NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103 - Teacher Xiao Hou
The next morning, Tang Yuan woke up feeling groggy. As she shifted slightly, she noticed some resistance. Blinking her eyes open, she realized that Jiang Zi had her wrapped in a loose embrace. Jiang Zi was a light sleeper—just that tiny movement was enough to wake her up.
Tang Yuan reached for her phone and glanced at the time. It was already ten in the morning. That was rare—it wasn’t often she got to see Jiang Zi still in bed at this hour.
Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and mumbled sleepily, “Sister, did you just wake up?”
Jiang Zi buried her face against Tang Yuan’s shoulder and murmured, “Didn’t sleep well.”
“Tang Yuan, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Tang Yuan stroked her hair. “Did Sister have a nightmare?”
“Want to sleep in a little longer? It’s still early.”
Jiang Zi shook her head with her eyes closed. “No, let’s get up and eat.”
Tang Yuan sat up. “Alright, let’s get up, eat, and then take a nap later.”
Jiang Zi remained seated on the bed, watching as Tang Yuan slipped into her slippers and walked toward the bathroom. The sight left her feeling a little dazed.
Her thoughts had been all over the place last night, leading her to some rather unrealistic speculations. In all those different worlds that Tang Yuan had experienced as a mission taker… could she have been there too?
So far, she could only recall memories from two of those worlds—one where she was a junior disciple who died protecting the sect, and another where she was Tang Yuan’s classmate who watched her perish in a graduation car accident.
Tang Yuan had once said that in at least ten worlds, she had played the role of the tragically short-lived “white moonlight.” Jiang Zi couldn’t help but wonder—had she also been in those ten worlds, always crossing paths with Tang Yuan?
In that school-life setting, Her supposed role had been that of a substitute heroine in a melodramatic love story. The male lead—who had witnessed Tang Yuan’s death—had been in love with her. But after losing Tang Yuan, he redirected all of his obsession toward her. Even though she looked nothing like Tang Yuan, in his deranged mind, Jiang Zi was the only piece of Tang Yuan left in this world. So, he forcefully kept Jiang Zi by his side.
However, Jiang Zi eventually developed depression. Even after resolving the whole ‘substitute’ misunderstanding, there was no happy ending—she ultimately jumped off a building.
In both of those worlds, Tang Yuan had been her unattainable white moonlight.
What about the other eight worlds she had no memory of? Had she played a role in those as well?
Maybe their fates had always been intertwined. Maybe they truly were meant to be together.
That thought alone was enough to ease some of the tension in Jiang Zi’s heart. She might not have been able to reach her white moonlight in the past, but here and now, they had finally found each other.
By the time Tang Yuan finished freshening up, she urged Jiang Zi to go wash up too. Meanwhile, she sat down at the vanity and started applying light makeup.
Jiang Zi walked over and hugged her from behind, extra clingy. “Wanna kiss.”
Tang Yuan scrunched up her nose and pushed her face away. “No, you haven’t brushed your teeth.”
Jiang Zi huffed, snatched the lip balm from her hands, and applied a thick layer to her lips. “No lipstick yet. Let me kiss you first, then you can put on color.”
With that, she set the lip balm down and headed into the bathroom.
Tang Yuan’s complexion was already flawless—delicate and smooth like a sculpted masterpiece. Her large, doe-like eyes were bright and lively, framed by long, thick lashes. Since she had gotten a good night’s rest, she was full of energy again.
She went through her skincare routine, applied a light foundation, and put on a pair of soft brown contact lenses. Skipping eye makeup, she finished off her effortless natural look.
When Jiang Zi walked out, she caught Tang Yuan wiping off the lip balm with a tissue. Immediately, Jiang Zi beamed and leaned in close, eager to share the sweet, peachy scent lingering on her lips.
—
The production team had arranged a meeting space for the contestants, an expansive indoor venue. By the time they arrived, a lively group had already gathered, chatting away.
“Hey! Over here!”
A guy with energy to spare, his hair styled in messy dreadlocks, was the first to spot them. He got up and waved enthusiastically.
Looking around, Tang Yuan found that, thanks to her 5G-level internet presence, every face seemed vaguely familiar—but she couldn’t put names to them.
“Hey~ Good afternoon!” She pulled Jiang Zi along and sat down in two empty chairs.
A bubbly girl with bright eyes sparkled at them. “Oh! I know you two! I watch your livestreams all the time.”
Someone handed Tang Yuan a bottle of water. She accepted it with a polite “Thanks” before replying to the girl, “Oh, really? Haha, I haven’t streamed in a while.”
Jiang Zi, quietly sitting beside her, took the water bottle from Tang Yuan’s hand, twisted the cap open, and placed it back in her hand—an unspoken gesture telling her to drink.
The girl watching them wiggled her eyebrows and teased, “Ooooh~ You two! Is Sister Jiang a contestant too?”
“No,” Jiang Zi replied. “I’m just here to support my wifey. I’ll be sitting in the audience.”
【See?! I knew the pre-show livestream would have some gems! Look what I found!】
【Can the JiangTang fans stop spamming? Are they the only people in this livestream?】
【Oh, so it’s okay for you guys to spam your faves, but we can’t?】
【I’m literally here for JiangTang. What, I can’t even type now?】
【JiangTang JiangTang JiangTang JiangTang.】
【Teacher Xiao Hou! Teacher Xiao Hou! Teacher Xiao Hou!】
The comment section exploded as the “Hou Army” flooded the screen—because Hou YuanZhan had entered the room.
“Whoa! Teacher Hou is here! Welcome, welcome!”
“No way! Is Teacher Hou competing as a contestant? That’s amazing!”
Hou YuanZhan walked through the door, adjusted his glasses, and immediately locked eyes on Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi. He made his way toward them.
As he approached, someone had already dragged over a chair for him. Hou YuanZhan sat down beside Tang Yuan and flashed a grin.
“My dear disciple, long time no see.”
Tang Yuan suddenly recalled something—while the male lead had been dealt with, Hou YuanZhan was still technically the second male lead. Could there still be some kind of lingering ‘plot gravity’ pulling them into a storyline?
Her guard instantly went up. “Why are you here?”
“Tsk, what kind of question is that? I’m a returning guest for the campus stage.”
The show had been running for five years now, filming six episodes annually.
Hou YuanZhan had been a contestant in the first season, back when it was still a competitive elimination-style program.
Things were different now. There were no eliminations, just thirty contestants—male and female—who could either perform solo or in teams. The judges were a mix of popular influencers and professional mentors from the industry. Instead of rankings, the show relied on a challenge format, where audience members—art students from various universities—could challenge the contestants.
Tang Yuan frowned. “So you’re a contestant being judged now?”
“What’s wrong with that? Art is subjective. The only true masterpieces are those that resonate with people. There’s always room to grow, right?”
“Alright, alright, I’m not debating philosophy with you.” She shifted her chair closer to Jiang Zi.
Jiang Zi, as naturally as ever, adjusted Tang Yuan’s dress and took her hand, absentmindedly fiddling with the ring on her finger.
Hou YuanZhan observed them with a quiet chuckle.
Thinking back to that last show, how did he not notice the subtle tension between them?
He had even developed some inexplicable feelings toward Jiang Zi.
Even later, when he saw news about them online, he would instinctively check for updates on Jiang Zi. Seeing their closeness left him with complicated emotions.
It got to the point where he avoided chatting with his disciple, as if burdened by a sense of guilt.
But over the past few days, those emotions seemed to have faded. He had only joined the show at the last minute because he saw their names on the list.
This was just a test for himself. And as it turned out, watching Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan interact so intimately didn’t actually make him feel bad.
So… were all those past emotions just an illusion?
Hou YuanZhan spoke up, “Last time, I said I’d treat you two to a meal, but things got messy with the show, and it never happened. How about we make up for it this time?”
Tang Yuan frowned and eyed him suspiciously. “Teacher Hou, don’t tell me the last show messed things up for you, and you got demoted?”
Wasn’t treating someone to a meal just a polite way of speaking?
Hou YuanZhan: …
He let out a cold laugh. “You two are the only ones in the group who never respond. Otherwise, we would’ve had that meal ages ago.”