After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 79

Inspiration

Bai Xiying, who had returned to Lin Xingzhu’s side, showed no trace of abnormality in her expression, as if she had really just gone to the restroom.

And Lin Xingzhu naturally did not suspect anything.

After the two returned home from outside, Bai Xiying took the big bags and small bags from Lin Xingzhu’s hands, intending to go upstairs.

Lin Xingzhu, who had thought she would go with her, was stunned for a moment. Seeing this, Bai Xiying’s eyes curved slightly, and she explained softly, “I suddenly got some inspiration.”

So that was it.

Lin Xingzhu knew that for a creator like Bai Xiying, the arrival of inspiration was always caught off guard and disappears in a flash. Now that her inspiration had come, of course she had to seize it firmly.

She no longer kept her. “Then you go back first. By the way, what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll make it and send it up to you when it’s ready.”

Three days ago, Lin Xingzhu resigned from Xingyuan. She would only go to work at the Lin Corporation’s headquarters, Tianqi, next Monday. This left her with a few days of rest time.

It just so happened that Bai Xiying was also about to fly to S City. The two, who had not been in love for long, cherished these few days of being together morning and evening before being in different places.

Lin Xingzhu was already prepared to take down Bai Xiying’s order, but unexpectedly, Bai Xiying refused.

“I feel like I’ll be painting very late tonight. I definitely won’t be finished by dinnertime. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll just make something for myself after I’m done.”

“……” Lin Xingzhu felt a trace of strangeness in her heart, but when she thought about how this was Bai Xiying’s usual style of doing things when inspiration struck, she suppressed that inexplicable weirdness again. “Alright then. If you need anything, send me a WeChat.”

Bai Xiying nodded, and then, with Lin Xingzhu seeing her off, she took the elevator and left.

Only when she saw the elevator floor display had reached the thirteenth floor did Lin Xingzhu turn around, open the door, and enter the house.

Tonight, Bai Xiying was not eating with her. Lin Xingzhu also planned to just make something simple to fill her stomach, so she was not in a hurry to prepare the ingredients.

Now that she was alone, she had time to properly think about Wen Lin and the original work.

It was very obvious that Wen Lin’s automatic appearance at her door today had thoroughly confirmed that the other party came from the same place as her.

Both were book transmigrators, it was just that the other party had read the full text, while she herself only knew the plot of the first half.

But that didn’t matter either. For the current Lin family, the biggest threat was still the Gong Four mentioned in the original book. And today, Gong Four had come over on her own initiative and also expressed that she would not have designs on the protagonist.

Then, regarding the result of “the Lin family going bankrupt” that might happen in the future, the possibility of it being revenge out of private desire could be ruled out. And from Wen Lin’s identity, Lin Xingzhu could also make plans early and be on guard.

It had to be said that Wen Lin’s appearance today was truly an unexpected joy for Lin Xingzhu.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone screen suddenly flashed. She looked down and saw it was a message from Father Lin, who had been abroad recently.

【Father Lin: How’s your relationship with Xiao Ying recently?】

【Lin Xingzhu: It’s very good. What’s wrong?】

After replying to the message, Lin Xingzhu was a little puzzled as to why Father Lin suddenly asked this question.

When she first brought Bai Xiying home, the other party’s identity was that of a girlfriend in an act. Lin Xingzhu figured that Father Lin might have later sensed that there was something fishy¹ in her relationship with Bai Xiying, that it was a deliberate deception to deal with Qiao Ziqin.

It was just that Father Lin didn’t ask, so she didn’t take the initiative to say anything.

Later, the fake play became real, but their “breakup” in between was not done with great fanfare, so very few people knew.

【Father Lin: You’re together?】

Lin Xingzhu: “……”

She just knew Father Lin had probably already figured out the truth.

【Lin Xingzhu: Yes. Why are you asking this?】

【Father Lin: Didn’t I tell you before? First start a family, then establish a career? Look at you, you’re about to come back to work, and in a little while you can take over my class. Your career is about to be established, so isn’t it not so good that your relationships and life haven’t been settled yet?】

Lin Xingzhu’s eyelids twitched as she looked at this passage.

【Lin Xingzhu: What you mean is?】

【Father Lin: Look at you two, your relationship is stable, and you’re a good match. When are you going to consider marriage?】

Lin Xingzhu: “……”

How long have they been in love? If they did as Father Lin said, wouldn’t this speed be like shooting up like a rocket?

She exposed the routine² in Father Lin’s words: 【If you want us to get engaged, just say so. Why are you playing tricks?】

Just like the door-in-the-face technique³, when a person wants to achieve what they want, they first propose an outrageous request that exceeds what they’re asking for. After being rejected, they compromise and lower the request, and then the other party will agree without much consideration.

Father Lin’s essential purpose was just to get her and Bai Xiying engaged.

Father Lin, whose true purpose was exposed, his mouth twitched, and he asked her: 【Then tell me, will you get engaged or not? All relationships not for the purpose of marriage are playing hooligan⁴, I’m telling you. Back then, your mother and I…】

Lin Xingzhu replied with her lips taut: 【No, it’s not time yet. Also, the times are different now. We young people don’t go for that set.】

【Father Lin: You say no and it’s no? What if Xiao Ying wants to get engaged?】

Her typing hand paused. Lin Xingzhu suddenly realized this possibility as well.

She deleted the words in the dialogue box that she hadn’t had time to send and replied to him: 【Let me ask her first before we talk about it.】

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At eight in the evening, Lin Xingzhu sent another WeChat to Bai Xiying. No one replied.

She pondered for two seconds and decided to go upstairs to have a look after all.

After falling in love, Lin Xingzhu had the privilege of being able to use her key to enter and exit Bai Xiying’s home openly and honorably, so she didn’t need to knock on the door when she visited, so it couldn’t be said to be disturbing Bai Xiying.

But thinking of the busy Bai Xiying tonight, Lin Xingzhu made a dessert and brought it up with her.

After entering the house, she first placed the dessert on the coffee table in the living room, then slowed her steps and slowly approached Bai Xiying’s painting studio.

Even after falling in love and having the “lover’s privilege” to enter and exit Bai Xiying’s home at will, Lin Xingzhu only went to places she was allowed to go with Bai Xiying’s silent acquiescence.

Those places without permission—such as that locked room door that had never been opened to her—Lin Xingzhu had never set foot in.

The heavy door of the painting studio was not tightly closed. With a slight push, it silently revealed a crack for viewing.

From Lin Xingzhu’s angle, she could see Bai Xiying’s thin back, and the soft light from the lamp shining on her side profile. She looked very focused.

Seeing this, Lin Xingzhu did not disturb her. She was about to close the crack and leave, but she suddenly caught a glimpse of a corner of an unfinished canvas.

Extreme red and black, like scarlet and dead blood, falling in twisted and strange lines, spreading into a horrifying and absurdly bizarre vortex. In the extremely black abyss, there seemed to be countless invisible eyes that could not be captured, extending outwards, shrouded in a sticky, clinging spiderweb.

It was actually an oil painting.

But this was not what surprised Lin Xingzhu the most. She looked at Bai Xiying’s quiet and serene side profile, not expecting that her inspiration today, when put to paper, would be so oppressive and bizarre, with a kind of grim sense of being torn⁵.

Lin Xingzhu silently took a deep breath, slowly closing the crack and exiting.

Bai Xiying’s painting was very abstract, and it was an unfinished painting. But when she had hastily glanced at it just now, her brain had still subconsciously outlined the two images of eyes and a spiderweb.

When facing the canvas, Lin Xingzhu actually felt a sense of being watched that sent a chill down her spine.

She rubbed the goosebumps⁶ on her arms. Thinking of Bai Xiying in the painting studio, focused and working hard for her profession and passion, she smiled silently again.

She buried her head and sent Bai Xiying a WeChat, telling her that the small cake was in the fridge and she could eat it first to fill her stomach if she was hungry. Lin Xingzhu then went downstairs in her slippers.

Just right. Taking advantage of Bai Xiying’s inspiration today and her immersion in painting, the two of them could sleep in separate rooms for a day.

Everyone should get some rest.

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Lin Xingzhu was woken up by suffocation in the morning.

A fat kitty meowing with a delicate voice was sitting unceremoniously on her face, its ticklish fur making her itchy, but before Lin Xingzhu could stop the itching, she was being pressed so hard she couldn’t breathe.

Before the available oxygen was completely drawn out, Lin Xingzhu’s eyes suddenly flew open. She found that there was no delicate and greedy kitty before her, only a girlfriend pinching her nose to wake her up.

Seeing that she was awake, Bai Xiying let go of her hand.

Lin Xingzhu rubbed her eyes. “Why did you wake up so early today?”

Usually, she was the one who woke up before Bai Xiying.

Bai Xiying gestured for her to look at the time. “It’s not early. You slept for too long.”

Lin Xingzhu grabbed her phone and pressed it on. It was indeed more than an hour later than her usual wake-up time.

She said, “I overslept today.”

Hearing this, Bai Xiying gave her a sidelong glance. “Is it very comfortable to occupy the whole big bed to sleep?”

Lin Xingzhu: “……”

This was a death question⁷.

It was not easy to answer. Lin Xingzhu chose to change the subject. “Have you eaten breakfast? I’ll get up and make some.”

Bai Xiying snorted. “I’ve already prepared it. You can eat breakfast after you get up and wash up.”

After Lin Xingzhu got up and washed, sat at the dining table, drank her coffee, swallowed the last bite of bread, and wiped her mouth, she then asked Bai Xiying, “Did you eat the cake I brought you yesterday?”

Bai Xiying nodded. “I ate it. Your skills are really getting better and better.”

Lin Xingzhu felt she had a bit of a talent for baking.

Almost every new item she learned to make did not flip the car.

The one she sent up yesterday was newly learned, and as always, it received her girlfriend’s good review.

Lin Xingzhu smiled and said, “The more I practice, the better my skills will get, so you’ll never get tired of eating it for a lifetime.”

Bai Xiying’s hand holding the spoon handle paused slightly. Lin Xingzhu didn’t see it and was still smiling as she said, “Don’t they say that if you want to capture a person’s heart, you have to tie up her stomach?”⁸

“So now, have I tied up your stomach?”

Bai Xiying recalled all the times she had been fed by Lin Xingzhu and deliberately curled her lips, “You had this premeditated for a long time.”

Lin Xingzhu would not admit this. “At first, I just wanted to replenish your body.”⁹

Speaking of replenishing the body, a smile overflowed in Bai Xiying’s eyes. “Starting with the red dates, astragalus, goji berries stewed with black-boned chicken?”¹⁰

“……” Lin Xingzhu’s curled lips stiffened slightly.

This nourishing soup, its original intention was clearly to replenish Bai Xiying’s body, but through an error due to a strange combination of circumstances¹¹, it became Lin Xingzhu’s shadow.

She coughed and changed the subject again. “My dad sent me a message last night. He even played tricks on me, implicitly and explicitly probing our situation.”

Bai Xiying was slightly surprised. After two seconds, she pondered, “Bofu¹² probably didn’t do it just for this, right?”

Lin Xingzhu sighed, “Yeah, he just wanted to ask me when we’re getting engaged.”

“Engaged?” Bai Xiying said, stunned.

Lin Xingzhu rubbed her knuckles and nodded, “Yeah.”

She didn’t say the answer she had given, but instead waited for Bai Xiying to make a decision.

Although yesterday when facing Father Lin, Lin Xingzhu’s first reaction was that they had only been in love for a short time, and getting engaged would be too fast.

But what if Bai Xiying wanted to? Then she shouldn’t let her own answer influence her.

If Bai Xiying didn’t think it was too fast and wanted to get engaged, then Lin Xingzhu felt she wouldn’t have any objections either.

Bai Xiying was shaken by this news and paused for a moment before refusing, “No, I don’t think so. This is too fast. It’s still too early.”

Lin Xingzhu pressed her lips together and said in a warm voice, “I thought so too. Since we are of the same opinion, let’s not bother with what he said.”

In order not to burden Bai Xiying, she smiled lightly, “He’s always thinking about the way he and my mom did things back then, but the times have long since changed.”

It was just that the subtle disappointment in her heart made Lin Xingzhu suddenly realize, had she, without knowing it, actually developed a sense of expectation?

The opposite Bai Xiying stared at her familiar and intimate manner when mentioning Father Lin and Mother Lin, and at the faint small mole below the corner of her left eye that represented her true identity, and slowly retracted her hands.

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