Baihe Fan

Chapter 27: Editing

Half an hour later, Xia Linxia finally managed to climb out of the bathtub. After getting dressed, she called Ji Fengxue to come in.

They went to the bedroom, and Xia Linxia stood up, hopping towards the bed, feeling as if she had finally come back to life.

“Get me a face mask, thanks,” Xia Linxia instructed.

“Where is it?” Ji Fengxue looked around.

“Um… over by the dressing table, just look around.”

Ji Fengxue walked over. The table was cluttered, making it impossible to find anything. After rummaging through a few drawers, she finally found a box of face masks in a storage box nearby. She then went to the living room to get the ointment.

Xia Linxia lay there with the face mask on, sprawling lazily while Ji Fengxue applied the ointment. She picked up her phone to check online news, “Ugh, I’m sure there are plenty of people criticizing me again.”

“What are they criticizing you for?” Ji Fengxue asked gently as she applied the ointment.

“Criticizing me for being unprofessional, for being difficult, for being ugly and talkative. There’s plenty to criticize,” Xia Linxia said nonchalantly.

“So, you know all this. Do you usually read negative comments?” Ji Fengxue asked curiously.

“Yeah, I check them out to see if there’s anything new. It’s always the same few phrases attacking me, I’m tired of it,” Xia Linxia shrugged.

“Doesn’t it make you angry?”

Xia Linxia looked up and smiled, “Of course it does, but I’ve been through life and death, I’m not afraid of this stuff.” She seemed quite proud, “Sometimes having a few haters to spar with is actually fun. Battling with evil dogs is endless fun!”

Ji Fengxue: “…”

Xia Linxia asked in return, “What about you? Do you read those comments?”

“No, I have a lot to do and don’t have time to read what others say,” Ji Fengxue said, applying the medicinal wine, the strong smell wafting into her nose. She wrinkled her nose and continued, “I can’t control their freedom of speech, but I can control myself, so I don’t get upset.”

“It smells so strong,” Xia Linxia couldn’t stand the smell of the medicinal wine. As soon as she sat up, a hand reached out with a bag of cotton balls. She took it, stuffed two balls into her nose, and joked, “Not bad, old Ji, you’re quite thoughtful.”

Ji Fengxue pressed a bit harder.

“Hiss—! You old dog, I’ll never forgive you!” Xia Linxia pointed at her and cursed.

Hearing this, Ji Fengxue picked up a wet wipe, slowly wiped her hands, leaned on the edge of the bed, leaned closer to her, and smiled.

Xia Linxia froze, momentarily forgetting to react, staring at her blankly.

Ji Fengxue smirked, her smile a bit mischievous, “Aren’t you afraid of angering me and getting into trouble tonight?”

Xia Linxia glared at her, crossing her arms over her chest protectively, “You old pervert, you dare!”

Ji Fengxue extended a finger and lifted her chin, “Just see if I dare.”

Xia Linxia sneered, grabbing her finger with one hand and hooking her neck with the other, pulling her into an attempted chokehold, gritting her teeth, “Sorry, but I’m not to be trifled with.”

Ji Fengxue coughed twice, unexpectedly, the scent of the fragrant shower gel diluting the medicinal wine smell in her nose. She instinctively took a deep breath to ease the strong smell.

After a moment, she pinched Xia Linxia’s waist.

Xia Linxia froze, immediately guessing what she was about to do, and let go, begging for mercy, “No! Don’t tickle me! I surrender, isn’t that enough!”

Ji Fengxue stopped teasing her, got up to wash her hands. The bathroom was still steaming, the fragrance just right. She glanced at the little yellow duck beside her and smiled.

After a while, she walked out and heard Xia Linxia scream, “Ah! So many positive reviews!”

She had expected netizens to mock her stage accident, but most were encouraging her, praising her for her performance before the fall. Her performance clip was being widely shared on major platforms, almost all netizens had witnessed her stage presence.

#XiaLinXiaRocksTheStage#, #XiaLinXiaFalls#, #JiFengXueCheeringForXiaLinXia#, #XiaLinXiaFighting!#

Several of her hashtags were trending, making her suspect that Xiang Huanmeng had bought them. However, the comments were genuinely full of praise.

[Seeing so many trending topics, I clicked on Xia Linxia’s video. The beginning was amazing! When she fell, I felt the pain. Watching the audience cheer and seeing her stand up, I teared up.]

[The older I get, the more emotional I become. This performance made me cry so much.]

[Turning into a fan! I was at the scene today, initially there to support my idol, but I was captivated by Xia Linxia’s charm. An idol who has already debuted and has talent is more worth supporting!]

[Xia Linxia is a treasure! Totally worth it!]

[I want to be a fan, but I can’t be with her, she’s taken, I’m so mad!]

[Warning: Chicken Coop!]

[Hahaha, Xia Linxia is with Ji Fengxue! After this, we only recognize Ji Fengxue as her partner! You two must be happy together!]

[Even the haters are quiet today, hahaha!]

[I’ve been a fan of Xia Linxia for five years, watching her grow from a little girl to today. I’m so happy; Xia Linxia is becoming more and more worthy of our love!]

[Actually, the most touching moment for me was when Ji Fengxue shouted ‘fighting’, I teared up instantly.]

[Thanks to Ji Fengxue for her on-site support. There’s already an edit on Bilibili, everyone go watch, absolute love!]

[On my way!]

The topic gradually veered off course. Xia Linxia looked up and saw Ji Fengxue standing at the bathroom door, curious, “Why did you cheer for me at the scene?”

Ji Fengxue looked like she had heard a silly question, answering matter-of-factly, “Anyone who saw that scene couldn’t help but cheer for you.”

“Oh.” Xia Linxia paused, “Did I look really bad when I fell?”

“No.” Ji Fengxue helped her lie down, looking into her eyes, her brows arching, “You were the most charming tonight. Good night.”

Xia Linxia blinked, watching her turn to leave, “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“It’s so late.”

Ji Fengxue turned back, smiling, “Are you really going to let me stay?”

Xia Linxia wanted to say yes, but the other continued, “Don’t you hate me and worry I’ll do something inappropriate?”

“Right.” Xia Linxia was speechless. But it was almost 2 a.m., and after accompanying her to the hospital and staying to take care of her, it seemed a bit too much to let her go home now, “But I have plenty of guest rooms. You can stay if you tidy one up.”

“No need.” Ji Fengxue smiled, “If you let me stay, I might think you’re inviting me.”

“Damn.” Xia Linxia choked, “Can’t there be pure friendship between women!”

“Of course there can be, but not with you.”

Xia Linxia, feeling defiant, pounded the bed, “Why not!”

“Because you’re attractive,” Ji Fengxue said with a smile, “You’d make my heart flutter.”

“…”

Xia Linxia: o(////▽////)q

What an irrefutable reason!

Moments later, Xia Linxia pulled the blanket up, leaving only her eyes exposed, “Get lost, you old pervert!”

Ji Fengxue didn’t tease her anymore, let out a sigh, and left to go home.

In fact, she wasn’t lying. It had been over ten years since her last real relationship.

She first realized she liked girls in her third year of high school, falling for the class president. They had a brief, ambiguous relationship before finally breaking the ice.

But with their busy studies, they could only hold hands secretly and steal kisses occasionally. Then, she went out for training to prepare for the art exam, and when she returned, the class president had gone abroad.

Even though they had tasted the sweetness of love, they couldn’t give up on their dreams for each other. She wanted to be an actress and wasn’t planning to go abroad anytime soon. The class president, on the other hand, had always planned to study abroad and had received an offer from a prestigious university.

Although they couldn’t stay together, they remained good friends and still kept in touch occasionally.

After getting into film school, she started taking acting jobs in her sophomore year, making it even harder to find a partner. So, spending the night at a beautiful woman’s house wasn’t exactly easy on her heart.

Shortly after returning home, she received a message from Xia Linxia.

[Xiaxia]: Did you get home? I want some breakfast from Xu Ji tomorrow morning. Bring me some.

[Xiaxia]: Damn, this edit is amazing! You have to watch it! [Link]

Ji Fengxue clicked on the video while getting ready for bed. Just as she was about to brush her teeth, the first scene made her drop her toothpaste.

The video was probably edited by a CP (couple pairing) fan. It started with a “misplaced kiss” between her and Xia Linxia.

Next, it showed Xia Linxia’s dazzling performance on stage, with a voiceover from her first interview where Xia Linxia unhappily said, “She didn’t even vote for me!”

Then, it cut to her holding up Xia Linxia’s light stick in the audience, with a voiceover of her saying, “I regret it now. I should have recognized her talent five years ago. If I had, I would have voted for her.”

Following that were clips of their interactions on the variety show. When buying soda at the small store, Ji Fengxue glanced back at Xia Linxia, and with the added background music, it looked very affectionate.

When buying candied hawthorn, Xia Linxia turned from angrily ranting to smiling brightly upon seeing the treat.

The scene of them drinking spring water from their hands played in slow motion…

The voiceover was even sweeter, with Xia Linxia calling her “darling,” “baby,” and “Old Ji” repeatedly, paired with Ji Fengxue’s helpless yet doting smile, making it incredibly sweet.

As Ji Fengxue brushed her teeth, she noticed the progress bar nearing the end. Just as she was about to close the video, she saw the barrage of comments: “High energy ahead!”

Xia Linxia’s breathless voice played in the last few seconds, “Hahaha, no more… please, Ji Fengxue!”

“Pfft—!”

Foam splattered all over her phone.

Where did they get these clips?!

She wiped her phone clean and saw another new message.

[Xiaxia]: Did you finish watching it? These netizens are really talented. They managed to create such a sweet love story. Why do I feel a bit excited, like I just watched a romantic movie?

[Xiaxia]: I’ve watched it three times already. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe!

[Your Darling]: …Are you really straight?

Your Darling “retracted” a message.

[Xiaxia]: I just liked, commented, and subscribed. What did you say? Why did you retract it? If there’s a problem, we can figure it out together.

[Your Darling]: …Good night.

Late that night, a popular editor suddenly posted a new tweet.

Meeting Xia Summer v: OMG! I think I saw Xiaxia in the likes of the video I edited!