Best Actress A and Her White Moonlight - Chapter 4

“When that ceramic cup flew over…”

She had been crying for so long that even though she had calmed down and didn’t want to cry anymore, her body still sobbed and shivered uncontrollably. Her words came out in fits and starts. “I remembered what you said… and I dodged.”

The white ceramic cup had shattered against the wall beside the doorframe, shards flying everywhere. Because she was mentally prepared and had moved in time, those flying fragments hadn’t landed on her face.

Lin Wanchun tested the temperature of a hot water bottle. It was a bit too hot, so she wrapped it in a towel and handed it to Gu Chenxing in the passenger seat. “Apply this to your eyes, or they’ll be swollen tomorrow.”

“Are you really from the future?” Gu Chenxing clutched the caterpillar-like towel bundle but didn’t move.

At this moment, Lin Wanchun knew she should provide more useful information to dispel Gu Chenxing’s doubts, but she opened her mouth and found she couldn’t say a word.

Even her eyes betrayed a hint of inadvertent confusion.

She remembered what the twenty-three-year-old Gu Chenxing looked like, but she had no idea about the sixteen-year-old version.

What was her favorite color? What food did she hate? What was the name of her best friend in high school?

Lin Wanchun knew none of it. She could only nod her head feebly.

The soft towel pressed against her eyelids, and Gu Chenxing’s world went dark for a moment. She didn’t see Lin Wanchun’s nod.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to need an answer, continuing to talk to herself: “What should I do now?”

Her voice was filled with bewilderment and helplessness.

Gu Chenxing recalled the scene she saw when she pushed open the door. Her “loving” parents had been flushed with rage, looking at each other as if they were mortal enemies.

Who had spoken first?

Gu Chenxing couldn’t remember.

She only remembered them saying: “Since you heard it, there’s no point in hiding it. I’ll fulfill my legal obligations and support you until you’re eighteen. If you want this apartment, you can have it. As for anything else, don’t even dream about it.”

Don’t even dream about what?

A privileged life? Or her parents’ love?

The sixteen-year-old Gu Chenxing couldn’t accept such icy words. Looking at her parents’ identical, indifferent faces, she had bolted out the door.

If she could, Gu Chenxing really wished she could be strong enough to never spend another cent of theirs—to hold her head high and say she didn’t care about their “stinking money” and could live perfectly fine without them.

But the reality was that after she ran out, she didn’t even have a place to stay.

The more she remembered the scene, the more she wanted to cry. Her teenage pride wouldn’t let her go back in disgrace—that would feel like admitting defeat—but reality seemed to leave her no other choice.

“Come with me.” Lin Wanchun gently pulled Gu Chenxing’s hand away and took the towel-wrapped water bottle.

Gu Chenxing had pressed it too hard and kept it in one spot for too long, leaving the area around her eyes red and puffy from the heat.

The car’s heater dispelled the chill of the winter night, and the amber interior lights created an illusion of warmth and intimacy.

Lin Wanchun pulled out a wet wipe and delicately wiped away the messy tear tracks on Gu Chenxing’s face. Her heart felt soft, and the corners of her lips curled up. “Maybe I came here specifically to save the ‘past you’?”

Lin Wanchun had already witnessed the future.

This time, she wanted to escort Gu Chenxing steadily toward it.

Gu Chenxing sat speechless. Her post-cry eyes were like the sky after a rain—crystal clear. A flush crept up to the tips of her ears, and she looked away before her cheeks could turn fully red. “What are you saying… that’s way too cheesy.”

No rejection was as good as a “yes.”

Lin Wanchun read Gu Chenxing’s shyness and started the car.

It was late, and there weren’t many vehicles on the road. Even the traffic lights were cooperative, granting them a smooth journey.

Lin Wanchun didn’t take Gu Chenxing back to the luxury flat. The security in that dilapidated old neighborhood was poor; even if the interior of the small apartment had been upgraded, there were still significant safety risks.

While Gu Chenxing had been waiting for class to end, Lin Wanchun hadn’t been idle. She had bought an inconspicuous used car and a three-bedroom apartment not far from the school.

The System was responsible; the ID cards printed with future years transformed into cards with appropriate dates the moment they left the luxury flat. As long as such an ID wasn’t flagged by the national judicial system, it wouldn’t be exposed.

This was a newly developed school district area, arguably the best real estate in this economically lagging town.

She had considered asking the System to change the entrance to the future flat to this apartment, but the System seemed quite annoyed by her continued “inactivity” and was unwilling to provide further assistance.

Lin Wanchun didn’t care. No matter how dissatisfied the System was, what could it do? It couldn’t kick her back to seventeen years in the future.

As for everything else, it was just a matter of putting in a little more effort.

The occupancy rate here wasn’t high, and the underground parking lot was empty. Lin Wanchun found a random spot and parked.

Gu Chenxing had been lightheaded from crying earlier, and the car’s heater had made her feel warm and cozy. Now, sitting in the passenger seat, her head was nodding off—she was so drowsy she didn’t even realize they had arrived.

The skin around her eyes was red and swollen, making her look quite pitiful. Her cheeks were also puffed up from the tears, making her look like a well-fed little rabbit.

Lin Wanchun’s hand, which was about to land on Gu Chenxing’s shoulder, changed direction and landed on her head, giving it a firm rub.

The black, smooth hair was ruffled into a mess. Lin Wanchun withdrew her hand with a touch of regret—she hadn’t found any hidden rabbit ears in there.

“What’s happening? What happened?” Gu Chenxing jolted awake from her half-dream, eyes wide and face full of confusion.

Lin Wanchun showed no sign of her mischief, pointing outside the window. “We’re here.”

The sleep-dazed girl had already forgotten her sorrow, obediently getting out of the car and following closely behind Lin Wanchun.

With this level of silliness, she’d probably get sold and not even realize it.

Lin Wanchun fished out her keys, opened the door, and flipped on the main living room light with a click.

The original owner of the apartment had intended to live here themselves, so the decoration was exquisite and cozy. The moment they entered, the feeling of a lived-in home washed over them, making one feel instinctively warm.

Gu Chenxing drifted into the apartment like a ghost, even forgetting to close the door.

Lin Wanchun closed the door, stepped behind her, and placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders, forcing her to turn half a circle. “See that? Over there is the bathroom. Go wash up.”

Gu Chenxing nodded. Just as she opened her mouth, a massive yawn escaped, causing tiny tears to pool in the corners of her eyes.

Very cute.

The thought popped into Lin Wanchun’s head unbidden.

However, she quickly regained control, withdrew her hands, took a half-step back, and watched Gu Chenxing’s retreating back.

[What exactly are you doing?]

The long-silent System finally emerged after Gu Chenxing entered the bedroom. It had noticed that as long as Gu Chenxing was in her line of sight, Lin Wanchun would ignore it.

Lin Wanchun let out a soft hum through her nose. “Hmm?”

[Do not forget your task!] The System was angered by her nonchalance, issuing a frantic warning.

“I remember. Kill ‘myself,’ right?” Lin Wanchun laughed softly. Her careless tone didn’t make it sound like she was planning a murder, but rather like she was about to crush an ant.

[Then you—]

“Seven years.” Lin Wanchun interrupted the System’s nagging. “It’s a long time. It won’t hurt to do some ‘useless’ work.”

The System went quiet for a moment, then snorted coldly: [Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The development of a timeline is interconnected. Be careful that the hurricane stirred by a butterfly’s wing doesn’t slap you out of existence!]

“Lin Wanchun.”

Lin Wanchun turned to see Gu Chenxing walking out of the bathroom. Her face was still damp from washing, with a few stray hairs clinging to her forehead and tiny water droplets hanging precariously from the tips.

Gu Chenxing’s hands, hanging at her sides, were secretly clenched. Her back was stiff; she was in a state of extreme tension.

Just now… she had seen a scent-blocking patch specifically for Alphas in the bathroom.

After washing her face, the “sleepy bugs” in Gu Chenxing’s head had vanished. She immediately recalled the gossip Zhou Xi had been prattling on about during the day.

Yesterday, an Alpha pheromone riot, scent-blocking patches…

The scattered pieces of information linked into a single line. Gu Chenxing realized belatedly that Lin Wanchun was an Alpha—and an A-rank Alpha whose pheromones had just been disordered!

A heavy sense of regret flashed through Gu Chenxing’s heart. She had been so overcome by sadness that she had actually followed a complete stranger home so easily.

Even though the events of tonight proved that Lin Wanchun was likely really from the future, just because she said she was her best friend, did that make it true?

Even if Lin Wanchun really was, who could guarantee she wouldn’t hurt her?

The danger index of an Alpha in a pheromone riot was incredibly high, not to mention Lin Wanchun likely belonged to the A-rank Alphas standing at the top of the pyramid.

Lin Wanchun’s expression didn’t change as she asked, “What’s wrong?”

The question on the tip of her tongue rolled around for a moment before Gu Chenxing finally swallowed it. She didn’t dare take a risk, putting on a forced smile: “I’ve been thinking… I shouldn’t trouble you anymore. I have money on me; I can just stay at a nearby hotel for the night.”

She had no money. Her wallet and phone were in her backpack back at school, and the only fifty-yuan bill in her pocket had gone to the taxi driver. She was currently penniless.

Across the distance of the living room, even though Gu Chenxing tried her best to appear calm, Lin Wanchun still noticed her stiffness and unnaturalness.

Lin Wanchun saw the fist at Gu Chenxing’s side trembling slightly—a signal of fear.

But what is she afraid of?

Lin Wanchun thought back carefully over everything that had happened in the last few days. It didn’t take long for her to guess the answer.

Although the effect of the inhibitor hadn’t worn off and her pheromones couldn’t leak out, she had still put on a scent-blocking patch before leaving just to be safe—right here in the bathroom of this apartment.

The packaging for the patch had been left in the bathroom trash can.

Seeing the patch, Gu Chenxing had finally realized that the woman before her wasn’t a gentle, harmless “Big Sister,” but a highly dangerous Alpha.

“So…” Lin Wanchun’s lips slowly curved upward. She let a dangerous glint enter her eyes, drawing out her words, “You found out?”