Foreseeing the Future: The Scheming Movie Queen Married Me - Chapter 2

This is a bit too much of a ‘model student’ behavior; even her dreams are this conservative, Dong Yao couldn’t help but complain to herself.

She tried to get out of bed, propping herself up with her hands. Her waist gave out, and she tumbled back down.

She tried a second time, only to collapse again.

She couldn’t get up. Her waist hurt too much…

Wait, something wasn’t right.

Aren’t you supposed to be unable to feel pain in dreams? Why does my waist actually hurt??

Before she could figure it out, the door pushed open with a soft creak.

The woman at the door had her long black hair draped over her shoulders. She was wearing only a white shirt, the collar slightly open, her long legs partially visible—a vision of “now you see it, now you don’t.”

Dong Yao’s gaze stuck to her, momentarily unable to look away.

“Why are you still in bed? I’ve already heated the milk,” Gu Shiqiu pouted slightly. “If you don’t get up soon, I’m going to be cross with you.”

Dong Yao’s expression was blank. What is going on? This dream is way too realistic.

Dong Yao: “Gu Shiqiu?”

Gu Shiqiu hummed. “Still not awake yet?”

Dong Yao’s brain whirled at high speed, only to successfully turn into a pile of mush.

Did I watch so much TV that I traveled into the show? No way, right?

Impossible, impossible. Dong Yao shook her head, feeling the absurdity of the thought.

Gu Shiqiu’s beautiful brows furrowed. She walked over quickly and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to check Dong Yao’s forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” she asked worriedly.

The hand on her forehead was slightly cool. Dong Yao instinctively flinched away.

Gu Shiqiu’s hand met empty air. She froze for a second, then withdrew her hand. “If you aren’t sick, then you must be angry. I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have been so rough last night. Come on, don’t be mad. I promise I’ll stop the moment you cry next time. I swear, okay?”

Dong Yao was completely bewildered. What is she talking about?

At that moment, a low calling sound echoed in her ear: “Xiao Yao, Xiao Yao, Xiao Yao…”

The voice moved from distant to near, growing clearer with every repetition. Conversely, the clearer the voice became, the more blurred the Gu Shiqiu sitting beside her grew.

Until Gu Shiqiu vanished entirely, replaced by the familiar small noodle shop.

The old electric fan was still whirring. A commercial was playing on the TV. The rain outside had stopped.

“Xiao Yao, come over and serve the dishes,” Zhong Ximei called from the kitchen.

Dong Yao sat up straight and shook her head to clear the sleepiness. “Coming!”

In addition to the beef stew, Zhong Ximei had fried two other dishes. There were only two of them, so they couldn’t eat much; a soup and some home-style side dishes were plenty.

Dong Yao looked at the spread on the table and took a deep breath. “All my favorites!”

Zhong Ximei: “You don’t act like a lady at all. Don’t be like this when you move in with your in-laws later.”

Dong Yao stuck her tongue out. “I’m not getting married. I’ve resolved to be an old maid and stay home every day just to bother you.”

Zhong Ximei reached out to smack her head, but Dong Yao dodged nimbly, swaying back and forth with a smug grin.

Zhong Ximei: “Sit properly. Have some manners. Eat.”

Dong Yao straightened up and gave a mock, non-standard salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Zhong Ximei wanted to be angry, but—unsurprisingly—she was amused by her daughter’s antics.

Dong Yao glanced at the TV. The commercials had ended, and the second episode of the drama was starting. She stared at Gu Shiqiu on the screen, lost in thought.

Did I just sleep through an entire episode? That dream was so real… it’s actually a bit scary. If it had lasted a little longer, I would have started thinking it wasn’t a dream at all.

Thank goodness it was just a dream.

Dong Yao felt a bit relieved. If she really had traveled into the show, she’d be doomed. Only one episode had aired; she didn’t know the plot at all!

“Eat properly. You can watch TV after you’re done,” Zhong Ximei scolded with a stern face.

Dong Yao pulled her thoughts back. “Mom, if you’re this mean, watch out for my rebellious phase.”

“You’re twenty-three or twenty-four, what rebellious phase?” Zhong Ximei’s voice was full of disdain, yet her chopsticks placed the largest piece of meat into Dong Yao’s bowl.

Dong Yao tilted her chin up. “Mom, is that actress on TV pretty?”

Zhong Ximei looked sideways at the screen and nodded. “She is. Very handsome/striking.”

Dong Yao raised an eyebrow and asked confidently, “Is she prettier, or is your precious daughter prettier?”

Zhong Ximei looked at the person on TV: clean-featured, gentle eyes, beautiful but not aggressive—the kind of face everyone from children to the elderly would like.

After looking at the TV, Zhong Ximei looked at the person in front of her: simple ponytail, loose T-shirt, no makeup, fresh and clean like a high school student still in school, with a very youthful face.

“Of course she is prettier,” Zhong Ximei answered without a moment’s hesitation.

Dong Yao: “What?! I’m your daughter!”

Zhong Ximei picked up the remote and turned off the TV. “That’s no reason for you to overestimate yourself.”

Dong Yao pouted. “I’m unhappy now.”

Zhong Ximei: “Fine, you’re pretty, you’re pretty. Good grief, every single day with this…”

The noodle shop had to open early in the morning, so the ingredients for the next day had to be prepared the night before. The mother and daughter worked together and weren’t able to rest until after 10:00 PM.

By the time she finished washing up, it was 11:00 PM. Dong Yao didn’t lie down; instead, she sat at her desk and opened her computer to edit a video she hadn’t finished.

This was also part of her work.

She painted almost every day, mostly as a hobby, but she had created an account where she uploaded painting-related videos every so often. She didn’t show her face, and her followers weren’t numerous, but because the videos were high-quality and heartfelt, the traffic was good. She occasionally took on sponsorships, and her income from it was decent.

Once the video was finished, she stretched and yawned. It was already midnight.

Before sleeping, Dong Yao recalled the dream she had in the evening. It was hazy, and she didn’t remember most of the details, except for Gu Shiqiu’s line: “I promise I’ll stop the moment you cry next time.”

Dong Yao opened her eyes, her sleepiness half-gone and her head full of question marks. What on earth does that dream mean?

If you call it a wet dream, it faded to black. If you say it isn’t one, it’s weird as hell. And the partner was a woman!

Is it because I’ve been under too much pressure lately?

Whatever, forget it. Sleep, sleep. Dong Yao closed her eyes again, forcing herself to stop overthinking.

She had a dreamless night.

She woke up at 4:30 AM to prepare for opening. Although Fuqian Town was underdeveloped and sparsely populated, there was only one noodle shop in the whole town. Naturally, business was good. When they got busy, both of them would be running around in circles.

The small shop didn’t make a fortune, but it was more than enough to support a family.

“One bowl of pulled noodles!” an uncle shouted toward the kitchen.

Dong Yao replied, “Undercooked, no spice, no cilantro, right?”

The uncle gave a hearty laugh. “Yes, yes, yes. Same as always. I just love that half-raw taste.”

An auntie nearby laughed. “I say, Li Da, isn’t it uncomfortable eating undercooked noodles? No cilantro and no chili—how do you even eat that?”

Li Da looked at the peeled cloves of raw garlic on the auntie’s table. “Isn’t that stuff spicy? And you’re popping them one by one.”

“You just don’t know how to enjoy yourself. Eating noodles without garlic means you’re missing half the flavor.”

The morning noodle shop was especially lively. A room full of acquaintances sitting together chatting about daily life; a meal could easily last over half an hour.

Li Da patted his belly. “I’m full. I’m off.”

Dong Yao poked her head out the window. “Bye, Uncle Li!”

They were busy until 11:00 AM before the shop finally cleared out. Dong Yao stretched her arms and leaned against the stove, exhausted.

“Tired?” Zhong Ximei asked.

Dong Yao nodded. “So tired. I better get something delicious today, or this manual laborer is going on strike.”

Zhong Ximei: “If you’re tired, why don’t you leave? Are big cities no good? You insist on staying here as a laborer in this little noodle shop with your mom.”

“Mom, why are you bringing that up again? I’m just a mama’s girl; I’m not leaving.”

Zhong Ximei chuckled. “Don’t say that outside. ‘Mama’s girls’ and ‘mama’s boys’ aren’t exactly popular. If you really end up unable to get married, I’ll worry all my hair off.”

“I’m still so young, why is every other sentence a nag about marriage?”

“Fine, we’re mostly done here anyway. I’ll wash the remaining bowls. Go and rest.”

She took a nap at noon, but by the time evening rolled around, she was yawning again. She was actually sleepy once more.

Dong Yao turned on the TV, planning to watch something to wake herself up. As she did, she glanced at the clock—it was nearly 6:00 PM.

Patter. It was the sound of raindrops hitting the eaves.

Dong Yao looked outside. It had been raining a lot lately, but the temperature hadn’t dropped at all. The humidity was stifling.

She clicked through the channels with the remote. There was nothing good on. Finally, she flipped back to the original channel and saw the preview sidebar: the drama starring Gu Shiqiu was about to air.

She had technically watched two episodes yesterday—well, one was spent sleeping and one was spent eating—but she’d “watched” them nonetheless. She might as well keep going today.

She put down the remote and let her mind go blank, waiting for the commercials to end.

The commercials are so long… so sleepy…

The clock turned to 6:00 PM. The sound of rain grew louder. The drama began on time.

And once again, Dong Yao drifted off to sleep.

“Is the movie that boring? You actually fell asleep.” In her daze, she seemed to hear that soft female voice again.

I’m dreaming of her again?

Dong Yao half-squinted her eyes and lifted her head slightly. The first thing she saw was a smooth jawline and a snow-white neck.

She was leaning against Gu Shiqiu’s shoulder. Lifting her head just a bit brought her into extremely close proximity. She could see skin as smooth as a porcelain doll and fluttering eyelashes.

Eyelashes this long… they don’t look like fakes. But do lashes this long without mascara really exist?

Muddled and not quite lucid, Dong Yao reached out to pinch those long eyelashes.

Her finger brushed against the eye, and Gu Shiqiu instinctively closed it.

Dong Yao marveled. Truly, eyelashes this long are actually real!

Gu Shiqiu grabbed her hand and chuckled. “Poking my eye like that… what if you poke me blind?”

Dong Yao froze. Her laughter was so pleasant. However… her hand was too cold.

“Why is your hand so icy?” Dong Yao asked.

Gu Shiqiu pinched her nose. “That’s why I need you, my little heater.”

Gu Shiqiu had icy hands and feet all year round, while Dong Yao was like a furnace through all four seasons.

“Why do I always dream of you?” Dong Yao asked again.

Gu Shiqiu’s smile deepened. “Why are you always so dazed when you wake up lately?”

Gu Shiqiu leaned in, closing the already tiny gap until they were inches apart.

Nose to nose, forehead to forehead. Her breath hit Dong Yao’s face.

Dong Yao swallowed. Her heart skipped a beat involuntarily.

The atmosphere grew inexplicably tense.

Gu Shiqiu kissed her earlobe, her tongue lightly brushing against it. The kisses moved from earlobe to forehead, then to the tip of her nose, and finally to her lips.

As the thin lips pressed against hers, Dong Yao felt something was wrong, yet she instinctively closed her eyes.

Her heartbeat was a chaotic mess.

Her mind was a fog, and her body turned to water because of the kiss.

Gu Shiqiu skillfully began unbuttoning her clothes.

Dong Yao watched her movements blankly, her mind exploding with a boom.

The author has something to say:

Dong Yao: What’s with this person? We aren’t even well-acquainted, yet she’s getting all handsy!!!