in the middle of a game.】
Lin Sifei immediately started clapping. “See? The eyes of the masses are sharp.”
Director Chen pointed at her huffily, then looked to the upper right corner of the screen. “Lu Heng, you’re not even on my side. You traitor.”
“This is called helping you recognize your own shortcomings.”
Chen Qiyuan was sitting beside her, giggling foolishly. Director Chen’s brow furrowed. “You’re not allowed to laugh. Five hundred years ago, we were the same family, and you’re laughing.”
Chen Qiyuan couldn’t stop laughing. “Director Chen, you need to face reality. Our cast formed an alliance long ago. You’re the only enemy.”
“Alas, who can blame us when Director Chen is so fierce,” Lin Sifei said, cupping her chin.
The stream was filled with laughter. The way the actors so brazenly teased the director, each with a silly grin on their face, made it clear how harmonious their relationship was.
Only then did Feng Xiao arrive, late and leisurely17. “Sorry, sorry, I’m not very familiar with how livestreams work, and my internet connection is a bit spotty. The connection kept failing.”
She had come up with an excuse for being deliberately late, but as soon as she said it, the bullet comments filled with “hahaha.” No one even mentioned the previous incident.
Director Chen slammed the table. “You’ve all gone too far, ganging up on me! You actors huddle together18, but we directors can huddle together too, believe it or not!”
“We believe you!” the three of them shouted in unison, leaving only Feng Xiao out of the loop.
Lin Sifei smiled at Feng Xiao. “Feng Xiao, I’ll treat you to a drink in a couple of days. We can take a few posed photos together.”
Feng Xiao’s heart hammered in her chest, but her expression was friendly. “Sure! Now that filming for 《Light》 is over, I can finally eat and drink without worrying. Dieting for the role of Xiao Xing was killing me.”
“Then you should be careful. Don’t suddenly go back to your old diet, or the rebound will be hard to manage,” Lin Sifei said with a look of concern. Trying to sell misery19, huh? Well, be careful you don’t rebound and get fat.
Chen Qiyuan, completely oblivious, added, “You really do have to be careful. I once played a role in a war drama and had to lose a lot of weight. I got super thin, but afterward, I rebounded to 120 jin. I mean, 120 is fine, but it looks really fat on camera.”
She sighed helplessly. Lin Sifei nodded along and offered some comfort. “But being an actor is a profession. Maintaining your figure is part of the job description. It’s normal.”
Director Chen slammed the table again, her voice full of vital energy20. “Well said! I can’t stand those people who put out press releases21 every day about how hard they have it. Every job has its difficulties. I stay up all night, too. Look, my head is bald from it.”
Lu Heng covered his eyes in disgust. “Oh, come on, Director Chen. You were already bald when I first met you. You can’t blame it on that.”
“I was staying up all night back then, too! Would I be bald if I didn’t?!” Director Chen insisted on her innocence. “If you don’t believe me, start pulling all-nighters with me, and we’ll see if you go bald or not!”
“Bald, bald, bald. I’d definitely go bald,” Lu Heng said, raising his hands in surrender.
The bullet comments were full of “hahaha” again. 【Does anyone remember this is a livestream?】
【Get a plate of sunflower seeds, let’s get this chat22 started.】
【Sunflower seeds, fruit, Ragdoll cats for sale in the front row!】
The comments reminded Director Chen, who slapped her forehead. “I forgot, I forgot. Hello everyone, this is the director and several actors from the movie 《Light》. Thank you all so much for your love and support.”
【You finally remembered what you’re here for.】
【We love it, we love it! Please keep chatting!】
【If you guys chat all night, I’ll go buy another thousand tickets!】
Director Chen smiled at the comments. “Hey, a livestream is just for chatting. Let’s just try to connect our chat to the movie a little. Lu Heng, come on, share a fun story from the set.”
“Me?” Lu Heng frowned in thought, then said with a deadpan expression, “Director Chen, our cast was busy filming. What fun stories could there be?”
“Exactly, exactly.” Lu Heng’s comment was met with a chorus of agreement.
【Persecuting the director, hahaha.】
【Talk about the explosion on set! What really happened?】
Once someone brought it up, a whole group of people chimed in. A glint flashed in Feng Xiao’s eyes; she had almost forgotten about that incident. Lin Sifei dragged the entire crew into it. She’s got a lot to answer for.
Just as she was thinking about how to leak the story in a press release, Lin Sifei raised her hand. “Actually, that person was targeting me. I’m very sorry for causing trouble for everyone.”
Lin Sifei pressed her lips together and bowed. “The specifics are basically what the police reported. The investigation is still ongoing, so it’s not convenient to disclose details right now. We’ll update everyone once this phase is over.”
With Lin Sifei’s explanation, people stopped asking. The implication was that the criminals hadn’t all been caught yet, and they couldn’t risk beating the grass to startle the snake23.
Feng Xiao’s eyes darkened. She spoke up, “President Luo was injured at the time, wasn’t she?”
【President Luo? President? This…】
【What’s that supposed to mean? That’s toxic. How can you even make that connection?】
【Is this another attempt to slander her? This is too much, defaming someone like that.】
Lin Sifei, however, was very composed. “Yes, she fractured a bone. She was in a plaster cast24 for a long time. Thankfully, nothing worse happened. Those people are devoid of conscience and frenzied25.”
Director Chen shot Feng Xiao a look and slapped the table. “Alright, we can’t disclose too much about that. Let’s talk about something else.”
An idea struck Lin Sifei, and she snapped her fingers. “Last time we were on location, Yuanyuan found several amazing snack streets26. If you check her Weibo, you’ll definitely find traces of them. The food was incredible. No wonder Yuanyuan gained weight. You must be a little treasure-hunting rat27.”
Chen Qiyuan scratched her head, embarrassed. “It was nothing special.”
Lu Heng’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t I know about this? Was I not included?”
“Lu Heng-ge, you go to bed too early,” Chen Qiyuan quickly explained.
Lu Heng let out a long sigh. “Forget it. I’ll just count it as part of my diet.”
They chatted a bit more about things on set, and with that, the matter was considered closed.
Finally, Director Chen even made an announcement. “There’s an interview tomorrow with a proper movie channel. It’ll be a live online interview, so anyone who’s interested can check it out.”
After ending the stream, Lin Sifei collapsed onto the sofa, looked at Luo Ke, and held out her hands. “I’m so tired.”
Luo Ke smiled and hugged her. “Good kitty, time for sleepy-bye.”
Lin Sifei couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think you’re putting a kindergartener to bed?”
“Aren’t you my little baby?” Luo Ke said, pinching her nose.
Lin Sifei pouted. “If I were a little baby, then you would be too much of a beast28.”
She pushed herself up, kneeling with her knees on either side of Luo Ke’s legs, and placed her hands on her shoulders.
Luo Ke wrapped an arm around her waist, her gaze growing hazy. “With a kitten like you, I’m not far from being a beast.”
Hearing this, Lin Sifei’s brows shot up. “What are you trying to do?! We agreed to get engaged. Are you trying to run away?!”
“I won’t run,” Luo Ke said, hugging her and burying her face in her stomach. “You smell so good.”
“Is it perfume?” Lin Sifei leaned in to smell Luo Ke. “Mmm~ your perfume smells nice.”
Luo Ke’s eyes narrowed slightly as she suddenly remembered something.
“I ordered a new perfume a couple of days ago.”
Lin Sifei looked at her curiously. “What scent is it? I have a cat’s nose now, I can help you identify good perfumes.”
Luo Ke’s eyes narrowed. Indeed, she did need Lin Sifei to identify it.
“The package is with the doorman. I’ll go get it.”
Luo Ke pushed her away gently. Lin Sifei sat on the sofa and pouted. “You don’t have to be in such a hurry.”
Luo Ke grabbed her coat, put it on, and opened the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Lin Sifei scrunched up her face and waited, cupping her cheeks in her hands.
Luo Ke returned quickly, taking off her coat and scarf, breathless, as soon as she stepped inside.
Lin Sifei trotted over to her. “Why were you in such a rush? You should walk slower. It’s icy outside, weren’t you afraid of falling?”
“I’m fine.” Luo Ke set down the package and held out her ice-cold hands.
Lin Sifei immediately took her hands and rubbed them between her own to warm them up.
Luo Ke smiled at her, then turned her hand over to hold Lin Sifei’s. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and test the perfume.”
“Why do we have to go upstairs to look at perfume?” Lin Sifei tilted her head in confusion.
Once in the bedroom, Luo Ke used a small knife to open the package. The moment the perfume box was open, Lin Sifei’s nose twitched twice. She rubbed it, feeling that something was a little strange.
Luo Ke glanced at her, then sprayed the perfume on herself twice.
She stood up and moved closer to Lin Sifei. “Xiao Xiao, what do you think?”
Lin Sifei bit her lip, her head lowered, her toes curling involuntarily. “I think… it’s a little strange.”
Luo Ke moved closer. “Doesn’t it smell good?”
“It does,” Lin Sifei’s voice was soft. She felt as if soft fur were brushing against her skin—ticklish, yet very pleasant.
Luo Ke looked at her flushed cheeks, raised a hand, and caressed her face. “Don’t you want to hug me?”
Lin Sifei looked up at her and slowly raised her hands. They were trembling slightly as she wrapped them around the back of Luo Ke’s neck.
She swallowed, took a step forward, and leaned into Luo Ke’s embrace, pressing her ear against her chest to listen to the thumping of her heart.
A strange sensation rushed to her head. She let out a muffled groan and hugged Luo Ke tightly.
“Luo Ke, this perfume seems a little weird.” It was starting to go to her head29.
“Is it?” Luo Ke caressed her waist, her fingers brushing against her skin again and again.
Lin Sifei’s eyes narrowed, her legs growing weak. She took a deep breath, and her tail suddenly coiled tightly around Luo Ke’s hand.
Luo Ke froze for a second, then reached out and squeezed the base of her tail.
“Don’t squeeze it!”
Luo Ke looked up at her trembling cat ears. She gave Lin Sifei a little push, but Lin Sifei only held on tighter, nuzzling her neck.
“Xiao Xiao, let me see you.”
“No,” Lin Sifei whimpered, refusing to let go.
Luo Ke smiled, her arm still around her waist. “Okay, okay, I won’t let go.”
She held Lin Sifei and slowly lay back on the bed.
Outside the window, snowflakes began to drift down again. A bare branch, unable to bear the weight of the snow, bent into a supple arc. With a whoosh, the snow fell to the ground. The branch sprang back up, trembled twice, and finally returned to stillness.
Lin Sifei, wrapped in a blanket, sat up in bed. She reached for the perfume and looked at the ingredients list.
“Catnip!!!”
She reached out and punched Luo Ke’s arm. “Luo Ke! You’re so shameless!”
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