In the dead of night, Tang Qi went over the plot in the Book of the World once more. Just then, the already-sleeping Luo Xue thrashed a few times before suddenly bolting upright, panting heavily in the darkness.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Qi sat up and asked.
Luo Xue hadn’t realized Tang Qi was still awake. She stared blankly at her. In the dark, all she could see were Tang Qi’s bright eyes, holding a hint of concern.
That concern was like warm, delicate vines winding tightly around her heart.
“I dreamed I was still in that restaurant. They… they wouldn’t let me leave. They forced me to marry Li Chengyu, made me hand over all my property.” It wasn’t an incredibly terrifying dream, but the suffocating feeling within it clung to her like a shadow. Even though she was awake, she was still terribly afraid.
“It was just a dream,” Tang Qi comforted her, patting Luo Xue’s back, only to find it soaked with cold sweat.
Luo Xue leaned forward, burying her head on Tang Qi’s shoulder. Her nose was instantly filled with the faint fragrance of Tang Qi’s clothes. Relaxing, she murmured uncontrollably, “I’m scared.”
A wave of pity she herself found surprising surged in Tang Qi’s heart. She gently patted Luo Xue’s back, her voice soft, as if afraid of scaring her, like soothing a child. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
As if in a nightmare, Luo Xue opened her mouth. “Can… can I sleep with you?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her rashness and laughed awkwardly. “Ahaha, never mind, I was just saying that.”
“Luoluo is so pitiful. Has she never been held by anyone while sleeping? Wuwuwu! Luoluo!” The System cried, biting its handkerchief. Tang Qi directly blocked it out and said gently, “If you don’t mind the squeeze, you can.”
Luo Xue’s eyes lit up. The next second, she hopped over the railing and onto Tang Qi’s bed, as if afraid Tang Qi might change her mind.
The dorm bed was only 1.2 meters wide. Fearing she might crowd Tang Qi, Luo Xue squeezed herself against the wall, her back pressed tightly to it. Even so, she could still feel the warmth radiating from Tang Qi. She hesitantly stretched out a finger and slowly touched Tang Qi’s hand.
In that instant, she felt like her heart had jumped into her throat and would leap out at any moment to put on a street disco performance.
This strange and peculiar feeling drained all her strength and ability to think. She could only try to minimize her presence, yet her fingers never let go.
In the darkness, Tang Qi sighed. She reached out and pulled Luo Xue over, gathering her entirely in her arms. “Sleep!” She didn’t understand. Why was Luo Xue pressing herself against the wall? She was clearly so cramped she had no space for her hands!
“Sleeping, sleeping, I’ll sleep now,” Luo Xue stammered.
The next morning, Luo Xue was sporting two huge dark circles under her eyes. Mai Lingling asked curiously, “Did you not sleep well?”
“No, I just had something on my mind and couldn’t sleep.” Luo Xue gave a dry laugh. She didn’t dare say it was because she couldn’t sleep next to Tang Qi. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Tang Qi’s beautiful face.
When they got to the classroom, several guys from Li Chengyu’s dorm room actually showed up. They stood awkwardly in front of Luo Xue. Mai Lingling immediately placed herself protectively in front of Luo Xue. “What do you want? Here to back Li Chengyu up?”
In an instant, the other students in the classroom gathered around. Mai Lingling frowned angrily. “All the money Luo Xue saved was conned out of her by Li Chengyu. Why are you still coming here? Believe me when I say I’ll hit you.”
“Was the money Li Chengyu used really all swindled from you?” Lao Liu asked hoarsely.
Luo Xue looked at Tang Qi beside her. All the unease in her heart had long since dissipated. “Yes! All the New Year’s money I saved since childhood, five hundred and sixty thousand, plus the sixty thousand from last semester. If you don’t believe me, you can come with me to the bank and check the records. I also have some of the transfer records on my phone.”
Seeing the records on Luo Xue’s phone, Lao Liu and the others fell silent. The previous night, Li Chengyu had gone back and continued to slander Luo Xue, calling her a vain and shallow person.
“We’re sorry. We didn’t know the gifts were bought with money from you,” Lao Liu said, looking ashamed. He showed them what they were holding. “He always told us his family had money. Everything we got from him is here.”
Luo Xue glanced over them roughly. There were keyboards, mice, clothes, shoes, all high-end items.
“We know these are all used now, so we calculated the total value of these things.” Lao Liu held out an envelope. “We went to the bank this morning to withdraw the money. Please check if the amount is right.”
Luo Xue was surprised. Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Tang Qi again. Tang Qi gave her an encouraging smile. She looked down, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “I’ll find a way to get my money back from Li Chengyu. I don’t want this.”
“Why not?” Lao Liu asked anxiously.
“The responsibility is Li Chengyu’s, not yours. You have no reason to blame yourselves. And if I had to choose, I’d rather my money had been spent on you,” Luo Xue said with a slight smile. “Because you aren’t swindlers.”
Looking at the thick envelope and hearing her words, the others suddenly saw Luo Xue in a new light. Before, she had been a pretty, delicate doll without her own opinions or thoughts, kind to the point of foolishness.
Now, she carried a beauty born of self-confidence.
Because of what the dorm mates did, the situation between Li Chengyu and Luo Xue escalated even further. Li Chengyu had a huge argument with his dorm mates and moved out to rent his own place. His good reputation also plummeted.
After that, Li Chengyu didn’t show his face again, even quitting the basketball games he used to love.
Tang Qi spent a few days contemplating what she should do. Her skills were numerous and complex, which left her a bit torn.
She just hadn’t expected an opportunity to come knocking so quickly. When she went to her tutoring session, Sister Zhou saw her and, with a bright gleam in her eyes, lunged over. “Little Tang! For the sake of how well your sister has treated you, help me out this once. You might not know, but my family runs an entertainment company…”
It turned out her company had landed an advertisement spot. It was meant for a C-list actress, but she had recently been injured during filming. The ad shoot was starting immediately, but there was no suitable replacement.
The client’s requirements were strict: educational background, temperament, looks, academic performance, and figure—nothing could be lacking. They didn’t care about fame; they just wanted the right image.
“I don’t have anyone suitable under me. I think you fit perfectly,” Sister Zhou admitted she was grasping at straws. She had worked hard to land this project and absolutely couldn’t let a rival company take it.
Tang Qi hesitated. Sister Zhou persuaded her, “Outsiders will just think you’re a newly signed artist under me. If you want to pursue this path, I’ll help you. Let’s just go and try. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t hold it against you. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t cheat you. I’ll give you the best contract, and all the payment for this ad will go to you.”
Tang Qi agreed. Since Li Chengyu would enter the entertainment circle in the future, there was no harm in her getting in first. After acting for ten thousand years, performing was the last thing she feared.
Sister Zhou hadn’t expected Tang Qi to be approved after the audition. Only later did Tang Qi learn that while this ad seemed unremarkable, since the client behind it was the internet’s largest company, it involved a series of contracts. Sister Zhou took it very seriously.
In the days that followed, besides her classes, Tang Qi spent her time filming the ad. Sister Zhou was amazed by how talented Tang Qi was; she was practically a natural-born actress. An ad that should have taken a long time to film was completed in just a few days. The director was so satisfied that he directly asked Tang Qi if she wanted to make a cameo in his movie.
Before the summer break arrived, Tang Qi’s ad was released online and became an instant hit. The entire school was stunned. Luo Xue was also dumbfounded, not understanding how Tang Qi had suddenly become a celebrity.
It was mainly because Tang Qi had never mentioned it at school and still returned to the dorm to sleep on time every night. Luo Xue had thought she was just going to tutoring.
“What’s wrong? You look down,” Tang Qi remarked, seeing Luo Xue sitting somewhat dejectedly at her desk.
Luo Xue quickly shook her head. “No, I just… I’m just a little unhappy because summer break is here.” Tang Qi’s ad was still playing on her phone. Seeing Tang Qi glance at the screen, Luo Xue immediately turned off the screen and forced a smile. “Congratulations!”
She had thought she was Tang Qi’s best friend, yet she knew nothing about any of this. And… as Tang Qi became more and more outstanding, would the distance between them just keep growing?
Luo Xue told herself she shouldn’t think that way, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of loss.
“What are you doing over summer break?” Luo Xue asked.
Tang Qi had officially signed a contract under Sister Zhou. Over this period, she had also done a few cameo roles for minor characters. For the month and a half of summer break, she was set to film the ad director’s movie.
“I was just about to ask you: do you want to come with me to the film set over the summer? You can be my personal assistant,” Tang Qi smiled. “I’ll pay you.”
“Really?” Luo Xue’s eyes lit up. Tang Qi was once again reminded of her dog from a previous life.
She hadn’t been able to save that puppy. This time, she could at least help this girl, couldn’t she?
The System was monitoring Li Chengyu. After moving out to rent his own place, he had met the world line’s female lead ahead of schedule. They were supposed to meet five years later, when Li Chengyu was already a somewhat famous singer.
Perhaps it was compensation from the world line; their meeting was moved up by five years. Li Chengyu seemed to have matured quite a bit, subtly speaking ill of Luo Xue and Tang Qi to her.
Tang Qi knew that once she joined the film crew, she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on Luo Xue. So she decided to simply bring her along.
Thus, Luo Xue went with Tang Qi to the film set. Tang Qi only had the role of the Fourth Female Lead, so her screen time was minimal. Coupled with her top-tier acting skills, she wrapped up early almost every day. After wrapping, she would take Luo Xue around the film studio city, eating and sightseeing.
Her scenes were finished in just ten days. Seeing Tang Qi’s potential, Sister Zhou managed to secure a role for her as the Second Female Lead in a low-budget web drama—a character with a very compelling characterization.
The Second Female Lead was a swordswoman. When Tang Qi walked in front of Luo Xue dressed in ancient swordswoman attire, Luo Xue was so stunned she couldn’t close her mouth.
“Does it not look good?” Tang Qi looked down at herself.
“You look way too good. My god, so cool! Heroic and dashing, so graceful! Forgive my limited vocabulary, I can’t think of more words,” Luo Xue cupped her face. “You’ll definitely charm everyone out there.”
Tang Qi laughed. In the past, she had been a hero and a Demonic Archfiend. Taking a longsword, she casually twirled out a few sword-flowers in her hand, then smoothly returned the blade to its sheath, earning enthusiastic applause from Luo Xue.
“Host, bad news! That Li-scum has actually entered the entertainment circle.” The System, which hadn’t popped up in ages, suddenly seemed to spring back to life. “The female lead pulled strings to get him in. He’s going to participate in a talent show.”
Tang Qi raised an eyebrow. It seemed the world line was truly shifting dramatically. Looking at the oblivious, cheerfully smiling Luo Xue, she reached out and brushed a leaf off her clothes. “Let’s go get something to eat. I ordered you a cream cake.”
