I Was Taken by the Female Lead After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 68

The wind picked up in the afternoon, barely managing to blow away the lingering summer heat. The tired crew, who had been drained by the nearly forty-degree weather, were now in better spirits. In the scorching heat, an actor who had no scenes to film was bored and found an open space to live-stream a no-oil fried egg. The egg in the black pan gradually took shape, turned white, and eventually became a successful no-oil fried egg. Bai Feifei found it interesting, but she was like a wilted vegetable that had been sun-dried. She hid under a tree, picked up a few leaves to fan herself frantically, and waited for her turn to act.

The actress playing the English teacher, Qin Ling, didn’t have many scenes. Her filming schedule was only for three days, and most of her scenes were with the supporting cast. Today was one of the few scenes she had with the main cast. Bai Feifei read the script and said thoughtfully, “At this point, does Qin Ling already know something?” Not only would the audience wonder, but the actors who didn’t have the full script would also wonder.

The entire event seemed to be confined to the school, but in reality, it reflected all kinds of human experiences. Qin Ling seemed like an outsider, but she was more perceptive than anyone else. She was the first to figure out how to avoid being chosen as a “prey” and even told Fusang… and everyone who had the “potential” to be a “prey.”

The question Bai Feifei was asking was what she wanted to ask, and it was also what her character, Fusang, wanted to ask. The event happened not long after she met Qin Ling. During that meeting, Qin Ling didn’t say much to her. She just kept emphasizing a few keywords: you must study hard, the honor roll, and other terms.

But it was too common for teachers to tell students to “study hard,” so even Fusang didn’t take it seriously. That day, she had too many things to do. She had to go home to pack her mother’s things for the hospital, prepare food for her mother to eat after the surgery, run back and forth to do the paperwork, and finish her heavy homework for the second semester of her second year of high school. She barely slept before 2 or 3 a.m. every night. After a day of busyness, she didn’t even have time to drink a single drop of water. She licked her lips and found that they were so dry that her saliva couldn’t even moisten them. It wasn’t until very late, when the night was heavy and there were only a few lights on in the entire city, that Fusang remembered something was off about their conversation during the day.

Qin Ling had said, “Students on the honor roll are the focus of attention. The media, newspapers, and leaders all pay close attention to them. They all have excellent grades. Some of them get recommended to universities directly. At school, they are also the focus of everyone’s attention.”

“Teachers will give them special treatment, the dean and principal will personally check on them, and they’ll be asked about their physical and mental health during every exam. Their subsidies are several times the national standard… Fusang, you have to study hard. You have to become one of those people.”

“Only by becoming one of them can you have a bright and splendid future.”

Bai Feifei murmured, “Wasn’t there something else that wasn’t said in the last line?” The opposite of the future is the present. If Fusang couldn’t become one of those people on the honor roll and couldn’t firmly choose to save herself and persevere in this age when her future was already bleak and uncertain, then what would her future look like? This could almost be predicted. She wouldn’t have a future. Everything she was going through was enough to completely break a person her age, making her become that “prey” and be mercilessly destroyed by those in power with a simple wave of a hand.

Huo Wu had the entire script since she had been involved in its creation. Since Bai Feifei had guessed it herself, she didn’t need to hide it. She said, “The original line was: ‘Only by becoming one of them can you change your desperate present and have a bright and splendid future.'”

Bai Feifei didn’t understand. She played with the ribbon on the back of Huo Wu’s costume. Unconsciously, her mood was a little better than before. “Huh, why was it changed?”

“She knows too much,” Huo Wu said with a cold face. “She’s overstepping her boundaries, and it’s not necessary.” Qin Ling’s character setting wasn’t complicated. In fact, it was very simple. She was teaching at this school just to beef up her resume. Her background was something that ordinary people couldn’t even touch, which meant she knew more secrets than ordinary people. For example, Chen Yanfang didn’t dare to mess with her and even had to curry favor with her when they were together. She also didn’t dare to talk about her behind her back, for fear of being caught.

Qin Ling knew the “rules” of the school, how they came to be, and the content of the “rules.” She even had a rough idea of who those people were. But she didn’t want to break this bizarre and twisted balance. Maybe it was because the consequences of breaking the “rules” were something she couldn’t bear, or maybe she didn’t have the ability to break them and could only use this roundabout way to reduce the number of victims as much as possible. But her choice was still a mystery to the current Bai Feifei.

Huo Wu knew. Bai Feifei thought that if Huo Wu was willing to tell her, she would also know. She tugged on the small ribbon on Huo Wu’s back and said in a coaxing tone, “Ah Wu, can’t you tell me? I really want to know.” Huo Wu smiled, enjoying Bai Feifei’s pleading expression and little actions. But she still had to respect the basic principles of the industry. “No.”

Bai Feifei didn’t press for an answer. A little bit of pleading was enough. Anything more would seem unreasonable. She played with the ribbon on Huo Wu’s back and suddenly asked in a puzzled tone, “Wuling’s grades are so good. She could have gotten recommended to a university, but why isn’t her name on the honor roll? And why does she have to work at a high-end bar when she could be a tutor, which is a higher-paying and easier job? Many teachers at school have asked her to tutor their kids.” This was a part of Wuling’s story that Bai Feifei didn’t know about.

From Fusang’s perspective, after they started living together, Wuling always went out early and came back late. She would leave around 9 p.m. every night and come back around 2 or 3 a.m. the next morning. Every time she came back, she had a similar but different scent on her. The smell of alcohol, perfume, and smoke. A few times, she even smelled something that seemed familiar but she couldn’t remember what it was. She also felt like something was missing from that smell. It was like summer without watermelon or autumn without fallen leaves. That smell seemed to be missing something. It seemed so important, but Fusang couldn’t remember. And this thing should have a very direct connection to Wuling, who always seemed to be hiding a lot of secrets. But even this, Huo Wu didn’t tell her.

Huo Wu said, “If I told you beforehand, you would act according to what you already knew. It would be like a student who already knows the answer to an exam. You wouldn’t have the nervousness of being in the moment, and your state would be off. You wouldn’t be able to act the part well.”

Bai Feifei also knew this, but she still felt a little discouraged. Huo Wu reached out and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen on Bai Feifei’s cheek. It was like a comfort.

“Wuling seems to have a god’s-eye view,” Bai Feifei said. “She knows everything. She doesn’t know the specific ‘rules,’ but she’s unconsciously reminding Fusang to avoid them because she’s observed that those people won’t actively mess with students who have a complete family, good grades, and friends.”

“It’s very smart of you to have observed that,” Huo Wu said, surprised by Bai Feifei’s perceptiveness. The “rules” in the drama hadn’t been fully revealed yet, although they had been hinted at. Everyone, including Bai Feifei, was still in a state of guessing. “If you were a little smarter, maybe you could guess Wuling’s secret,” Huo Wu said, and then suddenly smiled. She didn’t know when it started, but when no one else was around, she was always happy to show Bai Feifei her smile.

She reached out and pulled the ribbon that was used to tie a bow on the back of the waiter’s costume. The end of the ribbon gently slid across Bai Feifei’s palm and then lightly fell. Bai Feifei’s eyes followed the ribbon. For some reason, the first thing that came to her mind was the way Huo Wu’s fingertips had traced her collarbone. It was just as gentle, much softer than she had ever imagined. But it wasn’t as cold as the ribbon; it was warm. Huo Wu slowly tied the ribbon, and the end hung down to her waist. She said softly, “But this is good, too.”

Bai Feifei looked up, her mind full of Huo Wu’s fingers. “What’s good, too? The ribbon is very good.” Huo Wu wanted to take back the compliment she had just given her, but reality wasn’t like sending messages. There was no “recall” button. She reached out and tapped Bai Feifei’s head. She didn’t use any force. She just lightly touched it. “You were talking to me, where did your mind go?”

Bai Feifei realized that she had made a huge mistake, but luckily, Huo Wu hadn’t noticed the useless thoughts in her head. It was so strange. For more than half a month, she had been eating bland food and had to drink water according to a set amount. When she was weak, even breathing felt tiring. When the weather was gloomy, she felt like burying flowers. But sometimes, she was the complete opposite and would feel inexplicably restless and want to talk to Huo Wu and get close to her. She didn’t want to do anything; she just wanted to be close and hug her.

Bai Feifei giggled when she heard her. She tugged on the small ribbon behind Huo Wu again and suddenly tilted her head. “Ah Wu, have you ever worn a flowy fairy dress?”

Huo Wu was silent for a moment. She seemed to have thought of something incredibly unbearable. The first time ever, a very, very obvious and visible look of disgust appeared on her face. “No, impossible. Tsk.”

Bai Feifei was completely stunned. How could someone make a “tsk” sound and still look so good? She was like a little rascal who had never seen the world. She leaned in and looked up. “Tsk again, Ah Wu, tsk again.” It was only because they were on set and Huo Wu was well-behaved that she didn’t slap Bai Feifei’s face away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something. This time, Huo Wu held back her “tsk” but still let out a genuine, more disgusted “hiss” and then walked away with a serious face. Bai Feifei scratched her earlobe. She had a mosquito bite, and it was so itchy. Li Ke told her that she could only continue filming after the swelling went down, so she had to wait. A few mosquito coils were lit next to her, making it look like she was about to ascend to heaven. The smell of bug spray on her was terrifyingly strong. Not only were there mosquito coils, but she also had a mosquito repellent bracelet on her wrist. The effect was pretty good, and she at least didn’t get any new bites.

A moment later, taking advantage of the clouds and wind, Fu Xiaoxiao, who was walking her dog, plopped down next to Bai Feifei. She looked at Huo Wu’s retreating figure. “Why does she look like she just saw dog poop?” Bai Feifei was also puzzled. “I don’t know.”

The freshly washed puppy smelled great. Its cute eyes were round and clear. It had already become a mascot-like existence on the set. It was so difficult for Fu Xiaoxiao to watch over it every day to make sure no one fed it. Especially its big paws, which were always being sniffed and cherished by people. The dog’s name was “Bubba” (the Chinese character for “tyrant” or “hegemonic”). The other dog, “Juggernaut”, had it a little rougher. It had a small body and a big temper. It didn’t care for anyone except Bai Feifei. If you got too close, it would bark. Sometimes it wouldn’t even give Bai Feifei any face. Bai Feifei always liked to play with it.

“Bubba, come on, shake hands. Shake hands,” Bai Feifei called Juggernaut by his nickname and reached out her hand. This time, Juggernaut went against his usual behavior and gave her a paw. Bai Feifei grabbed it and shook it and then asked him to shake her hand a second time. But this time, Juggernaut didn’t play along. It even rolled its eyes at Bai Feifei, curled up into a ball, and let out a long sigh.

Bai Feifei was about to continue trying to coax him when she suddenly remembered how Huo Wu had looked. “… I know now.” Fu Xiaoxiao was getting some water for the little dog. She didn’t look up and said, “Huh, know what?”