Chapter 162: Listening To Luo
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
In this show, sometimes the NPCs would use some words to confuse the guests. If the guests didn’t have solid proof to ask, some NPCs might deliberately create confusion. The clue was right on the NPC, but they just wouldn’t admit it, unless the guests solved the puzzle right in front of them.
Ruan Yesheng always felt Xi Mo knitting a sweater was very strange. To be honest, when she just pushed away those figures blocking her sight and finally saw Xi Mo, besides being shocked, that scene actually made her laugh inside too.
Xi Mo and knitting, the two were too mismatched, so it gave people a funny feeling like two things that didn’t match at all suddenly clashed.
The more it was like this, the more Ruan Yesheng suspected Xi Mo was an NPC, and the clue might be hidden in Xi Mo knitting a sweater. After all, to her, it was impossible for Xi Mo to knit a sweater. This was a doubtful point, and she felt she could start from here and get some clues.
“You say you’re not an NPC, then why are you knitting a sweater?” When Ruan Yesheng first saw Xi Mo at the door, she was worried. No matter how funny Xi Mo knitting a sweater looked, she couldn’t laugh. Now she understood that this shoot had Xi Mo’s consent, her worry went away, and the joy in her heart made the laugh grow stronger. Ruan Yesheng really couldn’t hold it back, so when she said this, she burst out laughing.
Xi Mo: “...”
Ruan Yesheng laughed even harder, really couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t even recall it, the more she recalled that scene the more she wanted to laugh, her shoulders were shaking.
When she laughed, the towel Xi Mo rubbed against her cheek trembled too.
“Stop laughing.” Xi Mo gave her a light sideways look. “I can’t even wash your face.”
Ruan Yesheng barely held it in this time, but the smile in her eyes was brighter than the red flowers stuck at the door. She kept pressing, “Why aren’t you answering me? Are you avoiding me on purpose? You knitting a sweater is strange, it’s not something you’d do at all. I even thought it was a clue the show arranged.”
“It really isn’t.” Xi Mo’s face was deadly serious when she answered. “I just... wanted to knit a sweater. Today I saw Auntie Ranla knitting, I got curious, so I followed her to learn.”
Ruan Yesheng studied her expression as she spoke. She felt Xi Mo didn’t look like she was lying to go along with the show.
Xi Mo really just seemed to want to learn knitting.
Ruan Yesheng was a bit surprised, but she believed her this time. She said, “Then would you wear the sweater you knit?”
Xi Mo’s clothes were all expensive high fashion. A knit sweater clearly didn’t belong in that world, so she thought Xi Mo wouldn’t choose it.
“I’ve never worn one.” Xi Mo answered without hesitation. “I won’t wear it.”
“Then why are you knitting?” Ruan Yesheng found her pretty contradictory.
“I told you... I got curious, I just knitted for fun. I’ve never done it before, I thought it was novel.”
Xi Mo wrung the towel dry. She noticed a faint speck of mud at the corner of Ruan Yesheng’s eye, hidden by her hair; it was easy to miss. She leaned close, lifted that strand, and gently wiped it away.
Ruan Yesheng saw her face almost right in front of her, and her heart jumped fast.
They were still recording, so she was afraid the cameras would catch her odd reaction. She forced herself to look calm, but her ears were red.
Xi Mo seemed to think of something and asked, “Do you wear knit sweaters?”
“Of course I do.” Ruan Yesheng smiled brightly.
Xi Mo glanced at her, a little surprised inside.
So she guessed wrong. Ruan Yesheng really would wear them.
If she knit a sweater and gave it to Ruan Yesheng, would Ruan Yesheng wear it too? But she quickly shook off the thought. She had no talent for knitting. The sweater she made could only be called horrible. How could Ruan Yesheng accept that?
Ruan Yesheng didn’t know what Xi Mo was thinking. She said, “Tangtang’s really good at knitting. They look just like the ones in stores, only warmer. Before, we both knitted sweaters and gave them to each other to wear.”
Xi Mo: “...”
Xi Mo pulled the towel back without saying more, carried the basin to pour out the water. That basin already had some dirt in it, it was no longer clean, so she filled a new one and came back to wash Ruan Yesheng’s face a second time.
Ruan Yesheng felt her wiping was still as careful and gentle as before, but her face didn’t look too happy.
The rest of the team had also tidied themselves up and started getting busy. Since red azaleas were stuck at the door, it meant this was definitely the house of an NPC. They could either ask the people inside or look around the house for clues.
They asked Ranla Changxiu, but she only smiled without giving any useful information.
Ruan Yesheng asked Xi Mo, but Xi Mo only said she wasn’t an NPC. Gu Cen and Li Siran were girl group juniors, so they didn’t really dare to ask Xi Mo. But Shen Qingbie dared. Not only dared, she was even happy about it. With a chance to contact and even interact with Xi Mo, she had to make the most of it.
Wherever Xi Mo went, Shen Qingbie followed. If Xi Mo was standing, she stood next to her, asking little probing questions.
Drinking water, Shen Qingbie was beside her.
Sitting down, Shen Qingbie was beside her.
When Xi Mo went to tidy the basket for yarn and needles, Shen Qingbie quickly went over and said, “Xi Mo, can I take a look? Maybe there’s a clue hidden in here.”
“...Do as you like.” Xi Mo said.
She always thought Shen Qingbie wasn’t the same as her past impression. Before, she felt Shen Qingbie was pretentious, always putting on an act. Now she found Shen Qingbie didn’t act at all. If she suspected Xi Mo was an NPC with clues, she just came right up to ask, even sticking to her like a tail.
If it had been some other guest who liked to act, they wouldn’t do this. They would worry more about their image, since all these clips could end up broadcast on the variety show.
“Thank you.” Shen Qingbie smiled at Xi Mo, then lowered her head to rummage through the basket Xi Mo used for knitting.
Inside was a strip Xi Mo had knitted for a long time today. It was part of a sweater, but the stitches were crooked and twisted, even puckered. Shen Qingbie found it funny and even held it up to look closely.
She even called Ruan Yesheng over to judge it with her. “Ruanruan, come look at this.”
Xi Mo: “...”
The basket was set on a chair, so Ruan Yesheng and Shen Qingbie squatted by the chair. They looked at the strip, then raised their heads to look at Xi Mo.
“...Do you have a problem with my knitting?” Xi Mo narrowed her eyes at them.
She knew her knitting was ugly, but she couldn’t stand them staring at it again and again, and in front of the cameras too, like a public execution.
“We’re just looking.” Shen Qingbie said awkwardly. “...Just looking.”
Li Siran was checking the house carefully. Gu Cen went upstairs and found a locked room on the second floor. She pushed on it, but it wouldn’t open. She quickly called Li Siran up. “Li Siran, I found a clue!”
Li Siran thought she really did, so she rushed upstairs.
“This is the only locked room.” Gu Cen liked playing games, and her gamer’s task-based thinking was good for variety shows. “It’s suspicious. Could the final clue be inside, or maybe the last offering?”
“It’s possible.” Li Siran sometimes thought Gu Cen was silly, but in this area she agreed with her. “So we need to find the key to open it?”
“There’s no key clue anywhere.” Gu Cen shook the doorknob hard. “Can we pry it open?”
Li Siran: “...”
So Gu Cen even asked the crew, “Do we have permission to pry the door?”
“Of course not,” the crew said. “If you want to open a locked door in an NPC’s house, you need the owner’s permission.”
Gu Cen didn’t give up. She ran to ask Ranla Changxiu about the locked door.
As soon as Ranla Changxiu heard, she got nervous. She waved her hands quickly, her Chinese even less fluent. “No, no, not okay. That room has no clue. It’s my friend’s room. You can’t go inside.”
Gu Cen could tell Ranla was really worried. Then she knew she had guessed wrong. She quickly apologized. “Don’t worry, Auntie Ranla. We won’t go in. We’ll look for other clues.”
Ranla Changxiu nodded. “You… smart. Work hard, think.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something important and asked Gu Cen, “You didn’t touch or shake that door, right?”
“I did.” Gu Cen looked blank. “I thought maybe there was really an offering inside, so I just pushed it a few times to see if the lock was firm.”
Ranla Changxiu had noticed her eyeing the door before and asked because she was worried she’d mess with it. When she heard Gu Cen really had touched it, she panicked even more and hurried upstairs.
Xi Mo noticed Ranla Changxiu’s quick steps. Normally, Ranla Changxiu always moved slowly, never in a rush. Xi Mo had never seen her like this, so she followed her upstairs.
Ranla Changxiu stood at the door of that locked room, lowered her head to look at the ground, and her face changed.
Xi Mo was careful and noticed Ranla Changxiu’s abnormal reaction, but after Ranla Changxiu looked, she didn’t say anything again. It seemed that since there were quite a few people around, she didn’t dare make a sound.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
After that, Ranla Changxiu didn’t leave the house anymore, and instead busied herself in the living room on the first floor. Xi Mo was cautious and always felt something was wrong, so this time she kept secretly watching her. She discovered that while Ranla Changxiu was busy, she would occasionally glance toward that locked room on the second floor, as if she was very afraid someone else would be like Gu Cen and go touch that door again.
The people in the team wandered around for a long time but still didn’t find any clue. Shen Qingbie was tired from searching, so she sat on a chair in the yard and stretched lazily. When she lifted her eyes, she saw Yu An standing next to Director Ning Kui in the distance, looking at her.
Shen Qingbie raised a big bright smile at Yu An and waved at her.
Yu An was infected by that smile. She subconsciously raised her hand and also smiled as she waved back. When she came back to her senses, she hurriedly put her hand down. After Shen Qingbie left her sight, she walked to a place where there was no one, covered her mouth with a napkin, and coughed twice in a low voice.
“I can’t find it.” Gu Cen had a headache. She went to complain to Ruan Yesheng. “Sister Ruanruan, I did my best.”
Everyone in the team gathered around Ruan Yesheng, all saying they got nothing.
Ruan Yesheng also felt it was very strange, there was not even a bit of clue inside the house.
But she noticed something odd.
Because she always couldn’t help but look at Xi Mo, she found that when Ranla Changxiu was in the first-floor living room, Xi Mo seemed to always stare at Ranla Changxiu on purpose or not on purpose. In that gaze there was faint doubt.
Ruan Yesheng didn’t know about the abnormal thing with Ranla Changxiu at the door, and she didn’t know Xi Mo noticed that abnormal thing either. She only stood from the show guest’s angle and treated the two as NPCs. Now between Xi Mo and Ranla Changxiu there was a kind of subtle wrongness in the air, she couldn’t help but start thinking.
Xi Mo shouldn’t have lied to her. Xi Mo really didn’t have any clue there.
Could it be the clue was with Ranla Changxiu?
Ruan Yesheng thought carefully, and her eyes swept to the red Yi clothes Ranla Changxiu wore. A thought suddenly jumped into her mind.
“We shouldn’t always just think of finding clues inside the house.” Ruan Yesheng changed her way of thinking and said to everyone, “Azalea, in Yi people it’s also called ‘Suoma flower,’ and Yi people often use the word ‘Suoma’ to describe or call women. We were misled by the azalea clue on the card, thinking it was enough to just find the house with red azalea flowers at the door. Actually, we might need to find another kind of red ‘Suoma,’ that is the Yi woman in red clothes. Now the condition of azaleas at the door is met, and the condition of Yi woman in red clothes is also met, the only one is Auntie Ranla.”
Shen Qingbie froze for a moment, and looked at Ranla Changxiu.
She quickly walked to Ranla Changxiu and said, “Auntie Ranla, are you the beautiful red Suoma flower?”
Her voice was sweet and obedient. Ranla Changxiu was amused by her. Seeing her point out the answer, she admitted, “I am the red Suoma.”
“It’s really you!” Shen Qingbie got so excited that she quickly called Ruan Yesheng over, “Ruanruan, you guessed right!”
Ranla Changxiu, as the task NPC, gave them the final clue about the ritual offering, that is, the final place where the ritual offering should be put.
The task was completed perfectly. When they were about to leave Ranla Changxiu’s house and head to where the ritual offering was, Ruan Yesheng felt unwilling to part and asked Xi Mo, “Tonight there will be a big sacrificial celebration in the town, both our teams need to go and join. Will you go play?”
Xi Mo said calmly, “I only agreed that the show crew could shoot some of my scenes in this part with Auntie Ranla as the NPC. If I go to the celebration, and the crew needs to shoot, then I need to think again.”
Zhang Zhiyin stood by and almost laughed out loud.
It was clearly Xi Mo who called on her own, to specially arrange shooting in this house, but when it came from Xi Mo’s mouth, it became that the show crew suggested first, and she only agreed after.
Ruan Yesheng felt a little disappointed, but still said, “If the show crew doesn’t shoot you, will you go? But if that’s the case, it won’t be easy for me to find you, because I always have cameras following me.”
Zhang Zhiyin could tell Xi Mo cared especially about Ruan Yesheng, but she didn’t say it out loud. Instead, she smiled and said, “This time we could shoot thanks to Xi Mo’s friendly participation. Our show crew is very thankful to Xi Mo. If we can also shoot her at tonight’s sacrificial celebration, it will be our honor.”
Xi Mo didn’t say yes, but she didn’t say no either.
Ruan Yesheng couldn’t talk more with her since the show crew needed to keep moving, so she had no choice but to say goodbye to Xi Mo and leave the house.
When the crew withdrew, the once lively house turned quiet all at once. In the afternoon, A’cuo Rize wasn’t there. Now only Ranla Changxiu and Xi Mo stayed in the house.
Ranla Changxiu saw that the crew had finally left. She quickly ran nervously to the locked room door, squatted down, and picked something up from the crack at the bottom.
“Auntie Ranla?” Xi Mo had been secretly watching Ranla Changxiu this whole time. Now she stood behind her and bent down to see.
She wanted to know what Ranla Changxiu had picked up.
Ranla Changxiu was so startled by her that her soul nearly flew away, and she sat right down on the ground.
Xi Mo quickly helped her up. At the same time, she glanced and saw that what Ranla Changxiu picked up was actually a long, thin strand of jet-black hair.
“Auntie Ranla, are you hiding something from me?” Xi Mo felt that A’cuo Rize and Ranla Changxiu gave her a warm feeling. She didn’t really want to doubt them, but Ranla Changxiu was indeed acting strange. She wanted to ask clearly.
Ranla Changxiu grew anxious and waved her hands again and again. “No, no, Miss Xi, I did not mean to hide anything from you. You are a guest I really like.”
“Then why are you so nervous about this door, and this hair?” Xi Mo asked her.
Faced with Xi Mo’s question, Ranla Changxiu looked very troubled. After a while she finally said, “Miss Xi, this is something I can’t just say, and it can’t just be seen by others.”
“I’m sorry.” Xi Mo lowered her head and said apologetically, “Auntie Ranla, I just ran into some troublesome things recently, so I’ve been too cautious. When I saw your behavior at the door earlier being a little strange, I wanted to come see what was going on. I didn’t mean to pry into your things, I was just… a bit nervous.”
There were odd things in this town, especially since Yang Zhen was very likely here too. Xi Mo couldn’t help being sensitive.
Ranla Changxiu saw her like that and felt she seemed under a lot of pressure. She said, “Then I’ll ask. If I can say, I’ll tell you. Miss Xi, don’t worry. If I can, I surely won’t hide anything from you.”
“Thank you.” Xi Mo nodded when she saw Ranla Changxiu speak so sincerely.
Ranla Changxiu walked a little farther away and dialed a call, speaking softly, “Miss Luo, there’s something urgent I need to tell you. Are you free now?”
A low and gentle voice came out from Ranla Changxiu’s phone, clear and cool, as if covered with a thin layer of snow, yet the words were polite.
It even carried an old-fashioned tone, different from modern speech: “I am free. Aunt Ranla, what is the matter?”
Ranla Changxiu said, “If you come back at night and find the hair in the door crack gone, don’t worry. No one has gone into your room.”
“It is nothing.” Miss Luo’s voice was clearly cold, yet it always carried a faint gentleness: “Just clip it back in the original spot for me. Anyway, you also know that spot.”
“Alright, I’ll handle it for you. But I still have to tell you this.” Ranla Changxiu added, “There’s another problem. Miss Xi, the guest, saw me pick up the hair from the door crack. She lives next to you. Don’t worry, she’s a very good person, she just looks a bit nervous. She asked me about it. I saw her state looked rather pitiful, like she’s caught up in some trouble, so she’s very alert to changes around her. If I don’t explain clearly to her, she’ll feel bad. I wanted to ask if I can tell her.”
The other person was silent for a moment.
After a while, Miss Luo said, “If AuntRanla trusts her, then tell her. It is not a problem.”
“I do trust Miss Xi very much.” Ranla Changxiu said quickly.
“Mm.” Miss Luo answered softly.
After finishing the call and getting permission, Ranla Changxiu finally walked up to Xi Mo and said, “My friend said I can tell you.”
Xi Mo had more or less guessed the hair’s purpose. She said, “Your friend puts hair in the door crack to guard against something, right? This way if someone does something at her door or goes into her room, she’ll know when she comes back and can take precautions?”
Ranla Changxiu nodded and said, “That’s right. My friend’s situation is quite special. Some bad people watch her secretly, so she’s very cautious. When she stays outside, she always clips a strand of hair in the door crack. If someone goes into her room, she can tell.”
Xi Mo could really understand this kind of feeling. Wasn’t she now being secretly watched too, without knowing a thing about the other party? Toward this friend of Ranla Changxiu, she suddenly felt a bit of sympathy as if sharing the same fate. But she also thought this friend must be living very hard. If someone had to be cautious to this extent, the pressure must be huge.
Was it because the bad people she met were too terrifying that forced her to this point?
“Your friend trusts you and Uncle A’cuo a lot.” Xi Mo said. “She would tell you this detail openly, which means she’s not guarding against you two, but against other possible people.”
“Yes, Miss Luo treats me and A’xiong very well.” Ranla Changxiu showed gratitude. “Miss Luo once saved A’xiong’s life when he was out gathering herbs. She’s the benefactor of our whole family.”
“Thank you, and thank that Miss Luo.” Xi Mo relaxed completely. After knowing the truth, she no longer felt tense, like a heavy load was lifted off. “For being willing to tell me this.”
Otherwise, she would doubt and worry herself to death.
Ranla Changxiu smiled and clipped that strand of hair back into its place.
Xi Mo had nothing else to do, so she went back to rest. She sat in her room, staring at the door for a long time, then suddenly stood up. She cut one strand of her own hair with scissors, and also clipped it into her door crack, trying it after closing the door.
After fixing the position, she thought Miss Luo’s way was really good, and decided to learn it too.
After all, she was going out tonight.
Earlier, Baolai barked crazily, maybe because someone was spying on this house. If she went out later, Auntie Ranla and Uncle A’cuo would surely also join the evening’s gathering. The house would be empty by then. She worried someone might sneak in, so she had to use this safe method to test it.
She also told Ranla Changxiu about clipping her own hair, and said, “I’ll put it in place when I go out tonight.”
Ranla Changxiu knew about it and nodded with a smile.
Author's Note:
Luo!!!! Wuwuwuwu finally her voice appeared hahahahaha[.
And she even taught Xi Mo a trick[.
Miss Luo is the female lead of my other book, Exploring The Empty Tomb - Modern Times.
Because Exploring The Empty Tomb - Modern Times and Swapped Movie Queens belong to the same world, their plots are interwoven. So Luo Shen also shows up here. Likewise, Xi Mo and Ruanruan will also appear in Exploring The Empty Tomb - Modern Times.
At this point in time, it was when Luo Shen came here alone to investigate.
In Exploring The Empty Tomb - Modern Times, this part of the plot was only shown from the side. Everyone didn’t know what Luo Shen actually went through. But in Swapped Movie Queens, now you all can see it.
Please leave ratings and comments~
