I Became the Female Lead’s Current Obsession - Chapter 28

Jiang Qing received a message from Han Lu, calling everyone together for lunch.

“We’re going. Time to eat,” Jiang Qing said, showing her phone to Hou Xue.

Hou Xue sat up, smiling at Jiang Qing.

“What are you smiling at?” Jiang Qing smiled back. “Come on, let’s get packed.”

While tidying up, Jiang Qing directed the younger girl. Once they hurriedly stowed their luggage, the two of them headed toward the same hotel from earlier.

“What’s in that suitcase?” Hou Xue suddenly asked midway, referring to the one Jiang Qing wouldn’t let her open earlier.

“That…” Jiang Qing hesitated. “You’ll see tonight.”

Hou Xue didn’t press further. After all, Jiang Qing had even scheduled a time—she simply had to wait. And waiting was something she happened to be quite good at.

When they entered the hotel, the other four were already there.

Seeing Jiang Qing and Hou Xue chatting and laughing, Jiang Xing’s face darkened. Yuan Yu sighed behind him, while Xu Miao raised an eyebrow and leaned toward Jiang Qing, asking, “What, you two made up?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Qing nodded with a casual shrug. “Wasn’t really a big deal to begin with.”

Xu Miao glanced between her and Hou Xue. “You two have such a strange vibe.”

“How so?” Jiang Qing asked, puzzled. “We’re perfectly in sync.”

“No, it’s that… hard-to-define kind of vibe,” Xu Miao said cryptically. “Like something messy you can’t untangle.”

Jiang Qing’s fingers twitched slightly. A trace of nervousness crept in, but she kept her expression light and teased, “What are you even talking about? So superstitious.”

Xu Miao looked like she had more to say, but Sun Qian beat her to it, blinking brightly as she chimed in, “Cousin, what were you whispering to Sister Qing?”

Hou Xue had been quiet the whole time, keeping to herself. When Sun Qian approached, she drew closer as well—only to hear Sun Qian’s sugary-sweet voice call Jiang Qing “Sister Qing.”

Her mood soured. The liveliness faded from her face, replaced by a cold stare directed at Sun Qian’s round, baby-fat face.

“We were talking about lunch,” Jiang Qing replied smoothly. “Sun Qian, just tell Sister what you want to eat, and I’ll make sure you get it.”

Sun Qian’s eyes sparkled, and she blushed sweetly. “Sister Qing, you’re the best! But I’ve got a weird palate… I really like sweet things.”

Sweet?

“There’s nothing weird about liking sweets,” Jiang Qing said as she turned to grab Hou Xue’s hand. Seeing the flicker of surprise and joy in Hou Xue’s eyes, she smiled and added, “What a coincidence—our Xue

Xue loves sweets too.”

“Ah!” Sun Qian gasped softly, looking at Hou Xue. “Then Sister Hou and I really have a connection.”

Hou Xue glanced at her but offered no reply, looking away instead.

Jiang Qing aside, even Xu Miao didn’t know who to side with now—Hou Xue was basically Jiang Qing, and Sun Qian was her younger cousin.

It was exhausting.

“Such a jealous little thing,” Jiang Qing whispered to Hou Xue. She wasn’t upset; she actually found Hou Xue’s reactions amusing. Then she explained to Sun Qian in a placating tone, “Xue Xue’s just not very talkative—she’s like this with everyone. I’ve already ordered some sweet dishes; I’m sure you’ll find something you like.”

Hou Xue gave Jiang Qing a side glance but said nothing.

And so, the minor awkwardness passed, and the six of them followed Han Lu to the dining venue.

The small building had three floors and was decorated in a classic, antique style. Han Lu led them to a window-side table on the second floor. On their way up, Jiang Qing glimpsed someone cleaning downstairs and, for a moment, thought about the parked cars in the lot. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came.

Jiang Qing sat on the inner side of the table. Turning her head slightly, she could see the forest in the distance and a small stream flowing gently into the woods. Hou Xue sat to her right, but with a wide table and six people, the seating wasn’t exactly intimate.

Jiang Qing barely used her own chopsticks; instead, she kept using the serving ones to give Hou Xue food.

Clearly, she was thrilled to be on good terms with Hou Xue again—and she felt the girl ate too little. So thin, with barely any flesh. Holding her earlier had felt like hugging bones.

Despite her busy hands, Jiang Qing kept up light conversation with Han Lu, discussing possible activities at the resort.

“I heard the range of activities here is quite comprehensive. Is it opening officially soon?” Jiang Qing asked as she reached out with the serving chopsticks—only to have Hou Xue gently stop her.

“That’s enough,” Hou Xue said quietly.

Jiang Qing understood. She paused, then put the chopsticks down.

“Yes, we’re opening soon,” Han Lu replied. “Actually, there’s another group here with you—they’re here to evaluate the place.”

Jiang Qing looked thoughtful.

“We need to wait for their feedback,” Han Lu added with a somewhat strained smile.

“Oh?” Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow. “Troublemakers?”

“One of them, you might know—Miss Zhuo Tao from the Zhuo family. She’s a real handful.”

Jiang Qing froze. That name stirred some buried memories.

Zhuo Tao from the Zhuo family.

If she recalled correctly, Zhuo Tao was a minor antagonist who appeared later in the story.

Why was Hou Xue encountering her this early?

Was it because Jiang Qing had brought Hou Xue to a place she wasn’t originally meant to be?

She glanced at Hou Xue, emotions flashing in her eyes for a split second before she masked them again.

“What is it, Miss Jiang?” Han Lu asked.

Jiang Qing waved it off with a smile. “We met once at a banquet.”

Which was true—her original self had met Zhuo Tao at a banquet, though neither had been particularly friendly.

To the original Jiang Qing, Zhuo Tao was just another arrogant heiress—cut from the same cloth, really, but without the pretense of being a well-behaved honor student.

To Jiang Qing herself, Zhuo Tao was a later-stage antagonist with a particularly tragic backstory.

In the novel, two years after Hou Xue founded Feng Xue, she faced sabotage and jealousy from competitors. Zhuo Tao was once planted in Feng Xue as a corporate spy.

She wasn’t the biological daughter of the Zhuo family. When she turned 23, the real daughter returned, and Zhuo Tao was exposed as a fake. The Zhuo family quickly turned their backs on her. They’d never liked her, and now they coveted the inheritance left by her deceased adoptive parents. They wanted to wring every last drop of value from her—including, perhaps, her pretty face.

Tragic, but not exactly unique.

Zhuo Tao’s schemes weren’t particularly clever, and her screen time in the original novel wasn’t much. What made her memorable to Jiang Qing—who had skimmed through the story rapidly—was this:

The so-called real daughter had been Zhuo Tao’s girlfriend since she was eighteen. She’d hidden in the shadows for years, only revealing herself after Zhuo Tao’s adoptive parents died. That betrayal led to Zhuo

Tao’s downfall.

So yes—the author was clearly a yuri fan.

Jiang Qing sipped her wine, frowning slightly.

Then again, with such a tragic end, it wasn’t so much “yuri love” as it was twisted melodrama.

She was deep in thought when Jiang Xing’s voice snapped her out of it.

“What’s the plan after lunch?” Jiang Xing asked, pulling out a napkin and looking at Han Lu.

“All activities are available. Everyone can pick what they’re interested in. I’ll arrange guides if needed.”

After the meal, the group split up to walk off the food. Jiang Xing and Yuan Yu went to the shooting range, Xu Miao took Sun Qian horseback riding.

Jiang Qing stood still, hands in her pockets, offering no input. Beside her, Hou Xue mirrored her silence, one hand in her own pocket.

Since Zhuo Tao was in the same group, the twin suite next to theirs was probably already occupied—by Zhuo Tao and the scheming “true daughter.”

Jiang Qing wondered: should she interfere?

If she intervened in Zhuo Tao’s plot and altered her future, it could prove she had the ability to change the storyline.

But if she couldn’t—or if altering it required a steep price—it might not be worth it.

The unknown was frightening and frustrating. She had only intended to mend things with Hou Xue and give her stepsister a break.

Jiang Qing felt like she was grasping at something intangible—reaching blindly through a dark corridor for the right path.

But who could guarantee that when danger came, she’d be able to pull her hands back in time?

She couldn’t.

Jiang Qing wasn’t confident. She didn’t like taking blind risks—but she was also the kind of person who would gamble on a 30% chance.

Contradictory and stubborn.

Without trying, you’re always hoping for a lucky break—and always avoiding the hard truth.

“Where do you want to go first?” Jiang Qing asked the girl beside her.

Hou Xue thought for a moment. “What about you?”

“…Aren’t I the one taking you out to relax?” Jiang Qing said helplessly, though not surprised. If Hou Xue had actually given a direct answer, that would’ve been the real shock. “I was in archery club once. Since we didn’t pick anything else, how about archery?”

“Middle school?” Hou Xue raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

She’d forgotten.

“Yeah, yeah—middle school,” she said unconvincingly, touching her nose.

Hou Xue didn’t call her out on the obvious lie.

Because she knew—it was still a secret Jiang Qing wasn’t ready to share. But that was fine. If Jiang Qing chose to open up, it meant the distance between them was already shrinking.

…

“Stand firm. Plant your feet,” Jiang Qing said, one hand gently at Hou Xue’s waist, hovering just short of touching. “Put more weight forward—don’t lean back when you shoot.”

She adjusted Hou Xue’s posture. The professional coach nearby just watched silently—not because anything was wrong, but because it was… a lovely sight.

Ah, the beauty of youth—gone too soon.

The coach blinked back tears.

“Parallel with the bow,” Jiang Qing said, adjusting the arm guard on Hou Xue’s elbow. She looked serious, like a proper instructor, but really, she just wanted to lean in close and take in the girl’s scent. “Rest your hand on your cheek, in a straight line.”

Jiang Qing had joined the archery club briefly in her first year of university before getting swept away by the drama club. But she hadn’t forgotten what she’d learned, and now, teaching someone else, she looked pretty convincing.

“Alright, give it a shot,” Jiang Qing stepped back.

Hou Xue narrowed her eyes and released.

The sleek black arrow flew forward, striking the “7” ring.

Hou Xue lowered her gaze, looking slightly dissatisfied.

“That was great!” Jiang Qing immediately encouraged her, unreserved in her praise. “First shot and you didn’t miss the target—that’s impressive.”

Hou Xue didn’t reply. She simply raised her arm again, instantly assuming perfect form.

This time, her aura was stronger—more focused and commanding, even aggressive.

Jiang Qing blinked.

In that final second, Hou Xue looked straight into her eyes.

She said nothing. But Jiang Qing knew, with absolute certainty, that Hou Xue was saying: Watch me.

The arrow flew—

—and hit the bullseye.

Right on the red center.

Right on Jiang Qing’s heart.

The coach blinked, startled. Damn, lucky kid.

Jiang Qing felt a thrill she couldn’t suppress—her bl00d seemed to boil.

It had nothing to do with her. She’d just been looked at once, like someone proudly showing off—and her heart was already racing.

She touched her face. Good, no visible flush—otherwise she’d have no way to cover it up.

“Our Xue Xue is amazing,” Jiang Qing said softly.

She thought, maybe this was Hou Xue’s innate gift—some magnetic charm that made it impossible to look away, made one want to fall.

Even if it was wrong, who would ever push someone like that away?