Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 108

“Xiaoxiao, did you…” regain your memory?

Li Ting did not ask the question out loud. Those last four words remained lodged in her throat like a sharp fishbone—impossible to spit out and painful to swallow, bringing with them a surge of secret agony.

However, Si Xiaoxiao responded to her proactively.

A soft fingertip, carrying an unusual, faint chill, lightly pressed against Li Ting’s lips. The movement was identical to how she had stopped Li Ting’s refusal at the bathroom door earlier, yet something felt different.

The playful coquetry was gone, replaced by a trace of… an indisputable, almost controlling arrogance.

Then, Si Xiaoxiao suddenly smiled.

That smile made Li Ting’s heart contract violently.

Clearly, Xiaoxiao smiled often—happy smiles, triumphant ones, shy ones, or bratty ones. Li Ting had even thought she was familiar with every facet of the girl’s joy.

But the smile before her now—the curve of the lips was perfect, and the eyes were slightly narrowed, appearing no different from usual—yet it made Li Ting feel a strange sense of alienation. The mirth did not truly reach her eyes; they seemed hollow, like a bottomless, calm, and waveless cold pool that reflected not a single ray of warmth.

“Sister, let’s go to sleep,” she said softly. Her tone was steady as she reached out and pulled Li Ting back into a tight embrace.

This hug was even tighter than before, her arms firmly encircling Li Ting’s waist with a forceful quality that brooked no refusal.

Sleep?

Li Ting’s mind was a chaotic mess.

Did Xiaoxiao’s reaction mean she hadn’t recovered her memory yet? Like a drowning person clutching at a final straw, Li Ting desperately wanted to believe this possibility.

Perhaps that headache was just a coincidence? Perhaps the flood of memory hadn’t yet breached the dam? Did this embrace and this request mean she was still the Xiaoxiao who depended on her?

No, something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. Or perhaps… she actually… had recovered?

That thought was like a venomous snake slinking through the dark, silently coiling around her heart and flicking its cold tongue.

But if she had recovered, why this reaction?

Based on her understanding of Si Xiaoxiao—that proud, direct woman who saw the world in black and white—how could she be so calm after remembering all the past friction and hurt? How could she still be willing to embrace her like this, even speaking to her in such a performative tone?

It shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t… Before entering the tentacle world, she had infuriated Si Xiaoxiao. A Xiaoxiao with restored memories would never react this way.

The chain of logic snapped here, leaving behind a vast, unsettling void.

Countless possibilities crashed through her mind: Had the memory not fully returned? Had it returned, but she chose not to expose the truth for now? Or… was there another hidden reason?

Li Ting’s heart slowly sank until it hit the freezing seabed, swallowed by boundless darkness and panic.

Perhaps she should have just nodded firmly regardless of the consequences and told her.

Yes, we are already lovers.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t say it… Would there be another chance?

In the bedroom, the dim yellow wall lamp continued its duty, emitting a warm glow that tried to envelop the two figures embracing on the bed.

Li Ting closed her eyes. Her long lashes trembled fragrantly for a moment before finally settling into stillness, allowing herself to sink into the darkness.

She felt the undeniable strength of the arms around her waist and the warmth and softness of the body in her arms, yet her own frame was as rigid as a block of ice dropped into warm water—unable to relax, and unable to give an equal response.

All her senses were magnified to the extreme at this moment, yet they were a jumbled mess. She could clearly feel the subtle tremors brought by every curve of Si Xiaoxiao’s body pressed against her, yet she could also clearly “hear” the roar of an invisible but indestructible wall of ice rising abruptly between them.

But… something had changed.

The next morning.

Li Ting woke up very early. Perhaps it couldn’t even be called “waking”; it was more like she had endured until dawn in a state of semi-conscious, highly alert exhaustion.

Outside the window, the morning light had not yet fully dispersed the silence of the night. Only a layer of pale blue, thin light seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting a cold filter over the room’s furnishings.

Si Xiaoxiao, beside her, was sleeping soundly. Her long lashes rested peacefully against her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted unconsciously.

However, their sleeping positions revealed unusual information.

Perhaps the body temperature had risen in the latter half of the night, or perhaps it was a deeper, subconscious rejection and drawing of boundaries… When Li Ting woke up, she found a wide gap between herself and Xiaoxiao—enough space for another person to lie down.

Li Ting was lying flat normally, sleeping very still, while Si Xiaoxiao was spread out, having rolled almost to the very edge of the bed. She was in a precarious position, appearing ready to fall at any moment, yet she did not move closer to Li Ting’s side.

This made Li Ting uneasy.

Back when Xiaoxiao had the consciousness of a child, she had climbed into Li Ting’s bed a few times in the middle of the night. Each time, she would squeeze Li Ting tightly like a plush doll. This time, it was the exact opposite.

Why?

Was it because she had already lost trust in her?

The unease in her heart intensified, prompting her to reach out and proactively pull the Xiaoxiao from the edge of the bed back into her arms.

The sleeping Si Xiaoxiao seemed to sense this sudden confinement; her brow furrowed, and a look of distinct annoyance flickered across her face. She even let out a muffled, incoherent grumble in her sleep before stretching out a leg and planting a kick—neither light nor heavy—directly onto Li Ting’s soft abdomen, as if she were kicking away some bothersome monster in her dreams.

What terrible sleeping manners.

Despite the internal critique, and despite the fact that the kick actually carried some force, Li Ting felt an inexplicable sense of peace settle in her heart—simply because she held Xiaoxiao in her arms.

It was strange; it made her feel like some sort of masochist, yet the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat couldn’t lie.

Once again, they had returned to the same intimacy they shared before falling asleep.

Li Ting was a highly disciplined person who rarely stayed in bed, but today was a rare exception—she actually drifted back to sleep.

The thing that eventually jolted them awake was the ringing of a phone.

Si Xiaoxiao didn’t seem to have had enough sleep yet; she burrowed deeper into the duvet, having no intention of dealing with the sudden noise. Li Ting acted quickly and answered the call before the ringing could persist, only realizing after the connection was made that it was Si Xiaoxiao’s phone.

But since she had already picked up, there was no point in hanging up.

Li Ting considerately stepped out of the bedroom while responding to the person on the other end.

“Hello?”

Her voice was clean and composed, showing none of the grogginess typical of someone who had just woken up.

The caller was Wen Xiuzhen. She didn’t recognize Li Ting’s voice and simply asked, “Xiaoxiao, have you thought it over? Will it be just you participating in the shoot, or will it be both you and Li Ting?”

Faced with Wen Xiuzhen’s question, Li Ting could only reply, “This is Li Ting.”

“Eh?” There was a brief pause on Wen Xiuzhen’s end.

Li Ting added, “Xiaoxiao’s phone just happened to be with me.”

She offered no further explanation; after all, sometimes explaining is just a form of covering things up.

“Oh, oh, oh! That’s perfect then. It’s the same asking you—what do you say?” Wen Xiuzhen’s voice was noticeably more cheerful than before.

Recalling her agreement with Xiaoxiao in the bathroom, Li Ting finally conceded a step and asked, “I want to know the subsequent plot.”

While the opening was stunning, it was still just an opening. It wasn’t enough for her to make a definitive choice.

“Ah, the rest of the plot? I haven’t written it yet! Currently, there’s only an outline. Hehe.” Wen Xiuzhen—the woman claiming she would become a top-tier domestic director—gave a remarkably unreliable answer.

Li Ting frowned with displeasure. Some projects really shouldn’t be entered into too early. “So, you’re essentially trying to get something for nothing?”

“How could you say that?” Wen Xiuzhen denied it, still answering with a smile. “Actually, I plan to film and broadcast simultaneously. The show’s popularity will determine the ending.”

“You really are utilitarian.” Li Ting actually understood Wen Xiuzhen’s logic. She wanted to reduce investment and time costs; once a series lacked sufficient heat, she would simply lop off a portion of the outline and pour her energy into the next work.

It was the complete polar opposite of her mentor, who would spend years exhausting everything to craft a single masterpiece.

“Don’t talk about me like that. I’m doing this for our female lead—which is to say, for your benefit,” Wen Xiuzhen replied.

“For my benefit?” Li Ting was puzzled. What concerned her more was: she was the one chosen as the female lead?

“The shorter the filming duration, isn’t it easier for you to step out of character?” Wen Xiuzhen laughed, throwing out another direct hook.

She knew about that too? It seemed she had been planning this for a long time.

Li Ting fell silent, eventually asking with a hint of melancholy, “Was it my mentor who told you?”

“You’re the leading lady I’ve set my sights on; of course I had to do my homework.”

Li Ting remained hesitant. Her as the lead?

In her memory, the character archetype was a pure, “little white flower” type of college student with a hint of a weak constitution. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem to fit her. Was there something wrong with this director’s eye for talent?

“Miss Li, I have faith in your acting skills.” Perhaps sensing Li Ting’s hesitation, Wen Xiuzhen offered words of affirmation.

Li Ting still didn’t agree immediately, instead following up with: “Then what is the role Xiaoxiao is playing? The dead neighbor sister?”

“No. It’s the beautiful landlady, Huo Yue.”

What?

Li Ting searched her memory. Wasn’t that character just a background extra?

At least in the first story, she only had a few lines and a handful of appearances. Furthermore, the persona of this “beautiful landlady” was a wealthy, ditzy beauty. Basically, every time she appeared, it was just to highlight her looks and the simple-mindedness behind them.

So, was this out of fear that Xiaoxiao couldn’t handle a complex role? Was she being used as “eye candy”?

Li Ting frowned with a touch of annoyance. She didn’t like the idea of Xiaoxiao being treated as a mere ornament.

However, Wen Xiuzhen seemed to anticipate Li Ting’s thoughts once again. She spoke up one more time: “I said it was a dual-lead story. Trust me, you will certainly be well-matched opponents. Besides, don’t you think the huge contrast between how you two are in reality versus in the drama will make the ‘CP’ (Couple) even more delicious?”

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