I Became the Female Lead’s Current Obsession - Chapter 23

While waiting for Hou Xue to fall asleep, Jiang Qing made a phone call to Jiang Xing.

It took a lot of coaxing and half-truths to finally persuade Jiang Xing to help her out.

In the end, Jiang Xing sighed in resignation and said something cryptic:

“Jie, I still have to remind you—think this through.”

“…You’re overthinking it,” Jiang Qing replied, feeling a bit guilty as she rubbed the tip of her nose. “Alright, I’m off to dinner.”

After hanging up, Jiang Qing leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

No matter how she looked at it, she didn’t feel like she was crossing any lines.

Today was supposed to be a happy day. Overthinking would ruin it.

She made a snap decision: no more hesitation.

Jiang Qing sent a message to her “little snowman.”

“About to pull off something big. Wish me luck.”

“Wishing Licht success.”

Encouraged, Jiang Qing suddenly felt unstoppable.

She knocked on Hou Xue’s door.

As she knocked, she called out, “Dinner time.”

Hou Xue opened the door and took Jiang Qing’s hand.

She had already figured out Jiang Qing’s personality.

At home, or in environments she felt in control of, Jiang Qing could be relaxed. But once outside, she became much more guarded.

Probably because Jiang Qing viewed her family home as a rare safe space—where there were no strange looks or guilt-inducing feelings.

The servants had all been strictly trained and had signed NDAs with the Jiang family, making them controllable variables.

“I had them add a special dish today. Try it and see if you like it.”

In a soft voice, Hou Xue replied, “If it’s from you, I’ll like it.”

“I know.” Jiang Qing smiled, more confident than ever about her plan. “Did you sleep well?”

Hou Xue nodded obediently. A tiny tuft of her hair had curled up again.

She didn’t grow her hair long—it was barely held together with a tie.

Usually her fly aways were well-behaved, but today, for some reason, they just wouldn’t stay down.

As they headed downstairs, Jiang Qing pressed the stray hair down.

It flattened obediently under her touch.

Hou Xue stared blankly at her.

She saw overwhelming gentleness overflow from Jiang Qing’s eyes.

Jiang Qing was still smiling when Hou Xue took her hand. She pointed to the right side of Hou Xue’s head. “It was sticking up.”

“Oh.” Hou Xue quickly let go and sat down.

Jiang Qing touched the back of her neck and took her seat across from her.

The servants began serving dinner.

As usual, all the sweet dishes were placed in front of Hou Xue. Jiang Qing had them put the new dish in the center.

Hou Xue got the message and reached out with her chopsticks to take a syrup-coated dumpling.

Sugar is justice.

Hou Xue expressed her affection for Jiang Qing in a straightforward way—her eyes sparkled.

Jiang Qing leaned her head on her hand, simply watching her.

Everything felt slow and serene.

Hou Xue was coming alive—and Jiang Qing was glad to see it.

…

Once Hou Xue put down her chopsticks, Jiang Qing glanced at the time and finally spoke. “Come somewhere with me later?”

Hou Xue nodded without asking where.

“Aren’t you curious where we’re going?” Jiang Qing teased.

“So… where are we going?” Hou Xue played along.

“Ha, not telling.” Jiang Qing grinned mischievously and stood up. “Come on, let’s head to the garage.”

“The garage?”

Jiang Qing cleared her throat, a bit sheepish. She could drive and ride a motorbike, but right now, she didn’t have a valid license. The only vehicle she could legally use was a green electric scooter sitting forgotten in the corner of the Jiang family’s luxury car garage.

She’d definitely have Jiang Bin’s secretary arrange a license for her soon—then she could take Hou Xue cruising properly.

“Promise you won’t laugh,” she warned, standing next to the bulky little scooter. She propped it up and climbed on.

“Why ride it yourself?” Hou Xue found Jiang Qing’s embarrassed look amusing but didn’t want to tease her.

“Because we’re going to a secret base.” Jiang Qing patted the seat behind her. “Hop on.”

The location came from the original owner’s memories—Jiang Qing had found it while sorting through them and decided to make full use of it.

Hou Xue hesitated before getting on. “You know how to ride this?”

“Of course,” Jiang Qing said confidently as she started the engine. If she could ride a motorcycle, an electric scooter was child’s play.

Hou Xue lowered her gaze.

“Here we go—hold on tight.” Jiang Qing twisted the handle slightly, and the scooter zipped forward with a “whoosh.” Startled, she pulled her foot up and mumbled, “Why are rich people’s scooters even faster than normal ones…”

“What?” The sudden acceleration made Hou Xue instinctively grab Jiang Qing’s waist—but only for a second. She quickly shifted to holding her shirt instead. That shaky start made her a bit skeptical of Jiang

Qing’s skills.

“Nothing.” Jiang Qing quickly got the hang of the upgraded scooter. From then on, the ride was smooth and steady.

They turned left after leaving the Jiang estate.

A warm breeze brushed against their faces—an unexpected comfort in the sultry summer night.

The road was busy at first, so Jiang Qing rode slowly. But even when it cleared, she kept the same pace.

Steady, not reckless.

Because the person riding behind her was Hou Xue.

Someone Jiang Qing truly cared about now—she couldn’t bear the thought of Hou Xue getting hurt, so she was extra careful.

Come to think of it, Jiang Qing had never given anyone a ride before—not even in school.

Back then, a girl from the next class had begged to ride on the back of her bike, but Jiang Qing had coldly turned her down.

In her mind, she just wasn’t someone who could carry others.

Not just because it meant extra responsibility, but because her style was always fast—she couldn’t ride steadily for someone else.

Yet now, with Hou Xue behind her, she was going slower than ever.

That’s when she realized—it wasn’t that she couldn’t, it’s that she didn’t want to.

Now, even riding slow felt good.

She was happy.

Just thinking about Hou Xue’s reaction to what she was about to see made her almost giddy.

Night had fallen. The city was still bustling when they crossed a bridge and turned onto the riverside road.

There were hardly any people along this stretch of the river. Jiang Qing stopped near the water’s edge.

“It’s far from the city center, so you can see the western skyline clearly,” she explained. “Nice view, and it’s quiet.”

Hou Xue walked a few steps ahead and rested her hands on the railing.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

The city lights glittered across the river, distant but vibrant.

Reflected in the water, they rippled like emotion.

Alive—but lonely.

In such a vast city, Hou Xue had once felt she had no place to call home.

But now… she had found one.

The breeze danced around them. Jiang Qing noticed a message from Jiang Xing on her phone.

“Hou Xue,” she began typing a reply, then stopped. “I’m going to show you a magic trick.”

“What do I have to do?” Hou Xue asked.

“Just close your eyes,” Jiang Qing said, stepping behind her and gently covering her eyes with one hand.

Soft lashes brushed against her palm.

Jiang Qing chuckled and said gently, “Don’t be nervous. Just look ahead.”

Hou Xue turned her head forward, puzzled—but unafraid.

She was curious what Jiang Qing had gone through so much effort to prepare.

A muffled boom sounded.

As the first firework shot into the sky, Jiang Qing whispered beside her ear, “Open your eyes.”

Hou Xue saw brilliant light burst in the sky, blooming like a flower, then falling in sparks across the river.

One after another, fireworks streaked across the night from the other side of the river.

Wisps of cloud drifted by, sometimes hiding the moon, as if trying to separate heaven from earth. But no matter how dark it got, the dazzling lights refused to be dimmed.

The world remained alight.

The night was intoxicating, deep and dark—yet devoid of stars.

Not a single one.

But instead—there were fireworks, grand and luminous.

Like massive spinning umbrellas.

“Pretty, right?” Jiang Qing murmured, sending a quiet message back to Jiang Xing.

The fireworks filled the sky.

For a moment, Hou Xue felt the flames might scorch her whole being.

She stood frozen, staring at the shimmering lights, even forgetting to respond.

Her heart trembled—overwhelmed by the sheer beauty.

“This is for you,” Jiang Qing said, taking her hand. “Your stars.”

In the quiet night, beside the gently flowing river, the damp wind carried her words.

Hou Xue couldn’t speak.

Her heart was struck too deeply. Emotions crashed in waves, leaving her stunned and breathless.

She held her breath, afraid that if she blinked, everything would disappear.

Like a dream—even too beautiful for dreams.

How could she believe this moment of wonder was really just for her?

At the peak of sweetness—comes a touch of bitterness.

When she looked back at Jiang Qing, it felt like she saw an entire lifetime.

The girl stood with a glowing city behind her, surrounded by the brilliance of fireworks. She looked slender, but not fragile.

She reached out and gently wiped the corner of Hou Xue’s eye.

“Do you like it?”

And even through the tears, Hou Xue could clearly see her eyes—gentle and radiant, filled only with her.

The night was so dark.

But Jiang Qing gave everything without hesitation.

Moonlight scattered across the land—insufficient to light the world.

But the fireworks… they lit up the sky that Hou Xue could see just by lifting her head.

They lit up the broken, carefully reassembled pieces of her heart.

The night remained quiet.

A firework would occasionally shoot up, then explode.

Hou Xue leaned her cheek into Jiang Qing’s hand and nodded.

“I love it. I really, really love it.”

Stay.

Please stay.

Jiang Qing.

She looked into Jiang Qing’s eyes, and couldn’t get enough.

Perhaps only now would Jiang Qing ever look at her like this.

She wanted to etch this moment into her memory forever.

The river and sky seemed to blur into one—their boundary erased by night.

In the middle of it all, Jiang Qing stood smiling at her.

“This is our secret base,” she said. “Our secret.”

…

“That’s it? All done?” Jiang Xing tapped the guy crouched on the ground.

The guy looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, don’t you have hands?”

Jiang Xing pulled him up and dragged him over to the riverside. “Can you see my sister?”

Yuan Yu shook his head.

“Man, do you know why we’re even lighting fireworks out here?” Jiang Xing lit a cigarette, shielding it from the wind.

Yuan Yu grabbed one from him and waited.

“She didn’t tell me, but I’m sure it’s for that girl who came to our house with her mom,” Jiang Xing grumbled. “It’s fine if she favors her, but fireworks? For no reason? What even is that?”

Yuan Yu paused. “So, what do you think?”

Jiang Xing ran a hand through his blond hair, frustrated. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen my sister care about someone this much.”

“Don’t overthink it,” Yuan Yu said, squeezing his shoulder. “Your sister knows what she’s doing. Don’t stress.”

“…But she’s still my sister.”

…

The fireworks were over.

Jiang Qing rode the scooter with Hou Xue on the back, heading home.

“What made you think of setting off fireworks?”

Jiang Qing said casually, “It’s a magic trick. It’s not over yet.”

“Huh?” Hou Xue looked surprised.

“Curious?” Jiang Qing smiled, her tone light. “Be patient.”

“Alright,” Hou Xue replied calmly. “I’ll wait and see.”

But deep down, she wondered—if there’s more to come, will she still be able to handle it?

It was already nine o’clock in the evening.