After Saving the White Moonlight, the Black Moonlight Went Crazy - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Overlapping Lipstick Marks

◎Love coiled around the ring finger◎

As Yan Sui asked that question, she also saw the person standing at the door.

She suppressed the urge to take a step back, her hand clutching the coat trembling slightly, but her expression remained natural.

“Miss Lu?”

Yan Sui looked genuinely surprised.

Jian Liyun glanced back at Yan Sui. Well, Yan Sui really isn’t suited to be an actress. She’s clearly uncomfortable but still forcing herself to be strong. I saw right through it.

Lu Shutian also saw right through it.

Her smile remained sweet as she took the gold-rimmed glasses from the fruit basket. “Jiejie, you left your glasses at my place yesterday.”

Yan Sui walked toward the two people standing at the door.

The closer she got, the faster her heart pounded.

The shadow Lu Shutian cast on her was heavier than she had imagined. Although Yan Sui felt that she shouldn’t be afraid of this person, her body’s instinctive reaction still made her feel uneasy.

The more uncomfortable she felt, the calmer Yan Sui’s expression became, until even Jian Liyun couldn’t tell if Yan Sui was genuinely not afraid anymore.

She first took out a coat and gestured for Jian Liyun to take one.

Jian Liyun casually picked one, and Yan Sui put on the other one herself.

Facing the female lead, Yan Sui felt that wearing more clothes would help her stand her ground.

The corner of Jian Liyun’s mouth rose a little, imperceptibly. Her tone was nonchalant. “My clothes might be a little big on you. If you like it, I’ll go buy you a smaller size later.”

Lu Shutian’s expression didn’t change. She even nodded along. “If Jiejie is afraid of the cold, I have a cashmere blanket at my place. Should I bring it over later?”

Yan Sui wouldn’t dare to take anything from Lu Shutian. It would be a blessing if Lu Shutian didn’t lay a hand on her.

She smiled and took the glasses from Lu Shutian’s hand. “I forgot my glasses yesterday. Thank you for bringing them over.”

Lu Shutian waved her hand. “Don’t thank me for something like this. After all, we’re neighbors now.”

“Neighbors?” Yan Sui asked in confusion.

Jian Liyun explained, “She moved into the apartment across the hall from ours.”

Yan Sui suppressed the urge for her mouth to twitch. This female lead is too much…

[Host, why do I feel like this female lead is a little like a persistent ghost… no, what I mean is that the female lead is a little clingy.]

The system, in a high-EQ way, perfectly expressed what Yan Sui was thinking.

Yan Sui, who had originally planned to go home by herself today, gave up that idea.

Yesterday, Yan Sui had gone to Lu Shutian’s large apartment in the city center. That apartment building was already the best and most expensive in the area.

Although the neighborhood Jian Liyun was living in now was also a high-end one, it was still inferior to Lu Shutian’s place.

There was no reason for Lu Shutian to suddenly move to a worse place.

So, for the female lead to move across the hall from the supporting female lead, wasn’t that obviously a way to continue looking for opportunities to hurt the supporting female lead?

How could Yan Sui go home under these circumstances?

Of course she couldn’t.

After Jian Liyun finished her explanation, Lu Shutian also extended a warm invitation. “There’s no time like the present. Jiejie, Senior Jian, why don’t you come to my place for lunch?”

Yan Sui really wanted to let out an inappropriately loud sigh.

Why does this Lu Shutian have to be so persistent with her and Jian Liyun?

But she still had to maintain appearances. Yan Sui smiled and said, “Miss Lu, as new neighbors, we haven’t even given you a housewarming gift, and you’ve already given us a gift. How can we possibly impose on you?”

While Yan Sui was playing tai chi with Lu Shutian, she didn’t notice that Jian Liyun behind her was struggling to suppress her smile.

Jian Liyun thought to herself, She didn’t deny that I said ‘our home,’ and she even said ‘we.’

And Yan Sui, who had just spoken, was waiting for Jian Liyun to cooperate with her performance. After a long wait with no response, she turned around in confusion and saw Jian Liyun, who was smiling triumphantly.

Yan Sui: ?

Jian Liyun finally came to her senses. She stumbled over her words for once. “Hmm, Suisui is right.”

Lu Shutian directly shoved the fruit basket into Yan Sui’s arms. “Oh, Jiejie, don’t be so polite with me. See you at noon. I’m right across the hall. Just knock on the door.”

Before Yan Sui could even say a word of refusal, Lu Shutian slammed the door shut.

On the other side.

Back in her new home, Lu Shutian’s smile instantly vanished. She dialed a number with a blank expression.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Lu Shutian’s voice was calm. “Jin Lan, hello, this is Lu Shutian.”

Jin Lan frowned, then remembered that Lu Shutian might also be participating in that all-female romance show.

Could the production team have found her ex-girlfriend?

“Hello, may I ask why you’re suddenly contacting me?” Jin Lan asked tentatively.

Lu Shutian, however, was very direct. “Let’s make a deal. I can get Tian Yufu to participate in the show and meet you, and you’ll agree to one of my requests.”

Tian Yufu was her ex-girlfriend, who had suddenly broken up with Jin Lan out of the blue.

Jin Lan’s heart tightened. “…Okay.”

Lu Shutian gave a hollow laugh. “Good. I like dealing with straightforward people. Did you tell Yan Sui and the others that if you could meet your ex-girlfriend, you would agree to cooperate with Jian Liyun?”

“Yes.”

Lu Shutian paused. “Our deal should not be known by a third person. When you’re ready to start filming, you can still cooperate with Jian Liyun, but I have one request.”

“What is it?”

Lu Shutian flexed her left wrist. “Add a person to the crew. Don’t worry, that person won’t be a main character. If you’re worried about the budget, I’ll invest.”

Jin Lan really didn’t like this kind of forced addition of a person—

But compared to the chance to meet her ex-girlfriend, let alone forcing a person in or investing in the crew, Jin Lan would be willing to star in a terrible movie that no one had ever made before.

Jin Lan didn’t hesitate and agreed.

Lu Shutian gave a few more instructions. She hung up the phone and walked toward the kitchen.

As she walked, she composed a text message and sent it to an unknown number.

In the kitchen were all sorts of ingredients that had just been delivered. Lu Shutian hummed her soon-to-be-released new song and began to prepare a meal.

…

Compared to Lu Shutian’s easygoing demeanor, the atmosphere with Yan Sui was a little tense.

She paced in the living room wearing Jian Liyun’s coat, a look of anxiety on her face.

Jian Liyun was much more at ease. She took the fruit basket to the coffee table and carefully examined it. “The fruits she sent all look good. They probably weren’t cheap.”

“What time is it, and you’re still talking about fruit?” Yan Sui frowned. Then, as if she remembered something, she made a shushing gesture to Jian Liyun.

Jian Liyun was confused but obediently complied.

Yan Sui’s footsteps became lighter. She quietly came to the fruit basket and took out the fruits one by one.

Good. There are no false bottoms in the basket, no hidden recording pens, and no cameras.

But what about a pinhole camera?

Yan Sui didn’t know much about that. She could only place her hope in Jian Liyun.

She first made a gesture of manually taking a picture at Jian Liyun, then mouthed the words.

“Be careful of pinhole cameras.”

Jian Liyun picked up the fruit basket and carefully inspected it—

No abnormalities.

Only then did Yan Sui let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, Liyun. It’s mainly because when she saw you and He Chenyu last night, it was clearly not our place. So I’m guessing it was He Chenyu’s place. But she actually secretly installed a camera at He Chenyu’s house.”

“So the more I thought about it just now, the more I felt something was wrong. To be safe, it’s better for us to carefully check the things she sent.”

Yan Sui’s mouth was dry after she finished explaining. She was about to pick up the glass on the coffee table when a hand grabbed her wrist. “Drink warm water.”

Jian Liyun handed her her own insulated water bottle.

Yan Sui hesitated. “It’s fine. Besides, this is your water bottle.”

“Are you disgusted by me?” Jian Liyun asked softly.

It’s not like you haven’t drunk from it before.

Yan Sui shook her head like a rattle, unscrewed the cap, and took several large gulps.

Jian Liyun finally nodded in satisfaction. “Being careful is the right thing to do, but don’t be too jumpy. I’m here. Don’t be nervous.”

“She wanted to kill you and He Chenyu! How can I not be nervous?”

Yan Sui sighed. “So, why did you go to see He Chenyu yesterday—”

“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to,” she made sure to add.

Jian Liyun took the water bottle from Yan Sui’s hand and drank a few more sips herself.

Yan Sui stammered. “Liyun, you, the place you just drank from is where I…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

It’s a good thing neither of them had any makeup on right now, otherwise, their lipstick marks would have completely overlapped.

Yan Sui had thought that someone with Jian Liyun’s personality would have a cleanliness fetish.

Jian Liyun raised an eyebrow. “This is my water bottle. I’m thirsty. Are you not going to let me drink from it?”

Yan Sui had no words, but then she thought that maybe she was just being too sensitive.

She waved her hand. “It’s nothing. Go on.”

Seeing that she had teased Yan Sui enough, Jian Liyun finally stopped smiling.

“In my public information online, there’s nothing about my childhood. I’ve also never revealed it to anyone publicly.”

Yan Sui nodded. She knew that.

In the original novel, most of the writing about Jian Liyun was about how she tried to please the male lead—

The rest of the description was about how outstanding her professional abilities were.

But there was no mention of her background.

After all, in the setting of a romance novel, what the supporting female character is like doesn’t matter. Her existence is only to highlight how sweet the love of the two protagonists is.

So, Jian Liyun’s background was indeed an unsolved mystery.

Jian Liyun first placed the insulated water bottle on the coffee table. Then she sat back on the sofa in a relaxed posture and patted the spot next to her. “Let’s talk while sitting down.”

Yan Sui sat down beside her.

Jian Liyun chuckled. “Why are you sitting so straight? It’s not like we’re students in class.”

Yan Sui, however, shook her head. “Because I feel like what you’re about to say is going to be serious, so it’s better to listen attentively.”

Seeing that Yan Sui was unmoved, Jian Liyun simply leaned back and lay down on the sofa. She rested her head on Yan Sui’s lap, her thick, seaweed-like black hair fanning out over her shoulders, her arms, and Yan Sui’s legs.

Jian Liyun had completely shed her usual coldness and assertiveness. She half-closed her eyes, and there was a vulnerability in them that Yan Sui couldn’t understand.

Yan Sui was speechless. What was Jian Liyun doing?

She was closing her eyes before she even started talking. Was she tired from not getting enough sleep last night?

Jian Liyun had already laid down, but she spoke as if she hadn’t yet. “Lying on you, Suisui. You don’t mind, do you?”

Yan Sui pursed her lips and carefully pushed away the strands of hair from Jian Liyun’s face. “I don’t mind.”

The side profile of the beauty was now fully revealed. She had flawless, pale skin, a high nose bridge, and although the corners of her eyes turned up slightly, they still held an undeniable coolness.

This face of Jian Liyun’s really was…

Perfect from every angle.

As Yan Sui was marveling at Jian Liyun’s stunning beauty, the cool beauty suddenly spoke.

“I grew up in an orphanage.”

“Hmm… Hmm?!”

Yan Sui’s eyes widened. The supporting female lead grew up in an orphanage?

Her body stiffened, then she realized it made a lot of sense.

After all, both protagonists came from distinguished backgrounds, but when the supporting female lead’s career took a nosedive in the later part of the story, her family never appeared.

Jian Liyun took Yan Sui’s hand and began to wrap a small strand of her hair around Yan Sui’s ring finger.

Jian Liyun admired her handiwork. “Everyone at the orphanage…” she thought for a few seconds before saying softly, “was okay to me.”

“But later, the orphanage faced an unprecedented crisis. The building mysteriously collapsed, the head of the orphanage got a serious illness, the children couldn’t afford to go to school, and there was no money for food or even a place to live.”

“That’s when He Chenyu appeared.”

Yan Sui’s expression turned serious. It seems the supporting female lead and the male lead had a redemption story arc.

Jian Liyun paused. She changed her position, curling up slightly, and her gaze shifted to the side.

“He said he could help me solve these problems.”

Yan Sui said softly, “So that’s how you two met?”

Jian Liyun hummed. Her eyes were already closed, but she knew without looking how cautious Yan Sui’s expression was right now.

“You must think,” Jian Liyun’s voice was calm, “that because he helped me in my time of need, I fell in love with him?”

Yan Sui cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t say love, but you would at least have a good impression of someone who reached out to help you in a moment of crisis…”

Right?

“He did help me solve the predicament I was in at the time,” Jian Liyun interrupted. “But he also had a request for me.”

“Suisui, it wasn’t help. It was a transaction.”

Yan Sui looked at her ring finger, which was now wrapped in black hair. She unwound the strand. “A transaction? What kind of transaction did you make?”

Jian Liyun noticed Yan Sui’s movement and opened her eyes, looking a little unhappy.

The cool beauty, with a cold expression, re-wrapped the hair around Yan Sui’s ring finger.

Yan Sui was confused, but Yan Sui respected it.

After the hair was re-wrapped, Jian Liyun’s tight frown finally relaxed.

She said slowly, “He signed me up for acting classes, had me major in acting in college, and become an actress.”

“He Chenyu said he also liked acting, and that after I became a good actress, I could give him some pointers.”

Jian Liyun scoffed. “I’ve heard about his background. With the He family’s status, he could get even the retired big-name actors to come out of retirement. So why did he insist that I, someone who hadn’t even had any contact with acting at the time, become an actress, and be so certain that I would become one?”

“Suisui, I can’t see through his motives. Now I’m financially independent, but… the head of the orphanage is still being treated in a hospital that the He family invested in overseas. I can’t break ties with him.”

Yan Sui’s voice was devoid of emotion. “So every time he asks to meet you now, it’s to talk about acting and scripts?”

Jian Liyun hummed. “He’s not bad-looking, but his actual acting skills are terrible. Before he filmed those two shows with me, he asked me a lot of questions about how to understand his character. Otherwise, with his comprehension skills, he wouldn’t be able to say a single word during the script reading.”

“So when he asked to see me on short notice yesterday,” Jian Liyun finally got back to the main point, “he was about to audition for a director and was asking me how to understand and act out that character.”

Yan Sui tilted her head slightly. “But I remember Miss Lu saying that He Chenyu had a conflict with the He family and that the He family wouldn’t allow him to stay in the entertainment industry.”

Jian Liyun sat up. She knelt on the soft sofa, facing Yan Sui, who was seated beside her.

“I also tried to discreetly ask about that yesterday. He said that he is the one in charge of the He family now.”

…Such an old-fashioned CEO line.

Yan Sui let out a long sigh of relief.

She looked at Jian Liyun seriously. “If you really have feelings for He Chenyu and you want to get closer to him and do things for him, I will support you. But if your relationship is purely a transactional one, you should try to have as little contact with him as possible in the future.”

In this world, the female lead was weird, and now the male lead was too.

Yan Sui could only hug the supporting female lead and tremble in fear.

The corners of Jian Liyun’s mouth turned down. She looked a little wronged. “Suisui, I’ve told you many times that I don’t like him at all.”

Yan Sui once again unwound the hair that the other person had wrapped around her ring finger. Then she held up both hands. “Okay, okay, okay, I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t say that again. If he asks to meet you again in the future, just tell me to come along.”

Yan Sui had not yet officially met the male lead since coming to this world, but now she had a better understanding of the situation.

It was time to meet him.

Jian Liyun’s mind went blank for a moment, and she said without thinking, “Suisui, are you… checking up on me?”