Chapter 65
Xia Linxia had a strange dream.
In her dream, she went to a brothel and, amidst a group of heavily made-up women, she spotted Ji Fengxue in a corner. She was unadorned, gazing out the window.
Xia Linxia walked up behind her and tilted her head, asking what she was looking at.
Ji Fengxue turned around, a single tear glistening in the corner of her eye, so clear and lovely that Xia Linxia's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively reached out and gently wiped away the tear.
The next moment, Ji Fengxue kissed her, a soft peck on the corner of her lips.
Xia Linxia was momentarily dazed, her emotions a complex mix. But then, her rational mind told her she was likely dreaming. Since it was a dream, she figured she could tease Ji Fengxue a little.
With that thought, she embraced Ji Fengxue, lowering her gaze to her lips.
"Mwah, mwah, mwah!"
"The eighth set of broadcast calisthenics!" The alarm blared in her mind.
Xia Linxia's eyes snapped open, her breathing ragged as she sat bolt upright.
Ji Fengxue stood by the bed, arms crossed, looking at her with a mischievous glint. "What were you doing?"
Xia Linxia looked down in confusion. She was holding a pillow, and a small patch of it was damp with saliva.
Her blood rushed to her head, making her face flush crimson.
"Nothing, I just dreamed of chicken legs, hehehe," Xia Linxia lied, smacking her lips. "I wanted to eat them."
Ji Fengxue smiled helplessly and checked the time. "I'm heading to the set. Yours isn't urgent, so come over after breakfast."
"Okay."
As Xia Linxia watched Ji Fengxue pack her things and head for the door, she paused, then returned to the vanity, pulling out a lipstick and applying it. Though her face was bare, she still wanted to add a touch of color to brighten her complexion.
Ji Fengxue's movements were a blur, but Xia Linxia could see them clearly from this distance. Her lips were beautifully shaped, and the lipstick, as it spread, exuded a certain allure.
"I'm leaving," Ji Fengxue said again. Receiving no response, she turned back to look. Xia Linxia immediately burrowed under the covers, creating a small mountain. "Oh, right. The weather's getting colder, so remember to wear a jacket when you come over."
"Okay."
Ji Fengxue left the room and encountered Le Qingyi, who was waiting for the elevator. Le Qingyi glanced behind Ji Fengxue and asked, "Has Xiaxia not woken up yet?"
"No, she hasn't had much time to rest lately," Ji Fengxue said with a smile. "It's good for her to sleep in a bit."
"Senior, you're so good to Xiaxia. I'm envious," Le Qingyi said. "You two are so sweet together!"
Ji Fengxue smiled and walked out of the elevator. She suddenly turned back to Le Qingyi and asked uncertainly, "Are the videos you've been editing all about us after we got together?"
"I think so," Le Qingyi recalled, unable to remember exactly how many she had edited. She was surprised Ji Fengxue knew so clearly!
"Then would you like to edit some about us before we got together?" Ji Fengxue asked, coaxing her.
"Can I!?" Le Qingyi was excited. "I haven't edited them before because I couldn't find the right angle, and I didn't know the progression of your relationship..." She glanced at Ji Fengxue, her implication clear.
"I pursued her," Ji Fengxue said with a smile. "You can focus on that direction – how I deliberately approached her and attracted her attention."
"Okay, I understand!" Le Qingyi shed tears of excitement. To be able to ship them this much was incredible; she was getting the first-hand scoop!
"Don't worry, Senior. I'll edit them as soon as possible."
Ji Fengxue smiled. "No rush. Filming is the priority. Rest when you need to, don't overwork yourself."
Le Qingyi replied, "It's fine. Editing videos is my best way to relax. I find joy in it and forget my fatigue!"
"Pfft," Ji Fengxue chuckled, in a good mood. "If you have any problems with acting, feel free to ask me."
"Thank you, Senior."
Half an hour later, Xiang Huaimeng went to wake Xia Linxia. As soon as she opened the door, she was startled by the person standing by the window.
Wearing a matronly pajama set, her hair a mess like a bird's nest, and a dejected expression on her face, this was not the usual Xia Linxia.
"What's wrong?" Xiang Huaimeng asked.
"Huaimeng..." Xia Linxia looked at her weakly, then buried her face in the bed, mumbling, "Do you really like Ji Fengxue a lot?"
"Of course, who wouldn't like someone as beautiful and talented as her?"
"Yes, that's right. It's not surprising that Ji Fengxue is likable." Xia Linxia breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was just her own overthinking and the ridiculous dream.
With that cleared up, she quickly got up, washed, and changed. As she got into the car, Xiang Huaimeng suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" and showed her phone, saying with a hint of disdain, "A new artist has become popular recently. Marketing accounts are calling her 'Little Xia Linxia,' probably trying to ride your coattails."
Xia Linxia was unfazed. Ever since her debut, there had been constant articles like "Xia Linxia Outshines XXX" and "Xia Linxia Wears the Same Outfit as XXX," a classic tactic of subtle praise and veiled criticism.
Seeing Xia Linxia's lack of interest, Xiang Huaimeng scrolled through the information and found that the main reason was that this newcomer also had a bold style, a somewhat striking appearance, and a persona of being rich and beautiful, hence the comparison to "Little Xia Linxia."
Soon, they arrived at the film set. Xia Linxia looked around and spotted Ji Fengxue. She quickly lowered her head and walked in another direction, only to bump into someone.
Qiu Xingzhou feigned a fall. "I've broken a bone. Pay up."
Xia Linxia shot him an annoyed look. It was this scoundrel who had made her blurt out that she liked Ji Fengxue, thus giving him leverage.
She blinked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Are you still my good friend? Why haven't you let me meet your partner yet?"
"So suddenly?"
"What, is he so ugly that you're embarrassed to introduce him to your dad?"
"Get out of here. I'm afraid you'll turn straight after seeing his face," Qiu Xingzhou retorted smugly.
"I already am..." Xia Linxia stopped herself just in time. "Are you going to show me or not? If not, it's because he's ugly."
"Immature," Qiu Xingzhou said, though he was already pulling out his phone. After all, he wanted to share his partner with his friend. "Let me call him first and see if he's busy."
As soon as the call connected, Xia Linxia leaned in close to the phone. She heard a deep, magnetic voice – a true voice killer. She couldn't help but excitedly nudge Qiu Xingzhou, then said sweetly into the phone, "Brother Qiūqiū, I'm still not good at reciting the lines you taught me last night. I'm so stupid. Can I come find you again tonight?" With that, she darted away, only looking back to make a funny face at him when she was almost out of sight.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.
"Holy crap, Xia Linxia, do you want me dead?!" Qiu Xingzhou's body stiffened for a moment before he reacted. He quickly explained, "It's not what you think! She's just Xia Linxia. Yes, we filmed a kissing scene before. Yes, she's very beautiful. Brother, it's really not what you think. How could I like her? Really, I promise. She, she's just my dad!"
Qiu Xingzhou covered his face, gritting his teeth. He vowed to get revenge on Xia Linxia.
A low chuckle came from the other end, sending shivers down his spine and making his heart flutter.
Qiu Xingzhou pursed his lips and said dejectedly, "Brother, I miss you so much."
The main focus of the past two days' filming was investigating a newly discovered, unidentified corpse.
The group appeared in the morgue and listened to the coroner explain the cause of death, but there were no further clues. No one had come to claim the body, suggesting they were mostly widowers. The leads had run dry, and everyone was worried.
At this moment, Lu Wuyi's eyelids twitched. She pointed to one of the corpses' thighs and said, "I know him. He's the innkeeper."
"Are you sure?" Lu Ke asked.
"Yes, he was one of my regular customers. He had a scar like that on his leg. I remember it clearly; it was so ugly."
Everyone else: "..."
With this clue, Magistrate Lu immediately summoned a waiter from the inn to identify the body, and indeed, it was him. Subsequently, the other bodies were also identified, all of whom had had contact with the innkeeper.
After an investigation, Cheng Youwei discovered that these people all had a similar scar on different parts of their bodies. The scars were blurry and ugly, as if deliberately disfigured. However, one corpse still had traces of the scar before it was damaged, revealing it was originally a plum blossom brand.
And the imperial concubine also had a plum blossom brand on her body after her death.
It seemed they were all done by the same group.
"I've heard of this plum blossom brand," Lu Wuyi said timidly.
"What do you know? Tell us quickly," Lu Ke urged.
"If I tell you, will I be the one who dies tonight?" She shrunk her neck.
"No, we'll be with you tonight. Nothing will happen to you," Lu Ke said, grabbing her hand. "Go on."
"Not long ago, a customer had a plum blossom dart on him. I thought it was a bit scary, so he said it was a token of his return home. I asked him where he was going, and he said back to the valley, near Wuyi Town. It seemed to be called something like Wu..."
"Wugui Valley," Cheng Youwei interjected.
"Yes, that's the name. But it sounded like a poor place, so I didn't go with him," Lu Wuyi said, then hid behind Lu Ke, clutching her sleeve tightly, as if afraid of repercussions.
Wugui Valley. Lu Ke and Cheng Youwei had both heard of it. It was a notorious cult in the martial arts world, composed of vicious criminals who were ruthless killers. However, the cult had almost disappeared over a decade ago. Why had it suddenly resurfaced?
After wrapping up, Xia Linxia walked into the makeup room and saw Ji Fengxue and Le Qingyi there. Just as she was about to find an excuse to go to the restroom, Le Qingyi called out to her.
"Xiaxia, shall we go back to the hotel together?"
"Oh, okay." She awkwardly walked in to take off her coat.
At that moment, Qiu Xingzhou swaggered in, casually shaking his hair. He carried a small pink gift bag and walked towards Ji Fengxue. "Teacher Ji, thank you for taking care of me during this time. Here's a small gift for you."
Ji Fengxue smiled. "Thank you, I won't be polite then."
As Qiu Xingzhou passed Xia Linxia, he gave her a provocative glance.
Xia Linxia had a bad feeling about this and immediately snatched the bag from his hand. It was effortless, as if he had intentionally let her grab it.
She opened the bag and took out the gift. It was a small, square box. After examining it for a few seconds, she saw the words "Intimate" and "Finger Cots" and her mind exploded with fireworks. Trembling, she dropped the item on the floor.
"Qiu! Xing! Zhou!"
Qiu Xingzhou took off running.
"You wait for me, Qiu Xingzhou, I swear!" Xia Linxia chased after him, wearing only her white inner garment, chasing him through the entire crew, much to the amusement of the staff.
Le Qingyi glanced down at the box on the floor, her face blushing slightly. She tiptoed towards the door, only to see Ji Fengxue bending down to pick it up and calmly put it back in the bag.
"Senior?"
"Yes?" Ji Fengxue picked up the bag and looked at Le Qingyi with a composed expression, smiling sweetly. "Since it's a token of his affection, of course, I must accept it."
Le Qingyi: Teacher Ji is amazing! Summer CP, I'm going to ship you even harder!
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