Chapter 46 Part 2

Lin Shixia felt her throat go dry, as if some kind of appetite had stirred within her, making her feel restless and hot. She lowered her gaze, but her hands didn’t stop moving. Like Gu Liuguang, she glanced toward the door.

No one was at the door. Her little aunt had closed it and didn’t know what she was doing. The urge to stuff Gu Liuguang into her pocket grew stronger. Gritting her teeth, she opened her mouth. “Then you…”

“Xiao Xia, where are the disposable bath towels? I can’t find them.”

Lin Shixia’s resolve vanished in an instant. She set down the clothes she had sorted and walked toward the door. “I moved them. They’re in the storage box at the very bottom of the closet. Look there.”

After her little aunt found them, Lin Shixia came back in from outside. She saw Gu Liuguang standing pitifully to the side and sighed inwardly. With a smiling face, she said to her, “You rest first today. You can come find me tomorrow just the same.”

She didn’t mention at all her plan to bring her to the film set that night. Her little aunt was right. It was a night shoot; she couldn’t have Gu Liuguang stay up all night with her. Even if an assistant could keep her company, it still wouldn’t be the same. It was better to let Gu Liuguang rest well first.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have my assistant drive to pick you up. Is there anything you want to eat?”

After a few simple words of reassurance, Lin Shixia changed clothes and headed out. Helpless, Gu Liuguang could only leave Lin Shixia’s bedroom.

The System comforted her: 【It’s fine. This is already much better than expected. Weren’t you just trying to stay before? Now you’ve succeeded.】

Gu Liuguang shook her head: 【It’s not the same.】

Still, staying wasn’t entirely without benefits. She could properly test her little aunt Gu Shuang’s attitude toward her. The more she disliked her, the better—that way, the reason for their breakup later would be even more logical.

She waited in the living room for a bit, then felt she couldn’t really act like a guest. Eagerly, she went to the kitchen, washed the half-processed fruits, arranged them on a fruit plate, and prepared to knock on Gu Shuang’s door.

Just then, Lin Shixia came out after changing clothes. Seeing Gu Liuguang, she assumed she had come to see her off. She chatted with her while heading to the door. “If you want to go out shopping, you can ask my little aunt. I sent you the door code via WeChat. Later, I’ll send you a B City travel guide. You can wander around.”

After double-checking that she hadn’t forgotten anything, Lin Shixia finally left with peace of mind. She turned back at the door to look at Gu Liuguang.

Gu Liuguang stood obediently at the door, ready to see her off. Her well-behaved and cute appearance was adorable, like a large handcrafted figurine.

Only up close did Lin Shixia realize how breathtakingly beautiful Gu Liuguang was. Her eyes were very large, and when her lashes lowered, they cast a small shadow. Because of their shape, when she widened them to look over, they naturally carried a seductive charm.

Paired with an innocent and pure expression, it easily stirred a desire to ravage her in anyone.

Gu Liuguang: “What’s wrong?”

Lin Shixia wanted to ask if she could hug her but worried it would scare Gu Liuguang. In the end, she could only smile and say it was nothing. “Call me if anything comes up. I sent you my number on WeChat too.”

After the person left, Gu Liuguang closed the door.

Gu Liuguang lingered at the door for a moment. She felt she couldn’t just sit idly by anymore. Gu Shuang clearly didn’t dislike her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to let her stay.

Of course, based on what almost happened between them at the bar the night before, plus what Gu Shuang had said today, it wasn’t narcissism—Gu Shuang really seemed a bit off, like she was deliberately trying to send Lin Shixia away, not wanting her to be with Lin Shixia.

The System asked her happily: 【So what now?】

Gu Liuguang didn’t know what it was thinking, but with no one else to vent to, she shared her speculation with the System, feeling both annoyed and helpless: 【Actually, there’s another possibility. We met at a bar, so she thinks I’m not a good person and doesn’t want me with her niece.】

System: ……

System: 【Why can’t it be the first one? The one you mentioned… lip friendship?】

Gu Liuguang said helplessly: 【Read fewer all-harem novels.】

System: 【I didn’t…】

Gu Liuguang nailed it: 【And fewer succubus ones too.】

The System wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to speak again but held back.

By then, Gu Liuguang had already reached Gu Shuang’s door. She knocked, but there was no response from inside. She simply pressed her whole body against the door.

Holding her breath and concentrating for a good while, she finally heard the sound of water from inside. Connecting it to her earlier question to Lin Shixia about the disposable bath towels, she guessed the other was taking a shower.

Gu Liuguang went to wait at the kitchen bar instead. Her seat had a perfect view of the guest room door.

Although Lin Shixia had told her to treat the apartment like her own home, Gu Liuguang still remembered she was a guest—and that Gu Shuang was there—so she didn’t dare touch anything else. Anyway, these things would be hers sooner or later; there was no rush to explore now.

Bored, she pulled out her phone and continued browsing the Super Topic.

The Super Topic’s tone had already shifted by now. Everyone was firmly insisting that the person buying groceries with Lin Shixia was her personal assistant. Fans in the comments were all cursing the unscrupulous marketing accounts for nearly getting Lin Shixia and some random person cyberbullied.

Hm? The scandal was cleared up just like that? Though she didn’t want Lin Shixia to face a collapse in reputation because of her, wasn’t this resolved too quickly? A single questionable WeChat screenshot had successfully debunked it. Real or fake?

Could she Photoshop a chat screenshot herself and reveal that she was Lin Shixia’s official girlfriend? Gu Liuguang entertained herself with the thought. She knew this was a novel world; some logic couldn’t be judged by normal standards.

After scrolling for a bit and finding it boring, she quit Weibo. Thus, she didn’t notice the bottom post: “If someone hadn’t snapped pics of her shopping with yqy, Lin Shixia really would’ve had no way to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River…”

She switched to WeChat with Do Not Disturb enabled and checked her messages. Though she really wanted to delete everyone unrelated to Lin Shixia, her streamer identity still needed these contacts for now, so she couldn’t delete them yet.

Her boss’s messages were visible at the top of the list—either asking when she’d return, if she needed help, or a small portion whining about breakups/failed startups/husbands being away…

Compared to before, there wasn’t much sincerity. Only messages from No. 1 and No. 3 were somewhat interesting.

Though No. 1 wasn’t Lin Shixia, she had a good impression of her and clicked in upon seeing the messages. There were messages from both morning and afternoon.

Morning ones asked when she’d go offline to see Lin Shixia and if she had any new requests. She hadn’t replied, until the afternoon when she sent a transfer record of fifty-two thousand.

The latest was just the transfer—nothing else. Gu Liuguang eyed it covetously, but since it wasn’t from Lin Shixia, it felt wrong to take it.

With great willpower, Gu Liuguang exited the chat with fox. No. 2 hadn’t messaged, but No. 3 had, also in the afternoon.

Just a single inexplicable question mark.

Gu Liuguang scrolled up and down several times to confirm—really just one question mark.

Please Hide Your Heart Forever was always very mysterious, rarely revealing anything about her real life. Gu Liuguang had complained to the System more than once that she was the reincarnation of a plastic bag, so pretentious, and never transferred her money privately.

She flipped this question mark over and over, pondering for two seconds before giving up on figuring out why she’d sent it. Maybe a wrong send.

Finally, she scrolled down further and pinned Lin Shixia’s WeChat to the top—the account added via Liuguang Account matched, proving she didn’t have a habit of using alt accounts. She wasn’t being brushed off, or perhaps Lin Shixia had given her a main account.

It showed Lin Shixia’s first impression of her was very good.

The only odd thing was that Lin Shixia’s account seemed to mix personal and work use, with no Moments blocked for her. Handing a commonly used, easily identifiable main account to a roadside acquaintance felt a bit strange.

“It just means I match her aesthetic.” After much thought, Gu Liuguang reached that conclusion.

System: 【As long as you’re happy.】

Lin Shixia had sent many messages. Compared to how she treated fans, it further proved Lin Shixia had an excellent impression of her—love at first sight wasn’t out of the question.

Just as said before leaving, there was the code, phone number, and all sorts of other reminders. Because they were from Lin Shixia, Gu Liuguang read every one carefully before replying.

She had just responded when the other forwarded several screenshots—B City travel guides. It was clear they were personally written, not copied from the internet.

-Lin Shixia: There are a lot of tourists in B City. Taking taxis or the subway is too much hassle. Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll have my assistant take you.

Followed by a business card push. Gu Liuguang thought for a moment and added it, then sweetly replied with a “Thank you.”

Lin Shixia said she had arrived at the film set and was about to do makeup and change into costumes, so she wouldn’t check her phone for now. For anything, just call or tell the assistant.

Another long string of reminders followed before Lin Shixia’s messages stopped.

The phone screen’s light illuminated Gu Liuguang’s face, giving her delicate features a soft glow, adding a touch of warmth and a hint of everyday life.

“Lin Shixia is so naggy.” As Gu Liuguang said this, the corners of her lips curved up.

She replied one by one. Lin Shixia was probably getting made up and didn’t reply further.

Just as she exited, Ye Qingying’s message popped up. Without much thought, Gu Liuguang clicked in. Though Ye Qingying hadn’t ended up helping in the end, her willingness at the time was a favor to remember.

Moreover, thinking that Ye Qingying was Lin Shixia’s official CP made Gu Liuguang feel subtly off.

She secretly thought that even before getting together with Lin Shixia, Ye Qingying already had rival potential.

With the mindset of seeing what this rival would pull, she finally opened the chat.

-Ye Qingying: Met up with your idol? You two together now?

-Ye Qingying: Hooked up already? No time to reply?

-Ye Qingying: This your attitude toward the Moon Elder?

Ye Qingying’s messages weren’t many, but they were a bit grating. Gu Liuguang had already subconsciously treated her as a rival and wasn’t happy seeing them. She subtly wanted to jab back.

-Little Light: We’re getting married. You sit at the main table.

-Ye Qingying: ……

-Ye Qingying: You two really together? Isn’t this speed too fast?

-Ye Qingying: Did you really sleep together?

Gu Liuguang thought inwardly that this Film Empress talked way too crudely. Wasn’t her setting pure in body and soul? How did she sound so battle-hardened?

If Ye Qingying hadn’t promised to help before, she wouldn’t even want to deal with her. Pretending not to see, she was about to exit WeChat when Ye Qingying sent another.

—Saw the real person this time. Between her and her, who do you think is prettier?

Gu Liuguang was startled by the question. She could’ve ignored Ye Qingying entirely, but now that it was asked, she couldn’t help thinking about it.

Before meeting Lin Shixia, she thought Gu Shuang was prettier—that kind of beauty that didn’t fit in with those around her, detached from the crowd, her loneliness unreadable yet irresistibly drawing people in to understand her mystery and allure.

Just like in countless photos, her gaze was calm, emotions restrained, as if one could peer through her eyes into the turbulent waves beneath.

Whereas Lin Shixia was like her name and the passion conveyed in videos and photos—a blazing summer flower, hot enough to scorch anyone who got close. Until today, when she met the real person…

It was hard to say who was prettier without lying. Choosing was difficult, so she only replied with one line.

-Little Light: None of your business.

-Ye Qingying: Yo, little girl, you sure don’t mince words. Be careful—Xiao Lin likes polite and well-behaved girls. You can’t act like this around her.

Was it true? Gu Liuguang carefully recalled every detail of her encounters with Lin Shixia and realized it really seemed to be the case.

But thanking Ye Qingying felt awkward. After mulling it over, she still sent Ye Qingying a “thanks”.

On the other end, the name switched between “typing…” and “Ye Qingying” several times. Gu Liuguang stopped paying attention after a few rounds because she noticed the guest room door handle turning.

The guest room door opened soon after, and Gu Shuang emerged. Her gaze swept the room, paused on Gu Liuguang, then casually shifted away as if nothing had happened. She headed to the living room and poked around near the TV cabinet like she was searching for something.

Gu Liuguang had suspected the other woman of deliberately separating her from Lin Shixia, but now she wasn’t so sure.

She got up and walked over to Gu Shuang’s side, tilting her head to peer at her. “Little Aunt, what are you looking for?”