Lin Xiaoxiao's lips twitched, somewhat helpless at Bai Bing's persistence. "Sister Bingbing, how do you think I should test the waters without seeming to have ulterior motives?"
Regarding this trending topic, Lin Xiaoxiao planned to selectively forget it. She would pretend that she had never seen anything and had never heard anything about it from Bai Bing.
As for Bai Bing's probing, Lin Xiaoxiao was prepared to ignore it. She had a legitimate right to ask about their relationship last time.
But this time, she had no way to ask about it, since they weren't going to handle it.
So, what reason could she use to ask Tang Xue for her opinion on this matter? She couldn't very well ask Tang Xue to say, "If you mind, I can step forward and clarify."
What is she trying to clarify? Is she trying to clarify that her relationship with Tang Xue is purely platonic and just that of friends? But for Lin Xiaoxiao, her relationship with Tang Xue is anything but innocent.
Therefore, by letting the trending topic escalate, she had no right to ask Tang Xue for her opinion on the incident, not to mention that the topic was rather sensitive.
If Tang Xue sensed even the slightest something amiss from her words, she would be in danger of being exposed at any moment.
At least until she figured out the exact situation between Tang Xue and Cheng Yi, she decided to hold back.
Chapter 48
==================
Tang Xue found out she was trending on social media again when she finished filming for the day and was preparing to return to her hotel.
When she opened Weibo and saw the trending topic, her feelings were truly complicated.
However, when Tang Xue clicked on the title and saw the content, she really felt that she was not feeling well at all.
Especially when she saw the sentence, "Lin Xiaoxiao was helped into the car by Li Yu," she felt as if all the blood in her body rushed to her head in that instant.
Although she and Lin Xiaoxiao didn't do anything inappropriate, that statement was really ambiguous, especially since she did do something embarrassing to Lin Xiaoxiao yesterday.
Although it was a last resort, the content of this trending topic really makes one want to explode.
As for Lin Xiaoxiao leaving the hotel to go back, Tang Xue already knew about it when Li Yu arrived at the film set.
During filming, she glanced at her phone and saw a message from Lin Xiaoxiao, but Tang Xue didn't reply.
To be honest, Tang Xue's feelings are still somewhat complicated right now, because she doesn't know how to handle her relationship with Lin Xiaoxiao.
There's no doubt that she likes Lin Xiaoxiao, and she's very certain that she wants to be with Lin Xiaoxiao.
But before this, she had never considered that Lin Xiaoxiao might already have someone she liked.
Tang Xue didn't care that she needed to use more energy and more time to carve her name into Lin Xiaoxiao's heart.
But if Lin Xiaoxiao already has someone she likes, it means that she can only keep her feelings hidden in her heart and will never be able to express them. After all, Tang Xue is not capable of interfering in other people's relationships.
Throwing herself onto the hotel bed, Tang Xue felt her mind was in turmoil. She knew she shouldn't give up on herself like this.
After all, she hadn't yet learned from Lin Xiaoxiao that Lin Xiaoxiao was now with someone else, which meant that she wasn't completely without a chance.
However, Tang Xue could never forget how gentle Lin Xiaoxiao's voice was when she mentioned that name, and the tears that fell on her heart.
Hugging the pillow that Lin Xiaoxiao had used, Tang Xue buried her face in it, took a deep breath, and filled her nose with the familiar scent.
Tang Xue let out a satisfied sigh, pulled the blanket that Lin Xiaoxiao had used over herself, and curled herself into a small ball.
This position makes Tang Xue feel as if she is being embraced by Lin Xiaoxiao at this moment.
Tang Xue didn't know how much time had passed when she poked her head out from under the covers, picked up her phone that she had tossed aside, and glanced at the time. Since they had finished work relatively early today, it wasn't particularly late.
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xue sat up, hugged her pillow tightly, and dialed Lin Xiaoxiao's number.
Although Lin Xiaoxiao's cold had improved a lot when she left in the morning, and although she knew that Lin Xiaoxiao was being taken care of at this moment.
However, Tang Xue still couldn't suppress her worry and longing for that person. But this time, instead of sending Lin Xiaoxiao a video call like before, Tang Xue chose to call her.
Tang Xue didn't think she had enough self-control to not reveal the slightest bit of her condition when facing Lin Xiaoxiao.
"Xiaoxue, are you done working?"
The voice coming from the other end of the phone made Tang Xue's breathing become much lighter. She tightened her embrace around the pillow, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"Yeah, today's filming went pretty smoothly, so we wrapped up early. I'm already at the hotel now. How's your cold?"
"I'm fine now, my fever has gone down, and I feel much better. I even ate a whole bowl of rice." To avoid making Tang Xue worry too much, Lin Xiaoxiao showed her the result of her meal.
"It's good that you're alright now." Tang Xue scratched her pillow. "Don't forget to take your medicine until your cold is completely gone."
Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already taken my cold medicine. When Sister Bingbing left, she made sure I took it before she left."
"It's good that you ate." Tang Xue tightened her grip on her phone; she actually wanted to find another topic to talk about.
But for some reason, when she heard Lin Xiaoxiao's voice, the image of Lin Xiaoxiao calling out that name would subconsciously appear in her mind.
She had an urge to ask, she wanted to know who that Xiaobai was, but every time the words were on the tip of her tongue, she just couldn't bring herself to say them.
"Xiaoxue, thank you for taking care of me yesterday." Lin Xiaoxiao gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her expression showing a hint of nervousness.
"Don't mention it, we're friends, it's only right that I take care of you." Tang Xue's voice carried a hint of disappointment that Lin Xiaoxiao didn't notice.
Lin Xiaoxiao paused for a moment before softly replying, "Friend!" It was a word that made her feel both happy and annoyed.
Because they were friends, she was able to stay by Tang Xue's side; because they were friends, she was able to enjoy Tang Xue's care and affection for her.
But precisely because they were friends, she could only keep to the boundaries and not cross the line.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest." The question she wanted to ask remained unspoken, and the words she wanted to say were left unsaid, buried deep in her heart.
Tang Xue knew she was not in the right state of mind. Although she had told herself more than once to treat Lin Xiaoxiao as usual, it turned out that her self-control was not as strong as she thought.
She would care, she would feel bad, and she couldn't help but wonder who Lin Xiaoxiao liked. She was afraid that if the call continued, she would not be able to control her inner impulses.
"Wait a minute." Hearing Tang Xue about to hang up the phone, Lin Xiaoxiao subconsciously stopped her.
"What's wrong?" Tang Xue softened her voice. For a moment, she felt happy because Lin Xiaoxiao had asked her to stay.
Because this would make her feel that Lin Xiaoxiao also needs her, so could she then consider herself to be a rather special person to Lin Xiaoxiao?
“That… it is…” Lin Xiaoxiao stammered.
"What's wrong?" Noticing Lin Xiaoxiao's nervousness, Tang Xue's voice became even gentler.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble yesterday. Also, did I do anything I shouldn't have done last night? Did I say anything I shouldn't have said?"
After regaining some energy, Lin Xiaoxiao kept trying to recall what happened last night, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything.
But she kept remembering that soft, cotton-like touch, so Lin Xiaoxiao was a little worried that she might have done something she shouldn't have done to Tang Xue when she was delirious with fever.
At first, Lin Xiaoxiao thought she was probably dreaming, but the feeling was so real that it didn't seem like a dream at all.
Lin Xiaoxiao touched her face. Besides the soft, cotton-like touch, the most important thing was that she smelled a very familiar scent. It was Tang Xue's scent, a scent that she was particularly infatuated with and attached to.
After all, you can't experience that kind of sensation in your dreams... right?!
"Things you shouldn't have done? Things you shouldn't have said?" Tang Xue's tone was a little strange. The events of last night floated into her mind, and the blush on Tang Xue's face gradually spread to her neck.
Tang Xue instinctively placed her hand on her chest, the spot where Lin Xiaoxiao had kissed her. At that moment, she felt an alarming burning sensation there.
"Yes, yes!" Lin Xiaoxiao swallowed and sat up straight subconsciously, her face full of tension. Could it be that she really did something she shouldn't have done?
Surely she wouldn't strip Tang Xue naked too, would she?! It has to be said that Lin Xiaoxiao's idea was quite bold, but Lin Xiaoxiao didn't know that her idea was actually true.
She did indeed strip Tang Xue naked, and even took advantage of her quite a bit.
Tang Xue remained silent because she didn't know what to say. However, Tang Xue's silence made Lin Xiaoxiao even more flustered. She felt her heart beating faster and faster, almost jumping out of her mouth.
She had almost torn the hem of her clothes to shreds, but just then, she heard a question that surprised her.
Who is Xiaobai?
"Xiaobai?" Lin Xiaoxiao was a little confused and subconsciously repeated the question.
"Yes, you mentioned Xiaobai last night." Tang Xue breathed a sigh of relief, her face full of tension. She finally asked the question.
Tang Xue held her breath, listening intently to the voice on the other end of the phone. For Tang Xue, this was a moment that would determine her fate.
"Xiaobai was a cat I used to have." Lin Xiaoxiao's tone was full of nostalgia. Xiaobai had given her comfort and warmth, which was the sunshine that warmed her life afterward.
"Xiaobai...is a cat?!" Tang Xue bit her tongue, her pronunciation a little strange. She really hadn't expected that she would be sad for so long because of the name Xiaobai.
After agonizing over this for so long, she finally discovered that the person she considered her love rival was actually a cat!?
"Yes, Xiaobai is very smart and cute." Lin Xiaoxiao's tone was a little excited. "If you see it, you will definitely like it too."
"What... happened to it?" Tang Xue asked subconsciously.
“It ran away.” Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. “I’ve been looking for it for a long time but I haven’t found it. But I believe that even if it’s not by my side, Xiaobai will definitely live a good life.”
Her little white dog is very smart. Even if it leaves her, it will definitely meet someone who is willing to love it and give it a home.
"Yes, it will definitely live a very happy and blissful life." Tang Xue's voice was soft and gentle, making Lin Xiaoxiao feel as if she were enveloped by a soft white cloud.
This gentleness seems to encompass everything about her, whether she's happy or unhappy.
Chapter 49
==================
Tang Xue cleared up the misunderstanding between herself and Lin Xiaoxiao, as if she had forgotten the sadness and entanglement at the beginning. After washing up, she fell into a sweet dream.
As for Lin Xiaoxiao, after realizing that she hadn't done anything wrong or said anything wrong, she was relieved of her worries.
Although I couldn't quite understand why the sensations in my dream felt so real, none of that mattered anymore, and I quickly drifted off to sleep.
However, what Tang Xue and Lin Xiaoxiao didn't know was that while they were fast asleep, the topic that was trending on social media had changed again.
A topic related to Tang Xue quickly climbed to the top of the trending searches, eventually ending up behind the topic "The things that Lin Xiaoxiao, president of the Lin Group, and her artist Tang Xue have to say".
"I...I...I don't know what to say right now. Although I'm a fan of the couple Mr. Lin and Ms. Tang Xue, I really don't know if we can still ship them now."
"To be honest, if this is true, I really can't stand it anymore. It's just too disgusting. She abandoned her boyfriend to cling to someone powerful! That's just morally questionable."
"I think we shouldn't take sides too easily right now. After all, we don't know what the truth is. If things turn out differently, we'll be proven wrong."
"I think what the friend upstairs said makes a lot of sense. There are quite a few examples of people who are just watching the drama unfold and end up being proven wrong."
If things take a turn for the worse later, he'll definitely be slapped in the face.
"Is the person upstairs a fan of Tang Xue? Look at the evidence this handsome guy has presented. The facts are right in front of us. Do you still think he's lying?"