Chapter 17

Ying Quhe held the note, looking slightly dazed, clearly not expecting Xi Mi to slip away early. He couldn’t help but feel he had been feeding an ungrateful creature all this time.

Meanwhile, Xi Mi let out a sudden sneeze.

Ji Donglin handed her a tissue and asked, “Is the air conditioning too cold?”

“Could we roll down the windows? Natural air might feel better.” There was perfume in Ji Donglin’s car, and combined with the air conditioning, it felt a bit suffocating since she wasn’t used to riding in cars.

Ji Donglin lowered the windows, letting streams of cool air flood the car.

While Ji Donglin focused on driving, Xi Mi took a subtle glance at him. Clean-cut and dressed in a neat white shirt, he had a slender build. Unlike a mature man like Ying Quhe, he radiated the bright, youthful energy typical of someone her own age.

As for his looks… he was remarkably handsome. Calling him a heartthrob to his fans was no exaggeration at all.

Stopped at a red light, Ji Donglin turned to meet Xi Mi’s bright black eyes. He flashed a brilliant smile and said, “Has Her Majesty the Empress been hopelessly captivated by my looks?”

“…” Xi Mi nearly choked on her breath and quickly looked out the window.

When Ji Donglin smiled, two cute little canine teeth showed. “Just kidding. Look at how shy you are. We’re heading to the cafe first; the fans are all waiting.”

At the mention of the fans, Xi Mi was brought back to reality.

She excitedly fidgeted with her fingers, blinking as she asked, “Do I really have a lot of fans?”

Ji Donglin chuckled. “Yeah, tons! So many fans asked to meet you, so I picked a few representatives who are waiting at the cafe right now.”

Xi Mi also felt she must have quite a few fans. After all, how the QQ group blew up the moment she logged in yesterday was definitely not an illusion!

Ji Donglin had booked out the entire cafe. The electronic display by the door read: “Xi Xi Xi Mi Fan Meetup”.

Xi Mi paused at the entrance, staring at the screen and thinking how flashy it looked.

The atmosphere inside was pleasant. A group of people was sitting comfortably on the sofas, and when they saw her enter, they all stood up to welcome her.

Among them were a middle-aged man in a sleek suit, a young boy wearing a red scarf with a three-stripe armband^[1], and an Old Lady who looked over eighty years old.

The Old Lady took Xi Mi’s hands warmly, as if greeting her own granddaughter. “You must be our Xi Mi, right? I’m your diehard fan! My grandson and I are both your diehard fans!” The Old Lady paused for a moment and turned to ask her little grandson, “That’s the right word, isn’t it? ‘Diehard fan’?”

Seeing Xi Mi, the boy in the red scarf blushed unexpectedly, holding his breath as he nodded to his grandmother.

Ji Donglin gestured toward the middle-aged man and introduced him. “Xi Mi, this is the vice president of our fan club, Lao Qin.” He indicated the Old Lady and the boy. “These two are the fan club’s Left and Right Protectors. And this little guy is our group moderator, responsible for maintaining order in the QQ and Weibo groups.”

“A moderator?” Xi Mi was left speechlessly awkward. They had even appointed “Protectors.” How was she any different from the leader of a cult?

Why on earth was a young kid acting as a moderator?!

Addressing her confusion, the Old Lady explained, “I don’t know how to work those complicated online things. Little Ji and Xiao Qin are usually busy with work, and our Xiao Ming doesn’t have much to do outside of school, so he’s the best fit.”

Xiao Ming nodded, saying with sudden bashfulness, “Yeah, Sister Xi, school is really easy for me. Don’t look down on me! I manage our class group chat, too.”

This unique mix of young and old was so endearing that she felt a little overwhelmed by their affection.

She had only passed a preliminary round and wasn’t some master chef, so what had she done to deserve such a wonderful group of fans? T.T

At noon, the group went down to the riverbank to eat crayfish.

The view by the river was wide and open, with a cool breeze stirring in the shade of the trees. Spicy crayfish paired with iced beer was an absolute match made in heaven.

Ji Donglin picked out a few of the plumpest, flavor-soaked crayfish with his chopsticks and put them into Xi Mi’s bowl. Seeing her bowl overflowing, Xi Mi hurriedly covered it with her hand. “That’s enough, that’s enough! I’ll get more myself after I finish these.”

Ji Donglin cheerfully put down his chopsticks, rested his chin in his hands across from Xi Mi, and gazed at her with starry-eyed admiration.

Xi Mi picked up a crayfish, sucked out the sweet and spicy broth, and peeled the shell to reveal the plump tail meat, satisfying her completely. The seasoning was spot on, leaving a subtle sweetness wrapped in the meat alongside a lingering numbing spice on her tongue.

Ji Donglin asked, “Is it good?”

Xi Mi took a sip of iced beer, and the burning spice was instantly tamed by the refreshing chill. She nodded emphatically. Delicious, so good!

The Old Lady said, “If it’s good, eat more! Have your fill! By the way, dear, what’s your real name?”

Her eyes curved into crescents as she said, “You can all just call me Xi Mi!”

The Old Lady asked again, “Little Ji mentioned that you’re looking to rent a place? I have an old two-bedroom apartment for rent. It’s usually five hundred Yuan a month, but if you want it, I’ll let you have it for three hundred.”

Xi Mi froze mid-bite. “Really?”

The Old Lady’s eyes crinkled into happy slits as she smiled. Xiao Ming patted his chest and chimed in, “A real man’s word is his bond! Even if Grandma changes her mind, I, as the sole heir of our family, decide to rent it to you for three hundred Yuan!”

The Old Lady gave the boy a light smack on the head. “You little brat, why are you interrupting when adults are talking?”

Xiao Ming rubbed his head and went back to munching on crayfish, his bright eyes stealing glances at Xi Mi now and then. Once the adults finished talking, he finally said, “Sister Xi Mi, you’re really pretty! You’re even prettier than Brother Ji!”

Ji Donglin said, “You little rascal! What did you say when you were the president of my fan club? Didn’t we promise to be each other’s angels? How did we end up tearing each other down?”

Delighted by the compliment, Xi Mi didn’t hide her joy at all, flashing a bright, toothy smile. “Xiao Ming, kids as clever, brave, and honest as you are rare these days.”

Halfway through the meal, the quiet Lao Qin wiped his hands, stood up, and said to them, “Take your time, everyone. I have some business to handle at the company, so I’ll be taking my leave first.”

Only after Lao Qin left did Xi Mi feel less restrained. She casually remarked, “Lao Qin has a family, doesn’t he? How did he end up as the vice president of the fan club?” After all, he was a mature middle-aged man. How could he have so much free time?

Ji Donglin said, “Yeah. Don’t let his quiet demeanor fool you; both of the major amusement parks in Jinyang belong to Lao Qin. Whenever our fan club needs to organize giveaways or fan perks, he funds it all himself.”

Xi Mi took a sip of iced Sprite to calm her nerves.

Every one of them sounded so impressive.

Even the little kid was a student leader wearing a three-stripe red scarf. She suddenly felt that her fan club had a delightfully unique style of its own…

*

After having a meal with her oddly charming fan club, Ji Donglin brought Xi Mi to the residential community mentioned by the Old Lady. He was in charge of getting the key and showing her around the place.

The old apartment was near the Third Ring Road. The community was indeed quite old, with dull, dreary gray exterior walls. The apartment had virtually no interior decoration: bare concrete floors, a ceiling fan in the dining area, and bathroom floor tiles so blackened that their original color was barely discernible.

Ji Donglin hadn’t expected the conditions to be this abysmal either. He said, “How about I look for another place for you? Living here is way too miserable. You’re someone with a fan club, after all.”

Although she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having her own fan club, the harsh slap of reality reminded her that someone in her current position didn’t have the luxury of choice.

Standing at the bathroom doorway, Ji Donglin stared at the filthy floor and didn’t even dare to set foot inside.

He genuinely admired the Goddess. Not only did she step right inside, but she walked all around and even turned the handle of a long-rusted faucet.

Rusty water gushed out with a loud splash, filling the air with the sharp smell of rust.

Pinching his nose, he said, “Goddess, I have spare rooms at my place. Why don’t you move in with me? As for the rent, you can just pay a symbolic amount.”

Xi Mi turned him down decisively. After all, she had just met Ji Donglin. He had already treated her to dinner, which made her feel uneasy enough; she really couldn’t bring herself to freeload off him.

Besides, staying at someone else’s house was bound to be inconvenient. With the competition right around the corner, she needed a kitchen of her own to practice.

Xi Mi paid a month’s rent upfront, then followed Ji Donglin to a supermarket outside the community to buy some basic daily necessities.

By the time they returned to the community, it was already eight in the evening, and the sky had turned pitch-black. Xi Mi took the bags from Ji Donglin and said, “I can carry these up myself. You’ve been helping me out all day, so go back and get some rest.”

Ji Donglin looked at her longingly, indicating he’d love to go up and grab a bite.

Xi Mi said, “Once I get this place cleaned up in a few days, I’ll cook a grand feast for everyone.”

Ji Donglin walked out of the community, looking back every three steps, and sat in his car for a long while before reluctantly driving off.

Ji Donglin, who was usually worshipped as an idol by his own fans, finally experienced what it felt like to chase an idol today.

He posted a heartfelt message in their small chat group:

“The Goddess is even cuter in person than on TV. I think I’ve completely fallen, my youthful heart is exploding, and I’m tasting the flavor of first love. _(:з)∠)_”

– Lao Qin: “Little Xi Mi belongs to everyone.”

– Old Lady: “Little Xi Mi belongs to everyone.”

– Xiao Ming: “Xi Mi Sister is mine! ╮(╯▽╰)╭”

【System Notification】”Xiao Ming Xiao Ming” has been removed from the group by the owner.

*

Xi Mi gave the rental apartment a thorough cleaning inside and out. She placed two stalks of green lucky bamboo in a vase in the bedroom, put on fresh bedding, and smoothed out the sheets neatly. Finally, it felt a little like home.

Lying on the bed, she took a whiff of the fresh cotton fragrance, then unlocked her phone to see a WeChat message from Ying Quhe: “Where are you?”

Xi Mi replied with a tongue-sticking-out emoji: “Reporting to Mr. Ying, I’ve successfully rented an apartment and temporarily have a cozy little nest of my own! Thank you so much for taking care of me these past few days, Mr. Ying. Do you need something, meow?”

“I asked where you are.”

Xi Mi: “? Was the lodging fee I gave you last night not enough? I can send you a WeChat red packet. How much more do I owe?”

Ying Quhe: “I don’t accept red packets. Where are you? I’m coming over.”

Xi Mi shared her location via WeChat, then checked her mobile banking balance afterward.

Culinary Dao had lent her 9,999 Yuan. That money was strictly for emergencies and couldn’t be spent recklessly. Once she got through this tough spot, she would have to pay it back.

The landlady had settled her three hundred Yuan in wages, and Ying Quhe had given her nine hundred. Subtracting the red packets, the lodging fee she paid Ying Quhe last night, and the rent she just paid, she had less than seven hundred Yuan left.

That meant she had to survive on these few hundred Yuan for the foreseeable future.

An hour later, the raspy doorbell rang.

Xi Mi opened the door and saw Ying Quhe standing in the hallway dressed in a tracksuit, headphones slung around his neck. One hand was tucked into his pocket while the other hung naturally, a plastic bag hooked around his long, elegant fingers.

Inside were vegetables, meat, and two lemons.

Seeing Xi Mi staring blankly, Ying Quhe asked, “Not welcoming me?”

“No, not at all.” It was Xi Mi’s first time seeing Ying Quhe in such youthful, athletic attire. He seemed to transform instantly from a ruthless business mogul into a sunny young man who loved sports.

As soon as Ying Quhe stepped into the apartment, a musty, damp odor greeted his nostrils. He frowned instinctively and handed the ingredients to Xi Mi. “Make something to eat. I’m hungry.”

Xi Mi held the groceries and stared at his back. “Mr. Ying, so you came all this way not just to collect lodging fees, but also to hire free labor?”

Ying Quhe scanned the living room with a single glance, then turned back to look at her with a serious expression. “From now on, call me Lao Qu, just like Jianjian does. Make me a meal, and we’ll call your room fee even.”

Xi Mi let out an “Mm” sound and turned toward the kitchen holding the ingredients.

Ying Quhe hooked her collar with his long fingers. “Hold on, I still have something to ask you.”

Xi Mi was yanked back by him. “What is it?”

“Do you have other friends in Jinyang?”