Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Unfortunately, the pleasant time could only last for a while. Time waits for no one, and after a quick meal, Su Mi dove back into her drawing. Xin Keke, sensing Su Mi’s busyness, took the initiative to clean up the takeout containers, keeping quiet so as not to disturb her work.

After finishing the coloring for Yuan Yuan and Gao Di, Su Mi moved on to laying down the base colors for Zeng Liumei and Xia Peixing, unifying the shadows and highlights. Perhaps because she had been away from her familiar field for so long, Su Mi was incredibly focused and immersed in the work.

“Su Mi.”

She didn’t know how much time had passed when Xin Keke’s voice came from behind her: “It’s time to sleep.”

Once sucked into the work, Su Mi always lost track of time. “Eh?”

Su Mi lifted her head, wanting to turn around to look at Xin Keke. She realized too late that she had kept her head bowed for too long; her neck had become incredibly stiff. The moment she turned, there was a loud “crack.” Su Mi clutched her neck, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air.

Seeing this, Xin Keke quickly scrambled off the bed. “Did you pull a muscle in your neck?”

“I think so…”

Su Mi waited a moment, then slowly tried to straighten her head. She didn’t dare to use too much force, moving as slowly as possible to get back to normal. It’s too scary, really. Why is the original host’s body so fragile?

Suddenly, Su Mi felt a cool sensation on her neck. Before she could react, she heard Xin Keke say, “Let me rub it for you.”

“Eh??”

Before Su Mi could refuse, Xin Keke’s fingers were already on her neck, massaging it. Her fingers were cool, and her pressure was incredibly gentle—a kind of indescribable, soothing comfort. Feeling so well-cared for, Su Mi nearly narrowed her eyes in bliss.

“Your neck is too stiff,” Xin Keke said softly. “Have you been drawing all day?”

Su Mi was flattered. “Ah, y-yes…”

“Then it’s best not to draw anymore tonight. You need to rest.”

“Oh, oh…”

Wait, something feels a bit off. Hadn’t Xin Keke established a “three-chapter pact” earlier? Before, when Su Mi tried to get close to her, Xin Keke had avoided her like the plague. Why was she so kind today, even taking the initiative to massage Su Mi’s neck?

Probably… because of yesterday.

Ever since the incident with the cake, Xin Keke seemed to be treating her better and better. When Su Mi had first tried to curry favor, Xin Keke had been suspicious. But after yesterday, she seemed to have dropped her guard, finally willing to accept Su Mi.

Su Mi was so moved she felt like crying. Heaven rewards the diligent—Xin Keke has finally been touched by my genuine heart!! Thinking of the Xin Keke who had dragged her into a dark room to threaten her, compared to the current Xin Keke who was gently massaging her neck out of worry, a surge of pride welled up in her.

Sometimes, all it takes is sincerity to win sincerity. If people had tails, Su Mi’s would be wagging like a propeller right now: Wuwu, this feels so good, wuwuwu!

“Is it?” Xin Keke said coolly. With Su Mi in front of her, she couldn’t see the expression on Xin Keke’s face.

Xin Keke’s technique was skillful. Although Su Mi didn’t know why she was so good at massaging shoulders, she didn’t want to overwork her. After five minutes, Su Mi caught Xin Keke’s hand. “Alright, alright, it doesn’t hurt anymore. You should rest.”

“I’m not tired,” Xin Keke replied.

“It’s okay, I feel much better~” Su Mi turned back, her eyes bright. “Look!”

She tried turning her neck back and forth; it was much better than the stiffness from before. Seeing Su Mi’s happy expression, Xin Keke couldn’t help but purse her lips to hide a small smile. “Be careful. What will you do if you pull it again later?”

“Hehehe.”

Su Mi held Xin Keke’s hand with her left, resting it on her shoulder, while her right hand continued to draw. “It’s fine, I have you here.”

“I’m not a doctor.” Xin Keke pulled her hand away from the person who was secretly taking advantage of her. “Also, you need to sleep. It’s already twelve o’clock.”

“Just draw for a little longer…”

“…”

She wanted to finish it early so Director Song could clear his name sooner. But behind her, Xin Keke went silent. Su Mi glanced back and saw her unhappy expression. Su Mi immediately locked the screen of her iPad. “I’ll listen to you, I’ll listen! I’ll draw again tomorrow. There’s still plenty of time.”

Sorry, Director Song. Posting announcements in the middle of the night hurts the sleep schedules of working folks. For their sake, I’ll hand it in tomorrow.

Su Mi took a quick shower, finished her nightly routine, and happily dove back under the covers to sleep. Xin Keke was satisfied with her obedience. They crawled into their respective blankets, leaving only a single bedside lamp on.

Su Mi had felt exhausted while drawing, but once she hit the bed, she felt wide awake. She rolled around a few times and, unable to sleep, decided to pester Xin Keke: “What time is your shoot tomorrow?”

“I’m on break tomorrow.”

It wasn’t just Su Mi who couldn’t sleep. Hearing Su Mi’s question, Xin Keke turned around to face her.

“On break? That’s great. You can get some real rest.”

“Mn. Filming ends in two days. If there’s time, we can look around the area.”

Filming ends? Su Mi had forgotten all about it. Reminded by Xin Keke, she remembered: “Oh, right? It really is almost over. I have a scene on the last day, too.”

“Mn…”

There was no next topic, and the atmosphere between them grew quiet. Su Mi felt like Xin Keke had left something unsaid. Thinking back, Xin Keke had mentioned looking around the area… didn’t that mean she wanted to go out tomorrow?

I’m so slow, she thought. If Xin Keke doesn’t say it directly, sometimes I can’t catch the hint! She wasn’t sure if Xin Keke was too shy or something else.

“Speaking of which, didn’t we say we’d go out when we had time? Do you have plans tomorrow? Let’s go out together.”

Su Mi offered the invitation with a smile. This time, it was Xin Keke who hesitated. “You’re so tired. Why don’t you just stay in the room and get some rest tomorrow?”

“What for? Or are you planning on going out alone without me?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Hmph, these little tasks are a piece of cake to me,” Su Mi rubbed her nose. “Tomorrow, after I hand in my work, how about we go to the mall during the day and go out for drinks at night?”

“Drinks??”

“I don’t know who it was, but someone thought no one would celebrate her birthday, so she ran off to a food stall to drink her sorrows away alone…” Su Mi couldn’t resist a bit of mischief. “What can I do? I guess this Miss has to step in and keep her company~”

Xin Keke, suddenly reminded of her embarrassing history, buried her face in the pillow. “Ahhh, stop it!”

“It’s settled, then~” Su Mi made the final decision. “I’ll take you to a bar.”

With the plans for tomorrow set, Su Mi lay flat, satisfied, ready to welcome another day of sleep.

Pain.

A sharp, agonizing pain that threatened to paralyze her entire body. Su Mi didn’t know where she was, but she felt as if she were kneeling in the street, feeling her lifeblood draining away. The cold wind turned into a knife, slicing into her flesh over and over again.

On the outer wall of a building in the distance hung a massive poster. The woman on the poster wore exquisite makeup; her expression was cold and high-class, a beauty mark under her right eye shimmering like a star. She wore a simple, elegant black dress and held a new lipstick in her hand. In the background, the logo of a major brand was glaringly conspicuous. In the bottom right corner of the poster was her golden signature: Xin Keke.

Su Mi couldn’t control her body. She could feel a gushing hatred inside, a hatred that wanted to tear the poster—and the person in the poster—to shreds. But in reality, she could only dig her fingers into the ground, her scraped fingertips leaving streaks of blood on the pavement.

“Give it back…”

She reached out toward the poster, but her hands were covered in wounds. “Give it back…!”

Filled with endless hatred, her body straightened abruptly, and then, unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed into a void of darkness.

“Su Mi… Su Mi!”

The familiar voice rang in her ears, but it sounded as if it were separated by a layer of water, distant and muffled.

Where am I? Su Mi thought, dazed. Could it be that I haven’t finished the mission and the system sent me back?

“Su Mi!”

For a second, Su Mi felt as if she had surfaced from underwater. The surrounding sounds abruptly became clear. She opened her eyes, unable to control her body, gasping for breath. Her back was soaked in cold sweat, her clothes drenched enough to wring out. The moment she opened her eyes, the weight that had been pressing down on her seemed to vanish instantly, as if she had been reborn.

“Are you okay?!”

Su Mi turned her head slowly to see Xin Keke gripping her arm, looking at her with concern.

“…”

Because of the nightmare, her heart was racing. Su Mi couldn’t process the situation; she panted rapidly, staring at Xin Keke for a long time, then raised her own hands to look at them. The person in front of me is definitely Xin Keke…

The scene that was just now… was it a dream? Really?

Su Mi shook her head at Xin Keke while she caught her breath. She closed her eyes weakly, laying the back of her hand against her forehead. Seeing that Su Mi had finally woken up, Xin Keke felt a bit more relieved. “What happened just now? Did you have a nightmare? Do you feel a little better now?”

“I’m fine…” Her voice was raspy, nothing like her own.

Xin Keke quickly got up to pour her a glass of water. Su Mi touched herself, confirming every part of her body was intact. Her fingers were whole, with no sign of those terrifying wounds. Thank god it was a dream.

Su Mi wiped the sweat from her head and sat up, taking a sip from the cup Xin Keke handed her. After the cold sweat, she felt freezing; she would need a shower and clean clothes soon to avoid catching a cold. The contents of the dream had been so realistic, as if they had truly been part of Su Mi’s memory.

She gripped the cup tight. Could it be that these are the original host’s memories? What does that represent? Does it mean I’m running out of time? Or does the System truly exist in this world—just an objective presence that doesn’t talk, so it has to use dreams to notify me?

Seeing that Su Mi didn’t want to talk, Xin Keke stood quietly by her side. Su Mi rubbed her aching head. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare… I’m okay.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a cool hand was placed on her forehead. Xin Keke checked Su Mi’s temperature, then touched her own, finally feeling relieved. “At least you’re not burning up.”

“It was just a dream. Don’t be afraid.” Xin Keke withdrew her hand and said to Su Mi seriously, “Dreams are the opposite of reality. That means you’re going to have good luck soon.”

Su Mi looked into her eyes; they were so full of life. They were nothing like the cold, arrogant person on the poster. Su Mi let out a long breath, leaned over, and hugged Xin Keke’s waist, resting her head against her abdomen.

Xin Keke’s body stiffened, but this time, she didn’t push Su Mi away. Su Mi closed her eyes and whispered: “Mn.”