Chapter 30: Memories Like Smoke

Northern Guangnan City.

A car stopped in front of a quiet, unassuming residence.

A petite girl in a white dress stepped out—Bai Lulu—and entered through the main gate.

“Miss, you’re back—”

“Mm.”

She responded briefly and walked straight inside.

She turned down hallway after hallway until she reached a certain door, then twisted the handle.

The room was spacious, filled with display cabinets—yet there wasn’t even a bed.

Clearly, this wasn’t her bedroom, but something more like a personal hobby room.

One entire pink wall was covered with photos But a closer look revealed something startling:

None of these photos were of Bai Lulu.

They were all of Lin Xiyue…

The wall even had large decorative stickers marking each year, spanning six years from left to right.

Bai Lulu stepped forward, looking through the photos one by one.

From Lin Xiyue’s first year of middle school to her high school graduation— from childish innocence to youthful beauty— everything was documented clearly, meticulously.

Yes. She had lied earlier. To be precise, she had been lying for six years.

She had been following Lin Xiyue since her first year of middle school. Every major event, every stage of growth—she knew all of it.

Her so-called hobby of shipping yuri CPs?

That was something she learned because she discovered Lin Xiyue enjoyed it.

That was why she learned to draw, why she bothered to understand that fandom’s twisted, niche ecosystem.

Every encounter, every coincidence between them— all of it had been orchestrated by her.

It all began with a single breathtaking moment on a street years ago, when she first saw this girl who instantly lodged herself inside her heart.

Call her shallow—she wouldn’t deny it.

Because at the start, she liked Lin Xiyue purely because she looked beautiful.

But saying she was only shallow would be unfair.

Because that initial attraction lasted six whole years— without wavering, without shifting to someone else.
Such devotion was something even couples in passionate relationships couldn’t guarantee.

During all three years of middle school, she didn’t dare disturb her. Her gathered information said that Lin Xiyue merely liked yuri CPs— but was herself a hopelessly straight girl.

So she wasn’t in a hurry.

She approached her online as a normal friend, wrapped herself in the persona of a warm big sister, earning her trust step by step, building her reliance brick by brick.

The first suggestive jokes were also started by her.

At first Lin Xiyue would get so flustered she couldn’t speak.

Later, she became more natural—even sharing dirty jokes herself.

The biggest turning point in their relationship came in Lin Xiyue’s third year of middle school— the year Lin Ziyu ran away and Lin Xiyue’s father passed.

As a stranger from behind a screen, she became the one who absorbed all of Lin Xiyue’s emotional breakdowns.

She eased the pain more than anyone else could.

She wasn’t naturally empathetic… But for Lin Xiyue, she could be. She understood Lin Xiyue’s heart better than anyone.

And she was rewarded for it. Because of that, Lin Xiyue finally regarded her as a confidant— their relationship no different from true best friends.

She had thought of helping the Lin family… But she was just a middle-schooler.

The Bai family had power and influence— but that belonged to her father.

A young girl’s words couldn’t make him oppose a top-tier entertainment company.

So she could only watch helplessly as Lin Xiyue broke down, only able to offer emotional support.

Later in high school, she wanted to transfer to First High to be closer to her. But after thinking it over, she chose Second High instead.

Partly because she felt her “corruption plan” wasn’t complete, partly because she still couldn’t do anything meaningful for her.

Who could’ve expected Xia Jinnian to appear out of nowhere…

She could only watch as the two became best friends— even closer than Lin Xiyue was with her.

What made her want to cry was this:

All the subtle “bending” influence she’d exerted over Lin Xiyue ended up taking effect on Xia Jinnian instead.

Lin Xiyue had actually developed quiet feelings for her.

The one who ran the marathon with you was me. But the one waiting at the finish line… was her.

The only relief was that Xia Jinnian was still a solid, unshakeable straight girl.

 Her feelings for Lin Xiyue stopped at “best friend.”

When she insisted that Lin Xiyue bring Xia Jinnian to the meetup— it wasn’t to ship the CP in person.

She simply wanted to observe their dynamic firsthand.

And now she had confirmation:

The two hadn’t reached mutual affection yet. She still had a chance. It wasn’t too late to enter the game.

More importantly— now that she had graduated high school, she could finally involve herself in some of the family business.

Her father had given her real authority, wanting her to gain experience. Which meant… she could finally do something for the Lin family too.

“Xiaoxi-daren… I won’t be ‘raising you freely’ anymore~”

********************

Meanwhile, downtown—

After parting with Bai Lulu, it was only noon.

Neither Lin Xiyue nor Xia Jinnian felt like going home.

Instead, they continued wandering the streets aimlessly.

Doing nothing, yet perfectly content— because when you’re with someone you like, even being idle together feels joyful. That’s the magic of love.

“By the way, after Auntie saw the sales numbers on Fanxing, she probably changed her mind, right?”

Lin Xiyue stretched lazily. It was expected.

Just the first-day sales alone—over 110,000— converted to more than 300,000 yuan.
For a single-parent, working-class family, it was astronomical.

And this was just the first day of her first single.

There would be more singles, commercial deals, albums, concerts…

“Mm. Sometimes, instead of forcefully changing the older generation’s thinking, or blindly obeying them… finding a middle path is the best way.”

Xia Jinnian nodded. For the first time in her eighteen years, she had seen something on her mother’s face— pride.

Maybe her mother had been too harsh.
Maybe their relationship had its problems.
Maybe their values clashed terribly.

But now there was finally balance. She felt unbelievably light.

“Thank you, Xixi~”

“Thank me? Why not call me ‘wifey’ instead?”

“I can’t—sis, she’s attacking me—help——”