Category: After I Abandoned the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 23: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (3) p2

***

Midnight.

The night watchman’s voice echoed through the streets and alleys, and the entire town fell silent, except for the bustling red-light district.

At this moment, a slender figure lay by the side of an alley, pale and exhausted. But when she looked at the shadow beside her, there was no resentment or hatred in her eyes. She only replied earnestly: “Master, I… finished running.”

Su Mingxiu estimated that the poison had been mostly expelled. She originally wanted to take Gui Mian directly back to Mount Lingyu, but Gui Mian never complained about hardship. Seeing her face so pale and miserable, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Unfamiliar with the town, she grabbed Gui Mian’s collar and chose a nearby inn.

However, as she walked past the courtesans and followed the attendant into the room, she was immediately blinded by the countless red threads hanging from the beams, crisscrossing the entire room.

At first glance, Su Mingxiu thought she had fallen into a ball of yarn.

The attendant chuckled behind her fan, meeting Su Mingxiu’s cold gaze, and explained with a smile: “Oh, these were left by the previous guest. That guest had some rather unique preferences. If you don’t like them, I’ll have someone remove them.”

Su Mingxiu stared at Gui Mian in her hand, her expression impassive as she considered whether her current frail body could withstand a night of freezing temperatures on the icy peak of Mount Lingyu.

The conclusion was no.

So she coldly refused the attendant’s offer. After closing the door, she was about to raise her hand and burn the red threads to ashes, but before she could do so, Gui Mian, who had just been put down, took a step forward and fell onto the tangled mess of threads. Like a fly caught in a spiderweb, she spread her limbs, perfectly supported by the threads.

As if finding support meant she no longer had to walk to the bed herself, Gui Mian rolled over, half-leaning on the chaotic red threads in mid-air. Facing Su Mingxiu, she asked curiously: “Master, what is this?”

Because she didn’t understand love or desire, she was curious about everything in the human world. It was as if she believed that if she learned and imitated enough, she could become like any other normal person, laughing when she should laugh, crying when she should cry.

Su Mingxiu, with her high cultivation level, didn’t need to practice like mortals. Now, seeing Gui Mian ignoring the bed and fiddling with the red threads, her slender, white wrists and ankles marked by the threads, she subconsciously closed her eyes, exhaled a turbid breath, and said softly: “Filthy things.”

She said: “Stay away from them.”

Gui Mian trusted her words completely. Hearing that they were filthy, she gathered her strength and moved away, walking weakly to the door. She opened the door and instructed someone to bring in water, wanting to wash herself clean after touching those filthy things.

The sound of water trickling in the room, coming from behind the screen, disturbed Su Mingxiu’s cultivation.

The original owner’s meridians still bore the scars from her tribulation, as if the celestial lightning had taken root and sprouted within her bones. Every time she channeled spiritual energy and circulated it through her body, the residual injuries would be aggravated.

Every time she cultivated, she had to endure the pain of countless wounds being torn open and then healing again. Only after being washed by spiritual energy thousands of times would the agonizing pain slightly subside.

So she set up a barrier around her, blocking all outside sounds, and focused on her cultivation.

Until midnight, when the moonlight streamed in through the window.

The person sitting on the wooden chair opened her eyes slightly. As she exhaled, she saw a pair of focused eyes staring at her from outside the barrier. She was stunned for a moment, then came back to her senses, dispelled the barrier, and asked: “What is it?”

Gui Mian, who had been fighting sleepiness for hours, looked at her with her black eyes, her face pressed against the table, and replied in a soft voice: “My senior sisters said…”

“If there’s a barrier, it means the person inside needs to be protected.”

Su Mingxiu’s eyelashes trembled.

Her throat moved. She suddenly wanted to reach out and touch Gui Mian’s neck, asking why her voice was so hoarse, as if it had been injured.

But thinking of the system in her mind, she only lowered her eyelids and replied coldly: “I don’t need your protection.”

Gui Mian took all her words as gospel and nodded obediently. “Oh, I’ll remember that.”

After a pause, she said: “I won’t do that next time, Master, don’t be angry.”

Gui Mian also remembered that her senior sisters had said that if their words were refuted by their masters, it meant they lacked understanding and had misinterpreted the meaning. And masters who discovered they had taken in stupid disciples would be angry.

“I…”

Su Mingxiu wanted to say that she wasn’t angry, but thinking about how Gui Mian currently lacked any understanding of emotions and desires, she figured the little one wouldn’t be able to tell even if she said it. So, in a rare moment, she started to speak but didn’t finish.

Her eyes fell on the person who was so sleepy that she couldn’t even lift her head from the table. After a while, she urged softly: “Aren’t you going to rest?”

Gui Mian rubbed her eyes, got up from the table, and scratched the wounds she had gotten during the day. The wounds under her clothes had quickly scabbed over but were very itchy.

With a large movement, a ball of red thread accidentally fell from her sleeve. Gui Mian followed the movement and looked at the table. Suddenly remembering something, she picked up the red thread and handed it to Su Mingxiu.

Her tone was as earnest as ever: “I just told them that those were dirty and asked them to replace them with new ones.”

Then, she asked Su Mingxiu cautiously: “Master, how do you use the new ones?”

The little girl innocently treated this thing as a human necessity, her persistent questioning giving Su Mingxiu a rare headache.

Faced with such pure innocence, she couldn’t utter a single word of those indecent explanations.

She looked at the red thread for a while, then finally took it from Gui Mian. Her slender, white fingers casually tied a knot at both ends, then stretched the thread out. With a flick of her wrist, she created a beautiful string figure.

The little girl sitting across from her watched intently, thinking it was some important cultivation technique, trying her best to memorize it.

A moment later, she recreated the same string figure with the red thread that Su Mingxiu had returned to her, her eager gaze seeking approval.

Su Mingxiu: “…”

For some inexplicable reason, she reached out and took the string figure, then, using countless variations, she actually spent the entire night making string figures with Gui Mian in the room.

The next day at noon.

The red-light district was exceptionally quiet, while the market outside was bustling with the cries of vendors.

Su Mingxiu estimated that Gui Mian had gotten enough sleep before waking her up, preparing to leave the town and return to Mount Lingyu.

The little girl yawned, her head drooping as she followed behind Su Mingxiu. She didn’t forget to bring the red thread from last night. Afraid of losing it in her pocket and not having a money pouch, she thought for a moment and tied it around her wrist.

Now, that faintly visible wrist caught the eye of the attendant from last night.

The woman, who was also drowsy, was startled awake and looked at Su Mingxiu’s back in astonishment. Then, she looked at Gui Mian, who was still sleepy and yawning, her eyes filled with disapproval:

To think that such a beastly woman exists in this world.

Looking so immortal, she must be cultivating some evil technique!

She was experienced and knew that there were also those who found pleasure between women. But the child following her didn’t look very old. Last night, a whole room of red threads wasn’t enough, and she even asked for another bundle.

And they had been at it until the sun was high in the sky!

That was bad enough, but now she even let the child wear the evidence…

Tsk.

She glanced at Su Mingxiu’s profile again and thought, It’s true that the more beautiful a woman is, the more poisonous her heart.

Bah!

A wolf in sheep’s clothing!

Chapter 23: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (3) p1

Su Mingxiu’s eyes widened slightly.

The scent of cumin roasting over fire reached her nose. Seeing Gui Mian flapping her limbs, preparing to roll around on the willow branch to marinate herself more evenly, she finally couldn’t help but speak again: “Stop fooling around!”

Her cold voice stopped the little girl’s movements.

Gui Mian couldn’t discern her emotions and thought she was angry, so she immediately froze. However, the porcelain jar in her hand was still tilted, and the aroma in the room intensified, the scent of cumin and pepper almost clinging to Su Mingxiu’s robes.

Because Gui Mian had been too preoccupied with the succubus’s tricks earlier, she hadn’t set up a barrier. Now, a voice came from outside, someone drunkenly shouting: “Go check next door, what are they roasting? It smells so good!”

The errand boy from the theater, following the order, reached the room and thought with confusion, he remembered that this room had no guests, could it be a thief?

With this thought in mind, the boy pushed open the door without hesitation. He was met with a frosty face standing by the carved window, a fire burning in front of her, and… a person roasting above the flames.

The boy stumbled back in fright. At first, he was stunned by the beauty with her icy skin and jade-like bones, thinking he had seen a celestial being descend to the mortal world. But then he saw that the person being roasted was clearly human, and he realized that this was no celestial being, but some kind of mountain spirit or monster.

His heel hit the threshold, and the distinguished guest next door was still urging him to name the delicious aroma. Hearing the voice, his pupils constricted, and he said with a dry throat: “They are roasting, roasting… roasting…”

Roasting a person!

Su Mingxiu’s brow twitched slightly. She instantly cast a spell on the errand boy, making his mind go blank, and he fainted without a sound.

Then, a faint mist rose outside the room, obscuring the vision of any mortals passing by. Even the drunken man who had been clamoring for food from next door instantly forgot what he had been doing.

Drip, drip.

Sweat mixed with poison dripped into the fire. Gui Mian, hanging from the willow branch, gradually felt her spiritual energy depleting, her body drying up. Like a newborn puppy exhausted under the summer sun, she stuck out her tongue weakly.

“Master…” she asked in a slurred voice, “Am I not cooked yet?”

“Uh…” Su Mingxiu was rendered speechless by her question.

She looked at the little girl roasting above the fire with a complicated expression. Those clear and innocent eyes staring at her made it easy for one to feel trusted. She had to look away, thinking about the symptoms of the succubus love poison. She asked coldly: “Are you hot?”

Gui Mian nodded eagerly, thinking that this would make Su Mingxiu let her down.

After a while, the person who asked the question muttered about her own foolishness. She dispelled the flames with a spell, loosened the willow branch, and summoned the teacups and teapot from the nearby table, suspending them in front of Gui Mian.

The girl, released from her restraints, had messy clothes and black marks on her face, but she didn’t seem to care. She touched her face and, at Su Mingxiu’s gesture, picked up a teacup and gulped down the water in one go.

Then, a cool breeze was summoned from outside, swirling around her, instantly soothing the heat in her body. Only her face remained flushed.

“Still hot?”

Her master asked again, her words concise.

Gui Mian thought carefully, raised her hand, and compared it to her little finger. “Still this… hot.”

So.

Su Mingxiu flicked her finger, using the willow branch she had picked by the moat earlier to wrap around Gui Mian’s waist. In the next instant, the little girl was lifted and thrown out the window—

“Run three laps around the town.”

Su Mingxiu said ruthlessly.

Chapter 22 p2: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (2) 

Mount Lingyu.

To preserve the ten-thousand-year-old black ice, the peak of this mountain was perpetually covered in snow and ice, never seeing spring. Su Mingxiu stood in front of her cave abode, staring at the white frost outside, lost in thought.

The system, unable to bear the silence, started seeking attention again: “Don’t you like this face? Seeing so many people bullying her, why don’t you take her under your protection? If you’re just doing this to defy me, watching someone suffer just to spite me, then you’re being too childish.”

Su Mingxiu stared at the frozen lake in front of her, thinking regretfully that this place was truly harsh. Even if she brought roses from the Western Regions, they probably wouldn’t survive. What should she plant here?

She rummaged through the original owner’s storage pouch. According to the world setting, the Jade Elder always carried various treasures from heaven and earth to experiment with different ancient recipes in order to resurrect her beloved—

Soon, she found a few lotus seeds.

But the original owner didn’t seem to care much about them and hadn’t left any related memories. Su Mingxiu could only try her luck. She extravagantly used her spiritual power to melt the frozen lake and then nurtured the lotus seeds. Only after they sprouted did she place them in the lake.

The system asked again.

[Don’t you want to complete the mission anymore? Fine, in the end, it’s you, not me, who will have your soul shattered and scattered.]

“You’re right,” Su Mingxiu continued to pour spiritual energy into the frozen lake. Seeing a green leaf tremblingly emerging from a lotus seed, she replied slowly, “I have to complete the mission and survive.”

She sounded as if she had suddenly seen the light.

But the system felt a sense of alarm. The last time Su Mingxiu had been so obedient, she had ended up giving it a big surprise.

So this time, it was skeptical and decided to strike first.

Three days later, at night.

As Su Mingxiu was cultivating by the frozen lake, she heard a voice in her mind: “The female protagonist has been poisoned by a succubus’s love poison. Please arrive within one hour and detoxify her. Failure penalty: Endure the pain of five thunderbolts striking your body for two hours.”

Just hearing the words “succubus” and “love poison,” Su Mingxiu had a bad feeling. When she learned from the original owner’s memories what this thing was, she cursed inwardly and instantly arrived hundreds of miles away from the Sword Sect using a teleportation technique.

Succubus love poison, as time passed after being poisoned, the victim would initially feel nothing and could expel it with spiritual power. But later, their body would burn with insatiable desire, and the poison could only be expelled through bodily fluids. Moreover, anyone who came into contact with the victim’s bodily fluids would also be infected with the love poison, binding the two together physically.

This damn system, seeing that she had no feelings for Gui Mian, wanted to force lust upon her.

A forced marriage scenario, is that it?

Su Mingxiu narrowed her eyes. When she arrived at her destination, she found it was a bustling town.

Inner disciples of the Sword Sect had to descend the mountain every month to slay demons and monsters for the common people, both to train themselves and to uphold righteousness.

Today, Gui Mian had accepted such a mission. However, the mission request clearly stated “fox demon.” When she arrived, she discovered it was a much more powerful succubus. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any demon-slaying talismans on her and was now being played around by the demon.

When Su Mingxiu arrived, the demon was using the heavy fragrance of the theater to mask its aura, secretly laughing in the shadows.

But its gloating didn’t last long—

A flying sword pierced through its body. It looked down, the smile on its lips still lingering, and saw its body gradually dissipating.

Then, a sword intent soared into the sky, emitting a dazzling light in the night sky. Cultivators who saw this sword light all avoided the town, for it was a sign that a powerful being had taken temporary control of the area.

Gui Mian, who was still cautiously guarding against the succubus’s attacks, suddenly saw an ink-colored figure appear before her.

She looked closely and realized it was her master.

After seemingly pondering for two seconds, she drew the new sword she had just bought from the market and charged towards Su Mingxiu. Naturally, the moment the sword got close, it broke with a clang.

Staring at the broken sword, Gui Mian thought blankly, was this really her master?

Before she could figure out why she had seen her master twice in such a short time, a thin willow branch landed on the back of her neck. She shivered from the cold and was suddenly lifted horizontally. Her clothes tightened around her neck as the willow branch, bending slightly, supported her weight, suspending her from a beam. Gui Mian’s limbs dangled in the air, her feet unable to reach the floor.

“Eh?”

She let out a confused sound and looked up at Su Mingxiu. However, in the next moment, a burst of flames erupted on the floor in front of her.

The scorching heat washed over her.

Even though there was still some distance between her and the flames, the heat was unbearable. Even with her spiritual power, she felt the burn.

Gui Mian stared blankly at the fire roasting her, then at the willow branch that had been strengthened by a spell, her forehead quickly breaking out in sweat.

But she still raised her head with effort and said earnestly to Su Mingxiu: “Master, I don’t taste good.”

Her voice, scorched by the fire, became even hoarser.

Su Mingxiu stood by the window, her dark eyes reflecting the firelight beneath Gui Mian. She saw the sweat on Gui Mian’s body increasing, the poisonous droplets falling into the flames, sizzling.

In no time, Gui Mian was wilting from the heat. Seeing her master remain silent, unable to decipher her thoughts, she remembered what people said, “A teacher for a day is a father for life.” So she moved her hand and started searching for something inside her clothes.

Su Mingxiu frowned as she saw Gui Mian almost licked by the flames. “Don’t move.”

The scolded disciple shrank back, watching sadly as a few copper coins fell into the flames. Then, she looked at Su Mingxiu with pleading eyes, showing her a jar in her palm. She opened the jar, and a strange aroma of spices wafted out.

The next moment.

She poured the spices over herself and said weakly to Su Mingxiu: “This way…”

“I’ll taste better.”

Chapter 22 p1: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (2)

Sword Sect, Platform of Enlightenment.

This was the place where inner disciples of the Sword Sect practiced their swordsmanship daily. Located on the peak of Sword Mountain, it was built by the founding patriarch of the Sword Sect using a piece of the ancient divine artifact, the Sky-Mending Stone, to forge a simple stone platform on the steep peak. The center of the Platform of Enlightenment was a towering peak that emerged from the broken stone platform, surrounded by a circular platform.

The Platform of Enlightenment appeared vast, but it wasn’t. The howling mountain winds blowing up from the bottom of the peak alone could make ordinary disciples tremble in fear.

If one arrived late and only the edge of the platform remained, a moment of carelessness could lead to facing the bottomless abyss below, a true test of one’s mental fortitude.

The Platform of Enlightenment was particularly lively today.

Because Gui Mian, the disciple of the Jade Elder, who possessed an innate sword bone but couldn’t control her spiritual weapon due to her lack of emotions and could only wield an ordinary iron sword, usually practiced early in the morning. But today, she arrived extremely late, leaving very few empty spaces on the platform.

And less than fifteen minutes after she started practicing, she was forced to the edge of the platform by the flying spiritual swords of her fellow disciples.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to that spot, and the murderous intent in their originally fierce sword moves significantly decreased.

A few female disciples gathered nearby, frowning as they saw the slender figure being cornered. The leader was the eldest disciple under the Sword Sect Master, her features exceptionally heroic. She was about to move towards Gui Mian with her sword—

But another person grabbed her wrist, dissuading her: “Senior Sister Qiongying, let it go.”

Qiongying’s furrowed brows didn’t relax. She said coldly: “As fellow disciples, we should care for each other. It’s disgusting to see them bully the weak like this.”

She was referring to the few disciples who were intentionally or unintentionally forcing Gui Mian to the edge of the platform with their swords.

The person who advised her sighed. “It’s not the first time they’ve done this… If Senior Sister intervenes, it will inevitably escalate to the Sect Master, and in the end, it will just become another elders’ competition of protecting their own disciples. It’s fine for others, but our Jade Elder… Even though she has taken disciples, she always lets them fend for themselves and never stands up for them.”

“Even if Senior Sister helps Gui Mian this time, after the elders intervene, they will only be even more ruthless next time. Why bother causing trouble for our Master over such a small matter?”

The person who persuaded her was also a disciple of the Sect Master, sharing the same master as Qiongying. Seeing her about to intervene out of righteousness, she subconsciously analyzed the pros and cons, considering the consequences. Finally, she looked at Gui Mian with a complicated expression and whispered: “As long as… they don’t cause any fatalities.”

Qiongying tightened her grip on her sword hilt. She looked at Gui Mian’s plain clothes and the iron sword with a chipped blade in her hand. It was because of her appearance and behavior, so out of place among the inner disciples of the Sword Sect, that she was ostracized by others.

Thinking about how her own master cherished her disciples and how protective the other peak elders were, the Jade Elder of Mount Lingyu Seemed even more unusual. It was said that she had taken in seven or eight disciples over the past few hundred years. But she only accepted them and didn’t bother raising them, letting them grow like weeds. Even if they perished outside, she never intervened.

—If she didn’t want disciples, why bother accepting them? Why give people hope and then make them despair?

—

Not far away.

Two flying swords, one red and one blue, circled around the slender and thin figure, their blades emitting dazzling light.

But their power was more than just flashy appearances. Judging from Gui Mian’s tattered clothes and the strands of hair scattered on the platform, one could tell how sharp these two spiritual swords were.

“Clang…”

A crisp sound.

Gui Mian, seeing the trajectory of the two swords, drew her sword and blocked one of the incoming attacks.

But this was only a temporary solution. As expected, the moment the blades clashed, her own sword broke in half.

“Tsk, don’t tell me you think that scrap metal in your hand can compare to the treasured sword gifted by my master? Don’t overestimate yourself.”

A figure flew towards them on a sword. As he approached, he half-squatted, one hand on his knee, a wicked smile on his lips, his tone full of disdain.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the other person raised his hand and summoned the red flying sword to his side, echoing his words to Gui Mian: “Stop struggling. Just stand still and let us poke a few holes in you so we can test the power of our swords. Anyway, you’re insensitive and emotionless, you probably don’t even feel pain—we’re all fellow disciples, why don’t you do your seniors a favor?”

The girl, trapped at the edge of the platform by two flying swords, her back half a step away from the cliff, her clothes and hair fluttering in the mountain wind.

But her expression was exceptionally calm. She only tightened her grip on her broken sword, her doe-like eyes meeting theirs, her voice earnest and hoarse: “It hurts.”

She felt the pain from the wounds on her body.

However, the two senior brothers who heard her answer only exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. For a moment, the valley was filled with their echoing laughter.

“Hey, Senior Brother, do you believe her? She actually said she feels pain?”

The one holding the red flying sword leaned towards the other, asking with a chuckle. Without waiting for an answer, he stroked his chin and said to himself: “Anyway, I don’t believe it. Why don’t you let me strike her first? If she doesn’t roll on the ground in pain, I’ll consider it a lie—”

“Take this!”

The spiritual power in the red sword surged, its red glow intensifying. With such a level of charging, it was clear that it couldn’t be blocked with ordinary cultivation. Gui Mian was only at the Qi Refining stage, and she didn’t have any decent protective talismans on her. If she took this attack head-on, she would either die or be half-dead.

Moreover, behind her was the bottomless abyss of Sword Mountain. If a disciple with her level of cultivation fell, she would definitely be shattered to pieces, beyond redemption.

Qiongying, who was watching from the side, had already drawn her sword, determined to stop this nonsense no matter what!

According to her plan, her sword would perfectly intercept the red sword. As for the remaining blue sword, Gui Mian would have to deal with it herself.

But she didn’t expect that as soon as her sword flew out, the red sword suddenly accelerated in mid-air, instantly surpassing the trajectory of her interception.

The disciple standing aside with his hands tucked in his sleeves had anticipated her move. Seeing her miss, he couldn’t help but turn around and give her a smug smile.

“Ah!” Qiongying could only watch helplessly as the two swords charged towards Gui Mian with lightning speed.

The person standing at the edge of the platform also widened her eyes, trying to see the trajectory of the swords clearly. She didn’t retreat, raising the remaining half of her broken sword. Even cornered like this, she showed no sign of yielding.

The junior sister standing beside Qiongying stomped her foot hard, took out the communication bell from her waist, and shouted towards them: “Changqi, Changsheng, if you don’t stop, I’ll immediately report this to Master and let him decide!”

Hearing this, the two were indeed a little nervous, but their flying swords only hesitated for a moment in mid-air before continuing to fly forward. Changqi, standing on his sword, smiled even wider: “So what if you report to the Sect Master?”

“My flying sword is so fast, I can still catch her before she falls off the cliff—”

“Qiongying, don’t interfere.” At the same time.

A voice filled with urgency, but only one person could hear it:

[Host, please rescue the female protagonist on the Platform of Enlightenment within fifteen minutes! Failure penalty: Endure sixty-four bolts of celestial lightning within one hour.]

Su Mingxiu stood in front of her cave abode on Mount Lingyu, listening to the system’s fifth urging with an impassive expression.

This was the punishment for the five OOC points she had accumulated in the last world… In this world, to prevent her from exploiting loopholes, the system had not only issued an ultimate mission but also daily missions with penalties for failure.

It was conceivable that even if Su Mingxiu didn’t want to use Gui Mian, she might not have a choice now.

Soon, a strong wind blew across the Platform of Enlightenment, even stronger than the howling mountain wind, even swirling the clouds and mist in the valley.

All the disciples couldn’t help but close their eyes. When they opened them again, they saw a figure with an immortal air and a cold and elegant demeanor standing in front of Gui Mian.

The ink-colored robe swayed slightly in the wind, the shades of black, grey, and white flowing on the fabric as if alive. Those who stared at it felt a wave of dizziness, only to be awakened by two crisp “clangs.”

Two faint lights flashed and extinguished. The two previously powerful flying swords were now reduced to fragments, falling at the newcomer’s feet.

This sudden turn of events plunged the Platform of Enlightenment into silence.

The two senior brothers, Changqi and Changsheng, one landed on his sword in shock, the other subconsciously took two steps back, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Only a slightly hoarse voice came from behind them, calm and respectful: “Disciple greets Master.”

Then, Qiongying was the first to recover. She bowed and said: “Greetings, Elder Lingyu.”

The others woke up as if from a dream and followed suit, their voices echoing throughout the Sword Mountain valley.

The two disciples who had fallen also scrambled to their feet, their palms sweating coldly as they lowered their heads. They had never imagined the day when the Jade Elder would stand up for Gui Mian.

After all, everyone in the Sword Sect knew that the disciples of Mount Lingyu had the lowest status. Because the master of that mountain never cared about her disciples, making their lives worse than even outer disciples.

—Why had the Jade Elder changed her character today?

They stared at the shattered spiritual swords at her feet, their hearts filled with both pain and fear. After standing there for less than a moment, their bodies began to tremble.

But the person who had destroyed the swords didn’t even glance at them. Instead, she turned around and saw Gui Mian kneeling on the ground, her posture respectful. Her gaze swept over Gui Mian’s tattered clothes and the broken sword hilt in her hand. Su Mingxiu’s eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips.

After a while, she said softly: “Oh, it’s you.”

As if it took her a lot of effort to recognize the disciple she had taken in over ten years ago, dressed in rags like a beggar, thin as a bean sprout.

Everyone present was a cultivator, their senses sharp. No one missed her simple words.

Many secretly wiped the sweat from their foreheads and let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it seemed that the Jade Elder wasn’t standing up for Gui Mian. Otherwise, even those who were just watching the show would be implicated.

Then, some disciples remembered that today was a special day on the Platform of Enlightenment. The Sword Sect had some unwritten rules. For example, to help inner disciples improve their swordsmanship, the elders of each peak would take turns overseeing the platform. The nameplate would be changed every hundred years, and during their tenure, disciples were allowed to challenge them—

Today happened to be the day for changing the supervising elder.

Sure enough, the Jade Elder soon formed a sword seal with her hand. Sword energy shot towards the towering black mountain rock in the center of the platform, creating a metallic clang. A golden light suddenly emerged from the black rock, absorbing the sword energy and transforming into the characters “Lingyu” in seal script before disappearing back into the rock.

For the next hundred years, any disciple who wanted to challenge the Jade Elder could simply strike the rock with their sword to schedule a duel.

After changing the nameplate, Su Mingxiu disappeared from the platform, not even glancing at Gui Mian again, as if she had never been there. Only the shattered fragments of the flying sword that had accidentally hit her robe remained as evidence.

The pressure that had been weighing down on the Platform of Enlightenment disappeared, and the disciples raised their sweaty heads. Qiongying looked at Gui Mian with a complicated expression, as if wanting to comfort her, but ultimately remained silent.

She felt that she had been overthinking it. This Jade Elder was still the same as before, cold and unfeeling.

Chapter 21: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (1)

Su Mingxiu was unceremoniously thrown into a new world by the impatient system.

The moment she opened her eyes, she felt a bone-chilling coldness, followed by a flurry of white falling from her eyelashes, landing on her eyes, then melting away from her warmth, leaving only faint traces of moisture.

As far as she could see, there was a massive block of black ice.

Wisps of materialized coldness emanated from the black ice, swirling into white mist on the ground. The ground and ceiling, in contact with the ice, were all connected by this icy blue.

Just standing this close and breathing caused her warm breath to instantly turn into frost, covering her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes in a frosty white.

But her body seemed to have gotten used to this coldness. Even with the chill seeping into her lungs, she didn’t move an inch.

Instead, she used the ice surface as a mirror, catching a glimpse of her own reflection.

The figure was dressed in a long robe with grey ink strokes, the shades of black bold and unrestrained, reflecting the cold and aloof aura of the wearer. But there was a lingering melancholy between her brows, making her look…

Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but lean closer, as if trying to find the difference between her appearance in this world and the last.

As she moved, the shadow cast on the black ice gradually became clearer. At the same time, Su Mingxiu noticed another person seemingly frozen deep within the ice—

Before she could get a clear look, a familiar voice connected in her mind.

[Host deployment successful… Loading world storyline…]

Countless pieces of information flooded into Su Mingxiu’s mind once again.

This world was surprisingly similar to her place of origin, also a small cultivation world. However, starting a thousand years ago, the world gradually lost its vitality, and spiritual energy became scarce. No one in this world could open the Ascension Ladder anymore.

A rumor was widely circulated in the cultivation world, saying that a thousand years ago, after a powerful cultivator ascended, they violated the celestial laws and tainted the bloodline of the immortal race.

Therefore, this world became an abandoned realm of the immortals. For the next thousand years, no matter how talented or brilliant a cultivator was, if they were from this small world, they couldn’t ascend to immortality.

Su Mingxiu, the Jade Elder of the Sword Sect, was recognized as a cultivation genius in the cultivation world. She had reached the Great Ascension stage eight hundred years ago but failed to overcome her tribulation. The celestial lightning destroyed her meridians, causing her cultivation to regress by more than three major cycles and leaving her with a body full of ailments.

Everyone lamented that she was also trapped by the law of this world abandoned by the celestial realm, destined to perish under the rules—

Only she knew the truth behind her failed tribulation.

This Jade Elder, who had cultivated the Heartless Sword Art since childhood, had a secret: she held someone in her heart.

On the eve of her tribulation, Su Mingxiu’s beloved was also facing a breakthrough, a simple advancement from Golden Core to Nascent Soul. It should have been foolproof, but because Su Mingxiu was preparing for her own tribulation, she couldn’t be there to protect her beloved. As a result, her beloved was ambushed by enemies during the tribulation, her cultivation going astray amidst the celestial lightning, her soul almost destroyed.

If it weren’t for Su Mingxiu, who was in seclusion, sensing her beloved’s perilous situation and crossing four continents from thousands of miles away, she would have lost her love that day.

Even so, she was still a step too late.

Her beloved’s soul was damaged. Even though her physical body was only partially destroyed, it was difficult for her to continue on the path of immortality.

Cultivation was about defying the heavens. How could the Jade Elder accept this situation?

During her tribulation, she developed a heart demon and was defeated by it, suffering severe damage to her vital energy.

But she didn’t care. After recuperating for a few days, she left the Sword Sect to slay her enemies. Then, she went to the depths of the northern region and found a piece of black ice that never melted to perfectly preserve her beloved’s body. She also gathered countless treasures from heaven and earth to nourish her beloved’s soul.

Five hundred years passed—

Su Mingxiu finally managed to restore her beloved’s soul but found that her physical body was extremely difficult to recover. No matter how many books and ancient records she consulted, none of the orthodox cultivation methods could save her beloved.

In desperation.

She started searching for unorthodox methods.

Another hundred years passed.

The Jade Elder finally found a recipe: find a baby girl born on the same day, month, and hour as her beloved, with similar spiritual roots. When the girl reaches the Golden Core stage, extract her spiritual roots and Golden Core. With the talent of nine such individuals, even a half-dead old man could become a cultivation genius overnight, let alone repairing a cultivator’s body?

So the next day, the Jade Elder’s cave abode on Mount Lingyu of the Sword Sect opened its doors to accept disciples.

Three hundred years later.

The protagonist of this world, Gui Mian, was the last ingredient the Jade Elder had chosen for her beloved’s recovery.

Gui Mian had an innate sword bone. Since being brought back to Mount Lingyu by Su Mingxiu, she had mastered the first eight levels of the Heartless Sword Art but couldn’t grasp the ninth level.

Moreover, her cultivation had been stuck at the Qi Refining stage, unable to progress.

The Jade Elder knew that Gui Mian’s spiritual roots were chaotic. If she hadn’t stumbled upon the Heartless Sword Art and embarked on the path of cultivation, even if she had been picked up by other sects, she would have only been used for her sword bone and met a tragic end. She hadn’t intended to choose this cultivation waste, but… this Gui Mian looked very similar to her beloved when she was young.

There was another point.

Unlike all other mortals in this world, Gui Mian was born without emotions or desires. Rather than saying she was human, it was more accurate to say she was a lump of human-shaped clay that Nuwa had forgotten to breathe life into after creating her.

Seeing this, the Jade Elder was even more certain that this Gui Mian was destined to be a medicinal ingredient for her beloved.

[Storyline deployed! Ultimate mission released: Teach Gui Mian emotions and desires, help her cultivate to the Golden Core stage, then extract her Golden Core and spiritual roots to rebuild your beloved’s body and meridians.]

Su Mingxiu pressed her finger against her forehead, a nameless anger rising within her. She had a gut feeling.

The system had deliberately chosen a world so similar to her origin, deliberately making her, an upright cultivator, do such a monstrous thing. It seemed like she had really angered it in the last world.

Even so, looking at the block of ten-thousand-year-old black ice in front of her, Su Mingxiu wished she could just slash it with her sword and let this so-called “beloved” become spiritual energy to nourish the world—

“Evil and depraved.”

Her voice was cold, her thin lips parting slightly as she spat out these words, clearly expressing her contempt for the system’s arrangement.

Even if she resurrected the person in this black ice, so what?

To bear such a sin, if she were the Heavenly Dao, she wouldn’t tolerate such evil.

[What do you know about the Heavenly Dao?] As if knowing her thoughts, the system responded indifferently. “You just need to complete your mission. Don’t forget, this is just your mission world. Your righteous indignation won’t do anything to help restore your soul.”

But as soon as its voice fell, a crisp sound rang out.

Su Mingxiu had summoned her natal sword from her spiritual core at some point. With a flick of her finger, the sword hummed, then split into two, then four…

In the blink of an eye, eighty-one identical divine swords appeared in the icy landscape, each pointing towards the block of ten-thousand-year-old black ice.

The system’s furious voice overlapped with the sound of the swords falling:

[No OOC(out of character) behavior allowed!]

“Clang—”

One-third of the black ice was sliced off, and the face of the person sealed inside was now only a thin layer away from the surface.

Su Mingxiu heard the ice crashing against the mountain wall. She shrunk the swords and twirled them around her finger, replying to the system slowly: “After eight hundred years of longing, wanting to see my beloved’s face again, can that be considered OOC…?”

As she spoke, she casually glanced at the beautiful face beneath the ice, wanting to see what kind of person could capture the heart of a Heartless Sword Master.

But as her gaze shifted, the small swords wrapped around her finger trembled as if sensing her intention.

The person beneath the black ice had a face she was all too familiar with.

It was the face of her first love.

And also the face of Yu Yinglan from the last world, a fragility emanating from her even with her eyes closed.

Remembering the world setting where Gui Mian resembled this woman, Su Mingxiu narrowed her eyes, laughing in anger. She lowered her gaze and asked the system:

[Playing the substitute game, are we?]

The system didn’t deny it: “Kill one, save one, love one, you can choose carefully.”

“What if I choose none?” Su Mingxiu asked deliberately.

“Then I’ll choose for you—” The system seemed to have developed a condition called “Su Mingxiu PTSD,” still holding a grudge against her for influencing the plot in the last world. Now, in this world line, it vowed to prevent her from exploiting any loopholes.

It was a monotonous, emotionless mechanical voice, but Su Mingxiu could hear an inexplicable sense of smugness in its words:

[Want to know what kind of impact your 5 OOC points from the last world will have on your mission completion in this world?]

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.]

Chapter 19: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (19)

Yu Yinglan unilaterally reconciled with Su Mingxiu.

She no longer demanded an explanation from Su Mingxiu like she did the night she returned to the villa, wanting to know why the other party had given her that script and that gift together.

For Yu Yinglan, as long as Su Mingxiu stayed by her side like this every day from now on, it was enough.

With this thought in mind, she spent a month with Su Mingxiu, like lovers.

When Su Mingxiu painted, she watched from the side. But somehow, the paint would always end up on her. When Su Mingxiu practiced calligraphy, she would hide the paperweight. When it was found, the redness on her palm would be even more pronounced, and there would be indescribable marks hidden beneath her clothes…

Occasionally, Yu Yinglan would go to the kitchen and learn some cooking skills from the Ying family’s maids. But she immediately set her sights on the difficult Su-style pastries. It was spring, and after spending an afternoon in the kitchen, she declared that she would make Su Mingxiu realize her talent in every aspect.

Su Mingxiu believed her and went to the courtyard to soak in the hot spring while waiting.

When the mist parted and Yu Yinglan arrived with a plate and fruit tea, Su Mingxiu stared at the cracked, multi-colored flatbread on the plate and asked seriously: “What is this?”

Yu Yinglan replied with a straight face: “Lotus flower cake.” Then, she paused for a moment and added, “Abstract style.”

As she wiped her hands, Su Mingxiu recalled the appearance of the lotus flower cakes she had eaten before. She concluded that the color scheme of the cake in front of her did have some similarities with the beautiful, multi-layered pastries in her memory. So she took a bite politely.

As a consequence of eating too many sweets, Yu Yinglan was later pulled into the hot spring by Su Mingxiu and forced to do some exercises that helped with digestion.

They even went shopping together.

When they entered a brand store, they happened to run into Song Yiran, who was buying a bag for his lover. Yu Yinglan noticed that the person standing beside him didn’t seem to be the one who had starred with her in “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers.” Meeting her gaze, Song Yiran felt inexplicably flustered. As he approached them, he said subconsciously: “Uh, it’s not what you think, this is—”

Yu Yinglan looked away with disinterest, cutting him off. Following her gaze to a figure not far away, Song Yiran was clearly shocked, as if witnessing a miracle in the entertainment industry. He even gasped and looked back at Yu Yinglan, as if he couldn’t understand how she had become the first person in history to be discarded and then return to Su Mingxiu’s side.

“You two…”

Originally, Yu Yinglan didn’t want to pay attention to him, but now, noticing his gaze, she suddenly felt like staying there for two more seconds. She cleared her throat and said to Song Yiran in a low voice: “That’s—”

“My girlfriend.”

Without caring about Song Yiran’s reaction, she quickly returned to Su Mingxiu’s side and had the sales assistant bring over all the bags she had looked at earlier, ready to pay.

Su Mingxiu rarely took her eyes off Yu Yinglan. She turned to look at the CEO of Baiyao Media, Song Yiran. He had handsome features and a decent appearance, but judging from his face, he was surrounded by a lot of romantic entanglements.

She couldn’t help but ask: “What were you talking about just now?”

Yu Yinglan rarely saw her inquire about her affairs. So she imitated Su Mingxiu’s usual demeanor and decided to keep her in suspense, drawing out her words: “Oh, he asked me what my relationship with you is now.”

Seeing Su Mingxiu raise an eyebrow, Yu Yinglan replied slowly: “I said I’m your… creditor.”

“Is that so?” Su Mingxiu asked with a smile.

Yu Yinglan looked left and right, avoiding her gaze: “You don’t believe me?”

“It’s up to you.”

Su Mingxiu shook her head helplessly, as if she didn’t care about her position in Yu Yinglan’s eyes.

But her indifference made Yu Yinglan unhappy. She locked her gaze on Su Mingxiu and pressed: “Anything I say goes?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Mingxiu’s expression suddenly changed.

Seeing her change, Yu Yinglan thought she had some objection. But in the next second, she saw Su Mingxiu quickly walk out of the store. Yu Yinglan could only wave to the sales assistant and chase after her: “Su Su!”

As they reached a secluded spot, she saw Su Mingxiu leaning against the wall with one hand, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Yu Yinglan’s expression immediately turned grim. As she took out her phone to call the nearest hospital, she misdialed several times before finally connecting the call. Halfway through giving the address, her wrist was grabbed.

Su Mingxiu shook her head at her. “No need.”

But the usually obedient woman raised her voice, saying sternly: “You have to listen to me this time!”

After a long silence, Su Mingxiu sighed and let go of her wrist in resignation.

But the results of the hospital examination only made Yu Yinglan’s mood worse.

Looking at the report, she couldn’t understand how someone who was so healthy before could suddenly be diagnosed with a serious illness, a late-stage illness with a very low cure rate.

Su Mingxiu was standing behind her, also seeing the results of the report.

It turned out that even the system’s arrangements had to follow the objective laws of the world. It wasn’t like in those fantasy novels where spirits could claim a person’s soul in an instant.

Looking at Yu Yinglan’s back, she regretted for the first time, wondering if she should have driven her away completely the day she returned to the villa. Perhaps not starting anything from the beginning was the right choice.

She turned Yu Yinglan around, but it was the other party who spoke first. Even though her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red-rimmed, she was trying her best to comfort her: “It’s okay, we have money, we can find the best doctors, the best—”

Su Mingxiu placed her hands on Yu Yinglan’s shoulders, leaned in, and looked into her eyes, saying gently: “It’s no use.”

She said: “There are fifty days left.”

Her tone was so certain, without a hint of sadness for her own fate, that Yu Yinglan inexplicably realized there was more to this than met the eye.

“What do you mean?”

Yu Yinglan grabbed her wrist. “Why fifty days?”

Su Mingxiu opened her mouth, but she couldn’t utter a single word of truth. She glanced at the sky outside the window. After a long silence, for the first time, she risked going OOC and asked the person standing before her: “I’ve always wanted to ask you, would you rather have ‘never had’ or ‘once had’?”

The person who understood her implication stood silently in the corridor.

Their shadows stretched long on the white wall.

After a long silence, Yu Yinglan suddenly laughed. The grievances that she thought could be healed by time, the ones she had been suppressing in her heart, had actually been between them all along, an obstacle she couldn’t avoid.

[OOC level: 1.](Out of Character)

The system’s voice broke through the barrier and reached Su Mingxiu’s mind.

But she just looked at the person in front of her. Until Yu Yinglan’s laughter subsided and she looked at her with exhaustion in her eyes: “All this time, it’s always been up to you.”

“You chose to give me a chance, and I reached the top; you chose to discard me, and I fell into the abyss in the next second.”

“A few hours ago, I thought the decision was finally in my hands—but now you’re telling me it was all a joke, that our positions have never changed from the beginning.”

Su Mingxiu met her gaze and said softly: “I keep my word. This time, the choice is indeed in your hands.”

The always domineering queen, the one who always had the final say, stepped down from her throne.

[OOC level: 5! Warning! Please cease OOC behavior, host!]

“Is that so?”

Yu Yinglan nodded as if she understood, then turned around, her back to Su Mingxiu: “Then this time, I choose to leave.”

Su Mingxiu, this time, it’s my turn to leave you.

[Time remaining before extraction from this world: 35 days.]

Another sleepless night.

Su Mingxiu heard the system, in the space she had blocked, mocking her in various ways, saying things like “Those who do not listen to the elders will suffer the consequences,” making her ears numb.

She held a glass of red wine, standing on the balcony, looking at the blurred stars in the city sky, treating the system’s mockery as a bedtime show, until the night wind chilled her to the bone.

Su Mingxiu tightened her clothes, about to turn back to the bedroom, when her gaze inadvertently swept over the area below—

The next moment, her eyes froze.

A figure, almost blending into the night, stood under a tree in the courtyard. She didn’t know how long she had been watching her while she was looking at the night sky. They were separated by a distance, their eyes meeting from afar.

The person downstairs spoke first: “I want to ask you a question, and I hope you can answer me honestly.”

Su Mingxiu’s lips curved into a smile.

She saw the bright light in the other party’s eyes, brighter than all the stars she had spent the entire night looking at in the sky. Then, she heard her ask: “Was my appearance here tonight within your expectations?”

Su Mingxiu shook her head.

She thought Yu Yinglan wouldn’t come back.

But in the next second, the person who received the answer said to herself, “It seems this time, it was also my own choice.”

She took two steps forward, her gaze falling on the wine glass in Su Mingxiu’s hand, and began to lecture her: “You shouldn’t be drinking in your current state.”

The woman leaning against the balcony railing looked down at her, even the tear mole under her eye becoming gentle: “Are you starting to control me now?”

“I think, as your girlfriend, I have that right, don’t I?”

Yu Yinglan stepped out of the shadows and looked up at her.

“If you’re my girlfriend—”

“Of course you can.”

The night wind, which had been cold all along, finally softened.

Su Mingxiu had found her sleeping pill again and was about to embrace the person in her arms and fall asleep, but a book was placed in her hands. “You didn’t finish the bedtime story last time, girlfriend.”

She had no choice but to pick up the book. With her excellent memory, she continued from where Yu Yinglan had left off after struggling for an entire night. The next part was the passage about taming from The Little Prince, where the fox said:

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.”

Yu Yinglan lay with her back to Su Mingxiu, pretending to be asleep.

A sound, audible only to her, echoed in her ears.

Drip. Drip.

It was the faint sound of water droplets falling onto the pillow and being quickly absorbed by the fabric.

She casually reached back and grabbed Su Mingxiu’s wrist. “That’s enough, you should rest. Good night.”

Yu Yinglan didn’t want to listen anymore.

She knew that the next part was about the little prince realizing, from the fox’s words, that the rose he loved most, the one he kept thinking about, was still the one on his planet.

Yu Yinglan was the fox who had stumbled into Su Mingxiu’s life.

Su Mingxiu had tamed her.

If she could—

She didn’t want to be the fox. She wanted to be the rose, the rose that the little prince had carefully tended to, removing its caterpillars and covering it with a glass globe… the rose that, despite its pride and stubbornness, could still wait for the little prince to return.

But she could only be the fox. She couldn’t keep Su Mingxiu.

Chapter 18: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (18)

Ying Keren was dumbfounded, watching Yu Yinglan transform from the icy figure she first met to someone sitting on the cold floor, emanating an aura of fragility. She thought in a daze:

Is this the power of a movie queen?

A soft “clink” sounded.

Su Mingxiu had already placed the soup bowl on the stove and was walking quickly towards the person who had suddenly collapsed on the floor. As she brushed past Ying Keren, she even created a slight breeze.

Ying Keren could only watch helplessly as Su Mingxiu walked over, bent down, and scooped Yu Yinglan up in her arms. She carried her to the sofa and gently placed her down. Throughout the process, the smile on Su Mingxiu’s lips never faded.

—She even played along with Yu Yinglan, asking softly: “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Yinglan blinked slowly, her arms still wrapped around Su Mingxiu’s neck. Glancing past her, she saw Ying Keren’s gaze still lingering on them. Originally intending to give up, her eyes flickered slightly. She licked her red lips and said softly: “My lips feel a little…”

Su Mingxiu leaned in slightly. She knew that once she indulged, she wouldn’t be able to control herself. If she followed her own desires, Yu Yinglan wouldn’t be able to leave the bedroom for days. So she stopped after a brief taste.

But even so, she was still a little worried about hurting Yu Yinglan. So she leaned in closer, her gaze fixed on those full lips that still bore the marks of their previous encounter. Trying to clear her mind of those alluring images, she asked in a low voice: “What’s wrong?”

As their breaths mingled—

The hands clasped behind Su Mingxiu’s neck suddenly pulled her down, and Yu Yinglan raised her head, meeting her lips.

A flicker of surprise appeared in Su Mingxiu’s eyes, but it quickly turned into a smile. Just as she was about to accept her embrace, Yu Yinglan pulled away, her index finger brushing her lips as she declared: “I feel much better now.”

Then, she casually glanced towards the kitchen.

Ying Keren, caught off guard, hadn’t had time to avoid the inappropriate scene. Now, she met Yu Yinglan’s gaze and clearly saw the triumphant smile that flashed across her face.

It was a blatant act of showing off.

Ying Keren: Clenching my fists.jpg

She gritted her teeth, wanting to give Yu Yinglan a warning look that said “Don’t get cocky,” but Yu Yinglan, having declared her ownership, didn’t even glance at her again. Instead, she said to Su Mingxiu in a weak voice: “Sorry, I accidentally dropped the gift you gave me.”

Su Mingxiu naturally noticed the undercurrent between them. But remembering the almost overwhelming jealousy from before, she pretended to be oblivious and continued to play along with Yu Yinglan.

Without a word, she turned around, picked up the white lace that had fallen to the floor, grabbed Yu Yinglan’s ankle, and as she tied it again, she deliberately tightened the strap first. She looked up at the person on the sofa, her eyes full of meaning: “Don’t lose it again next time.”

Yu Yinglan’s heart skipped a beat at her warning gaze. She subconsciously retracted her foot, even the fingertips resting on the sofa felt numb. For a moment, she was transported back to the scene of their intimate entanglement in the bedroom.

She swallowed hard, as if she had been burned, and looked away. Then, she felt that she shouldn’t appear so weak. It was only because she was caught off guard that Su Mingxiu took advantage of the situation. Now their situation was different, she had nothing to be afraid of—thinking this, Yu Yinglan turned back and replied calmly: “I understand.”

Only after confirming that she understood did Su Mingxiu lower her head and carefully re-tie the strap.

The intricate white lace was neatly wrapped around her slender ankle, the teardrop-shaped sapphire dangling in the center. The most dazzling one happened to fall on her ankle bone. As she moved, the light reflected off the gemstone was fragmented and gentle, like a mermaid playing on a reef, her scales shimmering.

Ying Keren couldn’t stand the atmosphere between them any longer. It was as if the entire hall had no place for her gaze to rest. Seeing that Su Mingxiu was now completely captivated by Yu Yinglan, she decided to leave to avoid the sight. She snorted, went upstairs to her room, grabbed her tablet, and searched for a forum post:

#A very beautiful and very good at vying for attention fox has come to my house, how do I get rid of her? Urgent#

As soon as Ying Keren left, Yu Yinglan returned to her normal self. Her back didn’t hurt, her legs didn’t ache, and she sat at the dining table, properly drinking her soup. But her gaze no longer lingered on Su Mingxiu.

Su Mingxiu didn’t know what she was thinking. After putting down her spoon, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and chuckled: “I thought you wouldn’t drink this chicken soup.”

The woman sitting across from her paused, looking at her almost empty soup bowl, and replied calmly: “I came to collect a debt from you. She’s yours, so naturally, she can repay the debt for you.”

In short, since the chicken soup came from Ying Keren, she could naturally drink it.

Su Mingxiu had already finished eating, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave the table. Instead, she propped her chin on her hand and looked at Yu Yinglan with a playful smile: “May I ask what kind of debt I owe?”

Yu Yinglan only glanced at her, but didn’t answer.

But the answer was written all over her face: Don’t play dumb.

Su Mingxiu chuckled softly, then asked with a serious expression, as if seeking advice: “Then let me ask, how long will it take to repay this debt?”

Forever, of course.

Yu Yinglan’s eyes turned cold, but as she opened her lips to speak, her whole body stiffened: “!”

The reason was simple: two adults with long legs sitting on opposite sides of a long table had to be careful.

Otherwise, their knees would touch. And now, Su Mingxiu, who was always so particular about table manners, was actually…

Actually doing this under the table!

A tingling sensation spread from the back of her foot, up her calf, like a mischievous little snake slithering past, climbing up her body. The coolness gradually turned into heat, making her restless. While she could still control her expression, the skin around her collar was flushed red.

Overwhelmed by emotions, the delicate skin around her eyes also turned crimson. Yu Yinglan couldn’t help but glare at her. Su Mingxiu rested her chin on her hand, her beautiful face feigning innocence, even saying with a righteous tone: “This debt seems difficult to repay. I thought you would want me to hurry up.”

“Besides, you don’t seem to like Xiao Ying very much. So, if we occupy the dining room and living room, wouldn’t that child have to stay in her room upstairs?”

It was the first time Yu Yinglan had heard someone describe that kind of thing in such a fresh and refined way.

But making her do that kind of thing in such a spacious space where anyone could come in at any time was absolutely impossible.

She stubbornly refused to look away, unwilling to retreat. Under Su Mingxiu’s teasing gaze, Yu Yinglan suddenly replied: “Alright.”

She said: “But I don’t like your way of repaying the debt this morning—”

“I want to do it my way.”

As their eyes met, the temperature rose, almost sparking. After a while, it was Su Mingxiu who yielded first. She got up from the table, walked over to Yu Yinglan, leaned down, and sat on her lap, her face close to hers.

The stiffness in Yu Yinglan’s body hadn’t disappeared since earlier.

She looked at Su Mingxiu in disbelief, not knowing that she would actually go this far for her. For a moment, she even forgot to hug her back, only feeling her gentle kisses trailing along her cheek, reaching her ear.

An incredibly seductive voice whispered softly into Yu Yinglan’s ear:

“If this is what you like, I have no objections.”

With a warm and fragrant beauty in her arms, the servant Ying Keren had brought had tactfully retreated after they sat down at the dining table. Now, there were only the two of them in the entire space.

The thought of refusal that had been so firm just moments ago, now that the conditions had changed, grew wildly like weeds on a spring plain, spreading unrestrainedly in the scorching heat.

Unconsciously, Yu Yinglan embraced Su Mingxiu tightly, as if wanting to meld her into her very bones. Her voice was hoarse, as if she had a stuffy nose, sounding both excited and on the verge of tears, yet her tone was still cold and harsh: “Continue.”

Su Mingxiu’s shoulders trembled, her laughter escaping again, amused by Yu Yinglan’s reaction.

At first, Yu Yinglan thought she had shot herself in the foot, that Su Mingxiu would back out now that things had come to this point. But seeing the curve of the other party’s lips, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

So she tightened her grip on Su Mingxiu’s waist.

Su Mingxiu wasn’t made of iron. Yu Yinglan’s embrace, which hurt both of them, was making her ribs ache. She flicked Yu Yinglan’s slightly red earlobe, her voice coaxing like she was talking to a three-year-old: “Alright, let’s continue.”

“But…” The person sitting on Yu Yinglan’s lap raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lowering her voice again.

Yu Yinglan knew that she was probably going to tease her again, but she still couldn’t help but focus all her attention on her, determined not to let her escape no matter what. So she asked calmly: “But what?”

Su Mingxiu sat up straight and turned her head. Yu Yinglan followed her gaze and only then realized that she had been so focused on the person in her arms that she had completely ignored the changes in their surroundings.

A figure in a white coat, carrying a medical kit, was standing at the intersection of the entrance hall and the living room, his back to them, pretending to be engrossed in studying a traditional Chinese painting hanging on the wall.

Su Mingxiu finished her sentence slowly, the laughter in her voice barely concealed: “But it seems you have a guest.”

“If you don’t mind having an outsider present—”

She deliberately drew out her words, giving Yu Yinglan enough time to think.

How could Yu Yinglan not understand her intentions now? This woman had clearly noticed the other person’s presence long ago but still deliberately teased her, provoking her anger and then watching her struggle to hold back.

Just like before, utterly wicked.

Yu Yinglan pushed her away with a dark expression. Su Mingxiu was prepared. After steadying herself, she leisurely straightened her clothes. Knowing that she couldn’t push Yu Yinglan too far, she took the initiative to turn and leave: “You two talk.”

She had only taken a few steps when a suppressed command came from behind: “Stop.”

Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, turned around with a half-smile, crossed her arms, and met Yu Yinglan’s gaze, as if she was carefully observing what this little girl had been eating, her boldness actually reaching the point where she dared to use a commanding tone with her.

But then she remembered that this was all her own doing and felt that it wasn’t bad, even more captivating than before.

Yu Yinglan looked at the figure in the living room, then turned her gaze back to Su Mingxiu: “I invited this doctor for you.”

She tried to suppress her annoyance at being teased by Su Mingxiu, her voice stiff: “To give you a checkup—”

“To ensure you have a healthy body so you can repay my debt for a longer time.”

Despite her caring words, she made it sound like a capitalist exploiting the working class. Even the doctor standing nearby couldn’t help but touch his nose, thinking, is this how you rich people express your love?

Hearing her words, Su Mingxiu fell silent.

The black countdown timer, as clear as a printed document, was still within her vision. The remaining days had now become “89.”

She softly refused: “No need.”

Yu Yinglan recalled her energetic state today, her normal appetite at the dining table, and the absence of any coughing or chest discomfort that usually accompanied her coughing up blood. She said: “Then forget it.”

But she didn’t let the doctor leave. Instead, she rented a house nearby for him and offered him a generous reward to stay, so that if a similar emergency happened at the villa again, they wouldn’t have to scramble to find someone.

Angered by Su Mingxiu’s teasing, Yu Yinglan didn’t go to her bedroom that night.

The next day.

Ying Keren had to book a train ticket to return to the closed dormitory due to the requirements of the show. So she wanted to spend as much time with Su Mingxiu as possible, but she was constantly interrupted by Yu Yinglan, the black lotus with her alluring fragrance.

For example, right now.

Knowing that Su Mingxiu preferred traditional Chinese culture, Ying Keren had specially brought some aged Pu’er tea from her family’s collection, wanting Su Mingxiu to try it and see if she liked it.

Because she wasn’t familiar with tea brewing, Ying Keren’s movements were a bit clumsy. But she still carefully poured the best brew into a small teacup and had just placed it in front of Su Mingxiu when a hand reached out and intercepted it.

Yu Yinglan blew on the steam rising from the jade teacup, took a sip, and commented calmly: “Good tea.”

“It’s just a pity.”

Ying Keren: “?”

She could naturally tell who the “pity” referred to. She rolled her eyes at Yu Yinglan and said sarcastically: “It’s not for you. You like taking handouts so much, aren’t you afraid of being poisoned one day?”

Yu Yinglan immediately looked at Su Mingxiu with a weak and pitiful expression, trying to sow discord: “Did you hear that? It seems like the tea is poisoned. It’s best not to keep such an ungrateful wretch by your side.”

“You!”

Ying Keren couldn’t take it anymore and raised her hand towards Yu Yinglan. But before her finger could even touch the other party’s clothes, the person who was sitting on a small stool fell backwards, landing directly on the floor.

Tears welled up in her eyes, as if she had been seriously injured.

The Ying family was a prestigious clan, and Ying Keren was well-protected by her family. Whether at home or out with friends, she was always surrounded by decent people. Where had she ever seen such melodramatic tactics that only appeared in TV dramas?

So the girl was instantly infuriated, feeling like the concentration of green tea in the air was so high that she wanted to vomit. She wanted to find someone to beat Yu Yinglan up, but she was afraid that Su Mingxiu, who had been reading, hadn’t been paying attention and would think that she had pushed Yu Yinglan down. Her eyes reddened as she looked at Su Mingxiu: “I, I didn’t touch her!”

Yu Yinglan quickly added: “Yes, I fell on my own, it has nothing to do with her.”

Her clarification made Ying Keren even angrier. She pointed at Yu Yinglan, her hand trembling, her face full of curses that were about to burst out.

The rising tension finally drew Su Mingxiu’s attention away from her book. She first smiled at Ying Keren and said: “Just treat her like she’s three years old, don’t argue with a child.”

After Ying Keren felt comforted by her words, Su Mingxiu looked at the person on the floor and said meaningfully: “Since you don’t like sitting on the stool, come sit on my lap.”

Yu Yinglan only wanted to provoke Ying Keren, but she still remembered how she had been teased yesterday. She didn’t intend to approach Su Mingxiu and pretended to be absorbed in her phone.

So the two of them temporarily called a truce, preparing for the next round of battle.

The entire day, the villa was unusually lively, with the sounds of Ying Keren and Yu Yinglan bickering from time to time. Most of the time, Su Mingxiu didn’t intervene, letting them make a fuss, seemingly enjoying the chaos.

Until that night.

Before Ying Keren left the villa, she even brought a few more servants from her family. She thought Su Mingxiu had dismissed the servants before because she found them noisy.

So she specifically instructed them to return to the Ying residence after finishing their work and cleaning the house every night.

Late at night, in the quiet villa, the door of a guest room opened.

Yu Yinglan had just finished showering and hadn’t gone to bed yet. Sensing the movement, she looked towards the door and saw Su Mingxiu, dressed in pajamas and carrying a children’s book, leaning casually against the wall.

The woman was tall and slender, with a cold and elegant aura. Even the rich purple color of her pajamas couldn’t overshadow her presence. In the darkness of the night, she looked like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

In terms of facial features, Yu Yinglan wasn’t as stunning as Su Mingxiu. But strangely, despite her beautiful features, Su Mingxiu never gave off a frivolous vibe. Instead, she often made people hesitant to approach.

As if afraid of profaning her.

“The master bedroom is too lonely. I see the bed in the guest room is big enough, mind sharing half of it with me tonight?”

These words sounded familiar.

Yu Yinglan remembered the first time she heard similar words. It was a stormy night, and she thought Su Mingxiu was afraid of thunder. When she asked, she only received a chuckle in response.

Later, Su Mingxiu often held her while sleeping, and she gradually thought that the other party liked her.

But the truth had long been revealed—

It was just that Su Mingxiu had insomnia, and she happened to be able to help her fall asleep, nothing more.

Thinking of this, Yu Yinglan wanted to refuse without hesitation. She decided to wait until Su Mingxiu came to beg her before she would reluctantly allow her into her bed.

However, in the next second, she saw the beauty leaning against the door shake the book in her hand, casually suggesting: “In exchange, I’ll tell you a bedtime story.”

Scoff.

What a childish trick.

Yu Yinglan turned her head away silently, dried her damp hair with a towel, and walked towards the bed. Only when Su Mingxiu took her silence as acquiescence did she walk over from the door, pull open the quilt, and sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

Originally intending to casually throw the towel on the bedside table, Yu Yinglan looked at the person on the bed and, as if possessed, turned around and put the towel back in the bathroom.

The cool mint fragrance slowly spread in the bed.

Su Mingxiu waited for her to lie down and then opened the book, her gaze fixed on the pages. However, as soon as she read the first sentence, she felt a warmth slip under her clothes.

Her voice faltered. Then, she lowered her eyelids, her eyes softened by the bedside lamp: “It seems you don’t want to hear a story?”

Yu Yinglan’s other hand emerged from under the quilt, her fingertip resting on the first button of Su Mingxiu’s pajamas. With barely any effort, she opened a gap.

Then, she saw that slender index finger circling the hollow of Su Mingxiu’s collarbone, accompanied by a mischievous reply: “Just telling stories isn’t enough to get into my bed.”

The color in Su Mingxiu’s eyes deepened. She grabbed Yu Yinglan’s hand, brought it to her lips, and kissed it, replying slowly: “I guessed as much.”

Half an hour later.

Yu Yinglan sat in Su Mingxiu’s lap, feeling dizzy and confused, still unable to figure out how she had ended up at a disadvantage again. In frustration, she bit down on the smooth shoulder exposed before her.

Su Mingxiu was reminded by her action and seemed to remember something. She turned her head and saw the book that had been tossed aside. “Right, I haven’t finished my story.”

“Hmm?” Yu Yinglan, who had suddenly been left hanging.

The flush on her face faded. Seeing the laughter in Su Mingxiu’s eyes, she knew that she was being teased again. Embarrassed and annoyed, she left another bite mark on the other party’s neck.

Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but gasp, wanting to ask if she was a dog. But seeing her eyes tightly shut, tears welling up at the corners, she felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. She put the book aside, leaned into Yu Yinglan’s ear, and said: “How about this, you help me, and I’ll help you—”

“You read the bedtime story, and we’ll go to sleep after you finish this paragraph, hmm?”

Yu Yinglan’s expression changed.

Soon, her face was pressed against the open book, the scent of ink mingling with the mint fragrance of her sweat, assaulting Su Mingxiu’s senses.

The creditor, who had been taken advantage of again, naturally refused to speak.

So they remained in a stalemate until late into the night.

Until the moon hid behind the clouds—

Someone couldn’t bear it anymore and tried to read the first sentence of the book, her voice stumbling.

But even as the sun began to rise, she hadn’t finished reading the first page. A picture book of less than a hundred words had actually rendered her speechless.

Chapter 17: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (17)

The long-lost trap of intimacy was laid out before her, and Yu Yinglan found herself, as always, unable to resist.

She had warned herself before coming here that no matter what Su Mingxiu’s attitude towards her arrival was, she would keep this person by her side forever, never giving Su Mingxiu another chance to decide her fate.

Perhaps it was the gentle moonlight tonight, but as Yu Yinglan responded uncontrollably, she thought sadly that she actually found the beauty under the moonlight to be equally gentle.

The mint candy had long melted between their heated lips and teeth.

The sweetness fueled their desire. Even though their lips were glistening, an inexplicable longing rose from their throats, like a wildfire spreading upwards, leaving them thirstier the more it consumed.

Until the system’s sudden voice interrupted this intimacy:

[Stop it right now!]

Su Mingxiu’s movements faltered at the system’s loud shout. Yu Yinglan pulled away from her, and the hand that had been covering Su Mingxiu’s eyes was lowered.

Under the bedside lamp, Su Mingxiu finally saw the person on top of her clearly—

The girl who used to look at her with innocent affection had blossomed into a captivating beauty. The pure black cheongsam flowed down from her neck, revealing only a glimpse of landscape scenery at her thighs, showcasing the lines of her long, fair legs.

The cheongsam was black, embroidered with a golden phoenix in gold thread. This somber color, worn on Yu Yinglan, subdued her usual innocent aura by three points. Against the backdrop of this mourning color, the beauty of her features became even more breathtaking.

This person was so beautiful… like a black lotus blooming in hell, each petal exuding an ominous aura, yet its stem and leaves were so pure that they tempted one to pluck it and keep it in a vase.

Even though Su Mingxiu was used to seeing beauties, there was undisguised amazement in her eyes.

Because the conflicting auras of evil and purity on Yu Yinglan were too contradictory. As the saying goes, true beauty lies in the bones, not the skin.

And now, Yu Yinglan gave off this feeling. She had maximized every advantage of her appearance. Knowing that her features were innocent and best suited for a first love image, she had honed this aura to perfection. But her actions were willful and unrestrained, revealing an unconcealable wickedness.

Perhaps…

Even she herself was a contradiction.

Yu Yinglan tried to suppress the irrepressible joy in her chest from Su Mingxiu’s initiative, a hint of mockery appearing on her lips: “Are you not satisfied with this candy?”

The candy wrapper was still scattered on the bedside, shimmering faintly under the lamplight.

Su Mingxiu stared at the candy wrapper, her brow slightly furrowed. Having maintained her character setting for so long, some habits had become ingrained.

Seeing her frown, the curve of Yu Yinglan’s lips widened: “Or… are you so unhappy to see the chess piece you discarded re-enter your world?”

Yu Yinglan addressed her with respect, just like when she was by Su Mingxiu’s side before, but her actions and words were full of defiance.

Su Mingxiu raised her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing the resentment and anger in Yu Yinglan’s heart. She tried her best to avoid looking at the candy wrapper and shifted her gaze to the silver chain extending from her neck, which served only as decoration and had little practical use. She reached out to touch it, a smile reaching her eyes, sparkling in her dark pupils: “It seems this gift was not well-received, to have angered you so much.”

Hearing her mention the necklace, the coldness in Yu Yinglan’s eyes intensified. Although their lips still bore the evidence of their previous intimacy, her expression was as frosty as ice: “You always know what I want—”

She grabbed Su Mingxiu’s wrist, which was touching the silver chain, and pressed it into the soft bed, whispering: “You know it in your heart, but you’re unwilling to give it to me. I used to respect you, love you, cherish you, always thinking that you might have other concerns and difficulties. But it’s okay, time is long, I can wait.”

“But I didn’t wait for the answer I wanted. I only waited for that project proposal and this awful gift.”

With every sentence, Yu Yinglan moved closer to Su Mingxiu.

By the time she finished speaking, her lips were already pressed against Su Mingxiu’s ear, allowing her to hear every word clearly, along with the bitterness and resentment that had been brewing for who knows how long.

“It turns out it was all my wishful thinking. I should have listened to the advice of my seniors and recognized my place. Because no one can get special treatment from Su Mingxiu.”

“Those kisses and affection were just your pity for a stray dog.”

She closed her eyes, unable to continue.

Yu Yinglan didn’t want Su Mingxiu to hear her unwillingness and the grievances hidden in her heart. These emotions were too humble. She didn’t want to offer her sincere heart to Su Mingxiu only to have it ruthlessly shattered again.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no longer any trace of emotion in Yu Yinglan’s dark brown eyes. The rising darkness concealed all those superfluous feelings. She looked at Su Mingxiu’s snow-white earlobe with a heavy gaze and slowly spoke: “Thank you for teaching me this lesson.”

“Now I understand that waiting for handouts is the most foolish thing to do when you want something—”

“What I want, I’ll take it myself.”

As her voice fell, Su Mingxiu’s throat couldn’t help but move.

Her left ear was enveloped in a warm and moist breath. She really couldn’t control herself. Her palm subconsciously landed on Yu Yinglan’s shoulder. Before she could exert any force, the system once again appeared, its amplified voice buzzing in her head:

[Reject her!]

Su Mingxiu gasped slightly. Just as Yu Yinglan thought she had grasped her weakness, Su Mingxiu wrapped her arms around her waist. With a rustling sound, Yu Yinglan felt the world spinning. When she came back to her senses, her back was already pressed against the bed, her eyes meeting the bottomless black pool of Su Mingxiu’s gaze.

[I am rejecting her,] Su Mingxiu said, meeting her eyes and raising an eyebrow. She was multitasking, responding to the system: “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get what she wants, but what follows is not suitable for children. Please excuse yourself, esteemed system, who despises such vulgar scenes.”

System: [!]

It exclaimed: “You’re going to reject her, but why would there still be… that kind of scene?”

[I’m rejecting her taking the lead, I didn’t say I wouldn’t—]

Su Mingxiu urged: “Hurry up and disappear.”

Of course, the system couldn’t let her have her way. It was about to use its usual trick to interrupt the tangled intimacy between Su Mingxiu and Yu Yinglan, but after a burst of crackling firecrackers, it realized that Su Mingxiu wasn’t affected at all. In fact… it had even temporarily lost its ability to observe the room.

As if it had been unilaterally blocked.

The system was so angry that its code became tangled, belatedly realizing that completing the mission in this world had nourished Su Mingxiu’s fragmented soul. And this person had actually used this tiny bit of reward…

For this kind of thing!

By the bedside.

Su Mingxiu gently curved her right index finger, the back of her finger brushing against Yu Yinglan’s smooth cheek, her smile full of meaning: “You handled things so beautifully, I should reward you.”

Yu Yinglan hadn’t recovered from the sudden reversal.

Her first reaction was that Su Mingxiu was using seduction to escape the current predicament. So she reflexively stretched out her limbs, entangling Su Mingxiu completely. As the other party fell onto her, she said bitterly: “Stop pretending, I’m not falling for that anymore.”

Oh?

Su Mingxiu leaned against her, lazily hooking her chin, her fingertips moving down playfully. She asked with a smile: “Then what will you fall for now? Tell me.”

This woman!

After realizing that the situation was no longer under her control, in order to regain the upper hand, she was actually willing to lower herself and resort to seduction!

Yu Yinglan’s entire body felt hot, her eyes reddening with excitement. She thought, she shouldn’t have pretended to be well-behaved in front of Su Mingxiu all those years.

If she had rebelled earlier, betrayed her sooner, how would Su Mingxiu, stripped of everything, have begged for her favor?

The hem of the black cheongsam spread out on the side due to their previous movements, the golden phoenix tail feathers embroidered in gold thread unfurling on the snow-white sheets.

And the owner of the garment was even more audacious. She lifted Su Mingxiu’s chin, her own face flushed, her eyes misty, but her voice deliberately cold and ruthless: “Do your best to please me.”

“Perhaps if I’m happy, Star Entertainment won’t have to hold another board meeting tomorrow to discuss how to deal with the losses from the recent copyright battles.”

Hearing the first half of her sentence, Su Mingxiu tried hard to suppress her laughter. But when she heard the rest, her smile faltered for a moment.

Star Entertainment?

Since the system had been unwilling to tell her about Yu Yinglan’s actions recently, she had been too lazy to pay attention to the outside world. Hearing the company’s name now, she couldn’t help but wonder, what did this have to do with Star Entertainment?

After some thought, remembering that Yu Yinglan had the ability to turn things around and help her complete the mission, Su Mingxiu roughly guessed the storm she had stirred up outside. She chuckled and let Yu Yinglan lightly pinch her cheek, her voice casual: “There’s always a lot of competition in this industry. It’s always survival of the fittest. If Star Entertainment can’t survive, it means it’s time for it to be eliminated.”

She had originally intended to let Yu Yinglan continue her siege of Star Entertainment. But after speaking, she remembered the will she had made when she first arrived in this world. To prevent the grand gift she would eventually leave Yu Yinglan from becoming worthless, Su Mingxiu paused and said to her sincerely: “But if you can, please be lenient and give them some breathing room.”

However, her rare conciliatory tone made Yu Yinglan realize that this person… really cared about her livelihood.

When had Yu Yinglan ever heard Su Mingxiu speak to someone in such a tone?

The person who was always aloof and even maintained a cold expression when negotiating business deals, now that her fundamental interests were threatened, was finally showing signs of anxiety?

Compared to how much she cared about this money—

Yu Yinglan thought, her sincerity was indeed worthless to Su Mingxiu.

So the fingertips pressing against Su Mingxiu’s cheek couldn’t help but tighten their grip. Only when Su Mingxiu frowned again did she hear her cold and harsh command: “You want to save Star Entertainment that much?”

“I just said, if you can please me, I’ll grant your request, Agent Su. It’s time to show your sincerity.”

Su Mingxiu’s brow twitched.

Her tongue darted across her teeth, the shadows in her dark eyes deepening, like the Pacific Ocean on the verge of a storm.

But in the next second, as she looked up, the abyss of breathtaking desire was concealed by a calm sea surface.

Yu Yinglan only saw her smile faintly and reply: “As you wish.”

The buttons of the cheongsam were undone one by one, the ink-black fabric peeling away to reveal skin as smooth as milk. The stark contrast of colors created a powerful visual impact.

Su Mingxiu’s palm rested on the silk fabric. The prolonged contact almost scorched Yu Yinglan’s skin red. The person lying there appeared unmoved, but she was secretly clenching her teeth, trying her best to maintain a cold, ruthless, and perverse facade, using all her strength to prevent herself from fleeing.

She even thought, with how warm Su Mingxiu’s palm was, could it be that she was also… aroused by her?

But as the cheongsam loosened, Su Mingxiu’s movements hesitated several times. Finally, Yu Yinglan couldn’t bear it anymore and grabbed her wrist, staring at her downcast eyes, her gaze fixed on the small mole under Su Mingxiu’s left eye. For a moment, she thought she saw tears in the other party’s eyes.

She felt flustered and seized the opportunity to lash out: “What?”

“Are you regretting it, Agent Su?”

Su Mingxiu suppressed the sweet and metallic taste rising in her throat, guessing that it was most likely the system she had blocked that was causing trouble. But the duck had already been cooked and flown onto her plate, how could she resist using her knife and fork?

She was determined to ignore the system’s meddling and indulge herself tonight, but now that Yu Yinglan had interrupted her, her physical urges intensified. As soon as she opened her mouth, she coughed up blood!

Su Mingxiu: “!”

Yu Yinglan: “!!”

They stared at the bloodstains on the sheets, both falling silent. For the first time since coming to this world, Su Mingxiu felt anger towards the system, her eyes gleaming with fury. However, coupled with her pale face, it only gave the impression of a weak attempt at strength.

Yu Yinglan subconsciously recalled the results of Su Mingxiu’s routine physical examination before the New Year. All indicators had been normal, ruling out any physical causes…

The only possibility left was that she was overwhelmed by anger and anxiety.

Her mind was racing, trying to remember the emergency contact number for the nearest hospital, when she saw the person on top of her slowly sit up, raise her right hand, and wipe the blood from her lips with her thumb. Only a thin line of crimson remained, making her look like a glamorous ghost who had just drunk blood.

The next moment.

Su Mingxiu wiped the bloodstains from her finger onto the pristine white sheets. Realizing that this situation wouldn’t happen again anytime soon, she kicked the bloodstained sheets and the annoying candy wrapper to the floor. Then, she sat back down on Yu Yinglan’s lap and chuckled: “Let’s continue.”

Yu Yinglan: “…”

Her expression changed several times. Seeing that Su Mingxiu was still trying to act strong even after being reduced to such a state, she couldn’t help but push her away. Ignoring the open front of her cheongsam, she got out of bed and said to Su Mingxiu with a terrible expression: “Is this lousy company that important to you?”

“Important enough for you to endure humiliation to this extent?”

Su Mingxiu: “?”

They hadn’t been apart for long, but she found that she could no longer understand the ever-changing thoughts in Yu Yinglan’s little head.

Seeing that Yu Yinglan was about to leave and the warmth surrounding the bed was gradually dissipating, how could Su Mingxiu watch the ripe fruit she had been waiting for fall from the branch? Her expression became even gentler, and she unconsciously used her usual commanding tone, simply saying: “Come back.”

Hearing this order, Yu Yinglan felt a jolt of electricity run from her tailbone to the back of her head.

She instinctively wanted to obey, but in the next moment, realizing something, she suppressed the urge. She pretended to be disgusted and glanced Su Mingxiu up and down, her eyes moving quickly, afraid that if she was a second too slow, her soul would be hooked by this enchantress again. Her voice was stiff: “You’re ruining the mood.”

“Even if you want to continue tonight, you’ve already lost your chance.”

After speaking, she didn’t even bother to put on her shoes and walked out barefoot on the carpet. But her back looked like she was fleeing in panic, as if there was a ferocious beast trapped in the room.

Su Mingxiu’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by her reaction. Now, even if she wanted to pull her back and continue, the atmosphere had already changed.

After a while, she let out a breath, sighing and chuckling: “Disobedient.”

Outside the bedroom door, a tall figure leaned against the wall, patting her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

Yu Yinglan listened carefully to the sounds in the room, but she didn’t hear any coughing or movements towards the bathroom. She couldn’t help but think, it seemed that the blood Su Mingxiu coughed up wasn’t that serious.

Even so, she still went downstairs, picked up her phone, and asked Yi Jia to contact a doctor and have them come to the villa early tomorrow morning.

Just as she put down her phone, thinking about the empty villa and remembering the spare blanket under Su Mingxiu’s bed, she started worrying about how to find someone to help out in the villa.

After taking care of one thing after another on her phone, Yu Yinglan, in this familiar environment, suddenly realized, she didn’t come back to the villa to return to her previous position, so why was she bothering with all these trivial matters?

Her gaze pierced through the dark living room, towards a certain room on the second floor.

—She would give Su Mingxiu one night of freedom.

If the doctor didn’t find anything wrong tomorrow, she definitely wouldn’t let her off so easily tomorrow night.

Upstairs, in the bedroom.

Su Mingxiu leaned against the headboard, untied the silver chain connected to the bedpost, and played with it in her hand, even trying to wrap it around the thorn ring on her left hand.

Since she couldn’t sleep tonight anyway, she released the system from its blocked state, resumed her calm and indifferent demeanor, and communicated with it:

[That coughing up blood thing, was that your doing?]

The system scanned her condition, knowing that she probably hadn’t succeeded tonight. But it didn’t give her a good look, only snorted in response.

It thought Su Mingxiu would try to justify why she would touch the protagonist at this time, but after hearing that snort, Su Mingxiu seemed to have gotten her answer and very naturally…

Blocked it again.

This time, the entire villa was within the blocked range.

System: “?!”

It couldn’t help but shout in Su Mingxiu’s mind: “This is a violation! Developing a relationship with the protagonist at this stage is not allowed. Aren’t you afraid of failing the mission and having your soul scattered?”

However, Su Mingxiu found the time to reply: “Which rule did I violate?”

She repeated the mission briefing word for word: “Let Yu Yinglan hold the top spot on the Superstar List for three consecutive years, give her everything she wants, then make her owe a debt a thousand times greater than the original, lose everything, and ruin her reputation… Didn’t I complete it perfectly?”

The system started to argue: “But you’re letting her have you again now! This doesn’t comply with the ‘lose everything’ part.”

As soon as it finished speaking.

It heard Su Mingxiu chuckle softly.

The countdown to world detachment appeared in both their visions simultaneously. The system fell silent for a moment, then said angrily: “Developing a relationship with the protagonist at this stage will affect the future world line. Stop what you’re doing.”

This time, Su Mingxiu only replied with two words: “No way.”

The system’s vision was once again blocked from the villa.

No matter how much it shouted, there was no response.

Early in the morning, the sound of wheels rolling over the stone path outside the villa echoed.

Thump, thump.

Yu Yinglan opened her eyes drowsily, feeling extremely warm. In her hazy state, she thought, she had clearly fallen asleep on the sofa downstairs last night, could the blankets in this villa be this warm?

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she saw the scene before her clearly. It was that exceptionally beautiful face, her closed eyelashes very close to her own, the mole beneath her eye resting quietly in the shadow.

Because Su Mingxiu had poor sleep quality, whenever they shared a bed, Yu Yinglan would always wake up to see Su Mingxiu already awake. Seeing this rare sleeping face now, she couldn’t even bring herself to breathe for a moment.

After a few seconds, she secretly reached out from under the quilt, her fingertip extending towards the mole under Su Mingxiu’s eye.

Just before she could touch it, a lively voice came from downstairs: “Sister Su!”

“Why didn’t you come to my performance yesterday? You don’t care about me at all. I even snuck out last night and brought you a gift today—”

The cheerful voice was getting closer to the bedroom.

She could vaguely hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

Yu Yinglan’s hand froze in mid-air, meeting Su Mingxiu’s gaze as she opened her eyes.

Seeing Yu Yinglan’s hand so close, Su Mingxiu, still immersed in the long-lost feeling of drowsiness, instinctively raised her left hand, wanting to grab her wrist and pull her back into the quilt, to continue this beautiful dream.

However, as soon as her palm closed, she heard Yu Yinglan gasp.

Su Mingxiu was now fully awake. She released her grip and saw a small cut on Yu Yinglan’s wrist. Although it wasn’t bleeding, it was still an eyesore. Following her gaze, she saw the ring still on her ring finger and couldn’t help but chuckle: “How does it feel to be pricked by your own gift?”

Last night, she had been fully conscious and hadn’t used her left hand to touch Yu Yinglan, so Yu Yinglan naturally didn’t know that the gift she had given had never been taken off.

Her face flushed red, then quickly turned pale as she remembered how Su Mingxiu had endured so much last night, even coughing up blood in bed. She didn’t let Su Mingxiu touch her hand again and, ignoring how she had ended up in this bedroom, repeated through gritted teeth: “Sis-ter-Su?”

Yu Yinglan raised an eyebrow, looking at Su Mingxiu mockingly: “It seems you’ve been having even more fun during the days I wasn’t by your side.”

The warmth vanished.

An inexplicable sourness filled the air.

Su Mingxiu felt like she had been hit by a jar of vinegar, her entire being immersed in that aged sourness. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she looked into Yu Yinglan’s eyes: “It’s not what you think.”

Yu Yinglan was about to scoff and declare that she wasn’t interested in Su Mingxiu’s messy past when the door was pushed open.

Ying Keren walked in confidently. Seeing the lump under the quilt, she exclaimed in surprise: “Sister, why haven’t you gotten up yet—”

Her voice abruptly stopped when she saw two people lying in bed.

The next second.

Ying Keren quickly turned around, apologizing to Su Mingxiu in a panic: “I’m sorry, Sister Su, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know there was someone here…” Then, she realized something was wrong and tried to turn back. She clicked her tongue and said subconsciously: “Who are you, you shameless hussy, daring to sleep with my Sister Su—”

“Get out.” Su Mingxiu’s sleepy voice rang out.

Ying Keren’s feet reacted faster than her brain. She let out an “Oh” and obediently walked towards the door, even thoughtfully closing it behind her.

After standing guard outside for a while, like a loyal servant who had discovered their wise ruler being seduced by a fox spirit, she shouted through the door: “Sister Su! You need to be careful when choosing a bed partner, don’t let those with ulterior motives take advantage of you.”

“Has this person had a physical examination? Are they healthy? If you have such needs, I can help you with the selection…”

Su Mingxiu ignored her words and walked towards the bathroom.

But Yu Yinglan, listening to this, felt it was particularly jarring. Even though she knew Ying Keren’s identity, thinking about how Su Mingxiu had spent all this time with this girl in the villa, their relationship so close, she couldn’t help but feel angry. Expressionlessly, she walked to the door and abruptly pressed down the handle.

Ying Keren, who was leaning against the door, her hands cupped around her mouth like a megaphone, almost fell into her arms.

After steadying herself, she finally saw who Su Mingxiu’s rare bed partner was. Her eyes widened, and she pointed at her for a long time: “You, you, you…”

Wasn’t this the Yu Yinglan she had scolded over the phone some time ago?

Thinking of the strangely named movie “Mingxiu Jade” and seeing this person coming out of Su Mingxiu’s bedroom, Ying Keren felt dizzy. Fortunately, she was young and healthy. After a moment of dizziness, she came back to her senses, realizing that Su Mingxiu and Yu Yinglan had already been in this kind of relationship.

But that didn’t make sense!

Since she had been following Su Mingxiu, this was the first time she had seen Yu Yinglan in this villa!

Connecting this to the widely circulated movie controversy from last year and remembering how her uncle had used Yu Yinglan as a typical example when she asked about Su Mingxiu’s past, his earnest words echoed in her ears: “Look at that Qi Ran, when he won the top spot three times, who didn’t think he was unstoppable? And the result? Su Mingxiu discarded him without a second thought. Within two years, a newcomer appeared by her side, Yu Yinglan.”

“This Yu Yinglan, Su Mingxiu even gave away her beloved horse to get her an audition opportunity. Later, all her works and endorsements were handled by Su Mingxiu alone. There were even rumors that when Yu Yinglan was working on set, Su Mingxiu was worried about her being bullied and visited her frequently.”

“Who wouldn’t think she was doting on Yu Yinglan after seeing this? It’s no exaggeration to say she treated her like a fragile treasure. But look at the ending? One bad project was enough to wipe out all her savings from the past few years.”

“That woman Su Mingxiu, she demands repayment for everything she gives. You stay with her for half a year, learn what you can, and come back quickly. If you dare to have any improper thoughts about her, even if our entire Ying family offered everything we have, we wouldn’t be able to save you!”

Ying Keren carefully observed the person in front of her, feeling that her current aura didn’t match the gentle and kind image portrayed in the industry rumors. And this contrast meant…

The love-hate entanglement between her and Su Mingxiu was probably real!

She was truly abandoned by Su Mingxiu!

Such a Yu Yinglan, appearing in this villa after stirring up a storm in the entertainment industry, what did it mean?

—It meant she was here for revenge!

Su Mingxiu, danger!

A large red warning flashed through Ying Keren’s mind. Her expression changed instantly. She raised her hand to block the doorframe, preventing Yu Yinglan from leaving. Even though she was shorter, it didn’t diminish her imposing manner in this situation.

“Yu Yinglan,” she said with a stern expression, “if you dare to do anything to hurt Sister Su, I definitely won’t…” stand by and watch.

The rest of her words were cut short by the sneer that appeared on Yu Yinglan’s face.

“You?”

The other party looked at her with disdain. She was still wearing the cheongsam from last night. After a night’s sleep, the silk fabric was slightly wrinkled, but those wrinkles, paired with her slightly messy hair that fell over her shoulders, seemed like proof of their intimacy.

“What can you do if I insist on hurting her?”

After speaking, Yu Yinglan slammed the door shut in her face with a serious expression.

Ying Keren’s hand, which was pressing against the doorframe, quickly retracted. With this subconscious retreat, she was once again shut out of the room.

“She’s still a child, why are you teasing her?”

At this moment.

Su Mingxiu had already come out of the bathroom, her beautiful face still dripping with water. She had obviously heard their conversation and was ready to intervene if things got out of hand.

But Yu Yinglan felt like she was being overly protective. Thinking of the person she was protecting, she grabbed Su Mingxiu’s wrist, pressed her down on the dressing table chair, and forcefully wiped away the water droplet on her collarbone that seemed to be deliberately seductive, leaving a prominent red mark. Only then did she continue sarcastically: “In your eyes, wasn’t I also a child before?”

After wiping away the water droplet, Yu Yinglan saw the white lace ornament on Su Mingxiu’s neck. It was the one she had personally put on her last night. The blue sapphires were exceptionally clear, their purity as high as tears from the heart of the ocean, complementing Yu Yinglan’s own aura. But on this woman, it created a sense of holy abstinence.

Making people…

Want to tear her apart even more.

That’s what Yu Yinglan thought, and that’s what she did. Her fingertips hooked into the lace and Su Mingxiu’s neck, forcing her to look up. She leaned down and kissed her, her voice husky with passion: “But now you can defy me.”

A muffled laugh escaped from between Su Mingxiu’s teeth.

After a good night’s sleep, Su Mingxiu was refreshed. The system was blocked, so it couldn’t make her cough up blood at the perfect moment to ruin the intimate atmosphere.

The time was right, the place was right, only the people were left. So after a passionate kiss, Su Mingxiu looked at her and asked softly: “Do you want to continue what we started last night?”

Yu Yinglan answered her with another kiss.

A few minutes later.

The items on the dressing table were swept to the floor, the sound of bottles and jars shattering echoing in the room.

Yu Yinglan smelled a strange fragrance and finally regained some clarity. Seeing the shattered hexagonal glass bottle on the floor, her back against the mirror, she realized something was wrong and was about to speak—

Su Mingxiu’s eyes fell on the metal-framed glasses on the edge of the table, with their carved black rose pattern.

These glasses had never appeared in the villa before. They must have been brought by Yu Yinglan last night. So she picked them up with her left hand, held them up to Yu Yinglan’s face, and said with a smile: “They suit you very well.”

Yu Yinglan stared at her blankly, completely captivated by her unrestrained demeanor and the way she was lost in desire.

She even forgot what she was going to do, her gaze fixed on those beautiful black eyes. Until Su Mingxiu brought the cold glasses to her lips and sighed in a drawn-out tone: “It would be a shame to break such beautiful glasses.”

The next moment, Su Mingxiu’s seductive voice whispered into her ear, full of intoxicating tenderness: “Open your mouth.”

Yu Yinglan obeyed instinctively.

Then, she bit down on the cold, delicate stem and leaves of the black rose.

Polished by a master craftsman, the intricately carved temples were exceptionally hard due to the material. Even if bitten roughly, they wouldn’t leave any marks.

In fact.

They even made the crimson of her lips more shattered, like a fallen flower trampled in mud.

Ying Keren, who had been startled by the commotion from the room, was extremely worried about Su Mingxiu’s safety. She was about to knock on the door and come to the rescue, her hand already raised, but then she heard…

Very subtle sounds.

Her hand hovered in mid-air for a long time, her eyes wide with astonishment. Finally, she blushed and fled in panic.

After sitting cross-legged on the living room sofa for two hours, Ying Keren had played all the games and read all the news she could on her phone.

Only when the instructors from the talent show group messaged her in the group chat, asking where she was, did she hurriedly turn off her phone and look towards the upstairs room.

Those two still hadn’t come out.

Ying Keren could only wander around the house restlessly, finding other electronic devices to play with and calling her family’s nanny to the villa to help out. As the sun began to set, she finally couldn’t bear it anymore, all sorts of terrifying scenarios popping into her head.

She even thought, what if Yu Yinglan forced herself on Su Mingxiu, and after being rejected, would she do something drastic out of anger?

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

So she started pacing outside the room, as if this could deter the person inside from having any evil thoughts.

Inside the bedroom.

Even the sunlight hid behind the curtains, not daring to peek at the scene of daytime debauchery.

Su Mingxiu, with her sharp hearing, naturally heard the commotion outside. She had just turned her head when her face was cupped by sweaty palms. Even though her eyes were unfocused, she still managed to order: “Don’t go…”

The glasses had long been dropped onto the soft pillow.

Su Mingxiu looked down at her, a chuckle escaping her lips. She leaned down and kissed her forehead, her voice husky with satisfaction: “Aren’t you hungry?”

Almost as soon as she finished speaking—

A soft “gurgling” sound came from under the quilt.

Seeing Yu Yinglan’s entire face turning red, Su Mingxiu couldn’t bear to tease her anymore. As she got out of bed, she caught a glimpse of the scratch marks on her neck in the dressing table mirror, marks that even the thin lace couldn’t conceal.

She simply took off the necklace.

Then, she half-knelt in front of the bed, grabbed Yu Yinglan’s ankle that was dangling off the edge, and wrapped the white lace and sapphire ornament around it again. Her eyes lowered, she said: “There’s no reason to take back a gift I’ve given.”

“If you don’t like wearing it around your neck, then wear it somewhere else.”

There was a deep bite mark on her snow-white right ankle, each tooth mark clear and distinct, forming a stark contrast with her flawless skin, making anyone who saw it blush and imagine the scene when the mark was left.

Now, covered by the white lace, those secrets were hidden from the daylight.

Su Mingxiu went downstairs first.

Yu Yinglan was left lying on the bed, her eyes blank, wondering how things had gotten to this point.

Her thoughts were sluggish as she tried to replay everything that had happened since yesterday, but she couldn’t figure out how she had become the one on the bottom. More importantly, what was Su Mingxiu thinking?

Yu Yinglan rolled over and looked down at the new ornament on her foot. The sapphires were hard and pure. With her movements, they dug into her flesh and the soft bed, causing a slight pain.

After staring at the ornament for a while, Yu Yinglan recalled her feelings when she first opened this gift.

Could it be that Su Mingxiu… wasn’t trying to humiliate her?

But why did she give her this gift along with the project contract?

Wasn’t this deliberately misleading?

Yu Yinglan, hungry and exhausted, thought for a long time, but apart from giving herself a headache, she couldn’t come up with any answers. Instead, she smelled the aroma of chicken soup wafting up from downstairs.

She sniffed and lay down for a while longer, deciding to satisfy her hunger first before thinking about anything else.

Anyway, she would be staying at Su Mingxiu’s place from now on. She had plenty of time to see what tricks the other party was playing.

Downstairs.

Ying Keren had the maid put a chicken leg in Su Mingxiu’s bowl and described to her in an exaggerated manner how delicious the free-range chicken from the mountain was, how irresistible the texture of the meat was. She almost wanted the maid to shove the entire pot into Su Mingxiu’s arms.

Su Mingxiu wasn’t very interested in the delicacy, but thinking of Yu Yinglan upstairs, she nodded and picked up her bowl, ready to leave.

As soon as she turned around, she froze. “Why are you down here?”

Yu Yinglan was leaning against the kitchen door, meeting her gaze for a moment before quickly looking away. Her voice was stiff: “I’m hungry.”

Su Mingxiu handed her the bowl in her hand and smiled: “Just in time—”

“No!”

Ying Keren immediately stopped them, walking up to Su Mingxiu like she was facing a formidable enemy, protecting both her and the bowl. She glared at Yu Yinglan and said to Su Mingxiu: “Don’t let her drink it!”

Yu Yinglan met her gaze for two seconds.

Then she turned and left.

Everyone in the kitchen was stunned by her decisiveness. They didn’t react until she had taken two steps and the white lace on her ankle loosened for some reason. The sapphires fell to the floor with a crisp sound, and the lace followed, fluttering down.

The prominent bite mark was exposed to everyone’s eyes.

Ying Keren’s eyes widened slowly, too shocked to speak.

The person who had exposed the mark bent down to pick up the lace but somehow lost her strength and sat down on the floor. She looked at Su Mingxiu with a weak gaze, her entire being radiating a pitiful aura that conveyed two words:

Carry me.

Ying Keren, who was watching: “…!”

Damn!

Where did this green tea bitch come from?

Chapter 16: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (16)

“Sister Su…”

A head popped out from the doorway, accompanied by a hesitant call.

Su Mingxiu looked up from her desk and saw Ying Keren peeking in through the doorframe, not daring to enter. She placed her brush on the brush rest and beckoned to the girl with a smile. When the child scurried over to her, she asked: “What’s wrong?”

Ying Keren carefully studied her face, making sure she was in a good mood before hesitantly revealing the rumors she had heard: “They all say that you’re just playing a nurturing game with every artist you choose. Once you determine they have no more potential, you’ll abandon them without hesitation. Is it true?”

Su Mingxiu glanced at the painting in front of her. It was a landscape painting, primarily in ink, with light washes of color for the mist. The only bright color was the blue of the rocks, the finishing touch.

Contemplating adding a few wild chrysanthemums at the foot of the mountain, she picked up her brush again, her smile unwavering: “What do you think?”

Ying Keren followed her gaze to the painting, her eyes lighting up. She had been to many art exhibitions and auctions with her elders but wasn’t usually interested in these cultural relics.

But for some reason, she found Su Mingxiu’s paintings particularly beautiful, so she had been asking for one whenever she saw one recently.

Her thoughts diverted, she unconsciously blurted out: “I think… it seems to be true.”

As soon as she spoke, she came back to her senses and looked at Su Mingxiu nervously.

The person behind the desk picked up a stray hair from the tip of her brush and raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking: Since you already know the answer, why ask?

Ying Keren’s shoulders slumped, and she looked dejected. She subconsciously reached out to grab Su Mingxiu’s hand, but in the end, she only dared to gently tug at her sleeve and ask: “Can I… I don’t want fame or fortune, can you keep me by your side?”

She said: “I just want to be with you.”

Su Mingxiu looked at her with surprise, seeing the dependence and trust in her eyes. For a moment, she felt as if she was looking at a familiar face from the past. Thinking of the system’s vast powers, she wanted to ask if this girl was the reincarnation of her deceased relative, but she quickly suppressed the thought.

What if she was?

She was destined not to stay in this world for long.

So Su Mingxiu smiled, adding the chrysanthemums to a corner of the painting, and replied lightly: “I only promised your uncle that I would take you on for a while. If you want to stay, your family might not agree.”

Hearing this, Ying Keren seemed encouraged. She was about to seize the opportunity and grab Su Mingxiu’s hand, making a serious promise, but her hand was dodged before it could reach its target.

Only then did she notice…

That cursed thorny thing was still on Su Mingxiu’s left ring finger.

For convenience, Su Mingxiu wore a jade ring on each of her adjacent middle and pinky fingers. The mutton-fat jade made her fingers look slender, the pure white jade contrasting beautifully with her delicate skin, creating an indescribable air of nobility and wealth.

In contrast—

The wild, dark thorn ring looked like a long thorn extending from hell, entwined around an angel’s snow-white wings, wanting to pierce through the feathers and flesh, to be nourished by blood, its every branch spreading wantonly.

Ying Keren found the two jade rings pleasing to the eye, but the out-of-place black thorn ring was an eyesore. For a moment, she even forgot what she was going to say and complained to Su Mingxiu: “Why haven’t you taken that thing off yet?”

It was just an ordinary plant. No matter how hard it was, as long as Su Mingxiu agreed, it could be removed in less than half a minute.

In her heart, Su Mingxiu was perfect, as if she had a halo around her. She didn’t match this cheap, withered vine that could be found anywhere on the roadside at all. Even the black color was an eyesore, a stain that should be far away from Su Mingxiu.

But the woman ignored her words and continued to add the final touches to her painting. Only when Ying Keren’s impatience was written all over her face did Su Mingxiu put down her brush and pat her head: “You’re still young, you don’t understand.”

Ying Keren: “?”

At this moment, the system finally couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up, seeking attention: “I’m not young, why don’t you tell me—you refused to start a relationship when I asked you to before, and now the mission is about to be completed, you only need to wait a little longer to leave this world, why are you provoking the female lead again?”

[Stepmother, you’re wrong to say that] Su Mingxiu replied in a good mood. “I didn’t do anything, she’s the one who keeps coming onto me.”

Looking at the unique ring on her left ring finger, as if it wasn’t enough, she added:

[Besides, you may be old, but you wouldn’t understand the fun of young people.]

The system didn’t respond, but Su Mingxiu heard a chaotic buzzing in her head.

Ying Keren observed her for a while and then whispered: “This couldn’t be a gift from someone you like, could it?”

She carefully recalled the day the ring appeared on Su Mingxiu’s finger. It was the day Su Mingxiu had taken her to the jewelry store. They had only been separated for ten minutes, and when they met again, the ring was on her finger.

After they reunited, Su Mingxiu had even coaxed her with a smile: “Don’t worry, the person who damaged your gift must be furious.”

At that time, she was too busy being smug, and later she was distracted by the dazzling array of brands in the shopping mall, forgetting about the ring. Only today did she belatedly realize that she had been by Su Mingxiu’s side for months and hadn’t even met this mysterious person. She felt both annoyed and curious.

Annoyed that someone had gotten to Su Mingxiu before her, stealing her favor.

Curious about who had the ability to capture Su Mingxiu’s heart.

Su Mingxiu, hearing the commotion in her head, felt that if she agreed, the system would probably wreak havoc in her sea of consciousness.

But she neither denied it nor responded. The precocious child naturally understood the answer, her voice rising a few decibels: “Really?”

“Who is it? Do I know them?”

She rattled off several names from their overlapping social circles, but Su Mingxiu’s expression remained calm and indifferent.

The child’s curiosity was completely piqued, as if to demonstrate how seriously she had been paying attention in class.

She began reciting names like a stand-up comedian, all of them industry figures whose status and position she deemed worthy of Su Mingxiu.

When she paused for breath, she even included some successful and good-looking celebrities from the entertainment world.

Then, for some reason, Ying Keren said to herself: “It can’t be someone you’ve managed before.”

She said: “If you really liked them, how could you let them leave?”

Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, looking at her meaningfully. But Ying Keren, carried away by her own deductions, confidently shared her analysis: “Those former movie emperors and empresses, none of them are doing very well… Oh, that Yu Yinglan is doing okay, but she’s a bit stubborn.”

Su Mingxiu responded with interest: “Oh?”

“You don’t know?” Ying Keren knew that she was currently semi-retired and, apart from handling work related to herself, was basically oblivious to the happenings in the entertainment industry. She didn’t even watch popular variety shows or TV dramas, let alone pay attention to online gossip.

So she leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice: “That Yu Yinglan, after terminating her contract with Star Entertainment, despite being at the peak of her career and still holding the title of Interstellar Cultural Ambassador, she actually decided to make a movie.

I heard from my uncle that the core theme she wants to present in her script is impossible to film in our country. Even if she takes it abroad, apart from winning some small awards to add to her fame, it won’t be of much use.”

“The point is, she actually invested all her savings from the past few years into such a movie. I heard she used to live a hard life, and now, for this movie, she even sold her apartment.”

“Tell me, someone who has experienced poverty, finally becomes rich, but insists on throwing money into a bottomless pit, isn’t that being stubborn?”

After a long analysis, Ying Keren was convinced by her own words. She looked at Su Mingxiu expectantly, waiting for her reaction.

However, Su Mingxiu only asked: “Are you thirsty?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re thirsty, drink more water.”

“Uh…” Ying Keren vaguely guessed where her deduction had gone wrong and was about to ask further, but she saw Su Mingxiu about to roll up the painting. She instinctively stopped her: “Sister, look at me! I don’t think you have any more space in your study. Why don’t you let me keep this painting for you?”

Su Mingxiu lightly tapped her head: “You’re such a smooth talker.”

But she still handed the painting to her.

Ying Keren happily ran out and instructed the villa’s servants to invite her family’s housekeeper, eager to have the painting framed and placed in her collection room—

After the previous incidents of her gifts being damaged, Miss Ying had learned her lesson.

Not only did she bring a group of bodyguards with her whenever she went out, but she also rented several more safes at the bank and increased the security measures in her collection room. Only then did she manage to prevent that elusive saboteur.

Su Mingxiu went downstairs with her. It was getting dark, and it was time for dinner.

Ying Keren turned around and saw her, blinking. For some reason, she thought of the previous topic again and leaned in to ask: “Sister Su, you still haven’t given me an answer.”

Su Mingxiu glanced at her with a half-smile: “You didn’t guess correctly, what answer should I give?”

“Eh?”

The girl’s eyes went blank for a moment before she continued to pester her: “Impossible, right? Unless the person you like is someone outside the industry, I must have guessed a name correctly, right?”

At that moment, Su Mingxiu was walking ahead of her, heading towards the dining room. The child, who was only as tall as her shoulder, followed closely behind, stepping in her footsteps.

However, the person in front suddenly stopped, causing Ying Keren to bump into her back.

As she rubbed her nose and straightened up, Ying Keren saw Su Mingxiu turn her head and say slowly: “You did guess one thing correctly.”

Ying Keren’s eyes lit up: “Hmm??”

Su Mingxiu said unhurriedly: “If I really liked someone, I wouldn’t let them leave—you were right about that.”

“Uh…”

Since guessing Su Mingxiu’s intentions, the system had stopped actively reporting Yu Yinglan’s situation, as if hoping that with time, she would regain her rationality and stop thinking about the female lead at the wrong time.

But even without the system’s reports, news about Yu Yinglan still reached Su Mingxiu’s ears.

The reason was simple: Yu Yinglan’s new movie had actually caught the attention of a local entertainment company in the new star system. No one knew what resources and connections she had used. In any case, when spring arrived again, the name of the movie suddenly spread throughout the country—

“Mingxiu Jade.”

Ying Keren, who was participating in an interstellar talent show, insisted on borrowing a phone from the instructors of the closed training camp when she heard the news. She video-called Su Mingxiu: “That Yu Yinglan! What does she mean by giving her stupid movie that name?”

As soon as the call connected, a barrage of complaints came from the other side.

Su Mingxiu had been dozing off in the hot spring. She was first woken up by the ringing of her phone, and then completely awakened by Ying Keren’s energetic voice. She asked lazily: “What?”

“That ‘Mingxiu Jade’ movie, everyone around me is saying that the two main characters are based on her and you…”

Reminded by her words, Su Mingxiu finally remembered the project.

The reason why this theme was difficult to release was that it exposed the dark side of the entertainment industry. In a world where “entertainment is king,” it was understandable that this story wasn’t favored by investors.

Su Mingxiu didn’t expect Yu Yinglan to give the film this name and release it on another planet.

Based on its popularity—

She had done a good job.

Ying Keren saw that the camera was covered in steam, unable to see Su Mingxiu’s face clearly. Afraid that she would drown in the hot spring while they were talking, she couldn’t help but ask urgently: “Are you listening?”

Su Mingxiu hummed in response, distracted by thoughts of how her mission was nearing completion and when she should dismiss the people in the villa.

The girl’s voice continued to complain from the other side: “She’s really bold… to dare to use such a blatant and provocative name…”

“Provocative?”

At the same time.

Yu Yinglan had just met with the people from Baiyao Media. Because her work had opened up the market for cultural products in another star system, Baiyao Media wanted to deepen their cooperation with her.

The woman who had risen from the bottom to the top again, her name known throughout the industry, now carried a hint of composure between her brows. Her aura was still pure, and her smile was as gentle as ever. But she had accumulated too many legends, and no one dared to underestimate her anymore.

Hearing her friend’s worried question about the movie title spreading throughout the country, Yu Yinglan leaned back in the car seat, a pair of thin glasses now perched on her nose. The frame was intricately carved with black patterns, making her look more scholarly.

But as she spoke, the malice in her voice couldn’t be concealed: “This is just the beginning.”

Yu Yinglan lowered her eyes, her smile faint: “There’s more to come.”

Yi Jia rubbed her face, feeling that this person had become even more captivating after experiencing the trials and tribulations of the world. She quickly looked away and only after a while did she remember what she wanted to say: “She’s still a major shareholder of Star Entertainment.”

“What can you possibly do to her?”

Hearing her words and thinking about the market she had opened up in the new star system, Yu Yinglan’s smile deepened: “Star Entertainment?”

“Soon, it will just be an ordinary company.”

As she said.

In the following six months, Baiyao Media and Star Entertainment fought fiercely for market share in the new star system. Because Baiyao Media had rallied other companies to form a committee, working together to set rules and jointly develop the new market, Star Entertainment’s expansion plans were repeatedly frustrated.

After suffering several defeats in copyright battles, Star Entertainment retreated to its original territory. But the other companies that had long been under its influence had made a fortune abroad and, having tasted success, naturally wanted to bring their experience back home.

Star Entertainment’s stock price had been falling for six months. Several key artists whose contracts were expiring jumped ship, and everyone was on edge. The board of directors held meeting after meeting—

But Su Mingxiu never appeared.

Rumors were flying outside.

Some said that she had had enough of playing around in the entertainment industry and had gone home to inherit the family business, preparing to sell her shares in Star Entertainment.

Others said that she had been indiscriminate in her personal life while she was an agent and had contracted some kind of illness. She was now hospitalized and couldn’t appear in public anymore.

On the tenth day after the rumors spread.

A line of text suddenly appeared before Su Mingxiu’s eyes:

[Mission completed! Time remaining before extraction from this world: 90 days.]

That night, as the text appeared.

The night sky was clear, with only the bright moon hanging high.

Su Mingxiu slept for two hours. When she opened her eyes, she wanted to check the time, but she saw a figure standing by her bed. She blinked, but before she could see clearly, the bedside lamp was turned on. The sudden light made her instinctively close her eyes.

A warmth settled on her neck.

When she opened her eyes again, there was an additional weight on the quilt. The newcomer was propped up on one hand beside her neck, the other hand touching the new ornament on her neck. Her fingertips traced the edges of the white lace pattern, watching as a thin silver chain extended from it, glinting coldly as it reached the bedpost. Her voice was slightly hoarse: “This gift seems more suitable for you.”

Su Mingxiu took a moment to adjust, about to open her eyes again, but the other party’s palm covered them, the warmth blocking her vision. Only the other person’s voice remained in her ears: “Everyone in the villa has been sent away. Is your insomnia that bad now?”

A hot and cold breath landed on her lips.

She smelled the familiar mint fragrance.

But Su Mingxiu remained motionless.

Her indifference fueled Yu Yinglan’s frustration. She no longer dared to delude herself into thinking that her appearance was within Su Mingxiu’s expectations—

This was clearly the fearlessness of someone who had never taken her seriously.

How could Su Mingxiu be so calm?

She wanted to break that fake mask and see Su Mingxiu’s true emotions. She wanted to see her regret, her breakdown, and then, in those shattered emotions… find what she desired.

Yu Yinglan tore open the package of mint candy she always carried with her, placed the hard candy between her lips, and did something she had been longing to do for a long time.

… The mint flavor that flooded Su Mingxiu’s mouth became even stronger.

She no longer held back, doing her best to capture every bit of the refreshing fragrance. As the mint candy melted layer by layer, the temperature of her lips and tongue also climbed higher and higher.

The other person was the same.

Until a gust of wind blew in from the balcony—

Yu Yinglan suddenly realized her own indulgence. She pushed herself up from the bed, wanting to escape from the web of tenderness woven by Su Mingxiu.

But as her red lips moved an inch away, the back of her neck was pressed down by the other party’s palm, which had appeared there at some point. Still unable to see, Su Mingxiu bit down on the much smaller candy, using its sweetness to trace Yu Yinglan’s lip shape. Sensing her stiffness, she rolled the candy away and asked with a chuckle: “Where are you going?”

“The candy hasn’t been finished yet.”