Acting as the Vicious Second Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26

The next day.

The sun was high in the sky. Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, spilling onto the woman’s eyelids.

“…Ugh.” Qin Xiaoxiao’s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to half-open her eyes.

She was lying on her side. Before her was the wardrobe, its door slightly ajar. Next to the cabinet lay a black nightgown, and beside that, a mobile phone.

As her senses gradually returned, the first thing she felt was a splitting headache and a body so sore it felt as if she had been repeatedly run over by a heavy-duty truck. Right now, she was in so much discomfort she didn’t want to move a muscle.

Time ticked by. After about five minutes of recovery, her memories of the previous night began to resurface.

…It seemed that yesterday at noon, she and the popular starlet had entered a bar. Then, she had come up with a scheme to trick Qu Li into drinking, intending to get her wasted and take embarrassing photos of her face-down on the table to use as blackmail later.

However… however…

She was the one who passed out first.

—She had lost face big time!

Qin Xiaoxiao immediately tried to comfort herself. It wasn’t that she was incompetent, but that her opponent was too cunning. They had downed seven bottles of Brandy; she had become “drunk as a dog,” yet the other party hadn’t even changed color and could still talk eloquently. This was definitely a “cheat code” level of tolerance.

Despite her heart’s reluctance to believe it, Qin Xiaoxiao understood that the die was cast. There was no point in obsessing over it. Perhaps the woman truly was a legendary “bottomless pit” when it came to drinking.

Her biggest mistake was believing Qu Li when she claimed she had a poor tolerance. She had blindly walked right into the line of fire and been played like a fiddle.

She let out a sigh. Her resolve to keep her distance from Qu Li grew even firmer. Otherwise, based on this trend, she’d eventually be swindled by this woman until she didn’t even have her underwear left.

With her recollections and complaints about the night before ending there, everything after that was a complete blank. Observing the wardrobe and the surrounding decor, Qin Xiaoxiao concluded one thing—this was her own room.

Perhaps her manager had brought her home. Since she was safe, she might as well close her eyes and sleep a bit longer. Going to the company was just for play anyway; she’d rather sleep in. Even though her manager was full of vitality and had signed her up for numerous courses on body language, social skills, and basic acting etiquette, the mere thought of them made her head ache.

Naturally, Qin Xiaoxiao had rejected them all. She believed that her manager only wanted her to learn these things as a “side path” to more efficiently suck up to the starlet.

She believed that with Lin Yu’s personality, even if she knew the original ending where Xiang Liwei becomes the Best Actress, she wouldn’t give up on the starlet. Instead, she’d have Qin Xiaoxiao “pedal two boats,” simultaneously seducing the current newcomer Female Lead.

Yes, Lin Yu would choose to have both. She was just that devoid of professional integrity.

At least Lin Yu didn’t know. Otherwise, that manager—whose mind was entirely focused on “clinging to thighs”—might leak her location to the Female Lead to manufacture a meeting. If that happened, Xiang Liwei might secretly follow her, pick the lock to her house, and hide under her bed. Then, in the dead of night, she’d crawl out in a daze and beg Qin Xiaoxiao to abuse her, whip her, or step on her face with her feet…

The mere thought of it made Qin Xiaoxiao feel unwell. She quickly cut off those stray thoughts.

She shifted her body, preparing for a second round of sleep. As she moved, she suddenly realized her cheek was pressed against something soft… soft, warm, and elastic. If she sniffed carefully, she could smell a faint, refreshing fragrance.

It didn’t feel like a pillow.

Confused, Qin Xiaoxiao extended her right “paw” toward the round object behind her head. Then, she gave it a firm squeeze.

Based on the tactile feedback, Qin Xiaoxiao could vaguely tell she was holding a perfectly round, spherical object. What is this? she thought groggily. Propping herself up on the mattress with her other hand, she exerted a great deal of effort to sit up, her movements slowed by the lingering alcohol. She raised her head, ready to investigate.

Suddenly, a muffled groan reached her ears.

“Mmm… Nnh…”

That groan was like a thunderclap in a clear sky. Instantly, as if struck by lightning, Qin Xiaoxiao was wide awake. Ignoring her body’s aches, she jerked her head up and saw a bleary-eyed Qu Li before her.

And she… had just been using Qu Li’s left breast as a pillow. Even worse, her hand was currently gripping the right one.

“Good morning.” Qu Li’s voice was tired.

“Ah… ah, you… YOU! Why am I… Why are you here?!” Qin Xiaoxiao released her grip and scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping.

As her feet hit the cold floor, she realized belatedly that she was only wearing her bra and panties.

I… I’ve been seen?!

“Where are my clothes?!” Qin Xiaoxiao’s expression fractured. She immediately turned and began rummaging through the wardrobe for clothes, dressing as she spoke: “You… what did you do to me?”

Her tone was thick with desperation, as if hearing that anything “indescribable” had happened between them would make her choose immediate death.

“Did you forget everything?” Qu Li looked perfectly normal.

Qin Xiaoxiao nodded. “I blacked out.”

“I see.” You forgot everything. That’s for the best. Qu Li’s smile was a bit bitter as she explained, “Last night I brought you home, but you vomited all over yourself, so I helped you change.”

“But then you started acting drunk and crazy. Not only did you strip off your clothes—I couldn’t even stop you—but you also wouldn’t let go of me. I had no choice but to stay the night with you.”

“That was all.”

“Oh… oh…” Hearing about her own “sinful” behavior and the woman’s selfless, gentle care, Qin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt like a shameless scoundrel who had exploited a law-abiding citizen.

Suddenly, noticing that the other woman’s lips were particularly swollen and that a spot on her lower lip had scabbed over, Qin Xiaoxiao stepped closer. She discovered two rows of tooth marks on her lip.

Qin Xiaoxiao frowned. “What happened to your mouth?”

Upon hearing this, Qu Li turned her head away and covered her lips with her hand, blocking the inquisitive gaze. “It’s nothing. I accidentally bit it myself,” she said with a slightly resentful tone.

Seeing her with her head lowered, her shoulder-length chestnut hair messy from sleep, and her clothes disheveled with her skirt hiked up to reveal a large area of snow-white thigh… it was a beautiful sight. Qin Xiaoxiao took a few extra glances.

Then she said, “I have medicine in my drawer. I’ll go get it.”

She turned to leave but then stopped abruptly to add: “Let me make this clear first. I’m not getting the medicine to help you; I just happen to be passing by it.”

Qu Li burst into laughter. “I’ve already seen through your ‘vicious’ persona. It’s just a layer of disguise. You don’t need to do that in front of me.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Can you be a bit gentler with me?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I hate you,” Qin Xiaoxiao said intentionally. “I really, really hate you.”

So, Big Sis! I beg you! After this, stop looking for me!

Driven nearly crazy, Qin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow and spoke bluntly: “I’m sharp-tongued and mean to you, yet you’re always clinging to me. Why?”

The curtains swayed. In the distance, the occasional sound of a car horn drifted in. Sunlight passed through the glass, hitting the headboard and illuminating the woman’s curled chestnut hair, coating it in a golden, flowing luster.

“Because I like you.” Although her face couldn’t be seen, one could imagine the warm, spring-like smile on Qu Li’s face. At this moment, her voice was gentler and softer than ever before. It was enough to melt a heart.

“I really, really like you.”

In B-City, at the film set.

Staff members were moving back and forth. Because of Zhu Qian’s departure, a supporting role was vacant, and the director was looking for a replacement. Other actors were huddled together, whispering and chatting.

Some, however, escaped the commotion to find a quiet place—like Xiang Liwei, who had hidden in the restroom.

She held her phone, staring at the photo circulating on Weibo of Qu Li and Qin Xiaoxiao together in masks. In the photo on her screen, Qu Li’s figure had been edited out, leaving only Qin Xiaoxiao’s shadow. She had used a black digital pen to scribble over Qu Li; the messy, eerie strokes looked like a cursed image from a horror movie, symbolizing misfortune.

All morning, she had used the buildings in the background and various clues to successfully dig up the address of Qin Xiaoxiao’s company through the internet.

“Hehehe…”

“Darling, once I’m done filming, I’ll come find you.”

Xiang Liwei’s voice was as sweet as honey. She stroked the image of the woman on the screen with lingering, intimate movements.

“Qu Li’s official account came out to debunk the rumors, saying the people in the photo aren’t you two.”

“The public believed them,” Xiang Liwei whispered, as if talking to a lover. “But me… I won’t believe a single word. Because—”

“Every strand of your hair, your every expression, everything about you… is deeply etched into my mind.”

“Even if you wear a mask, even if you turned to ash or changed your form, I would recognize you instantly.”

The girl’s voice was cheerful and proud, like a child waiting for praise. “However…”

Suddenly, the atmosphere went silent. The faucet was dripping. Drip, drip-drip, drip.

A moment later, the girl’s voice echoed through the room, suddenly turning bone-chillingly cold. “However, you were actually with that woman, Qu Li.”

The realization that her beloved was with someone else was driving her insane. Jealousy swallowed her whole.

“Well, whatever,” Xiang Liwei sneered, as if she had come to terms with it. “Regardless, for the time you spent with others, I will take it back from you twofold.”

Every word was spat through gritted teeth, yet it contained an unshakeable obsession with Qin Xiaoxiao.

Then, the girl put her phone back in her pocket. She raised her face, curling her lips at the mirror. She turned, humming a little tune as she opened the restroom door.

The moment the door opened to the light and the crowd, Xiang Liwei’s expression changed. Her face became relaxed and pleasant, her demeanor cute—as if she were still the “girl next door” everyone loved, with no trace of the heavy, gloomy person from moments before.