WS - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The whole point of xiaolongbao is eating them piping hot. Once they cool, the magic is gone.

Yu Nianbing clung to a shred of hope and tried one that was still lukewarm. In the end, she still gave a faint frown and set her chopsticks down again.

Six xiaolongbao sat obediently in the steamer basket. Without billowing white steam to set them off, they still looked adorably well-behaved.

But still, it was a pity.

Qiu Yishan...

Had her reach always been so long?

Yu Nianbing had never cared much about such things before, but now that she thought back, the signs had been there all along. Still, she had already decided to leave Senxin Entertainment. There was no point in digging up old accounts. She only hoped Qiu Yishan would take her final words to heart and would not stir up trouble.

Though when it came to troublesome things, what could be more troublesome than the matter right in front of her?

Yu Nianbing half-leaned against the sofa and raised her eyes toward the sickbed a few steps away, where the young woman was quietly drinking congee.

One sip, another sip, and another.

Earnest and swift, her face showed undisguised delight.

Though it was only a bowl of plain congee, she ate as if it were a feast of rare delicacies.

Just watching for a couple of glances made Yu Nianbing feel a little hungry herself.

And wasn't it natural to be hungry? If not for that collapsed wall, she should be at home right now eating grilled meat. What a pity for all the meat she had asked Auntie Wang to marinate a day in advance. It would probably never see the light of day.

But Yu Nianbing did not dwell on that thought, for very soon her attention was drawn again by Song Shiyue lifting the congee bowl and shoveling the last bits down.

Judging by the angle of the tilted bowl, was it finished already?

Yu Nianbing was a little surprised.

The congee that had been delivered together with the xiaolongbao had been kept all along in a thermal container. Poured into a bowl the size of a noodle bowl, it had been a full half-bowl and then some. Granted, it was more rice broth than rice grains, but it was scalding hot.

When Yu Nianbing had held it, the heat from the congee water came clean through the porcelain bowl. How could anyone finish it in the time it took her to eat a few xiaolongbao and space out a little?

Didn't it burn?

Yu Nianbing wanted to ask. She parted her lips slightly, hesitated, and swallowed the words back down.

Although she had rebutted Qiu Yishan at length earlier, she knew deep down that this matter involved a lot of coincidences.

Saving a life was still saving a life.

And as for waiting until Song Shiyue's agent arrived, she could count that as seeing the rescue through to the end.

As for people using confessions to piggyback onto trending topics, Yu Nianbing had been through it too many times. Yet she still had not gotten used to it.

And yet...

Yu Nianbing could not help casting another glance at Song Shiyue, who had now started to scrape the grains stuck to the bottom of the bowl with her spoon.

She had the feeling that something was different this time...

But then... perhaps she was mistaken?

After all, counting this encounter, the number of times Yu Nianbing had met Song Shiyue was two.

That first time was about half a year ago, when Song Shiyue made that confession.

Because it had not been that long ago, Yu Nianbing still remembered it clearly. It was the day she joined the production of "Yu Xian," and quite a few media had shown up. When she finished filming the first scene of the shoot, there were still a handful of media crews who had not left.

That young woman, whom she had never even seen before, holding a bouquet of flowers, with a mix of shyness and timidity, knocked on the door of the makeup room.

At the time, Qiu Yishan had thought that, with so many media around that day, the production's security had been inadequate and that a fan of Yu Nianbing's had snuck in. She blocked the person and loudly called for the production crew.

Qiu Yishan had competence, but when it came to her tongue, she sometimes really showed no mercy.

With media still outside that day, Qiu Yishan had already held back a few degrees, but even so, her words were enough to make the young woman's eyes redden and her head hang low.

Through the mirror, Yu Nianbing caught sight of that scene, and her heart softened after all. She asked the makeup artist to pause the touch-up, talked Qiu Yishan down a little, and let the person in.

A moment to sign an autograph or take a photo— the young woman looked so frail, she hardly seemed like someone who would cause trouble.

She just had not expected that.

The self-introduction and the confession were strung together so seamlessly. Before Yu Nianbing could even marvel at how the girl truly did not look like someone from the entertainment circle, she was slammed in the face by a confession as practiced as a scripted recitation.

And practiced as a scripted recitation it was...

Before the young woman who had introduced herself as Song Shiyue could even finish her confession, the doorway was completely blocked by several cameras and photo lenses.

By that point, what could Yu Nianbing do besides say coldly, "I'm sorry, I don't have those feelings," and then watch the young woman's reddened eyes brim with tears before she pushed past the reporters and fled?

It was just a calculated scheme, just another trending topic.

What else could she do?

Afterward, Qiu Yishan had grumbled, with some displeasure, that it was all because Yu Nianbing's soft heart had brought this about.

Yu Nianbing did not argue, but she did not take it too seriously either.

Even if it hadn't been that young woman named Song Shiyue, it would have been someone else.

Ever since that night a few years ago, when she first won a Golden Planet Award, and the same night's Golden Planet Best Actor winner, Han Xiao, confessed to her— and the media captured her rejection, hanging her on the trending topics for three days— things had veered further and further off track.

After Han Xiao, it was Qiao Yinan, the trending young actor she co-starred with. Three months into filming together, he confessed, got rejected, got photographed, and trended for over two days.

And after that, who was it...

Yu Nianbing could no longer clearly recall how many times over the past few years she had landed on the trending topics because of receiving confessions.

The only thing she could say was that, ever since Han Xiao, these incidents had multiplied.

Those who came to confess included fellow actors, crossover singers, and even hosts from fields quite far removed from hers.

Some confessed after filming together for a while, some after doing a show together, some while working on different productions at the same Film Studio City...

Most were men. There were women, too.

Although Beichen Planet had passed the same-sex marriage law three years ago, in the entertainment circle, those daring enough to openly grab the crab and register their marriage numbered only two couples.

That law on Beichen Planet had passed with great difficulty, and public opinion was by no means entirely supportive. In an industry so dependent on public favor, doing something inevitably attacked by many was not an especially wise move.

Of course, it was not something Yu Nianbing needed to challenge either, since she had no reason to do so.

As for the women who had confessed to Yu Nianbing, they certainly gained visibility after hitting the trending topics— but always with a fair share of backlash. "Black-red" was a more fitting description.

And, to be precise, it was not just the women who confessed to Yu Nianbing. It should be said that all those who confessed to Yu Nianbing and then hit the trending topics partook of the benefits of trending, yet none could avoid being tinged with at least a little black. Regardless of gender.

After the Han Xiao and Qiao Yinan incidents, anyone who trended for confessing to Yu Nianbing could stay up for at least two days. If they had the intention and the money, and threw in some paid posters, there were those who managed three or four days. Compared to the entertainment industry's typical few-hour affairs, it was far, far stronger.

As one confession after another failed and one trending topic after another surfaced, "Confessing to Film Empress Yu Nianbing, Rejected" had become a running topic series. Every time a new failed confession appeared, all the previous ones would be brought up again, scoring an extra wave of free exposure.

And as Yu Nianbing's body of work grew, her fanbase swelled, and she later won a second Golden Planet Award, her popularity climbed higher and higher, and the value of leeching off her rose with it.

The fans were not fools.

Gradually, everyone realized that those confessing to Yu Nianbing probably had little sincerity. What they wanted was to hit the trending topics.

The first to get angry, of course, were Yu Nianbing's fans.

The moment someone trended for being rejected by Yu Nianbing, they were the first to arrive and start ripping.

One side's fans would say the other person only wanted fame and had zero sincerity.

The other side's fans would claim the opposing group had shattered their idol's genuine heart— truly going too far.

Add in rubbernecking passersby running between both sides, real and fake positions aside, at the very least it heated up.

Even black-red was still red, after all.

After enough occurrences, even passersby understood the game.

"Confessing to Yu Nianbing" and "wanting a trending topic" became officially equated.

If, among those early confessors, there might have been a few with some sincerity, then those who came after the equation was drawn were in it purely for a trending topic and a talking point that would be brought up again and again in the future.

Naturally, when each of them came, they still claimed it was all heartfelt sincerity.

Song Shiyue was not the first person Yu Nianbing had no impression of to appear before her and confess.

Obviously, she would also not be the last.

Yu Nianbing simply had not expected that someone who typically would show up once, leech the heat, and then have no further intersection, would actually reappear under these circumstances.

The watermelon was very sweet.

Early-season melons that had just hit the market still had inconsistent sweetness. In the morning, Auntie Wang had specially gone out to pick for a long time, buying three, cutting them open at home, and leaving the sweetest one behind before she left.

Yu Nianbing had just wrapped up filming for "Yu Xian" and had a few days free to come home and stay. Fresh out of a bath, eating watermelon that Auntie Wang had so painstakingly selected, her mouth full of crisp sweetness— she could not have felt more relaxed.

If that wall had not collapsed, in another hour, she would have started grilling the meat Auntie Wang had marinated the day before.

She had opened the fridge earlier and checked: there was beef belly, short rib, pork belly, chicken wings, and a plate of shrimp.

Auntie Wang had said that by noon, the marinade would be just perfect.

In the kitchen was the electric grill Auntie Wang had set up for her before leaving.

Then... after a few loud crashes, she saw the charcoal brazier in the neighboring unit.

Maybe it was because she had been thinking all along about the meat in the fridge, how it would be grilled to perfection, cooked through, fragrant, and dripping with juices. When she smelled that charcoal smoke, Yu Nianbing, staring at the collapsed wall in confusion and shock, had subconsciously assumed for a split second that the neighbor was doing charcoal-grilled meat...

Of course, she quickly realized it was not.

The wall had mostly caved in. Almost effortlessly, Yu Nianbing saw the person in the bed next door, half-sitting and half-lying against the headboard.

The moment she made out Song Shiyue's profile, the things Qiu Yishan had said did cross Yu Nianbing's mind, not even a little.

Could there really be so many coincidences? Living right next door? Something happening exactly when she herself was home? And the wall, of all things, choosing to collapse?

And then, Yu Nianbing saw that piece of paper.

The one stuck to the long table, which, along with the table itself, had jutted through the broken wall into her bedroom.

The hand that had pressed on her StarNet Port, ready to call the police, eased off for the moment.

Deciding not to call the police immediately, and stepping across the collapsed wall into the neighboring unit— that was a huge risk in itself.

And then, she saw the eyes that Song Shiyue turned toward her.

Misty and hazy, but the moment they met her own gaze, the fog dispersed and water emerged.

At that time, Yu Nianbing did not understand why, upon seeing her, Song Shiyue's eyes suddenly lit up with such a peculiar luster. Just as later, she also did not understand why, having clearly passed out, Song Shiyue's lips still carried a faint smile.

It did not seem like someone who had tried so hard to succeed at suicide at all.

Even though Song Shiyue's behavior was indeed a bit strange, Yu Nianbing never once thought that she herself was the cause of the suicide attempt.

For one, Yu Nianbing knew perfectly well they had no relationship whatsoever. That confession had been purely for getting that "black-red" heat. Both sides must have known that in their hearts.

For another, Yu Nianbing had seen the suicide note on the long table and had some understanding of the reasons behind Song Shiyue's actions.

It was just that the wall's collapse was entirely too bizarre.

And that long table, half of it now thrust into her own bedroom, was also strange.

There were too many questions. Set against them, that final glance before Song Shiyue fainted, and that lingering smile, did not seem all that peculiar.

It was only now, watching Song Shiyue laboriously scrape the bottom of the congee bowl for grains, that Yu Nianbing recalled those earlier feelings of difference.

Half a year ago, was that young woman who came to confess like this?

Yu Nianbing still remembered the shyness and the timidity, the delicate frailty beneath the flawless makeup... but anything more, she could no longer recall clearly.

Just as Yu Nianbing was about to dredge up more memories, she was interrupted by a somewhat grating sound, like a hard object scraping against glass.

In the room, only two people could make sounds.

Their eyes met. Song Shiyue put on an innocent expression and blinked. When Yu Nianbing glanced thoughtfully toward the congee bowl, Song Shiyue sheepishly let go of the spoon.

Very awkward, was it not...

Feeling awkward on Song Shiyue's behalf, Yu Nianbing did not deliberate further and instinctively opened her mouth to ask, "Full?"

"Full!" Song Shiyue answered at lightning speed.

That congee water just now had been mostly rice broth, the grains pitifully sparse. But that pure rice fragrance was something Song Shiyue had not tasted for five or six years. A bowl down, her whole body felt warm, and as she smacked her lips, there was still a hint of rice sweetness. Although a Strength-Type Ability User's appetite far exceeded that of ordinary people, and after using her ability to smash a wall her stomach had long held nothing in reserve, when she thought about the things the original host had done, and how Yu Nianbing had set aside past grievances, contributed her effort and resources— Song Shiyue had no wish to be the sort of person who seizes an opening and keeps imposing on others.

Alas, her mouth could lie, but her stomach could not.

Almost the instant Song Shiyue spoke, the clear sound of a rumbling belly echoed through the room.

This time, Yu Nianbing felt ten times the awkwardness on Song Shiyue's behalf.

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