I Heard I’m the Scumbag Alpha of a Top-Tier Leading Actress? - Chapter 22

Thanks to Gu Xin’s excellent memory, in her eyes, every person’s features were distinct. There had never been such a thing as one person looking like another.

But Ying Lu’s expression, that look on her face…

Gu Xin covered her forehead and said, “Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”

Ying Lu said, “I haven’t even said who yet.”

“You can tell by process of elimination.” Gu Xin did not have time to count off the reasons one by one with Ying Lu. Between laughter and tears, she said, “How could you think the two of them look alike?”

“Please. Anyone with eyes can see it, okay?”

“I can’t.”

“I don’t believe you.” Ying Lu immediately grabbed the doctoral student. “You say it. Do you think your team leader looks like the prettiest woman you just saw?”

The doctoral student scratched her head and said, “Are you talking about Yan Shuangshuang…”

Gu Xin and Ying Lu froze in unison. Gu Xin’s brows tightened, and she looked at Ying Lu. “Don’t randomly say things you shouldn’t.”

Ying Lu waved her hand grandly, signaling for Gu Xin not to speak first. She restrained the careless smile on her face and asked, half sincerely and half jokingly, “I thought you scientific researchers didn’t pay attention to the entertainment industry. I didn’t expect you to know Yan Shuangshuang, little sister.”

The doctoral student showed a shy smile. “Mm. Actually, my brother is her fan… I also watched a little with him.”

“Oh~ So that’s how it is.”

“Actually, on the first day I entered the institute, I felt that Team Leader and Sister Shuang looked very alike. But no one else knew Sister Shuang, so I could only, cough.”

Only now did Gu Xin begin comparing Yan Shuangshuang and Hua Ran’s facial features. But no matter how she looked, she could not find where they resembled each other. Could she be face-blind?

Ying Lu said, “That’s quite fated. Do you want Shuangshuang’s autograph?”

“Ah?”

“Keep today’s matter confidential, and I’ll have Shuangshuang sign something for you. How about it?”

“No, no, no need!” The doctoral student’s face flushed red with anxiety, and she waved her hands repeatedly. “I know Sister Shuang must be here for work. Everyone signed confidentiality agreements. I won’t go out and talk nonsense.”

Ying Lu said, “Aiya, that’s not what I mean. I’m just asking whether you want an autograph. If you don’t need it, you can bring it to your brother.”

The doctoral student’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Of course. I’ll tell Shuangshuang later.”

“Thank you, Director!”

Ying Lu smiled, wrapped an arm around the doctoral student’s shoulder, and brought her to the cloakroom. “Look at you, soaked from head to toe. It must feel awful, right? Come, we have plenty of clothes here. Come pick a couple.”

Gu Xin was left in the living room, unable to hear what was happening inside.

Inside the cloakroom, Ying Lu picked clothes for the doctoral student while casually asking, “Little sister, is Teacher Gu very close with your team leader?”

After Hua Ran finished checking every instrument in the case one by one, she let out a huge breath of relief.

Good. Not a single one was broken. Even if some water had gotten in, there was a protective layer, and the core components had not been affected.

Suddenly, someone handed over a tissue beside her. Hua Ran followed the hand upward and saw a woman with a distinctive charm.

“Wipe yourself.” The low, husky voice was like an undercurrent in a deep pool, carrying a profound sense of mystery that suited that frosty face very well.

Only then did Hua Ran realize that at some point, her forehead had become covered in sweat.

She accepted the tissue and thanked her politely. “Sorry for the trouble.”

As she wiped her sweat, Yan Shuangshuang said, “Are the items all right?”

“They are.” Hua Ran could not help relaxing. “Fortunately, you came in time. If they had soaked a little longer, this whole case of instruments would’ve been scrapped.”

“That’s good.”

Hua Ran discovered that the woman in front of her was not only cold in appearance, but also spoke very little. Most importantly, she did not waste words.

Hua Ran, who had long lived amid endless nonsense, inevitably felt a trace of goodwill rise in her heart. She said, “Next, we’ll be staying at the meteorological research station on the mountaintop. If anything comes up, you can come to us for help at any time. Thank you very much for your help. As for lodging fees, miscellaneous expenses, and so on, I’ll report them to my superiors and compensate your losses.”

Yan Shuangshuang shook her head faintly. “It’s nothing.” After a pause, Yan Shuangshuang asked again, “You’ll be staying on the mountaintop after this?”

“Mm. There’s a project here.”

“The conditions on the mountaintop aren’t very good.”

“I’m used to it. For people who do meteorology, getting into places like this is very normal.”

“That must be hard.”

After they finished speaking, the two fell silent for a while.

For some reason, Hua Ran felt a little awkward. The atmosphere was subtle.

Just then, He Xin suddenly came in and broke the silence. “You’re their leader?”

Hua Ran stood. “I’m the person in charge of this project.”

“Then it’s you. The village cadres outside are looking for you.”

Hua Ran immediately put on her usual social mask and went out to socialize.

In work settings, Hua Ran could also be considered an old fox. After all, asking leaders for funding required some thought and technique. Now, dealing with the village cadres who had come over to express concern was also well within her ability.

Only after Hua Ran left did He Xin say to Yan Shuangshuang, “She’s so impressive.”

“Yeah.”

He Xin said, “Just now, when the two of you turned around together, I felt like you two really looked alike. But once she opened her mouth, I felt like you didn’t anymore.”

Yan Shuangshuang was momentarily stunned. “We… look alike?”

He Xin made a thoughtful sound. “In terms of appearance, there is a bit of resemblance. But mainly, both your looks and temperaments seem so cool and cold, with a lot of presence.”

Yan Shuangshuang stood where she was, her expression difficult to read. He Xin strangely waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

Yan Shuangshuang suddenly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the corners of her lips curved slightly, but no matter how one looked, there was no smile in her eyes.

She said, “It’s nothing. It’s time to eat. Let’s go.”

He Xin chased after her, still worried. “If I said something wrong, you have to remind me. You can’t give me the cold-violence treatment.”

“I’m not angry at you. I just suddenly figured something out.”

“What did you figure out? Can I know?”

Yan Shuangshuang smiled and passed over the topic. They went to the kitchen, and soon, He Xin forgot this small interlude and focused on cooking.

It was almost dinnertime when Gu Xin finally slowly woke up.

The moment she opened her eyes, the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes hooked out her cravings. She sprang up from the sofa like a carp and asked Ying Lu, who was sitting on a stool looking at the stars, “Where did the roasted sweet potatoes come from?”

Ying Lu took a bite and said, “A local gave them to us. If you want one, take it yourself.”

Gu Xin looked left and right, found a basket full of roasted sweet potatoes beside Ying Lu’s stool, picked one up, and started eating.

Ying Lu laughed and cursed at her. “Were you reincarnated from a starving ghost?”

Gu Xin said indistinctly, “I haven’t had a single bite of food since morning.”

Ying Lu sighed. “Your line of work isn’t easy either.”

“No choice. I chose this path myself. I can’t just drop everything and quit, right?”

“Yo, you can say things like that too.”

Gu Xin paused in her bitter eating. She looked up at Ying Lu. “Why do I feel like there’s sarcasm in that?”

“I don’t mean that.” After Ying Lu finished one sweet potato, she wiped her mouth with a tissue and slowly said, “I just feel that you’re rather different from the rumors.”

The frequency with which Gu Xin ate the sweet potato slowed.

Ying Lu said, “It’s quite strange. Can a person’s personality change this much in such a short period of time? And this kind of change has even happened twice.”

“What do you mean?” Gu Xin stopped eating completely. She looked straight at Ying Lu, her eyes seeming to hold blades.

Ignoring the suddenly heavy pressure, Ying Lu lifted her stool and moved closer to Gu Xin. Lowering her voice, she said mysteriously, “I have a thought. Why don’t you listen?”