The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Long Time No See

The kiss was both fierce and sudden. Lu Chaoqing didn’t even have time to react before she found herself instinctively reciprocating, pinned by Lin Chumu within a small, private world.

The woman’s fragrance had been scattered by the cold night wind, making it impossible to distinguish the top, middle, and base notes as it pressed into her senses. The contrast between the soft texture of the lips and the constant struggle for oxygen was stark. Lu Chaoqing went from initial shock to confusion, and finally to a state of reluctant enjoyment. Her hands rested on Lin Chumu’s shoulders, awkwardly absorbing the other woman’s warmth to ward off the chill.

The girl hiding behind them was so stunned she stopped recording, staring blankly as the two kissed in the parking lot with total abandon. She stood there until her legs grew numb. Finally, Lin Chumu released Lu Chaoqing’s arms and whispered breathlessly, “Get in the car.”

Lu Chaoqing followed her inside, acting like a well-behaved kitten throughout—no resistance, no talking back. She seemed like a completely different person from the girl the witness remembered.

In the past, “Lu Chaoqing” was two-faced: fragile enough to be unable to unscrew a bottle cap in front of men, but sarcastic and competitive in front of women. No one had ever seen her so submissive to another woman.

And that kiss…

The girl behind the car realized something a second too late. She slapped her thigh in frustration, cursing herself for not recording that specific moment. It would have been the biggest news of the year, bar none.

The car sped down the road, hugging the speed limit. Fortunately, the streets were empty in the middle of the night. Lin Chumu took the outer ring expressway, encountering very few vehicles along the way.

Lin Chumu pressed down hard on the accelerator, as if the speed could blow the lingering aftereffects of that kiss out of her mind.

She didn’t know what had come over her. In a moment of heated impulse, she had turned the “fake act” into a real one, under the guise of “improving the scene.” She had originally intended to just give the “Little Green Tea” a taste to teach her a lesson, but somehow, she lost control.

Waiting at a red light after exiting the highway, Lin Chumu’s mind drifted.

She glanced in the rearview mirror. Lu Chaoqing was in the back seat, wrapped tightly in a blanket. She had clearly caught a chill earlier; even with the heater on, she looked cold. She was leaning against the cushion with her eyes closed, the flush on her cheeks still visible.

“Water,” Lu Chaoqing suddenly muttered indistinctly.

“What?”

Lu Chaoqing repeated it, her voice so raspy that it was obviously wrong. Lin Chumu’s heart sank; she sped up to get home. When they arrived, Lu Chaoqing rubbed her head. The moment she stepped into the house, she sat down in a chair and refused to move.

When Lin Chumu reached out to touch her forehead, Lu Chaoqing complained with a mix of pouting and sincerity, “I have a fever, don’t I? It’s all your fault.”

Her body’s constitution wasn’t great—something Lu Chaoqing had noticed during her trainee days. While others just felt tired after practice, she would feel aching in her waist and weakness in her limbs. A slight chill was enough to trigger a fever.

The underground parking lot hadn’t been heated. Despite her heavy coat, the sub-zero temperatures had done their work. Lu Chaoqing felt dizzy. Just as she tried to stand up to change her shoes, she saw the woman squat down. A hand gripped her ankle.

Lin Chumu helped her into her slippers and escorted her to the bedside.

Strangely, the moment she hit the bed, Lu Chaoqing wasn’t sleepy anymore. She felt a sudden surge of energy while waiting for water. Once Lin Chumu had brought the water and told her to rest, Lu Chaoqing sat bolt upright the moment the door closed. Her head was still swimming, but she felt better.

She gulped down half a glass of water, got out of bed, and turned on her computer to play games. She lost two matches in a row; her messy thoughts were making her irritable.

After staring blankly for a while, she opened a forum and typed into the search bar: “How to act around someone after kissing them.” The results were unanimous: Proceed to the next step.

The next step…

What “next step”?!

To be honest, from the moment Lin Chumu took the initiative to kiss her, things had felt chaotic. She was trying her best to remain calm so she wouldn’t look flustered.

Lu Chaoqing touched her slightly swollen lips.

Lin Chumu’s lips were soft, but she had used a lot of strength. The memory of the sensation—going from shallow to deep—remained vivid in her mind.

At the same time, she didn’t know how to face Lin Chumu.

The late-night internet was still active with night owls. Lu Chaoqing used an anonymous account and a VPN to hide her IP before posting. A response came quickly.

Anonymous (OP): I’m playing a ‘pretend couple’ game with a girl. Today, we actually kissed for the sake of the act. We aren’t a real couple. How do I face her tomorrow?

[1L: Who initiated it? You or her?

Anonymous (OP): Her.

[2L: ? Then isn’t it a done deal? You already kissed, why aren’t you together for real? Brother, is your head made of wood? Are you even a man?

Anonymous (OP): …I’m a girl. And she made a ‘three-point agreement’ before that we shouldn’t make it real. What if I try to take it further and she rejects me? Wouldn’t the relationship end? Also, she had been drinking.

3L: Then have a contest to see who’s the better ‘angler.’ [Meme: The one who falls in love first loses.jpg]

The thread continued to grow, but Lu Chaoqing stopped replying.

The chill wasn’t too severe. After taking some fever medicine and sleeping, she woke up the next day feeling refreshed. Du Yaqing messaged her in the morning to ask if she was still unwell and if she needed a day off. After Lu Chaoqing declined, Du Yaqing didn’t hold back and told her to prepare for a new song concept.

Though Lily had disbanded, as a solo artist, she couldn’t rely solely on variety shows. Lately, besides her other business, Lu Chaoqing was preparing lyrics and music for her new album. She planned to participate in the creation of the title track. With Qiao Shuo and Fang Qiuqi already on board, the three-way collaboration practically guaranteed high sales for the next release.

However, she wasn’t thick-skinned enough to trouble Qiao Shuo too much just because he offered. At most, she’d ask for advice on the arrangement; the bulk of the work would be her own.

To assist with this, Du Yaqing said she would find someone to help her.

That afternoon, the moment Lu Chaoqing pushed open the practice room door, her APP suddenly vibrated violently. As Du Yaqing turned to lead her in with a smile, Lu Chaoqing immediately made an excuse about needing the restroom, giving her a quick apologetic smile before bolting toward the toilets.

A long-lost “Important Character Unlocked” notification appeared on the screen, leaving Lu Chaoqing stunned.

These “important characters” were either closely related to the original host or someone who would significantly help the plot. Either way, they couldn’t be treated lightly.

Lu Chaoqing clicked the details.

• Name: Gu Ming

• Identity: Music Producer (The original host’s childhood neighbor and playmate; they were very close due to shared interests.)

• Age: 24

• Importance: 3 to 5 stars (Unknown)

• Difficulty: Romancible, 2 stars

• Profile: Female, attracted to females. She was very close to the original host, and they were “best friends” (at least on the surface). She has high musical aspirations. In her mid-teens, she had a “girlfriend” (if a casual fling counts as one), but they broke up after a few days. She went abroad at age 15, so contact with the original host had essentially stopped.

Lu Chaoqing frowned at the profile.

This was a rare character with specific parenthetical notes. It suggested their relationship wasn’t simple. Even Lin Chumu and Jiang Yang hadn’t received that many parenthetical annotations initially.

She lingered on the phrase “at least on the surface” for a moment, then realized she had been in the restroom too long. She hurried out. When she returned to the room, she immediately saw the person sitting next to Du Yaqing, chatting and laughing.

The young woman had cat-like eyes that curved slightly upward, containing a smile that was hard to read. When she saw Lu Chaoqing, that smile was tinged with a flicker of surprise, which Lu Chaoqing caught perfectly.

“Xiaoqing is here? Have a seat.”

Gu Ming patted the seat next to her. She had arranged the seating cleverly, placing herself right between Du Yaqing and Lu Chaoqing for “easier communication.” Du Yaqing, of course, didn’t refuse such a small request. Lu Chaoqing had no choice but to sit down, feeling that the way Gu Ming looked at her was a bit… off.

Had the original host offended this person before?

“Long time no see,” Lu Chaoqing greeted her formally, not intending to hide their acquaintance.

As her brain worked overtime to retrieve memories, Lu Chaoqing felt a wave of perfume wafting toward her—richer than Lin Chumu’s scent, seemingly the popular “Rose of No Man’s Land.” She wasn’t particularly interested in perfumes and held her breath slightly as the other woman leaned in.

“It really has been a long time,” the woman whispered, her voice lowered near Lu Chaoqing’s ear. Amidst the questioning tone, there seemed to be a hint of faint grievance. “Why don’t you call me ‘Sister’ anymore, Xiaoqing?”