Marry the NPC with Money, Wife Comes Knocking - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The camera feed featuring the interaction between Hua Suihe and Ye Susheng had the most viewers, all of whom were there to spectate the drama.

[Is this some kind of joke? This is a death dungeon show. Are people really here to ship them?]

[Even so, I love seeing the big boss falling for love. She only seems less scary when she shows this side of herself.]

[I never thought Ye Susheng was that attractive before because the killing tools in her hands were more eye-catching.]

[I support Xia Moyi making her move. If I were in the dungeon, I’d want to steal Hua too. We’re all going to die anyway; if I can get under Ye Susheng’s skin, I’ll consider myself capable.]

[Xia Xia’s eyes are worth savoring. She’s a bit like a stray cat-it makes my heart melt.]

Unknowingly, the popularity of the topic regarding Xia Moyi and Hua Suihe skyrocketed, with their ranking steadily remaining in the top ten.

The excitement of the barbecue dissipated as time passed. Everyone ate and drank their fill, then began cleaning up the mess before moving indoors for the live performances.

Everyone descended together in an elevator that went underground. The interior was brightly lit, making day and night indistinguishable. In the center was a circular stage, but it wasn’t for the trainees’ performances; it was where the audience and staff stayed.

The large circular platform was in the center, surrounded by a ring of rooms. The side of the rooms facing the platform was made of transparent glass walls, making it easy for the cameras outside to film directly into the rooms and for the audience to watch.

In variety shows they had seen before, the audience seating usually surrounded a central performance stage. This design was truly unprecedented.

The two hundred trainees were taken to the waiting room to draw numbers and determine their performance order.

Looking down from the waiting room at this moment, one could see the dense mass of audience members waiting for the show to start.

There were ten performance rooms in total. Five trainees per room were responsible for performing a short script. After the audience finished watching the performances, they would vote. Once all ten rooms finished their performances, the bottom two would be eliminated.

With two hundred people, fifty per batch, the process was divided into four batches.

The trainees who drew numbers one through fifty entered the performance rooms in groups of five.

Hua Suihe stood by the glass wall of the waiting room. By now, the trainees who had received their number cards were taking their positions one after another. All the lights in the arena were suddenly extinguished, and the glow sticks in the audience’s hands lit up.

A staff member walked over and, right in front of Hua Suihe, pulled the curtain shut with a swift motion before efficiently walking away.

Hua Suihe could only find a place to sit down. The large screen in the waiting room began broadcasting the scene from Room 1.

While Hua Suihe was in the waiting room drawing her number, Ye Susheng had been assigned to another room to serve as a judge. Besides her, there were four others-currently popular celebrities in the entertainment industry-but Ye Susheng couldn’t name them.

Hua Suihe’s gaze fell intently on the screen. A countdown clock hung in that room; there were five minutes of preparation time, and the performance would begin once the countdown ended.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of a figure in a black dress sitting down in the seat beside her. Hua Suihe silently straightened her back, her attention successfully diverted.

Xia Moyi fiddled with the number card in her hand, hesitating for a long time before speaking. “Peanut, what number did you draw?”

She didn’t dare use a more intimate address, fearing that Hua Suihe would ignore her.

Hua Suihe flipped the card between her fingertips, revealing the side with the number. “66.”

Xia Moyi sounded very happy. She held her own card out for Hua Suihe to see. “I’m Number 68. We’ll be in the same room!”

Hua Suihe only gave a slight nod. “Mm.”

Hua Suihe’s feelings toward Xia Moyi were complicated. She couldn’t treat her like a complete stranger, but she also felt awkward about being warm or friendly with her.
Right now, it was hard to put into words what kind of relationship she had with Xia Moyi.

Ever since Xia Moyi’s identity had been confirmed, the livestream’s comment feed had been arguing about it nonstop.

[Honestly, this is easy to solve. When I play Nikki, I always treat Nikki like my daughter.]

[Games are fine, but face-to-face? Our Hua Hua is only twenty-four. How can she acknowledge such a grown kid?]

[My idol is older than me and I’m still a mom fan. What’s wrong with that?]

[If you ask me, they can be sisters. Xia Xia’s setting is only twenty, and she looks like Hua Hua-obviously they’re a pair of sisters.]

[Did you not see how Xia Xia feels about Hua Hua? That’s not sisterly affection.]

[I think it looks more like parental affection. Don’t forget, even if Xia Xia’s setting is twenty, Hua Hua only played for half a year, and Hua Hua’s only been in there for three months. If you add it up, Xia Xia has only “lived” for nine months.]

[Mother-daughter +1]

[Sisters +1]

[Stop fighting. Ye Susheng won’t approve.]

[Ye Susheng: Hua Hua, don’t bother with her. A stranger.]

Watching them bicker made Hua Suihe’s head throb faintly.

But one netizen’s point did stick with her.

Xia Moyi’s character setting said she was twenty.

Yet in reality, she had only existed for nine months.

There was no real “growing up” process.

Everyone in the comments said Xia Moyi’s feelings for her were passionate-maybe even the kind of passion that meant she liked her.

But from Hua Suihe’s perspective, Xia Moyi’s actions and words were always measured.

She got close on purpose, yes, but she never crossed the line.

It was very possible she already knew who Hua Suihe really was.

“Ah-He, have you acted before?” Xia Moyi asked.

Xia Moyi had gotten used to calling her Ah-He.

To her, Peanut was an awkward, unfamiliar way of addressing her.

The first person Xia Moyi saw when she opened her eyes was Hua Suihe.

In her daily life, Ah-He’s traces were everywhere.

Everything about her was something Ah-He knew.

And yet, about Ah-He’s own life, she knew nothing at all.

The only things she knew were Hua Suihe’s legal name and ID information-what was required for real-name verification.

“No,” Hua Suihe replied distractedly.

Her gaze stayed on the screen.

In the room, the actors had already started running the scene.

It looked like a business networking scene.

A teleprompter with lines was mounted on the wall.

The actors kept flicking their eyes toward it.

Their performance was… average at best.

“Don’t worry, Ah-He,” Xia Moyi said softly. “We’ll definitely advance smoothly.”

Hua Suihe pinched at her itchy ear.

Back in the village, uncles and aunties had called her Ah-He plenty of times.

But when it came out of Xia Moyi’s mouth, the nickname sounded strangely sticky-too intimate, almost cloying.

After a brief silence, Hua Suihe tried to negotiate.

“Can you change what you call me?” she asked. “I’m not really used to hearing that.”

Xia Moyi blinked.

She pressed her lips together lightly.

Her emotions stirred for a moment, then she forced herself to steady them.

“Then… is ‘Sister Ah-He’ okay?” she said.

“My nickname is Xia Xia. Ah-He can call me Xia Xia.”

She paused, then added the honorific in a quieter voice.

“Sister.”

Hua Suihe, of course, already knew her nickname was Xia Xia.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

It felt too close.

“Maybe you could call me Sister Hua,” Hua Suihe suggested.

Xia Moyi didn’t budge.

“Sister Ah-He.”

Then, as if afraid Hua Suihe would refuse again, she continued.

“Sister Ah-He, I know you’re busy,” Xia Moyi said.

“Maybe you don’t really remember me anymore.”

“But I remember how good you were to me.”

“I want you to get to know me again.”

“I want you to remember me.”

In Xia Moyi’s eyes, Hua Suihe was good in every way.

Hua Suihe had ignored her for so long, grown distant, even forgotten her…

It was only because she’d been busy raising Minor Anomalies.

Even if Ah-He raised an Anomaly, she would raise the strongest one.

Ye Susheng was hard to raise.

So Ye Susheng had taken up all of Ah-He’s attention.

If that was the case…

Then she would be the one to take the initiative and move closer to Ah-He.

Competing for someone’s attention-

She could do that, too.