Chapter 230: Ignored
Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Ignored
Several days of livestreaming had yielded no improvement. The professionally polished scripts couldn’t even compare to Nan Zhi’s impromptu cooking class.
Just thinking about it made Chang Mu feel irritated and restless.
She finally got a half-day off. Although she had no interest in this godforsaken little town, she decided to take her assistant for a walk around to maintain her public persona.
She would also film some vlog footage to post on her social media account, which had over a million followers, as another piece of "proof" of how "approachable" she was.
To be on camera, Chang Mu deliberately chose a beautiful long silk dress. The handmade embroidery on the hem was heavy and intricate, and the flowers seemed to come alive as she walked.
Chang Mu continuously fiddled with her hair, adjusted the angle at which her skirt billowed, and instructed her young assistant:
"You remember what I told you, right? You have to film me from a low, diagonal angle like this. That’s my best side. Oh, and make sure to capture the surroundings in the shot..."
The assistant nodded and agreed on the surface, but inwardly, she was annoyed to death.
She had just been hired as Chang Mu’s assistant last month. Before, she had heard from a friend that although this Chang Mu was a wealthy heiress and a top influencer, several of her former assistants had said she had a good temper and treated people well.
So when she first got the job, the assistant thought a jackpot had fallen from the sky right into her lap, and she was ecstatic.
As it turned out, her current frustration was directly proportional to her initial happiness.
Chang Mu’s pickiness and difficult nature... manifested in every possible way.
Take this vlog, for example. Disregarding her status as a wealthy heiress, even a top influencer of her caliber would normally have a professional photographer, stylist, and so on, instead of making one assistant handle everything.
And here she was, earning one person’s salary for the work of an entire team, all while having to listen to Chang Mu boast in the vlog about how down-to-earth she was, only ever traveling with a single assistant and no one else.
The assistant: ...
’Who on earth said Chang Mu was easy to get along with?!’
’The rumors are just absurd!’
Grumbling inwardly was one thing, but the assistant still diligently followed Chang Mu’s directions.
She was actually quite skilled at filming. The bustling stalls on both sides of the market looked vibrant and full of life through her lens. Everyone was smiling with genuine kindness, and the lively atmosphere seemed to close the distance between people...
Then Chang Mu burst into the frame.
That’s right, "burst."
Her presence was a stark contrast to the surroundings. She was dressed to the nines, polished down to the last strand of hair, and that deliberately crafted beauty was a disruption to the rustic charm of the environment!
The assistant wanted to speak up several times, but then she remembered how, before they left, she had suggested Chang Mu change into a simpler dress, only to be met with an eye-roll and a sarcastic comment that she didn’t know how to appreciate beauty...
’Forget it. I’ll just film it like this.’
Resigned, the assistant panned the camera and inadvertently captured three exceptionally eye-catching people in the distance.
It was as if a few drops of Spiritual Liquid had been sprinkled onto a scroll, instantly bringing the entire painting to vivid life!
The assistant stared, stunned, through the lens at the celestial-looking "family of three." She was experiencing firsthand the meaning of "looks that could kill" and a true "feast for the eyes."
’Oh my god, oh my god, how can people be so beautiful!’
"What are you doing! Why aren’t you following me!"
Chang Mu spun around, furious.
The assistant, snapping out of it a little too late, panicked slightly:
"Ah, I wasn’t— I saw... It’s Nan Zhi!"
The assistant could tell Chang Mu was fixated on Nan Zhi. And just as she expected, the moment she said the name, Chang Mu’s expression soured, and she looked back in annoyance.
Then, the assistant had the distinct pleasure of watching Chang Mu’s face become a kaleidoscope of emotions, shifting several times like an overturned paint palette.
"How could it be him!"
Chang Mu muttered, deeply dissatisfied with the sight before her.
But the assistant misunderstood her, thinking Chang Mu was talking about Nan Zhi:
"She probably heard about the market and came for a stroll..."
The assistant also recognized the man beside Nan Zhi. He was supposedly one of the show’s investors and had a very close relationship with her.
When Nan Zhi had been sick a few days ago, this was the man who had stayed by her side to take care of her.
Even though no one had said it outright, the staff members, including the assistant, all assumed the two of them were a couple.
And in their eyes, Nan Zhi and Lu Shixu were a gorgeous couple, a match made in heaven.
If Lu Shixu had been some fat, greasy, middle-aged man, the judgment would have been completely different. People would have speculated negatively about Nan Zhi’s choice, and their opinion of her would have dropped as well.
But as fate would have it, Lu Shixu possessed the celestial beauty of a modern-day Banished Immortal. Standing next to Nan Zhi, no description came to mind other than "a perfect match."
Therefore, besides sighs of admiration and envy, the staff mostly just wished them well.
The assistant genuinely felt this way and blurted out:
"Those two are so easy on the eyes."
Suddenly, the assistant felt a chill run down her spine.
She subconsciously glanced toward Chang Mu, only to see her boss glaring at her with an incredibly sinister look in her eyes.
The assistant shivered, wondering what that was all about.
Fortunately, Chang Mu quickly composed herself and said to her young assistant in an unbelievably gentle tone:
"There are some things you shouldn’t say carelessly, you understand?"
The assistant hunched her shoulders and nodded.
Chang Mu gave a slight smile, then started walking toward Nan Zhi and the others.
"Oh! Nan Zhi! You’re here too!"
Chang Mu clasped her hands behind her back, her face wreathed in smiles, her eyes bright and cheerful.
Then she looked at Nan Yi and greeted her.
"Hello there, Yiyi."
Only at the very end did she give a somewhat reserved nod to Lu Shixu.
"Mr. Lu, it’s been a while..."
She trailed off, looking as though she had much more to say.
Chang Mu had already prepared her answer, ready to create the misunderstanding she wanted if Nan Zhi were to ask how she knew Lu Shixu...
But in the end, Nan Zhi just glanced up at her coolly.
"Miss Chang, what a coincidence."
And that was it.
It was as if Nan Zhi had absolutely no curiosity about Chang Mu whatsoever.
’...What’s going on?’
’Doesn’t Nan Zhi want to know about my relationship with Lu Shixu?’
’Or does my presence not make her feel the slightest bit threatened?’
Either possibility annoyed Chang Mu.
She turned a pitiful, doe-eyed gaze on Lu Shixu.
But Lu Shixu didn’t even spare her a sideways glance. He simply lowered his head, focused on a flower petal caught in Nan Zhi’s hair that he wanted to remove for her.
Meanwhile, Nan Yi was holding a newly bought sugar figurine, munching on it with a CRUNCH, her expression focused and serious. She didn’t even lift her eyes in Chang Mu’s direction.
Chang Mu’s fists clenched instantly!
Watching this unfold, the assistant behind her was suddenly struck by a feeling of utter horror and absurdity—
’Don’t tell me... this great miss has a crush on that Mr. Lu!’