Chapter 20: Our Beginning

Li Wanbai turned over in bed, half-asleep, as footsteps echoed from downstairs. Her instinct told her it was time to get up, but her body refused, and she closed her eyes once more.

In that hazy state between dreams and waking, her bedroom door swung open.

[She’s here, she’s here, finally! I want to see how ugly Li Wanbai looks without makeup. Let’s see if her fans dare to brag about her beauty now!]

[Exactly, always hyping up her looks. There are so many beautiful people in the entertainment industry—who does she think she is?]

[The harder you hype, the harder the truth hits!]

[…]

The barrage of comments streaked across the screen—almost all were gleeful, few defended Li Wanbai, and their voices were quickly drowned by the flood.

Unaware of any of this, Li Wanbai, still groggy, blurted out, “Yu Baichuan, you’re back?”

Buddy, can you pay attention to the time when you come back next time? Who comes home early in the morning? But credit where it’s due, he’s impressive—actually up at dawn.

Her words made the live comment feed momentarily freeze.

[Seriously? She’s using this too?]

[Sis, you just woke up, right? You open your eyes and immediately know how to ride the traffic. What did our guy ever do to you? Can the vampire just leave already?]

[But, but—they really are married. Living together is pretty normal.]

[Damn, Li Wanbai’s words just made me hallucinate about me and my boyfriend.]

[If you hallucinate everything, maybe get your eyes checked?]

[Can we just drop the Baibai ship already?]

[Heh, can certain actor’s fans stop covering their mouths everywhere? As a neutral viewer, I just think her instinctive reaction is sweet and worth shipping—what’s wrong with that? Come out of the screen and kill me if you dare!]

[This is funny. Isn’t this just Li Wanbai’s one-woman show? When has Yu Baichuan ever lived here? He always stays in hotels. Li Wanbai, stop riding the wave!]

[Speechless. Yu Baichuan’s fans, maybe go next door and see what he says himself!]

---

Next door, in Yu Baichuan’s live stream.

The cameraman and show staff didn’t dare barge in as they had with Li Wanbai; instead, they waited patiently outside until Yu Baichuan opened the door himself, inviting them in.

“Good morning, Mr. Yu,” the staff member in charge of the show’s flow greeted with a smile.

Yu Baichuan nodded, stepping aside for them to enter, then took a seat on the sofa.

The host glanced around, smiling, “Mr. Yu, you mentioned in an interview that you prefer hotel rooms to big villas. I thought you were joking, but it turns out it’s true.”

“Hotels are usually close to filming locations and aren’t expensive for a night. I’ve gotten used to it after all these years.”

The host was just making conversation, about to pull out a prop, when the director’s voice came through his earpiece. He paused, then casually asked, “Mr. Yu, you’ve stayed in hotels all these years, but everyone knows you’re married. Why not live with your wife?”

[Can the production team be any more obvious? Why bring up that wretched woman in front of Baichuan? Are they trying to disgust him?]

[Whether Yu Baichuan feels sick or not, I certainly do.]

[Meanwhile, someone next door is riding the wave. Yu Baichuan has stayed in hotels for years—stop acting like he’s always lived in a villa. Who are you, anyway? Sorry, but you’re just a nonentity here.]

[Isn’t it creepy? Yu Baichuan hasn’t lived with her for years, yet she blurts his name as soon as she wakes up. She’s really milking his traffic—even in her dreams, probably.]

Yu Baichuan had no idea what was happening on Li Wanbai’s side. Hearing the question, he paused, then nodded, “Work keeps me busy, so we don’t live together. But when I have time, I visit her. I just went back a few days ago.”

“You went back a few days ago?” The host was startled, blurting it out.

Unlike outside fans, insiders knew their marriage was strange, almost twisted.

Outside, fans thought Li Wanbai clung to Yu Baichuan. In reality, insiders knew he refused to divorce her, even after Mu Sang came along.

After that, Yu Baichuan and Li Wanbai separated; even paparazzi stopped photographing the villa.

“Who would’ve thought, Mr. Yu, with those thick brows and honest eyes, you’d sneak back home,” the host said with a smile, a double meaning in his words.

Yu Baichuan glanced at him and said softly, “What do you mean, sneak back? Wanbai is my lawful wife. Living in hotels is the odd part. I hope when I’m less busy, we can live like any ordinary couple.”

[Wow, that’s our Baichuan. Someone’s milking him for traffic, yet he still acknowledges her as his wife.]

[Open your eyes and look! Did Yu Baichuan ever say he never stayed in the villa? Quite the opposite—he was just there recently. So Wanbai’s reaction might really be instinctive. Stop blaming everything on chasing clout!]

---

[Heh, heh, upstairs fans can’t hide their bias. Maybe Yu Baichuan was just being polite. Are you happy having a wife as decoration?]

[I’d rather she was just decoration than a drama queen.]

The director nodded in satisfaction and turned to watch Li Wanbai’s stream.

Li Wanbai’s words nearly crashed her live room. She steadied herself and sat up, only to see a camera and crew standing at her door, making her jump.

The cameraman seized the moment, zooming in to capture Li Wanbai’s stunning face.

Even with no makeup, even freshly awake, her beauty was undeniable.

“Who are you?” Li Wanbai asked blankly. “Are we recording already?”

[To be fair, LWB’s face does match her traffic.]

[Just eat something, look... look... look... fine, I admit, LWB’s face is pretty legendary.]

[Even if you look down on her, you have to admit that face is impressive.]

[Is it really no makeup? Did the crew cheat? Our Yezi always appears completely bare-faced—why shouldn’t she?]

[LWB isn’t great, but YSR is some great beauty? Hilarious. I heard Sunny Entertainment wants to make YSR their top star—what a joke. LWB may be nothing, but at least she has her looks. What does YSR have?]

[I actually think Ye Xiruo is fine—at least she’s got character.]

[What good is character? This is showbiz, not a morality class. Look at her face. I can’t bear to see it bare—her skin’s oily when she wakes up. What makes her qualified to claim she’s a born beauty?]

[…]

[Enough arguing—just enjoy the show!]

The director sent this comment, smiling quietly, his skill and achievement hidden.