The Late-Blooming Iceberg Top (Entertainment Industry) [GL] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Faced with Yin Tong’s deep, unfathomable eyes, Qian Luo felt as if she were stripped bare, sitting there exposed for this woman to see through completely. Yet, Yin Tong’s gaze remained soft. Her manner of speaking, even her every movement, was nothing but gentle—save for the sharp edge hidden in her words that left one with nowhere to hide.

Having been seen through, Qian Luo couldn’t keep up her facade. She could only put up a final struggle: “It’s still too little.”

Yin Tong smiled. “It is actually quite a lot already. But if Miss Qian insists, how about 500,000 in total? Still 200,000 as a retainer, with the remainder paid once Miss Qian has finished—”

Qian Luo interrupted her. “I just have two questions. First, regarding this matter, can you guarantee confidentiality?”

“Naturally,” Yin Tong replied. “Negative publicity of this sort is not something we wish to see the eldest miss endure.”

Qian Luo raised an eyebrow, looking at the “eldest miss” who was clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed. “Are you sure?”

Yin Tong smiled. “Quite.”

Qian Luo added, “And if I really investigate, what if I find out the killer is actually your eldest miss?”

Zhou Hailing’s expression changed instantly. She stepped forward to argue, but with a single stride, she slammed her head into the ceiling again. She recoiled, clutching her forehead.

Yin Tong elegantly extended a hand, catching Zhou Hailing by the waist with a perfect curve to her lips. “Careful.”

Zhou Hailing angrily pushed her away. Yin Tong let go gently, her every move as light and graceful as a dance, making Qian Luo wonder who was truly the “miss” and who was the “servant.”

Yin Tong turned back to Qian Luo. “That is impossible.”

Before Qian Luo could speak, she continued, “If we were the killers, we wouldn’t have come looking for Miss Qian in the first place.”

A mischievous smirk played on Qian Luo’s lips, as if she were intentionally baiting them. “But you also said I’m desperate for money.”

Yin Tong smiled. “Our investigation and understanding of you, Miss Qian, goes far beyond what you think we know.”

With that, she signaled to Zhou Hailing that they could leave. She walked toward the door with her long, graceful legs, pausing to considerately close the door for Qian Luo. Before it shut, she said softly, “Miss Qian, you may enter any of our company locations or related sites at any time. If anyone stops you, please call my number or tell the guards my name. I am Yin Tong—’Yin’ as in ‘earnest,’ and ‘Tong’ as in ‘child.'”

Qian Luo wanted to ask how she was supposed to know the phone number, but Yin Tong had already softly clicked the door shut.

The lock engaged with a clack.

A moment later, Qian Luo’s phone buzzed with a text message.

Hello, Miss Qian. This is Yin Tong.

Figures… they really do know a lot, Qian Luo thought helplessly.

…

2.

The moment the door closed, Qian Luo felt like she’d been sold. Her phone chimed again; the 200,000 had already been deposited.

Ye, curled up to the side, lazily opened an eye. “Do you know what this means?”

Qian Luo was still basking in the glow of sudden wealth, happily counting the string of zeros following the ‘2’. “What?” she asked distractedly.

Ye’s emerald eyes stared at the glowing screen. “It means that with your pitifully small amount of self-control, you’ll spend this money the moment you get it. But as a ghost-tamer, you won’t be getting more anytime soon—”

Qian Luo huffed.

“—So once you’ve squandered it all, you’ll become a pathetic little slave under your creditor’s whip, doing your absolute best to whitewash Zhou Hailing. Even if you find evidence against her, as a debtor—”

Qian Luo shuddered and tucked her phone away, placing it far off as if it were a time bomb.

She turned off the TV and crawled under the covers, muttering, “Don’t think about such scary things.”

Ye snorted disdainfully. “Zhou Hailing’s father is the chairman of Shumei Media, right? What kind of aristocratic family lets their daughter become a public actress? Have you thought about the relationships involved there?”

Qian Luo pulled Ye into her arms, nuzzling against the cat’s soft fur. “The only thing I’m thinking is that without this money, we’d be begging on the streets the moment that bag of expired chips ran out.”

Ye curled up comfortably in her arms and gave a soft meow. “You’re a useless human who can’t even afford to keep a cat.”

As the night deepened, moonlight spilled through the slanted attic window, bathing them both. Outside, the sky was full of stars.

…

3.

When the first ray of morning sun hit her, Qian Luo frowned and pulled the blanket over her face.

Soon, she felt a cat’s paws step over her, followed by a soft landing and a stretch on the floor.

In the morning light, the elegant little black cat bathed in the sun. Then, with a soft cry, it stretched its claws and stood up, transforming into a slender, agile young girl. The girl reached out with long, fair hands, grabbed a black t-shirt from the headboard, and pulled it on. She then fished a pair of pants from under Qian Luo’s pillow, wrinkling her nose. “You’re so messy.”

Qian Luo stirred under the covers, her voice muffled. “When we have money, I’ll put a wardrobe in this room so I don’t have to sleep on your underwear anymore—”

Ye was already dressed, the hem of her shirt revealing a perfect curve of her waist. Her pale skin looked translucent in the morning sun. She scoffed, reached out, and yanked the blanket off Qian Luo, tossing it toward the window.

Searing sunlight flooded over Qian Luo. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled into a ball. “Ye-Ye, five more minutes—”

Ye stood with her arms crossed and suddenly kicked the edge of the bed.

For a bed that had been struggling on its last legs for a long time, this was the fatal blow. After two wobbles, it collapsed with a loud thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Startled, Qian Luo scrambled up, coughing from the dust.

Ye gracefully picked up her toothbrushing cup by the door and glanced back. “Of the seven disciples in our sect, you’re the only one who ended up in this state.”

Covering her mouth, Qian Luo dug her own cup out from the clutter and followed Ye out. “Then why do you still follow me?”

Ye’s enchanting deep-green eyes flickered toward her. “I’m just afraid you’ll die in some corner and have no one to collect your corpse—”

Speechless, Qian Luo followed her downstairs to the public restroom.

Standing before the mirror, Qian Luo realized how wise it was to wake up early. Within minutes, the other residents were awake, shuffling over in pajamas and slippers. With only one sink available, the two of them occupied the space while others queued outside.

They were used to this environment. They knew that if they were kind enough to let someone else go first, they’d never get the sink back.

As they brushed their teeth, Qian Luo stared at Ye in the mirror. Ye glared back. “What are you looking at?”

Looking at those dark green pupils and long lashes, Qian Luo narrowed her eyes. Her gaze drifted down to Ye’s small nose and thin lips. She clicked her tongue and looked further down—but seeing that Ye’s youthful body was clearly “underdeveloped,” Qian Luo shook her head in disappointment.

Irritated, Ye looked at her. “Are you thinking about selling me the next time you’re desperate for money?”

Qian Luo was so shocked she sprayed toothpaste foam all over Ye’s face. “How did you know?!”

Ye took a deep breath and stared at her coldly. “I don’t think you’re short on money.”

Qian Luo, mid-rinse, mumbled, “Hmm?”

Ye slapped her on the back. “You’re short on morals.”

Qian Luo spat out a mouthful of water and bent over the sink, coughing for a long time. When she finally looked up, her eyes were stinging. She squinted to find Ye, but she was gone. Under the burning glares of the people in line, she hurried out.

After searching the stairs to no avail, she ran back to the attic. She opened the door to find Ye holding a black garment, her back turned—

A graceful curve, a perfectly slender waist. The black cat only ever wore black.

Seeing that she looked ready to leave, Qian Luo asked, “Where are you going?”

Ye tilted her chin slightly. “To find a new house. We’re moving.”

Qian Luo’s eyes nearly popped out. “Moving? Who’s paying—” She remembered she had money now, though it felt like a precious, small amount. She instinctively clutched her wallet. “What for?”

Ye snatched the wallet away, tucked the bank card into her pocket, and repeated, “New house. Moving.”

Heart aching over the card, Qian Luo said, “What kind of cat robs its owner? Do I owe you dried fish or something?”

Ye, wearing her denim shorts, swung a long leg and nudged her toward the collapsed bed. “Go. Pack your things!”

Clinging to her meager belongings, Qian Luo made a final stand. “Can’t we stay a few more months? Can’t we wait until the case is over and the rest of the money arrives?”

A smile played on Ye’s fresh lips. Her emerald eyes crinkled as she looked at Qian Luo, then pointed her chin toward the ruins of the bed.

Qian Luo felt a sharp pain in her chest. She pointed a trembling finger at Ye. “You… you… you did that on purpose!”

Ye crossed her arms, tossed her spare black shirt into Qian Luo’s suitcase, and hopped onto the windowsill. With one leg inside and one dangling out, she gave Qian Luo a sweet smile. “Be quick~”

With that, she leaped down into the morning light, leaving behind a graceful black silhouette.

Qian Luo pouted at the departing figure and grumbled, “Stupid cat. Would it kill you to take the stairs just once?”