131: I'm so panicked (Bonus Chapter)

Su Ning was feeling very panicked right now.

Brother Ye hadn't replied to any of her messages for a full twenty-four hours.

In the WeChat chat box, all the coquettish remarks, greetings, and even the bold message she sent while biting the bullet—"I dreamed of you last night, Brother~ It was *that* kind of dream~"—had all vanished into the depths of the ocean without even making a ripple.

Today was Christmas, and Su Ning was mentally prepared for the fact that he would definitely be spending it with the "first wife."

But... no matter how much of a "Merry Christmas" it was, surely he could at least glance at his phone? He didn't even have time to squeeze out an "Mhm" or an emoji?

In the past, no matter how impatient he was, he would always reply with an "Mhm," "?," or "Wait a bit" every few hours. At least it let her know that she, his "digital pet," hadn't been completely forgotten.

But now... all sorts of terrifying thoughts were uncontrollably burrowing into Su Ning's mind:

Could it be... her identity as a mistress, which Brother Ye had always kept as a hidden "underground relationship," was exposed by her phone call yesterday?

Had the first wife discovered her existence and gotten into a huge fight with him? Was Brother Ye currently overwhelmed trying to put out the fire, leaving him with no time for her at all?

Or was the situation even worse?

Did the first wife use strong-arm tactics and give him an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between the two of them?

And Brother Ye... had he already decided to give up on her?

The moment she thought of the latter, Su Ning felt a chill rush up from the soles of her feet, leaving her feeling cold all over.

She didn't dare think about it any further.

Because of that million sound waves shocker last night—the "33 consecutive Carnivals + 1 douyin number one" that rocked the entire guild—Su Ning was now the undisputed star of the guild's audio track.

The channel manager, Sister Zhi Xia, had specifically held a review meeting for her to get on the mic and share her experiences on "how to maintain a big spender" and "how to create consumption scenarios."

The guild's editing team had even clipped the highlights of last night's PK into a video and posted it on the guild's official account and the channel's account, reaping a massive wave of traffic and envy.

This morning, Sister Zhi Xia and the Operator, Sister Sweet Potato, had each privately sent her a 200-yuan red envelope with the note: "Merry Christmas. Yaoyao, you've worked hard. Keep it up!"

Sister Sweet Potato even revealed that the guild planned to set up a separate high-revenue incentive policy for her next month. As long as her monthly revenue reached 2 million sound waves, she could get an additional 2% commission!

Usually, this kind of good news would be enough to make Su Ning fly with excitement, but today, she only felt immense pressure.

All of this current prosperity and preferential treatment was built on the foundation of the continuous output from the "gold mine" that was Brother Ye.

If Brother Ye was gone... "Xiao Su? What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?"

Lin Wanxing was opening various takeout bags—grilled fish, crawfish, Japanese food, barbecue... a whole table was filled. Seeing Su Ning staring blankly at her phone, she waved a hand in front of her curiously.

"Come on, come on! I'm riding on your coattails today. It's too luxurious for just the two of us to eat this well!"

Su Ning snapped back to her senses, forced a smile, and subconsciously glanced at the silent phone screen again. She sighed and sat down at the dining table dejectedly.

"It's nothing, I'm just... a bit tired."

It seemed the expected "Christmas sleep-call" was completely out of the question. She could only pray that Brother Ye would remember his poor, helpless mistress tomorrow and reply to a message... Lin Wanxing poured some red wine for both of them and looked at her with concern.

"Are you really okay? I feel like you've been a bit distracted since this afternoon. Aren't you happy about making money?"

"I'm really fine, it's just..."

Su Ning shook her head quickly, forcing herself to perk up.

"Excitement! Yeah, exactly. I made money, right? Making so much all at once left me a bit... dazed! Yeah, I'm just excited!"

Lin Wanxing nodded, understanding the sense of unreality that comes after a "sudden windfall."

"True. When I saw you withdrawing money from the TikTok backend last night, I felt like I was dreaming too."

She paused and asked seemingly casually, "So... what about that big spender of yours? It's Christmas today, hasn't he reached out to chat or anything?"

Su Ning's eyelid twitched violently, and her hand holding a crawfish trembled.

"No! Oh, I don't let him just contact me whenever he wants. He's so clingy, it's annoying! When I need him, I just act cute, and he comes running. You can't spoil men too much!"

"That's impressive!"

Lin Wanxing looked at her "husband-taming" act and gave her a thumbs-up in admiration.

"To be honest, Xiao Su, if I hadn't seen you withdraw the money with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed you just by listening. Your skills are incredible!"

Su Ning twitched the corner of her mouth. She felt that today's envy and praise didn't give her any satisfaction; instead, they made the panic from Brother Ye's disappearance even more pronounced. It was awkward and uncomfortable all over.

After eating for a while, Lin Wanxing put down her skewer and hesitated for a moment.

"Xiao Su, um... can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Go ahead, Sister Wanxing."

"That voice channel of yours... are they still hiring? Do you think... I could give it a try?"

Su Ning was absentmindedly poking a piece of fish. She froze upon hearing this.

"You want to go? Don't you have your job at the gym?"

"I have my job, but I was thinking, could I do it part-time after I get home from work?"

Lin Wanxing nodded, then shook her head. "I'm not asking to make tens of thousands a month like you; that's too scary. But if I could earn an extra two or three thousand a month to help with rent and living expenses, that would be great."

She looked at Su Ning expectantly. "Since you're so good at it, it would be best if you could guide me and teach me."

Su Ning gave an "Oh." "Sister Wanxing, it seems you don't know much about the streaming industry? Our kind of voice channel..."

She was about to give a casual answer when her gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Wanxing's face.

Under the bright lights, Lin Wanxing's bare face was still stunning, with delicate skin and clear features.

Because she was at home, she was only wearing a tight-fitting yoga top and athletic shorts, leaving her great figure fully visible—full breasts, a slender and toned waist, and especially those straight long legs and perky buttocks from long-term yoga practice... Su Ning's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and her words came to an abrupt halt.

Brother Ye knew Sister Wanxing!

And from their previous interactions, his sexual interest in Sister Wanxing was clearly very high!

It was unclear if there was any progress offline, but if she were brought into the channel... a yoga instructor, extreme flexibility, perky butt, long legs, high beauty, and that unique aura from exercise... how the hell could that be allowed?!

She hadn't even resolved her own "disappearance crisis" yet. Wouldn't this be handing Brother Ye a "perfect replacement" with no flaws?

When the time came, would he choose to "have both," or just move on to the new one?

Even if Brother Ye found his conscience and chose to support both, with two streamers in the same channel, the resources, traffic, and the guild's attention would definitely be split!

Her newly solidified position would immediately take a huge hit!

No way! Absolutely not!

She couldn't control the offline Brother Ye, but the online "Brother Ye" had to belong to "Yaoyao" alone!

Thinking of this, Su Ning's tone shifted abruptly, and a troubled look appeared on her face.

"About that... Sister Wanxing, our channel has been very popular lately, and there are so many newcomers wanting to audition that the mic queue is completely full. How about this: I'll ask the channel manager for you tomorrow and get you a spot in line. I'll let you know as soon as there's an opening, okay?"

Lin Wanxing was stunned. She hadn't expected that becoming a streamer required "waiting in line," but hearing Su Ning say this actually made her feel slightly relieved.

To be honest, although she envied Su Ning's income, the thought of immediately having to act cute, flirt, and chat with strange men still made her feel a bit nervous and resistant.

It was good to push it back a bit so she could prepare herself mentally.

"Ah? I see... Alright then, I'll have to trouble you, Xiao Su. Make sure to tell me when there's a spot; I'll go and try the interview."