She Became The Black Lotus’s Pure, Untouchable Love - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ning Xiangxiang twisted her body, turning to look at Huo Xingyu, who had walked to the rear of the car.

She saw a woman with a somber face, a brow locked in a cold frost, and eyes like ice, staring fiercely at…

Staring at her wheelchair??

“Uh…” Ning Xiangxiang opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. She could only wonder inwardly: Does she have some kind of personal vendetta against wheelchairs?

But looking at Huo Xingyu’s expression, there was an indescribable quality to it. On that exquisite, cold face, those upturned eyes were cast down, and her long, curled lashes threw a shadow over her gaze. Her expression was dark—sixty percent indifference, thirty percent anger, and… a tiny bit of grievance?

What was she so angry at a wheelchair for?

In Ning Xiangxiang’s experience, Huo Xingyu had always been emotionally stable. Stable somewhere between arrogance and apathy. In her previous life, even when she was dead and lying in a coffin, Huo Xingyu’s expression had been indifferent. It had almost made Ning Xiangxiang believe that this woman’s emotional spectrum consisted only of disdain and the occasional bout of schadenfreude.

How did such a person suddenly learn such complex emotional expression?? And why was all this irritation directed at her… her wheelchair?

Ning Xiangxiang tilted her head in confusion. It looked as if Huo Xingyu was a second away from slamming the wheelchair into the ground and grinding it under her black high heels.

In the early summer evening, the air was stuffy. But Huo Xingyu’s gloomy expression felt like a sudden, bone-chilling wind that made Ning Xiangxiang shiver involuntarily. Then, she saw those narrow eyes glance her way. Startled, she snapped her body straight and sat obediently in the passenger seat.

Her goal was to make Huo Xingyu annoyed and disgusted. But she really didn’t want to face her wrath head-on.

Hearing the rhythmic clack-clack of high heels on the stone road getting closer behind the car, her chest tightened. The moment she saw Huo Xingyu standing by the door with the wheelchair, Ning Xiangxiang hurriedly opened the car door, wanting to move herself onto the chair independently.

Because one leg was encased in a heavy cast, she couldn’t find any leverage. She propped herself up with her hands, shifting left and right, but couldn’t find a proper point of support.

Huo Xingyu’s gaze felt like a loaded gun pressed against the back of her head—a silent pressure that made Ning Xiangxiang panic reflexively. She was familiar with this feeling. In her past life, whenever they went out, she tried her best to be ready and waiting at the door before Huo Xingyu finished dressing. On the few occasions Huo Xingyu had to wait for her, it felt exactly like this.

Huo Xingyu never used words to rush her. She would simply sit on the sofa, watching her with an unreadable gaze—sometimes scrutinizing, sometimes dazed. Ning Xiangxiang never knew what she was thinking. She didn’t have time to wonder, either. Just being watched like that created enough pressure to make her even more clumsy in her haste.

But things were different now. They weren’t married yet. She wasn’t bound by the title of “Mrs. Huo.” Why be so afraid of her? They wouldn’t have many chances to see each other again anyway.

If she couldn’t get out of the car and Huo Xingyu didn’t help, were they just going to sit there staring at each other?

With that thought, Ning Xiangxiang looked up at Huo Xingyu. Although one side of her eye makeup had been rubbed into a mess, weakening her aura, Ning Xiangxiang still met her gaze bravely. She took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, and prepared to demand help with full confidence.

But before she could speak, Huo Xingyu leaned down. Her long, wavy hair brushed against her waist. She reached out and gently moved Ning Xiangxiang’s heavy, cast-laden leg onto the wheelchair’s footrest.

Ning Xiangxiang froze. In the sweltering heat, Huo Xingyu’s fingertips were still cool. Her long hands pressed against the inside of Ning Xiangxiang’s knee, sending a strange, tingling current through her.

That cold, stunning face leaned in closer. Silhouetted against the light, her eyes were downcast, her lashes casting deep shadows.

She said: “Ning Xiangxiang, you can hold onto me.“

Hold… Hold onto her?

Ning Xiangxiang was stunned. These words made her wonder if she was hallucinating. This “Black Lotus” was actually asking her to hold her? How could the nitpicking, fault-finding Huo Xingyu be associated with such a selfless, helpful act?

Ning Xiangxiang couldn’t help but wonder if the woman had something hidden in her coat, and the moment she hugged her, she’d be shot six times.

As she dazed, Huo Xingyu moved even closer, her alluring eyes watching her. Even if Ning Xiangxiang had no romantic feelings for her beyond fear and a desire to escape, she had to admit that Huo Xingyu had a very, very beautiful face. Her straight, elegant nose had a tiny mole on the right side, which added a touch of innocence to her arrogant face.

It even made her think: If only her personality were a little better… if she wasn’t someone who ate people alive… maybe being married to her would be a wonderful thing?

But there are no “ifs” in this world. Even if they repeated this a thousand times, as long as Huo Xingyu was Huo Xingyu, nothing would change. She would never change for anyone. She was an eternal blend of arrogance and indifference.

If such a proud person truly changed… Ning Xiangxiang narrowed her eyes. It could only be a ghost possession or the bankruptcy of the Huo Group.

Because they were so close, Ning Xiangxiang could feel the heat radiating from beneath the silk blouse and smell the familiar scent. In their past life, when they shared a bed, the pillows and blankets were always wrapped in this familiar, cool fragrance.

It was too familiar, yet too strange.

She sighed. She couldn’t get out of the car without leaning on her. Just as she was about to reach out and wrap her arms around her shoulders, a shout came from the distance:

“Sister Xiangxiang? Is that you! Sister Xiangxiang!”

Hearing that shout, Ning Xiangxiang’s mind went blank. A film set was never a place for secrets. If they were caught at the entrance, the paparazzi might hesitate to publish. But if someone saw her getting out of Huo Xingyu’s car, the whole crew would know by morning.

She didn’t have time to see who it was. She instinctively tried to shrink back into the car. But her cast-covered leg had just been placed on the wheelchair; as she jerked back, the heavy cast slammed hard against the car door frame, yanking the muscles near her wound.

A wave of numbness shot through her leg, followed instantly by a climbing, searing pain. The impact caused cold sweat to break out on her forehead. Tears threatened to spill on the spot.

The person calling her name had already run up and was saying something to Huo Xingyu, but Ning Xiangxiang couldn’t hear a word. She could only hang her head, teeth clenched, waiting for the agony to pass.

…

“Sister Xiangxiang? Is that you! Sister Xiangxiang!”

Hearing that shout, Huo Xingyu felt the “rabbit” who had been inches away from willingly crawling into her arms suddenly scramble back into its burrow in a panic. Looking at her now-empty embrace, Huo Xingyu dazed for a moment.

Is she… shy? She wondered, looking at Ning Xiangxiang’s flushed nose.

In her memory, Ning Xiangxiang had always been poised and graceful, navigating social banquets with ease. But now, just because someone saw her being held, she was shrinking into the car, head down in “embarrassment”?

Huo Xingyu felt a strange sensation. It was as if her long-dormant emotions had suddenly found something worth investigating. She realized that the wife she had lived with for ten years held many mysteries she never knew.

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Huo Xingyu turned to block the car door and looked at the newcomer.

A young girl was running toward them, wearing a traditional cross-collared robe. She held a small portable fan in one hand and a popsicle in the other, with an assistant chasing after her. Huo Xingyu recognized her. While searching for news about Ning Xiangxiang over the last few days, she had seen this face.

This was the female lead of this “unlucky” production—a show that would be mocked from its announcement to its finale and used as a “how-not-to” textbook for historical dramas for years to come.

Lin Junru…

She seemed to realize something was wrong halfway through her run. She stopped a few meters away, eyes wide and clutching her fan and popsicle behind her back. She stammered:

“Miss… Miss Huo.”

Huo Xingyu nodded slightly. “Little Lin.”

Lin Junru’s face contorted into a bizarre mix of a smile and a grimace. “I… I heard Sister Xiangxiang was coming back from the hospital today. I came to see her. I didn’t expect to run into you.”

On one hand, she was thrilled Huo Xingyu knew her name. On the other, the name “Little Lin” made her feel like she was standing before the big boss of her agency; she had a weird urge to bow and shout, “Greetings, Leader!” Although Huo Xingyu wasn’t much older than her, she carried an aura of authority that made people want to flee.

“Regarding our meeting, please don’t tell anyone.”

Lin Junru shifted uncomfortably. “Of course not. The reports say Miss Huo dislikes associating with celebrities, but it seems those are just false rumors. You’re actually quite… approachable.”

“The rumors are true,” Huo Xingyu said coldly. “Did you not hear the ‘absolute’ tone in my voice when I made the request?”

Lin Junru nodded sincerely, quickly changing the subject. “How is Sister Xiangxiang? We were all worried sick after the accident.”

Huo Xingyu followed her gaze and looked back into the car, only to freeze.

Ning Xiangxiang was staring at her with fury, her deer-like eyes overflowing with tears and heavy resentment.