It wasn’t just Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue who felt a jumble of emotions—even the viewers in the livestream were sighing endlessly.
【Yan Yuansi probably never expected Li Yao saved him because of the five-hundred-billion penalty.】
【Between Yan Yuansi and five hundred billion, I choose five hundred billion.】
【Gotta say, Li Yao is insanely steady—she carried Yan Yuansi up that many floors without even panting.】
When they reached the thirty-fifth floor, Li Yao set Yan Yuansi down. “You two go shower first.”
She went to the kitchen to boil ginger soup for Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue. Even though they were from the interstellar era, if something went wrong health-wise, it would still be troublesome.
When the two of them came out, Li Yao brought over two bowls of soup. Yan Yuansi looked quite expectant—he knew Li Yao’s cooking was excellent.
Ning Xinyue felt a bit guilty. Her attitude toward Li Yao earlier hadn’t been great, and she’d even harbored unkind thoughts about her.
Li Yao said, “It’s ginger soup. It wards off the cold—drink it so you don’t get sick.”
Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue took the bowls and each took a sip. Their faces twisted in unison—wow, why was this stuff so spicy?
Still, it was Li Yao’s goodwill. Both of them braced themselves and drank it down. Looking at Li Yao, they felt something strange stir inside—maybe they were wrong. But their pride wouldn’t let them admit it.
Li Yao had said no one could save them—yet hadn’t that woman been saved in the end?
In low spirits, the two finished the ginger soup and went straight back to their rooms. Lying on the soft beds, warmth welled up from their stomachs, and their ice-cold bodies from being soaked slowly began to warm.
Yan Yuansi felt it especially strongly. Even after a hot shower, the chill in his bones hadn’t gone away—yet Li Yao’s ginger soup had done the trick.
As a woman with a more delicate mind, Ning Xinyue thought more deeply than Yan Yuansi. Li Yao had been right today. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, she finally got up.
She saw Li Yao still working on her chicken feet, while Resident Evil had already reached its final chapter.
Ning Xinyue leaned against the sofa and watched for a while. Then she suddenly spoke up. “Today, I felt like you were very cold-blooded.”
Li Yao turned her head, her hands never stopping. “You can take out the ‘felt.’ I am cold-blooded.”
Ning Xinyue shook her head. “After we saved that person, there was a moment when I felt it wasn’t worth it—for Yan Yuansi or for myself.”
Li Yao nodded. “That’s true. That woman wasn’t worth it.” She felt the matter wouldn’t end so simply.
Ning Xinyue asked, “Why were you so calm downstairs?”
Li Yao gave a light laugh. “First of all, I grew up on a remote trash star. If you want to live, you have to fight for it. I used hundreds—thousands—of times more effort just to make it to Capital Star. If I’d stayed naïve and hot-blooded, I would’ve died on the trash star long ago.”
These were memories from the original body—its beliefs. She could be born on a trash star, but her life had to be clean. That was why the original Li Yao had carved out a bloody path in the entertainment industry with her looks, never willing to curry favor—and why she’d accumulated so much scandal.
Ning Xinyue fell silent. She couldn’t imagine life on a trash star. She’d grown up on Capital Star; at most, she’d seen pictures of trash stars. Beyond the terrible environment and the massive ferocious beasts, they were breeding grounds for crime. People born there spent their whole lives trying to escape, yet most never did.
Li Yao didn’t mind. “So I understand better than you how terrifying natural forces are—and what people are like in environments like this.”
Thinking of the furious looks in their eyes earlier, Li Yao continued working. “Of course, you can keep being good people. If one day you’re truly driven into a corner, I can still live anywhere.”
At worst, she’d just run off carrying a fifty-million breach-of-contract penalty.
【Holy crap—this is the first time I’ve learned about Li Yao’s background.】
【Putting everything else aside, just the fact that Li Yao got out of a trash star at her age and reached where she is now—I respect her. If we’d started from the same line, with her ability and resolve, she’d already be among the very top in the interstellar world.】
【Let me interpret Li Yao’s meaning: if Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue keep being good people and get themselves killed, she’s already prepared to run—right?】
【Bro, your reading comprehension is full marks. And honestly, now I get why Li Yao bought so many supplies. With ten years’ time, she prepared enough to last a lifetime.】
Zhou Chengxing heard this too. He snorted and said to Jiang Yong, “Look at that—how is she a vase? She’s clearly a lone wolf.”
Neither of them missed the glimmer of expectation and delight in Li Yao’s eyes.
Jiang Yong looked at Li Yao with admiration. “I didn’t expect Li Yao to come from a trash star. Just don’t know which one.”
Zhou Chengxing stroked his chin. It probably wasn’t one of the three major trash star systems.
Over here, Ning Xinyue looked at Li Yao with respect. “May I ask which star system you’re from?” She thought the same as Zhou Chengxing—surely not one of the three major trash stars.
Li Yao flipped through the original body’s memories. “I’m from the Aniu Star System.”
Ning Xinyue: “Hiss—”
【Hiss!】
【Hiss!】
【Hiss!】
Zhou Chengxing & Jiang Yong: “Whoa—!”
The Aniu Star System, along with the Huo’le and Linuo systems, was known as one of the three major trash star systems of the interstellar era. Aniu was the largest of them all. Forget the deadly giant beasts—just the interstellar pirate bases and the wanted criminals from countless systems who hid there made it a nightmare. It was a haven even the interstellar military couldn’t deal with.
There was a saying online: throw a stone in the Aniu Star System, and the person it hits might be carrying at least three lives on their back.
Seeing Ning Xinyue react so strongly, Li Yao thought she was being discriminated against. “Don’t worry—my ID is clean. My file has no criminal record.”
Ning Xinyue covered her face. “Please… stop talking.”
The viewers in the barrage had the exact same reaction.
【Sister Yao, please stop—you have no idea how badass you are.】
【If I remember right, Capital Star has a rule—people who come from the three major trash star systems with clean records get special treatment, don’t they?】
【No, Sister Yao—if you’re this impressive, why were you still such a flop in the entertainment industry?】
The number of viewers in Li Yao’s livestream surged. Along with admiration came voices of doubt.
【Fake, right? With Li Yao’s personality, she’d definitely show off loudly.】
【I don’t believe it either—this must be a new persona she’s putting on.】
“I also think it’s nothing to be proud of,” Li Yao misunderstood Ning Xinyue’s reaction. Though she wasn’t the original owner of the body, there were still things she wanted to say for her.
“That’s why I’ve always been insecure about my background and kept it tightly hidden.”
Ning Xinyue: ??? What are you talking about?
Seeing the confusion on her face, Li Yao misunderstood again. “Coming from a trash star, I felt everyone would look down on me, so I hid it and felt very inferior, afraid to interact with people. Now that I think about it, it doesn’t matter. This is probably my last variety show.”
She had to seize the chance to sell some misery and salvage her reputation—it would make things easier when she returned to Capital Star, retired from showbiz, and made money.
Ning Xinyue: ???
Chapter 19: Identity Controversy
The live chat in Li Yao’s livestream was filled with question marks.
【Wait—sis, do you hear what you’re saying?】
【With abilities this insane, what exactly are you feeling inferior about?】
【Compared to you, I’m basically useless.】
【Alright, case closed. This sister used to be timid and never fit in because she came from the Yaniu Star System. She was insecure. Fine—I’m so mad I’m laughing.】
At this moment, Qiu Ling, who was also watching the livestream, was stunned. She hadn’t known Li Yao was from the Yaniu Star System. She pulled up the address Li Yao had filled in when signing her contract—back then she’d ignored the “star system” part and only noticed a place name.
The interstellar world was so vast that she’d assumed Li Yao came from some small, obscure system. But when she searched it now, she discovered it was actually the central city of the Yaniu Star System.
She nearly coughed up blood—she’d been managing an artist this amazing without even realizing it.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chengxing and Jiang Yong, who had been closely following the livestream, felt their eyelids twitch nonstop. They exchanged a glance. There was an old saying on Earth: the left eye twitching meant wealth, the right eye twitching meant disaster. So what did it mean when both eyes were twitching?
Jiang Yong clutched his chest. “Zhou Chengxing, what if Li Yao’s file isn’t clean?”
After all, coming from that place—it was hard to say.
Zhou Chengxing also covered his chest. “Shut up.”
At that moment, Zhou Chengxing’s phone rang. He answered with trembling hands.
“Hello, this is the Capital Star authorities. We have some questions regarding Li Yao’s identity on your program. Are you able to contact Li Yao herself?”
Zhou Chengxing and Jiang Yong exchanged looks. Since it was the authorities, they could only comply. “Yes.”
Ten minutes later, Li Yao’s livestream went black.
【Oh ho, she’s being investigated, right?】
【Looking forward to the result. If her livestream stays black, that’ll be interesting.】
【I heard Director Zhou already found a suitable replacement for her.】
【Exactly—what kind of good person could come from the biggest garbage star?】
Li Yao suddenly received a connection request from Zhou Chengxing. She put down the chicken feet she was holding, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and as she passed the sofa she looked at Ning Xinyue—who was still staring off into space—confused. She hadn’t snapped out of it since earlier.
Following Zhou Chengxing’s instructions, Li Yao returned to her room.
As soon as she sat down, a projection appeared. Besides Zhou Chengxing, there was another figure.
“Miss Li Yao, hello. We just watched your livestream. You said you’re from the Yaniu Star System.”
Li Yao instantly shifted from relaxed to guarded. The investigator couldn’t help but admire her—such reaction speed was something even his elite subordinates couldn’t manage.
“Miss Li Yao, please don’t panic. I’m from the Capital Star authorities. My name is Zhou Zhiru. We’re here simply to ask you a few questions.”
Li Yao nodded.
Zhou Zhiru continued, “We need you to grant us authorization to review your records, to verify whether things are as you said.”
In interstellar society, every lawful citizen had the right to privacy. To investigate someone’s file, notification had to come from high-ranking officials.
That was, of course, assuming the person was a lawful citizen.
Li Yao knew this wasn’t a request—it was a notice. Her identity had been officially registered with the Yaniu Star System authorities, so it could naturally be checked.
Even crime-ridden garbage stars had police.
Li Yao nodded.
She sat there quietly. In his heart, Zhou Chengxing was praying desperately—please don’t cancel this show halfway through. He’d poured in so much effort, manpower, resources, and money. If it got axed, he’d spend the rest of his life paying off debts.
Half an hour later, Zhou Zhiru reappeared, smiling. “Miss Li Yao, we apologize for the intrusion. Your file has no issues whatsoever.”
They had also investigated her years of life in the Yaniu Star System. Aside from having lived under difficult conditions, she had no criminal record at all.
The weight on Zhou Chengxing’s heart finally lifted. He looked at Li Yao and said, “Yao Yao, would you mind if the authorities released the results of your investigation? Your livestream was suddenly suspended—people are bound to speculate.”
Li Yao looked at him. “If my livestream resumes in a moment, people will naturally be able to guess the answer.”
Zhou Chengxing’s eyes rolled. “How about this—when you get back, Director Zhou will give you a big red envelope.”
Li Yao’s attitude softened. “Of course. Since I caused the production team quite a bit of trouble, it’s only right to clarify things.”
Zhou Zhiru chuckled at her response. The girl was very smart.
Zhou Chengxing smacked his lips. Li Yao is really a practical woman.
All three parties were satisfied with how the investigation concluded.
After forty minutes of black screen, Li Yao’s livestream resumed. Ning Xinyue was still completely out of it, while Li Yao calmly continued deboning chicken feet and watching TV.
【Am I sleepwalking? Didn’t this go black for forty minutes just now?】
【So Li Yao is totally fine.】
【Impossible—wasn’t it said she had a powerful backer? Must’ve been someone behind her pulling strings.】
【Stop guessing. The Capital Star authorities have already issued an announcement—Li Yao is innocent.】
As soon as the official announcement was released, Zhou Chengxing reposted it immediately. Watching the viewer count skyrocket, he was so happy he could barely see his own eyes.
Li Yao’s livestream hit a historical peak—everyone was there to watch her.
Qiu Ling looked at the rapid increase in Li Yao’s StarBlog followers and felt deeply gratified.
Then she received a call from the company’s boss.
“I saw it. Li Yao’s contract still has a year and a half left. When she gets back from the variety show, we must find a way to renew her contract.”
Qiu Ling agreed verbally, but after hanging up she snorted coldly. They’d smeared Li Yao before and made her take the blame—now they wanted her to re-sign? Wasn’t it just because of the special treatment her identity brought?
No worries. When Li Yao got back, she definitely wouldn’t renew. Qiu Ling felt that Li Yao didn’t want to stay in this industry anymore anyway. And if she did want to remain in entertainment, Qiu Ling could help her contact a much better agency.
Li Yao knew nothing about what was happening outside. Right now, she was focused on how to make her lemon chicken feet taste even better.
The first batch was already well-marinated. She took a bite—sour, spicy, with a hint of lemon. Delicious.
She liked both the sour-and-spicy lemon chicken feet and the sweet-and-spicy version. She portioned the marinated chicken feet, vacuum-sealed them—clean and convenient to eat.
After finishing, she rubbed her stomach. She was a bit hungry. She’d had barbecue for lunch—what to eat for dinner?
She took a stroll through her storage space and, upon seeing shrimp, decided seafood sounded good.
She took out abalone, shrimp, razor clams, small octopus, and clams, blanched them separately, then prepared the dipping broth—store-bought, convenient and tasty.
These small seafood items tasted even better after chilling in the fridge for a while.
Her appetite was larger than usual, so one bowl of seafood wasn’t enough. She made herself a bowl of seafood fried rice as well.
She set the seafood and fried rice on the table and opened a bottle of soda. Now, she was the only one in the living room.
Yan Yuansi had collapsed from exhaustion after rescuing people, while Ning Xinyue was overly traumatized.
Being alone, Li Yao felt even more relaxed and at ease. She switched the TV to Tongfu Inn—a show that was great to watch while eating.