Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 46

The wet, cool sensation on her neck was like an electric current running through her limbs, causing an involuntary flutter in Xia Wanshuang’s heart.

Before she could even register what had happened, Xia Wanshuang’s hand had already pushed Zhou Qinglang away.

“Langlang?” Xia Wanshuang touched her neck, looking at Zhou Qinglang in confusion.

“I… Sister’s neck is so white, I just wanted to bite it.” Zhou Qinglang tried to gloss over the incident. She didn’t know what was wrong with her; she felt increasingly strange.

The impulse wasn’t just to lick. She wanted to pick up the soft, delicate skin with her teeth, gently grind it, and see Xia Wanshuang show an uncharacteristic expression right there.

Stop.

Zhou Qinglang halted the chaotic thoughts in her mind. Her reason told her this might be wrong, but another voice in her head urged her: What’s wrong with wanting to be close to your sister?

Xia Wanshuang found it odd, but Zhou Qinglang’s honest yet slightly bewildered expression made her feel both amused and helpless. Perhaps due to her childhood, Langlang was more lacking in love and security than usual.

As a child, she would constantly touch Xia Wanshuang, often holding her hand to sleep, which Xia Wanshuang thought was normal.

But now… Xia Wanshuang thought this might be an “upgraded” version of intimacy, just one that was too inappropriate between sisters.

The child was growing up, and this couldn’t continue. It’s a good thing they separated rooms today.

“Don’t do that again. We have class tomorrow. I’m going back to my room to sleep, and you should go to bed early too.”

Zhou Qinglang’s mind was a mess, and she felt uneasy. She watched Xia Wanshuang leave without whining or trying to be affectionate, just watching her go.

The closed door blocked Zhou Qinglang’s view. She sat on the edge of the bed, restlessly tugging at her hair. The girl’s usually clear eyes were clouded with gloom; she looked agitated.

Multiple emotions cycled through her mind: the anxiety that Xia Wanshuang might be angry with her, the frustration and confusion over her unconscious actions, and the fear that Xia Wanshuang would become distant because of this.

Even though she was mature for her age, there were many things Zhou Qinglang didn’t understand. She didn’t even understand what she had just done, and she resented the part of herself that had acted on the impulse. How could she have been so moved?

Separated by a wall, Xia Wanshuang was unaware of Zhou Qinglang’s inner struggle. In fact, once she was in her room and sitting at her computer, Xia Wanshuang had already mostly forgotten the incident.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: Er You, have you still not decided what to write for your new book?

[Editor Zhu Xue]: It’s been over a year since your last one. The market easily forgets people.

Song Zhuxue was quite frustrated. Unknowingly, Er You had been with her for almost seven years, but had only written four pieces, and aside from the power struggle novel, the others weren’t very long. As a Platinum Author—whose every book was published, one was pending film adaptation, and another was a massive TV IP—Er You was truly the most low-key writer at her level.

She didn’t allow them to publicize her real name or photo. Her column avatar was just the calligraphy for “Er You.” She never attended interviews, signing events, or even the website’s promotional activities. If they hadn’t seen Er You’s ID card and known she was a real person with a bank account for transfers, they might have thought Er You was a ghost living on the internet.

Thinking of this, Song Zhuxue was reminded of Jiang Wan. How could something so uncanny exist in the world? Same name, same surname, and even similar looks. If she hadn’t asked Sister Jiang and learned she didn’t have a twin sister, Song Zhuxue would truly believe Er You and Jiang Wan were biological sisters, and that they were both living in Tongli. Song Zhuxue had once believed they were the same person, but she had verified that they were indeed two different people.

[Er You]: Still thinking.

Since Xia Wanshuang had spare money, she wasn’t in a rush to start writing for profit. She only wrote when inspiration struck. She had focused on studying during her final year of middle school and hadn’t felt like writing, so she had put it aside.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: Okay, then be sure to communicate with me if you have any ideas.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: Oh, right, about Taoyuan Town, are you really not going to interfere?

Taoyuan Town was the crime fiction novel Xia Wanshuang wrote two years ago. The setting was a small town called Qiaoxi. The protagonist and his team of four—a forensic pathologist, two police officers, and a surgeon—agreed to vacation there after their leave. Qiaoxi Town was like the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming. It was inaccessible, pollution-free, and its residents were warm, hospitable, and honest—a peaceful utopia.

The protagonist’s group was delighted, but while taking a walk one evening, they saw a domestic dog feeding on meat.

This was ordinary, but the protagonist, a forensic pathologist, noticed something unusual about the meat.

He secretly took a piece back to examine it, confirming it was human flesh from a recently deceased body with little decay.

They inquired and were told no one had died in the village for half a month, and the person who died then was an old man. However, the protagonist deduced the muscle tissue came from a young person.

The atmosphere of the vacation immediately shattered.

The protagonist and his police companions couldn’t ignore such a thing and began a secret investigation.

Their accompanying doctor friend was hesitant, not wanting to get involved in the mysterious case.

Following the trail of the meat, the group discovered that the town was not as idyllic as it seemed on the surface.

Long-buried secrets began to emerge, and the protagonists found themselves in danger.

While the title of the novel was rather generic and didn’t immediately grab attention, Xia Wanshuang was an established author, so it naturally garnered attention.

Moreover, Xia Wanshuang hadn’t just made it up; she had read piles of books and written a detailed outline spanning tens of thousands of characters.

Consequently, the book was signed for publication before it was even finished.

A month ago, Song Zhuxue had informed her that the movie rights had been acquired and it would be adapted into a film.

The directors hoped Xia Wanshuang would attend and participate in casting as the original author.

This was a sincere gesture from the production team, but Xia Wanshuang refused.

Xia Wanshuang could not appear in public. If she did, her past would surely be exposed. Media would seize the sensational headline of “Child Genius Author,” swarming her like vultures seeking carrion, and her life would be severely disrupted.

Xia Wanshuang did not want that situation at all.

[Er You]: I will communicate some details with the director and screenwriter online. I will not be present in person.

To be honest, once the rights were sold, the author’s power to interfere was limited. Adherence to the original work was preferred, but if the investors insisted on a heavy rewrite, the author was usually powerless, unless they had leverage on set, which most authors did not.

A film’s quality doesn’t rely solely on the script. A good director can mold actors into what he wants.

As the original author, Xia Wanshuang simply hoped they would hire actors with decent skills.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: You’re really not going? You could see celebrities!

[Er You]: I don’t follow celebrities.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: Okay. Keep up the good work, Er You!

Song Zhuxue looked at Er You’s cold messages on the screen, confirming once again that this person could not be the same as her gentle Sister Jiang.

Song Zhuxue closed the chat box and happily went off to chat with Sister Jiang.

Xia Wanshuang opened a document, typed two words, realized she had no inspiration, and stopped typing.

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t blocked; she just didn’t find any subject matter particularly interesting.

She clicked around the web browser, entered a website, and browsed. She noticed that novels about transmigration and book-crossing were currently popular.

Book-crossing.

Xia Wanshuang rubbed her temple, thinking of the System currently in sleep mode in her mind. What would it be like if she wrote all of this down? It would probably be a story about crossing into a book and raising a daughter.

Xia Wanshuang sat in the large chair. She was small, nearly sinking into the leather seat. Hugging her knees, she thought about Zhou Qinglang from years ago.

When she first brought her home, the little girl was both sweet and fierce.

The fierceness was for outsiders. In the course of doing business, she inevitably encountered problems.

People would try to bully her because she was a child, and the little girl would snap back aggressively, like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on.

But in front of Xia Wanshuang, Zhou Qinglang never acted that way. In the book, Zhou Qinglang’s impression was that of a smart, sharp, calm, and collected woman, hiding a soft spot that could be touched by love.

But that was the original impression. The moment she met Zhou Qinglang, that image was replaced by the little girl she spent every day with.

A smile unconsciously played on Xia Wanshuang’s lips. She closed the computer, lay down on the bed, and habitually reached out to her side, only to find nothing.

The smile on Xia Wanshuang’s face faded. She had almost forgotten.

Just moments ago, they had separated rooms.

Even though it was her idea, Xia Wanshuang strangely felt the loneliness of an “old mother guarding an empty chamber.”

Xia Wanshuang shivered at her own thought. That was creepy.

••••

Lin Qiushui was very surprised when he found out they had separated rooms.

Of course, Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang didn’t actively tell him.

Lin Qiushui came over for dinner and saw Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang enter different rooms.

His expression was utterly shocked.

“Little Vinegar Pot, have you finally been weaned?” Lin Qiushui and the others spoke casually. Lin Qiushui often mocked Zhou Qinglang for being inseparable from Xia Wanshuang, like a child looking for milk.

“Lin Qiushui, do you have a death wish?” Zhou Qinglang clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. She gave Lin Qiushui a friendly smile that concealed a hint of angry embarrassment.

Normally, Zhou Qinglang wouldn’t react this way, as she had heard the joke before. But this time was different.

Zhou Qinglang glanced guiltily at Xia Wanshuang, then went to hit Lin Qiushui.

Last night, Zhou Qinglang had a rather strange dream. In the dream, Xia Wanshuang was looking down, exposing a fair, slender, and beautiful neck.

The scene then shifted to the day she cared for Xia Wanshuang in Haicheng, and the beauty in the hot spring approached again, undeniable in her crimson hue.

Just as she was about to embrace her, Zhou Qinglang was pushed away, coinciding with the scene in reality.

Zhou Qinglang’s mind was filled with Xia Wanshuang’s look of surprise.

The dream ended right there.

So, Lin Qiushui’s joke went straight for her nerves. She didn’t understand why her dreaming self was so strange.