After Transmigrating into a Book, I Had a Flash Marriage with the Beautiful Crazy Villain - Chapter 45.1

Chu Ling felt slightly awkward, but she kept her expression composed, appearing relatively calm. After all, as long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the embarrassment would fall on someone else.

She looked up and asked with confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Xia Muqi glanced at her, her strange expression gradually returning to normal. “Nothing. But you seem a bit different from before. This change is good, looks like you’re doing well?”

Chu Ling’s fingers trembled slightly, but her expression remained unchanged as she smiled faintly. “I’m managing.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xia Muqi ended the conversation.

Originally, due to past grievances, she had habitually tried to provoke Chu Ling. But Chu Ling’s reaction was different from what she had expected, making the whole thing feel pointless. She turned and rejoined her little circle of friends.

Seeing her leave, Chu Ling quickly pulled Qiu Shuang aside into a corner. “No way, you have to tell me are there any others here who don’t get along with me?”

Qiu Shuang scanned the room and then whispered, “See that person over there? The one in red.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Yeah, what about her?”

“Well, that’s her. You two got into a fight before.”

Chu Ling: “!!!”

She looked utterly disbelieving. “What? I fought with her? Why?”

Qiu Shuang chuckled. “Because the girl she liked didn’t like her back, she liked you instead. She picked fights with you several times, and when she wouldn’t stop even after you warned her, you two ended up throwing hands.”

Chu Ling: “…”

She fell into deep self-doubt. Had the original owner of this body been this reckless?

But before she could dwell on it, Qiu Shuang continued, “And that one, that one, and that one, you’ve had arguments with all of them.”

Then, like a general reviewing troops, she went on, “Oh, and her, you two clashed over a blackboard newspaper project.”

“And the really tall one, you had issues with her because she thought you stole her spotlight during a talent show.”

“And that one, she used to play the sweet, innocent girl in class, but you caught her smoking and cursing. She was afraid you’d expose her, so she kept targeting you in subtle ways. You two kept at it until graduation!”

Qiu Shuang’s mouth ran a mile a minute, leaving Chu Ling dizzy and overwhelmed.

A single thought surfaced in her mind, So, out of everyone here, is there even one person I didn’t have issues with?

After calming herself for a couple of seconds, she asked directly, “Alright, forget the ones I had conflicts with. Just tell me, how many people in this class didn’t have problems with me? Even just casual acquaintances would do.”

Qiu Shuang thought for a moment, hesitantly pointing at two people before saying in a pitying tone, “It’s okay, my silly darling. I’ll always be your best friend.”

Chu Ling spiraled further into self-doubt.

Wait, was the original owner’s social life really this bad? That doesn’t seem scientifically possible.

After pondering for two seconds, Chu Ling peacefully accepted this reality.

“So why did I even come to this reunion? If I’d known the relationships were this messy, I wouldn’t have bothered. I could’ve just visited the teacher another time.”

Qiu Shuang laughed. “Don’t worry, at least you’ve got me here with you!”

Chu Ling remembered that. “True, no wonder we’re best friends. Whatever, let’s just leave after dinner.”

Qiu Shuang nodded in agreement. “But don’t you think it’s amusing to watch them exchange flattery with fake smiles plastered on their faces?”

Chu Ling didn’t think so. After all, she didn’t know any of these people, and their dramas of love and hate had nothing to do with her.

As Qiu Shuang spoke, she suddenly muttered a quiet curse. “She actually came?! What terrible luck.”

Chu Ling followed her gaze and spotted a girl who looked quite delicate, the epitome of purity, tall and slender with a pretty face.

For some reason, a word popped into Chu Ling’s mind.

White lotus.

Not in the sense that she was a hypocritical “white lotus,” but the girl just gave off that kind of vibe.

Qiu Shuang rolled her eyes dramatically and leaned in to whisper to Chu Ling, “The copycat I told you about is her! Her name is Bai Ying. She loves mimicking others, acts like a sanctimonious white lotus, and always plays the innocent card. So annoying.”

Well, this…

Chu Ling glanced at the girl again. She didn’t seem as irritating as Qiu Shuang made her out to be.

But as a good friend, Chu Ling naturally sided with Qiu Shuang and mindlessly agreed.

Before Qiu Shuang could even finish her complaints, Bai Ying noticed them and started walking straight toward them.

Chu Ling paused, quickly nudging Qiu Shuang, who turned her head and immediately bristled like a cat ready to pounce, her entire demeanor shifting as if battle were imminent.

Meanwhile, Chu Ling watched as Bai Ying approached gracefully, smiling warmly and greeting them in a friendly tone. “Qiu Shuang, Chu Ling, long time no see.”

Bai Ying’s smile was gentle and sweet, the very picture of a soft-spoken, elegant beauty.

Honestly, just looking at her, Bai Ying didn’t seem bad at all. But remembering Qiu Shuang’s rants, Chu Ling felt almost torn in two.

One part of her, the rational side, insisted Bai Ying wasn’t so bad. The other, the emotional side, reminded her that Qiu Shuang hated her.

Chu Ling sighed inwardly. The main issue was her own lack of memories, this was her first time meeting Bai Ying, making it hard to reconcile Qiu Shuang’s description with the person standing before her.

In the brief moment Chu Ling zoned out, Qiu Shuang had already launched into battle. She smirked slowly. “Ah, it has been a while. I’ve been having such a great time lately.”

Bai Ying’s smile didn’t waver, as if she hadn’t detected the sarcasm in Qiu Shuang’s words at all. Her dewy eyes blinked innocently. “Really? That’s wonderful to hear.”

Qiu Shuang’s expression darkened slightly.

Chu Ling found the whole situation oddly strange. The two seemed to be sparring, but Qiu Shuang was the one throwing barbs while Bai Ying remained earnestly sincere, not at all like she was here to pick a fight.

Yet Qiu Shuang was on high alert, convinced that every word from Bai Ying carried hidden malice.

Chu Ling glanced between them and decided to stay silent, quietly observing.

The tension between the trio had drawn the attention of others, who pretended not to stare while subtly angling for a better view, eager for drama.

After all, everyone knew Qiu Shuang and Bai Ying didn’t get along. Seeing them together again, the crowd sensed entertainment brewing.

Chu Ling swept a casual look around good grief, they were all here for the show.

But from her observations, Bai Ying did seem a little off not because she was trying to one-up Qiu Shuang, but because of the way she looked at Qiu Shuang.

How to put it? It was familiar. Really familiar.

Lost in thought, Chu Ling watched their back-and-forth. Qiu Shuang’s words were sharp, but every time they reached Bai Ying, the edges seemed to soften, like punches landing on cotton.

Autumn Frost was thoroughly annoyed and really didn’t want to speak to Bai Ying anymore. So, she grabbed Chu Ling’s arm and said, “Come on, Ling Ling, didn’t you say you needed to use the restroom? I’ll go with you.”

Chu Ling was confused, when had she mentioned needing to go?

But then it dawned on her: Autumn Frost was trying to avoid Bai Ying. So, she played along and nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The two walked off together. Chu Ling glanced sideways and caught Bai Ying looking at her with a hint of envy in her eyes.

A sudden realization flashed through her mind.

Why had Bai Ying’s behavior felt off? Why had her gaze seemed strange?

It was because Bai Ying wasn’t trying to compete with Autumn Frost at all, she had feelings for her!

Wow, just wow. This class reunion was turning out to be quite the event, she’d stumbled upon Autumn Frost’s juicy gossip!

Chu Ling’s eyes widened in disbelief, but when she looked at Autumn Frost, she saw nothing but irritation on her face clearly still upset with Bai Ying.

Uh-oh!

She couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Bai Ying.

So, she’d had a crush on Autumn Frost back in school? And Autumn Frost had completely missed it, instead thinking she was just a copycat?

Man, thinking about it now, she couldn’t help but pity her.

Chu Ling cleared her throat. “Ahem, Shuang Shuang, do you think it’s possible that Bai Ying isn’t actually trying to annoy you or copy you on purpose?”

Autumn Frost shot her a sidelong glance. “Oh, so now you’re taking her side?!”

Chu Ling: “…”

Well, it seemed this impression wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

She shook her head. “Of course not. It’s just that I’ve forgotten a lot of things, so from an outsider’s perspective, it feels like Bai Ying doesn’t actually mean you any harm.”

Autumn Frost took a moment to cool down, then frowned skeptically. “Really? If she wasn’t competing with me, why would she wear the same clothes as me? And all those accessories and stationery wasn’t she just copying me? How is that not malicious?”

Just thinking about the past made Autumn Frost angry.

Someone who copied her at every turn, why should she like that?

At first, she hadn’t disliked Bai Ying, but once she realized she was constantly imitating her, it started to feel uncomfortable. After being copied for so long, wasn’t it natural to dislike her?

Still, if Ling Ling said Bai Ying meant no harm, Autumn Frost was willing to believe it but that didn’t make it any less confusing.

However, she wasn’t in the mood to talk about this annoying person anymore, so she waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever, forget about her. It doesn’t matter what her intentions were, it’s got nothing to do with me.”

Chu Ling: “Okay.”

Well, that might not be entirely true, but if Autumn Frost didn’t want to discuss it, she’d drop it.

“By the way, I haven’t asked did you make up with Miss Fang?”

Chu Ling remembered Autumn Frost complaining about their argument a while back. Since so many days had passed, she assumed they must have reconciled by now, so she asked casually.

But Autumn Frost remained completely unfazed and dropped a bombshell.

“Oh, that? Nope. I haven’t been to the company in days, and Fang Manwen hasn’t reached out to me either.”

Chu Ling was stunned. “What?! You haven’t been to work for days, and Miss Fang hasn’t contacted you at all?”

Autumn Frost shook her head. “Nope.”

She still looked as cheerful as ever.

Water gushed from the faucet as Autumn Frost washed her hands leisurely, her expression calm and unreadable.

“At first, I thought she was just busy with something, that’s why she wasn’t contacting me. But after two days passed with no word, I realized Lingling, I might be getting dumped.”

Chu Ling was utterly shocked. She had assumed Qiu Shuang’s regained liveliness was because she’d made up with Fang Manwen. But now it seemed things weren’t just unresolved, they were heading straight for a breakup!

Chu Ling carefully studied Qiu Shuang’s expression, but all she saw was an eerie calm, which only deepened her concern.

“Are you really okay?”

Though Qiu Shuang and Fang Manwen’s relationship had progressed quickly, Chu Ling could tell that Qiu Shuang genuinely liked Fang Manwen. And from her few interactions with Fang Manwen, the other woman seemed to like Qiu Shuang too.

How could things change so drastically after just one outing together?

This was way too sudden!

“Maybe Miss Fang really is busy with something? Shouldn’t you go ask her directly?” Chu Ling frowned, scrambling for explanations.

Qiu Shuang chuckled. “Ask what? It’s been two whole days without contact. Would normal couples go this long without talking? This is basically a silent breakup.”

She exhaled slowly, watching the cold water rush over her hands. The weather had turned chilly Chu Ling always waited for warm water to wash up in the mornings now, unlike in summer when cold water was bearable.

Yet here was Qiu Shuang, letting icy water run over her hands so long they’d turned faintly red.

Chu Ling quickly turned off the faucet. The freezing touch made her eyebrows shoot up, and she hastily passed Qiu Shuang a paper towel.

Then she fixed Qiu Shuang with a stern look. “This isn’t okay. Tomorrow, I’m going with you to see Fang Manwen. Even if you’re breaking up, it shouldn’t be this vague. You deserve an explanation.”

Qiu Shuang kept smiling. “No need, Lingling. Our relationship started out of nowhere, it’s fitting it ends the same way.”

After saying this, she fell silent.

Chu Ling hesitated, wanting to offer comfort, but every reassuring phrase felt hollow now.

After a long pause, Qiu Shuang spoke again, her voice tinged with confusion.

“I just don’t understand. Is it really because I wanted to go public and she didn’t? That’s enough to break up over?”

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