She Became The Black Lotus’s Pure, Untouchable Love - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Sister Luo kicked off her high heels at the entryway.

Only when both feet were firmly on the ground did the tension and exhaustion from days of non-stop work finally begin to ease. She tossed her bag onto the floor, walked barefoot to the floor-length mirror, and smoothed her messy short hair. Looking through the mirror at Ning Xiangxiang behind her, Sister Luo smiled.

“I used to think you were the type who didn’t know how to fight for yourself. I didn’t expect you to have such… clever methods.”

Methods?

Sitting in her wheelchair, Ning Xiangxiang looked at Sister Luo with confusion.

What methods? Since her rebirth two days ago, aside from giving Huo Xingyu’s digital chicken a beating, she hadn’t done a single thing that could be called “clever.”

Did Sister Luo have the supernatural ability to see a “mastermind” where there was none?

Seeing Ning Xiangxiang’s bewildered expression, Sister Luo gave a knowing smile and teased, “Is there any need to keep pretending with me? Xiangxiang, I’ve considered what you told me before.”

From the look in Sister Luo’s eyes, Ning Xiangxiang knew she had taken the first successful step. The manager had agreed to stand on her side. Even though she had been reborn with a broken leg and faced the ridiculous situation of Huo Xingyu shutting down the production—messing up all her plans—everything would be manageable if Sister Luo was her ally. Sister Luo had far more connections than she did and could provide more ways out.

“So, have you made up your mind?” Ning Xiangxiang looked at her. “You’re the one working yourself to the bone, but it’s Liu Si who squanders the money. Your salary at the Ning house must be far below what you expected, right?”

Sister Luo looked at her with a self-deprecating smirk. “True. Based on what Mrs. Ning pays, one would think I was a manual laborer.”

“Then what is there to hesitate about? If everything goes well, I’m the only one who has to pay the high liquidated damages. You won’t lose anything by standing with me.”

“It’s all for money in the end. You need it for your mother’s medical bills, and I need it too. We are indeed in the same camp…” Sister Luo turned to look at her seriously. “But to think you could handle even Huo Xingyu in the time it took to hitch a ride… I’m truly… very surprised.”

Huo Xingyu?

What did this have to do with Huo Xingyu?

Ning Xiangxiang frowned. Since entering the room, Sister Luo had been saying things she didn’t understand. What clever methods? How did she “handle” Huo Xingyu? Had the secret beating of the chicken been exposed already??

Seeing her confusion, Sister Luo raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know yet? President Huo’s secretary, Song, called me this morning. They want to collaborate with you. They want you to be their Charity Ambassador this year.”

“Me? The Charity Ambassador?”

“Yes, you. I was on a business trip for three days straight and finally got a day off today. If not for this news, I’d be sleeping at home right now…” Sister Luo scanned her up and down. “Xiangxiang, you have no status, your fame isn’t high enough, your audience reach is narrow, and you have almost no breakout roles. The only thing you have going for you is this face. How did you beat a ‘Triple Crown’ Best Actress for this title?”

Faced with this soul-searching question, Ning Xiangxiang fell silent.

Since her rebirth, she had only encountered Huo Xingyu twice. Once, she was lying in bed with her leg up while Huo Xingyu gave her a “death smile.” The second time, she hitched a ride, was caught snooping into Huo’s privacy, and ended up crying a river in her car. Neither of these seemed like “good impressions.”

Regarding Huo Xingyu, she had been following the principle of doing exactly what she hates. She intended to be a complete nuisance, strictly doing the opposite of everything listed in the gossip forum’s “What Kind of Women Does Miss Huo Like?”

Could Huo Xingyu have actually dug through all those flaws to find a hidden gem?

Ning Xiangxiang pondered. How is that possible? In her previous life, she had stayed by Huo’s side carefully and obediently for ten years. For ten whole years, Huo Xingyu never discovered her virtues.

Ning Xiangxiang looked down at her heavy cast and remembered Huo Xingyu’s “famous quotes” at the hospital about “going out to play” and “seeing the scenery.”

After a moment, she said, “Maybe it’s because my leg is broken. I look more pitiful, so I can attract more donations.”

“Deng Yanxin had an accident recently too. Not only did she break a leg, her vertebrae were displaced. she was bedridden for two months and can barely sit up now.”

“Then why else?” Ning Xiangxiang asked, puzzled by Deng Yanxin’s tragic comparison.

Sister Luo gave her a meaningful look. “Because President Huo likes you.”

…

As she packed her things to head out, Ning Xiangxiang was still reeling from Sister Luo’s “fantasy” theory. Although being reborn was absurd enough, Sister Luo’s guess was several times more ridiculous. She instinctively refused to believe it.

She knew for a fact that Huo Xingyu never did anything that resulted in a loss. With Huo’s personality, even with a knife to her throat, she wouldn’t willingly enter a losing business deal.

But no matter how Ning Xiangxiang looked at it, this didn’t make sense. She was a fifth-tier starlet who had never even had a chance at a lead role. Normally, the Huo Group would never look at someone like her; they only collaborated with A-list stars for promotions. Had the Huo Charity Fund expanded its business to “targeted poverty alleviation” for nobodies in the industry??

Ning Xiangxiang frowned. She couldn’t guess what Huo Xingyu was planning. She didn’t want to guess anymore. Regardless, from any angle, the Huo Group was losing out, and her career was miraculously skyrocketing.

Sister Luo pushed her out of the elevator, through the lobby, and toward the Film City exit—a 15-minute walk. It was noon. During the crew’s lunch break, the streets were filled with extras dressed in various historical costumes sitting by the road under the scorching sun eating lunch boxes.

I’m still living much better than them, Ning Xiangxiang thought. She had a good face, which helped her pass auditions. Even for marginal roles like third or fourth lead, many people fought for them and failed. To get ahead here without capital or a backer, she could only work harder than everyone else. Even a “disastrously bad” drama like Song of the Sea was an opportunity for her. What if someone actually noticed her?

Since the crew had stopped working, she decided to use the time to practice. She stuffed her script into her bag, planning to read it in the taxi.

As they reached the exit and watched the sparse traffic, Sister Luo looked at the heavy cast on Xiangxiang’s leg. “Are you sure you don’t need me to drive you?”

Ning Xiangxiang looked back at the dark circles under the manager’s eyes and shook her head. “The insurance company doesn’t cover accidents from fatigued driving.”

“Ugh…” Sister Luo yawned and hailed a passing taxi. “Then let Auntie Chen pick you up. You really want to go alone with your leg like that?”

Ning Xiangxiang looked at the taxis passing by, all displaying “Occupied” signs, then gazed into the distance at the flow of cars rushing toward them. “Auntie Chen is getting older. I don’t feel comfortable with her driving. If she gets dizzy or—”

She suddenly stopped talking.

At the red light across the street… was that… was that Huo Xingyu’s white Rapide again?

…

It was a scorching noon, yet the room was intentionally darkened with heavy curtains.

Deng Yanxin sat at a table with her knees hugged to her chest, illuminated only by a small lamp. The TV played a food show; thin slices of marbled beef sizzled on a griddle, the aroma of oil and smoke seemingly drifting out of the screen. The host introduced the shop’s long history while taking huge bites.

Deng Yanxin squinted at the host’s expression and took a drag of a cigarette. The table in front of her was covered in food—unopened potato chips, grilled beef identical to the TV show, snacks, and hot dishes—filling the long table.

She watched the host’s look of blissful satisfaction. Most female stars knew the pain of starvation—looking at chips while eating broccoli, smelling spicy hotpot while chewing boiled chicken breast. To stay thin for the camera was a mandatory agony.

But Deng Yanxin never felt that specific pain. She had lost her sense of taste a long time ago. To her, spicy mutton and plain chicken breast only differed in texture. Because eating had become a chore, she had no desire for it.

She picked up the remote and switched the video. A line popped up: Playback finished. Replay?

Her elegant finger hit “Confirm.” A 5-minute fried chicken commercial began playing again. Looking at the girl in the commercial—her face lighting up with joy at the first bite—Deng Yanxin picked up a piece of chicken from her table and chewed.

She had heard about the “Song of the Sea” crew being mocked relentlessly online. She also knew about Lin Junru’s “appallingly bad” acting. Watching the girl on the screen happily eating chicken wings, Deng Yanxin thought: This girl must truly love food from the bottom of her heart.

The girl’s face was round, and her eyes curved into slits when she smiled. Deng Yanxin hadn’t lied to Lin Junru last time; she really had gained four pounds just watching that commercial.

It was miraculous. As someone with no taste and a slight aversion to eating, she was actually influenced enough to gain weight just by watching someone else eat.

She couldn’t quite figure it out. But looking at that flushed, round face on the screen, Deng Yanxin felt a bit dissatisfied. She began to think: It would be better if I could move her right in front of me. Let her eat in front of my eyes.

Thinking this, she scrolled through her WeChat, clicked on Lin Junru’s chat box, and began typing.