Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Long after, Su Mi’s emotions finally stabilized. Forget it, she thought. Whatever happens, happens. Even if I’m unlucky, I shouldn’t end up with the same fate as the original host. Given how good her relationship with Xin Keke had become, she couldn’t imagine anyone being cold-hearted enough to leave her homeless.

With that settled, Su Mi hopped back onto the floor to finish up the poster. Xin Keke was clearly still worried about her, but before she could speak, Su Mi waved her off. “It’s okay, don’t worry. It was just a nightmare; I’ve already forgotten what it was about.”

She opened Procreate, the app still paused exactly where she’d left off. “I need to finish this quickly so we can go out and play later.”

“It’s alright, no rush,” Xin Keke said. “Finish up whenever you’re ready.”

It was a rare day off for Xin Keke, and Su Mi didn’t want her spending it cooped up in the room. Su Mi didn’t rush the quality, though. After finishing the four character designs and refining them, she began laying down the background colors and carving out space for the logo.

After hours of intense focus, she was finally nearly finished. After a quick handover with He Xiao and a final confirmation, Su Mi hopped up and put her hands on her hips. “I’m done! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

But she hadn’t noticed that Xin Keke had been lying on the bed waiting for her, only to fall asleep. By the time Su Mi realized, it was too late. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, but the noise had already startled the drowsy Xin Keke awake. “…Hm? …Mm, are you finished?”

Su Mi paused. The shooting schedule had been so intense; Xin Keke was exhausted. Unlike Su Mi, who was a slacker with connections, Xin Keke was a real actor fighting for her place in the industry. The hardship she endured was an iceberg, mostly hidden beneath the surface.

“I’m so sorry,” Su Mi said quickly. “I woke you up. Go back to sleep.”

Xin Keke rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to sit up despite the exhaustion. “…It’s fine. Should we go out?” Even as she said it, her eyelids were fighting a losing battle.

Watching her, Su Mi’s heart ached. Just as Xin Keke tried to sit up, Su Mi pushed her shoulders back down onto the bed. “You know what? Instead of going out, I think I’d rather catch up on sleep here.”

“I’m fine, really…”

Despite her words, Xin Keke’s body slumped back down. The moment she hit the mattress, she closed her eyes again, instinctively grabbing Su Mi’s wrist and muttering, “Then let’s just sleep a little longer…”

“Pfft, alright, alright.”

Xin Keke didn’t catch the amusement in Su Mi’s tone, and soon, the person on the pillow was breathing in steady, rhythmic beats. Su Mi pulled her hand away, tucked the blanket around Xin Keke, and watched her sleeping face. Sleep, she thought. When you wake up, I’ll still be here.

Since Xin Keke was asleep and Su Mi had nothing else to do, she crawled under the covers, using the time to sort through her recent experiences. It hadn’t felt like much while reading the novel, but living through it was a different story. Every vague sentence the author had glossed over was surprisingly grueling to endure—from the original host’s family to Xia Lei, the drama crew, Shi Yaya, and the plagiarism scandal.

That was just the stuff the author hadn’t detailed. What am I going to do when I reach the arc about her breakout role?

Su Mi’s gaze drifted to Xin Keke’s sleeping face again. It was quiet and beautiful. She couldn’t help but smile. Forget it. As the old saying goes: soldiers come to block, water comes to cover—I’ll handle it as it comes. Helping Xin Keke become a Best Actress would be an accomplishment in itself.

Besides, her primary mission was to change the plot and her own destiny. Every choice shifted the future, and Su Mi felt like she and the original host were already drifting off the original track. A butterfly flapping its wings could cause a storm on the other side of the world; her tiny, unintended choices might just be changing everything.

Su Mi closed her eyes.

They were both woken up by the symphony of their own growling stomachs. They were so exhausted that they had slept through both breakfast and lunch, waking up only when the sun had set. Upon realizing they’d slept from dawn until dark, the two looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Su Mi jumped off the bed, wrapped in her quilt, and crawled onto Xin Keke’s bed. “Make some room for me.”

“Mm…”

Before Xin Keke could protest, Su Mi had already nudged her to the side. Su Mi pulled out her phone. “It’s only five o’clock. Bars won’t open until nine, at least. Let’s eat in the room. Do you want to order out or eat at the hotel?”

She glanced down, noticing a few messages from Director Song. She didn’t hide them from Xin Keke, clicking on them right in front of her. Xin Keke, realizing it was the Director, looked away, forgetting to question why Su Mi had crawled into her bed.

Director Song was thanking her for the poster. After handing in the work, Su Mi had collapsed in sleep, but after checking Weibo, she saw the crew’s apology post and her new poster. With the help of some paid commentary about the “sincerity of the apology” and support from the fan clubs of the three leads, the comment section wasn’t nearly as toxic as before.

Su Mi quickly called the Director, apologizing for being asleep all day and missing the news, while politely hinting that if he ever had such “good fortune” again, he should feel free to reach out. Xin Keke, who had been looking at food delivery options, was dumbfounded. “I couldn’t tell, you really do have some skills.”

Su Mi hung up. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve always been awesome, haven’t I?”

Xin Keke didn’t answer, her smile tinged with resignation. Seeing that Xin Keke was finally comfortable, Su Mi reached out to pinch her cheek. “You finally look like you have a smile for me, eh?”

They say “being loved gives you flesh and blood,” and perhaps it was true. Lately, she had been devoted to Xin Keke, acting as her shield in every situation. And feelings can be transmitted. Perhaps at first, Xin Keke couldn’t quite trust or accept Su Mi’s unconditional reliance, but time had been the best proof. Su Mi was overjoyed that Xin Keke was slowly opening up to her.

Xin Keke turned her head away. “…I did not.”

Because she trusted her, she was willing to reveal her most authentic self, no longer needing to wear her hard armor. Seeing the tips of Xin Keke’s ears turn pink, Su Mi swallowed hard, a strange longing rising in her chest. Before she could think, her body leaned forward.

“Su Mi, I…”

Xin Keke turned back. At such a close angle, her lips brushed against Su Mi’s. Su Mi froze. Crap. I just wanted to kiss her cheek and tease her. Even so, her body ignored her brain. There was no collision of teeth, just the sensation of lips touching—a spark of tiny electrical currents that seemed to radiate through them both.

Xin Keke gripped the quilt, the blood rushing to her head, burning her face crimson. She didn’t even know how to breathe while kissing, only letting out tiny, cautious exhales through her nose when she couldn’t hold her breath any longer. Su Mi caught every bit of it.

Su Mi cupped her face, acting on a sudden, mischievous impulse: she parted her lips and gently nibbled on Xin Keke’s lower lip. Enveloped by a wet warmth that wasn’t her own, Xin Keke let out a soft, whimpering sound from her throat. She was running out of air. Su Mi even gave her lip a playful nip before finally pulling back just a little.

Xin Keke’s brain was a puddle of mush. Su Mi leaned back, scanning Xin Keke’s lips, which were now slick with moisture. Her gaze shifted back to Xin Keke’s face, an aggressive, possessive look that made Xin Keke’s legs go weak.

But, this can’t…

Whatever remained of her consciousness crumbled when Su Mi leaned in a second time. This time, Su Mi wasn’t content with just a touch; she parted Xin Keke’s lips and teeth, invading deeper territory. She even caught Xin Keke’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

A voice in Xin Keke’s head told her to stop, but with her lips blocked, she couldn’t say a word. Her heart pounded so fast it felt like it would leap out of her throat. She felt Su Mi’s increasing pressure, as if she intended to push her down into the mattress. What comes after this…Xin Keke instinctively tried to avoid that thought, yet her legs brushed against Su Mi’s waist. This was different from last time—last time, she had truly struggled to escape and had despised Su Mi afterward. But this time, she didn’t seem to… resist it. Not if it was Su Mi.

Just then, a loud cell phone ringtone shattered the air. It struck like a warning bell, instantly dispelling the ambiguous, intoxicating atmosphere. They were pulled back to the real world.

Su Mi jerked away from Xin Keke, her face flushed red, her eyes flickering with unease. It was like waking from a dream. “I, I need to take this call…”

A moment ago, she had answered the Director’s call right in front of her, but now, she felt the need to step away. Su Mi wiped her face, pushed open the bedroom door, and stepped out into the hallway to answer.

It was Xiao Ai.

“Hey! Big Mimi, do you have time tonight?”

Xiao Ai sounded like she was somewhere noisy. “Ye Luo is here too. Want to go out and play~?”