Memories always fade with the passage of time, but records make the feelings of the moment eternal.
An Mengyue wrote down the date in her notebook—Thursday, July 18th—the first big spender since she started streaming: Coolest Villain.
However, he didn’t show up on Friday, and she didn’t reach out either, returning to being a nobody in the livestream room.
On Saturday, while on her way to work, she actually felt a hint of anticipation in her heart—maybe today would be different?
Using the excuse of not wanting to be at the bottom again in the weekly competition, she prepared an ultra-luxurious afternoon tea, pleading with the makeup artist sister to do less with her makeup.
In the end, she got a relatively lighter makeup look.
No winged eyeliner, no heavy lower lash lines or dramatic bottom lashes, not even eyeshadow—just a simple sweep of blush.
The large areas of bare skin actually showcased her natural beauty even better.
Dai Daiyu watched her makeup transformation and couldn’t help but snort coldly, “Want to turn things around? Climbing over my head? Not possible.”
“Do you think she went to see President Ku privately? Otherwise, why would he suddenly support her, and now she’s trying to change her makeup?”
At 3 PM, “Wan Tang 2016” started streaming right on time.
[Who’s the one on the far right today? A newcomer?]
[Is that Catcat? Why the big change?]
During the opening dance segment, these were the questions old fans asked the most. An Mengyue only responded with a smile, but in a corner she couldn’t see, Dai Daiyu was gritting her molars.
When Dongdongmao joined Wan Tang, she also felt an unprecedented crisis. At first glance, she was stunned by her looks, and at second glance, she fell into self-deprecating inner turmoil.
With such a great beauty joining the group, how could she stand out herself?
But reality rewarded her with a sweet treat—she still firmly held the center position, while Dongdongmao was only fit for the corner. Looking at her makeup and styling, plus her slacking off all day, her heart gradually settled.
So now, this center position must remain hers.
At 5:30, the weekly individual PK competition began right on time.
The rules of the individual PK competition were cumulative talent points, using a chase system—one chasing another—until the first place was decided.
Simply put, it was about who received the most gifts.
Coolest Villain didn’t show up.
An Mengyue’s top fan, Sister Fu Yuexiang, accompanied and guarded her throughout.
She didn’t care about the gift commission, and her vote-pulling approach was all about going with the flow—if you send something, I’m very grateful; if you don’t, I understand.
Stepping lightly to the center of the stage, she took the microphone and gave it her 100%: “Hello everyone, I’m Dongdongmao. Are there any babies who like cats? Please support me…”
[User “Fu Yuexiang” sent “Prosperous Whispers”*1 to “Dongdongmao”] (1314 diamonds)
[User “Ate Too Much Today” sent “Heartbeat Hug”*1 to “Dongdongmao”] (399 diamonds)
[User “Keep Writing Hard” sent “Hot Air Balloon”*1 to “Dongdongmao”] (520 diamonds)
When time was up, she bowed in thanks. She was second to last, with Tutu trailing 300 points behind in last place.
The two unlucky sisters chased each other by a very small margin. Tutu was eliminated first, and when it was her turn to chase the third-place Xiaoyang, the opposing fans kept raising the stakes.
An Mengyue kept smiling at the camera, “Are there any brothers and sisters who like cats? Sister Xiangxiang has worked so hard. Let’s team up—just 40 more…”
The meteor shower on the screen streaked across the sky, and Fu Yuexiang gritted her teeth and sent another round.
[User “Fu Yuexiang” sent “Shining Star*1” to “Dongdongmao”] x33x34x35 (99 diamonds)
[User “Shark Chili” sent “Shining Star*1” to “Dongdongmao”] x5 (99 diamonds)
Just as she handed off the scalding microphone, the falling-flower pavilion drifted across the camera view, the scene soft and beautiful, but her heart had turned cold.
[User “Galaxy 2233” sent “Flower-Falling Pavilion*1” to “Baa Baa Sheep”] (1599 diamonds)
…
Watching other people’s gifts bloom across the screen while Fu Yuexiang stood alone on the leaderboard, she truly felt terrible about it and simply gave up struggling.
During the broadcast training, the operator had explicitly stated that every second on stage must be spent actively soliciting votes, never giving up any opportunity.
Taking the microphone from Xiaoyang, she kept a smile on her face the entire time, her mouth only uttering sincere thanks. When the time was up, she bowed and left the stage, then sent a message to Fu Yuexiang after stepping down.
[Dongdongmao: Sister Xiangxiang, thank you for your support. I’m too useless, I didn’t manage to pull in any teammates for you]
[Fu Yuexiang: Keep it up, Catcat, you’ll get better and better]
Sitting on the bench with her fellow unfortunate sister Tutu, they watched the three people on stage and made a no-prize guess at who would take second place today.
Tutu bet on Little Bear, An Mengyue bet on Xiaoyang.
First place needed no guessing—it was definitely Dai Daiyu.
Taking advantage of no one paying attention, she pulled out her phone. Just as she entered “Mantang 2014” and the beautiful sisters were waving at the screen, she heard Shark call out her name.
“Bro, are you going to revive Catcat?”
The word “revive” felt foreign to her. An Mengyue froze, immediately shut off her phone, and looked up at the big screen.
Coolest Villain entered the livestream room.
[Coolest Villain: Where’s the little cat?]
Someone in the bullet comments said Dongdongmao was already dead.
[User “Coolest Villain” sent “Romantic Carriage*1” to “Dongdongmao”] (28,888 diamonds)
[User “Coolest Villain” sent “Romantic Castle*1” to “Dongdongmao”] (28,888 diamonds)
[User “Coolest Villain” sent “Carnival*1” to “Dongdongmao”] (30,000 diamonds)
[Coolest Villain: Want to see the little cat]
He actually came? An Mengyue’s heart leaped to her throat. The flashing special effects reflected in her eyes, and her name indeed showed on the leaderboard.
This feeling was too surreal.
Shark’s excited voice rang in her ears, “Holy crap! Thank you President Ku for the princess three-piece set! Catcat is revived, now in first place!”
She was revived just like that, just like that?! She stood up and trotted in small steps toward the stage.
In the camera view, a girl suddenly popped out from the side, making a heart shape with both hands above her head, eyes sparkling, gaze lively, smiling like a flower, her lips forming the words “thank you.”
[Dongdongmao: Ahhh! Oh my god! Boss is so handsome!]
[Coolest Villain: I was late]
[Dongdongmao: No way, I’m just so happy you came. This is the first Carnival I’ve ever received]
After all those gifts, this really was the first one!
[Coolest Villain: Let me see you]
She picked a business selfie taken after today’s makeup, and away from the livestream’s beauty filter, she was a beauty with normal proportions.
In the photo, her brows curved gently, dimples rippling like flowers, sweet and radiant.
[Coolest Villain: Pretty]
Jiang Mingzhou looked at the photo and silently tapped save.
Though not as breathtaking as the first time he saw her, she was still, all in all, his type.
An Mengyue walked onto the stage, each step taken with unusual resolve. She turned around and waved at the camera with a smile.
Seeing Coolest Villain still hanging at the top of the leaderboard, she felt an inexplicable emotion stirring inside her.