After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 24

The Trio’s Chance Encounter.

Lin Xingzhu’s eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth. “…What a coincidence.”

As the words fell, she balled a fist to her lips and coughed lightly.

Bai Xiying wiped the corners of her eyes, erasing the blush that had just begun to rise.

“What a coincidence,” she said, stifling a laugh.

Seeing this, Lin Xingzhu shot a quick glare at the man, who was oblivious to the situation.

Just then, Xie Yunya, who had been obscured by the two of them, wheeled herself forward in her wheelchair, pleasantly surprised. “Xiying, you’re here too?”

She hadn’t seen Bai Xiying for a long time since they last parted at the hospital.

So, seeing Bai Xiying here so suddenly, Xie Yunya couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

Watching the two of them warmly catching up, the curve of Lin Xingzhu’s lips relaxed imperceptibly.

At that moment, the door to the private room behind Bai Xiying was suddenly pushed open again, and Mu Muqing walked out with a sour expression.

Just now in the room, she had intentionally tried to get closer to Bai Xiying, but who knew that Bai Xiying would find an excuse and quickly run out when she wasn’t paying attention.

Lin Xingzhu’s brow furrowed for a fleeting moment as she suddenly recalled the faint blush she had seen in the corner of Bai Xiying’s eye.

She paused when she saw Mu Muqing come out, watching as the other woman’s initially unpleasant expression was instantly concealed. She asked in confusion, “This is?”

Hearing her voice, Bai Xiying seized the opportunity to take two steps forward, instantly closing the distance with Lin Xingzhu as if it were a natural physical reaction.

Only then did she drop her smile, lower her eyes, and say, “President Mu, this is my senior.”

Xie Yunya looked up and glanced at Mu Muqing. Seeing that she didn’t recognize her, she offered a gentle smile and a nod as a greeting.

Mu Muqing discreetly sized up the three of them, feeling increasingly displeased.

Why is this Bai Xiying always surrounded by these wild bees and promiscuous butterflies?

Lin Xingzhu took the chance to sidle up to Bai Xiying and ask in a low voice, “Did something happen just now?”

Bai Xiying looked at her in surprise, not expecting Lin Xingzhu to be so perceptive.

But it wasn’t something she needed to hide. She nodded slightly. “It’s nothing, really. President Mu was just getting a little too close, so I found an excuse to come out for some air.”

Afraid that Lin Xingzhu would worry, she added, “It’s not a big deal.”

Since others were present, Lin Xingzhu didn’t press further. Seeing that she was indeed alright, she finally put her heart at ease.

A setting like a KTV, especially with Mu Muqing present and considering Bai Xiying’s status, made it really hard not to worry that some sort of incident might occur.

Over on the other side, the two had exchanged greetings. Since they didn’t know each other, there was naturally nothing more to say.

Mu Muqing looked at Bai Xiying, who had at some point started standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lin Xingzhu. Annoyance flared in her heart, but she still said, “Xiying, everyone is still waiting inside. Shall we go in together?”

Bai Xiying looked her in the eyes and shook her head. “President Mu, I’m not feeling well. I’d like to go home and rest early.”

“…” Mu Muqing fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is it very bad?”

Bai Xiying said earnestly, “Very bad.”

As she spoke, she even clutched her stomach, putting on a pained expression.

When Bai Xiying had secretly winked at her, Lin Xingzhu had let go of the matter, standing before her and watching the two of them talk.

But the silent aura of strength she exuded was a constant declaration of her presence, like the foundation of Bai Xiying’s confidence to speak so frankly, making her impossible to ignore.

Mu Muqing’s eyes were dark and unreadable. “If that’s the case, you should go home and rest early.”

She didn’t offer to take Bai Xiying home, because Mu Muqing already knew clearly that with Lin Xingzhu around, she would never succeed.

She barely maintained her good grace, gave Lin Xingzhu a nod, then turned and went back.

Lin Xingzhu noticed that the other woman’s expression was somewhat dejected; it seemed the successive setbacks had chipped away at her usually infallible confidence.

Xie Yunya took all of this in. She looked with some suspicion at the woman Bai Xiying called President Mu.

Then, she looked at Bai Xiying, who was talking with Lin Xingzhu with a gentle expression, and her hand resting on the wheelchair tightened for an instant.

So Xiying and Lin Xingzhu are already this close?

She felt a bit sour inside.

After the disliked Mu Muqing had left, Bai Xiying finally had the chance to ask Xie Yunya, “Senior, why did you come here?”

She knew that it was inconvenient for Xie Yunya to get around, and given her personality, she shouldn’t be at a place like this.

Seeing the conversation turn to her, Xie Yunya gave a wry smile. “I came to find my cousin.”

She pointed to the young man leaning against the wall.

Bai Xiying’s expression suddenly turned a little strange. “Cousin?”

Xie Yunya didn’t elaborate. This cousin of hers was rarely home, spending his days loafing around with bad company, causing her aunt no small amount of worry.

But Xie Yunya couldn’t bring herself to ignore her aunt’s distress. It was precisely because she had disciplined this cousin since he was young and held some sway over him that her aunt had asked a friend to bring her here to find him.

Who knew she would stumble upon him audaciously trying to hit on Lin Xingzhu.

At this thought, a few traces of embarrassment appeared on Xie Yunya’s gentle face again.

She didn’t want to say too much about it in front of Bai Xiying, so she just gave a brief hum of confirmation.

Having suddenly witnessed what appeared to be a major love battlefield¹, the young man’s eyes sparkled with gossip. When Xie Yunya waved him over, he immediately scurried over to push her wheelchair.

Bai Xiying took the opportunity to glance at him.

She saw that although his face was a bit puffy, his eyes were relatively clear and clean. He didn’t seem like a sleazy, degenerate scoundrel.

The man looked from side to side, then said to Lin Xingzhu with renewed regret, “Miss, it seems there’s no fate between us.”

He sighed, spouting incomprehensible nonsense, “A mutual journey² is the best, after all.”

He scanned the group. With his keen eye for people, he had a pretty good idea who the prize of this love battlefield had fallen to.

Oh well, true love is always moving. It’s best for me to withdraw.

Lin Xingzhu: “…”

What the hell?

Even Bai Xiying couldn’t help but glance at them.

Xie Yunya turned to glare at him, then apologized to Lin Xingzhu. “This cousin of mine just loves to spout nonsense. I hope Junior doesn’t take it to heart.”

Of course Lin Xingzhu didn’t mind, but with Bai Xiying present, she still felt a bit speechlessly embarrassed.

Xie Yunya knew that now wasn’t the time to catch up. Besides, she had already gotten Junior Xiying’s contact information and could meet up with her later. So, after apologizing, she left with her cousin in tow.

After everyone had gone, Lin Xingzhu tilted her head, pulled out a car key, and said with a smile, “Alright, it’s just the two of us now. Shall we go together?”

Bai Xiying had things on her mind. She just nodded distractedly and left with Lin Xingzhu.

In the car, Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but turn her head to ask, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been a bit absent-minded ever since just now.”

Because Bai Xiying often rode in Lin Xingzhu’s car, and since Lin Xingzhu didn’t have a girlfriend, Bai Xiying always sat in the passenger seat to make conversation easier.

Therefore, Lin Xingzhu only needed to glance sideways to observe Bai Xiying’s state.

Bai Xiying came back to her senses, bit her lip, and said with annoyance, “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like President Mu might have some feelings for me.”

So that’s what this is about.

Lin Xingzhu lifted her gaze, amused. “I thought you would have sensed that long ago.”

Bai Xiying was a little vexed. “You saw it long ago? Why didn’t you tell me?”

After turning the steering wheel to make a turn, Lin Xingzhu finally said, “How could I say something so uncertain? What if you were also interested?”

Bai Xiying’s long lashes fluttered, her eyes shifting as she silently shot Lin Xingzhu a sidelong glance.

In the dim light of the night, it held a unique charm.

Lin Xingzhu suddenly gripped the steering wheel tighter, realizing that she was always being stunned by Bai Xiying’s unintentional actions.

Bai Xiying didn’t notice her strange reaction. She said distractedly, “It was only tonight at the KTV, when she kept saying ambiguous things to me and deliberately getting close, that I finally realized it.”

While her mouth spoke of things she already knew, her mind was pondering the cousin Xie Yunya had mentioned tonight.

She remembered that in her previous life, she had never heard of Xie Yunya having any cousins.

Unaware that she was multitasking, Lin Xingzhu frowned and asked with concern, “She didn’t do anything too out of line, did she?”

Bai Xiying shook her head. “No, I was on guard.”

Lin Xingzhu: “…To put it seriously, what Mu Muqing is doing is practically workplace sexual harassment.”

A thoughtful look flashed in her eyes. “If you really don’t want to deal with her, have you considered trying to resign?”

Although Hurricane Studio was very famous, it didn’t hold a monopoly on everything.

Lin Xingzhu considered that the second pursuer from the original novel, who was supposed to have endured until the end, had already been taken offline by her, yet the world and the plot hadn’t changed. It seemed that changing the order of characters leaving the stage, or changing it entirely, didn’t have much of an effect.

The only thing that could be influenced in this world’s logic was the order of appearance.

As for the plot? Its influence was far too small.

In that case, if Bai Xiying didn’t like Mu Muqing, resigning was indeed a very good option.

“Resign?” Bai Xiying snapped out of her thoughts, surprised. “I haven’t thought about that.”

She bit her lip, looking clearly troubled. “I get along well with my colleagues, and I’ve learned so much…”

Actually, the more important thing is, I haven’t implemented my plan yet.

Lin Xingzhu glanced at her. The other woman’s habitual lip-biting made her naturally pink lips turn an alluring red from the pressure, giving off the feeling of a succulent fruit, ripe for the picking.

Seeing her still contemplating, she suddenly couldn’t help but say, “Stop biting.”

Bai Xiying: “?”

She looked at her, confused.

Lin Xingzhu feigned a natural tone. “It’s a bad habit. If you bite your lip often, you have to be careful not to let them get chapped.”

In truth, Lin Xingzhu didn’t know any of this; she was just making it up.

After the words left her mouth, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, wondering why she had said such a thing.

…What if I’m wrong? How do I recover from this?

Fortunately, Bai Xiying didn’t know any better either. She was a little surprised. “Really?” Touching her lips, she said, “Looks like I’ll have to break this habit.”

Lin Xingzhu cleared her throat and said virtuously, “Mhm.”

A while later, when she reached their destination and parked the car, she suddenly said, “I remember, the triennial ASHY Design Competition is about to start. You could try participating. If you succeed, that’s another path for you.”

Although if Bai Xiying ran into trouble, she most likely wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. And with Bai Xiying’s abilities, even if she left Hurricane in the future, she wouldn’t have trouble finding a good job. But if she really won this competition, then Bai Xiying would have more confidence and strength to say no to Mu Muqing.

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. She hoped that Bai Xiying would ultimately rely on her own strength to become more and more outstanding, to leap out from those predetermined shadows and gloom, and to have a bright and brilliant life.

A sudden pulse throbbed between Bai Xiying’s brows.

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