Chapter 20: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (End)
[Mission complete! Time remaining before extraction from this world: 0 days… Extracting from world… 10, 9, 8… Extraction successful!]
Su Mingxiu’s vision was first enveloped in darkness, then countless lights appeared around her, each shimmering with vibrant colors, instinctively drawing her to touch them.
As a cultivator, she had already mastered her mental discipline and shouldn’t be so easily attracted by external objects. But as she observed these spheres of light, she subconsciously moved towards the nearest one—
Until the system’s voice rang out: “These are the three thousand small worlds, but you don’t have the authority to choose which one to enter. Even if you want to enter, you’ll be rejected by the will of these worlds.”
As expected.
As soon as Su Mingxiu reached out, the sphere of light dodged her touch.
She didn’t mind and asked the system: “What’s the next world?”
Thinking about what she had done at the end of the last world, the system couldn’t help but be sarcastic: “Didn’t you choose to break the rules and fall in love with Yu Yinglan? It’s only been a short while since you left, and you’re already thinking about the next world?”
[Watch your wording,] Su Mingxiu responded with a smile. “I didn’t break any rules.”
Even though she had fallen in love with Yu Yinglan.
In the end, Yu Yinglan still lost her.
Thinking of this, if Su Mingxiu had a physical body, she would have pinched the bridge of her nose. She thought she wouldn’t be easily swayed by emotions anymore. But she didn’t know if it was because her soul was incomplete or because she was too fond of Yu Yinglan—
She initially refused to be with her to defy the system and to avoid hurting her.
But in the end, she couldn’t resist.
And she was the one who hurt Yu Yinglan the most.
Remembering how things unfolded in that world, the system couldn’t help but be angry: “You were exploiting a loophole in the rules! Do you know how much your relationship with her has affected the future world line? All of Song Yiran’s scenes were wiped out by your butterfly effect.”
Hearing it mention that scumbag, Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but laugh again:
[Someone who has tasted delicious food wouldn’t want to eat slop.]
[…]
The system couldn’t win against her. After processing for a while, it suddenly shoved the subsequent events of that world into Su Mingxiu’s sea of consciousness. It wanted her to witness Yu Yinglan’s lonely life with her own eyes, as punishment!
Original world.
Three years later.
Forest villa.
After reporting Star Entertainment’s recent performance to Yu Yinglan, Yi Jia saw her sitting in the balcony swing, a glass of red wine and a plate of… mint candies on the table beside her.
She was already used to her friend’s habits, but she remembered something. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but ask: “Today… is the anniversary of that person’s death. Someone has already paid their respects at the cemetery. The Ying family isn’t happy with your indifference, and there are some unfavorable rumors outside—aren’t you going this year either?”
“Hmm.”
Yu Yinglan leaned back in the rattan swing designed for lazy people, her eyes half-closed as she responded.
Yi Jia really couldn’t understand her this time. She remembered a few years ago, when she arrived, she happened to see Yu Yinglan walking out of Su Mingxiu’s room with red eyes. Anyone could tell she was immersed in immense grief and couldn’t extricate herself. Later, she helped Yu Yinglan handle Su Mingxiu’s funeral arrangements.
While accompanying her, Yi Jia saw her silence and, worried that she was suppressing her emotions too much, couldn’t help but say: “Why don’t you cry? Maybe you’ll feel better.”
Yu Yinglan turned to look at her. Her clear, expressive eyes were now dull, like storm clouds gathering, but no rain fell, as if the gloom would never dissipate, as if the city in her heart would never see sunlight again.
That was the first time Yi Jia saw her smile after the incident, but the curve of her lips was pale: “If I cry, will she stay?”
Yi Jia couldn’t answer that question.
She could only watch as her friend seemed to be competing with herself, focusing all her attention on her career, busier than a spinning top. Until Su Mingxiu’s lawyer came to her, reading out Su Mingxiu’s will.
During that time, worried about her state, Yi Jia had been staying by her side. So she also heard the lawyer’s words. When she heard that Su Mingxiu had transferred all her shares in Star Entertainment to Yu Yinglan, she was first surprised, then felt… it was to be expected.
But the person who inherited this vast fortune didn’t seem to care about the numbers. She only asked the lawyer: “Did she leave any other words?”
The lawyer saw the light in her eyes, like a castaway clinging to the last piece of driftwood.
But she was destined to disappoint Yu Yinglan—
Under the other party’s expectant gaze, she shook her head.
So she watched as the light in Yu Yinglan’s eyes gradually dimmed. Even though this lawyer had seen all sorts of storms, she had to admit that she had no resistance to this former darling of the screen.
She tried to explain:
“This will was made a long time ago.”
“I remember that year, you hadn’t even made it onto the Superstar List. Maybe your relationship wasn’t that deep back then, so she didn’t leave any words.”
The time from Su Mingxiu’s illness to her passing was too short. The lawyer thought, perhaps that was why Su Mingxiu hadn’t had time to call her over to add anything to the will.
“Ah?” This time, Yi Jia was the first to be shocked.
Thinking about how her friend had been tossed that contract by Su Mingxiu, the years she had suffered, she couldn’t imagine what kind of mood Su Mingxiu was in to have decided to leave everything to Yu Yinglan so early on.
…Did she already like her that long ago?
But how many people in the world would do what Su Mingxiu did, digging a pit for their loved one to fall into?
As Yi Jia thought about it, she decided that she didn’t want to experience the bitterness of this kind of love.
Yu Yinglan held the inheritance agreement in her hand. After a while, she placed the document on the table, a complicated smile appearing on her face. Looking at the empty office, she murmured to herself: “I still don’t understand you…”
She didn’t understand before, thinking that as long as she was obedient, she could stay by Su Mingxiu’s side forever.
Later, she thought she understood and returned to Su Mingxiu’s side, but she still couldn’t keep her.
After the lawyer left, Yu Yinglan placed the agreement on her desk and worked overtime in the office until late at night—
She had inherited Su Mingxiu’s insomnia. The nights she used to look forward to now filled her with dread.
So she would either exhaust herself and fall asleep in the office or drive to the beach where they first met, listening to the sound of the waves, looking at the stars in the sky, and staying in the car all night.
That night, Yu Yinglan had the same plan.
But the winding mountain road leading to the beach happened to be occupied by a group of street racers that night. Yu Yinglan was already in a bad state due to her intense work schedule and irregular sleep. As she rounded a bend, a flash of headlights suddenly appeared in her vision, blinding her—
She instinctively turned the steering wheel!
The tires screeched as they rubbed against the asphalt. The lightweight sports car crashed into the mountain wall on the narrow road. As the airbag deployed, Yu Yinglan’s mind was filled with a single thought:
It’s over. Her life is over.
Yu Yinglan closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the expected pain. But even as the sirens of police cars wailed in her ears, she didn’t feel any pain.
When she was pulled out of the driver’s seat, Yu Yinglan realized that she had been miraculously wedged between the airbag and the seat. It was as if a force had shielded her from the impact of the airbag and the front of the car, allowing her to remain safely in her seat without any injuries!
“Wow, there’s a beautiful woman over there! Thankfully, she’s okay!”
“Don’t you think she looks familiar?”
“Ah! Yu Yinglan! My goddess!”
Two wealthy young men got out of another sports car parked by the guardrail. After calling their families to handle the situation and seeing that Yu Yinglan didn’t even have a scratch, they both breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if there had been a fatality, the consequences would have been much more serious.
Seeing Yu Yinglan’s beauty, they exchanged glances and rushed towards her.
But Yu Yinglan, who was being carried onto a stretcher by paramedics, didn’t even glance at them. After answering all the questions and undergoing a preliminary examination, she was told that she was only suffering from shock and mild hypoglycemia.
These words were like wind to Yu Yinglan’s ears.
She heard them, but they didn’t register.
All her attention was on what had just happened, wondering how she had escaped unscathed.
It wasn’t until Yi Jia heard the news and came to pick her up, recounting the harrowing experience along the way and how lucky she was to be alive, that Yu Yinglan finally spoke.
She entered the house silently with Yi Jia and bent down to change her shoes at the entrance.
Someone in a guest room upstairs heard the noise and came out, looking at her nervously. Seeing that she seemed fine, she muttered with feigned displeasure: “So it’s true that bad people live a thousand years?”
This person was Ying Keren.
She had her own home, yet she insisted on staying at the villa every few days. But Yu Yinglan didn’t chase her away, simply ignoring her presence. Now, she glanced at Ying Keren and looked away without responding.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, Ying Keren said to her, “How boring,” and turned back to her room. But before going upstairs, she suddenly dropped a line: “Hey, don’t die so soon.”
To her surprise, Yu Yinglan hummed in agreement and bent down, but she didn’t straighten up for a long time.
Yi Jia, who had walked a few steps ahead, turned around and followed her gaze. She saw the delicate and beautiful sapphire and lace ornament on Yu Yinglan’s ankle, revealed beneath her skirt.
Yi Jia had once been curious about the price of sapphires with such high clarity. After asking around, she had looked at Yu Yinglan with heartache for a while.
But that wasn’t the point now—
She clearly remembered that there were three teardrop-shaped sapphires dangling from the ornament. Every time Yu Yinglan walked barefoot in the house, the sapphires would reflect light onto the tiles, scattering countless shards of light due to their numerous facets. At first glance, it looked like lotus flowers were blooming beneath her feet as she walked.
It was a breathtaking sight.
But now, the largest sapphire had lost its luster and was covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Fine stone powder had been left on the floor as Yu Yinglan walked.
Yu Yinglan reached out, her fingertip hovering over the gemstone, hesitant to touch it, a cautiousness that Yi Jia had never seen before.
A few seconds later.
Yu Yinglan’s fingertip finally touched the sapphire. The moment she made contact, as if it could no longer bear the weight, the gemstone instantly turned into dust, silently falling off the lace.
Yu Yinglan slumped to the floor, looking at the shattered gemstone. Remembering how she had emerged unscathed from the car accident, she took off the lace ornament and stared at the two remaining aquamarine stones, her expression a mixture of unprecedented tenderness and sorrow.
She remembered the scene of Su Mingxiu re-tying this gift, which she had once rejected, onto her ankle.
And those words:
“Don’t lose it again next time.”
The carefully sealed memories were unlocked.
The past unfolded like a scroll, thin as paper, each scene cutting into her heart.
Those voices that she could no longer hear echoed in her ears as if it were yesterday: “There’s no reason to take back a gift I’ve given.”
“Lend me half of your bed.”
“A candy as a reward.”
…
Large tears rolled down her cheeks.
It was the first time Yi Jia had seen her cry since Su Mingxiu’s passing.
Memories were like a painting unfurled, thin as paper, each edge cutting into her heart.
Until Yi Jia left, a figure appeared beside her at some point. The newcomer opened a can of beer and handed it to her: “Here.”
Yu Yinglan heard Ying Keren mutter awkwardly: “Don’t cry.”
She said: “She’ll think I’m bullying you again.”
Two people who had never gotten along, on this night, united by their longing for the same person, put aside their animosity.
The next day, Yu Yinglan had someone adjust the size of the ornament, but she never added another gemstone. Under the moonlight on the villa’s balcony, she kissed this gift from Su Mingxiu reverently and wore it around her neck again.
It was the only unusual piece of jewelry she wore.
But she didn’t care about other people’s opinions.
From that day on, she stopped working herself to death. She ate on time, slept on time, and lived a healthy life.
She no longer did anything that could put herself in danger.
—Because she wanted Su Mingxiu’s gift to stay with her for a little longer.
Her thoughts returned to the present.
Yi Jia shook her head and said to Yu Yinglan with a sigh: “I understand you less and less.”
When her lover passed away, this person was like a tightly wound string, making Yi Jia worry that she would snap at any moment.
But after that night, she seemed to have let go, becoming indifferent to everything, like a gust of wind that could blow away at any time.
For example, now, on her lover’s death anniversary, this person would rather stay at the villa than go to the cemetery, as if she had already forgotten the past.
“Others would polish their loved one’s tombstone until it’s spotless, but you? You should at least put on a show.”
Hearing Yi Jia’s words, Yu Yinglan looked at her with a strange expression, as if she couldn’t understand what she was saying. After a while, she shook her head and a smile appeared on her lips: “She’s not there.”
“Why would I go there?”
How could she not be there?
Yi Jia wanted to check if she had a fever, otherwise, why would she say such nonsensical things?
After speaking, Yu Yinglan looked away. The sky gradually darkened. In recent years, as people interacted more with the other star system, many had turned their attention to space. Both urban governance and the space environment were constantly improving.
There were more stars visible in the sky now.
The starlight fell into Yu Yinglan’s eyes, making them sparkle even brighter.
Seeing this, Yi Jia thought she had completely let go of Su Mingxiu. Thinking of Song Yiran from Baiyao Media and how Star Entertainment, after being taken over by Yu Yinglan, had turned the tables and was now crushing Baiyao Media, she casually brought up the rumors outside: “Do you know, people are saying that Song Yiran has changed his ways. He hasn’t been seen with a new lover for over half a year and clocks in at the company on time every day, all to win against you?”
Yu Yinglan hummed in response and said: “I don’t want to know.”
Seeing that she wasn’t interested in Song Yiran, Yi Jia dropped the topic and changed the subject: “Ahem… then what are your plans for the future?”
“Yi Jia.”
Yu Yinglan looked at the sky seriously, casually pointing at the Milky Way. “If you had once picked the brightest star in the sky, would you still be able to see the light from other stars?”
Yi Jia understood this sentence.
She remained silent for a long time.
Then, she said: “But that star has already extinguished. It can no longer light your way, and its brilliance will soon be forgotten.”
“So what?”
The swing was lifted by the wind, swaying slightly in the air, the connecting chains creaking.
Yu Yinglan sat in the swing, swaying gently with its rhythm. Closing her eyes, she replied with a smile: “As long as I remember.”
She would remember how brilliantly that star had once lit up her life.
She would also remember the warmth of that star falling into her arms.
“But it will be very painful,” Yi Jia said.
Yu Yinglan suddenly reached out and pushed the plate of mint candies in front of her towards Yi Jia. It was rare for her to be so generous. Yi Jia tentatively took one.
She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth, but she found that it tasted no different from the ones she had eaten before.
Seeing her confusion, Yu Yinglan raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. She unwrapped a mint candy and put it in her mouth: “Some candies, even if you’ve only tasted one—”
“The sweetness is enough to offset all the bitterness of the rest of your life.”
In the vast expanse of space.
The system was about to speak when another voice stopped it.
[Shh.]
[I’m looking at my rose.]
Leave a Reply to marvie2 Cancel reply