RL – Chapter 5

On the way back, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan sat in the nanny van in silence. The space between them was filled with nothing but eye-rolls and a tense atmosphere, as if the Milky Way separated them—so close, yet so far.

Xu Shuyan, listening to music on her Bluetooth earbuds, noticed Lin Yi was still holding the flowers she had sent and couldn’t help but smirk.

When Chen Yuan called her, the flowers had just arrived at the dorm. While signing for them, she listened to Chen Yuan say, “Yanyan, I’m tied up here for a while. Could you run over to the film set for me? You and Xiao Yi are so close, she’ll definitely be happy to see you!”

Happy?

Xu Shuyan thought, Lin Yi probably wanted to kill me when she saw them, right?

A new message popped up in their three-person group chat with Fang Yi. Despite her busy schedule, Fang Yi was praising them for their excellent fan service, making the most of such a great opportunity. The fans, she said, were going wild.

Fang Yi shamelessly declared: “Do you have any idea how many office drones you’ve saved!?”

Xu Shuyan replied with a speechless sticker of Lin Yi. Sure enough, two seconds later, she received a death glare from the real Lin Yi beside her. Two seconds after that, the group chat was flooded with Lin Yi’s stickers.

“Aren’t you childish?” Xu Shuyan put her phone away.

“Blehh!” Lin Yi stuck her tongue out at her defiantly, then tapped the back of the front passenger seat and asked the assistant, “Does the camera still have battery?”

Each of the five members had an assistant, who was also responsible for filming their daily lives and always carried a portable camera.

The assistant said, “Two bars left.”

Lin Yi hummed. “Then turn it on.”

Xu Shuyan was wary. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” A mischievous smile played on Lin Yi’s lips as she leaned closer and grabbed Xu Shuyan’s arm. “Sister Fang praised us so much. With such a great opportunity, shouldn’t we keep up the good work?”

Xu Shuyan: “?”

As she spoke, Lin Yi was already pressed against Xu Shuyan. She yawned, leaned on Xu Shuyan’s shoulder, found a comfortable position, and said, “Going to sleep.”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

The camera extended from the passenger seat, filming their faces up close. A sense of professionalism forced Xu Shuyan to transform her shattered expression into one of helpless indulgence. She turned her head, her lips brushing against Lin Yi’s hair, as if whispering sweet nothings that couldn’t be aired.

They couldn’t be aired, alright, but they weren’t sweet.

Xu Shuyan: “Don’t think I don’t know you just want a human pillow.”

Lin Yi didn’t speak, as if she were fast asleep.

Xu Shuyan: “…”

I saw that! Lin Yi was secretly laughing! Stop pretending!

Xu Shuyan had planned to push Lin Yi away as soon as the assistant put the camera down, but she had woken up early and rushed to the film set. Now, with the van swaying, drowsiness began to creep in.

The last shot the camera recorded was of the two of them, heads resting against each other, sleeping soundly.

A picture of tranquil beauty and peaceful days. The shippers were absolutely losing it.

【Not wanting to miss the important moments in her life, isn’t that love? Xu Shuyan, you love her so much, how can you love her this much! Mama will let you be together, okay TT】

【I knew Yan Zhi You Yi was good, but I never thought it would be this good】

【A fansite master said everyone was stunned when they saw Yanyan arrive, and she was holding white roses! The language of white roses is: I am worthy of you.】

【Help… I’m really going to die shipping this flower language】

【Yeah, you two are the most compatible, the most compatible in the whole world. Please get married, okay? I’m begging you, this is really important to me!】

While the internet was still buzzing about the wrap party hug and flowers, the assistant happily saved the new footage. She even took a preview shot and sent it to Fang Yi, excitedly saying, “Sister Fang, we can put this in the daily vlog!”

Fang Yi: 【shippingthistodeath.jpg】

Fang Yi: 【aforcedshipisbothsweetandsatisfying.gif】

Fang Yi: By the way, you’ve been doing a lot of fan service recently. Tone it down a bit at the airport today.

The assistant sent a sticker that meant “Understood.”

Fan service required a delicate balance. Overly deliberate queerbaiting felt fake and was hard to ship. The key was a subtle, pervasive approach—building the most authentic fan service on a foundation of genuine emotion to sell the most compelling ship!

Based on this, Lin Yi avoided Xu Shuyan for the entire airport walk, not saying a single word.

“Xiao Yi, you walk with the Captain this time,” the group’s assistant instructed before they got out of the van. “Yan Qi, look after her. Stick to the less crowded areas and try not to get separated.”

In crowded places, especially airports packed with jostling fans, Lin Yi always felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Usually, when they walked through the airport, she would follow right behind Xu Shuyan, her eyes fixed on Xu Shuyan’s heels. She was used to the routine. When suddenly told to switch partners, her first reaction was to object: “I…”

“Then I’ll walk with Yuanyuan,” Xu Shuyan agreed before she could finish.

Lin Yi’s words were cut off. She couldn’t help but glare at Xu Shuyan, but Xu Shuyan had already put on her earbuds and mask and stepped out of the van with her long legs. Lin Yi resentfully pulled her gaze back, thinking, Don’t get too smug, Xu Shuyan. Do you really think I can’t live without you?

“Captain—” Lin Yi went over and hugged Yan Qi, looking pitiful. “You’re all I have now.”

Yan Qi patted her head.

Their captain, Yan Qi, had been poached by their young boss from another entertainment company. Rumor had it that Yan Qi was about to debut in a group over there, but the plan fell through due to some changes, which was how she ended up at Sweet Melon Entertainment.

At first, Yan Qi really disliked the group. Nothing seemed right to her: a suspected Real Couple who did fan service all day, a pretty face who was useless at singing and dancing, and a talented member who spent all her time online, shipping CPs even more intensely than the fans. Not a single one of them was normal.

But Yan Qi had one good quality: she was fiercely protective. No one was allowed to speak ill of her teammates.

Because of this, Yan Qi was dubbed the head group fan of the Gu Group and became a sister the members could rely on.

So, walking through the airport with Yan Qi was something Lin Yi could reluctantly accept. She put on her mask and followed closely behind Yan Qi. The sound of camera shutters and fans’ shouts blended together, pressing in on her heart. Her chest tightened, and she subconsciously looked for Xu Shuyan.

Across the crowd, Xu Shuyan was walking side-by-side with Chen Yuan.

Lin Yi: “…”

Xu Shuyan actually took advantage of the situation! So angry!

But unexpectedly, this moment was captured by CP fans and posted to their Super Topic with the caption: Xiao Yi saw Yanyan walking with a teammate and seems a little jealous (smirk)

【Who would believe that little expression isn’t jealousy?】

【Lin Yi: My wife isn’t walking with me, I’m angry! So angry! I’m furious!】

【@A certain Yan, hurry up and comfort her】

【A certain rapper with the surname Xu is going to finish walking through the airport and find her wife is gone】

【Why won’t they let the two of them walk together? Yanyan looked back several times, she must have been waiting for Xiao Yi [crying] Why won’t they let the little couple walk through the airport together?】

【Love seeing a couple out on the town】

Xu Shuyan, who got through security first, scrolled through Weibo. She not only showed the screenshot to Lin Yi but also sent her the fan-taken video of her and Chen Yuan walking together. “Jealous?”

“Envious?”

“Jealous?”

“Hate me?”

System: Your message was sent but has been rejected by the recipient.

She’d been blacklisted.

Xu Shuyan: “So petty!”

Lin Yi was so angry she gritted her teeth, completely forgetting her phobia. Luckily, her mask hid her expression, otherwise she would have definitely trended on the hot search: #LinYiScowlsAtFansAtAirport#

Her anger hadn’t subsided even after they got off the plane. When the assistant was assigning rooms, she leaned on Yan Qi’s shoulder and said, “I’ll room with the Captain.”

Zhou Shichen: “…”

She glanced at Xu Shuyan and mouthed, “Did you two fight?”

Xu Shuyan thought, What business is it of hers? But on second thought, whenever they were out filming a variety show, Yan Qi always roomed with Zhou Shichen. They were probably used to it. Wouldn’t Lin Yi forcing her way in be annoying?

Besides, if Lin Yi roomed with Yan Qi, what if she ran off to Chen Yuan’s room in the middle of the night again?

Xu Shuyan spoke up, “You already agreed to room with me.”

Zhou Shichen’s expression immediately shifted from worry to keen interest. Sitting in the back row, she stuck her head into the aisle, looking back and forth between Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi. “You two already agreed?”

Lin Yi stubbornly denied it. “…No, we didn’t!”

Xu Shuyan pulled up their chat history. “I have proof.”

“Then Yanyan and Xiao Yi will share a room. Shichen and Yan Qi will share.” The assistant said, “And Yuanyuan gets a single room again?”

Chen Yuan nodded.

Lin Yi shot Xu Shuyan an angry glare. Xu Shuyan pretended not to see it and whispered, “Hurry up and unblock me, or I’ll report my schedule in the group chat from now on.”

Lin Yi: “…”

She couldn’t afford that embarrassment, so she resentfully removed Xu Shuyan from her blacklist, changing her contact name to “Most Hated Person Ever.”

The assistant was still muttering that the company had money now and could book a king-sized room for each of them. Since Yan Zhi You Yi had fan service duties, there was no need for the Captain and Shichen to squeeze into one room.

“No way, I have to room with the Captain!” Zhou Shichen said. “We need to watch videos together!”

“What videos?” Lin Yi asked casually.

Yan Qi’s smile wasn’t quite a smile. “Some CP edits.”

Lin Yi: “…”

She shouldn’t have asked.

The variety show required a rehearsal first, so they went straight from the airport to the recording venue. Fan support banners for the five members—for pairs, individuals, and the whole group—lined the entire street, fluttering in the spring sunlight.

As was customary, the assistant bought milk tea and desserts for the fans on behalf of the group, and asked the PR department to monitor the situation to make sure they didn’t trend on the hot search for what could be seen as a marketing ploy.

The PR department sent a message to the group chat: Yan Zhi You Yi is in the hot search pool. Should we push it down?

Fang Yi: ?

Fang Yi: What did they do today besides the wrap party?

Fang Yi: That’s enough to get on the hot search?

PR Department: [Image]

PR Department: It was liked by the famous actress Shen Mandong.

PR Department: She unliked it quickly, but her fame and popularity are so immense that it was screenshotted and reposted everywhere, and more and more people are searching for Yan Zhi You Yi.

Fang Yi: If I remember correctly, Shen Mandong’s daughter is in middle school, right? Is she still shipping CPs?

PR Department: Their side explained that her daughter was the one who liked it.

Fang Yi: …The famous actress’s daughter likes our Yan Zhi You Yi?

Fang Yi: Is this for real?

Fang Yi: I’ll handle this!

After the rehearsal, Lin Yi opened WeChat and saw that Fang Yi had sent a contact card to their small three-person group chat with the message: “Add her as a friend.”

Xu Shuyan: This is?

Lin Yi: who?

Fang Yi: Shen Mandong’s daughter

Xu Shuyan: ?

Lin Yi: ?

Xu Shuyan: Stop copying me

Lin Yi: Still haven’t snapped out of fan service mode, leave me alone

Xu Shuyan: …

Fang Yi: Listen up, this is the perfect opportunity to connect with Shen Mandong. Add her daughter as a friend right now, and then do lots of fan service on your Moments!

Lin Yi: She likes me?

Xu Shuyan: She must like me, right?

Fang Yi: She ships you two as a CP.

Lin Yi: …

Xu Shuyan: So we’re adding her to…?

Fang Yi: Exactly. Show off your love for her to see!

Xu Shuyan: …

Lin Yi: …

When will I finally be uncoupled from Xu Shuyan? This is very important to me!