A Scummy A, But Bound To A Cutesy-Appeal System - Chapter 10

People always said that when enemies met, their eyes turned especially red with hatred. Pei Xixia felt her own mindset was pretty good. Not only were her eyes not red, she even wanted to laugh a little.

Because in order to hide the wound on her forehead from where Lu Yimo had smashed her, Qi Wanbai had put on an affected red beret.

Even so, Pei Xixia immediately shielded Lu Yimo behind her.

“Director Qi, long time no see,” Pei Xixia greeted politely.

“Young President Pei, it truly has been a long time,” Qi Wanbai said through gritted teeth. Her gaze was like a poison-dipped needle, passing over Pei Xixia and stabbing viciously at Lu Yimo.

Pei Xixia acted as if she had not seen the hatred in her eyes. Her smile remained proper, even carrying a bit of innocence. “Director Qi, that hat is quite unique. It’s almost July, though. Aren’t you hot wearing it?”

Her voice was neither too loud nor too quiet, just enough for a few industry insiders who had just entered to hear. They had already eaten up the gossip online and were secretly paying attention to the movement over here. Hearing Pei Xixia say this, several probing gazes instantly landed on Qi Wanbai’s somewhat abrupt beret.

Qi Wanbai’s face turned green, then red. She seemed not to have expected Pei Xixia to be so shameless as to actually take the initiative to bring up that unpleasant transaction. She sneered. “No need for Young President Pei to worry about me. Aren’t you the same, wearing a long-sleeved shirt in this heat?”

Pei Xixia smiled with a face full of sincerity and even deliberately lifted the tightened openwork butterfly-flower cuff to show it off. “This outfit was chosen for me by my Momo. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Qi Wanbai squeezed out a smile. “Beautiful. Very beautiful.”

“Director Qi truly has good taste. Oh, right, please do respond to the rumors online when you have time. The person who leaked this was truly dark-hearted and vicious, making such a normal business meeting sound so unbearable. I’m sure you must be troubled too. It’s getting late, so we’ll go in first. See you around.” Pei Xixia deliberately spoke clearly enough for everyone present to hear, then took Lu Yimo’s hand and walked straight into the venue without looking back.

Only after they had walked past the corner of the corridor did she let out a breath. She immediately released Lu Yimo’s hand and patted her chest with lingering fear.

“Pei Xining.” Lu Yimo’s voice sounded by her ear.

For a moment, Pei Xixia did not react to the fact that she was calling her and looked at her blankly.

“Pei. Xi. Ning.” Lu Yimo repeated each word.

“Oh, you’re calling me!” Only then did Pei Xixia come back to herself.

Lu Yimo looked at her strangely. “Do you know what kind of feeling you give me right now?”

Pei Xixia tilted her head and thought for a moment, then answered tentatively, “Mm… a hero saving a beauty, very cool?”

“You’re like someone with split personalities,” Lu Yimo commented without the slightest politeness.

No, cub. Strictly speaking, your character setting is the one closer to having split personalities!

Pei Xixia gave a dry laugh. “Haha. Why do you say that?”

Lu Yimo paused, then answered seriously, “In front of other people, you’re calm and can hold the scene. You seem more like a real actress than I do.”

Pei Xixia had an intuition that there was about to be a very unpleasant turn in this sentence.

Sure enough, Lu Yimo continued, “In front of me, you’re like an idiot.”

Pei Xixia: “…”

That was even more unpleasant than she had imagined.

Pei Xixia scratched her head. “I’m just less guarded in front of you. Calling me an idiot is a bit too much…”

“Heh.”

Pei Xixia keenly caught that faint little snort. Unlike usual, it did not sound cold or full of hostility. Instead, there was a hint of relaxation and relief in it, even a little teasing.

She immediately looked up at Lu Yimo, but Lu Yimo still had that distant, indifferent expression, as if that faint snort just now had been Pei Xixia’s imagination.

“What are you looking at me for? Aren’t we going in?” Lu Yimo raised her brows. “If we keep standing here, those people from just now will come over.”

“Oh, oh, let’s go.” Pei Xixia tentatively held out her arm. “Link arms?”

Lu Yimo rolled her eyes at her, but still obediently looped her arm through Pei Xixia’s.

A strange feeling welled up in Pei Xixia’s heart, like countless strands of rain as fine as ox hair falling onto the tip of her heart, tingling and itching. Even through that thin layer of linen fabric, she could clearly feel Lu Yimo’s body warmth.

Exchanging greetings along the way, the two finally sat down beside the red carpet.

Pei Xixia did not know any of these proper actors at all. Shameful as it was, in the memories she had inherited, most people who could be considered “actors” were actually peripheral Omegas forced by circumstances to make a living. The few real actors among them had even been harassed by her. Attending an event like this made her feel embarrassed on Pei Xining’s behalf.

Fortunately, everyone present was respectable enough not to make things difficult for Pei Xixia in public.

The opening was about to begin. The magnesium lights in the venue had already dimmed, and the viewing platform was full of spectators. Flashbulbs from various media outlets went off one after another. Pei Xixia knew that many pairs of eyes were watching them, hoping to make a story out of their interactions.

She took a deep breath, reached out, and grabbed a few pecans from the fruit plate on the round table in front of them. “Momo, do you want some? I’ll peel them for you.”

Lu Yimo had originally wanted to refuse, but when she saw Pei Xixia’s attentive gaze frantically hinting at her, she understood. “Mm.”

Pei Xixia was satisfied and lowered her head to peel the pecans. But very soon, she discovered that something was wrong. Why were these pecans so hard? She could not crack them at all! She lifted them before her eyes and narrowed her gaze. Good grief. She had grabbed a handful, and not a single one had an opening!

Was Polar Bear TV still okay or not? They were using this grade of nuts to entertain VIP guests? She felt it was not far from becoming the next Jiaqi Entertainment!

But throwing the nuts she had already taken back into the fruit plate would be extremely rude. Pei Xixia still had that much common sense.

She went head-to-head with the pecans.

She tried her best to keep her movements small, so she would not look too stupid.

Rub. Press. Tap. Knock.

She had used all the strength she had, but the pecan shells remained perfectly intact.

Lu Yimo, who had witnessed the entire process from the side, had an indescribable expression. “If you can’t open them, then forget it. It’s not as if I have to eat them.”

Pei Xixia was still gritting her teeth and exerting force. “Who said… I can’t open them…”

Lu Yimo reminded her, “Don’t use that much strength. The wound on your arm will split open.”

Pei Xixia froze. Strangely enough, after entering this body, she did not know whether the fusion had not gone well or what, but her sense of pain was not very obvious. She kept forgetting that she was injured.

But Lu Yimo remembered.

It gave her the illusion that their relationship was not actually as tense as swords drawn and bows bent.

Pei Xixia did not know what she was thinking. In a moment of loose lips, she said something extremely overstepping. “Momo, if I bite it open with my teeth, will you still eat it?”

Lu Yimo faced her coldly, seeming extremely speechless. “I’ll vomit.”

It was still a cold and ruthless statement. But at this moment, in the dim light, Lu Yimo’s expression had lost its usual aggressiveness. Instead, it carried a faint, blurry softness.

No wonder so many people liked using blurry little cat pictures as their avatars. They really were cute.

Pei Xixia could not hold back and laughed quietly. She stopped obsessing over the pecans and relaxed, spreading them out on the table before her.

Lu Yimo did not ask what she was laughing at. She turned her head away, and in the end, still let out an irritated little laugh.

From this angle, Pei Xixia could not see her expression, but that soft laugh confirmed that the sound she had heard just now at the corner of the corridor had not been an illusion.

In the next second, a beam of light as bright and pure as moonlight fell straight down from the dome, precisely enveloping the very center of the stage. Immediately after, multiple shifting beams of brilliant light shot in from every direction. Within the column of light, tiny specks of dust danced and swirled like crushed diamonds.

Rhythmic drumbeats rang out, accompanied by the ticking sound of a second hand. The stage floor opened layer by layer like an enormous snow lotus blooming on an iceberg. A crystal-clear polar bear sculpture slowly rose, refracting dazzling light.

The gala had begun!

Pei Xixia straightened her back and leaned forward, waiting expectantly for the hosts to come onstage. She looked exactly like a child attending a Children’s Day performance.

Lu Yimo was much calmer. She relaxed against the back of her chair, and her gaze also followed the spotlight, making her appear even more elegant and proper.

The schedule of Polar Bear TV’s midyear gala was very standard. First, several Omega girl groups with a very K-pop style came onstage, singing and dancing with full charm and energy. Then, several heavyweight special guests were invited to speak. After that, all the nominated actors entered one after another along the red carpet, while screams rang out without end.

Pei Xixia watched with quite a lot of interest. Although she did not know any of them, they were celebrities after all. Their looks and figures were all excellent, so even just watching the excitement was worth it.

On top of that, the hosts were very good at stirring up the atmosphere and kept interacting with the audience. Pei Xixia followed along, clapping and cheering, completely forgetting the mission of this trip—to seize every opportunity to show affection.

Lu Yimo could not stand seeing her so useless and leaned over faintly. “Good-looking?”

“Good-looking. Look, her head-to-body ratio is incredible. She was born to be a supermodel. Acting in TV dramas is a waste…” Pei Xixia still wanted to gesture, but suddenly felt cold all around her. Only then did she realize that Lu Yimo’s eyes were fixed tightly on her, projecting a bone-chilling coldness.

She immediately piled a smile onto her face. “But no one is as good-looking as you.”

Lu Yimo leaned back against the chair in irritation.

Pei Xixia immediately leaned back tactically and put an arm around Lu Yimo’s shoulder—strictly speaking, around the back of the chair. She put on a wickedly arrogant expression, looking like a rich second-generation heir pointing out the country’s grand affairs, using the most pretentious posture to say the most cowardly words. “Oh, since we’re already here, I’m just taking a casual look. Just a casual look.”

“A casual look? I think your eyes were about to grow onto her body.”

“I wasn’t…” Pei Xixia still wanted to defend herself, but suddenly, the venue erupted in screams loud enough to overturn the dome, almost piercing her eardrums.

She instinctively turned her gaze back to the stage.

Sure enough, Yan Songlan had appeared. With one hand, she elegantly lifted the hem of her gown, and with the other, she greeted the audience. Unhurried and graceful, she approached.

When Yan Songlan’s gaze swept over, Pei Xixia keenly caught that her eyes paused on Lu Yimo for an instant.

For a moment, an inexplicable unease rose in her heart.

Pei Xixia instinctively looked toward Lu Yimo.

Lu Yimo was also looking at Yan Songlan, but she did not seem to notice that momentary pause from Yan Songlan. She still had that calm expression, neither pleased nor startled, and no special emotion could be seen.

“I remember, she seemed to be your senior from the same university club, right?” Pei Xixia could not help testing.

“I think so…” Lu Yimo seemed not to remember very clearly. Then, as if she thought of something, she frowned. “How do you even know about something like that?”

The huge stone in Pei Xixia’s heart fell to the ground, though even she did not know what she had been worried about. “Isn’t it because I care about you?”

Lu Yimo slanted a glance at her. “I think you clearly don’t have good intentions.”