After Being Bitten By Top-Tier O, Flop A Went Viral - Chapter 50
50: Are You Two Lovers?
Upon hearing this news, Yan Qing was as elated as a high school student looking forward to a weekend break—and not one with particularly good grades at that.
Qin Que was dragged along by Yan Qing as they hurried to the meeting point. The woman’s hand, smaller than hers, now gripped her so tightly she couldn’t break free. She could only repeatedly plead, “Slow down, don’t fall. We have a whole day.”
“Not a whole day,” Yan Qing glanced at her phone and quickened her pace, “Eleven hours and twenty-three minutes.”
The meeting point was the same dispatch room where everyone had gathered when they first entered the variety show.
As soon as the two stepped inside, they saw a person wrapped entirely in bandages emerge from the fitting room.
Yan Qing: “Wow!”
Qin Que: “Ouch!”
She had been nearly yanked off her feet by Yan Qing, and the sudden stop sent her nose crashing into the back of Yan Qing’s head. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.
“Hey! Are you okay?” Yan Qing checked her nose while turning to Mi Sike, “Is your crew so short-staffed? She’s injured like this and you still won’t let her go home to rest?”
Mi Sike: “…”
“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Qin Que covered her sore nose with one hand, wiped away her tears haphazardly, and smiled at Yan Qing to reassure her, though her voice was still unavoidably muffled, “That seems to be Jin Shuo.”
“Huh?”
Though Yan Qing voiced her confusion, her hands first pulled Qin Que’s hand away to confirm that her nose was only slightly red before turning to inspect the mummy.
By then, Jin Shuo had painstakingly loosened the overly tight bandages around her face, revealing her eyes and mouth. Seeing the two staring at her, she awkwardly turned away, “It was all Yan Yuzhen’s idea.”
Yan Qing raised an eyebrow, “So you two are…”
Before she could finish, another person emerged from the fitting room. This person had a head of dazzling, obviously fake golden blonde hair, matching gold eyeshadow, and lips painted a deathly Barbie pink. She wore a cheap, exaggerated ruffled dress and white knee-high boots.
Qin Que was so stunned by this dazzling ensemble that she took a step back, “Ba, Balala…”
As someone who hadn’t been fond of transformation sequences as a child and avoided them even more as an adult, she couldn’t confidently utter the next three words.
Fortunately, Yan Qing picked up where she left off, even polishing her unfinished sentence, “A domestic magical girl.”
The two simultaneously thought of that once wildly popular, colorful fantasy drama in Country Z.
The “magical girl” beamed even brighter upon seeing Yan Qing and rushed over for a hug, “How do I look?”
Yan Qing quickly held up a hand to stop her, “Careful, you’ll smudge your makeup. Are you two in disguise?”
“Yeah!” After a night’s rest, Yan Yuzhen seemed to have regained her usual energy. Hands on her hips, she pointed at Jin Shuo and then herself, proudly declaring, “See? Completely unrecognizable, right?”
“Definitely unrecognizable,” Qin Que’s expression was complicated, “But isn’t it a bit too eye-catching?”
She was certain that if these two walked around the city in these outfits, they’d attract a 100% stare rate. With so many people looking, some die-hard fans would inevitably recognize them through the bizarre disguises.
“Oh, you don’t know yet. When I was little, I always dreamed of dressing up as a magical girl and going to a comic con!” Yan Yuzhen twirled her magic wand and struck a pose, “Miss Mi told me there’s a comic con in Fengcheng today, so I can finally live my dream.”
“Oh…” The two nodded in unison. Dressing like this at a comic con made perfect sense.
“Hmm~ Why don’t we go check it out too?” Yan Qing seemed to find their disguises quite amusing. After studying them for a while, her eyes lit up, “Consider it one of my wishes.”
“Sure, but let’s count it as my wish. I can’t think of anything I want to do right now,” Qin Que smiled and agreed.
This was a great opportunity to learn more about Yan Qing, and she naturally wanted to take full advantage.
“Alright, you two wait here. We’ll go together in a bit!” Yan Qing instructed before pulling Qin Que into the fitting room.
The fitting room had simple changing stalls on either side, with racks of various costumes and props in the middle. The fact that Yan Yuzhen had managed to find a magical girl dress here spoke volumes about the variety available.
“I’ll go for a Western fantasy theme,” Yan Qing casually pulled out a black witch’s robe, donned the accompanying wide-brimmed hat, and picked out a masquerade mask that covered half her face. She grabbed a prop broomstick and waved it a few times, “How’s this? Witchy enough?”
The wide brim of the hat cast a shadow over the ornate mask, while the high collar partially obscured her straight nose and soft lips. The robe completely concealed her figure, exuding an air of mystery and danger—like a witch brewing potions in an ancient castle.
Qin Que studied her for a moment before offering a sincere suggestion, “The look is perfect, but a darker lipstick would match better.”
Yan Qing’s natural lip color was too soft and pink—a witch who never saw daylight wouldn’t have such healthy lips.
“Right.” Yan Qing snapped her fingers, rummaged through the nearby makeup table for a deep black lipstick, applied it, and nodded in satisfaction, “Now there shouldn’t be any flaws.”
She then turned and pointed the broomstick at Qin Que, grinning, “Why aren’t you picking anything? Waiting for me to conjure glass slippers and a pumpkin carriage?”
This was a reference to Cinderella and the fairy godmother. Qin Que chuckled and pulled out a roll of bandages, “Should I go as a mummy too?”
She wasn’t particularly interested in flashy costumes, and besides, she thought dressing as a mummy was an excellent disguise.
“Tsk, no. There’s already one outside,” Yan Qing refused without hesitation, “And a mummy paired with a witch would be weird.”
The word “paired” sent a sweet thrill through Qin Que’s heart. She smiled softly, “Then you decide. I’ll listen to you.”
“This one! This one’s gorgeous!” Yan Qing pulled out a set of ancient-style robes—vibrant red with golden embroidery—along with the inner garments and shoved them into Qin Que’s arms.
“A swordsman’s outfit?” Qin Que was puzzled.
Her meaning was: What did a swordsman have to do with a witch?
Yan Qing blinked and pushed her into the changing stall, “Yeah, a swordsman summoned to a Western fantasy world by a witch sounds cool, doesn’t it?”
Qin Que: “…”
Yan Qing’s knowledge system seemed a bit convoluted.
Having played many extras in period dramas, Qin Que could don even the most complicated costumes in minutes. She tied her hair into a high ponytail with a matching gold-red ribbon.
After a quick glance in the mirror to confirm everything was in place, she stepped out, “Done. How do I look?”
Yan Qing was selecting accessories for Qin Que when she turned around and froze.
The tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted alpha filled out the outfit perfectly. Just standing there casually, she gave the impression of an ancient warrior brought back to life.
The bright red and gold accentuated Qin Que’s otherwise gentle features, adding a sharp, heroic handsomeness. The strands of hair at her temples fluttered with her breath, and the high ponytail completed the dashingly beautiful look.
“Uh, did I wear it wrong?” Yan Qing stared at her without blinking. Qin Que double-checked herself uncertainly.
The belt was correct, the wrist guards were correct, the shoes weren’t on backward. Just as she was about to inspect her inner garments, Yan Qing cupped her face.
Qin Que: “Mm…”
The woman’s eyes sparkled as if aflame, her tone tinged with regret, “A face like this—it’s a shame you don’t act.”
Qin Que: “…Thanks.”
That was a bit exaggerated.
She believed only Yan Qing deserved such praise, but she was still pleased, “Shall we go?”
“No, you still need makeup, or you’ll be recognized.” Yan Qing smiled and pulled out a semi-transparent red silk ribbon. Standing on tiptoe, she tied it around Qin Que’s head.
The ribbon seemed specially treated—Qin Que’s vision wasn’t overly obstructed, just tinted a faint red.
From this angle, she could clearly see Yan Qing’s slender neck, looking even paler against the black robe.
Qin Que averted her gaze, but a random fact she’d once read popped into her head: Some witches fed their summoned familiars bl00d to ensure obedience.
Seemed her knowledge system was a bit convoluted too.
Qin Que guiltily rubbed her nose.
After some adjustments, Qin Que’s appearance was completely transformed.
Her gentle eyes were hidden behind the ribbon, her fair face now bore two terrifying scars, and her pale lips were smeared with fake bl00d.
If before she was a carefree young swordsman, now she was a vengeful spirit risen from hell after being betrayed and murdered.
Yan Qing took a few steps back, scrutinized her, and frowned, “Something still feels off…”
“Got it!” She seemed to remember something and stepped forward to tug at Qin Que’s collar.
Qin Que: “What are you doing?”
A chill ran down her chest as she instinctively clutched her precarious collar.
“You’re supposed to be a ghost. Ghosts don’t dress this neatly.” Yan Qing’s heartbeat quickened as she glimpsed Qin Que’s collarbone and fair skin through the parted collar.
“Oh, right.” The trembling “little wife” pitifully lowered her hands, “Then… go ahead?”
Yan Qing smirked and loosened the collar a bit more.
“Th-that’s enough, right?” Qin Que shivered as cool fingertips brushed her skin, thinking this ghost was far too sloppy.
“Ahem…” Yan Qing suppressed a laugh and adjusted the collar back, “It’s just the two of us here. Why are you so shy?”
In the past, such teasing would have made Qin Que’s face burn even hotter.
But now, this exclusion of others’ closeness filled her with joy.
“There’s nothing between us, but we still have to go out where others can see, right?” She gazed at Yan Qing, making her feelings clear.
The woman froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly as she adjusted Qin Que’s collar again, muttering, “Since when did you learn to sweet-talk?”
“I didn’t,” Qin Que said earnestly, “I just meant it.”
“Alright, alright.” Yan Qing handed her a prop sword, changing the subject, “Let’s go. If we dawdle any longer, Xiao Yu will get impatient.”
“Wow, you two look amazing!” The magical girl’s envious exclamation greeted them as soon as they stepped out.
Yan Yuzhen, eyes sparkling, tugged at Qin Que’s sleeve, “How come I never noticed how handsome Sister Qin is before?”
Qin Que: “…Thanks.”
They borrowed a crew member’s private car. Before getting in, Yan Qing asked Yan Yuzhen, “Have you seen Sister Nie?”
“Oh, yeah. She told Mi Sike she didn’t have many school coins, her legs still hurt from dancing yesterday, and she didn’t want to share childhood memories with that Dai guy, so she’s resting in the dorm today,” Yan Yuzhen replied.
Yan Qing nodded, “That’s fine.”
Qin Que took the wheel, with Yan Qing in the passenger seat. Yan Yuzhen struggled to help the mobility-impaired Jin Shuo into the car, complaining, “I should’ve picked a different disguise for you.”
Yan Qing laughed, “I remember there were several magical girls. Wouldn’t it have been better for you to be the yellow one and her the purple one?”
Yan Yuzhen: “Exactly! But she said she’d rather die than wear a dress like this.”
Yan Qing: “Hahaha!”
Qin Que glanced in the rearview mirror to see the mummy in the backseat gazing sorrowfully out the window.
Fengcheng No. 1 High School was in the city’s outskirts, but Fengcheng itself wasn’t large. Within an hour and a half, they arrived at the convention center’s underground parking lot, taking the elevator directly to the comic con.
After exiting the elevator and walking through a corridor, they reached the ticket checkpoint. Yan Yuzhen showed the tickets she’d bought on the way to the staff.
The con had been open for a while, so only the four of them were at the checkpoint. One staff member scanned their tickets while the others eyed them curiously.
Qin Que stepped forward, shielding Yan Qing—the most recognizable among them and the most likely to be exposed.
“Wait.”
Just as they passed through the gates, a staff member called out behind them.
Had they already been recognized?
Qin Que tensed, slowly turning around, ready to grab Yan Qing and run if the person screamed.
The one who stopped them was a girl barely twenty, still carrying a student’s naivety. She hurried over to Qin Que, shyly asking, “Can I take a photo with you? Who are you cosplaying? You look amazing!”
Qin Que: “…”
She wasn’t sure how to respond—it had been so long since she’d been recognized that she’d forgotten how to handle fan requests. She could only glance helplessly at Yan Qing.
“Ahem, she’s my familiar. Naturally, I summoned her.” Whether to stay in character or avoid recognition, Yan Qing’s voice was low, sounding 80% like a witch.
“Oh, an OC (original character)? So well-designed.” The girl gazed enviously at Yan Qing, clearly admiring her for having such a cooperative and stunning friend. Then, as if struck by a thought, she took a step back, studying the expressionless ghost swordsman and the eerily smiling witch, “Are you two… lovers?”
Yan Qing burst out laughing, “Who says we’re not?”
Qin Que: “…”
Who says we are?