My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet’s Hottest Power Couple

【I used to find CP fans quite annoying, always shipping couples everywhere without restraint. But today, I want to apologize to them—I declare that the Jiang-Lu CP is officially the sweetest!】

【CP fans are overjoyed!】

【Jiang Lan said, "Everything is at Her Majesty’s discretion." Though Lady Lu never entered the palace, she’s already calling the Empress Dowager "Mother." Where’s the formal gift for the change of address?】

【Why hasn’t Lu Yicheng entered the livestream yet? Oh wait, I forgot—this is Shen Xingyao’s stream.】

【I feel like Zhang Lin can’t quite match Teacher Yu’s acting. She’s good, but... her performance comes off a bit stiff.】

【Well, others spent seven years honing their craft in filming and training, while hers were spent marrying, having kids, and posting about motherhood. Of course, it’s different.】

【Actually, no—Zhang Lin seems to have deliberately designed her performance this way.】

【Her acting has layers to it.】

The script outlined the plot’s direction: The Empress Dowager orders the queen confined to her quarters. Two palace maids die in the queen’s palace, and though Consort Chu remains in the cold palace, her safety is assured.

The Emperor arrives with a corpse dredged from a well, carried by eunuchs to the queen’s palace, demanding an explanation.

Other consorts rush over upon hearing the news.

Some revel in schadenfreude, while others seize the moment to lodge accusations.

Perhaps the Empress Dowager had already sensed something amiss with the queen when she issued her decree.

This is Zhang Lin’s first acting role in seven years, so she took it very seriously. Her script was more detailed, including backstory, and she spent over ten minutes crafting a character profile for the queen—highlighting the queen’s children in particular.

Zhang Lin didn’t cry, but it felt like she might break down at any moment. *"The Second Prince died, and though there was no proof it was Consort Chu’s doing, Your Majesty nearly took her life. When the Eldest Prince died, all evidence pointed to Lady Shen, yet she became Your Majesty’s most favored consort."*

Jiang Lan froze, speechless.

Zhang Lin pressed, *"Why?"*

Her eyes were red, but no tears fell. Jiang Lan suddenly understood—she had already cried herself dry, night after night.

Jiang Lan’s nose stung.

Chu Lingnan led the applause. Zhang Lin took a deep breath, her composure crumbling as tears streamed down her cheeks. Given her pregnancy, she couldn’t afford extreme emotional swings. Shen Xingyao quickly handed her a glass of water.

*"Sister Zhang Lin, you were amazing. Truly amazing."* Shen Xingyao patted her shoulder. *"Don’t cry..."*

Chu Lingnan quipped, *"That’s it? I wasn’t done playing the deposed consort yet."*

Liang Yun stayed silent. She finally grasped the purpose behind Yu Wanqiu’s setup. Deep down, she’d always looked down on Zhang Lin—a junior who debuted late but peaked immediately.

With her naturally delicate, leading-lady looks, it was a shame she lacked foresight, leaving the industry for marriage.

Starting over was no easy feat, yet Yu Wanqiu had extended her a lifeline.

Zhang Lin thanked everyone individually. When she reached Yu Wanqiu, she bowed deeply. *"Teacher Yu, thank you."*

Yu Wanqiu replied, *"It’s never too late to begin anew, as long as you’re determined. This industry is grueling—I hope you’ll persevere."*

Xie Zheng nodded in agreement.

Zhang Lin said, *"Thank you. Really, thank you so much."*

Zhang Tian glanced at Li Jia’s expression—it wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Shen Xingyao chimed in, *"You’re pregnant, so many roles won’t suit you. Let me see if there are any parts for expectant mothers—though they likely won’t be leads..."*

*"I’ll take anything,"* Zhang Lin said with a smile. *"Any role at all. Xingyao, thank you too."*

Shen Xingyao waved it off. *"Ah, it’s nothing!"*

---

Jiang Lan rubbed her cheeks. To her, everyone here seemed to glow, radiant in their own way.

The crew ordered takeout. Jiang Lan grabbed a box of thirteen-spice crayfish and asked Yu Wanqiu what she wanted.

Yu Wanqiu checked the time—7:40 p.m. After hotpot for lunch, a vegetable salad would suffice for dinner. *"You go ahead. I’ll keep it light."*

Jiang Lan also took a small cake. The crew had ordered plenty, and the petite, beautifully decorated dessert was just the right size for her to finish.

While Yu Wanqiu prepared her salad, Jiang Lan sat at the table peeling crayfish. *"Teacher Yu, did you ever consider leaving the industry when you were pregnant?"*

Yu Wanqiu shook her head. *"No. The public didn’t even know I was expecting."*

She’d been filming during her pregnancy, took a brief break after childbirth, then returned to sets. She used to wonder why Lu Yicheng was so taken with Jiang Lan—now she understood.

Yu Wanqiu’s situation mirrored Chen Shuyun’s in some ways. While Chen Shuyun’s son had his grandmother, Lu Yicheng was raised by nannies.

He lacked for nothing materially, but...

Beyond Jiang Lan’s extraordinary traits, even her ordinary qualities were endearing.

Jiang Lan texted Lu Yicheng a photo of her crayfish and cake. *[Dinner.]*

*[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Looks delicious. I watched the livestream earlier—was going to send gifts.]*

*"Was going to" implied he hadn’t. Jiang Lan could guess why.

*[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Must’ve felt great playing emperor, huh? Heard you calling her ‘Mother.’]*

Jiang Lan facepalmed. *[That was acting. Don’t talk if you don’t get it. Aren’t you at work? How’d you catch the stream?]*

*[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Only for a bit. Wrapped up the project early—should be home soon.]*

*[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Took tomorrow off. No need to rush to the hospital. Later—call or gaming?]*

Jiang Lan glanced at Yu Wanqiu. She usually played games with her, but since Lu Yicheng was Star rank, they could trio if he hosted.

*"Teacher Yu, wanna game later? With Lu Yicheng."*

Yu Wanqiu didn’t mind playing with her son. *"Sure."*

*[Then with Teacher Yu. You host.]* Jiang Lan sent the message, only to receive three ellipses in reply.

*[Pig Raised by a Fairy: You don’t wanna play with just me? Fine, trio it is.]*

Was there a difference? Trio queue versus duo—what did it matter?

---

At 9 p.m., after Yu Wanqiu finished yoga and Lu Yicheng returned to his apartment, they finally logged on.

Yu Wanqiu was still Diamond IV. Four wins tonight would get her to Diamond III.

Lu Yicheng pulled them into the lobby. *"Can you hear me? Mom, what’s with your username?"*

Yu Wanqiu’s in-game ID had been changed to "NoCelery."

Yu Wanqiu: *"Because I don’t eat celery. Just start the game."*

As the host, Lu Yicheng readied up. Soon, they reached the hero selection screen.

Jiang Lan locked in jungle—she wasn’t sure about Lu Yicheng’s skills, but she could carry as a jungler.

Yu Wanqiu asked, *"What role are you playing?"*

Lu Yicheng: *"You pick first. I’ll fill."*

Fill players could handle all five roles. Reassured, Yu Wanqiu immediately chose Angela (the support hero) since the enemy hadn’t taken her.

The other two teammates picked marksman and top lane, leaving Lu Yicheng with mid. He selected Wan’er (a high-skill-ceiling mage).

Yu Wanqiu had seen top players dominate with this hero—once she "took flight," her burst damage was lethal.

*Appearances can be deceiving.*

---

Jiang Lan hadn’t expected Lu Yicheng to play such a flashy hero. Wan’er required serious mechanics—she’d assumed he was terrible.

Jiang Lan picked Han Xin for the top lane and Lian Po as the jungler. As long as the marksman played cautiously, this match was practically in the bag.

Upon entering the preparation screen, a couples' emblem appeared—level 22. But honestly, Jiang Lan and Yu Wanqiu’s names seemed like a better match.

Soon, the game began.

Early game, Jiang Lan efficiently cleared the jungle and hit level four. She pinged an attack signal to gank the enemy marksman. However, while she was making her way from their own jungle to the bot lane, Lu Yicheng had already rushed there ahead of her.

Before Jiang Lan could even arrive, Lu Yicheng ulted into the sky. But since he’d just hit level four, his damage was lacking. They failed to secure the kills, and he ended up dying under the enemy tower instead.

Lu Yicheng: "Why didn’t you guys follow up?"

"...How was I supposed to get there? I don’t have wings—should I just fly over? Why didn’t *you* check the minimap? If you’d waited just a second, we could’ve wiped them."

Lu Yicheng: "You pinged, so I went in."

Next team fight, Jiang Lan invaded the enemy jungle with a support (Yao), only to get ambushed by four enemies and obliterated. If Lu Yicheng had shown up sooner, they might’ve turned it around. But by the time he arrived, it was far too late—not only did they fail to secure any kills, but he also gifted the enemy another free death.

Buy two, get one free.

Jiang Lan: "Teacher Yu and I were already dead—why did you even go in? Trying to join us in the grave?"

"We’re team fighting, and you’re taking the blue buff? The jungle is *mine*. What are you doing stealing my blue?"

*Look at your KDA. Do you even deserve that buff?*

"Defend mid tower! Why are you clearing bot lane minions instead?"

"Are you seriously trying to 1v5? Just hold the tower and wait for us to respawn—oh look, we lost. Great."

Jiang Lan’s blood pressure was through the roof.

Lu Yicheng might as well just play 1v1 matches at this point.

He stayed silent afterward, and Jiang Lan realized she might’ve been too harsh. She backpedaled, "I’m not blaming you. I’ve just been in a bad mood today… Let’s queue up again."

This round, Lu Yicheng played the marksman, Gongsun Li. Jiang Lan checked his perspective twice—his mechanics were decent, but *damn*, was he reckless.

You’d think he was playing Lian Po with how aggressively he dove.

"Chasing them all the way to the second-tier turret? Why don’t you just storm their fountain while you’re at it?"

"And why did you take my red buff?"

"Are you AFK? Why aren’t you moving?"

"I’m already dead, and you’re still running in to feed! Even Teacher Yu knew to retreat!" Jiang Lan clutched her chest. "Seriously, who plays like this? What even—"

*What kind of nonsense is this?*

Lu Yicheng’s score: 5/12/3.

Yu Wanqiu’s score: 3/2/21.

Yu Wanqiu wasn’t particularly skilled, but at least she listened. Carrying her felt effortless. Meanwhile, Lu Yicheng’s game sense was *abysmal*.

Did he just *love* crowds? Why did he charge into every group of enemies? No vision control, no teamwork…

Jiang Lan didn’t want to play with him anymore.

Yu Wanqiu massaged her temples. She’d already lost two ranks.

It wasn’t that she minded Lu Yicheng being bad—but climbing back up was *hard*. "So… are we still playing?"

There was zero enjoyment in games like this.

Jiang Lan sighed. "I’m tired. Let’s call it a night."

Lu Yicheng logged off.

"Teacher Yu, I’ll play with you tomorrow. I just can’t anymore tonight," Jiang Lan said.

Back in her room, though, she reopened the game. She *refused* to end the night on a loss—it’d keep her up. But before she could queue, Lu Yicheng called.

Jiang Lan pressed her lips together. "What?"

Lu Yicheng’s voice was light. "*You’re* the one who’s mad?"

"Of course I can be mad!"

"You went off on me, and *I* didn’t even get upset." He chuckled. "Winning or losing didn’t matter to me. I was just happy playing with you. Look—"

A notification popped up—Lu Yicheng had sent a screenshot.

It was their previous match’s stats:

*NoCilantro* (5/2/0).

*Irreplaceable* (2/5/0).

*What an idiot.* Jiang Lan couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh, so *that’s* why you went AFK! You were busy taking screenshots!"