Chapter 23

It was as if Xu Chun had abruptly cleared Jiang Zhaolie's blocked meridians; her whole mind lit up with sudden clarity. That was right—as long as she and Xu Chun always appeared before her mother as two people still hopelessly hung up on each other, forever on the verge of rekindling an old flame, then no matter how much effort Xu Chun poured in afterward, wouldn't her mother keep her at arm's length?

If that were the case, Xu Chun could forget about ever getting her mother under her thumb.

Jiang Zhaolie thought this was a truly excellent plan. But when she noticed Yu Sui'an's clear, bright eyes—holding something like disappointment, anger, and resentment—her heart lurched. The problem now was… how was she supposed to explain to Suisui this endless, tangled back-and-forth with Xu Chun?

Her uneasy gaze settled on Yu Sui'an. After weighing her options, she walked over to her with sudden resolve. "Suisui, it's not like that. Don't listen to her nonsense."

Jiang Zhaolie drew close, intending to take her hand as she always did, but Yu Sui'an quietly sidestepped her. She smiled faintly, gentle and harmless, yet her eyes held a coldness and distance Jiang Zhaolie had never seen before. "Zhaolie, everyone's here."

She really was angry. Jiang Zhaolie froze, at a loss. She wanted to coax her, but Qin Yao stood quietly to one side, watching her, and every joint in Jiang Zhaolie's body seemed to rust shut; she couldn't move. She stood rooted to the spot like a block of wood.

Qin Yao had never liked Yu Sui'an to begin with. If she tried to soothe her now in front of Qin Yao, it would be no different from tugging a tiger's tail. Jiang Zhaolie didn't dare risk it.

Just as the three of them were locked in a standoff, Xu Chun—so furious she looked like she'd risen from the dead—shot to her feet in a single bound and pointed at Jiang Zhaolie, denouncing her with righteous fury. "Stop spouting nonsense!"

Xu Chun tore mercilessly into Jiang Zhaolie. "You're just looking for a chance to drive a wedge between me and Suisui, and between me and my sister!" Her eyes blazed. "You want to make Suisui jealous so you can prove how much you matter to her and what place you hold in her heart!"

As she spoke, grief welled up in her. On the verge of tears, soft and boneless, she shuffled over to Qin Yao's side, and before Jiang Zhaolie could react, she threw herself headfirst into Qin Yao's embrace, clutching her clothes and sobbing out her grievance. "Sister, I don't know what I ever did to provoke her. It's one thing if she wants to curry favor with the one she loves, but why must she use me to build up their love?"

"Am I not a person in Zhaolie's eyes? Doesn't my heart ache too?"

"My fiancée and my ex-girlfriend being together is one thing, but now I have to watch them fall in love and be forced to sacrifice myself for their romance." Xu Chun sobbed, her voice catching. "They'll go on to live happily ever after together—but what about me? What about me after they've used me up? Who will remember me then? Who will pity me?"

"Sister." She lifted her head and gazed up at Qin Yao with a wounded look, her voice breaking. "I don't understand why my fate in this life is three parts more bitter than coptis root."

This was outright twisting black into white—shameless sophistry. Jiang Zhaolie's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Reflexively, she turned to Qin Yao. "Mom, it's not what she's saying. I never did what she's claiming…"

"Have you said enough?" Qin Yao cut her off, fixing her with sharp eyes. The corners of the woman's eyes tilted slightly upward; when she fixed her gaze on someone, she radiated an indescribable, overbearing pressure.

In this moment, right and wrong didn't matter. Jiang Zhaolie should never have kept entangling herself with Yu Sui'an during this sensitive period after breaking off the engagement—much less run off to someone else's film set and stay for a week without returning to the company. Qin Yao's patience had nearly run out. Her tone was heavy, and she spared Jiang Zhaolie almost no face. "If you don't want to go to the company, then don't go at all."

Seeing Qin Yao angry, Jiang Zhaolie immediately realized the gravity of the situation. She hung her head and obediently admitted her fault at once. "I'll go back right away."

Qin Yao gave a cold hum of acknowledgment, indifferent. Jiang Zhaolie lifted her head, wanting to say a few words to Yu Sui'an before leaving, but Yu Sui'an's aloof, lukewarm attitude chilled her heart by half. She felt a little lost, and something she couldn't quite name flashed past, gone in an instant.

Perhaps out of spite, Jiang Zhaolie didn't say goodbye to Yu Sui'an. She turned on her heel and walked off, quickly vanishing from Yu Sui'an's sight.

Yu Sui'an didn't react to Jiang Zhaolie leaving. Her unblinking eyes stayed fixed on Xu Chun, and her voice was very soft. "Sister, it's time to run lines."

She deliberately ignored Qin Yao. Qin Yao's gaze swept over her without a word, yet Yu Sui'an felt the pressure and warning in it clearly. Intimidated by that commanding presence, her small face paled, and she unconsciously pressed her lips tightly together. Unwilling to give up, she stared at Xu Chun, searching for even a trace of partiality on the other woman's face.

But to her disappointment, Xu Chun's heart and eyes were filled with only one person right now—Qin Yao.

The way Xu Chun looked at Qin Yao was something Yu Sui'an had never seen before—as if her world contained only Qin Yao, as if in that moment Qin Yao were her entire world. The realization made a sour, bitter feeling rise unbidden in Yu Sui'an's heart. It spiraled up from the depths of her chest, spread through her limbs and bones, until it filled her whole body—so unbearable that she was desperate to seize hold of Xu Chun.

Now that Qin Yao had come in person, how could Xu Chun still be in the mood to run lines with Yu Sui'an? She refused without a second thought. "We can run lines later. I don't have time right now."

Then she tilted her head back, eyes sparkling, and blinked twice at Qin Yao. "Sister, can we talk somewhere private?"

Qin Yao gave a slight nod, then glanced at Xu Chun's hands wrapped around her arm, and in the end didn't push her away in front of Yu Sui'an. Xu Chun noticed Qin Yao's tacit consent and indulgence, and the smile in her eyes and at the corners of her lips deepened.

Yu Sui'an watched bleakly as undisguised joy and delight spread across Xu Chun's face. Her heart felt as though a hand had gripped it hard, aching in spasms.

Qin Yao was wearing a long black trench coat today. She was tall; the coat wrapped her slender, upright figure, giving her an aura of stern, biting severity. Xu Chun, though dressed in a well-cut suit with clean lines, somehow looked delicate and lovely the moment she stood beside Qin Yao. The two figures, one tall and one short, pressed close together, their clothes cut from exquisite, expensive fabric—an air of refinement and nobility all but spilled over.

The scene was beautiful, and the two suited each other well, but to Yu Sui'an it was only glaring.

Once, she too had clung to Xu Chun's arm like this—Xu Chun unsmiling and stern, herself chattering on about endless nonsense—yet neither of them had found it dull; they had even enjoyed it.

Recalling the past, Yu Sui'an's ten slender fingers laced together unconsciously. A sudden panic and bewilderment swept over her like a tide. It seemed… in her single-minded pursuit of fame and fortune these past days, she had truly lost the person who once loved her, cherished her, and was even willing to give her heart and soul for her…

Xu Chun was so happy she forgot to go home. She'd thought Qin Yao wouldn't come see her until much later; now that her wish had come true ahead of schedule, she was so excited that her little mouth ran on without pause. "Sister, you have no idea how much I've missed you since I last saw you. When I'm filming, you're all I can think about; when I'm eating, you're all I can think about; when I'm sleeping, you're all I can think about."

"I never understood what 'one day apart feels like three autumns' really meant before, but after meeting you, sister, I finally get it."

Hearing this, Qin Yao couldn't help but glance down at her. Sensing Qin Yao's attention, Xu Chun perked up. Afraid Qin Yao wouldn't believe her, she hurriedly raised both hands to show her sincerity. "Really, not a single word of what I just said is false. Sister, you have to believe me."

A hint of amusement seemed to enter Qin Yao's eyes, but she didn't take the bait. Instead she said, "Your grandfather asked me earlier to stop by the set and see how you were doing." Her tone was casual and offhand. "I had some business nearby today, so I dropped in on the way."

Her cheap grandfather? Xu Chun was startled, then asked, puzzled, "If Grandpa misses me so much, why doesn't he come see me himself?" Why go to the trouble of asking Qin Yao?

Xu Chun had only said it in passing, with no other meaning—just simple puzzlement. But after a moment's thought, Qin Yao tilted her head and asked in a light voice, "You don't want to see me?" Xu Chun's heart jolted. She was about to explain when Qin Yao added, "Since you don't want to see me, I won't come again."

Xu Chun: "!!!" No! That's not what I meant!

Don't misunderstand!

Horror-struck, she scrambled to explain, only to find Qin Yao with her head slightly raised, eyes full of laughter. Xu Chun realized at once that Qin Yao was only teasing her.

Secretly grumbling about Qin Yao's mischievous streak, Xu Chun gave her a pitiful look. "Sister, even you bully me."

"And who else bullies you?" Qin Yao's smile faded, her face growing somewhat serious and stern. Without a second thought, Xu Chun said, "Plenty of people," and then listed every name she could think of—past, present, and anyone who might oppose or frame her in the future. She came just short of telling Qin Yao about the dogs that barked at her on the street.

Qin Yao's deep, chiseled features remained calm and composed throughout, making it impossible to tell whether she was listening casually or seriously committing two or three names to memory.

Actually, Xu Chun hadn't expected Qin Yao to vent her anger for her. The other woman was so busy, spinning like a top day in and day out. Where would she find the time to bother with her trivial little matters? Yet not long after Qin Yao left, Xu Chun returned and learned from her assistant that the entire Shen family had been marched into the police station, neat and tidy as could be.

She stared blankly, then instinctively asked her assistant, "Who did it?"

But in truth, by the time she asked, she already knew the answer. Apart from Qin Yao, no one else she knew seemed capable of sending someone straight to hell in the space of a few breaths.

And anyone else with that kind of power had little connection to her, so none of them would suddenly have a change of heart and help her vent.

It was just that Qin Yao's consistently friendly—even kind and partial—attitude toward her puzzled Xu Chun. To Qin Yao, she was nothing more than the former fiancée of an irrelevant daughter. Why would she help her again and again? Surely it couldn't be love at first sight.

Xu Chun couldn't figure it out, but that didn't stop her from shamelessly sending Qin Yao a few words of thanks to strengthen their connection.

Her phone buzzed a few times. Qin Yao, sitting in the car, looked up from the laptop screen. She sat ramrod straight, her body angled into the blurred light, her exquisite, peerless face somewhat indistinct in this moment. The faint glow of the laptop screen reflected off her fair skin, illuminating features that shifted between sharp and tender with the changing light and shadow.

Her slender fingers picked up the phone and scrolled through Xu Chun's messages. Qin Yao's expression didn't change as she spoke calmly to the secretary in the passenger seat. "Continue with the previous plan."

The secretary stole a glance at Qin Yao through the rearview mirror and nodded. "Yes, President Qin."

After Xu Chun had the entire Shen Shutong family packed off to prison, the cast and crew's attitude toward her changed at once. In the past, apart from Yu Sui'an, a few people would eagerly crowd around Xu Chun. Now that the news broke, even the most shameless people who'd dreamed of using her to climb the social ladder kept their distance.

They acted as if Xu Chun were some man-eating beast.

Xu Chun swept her gaze over the restrained curiosity and deep fear in everyone's eyes and was momentarily speechless. "…" She really hadn't done this, but she'd carry the blame anyway.

What difference did one pot or two make? A few more pots wouldn't weigh her down.

Earlier, because of the love triangle between Xu Chun, Jiang Zhaolie, and Yu Sui'an, all three of their family backgrounds had been dug up and laid bare—especially Xu Chun's. By now almost everyone knew Xu Chun's family had a bit of money, but overall her household could only be considered middling. Otherwise she wouldn't have been powerless to fight back after Yu Sui'an's team slung so much mud at her.

Yu Sui'an's agent was a famous second-generation rich kid in the industry. Backed by his family's name, he had run roughshod over the circle, and no one could stop him. Even someone like Xu Chun—already wealthy by ordinary standards—was, in the agent's eyes, nothing but a second-rate little tycoon family, hardly worth fearing.

So given how thoroughly Xu Chun had been beaten down by Yu Sui'an before, now that she'd suddenly pulled off a counterattack like the heroine of a wish-fulfillment novel, everyone felt something was off.

Had Xu Chun… found herself some domineering sugar daddy?

How else could she suddenly be so tough, picking fights with people at the drop of a hat without a shred of fear? After some well-reasoned analysis, the cast concluded it was an ironclad fact: Xu Chun had a sugar daddy.

Xu Chun, who happened to overhear a bit of this from her assistant after finishing a scene, was covered in question marks. If she had a sugar daddy, would she be in this state? If she had a sugar daddy, the first thing she'd do was go make trouble for Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an.

The sugar daddy rumor wasn't very damaging to her, but it was extremely insulting.

Just as Xu Chun rolled up her sleeves, ready to log into a burner account and hash it out with the netizens, her assistant suddenly ran in, bent down, and whispered in her ear. "Sister Xu, the actress replacing Shen Shutong has arrived." The assistant paused to catch her breath, then continued, "I heard she's the biological daughter of an investor, doted on by her family, so she's got a bit of a bossy, domineering personality and is very hard to get along with."

"This is her first role, and it'll be her screen debut. Sister Yang is worried the screenwriter might cave to investor pressure and give her more scenes…" A few more scenes wouldn't be a problem; the fear was that she'd be insatiably greedy and, caring only about herself, butcher the entire script beyond recognition.

If that happened, the others getting criticized would be a small matter, but this script was Xu Chun's first big IP with built-in buzz and traffic after Yu Sui'an had ruined her reputation. If it fell apart, it didn't take a genius to imagine how harsh and unkind the online commentary toward Xu Chun would be.

The first assistant had barely finished speaking when the second assistant chimed in anxiously. "If that's the case, we might as well have kept Shen Shutong."

They were both newcomers with about the same level of acting skill, and at least Shen Shutong wasn't untouchable. If this one joined the cast today, wouldn't they just have to put up with her temper every day from now on?

The second assistant looked very worried. "What do we do, Sister Xu? I think she's walking toward us."

Xu Chun wasn't blind; of course she noticed the other's grand procession—arrogant and overwhelming, leading a whole crowd of people straight toward her. She swept over like a noble consort storming the palace.

Xu Chun looked expressionless, but inside she was panicking badly. She'd let Qin Yao leave too early. If she'd known this was coming, she would have done anything to make Qin Yao stay. Seeing the other woman already at her side, Xu Chun sat up straight and pulled a polite smile onto her lips. "Hello."

Jiang Banxia looked down her nose at Xu Chun, neither responding nor speaking. As if mute, she sized Xu Chun up and down for a long while. Just when Xu Chun and her assistants were about to run out of patience, Jiang Banxia finally spoke. "I never thought after all this time, you'd sink to this."

Xu Chun blinked. "?" What?

From her tone… did she know her?

Xu Chun couldn't help but scrutinize the other's lovely face. After a moment, a vague memory flashed through her mind, but it wasn't clear. Just as Xu Chun was at a loss, wanting to study the other's identity more carefully, the first assistant leaned in again and whispered, very softly, "Sister Xu, this Miss Jiang… seems to be your first love—your white moonlight."

"And back then, you were the one who dumped her."

Xu Chun: "?!" Again?!

Her scapegoat-filled, love-triangle life really was—

Too thrilling!