Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 12

Chi Shuang sighed helplessly, “This horror movie was your choice. Will you even be able to sleep tonight?”

She truly was different toward Jiang Ran. In her first life, when she had reached a dead end, it was Jiang Ran, whom she had met through this variety show, who extended a helping hand and stayed by her side until the very end.

Back then, during the program recordings, she and Jiang Qi spent nearly every moment together, to the point that the survival-themed show almost turned into a dating program.

Aside from Jiang Ran, who had always seen her as an idol and liked to follow her around, Chi Shuang hadn’t interacted much with the others. Perhaps because she had always been a loner, no one except Jiang Qi had ever managed to find a place in her heart.

But as she spent time with everyone in this life, she realized that they weren’t so bad after all.

Tang Qiluo, with his gentlemanly appearance, loved to joke around and was great at lightening the mood. Yan Xu was introverted and shy but exceptionally attentive. Shang Chumu was straightforward and quick to warm up to others, while Jiang Ran was innocent, pure-hearted, and sincere.

As for Jiang Qi… Chi Shuang tilted her head to glance at the person beside her. Though her face remained expressionless, her eyes were brimming with laughter.

She couldn’t figure her out, nor did she understand. Back then, they had loved each other so deeply, yet Jiang Qi had done something so cruel to her. It made her collapse, made her doubt, were those sweet memories real or just an illusion?

And it was all so strange. If Jiang Qi had only wanted to possess her, why not simply part ways amicably once she grew tired of her? Why pursue her relentlessly even into the second and third lives?

But what if… just what if… Jiang Qi was trying to obtain something from her? Then it would all make sense.

As soon as this thought surfaced, a chill ran through Chi Shuang’s heart. If that were truly the case, then Jiang Qi could only be described as a demon.

Yet, she was fully aware of her own circumstances and couldn’t fathom what she possessed that Jiang Qi would covet so intensely, going to such lengths to obtain it.

Lowering her eyes, she blinked hard, trying to suppress the cold dread that had just welled up inside her.

Jiang Qi, sitting beside her, noticed Chi Shuang’s unease and gently nudged her arm, whispering, “Are you tired? We can wrap things up soon.”

Chi Shuang’s arm stiffened slightly, but she pretended to be sleepy, rubbing her eyes. “A little. But… since it’s our first time gathering together, wouldn’t it be rude if I left first?”

Chi Shuang was strikingly beautiful. Her unbound black hair cascaded softly over her shoulders, her skin was as pale as snow, and her slightly widened eyes held an innocent, bewildered look.

Tears welled in her eyes from rubbing them, making her appear even more pitiable and endearing.

Look, just look! What a kind-hearted and beautiful female lead, so considerate of others even when she’s this exhausted.

Today, Miss Jiang once again found herself moved to tears by the female lead’s gentle nature and breathtaking beauty, though her “tears” seemed to be dripping from the corner of her mouth.

As midnight approached, everyone prepared to call it a night. The two youngest, Jiang Ran and Shang Chumu, were already struggling to keep their eyes open.

Seeing the mess on the table, Yan Xu and Tang Qiluo began cleaning up. Surprisingly, Jiang Qi, who was usually quiet and aloof, spoke up, “I’ll take care of it. You two should help the youngsters back.”

Yan Xu felt uneasy leaving everything to Jiang Qi. “Let’s do it together. It’ll be faster.”

Tang Qiluo nodded in agreement beside him.

“Xiao Qi and I will take care of this. You all should head back and rest, you’ve been tired all afternoon,” Chi Shuang said.

Since both Chi Shuang and Jiang Qi had spoken up, the other two hesitated for a moment before agreeing. They escorted the younger ones back home.

After everyone had left, Jiang Qi turned to Chi Shuang. “Not sleepy anymore?”

Perhaps because it was late at night, Jiang Qi’s voice carried a slight huskiness. Her naturally pleasant tone inexplicably took on a seductive quality.

Uncertain of Jiang Qi’s intentions, Chi Shuang decided to remain cautious and observe the situation before formulating a response. With that in mind, she nodded. “Yeah, maybe the movie was just too boring.”

Jiang Qi felt like laughing but couldn’t quite bring herself to do so.

Seeing her caught between a smile and a grimace, Chi Shuang was puzzled but still deftly assigned tasks. “XiaoqQi, gather the trash from the table, tie it up, and take it out to the dumpster. I’ll wash the dishes and the pot.”

Jiang Qi nodded obediently and efficiently carried out Chi Shuang ‘s instructions.

The public trash bin in the rural area wasn’t nearby. As she stepped outside with the garbage, the cool summer breeze brushed against her.

Suddenly, the horror movie they had just watched began replaying in her mind. Compounding her unease, the back door opened directly to the mountains, making Jiang Qi inexplicably nervous.

What should she do now that she was suddenly terrified?!

After taking a few trembling steps, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

Jiang Qi: “!!!”

Just as she was about to scream, Jiang Qi caught a whiff of that familiar chocolate milk scent and relaxed. Turning around, she confirmed it was Chi Shuang.

“Scared?” Chi Shuang teased, noticing the cold sweat beading on Jiang Qi’s forehead.

There was no way she would admit to being scared, especially not in front of Chi Shuang.

“Of course… not.”

Perhaps it was because Jiang Qi’s stiff-necked declaration of “not scared” lacked conviction, or perhaps because Chi Shuang suddenly recalled how it all began, she genuinely laughed, the most heartfelt laughter she had experienced in days.

Seeing Chi Shuang laugh, Jiang Qi no longer cared about embarrassment. Instead, an involuntary sweetness welled up inside her.

But as that sweetness surged, Jiang Qi sensed something unusual. It felt too familiar, as if it had been rehearsed countless times before flooding her all at once.

This shouldn’t be happening, that was her first thought.

She knew herself well and understood that she truly liked Chi Shuang, but it was only that… liking. Such feelings shouldn’t be enough to make her uncontrollably sweet just from seeing Chi Shuang smile.

This loss of control over her emotions was the second time she had felt panic. The first was when she had seen that book.

From the start, she had assumed she had awakened and wanted to avoid the plotline involving the female lead. She had never stopped to consider: if she had truly awakened, why did the events in that book affect her emotions so deeply?

When people read books, they often empathize, but they don’t feel as if they’ve personally experienced the events.

But if she had truly lived through it, if she had been reborn, she found it hard to believe that the person in the book was her. She couldn’t possibly have done those things.

Wait! A thought struck her like lightning. While reading the book, she had distinctly felt that her actions weren’t of her own volition, as if she were a puppet being manipulated.

For three consecutive days, Jiang Qi had been troubled by this problem. Whether reasoning forward or working backward, there always seemed to be inconsistencies in the logic.

Yan Xu glanced at Jiang Qi with concern and asked, “What’s wrong? You’ve seemed distracted these past couple of days.”