After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 33

Chaos

Chu Xiaxia¹ openly glared twice at Lin Xingzhu², who was standing very close to Bai Xiying³, then clingily sidled up to Bai Xiying’s side and asked sweetly, “Bai-jiejie, where are you going now? Can I go with you?”

Bai Xiying looked at her. “Aren’t you going with your friends?”

As if she couldn’t sense the veiled refusal in Bai Xiying’s words, Chu Xiaxia said cheerfully, “They can go by themselves. We just happened to run into each other, that’s all.”

The friends Chu Xiaxia had “happened to run into” were standing some distance away, but they heard that sentence quite clearly. They exchanged a look, and in an instant, they all understood.

Then, just as Chu Xiaxia had said, the group of them spoke a few words in low voices, said their goodbyes, and left ahead of time.

Lin Xingzhu folded her arms and looked at the little brat before her. “How does Miss Chu plan to go with us?”

Chu Xiaxia declared with perfect justification, “By car, of course!”

After speaking, she wanted to reach out and hook her arm through Bai Xiying’s, but just then, Bai Xiying bent down to pick something up, causing them to miss each other. Chu Xiaxia pouted and, too embarrassed to be overly forward, could only let her hand drop in disappointment.

“Ahem,” Lin Xingzhu smiled. “Is that so.”

After straightening up, a flash of understanding crossed Bai Xiying’s brow, a smile playing on her lips.

Playing along, Bai Xiying said to Chu Xiaxia, “Then we’ll head off first. If you want to follow, you can just walk with us from behind.”

The surprise came so suddenly that Chu Xiaxia’s eyes lit up.

“Okay, okay!”

But when Chu Xiaxia, utterly forlorn, watched Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying disappear before her eyes in their car, she froze.

Why didn’t Bai-jiejie take me with her?

Also, where’s her car?

In the back of the car.

Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying exchanged a smile.

Just as those young ladies were leaving, Lin Xingzhu’s sharp ears had caught a few words. It turned out that Chu Xiaxia had gotten into a tiff with her family and had come to the wedding with her friends. Since she had told her friends to leave first, their car had naturally been driven away as well.

So the situation at that moment was that Chu Xiaxia’s private car wasn’t there. As long as Lin Xingzhu didn’t give her a ride, she naturally had no way of going with them.

“Young Miss Lin’s hearing is truly astonishing,” Bai Xiying said, clearing her throat and teasing the person beside her after they finished laughing.

Lin Xingzhu glanced sideways. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

At the time, she hadn’t given Bai Xiying any hints at all, yet the other woman had cooperated so seamlessly. It had to be said, this was a pleasant surprise for Lin Xingzhu as well.

She knew Bai Xiying had always been an outstanding actress; if she were put in the entertainment industry, she could probably win a Best Actress award within days. But this was different. In the past, she had experienced how good Bai Xiying’s acting was because Bai Xiying was acting at her; as the person involved, she felt it most deeply.

But now, Bai Xiying was on the same wavelength as her, cooperating to act for someone else. This kind of experience brought a sudden surge of joy to Lin Xingzhu’s heart.

After laughing, Lin Xingzhu mused, “This Chu Xiaxia should have just come of age not too long ago, right?”

She changed the subject quickly, but fortunately, Bai Xiying was able to follow her train of thought instantly.

“…Yes.” Bai Xiying frowned slightly. “She should have just started her first year of university this year.”

Lin Xingzhu’s brow twitched. “Should have?”

She glanced at the primly seated Bai Xiying and speculated, “I heard Chu Xiaxia say you tutored her just before the new year. That wasn’t too long ago, so how could you not know if the little lady is in high school or university?”

“It’s no wonder the little lady has been thinking about you all this time.” Lin Xingzhu tsked twice. “It seems Teacher Bai isn’t a very qualified teacher.”

Bai Xiying’s expression didn’t change, allowing Lin Xingzhu to probe.

“Her grades weren’t very good at the time. I’m not sure if she had to repeat a year.”

This reason was indeed very suitable. Lin Xingzhu nodded, temporarily setting the matter aside.

She was about to say something else when the driver, who had been driving in silence, suddenly slammed on the brakes.

—”C⁴!”

Lin Xingzhu was sitting sideways facing Bai Xiying. Even with the excellent stability of the limited-edition luxury car, it couldn’t withstand the driver’s sudden, fierce swerve⁵.

She had only just managed to utter a “C” syllable before the unvoiced part of the word was twisted into a distorted tone and vanished completely into a surging softness.

Her vision suddenly went black, and Lin Xingzhu felt an indescribable suffocation.

It wasn’t the suffocation of being smothered, but of being so overwhelmed by a fragrance that she became dizzy, her vision blurred, unaware of what day or time it was.

Her entire face seemed to be enveloped by a soft sensation.

“Mmph—”

A muffled sound exploded by her ear, and Lin Xingzhu’s ears instantly turned beet red.

She scrambled to sit up properly, not even having time to straighten her skirt, and barked at the driver in front in a manner meant to cover her tracks, “What’s going on?!”

“I’m sorry, Miss. A car suddenly rushed over from the right side of the road, disrupting the traffic ahead. I didn’t have time to warn you and Miss Bai, so I had to swerve to avoid it,” the driver hurriedly explained.

Lin Xingzhu froze for a moment, then quickly turned her head to look at the road. Sure enough, it was chaotic.

She seemed to see thick smoke rising, forming a small black cloud in the air, and couldn’t be sure if someone had actually died over there.

A cold sweat broke out on Lin Xingzhu’s back. She quickly looked at Bai Xiying beside her and only let out a sigh of relief when she saw she was leaning against the car seat, largely unharmed.

“You did the right thing.” She suppressed her emotions and said with some difficulty, “Sorry, I had a bad attitude just now. I’ll compensate you accordingly when we get back.”

The driver also felt the relief of having survived a disaster. “Thank you, Miss.”

Lin Xingzhu hadn’t expected to have just had a close brush with death. At this moment, she could no longer harbor a single thought of a restless ape and a wild horse⁶; all she had was the relief of surviving a hopeless situation and an unprecedented clarity.

Lin Xingzhu exhaled a turbid breath, only then discovering that she had, at some point, tightly gripped Bai Xiying’s hand.

She quickly let go, but her grip had already left a circle of red marks on Bai Xiying’s left hand, which looked extremely alarming.

“Xiying, Xiying?”

Lin Xingzhu called out twice in worry.

Only then did Bai Xiying suddenly snap back to reality.

Lin Xingzhu stared at her intently, noticing her face was flushed and her forehead was beaded with fine sweat, as if she had just finished a strenuous workout, giving off a steamy, sticky and moist feeling.

Lin Xingzhu’s hand covered hers again, this time with an incomparably gentle force.

“It’s okay now. We’re both okay,” she said, her voice gentle as she slowly comforted her.

Bai Xiying’s eyes were dazed, her pupils unfocused. Her voice was hoarse. “What happened?”

“…”

A complicated look appeared in Lin Xingzhu’s eyes.

It seems Bai Xiying doesn’t know what happened during the jolt.

After thinking for two seconds, Lin Xingzhu decided it was best not to tell her.

She and the driver were the only ones who needed to experience that suffocating feeling of brushing past death.

“Nothing, the driver just made a sharp turn.”

Bai Xiying’s reaction was a beat slow. “Oh.”

Her cheeks were red, and her gaze was still a little dazed. She looked as if she hadn’t realized a thing.

Lin Xingzhu licked her lips and averted her gaze.

She suddenly remembered why Bai Xiying hadn’t reacted.

After that motion of burying her face, that muffled groan must have been the sound Bai Xiying made when she was caught off guard.

Bai Xiying lowered her brows, the hazy, submerged look in her eyes gradually clearing.

She turned her head and glanced at the space between them, wide enough to fit another person, her expression unreadable.

The immense pain and pleasure arousing her senses from the skin-to-skin contact, two extreme emotions tearing at each other, one waning as the other grew—before her mind went fuzzy, Bai Xiying could feel that soul-shaking indulgence and excitement.

—Reaching its peak after hitting an extreme threshold.

She had never had such an experience, all because of another person’s accidental movement.

To lose control like this, to be so shameless.

Bai Xiying’s hand was still trembling slightly, a lingering, drawn-out aftereffect.

She closed her eyes. At this very moment, she didn’t want to see Lin Xingzhu at all.

Just as she was about to say something, Lin Xingzhu saw Bai Xiying give her a cold look before turning her head away and closing her eyes.

Lin Xingzhu: “…”

Seriously? That cold?

She hadn’t wanted it to happen, either. She had clearly been focused on discussing business with Bai Xiying, inquiring about that suspected “Attack #4”⁷ Chu Xiaxia, but she couldn’t stop the accident from happening, which led to the subsequent chain of events.

Lin Xingzhu couldn’t be bothered with embarrassment now and shifted closer to Bai Xiying.

Bai Xiying’s eyes were closed, but her hearing was sharp. The moment Lin Xingzhu shortened the distance between them, she shifted away, and the gap that had just been closed instantly widened again.

Fine.

Lin Xingzhu stared at her for two seconds, then resignedly moved back to her original spot.

Unfortunately, though she moved back, Bai Xiying did not, which meant the distance between them had widened again, contrary to Lin Xingzhu’s intentions.

After getting out of the car, Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying didn’t speak, entering the elevator one after the other. When they reached the twelfth floor and it was time to get out, Lin Xingzhu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the elevator doors snapped shut, leaving only Lin Xingzhu’s helpless expression on the reflective surface.

Sighing, Lin Xingzhu went home too.

Today had truly been a rollercoaster.

Lin Xingzhu supported her forehead, lying back on the sofa, feeling too lazy to even move a muscle.

It seems I’m really starting to have feelings for Bai Xiying.

At this thought, her heart couldn’t help but tense up. On the back of her hand suspended in the air, a network of faint blue veins emerged.

The pure, flawless bridal bouquet flashed before her eyes, and Lin Xingzhu’s heart relaxed.

The time is not yet right.

No rush, she thought.

After watching Lin Xingzhu leave the elevator, Bai Xiying could no longer support herself.

She collapsed against the cold wall, waiting for the elevator to ascend.

Stumbling through the main door of her apartment, Bai Xiying didn’t even have time to change her shoes. Just like that, with lips bitten so hard they bled, she walked toward a gloomy corner and opened a hidden door.

She breathed rapidly, the soft, snow-white swell of her chest rising and falling. The collar of her dress, askew from her movements, revealed a dissolute mark⁸.

Bai Xiying lowered her eyes. The tip of a pinkish-white finger tapped lightly, then ruthlessly and fiercely pressed down.

Her eyes darkened slightly as she averted her gaze.

After a moment, Bai Xiying bit her lip, took out a frequently used pair of gloves from a branded box beside her, and tilted her head, slowly and methodically putting them on. Forcing herself, she walked to a long shelf and took out some tools.

At the same time, she shifted slightly, her other slender arm reaching back. With a slight movement of her fingers, the long hem of her dress fell.

Her long, slender fingers moved. Bai Xiying curled up on the soft, yet cold, leather sofa, her black silk-like hair scattered about, covering her hazy eyes.

“…Lin… Xing… zhu…”

Her voice was like shattered jade turning to pearls, as if choked with sobs⁹.

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