Sister Liu spoke in a heartfelt tone. “This is all so you could get some time off for New Year’s, A-Fu. You’ll just have to power through a little.”
She turned to Mu Fu’s assistant, Xiao Cheng. “Xiao Cheng, I’ll have the nutritionist contact you tomorrow. From now on, A-Fu’s meals need to follow their advice. Her workload in the second half of the year is intense—she needs proper nutrition.”
“I understand, Sister Liu,” Xiao Cheng nodded seriously.
“Good.” Sister Liu was pretty happy with her. Xiao Cheng was doing a good job, and there hadn’t been any problems with Mu Fu, so there was no need to replace her for now. That said, they still needed to find a male assistant—someone strong and dependable. With the packed schedule ahead, a guy on the team would definitely make things easier.
She briefly told Mu Fu that they’d be bringing on a new male assistant.
Mu Fu waved a tired hand. “Whatever you think is best, Sister Liu.”
Just thinking about her grueling schedule for the rest of the year made her dizzy. She already felt exhausted.
She sighed to herself. When she didn’t have much work, she felt restless. Now that she was swamped, she felt overwhelmed. Humans—always wanting what they don’t have.
……
Soon, the latest episode of the variety show aired.
“We get to see Mu Fu again! I’m so happy!”
“I saw some behind-the-scenes photos of Mu Fu and Zhi Jiu on AK—someone even got an autograph!”
“Who?! I’m so jealous!”
“Ugh! I was literally in Hainan last week and still missed them—feels like I lost out on a million bucks!”
“Slurp slurp I can’t stop staring at Xiao Jiu’s abs. Ughhh, forget being a ‘mom fan,’ I’m officially a girlfriend fan now!”
“As soon as the show ends, I’m heading to register our marriage. Mom approves of this wedding!”
The Hainan trip had been split into two episodes by the production team, and the response was amazing.
In fact, it was clear as day—Mu Fu had gained another huge wave of followers. Her fan count had already gone past twenty million.
And with more fans came more power—each of her posts now got flooded with comments, and her repost numbers were among the highest of the trending stars. The only one who could match her in reach was Zhi Jiu.
Their incredible numbers left countless competitors crying into their pillows.
Other celebrity couples on the show didn’t do quite as well, though they still benefited from the exposure and saw some follower growth.
Some eager stars were already pulling strings to get on the next season of Darling, Let’s get Married. Even if they weren’t paid—they still wanted in.
Director Li was practically dancing with joy at home. He never imagined that Mu Fu and Zhi Jiu would bring this much excitement to the show. His phone hadn’t stopped ringing for days.
Good thing he’d insisted on casting Mu Fu—partly to return a favor. If she’d ended up on someone else’s show, he’d be kicking himself right now.
Director Li’s show was airing on Green Apple Video, and none of the other streaming platforms had expected a romance reality show to get so popular so fast. They didn’t have anything even close to it in their lineups. Now, orders were flying down the chain—every platform wanted their own dating show.
Sure, a hit like Mu Fu and Zhi Jiu was a rare stroke of luck… but hey, what if they got lucky?
Meanwhile, the entertainment industry was already buzzing. Insiders were scrambling to get their hands on spots for these upcoming romance shows. Everyone wanted to be the next overnight sensation. For the audience, this surge was nothing but good news—more drama, more eye candy, more to swoon over.
Backstage, Sister Liu was refreshing the viewership stats non-stop. The moment she saw the huge jump, she called Mu Fu right away.
“A-Fu, guess what! Crimson magazine reached out. They want you on the cover! Do you know what that means? Your value’s going up again—and now, the fashion industry is taking you seriously too. I already set up the shoot for the day after tomorrow. I spoke with Director An—he’s fine with letting you leave early that day.”
On the other end of the line, Mu Fu chuckled softly. “Really? You’re amazing, Sister Liu. I can’t believe you got such a big opportunity for me.”
“It’s all because of your hard work. We wouldn’t have even dreamed of this in the past. You’re doing amazing, A-Fu.”
Sister Liu’s voice wavered a little—she was clearly thinking back to the years when Mu Fu had been unknown, quietly going through a long tough time. But those days were gone now.
Mu Fu smiled. “Such a good day deserves a celebration, don’t you think?”
“Of course! Are you almost done shooting? I’ll come pick you up—we’ll take the whole studio out for a feast.”
“I’ve got a little more to film, but I should be finishing right around when you get here. You can go ahead and start booking a restaurant.”
Sister Liu smacked her forehead. “Oh shoot, I totally forgot about that! Let me go take care of it now. Wait for me, alright?”
“Okay.”
That evening, Sister Liu posted a group dinner photo on Mu Fu’s social media to share the celebration.
Mu Fu: Feeling joyful—celebrating over dinner with my studio team 💕 [photo] [photo]
Fans flooded the comments:
“You look stunning, sis.”
“Alright, I’m going to this restaurant ASAP!”
“Wow, wifey looks gorgeous—love you!”
Mu Fu glanced at the comment, a soft smile dancing in her eyes. Her fans were truly adorable.
Sister Liu reminded her, “A-Fu, from now on, make sure I review your social media posts before you share them, okay? There are plenty of people out there waiting to catch you slipping.”
Mu Fu nodded, signaling her understanding.
Elsewhere, Zhi Jiu saw that Mu Fu had just posted a new update. She was on his “Favorites” list, so the notification popped up right away. He read the post and casually gave it a like.
What he didn’t realize was that this one simple “like” became a major signal to his fans—especially those self-proclaimed “Sherlocks” always watching his every move.
Just as Mu Fu stepped out of the shower, her phone buzzed with an incoming video call from Zhi Jiu. She quickly tapped to answer.
“Hey. Why are you still up this late?” she asked. Their dinner had ended pretty late, and by the time she got home, it was nearly midnight—not to mention she’d taken a shower afterward.
“I was just about to head back,” Zhi Jiu replied softly. “Were you about to go to bed?”
He was sitting in the back of a nanny van, having just wrapped up a long day of filming. Lately, he’d taken on a historical drama. Even though his heart was still in music, the production had offered way too much money to turn down.
The lighting on his end was dim, and with the baseball cap he wore pulled low over his face, his features were slightly hidden—but there was something mysteriously appealing about the look.
“Yeah, things ran a little late tonight, and I’ve been tired for a while now. I have to get up early tomorrow too.”
Noticing the water still dripping from her hair on the screen, Zhi Jiu frowned.
“Did your assistant already leave? If she’s still around, have her help dry your hair. Don’t go to bed with wet hair—you’ll wake up with a terrible headache.”
Mu Fu squinted and smiled. Every word he said was full of concern.
Who would’ve thought that the once-cold and distant Zhi Jiu could one day become this affectionate? She felt like his warmth and clinginess could practically sweep her off her feet.
“She already left. I’ll blow-dry it before bed, don’t worry.”
Zhi Jiu looked at Mu Fu through the screen, and somehow, all the tiredness in his body just melted away. His life used to be boring and colorless—but now, with Mu Fu there, the grayness had lifted. He found himself looking forward to every single moment he got to spend with her.
He nodded gently, his expression soft and calm.
Mu Fu said, “I’m gonna hang up now. Time to dry my hair.”
Zhi Jiu pressed his lips together, then said in a quiet voice, “Don’t. I want to watch you dry it.”
She blinked, slightly surprised. But if that was what he wanted… she didn’t mind doing such a small thing, even if she didn’t see what was so interesting about it.
“Alright,” she replied with a small laugh. “As long as you don’t get bored.”
But how could he possibly get bored? Zhi Jiu wished he could watch her all twenty-four hours of the day.
He was aware how twisted that thought sounded. He knew this obsession wasn’t healthy—but he couldn’t stop himself. He could only bury those darker urges deep in his heart, where Mu Fu would never see. In front of her, he was just the gentle, harmless younger man who needed her care.
Out of her sight, though, his gaze devoured every inch of her.
Mu Fu propped her phone on the rack by the sink—where she usually kept her skincare products. The camera now showed the upper half of her body.
She wore a silky, long-sleeved pajama top that moved easily over her skin. As she moved, the sleeve slipped down from her wrist to her arm, revealing a stretch of pale, flawless skin. Her wrists were delicate, her fingers slender and elegantly shaped, like carved jade.
Zhi Jiu ran his fingers across his palm as if he could still feel the sensation of touching her.
And then, his eyes widened.
Her buttons were misaligned.
The top button of her pajama had been fastened into the second loop, and because the gaps between buttons were fairly wide, the misplaced fastening showed a peek of smooth, fair skin between her breasts. Mu Fu’s curves were generous, and the resulting cleavage was even more obvious.
She was completely unaware, her head lowered in focus as she dried her hair.
Zhi Jiu froze. His hand holding the phone paused in the air, and his gaze darkened instantly. His breathing grew shallow, his mouth suddenly dry, heat rushing through his body. Restless, he shifted in his seat.
From the front seat, Assistant Xiao Zhong turned and asked, “Brother Jiu, are you feeling okay? Want some water?”
Fortunately, the brim of his hat kept his expression hidden. No one could see what was going on beneath it.
Zhi Jiu’s voice came out a little hoarse. “No need. I just need to rest for a bit.”
“Alright, Brother Jiu,” Xiao Zhong replied. “If you need anything, just say the word.”
Zhi Jiu nodded slightly. “Mm.”
The driver, Ye Xin, overheard and helpfully adjusted the air conditioning a little higher.
That only made things worse for Zhi Jiu.
He was already burning up, and now with the heat turned up even more, he had no choice but to drape a blanket over himself—an attempt to hide the very visible reaction from his body.
On Mu Fu’s end, her phone was on speaker. Even as she blow-dried her hair, she could hear bits of noise from the other side.
“What’s wrong?” she asked casually.
Zhi Jiu’s eyes flicked back to the screen. His gaze darkened further. “Nothing.”
Since he said that, Mu Fu didn’t press the matter and simply looked down again to resume drying her hair. Unseen by her, Zhi Jiu kept his eyes fixed on the screen, not even blinking. His burning stare locked on her, unrestrained and intense now that he no longer had to hide it.
Axolotl Translations 
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