Chapter 338: 338: Fans Busy Steaming Buns
Because of Qiao Zhichuan’s mysterious absence and Mu Bai’s injury, the filming of the movie had to be temporarily interrupted. Mu Bai was lucky enough to be discharged from the hospital in less than a week, but Qiao Zhichuan had been completely missing, and even his agent had no idea where he went.
Mu Bai secretly wondered to herself: What kind of "lesson" did Second Aunt give Qiao Zhichuan? Could it be so severe that he had to stay in the hospital for a month?
Mu Cheng had a hunch about something but chose not to share it with Mu Bai. He didn’t believe Second Aunt would be someone to show mercy, especially toward someone with "ill intentions." If the person played fair and clean, it wouldn’t be a big deal; but if they didn’t...
"Hey, Big Cousin, you’ve been so free lately!" Mu Bai teased, noting that he had been accompanying her for nearly half a month without tending to his tasks. If this wasn’t idleness, what was?
"You don’t want me to keep you company?" Mu Cheng peeled an apple and handed it to her.
"Having Big Cousin around is great, makes me feel super secure! But you’re usually as elusive as the Divine Dragon. Suddenly being so idle feels a bit odd. Tell me the truth, Big Cousin—did Second Aunt force you to go on blind dates, and now you’re hiding here with me to escape?" Mu Bai speculated.
"What do you think?"
"Highly plausible! You, the eternal bachelor—Second Aunt must have long wished to marry you off. You used to claim you were too busy with work and assignments, but this time you probably pushed Second Aunt to her limit, huh?" Mu Bai patted herself on the back for her deductive skills.
Mu Cheng simply smiled without offering her an answer.
Lu Mingchen opened the hotel room door with lunch in hand. As he reached the doorway, he heard the cheerful laughter of Mu Bai and her Big Cousin. His footsteps paused for a moment.
"Lu-ge, why’d you stop?" Murong, who was trailing behind him, asked curiously.
"Nothing, just switching hands."
"Lu-ge, your stamina is way too weak! You should train with me more. Look how much I’m carrying, yet my hands are still as steady as ever," Murong bragged, rambling on about his impressive strength from behind.
Zhan Jingshu, also lugging some items, couldn’t bear to look. Could he be any more clueless?
"Sis, Big Cousin, it’s lunchtime..." Murong exclaimed as he stepped into the room, proudly announcing that he had gone to great lengths to order food from a popular restaurant. "You guys have no idea how famous this place is! I can’t even tell how long I waited in line to get this. Big Cousin, Sis, you’d better eat up!"
Mu Bai rolled her eyes, "No matter how good it is, can it beat the taste of Second Aunt’s cooking?"
"Heh heh heh... It’s not the same, Sis. Second Aunt’s gone now, so we can’t always rely on her to cook for us, right?"
"Otherwise, do you think it’d ever be your turn? If you’re so capable, why don’t you cook yourself?"
"Sis, you’re a girl and you can’t even cook. Aren’t you worried you’ll never find a husband?"
"Whether I can get married or not is none of your business."
...
After confirming Mu Bai and Zhan Jingshu were safe, Mu Qiuniang took Mu Mingyu back to Capital City. Young people’s issues are theirs to sort out, as long as they’re unharmed.
"Second Aunt, do you want to check online for a second?" Mu Mingyu asked as he glanced back while driving.
"Check what?"
"Take a look at Second Aunt and Second Uncle’s Weibo. The comments section is practically exploding."
"Haven’t you been keeping tabs on it all along?"
"I’ve had people monitoring it, but the opposing camp’s Internet trolls are relentless. If there’s a more effective solution, why not use it?"
Mu Qiuniang raised an eyebrow, "So you’re trying to use me?"
"Not trying to use you, Second Aunt. But Second Uncle’s been out of the public eye for so long that the loyal fans—’Sticky Rice Clan’—are extremely anxious. If you show up now, it might calm them down!"
Mu Mingyu wouldn’t openly admit that he saw the fans stirring things up so exuberantly and couldn’t resist wanting Second Aunt to gain some extra "fan hearts" while Second Uncle was away.
When they opened Jiang Nuo’s Weibo, sure enough, the Sticky Rice Clan was buzzing with activity, each one lamenting how "time was dragging painfully on."
[Sob sob sob... A month! A whole month! Only half the time has passed; how am I supposed to survive the rest?]
[If you think a day feels long, I feel like every second stretches an eternity!]
[I just want to know, @Jiang Nuo, what on earth are you busy with? When are you coming back?]
[Haven’t you already heard? He took a month’s leave. I bet he’s off on a honeymoon with his wife, the public display of affection addict!]
[Our @Jiang Nuo loves flaunting his romance so much—if it’s really a honeymoon, there’s no way he’d hold back. He’d make sure the whole world knows how much he loves his wife. Just thinking about all the sugar gives me a toothache.]
[Recently, I’ve been seeing rumors that @Jiang Nuo got into trouble or had problems in his marriage. Tons of negative stories popping up, though most get buried. Aren’t you worried?]
[What’s there to worry about? Do you think @Jiang Nuo is that type of guy?]
[What type of guy? A cheater? If there’s cheating involved, it’s not necessarily @Jiang Nuo; it could be @Qiuniang. @Qiuniang is so amazing, it wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t care for her husband anymore!]
[The person above: either a troll or a paid shill. Case closed.]
[Don’t even engage with these trolls and shills. I just want to say, as Sticky Rice fans, do you think @Jiang Nuo and @Qiuniang, who love each other so much, would break up? I believe the sun would have to rise from the west first.]
...
Mu Qiuniang simply read through the comments without making any statements. However, she did "like" some of the messages firmly expressing confidence in her and Jiang Nuo’s love.
That small action was like tossing a pebble into a lake, disturbing the tranquility and stirring up the "big fish" in the depths—soon, the surface roiled with activity.
[Ahhhhhh... Oh my God! @Qiuniang liked my comment!]
[Holy crap! So @Qiuniang has been lurking all along? Got it—@Jiang Nuo must be lurking too, watching us stir things up. This sneaky rascal, so infuriating! Come out now and give us our "fan benefits!"]
[Exactly! What happened to the promised perks? Filming of "We’re in Love" stopped halfway, and now we’re left hanging, so frustrating!]
[@Jiang Nuo, come out! @Qiuniang, come out! Mom’s calling you both for dinner!]
[Are you guys on a honeymoon, @Qiuniang? Or... are you already preparing for little buns?]
[Little buns?!]
[Steaming buns already?!]
[Holy cow! I want little buns... Oh wait, I know this app that lets you predict what future children might look like. I need to go try it right away.]
[Too slow, buddy above. I’ve already generated mine—1234567... Everyone, take a good look! Even though @Qiuniang isn’t a top A-list star, I have to say, just her skin quality alone makes her more radiant than many big names. So, future little bun will definitely be a handsome guy!]
[Why does it have to be a handsome boy? Can’t it be a cute little princess?]
[But don’t you all think having an older brother first and then a little sister makes more sense? Brother taking care of sister... isn’t that more perfect?]
[Sounds logical, but something still feels off somehow?]
[A sister can take care of her little brother too!]
...
Mu Qiuniang found herself amused seeing everyone’s focus shift entirely to "steaming buns" after a single "like." She had only intended to reassure fans about her and Jiang Nuo’s firm relationship, so why were they already speculating about potential offspring?