After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 9

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Losing this person who had piqued her interest.

Lin Xingzhu looked at the woman stubbornly facing her and sighed almost imperceptibly.

“Don’t you have to work tomorrow? So, get some proper rest.”

When Lin Xingzhu rushed from Lush to the apartment, Bai Xiying was sitting on the sofa, draped in a bathrobe.

All the lights in the apartment were on, making it as bright as day.

Consequently, when Lin Xingzhu pushed the door open and came in, the look on Bai Xiying’s face, as if she had encountered a savior, was extremely clear.

Lin Xingzhu then understood just how deep the psychological scar left by Qiao Zijin breaking down the door that night was for Bai Xiying.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt she should have whipped her a couple more times at the bar tonight—two more strokes on the left and two on the right, for better symmetry.

Bai Xiying looked a little embarrassed. “I was the one who asked you to come keep me company, yet I’m making you sleep on the sofa…”

This apartment hadn’t been lived in before. Given the original Lin Xingzhu’s indulgent nature, she wouldn’t have thought of coming here. This resulted in the apartment not having much furniture added after its renovation; the only thing that could be found in the entire apartment was a single bed.

Lin Xingzhu didn’t think much of it. Besides, the sofa was quite large, more than enough to accommodate her.

“You should go to bed first.” Lin Xingzhu raised her wrist to glance at her watch, her expression shifting slightly. “You’ve had a tiring day moving. Rest early. You need to conserve your energy for work tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Bai Xiying hesitated for a moment, but seeing the unquestionable look on Lin Xingzhu’s face, she eventually nodded.

“Thank you,” Bai Xiying said.

Lin Xingzhu chuckled softly at her words but didn’t say anything.

Honestly, she was suddenly discovering an interesting point about Bai Xiying: her personality was truly multifaceted.

Gloomy and eccentric when they first met, indignant and impassioned after sobering up, sensitive and helpless after the incident, and now, after realizing Lin Xingzhu posed no threat, she was quick to seize an opportunity to get closer.¹

It had only been a short week, yet Bai Xiying already dared to invite her—someone who had previously intended to drug her with ill intent—over late at night.

What was rather amusing was that the reason she had called her over was actually because she was too scared and wanted to draw a sense of security from her.

But to be honest, Lin Xingzhu found that she surprisingly didn’t dislike this feeling of being needed.

She looked up. It is said that a beauty viewed under lamplight or moonlight is ten times more captivating than in daylight. Even under the incandescent lights that didn’t particularly enhance the atmosphere, Bai Xiying standing in the light didn’t diminish her beauty in the slightest. In fact, having just bathed, she had an added touch of charm, making her even more attractive.

Lin Xingzhu thought to herself that she was indeed a common mortal.

Such a beautiful… Lin Xingzhu frowned slightly, thinking. Bai Xiying seemed to be about half a year older than the original owner of this body. So, when such a beautiful older sister asked her to stay and help because she was scared, she seemed to have no reason to refuse.

As for sleeping on the sofa? That wasn’t a big deal.

As Bai Xiying stood up, her gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Xingzhu’s shoulder. A spot of red on the white shirt was clearly visible under the lights.

She paused, then suddenly said, “Did I disturb you tonight?”

Lin Xingzhu didn’t understand.

It wasn’t until she caught where Bai Xiying’s gaze landed, tilted her head slightly, and followed her line of sight that she realized what she meant.

It turned out to be lipstick she had accidentally gotten on herself when helping the girl in the club’s private room up.

Lin Xingzhu said nonchalantly, “Not at all. I didn’t have much going on tonight anyway.”

Since she said that, Bai Xiying naturally couldn’t press further. So, she got Lin Xingzhu toiletries and clean pajamas, then pushed open the bedroom door and went in.

Inside the bedroom.

Bai Xiying, who should have been sound asleep, showed no signs of fatigue or fear. Her expression was cold, completely devoid of the trepidation she had displayed in front of Lin Xingzhu.

She leaned against the bed, playing with her phone. The unlit bedroom was as dark as ink. The well-soundproofed room was silent, save for a steady, unhurried breath drifting through the air, creating a calm yet eerie atmosphere.

A sliver of moonlight peeked through the not-quite-closed curtains, landing precisely on Bai Xiying’s snow-white face, perfectly revealing the upward curve of her lips.

Bai Xiying had called Lin Xingzhu intentionally.

As for the reason?

Her expression was indifferent, her eyes suppressing an excitement that only leaked out in the darkness.

Naturally, it was because she had finally found something so interesting. If it got sullied, how boring would that be?

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When Bai Xiying woke up early, the person on the living room sofa was already gone.

Just as she was wondering where Lin Xingzhu had gone, the sound of a door closing came from the apartment’s entryway.

“You’re up?”

Lin Xingzhu spoke as she changed her shoes, then placed the items in her hand on the dining table.

“You’re going to work soon. Have some breakfast to tide you over.”

Lin Xingzhu lowered her head and took out the items from the food bag one by one, arranging them neatly, then began to call Bai Xiying, who was standing to the side.

Her voice was gentle, her movements practiced and natural, as if she had performed such heartwarming acts countless thousands of times on many mornings that Bai Xiying hadn’t witnessed.

So familiar and warm, it was jarring to the eyes.

Bai Xiying stared intently at the steaming soy milk, her pearly teeth moving slightly. “I don’t like soy milk.”

Lin Xingzhu’s movements paused.

She glanced at the dining table and casually rearranged the items. “It’s fine, there’s also eight-treasure congee².”

The taste of iron rust spread in her mouth. Bai Xiying, as if oblivious, slowly said, “I don’t like eight-treasure congee either.”

Lin Xingzhu: “…”

This was starting to sound like she was deliberately picking a fight, ha.

Lin Xingzhu lifted her eyelids to glance at her, not understanding how someone who was perfectly fine last night could suddenly act so erratically first thing in the morning.

However, she had no obligation to indulge her.

She said calmly, “That’s perfect then. I like both.”

With that, she stood up, ready to pack the food containers and leave.

A flash of panic crossed Bai Xiying’s eyes. She quickly said, “But I like xiaolongbao³.”

Lin Xingzhu: “…” Fine, whatever.

Lin Xingzhu swept an emotionless glance at her, then placed the items back where they were, though her arrangement wasn’t as meticulous as before.

Actually, Lin Xingzhu knew how to cook. When she woke up this morning, she found some simple ingredients in the refrigerator, more than enough to make breakfast for two.

She just didn’t want to do it herself.

Lin Xingzhu had learned to cook when she was living alone after leaving the Qin family in her previous life. As the fake young miss⁴ who had occupied the real daughter’s⁵ place in the Qin family for eighteen years, even if they hadn’t expressed any intention for her to leave after the real young miss returned, Lin Xingzhu couldn’t stay and enjoy everything with a clear conscience.

So, after leaving the Qin family, she learned to live alone, and naturally, she also learned to cook.

However, she had never cooked for anyone other than herself. For now, Lin Xingzhu certainly wouldn’t make breakfast for Bai Xiying, whom she had only known for a short time.

To her, cooking for others was a slightly intimate and private matter.

Bai Xiying sat opposite Lin Xingzhu, eating xiaolongbao absentmindedly, her gaze occasionally falling on Lin Xingzhu.

She looked very calm, and her posture while eating had a fluid, graceful elegance.

The little interlude just now seemed not to have affected her at all.

A surge of ferocity suddenly rose in Bai Xiying’s heart.

The taste of iron rust seemed to fill her mouth again. Oblivious, she swallowed the food she was chewing.

Bai Xiying once had breakfasts that looked this calm and warm.

The veins on the hand gripping her chopsticks bulged, tracing paths on her fair skin. If Lin Xingzhu were to look up at that moment, she would undoubtedly be astonished at how a pair of hands, unadorned by any jewelry, could exude such breathtaking beauty.

Bai Xiying’s gaze lightly swept over the mole on the lower left corner of the other person’s face. She licked her lips, and the trace of blood brought up by her tongue vanished in an instant.

Everything started because of Lin Xingzhu, but this Lin Xingzhu was not that Lin Xingzhu.

Bai Xiying told herself that the other person knew nothing. She shouldn’t, due to a momentary impulse, lose this rare person who had managed to pique her interest.

Thinking this, the turbulent emotions in her heart gradually subsided.

After the meal.

Lin Xingzhu had done everything she needed to do. She stood up to bid Bai Xiying farewell.

Her voice was as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened.

Bai Xiying was silent for a moment, then nodded and said okay, before opening the door to see her out.

The moment the slender, tall figure disappeared around the corner and the door closed, the indifference in Bai Xiying’s eyes vanished in a flash.

After Lin Xingzhu got into her car, she didn’t start it immediately.

She rolled down the window halfway. The early morning breeze carried a hint of coolness, lifting the stray hairs on her forehead and brushing past her face.

Lin Xingzhu exhaled a few times, clearing her lungs.

Just now, in Bai Xiying’s apartment, she had really wanted to just walk out. But when the other person suddenly spoke up, Lin Xingzhu ultimately didn’t want to make her feel too embarrassed.

But even the gentlest person has a temper.

Lin Xingzhu reckoned she hadn’t provoked her these past few days. If the other person’s personality was changeable, what did that have to do with her?

Even if the other person was a stunningly beautiful woman, full of life and charm.

She tucked back a stray strand of hair. The description of Bai Xiying’s personality from the original work once again appeared in her mind.

Only this time, Lin Xingzhu gave a barely perceptible, dismissive smile.

When Lin Xingzhu returned to the Lin family home, Father Lin had already left for the company.

Lin Xingzhu walked to the coffee table in the living room and found a stack of documents on it.

She bent down, picked them up, and casually flipped through them. It was a stack of information about Xingyuan Yinheng⁶, detailed and comprehensive, very suitable for her current state of knowing nothing about the company.

Lin Xingzhu’s light brown eyes softened. This was clearly prepared specially for her by Father Lin.

She closed the documents and took them upstairs.

For the next few days, Lin Xingzhu stayed at the Lin family home without going out, but she wasn’t completely ignorant of what was happening outside.

Nowadays, Shang Cengrou, knowing she couldn’t be coaxed out to play, didn’t message her frequently anymore. However, a couple of days ago, her enthusiasm for gossip undiminished, she had shared a few updates about Qiao Zijin’s recent situation.

It was said that Qiao Zijin hadn’t appeared in entertainment venues for many days. It was also said that everyone who had witnessed what happened in the private room that night had been taught a lesson by Qiao Zijin afterwards.

Lin Xingzhu smirked. Indeed, a person who retaliates for the smallest grievance⁷, even if the main party involved was someone else.

But this also meant that Qiao Zijin wouldn’t let her, the main culprit, off the hook easily.

Lin Xingzhu stroked her chin and began to think.

So, what would the other party do next time?

She leaned back against the seat cushion, a name flashing rapidly through her mind.

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