Chapter 15: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (15)
[The betting agreement has taken effect. Congratulations to the host for completing the mission “Make the protagonist owe a debt a thousand times greater than the original and lose everything.” All mission requirements for this world have been fulfilled.]
[After the protagonist rises again, the world detachment countdown will begin—]
Not long after shopping with Ying Keren, Su Mingxiu woke up to the system’s notification, its voice filled with unconcealed joy. It even sounded generous, like a boss who had been exploiting his employees finally had a change of heart:
[Without disrupting the subsequent plot or engaging in OOC behavior, you can have a pleasant vacation.]
But hearing these words, Su Mingxiu, thinking about her remaining three months of slow death, felt like the system was just fattening her up for the slaughter.
She raised her hand and yawned, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She chuckled to herself in the bedroom early in the morning: “Oh? You’re not forcing me to start a relationship with her anymore?”
The system remained silent for a few seconds, maintaining its optimistic tone: “Feelings can’t be forced. As long as you complete the mission well, that’s all that matters.”
Is that so?
Su Mingxiu’s eyes flickered. She stopped trying to pry into the system’s motives, lifted the quilt, sat up from the bed, and slowly walked towards the bathroom.
Even though she had gone to bed at nine o’clock last night, she still felt exhausted when she woke up, as if she hadn’t slept at all.
She was used to it. After washing up, she walked downstairs. As she opened the door, she heard a commotion downstairs:
“So many packages? Does Sister Su go on online shopping sprees like this?”
As the voice trailed off, a slender figure in a thin knit top descended the stairs. Perhaps due to her cold aura, even the faint light reflecting off her ankles seemed to have taken on the cool white tone of the tiles, making Ying Keren, who was looking up, unconsciously lower her voice.
“Go-good morning.”
She subconsciously stood at attention, like she was back in military training, but she was still holding a cardboard box in her arms, looking rather silly.
In fact, Su Mingxiu wasn’t strict with her, but just the artist training schedule, comparable to that of a high school senior preparing for the college entrance exam, was enough to make Ying Keren feel the same awe a bad student would feel towards their homeroom teacher.
Su Mingxiu glanced at the cardboard box in her arms and then at the mountain of packages piled up by the door. “What did you buy?”
Ying Keren: “?”
She said blankly: “Didn’t you buy these? Your name is on the packages.”
Meeting her gaze, Su Mingxiu stopped in front of her thoughtfully. She had the servant bring a box cutter and opened the cardboard box in Ying Keren’s arms. The gift inside was a luxurious silk scarf from a famous brand.
Su Mingxiu glanced at the sender’s information. It only had the address of the brand’s store. She handed the box cutter to Ying Keren and let her open the rest of the boxes.
The girl treated the packages like mystery boxes, not finding it boring at all. She sat on the floor, excitedly opening them one by one. For a while, the first floor of the villa was filled with the sounds of unpacking.
“Wow, this tie clip is so pretty!”
“There’s even a bow tie?”
“The material of this silk tie is so unique. Pairing it with a white shirt would give off a ‘refined scoundrel’ vibe.”
…
Every time Ying Keren opened a package, she would comment on the item inside. Soon, Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, hearing her mutter: “Huh? Why are they all neck accessories?”
The girl subconsciously touched her neck, and as if realizing something, her eyes lit up as she looked at Su Mingxiu: “Are you buying me so many similar items to comfort me because I accidentally lost the tie clip the other day? Sister, you’re too good to me!”
Su Mingxiu ignored her exaggerated display of affection and focused on the key point of her question: “What tie clip?”
Ying Keren raised her hand and gestured: “The one you paired with the tie you gave me when we went shopping last time. I wore it out the other day and somehow lost it.” She pouted. “That tie clip was so beautiful, but the store was out of stock. I’m still waiting for the manager to order it for me.”
Hearing this, she also belatedly realized that Su Mingxiu’s reaction didn’t seem like she was giving her a surprise. She couldn’t help but ask hesitantly: “These… you didn’t buy them?”
Su Mingxiu didn’t hesitate. She smiled faintly at Ying Keren and said generously: “If you like them, I’ll give them all to you.”
But hearing that the gifts weren’t from Su Mingxiu, Ying Keren lost interest. She put down the box cutter, clapped her hands, and said unenthusiastically: “Forget it.”
“I only like the tie clip you gave me. No matter how good these are, they’re just substitutes.”
With her poor sleep quality and lack of interest in most things, Su Mingxiu shifted her focus to training Ying Keren. The niece, who Ying Song complained was extremely difficult and troublesome, became a docile lamb in less than half a month under her guidance.
However, Su Mingxiu didn’t restrict her too much. Seeing her self-discipline, she would occasionally give her small gifts as rewards.
Ying Keren was always overjoyed to receive gifts from her. Not only would she take pictures and post them on her social media, but she also created a group chat and invited her friends every time she received a new gift, showing off in front of them like a peacock spreading its feathers.
But this pride didn’t last long—
One afternoon, Su Mingxiu was soaking in the hot spring in the garden downstairs, an old-fashioned radio playing beside her, listening to the host tell horror stories in a monotonous voice to help her sleep.
The water was warm, and mist lingered in the air. She had finally managed to cultivate a bit of drowsiness when she heard the sound of the living room door slamming shut in the distance. She could vaguely hear Ying Keren’s angry voice.
By the hot spring, she slowly opened her eyes, her sigh melting into the warm mist. She slowly got out of the water and was tying her bathrobe belt when the noisy little one came rushing towards her.
“Who upset you?”
She asked in a gentle tone.
But Ying Keren’s eyes were red, and she threw herself into Su Mingxiu’s arms. However, Su Mingxiu stopped her with a finger to her forehead. Ying Keren had to stop reluctantly and complained: “I’ve been so unlucky lately! I’ve prayed at all the temples in and out of the city, but nothing works!”
“Hmm?”
Hearing her confusion, Ying Keren raised her wrist to show her. The star and moon bracelet she had been wearing before going out was now missing the moon, only the star remained. The owner of the bracelet stomped her foot and said angrily: “This is the fourth one that’s broken!”
Although Su Mingxiu was generous with her, Ying Keren still cherished everything she gave her, especially these rewards she had earned through hard work and exams. She wanted everyone to know how much Su Mingxiu favored her.
However!
Starting with the tie clip that she had inexplicably lost, it was like she was cursed. Every time she went out wearing a gift from Su Mingxiu, it would either be lost or accidentally damaged by passersby.
But the people who damaged her jewelry were all ordinary, leaving no trace of a conspiracy. Now Ying Keren could only attribute it to bad luck.
But it was always the gifts Su Mingxiu gave her that were damaged. Wasn’t this bad luck too specific?
Ying Keren was so angry that she almost cried. Finally, she raised her hand and swore to Su Mingxiu: “Next time you give me something, I’ll buy a safe and lock it up, I’ll never wear it out again, sob sob!”
Su Mingxiu’s palm was still slightly damp. She gently stroked Ying Keren’s head to comfort her, then led her towards the living room and instructed the kitchen to prepare a plate of lotus flower cake.
The hearts of young people are fickle and easily appeased. After eating the hot and sweet pastry, Ying Keren forgot about her bad mood over the damaged gift. She leaned back on the sofa contentedly and ordered the servant to make a pot of seasonal fruit tea.
The next day.
The first floor of the villa was once again filled with packages early in the morning.
Su Mingxiu’s sleep was even lighter, the dark circles under her eyes more prominent than before. She went downstairs and saw Ying Keren already holding the box cutter. She nodded at her: “Go ahead.”
Ying Keren was even faster this time, as if she had already guessed something. She attacked the boxes with a vengeance, crushing them with her force. Soon, the contents of the boxes were exposed to the air—
It was a trendy bracelet.
Tossing the jewelry box aside, Ying Keren moved on to the next one, one, two… ten boxes in a row, each containing different jewelry. But the common point was that they all overlapped with the types of gifts Su Mingxiu had given her before.
Even a fool could tell that this was no coincidence.
Ying Keren threw the box cutter to the floor and started rolling up her sleeves, veins throbbing on her forehead: “Which bastard is deliberately messing with me? I thought it was just bad luck yesterday, but it turns out it was all a conspiracy! Don’t let me catch that jerk, or I’ll skin him alive!”
Damaging the gifts Sister Su gave her and then sending so many similar items as if to apologize, but the recipient was still Su Mingxiu. This was clearly a provocation!
And it was directed at Su Mingxiu!
Thinking of this, Ying Keren looked at Su Mingxiu and said through gritted teeth: “I’ll have someone…”
Before she could finish.
She heard a low chuckle. The person being provoked was leaning against the staircase railing, one hand on her forehead, laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking.
But both the emotion in her laughter and the curve of her lips clearly showed that she was in a very good mood.
A question mark involuntarily appeared on Ying Keren’s forehead.
Seeing Su Mingxiu like this, she subconsciously asked: “Sister, do you know who sent the gifts?”
Su Mingxiu’s laughter subsided, her obsidian eyes still filled with a gentle light. Then, Ying Keren heard her answer in an unprecedentedly doting tone:
“A little puppy.”
Ying Keren: “???”
Su Mingxiu, who had already guessed the answer, glanced at the brand-name gifts scattered on the floor and asked the system in her mind: “Are you sure she’s really in debt?”
After receiving an affirmative answer from the system, she raised her hand and touched her chin, asking Ying Keren: “Do you want to get back at them?”
Ying Keren’s eyes lit up, and she even started cracking her knuckles.
Su Mingxiu quickly gave her the answer: “Go to a store and order a gemstone ring. Remember to post it on your social media, saying it’s a gift from me—”
“I’ll go with you to pick it up on the day it arrives.”
Ying Keren didn’t understand.
But with her own abilities, she couldn’t catch the person who dared to damage her gifts. So, full of doubts, she followed Su Mingxiu’s instructions. When the sales assistant messaged her, politely asking when she would be free to come to the store to see the finished product, she couldn’t wait any longer. Boldly skipping an acting class, she rushed home and urged Su Mingxiu to go out with her.
After arriving at their destination, the sales assistant led them to the VIP area, served them fruit platters and pastries, and knelt beside them, holding the box and introducing the material of the ring to Ying Keren. She spoke softly, asking if she was satisfied with the design and offering to change it if not.
But Ying Keren’s mind wasn’t on this. She looked around and asked Su Mingxiu in a low voice: “Will that person really come?”
Even without the system’s reminder, Su Mingxiu could guess Yu Yinglan’s whereabouts. Hearing this, her smile deepened. She got up and walked out. “You take a look first, I’ll go check out other products.”
Ying Keren looked at her hesitantly, wanting to say something, but in the end, she obediently stayed in the room.
The product manager heard that she also wanted to order a custom piece of jewelry and quickly led her to another room, offering her fruit platters and tea as well. He said slowly: “We have a batch of gemstones with excellent color recently. Please wait a moment, I’ll get the catalog for you.”
Su Mingxiu nodded and picked up the tea beside her, swirling the paper cup in her hand. She took a sip with a smile.
The cup was placed back on the table.
Soft music suddenly started playing in the room, and a heavy sandalwood fragrance filled the air.
Su Mingxiu didn’t resist the drowsiness. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, falling asleep soon after.
The room was surrounded by heavy curtains, blocking any view from the outside, providing a comfortable and private space for VIP guests.
However, at this moment, a figure silently emerged from behind the curtains and quickly walked up to the sleeping Su Mingxiu.
Leaning down, she saw the dark circles under Su Mingxiu’s eyes.
Her jade-white fingertips gently caressed Su Mingxiu’s eyelids, brushing past her long, raven-like lashes. Finding that she hadn’t woken her up, the newcomer gently touched the dark circles under her eyes.
She suddenly smiled silently.
—It turned out that only she could cure her insomnia, no one else could.
But the smile quickly faded, her dark brown eyes turning cold: But what did it matter? Su Mingxiu had still discarded her like a worn-out shoe.
A person who was so cold to herself and others couldn’t be kept with just genuine affection.
[What are you trying to do?]
At this moment, in Su Mingxiu’s mind, the system was shocked by her pretense of sleeping and couldn’t help but raise its voice to question her.
Su Mingxiu smelled the cold mint fragrance, her nerves relaxing. She actually felt a bit sleepy, not even having the energy to answer the system’s question:
[As you can see, I’m improving my sleep quality while on vacation.]
System: [?]
It warned: “Now is not the time for you to be in a relationship! You’re not allowed to touch her!”
Su Mingxiu hummed in response perfunctorily. Feeling the other party holding her hand, she lazily teased the system: “I’m not touching her, she’s the one touching me.”
She thought that since they had finally met, Yu Yinglan would stay by her side for a while longer. But even after her hand was released and the faint mint scent faded away, she didn’t feel any further movements from Yu Yinglan.
The person pretending to nap on the sofa slowly opened her eyes.
The room was still surrounded by heavy curtains, the scent of incense lingering, but the music had stopped.
There wasn’t even a single extra shadow in the room.
Su Mingxiu followed the discomfort on her finger and saw that her previously bare left ring finger now had something wrapped around it. It was…
A ring woven from thorns.
The long, dark thorns were cleverly woven and lay flat against her skin near the base of her finger. But judging from the sharp thorns that pricked her middle and pinky fingers, causing a faint discomfort, it was far from docile.
More importantly.
The thorns looked loose. If she tried to take it off, it wouldn’t be easy to remove, and the thorns that were currently lying flat against her skin would definitely pierce into her flesh. The more she tried to pull it off, the deeper it would dig in.
Su Mingxiu stared at the thorn ring for a while, then chuckled softly. Finally, she sighed with a smile: “She’s really angry.”
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