Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“I’m hoooome!”

Su Mi sang out in her signature drawn-out tone as she swung the door open, running in with her arms raised high: “I’m starving! I’m starving! I need to eat!”

The aroma of food filled the room. Su Mi rushed in to see that Xin Keke had already set out the bowls of food on the table, even placing their respective pairs of chopsticks neatly on top of their rice boxes.

Su Mi was deeply moved: “Baby, how come you haven’t eaten yet? Were you waiting for me? Woohoo!”

“…Who’s your baby?”

She had so much she wanted to say, yet those were the words that tumbled out. Xin Keke dodged Su Mi’s attempted hug and sat down on a chair to the side: “Go wash your hands and eat. I have things to do once I’m done.”

“Eh, it feels like I’m the well-behaved baby being looked after by Teacher Xin~” Su Mi trotted off to the bathroom to wash her hands, her voice echoing back: “Teacher Xin, is Student Su Xiaomi being a good girl?”

“…”

Xin Keke pursed her lips, and it was quite a while before she whispered, “You’re a grown adult now.” Still so… childish.

“Even at thirty, if I want to, I can still be a baby~”

As luck would have it, Su Mi stepped out of the bathroom just then and heard the remark. She grabbed a few paper towels to dry her hands: “Teacher Xin can be a baby too~ You’re my precious treasure~~~”

“Cough… cough cough…”

Whether she had choked on her own saliva or something else, Xin Keke began to cough violently, turning her head away. Su Mi quickly poured her a glass of water to help her catch her breath.

Perhaps it was the relief of having the cake situation settled, or the anticipation of Xin Keke’s reaction tomorrow, but Su Mi was riding a high of excitement. Realizing she might have gone overboard and fearing Xin Keke might snap, she reined it in, sitting down obediently on the other chair and starting to unpack the meal boxes.

The plastic lids weren’t easy to open, producing a cacophony of sharp cracks. As she pried them off, Su Mi suddenly remembered: “You said you had things to do after eating? What is it? Isn’t it just the afternoon shoot?”

“My scenes are later in the day, toward evening.” Xin Keke stacked the plastic lids to the side and began to eat her rice in small bites. “Xiao Ai’s watch broke suddenly today, but she and Ye Luo have to stay on set all afternoon, so she asked me to help find a shop to get it fixed.”

Su Mi frowned: “A watch?” What kind of precious, urgent watch requires Xin Keke to run errands for her?

“Yeah, it’s a gift from her father, I think.”

As Xin Keke spoke, she took out the watch box. Su Mi glanced at the logo. Oh, Cartier. That explains it. For actors, a watch worth 30,000 or 50,000 yuan might not be much, but for Su Mi, who had lived as an ordinary citizen for so long, this was undeniably luxurious.

“You have to take it to a specialty store or a high-end watch repair shop, right? Is there a mall nearby?” Su Mi asked. They spent the rest of the lunch chatting back and forth. It was rare for Xin Keke not to be so guarded against her, instead eating peacefully by her side. Su Mi felt a sense of relief and immediately made a decision: “Want me to go with you this afternoon?” I can use the chance to figure out what gift to buy for Xin Keke.

“?”

The suggestion was immediately met with Xin Keke’s opposition: “No need. I can go alone.”

“But I have nothing to do all afternoon…”

“I can handle it by myself. I’m not a child.”

Perhaps she thought Su Mi was worrying about her, so she was being extra rebellious. Seeing Xin Keke so insistent, Su Mi surrendered, raising both hands: “Fine, fine. I admit I just want to go window shopping. Can I just follow behind you? I promise not to get in your way.”

Xin Keke eyed her skeptically. Su Mi put on an endearing, pleading expression, as if to say, Please, just this once? Xin Keke silently looked away and buried her head in her food. Given that expression, it was likely a tacit approval.

Su Mi smiled at her. I’ve figured it out: this big treasure, Xin Keke, is definitely the type who responds to kindness rather than force.

Ultimately, Xin Keke couldn’t win against Su Mi and brought her along to the large shopping mall in the commercial district. Xin Keke was incredibly efficient; as soon as she entered, she headed straight for the Cartier boutique, ignoring the many designer counters they passed along the way. She kept her eyes forward, clutching the watch box as if it were a bomb.

“Hey, don’t be in such a rush.” Just before Xin Keke could spark a fire with her heels on the smooth floor, Su Mi grabbed her: “You’ve been so busy with work. Now that you’re finally out, why not just window shop and see if there’s anything you like?”

Xin Keke glanced at her, then turned her head to look at the nearby counters, a hint of… hesitation in her eyes. Then, she shook her head.

“It’s nothing. I already have all these cosmetics.”

“Just because you have them doesn’t mean you can’t look.” Su Mi wanted to take Xin Keke’s arm, but remembering their “Three-Point Covenant,” she resisted and patted her shoulder instead. “Didn’t D-brand release a new collection? I remember you use their classic red lipstick a lot. Why not look at the orange tones? I feel like those would suit you better.”

I have to give her a chance, Su Mi thought. If she could see what Xin Keke liked, she could buy it for her tomorrow. Just as she was about to lead Xin Keke to the makeup counter, Xin Keke took a step back: “It’s okay, I don’t need anything.”

The tone of her refusal carried a hint of harshness and embarrassment. Even someone as slow as Su Mi could feel it. She froze on the spot, her hand hovering awkwardly in mid-air. Looking at the abrupt distance between them and the stubbornness in Xin Keke’s expression, Su Mi eventually retracted her hand: “…Alright.”

“No problem, if you don’t want to look, we won’t. I just remembered you have work this afternoon and time is tight.” Su Mi even offered Xin Keke a smile: “Let’s go, let’s get that watch fixed for Xiao Ai.”

“Mn.”

Xin Keke nodded, looking at Su Mi with unease, visibly relieved. Su Mi took in the small gesture. You idiot, she scolded herself. I only just realized.

Xin Keke was currently in a position where she had neither work nor money. Unlike the original “rich third generation” host, Xin Keke, who wasn’t yet a best actress, was tight on cash; she had saved up for a long time just to afford an outfit for an audition. Su Mi had just urged her to browse luxury counters… In Xin Keke’s eyes, this must have looked like a wealthy young lady, ignorant of the hardships of the world, acting spoiled again.

Xin Keke had a strong sense of pride. Would her thoughtless actions hurt her feelings? What could be more heartbreaking than “not being able to afford to look” is “having someone beside you who can afford it easily” without a second thought for your feelings.

While Xin Keke wasn’t looking, Su Mi tapped her own head in frustration. I was so stupid just now. Su Mi quickly caught up to Xin Keke. The girl was just staring at the watch box in her hand with a blank expression, lost in thought. Su Mi figured she’d messed up; Xin Keke was probably feeling terrible. Just as she was about to make an excuse to smooth things over, she heard the person beside her speak.

“Today… it really is a bit busy. When this week is over, how about I go window shopping with you on the weekend?”

Her voice was full of softness and uncertainty. Xin Keke didn’t know what to expect, trembling at the thought of Su Mi’s answer.

Su Mi was stunned. The “old” Xin Keke would never have said that. Even if she realized she had hurt someone, she would have just blamed herself silently. So, it’s not just me who’s changed during this time.

Su Mi smiled: “Okay.”

“If you want to go shopping, we’ll go shopping. If you don’t want to, we can eat, sing, go anywhere. Or just sit in the hotel doing nothing.” She looked into Xin Keke’s eyes. “You treated me to lunch today, so I’ll treat you on the weekend.”

“No need…”

“It’s settled then.” Su Mi was firm. Before Xin Keke could refuse again, Su Mi cried out: “Oh! We found it!”

She darted into the store, instantly grabbing the clerk’s attention. Now, Xin Keke had no way to argue with her in front of the staff. In a place where no one was looking, Xin Keke sighed gently.

Xin Keke handed over the watch box, briefly explained the situation to the clerk, and let them take it back to check for issues. The wait was long. Su Mi wanted to take Xin Keke around to look at things, but after that rejection, she decided to let it go. Since there was nothing to do here, she opened her phone, thinking about what else she could prepare for tomorrow’s surprise besides the cake. She was quite focused, and the people and events around her didn’t distract her at all.

“Excuse me.”

The concentration was broken by the clerk’s voice. Su Mi looked up and realized the clerk was addressing her. She looked around blankly, failing to find Xin Keke in the store.

“Hello, the repair technician checked it. It’s the movement inside that has a problem,” the clerk said as Su Mi regained her focus. “Replacing this movement will cost about 4,000 yuan. Would you like us to proceed?”

Huh? Asking her? Su Mi looked around again. Xin Keke was definitely not in the store. She quickly asked: “Sorry, did my friend just go out?”

“The young lady with long black hair? She just stepped out. I’m not sure where she went.”

Su Mi nodded: “Thank you. Please go ahead with the repairs. I’ll go find her.”

She jumped off the chair, ready to search for Xin Keke, but the clerk stopped her: “Alright, but we need you to pay first. Cash or online payment?”

“…”

OMG. She almost forgot to pay. Su Mi didn’t hesitate and scanned the code.

Xiao Ai is really something. Sending Xin Keke to fix a luxury watch without thinking about whether she’d have enough cash on her. If Su Mi hadn’t been shameless enough to follow her, Xin Keke wouldn’t have said a word even if she were stuck for money.

Su Mi walked out of the shop and was about to call Xin Keke to ask for her location when she spotted her standing at the entrance of the shop next door.

“Xin…”

Su Mi opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. The store lights were focused on the merchandise in the center, but the stray light spilled out and illuminated Xin Keke’s face. She was looking at the item with such seriousness that her eyes seemed to be sparkling.

Su Mi couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Xin Keke’s mind at that moment.

Was it, “If only I had the ability to buy it for myself”?

Or, “One day, I will make myself worthy of it”?

Regardless of the thought, Su Mi knew Xin Keke could do it. She walked slowly to Xin Keke’s side and saw the full view of the bracelet she was admiring. A rose-gold body with pale pink crystals, each charm dangling from it was adorable. No wonder she likes it. Su Mi could practically imagine how it would look on Xin Keke’s wrist.

Sensing someone beside her, Xin Keke turned and saw Su Mi. Su Mi smiled at her: “It’s all checked out. The movement has an issue, and I’ve already authorized the repairs.”

“Oh… okay,” Xin Keke nodded, quickly moving her gaze away from the counter. “How much was it? Let me pay.”

Su Mi quickly grabbed her. “It’s fine, I already took care of it. We can just pick up the receipt in a bit. Do you want to keep shopping or head back?”

Feeling the warmth of Xin Keke’s skin beneath her fingertips, Su Mi felt a little lightheaded at how real her presence was.

Why is that?

“It’s already taken care of…” Xin Keke murmured. “Then let’s go back. How much was it? I’ll transfer it to you.”

Su Mi looked back at the display case at the entrance of the shop, then nodded.

“No rush. Let’s head back first.”