After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 3

Second Gong¹

Fruit

Lin Xingzhu’s body was a little stiff.

At first, she thought it was the sound of Bai Xiying feeling unwell or uncomfortable. Two seconds later, Lin Xingzhu quickly realized it was a signal of the drug’s aftereffects.

This was the first time Lin Xingzhu had directly faced such an awkward situation; she was on pins and needles.

She opened her phone, randomly tapping on it to distract herself. But those low, undeniable, hoarse gasps seemed to have a life of their own, like water snakes seeking someone out, trying to slither into her ears.

So cloying.

Lin Xingzhu held her breath, trying her best to control herself.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened.

Bai Xiying walked out of the bathroom expressionlessly, glistening water droplets, not yet dry, clinging to her cheeks. They slid past the elegant bridge of her nose, brushed over her crimson lips, and dripped to the floor.

Like a piece of plump fruit pulp, her whole body exuded a sense of ripened, decadent sensuality.

Lin Xingzhu glanced hurriedly, not daring to look again.

She always felt that Bai Xiying at this moment possessed an indescribable allure. Especially since, an hour ago, the other party had said such speculative words.

Lin Xingzhu’s left hand slid along the edge of her phone as she distractedly searched for a topic: “Have I delayed your work these past two days?”

She vaguely remembered that Bai Xiying worked at a studio.

Bai Xiying sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting casually by her sides. Hearing Lin Xingzhu’s words, she tilted her head slightly, as if in thought.

Perhaps, sifting through the tangled, chaotic threads of memory, she finally remembered something. She said faintly, “No.”

“I only officially start work next Monday.”

“Oh.” Lin Xingzhu nodded slowly, her gaze quickly shifting away from the red mark on Bai Xiying’s fingertips.

Only after looking away did she belatedly realize that this red mark, in this position and at this particular time, was very suspicious.

“The doctor said you can be discharged in another two days. It won’t affect your regular work then,” Lin Xingzhu said considerately, recalling the doctor’s words.

Bai Xiying looked at her, a hint of almost pure confusion in her eyes. “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

While talking, Lin Xingzhu had kept her head slightly bowed; their eyes had never met.

Her appearance of avoiding Bai Xiying at all costs made Bai Xiying feel a little displeased.

Lin Xingzhu subconsciously raised her head, and indeed, a beautiful sight met her eyes. Like a lotus flower emerging from clear water, her clear and translucent complexion was now tinged with crimson, effortlessly outlining a captivating charm that sparked the imagination.

Unfortunately, this beauty seemed to be cast before a blind person. Lin Xingzhu, with a perfectly serious expression, retorted, “Why must I look at you?”

She tapped the table, her aura gentle and harmless, as broad and profound as a needle sunk in the vast ocean, yet the words she spoke were very frank: “As I see it, we have a victim-and-compensator relationship. Beyond that, I shouldn’t have any obligation to look you directly in the eye, should I?”

Bai Xiying suddenly smiled. “Not victim and compensator.”

Lin Xingzhu: “Hm?”

Bai Xiying said slowly and deliberately, “Let me correct you. It’s a victim-and-perpetrator relationship.”

As she spoke, her face was flushed, carrying a special afterglow, yet it didn’t diminish her charm in the slightest.

Lin Xingzhu watched her, surprised to find that she could sense a sharp, exposed edge from Bai Xiying.

A sense of absurdity suddenly rose in her heart.

Is this really the Bai Xiying described in the book?

Lin Xingzhu adjusted her posture, propping her chin on her hand with a bent elbow, her movements exuding a casual, carefree air. “So?”

She asked, so what?

Even if she was the perpetrator and not the victim, what difference did it make?

From her nonchalant gaze, Bai Xiying discerned this extremely shameless sentiment.

Not to mention that with the Lin family’s current power and influence, the helpless Bai Xiying couldn’t do much anyway. As for Lin Xingzhu herself, she had accidentally transmigrated into the book, inheriting this body and all its social relationships, including the bitter consequences of its actions. Because Lin Xingzhu considered herself a good person, she was willing to do her best to make amends, as long as it didn’t cross her own bottom line. But this didn’t mean she would let the other party do whatever she pleased.

If Bai Xiying wanted to use her apology to coerce her into doing things, then Lin Xingzhu could directly make it clear that there was nothing to discuss.

Lin Xingzhu let out a low laugh. “So, you see, what you need to do now is to quickly state your compensation demands while I still have patience and feel sufficiently guilty.” She wasn’t about to let Bai Xiying squander the already limited guilt she felt.

This time, she looked directly into Bai Xiying’s eyes.

The other’s pupils were dark and bright, eyes that should have been full of spirit. Yet, for some reason, they were veiled by a layer of mist, thinly shrouding them, exuding an indescribable gloom.

Catching the flicker of suspicion deep in Lin Xingzhu’s eyes, Bai Xiying suddenly smiled.

With that smile, an idiom described in the original novel materialized in an instant.

“I understand.” Bai Xiying replied obediently, retracting all her sharp thorns. “It’s just that I really haven’t thought about what compensation I want.”

Lin Xingzhu remained noncommittal.

Bai Xiying continued, showing concern for others for the first time in three days, “My friends, are they really okay?”

Lin Xingzhu knew that the “friends” she mentioned were part of a scheme the original owner had deliberately set up to trick her. She had already arranged for those people to be released that same night.

“They’ve all left already.” Lin Xingzhu lifted her delicate chin slightly. “If you don’t believe me, you can call and ask.”

Bai Xiying took out her phone, looked up at Lin Xingzhu with a seemingly embarrassed smile, but her hands moved without hesitation, sending WeChat messages to each of her roommates one by one.

Before Lin Xingzhu left, she seemed to inadvertently glimpse a series of white message bubbles on the chat interface.

She sneered inwardly.

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When Lin Xingzhu came out of the company, the clouds in the sky were a stretch of brilliant colors, the afterglow of the setting sun mottled and splendid.

Having resolved a mess left behind by the original owner, she was in a good mood and followed her GPS to a private kitchen² that the original owner remembered.

After enjoying an exquisite dinner by herself, Lin Xingzhu didn’t forget Bai Xiying. She ordered another, slightly blander dinner and had the waiter pack it up for her.

It was also time to improve Bai Xiying’s meals.

Lin Xingzhu held her phone in one hand and the food container in the other, walking out of the restaurant without looking sideways.

“Lin Xingzhu.”

“I said, Lin Xingzhu, didn’t you see me?”

Lin Xingzhu, who finally heard this time, stopped and turned around, asking in confusion, “Are you calling me?”

The tall, beautiful woman had a somewhat nasty expression, her malice undisguised. “Who else? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own glorious past at such a young age?”

Lin Xingzhu was silent.

From her memories, she learned that the “glorious past” the other woman mentioned seemed to refer to a time when the original Lin Xingzhu, young and ignorant, had been smitten by her looks and begged the woman to give her a chance.

However, it seemed that because their “types” clashed³, the other party had mercilessly rejected Lin Xingzhu. Otherwise, given the other woman’s suave and amorous nature, and with the original Lin Xingzhu’s looks, it was actually possible they could have had a bit of a pink-tinted, ambiguous romance.

The woman’s eyebrows shot up, the words she spat out venomous and contemptuous: “You seem to be one who only remembers the treats and not the beatings⁴. Someone you shouldn’t touch—are you even worthy of touching them?”

Lin Xingzhu was speechless. She looked at the woman—Qiao Zijin⁵—who was clearly not her aesthetic preference, pondered for a moment, and said, “Are you referring to yourself?”

Qiao Zijin licked her lips, mocking, “At least you have some self-awareness.”

But it was obvious it wasn’t just about Qiao Zijin; Lin Xingzhu knew this full well.

Because the proud and glamorous woman standing before her now was a fairly popular character in the original novel. According to the order in which relationships occurred, readers seemed to call her “Gong Er.”

This Gong Er had some popularity among the star-studded lineup of powerful gongs, not because she appeared earliest, but because she possessed a trait that none of the other gongs had.

That was, a passion for inflicting abuse. Enjoying the pleasure of tormenting others.

Such a proud and glamorous person, coupled with blood and leather, attracted a large group of readers who were drawn by the abuse elements.

What’s more, she also seemed to have a tragic past, which almost gave this character an even greater charm of desperately needing to be saved.

However, Lin Xingzhu found it hard to get this… erm, bloody charm. She also had no interest whatsoever in the other woman’s tragic past.

“I wonder, when did I ever give you the mistaken impression that I still like you?” Lin Xingzhu tilted her head, speaking fearlessly.

This was almost explicitly saying, “I don’t fancy you anymore.”

Qiao Zijin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing past.

Lin Xingzhu glanced down at the food container, worried that if she returned too late, the patient would go hungry. Besides, she had no interest whatsoever in conversing with this Qiao Zijin, who clearly had some screws loose.

She took a step back. “The food I got to go is getting cold. I’ll be leaving first.”

After saying that, she turned and left without hesitation.

Qiao Zijin stood rooted to the spot, her eyes narrowed as she watched Lin Xingzhu’s retreating figure.

Finally, her gaze landed on the cloth bag with the private kitchen’s unique logo in Lin Xingzhu’s right hand.

The rumors seemed to be true.

Lin Xingzhu had actually landed Bai Xiying in the hospital.

Qiao Zijin couldn’t stop herself from imagining what Bai Xiying must look like at this moment.

The moment she thought of that scene, veins bulged on her forehead, and her face turned as cold as frost.

What did Bai Xiying look like at this moment?

Her whole body resistant, her face full of aversion.

Lin Xingzhu facepalmed. “What’s wrong with you?”

She had only gone out to resign, so why had Bai Xiying become like this?

“I suddenly realized I’ve been numbed by your act,” Bai Xiying said coldly.

She seemed to have just realized that she shouldn’t be treating the main culprit who had harmed her so much with such calmness, let alone pleasantness.

Lin Xingzhu: “?”

Bai Xiying: “As soon as I woke up, you acted appropriately and calmly, arranged everything in the hospital meticulously, stayed to take care of me, and even showed sincere remorse and a strong desire to compensate.”

She spoke clearly, recounting Lin Xingzhu’s behavior over the past few days one by one.

Hearing this, Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but interrupt: “Um, it’s not an act. I am sincerely remorseful.”

Bai Xiying ignored her and continued, “When I woke up, it was the first time I’d encountered something like this. I didn’t react immediately; I was so stimulated that I had a stress reaction and wasn’t acting like myself.”

“That’s true.” Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but nod.

Bai Xiying said calmly and rationally, “Just when you went out, I suddenly figured everything out. This whole incident is your crime. You harbored ill intentions from the start. So what if you compensate? That’s what you should do!”

Towards the end, she became somewhat agitated. The emotional fluctuations caused her chest to heave, and her face, which had only just begun to recover over the past two days, quickly flushed crimson, making her appear particularly spirited.

“I’m not eating this! I don’t need your crocodile tears⁶!”

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