Fireworks
The fireworks before her eyes were even more brilliant than the ones outside the window just now.
If the records of Jin Shuilan and Tang Yingxia’s livestream chat were already a hammered-to-death matter1, then Yu Wen’s move was undoubtedly adding oil to the fire2, helping to heat that hammer to a searing temperature, ready to brand Tang Yingxia to death!
“I’m straight, I don’t like women.”
Before this, her fans and readers were still trying their best to argue that dating is consensual, and a breakup shouldn’t cause such a huge commotion. They even said that one’s character and literary talent should be judged separately and that people shouldn’t blindly follow the trend to hate on her.
Now, they were speechless.
Being straight is fine, and not liking women is also fine. No one ever stipulated that you have to be gay and must like women just because you write lesbian novels. But you can’t be maintaining a persona, dating someone, and saying things like that all at the same time!
After their initial bewilderment, these readers began to turn on her. Tang Yingxia’s Weibo was immediately flooded with a wave of questioning comments!
Tang Yingxia hadn’t expected Yu Wen to sell her out so simply. She stared at her phone, her expression one of disbelief. How could Yu Wen dare? How could she say something like that?! It was utterly, ridiculously absurd!
She immediately called Yu Wen. Unlike the last time when no one answered, the call was picked up quickly this time. Yu Wen’s voice was impatient. “What do you want?”
Tang Yingxia’s voice was cold. “Yu Wen, what are you doing? What do you mean by this? Your Weibo…”
“I know what I posted on my Weibo, you don’t need to tell me.” Yu Wen narrowed her eyes. “Tang Yingxia, don’t forget, I still hold the rights to three of your works.”
A chill went down Tang Yingxia’s spine. Three of her copyrights were with her, and she hadn’t even been paid for them yet. Now that this incident had blown up, Yu Wen would surely delay the payment indefinitely. Moreover, the series currently being filmed was about to start its promotional campaign. Her voice softened slightly. “Yu Wen, we can still discuss this.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.” Yu Wen had heard the recording of Tang Yingxia and Jin Shuilan and also knew about Jin Shuilan’s connections in the industry. If Jin Shuilan really wanted to make a move on Tang Yingxia, she probably wouldn’t be able to protect herself either. Right now, she could only abandon the pawn to save the chariot3. The first step was to frame herself as someone who knew nothing, which was the only way to distance herself from this affair.
She had planned it well, and her Weibo post was timely. Her fans already believed she was innocent, so after she posted, they all chimed in one after another: 【Wenwen was deceived too! My heart aches for Wenwen.】
【I knew it, Wenwen was tricked! Our Wenwen is not a little three4!】
【Hugging the best Wenwen in the world. Don’t cry, just consider it a run-in with a scumbag!】
【The most pitiful ones are still Qiuqiu and Wenwen. It’s confirmed that Shengxia5 pretended to be a lesbian to date someone and wasted two years of their life, right? What’s even more disgusting is that she was jealous of Teacher Jin and deliberately poached6 from her!】
【Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What kind of trash is Shengxia! Go die for master7!】
Weibo was filled with righteous indignation. Tang Yingxia’s persona had been deeply ingrained in people’s hearts, and looking back now, it was increasingly laughable. Those fans were speechless, not daring to say a word as they quietly unfollowed her. Some still tried to fish in muddy waters8 and defend her, but the moment they opened their mouths, they were cursed out until they were sprayed with dog’s blood9. They learned their lesson and didn’t dare to make another sound.
The administrator of her reader group also posted a new announcement and then disbanded the group.
For a time, Tang Yingxia was like a rat crossing the street that everyone shouts to beat10. People from within her circle, people from outside it, and those who had come over to eat melon11 all despised her character and her way of doing things. Some even went as far as to tag the official microblog of the production company, saying they would boycott the work.
Jin Shuilan watched the farce online without a change in expression. Ji Zibo sent her a private message: 【Not bad. Yu Wen extricated herself from this mess quite cleanly.】
Not only did she extricate herself cleanly, but she also molded herself into the pitiful persona of someone who was deceived while pursuing love. Terms like ‘little three’ and ‘interloper’ were quickly dissociated from her name. Her fans and an unknown water army12 began to work hard to clear her name. Ji Zibo sent another message: 【But I never expected Tang Yingxia to have done so many filthy things. You didn’t even tell me!】
Jin Shuilan hadn’t told anyone about the matters concerning Lu Zhenqiu. But now, forced into a corner, they had no choice but to strike first.
Jin Shuilan replied with a period. Ji Zibo: 【How is Qiuqiu now?】
Lu Zhenqiu was lying next to the sofa with Maomao sleeping beside her. She was counting Maomao’s long hairs, one by one, the corners of her eyes still red. Jin Shuilan glanced at her and replied to Ji Zibo: 【Resting.】
Ji Zibo: 【Let her get some good rest. I had no idea she lived like that for two years. That Tang Yingxia is a real fucking piece of work! And Yu Wen, I never thought someone could wear the same pair of pants13 but come out of two different legs. How did she dare to post those screenshots? Is she not afraid that Tang Yingxia will fly into a rage from the humiliation and tear her apart?】
Jin Shuilan pressed her lips together.
Yu Wen was in a much higher league than Tang Yingxia. Tagging Qiuqiu in her apology post was an attempt to offer a pledge of allegiance14. The affair between Qiuqiu and Tang Yingxia was already a wind that smells of blood and a rain of blood15, and Tang Yingxia’s fans had even helped curse at Qiuqiu. With this single move, Yu Wen had killed her enemy, pinning Tang Yingxia down so completely that she could never get back up. It also made Qiuqiu’s words and situation more believable to the public. She wasn’t just selling out Tang Yingxia to protect herself; she was also trying to show goodwill to her and Qiuqiu.
As for Tang Yingxia, how could she possibly have a complete falling out with Yu Wen? She had the guts, but not the ability. Leaving aside the matter of physical book sales, the television series currently in production alone was dependent on Yu Wen’s family company. She typed with one hand: 【Tang Yingxia won’t. They’ve probably reached some kind of agreement by now.】
Tang Yingxia and Yu Wen had indeed reached an agreement. With things having developed this far, Tang Yingxia had suffered a heavy blow. After moving from initial fury to calming down to think of a countermeasure, Yu Wen called her before she could come up with one. She told her that what’s done is done, and the only option now was to lie low for a while. After all, authors don’t rely on their faces to make a living, but on their pen names. It wouldn’t be difficult to build up a new pen name. When the time came, she would help with marketing, and in two or three years, there would be another ‘genius author’. Moreover, if she retreated, her works could be saved. After all, this was a problem with her character, not her writing. Therefore, the derivative merchandise wouldn’t be greatly affected, and they could even hire a water army to market it later, mitigating the impact.
After careful consideration, Tang Yingxia agreed to Yu Wen’s terms, but she had one condition: this year’s top lesbian film and television award, no matter what, had to be hers!
Yu Wen knew what she was thinking. She knew that the reason Tang Yingxia could agree to these terms was to protect her current television series. This was the last straw for Tang Yingxia to hold onto, and it was the thing she cared about most. With the one-per-year restriction, for her work to be the first one launched was, in itself, a sick sense of satisfaction from suppressing Jin Shuilan. Yu Wen understood her thoughts and agreed to her request.
The internet was buzzing with activity, still gossiping about the affair. Yu Wen glanced at Weibo. Her comment section was already full of comforting words. The netizens who had previously called her a little three were nowhere to be seen, presumably having believed her story.
She believed that Lu Zhenqiu would be willing to accept her gesture of goodwill. Although what Tang Yingxia and Jin Shuilan said in the livestream was a hammered-to-death matter, nothing was more direct and decisive than her “I’m straight” statement. Moreover, she had indirectly helped shape Lu Zhenqiu into the image of a perfect victim. Lu Zhenqiu had no reason to refuse.
Lu Zhenqiu had no idea she had been tagged. She hadn’t touched her phone much. The matter was still being discussed in their small group chat, but it was mostly Hua Luo cursing out Tang Yingxia, and Xiao Yu saying she never expected that the ginger tea from two years ago was from Teacher Jin. Tang Yingxia was truly disgusting to have deceived them for two years. No wonder they always felt something was off about her; the person was just dark-hearted. After they finished cursing, they comforted Lu Zhenqiu: 【It’s okay now, Qiuqiu. You have Teacher Jin now.】
That’s right, she had Jin Shuilan now. The best, best Jin Shuilan.
Xiao Yu sent another message: 【Qiuqiu, if you’re upset, should we go out for a drink?】
Lu Zhenqiu didn’t really want to drink. The last time she got drunk, her head ached, and it took a long time to recover. She politely declined their kind offer. She saw Jin Shuilan looking down at a tablet. Half an hour ago, Jin Shuilan had asked if she was hungry, and she had said no, but she figured Jin Shuilan must be getting hungry. Just as Lu Zhenqiu got up, Jin Shuilan turned her head. “Where are you going?”
“To cook.” Lu Zhenqiu placed her phone on the coffee table. Her gaze was calm, her eyes sparkling, which made the touch of red at the corners of her eyes particularly conspicuous. Jin Shuilan also stood up and said, “I’ll help.”
Lu Zhenqiu went into the kitchen with her. Fireworks lit up the sky outside the window. The sound of explosions was followed by the blooming fireworks, brilliant and dazzling. Lu Zhenqiu stood quietly by the window for a few seconds. Just as she was about to turn around to cook, Jin Shuilan hugged her from behind, resting her head on her shoulder. She slipped her hands into the pockets of Lu Zhenqiu’s pajamas, her fingers intertwining with Lu Zhenqiu’s inside.
Perhaps because both of their palms were a little warm, their hands in the pocket soon became moist. Jin Shuilan brought her nose close to the side of Lu Zhenqiu’s neck. Lu Zhenqiu turned her head to the side, revealing her long, swan-like neck. Jin Shuilan’s lips pressed against it, her teeth grazing lightly. Lu Zhenqiu bit her lip, not making a sound, her body tensed. The hand Jin Shuilan had in her pocket moved between her fingers, up and down.
Their palms grew hotter and began to sweat. Lu Zhenqiu was wearing thin, loose, cotton pajamas. With both their hands in the pocket of her pajama pants, which was quite large, Jin Shuilan’s hand would accidentally brush against the inside of Lu Zhenqiu’s thigh. Through the thin layer of fabric, it was even more unbearable than direct contact.
A subtle stimulation and pleasure coursed through both their bodies.
Lu Zhenqiu’s voice was a little low. Looking at the brilliant fireworks before her, her nerves were taut, and a fine sweat broke out on her forehead. She asked Jin Shuilan, “Aren’t you going to eat dinner?”
Jin Shuilan’s lips, which were sucking on her neck, moved away slightly. Her voice came from the hollow of her collarbone as she said, “Can we eat something else first?”
Her voice was as gentle as ever, but her actions were filled with an irresistible force.
Lu Zhenqiu bit her lip. “But…”
Before she could finish her “but,” Jin Shuilan turned her around, wrapped her arms around her waist, and hooked her feet. Lu Zhenqiu took two steps back, and with a surge of strength, Jin Shuilan lifted her directly onto the kitchen counter. The cold surface of the counter met the heat in her body, and Lu Zhenqiu let out a slight shiver. Jin Shuilan asked, “Cold?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “A little.”
Jin Shuilan pressed against her. “You won’t be in a moment.”
She offered gentle comfort on one hand while launching a fierce offensive on the other. A voice of gentle breezes and light rain16 was accompanied by the kisses and advances of a violent storm and sudden rain17. Lu Zhenqiu bit her lip hard, her hands tightly gripping Jin Shuilan’s hair. Her head instantly tilted back, her eyes on the crystal chandelier. The fireworks that flashed before her eyes were, unexpectedly, even more brilliant than the ones she had just seen outside the window!
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, memeda!
Jin Shuilan: Cold?
Lu Zhenqiu: Cold.
Jin Shuilan: You won’t be cold if you move a little. Want to move on your own?
Lu Zhenqiu: ????
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