Chapter 46 p1
Xin Yao flung open the hotel room door and pulled Xu Jingyu inside.
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind them, the room lights illuminating the familiar space, calming Xin Yao’s frayed nerves.
But her heart still pounded in her chest.
She leaned against the door, gasping for breath, her hand clutching Xu Jingyu’s wrist, her fingers trembling.
Xu Jingyu, having been dragged along for the ride, had no idea what had happened. She looked at Xin Yao’s terrified expression, her hand gently stroking her hair.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Her cool, calm voice brought Xin Yao back to reality. She looked at Xu Jingyu, her mind still racing.
For a few terrifying moments, she had truly believed she had seen a ghost, that her life was about to end.
She had even considered how to plead with the ghost, what she could offer to appease it.
Would mentioning her ailing mother and sister work?
Or should she fight back, a desperate struggle in the stairwell? Having died once before, she wasn’t afraid of death!
But seeing Xu Jingyu had banished those thoughts. Her only concern had been Xu Jingyu’s safety.
She had been ready to sacrifice herself, to distract the ghost so that Xu Jingyu could escape.
The thought made her grip tighten on Xu Jingyu’s wrist, her fingers leaving red marks on her pale skin.
She looked up at Xu Jingyu, her lips parting as if to speak, but only a shaky breath escaped her lips.
Then, tears started to fall, rolling down her cheeks like tiny pearls, her expression a mix of fear and relief.
Each tear seemed to pierce Xu Jingyu’s heart, softening her usual aloofness, her own anxiety growing.
She reached out to embrace Xin Yao.
Xin Yao, however, had already thrown herself into her arms, her own arms wrapping around Xu Jingyu’s waist, her sobs echoing through the room.
“Xu Jingyu! I thought I’d never see you again!”
“You don’t know… I saw a ghost! And it chased me! It was terrifying!”
“Its screams were so chilling! It must have died a horrible death! But why was it chasing me?!”
“It was so scary! You wouldn’t believe how it looked! Its eyes were bulging out of its head!”
Xu Jingyu held her close, her arms tightening around Xin Yao’s trembling body, offering silent comfort.
A ghost?
She recalled the fleeting glimpse she had caught in the hallway, the screaming figure chasing after Xin Yao.
She was starting to understand what had happened.
She gently patted Xin Yao’s back.
“It’s okay. It’s over now.”
She wanted to say more, but Xin Yao didn’t give her a chance.
After all, for Xin Yao, it had been a near-death experience.
Even now, safe in Xu Jingyu’s arms, back in the familiar comfort of her hotel room, she was still shaken.
She looked up at Xu Jingyu, her eyes still filled with tears, then, unable to hold back any longer, she pulled Xu Jingyu’s face down and kissed her.
It was a fierce, desperate kiss, Xin Yao’s most passionate yet, as if she needed to confirm Xu Jingyu’s reality, her lips clinging to hers like a lifeline.
It was a release of all her pent-up emotions: her unspoken love, her longing, her fear.
Xu Jingyu, surprisingly, didn’t respond with her usual intensity.
Instead, she let Xin Yao kiss her, her arms holding her close, offering silent comfort and reassurance.
Her passivity, however, only fueled Xin Yao’s passion.
Emboldened, she pushed Xu Jingyu against the wall, her body clinging to hers, her fingers digging into her shoulders, leaving faint marks on her skin.
After a long while, she finally pulled away, her breath coming in short gasps, her head resting against Xu Jingyu’s shoulder.
She had calmed down, but Xu Jingyu, the usually aloof and composed actress, looked like she had been ravaged, her lips swollen, her eyes shining, her neck and shoulders marked by Xin Yao’s fingers.
Xu Jingyu’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “Yaoyao, can you tell me what happened now?”
Having been back in her room for a while, the initial panic subsiding, Xin Yao finally calmed down enough to think rationally.
As she replayed the events of the evening in her mind, she realized something wasn’t quite right.
She hesitated, then spoke.
“When the elevator doors opened, I saw this terrifying figure standing there, and I thought it was a ghost.”
She recounted the entire incident, every detail.
Xu Jingyu, listening, realized it had been a misunderstanding.
But as Xin Yao described her fear, her trembling legs, her tears, Xu Jingyu’s arms tightened around her waist.
This person, so terrified, so vulnerable, had still thought of Xu Jingyu’s safety, willing to face the “ghost” alone so that Xu Jingyu could escape.
How could someone like Xin Yao even exist?
Perhaps she didn’t fully understand what love was yet, but Xu Jingyu knew that Xin Yao was her everything.
And in that moment, holding Xin Yao close, a crack appeared in the wall around her heart, letting in a ray of warmth and light.
But the more Xin Yao talked, the more embarrassed she became. She touched her nose sheepishly.
“I think… I might have been mistaken…”
Her words, and her embarrassed expression, softened Xu Jingyu’s gaze even further, her heart melting at Xin Yao’s cuteness. She stroked Xin Yao’s hair.
“Actually…”
Just as she was about to speak, a knock echoed through the room.
Xin Yao instinctively clutched Xu Jingyu’s shirt, her anxiety returning.
Xu Jingyu patted her back reassuringly, her eyes narrowing slightly, her voice soft.
“Yaoyao, do you remember Meng Wanqing, the actress I mentioned this morning?”
Meng Wanqing?
Xin Yao’s eyes flickered with confusion, then she nodded, remembering their earlier conversation in the car.
Meng Wanqing, the zombie movie, the ghost-like appearance…
The pieces clicked into place.
The “ghost” she had encountered tonight… could it have been Meng Wanqing?
Xu Jingyu, seeing the dawning realization in Xin Yao’s eyes, nodded.
“Yes, I saw her briefly when I got off the elevator. The person chasing you… it looked like her. And she’s probably the one knocking on the door now.”
“Should we ignore her? Or should I go and send her away?”
Xin Yao’s face flushed crimson.
Oh my god! She had been wrong!
She replayed the events of the past hour in her mind, her embarrassment growing with each passing moment.
She had screamed and run through the hotel, headbutted a famous actress, and dragged a bewildered Xu Jingyu along for the ride!
She took a deep breath, her hands covering her face, mortified.
Just as she wanted to disappear, Xu Jingyu, standing before her, bent down, her gaze meeting Xin Yao’s.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Huh?” Xin Yao looked up, confused. Thank her for what?
Xu Jingyu’s eyes were soft and warm in the dim light.
“Whether you were mistaken or not, you thought it was a ghost, and you were still willing to protect me.”
“I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Her words, spoken with such sincerity, transformed the embarrassing incident into a precious gesture of love and devotion.
Xin Yao’s embarrassment faded, a smile touching her lips.
“It’s nothing. I wasn’t thinking.”
Just as they were about to delve into another heartfelt conversation, the knocking resumed.
Xin Yao, remembering the person outside, looked at Xu Jingyu, then at the door.
“Maybe we should open the door.”
Xu Jingyu, always responsive to Xin Yao’s wishes, turned and opened the door.
Xin Yao, still slightly apprehensive, hid behind Xu Jingyu, peeking out cautiously.
She didn’t see anyone.
Then, a faint knocking sound came from below.
She looked down and saw a figure sprawled on the carpet in front of their door.
It was the “ghost,” Meng Wanqing, her clothes torn and bloodstained, her hair a mess.
She was weakly knocking on the doorframe, her voice barely a whisper.
“There’s no ghost… help me… I want to live…”
She clearly wanted to live, very much so.
Xin Yao, clutching Xu Jingyu’s sleeve, asked, “But why are you… lying on the floor?”
Meng Wanqing’s voice was even weaker now. “My legs… they gave way… I crawled here…”
Xin Yao was impressed.
Ten minutes later, the three women, the perpetrators of the late-night hotel chaos, were gathered in Xin Yao’s room.
Xu Jingyu and Xin Yao sat together on the sofa, Meng Wanqing sitting opposite them.
Her face, deemed too gruesome to behold, was covered by a piece of clothing, Xu Jingyu having ordered her not to show it.
Meng Wanqing, annoyed, slammed her hand on the table.
“This is outrageous! You two heartless wretches! How could you?!”
“You just left me there! What if there really was a ghost?!”
“You ran so fast! Like lightning!”
“Especially you, Xu Jingyu! You saw my face, and you still ran away!”
She pointed an accusing finger at Xu Jingyu.
But her vision obscured by the cloth covering her face, her finger poked Xin Yao instead.
Xin Yao gently redirected her finger towards Xu Jingyu.
Xu Jingyu, her expression cold and impassive, swatted Meng Wanqing’s hand away.
“Then you should have stayed there and died.”
As they talked, Xin Yao learned that Xu Jingyu, Meng Wanqing, and Xue Ning knew each other, having grown up together.
So, Meng Wanqing, less intimidated by Xu Jingyu than most people, continued her rant.
“Does she even sound human?!”
“And do I look like a ghost?!”
Xin Yao, always honest, nodded. “Yes.”
A silence filled the room, Meng Wanqing deflating slightly.
After a moment, she muttered, “Honestly, I scare myself when I look in the mirror.”
Meng Wanqing: “I’m sorry.”
Xin Yao: “No, I’m sorry.”
After all, Xin Yao was unharmed, while Meng Wanqing had a large bump on her head.
Meng Wanqing touched her forehead gingerly.
“Damn, girl, you have a hard head.”
Xin Yao chuckled awkwardly.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“But you’re really loyal,” Meng Wanqing said, her usual boisterous nature returning, seemingly unfazed by the earlier incident. She actually seemed to like Xin Yao.
“You were terrified, but you still grabbed Xu Jingyu and ran. I like that. What’s your name? Let’s exchange numbers. I need more friends like you…”
Before she could finish, Xu Jingyu grabbed her by the collar, lifting her out of her chair.
Xu Jingyu, holding Meng Wanqing like a kettle, her expression calm, looked at Xin Yao.
“We need to talk. In private.”
Xin Yao reached out, slightly worried about Meng Wanqing’s safety.
But seeing the tension in Xu Jingyu’s eyes, the barely controlled anger simmering beneath the surface, she nodded, retracting her hand.
Xu Jingyu dragged Meng Wanqing out of the room, closing the door behind them before releasing her.
Meng Wanqing, feeling humiliated, rubbed her neck.
“What was that for?! I was about to get her number!”
Xu Jingyu, her arms crossed, glared at her.
“Don’t ever enter a hotel without removing your makeup again.”
Her height gave her a natural advantage, her gaze condescending.
“Or what?”
Xu Jingyu’s silent stare was enough of an answer. If Meng Wanqing dared to challenge her, she might not live to see another day.
She didn’t want to wake up to headlines like “Actress Caught Crawling Through Hotel Hallway” or “Ms. Meng’s Strange Nighttime Activities.”
So, without hesitation, she quickly apologized, her voice meek and submissive.
“Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am. You’re the boss.”
Xu Jingyu looked at her. “And stay away from Xin Yao.”
What?
Why?! She couldn’t even make friends now?!
But Meng Wanqing, while annoyed, didn’t dare to argue. She lowered her head, muttering a soft “okay.”
Dealing with Meng Wanqing was a quick and efficient affair. Within minutes, Xu Jingyu returned to the room.
Xin Yao was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.
The lights were still on, illuminating her in her white dress, her appearance soft and ethereal.
Xu Jingyu walked over to her, about to speak, when Xin Yao, hearing her approach, looked up.
In the soft light, her gaze meeting Xu Jingyu’s, she reached out and took Xu Jingyu’s hand, her voice soft, her eyes gentle.
“Xu Jingyu, I’m still a little scared.”
“I can’t sleep alone tonight. Can you stay with me?”
Her words, like a shower of roses transformed into arrows, pierced Xu Jingyu’s heart, making it bloom.
Her heart overflowing with joy, she didn’t hesitate.
“Okay.”
The drama finally ended around 1 am.
After eating, showering, and dealing with the frantic hotel manager, who had received noise complaints and had rushed upstairs, Xin Yao finally went to bed.
And tonight, she wasn’t alone.
They turned off the lights, and Xu Jingyu lay beside her in the darkness.
Listening to her soft breathing, feeling her presence, Xin Yao’s fear subsided, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.
But she was also restless, her mind racing, unable to sleep.
Xu Jingyu, lying beside her, was also awake, her eyes open in the darkness, her thoughts consumed by Xin Yao’s actions that night.
Her fear, her tears, her courage, it all tugged at Xu Jingyu’s heart, awakening the intense emotions she had felt from the moment she saw Xin Yao’s photo, a wave of longing that threatened to overwhelm her.
How could she sleep?
She turned over, looking at Xin Yao’s silhouette in the darkness, and pulled her closer.
Feeling Xu Jingyu’s warmth, her embrace, Xin Yao didn’t turn around, simply murmuring, “Hold me tighter.”
Xu Jingyu’s arms tightened around her.
“Tighter.”
Xu Jingyu held her even closer.
“Tighter.”
Finally, their bodies pressed together, their skin burning against each other, Xu Jingyu’s embrace almost painful, Xin Yao was satisfied.
Xu Jingyu rested her chin on Xin Yao’s head.
“I actually wish you hadn’t grabbed my hand tonight. I wish you had left me there.”
Xin Yao paused, then turned over in Xu Jingyu’s embrace, her face pressed against her chest.
“Why?”
“More than saving me,” Xu Jingyu stroked her hair, “I want you to be safe.”
Xin Yao scoffed. “If I had abandoned you in a dangerous situation, you would have been furious when you finally escaped.”
“Would I?” Xu Jingyu couldn’t imagine herself losing control. “I don’t think so.”
Xin Yao laughed.
“You don’t know yourself very well.”
“You wouldn’t hate me, but you would definitely be upset, thinking I had abandoned you. And then, after escaping, you would have come looking for me, dragging me back, forcing me to stay with you.”
Her dramatic retelling made Xu Jingyu chuckle. “Is that what you think of me?”
But thinking about it, it did sound like something she would do.
And she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. She would simply be protecting Xin Yao from harm.
But…
Xu Jingyu nuzzled her head against Xin Yao’s.
“Regardless, I would have wanted you to leave me there.”
I would rather die than put you in danger.
And perhaps…
Even if I died, I would come back for you.
Xin Yao thought Xu Jingyu was being a bit dramatic.
She didn’t argue, simply snuggling closer, her voice soft.
“I wouldn’t.”
“I would never leave you.”
Her words, whispered in the darkness, warmed Xu Jingyu’s heart.
She tightened her embrace, about to say something, but then, looking down, she saw that Xin Yao had fallen asleep.
She smiled softly, her silence a silent promise.
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