Foreseeing the Future: The Scheming Film Queen and I Got Married - Chapter 20

“All right, all right. Don’t stand at the doorway talking. Come in, both of you.” Zhong Ximei walked ahead and led them inside.

Dong Yao said, “Let’s go.”

Gu Shiqiu nodded.

Once they entered the noodle shop, they heard the whirring sound of the fan. The fragrance of rice drifted out from the kitchen.

“Sit, sit. The rice has only just been put on not long ago, so it’ll still be a while before we can eat.” Zhong Ximei poured a glass of water and handed it to Gu Shiqiu.

Gu Shiqiu accepted it with both hands. “Thank you.”

“Sit down, sit down,” Zhong Ximei said.

Gu Shiqiu held the glass of water and sat down, taking a small sip.

Compared with the water she usually drank, this water carried a faint sweetness.

Dong Yao asked, “Where’s mine?”

Zhong Ximei gave her a sideways glance. “Don’t you have hands? Pour it yourself.”

Dong Yao grumbled unhappily and poured herself a glass of water, then tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

She had spent the whole afternoon outside. Although she had brought a bottle of water with her, she had finished it long ago. By now, she had been terribly thirsty.

“You stay here and chat with your friend for a while. I’ll go to the kitchen and stir-fry a few dishes. It’ll be ready soon,” Zhong Ximei instructed.

Gu Shiqiu stood up. “I’ll help you.”

Zhong Ximei smiled. “How could I let a guest help? This is your first time coming to Auntie’s house. Auntie will cook you a specialty dish. Just wait.”

After saying that, she walked toward the kitchen.

Gu Shiqiu wanted to follow, but Dong Yao stopped her. “You’re a guest. Wait here. I’ll go to the kitchen and take a look.”

Gu Shiqiu thought about it, then nodded.

Dong Yao walked into the kitchen. Not long after, she was chased out.

Zhong Ximei drove her away irritably. “You’re just getting in the way. Go, go, go.”

Gu Shiqiu watched this scene, and Dong Yao helplessly shrugged.

From the kitchen came the sounds of vegetables being chopped and the wok being tossed. Zhong Ximei was very skilled and clearly did not need any help.

There was a sketchbook on the tabletop. Gu Shiqiu had noticed it from the moment she came in.

“Can I look at this?” Gu Shiqiu asked.

Dong Yao did not even think about it. “That’s just some stuff I drew casually. It’s very messy. If you want to look, go ahead.”

Gu Shiqiu hummed, picked up the sketchbook, and began flipping through it.

It was indeed as Dong Yao had said. The things drawn inside were very messy, mostly just rough line drafts casually sketched out.

Looking more closely, they were all food.

She really did love eating. Gu Shiqiu laughed softly.

Dong Yao sat across from her, propping her chin in her hand, a little puzzled. What was Gu Shiqiu laughing about? Were the drawings inside that funny?

Dong Yao began recalling what she had drawn in there. It seemed she had not drawn anything particularly special…

Dong Yao’s expression paused. Suddenly, she remembered something.

She shot to her feet.

Gu Shiqiu was startled by her sudden movement and looked at her in confusion.

Dong Yao’s gaze fixed firmly on the sketchbook.

Tucked into the last page of the sketchbook was a sketch of Gu Shiqiu. That drawing had originally been meant to be thrown away, but in the end, Dong Yao had picked it back up and placed it in the last page of the sketchbook.

“Um,” Dong Yao said with an unnatural expression. “This one isn’t nice. I have others in my room. I’ll go get another one for you to look at.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward and snatched the sketchbook out of Gu Shiqiu’s hands. “Don’t look at this one.”

Without waiting for Gu Shiqiu’s reaction, Dong Yao turned and walked toward her room.

After entering the room and closing the door, Dong Yao let out a long breath. Looking at the sketchbook in her hand, she thought, thank goodness. If Gu Shiqiu found out she had secretly drawn her, how embarrassing would that be?

Dong Yao hid the sketchbook under her pillow. Still feeling uneasy, she covered the pillow with the quilt.

She clearly knew that with Gu Shiqiu’s manners, Gu Shiqiu would never privately enter her room, much less rummage around. But Dong Yao still instinctively hid the thing tightly.

After that, she picked two sketchbooks from the desk. Dong Yao had filled an entire bookshelf with sketchbooks like these. She chose the two she was most satisfied with.

“Here. These two are better than the one just now,” Dong Yao said.

Gu Shiqiu took them. “The one just now was also very nice.”

Dong Yao rubbed her nose and smiled awkwardly. She had discovered that Gu Shiqiu really loved praising people very sincerely.

Gu Shiqiu flipped through the two sketchbooks Dong Yao had given her.

Dong Yao continued sitting across from her. From time to time, she flipped through her phone, and from time to time, she secretly glanced at Gu Shiqiu.

Gu Shiqiu sat perfectly upright. Every few seconds, she turned a page of the sketchbook, looking extremely serious. Every movement was dignified and proper, unlike Dong Yao, who sat crookedly.

Unconsciously, Dong Yao also straightened her posture, but after only a few seconds, she collapsed half onto the table like she had no bones.

Outside, there came the sound of light rain.

Following the sound, she looked over.

It was raining.

The rain had only just begun to fall, yet the hot air seemed to drop by a degree in an instant.

Clearly, summer was almost over, but the temperature was still refusing to come down.

Rain.

Rain!

Dong Yao suddenly remembered something and looked up at the clock. The clock ticked through its final second.

Six o’clock had arrived.

Before she could react, her head tilted, and she collapsed onto the table.

Gu Shiqiu looked at the person who had suddenly fallen onto the table and called her once, but received no response.

She moved closer and looked carefully. Dong Yao was smacking her lips.

Gu Shiqiu’s lips curved. So she had fallen asleep.

Falling asleep in a second? Her sleep quality was quite good.

Gu Shiqiu glanced at the hanging electric fan. The fan was blowing directly at Dong Yao.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shiqiu stood, walked over, and adjusted the fan to the lowest setting.

Dong Yao opened her eyes. The scene had changed, and she had arrived in that unfamiliar room again.

Or perhaps this room could no longer be called unfamiliar. After all, she had been here so many times.

Dong Yao propped herself up from the bed and patted her face, shaking off her sleepiness.

Her eyes swept around and finally landed on the phone on the bedside table. She picked it up.

Gu Shiqiu’s birthday, 0709. It unlocked easily.

Last time, she had forgotten the password to wealth. This time, no matter what, she absolutely could not forget it.

Dong Yao focused wholeheartedly on memorizing the lottery numbers. The room was completely quiet, and no one disturbed her.

Very quickly, that string of numbers was firmly imprinted in her mind.

As Dong Yao let out a breath of relief, a smile spread across her lips. She was about to rise to become a rich woman. The more she thought about it, the happier she felt.

But where had Gu Shiqiu gone? Every time she transmigrated, she would see her. Why was she not here today?

Dong Yao put down the phone and pushed open the bedroom door. On the coffee table in the living room were matching couple mugs, and on the wall hung a pair of matching dolls.

There was no one in the living room.

Dong Yao frowned, but very soon, she heard movement coming from the bathroom.

Dong Yao followed the sound and walked over.

Just as she reached the door, there was a click, and the bathroom door opened.

Mist from the bathroom came with it, carrying the rich fragrance of body wash.

Dong Yao and the person inside came face-to-face, so close they nearly bumped into each other.

Dong Yao took a step back.

Gu Shiqiu had a bath towel wrapped around her body. Her fair skin was flushed pink, and her hair was wet, dripping water. Droplets slid down her neck and disappeared into deeper places, stirring the imagination.

Dong Yao blinked. Feeling unnatural, yet pretending to be natural, she looked away.

Gu Shiqiu looked at the person in front of her and teased, “Were you peeking?”

Dong Yao quickly waved her hands. “I wasn’t!”

This was pure injustice.

Gu Shiqiu found it funny and said, “Why are you suddenly so worked up? Are you afraid I’ll peek back? Don’t worry. I won’t peek. I’ll just go in and shower with you.”

Dong Yao had still wanted to defend herself, but after hearing Gu Shiqiu say that, there seemed to be no need to argue anymore.

Gu Shiqiu rubbed her head.

Dong Yao was not used to having her head touched and wanted to dodge, but after enduring it for a moment, she did not move.

Gu Shiqiu took a towel and wiped her wet hair. She turned on the hair dryer, and the buzzing sound echoed through the bathroom.

Dong Yao stood at the bathroom doorway, staring without blinking.

It was very strange. She could not say what was strange about it, but in any case, she kept wanting to stare at Gu Shiqiu and could not look away.

When her hair was half dry, Gu Shiqiu turned off the hair dryer.

Gu Shiqiu turned back, half leaning against the sink as she looked at Dong Yao. “Haven’t you looked enough?”

Dong Yao looked away, trying to cover it up.

Gu Shiqiu said, “Come here.”

Dong Yao hesitated for a moment, then walked over, stopping half a meter away from Gu Shiqiu, not daring to get too close.

“Why are you standing so far away? Come closer,” Gu Shiqiu said.

Dong Yao moved a tiny step.

Gu Shiqiu looked at her with amusement. What was she playing at now? Had she suddenly become shy? Roleplay?

Gu Shiqiu said, “Help me take off my clothes.”

The words came so suddenly that Dong Yao froze. Then she looked at Gu Shiqiu in shock. “Why do you need me to help you take off your clothes!”