YABE - 49

What does it feel like to be publicly known as the girlfriend of an Academy Award-winning actor?

Wen Siyu would say that aside from having to wear a mask every time she goes out, there really isn’t much difference. If anything, she gained another wave of fans.

Now, the little girl boasted a million followers on Weibo. Every time she went live, the number of viewers in her livestream doubled. Among them were people just watching for fun, those who went from haters to fans, die-hard supporters, and even gaming enthusiasts who didn’t care at all about who Jiang Xu was.

After returning home, the first thing Wen Siyu did was buy a beauty camera. Before going live, she even put on light makeup. Her makeup skills weren’t bad, and after finishing, she opened a selfie app, snapped a photo, and sent it to Jiang Xu.

Figuring he should be filming at this time, the girl didn’t wait for his reply and tossed her phone aside before starting her livestream.

As for turning on the camera, practice made perfect. After doing it a few times, she got used to it and no longer felt any psychological burden. Amidst a flood of comments—

[The wife’s boudoir!]

[She’s already someone else’s wife now.]

[Why doesn’t the little sis’s room have a Hello Kitty carpet? Are you abandoning Old Jiang like this?]

[You guys are so cruel. Can you spare a thought for my baby Ah Xu’s feelings? He just likes pink—what did he do wrong?]

[Is the Hello Kitty joke never going away? I suspect you’re actually Jiang Xu’s anti-fans.]

—she minimized the video window and picked out a few seasoned responses.

“Yeah, I’m on winter break and already at home. How about I update a video tomorrow? Which one do you want to see updated?”

“That classmate of yours, stop asking how Jiang Xu and I met—it’s a trade secret, stamped and encrypted. I’m not telling.”

“He said he’s my fan? Don’t kill me—I wouldn’t dare be his idol; I’d be scared awake in my dreams.”

While talking, Wen Siyu opened Minesweeper. “I don’t know what to stream today—I haven’t found any new games yet. I heard many cuties don’t know how to play Minesweeper. Do you guys even have childhoods? Today, I’ll teach everyone how to play Minesweeper.”

“Teacher Jiang’s Hello Kitty carpet was truly an accident. He secretly bought it and hid it under his bed—I found it and laid it out for him. Is that my fault? Come on, isn’t it kind of adorably contradictory?”

—And she didn’t forget to take a jab at Jiang Xu along the way.

However, everyone unanimously agreed on Jiang Xu’s unexpectedly adorable contradictions.

Minesweeper was one of those things that seemed unremarkable until you started playing it—and once you did, it became oddly addictive.

Moreover, Wen Siyu’s mysterious flag-setting skills carried over from other games. The more she played, the braver she became, and the braver she became, the more she kept playing. In the end, under everyone’s watchful eyes, she played Minesweeper for over an hour.

When she finally realized it, nearly two hours had passed.

The viewers in her livestream also came to their senses—had they really sat there motionless and watched her play Minesweeper for two whole hours? Minesweeper?!

And they had enjoyed every second of it.

Around 10:30 PM, Jiang Xu sent over a video. The man was sitting in his nanny van, surrounded by darkness.

Wen Siyu propped her phone up on her bedside table, resting her chin on her hand as she lay on her pillow, looking at him: “Do you notice anything different about me today?”

Jiang Xu nodded with an expression that said, ‘I noticed,’ and played along: “Your hair has grown longer.”

Wen Siyu: “?”

“Teacher Jiang, if you keep being this clueless, you’ll lose your baby. I spent a lot of effort on my makeup today—don’t you think I suddenly look prettier?”

The ever-so-supportive Teacher Jiang immediately responded: “You look beautiful every day.”

Wen Siyu: “Oh, you’ve been working late recently.”

Inner thoughts: Hehehehehe.

The little girl’s big almond-shaped eyes sparkled mischievously, but she tried hard to suppress her grin. Jiang Xu chuckled but didn’t call her out: “Working adults have to work overtime.”

“Oh, does Director Xu give you overtime pay?”

“No, unpaid overtime.” Jiang Xu leaned his head against the nanny van’s window. Shadows from outside danced across his face, alternating between light and dark.

Wen Siyu couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

Upon closer reflection, it had already been more than half a month since she’d last seen him.

Back when she was still a fan of Jiang Xu, seeing him even once was a luxurious, far-fetched dream. Now, after less than a month of separation, she was already itching to see him again.

She wanted to go find him, to see him, to smell his scent, to feel his warmth.

Wen Siyu tilted her head, lying on the bed with her cheek pressed flat against the pillow, her voice weak and muffled: “Teacher Jiang, when will you come back?”

“Probably around February 3rd,” Jiang Xu murmured, his eyelashes lifting slightly as he blinked slowly. “Do you miss me?”

“Not really,” Wen Siyu teased. “I’m more curious about what my dad wants to talk to you about. It feels weird that he’s just given in so easily—it doesn’t seem very scientific.”

Jiang Xu: “?”

The Shadow Emperor felt that since going public, he was increasingly unable to sense his girlfriend’s love for him.

If she hadn’t mentioned it, things might have been fine—but now that she brought it up, Jiang Xu felt pain shoot through his entire body.

The man, who had been lazily leaning his head against the car window, visibly stiffened. He straightened up, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, bringing his phone closer to his face. “What do you think I should wear when I meet him?” he asked earnestly.

Seeing his serious expression, Wen Siyu’s demeanor turned serious as well. She scrambled to sit upright and, after gazing at his suddenly magnified handsome face, thoughtfully replied: “Actually, you don’t need to try too hard. Just keep it casual. Imagine this—”

Jiang Xu hummed in acknowledgment, listening carefully.

“You should wear whatever you’d wear when meeting a national leader. That outfit will do just fine.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

His stomach really hurt now.

After much deliberation, Wen Siyu ultimately decided to stay put and behave herself until Jiang Xu returned. She planned to make her presence known to her father every day—acting cute, being乖巧 (well-behaved), and doing her part to boost Jiang Xu’s favorability bit by bit.

Her plan was sound in theory, but after spending a week at home cultivating her “virtue,” she couldn’t hold back any longer. Her desire to go see Jiang Xu grew stronger with each passing day. She became increasingly gloomy, her face visibly unhappy even during meals.

Wen Jingyao and Wen Siyuan were both well aware of what was going on. The former completely ignored her, while the latter found her listless demeanor quite amusing.

Big Brother Wen sat cross-legged, munching on sunflower seeds, grinning brightly as he teased her: “Siyu, I’m going on a business trip to Beijing tomorrow.”

Wen Siyu: “??”

“Oh,” the little girl replied coldly.

Wen Siyuan leaned closer, persistently annoying her with his cheerful grin: “Are you coming along? It’s boring traveling alone for work. You seem bored at home too—why not come along and clear your mind?”

“Take a look at the frozen landscapes of the northern regions,” he paused, then continued, “and check out the sights and people of the capital.”

Wen Siyu stared at him blankly, then pointed at the coffee table behind him: “Your phone is lighting up.”

At this, Big Brother Wen’s smile froze. He quickly scrambled to grab his phone and promptly ignored her.

Wen Siyu raised an eyebrow, feeling like she’d uncovered some sort of secret.

Late January was the coldest time of winter, especially in the north, where temperatures often dropped into the negative double digits. Just imagining it made Wen Siyu feel like shivering all over.

The girl, dressed in a cozy coral fleece pajama set, lazily sat by the bay window, hugging a pillow. She picked up her phone and sent Jiang Xu a text reminding him to bundle up and avoid getting sick.

Normally, at this time, the man would be too busy to reply, so Wen Siyu didn’t expect a response. After sending the message, she exited the chat and began scrolling through Weibo. But after just two posts, Jiang Xu replied.

Wen Siyu let out a surprised “Huh?” and opened the message.

[Boyfriend: It’s so cold today.]

[To Mr. Jiang: Then wear more layers! Wrap your scarf properly and put on your down jacket.]

[Boyfriend: I didn’t wear my down jacket.]

[To Mr. Jiang: Oh, really? If you get sick and delay filming, Director Xu might kick you out of the house. Then you’ll lose your only supporter, and you can cry about it.]

Wen Siyu typed out a long string of messages and waited. After a moment, the man didn’t reply.

Then, after a short while, he sent over a photo.

It was the gate of her residential complex.

Wen Siyu: “???”

[To Mr. Jiang: ?]

[Boyfriend: I wore a coat and wrapped the scarf you sent me.]

Wearing a coat in sub-zero temperatures? What was wrong with this guy?

Wen Siyu puffed up her cheeks and called him directly.

After two rings, Jiang Xu answered.

The other end of the line was quiet—no chatter from the set, no noise from the streets.

“Are you in the lounge?”

“No,” Jiang Xu replied.

“Taking a break today? Are you at the hotel?”

“No.”

“So where are you?” Wen Siyu chuckled. “Did you skip work?”

“No, I’ve already finished my tasks ahead of schedule.”

He added, “I bought strawberry ice cream, but it’s a bit cold today, so you can only have a little.”

Wen Siyu was stunned, absently letting out a confused “Ah?” without fully processing what he meant.

The man chuckled softly and asked her: “Is it cold on the windowsill?”

At his words, Wen Siyu froze.

Momentarily dazed, she instinctively turned her head toward the window.

Outside the gate, Jiang Xu stood tall, wearing a coat, the dark red scarf she had sent him wrapped around his neck, holding a cone of ice cream in his hand.

He gazed in the direction of her window, and from afar, Wen Siyu could faintly see the gentle curve of his lips.

“Actually, I think this scarf doesn’t quite match the coat,” he said, “but this way, you’ll recognize me at first glance.”