The person in the water kept thrashing, with an extremely pained expression.
“Something’s wrong, she’s drowning,” Lin Xiaoman was the first to react. She quickly jumped into the water and swam towards Chu Daizi.
Chu Daizi had initially just wanted to joke with everyone, but unexpectedly her leg had cramped. Just as she was about to sink, she saw Lin Xiaoman jump into the water and swim towards her.
In that moment, she seemed to see an angel.
That woman she had always considered a romantic rival now looked like a beautiful angel with a halo.
The angel came and brought her to the surface, took her to shore, got her a towel, and kept asking, “How do you feel?”
Chu Daizi suddenly remembered when she was young, playing by the river. Her father had quickly rescued her two brothers after they fell into the water, but she was carried away by the current.
So scared and desperate, thinking she was going to die, she desperately grabbed at anything nearby, later managing to hold onto a floating board and survive.
Her family had treated her life as something disposable, but this woman in front of her showed real worry, unlike her family.
Thinking of this, her tears began to fall.
“You’re crying!” Lin Xiaoman exclaimed upon seeing her reaction, feeling relieved, “How can you treat such a dangerous thing like a child’s play? Don’t you know you almost died? Do you know what you were doing?!
Why are you being so harsh…” Chu Daizi sobbed while wiping her tears, her emotions shifting from the struggle to feeling wronged by Lin Xiaoman’s scolding.
“Didn’t I warn you before? Why won’t you listen? You must be careful in everything you do. This is no joke! If you’re going to approach filming with this half-hearted attitude, you might as well go back to being a kept woman!”
Lin Xiaoman knew that if she didn’t speak firmly, Chu Daizi would forget her words.
Ever since seeing her nearly drown, Lin Xiaoman had regretted not making her warm up properly before going into the water. If something were to happen to Chu Daizi now, she would definitely feel guilty for the rest of her life.
“I understand,” Chu Daizi’s voice was weak and pitiful.
The scenes at the manor took more than half a day, with actors and crew members resting there. When evening came, Lin Xiaoman was packing her things, preparing to return to the hotel with Xiaobai and the others, when she saw a familiar red BMW approaching.
After the car stopped, a woman with a ponytail, wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, with light makeup, stepped out, looking quite approachable.
“Xie XueEr is here,” the staff began to discuss.
“She’s probably here to see Huo Qizhi.”
“I heard they have a good relationship.”
Lin Xiaoman curved her lips into a mocking smile, then began to cough weakly.
“Xiaoman, are you okay?” Huo Qizhi, standing next to her, noticed immediately, his face full of concern, “Let me take you to the hospital.”
“It’s nothing,” Lin Xiaoman had just spoken when she couldn’t help but cough again.
“Do you really not need to go to the hospital for a check-up?” Qian Yuan couldn’t bear to watch anymore.
Although he always thought minor illnesses should be endured, every time he saw Lin Xiaoman looking weak and uncomfortable, he felt even a cold was a major illness.
“You can go tonight and come back tomorrow at noon, shooting the later scenes in the morning.”
“Really, no need,” Lin Xiaoman shook her head, her tear-filled eyes from coughing looking even more pitiful, “I’m almost better, it’s really not serious.”
“It’s my fault, pulling you to shoot in the cold wind all day,” Huo Qizhi looked guilty, “Go back and rest, I’ll make you some lung-nourishing soup.”
Lin Xiaoman caught a glimpse of Xie XueEr approaching, and she just smiled slightly without responding.
“Qizhi,” Xie XueEr walked to Huo Qizhi’s side, “The shooting is over, right?”
Huo Qizhi only now noticed her, his tone indifferent: “Why are you here?”
“Didn’t we agree earlier that I would come see you? Have you forgotten?” Xie XueEr smiled, “It seems you’ve been working too hard, you’ve lost weight.”
Huo Qizhi didn’t respond. He looked at Lin Xiaoman, seeing her unconsciously hugging herself, and softly said, “It’s windy outside, go back first.”
Xie XueEr realized she was being ignored, but quickly put on a concerned look: “Xiaoman, are you feeling unwell? Remember to drink more hot water, it’s nothing serious.”
“Thank you for your concern, Teacher Xie,” Lin Xiaoman nodded to Xie XueEr and glanced at everyone. “I’ll go first then.”
As Lin Xiaoman turned, Xie XueEr seemed to catch a glimpse of a subtle mockery at the corner of her mouth. But when she tried to look closer, Lin Xiaoman had already left.
Just as Xi Xue’er was about to explain that their relationship was not ordinary, an unexpected “Ah” suddenly came from the kitchen, drawing everyone’s attention.
Lin Xiaoman had accidentally touched the kettle and burned her hand. She was covering the burned area, looking pitiful and delicate.
Huo Qizhi ran over in a panic, grabbing her hand: “Let me see, what happened?”
On her delicate hand, the burned area was particularly obvious.
“After getting burned, you should rinse it with water immediately.”
While speaking, he turned on the faucet and rinsed Lin Xiaoman’s hand under cold water: “Keep rinsing, I’ll get some medicine.”
“It’s nothing, not serious,” Lin Xiaoman pulled him back. Huo Qizhi’s reaction was much larger than she had imagined. Although unexpected, seeing Xi Xue’er’s expression made her feel more comfortable; the plan was progressing smoothly.
Step one: Show an intimate relationship with Huo Qizhi in front of Xi Xue’er to make her jealous. Success.
“How can it not matter, be careful not to scar,” Huo Qizhi looked at her, his tone gentle. “Such a beautiful hand, it would be bad to leave a scar.”
“Thank you,” Lin Xiaoman’s face turned slightly red, looking incredibly alluring. Not just Huo Qizhi, but the other actors present were also stunned.
Xi Xue’er frowned, realizing the situation was more complicated than she had imagined.
Huo Qizhi’s feelings for Lin Xiaoman seemed to be more than just liking someone who looked like Tang Feifei. His nervousness and concern made Xi Xue’er feel uneasy.
What was Lin Xiaoman thinking?
As long as she had no feelings for Huo Qizhi, everything would be fine. But from the way she looked at him, Xi Xue’er felt they were not entirely innocent.
“I don’t care about these things,” Xi Xueer said softly, hooking her arm around his neck, her eyes flirtatious, “I’m willing to do anything as long as I can be with you.”
Huo Qizhi looked at her, but another woman’s face appeared before his eyes.
He suddenly stood up: “But I can’t be this selfish.”
Seeing his unusual behavior, Xi Xueer became even more determined to announce their relationship.
“Although you’re busy, can you spare some time to accompany me the day after tomorrow?”
Before Huo Qizhi could refuse, he heard her say—
“It’s my birthday.”
★ Chapter Sixty-Three: Provocation
Since crossing over, Lin Xiaoman had been sleeping lightly, waking up at the slightest noise. After discovering someone beside her in the hotel, her frequency of waking up had increased even more.
That night, she again felt a shadow moving by the bed, but when she opened her eyes, she saw nothing. The wind was blowing the curtains, but she remembered closing the window before sleeping.
When she went to the window, she found nothing again.
By the end of the night, she hadn’t slept well at all.
Xiaobai looked at her dark eye circles and couldn’t help but feel sorry: “How about I stand guard outside the door tonight?”
“I’m fine,” Lin Xiaoman rubbed her forehead, knowing Ji Zhixian would handle this matter and not worrying, “How is Xie Chi doing?”
