Chapter 61 — The Real and the Fake “Mumu”

Live chat window—

“Xiaoran, you’re really Mumu, aren’t you!”
“The world champion Mumu turns out to be Mu Ran!”
“You should have told us you were Mumu!”
“There was a time you deleted my comment when I criticized you, I was so mad!”

Mu Ran sat on the sofa, reading every comment in the live room and responding to each one. Everyone was talking about her being Mumu, saying the mask of the ski champion had been lifted.

Mu Ran smiled meaningfully, not directly confirming her identity—much more interesting that way.

“I’ve never deleted anyone’s comments. Maybe the one you wrote wasn’t impressive enough and got buried under other critical comments.”

Her calm and breezy response made everyone feel this young actress had quite the presence.

She continued, “Whether you praise me or scold me, I read every single comment you leave. If there’s something I need to improve, I’ll work on it. There are so many people who criticize me—if I tried to delete them all, my hand would cramp and I’d still never finish.”

Everyone in the live room was amused by her words.

“If anyone has suggestions, just say them. I don’t have a fragile heart.”

This attitude attracted a wave of new fans.

Nearby, An Lan, who was managing the room, gestured a number at Mu Ran, indicating that in just half an hour, her Weibo followers had increased by half a million.

At this rate, Mu Ran’s popularity could only rise.

“Having a secret identity really is king!” An Lan said, sneaking a glance at Weibo.

#A little-known actress is actually the former world freestyle skiing champion#

This tag shot up the trending list, and Mu Ran’s live room tripled in attendance.

Then, another hashtag quickly pushed Mu Ran’s off the top spot.

An Lan was stunned, gripping her tablet tightly, her face flushed with anger. “Who’s saying my Xiaoran is pretending to be Mumu? My Xiaoran is Mumu!”

Her voice, sharp with outrage, instantly carried into the live stream.

Mu Ran looked up, her gaze asking what had happened.

An Lan held her tablet out for Mu Ran, her expression dark and brooding. She was determined to see who was stirring up trouble.

An Lan waved at Mu Ran, signaling her to keep streaming while she handled things.

But as Mu Ran glanced at the comment section, it was flooded with accusations:

#Mu Ran pretends to be Mumu##Mu Ran’s bluff exposed, she’s not Mumu!#

Mu Ran remained serene, the corner of her mouth tugging up in a mocking smile as she looked directly at her phone screen. “What’s real can’t be faked, and what’s fake can’t be real.”

Live chat window—

“Xiaoran, I believe in you!”
“Mu Ran, you don’t need to pretend to be someone else for fame!”
“Yeah, I was just starting to like you. Be yourself, don’t pretend to be a world champion!”
“This move is such a turn-off!”

Seeing the comments fly by, Mu Ran pulled out another phone and opened Weibo.

A verified account claiming to be the world freestyle skiing champion, Mumu, had posted a statement.

[Hello everyone, I am the former world freestyle skiing champion Mumu. I am extremely angry that someone is impersonating me. For personal reasons, I have never revealed myself publicly, to avoid being exploited. But recently, a certain female artist has gone too far, pretending to be me for attention. How could a professional athlete like me be a minor celebrity? Please keep your eyes open and don’t let ill-intentioned people use your affection for me.]

Mu Ran turned her phone’s screen to the live camera, showing her viewers. “Do you believe them or me?”

Everyone in the live room warned her not to impersonate Mumu anymore, or she’d fade into obscurity.

“So nobody believes me?” Mu Ran smiled, a dangerous edge to her tone. This was truly a good drama: “The True and False Mumu.”

She knew that words alone wouldn’t convince the public—she needed real proof.

Live chat window—

“Where is she going?”
“What’s Mu Ran doing?”
“Xiaoran! I believe in you! Don’t do anything foolish!”
“Mu Ran’s so rich? This villa must be Emerald Court!”
“How can a minor celebrity have so much money?”

Mu Ran took her phone and climbed to the rooftop of the villa. Four floors, just as everyone said—luxurious, but she didn’t bother explaining it was rented. They wouldn’t believe her anyway.

“Everyone, take a look. Let’s see who the real Mumu is.”

Mu Ran led everyone into the glass sunroom on the rooftop, filled with dazzling trophies, medals, and certificates.

She used the most direct method to prove she was the real Mumu.

“To the person impersonating me on Weibo—thank you for acknowledging my abilities, but sorry to disappoint you. The former world freestyle skiing champion really is now an unknown actress.”

Her calm face appeared in the live room, her powerful aura radiating the spirit of a champion.

Smiling, she lazily addressed the “fake Mumu” on Weibo, her voice gentle yet commanding.

“Please don’t leave comments or private messages on that person’s Weibo. I appreciate their recognition of my abilities—let’s not trouble them further.”

Mu Ran returned to the living room, ready to stream another hour.

Live chat window—

“My God! So satisfying!”
“Crushing with real strength!”
“The ‘fake Mumu’ Weibo account has been deleted!”
“Everyone listen to Xiaoran—don’t cyberbully anyone.”
“Right, Xiaoran’s so kind!”

“Everyone here in the live room is a friend. I hope you don’t participate in any online violence. You can’t see the truth online, and it’s hard to tell right from wrong, so let’s try to view things objectively.”

The whole “True and False Mumu” incident and Mu Ran’s upright words fired up her audience. Most pledged to become her die-hard fans.

A few wealthy viewers sent gifts—dozens of carnival cars and yachts.

“No need to send gifts, first place, second place—really, no need. I started streaming to make friends, not for gifts.”

As soon as she said this, An Lan, grinning widely, gestured frantically.

She mouthed silently to Mu Ran: No! Don’t do this!

Mu Ran, this lady, was truly a breath of fresh air.

If people want to send gifts, let them! Who turns down money?

Mu Ran ignored An Lan, smiling as she read the comments. She hadn’t expected streaming to be so much fun.

The atmosphere was lively, everyone chatting easily, with no troublemakers or trolls.

Suddenly, “Xiao Xuanyuan”—first place on the leaderboard—left a comment saying he was her fan and wanted to start a fan club for Mu Ran.

“Xiao Xuanyuan, that’s very kind, but I have no plans for a fan club right now. For now, I’m just everyone’s friend.”

Mu Ran didn’t want to be an idol or start a fan club. She worried fans would hinder her, or try to mold her according to their expectations.

“Xiaoran, check Weibo!”

An Lan handed her phone to Mu Ran, fists clenched, eyes shining with excitement as she looked at her.

“My Xiaoran is amazing—everyone, go check Weibo!”

While Mu Ran was looking down at her phone, An Lan suddenly appeared on camera, her smile infectious as she spoke to the viewers.

“What are you doing, Lanlan? You’ll scare everyone out of the live room!”

“Come on, check the trending list!”

Mu Ran tapped the hot search—#Over a hundred world-class and national athletes confirm Mu Ran is Mumu!#

Shao Ping, Ren Nanxi, Xu Nuo, Zuo Yunxuan, and other ski athletes posted photos of themselves with Mumu (Mu Ran) during competitions or training.

Even athletes from short track, speed skating, figure skating, and ice dance reposted Shao Ping’s Weibo and tagged Mu Ran, confirming she was Mumu.

Over a hundred athletes called out on Weibo, declaring Mu Ran the most outstanding freestyle skier they’d ever met.

In just half an hour, Mu Ran’s Weibo gained millions of followers. Marketing accounts raced to write up the story: a minor actress was once a world champion!

“Heh, having friends is happiness.”

Mu Ran returned to the live room, and with a touch of pride said, “Actually, some of those aloof world champions are adorable in private—you just don’t get to see it.”

She streamed for another half hour, then ended the broadcast.

Just as she was packing up to go out for a feast with An Lan, “Xiao Xuanyuan” sent her a private message.

Xiao Xuanyuan: [Mu Ran, I really like you. I’m your fan. I know your recent opportunities aren’t great—how about a date with me? I can give you any resources you want.]

Mu Ran sneered. There really were plenty of entitled men online.

She didn’t reply, but took a screenshot and posted it on Weibo, captioned: [Fans like this belong in the trash.]

“Ding—”

“Lanlan, what’s up?”

Just after ending her broadcast, An Lan was hurriedly dragged out of her house by Milans, clearly something urgent.

On the phone, An Lan’s tone was helpless as she shouted at Milans to shut up: “Xiaoran, something’s happened over here—order some takeout for yourself.”

Mu Ran didn’t ask further, simply agreed and hung up.

“No fun, I’ll stream a bit more.”

She took her phone stand outside. “Hey, babies, I’m back.”

With her hair in a bun, wearing a casual long T-shirt and shorts, she was the picture of youthful energy.

Live chat window—

“Xiaoran! Ahhh!”
“Yay, more Mu Ran time!”
“What’s so great? Scandalous actress!”
“Xiao Xuanyuan, how dare you show up! Get lost!”
“I spent over ten thousand last time—why shouldn’t I watch?”
Mu Ran squinted, her smile sharp as a blade. “Xiao Xuanyuan, your money will be refunded—please leave.”

“Mu Ran, someone’s behind you about to attack!”
“!!! Be careful!”