The Amnesiac Drama Queen Is Crashing the Live Stream - Chapter 3

Even though her mind was already running wild, Xia Xingtang maintained a facade of composure on her face.

She discreetly observed Pei Luoqing’s expression, contemplating how to act next without ruining the hard-won atmosphere.

Their gazes collided in the air, one enchantingly bewitching, the other as calm and detached as still water.

The culprit tie, having failed to learn its owner’s temperament, continued to wreak havoc on her chest, its silky fabric still tickling her skin with a tantalizing itch.

Xia Xingtang’s eyelashes trembled uncontrollably. The effects of the alcohol gradually flushed the corners of her eyes as she nestled obediently in the passenger seat, like a little lamb that had fallen into a trap.

So easily attainable.

It should have been effortless to stir the other’s desire.

But Pei Luoqing was no ordinary person.

In the midst of their mingling breaths, Xia Xingtang only heard Pei Luoqing utter in a light, indifferent tone, “Put your clothes on.”

Xia Xingtang’s face stiffened noticeably. Those flirtatious thoughts instantly vanished, and she nearly failed to keep her expression in check.

Put her clothes on?

Never mind that her clothes were perfectly intact, not the slightest bit disheveled.

Even if her shoulder strap had accidentally slipped, that shouldn’t have been the response, right?

Was this how a married couple was supposed to talk?

Just as Xia Xingtang was about to defend the state of her attire, Pei Luoqing reached over and meticulously buttoned her coat, one by one, securely concealing the allure beneath.

With a soft click, the seatbelt locked into place, and the shadow looming over Xia Xingtang receded.

To dispel the awkwardness between them, Xia Xingtang feigned excitement and brought up, “Um… I just got off the plane this afternoon. I wanted to surprise you, but I didn’t expect you to be home first.”

Pei Luoqing rested her hands on the steering wheel, glanced in the rearview mirror, and started the car. “Mm, I just returned to the country this week too.”

That remark, once spoken, wiped the smile completely from Xia Xingtang’s lips.

It was already Sunday. At worst, that meant Pei Luoqing had likely been back in Yuncheng for a whole week.

And in that entire week, Pei Luoqing hadn’t come home.

Their marriage was truly as transparently plastic as it could be.

“Oh…”

Silence fell in the car again. With no music playing, only the sound of the accelerating engine filled the space. The Bentley crept slowly along the commercial street, drawing admiring glances from car enthusiasts.

The car window wasn’t fully closed, and the cool night breeze seeped through the crack, lifting the strands of hair by Xia Xingtang’s cheeks. A few stray strands drifted into her eyes, and she turned her head to tuck them behind her ear with the wind’s help.

Her gaze fell on the vibrant, bustling street outside the window. At ten o’clock, Yuncheng was still lively, and even the traffic lights diligently performed their duties.

She and Pei Luoqing were like those traffic lights, seemingly together, yet never quite in sync.

Fortunately, Xia Xingtang was someone who could self-regulate. Her disappointment didn’t last long, and with the lingering effects of the alcohol, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

…

For some reason, memories from her university days slowly seeped into her dreams.

She, Pei Luoqing, and her older sister, Xia Qingyue, had all attended the same university, Yanjing University in Yancheng.

The three of them were in the same major at the same school, and even their professors overlapped significantly.

Xia Qingyue and Pei Luoqing were respectively the top scorers in liberal arts and sciences in Yuncheng that year and were assigned to the same dormitory as freshmen.

As if they were naturally at odds, yet they held a deep admiration for each other’s talents. In every subsequent exam and competition, they fiercely vied for the lead. They reluctantly became each other’s only close friend in university.

Xia Qingyue and Pei Luoqing had different sexual orientations, and in theory, they could have shared resources equally. Yet, by the time they graduated, both had remained single for all four years.

This nearly triggered an early onset of menopause for Xia Qingyue. On the day of their graduation ceremony, the newly appointed chairman of the Xia Corporation summoned her executives for an all-night meeting, leaving them utterly miserable.

Xia Xingtang’s rebellious and willful personality was, to some extent, inherited from her elder sister, Xia Qingyue.

As the mist of the dream gradually lifted, Xia Xingtang returned to the day she first entered university.

Driven by a competitive spirit ignited in childhood, Xia Xingtang had skipped two grades, which serendipitously allowed her to encounter Pei Luoqing on that sunny afternoon, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers in the air.

Under the freshman dormitory, the osmanthus blossoms seemed to have bloomed earlier than usual, clustering thickly on the branches and filling the streets with their rich scent.

When Xia Xingtang enrolled, Pei Luoqing was in her senior year. With nothing better to do, she had accompanied Xia Qingyue to pick up the newcomer.

To avoid being labeled as privileged on the very first day, Xia Xingtang had not brought any bodyguards. Thus, the arduous task of moving her luggage fell entirely on Xia Qingyue.

The freshman dormitory had yet to install elevators, and as luck would have it, Xia Xingtang had drawn a room on the sixth floor.

The car parked beside the dormitory building. Xia Xingtang, unwilling to break a sweat and risk compromising her beauty by making multiple trips up six flights, stubbornly refused to get out of the car. She simply wanted to shirk the responsibility and let Xia Qingyue handle her luggage.

After a prolonged argument in the car, it ended with Xia Qingyue stepping out, her face dark with frustration and muttering under her breath.

Like a triumphant rooster, Xia Xingtang lifted her chin smugly, watching her sister. But as her slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes shifted, her smile abruptly froze, her gaze involuntarily captivated.

Pei Luoqing stood there in a white shirt dress, her delicate collarbone subtly rising and falling. Her long black hair cascaded freely in the breeze, her fair skin and crimson lips exuding an elegance tinged with a cool allure.

Xia Xingtang found herself lost in those eyes, her lips moving almost involuntarily as she blurted out, “What’s your name?”

Before Pei Luoqing could respond, Xia Qingyue’s sarcastic voice cut in, “What, your own sister is slaving away with your luggage, and not only do you not say thank you, but your eyes are already wandering off to someone else?”

Slightly embarrassed and feeling a twinge of guilt, Xia Xingtang grabbed an umbrella and followed closely beside Xia Qingyue, feigning enthusiasm.

She kept asking if the luggage was heavy or if her sister was tired, yet made no move to share the burden.

Her eyes, however, kept drifting back to the side.

Just then, her gaze met Pei Luoqing’s once again.

While others might have felt awkward, Xia Xingtang, once caught, unabashedly stared openly, scrutinizing Pei Luoqing from head to toe.

Her head was promptly slapped and pushed back by Xia Qingyue.

Perhaps out of pity, Pei Luoqing spoke up voluntarily, “I’m Xia Qingyue’s roommate. My name is Pei Luoqing.”

To Xia Qingyue, however, this gesture did not come across as friendly.

Pei Luoqing had always loved competing with her for things and rankings, and now, showing favor to her younger sister right in front of her, wasn’t this just another attempt to snatch something away?

“Pei Luoqing, shut up. This is a family matter between me and my sister.”

“What family matter? I’m old enough now, why are you still meddling in everything?” Xia Xingtang retorted confidently. “She’s good-looking, so what’s wrong with me taking a few extra glances? Who would refuse to look at someone beautiful?”

Then, as if feeling her reasoning wasn’t strong enough, she added, with infuriating nonchalance, “Besides, Sister, you really aren’t as good-looking as her. Otherwise, why weren’t you the campus belle at Yanjing University?”

She was dancing all over Xia Qingyue’s sore spots.

Xia Qingyue immediately threw down the luggage and demanded, “I’m not good-looking?”

Xia Xingtang glanced at the abandoned luggage and hesitated for a few seconds. “Well, you’re… passable, I guess?”

Just a bit too fiery, a bit too fierce when she scolded people.

Naturally, she couldn’t compare to the cool, elegant beauty standing nearby.

Using the term “passable” to describe other things might be harmless, this is passable, that will do. But when it came to describing someone’s appearance, it was practically an insult in disguise.

Xia Qingyue let out a dry laugh, pinched Xia Xingtang’s chin, and scrutinized her still-developing face before letting her gaze drift down to her not-yet-mature chest. She scoffed lightly.

“A kid wearing an off-shoulder top? Shouldn’t you check if you can even fill it out?”

This remark struck right at Xia Xingtang’s insecurity. Her voice shot up sharply, “What are you looking at? What’s so interesting? Don’t you know this kind of clothing only looks good on slim people? I’m only sixteen, I still have plenty of time to grow a few cup sizes. Why are you, an adult, so malicious?”

“Can’t compete with your peers, so you have to bully a kid? If you’ve got what it takes, why don’t you go compare yourself to people your own age? So, what if you have it? It’s not like you’ve brought home a brother-in-law for me!”

Furious, Xia Qingyue glanced at Xia Xingtang, then at Pei Luoqing, and impulsively pulled Pei Luoqing’s arm, saying to Xia Xingtang, “Come here, you little brat. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the campus belle? Well, this is her.”

“Huh?”

Xia Qingyue fired off like a machine gun, giving Xia Xingtang no time to react. “How could someone as lowly as me, a malicious woman who bullies children, be worthy of carrying our princess’s noble luggage? You should ask your campus belle sister for help, that way, it won’t be tainted. I’m not worthy.”

With that, Xia Qingyue truly washed her hands of the matter. She leisurely pulled an umbrella from her bag and left Xia Xingtang to deal with the situation on her own.

Although Xia Xingtang was bold and unrestrained when facing Xia Qingyue, she couldn’t bring herself to shamelessly ask Pei Luoqing, whom she had just met, for help.

After all, they were both girls. If she would get tired carrying the luggage up six flights of stairs, so would Pei Luoqing.

Silence spread among the three of them.

Their striking looks, combined with the bustling crowd of new students moving into the dormitory, quickly drew sidelong glances from passersby.

A few helpful boys even came over to ask if they needed assistance.

But the suitcase contained many personal items, and Xia Xingtang had grown up with little interaction with boys, so she was naturally shy.

Just as she was about to decline, she saw a hand reach over and pick up her suitcase before any of the boys could.

The fingers were slender with distinct knuckles, and beneath the fair skin, faint blue veins were visible, clearly the hands of someone accustomed to a life of ease.

“Leave the junior’s luggage to us; you can go help others.”

“Ah, alright.”

It wasn’t until the boys had left that Xia Xingtang finally snapped back to reality, speaking with a hint of awkwardness, “Sister Pei, I can manage my own luggage.”

Xia Qingyue, who had been nearby, put down her phone and walked over as if watching a show. “You’re bold enough to call her ‘sister,’ yet you’re too shy to let her carry your luggage? Are you really the Xia Xingtang I know?”

Xia Xingtang’s fingers curled slightly. Her usual eloquence failed her completely at that moment, and she glared at Xia Qingyue, both annoyed and flustered.

“It’s fine; this is what I should do,” Pei Luoqing said unhurriedly. “After all the compliments you just showered on me, I’d feel guilty not helping.”

Xia Xingtang wanted to say more, but Pei Luoqing had already picked up her suitcase and started walking ahead. As they passed each other, a soft chuckle sounded by her ear: “After all, we adults don’t take advantage of little kids.”