I Was Taken by the Female Lead After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 23

Fu Xiaoxiao immediately chokes up, her mouth opening in a teary sob as her hand reaches for the car door lock. Bai Xue slowly says, “Your mom said if you go back to her crying, she’ll take the card back immediately and bury you in the ground on the spot, sprinkle dog food on your head, and call your dogs over to eat.”

Fu Xiaoxiao’s sob is cut off, like a goose whose neck is squeezed by the hand of fate. She has two dogs: one is a mix of an American Bully and a Corgi, nicknamed “Bullygi,” and the other is a Chihuahua and Corgi mix, nicknamed “Chigi.” Both have perfectly inherited the Corgi’s short legs. One is gentle but huge, the other is tiny but extremely high-strung. Any of Mrs. Xi Rong’s threats could perfectly torture her to death.

In a daze, Fu Xiaoxiao can almost see her mother, Xi Rong, digging a hole in the yard. She tremblingly closes the door and says in a panicked voice, “Didn’t she say before that she’d let the dogs pee on my head?! Why did she change her mind so fast?!”

…Which of these two options is any better?

Bai Xue is shocked by her illogical thinking.

Fu Xiaoxiao decisively sits back in her seat, her face full of righteousness. “How can I let something so trivial ruin my baby’s path to dominating the entertainment industry? Let’s go!”

The car slowly starts moving. Bai Xue looks at the house fading in the distance and can’t help but smile. She recalls Xi Rong’s concern for Bai Feifei when they were inside the house and sighs. Although she has been moved countless times, she is still touched by the bond between the Fu and Bai families. The money was given to Fu Xiaoxiao, but it was really a gift from Xi Rong to Bai Feifei.

Bai Xue teases, “If you two weren’t so straightforward, I would think you were a couple.”

Fu Xiaoxiao pouts. “My baby deserves better. Someone like me isn’t suitable for spending a lifetime with her. I can’t settle down.” She says this as the car gets onto the main road and the ride becomes smoother. Fu Xiaoxiao wriggles in her seat, casually bringing something up without looking away from the road. “When I was little, I had kidney problems and needed a transplant. My mom was going crazy trying to find a match, but she couldn’t. Then, by chance, Feifei had a checkup. I don’t know why she did it, but she went for a match and it turned out she was a perfect one.”

“Can you imagine?” Fu Xiaoxiao says, pursing her lips. “Feifei was a healthy person, full of life, with a bright future ahead of her. She just signed the consent form. She took a long time to recover after the surgery, and she has a palm-sized scar on her waist even now. My mom is right to protect her; she’s earned it. If Feifei asked for the stars, I would find a way to buy the naming rights to a small planet and name it after her.”

Bai Xue is stunned. Honestly, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t imagine anyone giving up their health for the rest of their lives for someone else, even with the promise of the entire world.

A rare look of seriousness appears on Fu Xiaoxiao’s face, but it disappears so quickly that Bai Xue thinks she imagined it.

Fu Xiaoxiao says, “Back then, we would just hang out in the hospital rooms all day. We even agreed on a cemetery plot where we’d be buried together. I told my mom that Feifei and I wanted to scatter half of our ashes in the sea and use the other half to plant a tree. Maybe we could turn into tree spirits. We’d save a tiny bit, just a fingernail-sized amount, to bury in the ground with an epitaph that says, ‘My best friend is next door.’ But my mom beat me up and didn’t agree.”

Bai Xue is speechless. She is now convinced she must have been mistaken. Seriousness and Fu Xiaoxiao have no correlation. Who, on the brink of death, would think about what to do with their ashes instead of praying to live longer? And “My best friend is next door”? She wonders if they’re afraid the ghosts next door and the ghosts next to them will crawl out of their graves at midnight to chat with them.

Bai Xue’s thoughts are interrupted. She presses her temples, realizing Fu Xiaoxiao is influencing her thinking, and her expression becomes complicated.

Bai Feifei rests at home for two days, and as promised, she goes to the hospital again. The ward is still quiet, but the occupants are two unfamiliar women. People with severe depression can recover in as little as seven days or as long as several months. Jiang Yuemin’s condition is better than some but worse than others, so she is allowed to have a visitor. More severe cases would be placed in a fully enclosed ward.

Bai Feifei doesn’t pay much attention to the two new patients. She walks straight to the bed reserved for Jiang Yuemin.

“Mom, I’m here,” Bai Feifei says with a bright smile. Her eyes are clear and clean, and there is concern in her expression. “I’m not late this time, and I brought your favorite Sunshine Rose grapes. The doctor said you can play on your phone and watch movies for two hours after your surgery.”

Jiang Yuemin smiles gently and then sniffs. “Did you put on perfume today?”

“Just a little. I made it myself,” Bai Feifei says, pausing. “Do you like it?”

It isn’t really perfume, but rather the natural scent of plants. Bai Feifei doesn’t like overly sweet perfumes, no matter what they are. She prefers fresh scents. In the past, she even used diluted insect repellent because the smell was refreshing and made her feel cool in the summer.

Jiang Yuemin nods, her voice soft. “It smells very comfortable and refreshing.”

“I thought you would like it,” Bai Feifei says, blinking. “I brought you some. It’s a very light, woodsy scent, but you probably won’t get a chance to use it.”

“I can spray a little on my pillow and blanket,” Jiang Yuemin says, taking it from her.

Perfume is a very personal item, but scents like soap are not. These smells are so common that they make a person feel like they belong to society, and they often bring back memories of childhood. Bai Feifei loved these scents as a child. Her clothes and blankets smelled of them. They were fresh and invigorating. Bai Feifei prefers making her own natural scents over using expensive perfume. She’s good at it.

Jiang Yuemin brings the bottle to her nose and takes a sniff. “You haven’t made these in a long, long time. I thought you didn’t like it anymore.”

Bai Feifei smiles and says vaguely, “I was too busy before, so I didn’t have time.”

She can’t eat anything before the surgery, so she chats with Jiang Yuemin for a while. Jiang Yuemin’s condition is much better than last time. The doctor says she needs to undergo eight rounds of MCET, and this is only the second time. Her symptoms will get progressively better, and when she can control her emotions and has her self-awareness back, she can be discharged.

If all goes well, Bai Feifei will soon be joining the “Guang·Ying” cast.

A short while later, the doctor comes in to perform a pre-surgery checkup. He looks up and gives Bai Feifei an extra look. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you family?”

The doctor she spoke to last time was the head of the psychology department. She stands up and nods. “She’s my mother.”

The doctor is just doing a routine check. He quickly looks back and forth between Jiang Yuemin and Bai Feifei. “Your mother is recovering well. Let’s go; don’t worry.”

By the time Huo Wu arrives, Jiang Yuemin has already been taken to the operating room, just two minutes after she left. Bai Feifei is tired from the last few days. She has some of the original body’s memories, but they are jumbled and feel like a dream. She has to struggle to remember things, so she falls asleep on a chair outside the operating room.

She is all alone outside the operating room. The hospital’s air conditioning is on low, and she is curled up and cold. Her clothes are a little big on her, making her look thin and pitiful.

Bai Feifei isn’t sleeping soundly. Her dreams are full of tangled and confusing information. She soon hears soft footsteps and opens her eyes. It takes her a moment to realize where she is. She stands up from the chair. Before her consciousness is even fully awake, she calls out, “A-Wu!”

Huo Wu frowns. After a moment, she walks over and sits next to her. “How long has Auntie been inside?”

“About ten minutes,” Bai Feifei says, checking the time.

Huo Wu hums in response. She crosses her arms, leaning back and relaxing her body.

Bai Feifei turns to look at her. Huo Wu looks tired. Her voice is a little hoarse, and the redness in her eyes hasn’t faded.

“Have you been busy these last few days?” Bai Feifei asks.

Huo Wu opens her eyes and glances at Bai Feifei from the corner of her eye. After a moment of silence, she says, “It’s been okay.”

Bai Feifei lets out a small yawn, her feet swinging back and forth on the chair. The chair is old, and it makes a creaking sound when she swings her legs. The space is small and enclosed, and the noise is loud, so Bai Feifei stops. Huo Wu stares at Bai Feifei’s feet for a moment. Her posture is still the same, but her gaze becomes casual as she deliberately changes the topic. “What about you?”

Bai Feifei shakes her head. “I’m not busy. I’m taking it easy. Auntie Xue postponed my work for a few days, so I’ve just been planting flowers, studying, and practicing my voice and posture at home…” Bai Feifei has also completely sorted through her family’s things, hoping to learn more about her past.

“Mhm.”

When Bai Feifei was standing there alone, her face was pale, and her eyes were blank. Without any reason, Huo Wu found that empty expression unappealing, so she deliberately made some noise. As expected, Bai Feifei’s attention was drawn to her.

After a while, Bai Feifei seems to have regained some of her energy. “A-Wu, did you see any good candidates these last few days? Are all the roles in ‘Guang·Ying’ open for auditions? How many people do you have to see? ‘Half the Sky’ is going to be released in two months, right? It’s a big release for the National Day holiday. I’ll definitely go to the theater to support you. I’ll rent a whole theater… Can I go to the premiere?”

Huo Wu glances at her, relaxing her body. When Bai Feifei is done talking, Huo Wu says in a proud and elegant tone, “Mhm.”

Even with this small response, Bai Feifei feels encouraged. Like a little songbird, she keeps talking with a joyful expression. Her words are always a little strange and charming.

“The other day, I was planting flowers and forgot to wash my hands. A mosquito landed on my face, so I scratched it, and my face was covered in a huge smudge of dirt. I went to pick up a package, and people were taking pictures of me the whole way… But they still said I was cute!”

“Fu Xiaoxiao fell flat on her face while weeding the yard. A stray cat pooped there, and she almost landed her face right in it. Luckily, she ‘found’ it… Otherwise, I might have stepped in it myself…”

It’s a little noisy, but it’s full of life, unlike her lifeless and vacant demeanor just a moment ago. Huo Wu can’t help but secretly watch Bai Feifei’s expressive eyes and vivid expressions. She is discreet so Bai Feifei doesn’t notice.

Huo Wu hums in response every so often. When Bai Feifei thinks she’s bored and is about to stop, Huo Wu will say at just the right moment, “And then?” So Bai Feifei gets the signal that Huo Wu wants to keep listening and happily continues her story.

When Ji Meng arrives, this is the scene she sees. She stands in the corner for a moment, unable to watch Huo Wu tease the kind-hearted girl. She walks over and pats Huo Wu’s shoulder, taking a bottle of water out of her bag and handing it to Bai Feifei. Bai Feifei licks her lips, realizing her throat is completely dry from talking. She only felt tired, but seeing the water, she realizes her throat is on fire. She thanks Ji Meng sincerely as she takes the bottle. “Thank you, Sister Mengmeng.”

“Drink up and wet your throat.” Ji Meng checks the time. It’s been almost forty minutes since Huo Wu came upstairs. Given how cold and mocking Huo Wu had been to Bai Feifei earlier, Bai Feifei must have gotten some hint from Huo Wu to make her so excited. Ji Meng looks at Bai Feifei chugging the water, a shocked expression on her face. She whispers to Huo Wu, “You made her tell you stories for half an hour?” Her storytelling was so lively and expressive that her throat would be ruined.

Huo Wu glances at her, then follows her to a small platform on the second floor. She turns back and says calmly, “Why not? It’s a mutual exchange. I didn’t force her.”

Ji Meng’s teeth are itching. She instinctively covers her cheek, thinking she needs to get that wisdom tooth removed soon. It’s been making her anxious and giving her a headache. She clears her throat and gets to the point. “It’s not a huge deal, but you can’t control what people say. You should see for yourself.”

Huo Wu looks at her and takes the phone. After a moment, her eyebrows furrow.

The news about “Guang·Ying” holding open auditions has been gaining attention. In the age of social media, creating trending topics and generating traffic is standard practice. The combination of Director Li Ke and lead actress Huo Wu is enough to attract a large crowd of actors and influencers. It’s a competition where the price is set. Influencers want to gain fame through Huo Wu, and actors want to use Li Ke to advance their careers, along with others who have their own motives.

Because of this, fans are fighting tooth and nail over the publicly announced but yet-to-be-cast roles. Today, your fans insult mine; tomorrow, my fans insult yours. Ji Meng doesn’t care about these fights. Huo Wu’s role was set long ago. Li Ke made it clear that he and Huo Wu are a perfect match. With Huo Wu, he feels at ease, and with him, she can act freely. The lead role is hers, and no one else can have it. So, as soon as the news about the auditions for “Guang·Ying” was released, even though it’s a short series, companies were all vying for the supporting roles. After all, Director Li Ke’s stories are always brilliant.

Ji Meng whispers, “I told you a few days ago, Bai Feifei suddenly made a public declaration of love for you on Weibo. That post didn’t have any third-party promotion. Although she was heavily criticized, it didn’t trend. No one would buy trending topics for someone else, not even for a hater. So it didn’t cause a stir. People lost interest after two or three days. The likes were only at one hundred twenty thousand until yesterday.”

Huo Wu saw Bai Feifei’s post the night it was published, just as she was about to fall asleep. She couldn’t sleep all night. Combined with her lack of rest, she wore heavy makeup and sunglasses on set all day to cover her dark circles. But her subsequent takes were a mess. She had to call for a break several times and eventually took the day off to rest at the hotel. After that, Bai Feifei went silent, and Huo Wu couldn’t respond, so the matter was left alone. She had planned to ask Feifei about it today, but when she saw her, Feifei seemed like she had lost her soul.

Since they parted ways, Huo Wu has only seen Bai Feifei like this twice. The first time was on a small path outside the Bai family’s villa, where Feifei was standing alone in the rain, looking frail and out of place. The second time was just now, when she was sitting alone on the hospital chair, without family or friends, her eyes closed and her body still. She looked like a traveler on the edge of a cliff, where any noise could send her plummeting into the abyss. Huo Wu worried that if anything happened to Jiang Yuemin, Bai Feifei wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Huo Wu purses her lips, not thinking too deeply. She has already seen what Ji Meng wanted her to see. The top trending topic is #BaiFeifeiHuoWu#, followed by the red “Hot” symbol. When she clicks on it, the first post is Bai Feifei’s old tweet.

Right after that are #BaiFeifeiGuangYing#, #GuangYingAudition#, and #GuangYingHuoWu#. The topics are a mess, taking up half the page, giving her a sense of the chaos to come. Right now, these topics are just attracting attention. Once the public’s interest rises, a third party will surely start spreading rumors about her.

The post Bai Feifei made has now surpassed seven hundred thousand likes, five hundred thousand comments, and seven hundred thousand retweets. These numbers are alarming. Huo Wu’s own posts only get about a million likes and a hundred thousand comments, and that’s when a show she is in is trending. A high number of comments usually means there is a lot of debate and arguing. Fifty thousand and still growing.

Huo Wu frowns, not opening the comment section. “Who did this?” she asks.

Bai Feifei hasn’t formally entered the entertainment industry, so she wouldn’t have this much attention from haters for no reason. She only had one short appearance on screen in the past, a brief, three-second smile that made her unforgettable. Countless people asked who she was, and the role went viral. But that was before the age of social media, and Weibo was a small platform. She was popular for a while, but she was still a minor, and her career was limited. She was only cast in that role by chance. No matter how stunning she was, the fame faded over the years.

She occasionally appears in rankings of beautiful actresses, but Huo Wu knows because she searched for her after they met. The most recent one was from a year ago. The next time she trended was for her “perfect face” after her audition. Even with the connections to “Guang·Ying” and her public confession, this wouldn’t have happened without a mastermind and online trolls.

“The public’s opinion is still hard to say,” Ji Meng whispers. “Bai Feifei’s old company was just a small business. They couldn’t pull off something this big. If they could, they would have made a name for themselves in the industry by now. Right now, our only suspects are the other competitors for the role of Fusang, rivals of ‘Guang·Ying,’ and…”

Huo Wu suddenly looks toward the platform entrance. A person comes from the end of the hallway, their long hair neatly tied back. They are wearing a black shirt and matching black trousers that highlight their slim waist. Their movements are confident and steady.

It’s Bai Xue.

Ji Meng stops talking. She looks at her old friend, who has returned to the industry after almost ten years. Bai Xue once single-handedly revolutionized the agent industry, making it a high-risk profession for a while.

Huo Wu looks at Bai Feifei’s post again and hands the phone back to Ji Meng. “She’s here.”

Bai Feifei isn’t alone. She has a strong support system in Bai Xue. It seems Huo Wu doesn’t need to worry about her. A smile almost forms on Huo Wu’s lips, but it vanishes just as quickly.