One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 23

"I just..." Song Xici clutched the spicy braised dish tightly, her eyes darting around as she frantically searched for an excuse to justify herself. "I just wanted to see how... inappropriate it was for you to look at. And the result is... it's really not suitable for us to view. So in the future, we absolutely must not look at such things."

After finishing, Song Xici saw that Tang You’an was still motionless, staring at her with an expression that said "What on earth are you talking about?" So she continued: "Oh my, look, look at how much I worry about you. I was willing to risk... not danger, but risk to my eyes. I nearly went blind looking at it. Do you understand my good intentions?"

"Is that so?" Tang You’an let out a long breath.

"Of course it is. Why would I lie to you? What benefit would I get from lying?" Song Xici said this, but her face was as red as if she had drunk a bucket of chili oil.

After hearing this, although Tang You’an found her reaction strangely fascinating, she decided to just nod and accept what Song Xici said.

Afterwards, Song Xici hurriedly found an orange stool next to a pillar and sat down. She took out her phone and anxiously logged into Weibo, frowning as she checked the details.

Sure enough, it showed that she had liked someone's post at 8:20 in the morning. Her cheeks instantly turned red as tomatoes, and Song Xici hurriedly unliked the post.

But it felt like it was already too late...

At that moment, her comment section had exploded like fireworks. Every minute, numerous people came to observe, then liked and commented on her latest post from the day before, which read: "I feel so happy every day when I wake up. I hope you all are happy too!"

Top comment: "So that's what you meant. It seems you're indeed very 'happy' every day! [dog face]"

Second top comment: "So, were you 'happy' last night too?"

Third top comment: "Have you finally admitted to being the bottom? [funny face]"

"Sister, work hard to be 'happy' tonight too!"

...

It was too much, filled with suggestive content, unbearable to look at.

Song Xici stared at those comments, feeling the urge to kick her own head into the earth's core.

Then, she quickly typed and posted on Weibo: "Does anyone want to hear my explanation? It's not like that! You know, sometimes when browsing Weibo, your hand might accidentally touch a certain spot in the bottom right corner (frantically gesturing)"

Within seconds, Song Xici fell into despair.

"We won't listen to your nonsense!"

"Explaining equals covering up [dog face]"

"By the way, it's too late to unlike now, haha!"

...

So, Song Xici posted another Weibo with just one emoticon: "Goodbye world.jpg"

After posting, Song Xici's eyes went blank and her expression froze. She really wanted to bang her head against the nearby pillar and end it all.

Although Song Xici had already unliked the post, and not long after, that article was also censored, the heat of this incident continued to climb.

Soon after, Song Xici's WeChat group was bombarded with messages from Meng Meng.

Meng Meng: "Hahahahaha!"

Meng Meng: "I heard you liked a steamy fanfic about you and Tang You’an?!"

Song Xici: "..."

Meng Meng: "And it was written quite wild and uninhibited!!!"

Song Xici: "..."

Meng Meng: "And you were the one being pressed down! Hahaha [loud laughter.jpg]"

Song Xici: "Sister, are you trying to stir up trouble? Let's block each other. Contact me by message in a bottle if anything comes up. Manually saying goodbye.jpg"

Zhou Yi: "..."

Song Xici glanced at her phone, then continued leaning against the large pillar nearby, looking utterly dejected. She regretted it. She shouldn't have posted on Weibo. She was too flustered. She should have just quietly unliked the post. After posting, the heat became even more intense, skyrocketing as if riding a rocket.

Many latecomers to the drama began frantically searching for that article. Under the comments of various marketing accounts, people could be seen asking, "Who has the resources? Where can we read that article?"

"Xici, are you alright?" Tang You’an turned her head to look at her and asked.

Song Xici shook her head: "Little An..."

"Yes?"

"You might as well start preparing my funeral..."

Hearing this, Tang You’an immediately raised her hands in an exaggerated gesture: "Xici, don't go!"

Song Xici heard this and turned to look at her, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Then she looked away, wanting to speak again but holding back. She organized her thoughts, looked back at Tang You’an, pondered, and forgot what she was going to say.

At this moment, two girls walked by arm in arm.

Girl A: "Gosh, did you hear about that thing on Weibo? Song Xici was caught secretly reading steamy fanfiction about herself and her wife!"

Girl B: "I haven't seen it yet."

Girl A handed over her phone: "Here, take a look."

Girl B: "Hahahahahaha, how stupid!!!"

"Let's go buy something to drink and head home." Hearing this, Song Xici's face was covered in black lines as she turned to Tang You’an and said.

"Okay." Tang You’an nodded.

So, they both pulled up their masks and lowered their hats as they went to a milk tea shop.

"One Four Seasons Spring, please." Song Xici said in an intentionally low voice, as if she had a voice changer in her throat.

"One All Things Revive, please." Tang You’an quickly ordered as well.

"Alright, please wait a moment." The milk tea shop girl smiled with her eyes curved.

Song Xici stood there, occasionally glancing around. When she saw someone buried in their phone, she would wonder what they were looking at, and if they were paying attention to her messy situation.

After a while, the milk tea was ready, and the girl asked again: "Ladies, would you like to drink now or take it to go?"

"To go." Song Xici continued to speak in a low voice.

"Alright," the girl continued smiling, turned around to fiddle for a bit, then put them in bags with straws, "Here you go, please walk carefully."

"Thank you." Song Xici took the drinks and walked out of the mall with Tang You’an.

It wasn't until they sat in the car that Song Xici finally let out a sigh of relief.

Tang You’an sat beside her, only able to pat her shoulder in encouragement.

"Talk about bad luck..." Song Xici said as she took out the milk tea to drink. Just as she took it out, she suddenly noticed a note placed next to it.

Song Xici was stunned for a moment, then brought the note up to her eyes.

On it was written: "Wishing you a successful counterattack soon! ^_^"

"..." Song Xici closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, on the other side, when Liao Bixin on the film set heard about Song Xici's accidental like, she immediately opened Weibo.

As an old hand who had been in the entertainment industry for many years, after reading it, Liao Bixin rolled her eyes, holding her phone and coldly laughing: "Are these idiots blind? They can't even see that this is obviously hype."

It was clear before that those two had no love between them, and now suddenly they're so close? How could that be possible if it wasn't deliberate hype?!

She didn't like Song Xici and always wanted to outdo her for a reason. After all, when she and Song Xici hadn't signed with big companies, they belonged to the same agency, and then went to the same crew for auditions.

But when Song Xici went, although she didn't get the lead role, she got a very good supporting role with many cute settings, immediately winning the audience's favor. Liao Bixin, on the other hand, didn't even get the role of the evil female supporting character, just playing a minor background role.

After the audition, Liao Bixin heard that Song Xici actually came from a wealthy family, and immediately assumed that she must have bought the role with money. This made her extremely unhappy, as she didn't think her acting skills were inferior to Song Xici's.

Later, when the TV series aired, Song Xici's character even overshadowed the female lead, with the whole internet praising her and saying they preferred her to the lead. At that time, both Liao Bixin and the female lead had issues with her, feeling that Song Xici was too calculating, hiring people to post announcements criticizing the female lead and maliciously hyping herself up right after her debut, which was shameless.

As time went on, Song Xici became more and more successful. Although not considered top-tier, she was one of the popular young actresses with quite a large following. There were always numerous accounts praising her professionalism and ability to endure hardships, and news about Song Xici's early struggles could be seen everywhere. To Liao Bixin, this seemed incredibly fake and over-the-top.

Therefore, Liao Bixin had always looked down on Song Xici, thinking she was like Yue Buqun from the real world—hypocritical, pretentious, and cunning.

However, heaven has eyes. Later, after Song Xici got married, her ship sank. Her adorable wife Tang You’an was always causing trouble every day, exhausting all the goodwill from the public. Then, a drama Song Xici starred in flopped, and people got tired of her always playing good girl roles, feeling there was no breakthrough. Her popularity began to decline.

What goes around comes around. Watching Song Xici gradually slide down, finally becoming a minor character in the TV series she starred in, Liao Bixin felt nothing but joy.

But now, seeing that Song Xici was about to make a big move, mobilizing Tang You’an to start a new career in hype, with a trend of potentially snatching her variety show, Liao Bixin was really unhappy.

"The public is just like that," At this time, Liao Bixin's manager said beside her, "However, at first, the public is just curious about something new and will cooperate with their performance. But if they keep overdoing it like this, who knows, they might end up burning out."

"I can't wait for them to burn out... What about that variety show after the New Year?" Liao Bixin turned her head to look at her manager.

"Well..." The manager thought for a moment, "It's not settled yet. They said our price per episode is too high."

"The price is too high?" Liao Bixin laughed, "Me, Liao Bixin, the current national goddess, and the price is too high?!"

What kind of international joke was this crappy show trying to pull? Did they know who she was?

"I think saying the price is too high is just an excuse they're using to brush us off. I suspect they're considering Tang You’an and Song Xici," the manager sighed, "I have to say, those two have forcefully re-entered the public eye recently."

After hearing this, Liao Bixin's face darkened three shades. If she didn't snatch this show, she wouldn't be surnamed Liao!

After thinking for a moment, Liao Bixin used one of her small accounts to post on the #SongXiciLikesTangSongCPFic# topic: "It seems netizens really have the memory of a goldfish. Have you all forgotten the dirty things Tang You’an has done in the past? Can a person who has drunk-driven, cut in line, insulted the elderly, and taken drugs be whitewashed so easily? Where are your moral standards?"

After posting, Liao Bixin even bought a small promotion for this Weibo post.

Soon, the likes started to skyrocket, and someone even commented "Well said."

Then, someone else commented: "Yes, finally someone who understands. I find her disgusting."

Liao Bixin saw this and smiled.

However, about fifteen minutes later, someone with the username "Miya" commented: "Is there any solid evidence of drug use? Spreading rumors can land you in jail."

After reading this, Liao Bixin's face alternated between red and white. Seeing that Miya's avatar was Tang You’an, she crossed and uncrossed her legs, then typed: "Heh, are you a brain-dead fan? Isn't her extreme weight loss from last year to the first half of this year the best evidence? For the sake of your idol, just get lost."

"??? I just wanted to ask if you had any solid evidence. If you did, I would unstan her since I just started following her. And you tell me to get lost? Extreme weight loss equals evidence? Someone like you has the nerve to talk about moral standards? Give me a break!" Miya replied.

Thus, the comment section, which was originally full of people cheering for the blogger, was no longer one-sided and began to see different voices emerging.

"The blogger's quality is too low. Is it necessary to tell someone to get lost just for asking for solid evidence?"

"Is spreading rumors free of cost these days?"

"So according to you, if a person has made some mistakes in the past, even if they reform, it's useless? If that's the case, why bother reforming at all, might as well keep making mistakes till the end. Also, please provide evidence of drug use, thanks. That's the only thing I can't forgive."

After reading these comments, Liao Bixin's expression worsened even more. In a moment of panic, she entered a mode of attacking anyone she saw.

...

At this time, Tang You’an, who had just returned home, clicked into that topic again and happened to see this real-time popular Weibo post that had popped up.

So, Tang You’an turned her head and asked Song Xici: "What does 'taking drugs' mean?"

"It means using illegal substances. Why are you suddenly asking this?" Song Xici opened the spicy braised dish and paused.

"Someone said I've taken drugs before," Tang You’an passed her phone over, "Have I?"

"I don't know either... Last year, someone claimed they knew your original self and said they had witnessed your original self taking drugs in a nightclub private room. But when I asked your original self, she denied it."

Song Xici paused, then continued: "Although I don't have a good impression of your original self—she spoke harshly and had a lot of flaws—but things should be judged separately. I think your original self's extreme weight loss last year was because she never ate properly. She always felt that if she didn't maintain an even thinner figure, she wouldn't get any more roles, so she basically just ate a few bites at each meal. Then she had insomnia at night and often took sleeping pills."

Song Xici thought for a moment: "I think anyone would lose a lot of weight like that, right? But during this period, someone spread rumors saying she was using drugs. However, just a few days before that, I accidentally overheard your original self scoffing while scrolling news on the couch, saying something like 'Why can't these people behave, taking ice, bastards, they should all go to jail.' I think if a person has such thoughts about drugs in private, they probably wouldn't use them themselves. Oh, 'taking ice' also means using drugs."

"There's also the fact that some media reports are true, like drunk driving and so on. But some are actually not true... For example, the incident of verbally abusing an old lady on the street the year before last. I was there that day, and that old lady was actually trying to scam people, so your original self couldn't stand it and pulled her up from the ground to scold her. I tried to explain the truth of the situation, not to protect anyone, but I ended up getting scolded too. People simply wouldn't listen to explanations."

After listening, Tang You’an nodded thoughtfully, then replied under that Weibo post: "I can understand the blogger's intentions, so I'm also working hard to improve myself and strive to be a positive role model. I also hope the public can give me a chance to reform. However, I also ask the blogger to be cautious with their words and not arbitrarily create and spread rumors that mislead others. If necessary, I will have to take legal action."

After Tang You’an posted this comment, it quickly gained quite a few likes. But when Tang You’an refreshed the page, she found that the blogger had already deleted the Weibo post with the #SongXiciLikesTangSongCPFic# tag.

Then, people started commenting on some of the account's previous Weibo posts: "Why delete it as soon as you hear about legal action? Feeling guilty? Come on, keep going, don't be a coward!"

On the other side of the internet, Liao Bixin was shaking as she held her phone, wanting to lash out but unable to, her face turning green.

She truly hated that couple, Tang You’an and Song Xici!

A few days later.

Song Xici's scenes in "Merfolk of the Azure Sea" had also wrapped up. Meanwhile, after the second episode of "Literati Gathering" that Tang You’an participated in aired, it continued to receive rave reviews. Both the TV ratings and online views were soaring, and GIFs of her from the show were spreading all over the internet.

At the same time, Xu Ying's attitude towards Tang You’an began to do a complete 180-degree turn. She was always smiling and frantically hinting at the possibility of renewing her contract.

However, Tang You’an's answer was still that she needed to think about it.

Then, on a very leisurely afternoon when both of them were free.

Song Xici and Tang You’an, who were staying at home watching a melodramatic family drama to pass the time and criticize it, suddenly each received exciting news from their respective managers: The "My Farming Diary with Them" show team from Blue Sea TV, set to launch after the New Year, had extended an olive branch, asking if they were interested in participating in the recording. If so, could they find a time to discuss it properly?

The moment she received the good news, Song Xici jumped up from the sofa, clutching her phone. Then, like a koala, she clung onto Tang You’an, who had just opened a pack of spicy snacks and was walking over. Song Xici wrapped her arms around Tang You’an's neck, her legs hooked around her waist and back, and excitedly planted a kiss on her cheek: "Unbelievable, baby, you're truly my lucky charm!"

Tang You’an was stunned by this action, her eyebrows slightly raised as she silently looked at the soft cheek that had come so close to her own.

Song Xici's large, doe-like eyes stared into Tang You’an's deep ones for a moment, then darted left and right. She slowly released her hold on Tang You’an's neck, her legs dropping to the ground, and raised her hand to scratch her head.

Tang You’an tilted her head to look at her, then lowered her gaze and smiled gently, offering the spicy snacks: "Want some?"

"Yes." Song Xici said, reaching out to grab two pieces.

"Mm... no." Tang You’an shook her head, wagging her right index finger.

"Huh?"

"You have stomach problems. Just eat one, okay? I just learned that these are considered junk food." Tang You’an said with a smile.

"Tch..." Song Xici pretended to be annoyed, giving her a look, but then smiled and took just one piece, biting into it. She then replied to Chen Shihan, "Of course I'm interested!"

"Wow, it's that time already... We should tidy up, change clothes, and put on some light makeup for Qi Yuan's birthday party." Song Xici looked at the melodrama on TV, then glanced down at her phone screen.

"Do we need to put on makeup?" Tang You’an asked as she followed her upstairs.

"Of course we do! Do you know who Qi Yuan is? He's a super popular celebrity. He even specially sent out invitations for his 30th birthday. There will definitely be a lot of people at the birthday party—celebrities, directors, producers, and even some media friends. If we go bare-faced, we'll definitely be crushed!" Song Xici said.

After listening, Tang You’an nodded: "But I don't know how to apply makeup."

Song Xici paused in her steps, then turned to look at her: "It's okay. You just choose your clothes and change first. Any casual outfit you think looks good will do. After you're done, come to my room, and I'll do your makeup!"

"Okay." Tang You’an nodded.

Back in her room, Tang You’an rummaged through a line of clothes for a while before finally pulling out an apricot-colored coat. She walked to the full-length mirror and held it up against herself, then took out a light brown long sweater and black fitted leggings and put them on.

To be honest, when she first came here, she found the way people dressed here really confusing, thinking it was all a mess. For example, some rich people, despite having a lot of money, wore clothes full of holes, looking like beggars... But now, she had gotten used to it, and after looking through a few magazines, she even found some outfits quite attractive.

After changing, Tang You’an pulled her hair out, opened the door, and went to Song Xici's room, raising her hand to knock.

"Come in!" Song Xici's voice came from inside.

So, Tang You’an turned the doorknob and walked in.

Upon entering, Tang You’an followed the sound to Song Xici's walk-in closet doorway. Standing there, Tang You’an was stunned.

Inside, clothes were strewn all over the chairs, small sofa, and floor. Meanwhile, Song Xici, holding a black jacket and comparing it in front of the mirror, frowned again, flicked her wrist, and tossed the jacket onto the small chair behind her.

"If you weren't here, I'd think we'd been robbed..." Tang You’an said.

"Don't say anything, move aside, I've chosen my clothes and need to change!" Song Xici said as she ran barefoot across the fluffy beige carpet on the floor to the doorway.

Tang You’an nodded, then stepped out.

After wandering around for a bit, Tang You’an's gaze fell on the bed, remembering the time they had shared it. She couldn't help but smile slightly, the corners of her lips turning up. Though she didn't know exactly what she was smiling about.

A while later, Song Xici emerged wearing a fluffy beige coat.

"You go wash your face quickly, then come over here so I can get you ready." Song Xici adjusted her collar, walked to the bathroom to wash her face, then headed towards the dressing table.

So, Tang You’an went to wash her face, then came out and pulled up a chair to sit at the dressing table.

Song Xici pressed a switch, and after the cute little bulbs around the dressing table mirror all lit up, she picked up her phone, turned on a song, and placed it to the side.

"Come on, lean your face closer." Song Xici broke open an ampoule and beckoned to her.

Tang You’an leaned her body slightly towards her.

After putting some of the liquid from the ampoule in her palm, Song Xici smeared it all over Tang You’an's face, then gently rubbed it in.

Tang You’an was naturally beautiful, with exceptionally good skin that felt... very nice to touch. As Song Xici looked and thought about this, her gaze suddenly met Tang You’an's, causing her heart to skip a beat.

She couldn't take it! She really couldn't handle Tang You’an always looking at her like that!

So, Song Xici instantly withdrew her hand, sat up straight, and commanded: "Pat it in yourself."

"Okay." Tang You’an responded, then raised her hand to pat her forehead.

Then, Tang You’an asked: "What song is playing on your phone? It sounds nice, but I don't seem to understand the language."

"It's a foreign song, of course you don't understand it." Song Xici continued fiddling with various bottles and jars.

"Then, what is it about?" Tang You’an asked again.

"Wait a sec, let me see. Oh, it's 'I want to be your fish, swimming back and forth in your world; I want to be your cat, nuzzling back and forth in your arms...'" Song Xici pressed her phone, looked at the song's translation, then turned her head to look at Tang You’an.

"You want to be my cat..." Tang You’an raised her eyebrows slightly, joking, "Nuzzling back and forth in my arms?"

"What do you mean I want to be your cat, no, the lyrics say I want to be your cat, oh my..." Song Xici felt she couldn't explain it clearly no matter what.

"Yes, be my cat." Tang You’an's lips curled into a gentle smile as she continued to joke.

"I told you, it's not that I want to be your cat!" Song Xici said, standing up angrily with her right hand clenched into a fist, intending to bonk Tang You’an on the head. However, she stepped on her own gauzy skirt, and as her hair fluttered, she tumbled into Tang You’an's arms.

The wind rose, stirring the light white curtains. Tang You’an was momentarily stunned as she embraced the girl who had accidentally fallen into her arms, dressed in fluffy clothes like a small animal.

"Then why did you come into my arms?" Tang You’an leaned down slightly, whispering in her ear.

"..." Song Xici bit her lower lip hard. "I'll kill you..."

However, hearing this only made Tang You’an want to laugh. What should she do? Tang You’an just found the person in front of her more and more adorable.

She was cute when she was angry, gritting her teeth and flailing her arms. She was cute when she smiled. She was cute when she ate. She was cute when she drank milk. She was cute when she rummaged through things in her closet. In short, she was cute no matter what she was doing.

What was she to do with her?