The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Birthday (1)

Lu Chaoqing felt as though she were living in a dream.

The dream was long, and she felt as if she were drifting in a hot spring. The warm water lapped playfully around her, occasionally kicking up spray that caressed her bare skin. A woman’s fingertips moved past lush obstacles, dancing in tandem with her consciousness, until finally, she fell alone into a bottomless, illusory void.

Like the tide at sunset on a summer beach, rising and falling with perfect rhythm, the water overflowed to dampen the dense jungle at the shore. She lay on the sand, dazed and dizzy from the warmth of the sun, her strength being unraveled and pulled away bit by bit like silk from a cocoon, leaving her mind a blank, stalled engine.

In her sleep, she could even vaguely feel a lingering ache from her inexperience, but it was far outweighed by an indescribable sense of pleasure and relaxation. Even back in her trainee days, when she practiced dancing in the studio day and night, she had never felt quite this exhausted.

Unfortunately, there was no time for a long lie-in the next morning. Lu Chaoqing was jolted awake early by a phone call from Du Yaqing.

An idol’s birthday rarely offers the chance for a private gathering with friends. Usually, to give back to the fans, various celebration formats are chosen. This time, Du Yaqing had arranged for 50 lucky fans to attend an on-site birthday celebration. Before the fans entered, Lu Chaoqing would perform a short set and participate in other segments. Once the performance ended, the lucky fans would be escorted into the inner venue by staff.

Today’s schedule was set for 3:00 PM. It was originally supposed to be later, but Lu Chaoqing, thinking that some fans might be traveling from far away and might find it inconvenient to head back late, decided to move it up. She wanted everyone to be able to return to their hotels just as night fell. She herself had climbed into Du Yaqing’s car at 6:00 AM, heading to the airport in a daze.

Du Yaqing froze for a moment when she saw Lin Chumu coming out with her, but relaxed once she remembered the two were living together.

Besides the birthday fan-meet, today’s itinerary included promoting the new movie. This film was set for a Lunar New Year release, and there was considerable pressure regarding the box office competition. Since Lin Chumu was a newcomer and Lu Chaoqing was a singer-turned-actor making her debut, neither had a pre-existing fanbase in the film industry. The promotional work had to be meticulous.

Lu Chaoqing was five minutes late getting downstairs. Du Yaqing instructed the driver to speed up slightly while she pulled up data from the official fan club to check the “Super Topic” photos. “A few fans have already set off; they’re likely heading to the hotel first. To prevent sasaengs, we won’t go to the hotel yet. If you want to take photos for social media, we’ll go to the support screens first. Then we’ll head to the venue for rehearsals and check the setlist. Is that okay, Xiaoqing?”

Lu Chaoqing gave a cheerful “OK.”

After the previous sasaeng incident, Du Yaqing was on high alert. She had increased the number of bodyguards for every event and investigated all assistants who had access to private schedules. She never wanted a repeat of that event. Although Lu Chaoqing didn’t say it, the lingering shadow of fear remained in her heart.

Seeing that the usually talkative girl was just leaning lazily against the back seat with her eyes narrowed but not quite asleep, Du Yaqing assumed she was worried about the stalker issue. She felt guilty, thinking her own past failure had left a psychological scar on the girl. She softened her voice to comfort her: “Don’t worry. This is a public event with plenty of bodyguards, and the inner venue keeps you separated from the crowd. The security at that hotel is excellent; usually, no one can get in. I’ll be staying in the room right next to yours, so just call me if anything happens.” Seeing little reaction, Du Yaqing had a sudden flash of inspiration: “Oh right, I didn’t tell you—you have a ‘rich lady’ fan who spent a fortune buying up support screens for you. I sent her an invitation; I wonder if she’ll show up today.”

As soon as Du Yaqing finished, Lu Chaoqing suddenly began to cough violently as if she had choked. Lin Chumu reached out to pat her back, a smile flickering across her face. The two seemed to whisper something to each other, causing Lu Chaoqing to cough even harder, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

In the front seat, the woman sitting next to the driver turned around with a look of disapproval. While Lu Chaoqing had her head down, Du Yaqing caught Lin Chumu’s gaze and gave her a sharp, dissatisfied look.

“Don’t bully her,” Du Yaqing mouthed silently.

Lin Chumu shrugged innocently and stopped patting Lu Chaoqing’s back.

This was a public schedule, and the airport was packed. Lu Chaoqing spent the whole walk greeting people, smiling and waving at every fan. People kept reaching out to offer gifts, but Lu Chaoqing only accepted letters before heading through the VIP channel to the plane.

Today she was wearing a simple academic-style outfit. The printed plaid turtleneck was perfect for hiding certain ambiguous marks on her neck, but she realized they might be exposed if she lay back. After thinking it over, she swapped seats with Lin Chumu’s assistant, leaving Du Yaqing utterly confused.

Previously, she and Du Yaqing were seated in the front row. Lu Chaoqing’s excuse was that the back row had “more open space,” which was utter nonsense since the layout was identical on both sides. However, since she was already seated, Du Yaqing didn’t argue and nodded for her to get some rest.

Lu Chaoqing had the kind of constitution where staying up late showed immediately. Her skin was very fair, making dark circles under her eyes prominent. She had applied a quick layer of foundation and concealer before leaving. The first-class seats were very comfortable and could recline significantly. After finding a cozy angle, Lu Chaoqing leaned her head on Lin Chumu’s shoulder to rest. She covered her face with a newspaper and fell into a deep sleep the moment she touched that familiar shoulder.

Some time later, she heard someone calling her name through the haze of sleep—the voice had the same familiar depth as the one from the night before. The scent of the woman beside her was that same fresh fragrance she loved. The smooth skin so close to her was tempting, giving her a sudden urge to take a bite.

So, she actually bit down—

“Xiaoqing, we’ve arrived, Xiaoqing! Honestly, you two… you knew there was an event today, why did you stay up so late last night?” Du Yaqing reached out with slight irritation to poke a groggy Lin Chumu while simultaneously lifting the newspaper from Lu Chaoqing’s face.

But the moment her gaze landed on them, her hand pulled back as if burned. Her eyes darted strangely between the two of them.