Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 54

The planetarium’s colossal silver dome appeared exceptionally magnificent in the sunlight, like a fallen star reflecting dazzling light.

Stepping inside, the noise was instantly cut off.

Unlike the deep blue fantasy of the aquarium, the light here was a profound blue-black, dotted with weak points of simulated starlight. The air was filled with a cold, metallic, and dusty scent of the cosmos.

“Wow…” Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but gasp, looking up at the towering, seemingly endless dome. Her eyes were filled with the pure curiosity and wonder of a child. “It’s so big! It really feels like we’re in space!”

She was certainly not a cultural person and had never been to a planetarium before. Fortunately, it was a weekday, so tickets weren’t hard to get, and they managed to buy them even though their visit was a last-minute decision.

This time, Li Ting was still in charge of the camera at the beginning. She wasn’t distracted by the museum’s grandeur and the very technological decorations; her focus remained on filming Si Xiaoxiao.

The entire planetarium was divided into several exhibition areas, all freely accessible from the central huge plaza.

“That way is the Starry Sky Tunnel!” Si Xiaoxiao always seemed to be full of energy. Seeing something new, she was like a tail-wagging puppy: “Let’s go there first!!!”

“Wait a moment.” Li Ting took a large step, reached out, and grabbed Si Xiaoxiao’s wrist: “It’s very dark inside; let’s walk slowly.”

“? Aren’t you not afraid of the dark?” Si Xiaoxiao shook the wrist Li Ting was holding and immediately blurted out.

Li Ting sighed helplessly and said, “I’m afraid you’ll get lost.”

“I’m not a child; how could I get lost! Besides, there are only the two of us—that’s called getting separated, not lost! And…” Si Xiaoxiao was instantly displeased. She stared at the wrist Li Ting was holding and said haughtily, “Stop taking advantage of me. Touching my little hand costs a hundred yuan.”

“Are you obsessed with money?” Li Ting choked, releasing the hand that was holding Si Xiaoxiao’s wrist.

Si Xiaoxiao tilted her head, spun half a circle gracefully, and advanced several steps toward the Starry Sky Tunnel, then looked back at her: “Hurry up and follow me, or I won’t wait for you~~”

Li Ting stood still, not angry at all, her tone habitually gentle: “Your phone is still with me.”

Si Xiaoxiao’s steps paused. She suddenly remembered that her phone had been volunteered for filming.

Because Li Ting usually doesn’t have a high material desire, her phone was an older model from several years ago. Si Xiaoxiao’s phone, however, was the latest release with powerful photo features. Therefore, Si Xiaoxiao contributed her phone, and Li Ting was responsible for the filming.

Although Si Xiaoxiao filmed for a while in the aquarium, she quickly grew impatient, and the filming task returned to Li Ting’s hands.

…Fine, a person cannot live without a phone.

It’s just a matter of moving my butt.

Si Xiaoxiao silently turned around and walked back. She stopped in front of Li Ting, grabbed Li Ting’s hand, and shook it with a brilliant smile. With her gorgeous looks, she didn’t appear fawning at all, but only cute: “Sister Li Ting, let’s go. You must follow me every step of the way~”

Li Ting also smiled at Si Xiaoxiao and said, “Oh, one hundred yuan.”

“Aiya, I was just kidding! How could I possibly ask you for a hundred yuan~” Si Xiaoxiao spoke in a high-pitched, syrupy voice.

Li Ting corrected her without changing her expression: “I mean, you give me one hundred yuan.”

“Are you obsessed with money?” Si Xiaoxiao instantly dropped the sweet voice, throwing Li Ting’s previous remark back at her indignantly.

“Yes,” Li Ting admitted without hesitation. This person was indeed a little mischievous.

“Give me back my phone!” Si Xiaoxiao snatched her phone back, but the hand that was holding Li Ting did not let go. She dragged Li Ting forward: “Let’s go, let’s go, time to see the exhibition!!!”

Entering the tunnel, there was a vast stretch of darkness.

Si Xiaoxiao subconsciously squeezed Li Ting’s hand. Anyway, it was pitch black now, and the camera couldn’t capture their specific actions, so holding hands wasn’t embarrassing.

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the faint starlight finally made its presence felt.

So beautiful…

The Starry Sky Tunnel was deeper and more magical than imagined.

Si Xiaoxiao’s fingertips unconsciously rubbed the back of Li Ting’s hand, as if to engrave the current sensation into her instincts.

All senses were magnified in the darkness. She could clearly hear their intertwined breathing and her own increasingly rapid heartbeat.

Strange, why was she nervous? Wasn’t she unafraid of the dark?

Why… This is truly inexplicable.

Si Xiaoxiao was stunned. Out of self-preservation, she wanted to let go of Li Ting and distance herself from the other person, as if this would completely mask the racing heart.

However, in this boundless darkness, Li Ting was the only piece of driftwood she could grasp.

“Watch out for the step.” Li Ting’s voice brushed past her ear, the warm breath making Si Xiaoxiao’s earlobe burn.

She instinctively looked down and realized that the floor was a transparent glass walkway. Countless stars flowed beneath their feet, as if they were walking on the Milky Way itself.

So beautiful, simply too beautiful!

Si Xiaoxiao’s attention was instantly captured by the beautiful scenery. She quietly moved away from Li Ting, chasing the Milky Way forward.

And this time, Li Ting didn’t actively grab her wrist again.

As the two proceeded deeper, the tunnel suddenly glowed with a faint blue halo. Countless nebulae flowed on the four walls. The Rosette Nebula was like spilled rouge, and the Orion’s Belt was like a satin ribbon inlaid with crushed diamonds.

But the most breathtaking sight was overhead. The entire tunnel dome transformed into a rotating star chart, with the handle of the Big Dipper gently spinning.

Si Xiaoxiao stopped for the magnificent view, her eyes filled with longing for the brilliant starry river.

“Li Ting, this place is truly beautiful! Those stars are so gorgeous!!” She was like an excited child, her brilliant eyes full of interest in everything she saw.

“That’s the Andromeda Galaxy.” Li Ting suddenly pointed somewhere. She was as knowledgeable as ever, patiently explaining in a gentle voice: “It’s the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, and it’s said to be approaching our galaxy at a speed of over a hundred kilometers per second.”

The two continued forward, and Li Ting could accurately name the constellations with almost every shift in the star map: “That one is Ursa Major, and this one is Draco…”

This made Si Xiaoxiao somewhat curious. She finally couldn’t resist asking, “How do you know all these stars?”

Li Ting looked at the stars and explained, “Because a song I wrote before had these constellations as its theme, so I did special research.”

“I see, how dedicated.” Si Xiaoxiao smiled and aimed the phone in her hand at Li Ting: “Come on, say it again, I’ll record it more clearly.”

Li Ting’s profile flickered between light and dark in the starlight, with fragmented light hidden in the shadows cast by her eyelashes.

Si Xiaoxiao looked at her through the lens, still unable to hide the astonishment in her eyes.

“Aren’t you bored…” Li Ting shook her head, reached out to block the camera, and countered, asking Si Xiaoxiao, “What about you? Didn’t you film a drama with an astronomy theme before? You don’t understand anything?”

Si Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a little guilty but still defended herself: “Aiya, the character I played was just a silly, sweet girl who didn’t understand astronomy. I only needed to exclaim ‘Wow’ at the male lead. My gaze needed the innocence untainted by knowledge.”

“…” Li Ting indeed didn’t understand their entertainment industry: “You win.”

Perhaps it was the proximity—their shoulders were side-by-side. Under the cover of the endless darkness, some physical contact seemed so natural, yet it was also because of the darkness that their fingertips met and parted immediately.

It was a test, a cover-up, and an escape.

After leaving the Starry Sky Tunnel, Si Xiaoxiao still felt somewhat unsatisfied, but she was never one to dwell on the past. She looked forward to more novel adventures.

Despite being a fragile celebrity who didn’t like to exercise or eat well, she remained energetic after visiting several exhibition halls, maintaining high spirits. Her legs weren’t sore, her back wasn’t aching, and she was full of vigor, rushing happily.

“You really are a dog.” Watching Si Xiaoxiao run like an arrow off the bow towards a new, exciting exhibition hall, Li Ting silently followed, muttering a quiet complaint. Even she, who exercised regularly, didn’t have more energy than her.

Si Xiaoxiao’s ears twitched. She stopped, turned back with a frown, and questioned, “Why are you randomly cursing me?”

“No, I was praising your liveliness.” Li Ting took several strides to successfully walk beside Si Xiaoxiao. Seeing her face full of grievance and innocence, Li Ting couldn’t resist reaching out and ruffling her hair.

The expression on Si Xiaoxiao’s face became even more amusing. She smacked away Li Ting’s hand in dissatisfaction, tidied her bangs, and grumbled angrily, “You’re taking advantage of me! One hundred for each time!!”

Li Ting smiled slightly, continuing toward the last exhibition hall: “Oh, let’s just use that to offset the last time then. Come on, good doggy.”

“What dog! You’re the dog!” Si Xiaoxiao bared her teeth, extremely displeased.

The last place to visit was the Dome Theater, the highlight of the entire planetarium.

The two followed the staff’s instructions and sat side-by-side in comfortable, adjustable reclining chairs.

The seats slowly tilted back until they were almost flat, allowing their view to be completely dominated by the colossal dome screen.

Then, the lights in the entire theater dimmed, and true darkness descended.

Only the faint green light of the emergency exit was visible, like a distant star gate.

Next, a tiny speck of light appeared in the center of the dome, like the singularity of the Big Bang.

The light violently expanded. Brilliant nebulae, like a spilled palette, rotated, flowed, collided, and condensed against the deep black background.

A grand and ethereal symphony began, accompanied by a deep and magnetic female voice narrating the epic of a star’s birth and death.

Si Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at Li Ting next to her.

Light and shadow rapidly shifted across her calm profile—the magnificent nebula, the burning constant star, the icy planetary ring… casting flickering light and shadow on her face. Her gaze was focused and tranquil, without sorrow or joy, as if she were a deity who could ascend and leave the mortal world at any moment.

Support