A Scummy A, But Bound To A Cutesy-Appeal System - Chapter 9

After trying on several outfits in a row, the first misty pink matching couple set was still the one Pei Xixia liked best.

Of course the other combinations looked good too, but they could not beat the white moonlight bonus.

The sales assistant had also recognized the two of them and spared no effort in praising them. Pei Xixia was nearly floated to heaven by that silver-tongued flattery. If not for her urgent lack of funds, she truly would have wanted to buy out the entire shop.

What a pity. Low-spending players did not deserve to play Miracle Momo.

After buying the clothes, they went to match shoes and bags. After matching shoes and bags, they booked a stylist to try out makeup. By the time they finished the entire ordeal and returned home, it was already evening.

Of course, her savings were also sinking toward the horizon.

After a day had passed, the trending topics had already changed completely. It was not that Pei Xixia’s crisis public relations had truly been that effective. The main reason was that Lu Yimo was too unknown and did not have that much popularity. Added to the fact that the other side had no solid evidence, people’s attention gradually shifted elsewhere.

Now, the topic hanging in first place on the trending list was: Yan Songlan Confirmed to Attend Polar Bear TV Midyear Gala.

Pei Xixia frowned and could not help clicking into it.

Was Yan Songlan not a film empress? What was she attending a TV gala for?

And making such a big fuss about it too. Tsk, tsk.

After clicking into the topic, the post with the most shares was a warm-up short video from Polar Bear TV.

In the video, Yan Songlan wore an ice-blue gauze gown with an especially glossy sheen. She was elegant and proper. “Hello, friends of Polar Bear TV. I’m Yan Songlan. I’m honored to have been invited to attend this midyear gala. I’ll be meeting everyone as an award presenter. Interested friends, don’t miss tomorrow night’s livestream.”

The comment section was full of people going crazy:

“Sob, sob, sob, how can Sister be this beautiful! This ice-blue outfit looks like she just walked out of a polar glacier! Oh, I’m already oxygen-deprived.”

“Oh my god, this outfit matches Sister’s name so well. It’s like she’s wearing blue rime frost on her body.”

“Ahhh, award presenter! Is she presenting the Actor of the Year award? I’m already looking forward to it!”

“The Winter Rose is finally open for business! Quietly asking, is this perfume really the same scent as Sister Yan’s pheromones? Link. Just covering myself in advance, I mean nothing else. I’m a Beta.”

“Fake. Don’t believe it.”

“Am I the only one who noticed the background? This seems to be the film museum funded by Film Empress Yan, right? Has it already opened to the public?”

“It opened last month. Already checked in.”

…

Pei Xixia casually scrolled down. It was all praise.

She curled her lip. That was it? There was nothing much, was there? Her looks were just so-so, right? What she said did not have much substance either. She was just stiffly reciting a script. What was there to praise?

No way, no way. She was completely unworthy of her cub.

However, Yan Songlan was also attending the midyear gala… Did that not mean she and Lu Yimo were about to meet?

In the original book, Yan Songlan and Lu Yimo had graduated from the same school. Both of them had joined the drama club, but Yan Songlan had already debuted at the time and was busy with work, so the two of them had only met a few times and were not very close.

After Lu Yimo was accused of murder, her mentor and several fellow students voluntarily defended her and started a joint petition among the graduates. Yan Songlan was included among them.

Thinking about it now, this setup was pretty buggy. Yan Songlan was not stupid. Why would she wade into this muddy water for a junior schoolmate she was not close to? Was she really a philanthropist or what?

Pei Xixia herself did not even realize when she had started feeling hostility toward Yan Songlan.

But then again, right now, she had not been stabbed to death, and Lu Yimo would not be accused of anything either. Then there was basically nothing for Yan Songlan to do.

She should first steadily complete the mission, then think about Lu Yimo and Yan Songlan’s matter afterward.

Speaking of missions, Pei Xixia remembered that she had not claimed her mission rewards yet.

She opened the inventory and confirmed the receipt of each reward one by one.

In just a few seconds, her phone received a text message saying the money had arrived. The Spring Cherry Couple Set also appeared out of thin air in her wardrobe.

Pei Xixia pinched the hem and examined it. Mm. The actual thing was just as harsh on the eyes.

As for the high-efficiency suppressants and Inner-Thought Eavesdropping Cards, they continued to be stored in the inventory.

Pei Xixia was more interested in this Inner-Thought Eavesdropping Card. Could it be used on anyone except Lu Yimo?

She wanted to try it right now.

What if she could not open it at a critical moment?

After thinking for a moment, Pei Xixia issued a command. “Use Inner-Thought Eavesdropping Card. Eavesdrop on Pei Xiyao’s inner thoughts.”

She had not seen Pei Xiyao since coming back and did not know whether she had borrowed any money. She might as well confirm it.

But the voice that sounded in her mind was Jiaojiao’s. “Reporting to host. The Inner-Thought Eavesdropping Card Level One is too low in rank and cannot be activated from a distance. Host, please move within three meters of the target character and try using it again.”

Pei Xixia: “…”

Wasn’t it supposed to be eavesdropping? Stealing face-to-face? In that case, why not just call it an Inner-Thought Robbery Card?

However, Pei Xixia had already made up her mind. She was determined to test the card’s effectiveness, and she did not mind walking a few steps. Slowly and calmly, she climbed out of bed, left the room, went upstairs, arrived at Pei Xiyao’s door, and lightly knocked.

Pei Xiyao’s irritable voice came from inside the room. “Who is it?”

Pei Xixia said, “Me.”

“Pei Xining?!” Pei Xiyao’s voice became even more irritable. Footsteps immediately approached, accompanied by the sound of something being kicked over.

She opened the door with a frown. Her messy red hair looked like dried grass. Her clothes were disheveled, and her eyes were red, as if she had cried not long ago.

She looked kind of pitiful.

Did she want to attend that club training camp that badly?

Pei Xixia stared steadily at her and activated the card’s function in her heart.

A tingling, numbing sensation shot across her temples, as if she had connected to some strange frequency. Then she heard Pei Xiyao’s extremely unhappy voice, sounding aggrieved as it echoed through the empty space of her mind:

“That damned Pei Xining. Did she come to laugh at me? I absolutely can’t let her know I didn’t borrow a single cent. That would be way too embarrassing… I’ll just say I almost borrowed the full amount. She probably won’t be able to tell, right… Mm, I’ll say I borrowed four hundred and ten thousand…”

Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye. Pei Xiyao’s muttering came to an abrupt stop, and Pei Xixia’s mind returned to silence.

“Pfft…” She could not hold back her laughter.

Why did she suddenly feel that this little brat was kind of cute?

Sure enough, no matter how spoiled and pleasure-seeking she was, she was still just an undifferentiated high school kid.

Pei Xiyao was completely enraged. Her face turned livid, her cheeks flushed red, and she pointed at Pei Xixia angrily. “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?”

Pei Xixia waved a hand. “Nothing. Seeing that you didn’t borrow any money, I feel relieved.”

Pei Xiyao’s eyes widened. “You came here specifically to humiliate me?! Who told you I didn’t borrow any money?! Let me tell you, this young lady has amazing connections. I borrowed it! I even borrowed a lot!”

Pei Xixia held back her laughter. “Were you just a little short of borrowing the full amount? Four hundred and ten thousand?”

Pei Xiyao: “?!?!?!”

Her eyes were full of astonishment. She did not understand how Pei Xixia could guess so accurately.

Pei Xixia sighed. “What a pity. You were only ten thousand yuan short of going to the training camp. Why didn’t you tell your sister? It’s only ten thousand yuan. Your sister still has that much.”

Pei Xiyao: “???”

Those words were half true and half false, leaving Pei Xiyao completely unable to judge anything. She stood there blankly, looking foolish.

“Next time you run into trouble, remember to ask your sister for help.” Holding back her laughter, Pei Xixia turned and left.

Behind her came Pei Xiyao’s quiet mutter. “What kind of illness is she having in the middle of the night…”

Pei Xixia returned to her room and finally could not help laughing out loud.

This was truly the most satisfying moment since she had transmigrated. This Inner-Thought Eavesdropping Card was great value. It provided such full emotional satisfaction.

How wonderful would it be if she could eavesdrop on Lu Yimo’s inner thoughts too?

The next day at noon, after Pei Xixia and Lu Yimo finished lunch, they hurried to the styling studio they had reserved for makeup and styling.

Jiaqi Entertainment had its own makeup and styling team, but because the company was not doing well, the stylists could only make a living by taking private work. At the crucial moment, not one of them could free up their schedule.

This could not really be blamed on others. After all, stylists also needed to eat. Pei Xixia felt that she could understand.

The studio they booked was newly opened. The price was relatively affordable, and the makeup trial results were also decent. The only problem was that the stylist was still somewhat inexperienced and pursued refinement too much, which made the makeup process very slow.

By the time the two of them rushed all the way to the main livestream venue of Polar Bear TV’s midyear gala, it was already almost six o’clock.

It was not exactly late. The livestream would only begin at seven.

The people invited to the main venue of this midyear gala were all industry insiders. Ordinary audience members surrounded the second-floor viewing platform, and their entrance channel was also different.

This was Pei Xixia’s first time experiencing such a scene. Standing at the entrance of the venue, she was somewhat nervous. She rubbed her sweaty palms together. “Momo, should we… hold hands when we go in?”

Lu Yimo looked at her. “No.”

As expected. Pei Xixia smiled awkwardly. “All right.”

“Holding hands is too childish. I can link arms with you,” Lu Yimo said calmly.

Pei Xixia’s eyes widened in surprise. “L-link arms with me?”

Lu Yimo took a step forward. Her elbow loosely circled Pei Xixia’s forearm, and her lips parted slightly. “Like this.”

Pei Xixia: “!!!”

Lu Yimo frowned unhappily. “What is that expression on your face?”

Pei Xixia did not know what expression she was making. She only felt as though her pressure points had been struck, and soon, she would not even know how to move. Only her two lips could barely open and close. “I’m just surprised… Don’t you hate me a lot…”

“Are you questioning my professional ethics as an actress?” Lu Yimo asked in return. “Showing affection and hating you don’t contradict each other.”

But I remember that two days ago, you swore so firmly that you wouldn’t show affection with me… Pei Xixia did not dare say this out loud. Her intuition told her that it would be safer to keep that sentence in her heart.

“If you don’t want to link arms, forget it.” Lu Yimo’s cheeks seemed to flush a little too. As if sulking, she let go and walked straight ahead.

Pei Xixia hurriedly chased after her, trying to grab Lu Yimo’s shoulder. “Momo, Momo, when did I say I didn’t want to? Don’t wrong me, okay?”

Lu Yimo shook off her hand and glared at her. “Do you think I care enough to wrong you?”

Pei Xixia had no idea where Lu Yimo’s anger had come from. She could only say that drugs harmed people, and she had to suffer the consequences of the sins she had created herself. She immediately belittled herself. “Of course you don’t care. How could I be worthy?”

Lu Yimo’s gaze became even sharper. “Try saying one more sarcastic thing.”

Pei Xixia: “…”

Pei Xixia wanted to cry but had no tears. She was sincere.

“Momo—”

Just then, a sinister voice sounded from behind them. “Oh my, I was wondering who was flirting over here. Isn’t this Young President Pei and Miss Lu? Why didn’t I hear before that you two were coming?”
Pei Xixia and Lu Yimo’s hearts jolted. They turned back together.

Sure enough, the person standing not far away was none other than Qi Wanbai.