OFCC – Chapter 89

However, Bai Yu’an’s dejection didn’t last long before she suddenly realized a very important point. She curiously leaned her head over again. “Hey, hey, hey, did I hear you right just now? You’re getting wedding rings and holding a wedding ceremony?”

Mu Yanxi glanced at her. “Yes, is that so surprising?”

Bai Yu’an had met Mu Yanxi during the Shuilin Fang project, at which time Mu Yanxi was already with Yi Wulan, so she didn’t know the details of their wedding.

Hearing Mu Yanxi’s words, she asked again.

“But aren’t you two already married? You didn’t have a wedding back then? How come you don’t even have wedding rings?”

This was a far cry from the marriage between powerful families she had imagined.

It seemed a bit too perfunctory.

She paused, then leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Could it be that there’s some hidden story?”

Mu Yanxi’s hand, holding a fork, paused. The golden fork gently scraped a layer off the cake, which she slowly put into her mouth, letting the sweet, milky flavor spread across her taste buds. Only then did she answer, “A hidden story, you ask?”

Bai Yu’an’s face was full of gossip. “Yeah, tell me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Mu Yanxi tilted her head, thought seriously for a moment, and then suddenly sighed. “This matter is a bit complicated. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

Bai Yu’an’s expression visibly tensed. She didn’t dare to breathe too loudly as she continued to nod.

Mu Yanxi began her story slowly. “Back then, our engagement was forced upon us by our elders. Don’t be fooled by how powerful and influential Yi Wulan is now. Back then, not only was she broke, but she also had improper designs on me! Later, she got into a car accident, and out of consideration for the friendship between our two families, I had to marry her.”

Bai Yu’an let out an “Ah,” her face full of sympathy. “That’s so tragic, so tragic. You really got the short end of the stick, didn’t you?”

Mu Yanxi held back her laughter and nodded vigorously. “But then I heard some things, and I was gradually moved by her.”

“What things?”

Mu Yanxi rattled on, “Although Yi Wulan was poor back then, she became the world’s number one hacker at the age of five, mastered eighteen languages by ten, and turned ten thousand yuan into a hundred million through stock trading at fifteen! But for such an amazing person to ask for my hand in marriage, she knelt with every step, kowtowing her way up the 99,999 steps of a temple to piously pray to Buddha.”

Bai Yu’an’s eyes sparkled. “Wow!”

Mu Yanxi accepted Bai Yu’an’s admiring gaze with a clear conscience, cleared her throat, and said, “So, remember to help me get a good raw stone.”

Next, Mu Yanxi shared a few designers’ drafts with Bai Yu’an. She thought she had successfully led Bai Yu’an astray, but a few minutes later, Bai Yu’an suddenly blurted out, “But wasn’t Yi Wulan’s leg unable to walk at the time? How did she kneel with every step?”

The private room fell silent for two seconds, and then… then Mu Yanxi almost burst out laughing.

Only then did Bai Yu’an realize how ridiculous Mu Yanxi’s story had been. Wasn’t that just a character setup from an old-fashioned romance novel?

She said faintly, “Why don’t you just add that Yi Wulan also dug out her liver, gave up a kidney, and extracted her bone marrow for you?”

Mu Yanxi pondered for two seconds and said approvingly, “I’ll remember to add that next time.”

Bai Yu’an…

Bai Yu’an clutched her little heart. “You knew nothing about Feicheng back then, and I was the one who sacrificed my time, trip after trip, to negotiate the partnership for you. The moment I heard you wanted a diamond, I was planning to go find one for you overnight. Xiao Xi, is this how you repay my sincere feelings?”

Mu Yanxi grinned and leaned over to rub against Bai Yu’an’s shoulder. “Thank you for helping me, little An’an.”

Bai Yu’an was at a loss for words. She maintained a look of disbelief and met Mu Yanxi’s gaze for several seconds before finally cursing under her breath, “What kind of sin did Yi Wulan commit in her past life to fall for a little liar like you in this one?”

The smile on Mu Yanxi’s face grew even brighter as she flashed her teeth. “She just likes me this way.”

Bai Yu’an: “Ugh.”

---

In the first week of April, Mu Yanxi successfully handed all of Rongjia’s affairs back to Yi Wulan. However, before she could be happy for too long, Mu Yanqing had to go abroad for half a month to negotiate a major project.

Although Xinyu Bank had a lot of money, it couldn’t just be burned recklessly.

For promising new projects, Mu Yanqing always had to conduct on-site inspections before considering whether to increase investment. The domestic affairs naturally fell onto Mu Yanxi’s shoulders.

Thus, just after shedding the title of Rongjia’s acting chairman, Mu Yanxi took on the title of Xinyu’s acting chairman.

The senior executives at Xinyu were much friendlier than those at Rongjia, with fewer people looking for trouble. The projects Xinyu handled were mostly investment evaluations, not as tedious as Rongjia’s product development. Mu Yanxi clocked in and out from nine to five every day, living a relatively leisurely life.

But in the entertainment industry, even though it had been over a month since work resumed in the new year, many project leaders were still eager to create a blockbuster hit in the first half of the year.

Mu Yanxi, a minor celebrity who combined looks, popularity, and background, became their top choice due to the recognition her acting in 《Peach Blossom Debt》 had received.

All sorts of major productions and big IPs emerged one after another. Some were even bold enough to invite her to be the female lead in a movie. The offers were simply too numerous to count.

These people wanted to ride on her popularity on one hand, and on the other, they had their eyes on Mu Yanxi’s family background.

It was one thing when Mu Yanxi was just experiencing life in the entertainment industry and no one knew. Now that her family background was public, funding for the crew would no longer be a problem. When it came time to attract investment, just mentioning Mu Yanxi’s name would make securing funds a breeze, right?

Many marketing accounts, trying to gain traction, also liked to fabricate stories about Mu Yanxi, who was working for Rongjia, saying things like she was going back to inherit the family business and might never return to the entertainment industry.

In truth, Mu Yanxi had been in the entertainment industry for nearly three years. Although she hadn’t made a huge name for herself, she had developed some affection for the circle. The reason she wasn’t accepting any jobs was simply that she hadn’t found a suitable one.

It wasn’t until mid-April that Mu Yanxi’s Weibo was finally updated with two long-awaited posts. Her eager black fans, who had notifications turned on, were waiting for her, only to see two reposts.

One was a repost of Rongjia’s holographic product announcing its spokesperson.

The other was a repost of Xinyi New Energy Vehicles announcing its spokesperson.

She reposted without a single extra word, not even taking a promotional photo for the endorsement. It was very aloof. Mu Yanxi’s group of black fans weren’t there for this; only a selfie could appease them. The comments section erupted.

【It’s been so long since you posted a selfie on New Year’s Eve. You should really reflect on yourself.】

【Are you still at Rongjia? If I submit my resume, can I see you every day?】

【What, after attending a financial summit, we’re not good enough for you anymore? Okay, I’m not good enough, sob sob sob.】

【Am I the only one who noticed that the little vase said she wouldn’t take this endorsement, but ended up taking it anyway?】

【Let me guess how President Yi persuaded her (smile gradually turns lewd.jpg)】

【You’re not alone, person above. I also think the little vase was persuaded in bed.】

【Rongjia account ban warning.】

【Xinyu lawyer’s letter warning.】

The last time those malicious marketing accounts spread rumors about Mu Yanxi on Weibo, they all publicly apologized and had their accounts deleted after Rongjia and Xinyu issued lawyer’s letters. As for whether the people behind them received corresponding punishment, netizens couldn’t tell, but it surely wasn’t anything good.

As a result, when everyone started teasing Mu Yanxi this time, someone brought up the matter, but it had no deterrent effect.

Because the black fans who knew Mu Yanxi were aware that as long as they didn’t go too far, she wouldn’t strip them of their freedom of speech. Sometimes, Mu Yanxi would rather jump in and argue with them herself, treating it as a form of entertainment, rather than using her special privileges.

If Mu Yanxi had really wanted to use her privileges, she wouldn’t have endured two years of being smeared online.

It was precisely because of this personality that the hashtag “Mu Yanxi accepts holographic endorsement” even trended, followed by a dog-head emoji.

It was clearly not a serious hashtag. Clicking on it revealed a lively scene on the platform.

【Everyone, shout with me: Little Vase lost the fight in bed!】

【Hahahaha damn, I can already picture the little vase being persuaded in bed.】

【By the way, I’ve never seen a picture of the two of them together. Can any kind soul share one?】

【The domineering president and her dramatic little darling? What kind of novel character setup is this!】

【Haven’t the investors seen the business opportunity yet? It’s already the top trending topic on the entertainment chart, hurry up and arrange a show for them!】

【Please, for the sake of their looks, as long as they can appear on camera together, I could watch them eat and drink all day long!】

【Investor (pitifully): But I can’t afford them.】

Compared to the car, which was still just a concept, Rongjia’s holographic product clearly garnered more attention from netizens. Furthermore, this was the first time Rongjia Group had hired a spokesperson, and they went all out, catapulting the topic to the top of the trending list.

As a result, the hashtag “Mu Yanxi accepts holographic endorsement” also rose quickly. By the time Mu Yanxi finished reposting and changed her clothes, it had already rushed to the top of the entertainment chart.

She belatedly reposted a marketing account with the highest engagement that was discussing why she accepted the endorsement, adding the caption: 【Because it paid too much (smiling emoji)】

Simple and blunt. Once reposted, the black fans in the comments section got fired up.

【Hahahaha, so the little vase is bowing to money?】

【I never thought I’d share the same troubles as a rich second-generation kid (dog head emoji).】

【I can already imagine the little vase trying desperately to act aloof, but secretly feeling ecstatic inside.】

【You there? When can we see President Yi? There isn’t a single picture of her on the entire internet. Good things should be shared.】

However, less than a minute after that last comment was posted, the black fan immediately used a side account to question Mu Yanxi: 【You, get out here!! You don’t block others for saying you’re pretentious and aloof, but you block me? On what grounds did you block me? Because I wanted to see President Yi?】

And so, this comment, which had been buried deep down, was quickly discovered. More and more people liked and replied to it, sending it straight to the top comment spot.

【Pass it on, the little vase is jealous.】

【Pass it on, the little vase had all of President Yi’s photos deleted.】

【Pass it on, the little vase wants to keep her all to herself.】

【Pass it on, the little vase says only she is allowed to look at President Yi.】

Mu Yanxi…

Mu Yanxi thought she could face these black fans’ comments without batting an eye, and her action of blocking someone was smooth and decisive.

But she never expected that her blocking someone would attract so much attention, to the point that her face shamefully turned red when she read the comments saying she was jealous.

She immediately had Gu Yan lower the trending topic’s ranking, deciding to use her privilege to the fullest.

The netizens wanted to see Yi Wulan, but she stubbornly refused to let them, not even allowing them to discuss the topic.

Her willfulness was crystal clear.

But just then, the sycophantic official Rongjia Weibo account beat her to it, reposting her old comment “I’m afraid it’ll ride on my popularity,” accompanied by a very bootlicking “hugging thigh” emoji and the caption: 【Riding on Teacher Mu’s coattails!】

And so, the trending topic was pushed to a new high.

【Hahahaha save me, what’s with the person behind Rongjia’s account? Does your president know you’re sucking up to the boss’s wife like this?】

【Rongjia, you’re bold! How dare you ride on the boss’s wife’s coattails? President Yi is on her way with a knife (dog head emoji).】

【I have a friend, she says she wants to ride on them too…】

【Fight, fight (watching the drama.jpg)】

---

After this trending topic, major brands became even more determined to win her over. One by one, they put in their all, contacting Ling Yi in hopes of signing a contract with Mu Yanxi and establishing a good brand relationship.

They secretly thought to themselves that in the future, when applying for a loan from Xinyu, they might even get a lower interest rate because of the spokesperson.

To get Mu Yanxi to accept the endorsement, they even offered generous terms for the new artists under Ling Yi, similar to how they would treat artists who had opened their own studios.

But their calculations were clearly wrong.

The contract Mu Yanxi signed with Ling Yi was not an indentured servitude-like agency agreement. Ling Yi had given Mu Yanxi absolute freedom. That’s why the incident where Ling Yi didn’t even know about Mu Yanxi’s academic background had happened before.

While others in the agent circle were marveling at how Ling Yi had struck gold quietly, Ling Yi herself was actually quite frustrated. She had only found out about Mu Yanxi’s family background on the day of the financial summit and almost didn’t recognize her. Recalling how Mu Yanxi had spun a tale about being a kept woman, she felt like the most pathetic agent in the world for not even knowing that.

But she put on a good front. Looking at the partnership offers pouring in—this national brand, that international light luxury brand—she could calmly say, “Let me look through these first, I’ll get back to you later.”

The young assistant next to Ling Yi stared wide-eyed at all the resources. “Sister Ling, my monthly salary can’t even buy one of their bags, and this one, I only buy one of their lipsticks a year.”

As an agent, Ling Yi naturally had to appear more profound. She said with an air of mystery, “This is nothing. Don’t look so inexperienced. What’s there to be surprised about?”

In reality, although Ling Yi had previously managed a top-tier actress who married into a wealthy family, that actress had the prefix “married into a wealthy family.” All her resources came from her husband, a fact well-known in the industry, so no one would offer partnerships out of the blue.

This was the first time Ling Yi had been in a situation where she was spoiled for choice.

But the usually obedient young assistant looked at her with a strange expression this time.

Ling Yi asked calmly, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“No problem.” The young assistant scooted aside, afraid of being splashed by the coffee in her agent’s cup. “I’d believe you more if your hand wasn’t shaking so much.”

Ling Yi…

When the representatives from so many brands came to deliver the contracts, Ling Yi’s heart went from the same shock as her assistant’s to immediately feigning immense composure after noticing the brand representatives snickering at her assistant’s lack of worldliness.

She thought to herself, My Teacher Mu has finally elevated her status. If I act all surprised about everything, wouldn’t that make me look too foolish, as if I was deceived by Mu Yanxi? No, I have to put on an act.

Although that’s what she thought, after the brand representatives left, looking at the endorsement contracts that couldn’t even fit on the large desk, the cup in her hand couldn’t stop shaking violently, spilling coffee all over her skirt.

“It’s not.” Ling Yi was still pretending. Even if she couldn’t control her hand, her face remained smiling. “I’m not shaking. I’m very calm right now. Hahaha, I’m going to reject all of them another day. This is definitely the most satisfying moment of my career!”

After all, any one of these endorsements was from a brand she previously wouldn’t have even dared to dream of.

But now, riding on Mu Yanxi’s coattails, she could finally hold her head high.

As for the conditions offered by the brands to include new artists, they were practically useless. Ling Yi hadn’t made Mu Yanxi promote new artists before her identity was exposed, and she was even less likely to do so now.

Especially after Mu Yanxi’s identity was revealed, Ling Yi returned all decision-making power to Mu Yanxi. Teacher Mu could do whatever she wanted. After all, she had a sister who owned a bank and a wife with a boundless future. She could play however she wanted.

Even if she were asked to buy trending topics every day to praise Mu Yanxi’s looks as the best in the entire entertainment industry, she would do it happily.

Best in the entertainment industry isn’t enough, let’s make it the best in the world. Just praise her blindly, and that’s that.

Later, out of courtesy, Ling Yi visited each of these brands to reject them, but it still drew dissatisfaction from many brand representatives.

They even hired paid commenters under Mu Yanxi’s trending topics online, saying that Mu Yanxi was acting like a big shot and looking down on them because of her background with Xinyu and Rongjia.

Who knew that when Mu Yanxi’s black fans saw these words, they shut them down with a single sentence: “Then you should work hard to be reborn into a better family in your next life.”

Like idol, like fan. A single sentence was enough to infuriate these brands.

In late April, as the one-month deadline approached, Bai Yu’an finally brought Mu Yanxi news about the diamond: at the end of the month, there would be an auction in Hong Kong, and the biggest attraction was a pair of pink and blue diamonds.

Colored diamonds were already rare, let alone a matching pair like this. The price, instead of being reduced for being sold as a package, had actually increased significantly. The starting bid alone was a sky-high five hundred million.

The moment Mu Yanxi saw the picture Bai Yu’an sent, her heart was captivated. She immediately had Bai Yu’an get two invitation cards.

Coincidentally, three days before the auction, Yi Wulan suddenly mentioned to her that she had a business trip to Hong Kong and asked if she wanted to go along.

The promotion of the holographic technology at the financial summit in mid-March had been very successful. Yi Wulan had finally gotten through the busiest period, and everything was back on track. Therefore, she specifically asked Mu Yanxi if she wanted to go with her.

And so, prioritizing her lover over her friend, Mu Yanxi abandoned Bai Yu’an and boarded the plane to Hong Kong ahead of schedule.

After marrying Yi Wulan, Mu Yanxi had almost never had such leisure time. The last time they went out to have fun together seemed to be because Yi Wulan needed a few more days of observation in Boston for her leg injury treatment.

Mu Yanxi found it novel. The sleepiness from waking up early dissipated, and she lay on Yi Wulan’s lap, gazing at the clouds outside the window, lazily saying, “A few days ago, you told me you could take me out to play once you recovered. I thought you were joking.”

They had booked the entire first-class cabin. Yi Wulan just gently supported Mu Yanxi’s waist, letting her watch the clouds outside the window like she had no bones.

Perhaps because the ending of this book world had been changed, Mu Yanxi’s state of mind was also different. With Yi Wulan’s company, Mu Yanxi was like a tourist on her first trip, finding everything novel.

Even seeing a colorful bird during takeoff, she had to tug on Yi Wulan’s hand and drag her to look out the plane window.

Yi Wulan went along with everything, looking at whatever she pointed at.

When their plane landed, they happened to arrive during Hong Kong’s botanical exhibition. Taking advantage of her mask, Mu Yanxi happily dragged Yi Wulan around the exhibition for many laps.

When she turned her head, she saw Yi Wulan’s gentle eyes, her gaze colliding with her smiling face.

Mu Yanxi was slightly stunned, then suddenly overcome by a deeper joy.

As long as Yi Wulan was around, she seemed to be in a good mood no matter what she did.

She used Yi Wulan’s hand for leverage, and the light, flowing chiffon of her elaborate dress fluttered. She threw herself into Yi Wulan’s arms like a little butterfly. “Yi Wulan!”

Yi Wulan let Mu Yanxi crash into her arms without chiding her for such a public display, catching her in time and holding her securely.

Mu Yanxi’s fingertips twirled a strand of Yi Wulan’s hair as she said with a grin, “Let’s plant more flowers in the garden of our new home. Lots and lots of flowers for different seasons, so there will be flowers to see every day.”

So it would be full of life all year round.

Yi Wulan was very cooperative, noting down flower names in her memo and nodding at her. “Okay.”

Mu Yanxi couldn’t stop smiling. Every time she saw a beautiful flower she hadn’t seen before, she would chatter on about it to Yi Wulan, saying she wanted to plant it at their new home.

By the end of the exhibition tour, every inch of the front and back gardens of Mansion No. 3 seemed to have been designated for something to be planted, with not half an inch of empty space left.

Mu Yanxi had never been so relaxed since her rebirth. She didn’t have to worry about the world’s consciousness changing her life, nor did she have to worry about Yi Wulan’s injuries relapsing. Having grown accustomed to living on edge, she still found it a bit unreal at first.

But no matter what she did, whenever she turned around, Yi Wulan would be standing behind her, indulgently letting her be mischievous. All the anxiety in her heart instantly vanished.

Although Mu Yanxi’s popularity in Hong Kong wasn’t as great as in the mainland, she was still recognized after an hour of strolling.

Perhaps not wanting to disturb them, or perhaps because several black-clad bodyguards appeared behind them whenever they stopped, they avoided the awkward situation of being mobbed.

As they left the exhibition, a volunteer handed them two commemorative flowers. Mu Yanxi took one out and delightedly gave it to Yi Wulan.

Yi Wulan did not refuse and reached out to take it.

“It’s so lively,” Mu Yanxi said, twirling the flower in her hand and swinging her hand that was holding Yi Wulan’s. “Actually, ever since I entered the entertainment industry, I’ve rarely gone out to have fun. If I do, it has to be at those members-only places where paparazzi can’t get in.”

Otherwise, her manager would probably be tearing her hair out overnight again.

Besides, traveling alone was a bit lonely. You needed someone to share the joy with.

Yi Wulan hummed in agreement and said lightly, “If you want to go out in the future, I’ll accompany you. You don’t have to worry about the paparazzi.”

Mu Yanxi couldn’t stop laughing and teased, “President Yi, who’s accompanying whom this time? You’re clearly the one taking advantage of me, right?”

The title “President Yi” seemed to have become a form of flirtation for Mu Yanxi.

The corners of Yi Wulan’s lips curved up. She didn’t say anything, just led her towards the car.