Gold Medal Mediator [Quick Transmigration] 2

Chapter 2: Cousin-in-Law, Don’t Be Like This (2)

Hearing Hua Baihe’s question, the thorn lodged deep in Luo Sheng’s heart began to ache.

She would always remember that morning during her first year of high school—

A pair, who looked like siblings, walked past her. The girl trailing behind was adjusting a charm on her backpack strap while telling the taller boy in front of her to hold her unfinished breakfast. She didn’t forget to nag:

“They’re splitting us into arts and science streams today, so Old Jiang is definitely going to rearrange the seats. If you get a new girl as your deskmate, you have to be a gentleman, big bro. It’s so cold now, you should remember to fill her thermos with hot water during breaks. Having a good relationship with your deskmate is really important, you know?”

As she spoke, the girl had already straightened the Bulbasaur charm hanging from her backpack strap. It swayed, a vibrant green, against her bag.

The girl’s voice was stunning from the very first listen—a delicate, gentle tone that made one curious to see the face that belonged to such a voice.

Luo Sheng couldn’t say what kind of curiosity she felt in that moment, but when she turned her head, it was as if she heard time itself sigh in her ear.

The girl seemed born to shatter the rumor that “girls with nice voices usually aren’t very good-looking.” The morning light fell upon her features, practically giving her an aura that set her apart from everyone else.

Sunlight danced through her hair, scattering golden dust. A gentle curve formed on her lips as she took her soy milk from the boy in front. Her pink lips parted slightly, and her perfect teeth gently bit into the thin, clear straw.

Her lashes swept down, hiding her beautiful dark eyes and shielding the only window through which others could peer into her soul.

Besides Luo Sheng, many other boys were also secretly casting glances her way. Soon, a debate over ‘who would be this year’s school beauty’ began to circulate among them.

Somewhat unexpectedly for Luo Sheng, her new deskmate turned out to be the ‘big bro’ that girl had been talking to.

“You’re Luo Sheng? I know you, the top student in the arts stream. I’m Chen Keyin, and, uh, I’m this blockhead’s cousin.” As she spoke, Luo Sheng saw her poke the boy in front with her pen, then tilt her head and flash a brilliant, friendly smile.

Captivated by that sweet smile, Luo Sheng firmly committed the name to memory.

From high school all the way to university, she always wanted to get a little closer to that radiance, just a little bit closer. When she received Chen Wenxian’s confession, she even purposefully glanced in that person’s direction—

The only one who knew she liked champagne roses was Chen Keyin.

Yet in the end, it was from Chen Wenxian’s hands that she received the bouquet.

Perhaps out of disappointment, or perhaps to spite her, Luo Sheng agreed to go out with Chen Wenxian.

But until their university graduation, every time Chen Keyin dragged her out, the words ‘my cousin’ were never far from her lips. Chen Keyin could list every single, minuscule positive trait her cousin possessed as if they were precious treasures.

…Was Chen Wenxian truly that exceptional?

Luo Sheng looked at the person standing so close to her, wanting to ask this question time and time again, but in the end, she always bowed to the sweet torture of reality.

—As long as I can see her, as long as I can stand by her side, that should be enough, right?

Why should I voice these shameful thoughts and scare her away?

But some desires couldn’t be controlled by Luo Sheng alone. Once the vines that grew in darkness saw the light, they could never retreat back into that sunless world.

As her wedding to Chen Wenxian was put on the agenda, Luo Sheng finally, painfully, realized:

She couldn’t deceive herself any longer.

The truth was, Chen Keyin had never liked her. The amount of attention she gave Chen Wenxian was a hundred, a thousand times more than she ever gave her.

**

Tonight’s events became the trigger for Luo Sheng’s emotional eruption.

She saw Chen Keyin out drinking with Chen Wenxian again.

The one who fended off potential rivals for Chen Wenxian was Chen Keyin. The one who helped Chen Wenxian pursue his wife was also Chen Keyin. The one who constantly fussed over Chen Wenxian’s love life was, again, Chen Keyin—

Would any other pair of cousins be this close?

Luo Sheng refused to think about it.

When she appeared at the bar as usual, Chen Keyin was just getting off her barstool. She missed a step and stumbled, but Luo Sheng caught her just in time.

The person in her arms looked up at her and tried to shrug her off, pointing instead at the man who was so drunk he was staring intently at a wine bottle.

“My cousin is over there.”

Cousin, cousin, always the cousin.

Luo Sheng had almost no desire to look at the man who had a terrible tolerance for alcohol yet loved to drink. Unable to describe the anger that surged within her, she stubbornly held onto the waist of the person before her and called out towards Chen Wenxian.

“I’m taking Keyin home first.”

Chen Wenxian looked up at her, it was unclear if he understood, and simply waved his hand.

**

Returning to the present.

Hearing the retort, Hua Baihe was completely bewildered, unsure of the current situation.

However, her sensitive woman’s intuition was blaring like a radar, telling her that something was very, very wrong. It was as if a button had been pushed on Luo Sheng, and at any moment she could pounce and devour her whole.

To be safe, she decided to forget the strange kiss and pretend she was still dead drunk.

Her upturned eyes were veiled in a watery mist, blurring the emotions within into a state of dazed confusion. It was as if Hua Baihe had only been lucid for that single moment before the alcohol sent her spiraling back into dizziness and illusion.

Luo Sheng watched her, seeing how she was clearly too dizzy to distinguish reality, yet appeared so incredibly docile and pliable. The anger in her heart was now mixed with more complex emotions.

One moment she thought about how jealous she would be if anyone else saw Keyin in this state.

The next, she felt a sense of relief that, for now, only she could see her like this.

Her movements softened. She leaned over, sliding one hand under Hua Baihe’s neck while using the other to flip the cool towel on her forehead. Looking at the crimson flush on her cheeks that betrayed her low tolerance for alcohol, she sighed softly.

“Don’t drink so much when you’re out next time.”

Her tone was as intimate as a wife gently admonishing her husband.

But the words sent a shiver of horror down Hua Baihe’s spine.

Her body stiffened for a second. To avoid revealing her sobriety, she quickly mumbled, “Water…”

As she spoke, she subconsciously licked her lower lip.

A sheen of moisture instantly coated her slightly dry lips. The glossy lipstick she had applied for her evening out was now like a desert flower after a rainstorm, outlining her lips in a peachy hue under the light.

The gloss made them look as succulent as a peach-flavored jelly, and Luo Sheng found herself momentarily mesmerized.

The other woman remained still for a long time, making Hua Baihe realize her lips were in imminent danger again. She quickly moved her head, frowning as if in discomfort, and mumbled a few more times about being thirsty and wanting water.

In the end, Luo Sheng’s concern for her won out over the desire to steal another kiss.

Sensing the warmth beside her retreat and hearing the bedroom door click open again, Hua Baihe let out a massive sigh of relief in her heart.

The System’s voice chimed in at the perfect moment:

“Based on an analysis of the female protagonist’s behavior, it seems she harbors feelings of affection for the host?!”

As if the punctuation wasn’t enough to express its shock, the System followed up by plastering an emoji meme in Hua Baihe’s mind:

【I’ve never fucking seen a situation like this.jpg】

Evidently, seeing the Child of Destiny suddenly swerve onto a lesbian path had dealt an unparalleled shock to its newly manufactured core chip.

Hua Baihe, whose brain had just been slapped with an image of someone hugging themselves tightly, listened to her own heart still pounding from the shock of Luo Sheng’s kiss and replied to the System with a deadpan expression in her mind:

“No shit.”

It wasn’t as if Luo Sheng had never kissed anyone before and, on a whim, decided to use her as a guinea pig for practice, right?

The System offered a precautionary reminder: “The host is, by nature, an existence that disrupts the world’s order and is not permitted to enter into a romantic relationship with any plot-related characters.”

Hua Baihe, spread-eagled on the bed in utter despair, replied, “I know.”

If dating Luo Sheng could complete the mission, she would have been better off doing it herself from the start rather than relying on that cousin whose alcohol tolerance was in the negatives.

After all, in her original world, she was already as bent as a mosquito coil, and Luo Sheng’s powerful, older-sisterly aura was very much her type.

During this mission, to prevent herself from paying too much attention to Luo Sheng, Hua Baihe had deliberately shifted the entire focus of her tasks onto Chen Wenxian alone.

But this world seemed determined to teach her the meaning of “unintentional success.”

She heaved a deep sigh, attributing it all to setting the parameters too high when she customized her body and appearance upon entering this world.

“It’s all my beauty’s fault.”

It had made Luo Sheng take one extra glance at her in the crowd, and she had been unable to forget her face ever since.

The System was stunned by her shamelessness. After a long pause, it sent Hua Baihe another emoji meme: 【Can your drama be as minimal as your money?.jpg】

Hua Baihe: “…”

Just as the human-system duo was lamenting this divine plot twist, Luo Sheng returned with a glass of warm water.

Hua Baihe retracted her sprawled limbs, returning to a curled-up position on her side at the foot of the bed, pretending she still had no idea she was in the other woman’s bedroom.

Just when she thought Luo Sheng would shake her awake to drink the water—

Luo Sheng gently cupped her chin and brought her soft, warm lips down on hers once more.

A stream of warm water flowed from the other’s mouth, slowly filling every corner of hers.

Hua Baihe hesitated for only half a second before obediently drinking all the water she was fed.

The reason was simple: she was genuinely thirsty.

Luo Sheng seemed to sense her compliance and cheerfully repeated the activity three or four more times, only stopping when Hua Baihe frowned and turned her head away.

Just as Hua Baihe thought the night’s absurdities were over and decided to write it all off as a dream she would soon forget, Luo Sheng placed the glass on the bedside table and sat down at the foot of the bed.

The mattress dipped beside her, and the next second, Luo Sheng was lifting her into her lap.

Luo Sheng placed her fingertips on her temples and began to massage them in a steady rhythm. In less than half a minute, it felt so good that Hua Baihe wanted to squint her eyes in contentment.

Just as she was about to let her guard down, Luo Sheng’s voice came unexpectedly from above:

“Feel good?”

Before Hua Baihe could figure out how to continue her act, Luo Sheng’s cool voice sounded again:

“If it feels good, then stop pretending to be asleep, hmm?”