Chapter 134: Puppy

Liu Qiu’s attention was entirely fixed on a person wearing a hat.

If Fu Jinyin in the previous world had only somewhat resembled Zhao Duo in appearance, with their features not truly alike, then the woman currently moving props over there looked at least fifty percent similar to Zhao Duo.

Just now, Liu Qiu had genuinely thought she was seeing Zhao Duo.

The eyes and brows were exactly the same, and there was even a small mole on the bridge of her nose.

Seeing a familiar-looking person in an unfamiliar world should have been something happy.

But after the initial reaction passed, what she felt was more discomfort than joy.

However, Liu Qiu only felt down for a brief moment.

After all, she would be able to revive once she completed this mission.

Right now, she was full of motivation.

Liu Qiu continued staring at the person who resembled Zhao Duo.

The person wore a hat, with all her hair stuffed inside it, but the hair visible at her temples was silver.

Liu Qiu hadn’t seen anyone familiar in a very long time, so it was inevitable that she stared a bit longer.

Suddenly, that person seemed to notice her gaze and turned her head to look in Liu Qiu’s direction.

Being caught peeking made Liu Qiu feel a little embarrassed.

But she neither dodged nor avoided the gaze and looked directly back.

Right now she was supposed to be a bad-tempered rich second-generation heir.

Someone like that wouldn’t avert their eyes just because someone else looked back.

From the front, she looked even more like Zhao Duo.

Liu Qiu couldn’t help but smile.

However, it was a gloomy smile that matched the original host’s personality.

The woman withdrew her gaze and continued working.

Liu Qiu sighed quietly to herself.

She had wanted to appear friendly.

Unfortunately, her current persona wasn’t meant to be friendly.

[She was probably scared by my smile.]

Shen Yiwan silently walked up behind Liu Qiu and said slowly, “Have you taken a liking to a new little lover?”

Shen Yiwan’s sudden voice startled Liu Qiu.

Her expression remained unchanged as she turned her head forward again.

Although Shen Yiwan couldn’t see it, Liu Qiu deliberately lowered her voice and adopted a gloomy tone.

“Shen Yiwan, are you jealous?”

Shen Yiwan looked toward the direction where the props were being organized.

Her gaze landed precisely on the hat-wearing person.

It was faint, but unmistakable.

That annoying dog-like scent she disliked.

It hadn’t been there two days ago, yet today it appeared.

Was it an accident, or had someone deliberately brought it in?

Shen Yiwan curled her lips coolly.

“No. However many people you want to keep, it has nothing to do with me.”

“There’s only a relationship of interests between us.”

“You want beauty; I want benefits.”

Liu Qiu let out a soft scoff.

“You clearly know what I want is your affection.”

[Feels like I’m acting in a TV drama.]

Shen Yiwan narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, “Liu Qiu, you should’ve become an actress.”

“No, wait. You can’t.”

“You limp.”

Liu Qiu: “…”

The original host was extremely insecure about her disability.

She couldn’t tolerate anyone bringing it up.

Right now she had to act angry.

Liu Qiu tightly gripped the wheelchair armrests.

A dark gloom appeared between her brows as her tone turned heavy.

“Shen Yiwan, that’s not something you should say to me.”

Shen Yiwan walked around to the front and looked at Liu Qiu’s gloomy eyes.

She let out a soft snort.

Standing there looking down made Shen Yiwan appear somewhat arrogant.

“Liu Qiu, I only said one sentence and you already can’t stand it?”

“And this is your ‘love’?”

Liu Qiu opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she only pressed her lips together.

[Feels like some kind of obedience test.]

An obedience test?

That description wasn’t wrong.

Shen Yiwan smiled.

Liu Qiu’s inner voice never matched her facial expression.

Was someone forcing her to perform in front of her?

What benefit could she possibly gain from doing that?

“Liu Qiu, come get ready!” the director’s voice echoed through a loudspeaker.

Shen Yiwan said, “Liu Qiu, I want the female lead script for Feng Yue Ru Ge.”

Right now, scandals surrounded her anyway, so she wasn’t afraid of paparazzi photographing her interacting closely with Liu Qiu.

“And if you don’t want to watch me act, then don’t come to the set and disturb me.”

Liu Qiu silently watched Shen Yiwan’s departing figure.

Although Shen Yiwan’s attitude didn’t appear particularly cold, both her words and actions carried a deep sense of distance.

Being cold didn’t necessarily require a blank expression.

Just like the plot summary had described.

At the beginning she would be very indifferent, and only later would she gradually become passionate.

Liu Qiu didn’t mind.

In fact, she felt it was good that Shen Yiwan followed the storyline.

Liu Qiu began thinking about something else.

Did she need to stay here the whole time?

Probably not.

Shen Yiwan would be filming continuously and likely wouldn’t pay much attention to her.

As for the script of Feng Yue Ru Ge, she would have to ask the film company about it.

The original host’s parents had invested in the entertainment industry.

They had even invested in several film and television companies.

After years of development, those companies were no longer small and had some influence within the industry.

Just as Liu Qiu was thinking carefully, a commotion suddenly sounded in the distance.

Then came angry shouting.

“f*ck, Chi Li, are you blind? Can’t you see someone this big standing here?!”

Liu Qiu wasn’t too far away and heard it clearly.

She turned her head toward the source of the noise.

A box had fallen at someone’s feet, and the items inside were scattered across the ground.

From her angle, Liu Qiu could only see the woman’s profile.

But that profile looked even more like Zhao Duo.

Liu Qiu took a deep breath and maneuvered her wheelchair toward the props team.

Fine.

She was going to intervene.

Liu Qiu’s characteristics were very obvious.

Her wheelchair practically announced that something was wrong with her leg.

This wasn’t a big film crew.

Even the slightest rumor could quickly spread throughout the set.

Including the fact that Shen Yiwan had gotten the role through connections, and her sugar daddy was the limping Liu Qiu.

And today the sugar daddy herself had come.

The person who had been yelling noticed Liu Qiu approaching in her wheelchair.

Her scolding stopped abruptly.

Her body stiffened.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Liu Qiu frowned.

Her chin lifted slightly, her smile fake.

“Why are you shouting so loudly?”

“You’re hurting my ears.”

The woman’s expression immediately turned fearful.

She quickly apologized.

“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Liu Qiu leaned back against the chair and waved her hand.

“Forget it.”

“Get lost.”

Hearing that, the woman hurried away.

Liu Qiu blinked.

For some reason, it felt… pretty satisfying.

So this was what it felt like to be rich?

She only said one sentence and people were already afraid of her.

Liu Qiu turned her wheelchair.

The person called Chi Li was crouched on the ground picking up the scattered items.

Liu Qiu felt like she should leave.

But the hand holding the control stick simply wouldn’t move.

Sigh.

No.

This person named Chi Li really looked too much like Zhao Duo.

Liu Qiu cleared her throat and adopted a haughty tone.

“Hey.”

“Lift your head and look at me.”

Don’t be scared.

I don’t mean any harm.

Whenever Liu Qiu felt nervous, her fingers unconsciously tightened.

Her eyelashes also blinked faster than usual.

She looked exactly like that now.

[I’m a little nervous.]

Chi Li slowly lifted her head and silently looked at Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu gripped the armrests tightly.

Her heart pounded like a drum.

From up close, she looked even more similar.

“I helped you.”

“Aren’t you going to say thank you?”

After saying that, Liu Qiu immediately closed her mouth.

Her gaze stayed fixed on Chi Li, who was still crouching.

She wanted to know whether her voice would sound like Zhao Duo’s as well.

But Chi Li simply pointed at her own throat.

Then she shook her head.

It was very simple body language.

Liu Qiu pressed her lips together.

Chi Li… couldn’t speak?

Chi Li quickly gathered the scattered items and hugged the box back into her arms.

The box was large enough to hide most of her body.

Then she turned and walked to the right.

Her back looked thin, and she was tall.

Like Fu Jinyin.

But even more like Zhao Duo.

Liu Qiu stared blankly for a moment.

She rarely thought about Zhao Duo.

The person she wanted to see the most was her parents.

But now that she had encountered someone who looked so much like Zhao Duo, Liu Qiu slowly realized something.

She had actually missed Zhao Duo a lot too.

It was just that her parents were the most important people to her.

All her thoughts had been focused on returning to see them.

So she had ignored Zhao Duo.

[Host, do you care about that person a lot?] the system asked.

Liu Qiu blinked and answered honestly.

[Yeah. She looks very similar to my good friend.]

[But I don’t know whether she considers me her good friend.]

Zhao Duo had always been rather distant.

The system said, [A good friend? Host, I’ve never heard you mention her before.]

Liu Qiu moved the wheelchair back to where she had been sitting earlier.

[My good friend’s name is Zhao Duo.]

[Doesn’t the name sound a bit strange?]

The system replied, [Your name is strange too.]

Liu Qiu smiled.

[My name is Qiu because I was born at the beginning of autumn.]

[Zhao Duo was called Duo because she was the “extra” child in her family.]

[Her family strongly preferred sons over daughters.]

[Her parents wanted a boy, but their third child was still a girl.]

[Zhao Duo was the youngest.]

[So her parents named her Zhao Duo—“Duo” as in “extra.”]

Thinking about it made Liu Qiu feel upset.

She knew her personality was rather soft.

She rarely got angry and seldom hated anyone.

But Zhao Duo’s parents were the exception.

She hated them very, very much.

Her parents had originally run a street stall and needed to save money.

So their family rented a cheap apartment.

Next door lived Zhao Duo’s family.

She hadn’t noticed Zhao Duo only once.

Since they were neighbors, they often ran into each other.

She remembered Zhao Duo very clearly.

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That small body always carrying a bag nearly as large as herself, walking silently with her head lowered.

Zhao Duo’s home was always full of shouting and arguments.

Liu Qiu had always wondered how people could fight every single day.

What about that child?

How did she endure it?

The first time Liu Qiu spoke to Zhao Duo was in the stairwell.

It was winter.

She had worn a thick down jacket and gone downstairs to buy snacks.

There was no elevator in that building.

Only stairs.

And that was when she saw Zhao Duo wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt, trembling as she curled up in the corner.

Liu Qiu had taken off her own thick down jacket and draped it over Zhao Duo.

Then she spoke first.

‘Do you want to come to my house?’

Later, they became good friends.

At least, Liu Qiu believed Zhao Duo was her good friend.

To think she remembered even such small details so clearly.

Liu Qiu sighed.

[System, I really hate Zhao Duo’s parents.]

The system didn’t understand why some humans developed prejudice based on gender.

But anyone the host hated, it would hate too.

[Host, I hate your friend’s parents too.]

[Host, work hard to complete the mission.]

[If there’s extra energy later, I’ll exchange it for something to punish the people you hate.]

Most of the time, the system didn’t say much.

But after being together so long, Liu Qiu liked it very much.

The system was always on her side.

Liu Qiu nodded firmly.

[Thank you, System.]

While Liu Qiu chatted with the system, another scene finished filming.

Director Wang Tiantian noticed something strange.

The filming afterward had been unusually smooth.

Shen Yiwan hadn’t had a single NG.

Her condition was bizarrely good.

Most scenes were finished in one take.

“Director Wang, the person has been brought here,” a crew member said.

Wang Tiantian turned her head.

“Chi Li.”

Chi Li silently nodded.

Wang Tiantian placed a hand on Chi Li’s shoulder and whispered.

“Chi Li, did you see that person in the wheelchair?”

“She talked to you earlier, right?”

“What did she say? Tell your cousin.”

Chi Li brushed Wang Tiantian’s hand away and frowned.

She began gesturing.

Wang Tiantian narrowed her eyes.

A crafty gleam flashed through them.

“She helped drive away the person who scolded you?”

“Chi Li, people like that don’t help others casually.”

“I think she’s taken a liking to you.”

“Don’t you want to save Auntie?”

“That person has a lot of money.”

“Maybe she could even send Auntie abroad for treatment.”

Chi Li had been adopted by Wang Tiantian’s aunt.

Because she had been born with silver hair, many people rejected her.

But her aunt never did.

Chi Li was closest to her aunt.

Now her aunt was sick.

She needed a large amount of money.

Even more, she needed the best doctors.

Wang Tiantian didn’t want her aunt to die either.

But her own abilities were limited.

Her family’s abilities were limited too.

Right now they could barely afford the hospital bills.

She had even borrowed money to film this drama.

She wanted to earn more money in one go and send her aunt somewhere better.

Wang Tiantian knew her thoughts weren’t very moral.

But for Chi Li, this was clearly an opportunity.

Chi Li had been born with problems in her throat.

In the past she could say a few simple sentences.

Now she couldn’t speak at all.

She could only be mute.

Calling Chi Li here meant she could only do odd jobs.

After all, Chi Li couldn’t do anything else.

Chi Li pressed her lips together and made a large cross gesture with her hands toward Wang Tiantian.

Then she shook her head and continued gesturing.

Wang Tiantian glanced backward.

She could clearly see Liu Qiu looking over in their direction.

She clicked her tongue.

“Chi Li, how do you know she hasn’t taken a liking to you?”

“Just go try.”

“If it doesn’t work, fine.”

“But if it does, Auntie’s chances of recovering will greatly increase.”

“And your cousin here might even benefit from your connections.”

Chi Li lowered her head.

Wang Tiantian reached out and removed her hat.

A full head of silver hair was revealed.

Her cousin was beautiful.

What a pity she was mute.

Otherwise Wang Tiantian would have let her act in the drama and saved some money.

Wang Tiantian said, “Chi Li, are you going or not?”

“I’ll take you to try.”

“I know my limits. I won’t anger Liu Qiu.”

“You see, that person is beautiful.”

“You won’t be at a loss.”

“At most you’ll sleep with her once.”

“If you’re proactive and she likes you, Auntie’s illness will definitely be cured.”

“That person is very rich.”

Chi Li lowered her head and thought for a long time.

In the end, she nodded.

Wang Tiantian tidied her appearance and impatiently pulled her toward Liu Qiu.

After all, Chi Li wasn’t part of the entertainment industry.

There was no need to worry about paparazzi photographing them.

“Miss Liu.”

Wang Tiantian appeared with a flattering smile.

Liu Qiu frowned.

Her tone was unfriendly.

“What do you want?”

Facing Liu Qiu in person still made Wang Tiantian nervous.

She clenched her fingers, glanced around, and smiled.

“Ah, it’s my cousin.”

“She heard you came and begged me to bring her over.”

Liu Qiu glanced at Chi Li behind Wang Tiantian.

Her gaze subtly swept over that silver hair.

“I’m not some kind of monkey for people to come stare at.”

“Wang Tiantian, did you forget what I told you?”

Liu Qiu’s expression had already turned cold.

Seeing that, Wang Tiantian quickly said, “Miss Liu, don’t be angry. I’ll take my cousin away immediately.”

Seems she had overthought things.

Liu Qiu had probably just acted on a whim and hadn’t actually taken interest in Chi Li.

Wang Tiantian grabbed Chi Li’s sleeve to pull her away.

But suddenly she realized Chi Li wasn’t moving.

Wang Tiantian kept making signals with her eyes.

But Chi Li didn’t look at her.

At that moment someone shouted from behind.

“Director Wang! The actors have finished their makeup—we can continue filming!”

Wang Tiantian had no choice.

She forced a smile.

“My cousin is a little slow. Please don’t mind her, Miss Liu. I’m going back to filming.”

“We’ll try to finish Shen Yiwan’s scenes early today.”

Liu Qiu waved impatiently.

“Get lost.”

Wang Tiantian left.

Now only Liu Qiu and Chi Li remained.

Liu Qiu stared at Chi Li with a gloomy expression.

“What do you want?”

Chi Li began gesturing.

Liu Qiu turned her head and sneered.

“I don’t understand sign language.”

Although Liu Qiu appeared impatient, she didn’t move her wheelchair away.

Chi Li took out her phone and typed quickly.

Then she handed it to Liu Qiu.

According to her persona, Liu Qiu should have grabbed the phone.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

So she only glanced sideways at the screen with disdain.

[I want to follow you. Is that okay?]

Liu Qiu wasn’t sure what exactly “follow” meant here.

She stared at Chi Li and sneered.

“There are plenty of people who want to follow me.”

“You’re a mute. You think typing a few words means you can?”

Chi Li withdrew the phone and typed again.

[You can make me do anything.]

[Laundry, cooking, bathing, sleeping with you—anything.]

Liu Qiu fell silent.

So it really was the kind of “following” she thought.

Looking into Chi Li’s eyes, Liu Qiu oddly saw a pleading emotion.

Chi Li’s eyes were brown, but lighter than most.

They looked clear and pure, like a spring of clean water.

[Oh no… I kind of can’t refuse.]

Chi Li froze briefly.

She took the phone back and typed again.

[Please. I really want to follow you.]

Liu Qiu felt helpless.

She really couldn’t reject that face that looked so much like Zhao Duo.

Zhao Duo was her good friend.

[What should I do? I should refuse.]

[I can’t soften just because she looks like Zhao Duo.]

[That would be wrong.]

Chi Li pressed her lips together.

So the voice she had been hearing was this person’s inner thoughts.

Zhao Duo…

Did she really look that much like her?

Was Zhao Duo someone this person liked?

Her cousin had said she should be proactive.

Chi Li bent down and quickly kissed Liu Qiu on the cheek.

Then she typed again.

[I can be very proactive.]

[Please. I want to follow you.]

[Ding. Target No.1 confirmed: Puppy? (A very cute green hat.)]

Liu Qiu was completely stunned.

What did “puppy” mean?

Wait.

Why did Chi Li kiss her?

This was so strange.

Liu Qiu knew Chi Li and Zhao Duo weren’t the same person.

But they looked too similar.

For a moment she almost felt like Zhao Duo had kissed her.

But Zhao Duo was her only good friend.

She couldn’t think like that.

And besides, it would be very disrespectful to Chi Li.

No one wants to be treated as someone else’s substitute.