Villainous Stand-in (11)
“Sorry, it’s my fault for not protecting you well and letting you get hurt.”
It seemed that Li Yuqing hadn’t expected Song Xuyi to look over. Her eyes darkened for a moment before she half-squatted in front of Song Xuyi’s bed, looking directly at her and speaking softly.
Li Yuqing’s voice sounded extremely sincere and apologetic, yet her gaze carried a hint of something…
Song Xuyi couldn’t quite pinpoint this feeling.
Li Yuqing’s eyes were naturally alluring and bewitching. Song Xuyi wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but when Li Yuqing stared straight at her, it felt as if there was a dark, wild fire burning in her eyes, faintly carrying an intention to spread and engulf everything.
Breathing became irregular once again in that instant.
Song Xuyi could almost hear her own heart pounding wildly, ‘thump, thump’.
Li Yuqing was simply too beautiful; she couldn’t handle such a gaze from her at all.
Song Xuyi decisively surrendered, averting her gaze to look out the window, and spoke awkwardly, “Ha, ha, you don’t need to feel guilty. I volunteered to protect you, and I didn’t get hurt that badly—”
“But I feel sad in my heart,” Li Yuqing interrupted Song Xuyi, holding her hand. “Xuyi is so wonderful, like a little fairy from a fairy tale. I don’t want to see Xuyi get hurt at all…”
Fairy?
Song Xuyi was stunned for a moment. Maybe because she had a guilty conscience, she felt a pang of guilt when she heard the word “fairy” and couldn’t help but glance at Li Yuqing.
At that moment, the intense emotions in Li Yuqing’s eyes that had made Song Xuyi feel flustered earlier had subsided. When she looked up, she seemed a bit like the little Li Yuqing in her dream, who always used sweet words, acted coquettishly, and adorably, always trying to make her stay…
But the system had just informed her: she had been lying motionless in the hospital since she fell unconscious.
Everything should have been just a dream. Because her clothes were damaged in real life, her subconscious had reflected this reality into her dream, causing her clothes to be damaged in the dream as well…
Song Xuyi was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice that Li Yuqing’s gaze on her had started to turn dark again.
“Xuyi,” when Song Xuyi snapped out of her reverie, she saw that Li Yuqing’s face had suddenly turned red. She seemed extremely embarrassed, lowering her head as she hastily picked up a hospital gown from the cabinet beside her and draped it over Song Xuyi: “I-I’m sorry, I was careless just now and didn’t notice that two of your buttons were missing. I didn’t mean to look—”
?!
Song Xuyi was stunned. Immediately, blood rushed to her cheeks, and without even looking, she knew her face had turned as red as a tomato.
Song Xuyi didn’t want to blush. However, she had no control over it. In her dream, she had the same reaction, but when facing the little Li Yuqing in the dream, she felt no shame at all…
“We’re both girls, what I have you have too.” However, seeing how embarrassed and guilty Li Yuqing looked, Song Xuyi could only force herself to stay calm. With a red face, she tried to reassure Li Yuqing: “It’s okay, taking a look won’t make a piece of flesh fall off…”
Probably because her mind was still muddled from just waking up, when she saw Li Yuqing still lowering her head with a guilty expression, Song Xuyi put on the hospital gown and, as if driven by some inexplicable force, added: “If you feel like you’ve taken advantage of me, then next time you can let me look back…”
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Xuyi wished she could bite off her own tongue. It was probably because she had become too casual with the Li Yuqing in her dreams that she almost forgot the seemingly weak and harmless woman in front of her was actually the main villain.
Yet Li Yuqing clearly took her words seriously. With a red face and teary eyes, she glanced at Song Xuyi and said, “I understand.”
What does she understand?
Song Xuyi felt a bit dazed, but she was too embarrassed to continue the conversation on this topic. She could only awkwardly change the subject, though she thought to herself that the day she could “look back” would probably never come.
At Li Yuqing’s insistence, Song Xuyi stayed in the hospital for another two days. These two days were incredibly boring, so Song Xuyi could only continue drawing on her tablet.
Her storyline had progressed to the part where the female protagonist discovers the deep-seated enmity and hatred behind the female star.
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Continuing from the previous updates, Song Xuyi had gradually accumulated quite a number of readers. The readers in the comment section were all leaving messages saying they wanted to see the female protagonist and the female star get closer. Song Xuyi also felt it was about time to develop the romantic plot. However, as she continued to draw, Song Xuyi realized one thing: she didn’t seem to know how to draw romantic scenes.
Song Xuyi discarded several drafts, but she still couldn’t figure it out. She just couldn’t draw the feeling she had in mind.
The system couldn’t stand it any longer and hummed in Song Xuyi’s mind: “The female star has long found the female protagonist very cute. A serious, obedient, and hardworking girl like her is precisely what attracts bad characters like the female star. So, the bad woman tried every means to get close to the female protagonist, forcing her to fulfill the ‘duties of a dedicated fan,’ sending her daily updates about her life and occasionally flirting with her…”
Strangely enough, Song Xuyi, who had no previous ideas, suddenly felt as if her creative channels were unlocked by the system’s words. Unfamiliar scenes flashed before her eyes, as if she could really see these events unfolding in front of her, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
“System, you’re so good at this!” Song Xuyi exclaimed excitedly. “Tell me, have you been secretly reading novels behind my back to catch up? What happened next? How did things turn out for them?”
The system hummed twice more, and Song Xuyi could almost imagine it smugly wagging its tail.
“I haven’t been reading novels to catch up. Don’t forget, the female protagonist is based on you,” the system never missed a chance to remind Song Xuyi of the primary rule of the small world: “No falling in love.” “Think about it, someone as serious and responsible as you, dedicated to scientific research, would you fall for such a scheming female star? That would be impossible! After completing her mission, the female protagonist left that small world gracefully, while that bad female star… she, she was so selfish that even after the female protagonist’s death, she continued to live happily.”
The system’s words became somewhat stuttered towards the end, but Song Xuyi didn’t notice.
Song Xuyi felt a bit guilty: If she were the female protagonist and the female star were someone else, Song Xuyi believed she might be able to resist. However, she had drawn the female star to resemble Li Yuqing by fifty percent, and Li Yuqing perfectly hit her aesthetic preferences. Song Xuyi wasn’t confident she could withstand the temptation…
“Xuyi, I’ve already asked someone to handle the discharge procedures. Once we finish eating, we can leave the hospital.”
Just as the saying goes, “speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives” (meaning ‘speak of the devil’), while the system was talking about the female star’s ending, Li Yuqing appeared at the door of Song Xuyi’s hospital room with a lunchbox.
Recalling the female star she had drawn on her tablet, who resembled Li Yuqing, Song Xuyi almost instinctively stuffed the tablet under her pillow.
Li Yuqing glanced at the tablet that was hidden away, curved her lips into a slight smile, but didn’t ask anything. She handed the lunchbox to Song Xuyi and then sat down beside her with her laptop, busying herself.
Song Xuyi truly admired Li Yuqing’s time management skills.
Clearly, according to the plot summary, this should be a critical period of rapid career development for Li Yuqing. Yet, Li Yuqing still insisted on cooking for her when she was sick and brought her laptop to the hospital room to accompany her. During this time, Li Yuqing’s phone kept ringing incessantly; she didn’t avoid it at all and answered the calls right in front of Song Xuyi…
Song Xuyi didn’t expect Li Yuqing to trust her this much. But Song Xuyi didn’t want to know too much about her affairs. Whenever this happened, she could only pretend to put on her headphones and listen to music.
Just as Li Yuqing’s phone rang again and Song Xuyi was about to put on her headphones, Li Yuqing grabbed her hand once more.
Li Yuqing held up two movie tickets and smiled radiantly at Song Xuyi, “It was Auntie who called. She and Uncle are going to a concert, so she asked me to pick you up from the hospital and take you out to a movie. These tickets are a gift from her.”
When they first heard that Song Xuyi had fallen into a coma and was hospitalized, Father Song and Mother Song rushed over in a panic. Seeing that Song Xuyi only had some scrapes on her legs and a bruise on her waist with no major issues, they were relieved. After hearing Li Yuqing explain that the accident happened because she took Song Xuyi for a walk, Father Song and Mother Song not only didn’t blame Li Yuqing but were very impressed with her ability to get their homebody daughter out of the house. During this time, it was as if Li Yuqing had bewitched them with some kind of magic potion; Father Song and Mother Song grew increasingly fond of Li Yuqing, practically treating her as their own daughter.
In reality, Song Xuyi had little interest in watching a movie during the day. Her mind was filled with inspiration from the system that she wanted to rush home and draw her manga. However, on the phone, Mother Song had sternly instructed her to go out and move around more. Seeing that Li Yuqing seemed to be looking forward to the movie, and thinking of how well Li Yuqing had taken care of her recently, Song Xuyi reluctantly completed the discharge procedures, changed clothes, and followed Li Yuqing to the cinema.
Song Xuyi didn’t expect that Father Song and Mother Song would buy her tickets to a horror movie.
There weren’t many people watching the movie during the day, with a few scattered in various corners. The air conditioning in the cinema was very effective, and the dark environment heightened the eerie atmosphere.
I must say, the special effects and background music of this horror movie are exceptionally well done. Not long after the movie started, exclamations of surprise could be heard from all corners of the theater.
However, having been a marshal who fought earnestly on battlefields in one of her previous worlds, Song Xuyi had seen all sorts of corpses and naturally wouldn’t be frightened by this artificially created spooky atmosphere.
Nonetheless, the plot of the movie was quite interesting, so Song Xuyi watched it with great relish.
As the plot progressed, the scenes became increasingly terrifying, and the exclamations in the cinema grew louder and louder. Particularly, a girl a few rows away from Song Xuyi was so scared that she kept screaming, prompting continuous comfort from her male companion.
But after a particularly intense scene, that girl surprisingly didn’t scream. Curious, Song Xuyi glanced over. In the dim light from the screen, she saw the two of them kissing…
Song Xuyi was momentarily taken aback and felt a bit embarrassed as she turned her face away, only to meet Li Yuqing’s gaze.
“Xuyi, aren’t you scared?” Li Yuqing’s expression seemed somewhat peculiar.
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“Not really,” Song Xuyi didn’t think much of it. Considering that Li Yuqing had been watching for so long without screaming, she assumed Li Yuqing wasn’t scared either, so she casually asked in return, “Aren’t you not afraid as well?”
Li Yuqing was taken aback but then bit her lower lip tightly.
She seemed extremely embarrassed. Leaning over the seat, she got close to Song Xuyi’s ear, bringing with her a unique, delicate fragrance that belonged solely to Li Yuqing. Perhaps because she had just seen the couple kissing, Song Xuyi suddenly felt something was off, an inexplicable restlessness rising in her heart.
Li Yuqing’s gentle breath brushed past her ear, and Song Xuyi heard Li Yuqing’s slightly timid voice, “I… I’m actually very scared, but I also want to know who the murderer is. I feel too embarrassed to lose my composure in front of everyone…”
“Xuyi, when the intense scenes come up, could you help block my view? I… I’m so scared that I can’t even move.”
Li Yuqing’s voice sounded truly pitiable.
Song Xuyi imagined Li Yuqing being so frightened by the movie that she could only tremble in her seat, and she felt a bit regretful for having been so engrossed in the plot that she neglected Li Yuqing. Naturally, she agreed without hesitation.
The latter part was the most thrilling section of the movie.
Various terrifying scenes appeared one after another, and the true culprit gradually came to light.
Throughout the process, Song Xuyi was extremely dutiful, moving close to the neighboring seat to cover Li Yuqing’s eyes whenever a scary scene appeared, while softly explaining the plot to her…
When the protagonist discovered and tied up the real murderer, Song Xuyi noticed the runtime and thought the movie was nearing its end. She then released her hand that had been blocking Li Yuqing’s view. Unexpectedly, the scene on the screen drastically changed; countless rotting corpses emerged from all directions, filling the screen. The protagonists were trapped by the grotesque, horrifying corpses, and the entire theater echoed with the piercing laughter of the real murderer: “You’ll never catch me…”
Screams filled the theater. The movie ended at this point, suggesting that the showdown between the protagonists and the real murderer would likely continue into a second season. However, Song Xuyi was no longer in the mood to ponder the plot.
When a corpse suddenly fell from above the protagonist’s head on the screen, Song Xuyi turned and covered Li Yuqing’s eyes. Li Yuqing, seemingly terrified by the scene on the screen, turned and threw herself into Song Xuyi’s arms.
Li Yuqing seemed to be trembling…
Song Xuyi couldn’t help but offer comfort: “It’s okay, it’s all fake, and the movie is over!”
However, Li Yuqing softly pleaded, “Xuyi, don’t let go, I’m too scared to look…”
Song Xuyi didn’t expect Li Yuqing to be so frightened and could only let Li Yuqing hold onto her. One hand gently patted Li Yuqing’s shoulder to comfort her, while the other hand dutifully covered Li Yuqing’s eyes.
It wasn’t until the lights in the theater came on and people around them started leaving in small groups that Li Yuqing seemed to come to her senses. She released her hold on Song Xuyi and, a bit embarrassed, softly said, “Xuyi, I’m sorry, I was just too scared.”
Song Xuyi remained silent.
The lighting in the theater was excellent, and from such a close distance, Li Yuqing’s skin appeared flawless, like fine jade without any blemishes. Her red lips were tender, with a slight sheen…
Under the lights, the beauty looked even more captivating, the more you looked, the more mesmerizing she became.
Song Xuyi’s throat moved slightly.
Li Yuqing blinked her eyes, her long eyelashes like two small brushes, gently brushing against the palm of Song Xuyi’s hand—
It was as if a feather had brushed against her heart, igniting a peculiar tingling sensation. Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated in that moment, as though it might leap out of her chest…
“Xuyi?”
Li Yuqing called out softly again.
Song Xuyi was taken aback, as if waking from a dream. She blushed and released her hand.
The author has something to say:
Can you guess if Li Yuqing is afraid?
Here’s a sad story:
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When Song Xuyi, with a slip of her tongue, said “I’ll look back at you,” she didn’t know that she would soon pay a heavy price for this slip.
Countless times, while biting her quilt and unable to hold back her tears, a certain scheming enchantress would cradle her face, lightly kissing her eyelids and coquettishly saying, “Xuyi, look at me. You said you wanted to look back at me—”
She had said she wanted to look back, but she never imagined she’d see so thoroughly!
If Song Xuyi felt shy and refused to open her eyes, a certain enchantress would cling to her, acting coquettishly and accusing Song Xuyi of breaking her promise, using this as a reason to punish her. And the punishment often took the form of a…
However, if Song Xuyi did open her eyes, the enchantress would be even happier. She would turn the tables, saying that being looked at like that by Song Xuyi made her lose control, and thus she would cling to Song Xuyi even more…
In any case, the enchantress always had a reason.
And the poor Song Xuyi, ended up like this…
Sigh!
In short, this story tells us: don’t let a slip of the tongue get the better of you. A slip of the tongue may feel good for a moment, but it leads to a night of regret.
Well, as esteemed Jinjiang VIPs, neither you nor I can see the “…” content. This must be a very sad story… right?
LP: Re-translated on July 20, 2024
Its kinda boring when author does the same thing over and over again every new world, cant it for once be xuyi chasing after FL? Or maybe for once the system doesnt obstruct them so blatantly? What happened to following the hosts intention first and foremost? Can she not keep her memories for once? Sad thing is there is not much fluff either, cus as soon as it gets to the good part of the relationship author ends the arc and glosses over it
Its kinda boring when author does the same thing over and over again every new world, cant it for once be xuyi chasing after FL? Or maybe for once the system doesnt obstruct them so blatantly? What happened to following the hosts intention first and foremost? Can she not keep her memories for once? Sad thing is there is not much fluff either, cus as soon as it gets to the good part of the relationship author ends the arc and glosses over it