Chapter 31

The air conditioning in the car blew against her exposed skin; the temperature was a bit low, and Bai Manruo instinctively pulled up her collar, which revealed her collarbones.

Bai Manruo looked up at Ji Yingqing beside her; she wanted to say something to make small talk, but she felt the atmosphere was a bit off.

Ji Yingqing swept a glance at her out of the corner of her eye, pondered for a few seconds, and spoke slowly: “Does that Omega named Xu Huanxin like you?” Although it was phrased as a question, her tone was definitive.

“No, she just treats me as a friend.” Bai Manruo froze for a moment, then turned to look at her profile and couldn’t help but ask curiously: “Why would Miss Ji think that?”

Ji Yingqing didn’t answer Bai Manruo’s follow-up question; instead, she said with conviction: “Friends? I don’t believe it.”

The corners of Bai Manruo’s mouth curled up slightly, and a smile appeared in her eyes as her gaze fell on Ji Yingqing’s face. After watching for a while, she said: “Miss Ji seems very concerned about my love life.”

Ji Yingqing nodded very candidly and asked back with a calm face: “Mm. So, do you have feelings for her?”

Hearing the boss be so direct, Bai Manruo was slightly stunned. However, regarding whether she liked Xu Huanxin, she could answer with certainty that they were only suited to be friends because there was no “heart-fluttering” feeling.

But Bai Manruo looked at Ji Yingqing, who was waiting for a reply, and a smile played in her eyes. She deliberately thought for a while and said: “Feelings are hard to explain clearly. Although we are just friends now, if we spend enough time together, it’s hard to say what might happen with emotions.”

Ji Yingqing’s lips pursed slightly, her hand on the steering wheel tightened, and her mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, she didn’t speak.

The interior of the car returned to its previous silence. [read the original at bailiantales.com]Bai Manruo looked out the window when suddenly the phone in her hand vibrated a few times. It was a message from Xu Huanxin, asking where she was and if she needed to be picked up.

Just as Bai Manruo was about to reply, the car slowly pulled over to the curb. Ji Yingqing spoke flatly beside her: “We’re here.”

So fast? Bai Manruo stopped typing and looked outside; they really had arrived. She lowered her head to type a reply, asking Xu Huanxin to send the private room address.

While she was replying, Ji Yingqing’s fingers lightly stroked the steering wheel. She lifted her gaze toward the restaurant entrance and suddenly said: “I have something to do nearby. You can message me when you’re ready to head back.”

Bai Manruo received the room address and, upon hearing Ji Yingqing’s words, nodded while unbuckling her seatbelt: “Okay, then I’ll go home together with Miss Ji.”

Hearing the words “go home” from her mouth, the coldness in Ji Yingqing’s eyes finally gave way to a smile.

Bai Manruo got out of the car, waved to Ji Yingqing, and then turned to walk toward the restaurant.

Xu Huanxin was already waiting for her at the entrance. She noticed the familiar black car at the curb and frowned as she watched Bai Manruo step out of it.

“Didn’t I say you didn’t need to come down to meet me? If the paparazzi catch us, the clarification of our scandal from a few days ago will be for nothing.” Bai Manruo cautiously pulled Xu Huanxin’s hat down and straightened her own clothes.

Seeing how nervous she was, Xu Huanxin said half-jokingly: “If the subject of the scandal is you, I’m willing.”

Bai Manruo’s hand adjusting her mask paused. She suddenly remembered Ji Yingqing’s words in the car and looked up into Xu Huanxin’s eyes, as if trying to discern the truth in her words.

Faced with the unexpected eye contact, Xu Huanxin hid the affection in her heart and ​read the original at bailiantales.com​maintained a calm gaze.

Seeing her open and honest eyes, Bai Manruo instantly breathed a sigh of relief. She really had been influenced by the boss’s words; the other woman was just joking.

Bai Manruo followed her toward the private room and gave a self-deprecating laugh: “Haha, an eighteenth-tier nobody like me having a scandal with a Movie Queen—no one would believe it even if it were told.”

Hearing this, Xu Huanxin’s hand opening the door paused, and she said with a smile: “So you already know?”

Bai Manruo nodded and said with a bit of pride: “I didn’t expect that as an eighteenth-tier star, I could actually be friends with a Movie Queen. But I saw it online.”

Xu Huanxin didn’t actually care about the title of Movie Queen, but seeing her look so happy, she couldn’t help but be happy too. She explained: “Because the film festival is still half a month away, I wanted to wait until that day to tell you.”

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the waiter serving the food.

Bai Manruo looked at the exquisite dishes on the table and raised her wine glass, saying: “This time you can’t fight me for it; this meal is on me. Consider it an early celebration for your Movie Queen win.”

Xu Huanxin nodded with a smile: “Alright, then I’ll leave the next one for me to treat you.”

During the meal, the two talked about movies. Xu Huanxin looked at her and said: “I know a director who happens to be looking for actors for a new movie she’s preparing. I think you could go for an audition. If you’re willing, I’ll give you her contact information.”

Bai Manruo knew she meant well, but the directors Xu Huanxin knew were bound to be big-name directors of major productions. With her “plastic” acting skills, going to an audition would be self-humiliation; better not to ruin a good script.

Seeing Bai Manruo politely decline, Xu [bailiantales.com]Huanxin said: “Manruo, I heard you don’t have a management company right now. Why not come to our company? We—”

Bai Manruo rejected the idea without even thinking. Xu Huanxin’s brow furrowed, asking in confusion: “Why?”

Because I fundamentally have no choice, and my current boss is actually quite good to me.

But since the contract had a non-disclosure agreement, she couldn’t tell her that. Bai Manruo wanted to make up an excuse but couldn’t explain it away. After all, for an unemployed, background-less, unskilled actress to turn down an active movie invitation, there was no logical reason.

Bai Manruo had to change the subject. She suddenly remembered the books the boss had bought her a few days ago and said with a smile: “I’ve been studying acting lately. I want to ask you a few professional questions and get some free personal coaching from a Movie Queen.”

Hearing her say this, Xu Huanxin naturally understood the rejection behind her words.

She had done those things partly because she had a selfish desire to spend time with her, but even more so because she was worried. Since she could never find her address or any information, she wanted to probe for some details.

After the meal, Bai Manruo sent a message to her boss and then said to Xu Huanxin: “I need to wait here for a bit; someone is picking me up. You should head back soon; you definitely can’t be caught by paparazzi during this critical period.”

Xu Huanxin had no choice but to nod and leave by car.

Bai Manruo put on her mask and hat and walked out of the restaurant. She glanced down at her messages; the boss hadn’t replied yet, possibly because she hadn’t finished her work.

Since she hadn’t been out of the castle for a while due to her back injury, she decided to take this chance to window shop. She then sent the address of Yuecheng Mall to the boss.

After wandering around the clothing stores on the first floor, Bai Manruo didn’t buy anything except for a pink pig-shaped cotton candy. Although she had money in her card now, it was ​unauthorized copy​for debt repayment, so she had to save as much as possible.

When the elevator stopped at the second floor, Bai Manruo heard the lively sounds before she even stepped out. The second floor was an arcade, filled with children. Just as she was about to press for the third floor, she saw a claw machine, and her feet instinctively stepped out.

The person who had just sworn not to spend a single cent turned around and ran to the counter to exchange fifty yuan for game tokens. Bai Manruo picked up two tokens and dropped them into the machine. She swore she would only indulge this once!

In the end, all fifty tokens were spent, and not a single doll was caught.

No way… how is my luck still this bad?

Bai Manruo’s mouth twitched as she looked down at the empty token basket. Turning her head, she saw a child nearby jumping for joy, holding two newly caught dolls. She sighed with envy and took a fierce bite of her cotton candy.

I can’t indulge anymore. Bai Manruo instantly suppressed the urge to exchange more tokens. She knew she was the type who “sucked at it but loved to play.” Once before, she had spent nearly a thousand yuan without catching a doll, and even the shop owner couldn’t stand to watch anymore, opening the machine in front of her to hand her one.

A child nearby was drooling over Bai Manruo’s cotton candy; Bai Manruo was biting her cotton candy while staring at the child’s dolls with envy.

The child wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, ran over with her dolls, and said in a milky voice: “Sister, your cotton candy looks so yummy, and it’s a pink pig.”

Bai Manruo looked at the doll in the child’s hand and suddenly smiled. She knelt down, tore off a small piece of cotton candy, and said gently: “Little one, if you teach me how to catch a doll, I’ll buy you a cotton candy, okay?”

The child nodded happily: “Okay!”

Just as Bai Manruo was about to say something, her phone vibrated. it was a message from the boss.

Beautiful Boss Who Should Eat More: 【Look up.】

Huh? What does that mean? Bai Manruo stood up in confusion, and as soon as she looked up, she saw Ji Yingqing not far away.

Bai Manruo’s eyes lit up, and she asked in surprise: “Miss Ji, when did you get here?”

“Since you were on your eleventh attempt to catch a doll,” Ji Yingqing said, her gaze falling on the cotton candy at the corner of Bai Manruo’s mouth.

Doesn’t that mean she saw me failing to catch a doll for so long? The boss must think I’m very childish.

Bai Manruo’s ears gradually turned red. She gave a light cough and said: “If Miss Ji was already here, why didn’t you call me?”

Amusement appeared in Ji Yingqing’s eyes as she took out a handkerchief: “You have cotton candy on your mouth.” Before she finished her sentence, she reached out to wipe it off for her.

“Where?” Bai Manruo instinctively stuck out her tongue to lick it off, but her tongue accidentally brushed against Ji Yingqing’s finger.

Bai Manruo instantly shut her mouth and stood perfectly still, letting the handkerchief gently wipe the corner of her mouth.

The soft, warm touch on her slender finger was fleeting. Ji Yingqing’s hand holding the handkerchief paused for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, her movements remaining unhurried.

Ji Yingqing was slightly shorter than her. Bai Manruo lowered her gaze to look at her cheeks, and her heart skipped a beat. They were so close—close enough to unauthorized copysee her distinct, thick eyelashes. The air was filled with a faint, sweet scent, and Bai Manruo subconsciously swallowed.

“The cotton candy in your hand is melting,” a pleasant, magnetic voice sounded in her ear.

Bai Manruo snapped back to her senses and hurriedly looked down at the cotton candy. No wonder she had smelled a sweet scent just now. The two little feet of the pink pig were already gone. The melted syrup had dripped onto her fair fingers.

Bai Manruo gently tore off a small piece of cotton candy, looked at it for a few seconds, and held it up to Ji Yingqing’s lips: “It’s very sweet. Miss Ji, try some.”