After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 37

Double Standard

When she saw clearly who the person Bai Xiying was following was, Lin Xingzhu froze for a moment.

Why would Bai Xiying suddenly follow Xie Yunya?

Lin Xingzhu’s eyes slightly narrowed, the thoughts in her heart unceasing.

She maintained a not-far, not-near distance, following Bai Xiying. The Bai Xiying in front did the same, not-far, not-nearly following Xie Yunya, who was pushing a wheelchair by hand.

Soon, a tall male figure darted out from beside Xie Yunya, who was walking at the edge of the public square up ahead. The drooping side profile of his face was vaguely familiar; Lin Xingzhu took two more looks and a look, recognizing him as the man from the KTV corridor that day, the one called Xie Yunya’s younger male cousin.

It looked as though Xie Yunya, just like that night at the KTV, had come out alone in the middle of the night to bring her younger cousin, who had been fooling around outside, back home.

Lin Xingzhu glanced at Xie Yunya being pushed by her cousin. They were too far away, she had no way to hear clearly what they were saying, but she could clearly see from their postures that Xie Yunya was in the middle of lecturing her cousin.

It was truly hard on her, with her legs and feet being inconvenient, yet still having to run out in the middle of the night to catch someone.

But Xie Yunya went out at midnight to call her cousin home; what did Bai Xiying go out at midnight for?

Lin Xingzhu looked deeply at that figure steeped in the night’s colors. She stood in a shadow that avoided the light, the heavy blackness making her almost one with the environment. If not for the fact that she had been paying constant attention, she feared she would have, like those scattered passersby, swept a rough glance and passed over her.

At this moment, those doubts buried deep in the bottom of her heart rolled up the earth and arose anew¹. Lin Xingzhu lowered her eyes, her expression complicated, and another thick layer was added to the secrets concerning Bai Xiying in her heart.

She was clearly an ordinary university graduate, was she not? Even if the original author gave her the setting of an erotic novel’s female protagonist², as the plot began, all these “talents” and “abilities” would only manifest in their corresponding domains, rather than making her like she was now, with secrets piled one upon another, her form practiced and cunningly strange.

Lin Xingzhu lightened her footsteps, following Bai Xiying as she walked slowly through the night, until Xie Yunya seemed to have reached her destination and was pushed into the residential complex by her cousin.

She saw Bai Xiying stand a few meters outside the complex, watching for a while, before turning to leave.

It was almost deep into the night. Lin Xingzhu, draped in the faintly cool moonlight, only returned home a while after Bai Xiying had returned to her apartment.

After getting home, Lin Xingzhu casually draped her coat on a chair, washed up a bit, and then threw her body into the soft, large bed.

The softness beneath her made her body feel relaxed, and especially in the dark environment, it was easier to nurture sleepiness.

But her nerves, they were unprecedentedly taut, her thoughts constantly leaping, pulling the silk and peeling the cocoon³ as she investigated the traces of every section.

Lin Xingzhu replayed the scene from the KTV corridor that night again and again.

Her confrontation with Mu Muqing, the exchange of glances between Mu Muqing and Xie Yunya, the few-words greeting between Bai Xiying and Xie Yunya…

Hm?

Lin Xingzhu rubbed the space between her brows, her raised hand suddenly pausing.

—”Senior, why have you come here?”

—”I’m here to find my younger cousin.”

The fragment of memory stopped at this moment.

Lin Xingzhu slowed her breathing, recalling carefully. It seemed that at the time, Bai Xiying had even asked back with a slight tone of surprise, “Younger cousin.”

Lin Xingzhu’s memory had always been quite good. She remembered that at the time, Bai Xiying was greeting Xie Yunya, so she herself had taken a slight step back, standing in a position behind Bai Xiying. Thus, she was unable to see Bai Xiying’s specific expression when she said this.

But the tone of her questioning retort, now carefully savoring it bit by bit, seemed to have a trace of something not quite right.

It carried a trace of surprise, and a kind of indescribable shock.

It seemed to be… the feeling of facing a person who should not exist.

This was not right at all.

When a normal person meets the relative of someone they know, even if it is the first time, the emotions and reactions they display are nothing more than surprise or indifference. But no matter which emotion, it should be peaceful and natural.

Not like Bai Xiying, as if the one standing opposite her was a person who should not exist.

This feeling was as if, in her cognition, the other party should not exist, yet that person had appeared when she was completely unprepared.

Since this situation occurred, then it could only mean that there was a problem with Bai Xiying’s memory.

After all, the reactions of Xie Yunya and her cousin showed that it was the first time the two of them had met, did it not?

What was even stranger was that on a certain night not long after, Bai Xiying went out, fully equipped, to follow Xie Yunya.

After thinking for a long time, as if pulling silk and peeling a cocoon, Lin Xingzhu leaned against the bed alone, thinking in a daze.

She knew Bai Xiying was not simple, that she had deeper, more hidden secrets. But the current Lin Xingzhu could not watch all of this with the same calm observation as in the past.

A moment later, Lin Xingzhu suddenly raised her head. She seemed to have thought of something, her eyes shrinking abruptly, a forest-like chill running down her spine.

A distant memory turned back, it was a low murmur that was almost a mix of confusion and shock—

“How can you be here?”

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The next morning, the weather was clear and bright.

Lin Xingzhu drove her car along a familiar road. In the passenger seat sat a not-yet-fully-awake Bai Xiying.

She turned her head for a glance, saw the faint bluish-black under Bai Xiying’s eyes, and did not make a sound to disturb her.

Last night, after Bai Xiying returned to the apartment, she had checked the time. It was past eleven. Adding on the time she would need to wash up and clean after returning, and who knows if this person with eight hundred words of heart-eyes⁴ was still in her room thinking and calculating something alone—all things considered, looking at it this way, her sleeping time was truly not much.

Lin Xingzhu turned her head, looking at the evergreen plants on both sides of the road. Their leaves were green all year round, making it impossible for one to simply distinguish the season by the color of the leaves.

But when Lin Xingzhu left the house in the morning, she had glanced at the calendar. The autumn equinox was not far off, which meant she had been in this world for almost a whole summer.

Time passed so quickly.

When they were almost at Hurricane, Lin Xingzhu spoke up to wake the dozing Bai Xiying.

“Did you eat breakfast this morning?”

Bai Xiying rubbed her drowsy eyes, mumbling, “No.” After speaking, she lowered her hand and sniffed with her nose, asking, “What? Did you bring some?”

Lin Xingzhu gave a light laugh, her voice clear and cool: “You’re thinking too much, I certainly did not bring any.”

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the person pouting. As she waited for her to unbuckle her seatbelt to get her things, Lin Xingzhu spoke faintly, “Although the competition is important, you should still try to avoid staying up too late. After all, the body is what’s most important, right?”

She turned her head to look fixedly at Bai Xiying. “If your body collapses, you won’t be able to do anything at all.”

Bai Xiying hesitated for a moment. She felt that Lin Xingzhu’s tone had a kind of inexplicable seriousness.

Immediately after, she suddenly remembered that black-boned chicken soup from a few days ago. Bai Xiying’s face inexplicably stiffened, and she retorted, “That’s certainly true. You say what I said with such seriousness, but you need to pay attention yourself. Look at you a few days ago, your body was too weak to receive nourishment, that’s much more severe than me.”

Bai Xiying pointed to the identical bluish-black under Lin Xingzhu’s eyes, which was extremely obvious against her overly white skin, and curved her lips into a slight smile.

Lin Xingzhu subconsciously touched the area under her eyes, cursing herself for the miscalculation.

She was only thinking about Bai Xiying, but forgot that she herself had not slept much earlier either.

Looking at the smugly triumphant Bai Xiying, the arc of Lin Xingzhu’s lips flattened. Who knew who it was that caused her to be this way.

However, Lin Xingzhu really wanted to clarify that her nosebleed that day was not at all from being too weak to receive nourishment, it was from having too much heat-fire and getting inflamed!⁵

But she had missed the best time to clarify. To say it now would have the feeling of the more one describes, the blacker it gets⁶.

Therefore, looking at Bai Xiying’s sly gaze, Lin Xingzhu’s face showed a smile: “I’m not the same as you. I ate breakfast.”

Bai Xiying: “…”

She had forgotten. Compared to herself, this Lin Xingzhu before her eyes seemed to have a greater love for life, not to mention she also possessed a hand of good cooking skills. Making a simple breakfast for herself was not a problem at all.

Inexplicably, the scene of Lin Xingzhu wearing her apron and stewing soup two days ago flashed before her eyes again.

Bai Xiying glanced at her, and with an emotion even she herself did not understand, she opened her mouth to say, “Heh, if someone made it for me, I’d also be willing to eat breakfast on time every day.”

At these words, Lin Xingzhu’s fingers paused for a moment, then returned to normal in the next second.

“This wish of yours is not difficult to realize.” She averted her gaze from the one Bai Xiying threw back at her. “You only need to spend money to complete it, and you will even get all sorts and types of breakfast.”

“Everything you could wish for, too numerous to count,” Lin Xingzhu added.

Bai Xiying: “…”

A trace of subtle displeasure flashed through her heart.

Bai Xiying also didn’t know why she had this subtle displeasure of a hope falling empty. She took a shallow breath, “What you say has a point.” Then, after saying this, she pushed open the car door and got out.

Lin Xingzhu sat in the car. Seeing her laughing and talking with colleagues she met as she entered the office building, she smiled without a sound, but in a flash, her eyes were once again dyed with a thread of deep thought.

Returning to the office, just as Special Assistant Lin, who had finished arranging her work, was about to leave, Lin Xingzhu suddenly called out to stop her.

“Do you have time to eat breakfast every morning?”

Special Assistant Lin was taken aback, not understanding what deep meaning there was in Lin Xingzhu suddenly asking this question, but she thought for a moment and still answered truthfully: “It depends on the situation. Sometimes I eat, sometimes I don’t.”

For Special Assistant Lin, the sleep right before waking up in the morning was far more important than breakfast.

“Is that so.” Lin Xingzhu nodded. “Is it because you often don’t have enough time in the morning that you sometimes don’t eat breakfast?”

Xingyuan would provide lunch and dinner for its employees, but it would not provide breakfast. At most, it would provide a tea time for employees around ten o’clock, during which employees could arrange their own time and eat some tea snacks to pad their stomachs.

Seeing Special Assistant Lin nod, Lin Xingzhu smiled. She glanced out the window and asked nonchalantly, “If there was a breakfast shop near the company, would it both save you time and allow you to eat breakfast?”

Special Assistant Lin was taken aback. She thought for a moment and said, “If it’s especially close to the company, and on the way, it would indeed be like that.”

There were restaurants near this block of buildings, but no breakfast shops. Even if there were, they were likely far from Xingyuan. In order to clock in on time, everyone would usually endure it until tea time arrived to pad their stomachs.

But the company provided coffee and tea year-round, and adding on that everyone sometimes brought their own instant drinks, looking at it this way, the demand for breakfast was actually not that great.

Special Assistant Lin was silent for a moment. Looking at Lin Xingzhu’s deeply thoughtful appearance, she hesitated, “But actually, everyone’s demand for breakfast isn’t particularly large.”

She wanted to say, if President Lin wants to open a breakfast shop, she should really think it over again. Sizing up market demand is very important!

Lin Xingzhu smiled, “Demand not being large doesn’t mean breakfast isn’t important. If conditions permit, one should still take good care of one’s body.”

After her words fell, Lin Xingzhu instructed her again: “Help me keep an eye out near the company…”

She led Special Assistant Lin to the window, pointed down for her, the area she pointed to was exactly in the middle of Hurricane and Xingyuan, on the road she usually walked to work, and continued, “Help me ask around what shops in this area are for rent. It needs to be by the road, preferably in this block. The speed should be as fast as possible, price is not an issue.”

Special Assistant Lin: “…”

So she’s really going to open a breakfast shop!

She gave a bitter smile, already able to foresee the bleak business President Lin’s shop would have after opening. But the boss had spoken, so she could only do as she was told.

Special Assistant Lin nodded solemnly: “Okay, President Lin.”

Lin Xingzhu: “Work hard, your salary will increase by half next month.”

She was not one of those people who only made people do work without giving compensation, let alone having her assistant handle a private matter for her.

But looking at it this way, when the time comes to go to Tianqi, a personal life assistant will also need to be arranged.

Special Assistant Lin’s back straightened with a shua, becoming even more motivated: “Rest assured, President Lin, I will definitely handle the matter you’ve entrusted to me well!”

Rest assured, boss, I will definitely choose a good location, and absolutely not let you lose too miserably! Special Assistant Lin recited silently in her heart.

Patting her on the shoulder, and watching as her assistant closed the door and left, only then did Lin Xingzhu retract her gaze. Her light, indifferent gaze swept over the area she had pointed to one more time, before she returned to sit behind her desk.

The doctor’s words, “body is weak, needs nourishment,” Lin Xingzhu had never forgotten. But right now, with her and Bai Xiying’s relationship, it was not yet suitable for her to truly agree to what Bai Xiying had said in the car this morning.

She hoped Bai Xiying would eat a healthy breakfast, to nurse her weak and feeble body back to health. Since she could not do it with her own hands, then she would spend money to buy it.

Lin Xingzhu smiled. Since as long as someone was willing to make it for her, she would eat breakfast every day, she hoped she could really do it.

As she smiled and smiled, she suddenly thought of the incredible speculation that had flashed through her mind last night, and the smile on her lips slowly tightened.

“Bai Xiying…”

The low voice was blown by the wind, dissipating into the air.

Who exactly are you? Or rather, where did you come from?

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For the next few days, every time night fell, Lin Xingzhu would deliberately rush back to the apartment early, prepare everything, and wait by the door, watching the elevator rise and fall.

Each time, she was able to catch the back of Bai Xiying hurriedly going out late at night, and then follow behind her with practiced ease.

Lin Xingzhu didn’t understand what Bai Xiying wanted to do, but seeing that her route was almost the same every time, and the destination was basically near Xie Yunya’s residential complex.

Gradually, Lin Xingzhu understood. Rather than saying Bai Xiying was following Xie Yunya, it was more like a relatively loose surveillance of Xie Yunya.

Bai Xiying did not follow her around the clock. Only after night fell would she change into a set of clothes convenient for movement and follow from a not-far, not-near distance. If she encountered a night where Xie Yunya did not go out, she would wander a few circles around her residential complex, look at the time for a few moments, and then take a taxi back.

At the same time, Lin Xingzhu knew that Bai Xiying had been continuously preparing her work for the competition. But she had to be busy with work during the day, and play at tracking at night. The nights she stayed up seemed to be more and more numerous, and the bluish-black under her eyes was also very obvious.

On another morning, Lin Xingzhu pursed her lips and handed the breakfast she had bought in advance to Bai Xiying as she got in the car.

Bai Xiying took the food bag, the aroma of the food instantly assaulting her empty stomach, but she did not open it. Instead, she turned her head to look at the focused-on-driving Lin Xingzhu, her eyes blinking lightly, “Is it my imagination? How are your dark circles getting heavier and heavier?”

To prevent Lin Xingzhu from speaking about her, Bai Xiying preemptively said, “My dark circles are from staying up late to draw for my submission. What’s the deal with you?”

“…”

A cloud of frustration lingered in Lin Xingzhu’s heart, long-held and not dissipating.

“Insomnia.”

Lin Xingzhu said, “Every night there’s a fox turning circles in front of my eyes, I can’t fall asleep.”

Bai Xiying’s expression was peculiar: “I’ve only heard of counting sheep when you can’t sleep, never heard of counting foxes.”

Lin Xingzhu: “What’s the difference what you count? It’s not like I can fall asleep anyway.”

Bai Xiying took a bite of a steamed bun, the fragrance belonging to meat immediately overflowing between her lips and teeth. “Next time you have insomnia, just drink a cup of warm milk before bed, or soak your feet in hot water, relax your body. It can help you fall asleep quickly.”

After speaking, she took another bite of the bun. She didn’t know where Lin Xingzhu bought these buns, they tasted so fragrant.

Lin Xingzhu’s expression did not change, she said casually, “You’re quite experienced.”

“A search online and you can find it,” Bai Xiying said faintly, narrowing her eyes.

But who would be idle enough to search for this for no reason?

Thinking this, Lin Xingzhu nodded with an “en.”

Bai Xiying’s gaze drifted down, sweeping over her mud-stained shoes. After finishing a bun, she asked, “Where did you buy this bun? It’s quite delicious.”

Mentioning this, Lin Xingzhu’s expression relaxed somewhat. She turned her head to ask, “What about the congee? Is it to your taste?”

“It’s all to my taste, I like it very much.” As she spoke, Bai Xiying righted the straw and took another sip.

The muscles at the corners of her eyes relaxed, and Lin Xingzhu revealed a hint of a relieved smile.

“As long as you like it.”

The matter of the shop had already been settled by Special Assistant Lin two days ago. Lin Xingzhu had also specially hired a chef. The breakfast Bai Xiying ate today was made by the very chef who was about to take up his post at the new shop.

In a few more days, the rush-renovated breakfast shop could open for business.

At this time, Bai Xiying had also finished the breakfast Lin Xingzhu brought. She enjoyed the feeling of fullness in her stomach, rolled down the window a bit, and a wind carrying a trace of coldness immediately blew apart the hair she had tucked behind her ear.

After a long moment, Bai Xiying said, “It rained yesterday, the weather is getting cooler day by day.”

The wind pouring in pierced through space and distance, just as impolitely blowing at Lin Xingzhu’s loose hair. She echoed Bai Xiying’s words, sighing with emotion, “Yes, autumn is almost here.”

This would also be the first autumn she encountered in this world.

Bai Xiying propped her arm against the window. When she turned her head, Lin Xingzhu’s strands of hair would circle around her face with the wind, and there was also a faint orange fragrance surging, making her face feel itchy.

She reached out a hand to grab it, then gently released it again, letting the faint, waveless thoughts fly freely with it.

A heavy rain during the day yesterday had washed the ground, soaking the soil. Bai Xiying still remembered the scent belonging to the earth that she smelled when passing through the park last night, a very unique, sufficiently fresh feeling.

And because of this, when she returned to the apartment, she discovered the spots of mud on her feet. This morning, she had specially changed into a different pair of shoes, planning to wash last night’s pair clean after getting off work today.

The residential complex also had lawns, but a character like Lin Xingzhu was a practitioner of protecting the environment. How could she trample on the lawn for no reason?

Bai Xiying tilted her head, her light and faint gaze following the direction of the hair strands. Lin Xingzhu’s beautiful side profile had a kind of otherworldly, clear and distant feeling in the hazy sunlight.

So open and gentle that it seemed she couldn’t possibly do something like secretly following someone in the middle of the night.

So, are you suspecting me again?

Are you trying to act in secret, to catch my tail?

Bai Xiying had no way of knowing. She retracted her gaze, remembering the probing gaze she had felt yesterday, and a faint, yet cunningly strange smile lifted the corners of her lips.

If it was true, Bai Xiying didn’t mind. She even felt a secret, unspeakable sense of pleasure; that feeling of meeting one’s match in chess, of the adrenaline surging, was something she was addicted to.

She had never forgotten Lin Xingzhu’s sharpness and intelligence. In their every verbal confrontation in the past, it wasn’t that Bai Xiying hadn’t noticed, yet she still chose to continue on with Lin Xingzhu.

After all, when she was reborn, the one who attracted her gaze was this “accidental existence” of Lin Xingzhu.

If the one she faced was a stupid and dull person, then what meaning would any of it have? The happiness and excitement would be greatly discounted.

If it wasn’t true… Bai Xiying lowered her eyes, the arc of her lips unchanging. If it wasn’t true, and the mud spots on Lin Xingzhu’s feet were just from accidentally treading somewhere else, that was also fine.

Bai Xiying thought to herself, the breakfast Lin Xingzhu bought was quite delicious. The happiness and satisfaction still existed and were not diminished.

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