Ch. 9 | YYUpdates

August 17, 2023

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And the most crucial thing is, these fleeting memories, even if not revisited, do not affect the overall viewing experience and plot of the film. These memories within the film are like hidden Easter eggs, making it quite interesting.

A group of people were engrossed in discussing the film when they didn’t notice someone walking towards them.

“Xiaoyue’s work this time is truly outstanding,” a male voice forcefully interrupted the tea party of the five girls.

Yan Yue didn’t even bother to look up; the guy’s oil had already splattered on her…

Qin Zhenyun had somehow arrived there without anyone noticing. After greeting everyone, he grabbed a chair and sat down beside Yan Yue.

The table was long, with Yan Yue sitting by the corridor for easy access. Qin Zhenyun casually sat down next to her, a smile on his face that he couldn’t hide, as if he was pleased for her. When he saw she wanted to drink milk tea, he immediately picked up the milk tea and offered it to her.

Yan Yue: “…”

Su Manman and the others: “…………”

An Xiaoyu couldn’t help but roll her eyes. As soon as she finished rolling, she saw Yan Yue, who was sitting diagonally across from her, also rolling her eyes. An uncontrollable chuckle escaped her lips.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Su Manman quickly intervened, “Teacher Qin, are you here to eat too?”

Qin Zhenyun pushed his single-sided glasses on his right eye with his index finger and smirked, “Yes and no.” He glanced gently at Yan Yue and continued, “Originally, I was planning to treat Xiaoyue to celebrate for her. Unfortunately, the lady has a prior engagement, so I had to brazenly invite myself.”

Yan Yue shifted slightly away from the oil blob and smiled, “Indeed, quite brazen.”

Qin Zhenyun, unaware of his behavior, saw everything Yan Yue did as her way of playing hard to get, all just shyness. His smile deepened, “Brazen about what? Hm?”

Yan Yue patted her pocket, took out a mirror, and held it up to him with a smile, “I meant your foundation is quite thick. Didn’t expect Teacher Qin to be a makeup expert.”

Qin Zhenyun: “?”

Qin Zhenyun: “???”

For a moment, his expression froze. He even doubted whether he had applied too much makeup when he touched up outside.

When he realized that Yan Yue was deliberately being ambiguous, his right hand had already instinctively taken hold of Yan Yue’s mirror.

Qin Zhenyun: “…………”

Yan Yue was like she got zapped by electricity. She immediately let go of the mirror, covering her nose with a furrowed brow, “Sorry, I’m allergic to foundation. I better keep my distance from Teacher Qin.” After saying that, she stood up, glancing at An Xiaoyu and Wu Hua, who were struggling not to burst into laughter at the dining table.

An Xiaoyu, for the first time, found herself in sync with Yan Yue. Struggling to hold back a laugh, her face turned red. “Um, have you all finished eating? Didn’t Wu Hua just mention wanting to go to the Yoyo Mecha Store? If we don’t go soon, they’ll close.”

Wu Hua reacted swiftly, “Right! If we don’t go now, they’ll close. Let’s go.”

Afterwards, he courteously asked, “Teacher Qin, would you like to join us?”

Qin Zhenyun’s face turned colorful, but he managed to feign composure, “Sure, let’s go together. As a gentleman, I’ll escort you back to the base.” Finally, he couldn’t help but give Yan Yue a flirtatious look.

Yan Yue twitched her lips, seemingly about to say something. But Qin Zhenyun, who had just been teased about his heavy foundation, decisively took the lead, “Let’s go, or they’ll close.”

But this couldn’t hide their shock. Soon, the glasses-wearing female store employee whispered to another slightly chubby employee, “Did you see the news?”

The chubby employee was equally astonished, “I saw it! What the heck? What’s going on? How did our general manager suddenly end up inside?”

The glasses-wearing employee shook her head frantically, “Who am I supposed to ask? Do you think it’s that new Deputy Manager Xiao You who’s responsible?”

The chubby employee said, “That’s impossible. My friend at headquarters said Deputy Manager Xiao You is really nice, and it’s actually our general manager…”

At this point, the chubby employee looked around, saw no one nearby, and began to gossip in hushed tones with her colleague.

The voices of the two employees suddenly grew fainter. Yan Yue placed the pendant back, and so did Su Manman, An Xiaoyu, Wu Hua, and Shui Shui. The five of them exchanged glances, and Yan Yue pointed to a shelf closer to the counter, speaking calmly, “How about we go take a look over there? Those items seem cute too.”

Su Manman nodded first, a twinkle of gossip in her gentle, watery eyes, “Sure, that side does seem cuter.”

The five of them reached an agreement and swiftly changed their destination.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yan Yue noticed that Qin Zhenyun had followed along.

As they got closer, snippets of the employees’ conversation reached their ears:

“Ah? General Manager Li is that kind of person?”

“I heard about it too. Keep it to yourself.”

“I can’t believe it either. General Manager Li seems like a strong woman, but who knew she’d fall for a scam?”

“Hopefully not a financial scam. She’s married with a son. Getting conned by a man at this stage would be considered an affair. I really don’t understand how the Deputy Manager can tolerate a woman who’s cheating right in front of him.”

“Have you met our Deputy Manager? If you had, you’d know. He’s truly kind and gentle. I think he’s probably considering his family and son.”

“If I were Deputy Manager Xiao You, I’d definitely divorce such a woman. Look at what’s happening now. She didn’t divorce, and now she’s ended up in jail. And, I just read someone saying… it might be… murder.”

“No way??? That’s so scary!”

“Alright, enough, stop talking. Watch out, the walls have ears.”

Separated by a shelf, twelve ears were on high alert: “!!!”

A shocking revelation from the sky!

A group of people quickly left the Yoyo store after paying, and Su Manman eavesdropped for the first time, patting her chest in a panic, “That scared me. Is what we’re doing a little inappropriate?”

On the other hand, the rest of the group was utterly excited!

Wu Hua exclaimed, “So, that General Manager Li is Deputy Manager Xiao You’s wife. And then General Manager Li, after getting married, cheated and got scammed by a con artist. Yet her husband, Deputy Manager Xiao You, continues to peacefully coexist with her despite all that. Who knew she would end up committing murder?!”

Yan Yue nodded, “Very accurate.”

Shui Shui found it unbelievable, “How can we stumble upon such a huge… ah, no, such a huge incident just by going out?”

But An Xiaoyu felt something odd about the plot. After pausing for a moment, she tentatively asked, “Don’t you guys think this storyline sounds familiar?”

The others: “?”

Even Qin Zhenyun, who was lost in thought, looked at An Xiaoyu in confusion.

An Xiaoyu appeared innocent, “What are you all looking at me for? Don’t you think this plot is similar to ‘Dominating Son-in-law’?”

Everyone: “??”

Yan Yue: “???”

With a swish, everyone’s gaze turned to Yan Yue.

If An Xiaoyu hadn’t mentioned it, the others might not have noticed. But now that she pointed it out, they began to realize something was amiss…

Look at that General Manager Li, who was scammed by a con artist and cheated on by her married self, doesn’t she resemble Jiang Qing from ‘Dominating Son-in-law’? And what about the Deputy Manager Xiao You, who knew about his wife’s affair but kept silent, and both parties understood the unspoken agreement? Doesn’t he resemble Han Daqiang, Jiang Qing’s husband in ‘Dominating Son-in-law’? And Han Daqiang and Jiang Qing also have a son! Jiang Qing also got arrested for murder!

Each of these plot elements mirrored ‘Dominating Son-in-law’ astonishingly well!

After a brainstorming session by Su Manman and the others, they were all extremely shocked. The four of them stared with eyes as round as saucers, their expressions saying, “Did you already know the inside story?”

No, if this is true, does that mean Deputy Manager Xiao You also has a “Baiyue Guang” (a term in Chinese slang for a handsome and single young man who is often overly dramatic and emotional)? Is General Manager Li’s arrest also part of a retaliation scheme carefully planned by the “Baiyue Guang” Su Zhen? Could it be that General Manager Li’s son also has feelings for his own mother-in-law? Oops, they can’t think any further, their heart rates are about to explode. The plot they saw in a movie a few hours ago has now entered reality. This is just too outrageous, too exhilarating, too incredible!

Being stared at with wolfish and tigerish eyes by the four, Yan Yue quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest and took a step back, guarding against being “swallowed whole” by the four who were caught up in the drama. She rapidly defended herself, “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know any General Manager Li or Deputy Manager Xiao You. I’ve never even been to the Yoyo Mecha Store.”

Indeed, she had never been there. The original owner’s financial situation didn’t allow her to frequent such high-end establishments…

The others: “?”

Then what’s really going on here???

Wu Hua was in high spirits, and upon hearing this, she grinned with a sly smile as if to say, “You can’t fool me.” “You really don’t know Vice President You?” She waved her finger in a gesture to assure the authenticity of her words. “It’s okay. We’re all on the same team here. We’re just here to enjoy a spectacle behind closed doors. We won’t spread any rumors outside!”

An Xiaoyu thought that coincidences could happen once or twice, but when coincidences exceeded two, they ceased to be coincidences. She looked at Yue Yan skeptically and asked, “You don’t happen to have any friends in the You family, do you?”

So, was the reason behind the excellence of this round’s revival performance connected to the You family? Otherwise, given Yue Yan’s previous works, this drastic change in style couldn’t be easily explained. At the moment, everyone was captivated by “The Overbearing Son-in-Law” itself. Once the excitement settled down, they would realize that Yue Yan’s transition in style this time was excessively exaggerated.

Yue Yan, who didn’t know the You family at all, hesitated for a moment and then suddenly said, “Oh, I actually know someone with the surname You.”

Everyone: “!!!!”

Yue Yan: “Does Teacher Xiao You count?”

Everyone: “…”

Yue Yan innocently spread her hands, “Even if you figure it out, it’s not my concern. Besides, the revival round works were uploaded at 8 p.m., and the employees just mentioned that the manager had been arrested. Even if I predicted the plot, how could I predict that he’d get arrested? Even if, as you guys said, I have a friend in the You family who knows inside information, for something as serious as murder, if the manager’s husband didn’t know, could I know? If I really knew and intentionally kept it a secret, wouldn’t I be an outlaw?!”

Yue Yan originally thought that everyone should be able to understand this logic, but well, maybe this was what eating melons did to people’s rationality.

Regardless of the era, the masses who indulge in gossip are all the same. When they get too absorbed, they’re led around by the nose due to the storylines (public opinion) they already know…

After Yue Yan explained this, everyone gradually calmed down.

Su Manman found Yue Yan’s explanation quite reasonable. Moreover, she remembered the opening statement in Yue Yan’s videos:

【All content is purely fictional. Any resemblance to real events is purely coincidental, so if you’re feeling guilty, what’s that got to do with me?]

Ahem, when Su Manman first saw that opening statement, she couldn’t help but laugh and cry. It wasn’t for any other reason but that the opening was just so audacious. However, besides audacious, there wasn’t anything really wrong with that statement. Art comes from life, after all, and having personally experienced a few odd things herself, she knew that there were countless strange individuals and events in the world. As an old saying goes: “In the vast world, there’s nothing that doesn’t exist.”

Therefore, Su Manman thought, “It’s probably just a coincidence. Let’s not overthink it. Besides, it’s someone else’s business, and eavesdropping itself isn’t very ethical, so let’s not discuss it any further.”

Su Manman’s rational comment made Wu Hua and the others realize that their behavior wasn’t quite appropriate. They shifted the topic back to “The Overbearing Son-in-Law.”

With a new topic at hand, everyone quickly lost interest in the gossip they had heard through the grapevine.

As for Yue Yan herself, she did find it a bit too coincidental. However, it was the same saying again: art comes from life. What she wrote were her own experiences from the worlds she had transmigrated into, so it wasn’t that surprising if similar situations actually existed.

Leaving the alley, it wasn’t early anymore. They all aimed for the last late-night bus to head back.

While waiting for the bus, Su Manman told Wu Hua that she was going to the restroom, and An Xiaoyu and Shui Shui followed along.

With those few gone, only Yue Yan and Qin Zhenyun remained.

Qin Zhenyun, who had been mentally absent since arriving at the yoyo shop, finally seemed to return to his senses. Seeing that no one was around, he began to showcase his exclusive talent show: “Peacock Display (Greasy Version).”

He handed over a hanging pendant, which was the transforming mecha toy that Yue Yan had idly played with in the shop. Then, he took a step closer, bringing his chiseled face closer to hers, and with a wicked smile that revealed a hint of gentleness, he said in his deep, smoky voice, “I noticed you really liked this earlier. It’s for you.”

Yue Yan skillfully dodged, avoiding being injured by his chiseled chin. She forced a smile and said, “I didn’t really like it that much, so I don’t need it. Thanks, though.”

Seeing that his approach wasn’t working, Qin Zhenyun wasn’t discouraged. He was about to say something else when his gaze dropped and he noticed that her shoelaces were untied. His lips curved into another smile, and he immediately dropped to one knee and spoke in his deep, indulgent tone, “Silly, your shoelaces are undone.”

Qin Zhenyun was feeling quite pleased with himself, confident that his practiced technique of tying shoelaces into a rose knot, after countless conquests, would surely work on her!

However, just as he was about to touch Yue Yan’s shoelaces, her foot suddenly moved…

Everything seemed to spin, and then Qin Zhenyun was unceremoniously kicked away: “What the heck!”

The foolish Yue Yan was still there, pretending to be shocked, “Ah! Sorry, Qin Teacher, that was just a knee-jerk reaction. Are you okay? Do you want me to help you—puh!”

Yue Yan pretended to reach out to him, but Qin Zhenyun turned his head and she almost burst into laughter.

Help! She thought Qin Zhenyun was just a makeup artist, but it turns out he’s not only a makeup artist, but also a master of facial transformations.

Her kick earlier seemed to have hit his chin. The originally “V”-shaped chin was kicked into a “W.” It looked like she had been a bit too forceful; there was a deep dent in the middle, almost as if—

“Oh my, Qin Teacher, what’s going on? Why is your chin raising a middle finger?” Wu Hua exclaimed, shocked.

An Xiaoyu followed suit, barely holding back her laughter at Qin Zhenyun’s “V” to “W” transformation. “I mean, Qin Teacher, I have to say, raising a middle finger in public on the street isn’t really a good idea. Even if it’s your chin.”

With more and more eyes falling on him and Qin Zhenyun still sitting on the ground, he absentmindedly touched his chin, looking utterly bewildered. This one moment, he looked as if he had seen a ghost. His face alternated between pale and green. The next second, he scrambled to his feet, clutching his chin and hastily dashed away without even acknowledging Yue Yan and the others. He didn’t even have time to say goodbye.

Yue Yan halfheartedly chased after him for a few steps, apologizing and explaining that she hadn’t meant to do it. While she did that, she bent down and picked up the mecha pendant that Qin Zhenyun had dropped on the ground. After picking it up, she casually threw it into her pocket, sighed, and turned back, saying, “Ah, Qin Teacher must really hate me now. You know, how much do you think it would cost to fix his chin?”

Wu Hua and the others: “…”

With Qin Zhenyun’s little mishap, the conversation naturally shifted from “The Overbearing Son-in-Law” to Qin Zhenyun’s… chin.

Before this incident, no one knew that Qin Zhenyun’s face was a masterpiece of technology. But now, with the truth exposed, people were reminded that plastic surgery wasn’t such a big deal anymore. However, since Qin Zhenyun had gained popularity thanks to his face, and his fans staunchly believed he was natural, they even called out several well-known campus celebrities for getting work done. These fans firmly declared that those who had plastic surgery weren’t worthy of being compared to their beloved Qin Brother on the “B62 Planet’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Faces” list.

But the truth had now slapped them in the face.

ShuiShui had even begun to imagine how the fans would react once they found out that their beloved “Qin Brother” had a technologically enhanced face. They would surely gather evidence to prove that his face was natural, and those spreading rumors would be despised for not being able to see their “Qin Brother” thrive…

“Just thinking about it is terrifying,” Wu Hua shivered, hugging herself tightly.

Upon hearing this, Yue Yan held onto herself even tighter, her voice sounding nervous while her expression appeared disinterested, “Then I’m done for. If the fans find out that I kicked their ‘Qin Brother’s’ chin, will they tear me apart?”

An Xiaoyu was exasperated by her half-hearted acting, “What are you afraid of? He’s the one making a fuss out of nothing. Strictly speaking, this is workplace sexual harassment. If you didn’t report him, fine, but he actually wants to turn the tables on you?”

Yue Yan realized An Xiaoyu was kind of interesting. Normally, An Xiaoyu always seemed to disapprove of her, shooting her icy glances and acting coldly towards her. Even though tonight’s events had brought them closer, An Xiaoyu was still acting the same way, but now it was limited to that. However, if it came to a situation like with Qin Zhenyun, An Xiaoyu seemed like she would defend Yue Yan.

Having traversed through nearly a thousand worlds, Yue Yan had lived longer than this group combined, and her perspectives on people were naturally more comprehensive.

After interacting with them for some time, she had a pretty good grasp of each person’s character.

Su Manman didn’t need much explanation. She had a kind personality, was gentle, and being kind didn’t mean she was weak or easily manipulated. In fact, she was intelligent, rational, and decisive in her actions.

As for An Xiaoyu, she was a bit of a tsundere heiress. She had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she could differentiate between criticizing actions and criticizing people. During the last competition, because of the original host, she almost missed the submission deadline. Since then, she hadn’t been on great terms with the original host, and that’s why she looked at her now with those disapproving eyes. But in Qin Zhenyun’s case, she was clearly on Yue Yan’s side.

Both Wu Hua and Water Water were lively with good personalities and attitudes. Take Wu Hua, for example. Tomorrow they would announce the results of the revival round, with only one spot available for advancement. Yet she was still able to maintain a heated rivalry with her opponent.

Girls were actually quite simple. On the competition stage, they were opponents, but off the stage, they realized they liked the same foods and gossiped about the same things. This made it easy for them to become friends quickly.

Back home, Yue Yan wanted to find a suitable opportunity to express her gratitude to An Xiaoyu on behalf of the original host and then apologize as well.

Her task was to replace the original host in this competition. Once it was over, she wanted to discuss the topic of the bionic humans in “The Overbearing Son-in-Law.” She had a plan to use them as the face of her family’s bionic humans…

Yue Yan: “…?”

Yue Yan: “So the bionic humans from the show…?”

Wu Hua grinned, showing her teeth, “Yeah, that’s right. My family