Why Was Xing Yue Acting Like This?

Why was Xing Yue being like this?

Bu Yao did as she was told and sent no more WeChat messages to interrupt Xing Yue at work. Xing Yue, on the other hand, found herself distracted all evening.

If the studio air-conditioning hadn't been on, she would have broken a sweat.

She found herself remembering the day she had picked up Bu Yao's shed snakeskin. It was the first one Bu Yao had shed after reaching adulthood, thin as a cicada's wing, so delicate Xing Yue had feared it would crumble in her hands. It was as soft as silk. Even without seeing Bu Yao, she could tell it had come from a tender young Little Fire Snake.

Her skin must have been smooth and pale to produce such a beautiful shed.

When Xing Yue finished work, she was packing up when Qiao Rui came over. After sending everyone else out of the Studio, she handed Xing Yue a document.

"It's the contract the company signed with New Shadow Entertainment. Take a look and sign it. The show's due to start filming in two months, so it's a little rushed. You'll need to prepare."

As if she could predict Xing Yue's reaction, Qiao Rui pulled out a chair and sat across from her, ready for a long talk.

New Shadow Entertainment was one of the Bu Family's businesses. It ranked among their more notable ventures, but the family's biggest earners brought in far more than entertainment did.

Xing Yue read through the document. Before she had even finished the first page, her eyes had darkened. Though her face was cold as ice, she didn't lose her temper. She turned each page until she reached the last word of the last page.

"The company really wants me on a show like this?" She took off her glasses. Her eyes were aching with fatigue, but she lifted her head and looked straight at the manager she had worked with for so many years. "Sister Qiao, I know variety shows draw attention these days, but has the company considered what kind of performer I am? I'm a cover singer. You want me competing on a performance show?"

She had thought the company would put her in a singing competition, something focused on vocal skill. She hadn't expected to have to dance, act out scripts, let cameras follow her around the rehearsal room, and take part in all kinds of marketing.

The contestants were mostly veterans who had once been famous and then faded. None were unknown newcomers. Xing Yue was the only online cover singer among them. The others were actors who had starred in hit dramas, original singers with bestselling songs, and former idol-group members now performing solo.

The show traded on nostalgia. Xing Yue had no original work to her name. Viewers would mock her just for being there. It would look like she'd pulled strings to get in.

Qiao Rui had known Xing Yue would object. It was only natural.

She laced her fingers beneath her chin and said earnestly, "Madam Bu thinks that if you were younger, creating a talent show just for you wouldn't be a problem. But at your age, this is the kind of show that will get people talking. You don't have any original songs or name recognition for a singing competition. A variety show is different. With all those big names around you, how could you fail to draw attention?"

It was like casting an internet celebrity as the lead in a Hollywood blockbuster. People would notice the newcomer among all those stars right away. Whether they cursed her or laughed at her, even bad publicity was publicity. The real danger was getting no reaction at all.

Seeing Xing Yue's expression, Qiao Rui tried to persuade her. "You'll win in the end anyway. So what if the whole world can tell you're living off someone else's money? They'd do the same if they could."

The money was there to be made. Wouldn't she take it? Qiao Rui knew what troubled Xing Yue. Her singing really was outstanding; otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed popular online for so many years.

But on a show with a lineup this uneven, Xing Yue would be mocked even if her talent carried her through. The moment she appeared on-screen, people would assume the result had been fixed.

Qiao Rui didn't know what had happened between Xing Yue and Madam Bu. She had heard, though, that Xing Yue was close to the Bu Family's eldest daughter. Madam Bu was ruthless to put her own daughter's partner through this.

She laid a pen on the desk and urged, "Sign it. You have two months. The company's already found you a dance teacher. You're set to come first, but you still need to put in the work. Don't coast."

The corner of the contract crumpled in Xing Yue's grip. Her thumb ached from how hard she pressed it...

Madam Bu could easily have brought in other online celebrities like Xing Yue to make the show feel more believable. Instead, she had arranged it this way to humiliate her. Humiliating Xing Yue within the Bu Family wasn't enough; she wanted to do it in front of the whole country.

Perhaps it was too much to bear. The color drained from Xing Yue's lips, and she felt as though she had been thrown back to that charity gala ten years ago. No one had told her who would be there or what kind of event it was.

Surrounded by prominent figures in business and politics, she understood nothing of their academic discussions or business talk. Every question left her at a loss. Madam Bu had watched her from the crowd, looking her up and down just as they did, her gaze full of condescension and arrogance.

Madam Bu had never truly accepted Xing Yue. She simply doted on Bu Yao too much to deny her anything. So she supported their marriage while humiliating Xing Yue, making sure she never forgot, for a moment, that she had married above her station.

In the end, Xing Yue wrote her name on the blank signature line. Every stroke felt heavy with helplessness.

Qiao Rui took the contract and breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid Xing Yue would refuse and the company would lose its cash cow. She offered a few perfunctory words of comfort. "Don't worry. The company will make the arrangements. You can have three days off, then the grueling training starts. Get some rest."

Xing Yue was alone in the Studio. She covered her face with both hands, her eyes stinging. She sat like that for a long, long time...

Everyone else had left, but the light in Xing Yue's office was still on. She raised her head, put her glasses back on, and showed no expression at all.

The door suddenly opened. Bu Yao had come looking for Xing Yue at work after waiting so long for her to come home. She was carrying a box.

"Didn't you say you were working late? Why are you the only one here?" Bu Yao set the box on the desk and began opening it.

She had probably only just drawn her snake tail back in. Faint traces of Snake Scales were still visible on her pale cheeks.

Xing Yue took a steadying breath. The ice in her expression melted at once, and she pulled Bu Yao onto her lap. "I was just about to head home. What did you buy?"

She tried to be gentler with Bu Yao, but even her smile felt forced.

Bu Yao gave a startled jump and instinctively got off Xing Yue's lap. Why was Xing Yue being like this?

When they were married, they had argued often. Apart from in bed, they had hardly been affectionate. To be pulled onto Xing Yue's lap out of nowhere left her wide-eyed with surprise. Then her cheeks slowly flushed.

Bu Yao's reaction lifted Xing Yue's mood a little. She turned her attention to the box.

Bu Yao had bought Xing Yue a new phone. She looked at Xing Yue sheepishly, unsure whether she would refuse it. "Use this one. You can put the old one away."

She wasn't asking Xing Yue to throw the old phone out, only to keep it safe and use the new one instead.

When Xing Yue didn't answer, she added, "Is that okay?"

The look on her face made Xing Yue pull her close and hand her the phone.

Bu Yao's face grew warm. She was visibly delighted, but Xing Yue's silence made her hard to read. Bu Yao still didn't know whether she really wanted the new phone.

Bu Yao used the SIM ejector pin to remove the card from the old phone and put it in the new one.

She glanced sideways at Xing Yue, then sent over two photos from her own phone by Bluetooth. Both had been taken that day at Camellia Tree Courtyard. In one, her tail curled to the left. She set it as the lock-screen wallpaper.

She looked at Xing Yue again. When Xing Yue didn't object, she set the other photo, with her tail a little farther to the right, as the home-screen wallpaper.

That way, going from the lock screen to the home screen made it look like her snake tail was swaying.

Bu Yao was pleased with her handiwork. Xing Yue, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke.

"I have three days off. Will you spend them with me?"

Bu Yao remembered Xing Yue saying on the phone that she wanted a taste of her little tail. She buried her face in Xing Yue's neck and nodded, her Snake Tongue gently licking Xing Yue's collarbone.

"I'll be busier after the break." Xing Yue took Bu Yao's wrist and circled it with her thumb and forefinger, the gesture intimate. "The show your family's New Shadow Entertainment is sending me to isn't easy. I'll have to give it everything I've got. I can't waste the opportunity your mother gave me."

At that, Bu Yao sat up straight. "Will it be exhausting?"

She didn't want Xing Yue to work herself so hard.

Xing Yue looked at Bu Yao, then turned her gaze away before two seconds had passed. She looked at the tip of Bu Yao's nose, then at her lips—anywhere but her eyes.

Her gaze was deep as she lifted Bu Yao's hand and rubbed it against her cheek. "Of course it'll be tiring. But your company is paying me well. If I'm making that much money, I should put in the work to match. Don't worry about me."

Listening to Xing Yue talk so softly about her work made Bu Yao feel as though she had a place in Xing Yue's life.

"Your mother probably doesn't follow entertainment news very closely." Xing Yue held Bu Yao's small hand and played with her rosy fingertips. "Everyone else on that stage is a big name. The pressure is enormous."

Bu Yao heard the worry beneath Xing Yue's words. "Don't be nervous," she said encouragingly. "I'll ask the company to bring a few lesser-known stars and online celebrities onto the show."

With all kinds of contestants, Xing Yue wouldn't be at the bottom from the start. Surely that would ease some of the pressure.

Xing Yue wrapped her arms around Bu Yao. Whether she was exhausted or something else was wrong, she buried her face deep against Bu Yao's chest and breathed evenly. "How thoughtful of you, young lady," she teased.

Praise like that made Bu Yao blush. Her mother had said everyone liked people who were exceptional, gentle, and considerate.

When Xing Yue praised her this way, Bu Yao felt as though Xing Yue liked her a little more.

Her snake tail, which she had only recently drawn back in, began to emerge again and drooped down. The moment it touched Xing Yue, it coiled around her in uncontrollable excitement, Snake Scales rippling along its entire length...