In the days that followed, Boss Coolest Villain was as elusive as a dragon that shows its head but never its tail, occasionally popping in for a quick message. An Mengyue hoped he would focus on his own life.
After all, programmers worked harder than she did—staying up until they went bald.
But the Guild Tournament arrived before she knew it. As the name suggested, the entire guild competed together in an all-out PK.
June’s champion was Lizi, who took first place with 14.98 million points, playing from afternoon until 3:30 in the morning.
Over ten million points meant over a million yuan in spending—and that was just one person. The big spenders willingly opened their wallets; everyone wanted to win a good ranking for their favorite Love-caster.
Fu Yuexiang pulled Dongdongmao’s few fans into a crowdfunding group—they couldn’t let their kid take last place in her first competition.
Dongdongmao only found out about the crowdfunding group after she finished her stream. The pressure hit her like a mountain. She sent message after message in the fan group, reminding everyone to be rational and avoid overspending ahead of their means.
The night of the 26th.
An Mengyue tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Anxiety piled on anxiety. She chatted with her fans to ease her nerves.
【Dongdongmao: Ahh, I’m so nervous. I can’t sleep. I feel like throwing up】
【Fu Yuexiang: Why do you feel like throwing up?】
【Coolest Villain: ?】
【Ru You Xian Zhu: Take it easy, don’t be so nervous】
She remembered the first time she’d picked up a microphone to ask for votes—she’d been in exactly the same sorry state.
With so many streamers competing on the same stage in the Guild Tournament, and all the fans from every guild gathered together, she was already dead last in her own small guild, Wantang 2016. She couldn’t even bear to imagine tomorrow’s mortifying scene.
【Dongdongmao: It’s a physical reaction. Every time I close my eyes, I see the competition. It’s terrifying!!! I have social anxiety!!】
【Princess Yaoyao: Don’t be scared, Catcat. We’re all here】
【Fu Yuexiang: Get some rest, babe. Don’t overthink it】
【Dongdongmao: Mm-hmm. You guys can show your support a little, that’s enough. Let me go to sleep early】
【Xin Sui Xiao Wang: My favorite Love-caster is probably the most unmotivated salted fish in the world】
She really was a salted fish. After all, her future plans weren’t in this country. She’d just coast through her three-month contract and be done with it—she didn’t want to burden her fans any more than necessary.
The fan group for “Wantang 2014” was even livelier. As the guild’s big sister, she’d joined quite a few of their groups too. This guild was also participating in the Guild Tournament for the first time, and An Mengyue had started stockpiling votes two days in advance, determined to make her senior’s guild a smash hit.
Mainly because the girls were just too adorable~ They all called her “big sister,” checked in on her every day, and gave her all the emotional support she could want. How could anyone not fall for that?!
She was exactly the kind of big spender who willingly opened her wallet!
She tossed and turned in bed for another hour before finally falling asleep. When the alarm went off at eight in the morning, she dragged herself up with heavy dark circles under her eyes, brewed herself a cup of black coffee, and ate breakfast with a face mask on.
The makeup artist arrived promptly at nine. An Mengyue had found her online—she was gentle and had impeccable taste.
She’d already seen An Mengyue’s photos, but seeing her in person still left the makeup artist stunned.
Could a person really have such a small face?
The two chatted about celebrity gossip and listened to music. The atmosphere was relaxed, the makeup artist’s touch was light, and An Mengyue was in good spirits, completely at ease.
For the eye makeup, she used earthy tones layered with a touch of shimmer, applied a cinnamon milk-tea colored lipstick, topped it with a glossy glass-lip finish, and added fluffy, textured curled lashes. She didn’t overdo it—leaving room for simplicity only highlighted her natural beauty.
She changed into a sparkling silver-thread plaid strapless puff dress, with crystal-encrusted straps accented by a diamond bow.
Her hair was styled into soft waves, adorned with two diamond hair clips, and she chose a delicate clavicle chain. The makeup artist stood behind her, stunned.
She looked like a goddess descended from heaven, breathtakingly beautiful.
The makeup artist whipped out her phone and snapped photos frantically—this would surely become her greatest masterpiece!
After lunch, An Mengyue took a cab to the company. Tutu was utterly shocked by her look today and circled around her once.
“You’re completely different from the person I remember!”
Tutu was wearing a black dress today. She wasn’t bad-looking herself, but luck had never been on her side.
Shark had always known that Cat was beautiful, but this was the first time seeing her so formally dressed up. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “I think if all the streamers stood together, you’d be the center. Go get ’em! Make 2016 proud.”
Dai Daiyu hadn’t shown her face—apparently, she’d gone to rehearse at the new building.
Among the Wan Tang 2016 members, only she had a talent showcase, since An Mengyue’s talents weren’t exactly suitable for display, so she was never picked for that anyway.
The company’s three most profitable groups were all at the new building, and today’s livestream account was Sheng Tang 2008, the most popular among them.
On the corridor of the new building, An Mengyue stood chatting with Shark. Everyone who passed by couldn’t help but take a second look.
The company had a beauty like this? Which group was she from?
Zhu Wenwen happened to walk by and approached with a proud look on her face. “My Yueyue, this is the real you. If it weren’t for that damn Wu Tao, I would’ve made you the number one.”
The five girls behind her caught her attention. After all, they’d shared a brief camaraderie as colleagues, so An Mengyue took the initiative to greet them, then waved at her senior. “Don’t even mention it. I just want to get off the stage as soon as possible.”
Shark had always thought highly of her and quickly said, “Cat, show some confidence.”
The livestream started at 3 PM, with talent showcases and individual catwalks for the top ten in the early segment.
It wasn’t until 5 PM that the Wan Tang 2016 members were up. An Mengyue was so nervous she could hear her own heartbeat, and her ears were even ringing. She nearly stumbled on her way to the stage.
“Next up, walking toward us is Dongdongmao from Wan Tang 2016.”
She took a deep breath, slowly walked to the center of the stage, smiled softly at the camera, revealing two dimples, paused for two seconds, then turned and walked off.
Those brief thirty seconds felt like the world was spinning. Her mind was a blur, and the barrage of comments was moving too fast to read. She only vaguely caught:
【(Moon) Yue is a wanderer of the mortal world (Cat) Cat is the world’s peerless beauty】
【(Moon) The moon hides in the clouds (Cat) Cat hides in my heart】
The fans’ cheer slogans warmed her heart.
【Dongdongmao: Ah, I was so nervous I almost fell!】
The fan group was buzzing with activity at that moment. Looking at the screenshots everyone was posting, An Mengyue felt delighted and sent her favorite selfie to the group.
【Fu Yuexiang: Seriously, you’re like a completely different person from when I first met you! What the hell was the company having you do before?】
【Princess Yaoyao: Don’t be nervous, sweetie. You did great just now—graceful and composed. Don’t be afraid!】
【Ru You Xian Zhu: When are you going on stage again?】
The top forty for the Guild Tournament would be decided soon, and the hardest part was the 25-to-10 round. After the top ten, it was a battle of the gods—even casual viewers would find it thrilling.
Once the catwalk segment was over, the first round had groups of ten taking turns to rally votes. After a long wait, it was finally her turn to go on stage.
The microphone was passed into her hands. Despite the heavy beauty filter, her 168 cm height stood out prominently within the group, drawing all eyes to her at first glance. Upon closer inspection, she was even more stunning.
The base score for the first round was 10,000 points (diamonds at a 1:1 ratio).
[User “Fillet Nori” sent Sky No. 1 *1] (10,001 diamonds)
[User “Fu Yuexiang” sent City Lights *1] (5,000 diamonds)
Fans continued to accumulate points, and An Mengyue kept reciting their IDs without pause, afraid of missing even one.
When the two minutes were up, the first round had accumulated a total of 32,660 points.