Once Yao Star妍’s foodie mode kicked in, getting answers today was hopeless.
Willow然 sighed, his voice dripping with resignation:
"Come to my classroom. I’ve got leftover bread from this morning…"
"Mhm!"
Yao Star妍 beamed and nodded eagerly, then followed Willow然 like a peeping chick begging for crumbs—her earlier gloom vanished as if it had never existed.
*Sigh.* I really don’t understand her at all. Setting aside "revenge," what exactly makes that girl worthy of being the "heroine"?
Her terrible personality holds zero charm. If a heroine like her existed, her love interest would be a poor guy indeed.
Yet somehow, the project centered on her got approved. Even the chief editor seemed genuinely excited about my new work.
There must’ve been a deeper reason I chose Yao Star妍—a meaning I failed to see.
With that thought weighing on me, I endured the first day back after the short holiday.
At home, I booted up my computer and headed straight to Chā-laoshi’s blog. It’d become my daily ritual.
Chā-laoshi was live-streaming an art session.
I clicked into the stream—and Yao Star妍’s voice poured from my speakers:
"Good evening, everyone! As usual, I’ll be drawing fanart for Maple’s works while chatting. Please be kind!"
Her tone was warm and bubbly, a complete contrast to the icy aura she radiated at school.
Comments scrolled left to right across the screen:
*"Marry me, goddess!"*
*"Goddess~"*
*"I love you, goddess!"*
She was wildly popular.
"Calling me ‘goddess’ makes me shy~ Might even blush!"
—*"Ooooh~ Goddess’s shyness!"*
*"Goddess is in a great mood today!"*
*"Seeing goddess blush—I can die happy!"*
*Seriously? Those commenters are total simpers. How is Star妍 not wearing a mask during streams? What if some creep tracks her down?*
"Aww, stop calling me ‘goddess’ already!"
—*"Alright alright, Chā-laoshi, start drawing!"*
*"Doing Coco and Yang Yi’s steamy art today?"*
*"Requesting steamy art! Requesting steamy art!"*
*Hey! Can you guys stop shouting about steamy art? I’m sweating bullets here!*
Still, I envied how directly she connected with fans. My own identity remained hidden—I was still "that cool older sister type" to the outside world.
But Yao Star妍 ignored the requests:
"Sorry, folks! Today’s piece is totally PG!"
The stream switched to her art software. She sketched confidently, brushstrokes fluid.
"Eh? Why no steamy art…?"
Her hands never paused: "Maple is my favorite author. I know some fans discovered her works through my… *ahem*… mature fanart."
A figure emerged on-screen: a girl sitting quietly, reading a book.
"But I want you to love Maple’s stories for their heart—not just the spicy parts. So today, I’m drawing Coco. She’s my favorite character, but Maple seems to hate her. Always putting her through awful plot twists."
*Well… that’s just how stories go!*
Coco—no, *every* character I write, I cherish. Your accusation is slander!
Of course, my inner scream never reached her. She kept grumbling about my "unfairness" while coloring Coco’s skin.
"Humming♪~ La-la♪~"
—*"Chā-laoshi’s in SUCH a good mood today!"*
*"What happened? Got confessed to?"*
Comments about "confessions" were instantly buried:
*"Who dares confess to our goddess?!"*
*"That thirsty guy again?!"*
*"Idiot! Why would she be happy about THAT?!"*
The chat devolved into roasting "that thirsty guy"—me.
Yao Star妍 just kept humming, neither confirming nor denying anything.
*What on earth did Willow然 say to flip her mood so fast?* I still hadn’t heard from him, leaving me clueless about facing Yao Star妍 next.
Her fans finally noticed her flustered state:
*"Chā-laoshi, did you accept that thirsty guy?!"*
*"Goddess! Why aren’t you denying it?!"*
"Ahhh! What are you all saying?! I was too focused to see the chat… I-I-I’d never! I-I know his feelings, b-b-but… WAHHH!"
She accidentally painted Coco’s skin bright blue from panic.
The fans didn’t care. They bombarded her with questions.
"I said no! I’d never like… th-that guy!"
Since the stream showed only her art software, I couldn’t see if she blushed—but that stutter was unmistakable.
*Did she hesitate?*
*Maybe.* After this morning’s mess, I lacked the confidence to judge. Maybe she just felt disgusted mentioning me.
…
"Hah! Finally done!"
On-screen: a serene girl reading under a tree, dreamlike and soft.
—*"WOW! So beautiful!"*
*"I’m rereading ‘Sparklers’ tonight!"*
*"Thanks for the hard work, laoshi!"*
*"Wish it was a bit steamier though~"*
"Steamy art next time. Different character."
The camera panned to Yao Star妍’s face.
"This piece will be on my blog for download. Thanks for chatting so long—see you next stream!"
She fiddled with her computer. The screen jolted, then stabilized.
"So tired… Gotta shower first…"
Fanning herself with tiny hands, she stood up and rummaged through her room for clothes. The outfit she’d borrowed from Mengmeng-jie still lay on her bed.
*Maybe I’ll use that as an icebreaker next time we meet—*
*Wait!*
*None of that matters now!*
*Why is Yao Star妍 taking off her clothes?!* Her jacket hit the floor, revealing a thin tank top underneath.
*Disaster!* She was completely unaware the camera was still on!
