Transmigrated as a White Lotus Heroine, but I’m Pursuing the Cold Villain - Chapter 20

Lin Qinglian snapped out of her daze only when Rao Jinqing waved a hand in front of her face.

Rao Jinqing’s expression remained calm, but she thoughtfully avoided mentioning the earlier incident. Once Lin Qinglian regained her composure, she led her forward.

Trailing behind, Lin Qinglian muttered under her breath, “It’s because I care that I feel awkward and embarrassed.”

Though her voice seemed soft, every word carried with perfect clarity, carefully calibrated to be deliberate without being irritating. It was impossible to tell whether her words were intentional or accidental.

But that didn’t matter to Rao Jinqing.

Standing in the entryway, Rao Jinqing turned her head after Lin Qinglian finished speaking. She leaned casually against the solid wood frame by the door, arms crossed. The aloofness and tension she wore outside had vanished the moment she stepped inside.

A faint, teasing smile curved her lips.

“Wipe your drool,” Rao Jinqing said.

Lin Qinglian immediately lowered her head, covering her face as she wiped her nonexistent drool.

Fine, she’s teasing me.

She looked up, meeting Rao Jinqing’s smiling gaze.

Rao Jinqing’s deep, fathomless eyes could make even a dog feel loved. Normally, she couldn’t be bothered to show emotion, maintaining a perpetually cold expression. But now, her eyes curved into a gentle smile as she looked at Lin Qinglian.

It wasn’t a warm smile, but rather a cold, bright one, like a splash of color in a black-and-white silent film from the 1980s or 1990s, a vibrant hue against a desolate backdrop.

She wasn’t flashy or exuberant, yet she was the most extraordinary person in the room.

At that moment, Lin Qinglian’s heart leaped violently in her chest. She stared at Rao Jinqing in a daze, unconsciously clenching her hands to conceal her racing pulse.

A completely unfamiliar sensation flooded her heart.

She felt as if her heart might burst from her chest. Afraid of dying from cardiac arrest, she dared not approach Rao Jinqing any closer.

Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, desperately trying to calm her racing heart.

Stop beating so fast! she silently pleaded with her frantic heart.

By then, Rao Jinqing had already entered the house.

Compared to herself, she rarely paid attention to others. Besides, what was the point of leaving the door wide open if not to invite people in? Who would stand at an open doorway?

Not a thief, not a friend, and certainly not a stranger accompanying the homeowner.

It wasn’t until Rao Jinqing had changed her shoes and rummaged through the refrigerator for her drink that she noticed someone still standing at the entrance.

Rao Jinqing: “……”

So there really is someone.

Rao Jinqing: “Are you trying to take over my security camera’s job by standing there?”

This was a polite way of asking about the dog, but when Rao Jinqing saw Lin Qinglian’s wide, watery eyes, she decided against it.

Lin Qinglian looked at her with a bewildered expression. “I’m waiting for my heart to stop.”

Rao Jinqing’s smile vanished instantly.

Could this person really be stupid? she wondered, her mind racing with doubt.

Realizing her mistake, Lin Qinglian pretended nothing had happened, her watery eyes blinking pitifully.

“You didn’t invite me in,” Lin Qinglian said. “I didn’t dare enter, afraid you’d think I was being too presumptuous.”

Her eyes were so large, and her confusion so obvious, that she looked utterly pathetic.

She’s really stupid, Rao Jinqing thought. And after all those times she overstepped before, why is she suddenly being so considerate now?

In the end, she gently invited Lin Qinglian inside.

Being too harsh on a fool could spark public outrage.

She opened the refrigerator, a massive double-door model packed to the brim with groceries the housekeeper had stocked that week.

This apartment served as her primary residence. When she worked late and didn’t want to sleep in the coffin-like office quarters, she’d come here. As a result, the place was well-equipped with everything from drinks and fruits to vegetables and meats.

Lin Qinglian, who had just settled on the sofa, suddenly jumped to her feet.

“Are we having dinner now?” she asked.

Rao Jinqing rubbed her forehead. “What do you want to eat?”

Lin Qinglian sat down obediently. “Anything is fine.”

Rao Jinqing pulled a bottle from the impressive double rows of cola. “Want a cola?”

Lin Qinglian nodded.

After grabbing the cola, Rao Jinqing selected some fruits and arranged them artfully in a fruit platter before placing it in front of Lin Qinglian.

As she leaned forward to set down the platter, the small watch on her wrist came into view. She glanced at the time discreetly—it was time.

Rao Jinqing thoughtfully turned on the living room TV for her.

Looking down at her phone, Rao Jinqing’s face visibly paled as she looked up. “I have a meeting to attend. I’ll go handle that. Stay here for a bit, and I’ll take you out to eat later.”

When Rao Jinqing had agreed to Lin Qinglian’s offer at the restaurant, she hadn’t actually wanted her to cook. She just didn’t want to push Lin Qinglian too hard. When Lin Qinglian offered an easy way out, she seized the opportunity.

But that didn’t mean she actually wanted to eat.

Meals were prepared by chefs. With enough money, she could ensure the utmost cleanliness and hygiene.

Lin Qinglian looked momentarily disappointed, but she quickly lowered her gaze. Before the vulnerability could spread, her eyelashes fluttered, and she lifted her eyes again.

“Okay,” she murmured softly.

Like a round-eyed, chubby orange cat, interrupted before it could even begin to feign pitifulness, it could only helplessly roll onto its back, its soft fur pleading for human sympathy.

Lin Qinglian was the kind of creature that needed to be cherished. She made up her mind once again.

Rao Jinqing met her round, curious eyes, which seemed to drift off into another world at any moment.

But I hate small animals. What am I supposed to do?

Rao Jinqing stood up and walked toward the study. “If you’re bored, feel free to wander around. It’s quite spacious here. You can also use your phone.”

Lin Qinglian: “What’s the Wi-Fi password?”

Rao Jinqing frowned.

This was the first time anyone had asked her such a question. Friends often visited, but they certainly didn’t need to ask for the Wi-Fi password.

Rao Jinqing paused for a moment. “I don’t quite remember. You can check in the storage room. It’s in the left-hand room.”

She genuinely had a meeting to attend.

But there was another reason, one that required Lin Qinglian to stay here alone.

Lin Qinglian couldn’t understand why Rao Jinqing insisted she wander around the house. She detected no urgency or anxiety in Rao Jinqing’s demeanor.

For someone as independent, territorial, and powerful as Rao Jinqing, allowing a stranger to roam freely on her property was akin to an invasion.

So why?

Lin Qinglian looked around.

The house was vast, approximately 300 square meters, yet it contained only five rooms.

There were only two rooms on the left side.

She cautiously approached the first room. The door wasn’t locked.

Inside, it was pitch-dark. Thick curtains blocked the windows, allowing only a few slivers of light to seep through the gaps, casting faint streaks across the empty floor.

This must be it, she thought.

Lin Qinglian fumbled for the light switch by the door.

A warm, golden light flooded the room, instantly illuminating its contents. Her heart began to race.

The room was enormous, stretching over two hundred meters in a straight line from the entrance to the far end without any turns. Along both walls, paintings were displayed without exception.

These artworks featured vibrant, refreshing color palettes, their ideal viewing conditions being a winter afternoon around 3 or 4 PM, bathed in warm sunlight.

Not under the artificial warmth of the room’s simulated sunlight.

In the lower left corner of each painting, the same name was inscribed with consistent pressure and hue:

End.

How is this possible?!

It can’t be here.

No, something like this couldn’t be here!

When Lin Qinglian emerged, the financial news channel was broadcasting live, with entertainment reporters excitedly swarming the hotel entrance.

A man strode out of the hotel, his arm around a woman’s shoulders. The woman leaned weakly against his neck, her face hidden beneath his suit jacket.

Microphones and cameras surged relentlessly toward the man’s mouth, but his towering bodyguards firmly blocked them.

The man, with his high nose and deep-set eyes, scowled at the reporters, two faint lines creasing his brow.

It was none other than Chi Jiheng.

Her boyfriend, Rao Jinqing’s fiancé.

And since both she and Rao Jinqing were present, it was obvious who he was holding in his arms.

It was happening ahead of schedule.

Just like in the original novel.

Lin Qinglian stared at the television, her lips pressed into a thin line, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

This plot point was supposed to occur on the eve of her wedding to Chi Jiheng, marking the biggest obstacle in their relationship.

Chi Jiheng’s secret mistress would emerge.

Framed by the mistress, Lin Qinglian would be misunderstood by Chi Jiheng, who would even donate a kidney to her.

Rao Jinqing, the ultimate villainess, desperate to steal the Male Lead, would kidnap the heartbroken, kidney-less Lin Qinglian and torture her in the villa.

This melodramatic, lawless novel was reaching its climax.

But it wasn’t supposed to happen now.

Could her rapid progress in capturing Chi Jiheng have prematurely awakened the scumbag soul within him?

This was bad. She hadn’t yet raised her new target’s Capture Value high enough to switch targets.

Probably not?

She hesitated, remembering that she hadn’t seen much genuine joy on Rao Jinqing’s face.

Occasionally, there had been fleeting moments, but the System had warned her that Capture Value didn’t necessarily increase with happiness alone.

All that mattered was that Rao Jinqing developed feelings for her.

She couldn’t tell if Rao Jinqing liked her, but she could see that Rao Jinqing was happy to see her. Now, she had to guess blindly.

Never mind, she thought. Just three more days.

Just three days.

The doorbell rang.

Through the LCD screen, she clearly saw the secretary standing at the door.

The secretary held a stack of documents, the top one clearly labeled “Xunjun.”

As far as Lin Qinglian knew, after Rao Jinqing and Chi Jiheng’s engagement, business dealings between the two families had intensified—but those were with the main Chi Family branch, not with Chi Jiheng’s small-scale venture, Xunjun.

The main Chi Family branch was currently controlled by Chi Jiheng’s elder brother. Xunjun was merely a high-profit “sweetener” his brother had given Chi Jiheng to appease him.

When Lin Qinglian opened the door, the secretary gave her a polite nod and extended the stack of documents.

Lin Qinglian looked at her blankly.

The secretary kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, careful not to glance into the room.

“The Boss didn’t tell me to come inside,” the secretary explained. “I tried contacting him, but he hasn’t replied. These documents are urgent, so I’m afraid I have to trouble you to deliver them. Thank you.”

Lin Qinglian had no choice but to accept the documents.

As soon as the documents were handed over, the secretary hurried away, her demeanor radiating cheerfulness.

How strange, these two, Lin Qinglian thought.

Carrying the documents inside, Lin Qinglian hesitated at the study door, wondering if knocking would disturb Rao Jinqing. Then she noticed the door wasn’t fully closed.

Voices drifted from within. Rao Jinqing was speaking coldly.