Chapter 262: The No-Name Star Beckons, the Benefactor Becomes a Simp 33

Chapter 262: A Has-Been Snaps His Fingers, and a Sugar Daddy Becomes a Lapdog 33

Right in front of Lin Huaiqing, Lin Xinxin happily toted another pile of clothes into the room to change.

It was safe to say Lin Xinxin had grown more and more striking, with a great figure—a natural clotheshorse through and through.

Starting out shooting product photos for online stores, if she could eventually become a proper model, that would be her big break.

Still, Lin Huaiqing stayed cautious and took a careful look at the tags on the clothes.

His sister was new to the city, and if she got scammed at work, he'd be a terrible older brother.

But seeing how excited Lin Xinxin was, he didn't want to rain on her parade, so he could only look into the clothing brand on the down low.

He figured that was the end of it, but unexpectedly, within a few days, the brand actually reached out and invited Lin Xinxin to shoot seller photos for their online store.

Lin Xinxin used her first paycheck to treat Lin Huaiqing to a big meal.

During the meal, Lin Huaiqing's phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Seeing the caller ID, he hung up without hesitation.

This was already the thirty-fifth call from his mother over the past few weeks, and it was always the same—telling him to ship his sister back to get married.

A bride running off on the eve of her wedding was definitely a huge scandal in the village. But compared to his sister's future happiness, it didn't matter at all.

So he'd never do that, no matter what.

Seeing Lin Xinxin glowing with life, so different from how she'd been at home, Lin Huaiqing couldn't help but feel happy for her.

A flower that had finally bloomed from filthy soil—how could it just wither away?

"Ding-dong! Congratulations, host, on achieving the 'Unintentional Blessing' achievement! A hidden danger to future plot development has been removed. Reward issued: Luck +5, Charm +7. Hope the host keeps up the good work!"

The system's sudden electronic voice echoed in his head.

But Lin Huaiqing had no idea where this inexplicable achievement came from, so he pinged customer service.

"Xu Yizhi! You there?"

"During work hours, no buddy-buddy stuff, please. Address me as: System!"

"Alright, Tongtong, what was that achievement a second ago?"

The system checked.

"I see! In the original plot, because the original host failed to notice and stop the parents from marrying Lin Xinxin off to that old bachelor..."

"So after the original host was cancelled by the entire internet, the haters dug up that the parents favored sons over daughters and sold their daughter for a bride price to support him. It sparked public outrage. Once that came to light, no matter how the original host tried to defend himself, he couldn't save his reputation."

"I get it now—the original host didn't even know at the time, but got thrown under the bus by his parents. Once that came out, he was done for. No wonder he got trashed so hard."

"Exactly. You made the right call bringing Lin Xinxin out. At least you've gotten rid of the biggest future landmine."

To be honest, he hadn't thought that far ahead before. He just thought it was right, so he did it.

Who knew it would turn out to be a lucky break.

Lin Xinxin had just found a job, but his own career still hadn't found its footing.

Ever since his big fight with Qin Song last time, the two of them had been giving each other the silent treatment.

Though a couple days ago, Qin Song had tentatively tried to make nice. Even though he saw Qin Song's message, he didn't want to reply.

A perfectly good chance for revenge, and he'd screwed it up. Honestly, he still hadn't gotten over it.

Meanwhile, he'd gotten back in touch with Sister Li, asking her to help pick out some new roles to audition for.

"I told you, the second male lead in that drama was a tough one to land. You insisted on auditioning, and now it's gone, right?"

A cup of coffee was sitting on Sister Li's computer desk—one Lin Huaiqing had brought when he arrived.

"Sis, just stop teasing me. Please find me some scripts that fit. This time, I'll do exactly what you say."

His goal now was to shoot more dramas and make more money! Revenge could take a backseat.

Sister Li tossed him a script. "Then how about this one? Third male lead, big production, and the role is pretty likeable."

Wouldn't you know it, his phone rang right then.

"Hello? Who's this? What?! I passed? Really?! Okay... alright, alright, alright! I'll be there for sure!"

Lin Huaiqing hung up, practically bouncing with excitement. "Sister Li, I passed the audition! The role of Tan Xiangli is mine!"

He'd thought Qin Song had been so adamant that he'd definitely be rejected, but unexpectedly, he'd gotten through.

With that, he was fired up again!

The filming kickoff ceremony was next week. These few days, he had to be in top form.

After working out at the gym, it was already evening. Realizing he still hadn't replied to Qin Song's message from three days ago, Lin Huaiqing decided to respond now.

Qin Song: "Let's meet up."

Lin Huaiqing: "Sure! Where?"

Not even two minutes later, Qin Song replied: "Your place."

Qin Song had just gotten off work and hadn't eaten yet, so on his way back, Lin Huaiqing swung by the supermarket to buy ingredients for hotpot.

The previous tenant had left behind an induction cooker, and the siblings would use it to make hotpot whenever they got the chance.

Though he wasn't sure whether a big shot like Qin Song would be used to such a down-to-earth meal.

By the time Lin Huaiqing lugged bags and bundles of groceries home, he was loaded down.

Just as he got upstairs, he saw Qin Song's tall figure planted in the stairwell, taking up the already cramped space—which was pretty startling at first glance.

"Why aren't you going in? What are you doing standing out here?"

If a neighbor saw, they might think he'd shut the door on Qin Song and wouldn't let him in.

"I knocked for ages, but no one was home."

That's when Lin Huaiqing saw the message Lin Xinxin had sent him on his phone.

Tonight, Lin Xinxin was out at a team-building event with her coworkers and would be back late, so no one was home.

"Sit down. I'll go wash the vegetables, and we'll have hotpot tonight."

Lin Huaiqing didn't expect Qin Song to help, since big shots never lift a finger—just like he used to be when he was a rich kid.

However, Qin Song clearly exceeded his expectations. Not only did he take the initiative to wash the vegetables, but he also prepped all the ingredients.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—the glossy, bright red oil-based broth kept bubbling, with a bottle of iced sparkling water sitting nearby, fresh from the fridge.

The sour plum-flavored sparkling water balanced out the spiciness of the hotpot. Lin Huaiqing took a few big gulps and instantly felt a wave of cool relief wash through him.

Qin Song was in charge of adding the ingredients to the pot, then waiting until they were just right before picking them up and placing them onto Lin Huaiqing's plate.

Being waited on like that—especially by a guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth—the last bit of irritation in Lin Huaiqing's chest finally melted away.

After the meal, Qin Song volunteered to do the dishes, while Lin Huaiqing, the host, sprawled out on the sofa, scrolling on his phone.

By the time Qin Song finished washing the dishes, Lin Huaiqing had already curled up on the sofa and fallen asleep.

Qin Song let out a soft sigh, took the phone from Lin Huaiqing's hand, and set it on the table.

Suddenly, a message popped up on the still-lit screen, instantly wiping out the easygoing attitude Qin Song had always prided himself on.

His brows knitted into a tight frown. The moment Qin Song saw that name, he felt a wave of discomfort wash over his entire body.

In the chat app's conversation window, the name Fei Xiu was clearly displayed, and the other party had sent Lin Huaiqing a voice message.