A Sudden Announcement and Its Aftermath

As a top-tier influencer in her circle, Liu Wanqing’s casual everyday posts typically garnered significant attention.

Today’s update, however, struck like a bolt from the blue, stunning countless individuals and causing the comment count to surge dramatically.

Even within the several artist groups Bai Jingjing had joined, screenshots of the post circulated, sparking fervent discussion.

[What? Teacher WQ is really no longer single? No, I don’t believe it. Look at the date today.]

[It’s not April Fool’s Day, and Teacher never jokes around. It seems to be true.]

[It’s not “seems to be,” it *is* true!]

[No, I can’t accept this. How could a beautiful and gentle big sister like Teacher fall in love with someone else?]

[Just asking, who is the other party? What’s their background?]

[Apparently, it’s an unknown small artist, but judging by their name, they seem to have very large breasts.]

[Rumor has it, they’re a super cute JK (TL Note: “Joshi Kōsei,” a Japanese term for high school girl) with big breasts.]

[Alright, in that case, I can accept it.]

The comment section, like a wild horse unbridled, spiraled out of control, with some even beginning to write fanfiction within the threads.

In stark contrast to Liu Wanqing’s bustling feed, Bai Jingjing’s own social media remained considerably quieter.

Her follower count was never high; most of them merely there to bookmark and view explicit art, and nearly all were offline at the moment.

It wasn’t until someone in her small artist group suddenly posted: [Wait, could that Xiaobai on Weibo be *our* Xiaobai from this group?]

[I checked, it really is her! We followed each other, but her Weibo name changed.]

[Oh, right, do you guys remember? Madam Xiaobai (TL Note: A respectful honorific for a female artist) asked in the group a while back for a bunch of learning materials about yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre depicting romantic relationships between female characters) s*x.]

[Holy crap, I thought she was asking for study materials just to improve her drawing skills.]

[She’s really putting theory into practice this time, huh.]

Unable to bear reading further, Bai Jingjing quickly logged off, her cheeks flushed as she looked at Liu Wanqing. “Teacher, what in the world are you… doing?!”

Liu Wanqing calmly set down her phone and replied, “You’re lacking many things, and addressing them one by one would be too troublesome. But with a single action like this, all those deficiencies are instantly rectified.”

Bai Jingjing listened, a bewildered expression on her face. “Too many things?”

“Yes, many things,” Liu Wanqing affirmed, pushing the water cup a little closer to her. “In any case, just wait a little longer. Perhaps when more people come online tonight, you’ll understand.”

Those within the ACG (TL Note: Animation, Comics, and Games) subculture typically become most active at night; during the day, many are offline.

Bai Jingjing remained only half-comprehending. “But… Teacher, you posted something like this. If we break up later, how will we clarify it?”

“Why would we need to clarify?” Liu Wanqing’s elegant brow arched. “Are you planning to break up with me?”

“No… I, I mean, when the lease ends,” Bai Jingjing managed to articulate, trying to clarify the nature of their arrangement. “Once the rental period is over, wouldn’t we naturally part ways?”

“That wouldn’t be called breaking up, so there’s no need for clarification,” Liu Wanqing stated matter-of-factly. “If you become a public figure in the future and wish to announce a new relationship, it’s fine to say we’ve broken up then. I’ll cooperate.”

“I wouldn’t go that far…”

“Since you don’t plan to announce a new relationship on there, then clarifying anything becomes unnecessary, doesn’t it?”

Liu Wanqing’s relentless logic left Bai Jingjing utterly speechless.

“Alright, but, hmm… oh, by the way, Teacher,” Bai Jingjing suddenly noticed something. “Why do you keep pushing the water cup towards me?”

‘Was she implying that to gain fame, one needed to cleverly utilize internet trolls (TL Note: “Shuijun,” literally “water army,” refers to paid internet commentators or bots used to manipulate public opinion)?’

“You said you needed to rehydrate; you drank a large glass in one go when you first arrived,” Liu Wanqing said placidly. “I’ve noticed you haven’t had anything to drink for several hours, so I thought you might need some.”

Simply put, Jingjing hadn’t rehydrated for hours, and Qingqing was quite concerned.

“I… I rehydrated sufficiently when I first got here,” Bai Jingjing said expressionlessly, pushing the water cup away. “No need for more.”

There was no “naughty” business going on, so why the need to rehydrate?

In any case, the Weibo post was out, countless people had seen it, and screenshots were already circulating in QQ groups. What could be done?

She couldn’t very well delete it now; even if she did, it would be pointless.

Bai Jingjing sat on the edge of the bed, feeling not only a few threads of shyness but also a peculiar, inexplicable sense of wonder.

Her first time breaking through the limits of her own obscurity and stepping into the public eye was, surprisingly, as her Teacher’s girlfriend.

Despite the fact that her Teacher was a former idol and a super influential figure within their community.

“Let’s eat first,” Liu Wanqing said softly. “Your studies for today are mostly done. Go back, digest everything a bit, and you can come again tomorrow.”

After a slight pause, she added, “However, starting tomorrow, I won’t be letting you leave quite so early anymore.”

Bai Jingjing nodded, still somewhat bewildered, then tentatively offered, “Actually, I don’t need to go back so early. I could stay and study a bit more in the afternoon, perhaps focusing on foundational skills or similar things.”

Having suddenly gained such widespread notoriety, with countless people now discussing her, Bai Jingjing felt a restless urge to swiftly elevate her skills to a level that could match her newfound fame.

She aspired to become a great artist like Liu Wanqing, and that wasn’t just about fame… or Tuan Tuan’s size (TL Note: “Tuan Tuan” is a playful reference to breasts, often used in Chinese web novels), her own skill level needed to keep pace too.

“You should still go home, give yourself some time, and give me a little time to digest this too,” Liu Wanqing said gently, elegantly sweeping her hair back. “You know, in my twenty-odd years, nearly thirty, this is my first time having a girlfriend.”

Bai Jingjing froze slightly, her little heart thumping a few quick beats.

Teacher Qing, acting like this, was simply too beautiful; Bai Jingjing felt an impulse to simply lie down on the bed right then and there.

‘Calm down, calm down, Bai Jingjing! You yourself said that the “naughty” things would come last. You can’t go back on your word!’

Bai Jingjing sternly admonished herself inwardly, finally calming down enough to go out for dinner.

As Liu Wanqing had promised, after dinner, she readily let Bai Jingjing leave, even thoughtfully asking if she wanted to take a bottle of water for the road.

Bai Jingjing felt she couldn’t keep being teased like this; she needed to counterattack. So, she said:

“But Teacher Qing, I’m going back to Sister Luo’s place. If I really do rehydrate on the way, it’ll be for Sister Luo, you know?”

Liu Wanqing’s smile remained unchanged. “That’s fine. It just means that once we’ve completed our process and can do ‘naughty’ things, Jingjing will need to rehydrate even more.”

“…I’m sorry, I was just joking,” Bai Jingjing said, silently placing the water bottle back on the table. “I won’t rehydrate when I go back.”

She really was joking. After all, when doing “naughty” things with Sister Luo, there was no need to rehydrate.

Upon taking a taxi back to Pearl Garden, Luo Xuan was seated on the sofa, watching television. Seeing Bai Jingjing return, she immediately stood up. “You’re back? So early!”

Her strong reaction was understandable; the last time Bai Jingjing had returned so early, Luo Xuan had ended up confined to bed for two days.

Bai Jingjing didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she rushed to the water dispenser, poured a cup, and gulped down half of it.

Luo Xuan grew even more bewildered. “What happened?”

“Too much has happened,” Bai Jingjing said, setting down the cup.

****