"Wei Xin, I like you!"
At the gala venue, a woman dressed in a dark teal long dress stood holding flowers and gifts, loudly confessing her love.
The object of her confession was also a woman.
Yet the other person just stood there blankly, as if she hadn't quite processed what was happening.
Wei Xin, who had just experienced sudden cardiac death and rebirth, was completely dazed.
No wonder this scene felt so familiar—she had actually been reborn on the exact night Xu Wenyi confessed to her?!
The timing was awkward beyond words...
Wei Xin tried to recall what she had said in her past life, hoping to copy her answers.
Unfortunately, having just opened her eyes, her mind was still spinning.
With no other choice, she decided to pretend to be surprised, smiling as she readily accepted.
The two embraced, the lights converging upon them like stars surrounding the moon.
The entertainment reporters in the audience were fired up, camera flashes washing over them like a tide.
Wei Xin endured and endured, until she finally reached her limit and muttered, "Um... you're crushing my hair."
"Who told you to wear it loose..."
Xu Wenyi, meticulously dressed up, flicked her gaze, the corners of her mouth curling into a wide arc as she gently helped her girlfriend untangle her locks while talking back.
Wei Xin felt like she was about to be strangled. "Go easy, why are you hugging me so tight?"
They weren't even actually dating; it was just a contract romance for publicity. Where was her professional ethics? How could she use this opportunity for personal revenge?
"Why were you zoning out just now? Where is your professional ethics? What would we do if the haters caught any flaws and exposed us?"
Xu Wenyi kept her lips still, but her speed didn't slow down a bit, her words popping out like machine-gun fire.
*Are we almost done?* Wei Xin rolled her eyes internally. *My face is frozen from smiling.*
Xu Wenyi curled her fingers, her right index finger gently tracing the triangular black mole on the inside of her webbed thumb.
She closed her eyes, concealing the emotions deep within them, and said, "I want to take a few more pictures..."
"But I need to use the restroom."
The moment the words left her mouth, Wei Xin felt a sharp poke in her spine.
"What are you doing?"
It had been a while since the two had spent time together, and Wei Xin felt a bit nervous. Was Xu Wenyi going to beat her up?
"When nature calls, it calls, I didn't want this either. Or else—"
"Hold it."
"How are you supposed to hold something like this? Be reasonab—"
"Then carry me out." Xu Wenyi opened her eyes, her smile deepening, a barely perceptible relief hidden within her anticipation.
Wei Xin wanted to refuse outright, but the words died on her lips.
Xu Wenyi's voice, carrying a trace of teasing yet intensely seductive undertones, brushed against her ear, making her feel an itch deep in her heart.
"Wei Xin, I just confessed my feelings to you, shouldn't you carry me?"
Wei Xin took a deep breath, scooped up Xu Wenyi, and carried her away.
The crowd behind them plunged into madness once more, experiencing a mass reversion to primal ancestors.
"This trip was totally worth it! Headline secured, performance metrics met, bonus guaranteed—hahaha, I'm gonna be rich!"
"What's going on? Aren't they sworn rivals???"
"What do you know? Former rivals turning into lovers is the only way to get traffic! Use that headline and post it right now, don't let the rival outlet beat us to it!"
"Look, look, a bridal style carry! What do you think they're going to do tonight, ahhhhhh!"
"They're going to the restroom... Sister Xin seems to be heading toward the restroom... Should we follow them?"
"???"
"???"
It wasn't just the entertainment reporters and paparazzi who were baffled; Xu Wenyi in the restroom was equally confused.
"Are you actually going to the restroom???"
"Duh. Gala programs are like an old man's sweat rag—stinky and endlessly long. I've been needing to go for ages."
Wei Xin randomly picked a lucky stall, threw a strange look at Xu Wenyi before closing the door, and asked, "What are you still standing there for?"
Before her sudden death in her past life, she hadn't even had time to use the restroom—it had been utterly miserable...
Since heaven had given her a second chance at life, she was determined to seize it properly.
Exercising hard every day and preventing sudden death started with her!
Her brand-new life would begin with timely bathroom breaks!
Wei Xin shut the door. "You better run. In a minute that pack of zombies is going to follow us here and you won't be able to get away."
Xu Wenyi looked at the closed door, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. "Run from what? We aren't in an underground relationship. Am I that shameful to be seen with?"
Wei Xin was speechless. "Please refrain from launching personal attacks while I am in the middle of using the restroom."
Fine. Xu Wenyi adopted the reasonable suggestion and leaned against the wall to play on her phone.
#XuWenyiConfession# Trending-Explosive
#XinYi# Trending-Explosive
#FormerRivalsTurnedLoversIsTheOnlyWayToGetTraffic# Trending-Explosive
[Oh my god, oh my milk, the first major gossip of the new year is actually self-exposed by the subjects! What use do I have for you lot of paparazzi?]
[Calm down, Your Majesty, this minister is currently editing a couple video, we've already reached the wedding stage!]
[Following already, don't let me down.]
[Forgive this world for one second.]
[Wait, since when did they get together??? There wasn't even a whisper of a rumor!]
[True couples are like this: zero public frames together in front of people, sharing the same bed behind their backs.]
[Why do I feel like this is just a stunt...]
[I think so too. Yiyi's expression before the confession was so blank and kind of dazed, it... didn't really look like a real couple.]
[It has to be fake! They were fighting, I saw Xu Wenyi poke our Sister Xin's spine!!!]
[Impossible, absolutely impossible. If they were fighting, how could Sister Xin's fiery temper possibly allow her to hug Xu Wenyi for so long?]
[What's up with this "rivals to lovers" hashtag??? They aren't even trying to hide the marketing stunts from us anymore???]
[Oh, that? The paparazzi didn't finish drafting the copy before posting it, and the trolls found it and pushed it to the top of the hot searches.]
...
In just over ten minutes, the romance between the two had surged to the top of the hot searches, far exceeding the anticipated traffic.
Xu Wenyi surfed the web on her burner account, observing the comment section and occasionally dropping a critique or two.
"Why are they all putting your name first???"
"Wei Xin? Wei Xin?" Xu Wenyi put down her phone and walked over to the stall in question. "Are you still in there?"
Why isn't she talking? She didn't fall in, did she?!
Seemingly sensing the other person's intent to forcefully break the door down, Wei Xin hurriedly spoke up to stop her. "Shut up, I'm metabolizing."
"Are you... constipated?"
Wei Xin went black in front of the eyes and randomly brushed her off. "Are you out of your mind? Does your period resolve itself in one minute???"
Xu Wenyi expressed profound apology. "Sorry, I'll wait for you outside."
"Get back here!" Wei Xin was practically fuming to death. "I told you to leave earlier and you wouldn't! Now there are reporters everywhere outside, what are you going to say out there by yourself? That I'm constipated?!"
Xu Wenyi was silent for a moment. "Then should I play a song to cheer you on? How about *The Strong Military Battle Hymn*?"
Wei Xin hadn't heard a single word of what Xu Wenyi said.
A glaring red flashed endlessly in her mind, startlingly vivid.
No wonder she had suddenly died in her past life—it turned out there had been signs long ago.
How had she not realized sooner that her physical condition had reached this poin—
"Listen to the bugle call of the new expedition, the goal of a strong military calls ahead..."
Before she even had time to grieve, she was dragged back to reality by the resounding, powerful singing.
Wei Xin: "..."
Wei Xin wore a dark expression as she pushed the door open and stepped out.
"Why is your complexion so terrible?" Xu Wenyi flipped through her portable pouch. "I have painkillers here, do you—"
"No need. Once the interviews are over, everyone goes their separate ways." Wei Xin coldly pushed Xu Wenyi's hand away. "Teacher Xu, remember to keep your fans on a tight leash. Don't forget, cooperation brings mutual benefit."
Xu Wenyi's hand holding the medicine paused. "Wei—"
Before the words could escape, the other party had already departed decisively, leaving only a gust of wind in her wake.
...