Troublesome – Chapter 114

Live Stream

Live streaming to show off their affection.

After Jin Wei and He Jinmei entered the dining room, Lu Zhenqiu was pulled aside by Xiao Yu, who slapped her arm several times and roared in a hushed voice, “Why didn’t you tell me, she is the boss of Sanshui!”

Lu Zhenqiu composed herself, looked at her, then glanced at Hua Luo and bit her lip. “I didn’t get a chance.”

Because Jin Shuilan had never used that identity, she hadn’t brought it up again. It was as if they had a certain kind of mutual, ‘heart-reflecting but unspoken’ understanding¹, so they never mentioned the topic again.

There were several times she had actually wanted to ask, but Jin Shuilan had changed the subject. Besides, she hadn’t gone to Sanshui for meetings anymore, as it was probably being temporarily managed by Jin Wei. In her heart, Lu Zhenqiu wanted to wait a little longer, until she was a bit better, and then she could calmly accept the fact that Sanshui belonged to Jin Shuilan.

If Xiao Yu hadn’t asked today, she wouldn’t have mentioned it. But since Xiao Yu had asked, she wouldn’t hide it either. Xiao Yu was about to say more, but Hua Luo pulled her aside. “Qiuqiu, you go ahead and get busy,” she said.

Lu Zhenqiu nodded and said to Xiao Yu, “We’ll talk later.”

Xiao Yu was pulled to the side by Hua Luo.

“Don’t say any more,” Hua Luo said. “Qiuqiu didn’t tell us. Haven’t you ever wondered why?”

Xiao Yu turned her head. “Why? Was she afraid I’d borrow money from her?”

Hua Luo poked her in the temple. Xiao Yu cried out, “Aiya! I know, I know. I can actually guess why. But Qiuqiu always holds herself back, feeling like all these honors weren’t earned by herself but were given by Teacher Jin. She was never like this before.”

“Yeah.” Hua Luo recalled when she first met Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu had just entered the voice acting circle; she was daring, bold, and hardworking. Even for a small supporting role, she would study it in great detail. They met because Lu Zhenqiu was voicing a character in one of her books. Others rarely had questions, or would just ask the voice director directly. Only Lu Zhenqiu listed out a series of questions about the character and sent her a private message on Weibo to ask for advice. She had a good impression of Lu Zhenqiu back then, feeling she was meticulous and serious in her work.

But at that time, she and Lu Zhenqiu weren’t very familiar with each other. Her impression of Lu Zhenqiu was that she was responsible, seemed to have a light about her, and was always able to inspire people. As for why she later became somewhat insecure…

It was all Tang Yingxia’s fault!

That piece of trash!

The thought of Tang Yingxia made Hua Luo’s teeth itch². What she had destroyed wasn’t Lu Zhenqiu’s sharp edge, nor her career—she had nearly destroyed Lu Zhenqiu’s entire life!

If she hadn’t reunited with Jin Shuilan, if those past events hadn’t seen the light of day again³, the Qiuqiu of today wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. Everyone now sees that Qiuqiu’s career is going well, she has many fans on her live streams, and she’s getting back into the voice acting circle. It seems like everything is on the right track, but no one saw what Qiuqiu went through.

The real reason she didn’t want to say it, Hua Luo’s heart was like a bright mirror⁴.

Xiao Yu actually knew too. The two of them looked at Lu Zhenqiu in unison, then at each other. Xiao Yu said, “Forget it. Let’s not think about the past. Things are pretty good now.”

Hua Luo nodded, sighing with emotion. “Qiuqiu could have clearly been even better.”

Without relying on anyone, just based on her work ethic and how she handled herself, she could have been better. But now she was starting over. Those two years should have been the best time for Lu Zhenqiu’s development. After saying her piece, Xiao Yu still felt indignant thinking about it. Unable to stomach the injustice, she picked up her phone and started tapping away. Hua Luo asked her, “What are you doing?”

Xiao Yu said, “Cursing that dumbass Tang Yingxia to death!”

Hua Luo immediately joined the battlefield. The two of them didn’t actually do much, just bought a Fan Headline⁵ for every marketing account that had reposted about the incident. In no time, the matter was once again getting attention on people’s homepages. Coupled with Yu Wen’s ‘person-setting collapse’, Tang Yingxia’s name returned to the circle. The embers that had just been suppressed were like a spark of fire that can set a prairie ablaze⁶. A major shake-up was inevitable.

The internet was buzzing with activity, and inside the house, their joy was harmonious and blending.

Lu Zhenqiu sat next to Jin Shuilan, with Xiao Yu and Hua Luo on her right. Opposite them were Jin Wei, He Jinmei, and Ji Zibo. He Jinmei was very receptive to new things and chatted with Xiao Yu and Hua Luo without any sense of a generation gap. Xiao Yu even praised her, “Auntie, you’re really so young!”

It wasn’t just her appearance and temperament, but more so her inner spirit. Her mindset was so youthful.

Hua Luo also sighed, “I really wish my mom could meet you.”

Lu Zhenqiu turned her head. “Your mom is still making you go on blind dates?”

Hua Luo had a face like she was mourning a death. “Yeah, and last time I even ran into Teacher Bai on the blind date.”

“Bai Mao?” Xiao Yu’s interest was piqued. “How did you run into her?”

“We just ran into each other while eating,” Hua Luo said. “It was so embarrassing.”

Her mother had finally tacitly approved of her liking girls. The people she introduced were either company executives or delicate young ladies. She had no idea how her mother knew these people. Didn’t she say she hated homosexuals the most? How could she have such a wide network? Hua Luo was amazed. Of course, they had nothing to talk about. The last meeting was with an executive, the ‘royal sister’⁷ type, super cold and aloof. Just looking at her was intimidating. She was the classic type who ‘says one, not two’⁸. Hua Luo suspected she had frost hidden in her eyes, they were that cold. A single glance from her could send a chill down your spine.

She sat there in front of the woman like an ‘elementary school chicken’⁹, not even daring to speak loudly. Recalling this feeling, Hua Luo found it quite similar to when she had first brought Lu Zhenqiu to rent a room at Jin Shuilan’s place. It was just like that back then; you even had to hold in your farts¹⁰.

And, in a ‘good to die, not to die’ moment¹¹, she was seen by Bai Mao.

Bai Mao was sitting behind that royal sister, and Hua Luo could see her every time she looked up. Whenever their four eyes met, the taste of awkwardness was like ants crawling all over her body. Thinking back on it now, it’s still incredibly cringey.

Hua Luo said, “I never want to go on a blind date again in this lifetime!”

Xiao Yu laughed. “I’ll record that. Next time you go on a blind date, I’ll play it back for you.”

Hua Luo: …

She gave Xiao Yu a resentful look, then suddenly stood up and started to tickle her. Xiao Yu yelped “Ai-ai-ai” and started running, darting all over the room. He Jinmei watched the group of kids fool around, her eyebrows opened and her eyes smiled. She occasionally turned her head to say to Jin Wei, “It’s great to be young.”

Jin Wei patted her shoulder. “You’re not old either.”

He Jinmei smiled even more happily. After the two finished their antics, Lu Zhenqiu brought out some fruit. The group moved to the living room. Jin Shuilan was about to clear the dishes; she handed an apron to Lu Zhenqiu and said, “Qiuqiu, tie it for me.”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Let me do it.”

Jin Shuilan didn’t agree. “I’ll do it,” she said.

Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t win against her, so she tied the apron for her from behind. The two of them got busy in the kitchen. Outside, Ji Zibo and Hua Luo were playing a card game. He Jinmei joined in and even won several hands. She beamed. “My luck is pretty good today.”

After saying that, she had Jin Wei bring her bag, and from it, she took out several prepared red envelopes. The others looked astonished and quickly tried to push them back, saying they weren’t necessary. He Jinmei said, “Why can’t you take them? I’m an elder. Are you not going to listen to your elder? It’s not much money, just for some good luck in the new year.”

They were all in their mid-twenties and long past the age of receiving red envelopes. Receiving them now after so long made their hearts feel warm.

He Jinmei handed the largest red envelope to Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu tried to pull her hand back, but He Jinmei held it fast. “Everyone else has one, our Qiuqiu can’t be left out. You must take it.”

Her tone was filled with affection and doting fondness for a junior.

Lu Zhenqiu turned to glance at Jin Shuilan, then looked back at He Jinmei. Her eyes instantly reddened slightly. She lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion. “Thank you, Auntie.”

He Jinmei said, “Don’t be so polite with Auntie. You all go on and play. Your uncle and I are going downstairs to buy a few things.”

Lu Zhenqiu saw them to the elevator. With the parents gone, Xiao Yu and Hua Luo were clearly more excited. Ji Zibo suggested playing cards, but Hua Luo said there was nothing fun to play. She looked towards Lu Zhenqiu’s room. “Why don’t we start a live stream and play some games?”

Truly worthy of being a game streamer, not forgetting her career even at a time like this.

Ji Zibo thought about it and had no objections. Cards could only be played by four people, leaving one person out. So, they decided all five of them would play games on a live stream together. They opened Lu Zhenqiu’s stream room, and as soon as they went live, fans were surprised:

【Eh, is Qiuqiu streaming today?】

【Isn’t Qiuqiu taking a break?】

【Qiuqiu my wife, no break today?】

Lu Zhenqiu smiled and explained, “Just for a little while.”

After she spoke, Xiao Yu poked her head into the frame to greet everyone. “Hello everyone! Bet you’re envious of me, I’m a guest at Qiuqiu’s house! Who else is here? There’s Hua Luo, Teacher Ji, and Teacher Jin.”

The others didn’t say hello, but Xiao Yu was as energetic as three people and instantly livened up the atmosphere. Lu Zhenqiu gave up her seat for her. Xiao Yu didn’t act shy and sat in front of the camera. The webcam was movable; she wasn’t as tall as Lu Zhenqiu, so she adjusted it downwards. As she moved it, people in the chat started spamming frantically:

【Let’s see Teacher Ji, let’s see Teacher Ji!】

【I want to see Teacher Jin! My dream goddess, Jin Shuilan!】

【Hehehe, I really want to see Hua Luo, Hua Luo, mama’s good girl.】

With the bullet comments being of five flowers and eight gates¹², Xiao Yu turned her head. “Do you guys mind being on camera?”

Ji Zibo shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Xiao Yu panned the camera around, sweeping past everyone. Fans called over readers, who in turn called over other friends. The stream chat was howling, complimenting Jin Shuilan’s fashion sense and good temperament, and also praising Lu Zhenqiu’s pretty outfit today. Xiao Yu suppressed a laugh. “Alright, alright, let’s start the game.”

She set up the screen with the game on one half and their room on the other. The camera was mostly fixed on the area in front of the screen, so Xiao Yu’s face was shown the most, while the others only occasionally made a sound. After the game started, the bullet comments were constantly spamming ‘Teacher Jin’ and ‘Zhenqiu’ until they filled the screen. There were also countless gifts, all from people hoping to see more of the two of them. Xiao Yu found that her grand hospitality was hard to refuse, so she turned her head. “They’re just playing the game too.”

【Let us see, let us see.】

【Let me see my two wives!】

【Xiao Yu, I’ll send you a Love Warship in a bit, just let me see my wife Qiuqiu and Teacher Jin!】

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Bullet Comments: 【For real, for real!】

【Whoever lies is a puppy!】¹³

【I’m going to send it right now!】

Xiao Yu laughed. “Alright, I’ll let you see.”

As she spoke, she aimed the camera at Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu. The two of them over there didn’t know the camera had turned towards them. Jin Shuilan had just been killed by an enemy and was waiting to respawn. She rested her chin in her hand and looked at Lu Zhenqiu, her posture languid, her gaze focused as if she were looking at some precious treasure, her eyes full of a smiling warmth. Then, the corners of her lips moved, and she said something unknown. Lu Zhenqiu lowered her head to reply to her. The scene was so beautiful that the bullet comments were all pink.

Xiao Yu said, “I told you they were just playing the game, there’s nothing…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her voice got stuck in her throat. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

Jin Shuilan was about to respawn. Lu Zhenqiu reminded her, “Come over to my side once you’re up.”

“Mhm.” Jin Shuilan lowered her eyes, then suddenly called out, “Qiuqiu.”

Lu Zhenqiu, not understanding, turned her head to look at her. As she turned, Jin Shuilan leaned in and kissed the corner of her lips. Her gaze was gentle, her face held a smile. On camera, Lu Zhenqiu froze, her eyes staring blankly for two seconds. A blush rapidly spread across her face, so intense that even her fair neck turned completely red!

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, memeda!

My sins, my sins, Qiuqiu is so sweet that this Guigui’s heart is beating wildly. Qiuqiu, love you!

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