Chapter Fourteen: The Reserve Internet Celebrity

“It seems you and your cousin get along pretty well—almost like partners in crime!” Ning Shuyi teased. “I have an elder sister too. Ever since we were little, whenever we planned something together behind our parents’ backs, they never caught wind of it.”

“Well, you two are really lucky!” Yu Mengpeng sighed. “You and your sister genuinely sound close. My cousin and I aren’t like that at all! It’s really just me clinging to her for support.

You don’t know her, so you wouldn’t understand—her personality is a bit odd, hard for most people to figure out. When she’s in a good mood, she’s warm and affectionate, and I feel like we’re really close, like true sisters. But when she’s in a bad mood, she does a complete one-eighty—turns cold, won’t acknowledge anyone, couldn’t care less about anyone’s feelings, and nothing you say gets through to her.

That’s why my mom, despite being so capable with everyone else, never says a word too many in front of my cousin. It’s not just that she’s fond of her, but she really doesn’t know how to deal with that temperament! Lately, this has probably been the closest my cousin and I have ever been, simply because neither of us has a job. She’s been hanging around in that graduate exam prep class, and I haven’t found a suitable position either, so I’m secretly studying and reviewing. We’re both in the same boat.

I even suggested to her that if she really didn’t want to go, I could take her place in that prep class—wouldn’t that make everyone happy? But it didn’t work! That class uses real names, and my cousin’s been going there for two years now—she’s a familiar face. If I tried to take her place, they’d never allow it!”

“So from what you’re saying, Wang Yuluo hasn’t really been attending that class seriously either? What does she do with her time?” Ning Shuyi seized the opportunity to ask.

Yu Mengpeng shrugged. “You think she actually wants to take the exam? She just doesn’t want to work! The exam prep is just a smokescreen.

My cousin is all talk and no action. She always complains that my uncle never paid much attention to her, but now he wants to dictate her future. She keeps saying she’s going to work hard and make it on her own, but she’s never actually put in the effort.

If she just came out and said she didn’t want to work, just wanted to have fun after college, my uncle would never allow it. So she came up with this delaying tactic—saying she wants to take the graduate entrance exam, to prove herself and not rely on the family. That way, the elders have nothing to say.

But really, she knows deep down that even if she spends her time playing, her place in the family is still secure.”

“What does Wang Yuluo do for fun? Cosplay?” Ning Shuyi asked.

“Sort of,” Yu Mengpeng nodded. “She likes cosplay a lot, but I’m not sure whether it’s the cosplay itself she loves or just the thrill of dressing up beautifully, taking gorgeous photos, and getting praised and admired.”

“Does she have other close friends she hangs out with besides you?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Yu Mengpeng shook her head. “Like I said, her personality is strange—so unpredictable. When she’s in a good mood, she’ll chat with me, but she’s never brought me into her friend circle.

I don’t think she has anyone she’s particularly close to. I’ve never seen her be really intimate with anyone. She’s joined plenty of fan groups online and even some kind of internet club, but I don’t know the details. She only ever mentions these things casually if she feels like it, and I just listen. If I pressed her for details, she’d probably get annoyed and shut down.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone and started swiping through it, saying to Ning Shuyi, “Wait a sec, I’ll pull up my cousin’s profile for you. You can see her cosplay photos!”

Soon enough, Yu Mengpeng opened Wang Yuluo’s page and handed the phone across the table so Ning Shuyi could look at the photos. When Huo Yan returned with two cups of fruit tea, Ning Shuyi was still browsing through the images. In the photos, Wang Yuluo appeared in a variety of makeup looks and costumes, most of them with an anime flair, though some were dark-themed or inspired by fairy tales and mythology.

The photos looked like professional shoots—everything from the lighting and angles to the post-processing was expertly done. Huo Yan set the drinks down and leaned over to glance at a few pictures with Ning Shuyi, but it was clear he didn’t appreciate this kind of artistry. He frowned and looked away.

While Ning Shuyi browsed the photos, Yu Mengpeng was watching Huo Yan. She seemed interested in him but didn’t dare strike up a conversation, only sneaking glances at him every now and then.

Huo Yan paid no attention to those glances.

After flipping through some photos, Ning Shuyi handed the phone back to Yu Mengpeng. “Wang Yuluo has clearly invested a lot in this hobby—the results are impressive. She already has almost ten thousand followers.”

“Yes, she’s only had that account for about half a year! And that’s with her being lazy—she just uploads her best photos, rarely bothers to reply to comments or messages.

She just likes the feeling it gives her, not really interested in seriously managing her account. If she really put her mind to it, maybe she wouldn’t be a huge internet celebrity, but she’d easily qualify as a rising star!”

“True,” Ning Shuyi agreed. “I noticed one profile picture in particular—every time Wang Yuluo posts a photo, that account always likes and comments, and the comments are always full of praise. That must be a loyal fan.”

Yu Mengpeng rolled her eyes. “Are you talking about the one with a red heart for a profile picture, username ‘Writing Poems for You’?”

“That’s the one. Seems you remember him well!”

“How could I not? That’s my cousin’s ex-boyfriend, Li Qiao! Guys like him are just unbearable. Every time I see him I can’t roll my eyes hard enough. I have no idea what my cousin ever saw in him!”

“Back at your uncle’s house, you seemed reluctant to mention him—worried your mom and uncle would dig for details?”

“Exactly!” Yu Mengpeng sighed. “I had no idea Li Qiao was so gross. If I’d known back then, I would have told my uncle the moment I found out my cousin was dating him—no way I would have let them stay together!

Back then, my cousin was head over heels for him, thought he was perfect. His family background was nothing like my uncle’s, so she tried hard to hide the relationship, afraid my uncle would disapprove.

Even after they broke up, she never told the family.”