After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 28

The Future is Long.

As she smiled, Lin Xingzhu’s raised lips pressed together slightly. Her eyes, once as bright as stars, narrowed, silently concealing her joyous and content mood. The upward tilt at the corners of her eyes returned to a calm, impassive state.

How could I find this so sweet?

How can I allow myself to find this so sweet?

Bai Xiying was astonished by the other’s control over her emotions, which she could retract and release at will.

She hesitated. “…What’s wrong?”

The pain was tormenting Bai Xiying’s nerves, making her less sharp than she normally would be.

Thus, her actions preceded her thoughts, revealing her sincere worry.

What’s wrong with me?

Lin Xingzhu looked at Bai Xiying in silence, her eyes filled with an indecipherable complexity.

She, too, was questioning herself in her heart. Lin Xingzhu, what is wrong with you?

Emotions were easy to perceive, but the state of one’s heart was not.

Intense, fiery feelings, whether love or hate, could be seen through at a glance. One could even personally experience the torrents of love and hate within them, surging and rushing like the vast sea, like a blazing fire.

But a simple liking was not like that.

Or perhaps, the feeling of a shallow liking was not like that.

When many people begin to like someone, they are often unable to clearly discern how they went from curiosity to good feelings, nor can they clearly perceive how they transitioned from good feelings to liking, or even to the fluttering of their heart.

It is an accumulation of bit-by-bit quantitative changes that, after crossing the final step, coalesce into a final qualitative change.

They usually summarize this kind of feeling, which lacks clear boundaries, with a romantic phrase like, “Love, one knows not where it arises, yet it grows ever deeper¹.”

This was exceedingly normal for ordinary people.

But Lin Xingzhu was not. She had always believed that no matter what one does, the first thing is to fully understand oneself.

Only by understanding oneself enough, by knowing where one’s limits are, could one precisely and clearly use every ounce of one’s strength to accomplish things.

She did not want the changes happening to her to be pointed out by someone else.

Right after transmigrating into this world and realizing she was in a book, apart from the first two chaotic days that left her feeling unfamiliar and amazed by this sudden change, she had taken the time to thoroughly understand this body of hers while Bai Xiying was recovering in the hospital.

It could be said that the one who understood Lin Xingzhu best would always be Lin Xingzhu herself, even if she had changed bodies.

Therefore, the various minor changes that appeared when she faced Bai Xiying did not escape the measurement and observation in the depths of her heart.

Her subconscious amazement and suppression when faced with Bai Xiying’s unintentional actions, her gradual letting go of her ego and rationality for Bai Xiying, her feelings for Bai Xiying that had gradually accumulated from pity and responsibility…

Most importantly, she had actually found it sweet.

Lin Xingzhu’s gaze was complex, as serene and unreadable as an abyss.

Bai Xiying slowly realized something was wrong. She sat up straight, looking at Lin Xingzhu seriously. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

Lin Xingzhu stared at her, then suddenly smiled. “I just suddenly realized that people really do need to self-reflect on a regular basis.”

Only with regular self-reflection could one detect one’s own abnormalities at the earliest moment.

Lin Xingzhu sighed. Fortunately, her discovery was not too late; it could even be said to be very timely.

She still liked Bai Xiying, but this liking was still confined within the boundary of friendship.

It was just that within this pure relationship, she occasionally had brief moments of losing control.

But that was fine. She would slowly correct it, rectify her mindset, and bend it back into place.

“…” Bai Xiying’s expression changed slightly, a touch of rouge suddenly appearing at the corners of her eyes. “What do you mean?”

She had a gut feeling that the meaning behind Lin Xingzhu’s words was not good.

Lin Xingzhu gave her a deep look. “What I mean is, being friends with you, I find it sweet.”

Bai Xiying didn’t quite believe her, but she couldn’t sense what was wrong.

A sudden irritation welled up in her heart. This uncontrollable feeling made her mood difficult to suppress.

“You’d better think that way,” Bai Xiying said. “Otherwise, if we’ve been friends for two months and you suddenly decide this isn’t good, I’ll get really angry.”

She emphasized, stressing her words, “Very angry.”

Lin Xingzhu chuckled. “Trust me, I’m not someone who regrets things easily.”

Lin Xingzhu never regretted her actions.

Bai Xiying’s expression relaxed. She glanced at her. “Don’t let your mind wander in the middle of the night, you’ll go crazy.”

One second she was laughing like a fool, the next she was suddenly serious, like a face-change in a Sichuan opera².

No, even Sichuan opera face-changing wasn’t as outrageous as Lin Xingzhu.

Lin Xingzhu craned her neck to look outside and shrugged. “What time is it? You can’t call this the middle of the night yet.”

Bai Xiying ignored her.

Although Lin Xingzhu had just explained herself, she was still angry.

Fortunately, Lin Xingzhu knew she was in the wrong and didn’t provoke Bai Xiying any further. After putting the bowl and chopsticks in the dishwasher, she glanced at Bai Xiying, who was sitting on the sofa and looking much better.

“Remember to drink more hot water tonight. You can put a heat pack on your stomach when you sleep, be careful of stomachaches.”

“Do you have any heat packs here? If not, I’ll go back and get some for you.”

Bai Xiying said, “You’re so naggy.”

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere just now was a bit off, coupled with the effects of her period, that she became more irritable than usual.

This was mainly manifested in her being even less polite to Lin Xingzhu.

“…” Lin Xingzhu was so exasperated she had to laugh. “Who am I being naggy for? Isn’t it so a certain little ungrateful person can be more comfortable?”

As she spoke, she grabbed a blanket and threw it over, landing it neatly on Bai Xiying.

Bai Xiying pulled the blanket off her face, speechless. “It doesn’t hurt that much now.”

“Once the wound is healed, the pain is forgotten.”

“…”

Unable to win the argument, Bai Xiying shut her mouth.

But the warmth seeping into her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

By the time Lin Xingzhu had followed the same procedure to boil another pot of hot water and was walking towards the entryway, Bai Xiying finally reacted.

“…You’re leaving?”

“If I don’t leave, am I supposed to stay the night?” Lin Xingzhu glanced at her. “Two lone women in one room, that’s not very appropriate, is it?”

“…” A headache.

Bai Xiying pressed her lips together. Of course, that wasn’t what she meant.

But for Lin Xingzhu to leave right now, wasn’t it too early?

Her expression was too placid, so Lin Xingzhu didn’t notice anything.

She said as usual, “I’ve reminded you of everything you need to do and pay attention to. Your period isn’t like a normal day, you need to be more careful.”

With that, she grasped the doorknob. She had come over wearing slippers, so she didn’t even need to change her shoes.

Once again, action preceded thought. Bai Xiying cried out in alarm, “…Ah!”

Lin Xingzhu reflexively walked back. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

Her tone was a little rushed, her concern unconcealable.

The hot water had splashed onto the carpet, and a few drops had spattered onto Bai Xiying’s fair and tender hand, instantly leaving a red mark.

The contrast between red and white was somewhat glaring.

Seeing that she was about to get up and clean it, Lin Xingzhu took a deep breath, helpless. “You sit there and don’t move. I’ll clean it up.”

Bai Xiying: “…”

She lowered her gaze and obediently sat back down.

When Lin Xingzhu came closer and bent down to pick up the cup, Bai Xiying said guiltily, “I’ve troubled you again.”

Lin Xingzhu said in an annoyed tone, “Troubling me is a small matter. This is hot water, be careful not to burn yourself again.”

As she bent over, the line of her spine was thinly defined, looking very lean and fit. It made one want to reach out and trace the uncontainable line of her waist, to feel just how slender and soft it was, to see if there was any strength to it.

But Bai Xiying knew how strong she was. She could carry a person and move without any pressure, with an air of casual ease.

She really didn’t know how this person was built. Could it be that the original, useless Lin Xingzhu had such a good body?

But on the original Lin Xingzhu, she had only found such a body nauseating.

Bai Xiying was lost in thought out of boredom. After Lin Xingzhu finished cleaning up, she bit her lip gently. “Stay a little longer? I’m quite bored by myself.”

Lin Xingzhu had told her about her lip-biting habit, but she couldn’t seem to break it just yet.

Fortunately, Lin Xingzhu’s back was to her, so she couldn’t see.

This was the first time Bai Xiying had invited Lin Xingzhu to stay a while longer since the night she had just moved in.

Lin Xingzhu’s lips curled up.

Bai Xiying caught a glimpse and felt a sense of relief.

Lin Xingzhu’s clear, elegant voice sounded, “Better not. I want to maintain my innocence in this world.”

“…”

“?”

When she realized what she was saying, Bai Xiying’s eyes widened, her bitten lips instantly flushing with blood. “What are you talking about.”

She was so angry that the corners of her eyes were tinged with rouge. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with clear water, a pink hue spread across her cheeks, and her chest heaved unsteadily.

“How presumptuous!” Bai Xiying said hatefully.

Thinking about her current physical condition, she added, “Pervert!”

Lin Xingzhu threw up her hands, raised an eyebrow, and nodded as if it were a serious matter. “I know you’re not being presumptuous, but you should have some confidence in your own beauty.”

“…But ‘pervert’ is a little too harsh.”

Bai Xiying glared at her, but unfortunately, the glare held no deterrent force. On the contrary, due to her anger, it carried a certain flirtatious charm. “Just get out of here, you!”

Lin Xingzhu’s lips curled. “Calm down, I’m leaving now.”

This time, she really left.

When the entryway returned to its quiet state, the slowly calming Bai Xiying’s expression turned grim.

Lin Xingzhu was definitely not right.

During the meal, something she didn’t know about had absolutely happened.

Bai Xiying clutched the blanket covering her, her grip extremely tight.

She herself hadn’t been right just now either.

Why did she speak up to make Lin Xingzhu stay?

At this thought, a trace of shame crossed Bai Xiying’s face.

Not only had she asked her to stay, but the other party had also refused.

Even though Lin Xingzhu had changed the subject with a joke, the final outcome hadn’t changed. She still left.

She stared intently at the new cup of water in front of her. The red dates floating on top bobbed with the ripples.

Heh.

Bai Xiying closed her eyes and curled up on the sofa.

After a while, she got up with a cold face. Even though she didn’t need it, she still draped the blanket over her shoulders, walked barefoot past the coffee table, and went to the last room at the end of the hall.

The door let out a dull creak before being shut tightly by its owner, leaving not a sliver of light.

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Back in her own apartment, Lin Xingzhu sat silently on the sofa. The water she had poured before leaving was placed in front of her, long since gone cold in the sultry night.

She didn’t know if Bai Xiying had seen through anything.

Gently swirling the cup and watching the water ripple, she thought to herself, She probably sensed something, guessed that something was off with me.

But it didn’t matter. Lin Xingzhu never thought she could fool Bai Xiying.

After all, that was an intelligent person who was meticulous down to the finest detail, with a devious mind.

But that didn’t matter either.

Lin Xingzhu’s lips quirked. She slowly took a sip of the cold, clear tea.

Whether it was her or Bai Xiying, the doubts between them had already piled up high enough. It was like the old saying, when you have too many lice, you stop worrying about them. With so many cracks, what’s one more to be afraid of? If she wanted to find out, then let her slowly observe and think.

What was the internet slang for this?

Lin Xingzhu chuckled softly. Mutually putting on an act, is that it?

The future is long. Let’s see which of us will be the final winner who unveils all the secrets.

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