Chapter 30: A Small Piece of News

Li Wanbai looked at her and asked with a smile, “Do you still want to argue?”
Ye Xiruo’s lips twitched and she slowly shook her head.
There was no point in arguing anymore; with Quan Hao and Yu Baichuan showing such attitudes, it was clear the opinions about her in the live comments had worsened yet again.
The sweet image she’d painstakingly crafted was teetering on the edge of collapse. She had originally hoped to gain favor with Yu Baichuan and Quan Hao on the second floor, but now it seemed that instead of improving her reputation, she’d only end up losing points.
She was always someone who acted only after weighing the pros and cons, more aware than anyone else of what she truly wanted. If she couldn’t complete the task, she would naturally retreat.
A guilty smile appeared on Ye Xiruo’s face as she said softly, “Sorry, Wanbai, I seem to have caused trouble for you. I really do love the design of the second floor’s sun terrace; it’s my fault for not thinking quickly enough. Teacher Quan is right—I could’ve just waited until things quiet down to visit the terrace.”
She paused, lowering her voice even further so that only the nearest camera could record her words, “I know things haven’t been going well between you and Teacher Yu lately. I’d thought I could help you withstand some pressure from his side, but it looks like you don’t need me after all. Which makes sense—you can use this opportunity to mend the rift between you and Teacher Yu. Good luck; I believe in you! As for Mu Sang, I’ll help explain things to him for you.”
After speaking, Ye Xiruo patted Wanbai’s shoulder, her eyes crinkling in a smile of encouragement.
Li Wanbai couldn’t help but laugh, “You really do understand me! I do want to take this chance to clear things up with Yu Baichuan. If you’re willing to explain things to Mu Sang, that’s wonderful…”
Ye Xiruo’s expression changed dramatically and she hurried to whisper, “Keep your voice down! Don’t mention Mu Sang’s name so openly! He’s going to enter the entertainment industry someday.”
This time, she dropped all pretense, her voice genuinely low and urgent.
“It’s fine. There are so many people pursuing me—one more or less makes no difference. If he likes me, it only proves he has good taste; it’s nothing to be ashamed of, so why speak so quietly?” Li Wanbai said with a smile. “Just let him know for me that I really don’t feel anything for him, and ask him not to bother me anymore. Yu Baichuan has already misunderstood—alright, thank you for your trouble! I’m going back to rest. Let’s meet in the first-floor dining room in an hour.”
With that, she turned and returned to her room, leaving Ye Xiruo standing alone in a daze.
The screen was flooded with question marks.

[Wait a moment, there are so many messages, my head hurts!]
[No way, no way—I just started shipping Wanbai CP, and now they’re breaking up?]
[They really are having a divorce spat. I thought it was just rumors from marketing accounts!]
[Thank goodness, that vampire is finally leaving Baichuan!]
[Am I the only one curious about who Mu Sang is?]
[Why do I feel like YXR has ulterior motives? She lowered her voice, but the camera still recorded everything. She’s a popular star; surely she knows the camera’s audio range? It must be intentional! If LWB hadn’t replied loudly, who knows how the marketing accounts would edit it?]
[That’s a bit paranoid! Audio range is always uncertain—maybe Little Leaf just misjudged it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to lower her voice from the start.]
“It’s not paranoia, Wanbai, you’re amazing!” Su Chengzi’s excited voice zipped through the wires straight into Li Wanbai’s ear.
Li Wanbai touched the tip of her nose, instinctively glancing at the covered camera and microphone, finally letting out a sigh of relief. “That’s right, I am amazing—well, actually, I didn’t think that much. Didn’t Ye Xiruo say we’re good friends? Was she trying to harm me?”
She deliberately lowered her voice, yet made sure the camera could record her words. Li Wanbai could almost envision how the marketing accounts would edit the incident.
It would simply be: Li Wanbai is greedy, shameless, and has a secret male lover, forcing Yu Baichuan to divorce her.
She had already caused discontent among Yu Baichuan’s fans by riding his popularity; if she were accused of cheating, it would be her complete downfall.
“But the truth is, things were already like that. I really did owe Yu Baichuan in those ten years. And Mu Sang, maybe, probably, really was my secret lover.” Li Wanbai sighed. Only the former Li Wanbai would know for certain. “So maybe Ye Xiruo wasn’t actually trying to harm me; perhaps she didn’t mean it.”
“Nonsense! That woman definitely did it on purpose.” Su Chengzi gritted her teeth. “I don’t believe it—first she steals your resources, then deliberately says those ambiguous things, and before… She absolutely has it in for you! Be careful!”

“Is it really that bad?” Li Wanbai hadn’t finished speaking when Su Chengzi suddenly coughed.
Even knowing Su Chengzi couldn’t see her, Li Wanbai instinctively straightened her posture and nodded solemnly, “The organization can rest assured—I’ll be careful!”
“You’d better be! This reality show is the most crucial step in my custom-designed redemption plan for you. Be careful and don’t let the marketing accounts catch you saying anything wrong.”
Li Wanbai pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, “How many steps are in your redemption plan?”
“Right now, just this one. Why?”
Li Wanbai looked a bit helpless. “Nothing—don’t worry, I’ll be careful anyway. By the way, what’s the deal between me and Quan Hao? I feel like he’s always targeting Yu Baichuan and me.”
Su Chengzi, who had just been chatting away, fell into a strange silence. After a long pause, she squeezed out a single sentence, “Do you really want to know?”