Accidentally Sold Myself (Rebirth) - Chapter 17

17: Bickering

The Chenghuang Hotel could only be described as resplendent, with an ostentatious golden aesthetic everywhere, even in the private rooms, which were entirely decked out in gold.

“Today, everyone here is a key contributor to LS. I know it’s been tough staying up late with me, but in the coming days, we’ll need to keep our spirits high. Let me raise a toast to all of you first.” Luo Ningshuang finished speaking and downed her glass of wine in one gulp.

“Wow, President Shuang’s got some serious drinking skills!”

Gu Xi frowned. She remembered Shu Lanting mentioning that Luo Ningshuang had a stomach condition and shouldn’t drink too much.

After she sat down, Gu Xi placed some dishes on her plate. “You have a stomach condition. Drink less and eat more.”

Luo Ningshuang: “…”? She didn’t have a stomach condition at all. It must’ve been some excuse her mother made up.

But seeing the worry and care in Gu Xi’s eyes, Luo Ningshuang didn’t call out Shu Lanting’s fib. Instead, she nodded and quietly started eating.

She appeared calm on the surface, but the slight smile on her lips betrayed that her heart wasn’t as tranquil as she let on.

“Wow, Secretary Jiang, the president and her wife are so sweet!”

Jiang Wenxi looked up at the comment and instantly felt a pang of envy. Single since birth for over twenty years, she had yet to experience love. All she could do was watch their sweet interactions and imagine what her own love life might be like someday.

Gu Xi noticed Luo Ningshuang eating a few bites before picking up her phone to send a message. Out of curiosity, Gu Xi tilted her head slightly to sneak a peek.

Seeing her curious expression, Luo Ningshuang smirked, pulled her closer, and let her see the phone screen.

Luo Ningshuang: Come to my place tonight. We have things to discuss.
Lan Qingxue: What’s up?
Luo Ningshuang: About the collaboration with Blue Sky Entertainment. Mo Yuze will be there too.
Lan Qingxue: Got it.

Gu Xi didn’t catch much of the messages because her mind was entirely preoccupied with the fragrance and softness of being so close to Luo Ningshuang.

Seeing Gu Xi’s dazed, adorable look, Luo Ningshuang couldn’t resist teasing her. “Spacing out again? Are you thinking about me?”

“No, I was just wondering what’s got Mo Yuze so secretive and dodgy.” Gu Xi said, awkwardly changing the subject.

Luo Ningshuang chuckled. “What else could it be? It’s about Lan Qingxue. I’ve already asked her to come over tonight. If all goes well, she might stay over.”

Gu Xi: “…” Wait, then where would she sleep?

Gu Xi gave Luo Ningshuang a skeptical glance, suddenly feeling like she was being schemed against. It’s probably just a coincidence, right?

“Wow, Secretary Jiang, look! The president and her wife are surrounded by pink bubbles of love!”

Jiang Wenxi nodded in agreement. “Totally. Have you noticed the president isn’t as intimidating as she used to be? I’m telling you, back in the day, I’d walk into her office practically shaking.”

“Shh, you two, keep it down! If the president hears you gossiping about them, you’ll be out of a job.”

“…” They nearly forgot—the president was fiercely protective of her wife.

Seeing Gu Xi fall silent, Luo Ningshuang’s lips curved into a smirk as she added fuel to the fire. “Looks like you’ll have to put up with sharing a bed with me again tonight.”

Gu Xi didn’t mind that at all, as long as she didn’t tie her up like a dumpling again. She gave a wry smile. “Can I at least have my own blanket?”

“Sure.” Luo Ningshuang replied, knowing when to quit while she was ahead. As she ate, she picked up her phone again and noticed Gu Xi had posted on Weibo. Surprised, she tossed a “deep water” (a high-value virtual gift) and opened Gu Xi’s Weibo.

Gu Xi’s account had decent popularity, with fans enthusiastically commenting. Luo Ningshuang knew Gu Xi had been writing for years, and though fans had long asked for her Weibo or QQ group, Gu Xi had always ignored those requests.

Luo Ningshuang logged into her own Weibo, followed Gu Xi, and posted: @MoeLazyDog: Mine.

She didn’t care about the consequences and put her phone away, satisfied.

Weibo Comments:

– OMG, Queen, someone’s trying to steal your wife!
– Holy crap, are my eyes deceiving me? Why does the Goddess either not post on Weibo or drop something earth-shattering when she does?
– Is the Goddess about to cheat and betray her wife again?
– Now I’m dying to know what LazyDog looks like IRL!
– Seconded! Too bad we can’t dig up her real identity.
– Am I the only one feeling bad for the Queen?

Gu Xi’s Weibo, newly created, originally had just a thousand followers. Thanks to Luo Ningshuang’s move, her follower count skyrocketed, and her novel’s subscriptions surged at an unbelievable rate.

– What the heck? Did the author buy bots to boost her stats?
– Idiot, go check Weibo!
– Hi, Author, I came from the Goddess’s Weibo. Your story’s super cute—consider me a fan!
– I’m also here from the Goddess’s Weibo, but I’m not here for the story. I’m here to see which little vixen stole my Goddess!
– Get lost, upstairs. It’s clearly your Goddess chasing our author, okay? LazyDog didn’t even respond!
– Exactly! The Goddess is the one chasing, and our author isn’t even interested.
– Hah, daring to diss my Goddess? Get ready for a storm of Moonstones. Just wait—I’ll unmask your ugly author!
– That’s too far. No personal attacks.

Gu Xi didn’t check her phone until she finished eating. When she saw the flood of comments under her novel, her eyes widened. In just half a day, her work had been showered with Moonstones, and her fans had thrown in tons of “thunder”.

Luo Ningshuang glanced at Gu Xi and, seeing her shocked expression, knew she’d discovered the Weibo fiasco. With her large Weibo following, that single @ had probably driven a ton of traffic to Gu Xi’s account. Judging by her reaction, she must be thrilled—such a little money-grubber.

Gu Xi, on the verge of tears, logged into Weibo and realized it all stemmed from Luo Ningshuang’s post. Thinking her real identity might’ve been exposed, she shot Luo a quick glance. Seeing her calm, smiling face with no sign of anything unusual, Gu Xi mentally cursed, “Jerk! I must’ve owed you a fortune in my past life to be repaying it now.”

Her Weibo was a mess, filled with insults and fan wars, but she couldn’t confront Luo Ningshuang directly. Instead, she replied: @LSBossShuang: Explain.

– Finally, the author shows up! Told you she doesn’t know your so-called Goddess.
– Why do I feel like those two words are even more flirty?
– Seconded…

Gu Xi’s expression grew darker. She was furious with Luo Ningshuang. The points she’d painstakingly accumulated were now being washed away in an instant.

“What’s wrong?” Luo Ningshuang noticed her sour mood and leaned in to ask.

Startled, Gu Xi quickly hid her phone and snapped, “Nothing. You done eating? If not, hurry up. Let’s go home.”

“Ahem, since you’re so eager to head back, let’s go!” Gu Xi’s tone was sharp, and Luo Ningshuang had expected her to be softer. This wasn’t quite what she’d imagined.

“Everyone, we’ll head out first. If you’re not done having fun after dinner, feel free to hit up a KTV—expenses are on me. Secretary Jiang, we have a board meeting tomorrow, so don’t stay out too late.” Luo Ningshuang instructed, ignoring Jiang Wenxi’s resentful look, and left with Gu Xi.

“Long live President Shuang!”

“She’s so good to her wife. I’m jealous!”

Only Jiang Wenxi muttered resentfully, “You guys take your time eating. Just send the bill to the finance department tomorrow. I have to work overtime, so I’m heading out.”

“Bye, Sister Jiang! Don’t be so down. You’re single anyway, and overtime means extra pay. Not bad, right?” A girl nearby tried to cheer her up but ended up hitting a sore spot.

Jiang Wenxi sighed. After leaving the hotel, she looked around. All the taxis seemed to be taken, and she was left waiting at the entrance. After a while, no cabs showed up. “This is ridiculous. How does Chenghuang Hotel not have any taxis? Ugh, my vacation!”

With no choice, Jiang Wenxi started walking to a farther intersection to try her luck. J City was bustling at night, with dazzling, eye-catching billboard ads everywhere, especially now, during peak shopping hours.

“Excuse me…” Suddenly, someone tapped Jiang Wenxi’s shoulder.

Frowning, she turned around, but her face lit up when she saw who it was. “No problem, go ahead…”

Mo Yuze had been waiting at the door for ages and was a bit miffed when they finally arrived. “You knew I was waiting here, and you still took so long? That’s not cool.”

Luo Ningshuang opened the door, stepped inside, and smirked. “What, you think I’m too late?”

“No, no, just in time, heh…” Mo Yuze quickly followed her in.

Gu Xi, meanwhile, was visibly sulking. Luo Ningshuang frowned, unable to figure out why she was suddenly upset. “Gu Xi, want to take off your makeup first?”

At her question, Gu Xi realized her face felt uncomfortable and nodded. Mo Yuze looked her over and teased, “Tch, you’re already gorgeous, but with makeup, you’re even more stunning. It’s like I’m seeing you ten years from now.”

Gu Xi was briefly pleased by the compliment, but the second half of the comment—implying she looked older with makeup—set her off. “Oh, you’re happy about that?”

“Yep, super happy.”

“Really? Well, I hope you’re just as happy later.” With a cold huff, Gu Xi stormed off to Luo Ningshuang’s room, since her own didn’t have any makeup remover.

“Hey, wait, what did you mean by that?” Mo Yuze tried to follow and ask, but Luo Ningshuang stopped her.

“Hold it. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Mo Yuze suddenly had a bad feeling. She wanted to leave but had nowhere to go. Sure, she had plenty of friends—bedroom friends, that is. No way she could crash with them.

Gu Xi found the makeup remover and started washing her face. Luo Ningshuang leaned casually against the doorframe, watching her.

When Gu Xi finished and looked in the mirror, she instantly regretted it. The person staring back had a haggard, sallow face, like an addict. Is that really me?

“Heh, Gu Xi, you’re so young, but your skin’s worse than mine! Look at you—if you don’t start taking care of it, no one’s gonna want you in a couple of years. Use the cleanser and toner over there.” Luo Ningshuang said bluntly, though her words held some truth.

Gu Xi spent her days writing, never exercising, rarely going out, and staying up late—all of which were draining her youth. Even if Luo was right, that didn’t mean Gu Xi wasn’t annoyed.

Fuming, Gu Xi grabbed the cleanser, squeezed out a huge glob, smeared it on her face, and muttered, “I’m gonna use up all your cleanser, hmph!”

Luo Ningshuang shook her head helplessly. But before Gu Xi could revel in her defiance for two seconds, she wailed, “Ahh! Luo Ningshuang, get over here quick! The cleanser got in my eyes! Help!”

Luo Ningshuang: “…”