Why Not Check the Goods Again?

Lin Yang read through it once. After a moment’s hesitation, she had her assistant contact the platform and suppress the post’s traffic, then kept a close watch in case her photo and information really leaked out.

After putting down her phone, she couldn’t help glancing a few more times at Xiao Lou, who was gossiping with Xu Zhitong.

Xiao Lou still hadn’t noticed, but Xu Zhitong looked over first.

She followed Lin Yang’s line of sight and asked quickly, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Yang shook her head. “Nothing. We’re almost there.”

The car was still parked in the underground garage; the two of them got out and took the elevator up.

Xu Zhitong was still in high spirits. She stood in front of the elevator mirror, fussing with her hair while humming a tune.

Lin Yang looked at her like that and smiled to herself.

She asked, “How is it? Fun?”

Xu Zhitong turned back at once, leaning against the mirrored wall to look at her. “Yeah, it’s fun. Simpler than I thought, and really novel.”

Lin Yang asked, “Do you want more contact with this line of work? I saw you talking with Xiao Lou about the entertainment industry; you seemed very interested, including the venue and backstage stuff. You also have a talent for it.”

Today, the producer she met with had brought up the same angle.

Yinfu produced its own variety shows every year and invested in and collaborated with several video platforms and television stations; it was a pretty good stepping stone into the entertainment industry.

Go on a few shows, release a few songs, and with Yinfu’s marketing and operations, she could slowly gain a foothold in entertainment and make more money.

The producer meant that if Lin Yang wanted to push Xu Zhitong, they could exchange benefits and arrange a very good development path.

But Lin Yang hadn’t agreed immediately. She wanted to ask Xu Zhitong whether she liked it first.

Xu Zhitong blinked sleepily and held the elevator door for Lin Yang so she could get out first.

She said, “Huh? Me talking with Xiao Lou?”

Xu Zhitong remembered that just before they got out of the car, Lin Yang had deliberately looked at Xiao Lou a few extra times.

She had even felt a little wary then.

So Lin Yang was being a little jealous?

As expected, Lin Yang still really liked her, even if she wouldn’t give her an official title. Xu Zhitong immediately felt sweet inside.

She leaned closer and took Lin Yang’s hand.

“I wasn’t especially friendly with her. I was just a little curious about what it’s like right after graduating from college and starting work. Besides, listening to gossip was just to kill time in the car, and with other people around I couldn’t hold your hand.”

Xu Zhitong squeezed Lin Yang’s hand and casually leaned half her weight against Lin Yang’s shoulder, letting out a long sigh.

“Wow, I was so afraid I’d mess up today. It felt like I was pretending to be an adult. But luckily, everyone we met today was pretty easygoing.”

Lin Yang paused.

Xu Zhitong’s warm breath brushed against her neck; it was soft and a little ticklish.

What a foolish way of thinking.

And yet it was also very cute.

Lin Yang was a little awkward as she squeezed Xu Zhitong’s hand back.

In a gentle voice, she said, “It’s fine. You did very well.”

After they entered the room, Xu Zhitong collapsed onto the sofa before Lin Yang asked again,

“Do you want to enter the entertainment industry?”

Lin Yang asked seriously. Xu Zhitong obediently sat up and thought about it carefully.

“Hmm, I guess it’s okay. I’m just a little curious, but that curiosity would apply to other jobs too.”

Lin Yang said that was fine. “That works. We’ll be attending banquets and events these next few days; you’ll get to see a lot of people and things in the entertainment industry and get a feel for the atmosphere. Think it over slowly, and if you like it, tell me.”

Her world was barren; she couldn’t give Xu Zhitong much else.

But if she wanted to support Xu Zhitong a little, that was something Lin Yang could do.

Lin Yang felt that Xu Zhitong was definitely suited for the entertainment industry.

She had seen some celebrities before and thought none of them were as good as Xu Zhitong; none were as beautiful or as lively.

Xu Zhitong was lively, adorable, and had a little contrast to her appearance. Lin Yang knew people in the industry who had seen Xu Zhitong and said that if she entered the business and had proper promotion, there was an 80% chance she’d blow up.

Even now, with Xu Zhitong having lost her memory, she might look nervous and scared when faced with unfamiliar things, but she adapted very quickly. It was just like how she had only streamed a couple of times before she could calmly handle a room with tens of thousands of viewers and chat and joke with her fans.

That was the kind of personality people liked; her smile was charming, and even when she was being mischievous, she never became annoying.

Xu Zhitong, however, hadn’t been thinking that deeply. She simply felt that Lin Yang was perhaps defining the nature of their relationship.

“Okay,” she said, reaching for a bunch of grapes on the coffee table and eating one. After thinking about it, she quickly accepted it and asked, “So does that mean I really have to be kept by a sugar mommy?”

Her eyes were bright with excitement.

She bit down on half a grape, moving with ruthless efficiency, then knelt up on the sofa and tilted her face to look at Lin Yang.

“Sugar mommy, why not inspect the goods again?”

With one hand, she briskly lifted the hem of her hoodie.

Revealing pale, resilient lines beneath.

“...”

Lin Yang drew in a light breath and pulled her gaze away from the faintly visible gray layer underneath. “Put on another layer. The night wind outside will catch you.”

“...” Fine. Seduction failed.

Xu Zhitong gloomily rolled the grape around in her mouth, turned it once, and bit it open.

Lin Yang watching her eat grapes made her face inexplicably hot. She looked away and said, “Remember to ask Yududu when she’s coming to pick us up. What time will she get here?”

“Okay, I’ll ask.”

Xu Zhitong flopped back onto the sofa and sent Yududu a message.

Yududu said she was on her way and would arrive in a little over twenty minutes.

After sending the message, Xu Zhitong went to the wardrobe room to find Lin Yang.

Probably because they were about to meet someone, Lin Yang had changed into a black square-neck camisole dress; a long trench coat hung over the back of a chair.

She was seated in front of the vanity, leaning slightly forward as she brushed on mascara in the small mirror.

Her hair was still pinned up at the back of her head, and with her posture, the pale nape of her neck curved into a fragile line.

Xu Zhitong watched her for a while as she applied her makeup. The sugar mommy wasn’t greedy for her, but she was greedy for the sugar mommy... Then her gaze landed on the curling iron set aside, and she asked, “Want me to curl your hair?”

Lin Yang set down the mascara and looked at the time. “Is she almost here?”

“Oh, not yet. Still about twenty minutes,” Xu Zhitong said, touching her face. “I want to help you curl it.”

Lin Yang froze.

It was as though the version of her in another world had skipped a beat.

She asked, “Why do you think I want to curl my hair?”

“I’m smart, okay? You only took out the curling iron and didn’t bring out the setting spray, which means it’s not for styling me.” Xu Zhitong said smugly.

She picked up the curling iron on her own and said very naturally, “Besides, you’re wearing a dress. With your hair down and curled a bit, you’ll look especially good.”

Lin Yang met Xu Zhitong’s eyes in the mirror and, for a moment, said nothing.

Xu Zhitong was already full of enthusiasm. “You do your makeup, I’ll curl mine—no, I mean, I’ll curl your hair. Keep going, don’t worry, I already know how to use it from the first few times. I won’t mess it up for you.”

Lin Yang said softly, “Okay.”

Xu Zhitong was naturally lazy and casual; in the past, her hands-on ability hadn’t been very good. Even the paper-cutting homework she had to hand in in elementary school had earned the lowest score in the class.

But she curled Lin Yang’s hair very carefully, bending over slightly and tilting her head as she curled Lin Yang’s ends strand by strand.

After finishing one curl, she would look at Lin Yang in the mirror.

“Mm, looks good,” Xu Zhitong praised herself. “From now on, whenever you go out, I’ll curl your hair for you.”

Lin Yang didn’t say anything.

She seemed to be very seriously touching up her makeup, redrawing her eyeliner, carefully curling her lashes, fixing the blush and highlighter that had faded a little, and slowly outlining her lip line.

Xu Zhitong had thought she was used to it, until she lifted the long hair at Lin Yang’s side and prepared to curl it, only to discover that the pale skin at the roots of Lin Yang’s ears had already turned red.

Ah...

Xu Zhitong’s heart immediately softened too. She looked at Lin Yang in the mirror. Lin Yang was still lowering her eyes, seriously doing her makeup, her expression showing very little; only Xu Zhitong knew that Lin Yang was shy.

She was already this shy?

How mean. Could it be that the version of herself before the amnesia hadn’t treated Lin Yang very well, not even letting her curl her hair? No wonder Lin Yang refused to give her an official title anymore, making it look like she was trying to keep her as a kept woman.

Xu Zhitong stared at Lin Yang’s red ears for a while; her heartbeat sped up too, her thoughts turning chaotic.

Then she felt that it was fine as well. She didn’t mind. As long as she could be with Lin Yang, that was enough. She barely managed to finish curling the hair normally, and it looked fairly neat.

But as Xu Zhitong looked at Lin Yang in the mirror, she felt satisfied with everything; even the curve of each strand was stunning.

She couldn’t help saying, “It’s perfect.”

Lin Yang paused, then said softly, “Then I’ll pay you a salary.”

Xu Zhitong blinked. “Huh? A salary? Like how I pay you a salary?”

Her tone was teasing, but inside she was eager. She leaned down from behind Lin Yang’s chair, pretending to come rest against her shoulder, as if she were about to do something bad.

Unfortunately, just as she leaned in, Lin Yang dodged away.

Lin Yang stood up, lipstick in hand, and after a beat said hurriedly, “I’m putting on my coat.”

As she moved, her long hair brushed across Xu Zhitong’s face.

All Xu Zhitong could smell was the warm floral scent from Lin Yang’s hair; it tickled her nose and made her heart itch too. She stood where she was and said dryly, “Fine.”

The hoodie was a little loose, and after trying several coats, she still couldn’t find one that felt right, so she simply gave up.

When she turned around, Lin Yang had already put on her trench coat and was tying a very long silk scarf around her neck.

Her whole figure was slender and upright. Her long hair fell softly, and the curled ends rested lightly on her beautiful collarbones, which the camisole couldn’t fully cover.

Very beautiful.

The two of them went downstairs. Just as they entered the elevator, Xu Zhitong’s phone received a call from Yududu.

She checked the time; Yududu should be about there.

Xu Zhitong thought she was being hurried, so after hanging up she slowly typed a reply saying they were on their way down.

The message had just been sent when another call from Yududu came in.

What was she trying to do?

Xu Zhitong answered, and heard Yududu say, “You’re not down yet, right? Better go back up and grab a mask. It looks like a celebrity is checking in today, and there are a lot of fans and paparazzi waiting in the lobby.”

Huh? What?

Xu Zhitong froze. By then, the elevator had already reached the first floor with a ding.

Holding the phone, she said softly, “I’m already on the first floor.”

Yududu: “...Then hurry out. My car’s parked at the entrance. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

Still confused, Xu Zhitong walked out and found that the lobby really was as Yududu had said; a lot of people had gathered in the lounge area, carrying all kinds of cameras and recording equipment.

Seeing someone come out of the elevator, quite a few people looked over. But since Xu Zhitong didn’t seem like a familiar entertainment-industry face and her hair color was strikingly blue, no one made a move.

However, a girl in a white mask standing nearby saw her, whispered a few words to her companion, then walked over somewhat hesitantly.

When the girl got closer and saw Xu Zhitong’s face clearly, her eyes widened noticeably. In a small, surprised voice, she said, “SleepyBlue?!”

Oh no, someone really recognized her?

Xu Zhitong immediately panicked as well, not knowing where to put her hands. “...Hello.”

The girl was delighted. “You’re here for this gala too? I didn’t see you on the official poster. Are you going to attend the tour event later?”

Xu Zhitong was a little unsure, but she remembered Xiao Lou saying earlier that the surprise guest poster would be posted at midnight tonight, so she gave a tiny nod.

“Mm... they’ll post it at midnight tonight.”

“Wow, I didn’t get an inner-circle ticket. If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve bought one,” the girl said regretfully, punching her companion’s arm and adding a little embarrassedly, “I came to chase one of the entertainment-industry heartthrobs I like, and I never expected you’d be here too. I’m an 18-level lightboard fan of yours, oh my god, I regret it so much.”

Xu Zhitong thought about it and said, “It’s okay. You can watch the livestream; it’s pretty much the same.”

The girl laughed. “You’re really so quiet offline too. Did you arrive in Hai City today? Is it cold? A while ago you said you had a cold—how are you now?”

Xu Zhitong: “...Not too cold? It’s okay. My body is fine, and the cold was long gone.”

The girl kept her phone held up in front of her. Xu Zhitong glanced at it twice but felt too embarrassed to ask whether she was filming a video.

So awkward...

How did someone really know her?

Xu Zhitong felt like she was going to blush.

She wanted to hide behind Lin Yang.

The girl seemed to be wracking her brains for more questions and asked again, “This time it’s a traditional-style theme. If you’re performing, will you dye your hair back?”

Xu Zhitong: “Ah... probably not.”

Unable to help herself, she turned her head to look behind her.

Lin Yang was still not far away beside her, seeming to have deliberately taken a few steps back.

But she had pulled the scarf up around her neck, lowered her head a little, and gently covered half her face.

The long hair Xu Zhitong had curled for her had fallen down, covering Lin Yang’s profile so that her expression couldn’t be seen clearly.

Xu Zhitong froze. Suddenly, an unnamed sense of disappointment welled up in her heart.

Just then, Yududu ran in from the hotel entrance.

She smiled as she came up to stop the girl, saying, “Sis, don’t take any pictures yet. We’re going out to eat with a few friends, and we’re almost out of time. Please cut us some slack.”

Yududu was wearing a little forest-style dress; when she smiled, she looked very cute, and her tone turned coaxing and sweet as she put her palms together in a pleading gesture.

The girl couldn’t hold out either. She put away her phone and said, “Okay, okay. Yududu, I like you too. Go on, go on.”

Xu Zhitong let out a breath and waved at her before finally leaving the hotel lobby.

She could still faintly hear the girl recommending her to her companions, with fragments like “Isn’t she really handsome?” and “She sings super well too...” drifting over.

The SUV Yududu had driven over was large and roomy. After they got into the back seat and closed the door, the car fell quiet.

Yududu turned around to greet them, and when she faced Lin Yang, her smile was especially sweet.

“Cotton Empress, hello. I’m Yududu; my real name is Yu Yaojiao. Just call me Little Fish.”

Lin Yang shook hands with Yu Yaojiao and smiled. “Don’t be so polite. My name is Lin Yang.”

“Cotton Empress, you’re so pretty, and your voice is so nice too,” Yu Yaojiao said with exaggerated starry-eyed admiration, even her speech taking on a deliberately sweet, affected tone. “Then can I call you Sister Xiaoyang?”

She held onto Lin Yang’s hand and still hadn’t let go.

Xu Zhitong looked at them twice and couldn’t take it anymore. She reached over and pulled Yu Yaojiao’s hand away.

“There are people here. How long are you planning to hold on?”

She gritted her teeth and glared at Yu Yaojiao, receiving only a wicked smile in return.

“Jealous? Tsk, tsk, your jealousy is way too strong,” Yu Yaojiao said, then turned to Lin Yang. “Sister Xiaoyang, control her a little. She keeps thinking I invited you both out to eat because I have designs on you, and even told me to look in the mirror more—when I clearly only admire you.”

“When did I ever talk to you every day?” Xu Zhitong said speechlessly.

Yu Yaojiao ignored her and addressed Lin Yang in a syrupy voice. “Sis, look at her. She’s vicious. She even said before that if we met offline, she’d really go at me. Thank goodness you’re here, sister. Let’s see if she dares to do anything to me.”

How did she start calling her sister too?

Xu Zhitong turned her head and saw Lin Yang’s expression was half-smiling, half-not, which made her angry but unable to say anything.

She muttered, “Just drive already. Otherwise the people outside will come over again.”

“Fine.”

Yu Yaojiao smiled and started the car.

She said, “I just asked the security guard. There are a few big-name celebrities from the gala staying here too, so a lot of people are camping out. I only found out after I arrived, otherwise I would’ve gone to the parking garage to pick you up and saved a ton of trouble.”

Xu Zhitong said, “It’s fine... but you really startled me. How did someone actually recognize me?”

Yu Yaojiao said, “Hello? Don’t underestimate yourself, okay? You’ve been a streamer with tens of thousands of viewers these past few days, your traffic is huge. Once the surprise guest poster is announced, there will definitely be a lot of fans waiting for you. They might even have security escort you forward.”

“...” Xu Zhitong was both shocked and embarrassed. When she streamed, no matter how quickly the chat scrolled or how much the viewer count climbed, it had all just been numbers and words.

Separated by a screen, it had never felt quite so real.

She imagined the scene for a moment and immediately felt her scalp tingle, shrinking further into the seat.

Yu Yaojiao caught sight of it in the rearview mirror and laughed aloud. “I give up on you.”

Xu Zhitong ignored her.

Yu Yaojiao then spoke to Lin Yang instead. “Sister, SleepyBlue said that aside from not eating spicy food, you don’t really have any other restrictions, so I picked a restaurant serving local Hai City dishes. But it’s breeding-season restrictions lately, and their menu has just switched to a mushroom banquet theme. I don’t know if you’re used to that.”

Lin Yang said, “It’s fine. I’m not picky. The picky one is someone else.”

Xu Zhitong snorted.

Yu Yaojiao’s gaze moved back and forth between the two of them, and she let out a faint, heartfelt sigh. “You two are really something.”

The car drove on for a while, and the atmosphere inside quieted down.

Lin Yang leaned slightly toward Xu Zhitong’s side.

She asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Logically speaking, Xu Zhitong and Yu Yaojiao got along pretty well. Given Xu Zhitong’s personality, since she could chat with Xiao Lou, she should also be able to talk happily with Yu Yaojiao.

But ever since getting in the car, Xu Zhitong had seemed gloomy, not saying much and not even snapping back.

Xu Zhitong pouted. She lowered her head, her fingers slowly tracing along the seat until they hooked around Lin Yang’s.

She couldn’t really explain it; it just felt awkward inside, like she needed to sort through her feelings as she spoke.

But with Yu Yaojiao there, it wasn’t the right time to talk.

Xu Zhitong said, “I’ll tell you when we get back tonight, okay?”

Lin Yang probably didn’t understand, but she nodded. “Okay.”

Author’s Note:

If I keep moving it up bit by bit, someday I’ll be able to update at 9 a.m. [cat paw]