Villainous Movie Star (18)
The winter vacation began, and Song Xuyi officially started her internship at Huang Shuo’s research institute.
The winter vacation wasn’t very long, just about a month. Song Xuyi knew that at her current stage, she couldn’t be of much help. Most of the time, she quietly followed behind the researchers, learning silently.
Song Xuyi understood Huang Shuo’s research approach. Huang Shuo always believed that the existence of Sleeping Syndrome was related to genetic defects. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the onset of the disease were complex and variable. To accurately determine whether Sleeping Syndrome was caused by a single gene, multiple genes, acquired genetic factors, or a combination of multiple causes, extensive data research was needed. Only by identifying the cause could they devise targeted solutions.
It was an immense undertaking.
This time, Huang Shuo recruited a small but highly skilled team for the research institute. Each member was outstanding in their own right. Most of them were older, and even the youngest researcher there was older than Song Xuyi.
But regardless of their external accolades, within this research institute, they were all a dedicated group of individuals striving to conquer medical challenges and work for the well-being of humanity.
Song Xuyi truly realized the gap between herself and these top researchers only after arriving here.
However, she wasn’t discouraged.
Knowing that she couldn’t contribute much for the time being, Song Xuyi didn’t idle away. She took on tasks like printing documents and handling deliveries, doing research-related assignments within her capabilities. She occasionally prepared afternoon tea for everyone and massaged acupoints, doing her utmost to create a comfortable environment for the researchers.
Initially, the other researchers didn’t pay much attention to this always cheerful young girl. But after becoming familiar with Song Xuyi, they would chat with her and, with Huang Shuo’s permission, occasionally disclose the current progress of their research.
As the researchers interacted with her, they discovered the true value of this young girl:
Despite being only a sophomore in college, she had surpassed the majority of undergraduate students in terms of foundational knowledge. If there was ever a topic she didn’t understand during a conversation, by the next time that topic came up, she had already self-studied and familiarized herself with the relevant knowledge…
In just half a month, Song Xuyi had gained the recognition of everyone in the research institute, and she felt that she had benefited greatly from this process.
Being part of an excellent team motivated her to push herself. Song Xuyi absorbed knowledge like a sponge, immersing herself in the atmosphere of the research institute, studying tirelessly. It wasn’t until Mother Song reminded her to come back and have the New Year’s Eve dinner that Song Xuyi realized it was already New Year’s Eve.
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Song Xuyi returned home with a stack of red envelopes.
During these joyful family days, the research institute also took a two-day break, and the senior members of the institute gave red envelopes to Song Xuyi in advance.
Even Huang Shuo, with a stern face, handed Song Xuyi a thick red envelope and brought her a pile of study materials. “Although the wool comes from the sheep, your parents have invested a lot of money in our research institute, but I won’t forget what I owe you…”
However, as Huang Shuo looked at the smile on the girl’s face and heard her cheerful voice saying, “Happy New Year, Grandpa Huang!” his face finally softened. After scolding her with a “no sense of formality,” he whispered back, “Happy New Year”…
Song Xuyi returned home.
During this time, Mother Song was inspired by something and bought several sets of old-fashioned red cotton clothes embroidered with the characters for “Good Fortune,” “Prosperity,” and “Longevity.” She forced the younger members of the family to change into them on New Year’s Eve, proclaiming it as “a vibrant start to the new year.” Song Xuyi originally thought that her dignified father and brothers would not go along with this absurd suggestion. However, for some unknown reason, her father and brothers all followed suit, wearing these red cotton clothes. Even the children, enticed by snacks, happily ran around wearing red cotton clothes with “Good Fortune” and “Prosperity” embroidered on them…
Song Xuyi returned home late, leaving her only with a red cotton coat embroidered with the character “Longevity.”
Mother Song made it clear: wearing this coat was a prerequisite for receiving lucky money.
In order to receive the generous red envelopes her mother gave out every year, Song Xuyi had no choice but to reluctantly put on this coat and helplessly watch the lively children running around the house.
In this scene, she felt like an eighty-year-old elderly lady celebrating her birthday…
Luckily, Mother Song only forced everyone to wear it for one night.
After dinner, Song Xuyi huddled in a corner of the living room, trying to minimize her presence. However, the annual family photo session was inevitable. Song Xuyi could only force a smile and was pushed to the center by her parents. They took a family photo with a fake smile from the girl.
Finally, when Mother Song finished distributing the red envelopes, Song Xuyi was about to go upstairs and change out of this embarrassingly humiliating attire. But her young nephew came over, holding her phone in his hands, saying, “Auntie, Beautiful Yi-yi is looking for you…”
As soon as Song Xuyi took the phone, she saw Zhao Qingyu’s face on the screen, suppressing a smile.
Why was it a video call?!
As their relationship grew closer over time, Song Xuyi hadn’t blushed in front of Zhao Qingyu for a long time. However, this time, she couldn’t control the redness in her face and hastily ended the call with a loud “click”!
“Don’t panic, Auntie,” the young nephew tried to comfort Song Xuyi, whose face had turned crimson. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I just told Beautiful Yi-yi that Auntie was taking a photo, and she said she wanted to see what Auntie looked like in the photo…”
“So you showed it to her?” Song Xuyi instantly became alert, a sense of foreboding surging within her.
However, the young nephew didn’t sense Auntie’s impending collapse at all and nodded happily, “Beautiful Yi-yi promised to buy me a whole set of planet lollipops! I’ll share half of them with you…”
“…”
“Well, thank you so much then…”
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Song Xuyi felt a sense of despair. She gritted her teeth in frustration and angrily pinched her young nephew’s chubby cheek. She went upstairs, buried herself in the blanket, and pondered between “escaping this world overnight” and “emigrating to Mars.” After a while, unable to resist, she sent a WeChat message to Zhao Qingyu.
“Forget everything you just saw. You didn’t see anything!”
She also remembered that the background of Zhao Qingyu’s video seemed to be a hospital room. Knowing that Zhao Qingyu wouldn’t accept the “lucky money” she gave, Song Xuyi sent a red envelope instead, saying, “Have some delicious food. Happy Lunar New Year…”
The response came quickly: “Are you trying to bribe me with a red envelope?”
“Xuyi’s outfit that I saw… Haha, it was quite unique…”
Upon hearing Zhao Qingyu’s response, Song Xuyi was instantly furious! She ground her teeth in annoyance.
“You! Dare! Say!”
“Do you enjoy seeing your savior embarrassed that much?”
As soon as the debt of gratitude was mentioned, Zhao Qingyu on the other end of the conversation immediately quieted down.
She sent an emoji with a hand covering her mouth, “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything. I’ve already forgotten what you looked like just now…”
Song Xuyi’s anger subsided at this point.
She realized that what she was doing wasn’t right, as if she were being unreasonable. Perhaps it was because Zhao Qingyu had been exceptionally friendly over the past six months, causing her to become more casual when facing Zhao Qingyu…
With this in mind, Song Xuyi felt a bit guilty and sent Zhao Qingyu a generous red envelope.
“I suppose you promised to buy lollipops for my nephew. I can’t let you bear the expense.”
However, there was no reply from Zhao Qingyu at the other end.
Song Xuyi knew that Zhao Qingyu probably wouldn’t accept her red envelope, so she sent two more videos to Zhao Qingyu, showing her young nephew being ridden and beaten by her young niece and the fireworks outside. Perhaps sensing the liveliness on her end, Zhao Qingyu could smile a little and feel less lonely…
However, Song Xuyi was unaware that in the corner of the hospital room, Zhao Qingyu was watching the secretly recorded video of Song Xuyi taking family photos, holding back her laughter while embracing her mother.
“Mom, isn’t she lovely?”
The deranged woman looked at her daughter’s smiling face and joined in, her lips curling up in a dazed manner.
“She asked me to forget what she looked like, but how could I forget such an adorable person?” Zhao Qingyu sighed. “I didn’t lie to her. I did forget for a moment, but now that I see the video, it all comes back to me…”
“Mom, I really like her,” Zhao Qingyu didn’t know how long she had been watching the video. It wasn’t until the fireworks outside exploded into a continuous display for the New Year that she woke up as if from a dream, embracing her mother once again, her gaze fixed on the dazzling expanse of the sky. She gently comforted her mother, patting her shoulder and whispering, “Happy New Year, Mom.”
“Happy New Year, Song Xuyi.”
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Zhao Qingyu captured the brilliant fireworks outside the window, and for the first time in her life, she posted a WeChat Moment visible only to Song Xuyi:
“In the dark night, there are always those who shine like vibrant fireworks, illuminating the path of solitary journeys.”
—And you, you are the light that illuminates me, the most astonishing fireworks.
Song Xuyi realized that she had misunderstood Zhao Qingyu.
Zhao Qingyu hadn’t blocked her on her WeChat Moments. On the first day of the New Year, she posted a circle of friends with fireworks.
After that, it was as if a dam had burst. Zhao Qingyu began sharing various moods and photos in her Moments.
Song Xuyi would sometimes scroll past them, occasionally giving a like, until one day, she came across Zhao Qingyu’s selfie…
“I implore you to appreciate this beautiful face of yours!” Song Xuyi had never expected Zhao Qingyu’s selfie to be so… unique: the beauty filters and face slimming effects were like a chisel, making it almost unrecognizable as Zhao Qingyu.
In that moment, Song Xuyi was taken aback.
Perhaps her words had struck a nerve, as Zhao Qingyu began frequently posting selfies in her Moments. The photos went from stiff and artificial to gradually becoming irresistible, to the point where Song Xuyi couldn’t resist secretly downloading and saving them…
As Zhao Qingyu’s photography skills improved and her performances in films garnered critical acclaim, even venturing into international markets…
Time flew by, and Song Xuyi entered her junior year.
In that year, after being in charge of the Song family’s overseas business for two years, the male lead, Song Jun, suddenly returned to the country…
The author has something to say:
The description about the genetic etiology is sourced from Baidu.
LP: Re-translated on January 27, 2024