Su Linlin had no idea how she managed to shut the door and isolate Jiang Lingxi while holding the unopened scented candle.
It wasn’t until her assistant called her several times that she snapped out of it and saw the pile of belongings yet to be packed. "Why are you packing so slowly!"
The assistant felt wronged.
She didn’t even consider how messy the place had become over the past month. Even a professional organizer would need at least one or two hours to tidy up!
Just thinking about Jiang Lingxi being next door made her heart tremble.
"Sister Linlin, should this scented candle be packed away too?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n0velfire.net
"No, don’t pack it," Su Linlin shoved the box into the assistant’s hands. "Pour the liquid down the toilet, and throw the bottle in the trash."
Could it be that her artist’s brain got fried after a month of closed-off training?
However, she only dared to mutter this quietly to herself and obediently followed orders.
After all, her artist was holding the unopened scented candle like a hot potato.
Jiang Lingxi could guess that Su Linlin must have been panicking at this moment, but she must face the consequences of her actions in the end.
Returning to her own room, she shut the door and skillfully dialed a video call.
As for showering, she planned to take a nap first and bring her luggage home to bathe and perhaps enjoy a comforting soak in a hot bath, something that the dorms didn’t provide.
It was the first time in a month that Shen Yunqing had received a video call from Jiang Lingxi during the day. Seeing the spirited face on the screen, he immediately felt at ease.
"Is the training over with results?"
"That’s right, I got the role."
"Not bad, it was pretty easy, mainly because the opponent was too weak."
Just then, a spitting noise came through the mic, "Pfft!"
Jiang Lingxi’s tone instantly turned serious: "Is there someone with you?"
"Ahem ahem," Shen Qingzhou coughed while pounding his chest and moved half his face in front of the camera. "Sister-in-law, it’s me. No worries, I’m not an outsider."
Jiang Lingxi smiled at him, and Shen Qingzhou immediately shrank back, sitting properly away from the camera.
"I’ll rest for a bit, then pack my things to head back. I’ve got a few days off to relax."
"Mm, I’ll head home early today too."
When Jiang Lingxi woke up from her nap, she noticed that it had become completely quiet next door.
She spent over ten minutes tidying up the not-too-numerous belongings in her room before dragging her suitcase and heading downstairs.
She happened to bump into Xiao Yu playing basketball in the indoor court.
"Aren’t you going back?"
Xiao Yu dribbled the ball to Jiang Lingxi, nodded while holding the basketball. "No, I’m not going back. I plan to stay with Coach Qi for a few more days. It’s quieter here than in the school dorm."
"Yeah, I haven’t graduated yet; I’m in my third year."
Xiao Yu felt a bit bitter inside while introducing himself.
Although he wasn’t very famous, he at least had some recognition, but the person in front of him genuinely only knew his name and hadn’t even thought of looking him up on their phone.
Jiang Lingxi: "...Good luck!"
Waving, Jiang Lingxi walked off with her suitcase, and Xiao Yu stood there watching her silhouette disappear from view before turning to throw the basketball at the hoop.
The distance was a bit far, and as expected, it missed!
She opened the car door and sat into the car she hadn’t been in for a month, taking almost a quarter of an hour to acclimate and regain the feel of driving a regular car.
On the road, as she watched the slow-moving traffic ahead and behind her, she had to continuously suppress her instinct to overtake.
It was Tong Yue’s call that finally distracted Jiang Lingxi.
"Xixi, have the results been announced?"
"Chen Keyun posted something that Zhengzheng came across. I guessed."
Tong Yue jumped in place holding her phone, trying to ease her excitement. "You didn’t even call to tell me such great news; even a message would do."
"I’m driving back to Xiyuan; I planned to tell you once I got home."
"Back to Xiyuan? Why? I was planning to have Zhengzheng and Yaoyao head over to you."
"No rush. Director Feng gave a few days off. I’ll go to the set once I get his notice."
"Director Feng is quite considerate. You really should rest after all the hardship this month. I won’t disturb your driving then. Rest well once you’re back, and I’ll visit you tomorrow, and we’ll catch up then."
Although Chen Keyun had accepted the fact that she lost to Jiang Lingxi, her manager couldn’t quite come to terms with it.
Considering Chen Keyun’s professional racer background and that the role was for a racer, it seemed like a sure thing. Who could’ve expected it to be taken by someone who never learned racing!
"Are you sure there’s no foul play involved?"
Chen Keyun felt her head buzzing from the constant nagging. Holding her head, her voice cracked a bit: "There’s really no foul play. If I could get the training footage, I would’ve shown it to you already."
"Although I hate to admit it," Chen Keyun sighed heavily, meeting her manager’s increasingly dark expression, "Jiang Lingxi is genuinely strong!"
The two locked eyes silently for nearly a minute before the manager wiped his face and slumped back on the sofa.
He also knew that the possibility of foul play was slim since Director Feng was so reputable that he wouldn’t hesitate to spend a fortune on private venues and coaching just to train and select actors before filming. Being manipulated by capital was highly unlikely.
But it was still hard to accept!
"So does this mean you have absolutely no hope of participating in Feng’s new film? Such a great opportunity, practically tailor-made for you, so how did a Jiang Lingxi come out of nowhere!"
Chen Keyun bowed her head, speaking quietly after he finished lamenting: "Not getting selected this time is partly my responsibility. We were too arrogant, thinking Director Feng would only pick me. And Qi Zhen said my racing skills have deteriorated. Ever since returning to the country, I’ve been too consumed with acting and variety shows, leaving little time for practice."
The manager was at a loss for words.
"Right, find someone who knows about scented products," Chen Keyun said, handing over a half-used bottle still wrapped tightly. "Have them check if there’s anything wrong with this scented candle."
"Sure, but where did you get this?"
"Su Linlin gave it to me when we first met at the training base. Before leaving, Jiang Lingxi advised me not to use it."
"What?" The manager was puzzled and took a moment to understand. "Jiang Lingxi warned you not to use something Su Linlin gave?"
Chen Keyun spoke with a complex tone: "She probably wanted to tell me there’s something wrong with the scented candle, but after using it for a month, I didn’t notice anything unusual, and I didn’t feel unwell. But I feel Jiang Lingxi wouldn’t say something like that just to scare me."
"These things usually have a subtle effect over time, and she only warned you after you’d used it for a whole month!"
"She wasn’t obliged to warn me in the first place, and we were technically competitors this whole month. Have you ever seen anyone helping their competitor? I can only blame myself for not being cautious enough." Chen Keyun clicked her tongue. "If not for congratulating her after the final selection, I doubt she would’ve even bothered to warn me."
Manager: "...I better find a known Incense Maker!"