The Late-Blooming Iceberg Top (Entertainment Industry) [GL] - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After haggling with the landlord for a long time, Qian Luo finally managed to claw back the remaining half-month’s rent. She stood there clutching a thin stack of bills, letting out a long sigh of lament.

Ye was sitting in the car, leaning an elbow on the window frame. She watched with amused detachment as Qian Luo meticulously counted the few scattered notes. Suddenly, she let out a snicker: “There are only three of them; how many times do you need to count?”

Qian Luo folded the red bills and carefully tucked them into her pocket. “When you’re poor, your ambitions shrink. I’ve been broke for so long that seeing a single hundred-yuan bill makes my heart skip a beat.” She climbed into the car and tried to start the ignition, but after several failed attempts, she gasped in surprise: “Out of gas?”

Ye rested her head on her hand and looked out the window. Amidst the swaying summer shadows of the trees, she saw a semi-transparent figure flicker faintly before vanishing into the dappled sunlight.

A faint, cold smile played on Ye’s lips. “This neighborhood isn’t good; enemies and creditors are always looking for trouble.” She then glanced up at the attic window with her crystal-clear eyes. “That attic was cramped—hard to defend but easy to attack. If you were ever actually surrounded, with your level of skill, you wouldn’t even know how you died—”

As she spoke, Qian Luo’s mischievous face suddenly zoomed in, leaning close. Propping one hand against the car door next to Ye, she grinned: “But don’t I have you…?”

Ye’s slender eyebrows twitched slightly.

Qian Luo continued, “I didn’t realize that forcing me to move was your way of looking out for me—” Before she could finish, Ye’s palm slammed into her face and pushed her away, leaving her pressed clumsily against the car window.

Ye snapped angrily, “You spend all day flirting with girls, and now you won’t even let a cat off the hook!”

Having been ‘palmed’ so unceremoniously, Qian Luo looked quite pathetic. “I… I just thought we had a good relationship…”

Ye snorted and commanded: “Drive!”

With her face still squashed against the glass, Qian Luo protested through her distorted features: “To where!”

Just then, Qian Luo’s phone chimed.

Ye snatched the phone away, ignoring Qian Luo’s babbling about “respecting personal privacy,” and tapped the message open.

It was from Yin Tong.

Miss Qian, I heard you are preparing to move. Since time is so short, have you found a suitable place to stay? Ye frowned slightly, her fingers nimbly typing on the screen.

No.

The reply was instantaneous.

In that case, I happen to have a villa on Queen’s Road East that I can offer for your temporary use. I’ve already sent people to clean it; everything you need is provided. Please feel free to move in. Qian Luo leaned over to see the message and frowned. “This Yin Tong is terrifyingly efficient. I feel like I’m under total surveillance. Can we really stay in this house?”

Ye replied, “Stay or don’t stay, you’re being watched regardless. Since you’ve already been seen through completely, why not take some compensation for it?”

Qian Luo flared up: “What do you mean by that? What do you take me for! This is clearly—”

Ye ignored her, used one hand to tap ‘Agree’ on the phone, and used her left hand to suddenly grab the hair at the back of Qian Luo’s head, slamming her face down onto the steering wheel: “Drive!”

…

As Qian Luo drove through the busy downtown area, she slowed down beneath a towering skyscraper. Her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the majestic building, as if she could peer through the massive glass curtain walls reflecting the blue sky and white clouds to see the office workers bustling inside.

Noticing the deceleration, Ye turned and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Qian Luo withdrew her gaze and asked, “Ye, who do you think Yin Tong really is?”

Ye answered flatly, “A servant.”

Qian Luo pondered for a moment. “But I feel quite clearly that she’s the one controlling everything—monitoring us, finding us a place to live, even pinpointing our weaknesses—”

Ye nodded slightly and gave a noncommittal “Mm,” then asked, “And so?”

Qian Luo said, “Instinctively, I don’t like that woman. I feel like her edge is too sharp; she doesn’t act like a servant.”

Ye seemed completely indifferent to Qian Luo’s analysis. She asked, “Are you short on money?”

Qian Luo, who was in the middle of deep thought, was taken aback. “Huh?”

Ye asked, “Why did you take this case?”

Qian Luo’s brain stalled for a second before she answered, “To make money, and to investigate the cause of Zhou Xiaoming’s death…”

Ye said lazily, “Then there you have it. Investigate your case and stay out of other people’s family business.”

Being dismissed like that made Qian Luo feel slightly slighted. “But before, you weren’t—”

Ye raised her hand again, grabbed the stray hairs on the back of Qian Luo’s head, and slammed her forward onto the steering wheel again, barking: “Drive!”

Qian Luo’s face hit the horn button, causing the car to let out a piercing, prolonged blare in the middle of traffic. Everyone nearby turned to stare.

Flustered and with no choice, Qian Luo sped away in a panic.

…

Half an hour later, the two of them pulled up in front of a villa.

Qian Luo and Ye stood there, necks craned, looking at the two-story villa for a long time. They took in the sloping driveway, the swimming pool, the sizable woods in the back, and the jagged classical stone decorations on the walls.

Qian Luo sighed. Ye let out a “meow.”

In unison, they said: “This Yin Tong is not simple…”

Looking at the layout, it was perfect—easy to defend, easy to attack, yet luxurious enough for enjoyment. It could even be used for rock-climbing practice… and in an emergency, one could easily climb down from the windows.

Qian Luo brushed the hair from her forehead and looked seriously at Ye. “Do you think with my looks, I could manage to hook up with a servant from a wealthy family like this?”

Ye looked at her with pure disgust, her emerald eyes filled with deep disdain.

After standing outside in awe for a while, Qian Luo was dragged into the house by Ye. While the exterior was classical, the interior was extremely modern. Every piece of furniture was placed perfectly, and there was even fresh fruit on the coffee table and—

Well, Qian Luo looked at the plate of dried fish and silently judged Yin Tong’s character.

She was too good at what she did, too thoughtful—it was almost impossible to find a reason to dislike her.

Qian Luo sighed, thinking that she could at least keep her composure, but as for Ye…

Ye stood by with her arms crossed, gave the plate a cold look, and commanded Qian Luo: “Go, you taste it.”

Qian Luo froze, pointing a finger at herself: “Me? I’m not a cat, why would I eat that!”

Ye said leisurely, “To see if it’s expired or poisoned, naturally…”

Qian Luo was furious: “And if it is expired or poisoned, then what!”

Ye shrugged. “Then I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Qian Luo felt like throwing the plate of fish at her face. “Ha? You’re really willing to sacrifice me!”

Ye acted as if it were the most logical thing in the world: “What else am I supposed to do? You don’t expect me to trust you human veterinarians, do you?”

Qian Luo was even more depressed: “And you expect me to let a cat send me to the ER?”

Both: “…”

It’s just some dried fish, is all this necessary?

Eventually getting bored, Ye reached for the remote, sat back on the sofa, and began snacking on the dried fish anyway. She didn’t forget to ask Qian Luo: “This fruit is so expensive you couldn’t afford it yourself; aren’t you going to try some?”

Still annoyed, Qian Luo used Ye’s own logic against her: “Do you have no bottom line? What if it’s poisoned! What if they want to harm you!”

“Qian Luo, I have to say…” Ye’s voice returned to its usual lazy tone. “You really think quite highly of yourself.”

Qian Luo sat down huffily and took a massive bite out of a red delicious apple.

As Ye flipped through the channels, she added, “Looking as pathetic as you do, why would anyone bother finding you a big villa just to kill you comfortably inside? If they just left you alone, you’d probably starve to death in a few days anyway…”

Qian Luo was about to snap back when Ye’s expression suddenly changed. She put a finger to her lips: “Shh.”

She pointed to the image on the TV, her brow furrowing. “Look at that girl. Do you see anything different about her?”

Qian Luo took one look and was instantly captivated by the screen. She gasped, staring intently at the news report.

Ye asked urgently, “You see it too?”

Qian Luo’s mouth fell open, nodding absentmindedly. After a long pause, under Ye’s persistent questioning, she said with a look of pure adoration and eyes shining: “That girl is so beautiful…”

The lecture Ye had prepared was instantly choked back. After a moment of stunned silence, she grabbed a large throw pillow from the sofa and slammed it right into Qian Luo’s starstruck face.

…

On the top floor of a skyscraper dozens of stories high, there was a spacious, bright office. The modern, minimalist decor looked extremely high-end.

In front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window sat a woman in an armchair, her back to the panoramic view of the city. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating her back, while her face remained in the shadows, her expression unreadable.

The vast, minimalist desk was empty, save for a small, solitary radio. A slightly crackly voice drifted through the silent room.

A young girl’s voice came through the speakers: “Ye, who do you think Yin Tong really is?”

In the shadows, a corner of the woman’s mouth curled into a smile.

A moment later, a loud car horn blared from the radio, causing the still air in the room to ripple.

Just then, a side door opened. A young woman wearing nothing but a white button-down shirt rubbed her eyes and stumbled out, her hair a messy bird’s nest. She grumbled, “Yin Tong, what are you listening to?”

The woman at the desk paused, her gaze lingering for a moment on the open collar of the shirt before shifting to where the hem barely covered the tops of her thighs.

Realizing the other was awake, Yin Tong reached out and switched off the radio. When she spoke, her voice held a hint of raspiness: “When did I ever teach you that you could come out wearing only a shirt?”

Zhou Hailing rubbed her messy hair and pursed her crimson lips. She turned back inside, sounding a bit annoyed: “It’s not like there are any outsiders here.”

Yin Tong sat motionless as if pinned to her chair, her throat feeling slightly dry.

She could hear the sound of Zhou Hailing putting on clothes in the next room: “Nagging… you’re getting more and more controlling…”