After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 47

Princess

Lying in bed in the middle of the night, Lin Xingzhu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The surging emotions receded like the tide, and a trace of confusion flashed through the eyes of Lin Xingzhu, who was lying on her back, her eyes still open.

She recalled Bai Xiying’s cold gaze, her mocking smile.

A dull ache suddenly began to stir in her heart.

But now that she had calmed down, Lin Xingzhu suddenly remembered a night when Bai Xiying had called and asked her to stay over.

Without any warning, Lin Xingzhu abruptly got up, changed from her pajamas into a proper short-sleeved shirt and long pants, grabbed her phone, and walked out.

Once inside the bright elevator, Lin Xingzhu flipped open her phone to check the time. It was already very late, the middle of the night, and she wasn’t sure if Bai Xiying was asleep.

But she just had to go up and see.

The hallway was empty and quiet. Lin Xingzhu rubbed her arms and stopped in front of Bai Xiying’s door.

She didn’t know if Bai Xiying needed her, but Lin Xingzhu had come anyway.

Suddenly, the door in front of her was opened.

Lin Xingzhu was slightly startled, then her eyes met with the person behind the door.

She saw Bai Xiying holding a bag of trash, looking as if she had just finished tidying up.

But tidying the house in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? It’s a bit strange no matter how I think about it.

But given that they had just fought, Lin Xingzhu simply averted her gaze in silence, not saying a word.

Little did she know that after Bai Xiying had gotten home, the sight of the extra noodles she had specially cooked that morning while thinking of Lin Xingzhu had sent a wave of irritation through her. In a clatter, she had thrown everything out and cleaned the kitchen all over again.

Bai Xiying didn’t even look at her. Keeping her eyes fixed forward, she bent down, set the trash bag down, and raised her hand to close the door.

“Hey—”

Lin Xingzhu reached out a hand to block it.

Bai Xiying lifted her eyelids and looked at her silently, her expression screaming, “If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost.”

“Are you…” Lin Xingzhu paused. “…alright?”

She pressed her lips together, looking at her. “I was a little worried about you…”

As the words left her mouth, Lin Xingzhu felt a bit awkward.

Rushing upstairs to check on someone right after a fight—such an extreme change in attitude really makes me seem pathetic and strange.

Bai Xiying’s eyes shifted, but she still said nothing.

Lin Xingzhu’s hand that was blocking the door slid downwards, meeting no resistance, before changing direction and coming to rest on the inner doorknob, covering that soft, delicate hand.

“I still owe you an apology,” Lin Xingzhu said.

Good at self-examination, reflecting on problems—these were all traits of Lin Xingzhu’s character.

Having once been groomed as a successor, Lin Xingzhu had imperceptibly learned some of the ways of handling matters from Father Qin, who had personally raised her.

As a helmsman, one must never be arrogant, complacent, or conceited. Therefore, learning to be introspective is essential, and reflecting on problems can help a person, and a company, go further.

Putting her learning into practice, after the tumultuous waves of emotion had calmed, Lin Xingzhu suddenly realized a huge problem that existed when she had confronted Bai Xiying.

She shouldn’t have let her emotions suddenly burst their banks in that situation, rushing straight at Bai Xiying.

Where had my prized self-control gone?

Lin Xingzhu gave a bitter smile, her lips moving. “My attitude toward you back then was terrible. I shouldn’t have been like that.”

After something like that happened, when facing Bai Xiying, she should have soothed and comforted her, not accused her.

Having calmed down, Lin Xingzhu returned to her usual quiet and gentle demeanor.

“I was just so worried about you then.” Lin Xingzhu analyzed herself, speaking with sincerity. “You have no idea how frantic I was when I finally rushed to the side of that taxi and saw the two of you in a standoff through the front window. When I saw him about to lunge at you to grab that knife, in that instant, I felt like the whole world was shaking.”

“I cannot bear the consequences of something happening to you.”

Lin Xingzhu looked at her, saying each word with deliberation.

Bai Xiying gave her a cool glance, but in her heart, she had already begun to soften.

“What did you come up here for?”

At this, Lin Xingzhu fell silent for a moment, then repeated, “I was worried about you.”

Worried about her?

Bai Xiying’s expression relaxed. Glancing at Lin Xingzhu’s face, she was suddenly taken aback.

Her memory returned to the phone call she had made in the middle of the night several months ago. Back then, to get Lin Xingzhu to leave the bar, she had used the excuse of being scared and asked Lin Xingzhu to come over and stay with her.

So she had kept it in her heart all this time?

Even though it had just been a casual lie on my part.

Now, an incident of a similar nature had occurred again, and even though they had fought, Lin Xingzhu still came upstairs in the middle of the night to see if she was alright.

Bai Xiying suddenly felt a complicated mix of emotions.

The back of her hand was still covered by the other’s. Bai Xiying moved slightly, then opened the door to let her in.

Seeing that Bai Xiying’s resistance toward her had lessened considerably, Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but relax inside. But she didn’t move from her spot, instead saying, “Since you’re alright, I’ll head back down then.”

Her hand was grabbed.

Bai Xiying looked down, her tone stiff. “Who said I’m alright? Don’t be so presumptuous.”

Lin Xingzhu: “…”

Since Bai Xiying had said that, Lin Xingzhu had no choice but to follow her inside.

Lin Xingzhu saw that she was still in the same clothes and realized she hadn’t washed up at all since coming back. She couldn’t help but call out to her, and when Bai Xiying turned around, Lin Xingzhu offered a small smile. “You have work tomorrow, and it’s almost one o’clock. Go wash up and get to bed early. I’ll just sleep in the guest room here. If you need anything, just call for me.”

She pointed to a room to the side, her attitude as natural as it was on that previous night, when she had also said with a gentle expression that sleeping on the sofa was fine.

Bai Xiying lowered her gaze, her deep, dark eyes flickering.

“Can’t you sleep with me?” Bai Xiying suddenly asked.

Lin Xingzhu: “?”

As if she had heard something unbelievable, her pupils dilated involuntarily.

Bai Xiying, as if not noticing anything amiss, said faintly, “Tonight was truly one narrow escape after another¹. When I was arguing with you, I was just putting on a brave front.”

“At that moment, I was so scared I wanted nothing more than to hide in your arms. But what about you? The second you saw me, you started questioning me with that bad attitude.”

“You said I could call the police, that I could find you.” Bai Xiying lowered her head, her voice extremely soft, seemingly choked with sobs. “But this is a habit I’ve developed over so many years. When something happens, I’m already used to relying on myself… When this accident happened, I thought I could handle it, so I chose the method I use most often—relying on myself.”

After the fact, Bai Xiying knew perfectly well what point Lin Xingzhu was upset and angry about.

But there’s nothing to be done. I’m already someone who has disregarded life once before. When death no longer frightens me, it becomes difficult for me to have the emotional response of cherishing and protecting my own life.

But I can’t let Lin Xingzhu know any of this.

So she abruptly lifted her eyes, the depths of which shimmered with unshed tears. “You have no idea how awful I felt when we were fighting! I was being stubborn, but couldn’t you have just set the issue aside for a moment to comfort me?!”

As she spoke, a teardrop slid from the corner of her eye.

Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but take a step forward, reaching out to catch the pearl before it could fall to the ground.

The tear belonging to Bai Xiying blossomed like a flower in her palm, carrying a heart-wrenching dampness.

“I’m sorry.” Lin Xingzhu looked at her, her heart aching with remorse. “I wasn’t being considerate enough. My attitude was too harsh.”

Bai Xiying sniffled, took the tissue Lin Xingzhu offered her to wipe her tears, and said aggrievedly, “I don’t want to sleep alone. I’m afraid that the moment I close my eyes, all I’ll see is blood, and that man’s ugly face.”

“So, can you sleep with me?”

Lin Xingzhu was in a difficult position. Bai Xiying didn’t know her feelings, but she herself was keenly aware of them.

Under the premise of harboring such feelings, agreeing to an oblivious Bai Xiying’s request—wouldn’t that be taking advantage of her?

But Bai Xiying was looking at her expectantly. The corners of her eyes, tear-stained from crying, had a kind of tragic, beautiful brokenness, and the light shining in them made one unable to resist wanting to protect it.

Lin Xingzhu’s gaze upon her was endlessly gentle. After a moment, she finally gave a soft “okay” in reply.

Bai Xiying immediately broke into a smile.

Seeing that smile, Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but be infected by it. Her body stiff, she went to Bai Xiying’s master bedroom to wait for her.

After Bai Xiying had gathered her clean clothes and gone to shower, Lin Xingzhu pulled a chair to the bedside and waited quietly.

Perhaps to avoid awkwardness, Bai Xiying didn’t wash up in the master bathroom, but took her toiletries to the one outside. So, after the door was closed, the room was perfectly quiet.

Lin Xingzhu gazed at the bed where she would soon be lying and fell into quiet contemplation.

She couldn’t help but think about the things Bai Xiying had just said.

Lin Xingzhu believed that what Bai Xiying said was true—that she was used to solving problems on her own, which was why she hadn’t sought help immediately when this happened.

Back when Qiao Zijin broke down the door and she was nearly assaulted, was it because the other party had caught her by surprise? Was that why she was powerless to resist and could only call me for help?

After thinking it over, Lin Xingzhu felt this logic was sound.

But Lin Xingzhu had a faint feeling that through tonight’s argument, she had vaguely managed to touch the real Bai Xiying beneath the false mask.

A person who was cold, mocking, and disregarded her own safety.

Of course, this wasn’t enough to construct the entirety of Bai Xiying, but this version of her was definitely not one she could glimpse during their usual interactions.

She couldn’t say whether this argument was a fortune or a misfortune. Lin Xingzhu felt that through this first fight they had ever had, she had gotten a little closer to Bai Xiying.

Now, when facing Bai Xiying, she had a feeling of extraordinary realness. Even when Bai Xiying was occasionally putting on an act², she still felt it was incredibly real.

A faint, fresh fragrance mixed with dampness wafted in with the sound of the door opening. Lin Xingzhu realized Bai Xiying was back from her shower.

She glanced at the time; it was really time to sleep.

So she stood up, put the chair back in its place, and looked up to ask Bai Xiying, who was in the middle of her skincare routine, “Do you have another blanket here?”

“…” The hand that had just applied lotion paused. Bai Xiying’s gaze swept over the blanket on the bed, and she spoke with a hint of regret, “Yes, it’s in that cabinet over there.”

Why was Lin Xingzhu still thinking about such things at a time like this? But then again, this is Lin Xingzhu, and somehow, it feels reasonable.

Next time I have a chance, I should really get all the spare blankets wet and messed up so they can’t be used. Better yet, do the same to the ones at Lin Xingzhu’s place, to save her the trouble of running downstairs to grab one.

Thinking this, Bai Xiying resignedly watched Lin Xingzhu make the bed. She laid out the two similarly colored blankets with a gap between them, perfectly straight, and even placed a considerable distance between the two pillows.

Having made up so quickly after their fight, the atmosphere between the two returned to one of harmony and gentleness.

Bai Xiying lay in bed, sensing the presence of the other person on it. From an angle Lin Xingzhu couldn’t see, the corners of her lips curled up.

Suddenly, she wrapped herself in her blanket and scooted closer to where Lin Xingzhu was.

A small lamp with a soft glow was still on at the head of the bed. Lin Xingzhu turned her head slightly and saw Bai Xiying’s small, jade-like face leaning closer.

“Lin Xingzhu, have I ever told you? When you came looking for me tonight, with the moonlight shining, you were just like a knight who had cut through thorns and thistles³ to save me.”

Her eyes were captivating, carrying a pure, alluring charm she herself seemed unaware of.

Lin Xingzhu’s throat moved slightly. She smiled faintly. “I know now, Princess.”

She said, “Good night, Princess.”

Knights exist to protect and save princesses.

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