After Transmigrating into the Villain’s Cat, I Dominated the Entertainment Circle – Chapter 122
by Little PandaIF Route (6)
With a thud, the book of poetry on her lap slid to the ground with her movement.
Living so close meant they were bound to run into each other. At least, it seemed that every time Lin Sifei went out, she would have a “chance encounter” with Luo Ke.
Today, Lin Sifei was being especially careful. She didn’t see Luo Ke anywhere on her way out, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the elevator.
She was still fuming over Luo Ke’s last stunt and had no desire to speak to her.
“Wait!”
At the sound of the voice, Lin Sifei reflexively hit the ‘open’ button. She looked up and saw Luo Ke running toward her. Her eyes immediately widened, and she began frantically mashing the ‘close’ button.
The elevator doors were like a decrepit old man; after an eternity of her pressing the button, they finally reacted and began to slowly close. But it was too late.
Luo Ke strode over, stuck a hand between the doors, and stepped inside.
Lin Sifei bit her lower lip and shuffled to the side, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
The doors slid shut, sealing the two of them in the enclosed space. Through the reflection on the elevator walls, Lin Sifei could see Luo Ke looking at her.
She held it in, and held it in some more, until she couldn’t take it anymore. She whipped her head around and glared at Luo Ke. “What are you looking at me for?!”
“I bought some fruit juice. Want some?” Luo Ke held up her hand.
Lin Sifei glanced at the juice she was carrying and pursed her lips. “No.”
“It’s not high in sugar. You can drink it,” Luo Ke said with a smile, offering it again.
You don’t hit a smiling face with an outstretched hand1. Besides, she’d just lost her temper, and here Luo Ke was, offering her a drink.
“Forget it.” Eat people, hand short; better not.2
Luo Ke retracted her hand, a little disappointed. “I thought you’d like this.”
Lin Sifei looked over, puzzled. “Is this… something you bought specifically for me?”
“I didn’t expect you wouldn’t like it,” Luo Ke said with a small laugh.
Lin Sifei had mentioned in an interview once that she loved fruit, and she was just as fond of fruit juice.
“F-fine, give it to me.” Lin Sifei took half a step forward and took the juice. “It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just… I’m just afraid you’ll make a strange moth.”3
“I won’t. I know I was wrong.” Luo Ke stood up straight, her expression sincere. “I really do like you.”
The tips of Lin Sifei’s ears turned faintly red. She quickly stuck the straw into the carton and started drinking, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.
Luo Ke saw right through her and knew she’d heard. She smiled faintly and straightened up again.
When the elevator arrived, Lin Sifei gave her a nod and walked out.
That cup of juice was like the flip of a switch. After that, Luo Ke started bringing her something to eat every day.
Because Lin Sifei was very strict about her figure management and wouldn’t eat at night, Luo Ke usually brought things over in the morning or before four in the afternoon.
Sometimes she simply covered breakfast and lunch, and Lin Sifei grew more and more accustomed to it, waiting at a set time each day to be fed.
“How do you have so much time? I thought you’d be really busy with work.” Lin Sifei bit into the soup dumpling4 in her hand. She was eating too quickly, and the hot soup scalded her tongue.
She stuck her tongue out, then looked longingly at the soup dumplings still on the plate.
“Eat slower.” Luo Ke ruffled her hair before answering, “I’m busy with some things, but there’s always time.”
Lin Sifei nodded. “If you’re really busy, you don’t have to come find me. I can just have my assistant bring me breakfast.”
Speaking of which, ever since Luo Ke had appeared, Xiao Pan had complained several times that she was about to lose her job.
Luo Ke didn’t seem to mind. “I’m not busy. I have time.”
She stared, mesmerized, at the tip of the pink tongue Lin Sifei had stuck out.
Suddenly, the tongue vanished. Lin Sifei looked up at her, confused.
Luo Ke quickly snapped out of it and looked away, trying to cover her embarrassment. “Are you free this afternoon?”
“I am. I’ve been resting lately.”
“Then let’s go out and do something fun this afternoon.”
Lin Sifei’s eyes widened slightly. She licked her lips and nodded.
After Luo Ke left, Lin Sifei couldn’t stop wondering where Luo Ke planned to take her.
With only one afternoon, they probably couldn’t go far. She seemed to recall a nature reserve had opened nearby recently. Were they going there? Should she prepare some food?
She agonized over it for a long time before finally asking Xiao Pan to prepare some bread and other snacks.
In the afternoon, Luo Ke arrived. She didn’t come upstairs, just buzzed from downstairs.
Lin Sifei stood before the full-length mirror, looking at the person in the long, khaki dress reflected back at her. She took a deep breath. Very pretty.
She leaned closer to fix her hair and practiced a small smile.
Once she was certain her outfit was both beautiful and didn’t look like she’d tried too hard, she grabbed her bag and walked out the door.
The moment she stepped out of the building, she saw Luo Ke standing at the entrance.
Lin Sifei jogged over. “Luo Ke.”
Luo Ke’s eyes were on her, on the slightly curled hair at her forehead. She raised an eyebrow. “You curled your hair?”
Seen through so easily, Lin Sifei shot her hand up to cover her hair. “I’m a celebrity. Of course I have to pay attention to my image when I go out.”
Luo Ke glanced at the long dress she was wearing and the bracelet on her wrist. “It’s very pretty. Even if the paparazzi took a picture, it would be a gorgeous shot.”
Her praise was completely sincere. Lin Sifei just gave a soft “Oh,” and tossed her hair. “Where are we going?”
“Follow me.” Luo Ke grabbed her by the wrist and strode toward a tree next to the building.
Only then did Lin Sifei notice a bicycle parked under the tree. She looked at Luo Ke, realizing why she was wearing pants today.
“Are you… Are we riding a bicycle?”
Luo Ke nodded seriously and walked over to wheel the bicycle out. “I saw a really nice park near the residential complex the other day. We can go there for some fresh air, and we can even read.”
“Read?” Lin Sifei walked over and picked up the two thick books from the bike’s basket.
Hm, a poetry collection. Quite tasteful.
She looked at Luo Ke hesitantly. “Are you really planning to do this?”
Luo Ke, a little more composed now, asked cautiously, “You… don’t like it?”
“Of course not.” The look on Luo Ke’s face made Lin Sifei feel like she’d done something terrible. She took a deep breath. “It’s just, I’ll need to wear a face mask. Wait a second, I have a spare one in my car. Let’s go to the garage and get it.”
“Then get on. It’ll be faster by bike.”
Lin Sifei gathered her dress and sat sidesaddle on the back of the bike.
Luo Ke pushed down on the pedals, and the bike wobbled. Startled, Lin Sifei quickly grabbed onto Luo Ke’s clothes.
“I’m a very steady rider. If you’re scared, you can put your arms around me.”
Lin Sifei pressed her lips together, suspecting this was another one of Luo Ke’s schemes. She tried her best not to hug her.
The bike rolled over a small pebble and wobbled again.
“Ah!” she yelped, and her arms shot out to wrap tightly around Luo Ke’s waist.
Luo Ke couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Sifei glared at her back and gave her a pinch on the stomach.
It didn’t hurt much. It was a little itchy.
Luo Ke’s hand trembled, and she nearly did tip the bike over.
Lin Sifei got a fright and didn’t dare move around anymore.
They reached the garage and got the mask. Lin Sifei let out a cold huff. “It’s too dangerous sitting on the back of your bike.”
“I’ll be careful. It’s been a while since I last rode, so I was a little rusty just now.”
Lin Sifei reluctantly believed her and got back on the seat.
This time, Luo Ke was indeed much steadier, and Lin Sifei’s tense muscles began to relax.
They rode out of the residential complex and slowly made their way along the bike lane.
Cars occasionally drove past, stirring up a gust of hot air. But mostly there was just the natural breeze, which blew through the trees lining the road and lifted her hair. Lin Sifei had to wrap one arm around Luo Ke while using the other to hold down her flyaway hair.
“How is it? Isn’t this nice?” Going downhill, Luo Ke let the bike coast on its own.
She had to admit, it was very nice.
Lin Sifei squinted her eyes slightly. After living the fast-paced city life for so long, a sudden bicycle ride like this was surprisingly pleasant.
She raised a hand, palm open, and felt the wind slip through her fingers.
“It’s very nice,” she said with a smile, scooping at the wind. She leaned closer to Luo Ke. “Are you tired from pedaling? Want me to give you a ride?”
“No need, we’re almost there.” Luo Ke was right; she could already see the park’s main square up ahead.
They arrived quickly. Lin Sifei hopped off the back and watched Luo Ke.
Luo Ke pushed the bike to a parking rack at the side of the road and crouched down to lock it up.
“Don’t lose the key,” Lin Sifei reminded her.
Luo Ke put the key in her pants pocket and patted it to show that she wouldn’t.
Lin Sifei smiled and went to get the poetry collection.
Luo Ke led her on a walk around the park, found a quiet spot with few people, and they sat down on a long bench to read the poetry collection.
The rustle of the leaves, the rustle of turning pages… Lin Sifei gradually felt her body and mind relax. She was just a little sleepy.
Lin Sifei blinked hard, trying to focus on the words on the page.
Something about clouds, something about rain, something about fate… Lin Sifei wasn’t uneducated, but poetry collections were really not her preference. She couldn’t understand modern poetry at all.
Just as she was about to doze off, a loud poetry reading suddenly started beside her, full of emotion and dramatic cadence.
Lin Sifei was so startled she jumped, scaring away all her drowsiness.
She looked at Luo Ke in shock. Seeing how seriously she was reading, she couldn’t help but want to laugh.
But she held it in. Reading poetry was a very cultured activity; she couldn’t make fun of someone for it.
Lin Sifei listened to her recite the poem, her own eyes following the words on the page. After a moment, her gaze couldn’t help but drift away, landing on Luo Ke.
Her eyes swept over Luo Ke’s lips as they opened and closed, then moved up past the tip of her nose, the bridge of her nose, her expressive eyes, and her long, curved eyebrows.
Luo Ke was getting into the rhythm of it, and the tip of her tongue darted out slightly. Lin Sifei’s eyes instantly fixed on it, taking in her bright red lips and moist tongue.
The air suddenly grew hot. Lin Sifei couldn’t help but hold her breath.
Luo Ke’s eyes shifted, glancing in her direction.
Lin Sifei shot upright like a child caught doing something wrong. The tips of her ears were bright red, and her cheeks burned.
With a thud, the poetry collection on her lap slid to the ground with her movement.
Lin Sifei’s face grew even hotter as she quickly bent down to pick up the book.
Luo Ke looked at her flushed face and smiled, raising a hand.
Lin Sifei held her breath again, all her attention focused on that hand.
She could feel Luo Ke’s cool hand approach her cheek and brush lightly against it.
Lin Sifei couldn’t help but swallow, her eyes fixed on her.
Luo Ke leaned a little closer, placing her palm on the bench between them as she angled her body forward.
Lin Sifei’s eyelashes fluttered, and she couldn’t stop her gaze from dropping.
“Ahem, cough cough!” A cough suddenly sounded in the quiet space.
Lin Sifei’s eyes flew open, and she shot to her feet.
Luo Ke took a deep breath and turned her head to see two elderly people waving their arms and walking over, chatting and laughing.
One of them must have had a tickle in their throat, as they kept coughing.
Luo Ke closed her eyes for a moment, then stood up. “Feifei, shall we read a little more poetry?”
Whether it was reading poetry or doing something else, Lin Sifei’s heart knew, and her belly understood5.
But as she watched the pedestrians walk away, her little heart began wriggling and was about to move again6.
Just as she was hesitating, the phone in her pocket rang. She took it out and saw it was a message.
She frowned and put the phone away. “I have something to do. Let’s call it a day.”
Luo Ke was a little disappointed, but she still nodded. “Then I’ll take you back.”
“No need!” Lin Sifei refused immediately, her voice unintentionally rising.
Luo Ke looked at her, surprised.
Lin Sifei quickly took a deep breath and smiled. “I have something to take care of, so I need to go somewhere else first.”
She didn’t want to say, and Luo Ke didn’t press her.
Lin Sifei nodded and made a call to have someone pick her up.
Luo Ke waited with her by the roadside, and the car arrived quickly.
Lin Sifei pulled open the car door and got in.
Just as she was about to close it, Luo Ke held her hand, leaned into the car, and moved close to her ear.
“There’s something I haven’t said yet. I like you.”
Lin Sifei’s face flushed slightly. She gave her a little push. “I know. I’m leaving.”
Luo Ke moved back, smiling and waving.
Lin Sifei looked at her smiling face, quickly shut the car door, and covered her own burning cheeks.
Stay calm, stay calm.
The author has something to say:
Luo Ke’s father: Riding a bicycle, reading poetry, that’s the most charming.
President Luo: Learned something new.
Footnotes
- A common saying that means one should not reject or be harsh to someone who is approaching with kindness and a good attitude.
- An idiom meaning that accepting gifts or favors from someone makes it difficult to refuse them later.
- The phrase ‘gǎo yāo’ézi’ is a colloquialism that literally means ‘to make a strange moth.’ It’s used to describe someone pulling a strange trick, causing trouble, or making a fuss.
- Guàntāngbāo (灌汤包) are a type of steamed bun, often associated with Shanghai cuisine, filled with minced pork and a hot, savory broth.
- An idiom meaning to know something perfectly well without it being said aloud.
- An idiom describing a restless stirring or an eagerness to take action.
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