Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 47

“Are you alright?”

Amidst the spinning of the world, Li Ting’s concerned face appeared in Si Xiaoxiao’s line of sight.

The hazy, flickering light of the bar danced across her face, washing away the usual veneer of gentle but distant reserve.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and a genuine worry filled her eyes, like a stone dropped into a deep pool, spreading ripples in Si Xiaoxiao’s muddled consciousness.

Why are you showing me an expression like that… is it because the current me still holds some value for you to exploit?

A faint voice echoed in the back of her mind.

Si Xiaoxiao vigorously shook her head, trying to dispel the annoying thought, but it only resulted in a more intense dizziness, and Li Ting’s concerned face split into a double image.

She panted, her gaze falling back onto the hand supporting her shoulder.

That hand was well-defined, slender, and clean. Under the changing neon lights, the skin had an almost transparent texture, the knuckles slightly pink from the effort of support.

This hand had countless times gently brushed her sweaty hair, offered cool water and a towel when she collapsed exhausted in the practice room, and had been tightly held by her countless times—it was the reliance she valued most.

“I’m fine, perfectly… perfectly fine…”

Si Xiaoxiao heard her own voice, thick with a nasal tone and the stickiness of alcohol, like glass misted over with water vapor.

She instinctively tried to push away the hand that tentatively rested on her, but her body felt as if its bones had been removed, slumping weakly forward. Her fingertips, instead, lightly rested on Li Ting’s cool forearm.

The instant their skin touched, a subtle current shot up her spine from her fingertips, making her scalp tingle.

The appearance of the system was like an untimely key, forcefully prying open the door that had been frozen shut between them for years.

She had thought that for the rest of her life, she would have to look at Li Ting’s face behind that perfect mask, exhausting all their interactions in mutual rivalry and deliberate indifference.

“A one-drink-wonder still drinks?”

Li Ting stood beside Si Xiaoxiao, supporting her as someone being leaned upon.

She was slightly turned to the side; the shadow of her hat brim acted like a curtain, isolating all her expressions, revealing only the clear lines of her jaw and those two beautifully shaped lips, which were now remarkably calm.

However, in the instant Si Xiaoxiao’s vision blurred and her consciousness drifted due to dizziness, those tightly pressed lips seemed to curve upward, ever so slightly.

A fleeting arc blossomed quietly in the shadow of the hat brim, carrying a sense of… ineffable indulgence and deep tolerance.

Don’t smile at me like that…

Si Xiaoxiao’s heart felt tightly squeezed by that brief smile, and a sour, aching sensation instantly spread through her.

She didn’t want to recall it anymore.

It was a long, cold, and cutting breakup.

Li Ting’s hurtful words, her deliberate estrangement, that blocked-out red exclamation mark…

The bar’s murky air was thick with a complex mixture of alcohol, perfume, and sweat.

The alcohol magnified all her emotions, including suspicion and insecurity.

The youthful closeness, the subsequent complete rupture, and now the forced entanglement—scene after scene threatened to tear her apart.

She tried hard to open her eyes wide, attempting to see if calculation was hidden deep in Li Ting’s gaze.

Li Ting’s face, against the bizarre backdrop, was reduced to a soft, hazy silhouette gently enveloped in a halo of light.

That silhouette was incredibly soft, carrying a heart-fluttering attraction that made her want to approach yet instinctively fear.

It’s been so long, why do I still care so much?

I’ve already decided to face her head-on, like an adult, absolutely not…

All the suppressed grievances and anger, catalyzed by the alcohol and mixed with the warm touch from her fingertips, erupted instantly.

Si Xiaoxiao fiercely pulled away from the hand supporting her shoulder. Her body swayed violently from the abrupt movement. Angry, she defiantly reached out and stubbornly poured the unfinished drink down her throat.

Perhaps she drank too much in one gulp, or perhaps she truly couldn’t handle the alcohol, but Si Xiaoxiao felt a burning pain in her throat. Her body instinctively erupted in a violent cough; physiological tears instantly welled up, blurring her already hazy vision, and she stepped across the border into chaos.

The world began to spin.

The alcohol took hold so quickly.

“Xiaoxiao!” Li Ting’s voice carried a rare urgency: “Slow down.”

But all Si Xiaoxiao wanted to ask was.

“Why…”

The fractured sound squeezed out from her alcohol-scorched throat, heavy with an undissolvable nasal tone, like the whimper of a little animal abandoned in the rain, soaked and trembling, full of grievance, confusion, and a profound sense of pitiable weakness from being abandoned.

“Drinking is bad for your health.” Li Ting’s voice sounded almost immediately next to her ear, carrying a repressed helplessness and a deeper, undeniable concern.

The moment Si Xiaoxiao completely lost her balance and crumpled due to coughing and dizziness, Li Ting swiftly extended her arm.

This time, it wasn’t just supporting her shoulder. Her action was no longer reserved; like her person, it became forceful.

One arm strongly and steadily encircled Si Xiaoxiao’s slender, now lifeless waist, while the other quickly guarded her back, forming a posture that practically cradled her entire upper body in her embrace.

This hug was sudden and too close, separated only by the thin summer clothes on their bodies.

It was unclear whose heart was pounding like thunder.

A drunk person’s words lack logic, and their thoughts are fragmented.

Even she herself momentarily forgot what she had intended to demand.

In Li Ting’s arms, Si Xiaoxiao struggled to stand up, swaying precariously. She raised her round eyes, wet with tears and looking exceptionally dewy and blurred. Her gaze was fiery, like two flickering small flames, stabbing directly at Li Ting’s face beneath the shadow of her hat brim.

“Bark like a dog,” she commanded. The voice was soft but carried an undeniable, childish insistence.

“?” Li Ting was confused, her gaze toward Si Xiaoxiao full of surprise.

The surrounding clamor seemed irrelevant to them. They were so close that even their hair seemed entangled, indistinguishable.

“It’s your turn to be the dog this time, isn’t it?” Si Xiaoxiao looked at Li Ting’s shadow-covered, unreadable face, and suddenly, without warning, she grinned—a silly smile, even carrying a hint of mischievous victory. Her white teeth flashed in the hypnotic light.

It seemed she had long-held grievances regarding certain role identities.

“Why?” Li Ting patiently watched her, waiting for her reply, like calming a child throwing a tantrum.

“Because you are the Little Dog Friend of the Succubus Lady.” Si Xiaoxiao answered self-righteously, her eyes bright and shining, as if stating a universal truth.

“Friend?” Li Ting’s gaze deepened. Her low voice had a peculiar quality, cutting clearly through the background noise. She pressed the question: “In your heart, are we already friends now?”

Si Xiaoxiao’s brain was thoroughly soaked in alcohol, completely shut down and unable to turn. She was hesitant and pitiful, her eyes instantly filling with tears: “Don’t you want to be my friend?”

Li Ting mischievously teased the silly drunkard. Her voice was lower and deeper than before, carrying an almost dangerous calm. Perhaps only she knew what emotions were buried in that sentence: “What if I said… I don’t want to be your friend?”

Si Xiaoxiao scrunched up her small nose, trying hard to contemplate this profound question. Her thick eyelashes fluttered rapidly like startled butterfly wings.

The alcohol made her thoughts direct and jumpy.

She tilted her head and refuted in a tone that was almost innocent yet carried a strange stubbornness, attempting to persuade the other party: “Isn’t being friends good? Oh, you want to kiss me, so that’s why you have to be my nemesis.”

“Kiss you?” Li Ting’s expression changed instantly, becoming dangerous and incredulous, as if she was intensely restraining something. Even her breathing seemed to briefly freeze.

So that’s the definition of a nemesis.

Si Xiaoxiao looked blankly at Li Ting. Alcohol had returned her to her most primitive instincts. She recognized the person in front of her as her favorite Jiejie (older sister) and, because of this, was willing to offer her sweetest smile.

“Jiejie, let’s just be nemeses then.”

Li Ting’s smile widened. She couldn’t resist her mischievous side and continued to tease the poor drunkard.

“Could I possibly interpret that sentence of yours as…”

She leaned down slightly, moving closer. Her warm breath almost brushed Si Xiaoxiao’s earlobe.

Her low voice, carrying an almost seductive magnetism, clearly entered Si Xiaoxiao’s ear. Every word seemed to have tiny hooks: “You want to kiss me?”

Asking this question, Li Ting couldn’t help but feel a rare nervousness, as if she were undergoing an examination.

She was testing her score with the teacher.

Even if you are that dense.

You should have noticed by now.

Hurry up and notice…

However, Si Xiaoxiao stretched out her hand and placed her fingertip on Li Ting’s lips.

Her eyes were pure and clean, and after circling around, she returned to the original question: “No, little dogs cannot kiss their masters.”

As the words fell, Li Ting felt her breath catch. That nameless heat burned even more fiercely.

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