The Amnesiac Drama Queen Is Crashing the Live Stream - Chapter 29.2

Those who achieve great things don’t sweat the small stuff. She could endure it.

When she looked up again, Xia Xingtang broke into a radiant smile. Her already striking face seemed even more captivating under the light.

Pei Luoqing paused mid-bite with her chopsticks, then calmly set them down and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xia Xingtang raised the corners of her eyes and waved both hands playfully. “I just did a hand mask this afternoon and applied hand cream, so it’s not convenient for me to peel anything.”

Her expression was lively and mischievous. Though she should have been asking for a favor, it seemed as though refusing to peel the shrimp for her would once again earn Pei Luoqing the label of “bullying a child.”

“Did you do a face mask too?”

Xia Xingtang, not quite understanding the question, replied casually, “Of course. I even took care of my arms and legs.”

Pei Luoqing chuckled softly but said nothing.

Xia Xingtang had a feeling the other was up to no good again. She slapped her chopsticks down and demanded, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

Though she claimed it was nothing, the smile on Pei Luoqing’s face only deepened.

Then she spoke slowly, “Next time you go out with me, there’s no need to go to all this trouble. I don’t mind.”

Xia Xingtang: … Miscalculation.

If looks could kill, Xia Xingtang would have inherited the entire estate right then and there.

Perhaps exhausted from her earlier antics upstairs, Xia Xingtang just picked up her chopsticks again with a sigh and began poking half-heartedly at the sushi in front of her.

Her entire demeanor had softened considerably, exuding a kind of tragic indignation that said, “So what if you know? I’ve already thrown dignity to the wind.”

A few seconds later, a peeled shrimp, glistening with sauce, was placed in her bowl.

Xia Xingtang froze for a moment as Pei Luoqing spoke: “I wonder if I might have the honor of peeling shrimp for Her Highness the Princess?”

Xia Xingtang quickly picked up the shrimp with her chopsticks and mumbled softly, “D-do as you please.”

After that, the atmosphere at the table became much more harmonious.

Even though Pei Luoqing had offered to peel the crayfish, Xia Xingtang didn’t actually let her do it. After eating about ten or so, she started eating them with her hands.

She even left a rather disdainful remark: “The peeled meat is all dry. It doesn’t taste as good as when I eat them myself.”

Even though the shrimp had been dipped in sauce every time, Pei Luoqing didn’t call her out on her little act.

Xia Xingtang often watched movies in the third-floor home theater. Thick handmade carpets were scattered with a few soft cashmere cushions, and the screen took up an entire wall, creating a very cozy and relaxed atmosphere.

Somehow, neither of them chose the films Pei Luoqing had bought from the cinema. Instead, they picked another recently released online movie from the existing library.

At the beginning of the film, Xia Xingtang was busy arranging the snacks she’d brought up, so she missed the opening credits.

By the time she looked up, the main story had already started.

The film opened at a business banquet where the down-and-out male lead was pinned to the ground like trash, while the female lead, arm in arm with another man, looked down on him condescendingly and told him to get lost.

Memories of the humiliation he had endured since marrying into her family flashed through his mind. Betrayed and furious, he suddenly broke free from the bodyguards, grabbed a shattered glass from the floor, and stabbed it toward the female lead and her lover.

He destroyed the entire banquet, then pushed open a window and jumped out.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back to five years ago, on the day he married into her family.

The female lead was still as arrogant and contemptuous as ever, while the male lead bided his time, determined to make them pay in this life.

But strangely, the female lead only bossed him around on the surface. Behind the scenes, she not only provided him with money and opportunities to gain experience but even pretended the food didn’t suit her taste and flipped the dining table during a family banquet.

As it turned out, this female lead was a transmigrator!

Xia Xingtang: ???

Her mind reeled with shock. Wasn’t this the idiotic, trashy novel The Reborn Live-in Son-in-Law that she had read to Pei Luoqing at the hospital last time?

How could such a terrible novel be adapted into a movie?

She couldn’t resist muttering, “Are the investors out of their minds?”

She turned to look at Pei Luoqing and found her watching expressionlessly, seemingly quite engrossed.

Pei Luoqing had only read those two excerpts before, so she probably hadn’t recognized it as that novel yet.

Thankfully, Xia Xingtang already knew Pei Luoqing’s identity. Otherwise, seeing how focused Pei Luoqing was, she might have thought Pei Luoqing was empathizing with that live-in son-in-law.

The moment this thought crossed her mind, Xia Xingtang couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Finally, Pei Luoqing glanced over. “What’s wrong?”

Xia Xingtang cleared her throat. “I’m a little thirsty.”

Pei Luoqing gave her a faint look, then very naturally picked up a cup of Coke from the small table nearby and handed it to Xia Xingtang.

Feeling too lazy to move, Xia Xingtang simply leaned forward and took a sip through the straw while Pei Luoqing held the cup.

When she looked up, her peach-blossom eyes twinkled with a smile, as if giving Pei Luoqing’s gesture a five-star review.

Pei Luoqing’s expression faltered slightly. She picked up a bucket of popcorn and tested the waters.

Sure enough, Xia Xingtang’s gaze was glued to it, but her elegant hands made no move to take any.

A faint smile tugged at Pei Luoqing’s lips as she picked up a golden piece of popcorn and ate it herself.

Then she casually asked, “Want some?”

Xia Xingtang turned away in a huff and looked back at the screen. “You’ll get fat, you know.”

But her sulking didn’t last long before it turned into awkwardness.

On screen, the male and female leads, who had just been wary of each other, suddenly clung together in an inseparable kiss.

Who knew how it passed censorship? The camera kept circling around them, showcasing the kiss from every possible angle, with the air filled with the sound of wet, smacking kisses.

Xia Xingtang was so embarrassed her face flushed red, wishing she could immediately report the scene to the broadcasting authority for its explicit content.

She endured it for about ten seconds, but then the male and female leads progressed rapidly, stumbling their way onto the bed!

She finally couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to fast-forward. Unexpectedly, Pei Luoqing had the same idea, and they both reached for the remote at the same time.

The moment their hands touched the remote, they also brushed against each other.

Reflexively turning their heads, their eyes met.

Thump.

Thump.

The wet sounds from the movie seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of her own heartbeat in Xia Xingtang’s world.

They were so close, so very close.

She could even feel each other’s breath clearly.

In the dim lighting, the projected light scattered like stars over Xia Xingtang, spilling down with her long hair and gently brushing against Pei Luoqing’s face.

Even Pei Luoqing, who had known her for so many years, was momentarily captivated.

The light accentuated Xia Xingtang’s already stunningly beautiful face. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows, and even though her lipstick had worn off while eating, her lips were still vividly red.

Like a dangerous poppy, irresistibly alluring.

Pei Luoqing stared at Xia Xingtang’s full lips, as if it were a premonition of something more.

Just as she was about to kiss Xia Xingtang, the movie scene abruptly shifted, accompanied by a sudden scream.

Xia Xingtang was so frightened that her soul seemed to flee her body, her mind going completely blank.

Panicked, she turned her head toward the source of the sound. In the movie, a door was suddenly pushed open, and a cannon-fodder male supporting character rushed in with a crowd of people, shouting, “Quick, they’re in here!”

The shirtless male lead was pinned to the ground by several bodyguards in black, while the female lead was tearfully taken away by her family.

Xia Xingtang recalled that this seemed to be the part where the female lead’s family faced financial troubles and wanted her to marry for political gain, but she had instead eloped with the male lead.

Next, the male lead would rise up for love, begin his journey of revenge, and embark on his path to becoming an overpowered protagonist.

In any case, after all this commotion, the ambiguous atmosphere in the air had dissipated.

Xia Xingtang stole a glance at Pei Luoqing, her scalp tingling with embarrassment, and could only pretend to keep watching the movie.

In reality, her mind was in complete chaos.

Had Pei Luoqing been about to kiss her just now?

No way, really?

And then it was abruptly interrupted by this awful movie?

But as frustrated as she was, Xia Xingtang couldn’t bring herself to pull Pei Luoqing over and say, “Let’s continue.”

She could only grab the bucket of popcorn and chew it fiercely, silently cursing the movie’s box office failure once again.

Noticing Xia Xingtang’s somewhat sullen mood, Pei Luoqing cast a questioning glance her way.

It just so happened that Xia Xingtang, who wasn’t paying attention to the movie, caught it.

Seeing that Pei Luoqing still dared to question her, Xia Xingtang scoffed inwardly twice and turned her head away.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Xia Xingtang ignored her.

Pei Luoqing observed her for a while, feeling a bit pressured.

She couldn’t help but think, somewhat absurdly, that this was harder than planning Yunji’s development direction for the next year.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time guessing Xia Xingtang’s thoughts, she was just worried that she might misread the situation and accidentally step on this little ancestor’s tail again.

Perhaps the movie was so bad and clichéd that it eventually managed to capture the attention of Xia Xingtang, the little country bumpkin.

The three-hour viewing time passed almost imperceptibly. Xia Xingtang stood up, intending to return to her bedroom to sleep, having decided to give Pei Luoqing the cold shoulder for the night.

Meanwhile, Pei Luoqing had finally deduced the reason after much contemplation. Just as Xia Xingtang was about to leave the media room, she suddenly reached out from behind and pulled her back.

Xia Xingtang stumbled, her back accidentally hitting the light switch.

“Click!”

The light, which had just been turned on, went out again.

“Xia Xingtang.”

“What do you want?!”

“Are you still angry?”

Xia Xingtang sneered, “Why would I be angry?”

Pei Luoqing paused, unsure how to respond.

“Spit it out if you have something to say. I’m tired.”

Seeing that Xia Xingtang still seemed upset, Pei Luoqing instinctively felt she couldn’t let her leave like this.

Not knowing what else to say, she resorted to a universal phrase: “I’m sorry.”

Xia Xingtang stopped struggling and subtly suppressed the corners of her lips that had started to curl upward. “What are you apologizing for? I’m not even…”

Before she could finish, Pei Luoqing added, “I’m sorry for not kissing you earlier during the movie. It was my fault.”

Xia Xingtang: “…”

She wasn’t angry about that.

Screw it. Just let the world end.

Her slender, snow-white neck quickly flushed crimson, the color spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Xia Xingtang tried to pull her hand away again, but the grip only tightened, growing increasingly firm and assertive, even intertwining with her fingers until they were locked together.

A warm breath brushed against her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her. “So, can I still have a chance to make it right?”