The Heroine Plays Quite the Game
Afraid? As if!
Would Xu Chun be scared of this delicate little white lotus? What a joke.
Xu Chun forced herself to stay calm and gave a tactful reminder. “We’re still live right now. You’d better watch what you say and do.” Her lashes swept down in tandem, her gaze landing on Yu Sui'an's toes.
Yu Sui'an's gaze skimmed over Xu Chun's faintly reddened earlobes and the thick lashes trembling slightly with unease. It felt as if a cat's paw had brushed lightly against her heart—not painful, just itchy, sending a tingling ripple across the lake of her mind. She... seems a little different from before, Yu Sui'an mused silently. Compared with that old rigid, resolute manner, this Xu Chun seemed to have softened considerably.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when the woman in front of her said coldly, “So I don’t get slandered and cursed out by your fans and netizens again because of your carelessness.”
She said it without leaving Yu Sui'an a shred of dignity. Yu Sui'an froze, staring blankly at the cold, unfeeling woman. Her heart twisted hard for no apparent reason. A rare flicker of panic rose in her. “Sister, it’s not like that. I didn’t—”
Xu Chun cut her off, stepped back half a pace, and brushed right past her. “You don’t need to explain. I’m not interested in your explanations.” After a few steps, she stopped, and as Yu Sui'an's gaze brightened, she said calmly, “Besides, no matter what you say now, it’s already too late.”
Xu Chun grabbed her face mask and headed back to the bathroom. She passed Yu Sui'an, who showed no reaction at all; Xu Chun couldn’t help but glance her way. Yu Sui'an had her head tilted down, exposing the fair skin of her nape. A few stubborn strands had escaped her loosely pinned-up hair and clung to the smooth, delicate curve of her cheek, bringing the little white lotus’s fragile, breakable aura to its absolute peak.
Yu Sui'an's appearance really was deceptive. Even Xu Chun—who knew from the original book what Yu Sui'an was truly like and how calculating she was—felt thoroughly bewitched by her in that moment.
Xu Chun couldn’t help but quicken her steps. As she passed, a faint, delicate fragrance stirred the air. Yu Sui'an couldn’t resist lifting her head; her eyes stayed fixed unblinkingly on Xu Chun’s retreating figure, slowly growing deep and unreadable.
The corridor outside was quiet; Xu Chun didn’t think much of it. Only when she finished up and opened the door did she realize Yu Sui'an had left. Just then, the doorbell rang. Xu Chun walked over and opened it to find He Qingli clutching a stack of books. “Jiang Zhaolie just invited Yu Sui'an out for a walk. I was worried you’d be bored alone in your room, Sister Xu Chun, so I brought some books to pass the time.”
As Xu Chun’s most loyal little fangirl, He Qingli would never let Xu Chun sit alone in her room on a livestreamed show, quietly nursing her sorrow and secretly wiping away tears. “I figure they won’t be back for at least two or three hours, so if you don’t mind, Sister Xu Chun—”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Xu Chun stepped aside and invited He Qingli in. “If you’re keeping me company, won’t your date complain?”
“She wouldn’t dare.” He Qingli’s eyes widened instantly. Then she realized she’d shown her true colors in front of Xu Chun and hastily restored her gentle, demure disguise, continuing to play the part of the world’s sweet-voiced singing genius. “She listens to me about everything now. If she dares complain, I won’t go on a date with her tomorrow.”
Xu Chun caught the scent of gossip and pressed for details. He Qingli shrugged. “It’s nothing much—she’s just got a gentle personality. Whatever anyone says, she says yes, like she doesn’t even know how the word ‘no’ is written.” She couldn’t help frowning. “Sister Xu Chun, she’s so gentle—after the show ends and she leaves me, won’t other people bully her?”
“You say that like she won’t get bullied if she stays with you.” Xu Chun gave her a sidelong look. He Qingli’s face went red and she stamped her foot in exasperation. “Sister Xu Chun!”
“If you’re going to be like that, I’m leaving.” She bared her big teeth in a ferocious grin. “And not only am I leaving, I’m calling Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie back too, so the three of you can sit there glaring at each other like hawks until dawn!”
Xu Chun: “???” What a vicious woman!
“But...” He Qingli looked Xu Chun up and down until Xu Chun started to feel uneasy, then leaned in and lowered her voice. “I’ve got some rope and a little whip in my room. Need them tonight? If you do, I can lend them to you for a few days.”
Xu Chun’s face was one big question mark. “Wait, why would you bring that kind of thing to a show?”
“Isn’t this a dating show?” He Qingli said, brimming with self-righteous confidence. “If I happen to meet someone I like on a dating show, wouldn’t that come in handy?”
Xu Chun was momentarily speechless. “...” What a resourceful little planner.
“Actually, I think you and I are the same kind of person, Sister Xu Chun,” He Qingli went on, baring her teeth excitedly. “Birds of a feather flock together, right? The idol I like has to be the same kind of person as me. I’ve liked you for two whole years, Sister Xu Chun, but before, I always felt my fondness for you was missing something. This time, after joining the show with you and getting to spend time with you up close, I finally know what was missing.”
Xu Chun had a feeling nothing good would come out of He Qingli’s mouth, and sure enough, “It was missing that two-timing scumbag vibe you had when you were bullshitting right in front of Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an earlier!”
She grinned radiantly. Xu Chun couldn’t help but raise a finger to rub her brow. “...”
He Qingli joked around with Xu Chun for quite a while. When she saw it was nearly time for Yu Sui'an to return, she hurriedly handed the stack of books to Xu Chun. “If you and Yu Sui'an have nothing to say tonight, just read these to pass the time.”
Xu Chun caught them reflexively, and then several gaudy, eye-catching, melodramatic titles assaulted her eyes—Big Sister on Top, Little Sister Below; The Domineering Film Empress’s Fierce Love: Woman, Don’t Run; The Pure Secretary Runs Away Pregnant, the Ex Chases His Wife to the Crematorium; The Blackened Younger One, Please Restrain Your Punishment—and other such thunderously cringey angst-ridden romance titles. Xu Chun couldn’t bear to read any further.
She looked up at He Qingli with a complicated expression. “...You actually like reading this stuff?”
He Qingli looked wounded by Xu Chun’s gaze and hastened to defend herself. “Don’t be fooled by the melodramatic titles—the content is actually really good! The ones I picked for you are all gold-medal-list books; the readers who’ve read them could circle the earth ten times over. Really, don’t judge them by their tacky titles—once you finish the content, you’ll see how delicious they are.”
He Qingli almost succeeded in brainwashing Xu Chun. Xu Chun flipped through them casually, then made one last struggle. “But these are all female CEOs...”
“So what? A female CEO chasing her wife to the crematorium is fresh and exciting, isn’t it? There are already so many male CEO stories that everyone’s long since gotten sick of them—otherwise these books wouldn’t be this popular.” He Qingli said conspiratorially, “I’ll let you in on one last tip—the adaptation rights to all these novels have already sold at high prices. They might even get adapted into dramas this year. If you finish the originals early, Sister Xu Chun, you can fight for a role when the time comes.”
“There are very few dramas of this type on the market. If you get in early, Sister Xu Chun, you’re sure to shoot to fame!”
Xu Chun clutched the books, dazed and nearly won over by He Qingli. Once He Qingli left, Xu Chun really had nothing to do. After hesitating for ages, she finally picked out Please Restrain Your Punishment to read. Xu Chun had never imagined she'd be reading a yuri novel inside a yuri novel.
Setting the other books aside, Xu Chun was just about to open the cover when Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie returned. At first, the two looked perfectly natural, but when their gazes both swept over the title of the book in her hands, they suddenly seemed unable to decide what expression to wear. In that awkward stalemate, Xu Chun, as if divinely inspired, read a message in both their eyes—
So this is what you’re into.
Xu Chun: “...”
No, I’m not! I didn’t! Don’t you two let your imaginations run wild!
Xu Chun reflexively tossed the book aside and forced herself to act composed. “You’re back.” But Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie both interpreted her behavior the same way—
She’s guilty. She’s embarrassed.
So when we came back just now, shouldn’t we have knocked first and given her some time to tidy up and hide things?
As the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly awkward, Yu Sui'an spoke softly. “Zhaolie, didn’t you say you had a meeting later?”
Jiang Zhaolie snapped back to reality. It was true she had a meeting to attend, but with Xu Chun openly reading that kind of book, how could she possibly leave Suisui alone with Xu Chun, much less let them sleep together?!
If she went back now, she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly tonight!
Jiang Zhaolie wanted to speak but held back, the frustration choking her. Xu Chun sat in the chair, expressionless. Jiang Zhaolie looked as if Xu Chun were about to do something to Yu Sui'an. Please—she was the heroine of a romance novel, for goodness’ sake. Even if every woman in the world liked other women, there was no way she could possibly be interested, all right? Annoyed by Jiang Zhaolie, Xu Chun couldn’t help but smile faintly and deliberately provoke her. “Zhaolie, you’re so reluctant to go back to your room now... is it because you can’t bear to leave me?”
Jiang Zhaolie: “?”
“In that case, why don’t you just make do here tonight and the three of us sleep together.” Being alone with Yu Sui'an was one scenario; being with Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie was another. One more person made no difference to Xu Chun.
And with Jiang Zhaolie there, Xu Chun would actually feel more at ease. Otherwise, when it was just her and Yu Sui'an, she always felt a little uncertain.
Jiang Zhaolie was genuinely shocked this time: “???” So that’s how wild you are in private?!
The other woman stared at her unblinkingly, and Xu Chun belatedly realized she seemed to have been misunderstood. She looked at Jiang Zhaolie, then at the stack of books He Qingli had kindly delivered, waiting for her attention. “...”
The more she explained, the worse it got.
She was tired. Let it all end.
In the end, Jiang Zhaolie couldn’t resist the temptation of sharing a room, or even a bed, with Yu Sui'an, and agreed with mixed feelings. While Yu Sui'an went in to tidy up, Jiang Zhaolie’s probing gaze landed on Xu Chun, sizing her up from head to toe.
She felt she could no longer quite understand this person.
The old Xu Chun had been utterly devoted to her, but after she rejected Xu Chun once again—sternly—it wasn’t long before news surfaced online that Xu Chun was apparently dating someone. She’d always assumed Xu Chun did it because unrequited love had curdled into spite, and later events proved her guess right. Xu Chun got together with Suisui, yet treated her terribly.
If the system hadn’t accidentally seated her next to Suisui on a flight, and the two hadn’t crossed paths and gradually grown close, she would never have known how much Suisui had suffered at Xu Chun’s hands because of her.
Whether out of guilt or heartache, Jiang Zhaolie began trying every means she could to make it up to Suisui, hoping she could escape Xu Chun soon and heal from the pain. But who’d have thought Xu Chun would only grow worse, until she finally cheated openly and was caught by the media, and the news exploded across the internet. The moment Jiang Zhaolie saw it, she could scarcely imagine how devastated and miserable Suisui must have been.
From that moment on, Jiang Zhaolie resolved to protect Suisui for the rest of her life, never letting her suffer any grievance or harm again. At the same time, she’d prepared herself for Xu Chun to cling to her relentlessly and take frenzied revenge on Suisui. But now things were developing rather differently from what she’d imagined.
After watching Yu Sui'an leave, Xu Chun picked up the book she’d set aside earlier. She was just about to lower her head and read when she inadvertently met Jiang Zhaolie’s dazed gaze, fixed on her with a complicated mix of emotions. Her scalp tightened instantly. “?!”
Xu Chun hastily retreated, on the defensive.
The movement startled Jiang Zhaolie out of her thoughts and stung her. She couldn’t help lowering her voice, and it carried a strange emotion. “Xu Chun, you now... seem to be constantly, deliberately pushing me toward other people.”
Yu Sui'an, who’d come out to fetch something, halted mid-step. Her long lashes veiled all the emotion in her eyes.
Xu Chun was baffled by Jiang Zhaolie’s words. Without stopping to think, she planted one hand on her hip and thrust her other hand out in front of Jiang Zhaolie, palm up, with an arrogant threat. “Jiang Zhaolie, you’d better transfer three million to me right now, immediately, or I’ll tell Yu Sui'an word for word how you want to rekindle things with me!”
Jiang Zhaolie’s faint flicker of emotion vanished instantly. “...”
Why don’t you just go rob a bank?!