YABE - 44

Wen Siyu didn’t know how she managed to lug that mountain of packages back to her dorm. All she knew was that she must have drawn quite a few stares along the way, though her view had been mostly blocked by the towering pile.

After struggling to carry everything and dumping it all onto the table, Wen Siyu stared awkwardly at the sea of red, grinning “Big Head Baby” faces. Recalling the delivery man’s indescribable expression as he handed her the package, she glanced down at the sender’s name: [Your Boyfriend].

Her boyfriend—after outright admitting that he thought another (so-called) female streamer’s videos were “extremely good-looking”—had sent her twenty Wangwang Snack Packs?

Wen Siyu’s emotions were a tangled mess. She wanted to curse him but also couldn’t help laughing.

She wasn’t entirely sure what Jiang Xu meant by sending her twenty of these things. A faint memory surfaced in her mind—she had mentioned Wangwang Snack Packs somewhere before.

But where exactly? Wen Siyu racked her brain, then froze.

Oh right—it was during one of her streams. Offhandedly, she’d said something like, “Instead of spamming me with virtual gifts, why don’t you send me a couple of Wangwang Snack Packs?”

Who had she said that to again?

The fan account named “Si Yu’s Little Admirer.”

Wen Siyu felt her thoughts stutter for a moment as a bold, absurd idea began to take shape—but before it could fully form, she shook her head like a rattle drum, scattering the thought.

Si Yu’s Little Admirer was Jiang Xu? How could that be? If it really was him, wouldn’t that be terrifying?

Besides, Si Yu’s Little Admirer was… a girl, right?

…Well, not necessarily. Just because someone’s username included “Little Admirer” didn’t mean they were female.

Wen Siyu tried to imagine Jiang Xu lurking in her livestreams under the guise of “Si Yu’s Little Admirer.” The thought was beyond horrifying—it was practically incomprehensible.

Biting her lip, she picked up her phone and opened the chat window with Jiang Xu.

After his last few messages yesterday, she’d muted notifications from him. Though she hadn’t been able to resist peeking at their conversation later, she hadn’t replied. Now, scrolling through their chat history, the last message was a single period mark Jiang Xu had sent.

Wen Siyu hesitated, then mirrored his punctuation, replying with a period of her own.

Jiang Xu responded instantly—with an emoji.

Wen Siyu nearly jumped out of her skin. This guy actually used emojis?!

Before she could figure out how to respond, Jiang Xu called her.

After a brief hesitation, she answered, saying a soft “Hello.”

“Did you receive the package?” Jiang Xu’s voice was quiet, low, and carried a slight echo, as if he were in a spacious room. “I scoured several supermarkets late at night before finding one that was still open. I personally handpicked all twenty of them.” His tone carried a hint of pride, as if seeking praise.

Wen Siyu: “…So it really was you who sent them.”

Jiang Xu fell silent.

“How many boyfriends do you have?” He paused briefly before asking.

Wen Siyu snorted and repeated his words from the previous night almost verbatim: “I have another boyfriend—a male streamer whose videos I watch often. They’re especially good-looking.”

Her words were laced with pent-up frustration, clearly rehearsed in her mind for some time.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but chuckle again, quickly disguising it with a light cough. “Didn’t you say it yourself? You told me not to waste money on virtual gifts and just send you a couple of Wangwang Snack Packs instead.”

Wen Siyu: “…???”

Jiang Xu seemed to hesitate on the other end. Admitting to this particular disguise was still somewhat embarrassing for him. “Si Yu’s Little Admirer is me. And the ‘especially good-looking’ female streamer you mentioned? I know it’s you.”

Wen Siyu was utterly dumbfounded, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. Stammering “You-you-you…” repeatedly, she couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

Though she’d entertained the fleeting thought earlier, she never imagined it would actually be true!

Mentally superimposing Jiang Xu’s face over her mental image of Si Yu’s Little Admirer—a soft, girly persona—and recalling her own behavior during her streams, Wen Siyu trembled as she replayed her wild, off-the-cuff videos and broadcasts in her mind. Her hand shook as she held her phone, and without thinking, she abruptly hung up.

She stared at the screen, wide-eyed and horrified.

Trembling fingers dialed Gu Yao’s number, her voice shaking: “Yao Yao, it’s him—it’s really him!”

Gu Yao was confused: “Our friend Little Nezha?”

Wen Siyu was too drained to banter: “Jiang Xu, Jiang Xu has been watching my livestreams!!!”

Gu Yao: “Huh?”

Wen Siyu took a deep breath: “Jiang Xu has always known I’m a gaming streamer, and he watches my streams regularly. He knows the female streamer is me!” She spoke rapidly, pausing for neither breath nor punctuation. “What should I do?! Should I play dumb? Pretend I don’t understand what he’s saying? My image is ruined!!! I used to flirt with him shamelessly at the end of every stream!!! He knows everything!!! AHHHHH!!!”

Gu Yao: “….”

“I want to die,” Wen Siyu groaned, her voice filled with despair. “I can’t go on living.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Gu Yao rolled her eyes. “So he watched your livestreams. So what? You’ve already slept with him—why does a little thing like this matter now?”

“It’s different,” Wen Siyu muttered, her heart sinking. “Being unmasked and sleeping together are two completely separate issues.”

“Oh wow, so you guys really did sleep together!” Gu Yao exclaimed.

Wen Siyu: “….”

“Miss Wen, you’re already a woman who’s slept with an idol she’s been fangirling over for years. Compared to that, losing your secret identity is nothing to cry about.” Gu Yao clicked her tongue. “Go ahead, post a thread tomorrow titled, ‘What’s It Like to Sleep with an Idol You’ve Been Obsessing Over for Ten Years?’ Share your experience and journey—it’ll inspire all those lovestruck girls out there.”

Wen Siyu ignored her and hung up.

She reopened Jiang Xu’s WeChat, biting her knuckle as she typed out a message.

[All Men Named Jiang Are Bastards: …]

Jiang Xu: “….”

Leaning against the tiled wall of the bathroom, Jiang Xu stared at her new nickname and typed: [Can you change your name first?]

Wen Siyu realized what she’d done and burst out laughing. She replied:

[All Men Named Jiang Are Bastards: No, I’m still mad.]

Jiang Xu sighed in exasperation and sent her a voice message: “Even my affair turned out to be with you. Why are you still cursing at me?”

His voice was deep, magnetic, and calm, yet laced with unmistakable undertones of grievance. Hearing it, Wen Siyu immediately wanted to surrender. That velvety baritone whispering sweet nothings was simply unfair.

Still, she persisted, tentatively asking: “Are you really Si Yu’s Little Admirer?”

Jiang Xu’s brow twitched. He sent a curt “Hmm” and immediately regretted choosing such an embarrassing username.

With no room left for resistance, Wen Siyu decided to throw caution to the wind. After all, as Gu Yao had said, they’d already slept together—what did it matter if her secret identity was exposed?

“When did you find out?” she asked.

Jiang Xu thought for a moment: “The first day you joined the drama set?”

Wen Siyu: “???!!”

“You knew this early on and didn’t tell me?”

“I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time. I originally wanted to ask for your autograph, but I was too scared.”

Wen Siyu’s face flushed slightly: “Scared of what?”

“Scared that I’d scare you away.”

Back then, even the way he looked at her was cautious. During meals, he didn’t dare lift his head, fearing that if he got any closer, she might bolt.

He didn’t dare get too close, but he also didn’t want to be too distant. He carefully tried to gauge the right distance but had no experience and no idea what would be appropriate.

Jiang Xu sighed: “I was scared of scaring you off, but I was also scared you’d run off with someone else—after all, my little idol has hundreds of thousands of ‘wives’ online.”

Wen Siyu laughed: “By that logic, my idol has tens of millions of ‘wives’ on Weibo. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s more scared?”

Jiang Xu chuckled softly: “Don’t be scared. In your idol’s heart, there’s only one wife.”

On the other end of the phone, Wen Siyu’s face turned beet red.

She rolled her eyes, wanting to retort, “Who’s your wife?” But she couldn’t help the wide grin spreading across her face, her dimples showing faintly on her cheeks.

“Do you not have to work today?” She changed the subject.

“Working stiffs like me have to work every day.” Jiang Xu casually pushed his overgrown bangs back. “I slacked off a bit. If Director Xu finds out later, you’ll have to put in a good word for me so she doesn’t disqualify me.”

Wen Siyu hummed an acknowledgment and obligingly asked: “Disqualify you from what?”

“Son-in-law qualifications.”

Wen Siyu: “...”

Her cover had already been blown, and though it had been embarrassing at first, after getting over it, Wen Siyu felt an unexpected sense of relief.

________________________________________

The next day, Zhou Yi called Wen Siyu. Somehow, he managed to charm the dorm supervisor, who happily let him follow Wen Siyu upstairs. Two burly movers then proceeded to completely clear out the girl’s belongings from the dorm room.

Wen Siyu watched as two muscular moving men followed behind Zhou Yi, looking like bodyguards trailing a wealthy second-generation heir.

She wanted to say she didn’t actually have that much stuff to move—it really wasn’t necessary to make such a big fuss—but in the end, she gave up. Leaning against Tang Yier’s desk, she watched them clear out her entire table in one go, marveling at the sight.

Jiang Xu’s spare room had already been prepared for her. The decor was pink and white, with lace-edged curtains and a large Hello Kitty plush carpet on the floor.

“...”

Wen Siyu refused to believe this tacky aesthetic could have come from the top-tier agent Zhou Yi.

She promptly removed the carpet, thought about it for a moment, then gleefully dragged it into Jiang Xu’s room and placed it on his floor. Against the backdrop of a minimalist gray-toned room, the large pink Hello Kitty carpet looked utterly out of place.

Satisfied, Wen Siyu nodded, pulled out her phone, snapped a picture, and posted it on her social media.

Caption: [An Old Man’s Inner Little Girl]

Ten minutes later, Jiang Xu replied—

[?]

[Delete that post immediately.]

Pretending not to see it, Wen Siyu slipped her phone into her pocket and cheerfully skipped out to buy some snacks.