Transmigrating Into a Book, the Villain Becomes the White Moonlight!

149: Chapter 149 The Two Women Clash Formally”Wait a second, I’ll take a call.”

Su Bai walked toward the side of the court and pulled his vibrating phone from his coat pocket.

This sudden interruption caused the strings of Ran Shu’s heart, which were pulled nearly to the breaking point, to suddenly slacken. The heavy pressure blocking her chest found a tiny outlet, and she subconsciously took a nearly imperceptible deep breath.

”Hello? ...Ah? ...Hmm? ...Oh! Okay, got it, I’m heading over now.”

Su Bai spoke only a few words into the phone in a casual tone, making it impossible to discern any specific details.

After hanging up, he turned back with a slightly apologetic look and said to Ran Shu, ”Sorry, something urgent came up. How about we add each other’s contact information first? Next time before I come, I’ll just make an appointment with you directly, so we don’t have to trouble the Director to arrange it.”

”Ah, okay, sure, no problem.” Ran Shu nodded quickly, appearing almost eager.

At this moment, her only thought was for Su Bai to disappear from her sight immediately.

The mountain of ”coincidences” and terrifying facts accumulated in just this one hour made her feel as if she were caught in a meticulously woven web with no visible edges. Every extra second she stayed, her unease and the chill in her heart intensified.

The two took out their phones, quickly scanned each other’s QR codes, and added each other as friends.

Ran Shu’s movements were mechanical, as if she were completing a task, and her fingertips felt slightly cold. Su Bai remained unhurried; as he added her name, his fingertips tapped lightly on the screen with a calm expression.

Once they finished exchanging contact information, Su Bai raised his voice toward the door: ”Uncle Fu.”

Uncle Fu, who had been waiting in the lounge next door, pushed the door open at the sound. With his usual gentle smile, his gaze first fell concernedly on Su Bai: ”Young Master, is the practice over?”

”Not finished yet,” Su Bai said as he casually adjusted his cuffs. ”Lin Wan has something for me, so I need to head over there.”

Upon hearing the name ”Lin Wan,” a flash of understanding crossed Uncle Fu’s eyes, and his smile deepened as he nodded. ”Alright, then I’ll drive you there.”

Only then did he turn to Ran Shu and nod politely. ”Miss Ran, thank you for your guidance today.”

”It’s no trouble, it’s what I should do,” Ran Shu replied, waving her hands quickly and forcing a faint, professional smile onto her face.

Uncle Fu’s manners were impeccable, yet she felt as if his gaze could lightly brush away all her pretenses and see through the panic she was desperately trying to hide.

Uncle Fu said no more. After nodding to Ran Shu again, he stepped aside to let Su Bai go first and then followed behind. The two of them walked out of the training hall one after the other.

It wasn’t until the sound of their footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor that the tense air seemed to slowly begin flowing again.

Ran Shu stood alone in place, the cold sensation of the phone from when they exchanged contact info still seemingly lingering in her hand.

Su Family Villa District.

Su Bai parked the car casually by the roadside and got out while still on the phone. Looking at the familiar gate of the residence, he spoke with his usual laziness: ”Hey? I’m here, where are you?”

”Turn right and go straight along the path,” Lin Wan’s voice came through the receiver, clear and steady, devoid of any obvious emotion.

”What’s going on, why so mysterious?” Su Bai muttered, but his feet still turned in the direction she indicated.

His leather shoes made a light sound as they stepped on the stone path.

”Then turn left,” Lin Wan’s instruction came again, concise and without any explanation.

This time, Su Bai didn’t reply. His pace subconsciously slowed down until he almost stopped. This direction... he knew it all too well.

A few days ago, the place where he had personally settled Mu Xue after taking her out of the Nangong Family’s mess was another villa just a short distance ahead.

It was quieter and more secluded there.

A rather unpleasant premonition quietly gripped his heart.

Had Lin Wan... found out?

He hadn’t intentionally hidden the mended relationship between himself and Mu Xue from Lin Wan; he just hadn’t found the right time or figured out how to bring it up.

This hesitation had now become the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

Looking up, he saw a familiar silhouette outlined by the warm yellow light under the porch of the villa ahead.

Lin Wan stood there, quietly facing his direction, clearly having waited for a long time.

Behind her was the very door where Mu Xue was temporarily staying.

Their gazes met through the deepening night.

Lin Wan raised her hand and hung up the phone.

As the busy tone sounded, Su Bai also slowly lowered his phone and walked toward her with somewhat heavy steps.

Lin Wan didn’t speak; she just tilted her head up slightly, her calm gaze falling on Su Bai’s face as if trying to scrutinize his every expression.

The night wind blew the stray hairs on her forehead. Those eyes, which were usually smiling or mischievous, now held only a calm as deep as the sea.

”What’s going on?” she finally spoke. Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear and went straight to the heart of the matter.

”Ah?” Su Bai’s throat felt a bit dry. He subconsciously avoided her overly perceptive gaze, and his prepared explanation faltered on the tip of his tongue. ”That... the matter with the Nangong Family isn’t fully settled yet. Her staying here lately is... safer.”

The reason sounded reasonable, but his momentary hesitation made it lack conviction.

After Lin Wan heard this, there was no ripple of emotion on her face; she neither questioned nor accepted it.

She just gave Su Bai a deep look, one that seemed to see right through his hasty cover-up.

Then, she turned around decisively. Without waiting for any further explanation from Su Bai, she reached out and rang the doorbell of Mu Xue’s villa.

The crisp sound of the doorbell shattered the silence of the night and felt like it was striking the tense strings of Su Bai’s heart.

The situation took a sharp turn in a direction he was not yet prepared for.

The villa door opened, and a light, expectant voice came out first:

”Su Bai!”

Mu Xue’s figure appeared at the door. The smile that had been spreading across her face visibly froze the moment she saw Lin Wan, like a movie frame being paused.

She quickly composed her expression and nodded politely, yet with a hint of distance. ”Miss Lin.”

Lin Wan stood below the steps and met her gaze calmly. Without any small talk, she asked point-blank, ”Should I call you Miss Nangong, or should I call you Mu Xue?”

The question was direct, even sharp, clearly drawing the line between the three of them and their delicate positions.

This was no longer a common social greeting, but a tacit confirmation and testing between rivals in love.

Mu Xue’s eyes flickered for a moment before she regained her composure. ”Call me Mu Xue.”

She chose the name that represented the past and a more personal connection with Su Bai.

While answering, her gaze swept past Lin Wan’s shoulder to take a quick look at Su Bai behind her. There was a hint of complex questioning in her eyes, but more than that, there was a sense of calm acceptance that ”what must come will come.”

She stepped aside to clear the way and said in her usual tone, ”Come in.”

Things that are meant to be discovered will eventually be exposed. So-called mental preparation is often pale and powerless in the face of such a direct confrontation.

The three of them entered one after another.

The living room was elegantly decorated, but because of this unusual combination of people, it was permeated with an invisible sense of tension.

Mu Xue seemed to want to use daily trivialities to dilute the awkwardness. She walked toward the open kitchen and asked naturally, ”Have you all had dinner yet?”

”Not yet,” Lin Wan replied quickly. Her gaze swept over the simple furnishings in the room before landing back on Mu Xue. She said naturally, ”It just so happens Su Bai hasn’t eaten either. Do you have ingredients here? We can make something simple.”

”I do,” Mu Xue nodded without saying much more.

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the two women turned at the same time with great rapport and walked toward the kitchen.

The sounds of high heels and flat shoes clicking on the floor intertwined. Neither of them looked back at Su Bai, who was standing frozen in the middle of the living room, as if they had briefly excluded him from this subtle space that they were about to dominate.

In the blink of an eye, Su Bai was the only one left in the living room.

He stood in the middle of the spacious yet suddenly incredibly empty-feeling living room, feeling a bit lost for a moment.

Sitting down seemed too relaxed and out of place with the storm-brewing atmosphere; continuing to stand made him look particularly foolish and ill at ease.

He rubbed his nose and let his gaze drift toward the kitchen, where the faint sounds of the refrigerator opening and ingredients being taken out could already be heard, along with the low-voiced, indistinct chatter of the two women.

An unprecedented mix of guilt, helplessness, and a bizarre sense of absurdity slowly enveloped him.

”Uh... do you need any help?” Su Bai asked tentatively toward the kitchen, his feet subconsciously moving a couple of steps as he tried to break out of his awkward situation in the living room.

”No need.”

”No need.”

The two women’s voices overlapped almost perfectly, sounding at the same time and ending just as decisively.

After a brief silence, Lin Wan added without looking back as she handled the items in her hands, her tone revealing no emotion: ”Just sit and wait to eat.”

Su Bai opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his words. He retreated somewhat dejectedly to the sofa but didn’t sit down immediately, instead leaning against the backrest with his eyes involuntarily drawn toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the lights were brighter than in the living room.

Two figures each occupied one side of the counter, separated by a polished stainless steel sink like an invisible Chu-Han border.

They nimbly took ingredients from the refrigerator, but they were clearly taking what they individually needed—in Lin Wan’s hands were fresh asparagus and a piece of filet mignon, while in front of Mu Xue were tomatoes, eggs, and a handful of fine noodles.

Neither of them looked at the other’s ingredients, busy with their own tasks.

Almost simultaneously, the rhythmic sound of chopping and the crisp ’crack’ of an eggshell being tapped sounded together. Their rhythms were different, yet they strangely intertwined, sounding particularly clear in the quiet room and even carrying a hint of not wanting to yield to the other.

”The environment of this villa looks really nice,” Lin Wan was the first to break the silence filled only by the sounds of kitchenware. She skillfully trimmed the asparagus stalks, her tone like casual small talk, her voice neither high nor low, just enough for Su Bai in the living room to hear clearly.

”I was wondering a couple of days ago if I should move to this area too. After all... it’s close to Su Bai’s home, so it’s more convenient to visit.”

Mu Xue was pouring the beaten egg into the oil pan. Amidst the ’sizzle,’ she steadily held the pan handle, glanced sideways at Lin Wan, and replied calmly, ”But this area is quite far from the city center’s commercial district and the A University campus. You’re running between the company and school every day, so commuting might be quite inconvenient, right?”

Her words sounded like practical concern, yet they cleverly pointed out the inconvenience in Lin Wan’s suggestion.

”Inconvenience just means spending a bit more time in the car,” Lin Wan said as she placed the steak into the preheated frying pan with another ’sizzle.’ Her tone remained relaxed, but she struck back subtly.

”Aren’t you also running between two places? I remember... the place you usually stay doesn’t seem to be close to here either, right?”

She didn’t mention the Nangong Family or Mu Xue’s previous situation, only pointing out the fact of the distance.

The subtext in her words was clear—if you can move here for certain reasons, I naturally can as well.

The two segments of dialogue went back and forth, seemingly calm on the surface, revolving around distance and convenience.

Su Bai heard everything clearly in the living room. He rubbed his nose, his gaze drifting until it landed on the exquisite chandelier on the ceiling.

At the dining table, the atmosphere was so subtle it was nearly frozen.

The light was soft, reflecting off the polished tabletop and the ”spectacle” in front of Su Bai—two completely different meals were placed side by side before him.

On the left was a steaming, brightly colored bowl of tomato and egg noodles, the red broth coating golden egg wisps and distinct noodles; this was Mu Xue’s work.

On the right was a white bone china plate featuring a perfectly seared filet mignon with its juices locked in, garnished with emerald-green asparagus; this was from Lin Wan’s hand.

Both dishes gave off an enticing aroma.

”Ahem.” Su Bai cleared his throat, his gaze moving between the two meals. His hand hovered in mid-air, unsure whether to reach for the shiny silver knife and fork or pick up the simple bamboo chopsticks.

”What did Su Bai... do today?” Mu Xue picked up her water glass and took a sip, seemingly tossing out the question casually.

However, her gaze did not fall on Su Bai but turned calmly toward Lin Wan across from her.

This question was aimed at Lin Wan.

Lin Wan looked up to meet Mu Xue’s gaze, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint, knowing smile as she spoke airily, ”Who knows. Probably... out chasing butterflies again.”

”Mm,” Mu Xue put down her glass and used a napkin to lightly dab the corners of her mouth. Only then did her gaze sweep over Su Bai as if by chance. ”I can smell it. On him... there’s a rather different perfume scent.”

She and Lin Wan were playing off each other perfectly.

Su Bai’s scalp tingled. He was about to speak, but he was silenced by the next scene.

He saw Lin Wan elegantly push the plate of steak, which had been carefully cut into uniform small pieces, toward Mu Xue with an impeccable faint smile. ”Try what I made; the timing should be about right.”

Mu Xue looked at the steak pushed in front of her, her eyes flickering. Then, without hesitation, she slowly pushed the steaming bowl of tomato and egg noodles, originally intended for Su Bai, toward Lin Wan. Her voice was equally gentle: ”Then you try mine as well. It’s a home-cooked flavor; I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

Trading dish for dish, returning courtesy for courtesy; neither owed the other, yet neither would back down.