Accidentally Marking The Vicious Female Lead After Transmigrating Into A Period Novel - Chapter 38

Inside the pitch-black movie theater, figures flickered across the black and white screen. However, Li Yan was in no mood to watch. Her mind was a whirlwind, constantly replaying their recent conversation.

What exactly did Lin Yishu mean? Why did she ask her that?

Li Yan’s gaze naturally fell upon the person sitting beside her. Lin Yishu’s eyes were fixed on the screen, her profile appearing and disappearing amidst the dim shadows, glowing faintly like a piece of white jade. Her eyelashes were curled and distinct; with every blink, they fanned out like tiny brushes, casting dense shadows.

Li Yan found herself easily captivated. Unconsciously, she held her breath, staring with rapt focus.

Perhaps her gaze was too bold, or perhaps she had stared for too long, but Lin Yishu seemed to sense it. She suddenly turned her head to look back. Caught off guard, Li Yan didn’t have time to look away. Their eyes met, and Lin Yishu blinked her lovely eyes, as if asking a silent question.

It was as if her eyes could speak.

Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed hot. She looked away awkwardly and hurriedly, trying to escape that bewitching gaze.

That’s cheating, she thought to herself. She finally understood what novels meant by “amorous eyes”, the feeling that you are being loved the very instant your eyes meet theirs.

The constant draft in the cinema couldn’t cool her down. Li Yan felt as if she were inside an alchemist’s furnace, burning up. She tried to focus on a random point on the screen, but her brain was mush. She processed none of the images, the sound of her own heartbeat was loud enough to burst her eardrums.

But it didn’t end there.

Lin Yishu suddenly reached out a hand toward her. The scent of roses bloomed under her nose. Li Yan instinctively tried to pull back, but the hand seemed to anticipate her move. Thumb and forefinger circled her wrist bone, holding her fast.

Li Yan’s heart thundered. Her voice was low and trembling. “Lin Yishu, you…”

However, the person holding her wrist didn’t linger. It seemed she was only worried about Li Yan’s hands moving restlessly. Once she had secured her, Lin Yishu reached for the sunflower seeds in Li Yan’s hand.

Lin Yishu’s tone was natural. “Slow down, don’t move so much. Be careful not to spill the seeds.”

The seeds had been bought at the theater entrance savory, salt-roasted seeds that Li Yan usually loved. But now, she had no appetite at all. The seeds suddenly lost their flavor.

What the… Her heart had been doing somersaults, her mind a raging sea, and it turns out the other woman was just worried about spilling seeds? Where was her clown nose? Someone put it on her.

Li Yan had no interest in the second half of the movie. She stared blankly at the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Yishu noticed her dazed expression and the corners of her lips curled upward. She knew it. A little bit of a “honey trap” was enough to cause ripples in the other girl’s heart.

It wasn’t that Li Yan didn’t like her, she was just a “wooden block” who hadn’t blossomed yet. Well, Lin Yishu would find every way possible to make her blossom. It didn’t matter, she had plenty of time and patience.

As they left the theater, Lin Yishu deliberately asked, “Li Yan, did you think the movie was good?”

Li Yan had no idea what the movie was about. She could only stammer, “It was good, very good, of course it was good.”

Lin Yishu pressed further. “In what way was it good?”

Li Yan was speechless. How was she supposed to know? Her head was full of…

Li Yan gave her a resentful look. Unfortunately, the culprit in front of her didn’t seem to notice her thoughts at all, looking back at her with a beaming smile. “Tell me your thoughts on it.”

Li Yan couldn’t even make something up, so she stiffly changed the subject. “By the way, I want to buy a bicycle. Let’s go look at some.”

Lin Yishu burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling into crescents. “The state owned stores and cooperatives are already closed. Where are you going to look?”

Li Yan felt even more embarrassed. After a moment, she decided to just give up. She closed her eyes and blurted out, “I can’t say. Actually… I didn’t even watch the movie!”

Lin Yishu raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected her to be so “honest” all of a sudden. She thought Li Yan would keep bluffing all night.

Since her original plan to tease her was rendered moot by this honesty, Lin Yishu’s mind raced to find a new tactic. She suddenly leaned in close. In the night, the two seemed pressed together with no space between them.

“Then what were you watching? Surely not,” she elongated her tone, her voice swirling into Li Yan’s ear like a feather, lightly brushing against her sensitive nerves, “…watching me?”

Li Yan’s head felt like a firework exploding. The bang left her dizzy. For a fleeting second, she felt an impulse to confess the secret thoughts hidden deep in her heart. But her tongue pressed against her teeth, and she couldn’t utter a word.

If she failed, how would they face each other afterward, living under the same roof? A phrase suddenly popped into Li Yan’s mind. Love makes the brave feel inferior.

In her past life, she had seen such quotes on social media and thought they were just sentimental nonsense. Now, she felt it firsthand. Every phrase had a reason for existing. Humanity’s ability to put emotions into words was truly great.

Seeing her silence, Lin Yishu stepped back to create some distance, a faint smile on her face. “I’m just joking.”

Li Yan felt an inexplicable wave of relief. Thank goodness she hadn’t let her impulses take over, or the embarrassment would have kept her awake all night.

On the way back, Lin Yishu didn’t say anything else ambiguous. Li Yan tried her best to act as usual. They walked home peacefully. As soon as they lifted the door curtain and walked in, the whole family surrounded them.

“How was it? How did it go? What did the factory say? Did they decide to let you stay?” Everyone looked at them with concern specifically, they were all staring at Lin Yishu.

Lin Yishu smiled and nodded to the three of them. “The factory agreed to let me work.”

Li Can cheered and high-fived Grandma. Even Li Chunmei couldn’t help but clap and stomp her feet in excitement. “Oh, I knew it!”

Li Can stood by, looking as proud as if she were the one who got the job. “I told you Sister Yishu would be fine. If it didn’t work out, she would have been back ages ago. Since she’s back late, it means she definitely stayed for work.”

Li Chunmei nodded repeatedly. “That makes sense.” She had been worried, though. Normally they would have been back earlier. She feared the job hadn’t gone well and that her daughter was staying out to comfort Yishu.

Relieved, Li Chunmei slapped her daughter’s back and said grumpily, “You didn’t come home after work and had us worried. Where did you take Yishu wandering off to?”

Li Yan protested, “We weren’t just wandering! We went to… to look at bicycles. I’m planning to buy one, so of course I had to check them out.”

In the end, she chose not to mention the movie. After speaking, she looked at the person who came in with her. Their eyes met and then quickly looked away. She didn’t know what signal she was sending, but whatever it was, Lin Yishu seemed to receive it.

Facing the trio’s gaze, Lin Yishu nodded and smiled. “Auntie, it was I who wanted to go look. Don’t blame Li Yan.”

Li Chunmei wouldn’t dream of blaming her. She took Lin Yishu’s hand, her face lit up like a flower. “It’s no big deal, I was just worried. Alright, you haven’t eaten yet, right? To celebrate the job, we’re having dumplings tonight.”

Lin Yishu’s gaze moved past her to the table. The dumpling filling was already prepared. It seemed they had planned this regardless of the outcome. If she hadn’t been kept on, this would have been a meal of comfort, since she was, it was a celebration. Either way, they were getting dumplings.

A wave of warmth flowed through Lin Yishu’s heart.

With five people working together, the dumplings were wrapped in no time. Half an hour later, they were eating a steaming hot meal.

At the table, Li Chunmei remembered something. “I talked to the Village Chief and the Secretary today about building the house. Since things aren’t too busy these next couple of days, the Chief said the production team members will come tomorrow to help dig the foundation. It’ll be built in a month.”

Li Yan’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful.” She then added, “I brought back some meat scraps today. Mom, you handle them and make sure the people helping us eat well. Don’t let them go hungry.”

Li Chunmei rolled her eyes at her. “As if I need you to tell me?” Then she remembered something else. “The meat you brought back today, why was it so finely minced? Did the factory change its cutting methods?”

Li Yan froze, looking awkwardly at the person focused on her food. She couldn’t very well say that the “minced meat” was the result of her own handiwork. She lied, “The quality control department ordered it to be minced. I’m not exactly sure why.”

Li Chunmei believed her and didn’t ask further. However, Li Yan felt like Lin Yishu was glancing at her every now and then. But when she looked closer, Lin Yishu was just eating quietly. It felt like an illusion.

Because they had waited for the two of them, dinner was late. After cleaning up, the three older family members washed up and went to bed, telling the two younger ones to get some sleep soon.

Li Yan added hot water to a wooden tub and stepped out of the kitchen, waiting for Lin Yishu to finish washing up before she took her turn. She waited quietly by the kitchen door in case the other woman needed anything.

In truth, Lin Yishu had never called for her before, she usually finished and came out on her own. Li Yan watched the stars, thinking tonight would be the same.

However, halfway through, there was a sudden noise from inside, followed by Lin Yishu’s gasp. It sounded like something heavy had fallen, a loud thud.

Li Yan wanted to rush in but stopped at the last second. She knocked on the door anxiously. “Lin Yishu? Are you okay? What happened?”

The person inside didn’t answer for a long time. Just as Li Yan was getting frantic, she finally heard a small, soft voice from within.

“Could you… come in and help me?”