Chapter 85: Life Is But a Play

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“Brother, tell me more stories about Qing from before, will you?”

Walking along the main alley, Bai Lingyue affectionately held onto her sister-in-law’s arm, glancing at her elder brother as she spoke.

“Stories, stories… enough already,” Bai Zhijun shot her a glare. “You’ve heard enough to know what kind of person Qing is. That’s all you need. Why do you want to know every detail?”

“Sister-in-law, look at how mean he is to me…”

Rebuffed by her brother, Bai Lingyue immediately turned to her sister-in-law, acting coquettishly.

But this time, her sister-in-law didn’t take her side. Instead, she nodded with a smile, agreeing with Bai Zhijun, “Your brother’s right. You only need a general idea about Qing. There’s no need to know it all in detail.”

“Uh, why?” Bai Lingyue blinked, puzzled.

Her sister-in-law gave her a long, meaningful look and said softly, “Because I’m afraid you’ll get caught up in it.”

Afraid she’d get caught up in it…

Bai Lingyue was stunned by this unexpected remark, then burst out laughing, “How could that be? I have my own ambitions and plans for the future.”

“Heh…” Bai Zhijun chuckled and interjected, “Don’t be so sure. You’ve met Qin Xue, haven’t you? What do you think of her?”

Bai Lingyue thought for a moment, “She’s beautiful, elegant, kind, and easy to get along with.”

Bai Zhijun glanced at her. “And how do you think you compare? Oh, and I almost forgot—she graduated from a prestigious university and is now a junior executive at the Yangcheng TV station.”

“This…”

Bai Lingyue fell silent, her spirits sinking. How could she possibly compare to Qin Xue?

In terms of looks and presence, she was already a notch below, not to mention education and career.

Seeing her quiet down, Bai Zhijun smiled, “Feeling inferior? That’s as it should be. How can a barnyard hen compete with a phoenix?”

His words left Bai Lingyue a little indignant. “Brother, why belittle your own sister like that? Can’t you say something nice for once? If I work hard, I’ll do better in the future too!”

“It’s not belittling you,” Bai Zhijun shook his head. “You’re my own sister—how could I look down on you? I’m just trying to make you see things clearly. There are some people and some things you shouldn’t cross the line with. Otherwise, you’ll only end up hurt.”

Bai Lingyue understood. “Uh… Brother, you mean Sister Qin Xue and Qing…”

He nodded, “Not just Qin Xue, there’s also…”

As he spoke, the three of them reached the corner leading to Yang Qing’s home.

Just as Bai Zhijun turned into the alley, he looked up and was momentarily stunned. Then he sighed inwardly and suddenly changed the subject, turning to Bai Lingyue, “Lingyue, are you a fan of celebrities?”

“Huh?”

Still waiting for him to finish his earlier thought, Bai Lingyue was caught completely off guard by this abrupt change of topic.

“Brother, why are you suddenly asking that? Weren’t we just talking about Qing?”

“We still are,” he replied.

“Then what does being a fan have to do with it?”

Bai Lingyue was at her wit’s end. She really wanted to pry open her brother’s head and see how his mind worked!

“You don’t understand now, but you will in a moment.”

Bai Zhijun sighed, then turned to his sister-in-law, “Keep an eye on Lingyue later. Don’t let her get involved.”

His wife nodded and said to Bai Lingyue, “When Xiaoxue arrives, don’t stick around with them. Come help me in the kitchen instead.”

“Uh… okay…” Bai Lingyue agreed, but inwardly she was more confused than ever.

What on earth was going on? Why had everyone suddenly become so strange, and why were their words so cryptic?

At that moment, she also saw three women standing at the courtyard gate not far off and asked uncertainly, “Sister-in-law, is that… Qing’s house?”

She’d only arrived in Yangcheng the previous day and wasn’t entirely sure which courtyard was Yang Qing’s.

Her sister-in-law nodded, “Yes.”

“And those three are…?”

“Qing’s friends.”

“Oh…”

Bai Lingyue nodded quietly and stopped asking questions, just walking along silently while curiously eyeing the three women at the gate, wondering who they were and why they hadn’t gone in.

For a moment, the three from the Bai family fell into silence. In the quiet, they heard a child’s sweet singing voice drifting over.

After listening for a couple of lines, Bai Zhijun grinned, “Ha, Qing’s teaching the little ones to sing again.”

Bai Lingyue’s curiosity was immediately piqued. “Qing can—”

“Beep beep!”

Just as she was about to ask, a horn sounded behind them. The three of them quickly moved aside.

Before they could turn around, two electric scooters pulled up beside them.

“Big Brother Bai, Sister-in-law, Lingyue, you’re out for a stroll?”

Qin Xue was riding one scooter, with Wen Xiaorou on the back.

The other scooter was driven by Li Yuexi, with Fang Du riding behind.

Qin Xue smiled at them, and Wen Xiaorou and her friends greeted Bai Zhijun and his wife in turn.

“Yes, just taking a walk. Xiaorou, Yuexi, you’re back?”

Bai Lingyue stared blankly at the two beautiful women who’d appeared with Qin Xue, while her sister-in-law smiled and nodded to the four.

“We got back at noon. It’s the Dragon Boat Festival, so the production team gave us three days off. We’ll head out again after that.”

Wen Xiaorou replied with a smile, then turned to the dazed Bai Lingyue, “You must be Lingyue, the one Xiaoxue mentioned. You’re really lovely.”

Bai Lingyue snapped out of it, still a bit flustered, “H-hello.”

Wen Xiaorou smiled, “Hi, I’m Wen Xiaorou, she’s Li Yuexi, and that’s Fang Du.”

Bai Lingyue nodded shyly, “Nice… nice to meet you.”

“All right, let’s not just stand here. Let’s go inside,” their sister-in-law said with a smile.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The four nodded, and Fang Du hurried to help Bai Zhijun with the bags.

Li Yuexi looked at the three women standing by the courtyard gate ahead. She froze and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

Why did she have to run into them again? Was Yang Qing doing this on purpose? Once or twice wasn’t enough—he just had to arrange another round!

On one side were her best friends, on the other, her idol. It was a real dilemma!

Qin Xue also saw the trio by the gate, but her expression didn’t change in the slightest. She kept chatting and smiling with Bai Lingyue’s mother.

At the gate, the sound of the scooter horn had caught the attention of Wang Ying’s group. They now saw the Bai family and Qin Xue’s group approaching.

Wang Ming grimaced. “Sis, should we… just go in?”

“What’s the rush?” Wang Ying’s voice was clear and elegant as she watched Qin Xue and her companions draw near. “Wouldn’t it be better to all go in together?”

Wang Ming: …

Better? Does that even need to be asked? Obviously not!

Don’t you know what you’re thinking yourself?

He grumbled inwardly but could only watch helplessly as Qin Xue’s group drew closer.

Finally, the two groups met at the gate. Wang Ming hurriedly made room, slipping over to stand by Fang Du and Bai Zhijun, who were holding electric scooters.

“Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” Wang Ming hissed at Fang Du, sounding as if his teeth might shatter.

Fang Du chuckled, “How was I supposed to know you’d be here too? Besides, you didn’t make it through the last time. Maybe this time you’ll get your chance.”

Wang Ming grumbled, “Chance, my foot!”

As the two whispered, Bai Zhijun overheard, and couldn’t help but smile, pretending to be mysterious, “Young men, calm yourselves. As long as you know your place, nothing will happen to you.”

“Uh…”

The two looked at him in confusion. “Our place? What do you mean?”

Bai Zhijun smiled, “You’ve watched TV dramas, right?”

“Sure, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

“Heh… Young men, life is like a play, and a play is like life. In this scene, you and I are just extras. The supporting roles are Wen Xiaorou and her friends, and the leads are Qin Xue, Queen Ying, and Yang Qing. Got it?”

The two suddenly understood and nodded in unison, “Got it!”