After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 7

Fate

This Lin Xingzhu seems not to be the Lin Xingzhu.

“There’s no misunderstanding.” Lin Xingzhu began to repent, her expression unchanging. “It was me who couldn’t think things through for a moment and used the wrong method.”

She looked at the relaxed smile on Bai Xiying’s face, feeling a bit strange. “Are you always this unguarded? Just because someone does a few things later that aren’t too bad, you can negate all the bad things they did before?”

If that was the case, Lin Xingzhu really didn’t know what to say.

After all, given Bai Xiying’s constitution, she was very likely to live in dire straits¹ in the future. If she was like this with everyone, then the one who would be hurt the most would be herself, the one showing kindness.

Bai Xiying shook her head. “How could I be that foolish? Everyone has a heart. Eyes can deceive, ears can deceive, but the heart never will.”

Lin Xingzhu’s heart stirred slightly. She was saying that her heart told her she, Lin Xingzhu, was a good person.

Lin Xingzhu closed her eyes slightly, her throat bobbed, and she said softly, “That incident, it was indeed my fault.”

Regarding the drugging incident, Lin Xingzhu never denied it from beginning to end, nor did she take this opportunity to try and clear her name.

Bai Xiying gave her a complex look. “I understand.”

Lin Xingzhu clearly caught the sight of a tightly shut floodgate hidden in Bai Xiying’s eyes quietly cracking open, revealing a gap just wide enough for someone to slip through.

Lin Xingzhu couldn’t help but look away, her emotions in turmoil. She felt as if she didn’t quite deserve such trust.

In the instant she averted her gaze, she didn’t notice Bai Xiying’s eyes turning a deep, dark black.

Bai Xiying found all of this extremely interesting.

The trajectory of fate had begun to change, and the person holding the key was, surprisingly, still Lin Xingzhu.

However, this Lin Xingzhu seemed not to be that Lin Xingzhu.

She pulled out a tissue, slowly wiped the corner of her mouth, and when she lowered her arm, an inscrutable smile rose on her lips.

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Lin Xingzhu drove Bai Xiying to see an apartment.

The place she planned to rent to Bai Xiying was an apartment, one that was quite insignificant among the properties under the original owner’s name. The apartment wasn’t far from the city center; if Bai Xiying worked, her commute would be very short.

Lin Xingzhu had specifically chosen this residence based on her memories.

The apartment wouldn’t be so large as to make Bai Xiying feel guilty, nor would it be too shabby for her. Moreover, it was very close to the city center, located in a bustling area, making life convenient.

More importantly, this residential complex was marketed with its security system as a major selling point.

Bai Xiying followed her to the place. After observing it, she knew Lin Xingzhu had truly put thought into the selection.

She walked out of the last room and said to Lin Xingzhu, “I really like it here.”

A faint smile appeared on Lin Xingzhu’s face.

“It’s good that you like it. Do you want to see any other places?”

Bai Xiying shook her head, declining, “Let’s go with this one. This place is very suitable.”

Since that was the case, Lin Xingzhu didn’t try to persuade her further.

After convincing Bai Xiying to rent it at a low price, Lin Xingzhu breathed a sigh of relief.

Once Bai Xiying moved in, the probability of her being attacked at home late at night would be greatly reduced, at the very least.

Lin Xingzhu raised her phone to look at her. “I know the number of a moving company with pretty good service. Do you need me to contact them for you?”

Lin Xingzhu’s intention was naturally for Bai Xiying to move as soon as possible, and coincidentally, Bai Xiying thought the same.

She seemed to have been genuinely frightened last night. Hearing that Lin Xingzhu could help contact a moving company, a smile quickly spread across her face, her deep dimples revealing her mood. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Lin Xingzhu shook her head and made the call immediately.

After arranging everything, a call from Father Lin suddenly came in again.

After hanging up, Lin Xingzhu pursed her lips, then looked at Bai Xiying.

Bai Xiying smiled considerately. “If you have something to do, go ahead and take care of it. I can manage on my own.”

Lin Xingzhu said no more. She nodded, then sent the moving company’s contact information to Bai Xiying, telling her to call if anything came up.

Only after settling everything did Lin Xingzhu drive away.

On the way back to the Lin family villa, Lin Xingzhu thought about Bai Xiying’s attitude towards her these past two days.

Very gentle, a bit like a little cat that had let down its guard. Once it sensed you meant no harm, it would lie down, expose its soft belly, and rub against your hand affectionately.

Lin Xingzhu looked at a pedestrian on the right sidewalk walking a fluffy cat, and a corner of her lip twitched.

“Such a creature, only remembers the food, not the beatings²…”

It was unclear whether she was talking about the cat, or a person.

The moment the green light turned on, she lowered her gaze and accelerated, completely unaware of the fleeting touch of emotion in her eyes at that instant.

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After arriving home, Father Lin was back to finding fault with everything about her³.

Lin Xingzhu touched her nose and explained, “Last night, I didn’t intentionally ditch you. Something really urgent came up.”

Father Lin glared at her, speaking sarcastically⁴, “Could it be another female confidante⁵?”

Someone like Lin Xingzhu, even if not allowed to go to work, could stir up trouble everywhere, fooling around with people all day and never staying home.

Female confidante?

Bai Xiying’s delicate face, as if dusted with cherry blossom powder, immediately surfaced in Lin Xingzhu’s mind, along with that sticky, wet patch that shouldn’t have been in her memory.

“What female confidante? I don’t have any.” Lin Xingzhu shrugged, looking like a careless loafer⁶. “Dad, I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

Father Lin: “…” He’d be a fool to believe her.

However, he had indeed recently heard that Lin Xingzhu wasn’t as close with the youngest daughter of the Shang family as before. Thinking of this, Father Lin’s expression softened considerably.

He glanced at Lin Xingzhu and noticed that her eyes were indeed much clearer. Although she still didn’t seem entirely reliable, she at least had a bit more righteousness about her than before.

“Then what were you doing last night?” Father Lin asked her.

Rushing off in such a hurry, anyone who didn’t know better would think she was playing the hero saving a damsel in distress.

Father Lin looked at his daughter, knowing full well that with her temperament, it would be good enough if she didn’t act as the goddamn stumbling block in someone else’s hero-saves-damsel story!

“…”

Lin Xingzhu hesitated.

Father Lin withdrew his gaze and said forcefully, “I don’t care what you did yesterday, you have to go to work, whether you want to or not!”

He could tolerate Lin Xingzhu eating, drinking, and having fun, but he couldn’t let her continue to idle around. He didn’t want to have to bail his only daughter out of the police station someday.

Seeing Father Lin’s firm attitude and knowing her protests were futile, Lin Xingzhu licked her lips and tried to negotiate, “Then can I choose where I work?”

Seeing her willingness to work, Father Lin naturally nodded in agreement.

Lin Xingzhu took a sip of the warm tea that had just been served, searched her memory, and found a company within the Lin Group’s business empire that was very suitable for a salted fish⁷ looking to coast.

She didn’t think for long. When she put down the teacup, the glass made a crisp “ding” sound, quite pleasant to the ear.

“How about Xingyuan Yinheng⁸?” The more Lin Xingzhu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. “I think it suits me quite well.”

Xingyuan Yinheng was a game company that had always relied on one or two well-known games to maintain its daily active user rate. Among the many subsidiaries of the Lin Group, it was a middling entity. It was said that the atmosphere there wasn’t very competitive, making it very suitable for her to slack off⁹.

Father Lin: “…”

He frowned subconsciously, looking at Lin Xingzhu with suspicion. Seeing that she wasn’t joking, he swallowed the refusal that was about to escape his lips.

“…It’s not out of the question,” Father Lin said reluctantly. “I’ll trust you one more time.”

Perhaps interest is the best teacher?

Father Lin had always hoped that Lin Xingzhu would one day turn over a new leaf¹⁰, settle down, and focus on her work. Only then would he feel at ease handing over the family business he had built up over the years to her.

His greatest wish now was for Lin Xingzhu to mature and settle down soon, to marry and establish her own career.

Lin Xingzhu touched her temple, feeling a bit uncomfortable under his expectant gaze.

“I’ll try my best not to disappoint you.”

Only after Father Lin drove away did Lin Xingzhu sigh.

Parents’ love for their children makes them plan far ahead for them.¹¹

But the real Lin Xingzhu was long gone, and she could never take the initiative to reveal the truth.

Round and round, fate seemed to have played a joke; she still had to be someone’s child once more.

Lin Xingzhu went upstairs, returning to the original owner’s room.

She was in a rather bad mood, and coupled with not having rested well the previous night, she took a shower in the bathroom and went back to bed to catch up on sleep.

Lin Xingzhu slept until evening.

The weariness etched into her soul seemed to have eased. Lin Xingzhu ran her fingers through her messy hair, feeling much more clear-headed.

As she padded downstairs in her slippers, she saw someone who shouldn’t have been there.

“Shang Zengrou?”

Hearing Lin Xingzhu’s voice, Shang Zengrou, whose patience was nearly exhausted, had surprise burst forth in her eyes. “Xingzhu, you’re finally awake.”

“Why are you here?” Lin Xingzhu frowned slightly.

She bypassed Shang Zengrou, who was fluttering towards her like a social butterfly¹², and went to pour herself a glass of water. Drinking it down, her dry throat felt much more comfortable.

A trace of resentment flashed very quickly in Shang Zengrou’s eyes, but thinking of her purpose for this visit, she still put on an ingratiating smile. “Isn’t it because I’ve been trying to ask you out these past few days and you haven’t come? So I came over to see you.”

Lin Xingzhu turned back to look at her. Her makeup today wasn’t as garish and heavy as it was at the bar that night. Her originally decent-looking face appeared somewhat cloying due to the deliberately forced smile.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m busy lately.” Lin Xingzhu’s tone wasn’t particularly good.

Shang Zengrou, however, immediately thought of that stunner.

Her eyes darkened slightly, filled with extreme resentment.

“A lot of newcomers have arrived at the club recently. If you don’t come, the boss isn’t even willing to let us feast our eyes.” Shang Zengrou gritted her teeth, yet her face was all smiles. “Xingzhu, at least come and take a look. The boss is eagerly waiting for you.”

Everyone knew Lin Xingzhu had a penchant for innocent beauties. Whenever there was someone at the club who caught her eye, she was never stingy. The amount of money the club owner earned from Lin Xingzhu was countless.

It could be said that Lin Xingzhu was one of the club’s biggest patrons.

Unfortunately, her words didn’t move Lin Xingzhu in the slightest.

Shang Zengrou was still rambling on, “…You’ve only been away for a few days, I don’t know what that Qiao Zijin is so smug about, going crazy and trying to book all the good-looking ones you’ve ever requested…”

Lin Xingzhu’s gaze suddenly froze.

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