After I Transmigrated into the Novel, I made the Heroine Fall for Me - Chapter 38

The agreement came a bit too quickly.

Shen Lixie looked helplessly at Fang Qingying, the corners of his lips curling slightly upwards. “Is the sandwich I made tasty?”

Fang Qingying nibbled away like an adorable little hamster, her cheeks puffed out adorably with each bite.

“Mm-hmm, delish,” she mumbled through a mouthful, nodding with a satisfied smile.

“When does the film crew start shooting?” Shen Lixie took a sip of milk, his large, well-defined hands scrolling through trending news on his phone.

Before Fang Qingying could answer, Shen Lixie’s expression darkened drastically. His thumb swiped rapidly across the screen as he skimmed the content, and before he could stop himself, the milk he hadn’t yet swallowed sprayed onto the floor.

With that, he shot up from his chair, exclaiming in disbelief, “What the hell? When did this happen?”

He and Fang Qingying had been photographed together last night? When did that happen? What the hell was the residential security even doing?

If it weren’t for the supposedly excellent security in this neighborhood, he wouldn’t have let Fang Qingying live here in the first place.

After all, the Fang family were real estate tycoons in H City, there wasn’t a property under their name they didn’t own, from commercial apartments to luxury villas.

But for some inexplicable reason, Fang Qingying had insisted on moving out.

“What’s going on?” Fang Qingying set down her food and walked over, noticing his reaction.

Her doe-like eyes landed on the bright phone screen, where a blazing hot topic on Weibo glared back. Confusion flickered in her gaze she hadn’t seen the content yet and had no idea what had shocked Shen Lixie so much.

Rubbing his temples, Shen Lixie reopened the article and pointed at the photo inside. “Look, they’re saying I’m keeping you as a mistress?”

As if he’d dare. He might as well be asking for an early grave.

His face twisted in distress as his phone buzzed incessantly with notifications. The messages from the Fang family nearly made him keel over on the spot.

Just when he thought the inquiries from the Fang family were unbearable, his own parents delivered the final blows.

WeChat Messages:

Shen’s Dad: Son? You’ve really outdone yourself. Little Ying is younger than you better treat her well.

Shen’s Mom: Oh my? You’ve learned to go after someone’s precious daughter? About time. When are you free? Your dad and I will bring the betrothal gifts over.

Fang Qingying happened to catch sight of these messages, and Shen Lixie felt his embarrassment reach terminal levels.

No, scratch that, he was already terminally embarrassed, wishing the ground would swallow him whole right then and there.

“I get it,” Fang Qingying said solemnly, patting Shen Lixie’s shoulder. “Being perpetually single must’ve made Uncle and Auntie a little desperate.”

“Wait, what do you even ‘get’? What’s wrong with being perpetually single? It’s not like I’ve been mooching off your family,” Shen Lixie retorted irritably, brushing her hand away.

Fang Qingying raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you?” Better check your conscience before answering.

Shen Lixie choked on his words, his train of thought derailed instantly.

Truth be told, he had practically grown up eating their rice all these years, thanks to his utterly unreliable parents.

“Hmm?”

“Yeah, I have.”

Shen Lixie surrendered.

“The issue now isn’t whether I’m single or not, but that if this drags on any longer, the whole world will know I’m keeping you!” Shen Lixie rubbed his temples, correcting the flaws Fang Qingying had pointed out.

“Lifelong single,” Fang Qingying completely missed the point.

“Fine, whether it’s lifelong single or just single, can you at least let me explain first?” Shen Lixie raised his eyes to look at Fang Qingying’s earnest expression and completely lost his temper.

If he didn’t explain now, Fang Qingyu would probably show up at the apartment door immediately.

“My brother has a very good temper,” Fang Qingying seemed to sense Shen Lixie’s dilemma and quickly explained.

Shen Lixie: “Haha.”

He had a good temper only in front of Fang Qingying. If it were anyone else, they’d have been knocked to the ground ages ago.

Fang Qingying glanced at him, handed his phone back, and sat back in her chair, eating breakfast as if it had nothing to do with her.

Her slender fingers pressed lightly into the sandwich, leaving small indentations. She leaned forward slightly, her crimson lips parting to take a delicate bite.

As she moved, a dab of mayonnaise lingered playfully on her lips, while fresh lettuce and ham entered her mouth together.

With a gentle crunch, the crisp sound of the bite added a spark of life to the otherwise quiet breakfast.

Shen Lixie took the call and walked over to the balcony. The morning sun was bright and radiant, and as he glanced down absentmindedly, a flash of golden light seemed to flicker across his vision.

Shen Lixie reacted instantly.

He pulled the balcony curtains shut and turned back inside.

After hanging up the phone expressionlessly, the first thing he said to Fang Qingying was:

“Qingying, we’re ‘trapped’ now.”

Fang Qingying tilted her head up, the soft light brushing against her face, her long lashes lifting like tiny palm-leaf fans.

She asked, “Can I still make it to the set on time?”

“Looks like you’ll have to take the day off,” Shen Lixie shook his head, answering with a cold expression.

He had just spotted paparazzi on the balcony and immediately sent someone to check the situation downstairs.

Fang Qingying lived on the twelfth floor. If they wanted to take photos, they’d definitely be using a telephoto lens. So if they ran into them, they’d be recognized for sure.

“Another day off? Will Director Liu kill me?” Fang Qingying slumped over the chair like a puddle of water and sighed.

A supporting actress taking days off every other day wasn’t that a bit much? Maybe she should just become the show’s investor instead?

“I’ve already talked to Director Liu. He understands the situation,” Shen Lixie sat back down and finally started eating his breakfast.

“Hey, Lixie? How much liquid assets do I have?” Fang Qingying asked.

“About a hundred million? Why?” Shen Lixie answered without looking up, as if a hundred million was just a casual greeting.

Fang Qingying: “What do you think about me investing in this drama?”

“Why the sudden interest in investing in a drama? You don’t know anything about this, did someone talk you into it?”

As he spoke, his eyes turned cold, thinking of a certain woman.

“No, no! It’s just that taking so many days off makes me feel guilty. So, I thought if I invested some money, I could take time off without feeling bad.”

Fang Qingying quickly waved her hands to explain she just wanted peace of mind.

Of course, she would also work hard to earn money to repay what she had taken from the original owner. It was time to return to her old profession.

“I’ll have someone evaluate it for you. If it looks promising, we can invest a little to test the waters,” Shen Lixie mused, nodding thoughtfully as he scrolled through his phone.

“Okay.” Fang Qingying felt much more at ease now. “By the way, Xie-ge, whose drawing tablet and computer are those in the study?”

Though her apartment was small, it had a three-bedroom layout, one bedroom for herself, one as a walk-in closet, and the last as a small study.

The most eye-catching feature inside was the oversized desk, while everything else was rather cluttered, filled with all sorts of things travelogues, textbooks, and even a massive display case that seemed meant for showcasing items.

Hearing this, Shen Lixie finally tore his gaze away from his phone. He pointed toward the study and asked, “You mean that study?”

Fang Qingying nodded obediently. “Yes, yes, that one.”

“Wasn’t that the study you kept begging for? When you were little, you kept saying, ‘I want a study as big as Dad’s, and a super, super huge display case! By then, my case will be filled with so many trophies!'”

Shen Lixie mimicked the tone of a young Fang Qingying, repeating her words verbatim.

Fang Qingying cringed in embarrassment. “I can’t believe you remember it so clearly.”

Even the childish lilt in his imitation was spot-on, how mortifying.

“Not a big deal. You just said it so many times that it was impossible to forget,” Shen Lixie replied flatly, accepting her praise while also throwing shade at the past situation.

“Right now, forget filling the entire case, you don’t even have a single trophy,” Shen Lixie teased, getting back at her for all the times she had pestered him about setting up the study.

“I’ll have them in the future,” Fang Qingying gritted out.

She hadn’t fully absorbed the original owner’s memories, but the study’s layout, the desk, and the display case were all to her liking.

Before transmigrating into this novel, Fang Qingying still remembered the trophies in her own humble study awards from childhood all the way up to first-place rankings in comic polls, as well as souvenirs from her first autograph session.

It was just a shame she couldn’t bring any of those things with her.

“What about the drawing tablet and computer?” Fang Qingying asked again.

“Didn’t you ask Gao Tian to buy those? She didn’t know much about electronics, so she came to me for help,” Shen Lixie lazily lifted his gaze to glance at her, as if saying, Your memory really is terrible.

“Then, can I go into the study and test them out?” Fang Qingying perked up, eager to try.

But what she never expected was that after booting up the computer, before she could even test the equipment, she’d end up video-calling someone first.

“Go ahead.” Shen Lixie waved dismissively.

Without a second thought, Fang Qingying dashed into the study and locked the door behind her.

At that moment, Shen Lixie removed his glasses, his eyes brimming with unconcealed hostility.

He was somewhat relieved that Fang Qingying hadn’t been as emotionally affected as before. Otherwise, what might happen next would be beyond his control.

His long, well-defined fingers still held the phone, the call still ongoing.

Only after watching Fang Qingying enter the study did Shen Lixie finally speak.

“Find them first. Track down all the backups and identify the buyers. How dare they use me and Qingying to stir up gossip? Do they have no fear of consequences?”

A voice came through the phone.

“Brother Xie, we’ve found the person.”

“Hmph.” Shen Lixie let out a cold laugh. “Handle it the usual way.”

“Understood.”

Fang Qingying in the study remained completely unaware of the events unfolding outside. Eagerly, she turned on her computer and installed the necessary software for her drawing tablet, along with the familiar art program she always used.

Just as she was about to start practicing, a video call came through.

Fang Qingying initially thought of ignoring it, but when she saw it was Gu Shengxiao calling, she decisively answered.

Gu Shengxiao’s figure instantly appeared on the screen.

“Don’t pay attention to what’s happening online for now, okay?”

Her first words were filled with concern for Fang Qingying.

Fang Qingying nodded obediently.

Support