After Transmigrating into a Book, I Had a Flash Marriage with the Beautiful Crazy Villain - Chapter 16

For some inexplicable reason, the atmosphere between her and Song Qingyi had suddenly turned strange.

Ever since that day they returned, Chu Ling felt that Song Qingyi seemed different, her attitude toward her wasn’t quite the same as before.

Or perhaps she was overthinking it, but no matter how hard Chu Ling tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Moreover, she couldn’t help but think that Song Qingyi’s sudden change in attitude must have been because of Ye Zhiyin.

A lot had happened that day, and she had even upset Song Qingyi. So it made sense that her attitude had shifted.

Chu Ling felt a little sad about Song Qingyi’s sudden coldness, but life had to go on.

The submission deadline for the photography contest on Little Notes, the one she had planned to enter was approaching. After much deliberation, Chu Ling decided to submit the photo she had taken on the day she arrived at Song Qingyi’s place, along with two others from their hike, bundled together in an entry.

When she saw the “Submission Successful” notification, however, an inexplicable emptiness settled in her chest.

Unconsciously, she pulled up the photo she had secretly taken of Song Qingyi on the mountain that day.

Looking at the image, Chu Ling’s lips curled into a smile without her realizing.

Truly, a real beauty was unafraid of any camera angle. She had just snapped it casually, without even thinking about composition, yet she had captured such a precious moment.

Her mood instantly lifted. Apparently, there was no worry that couldn’t be solved by looking at a beautiful person and if one glance wasn’t enough, then a few more would do the trick.

At this thought, it suddenly dawned on her, Song Qingyi hadn’t posted any videos in days!

Normally, she uploaded at least once every three days, but it had already been five since her last post.

Maybe it was because Chu Ling saw her in person every day that she had momentarily forgotten about the online content. Though that was why she hadn’t felt the absence, still!

Was Song Qingyi not planning to update anymore? No way!

Chu Ling hurriedly checked her special follow list and confirmed that Song Qingyi’s latest video was indeed from several days ago, the day they had gone on that blind date.

That video still had a steady stream of organic traffic, with new fans gushing over her looks and old ones begging for updates. Yet, none of the comments had received a response from Song Qingyi.

Thinking back, Chu Ling realized that Song Qingyi had seemed unusually busy these past few days.

Whether it was day or night, she rarely saw Song Qingyi around. Because of the awkward shift in their dynamic, Chu Ling had been treading carefully and hadn’t paid much attention only now did she realize something was off.

But she couldn’t just ask Song Qingyi about it. She knew their relationship was purely contractual, and she didn’t want to risk asking anything that might make Song Qingyi give her that cold look again.

It was best to maintain the status quo. She really didn’t want to see Song Qingyi’s icy expression anymore.

Chu Ling’s fingers trembled slightly as she gazed out the window at the beautiful weather, letting out a melancholic sigh.

“I guess I can’t just mope around forever. I should find something to do.”

With that thought, she perked up like she’d been injected with motivation, logging into an art platform to take on a few commissions.

At the same time, she created an account on Little Notes and casually posted some of her nicer photos online, fishing for interest, so to speak.

What if someone out there happened to like her style?

Not liking it was fine, after all, photography wasn’t her main profession. It was just something she clung to out of childhood longing. Her real bread and butter was still painting.

Chu Ling could take on any type of commission: character designs, illustrations, game concept art all fell within her scope of work.

This versatility was born from the hardships she endured in her original world, shaping her into a one-woman studio.

Of course, large-scale projects were too much for one person to handle, and Chu Ling wouldn’t take them on anyway.

With plenty of free time now, she pulled out her drawing tablet and began brainstorming. A particular commission had sparked some inspiration, and she needed to jot it down before the idea slipped away otherwise, getting back into the creative flow would take time.

Once a rough draft was done, Chu Ling stood up to stretch. The stiffness from sitting too long made her want to flop straight back onto the bed.

Maybe she should find time to exercise? Otherwise, her body would eventually give out.

Lost in thought, she glanced out the window and realized it was nearly dark.

It was already past seven, and Song Qingyi still hadn’t returned.

Chu Ling hesitated for a second but ultimately didn’t send a message asking about her. Unexpectedly, a text from Song Qingyi suddenly popped up.

[Have a work dinner tonight. Rest early.]

Reading the message, Chu Ling pondered for a moment.

[Got it, take care!]

A perfect reply neither overly warm nor lacking in concern. Chu Ling was quite pleased with herself.

She waited briefly, and when no further reply came, she turned her attention to dinner.

Cook for herself? Nah. Maybe order takeout?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she opened a food delivery app, browsed for a bit, and promptly placed two orders.

One for grilled skewers and crayfish, another for burgers, fried chicken, and soda.

The ultimate homebody combo!

The moment the food arrived, Chu Ling dug in eagerly.

Though Song Qingyi’s cooking was delicious, an occasional indulgence in greasy, flavorful takeout wasn’t a bad experience.

She knew takeout wasn’t exactly healthy, but that didn’t stop her from eating at lightning speed.

Without Song Qingyi around, the surroundings felt unnervingly quiet. The house’s soundproofing was too good, no outside noise seeped in, making the silence almost oppressive.

So Chu Ling turned on the TV, which the two of them had never used before. The large screen was a welcome sight as she leisurely picked a show to watch while eating. By the end, she had nearly polished off both orders.

After dinner, she tidied up the room and opened all the windows to air it out otherwise, Song Qingyi would surely notice the lingering smell of greasy food when she returned.

The guilty conscience of someone who’d done something sneaky made Chu Ling hurry with the windows. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much breeze at the moment, but it was still early. Song Qingyi probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

Having reassured herself, Chu Ling returned to her room and threw herself into her work.

Once immersed in a task, she lost track of time. When she finally snapped out of it, she realized it was already midnight.

Her neck was stiff, so she massaged and stretched it until it felt better, then glanced at her phone, no new messages.

Song Qingyi wouldn’t have gotten into trouble, would she?

A flicker of worry crossed her mind, but then she remembered Song Qingyi’s role in the original story and relaxed. If anything happened, it probably wouldn’t be to her more likely to someone else.

After a moment of hesitation, Chu Ling managed to convince herself and hurried off to wash up. Once she lay down in bed, she began to feel a faint discomfort in her stomach.

Perhaps she had eaten too much for dinner, and it hadn’t fully digested yet.

She placed her hand on her belly to warm it and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

In the middle of the night, Chu Ling suddenly opened her eyes. The pain in her abdomen struck without warning, jolting her awake.

Cold sweat poured down as she realized she was in too much pain to muster any strength. She wanted to reach for her phone, but her arm wouldn’t move.

Had Song Qingyi returned yet?

She thought vaguely, gasping for breath.

“Song, Song Qingyi.”

No response came. Of course, even if Song Qingyi had returned, she wouldn’t hear her through the closed door.

Ah! Was she really going to become the first person to die from pain?

“Chu Ling!!”

Just before she blacked out, Chu Ling faintly heard someone calling her name, their voice filled with urgency.

Who was it?

Her consciousness faded into darkness.

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