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The night was deep and quiet, with a profound silence surrounding Lin Xian.
She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the dim ceiling, her breathing still quick and heavy.
Was it just a dream?
In the dream, she was passionately kissing her beloved Xiao Panpan. She felt as if something was missing from her body, leaving her feeling empty and restless. As their lips and tongues intertwined, she couldn’t bear the longing any longer and anxiously untied Xiao Panpan’s robe.
Xiao Panpan, who was always composed and elegant, breathed softly beneath her, with a flushed face and seductive eyes, teasing her further. Becoming more desperate, she never expected that when she pulled apart Xiao Panpan’s soft and pure white robe, lowered the shoulder straps, and was intoxicated by the alluring sight before her eyes, her heart pounding like thunder, she found herself unable to untie the ties on both sides of Xiao Panpan’s garment, no matter how hard she tried.
She became so impatient that she no longer wanted to untie the knot gently but wished to violently rip it apart. Yet, that tiny piece of fabric seemed to possess immense strength, remaining unyielded despite her utmost effort. Lin Xian could only watch without tasting, becoming as antsy as an ant on a hot pot. Unfortunately, Xiao Panpan, too, seemed to be tortured by her clumsiness to the point of losing patience, pushed her away shyly yet annoyed, enclosed herself in the sleeping robe, and sat up, ready to leave the bed.
Lin Xian, in her urgency, wanted to pounce forward to embrace Xiao Wanqing to prevent her from leaving, but in this tense moment, it felt as if she had fallen from somewhere. With a kick of her legs, she suddenly woke up.
Turning her head, Lin Xian looked at Xiao Wanqing beside her, whose sleeping face was peaceful, deep in sweet dreams, the residual warmth of her body seemingly still present. She stared intently at the woman’s perfect lips, her gaze sliding down, passing the snowy white and slender neck, further down, to the gently heaving…
Lin Xian swallowed mouthfuls of saliva, took a deep breath to calm herself down. Thinking back to the situation in her dream, she felt both agitated and amused.
Last night, she dared not make a rash move, first, for fear that Xiao Panpan was not yet ready and would think her too frivolous; and secondly, she had to admit… she was a bit insecure…
She lacked experience, having only a superficial understanding of the subject. Although she later supplemented her knowledge with some related information, she was too embarrassed to examine that area in detail. Furthermore, the brief descriptions in text are quite different from practical operations. Books are useless when it’s time to apply them, she thought to herself, realizing now that she didn’t even know where the specific parts mentioned in those subtle descriptions were located.
Moreover, she helplessly looked at her nails and sighed. By the time she trimmed her nails and ran back, it would be too late.
Lin Xian looked at Xiao Wanqing with a murky gaze for a long time, couldn’t help but lean over and gently kiss her delicate cheek. They shared the same pillow, and inhaling her fresh hair fragrance, Lin Xian closed her eyes once more.
I’ll trim my nails tomorrow.
I also need to look up some tutorials, Lin Xian thought drowsily.
She wanted to give Xiao Panpan nothing but the best.
Early the next morning, right after Lin Xian sent Xiao Wanqing off to work, she hurried back to her room.
With a guilty conscience, she locked her room door, then took out her nail clippers and started trimming her nails, which weren’t very long to begin with, over the trash bin. After cutting them, she seldom took the time to carefully file them smooth.
Then, she cautiously drew her curtains before moving to her desk, switched on her computer, and eagerly started searching the internet for videos.
After much thought, it still seemed that watching videos was the most direct and effective way.
But she truly underestimated the online control over such content. She diligently searched for an hour, breaking into a sweat, not only failing to find anything worthy of viewing but also seemingly hitting a virus by accident. The web pages of the site went crazy, uncontrollably popping up faster than they could be closed.
Lin Xian panicked, almost face-planting into the keyboard. In the end, with no other choice, she frantically pulled out the power cord of her laptop, plucked out the battery, and forced it to shut down.
After turning it back on and running a virus scan, she leaned on the desk beside her, feeling utterly exhausted, as if she had been through a tremendous ordeal.
Maybe… she should ask Manman. Lin Xian, while packing her schoolbag, abandoned her pride with a heart heavy as ash.
Arriving in the classroom, a few minutes before class started, Lin Xian sat next to Shi Man, sneakily glancing at her now and then, hesitating to speak.
Shi Man noticed her gaze and teased her, “Lin Xiaoxian, why keep stealing glances at me with such a tender look? Someone might get shy.”
“Just stop.” Lin Xian felt a shiver of disgust and pushed Shi Man’s shoulder away disdainfully.
She was about to whisper to Shi Man, “I have something to ask you for advice,” when suddenly a tall figure blocked the sunlight beside her.
“Lin Xian.” Li Sichao somehow appeared right next to Lin Xian.
Hearing his voice, Lin Xian instinctively frowned. Her smile faded, and she looked up coldly at the newcomer, asking indifferently, “What do you want?”
The gazes of those around them couldn’t help but drift over.
Lin Xian is recognized as a strikingly beautiful girl in her department, and Li Sichao, with his looks and academic performance, matched Lin Xian and was the crush of many girls. Suddenly, these two being together naturally sparked a buzz of gossip.
Li Sichao seemed to sense the attention, feeling a bit uneasy. He lowered his voice to ask Lin Xian, “I have something I’d like to talk to you about, could we step outside for a moment?” His tone was less of asking for Lin Xian’s opinion and more like notifying her.
“No, it’s not convenient,” Lin Xian replied without even lifting her eyelids, her response definite and firm.
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For a moment, Li Sichao was visibly taken aback, his face flushing with embarrassment. He had never actively pursued a girl before; Lin Xian was the first one he had taken a liking to and deliberately sought to increase contact with, yet she didn’t respond as he had hoped. He thought perhaps Lin Xian was upset with him for his improper behavior after getting drunk yesterday, which was why she flatly rejected him. He never expected that today, in front of so many people, Lin Xian would still flatly refuse to give him face.
“Is there anything else?” Lin Xian asked, somewhat displeased. The boy’s inexplicable look of surprise after being rejected only made Lin Xian feel more annoyed.
“No, that’s it.” After a moment, the boy’s voice sounded, low and as if squeezed out from his throat with difficulty.
Li Sichao felt the stares of those around him suddenly become burning. As he left, he faintly heard Shi Man asking Lin Xian, “What did he want with you?”
Lin Xian didn’t actually answer Shi Man’s question. She just shook her head, not taking it seriously, and changed the topic to talk about the virus on her computer.
Shi Man couldn’t help but chuckle and tease Lin Xian, “Oh dear, Little Lin Xian, did you go somewhere you shouldn’t have?”
“No, not at all!” Lin Xian weakly and guiltily retorted. In fact, she probably should have just gone along with it, and then the conversation could have opened up. But with Tang Mo and Chen Zhi nearby, she was too embarrassed and afraid Shi Man would make too big of a scene.
Fortunately, before she had to speak up again, Shi Man took the initiative.
During this modern history class, which wasn’t a major subject and wasn’t hard, everyone found themselves zoning out as they listened. Shi Man ended up pulling out a piece of paper and doodled for a while, eventually finding it boring and started to chat with Lin Xian.
On the paper, she asked Lin Xian, “How are you planning to spend the National Day?”
Shi Man couldn’t help but chuckle and tease Lin Xian, “Oh dear, Lin Xiaoxian, did you go somewhere you shouldn’t have?”
“No, not at all!” Lin Xian weakly and guiltily retorted. In fact, she probably should have just gone along with it, and then the conversation could have opened up. But with Tang Mo and Chen Zhi nearby, she was too embarrassed and afraid Shi Man would make too big of a scene.
Fortunately, before she had to speak up again, Shi Man took the initiative.
During this modern history class, which wasn’t a major subject and wasn’t hard, everyone found themselves zoning out as they listened. Shi Man ended up pulling out a piece of paper and doodled for a while, eventually finding it boring and started to chat with Lin Xian.
On the paper, she asked Lin Xian, “How are you planning to spend the National Day?”
Lin Xian replied, “I’m going on a cruise trip to Yiping with Auntie Xiao. What about you?”
“Just staying at home, not going anywhere,” Lin Xian glanced at Shi Man, who had a look of grievance on her face.
“Aren’t you going out with Sister Zhijin?”
“She’s going to work part-time at the film studio.” Shi Man pouted and added with a complaint, “She was previously working as an extra in a drama with a classmate who had connections. Somehow, the big star Fu Zhiqiong took notice of her and asked if she was interested in entering the industry, to join her studio. Zhijin is still hesitating, but Fu Zhiqiong said there’s no rush. She’ll be around these days and told her to come by after the National Day to learn more.”
Lin Xian’s face showed shock, feeling like they belonged to different worlds. Although she’s always known Shi Man was a second-generation rich kid, Shi Man didn’t flaunt it excessively, so Lin Xian never felt the gap between them too keenly. But big star Fu Zhiqiong, that’s clearly unattainable for people like them.
“Wow, does that mean we might see Sister Zhijin on TV in the future?”
“I hope not,” Shi Man said, clearly not thrilled.
In fact, she didn’t want Xia Zhijin to get involved at all. Moreover, she always felt that Fu Zhiqiong had ulterior motives. Otherwise, Zhijin, who wasn’t professionally trained, just a background actor, how could she be recognized as a talent? Ever since Shi Jinglan entered the entertainment industry, she had been exposed to countless stories, both willingly and unwillingly, during private gatherings. That circle might seem glamorous on the outside, but it’s filled with murkiness inside.
But she could see that Xia Zhijin seemed to be interested. Considering Xia Zhijin’s feelings, Shi Man suppressed her displeasure and suggested that if Xia Zhijin truly wanted to enter the entertainment industry, she should sign with their own company. At least the Shi family could protect her.
But Xia Zhijin refused. Shi Man was furious.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore.” Shi Man, upon seeing the words “cruise trip” on the paper, suddenly got a mischievous idea and slyly asked Lin Xian, “The big ship sails during the National Day, but what about the small boat?”
“?”
“…” Shi Man, frustrated and feeling like giving up on Lin Xian for not understanding, said, “Lin Xian, do you really not get it?”
After a moment, noticing Shi Man’s expression, Lin Xian finally got it.
She bit her lip, covered her face, took a deep breath, and for the sake of happiness, finally decided to go all out.
She carefully wrote down on the paper with a serious demeanor, “Shi Man, I need a driving manual.”
Seeing these characters, Shi Man was bewildered for a moment. In the next instant, she couldn’t contain herself and burst into laughter. The entire class’s attention was drawn over.
Even Lin Xian, who usually had thick skin, felt so embarrassed at this moment that she wished she could disappear into the ground. Wanted to kill Shi Man.
“What’s so funny, classmate? Share with everyone so we can all hear,” the teacher said, smiling but not really smiling, as he stared at Shi Man.
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Panicking, Shi Man quickly tucked the paper away, almost biting through her lip to hold back her laughter, and apologized profusely, “I’m sorry, teacher. Sorry…”
No matter how much Shi Man passed notes or tried to act cute towards Lin Xian afterwards, Lin Xian remained unmoved, refusing to look at Shi Man again.
Ah, it was genuinely funny, and she couldn’t help but laugh; it wasn’t her fault. She even got scolded by the teacher for it. Shi Man blinked her peach blossom eyes, looking quite wronged. Oh well, being the bigger person, she decided to come to the rescue of the rookie who was out of their depth.
Shi Man took out her phone, beginning to help her friend tackle the problem.
Lin Xian felt her phone vibrate. She took it out and saw a flashing WeChat message.
“This is a comic,” followed by a link.
“This is a video.”
“These are from the West,” accompanied by several links.
“These are from Japan,” again followed by several links.
“This is for online. For offline, I have a collection of rare editions, neatly categorized. I’ll bring some for you tomorrow.” She had spent quite an effort compiling these, Lin Xian is really getting a good deal.
Lin Xian looked at the links and felt her face getting hot.
There’s a saying, “You’re short when you take someone’s hand,” meaning you owe them a favor. Dropping her new grudge, she turned around and showed Shi Man a sincere and pure smile.
Seeing this, Shi Man didn’t know why, but she felt like laughing again. She covered her mouth and leaned on the table, trying to hold back her laughter until her body shook.
Lin Xian’s face turned completely dark.
Are “experienced drivers” really that amazing?!
At 9:30 PM, Wen Tong exited the elevator at the headquarters of Shixing Group and walked towards the building exit.
She was there to present a proposal and face the board’s scrutiny. The meeting that started at 2 PM lasted until 5 PM. Right after it concluded, Shi Jinglan pulled her aside for a private meeting. After that meeting, Shi Jinglan asked her to send the revised proposal before 10 PM. Pressed for time, she had no choice but to work on it right there in the conference room, working non-stop until now, missing dinner.
Wen Tong felt weak from hunger, yet her high heels clicked loudly on the floor.
Was Shi Jinglan being too nitpicky?! Wen Tong inwardly ranted. Was this revenge?! This was the first face-to-face conversation she had with Shi Jinglan after that night’s misunderstanding.
But the way Shi Jinglan just now, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looked coldly scrutinizing the document and raising questions, didn’t seem to bear any personal grudge?
Forget it. Regardless, she was the one at fault. Wen Tong massaged her temples, sighed, and continued walking out.
She had barely taken a few steps when she saw Shi Jinglan coming back while on the phone: “I know, you handle it. Have Xiao Zhang come pick me up.”
“Director Shi, you haven’t left yet?” Wen Tong couldn’t avoid her, so she greeted her politely. Regarding that night, they had tacitly agreed not to mention it these days, as if it never happened.
Shi Jinglan was somewhat surprised to see Wen Tong. Her eyes darkened as she glanced at Wen Tong, then suddenly, her tone softened, asking with interest, “Did you drive here?”
“Yes.” Wen Tong, puzzled, responded subconsciously.
“Can you give me a ride home? My driver was rear-ended at the company entrance.” Shi Jinglan, with one hand in her trouser pocket and the other holding a cellphone, stated calmly.
“????” Could she refuse?
Obviously, whether from a work perspective or because Shi Jinglan had given her a ride once on a personal level, she couldn’t refuse.
Wen Tong forced an official smile and nodded, pretending to be enthusiastic in her agreement.
She fully performed the duties of a driver, helping to open the back car door for Shi Jinglan. However, she glanced at her with interest, deciding to open the passenger seat herself.
Unconsciously, Wen Tong’s heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, on the way, after Wen Tong initially inquired about Shi Jinglan’s car and Shi Jinglan asked a couple of questions about her revised proposal, Shi Jinglan closed her eyes as if to rest, saving Wen Tong the embarrassment of finding topics for conversation.
“Gululu…” The sound from her stomach echoed in the relatively quiet space.
Wen Tong had a million “#￥%…” racing through her mind, shooting a glance at Shi Jinglan, hoping she hadn’t heard.
But contrary to her hopes, she saw Shi Jinglan open her dark eyes and, turning her head, gave her a look that was both mocking and amused.
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“Sorry for waking you,” Wen Tong said awkwardly, but tried to appear calm and collected as she responded.
“It’s my fault you missed your meal,” Shi Jinglan said with a smile, her tone friendly.
Wen Tong was momentarily taken aback by her smile, then politely replied, “No, I just forgot to order dinner myself.”
Shi Jinglan didn’t say anything more, and the air quieted down again.
Finally managing to drop this ‘big Buddha’ off at her home, Wen Tong was about to sigh in relief as she saw Shi Jinglan getting out of the car, when suddenly, the woman stopped the motion of closing the car door.
With one hand on the car door, she stood in the enticing night, slightly curling her lips, seemingly casually, she asked Wen Tong: “Are you going to eat?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t eaten either.”
Somehow, Wen Tong’s throat moved. After a moment, she asked Shi Jinglan: “Where is the car parked?”
LP:
“Shi Man suppressed her displeasure and suggested that if Xia Zhijin truly wanted to enter the entertainment industry, she should sign with their own company. At least the Shi family could protect her.
But Xia Zhijin refused. Shi Man was furious.”
In this part, Shi Man just reminded me of a young Yin Bai…