Chapter 17: “I don’t know how to do anything but act.”

Qu An’ge had absolutely no idea what Xu Mi was thinking.

She only noticed that Xu Mi seemed to be in a better mood, no longer having that stern, set face from before. It immediately made her restless. This was her long-lost lover, and seeing her again brought all the beautiful memories of the past flooding back. Qu An’ge remembered how perfectly in sync they were physically. She was always captivated by Xu Mi’s reactions. Her hand, originally innocently resting around Xu Mi’s waist, started getting ideas and secretly crept upwards. Just as she was about to reach her target, Xu Mi turned around and pushed her away, saying, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Qu An’ge immediately understood, taking this to mean they should shower first before proceeding. But the mention of a shower sparked new lively thoughts. She hooked a finger around Xu Mi’s and said, “We could shower together, you know.”

The faint, elusive smile on Xu Mi’s face vanished. She looked down at Qu An’ge expressionlessly.

Qu An’ge gulped. She retreated, sat up straight with her legs neatly crossed on the bed edge, and said, “After you.”

The bathroom for the second bedroom was outside the room. As soon as Xu Mi left, Qu An’ge started rummaging through her suitcase for clothes. She finally picked out a set of white lace lingerie and a white button-down shirt, which she felt perfectly walked the line between innocent and seductive. She packed it into a bag, planning to surprise Xu Mi after her shower. Not long after, Xu Mi returned. She hadn’t brought sleepwear, just a large T-shirt that covered her thighs. Even so, Qu An’ge felt her mouth go dry. But Xu Mi didn’t even look at her, heading straight to the head of the bed to blow-dry her hair. Qu An’ge didn’t dare push her luck and went off to the bathroom with her “battle outfit.” Halfway through her shower, she realized there was no facial cleanser.

…Then what did Xu Mi use to wash her face?

Puzzled, Qu An’ge called Xu Mi on her phone. When Xu Mi picked up, she said, “Mimi, I forgot to bring my cleanser. Can you grab it for me?”

Xu Mi’s voice was extremely cold. “Use body wash.”

Qu An’ge: “…So you used body wash?”

Xu Mi: “What about it?”

Qu An’ge thought: She’d rather be that rough on her skin than trouble me for a moment. Maybe I should learn to make do too.

But then she thought of her own complexion, and the dry, tight feeling of body wash on a face. Unable to help herself, she whined in a coaxing tone, “Please, just bring it for me?”

Xu Mi didn’t reply and hung up directly. Qu An’ge was just thinking she might have to get dressed and go get it herself when there was a knock on the bathroom door. Her eyes lit up. As expected, Xu Mi wasn’t that heartless. Glancing in the mirror, she saw her own snow-white skin, her well-proportioned and alluring figure — decidedly delectable. Xu Mi was a normally developed adult woman; there was no reason she’d be unmoved by such a body. So when she opened the door, she struck a pose, sweeping her long hair forward to partially cover her chest in a classic “lute half-hiding her face” style. She opened the door, saying, “Thank you, Mimi, I just knew you’d—”

Her voice died mid-sentence. It was her mother standing at the door.

“AHHH!!!” Qu An’ge shrieked and stumbled backward, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself.

Mother Qu rolled her eyes. “I gave birth to you. There’s nothing I haven’t seen. You really have some nerve, forgetting your own toiletries and then troubling Xu Mi for them.”

Qu An’ge snatched the cleanser. “Just go, okay?!”

Mother Qu said, “Like anyone’s eager to look,” and walked off with a look of disgust.

Qu An’ge closed the door, speechless. The body that would later be hailed by the media as a “top-tier figure” and a “hidden treasure of Chinese entertainment” was currently being disliked by two people. This was not something she’d anticipated.

In a mood of profound melancholy, Qu An’ge finished her shower, her amorous mood having taken a severe hit. However, when she put on her clothes and looked in the mirror, the reflection in the steam-fogged glass was somewhat hazy, but one could still see perfectly proportioned curves. The bathroom lighting was soft. Qu An’ge took out her phone for a selfie. Through the camera lens, she had red lips, white teeth, and water droplets clinging to her skin. Her wet hair clung to her cheeks, emphasizing her flawless, delicate complexion, so fair it looked almost breakable. Even the raw camera output showed an undeniable beauty. Her confidence restored, she draped the shirt over her shoulders. After a moment’s thought, she buttoned it up first, planning to unbutton it one by one later for a bit of extra allure. Thinking this, an unconscious smile crept onto her face again. She quickly patted her cheeks, hoping her smile didn’t look too lecherous, and opened the bathroom door.

When she got back to the bedroom, however, Xu Mi was sitting absorbed in front of her computer screen, not sparing her a single glance. Qu An’ge did her skincare and blow-dried her hair. Through the whole routine, Xu Mi never turned around. Qu An’ge moved to sit behind Xu Mi and asked, “What are you doing?”

Xu Mi said, “Writing my resume.”

Qu An’ge: “…”

Compared to Xu Mi, she, the one who actually owed money, seemed to have absolutely zero sense of urgency!

Seeing that Xu Mi wasn’t going to pay her any attention and that her pink-hued fantasies were clearly just that—fantasies—Qu An’ge had no choice but to huddle at the head of the bed with her phone. She saw that at some point, Zuo Qingyuan had accepted her friend request and sent a message: —【May I ask who you are…?】

Qu An’ge replied: —【I have some investment intentions I’d like you to handle for me.】

Zuo Qingyuan: —【That’s definitely no problem. Would you like to discuss it in person? Should you come here, or should I visit you?】

Qu An’ge: —【Where are you currently based? City A or City S?】

Zuo Qingyuan: —【City A】

Qu An’ge hesitated upon seeing this reply. She looked up at Xu Mi. They had attended university in City S, and Xu Mi had worked there after graduation. But later, Qu An’ge had moved to City A to chase her entertainment dreams. After that, the people and resources she connected with were almost all in City A. For a smooth future, they would need to move to City A.

She didn’t know if Xu Mi would be willing. Back when she had first gone to City A, she had asked Xu Mi then, too. Xu Mi had said she was used to life in the south and wasn’t keen on changing cities. At the time, Qu An’ge, thinking she’d be too busy in City A to look after Xu Mi anyway, hadn’t pushed it. Later, their hearts grew further apart, a distance likely exacerbated by the physical miles between them.

Having learned from her past life, Qu An’ge naturally didn’t want to live apart from Xu Mi. But she didn’t know how to bring it up. Now, so afraid of losing her, she constantly worried about making Xu Mi angry.

Zuo Qingyuan sent another message: —【May I be so bold as to ask who recommended me to you?】

The other person probably found it strange: a client who didn’t even know which city she worked in, yet specifically sought her out.

Qu An’ge thought for a moment, then replied: —【I just found you through an online search.】

After sending that, she put her phone down and stared blankly at Xu Mi’s back. Xu Mi was intently browsing job-seeking websites. Qu An’ge bit her lip and shuffled closer, resting a hand on Xu Mi’s shoulder. Xu Mi’s movements paused, and she tilted her head slightly. “What is it?”

Thick lashes veiled the expression in her eyes, making her look cold. Qu An’ge cautiously said, “Mimi, could we go to City A to develop our careers together?”

Xu Mi raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Qu An’ge said, “I… I feel like City A suits me better.”

Xu Mi said, “It’s to become a star, isn’t it.”

Qu An’ge didn’t speak, tacitly admitting it. Xu Mi turned around to face her, then suddenly spoke: “Can’t you really just not be a celebrity?”

Actually, over the past two days, Qu An’ge had long since noticed that Xu Mi definitely had an issue with her dream of making it in showbiz. But not going into the entertainment industry was impossible for Qu An’ge. Putting everything else aside, she had miraculously been reborn. If she didn’t go into showbiz, her rebirth would be meaningless, because she knew absolutely nothing about any other industry.

So even knowing Xu Mi’s attitude, she could only pretend not to notice.

She licked her lips and, after a pause, said, “I don’t know how to do anything but act.”

This was truly the most honest, heartfelt truth she could say.

Xu Mi turned back to face the screen and just gave a flat, “Oh.”

A long silence stretched out. Qu An’ge started to panic. She poked Xu Mi’s back. “So… what do you say?”

“Hm?” Xu Mi looked indifferent. “It’s fine. Didn’t I say ‘Oh’?”

Qu An’ge bounced up from the bed, ecstatic. “Really? Then let’s head straight to City A tomorrow.”

Xu Mi nodded.

Although her attitude wasn’t warm, this was indeed agreement. Qu An’ge was so happy she practically wanted to jump for joy. She rolled around on the bed, then got up and hugged Xu Mi. Xu Mi, busy sending out resumes, looked up impatiently, getting ready to push her away again, but then she saw that the loose chiffon shirt Qu An’ge was wearing had slipped off her left shoulder during her dramatic movements, revealing the delicate lace lingerie underneath and a vast expanse of skin.

Xu Mi’s eyebrow lifted slightly. Qu An’ge, noticing the shift in her expression, bit her lip and leaned in closer, about to whisper some flirtatious line. Then Xu Mi spoke: “It’s better not to wear a bra when you sleep at night, you know. It can easily cause breast hyperplasia.”

Xu Mi refocused on her computer. “Now that I’m suddenly changing cities, I have to re-evaluate all the companies. You go to sleep first; I’ll be busy for a while.”

Qu An’ge: “…Oh.”