The Dominant Mr Mu

"What are you following me for?"

Musheng looked at the girl who was following her every step and felt a bit of a headache.

Mo Yao, with her large silver-white suitcase and flowing long hair, looked pure and otherworldly, attracting a lot of attention. When she saw Musheng mention her, she actually became excited and approached eagerly, "Is this your first time in Capital City?"

Musheng frowned slightly and walked on, "Yes."

"Me too..." Mo Yao sounded somewhat excited, "Shall we stick together?"

"..."

For the first time, Musheng regretted being nosy.

But under those circumstances, she couldn't just ignore what was happening; it's just that she hadn't anticipated this girl... would be so clingy!

The girl, quite unlike her silent image on the train, began to talk non-stop when Musheng seemed to agree, "I've come to Capital City to study. You must be a student too, right? It's perfect for us to stick together. Don't worry, I can cook, do laundry, everything..."

The topic was weird, and Musheng couldn't understand why Mo Yao would say all this to her, so she interrupted, "Which university are you from?"

"Beijing Opera University!"

The school was indeed different, and Musheng was somewhat surprised, "You want to enter the entertainment industry?"

Beijing Opera University in Capital City was quite famous throughout China, with nearly all its students aiming for the entertainment industry. However, it was most renowned for its broadcasting department and hosts. Students who got into Beijing Opera were normally the cream of the crop in terms of looks, and directors looking for new talent would often scout from there. Therefore, students who got into Beijing Opera usually had some connections, since there were countless applicants each year.

Musheng took a good look at Mo Yao. In terms of looks, Mo Yao certainly qualified. Especially since she was beautiful and distinguishable, making her easy to remember. She also exuded a rare lily-like purity, adding a touch of freshness. Such a person could at least enjoy minor success in the entertainment industry, if not become a major star.

The entertainment industry was a big dye vat, not merely rumored but known to Musheng from her previous life, which was not an insignificant one. She had heard from those involved that in the industry, aside from a few with strong backers, the seemingly purest stars had likely been "submerged" multiple times. In the entertainment world, without talent or connections, one couldn't advance an inch!

The successful ones, could they be lacking in cunning?

Apart from a few genuinely lucky ones who suddenly hit it big, how many could one find thanks to sheer luck?

Musheng didn't like the entertainment industry, but she was too lazy to dissuade others. Seeing Mo Yao's eyes shine when mentioning Beijing Opera meant she had made up her mind, so why should Musheng bother?

"Yeah, I want to be a star!"

There was a determined glint in Mo Yao's eyes. Musheng shrugged, "It's a good dream, but you don't need to follow me right now."

"You haven't told me your name or which school you're at," Mo Yao persisted, apparently ignoring Musheng's hint and inquiring about her name.

Musheng, uncharacteristically, was getting annoyed. She didn't like being questioned like this and was about to speak when suddenly, a noisy commotion came from ahead.

They were currently heading towards the train station's hall, passing through an underground passage. Even though it was early morning, the passage was crowded, with groups of foreigners scattered throughout.

It was loud, but the commotion ahead was clearly the sound of an argument. Musheng and Mo Yao's attention was drawn to a large crowd gathered at the bend in the corridor, where a middle-aged couple was engaged in a heated argument, the woman thin and being pulled by the hair while she clawed at the man's face, crying violently.

Seeing this, Musheng was about to react, but Mo Yao quickly pulled her past.

"Don't get involved in things like this."

Mo Yao knew Musheng was skilled, but strangely, she didn't want her to intervene in such matters. Musheng muttered in response, "I'm not one to meddle in other people's business."

Even if Mo Yao hadn't pulled her away, she wouldn't have wanted to get involved.

Helping Mo Yao had been an accident; she wasn't the kind to stick her nose into everything.

The rest of the way to the hall was silent. With so many people around, the lively atmosphere dispelled any sense of isolation. Mo Yao asked several times about Musheng's school and name, and although annoyed, Musheng eventually told her.

Mo Yao seemed very pleased to have learnt Musheng's information. After waiting a while, they found a bus heading into the city at 6:30 a.m.

Capital City was huge, but thankfully not far from the train station.

The schools Musheng and Mo Yao were attending were in the same area, meaning Musheng couldn't get rid of Mo Yao for the time being.

They switched buses in the city center and headed towards the famous Huayang District in the heart of Capital City, where their schools were located.

On the bus, Mo Yao inquired whether Musheng would be living in a dormitory or renting an apartment outside. After some thought, since school started in just over a month, Musheng decided to find a place to live for now and look for a part-time job to support herself.

Mo Yao immediately lit up at the idea, suggesting they could rent together and split the cost of the rent.

This would indeed save on rent, as they would live in separate rooms. After considering it, Musheng agreed.

Housing prices in Capital City had always been exorbitant, and rent was no exception. But what can you do, it's Capital City after all?

There were many houses near the school, but most were purchased by wealthy parents for their children. The rest were prohibitively expensive.

Having assessed each other's financial situation and finding neither was particularly wealthy—though Mo Yao was somewhat richer than Musheng—they decided to rent an ordinary apartment just a few streets away from their school in a small residential complex.

It wasn't a bustling area, just a plain two-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-living-room apartment. The combined size of both bedrooms was about the size of a school dorm, and the living room wasn't much bigger than double the bedrooms. The monthly rent was 1,500, not including utilities.

Though it was still considered central, the rent was reasonable because the landlord offered a discount for paying six months upfront.

Indeed, Musheng had never planned to live in a dorm, and Mo Yao, for reasons unknown, agreed to this arrangement as well.

After paying half a year's rent and also an advance of 500 for living expenses—because Mo Yao said she would handle the cooking, saving Musheng the effort—Musheng still insisted on paying her some money upfront, as she wasn't accustomed to taking advantage of others.

With one-sixth of her thirty thousand yuan gone in a flash, Musheng felt a twinge of sorrow.