Chapter 33
When Xie Mi woke up again, she was in the hospital.
She vaguely remembered the manic scene before she lost consciousness.
Wait a minute.
Yun City…
Since real place names aren’t allowed in novels, many authors will slightly modify the originals.
So Yun City = Yunnan. Which means what they ate were mushrooms!
That’s even worse!
In the original text, what Xu Shuangrong brought back were just ordinary mushrooms, and the author even explained that they were the most common type sold in the market.
Why did it become wild Yunnan mushrooms this time?
Thinking back to the smile Xu Shuangrong had shown when she handed her the mushrooms, and recalling how Xu Shuangrong had deliberately eaten less at the table, claiming she was on a diet…
Everything became clear.
Because of the plot changes, Xu Shuangrong’s actions had shifted too. She was supposed to bring back ordinary mushrooms, but instead she brought wild ones.
As everyone knows, poisoning from wild mushrooms causes hallucinations, leading people to do all kinds of unpredictable things. For a public figure, this is especially dangerous.
One careless slip could shatter their public persona, or worse, a slip of the tongue could expose secrets—ending in complete downfall.
Xu Shuangrong’s move was ruthless.
Fortunately, Xie Mi had already “fallen” once, so she didn’t need to worry about collapsing her image anymore.
Munching on an apple, she pulled out her phone and saw a message from Director Niu in the guest group chat.
Because all the guests were poisoned, the doctor recommended two days of rest. Recording was suspended, and the production team would pick them up again in two days.
Damn, awesome! In a way, she should actually thank Xu Shuangrong.
Clicking into Weibo, she saw that netizens were already going wild.
During the half day they had been unconscious, clips of their mushroom poisoning fiasco had spread everywhere. Everyone even had their own individual edits.
The jokesters were creating endless memes, sending the dating show spiraling into full-blown madness.
Popularity skyrocketed.
Their reputations? Gone.
It was said Qiu Chengye was the first to wake up and get discharged. A netizen spotted him angrily kicking a trash can on the street, then pointing at a TV station sign and cursing it out for half an hour.
Xie Mi once again laughed out loud like a duck.
“Quack quack quack quack quack—”
“Did we come to the wrong place? Why is Donald Duck in this hospital?” A middle-aged woman’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Xie Mi: “?”
Then a young man’s voice followed, “Mom, don’t mention Donald Duck. That’s copyright infringement.”
“Oh right, right, they might sue me. Anyway, is this the room?”
Swoosh—
The ward door swung open. A middle-aged woman in a blazing red dress, dripping in flashy jewelry, strutted in.
Behind her was a young man of about twenty, dressed in a custom shirt and waistcoat, wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
“My darling daughter, long time no see.” The woman’s fiery red lips curved high, her sultry walk exaggerated as she approached.
“You should’ve just left and stayed abroad forever. Why insist on being a celebrity, jumping around on TV just to get cursed at? You’re such a disgrace.”
Her voice was sharp and biting, her smile brimming with malice.
The young man also gave a contemptuous smile and softly said, “Disgraceful.”
Xie Mi: “?”
Who the hell was this over-dressed turkey?
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
Li Miyan sneered, “If your father hadn’t told me to come pick you up, I wouldn’t have bothered. Honestly, how did you survive that stabbing last time?”
Dad?
She had a dad?
Xie Mi narrowed her eyes and racked her brains, finally pinpointing a buried line in the original novel’s endless paragraphs:
{To follow in Xiao Jingxi’s footsteps, Xie Mi entered the entertainment industry against her family’s wishes, severing ties with them.
But she didn’t care. She never liked that home anyway. Her mother had died early, her father never paid her attention. Her malicious stepmother only bullied her whenever her father wasn’t around, and her stepbrother was dangerous as well…}
Because the original only glossed over her family situation, she had almost forgotten about it.
Xie Mi studied the woman in front of her again. With all the glittering diamonds flashing, even her own eyes sparkled.
A rich woman!
“…Why are you laughing?”
Li Miyan frowned, taking two steps back. She whispered to Xie Lian, “What’s wrong with her? Still not recovered from the poisoning?”
Xie Lian whispered back, “The doctor said the symptoms are gone.”
“Then why is she acting like this? She used to burst into tears every time she saw me. Why isn’t she crying now?”
“Maybe… she’s scared silly?”
…
While the mother and son whispered, Xie Mi pulled out her phone and opened a text message from two days ago:
[HungryMe Takeout]: Dear customer, regarding your installment purchase of Longjiang Braised Pig Trotters Rice, this month’s payment of 0.5 yuan (2/10 installments) is overdue. Please deposit the full amount and late fees into the designated account as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will affect your personal credit record.
[Xie Mi]: Can’t you extend it by two more days (crying emoji)
Even Sister Xie had fallen this low.
But…
Looking at the mother and son in front of her, she slowly curved into a wicked grin.
What perfect timing—rain, and someone hands her an umbrella; hunger, and someone brings her food. Truly a gift in her time of need.
Li Miyan was still plotting in a low voice with Xie Lian.
“We worked so hard to drive her away back then. How could we let her come back now? Sure, your dad told me to fetch her, but just a few threats like before will scare her off…”
“What are you muttering about?”
Li Miyan looked up into the girl’s smiling eyes.
“Yikes! Are you crazy, standing so close?”
“I think I just overheard something scandalous.”
Xie Mi tilted her head, smiling innocently. “My dear dad asked you to bring me home, yet you’re scheming behind his back?”
Li Miyan froze, then quickly sneered, “I never said you couldn’t come back. But dare you? Don’t forget how miserable you were in that house. Think carefully—”
“What’s there to think about? Of course I’ll go back. Right now.”
Li Miyan was stunned. “Xie Mi, don’t be shameless. I’ve made it clear. If you dare—”
“Hello, I’d like to report someone preventing me from going home…”
“Fine, fine, fine! You can go back! Right now! Immediately!”
…
Half an hour later, Xie Mi stood before a grand European-style mansion, luxurious as a castle, smiling with satisfaction.
Happiness could be so simple.
“You can really laugh at this?” a cold male voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Xie Lian slowly walked up beside her, gazing at the mansion. Behind his glasses, turbulent emotions swirled. “You seem to have forgotten—this was once the hell you most wanted to escape.”
“Then I really was blind back then.”
Xie Lian: “?”
Xie Mi turned to him, her lips curling with a faint smile. “Don’t worry. From today on, this place will be my paradise.”
“Or—”
“Your hell.”
