I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 12

The one hidden under that headpiece was indeed Lu Baitian.

Xu Liming hadn’t recognized her at first, but when those cups of drinks were splashed onto Lin Wan and her group, she caught a glimpse of the small hair tie—a thin black cord threaded with a tiny star—out of the corner of her eye.

This hair tie was a gift from Auntie Xue, a promotional item from her own company’s independent brand; ordinary people wouldn’t have one.

Perhaps because there were already so many contradictory things about Lu Baitian, Xu Liming wasn’t that surprised to see her react this way.

Lu Baitian looked down at the crushed magnolia petals on the ground and didn’t speak. She didn’t know how to explain.

She could endure how those people bullied her, but they bullied Xu Liming.

Lu Baitian could be bullied, but Xu Liming could not.

In the end, Xu Liming couldn’t get anything out of her and had to let her go. After the delay, she didn’t have time to look for Qin Zhaohe and could only put that matter off for later.

The afternoon consisted of two consecutive English classes. Students selected their teachers through an online system, so the whole class wasn’t together; most of the students in her class were from the Playwriting major.

Xu Liming used the break to ask a few people, but none of them had heard the name “Comma,” nor did they have such a person on WeChat.

So mysterious? Xu Liming felt a bit frustrated. She opened the chat with Comma again and sent a message.

“Are you free lately? There are parts of the script I don’t quite understand; I want to chat with you.”

Predictably, there was still no reply, not even the “typing” indicator.

Perhaps because she had woken up too early that morning, Xu Liming grew sleepy early. After dinner, she climbed into bed, listening to the sound of Tao Ning and Sun Muya watching a movie as she drifted off.

In the film, Carol said: “What a strange girl you are.”

“Why?”

“Flung out of space.”

In her boundless drowsiness, Xu Liming suddenly remembered the girl under the magnolia tree that morning. Her face had been transparently white in the daylight, and her sweat was as crystalline as teardrops.

In my past life, what was Lu Baitian’s fate?

She tried to extract any trace of her from her memory, but after thinking it over, she only recalled a few scattered words she’d overheard at a graduation reunion.

It seemed she had dropped out during her junior year, though no one knew why.

What a pity, Xu Liming thought hazily.

Although Xu Liming was generally easygoing, she excelled in taking action. She soon obtained Qin Zhaohe’s class schedule from a “scalper.” As soon as the Friday dismissal bell rang, she stuffed her backpack into Tao Ning’s hands and sprinted out of the classroom.

“What is she so busy with?” Tang Qian looked back at Xu Liming’s receding figure and muttered to Lin Wan.

She hadn’t forgotten yesterday’s incident—not only had she been splashed with a drink for no reason, but she’d been mocked by Xu Liming and even lost her rehearsal space. How could she not be angry?

“Why care about her?” Lin Wan spoke indifferently, but she couldn’t help glancing toward the empty doorway.

A few gusts of wind blew through the gap in the door, impossible to catch.

“Better think about where we’re going to rehearse later.” Lin Wan packed her books with heavy movements. Without the spacious venue Xu Liming had paid for, they would have to compete with others for school classrooms.

When did everything start to change? Lin Wan gripped her backpack straps, feeling a sense of loss, yet she kept her neck held high and proud.

It was just a rehearsal space. She, Lin Wan, didn’t care.

Lin Wan would absolutely not lose to Xu Liming!

Xu Liming sneezed. She stopped, panting, at the entrance of the Arts Building and rubbed her nose.

Is someone thinking of me?

Almost all Broadcasting and Acting classes were held in this building. Many beautiful faces that one usually only saw on screen passed by her, glamorously dressed and chatting gaily.

She arrived at the perfect time—just as the junior Acting class was letting out. Just as she was preparing to intercept Qin Zhaohe at the entrance, the quiet surroundings suddenly erupted into a chorus of screams.

Xu Liming startled. Looking down, she saw a row of heads popping up from the bushes. Simultaneously, people swarmed out from behind trees, stairwells, and even from under a teacher’s car, surrounding her completely.

…Is this what fan-chasing is like? Xu Liming was speechless. She tried to squeeze out of the crowd, but the girls around her were too frantic; despite her efforts, she couldn’t move an inch.

“Make way, make way! This is a teaching area! Anyone not in class, please leave!” A security guard tried to disperse the crowd, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the screams, leaving him red-faced and frustrated.

“Classmate, are you here to see Senior Xia Qie too?” The girl in front of Xu Liming looked up. She only reached Xu Liming’s chest and was currently trying to shove her phone into Xu Liming’s palm.

“You’re tall, can you help me take a photo!”

“I’m not…” Xu Liming raised her hand to decline, but the crowd suddenly surged forward like a tidal wave, nearly crushing the breath out of her.

The girl didn’t get angry at the rejection; instead, she started chatting loudly with Xu Liming: “Classmate, how long have you been a fan of Xia Qie? Have you seen her new drama?”

“I highly recommend it. Everything is great except for that annoying second female lead!”

Before Xu Liming could respond, a lazy voice drifted from beside them: “Oh? How is she annoying?”

“Don’t you think so?” Hearing someone ask, the girl opened up even more. “Setting aside whether her acting is good or not—I went to see Xia Qie, but half the scenes are her face. If that’s not ‘adding scenes,’ what is?”

“Right? You hate her too?” Someone nearby joined the conversation. “She has quite a few scandals. For a small actress with no fame or background, how else could she get extra scenes?”

“By doing this, of course!” A male fan puffed out his chest and gave a greasy laugh.

Hearing this made Xu Liming’s blood boil, but before she could speak, that lazy voice rang out again: “Oh? You’re so well-informed, you must have been through quite a few ‘unspoken rules’ yourself, right?”

“But looking at you…” The person reached out and patted the male fan’s chest. “You’re like a little chick. Even after being ‘serviced’ a few times, you wouldn’t get a role—at most, you’d play a eunuch.”

Insulted, the male fan’s face turned the color of pig liver. He opened his mouth to curse, but when he saw the person’s face clearly, his mouth fell wide open.

“Qin, Qin Zhaohe!?” he shouted.

His shout drew many eyes. Xu Liming also turned in surprise to see the speaker.

The person was wearing a mask, and a baseball cap covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of phoenix eyes visible—the corners of her eyes were like upturned swallowtails, adorned with long lashes.

Recognized, she startled and tried to retreat, but people were already swarming toward her. Qin Zhaohe had no way out.

Finding her was easier than I thought, Xu Liming thought with a smile as she tucked her hands into her pockets.

“Xia Qie is out!” Xu Liming suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs. Instantly, the crowd forgot about Qin Zhaohe and surged toward the building entrance, making the security guard scramble for cover.

While Qin Zhaohe was still dazed, her hand was grabbed by Xu Liming, who led her against the tide and disappeared into the crowd.

Half an hour later, Qin Zhaohe sat in a rooftop restaurant in a mall near Huachuan, holding a drink and constantly sizing up the person across from her.

The hairstyle was a real test of facial structure—black hair brushed entirely back, exposing all her features. Her eyes were as dark as her hair.

Her long sleeves were made of some material that shimmered faintly. On her left wrist was an expensive watch; on her right was a plain, old wooden bracelet.

Her well-proportioned fingertips tapped on a tablet before she placed it on the table.

“Order whatever you like,” Xu Liming smiled.

Qin Zhaohe leaned forward like a cat, her exquisitely manicured hand touching the screen, then sat back lazily, looking at Xu Liming with a challenge in her eyes.

“You want me to act?” Qin Zhaohe sneered. “I have enough anti-fans to circle Huachuan ten times. Aren’t you afraid of being flamed?”

“I value acting skills more than anti-fans,” Xu Liming said. “I’ve seen your previous roles; I like them very much.”

Qin Zhaohe straightened her slender waist, her long nails sliding across the table. She looked into Xu Liming’s eyes, then looked away. “So what? What can a student production offer me?”

“Besides, I don’t want to act anymore.”

Qin Zhaohe finished speaking and stood up to leave with her bag. Xu Liming didn’t stop her but pulled a card from her pocket and placed it on the table. Qin Zhaohe paused.

“Does money count?” Xu Liming said with a grin.

Having temporarily solved one difficult problem with “money power,” Xu Liming intended to stroll back to school. However, after just a few steps, she received a call from Chen Yan. The other end was incredibly noisy, the music loud enough to make her ears ache.

“Hey, Xu Liming! There’s an event at the bar today, come for a drink!” Chen Yan had switched back to using her full name.

“Not going.” Xu Liming raised her hand to hang up.

“Wait, wait! Do you think I have nothing better to do than see you? Didn’t you say you wanted to see that part-timer? She’s helping out at the bar today!” Chen Yan shouted. “Well? Are you coming or not?”

“If you are, I’ll save you a seat. The bar is packed today!”

Part-timer? Xu Liming paused, remembering the warmth in her arms that night and the scent of clear, salty seawater.

“Okay,” she replied.

She really ought to apologize.

Nanshan Road at night was filled with the moist scent of the lake. Traffic merged into streaks of light on the wide road. Xu Liming pushed open the inconspicuous door of the pub, and the lively atmosphere immediately swallowed her.

It was indeed crowded today. Xu Liming avoided the tipsy crowd and found the seat Chen Yan had reserved for her.

“You’re here?” Chen Yan, wearing a short skirt, appeared from nowhere and placed a drink menu in front of Xu Liming. “Since you’re here, have a drink. I’ll go call that part-timer for you!”

“Anything non-alcoholic?” Xu Liming asked. After experiencing her alcohol tolerance last time, she truly didn’t dare touch the stuff again.

“Sure, I’ll get you one.” Chen Yan smiled broadly and clattered away in her high heels.

Xu Liming huddled in the corner and looked out the window. She really didn’t like this kind of bar atmosphere; the drowsy folk music from before was fine.

But today, there was a band on stage—it was too loud.

Her non-alcoholic drink was served quickly. Xu Liming took a sip; there was indeed no taste of alcohol. It was sweet and sour and tasted quite good, so she sipped it idly.

The glass was soon empty, but a strange heat unexpectedly surged into her cheeks.

This isn’t right. Xu Liming frowned. She supported her forehead, which was starting to droop, and looked at the glass.

Damn it. Didn’t I ask for non-alcoholic? Did that girl Chen Yan give me the wrong one?

She stood up to look for Chen Yan, but a wave of dizziness filled her, and her knees buckled.

It’s over, she thought.

The neon lights merged into a shimmering river. Amidst a soft gasp, she hazily fell into something soft.