MQSP - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
After dinner, Xia Xiaozi, who also served as a caretaker, was cleaning up in the kitchen while Gu Baiye watched TV with Lin Yuqing in the living room.
However, Lin Yuqing seemed a little absent-minded, still bothered by that mysterious phone call.
"Auntie Lin, I… I…" Gu Baiye hesitated for a long time, wanting to confess to Lin Yuqing but afraid of making her angry. She finally mustered the courage to speak, only to be frightened back into silence by a single glance from the older woman.
Lin Yuqing was puzzled. Didn't the girl have something to say? She was looking at her so intently, listening with such focus, yet Gu Baiye had suddenly clammed up.
"Hm?"
"I…"
"You have the day off tomorrow. Can I go to the set and watch you film?" Gu Baiye asked tentatively.
"No, you can't." Lin Yuqing averted her gaze, her refusal crisp and absolute.
"But…"
Lin Yuqing shot her a look that left no room for argument.
Meeting her gaze, Gu Baiye knew it was a lost cause and had no choice but to drop the idea for now.
"Alright…" Gu Baiye mumbled. The phone she was holding vibrated.
"I'll head back to my room, then. Good night, Auntie Lin."
Lin Yuqing watched her dejected back retreat. The girl had seemed so disappointed when she'd refused her request…
"Hey, where's Xiao Ye? Off to bed so early?" Xia Xiaozi asked as she came out from the kitchen. She saw Lin Yuqing sitting alone on the sofa reading a script and glanced at the time—it was only half-past nine.
"That. Take it up to her." Lin Yuqing gestured with a glance toward a neglected gift box by the door.
"Oh, alright." Xia Xiaozi picked up the gift box, but then she paused. "Whose name should I put it under this time?" The moment the words were out, she felt she'd asked a stupid question and scurried upstairs sheepishly.
Sometimes, Xia Xiaozi just couldn't figure her boss out. Lin Yuqing was such a conflicted person. She clearly cared deeply for Xiao Ye but never showed it. Every year on the girl's birthday, she would meticulously choose a gift, only to have Xia Xiaozi present it as her own.
She always seemed to deliberately suppress her feelings. She would never admit to liking something, but she was brutally direct about her dislikes.
Xia Xiaozi knocked on the door. "Xiao Ye, I'm coming in, okay?"
"Ah? Wait… hold on!" came Gu Baiye's flustered reply from inside.
Xia Xiaozi, who had been about to push the door open, froze. What's going on? Why was she so flustered? Was she hiding a secret lover in there?
A moment later, the door opened, and Xia Xiaozi froze again. Gu Baiye's face was flushed, with droplets of water still clinging to her skin. Her bangs were a little damp, as if she had just washed her face.
"Auntie, wh-what's up?" Gu Baiye asked, smoothing her hair and forcing a calm expression.
"What… were you doing?" Xia Xiaozi asked, her expression suspicious. She peeked into the room but didn't see anyone else.
"Hm? N-nothing…"
Seeing the look of utter embarrassment on Gu Baiye's face, Xia Xiaozi grew even more suspicious. She stepped into the room and made a show of casually glancing into every corner, even peeking into the bathroom, but nothing seemed out of place.
"This is for you," she said, handing over the gift box.
"Huh?" Gu Baiye looked down at it. A camera? "Why are you giving this to me?"
"I…" Xia Xiaozi started to invent a story, but then she remembered that she knew Xiao Ye wasn't a photography major. Gifting her a camera would be too far-fetched. She decided to just tell the truth.
"I didn't buy it. Your Auntie Lin chose it for you."
"Auntie Lin? Really?"
"Mhm. Go on, you can be happy about it now." Seeing the girl's delighted expression, Xia Xiaozi felt a strange sense of satisfaction. She patted her on the shoulder, but as she turned to leave, she couldn't suppress her curiosity. "So, Xiao Ye, what were you really doing just now?"
"I really wasn't doing anything. I was just… exercising?"
With that questioning tone, even an idiot could tell she was lying.
This little one had secrets now!
Xia Xiaozi didn't press the issue. "Get some rest."
"Okay. Good night, Auntie."
"Mhm, good night."
Watching Xia Xiaozi leave, Gu Baiye sat on the edge of her bed and heaved a long sigh of relief. That was so close! She'd almost been caught.
She picked up the phone from her bed, clutching it tightly. She never would have imagined in her wildest dreams that the first time she'd ever encounter an explicit storyline would be in… a script!
In truth, her phone had vibrated earlier while she was downstairs watching TV with Lin Yuqing. Gu Baiye had snuck a glance and seen an email. She knew instantly that Su Yu had sent the script. Unable to contain her excitement, she had rushed back to her room to read it.
But the story in the script was quite different from what she had imagined. She felt she had been too quick to trust Su Yu's words.
Su Yu had clearly stated there wouldn't be any overly explicit scenes, so what was with all these parts where lips were constantly meeting?
Just as Xia Xiaozi had knocked on the door, she had read a line of dialogue that made her blush crimson.
"Should I use my tongue?"
…Use my tongue…
Use my tongue… for what???
Gu Baiye considered herself a very innocent person. Her idea of an "intimate scene" involved holding hands, or at most, a hug. Kissing was already something she considered to be on the explicit side.
But this drama… she had only skimmed it briefly and was already profoundly… shocked by its premise.
It was a transmigration story, where an author finds herself inside her own novel. It told the tale of a heroic female general and her… seven adopted daughters… growing up together.
The protagonist was the youngest adopted daughter, An Xi. The original An Xi was timid, weak, and generally disliked. After an accident, the author's soul possesses An Xi's body, causing the meek girl's personality to undergo a dramatic transformation.
This author held a special affection for the characters she had written, especially for her adoptive mother, An Luocheng.
An Luocheng was the guardian deity of the Yi Kingdom. Years ago, she had taken in several orphan girls to raise by her side. These children revered and feared her, seeing her as a goddess. Beneath their absolute trust and obedience lay a sliver of craving for a mother's love.
An Luocheng led the girls on campaigns across the land. During this time, An Xi constantly challenged An Luocheng, using her cleverness and various tricks to perform one miraculous feat after another. Gradually, An Luocheng began to see her in a new light and pay her special attention.
An Luocheng had a terrible temper and was quick to scold or strike them. Only An Xi dared to argue back with reason, and only she could leave An Luocheng speechless and fuming.
She could make An Luocheng worry about her, rage for her, and cut a bloody path through her enemies for her. She could also make An Luocheng hold her, kiss her, and speak to her in gentle tones. She could tug at An Luocheng's heartstrings, making the general's feelings for her hover somewhere between familial affection and romantic love, an emotion impossible to define.
Living side-by-side, day in and day out, an inexplicable affection blossomed between them. The feeling was natural, flowing like water to form a channel, needing no deliberate mention or outside guidance. An Luocheng began to care more and more for An Xi, and An Xi, in turn, was growing up fast, hoping to one day use her own strength to keep An Luocheng safe.
As the children grew, An Luocheng's position in the military solidified, which gradually made the King of Yi wary of her. But she was utterly loyal to the kingdom and had never harbored a single disloyal thought. So, even knowing the king suspected her, she continued to serve faithfully, only to be met with repeated suspicion and oppression.
The King of Yi set a trap, a treacherous banquet, to lure An Luocheng back to the capital. She knew full well what it was but walked into it anyway. When the king offered her poisoned wine, she drank it without a second thought, willing to die to prove her loyalty.
At the critical moment, it was An Xi who charged forward to save An Luocheng, leading her away from the corrupt court. She was even willing to trade her own life for an antidote to the poison.
In the end, An Luocheng was willing to give up the throne that was within her grasp and endure the Grand Witch's humiliation, all for a single antidote to save An Xi's life.
In the latter part of the story, An Luocheng's boundless affection for An Xi filled Gu Baiye with envy. She couldn't help but imagine herself in the story, because her situation with Auntie Lin felt so similar.
She wished that one day, her own icy Auntie Lin could be like An Luocheng—unyieldingly tough toward outsiders, but able to remove her cold mask and reserve all her tenderness for just one person.
The thought made Gu Baiye smile. This An Luocheng really was a lot like Auntie Lin—a total tsundere! She never said what she was thinking, always bottling it up inside. And if anyone said something that struck a nerve, she would fly into a rage like a bristling lion!
The more she thought about it, the more excited Gu Baiye felt. She wondered who would be cast in the role. If Auntie Lin played her, it would be perfect typecasting!
After carefully reading through the character descriptions again, Gu Baiye found herself drawn to the role of An Luocheng's eldest daughter, An Liang.
Besides An Xi, An Liang was the daughter An Luocheng cared for the most. Her character was described as calm and steady, which seemed to fit Gu Baiye's own personality quite well.
Su Yu had specifically noted that the lead role of An Xi was still open and that she hoped Gu Baiye would audition for it. But Gu Baiye didn't think she could land a lead role right off the bat. Besides, An Xi's character was a bit too boisterous, a huge departure from her own personality. Of course, the most important reason was that she didn't want to… touch lips… with a strange woman.
However, if that woman were Auntie Lin, she would probably fight tooth and nail for the part.
Meanwhile, Xia Xiaozi headed back downstairs, mulling over Xiao Ye's strange behavior. Blushing? She was actually blushing?
"Weird. So weird."
"Qing Jie, I think Xiao Ye is really…" Xia Xiaozi began, but she trailed off when she saw Lin Yuqing was completely engrossed in her script.
"What is it?"
"She… has a secret! When I went in, her face was bright red. She couldn't actually be dating someone, could she? Maybe I interrupted her chatting with a boyfriend?"
"Didn't you ask her?" Lin Yuqing's brow furrowed.
"I did, but she just said it was nothing! Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to her lately, and now she's keeping secrets from me." Xia Xiaozi sounded a little dejected, and a little worried.
Just then, a phone rang. She hurried over to a bag, rummaged inside, and pulled out Lin Yuqing's phone.
"It's a call from Director Su," Xia Xiaozi said, handing the phone to Lin Yuqing.
"Mhm." As Lin Yuqing answered, she accidentally hit the speakerphone button.
"Hey, Old Fellow, I've found a wife for you!"
"…"
"Pfft!" Xia Xiaozi burst out laughing. She was watching Lin Yuqing's expression collapse, her face turning a shade of purplish-red that could only be described as liver-colored.
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