Chapter 37

Still… after secretly ranting for a while, Xu Chun belatedly realized things seemed to have gone a little off the rails. Logically, Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an had been at odds for so long that they should have made up by now. Yet here they were: either Yu Sui'an was giving Jiang Zhaolie the cold shoulder, lukewarm and distant, even treating her like something to be cast aside after use, or Jiang Zhaolie had completely given up and gone so far as to come tattle on Yu Sui'an to her.

Xu Chun's eyes glazed over slightly. She genuinely couldn't understand what was going on in those two's heads anymore.

That didn't stop her from taking advantage of Jiang Zhaolie's situation, though. “Well… Mama would love to get justice for you, but you and Yu Sui'an aren't even together yet. The rest of us have no ties to each other; it wouldn't be appropriate for me to say anything to her about this.”

She sighed with considerable regret. “Zhaolie, you'll just have to bear with it for now.”

Jiang Zhaolie: “?”

What are you even saying? I was only trying to clarify that in my relationship with Yu Sui'an, I wasn't the treacherous, unfaithful one. How did Xu Chun twist it into something else entirely?

Jiang Zhaolie felt choked up. “You misunderstood. I just don't want you to be deceived by her.”

She swore she'd meant nothing else by it, but then the voice on the other end took on an exaggeratedly emotional tone: “I understand. I understand it all.” Xu Chun paused, her tone utterly sincere. “You really are Mama's good child. Don't worry—Mama will never mistreat you in the future.”

Jiang Zhaolie's brow twitched uncontrollably. “…”

The other end of the line fell silent, as if she'd been angered into speechlessness. Riding high on her theatrical impulse, Xu Chun wanted to seize the moment—late at night, when people's hearts were most fragile and sensitive—to have a proper heart-to-heart with Jiang Zhaolie, clear up old grievances, and build some goodwill. But before she could, Jiang Zhaolie hung up without a word.

Xu Chun felt a bit regretful. This timing, this atmosphere—if they could just sit down and have a real conversation, open their hearts to each other, it would be absolutely perfect.

What a shame. The child had grown up, become rebellious, and wasn't so easily moved anymore.

Jiang Zhaolie was indeed irritated by Xu Chun, but after spending so much time together, she had grown used to Xu Chun's temperament. These days she could sometimes even calmly listen to Xu Chun spout outrageous nonsense without being affected, something that would have been utterly impossible before.

Sometimes Jiang Zhaolie even wondered whether she'd feel uncomfortable if Xu Chun ever got serious and stopped speaking to her in that passive-aggressive tone.

She stared at her phone absently, then suddenly snapped back to attention and dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time. The other end connected quickly, and a clear but cold voice came through the speaker. “What is it?”

In that instant, Jiang Zhaolie felt a sense of unreality, as if a lifetime had passed. Once upon a time, she and Yu Sui'an had been sweet and loving, so deeply in love that it seemed they might announce their engagement and walk down the aisle the very next second. Yet in just a few short months, they had become this distant, like sworn enemies.

Her heart was a tangled mess of emotions, but all those strange, subtle feelings vanished without a trace when Yu Sui'an spoke again, her tone once more cold and indifferent. Jiang Zhaolie took a breath and cut straight to the point: “Why did you say that in front of her?”

“You know why I stopped contacting you, why I blocked you. Even if you felt wronged—whatever you were feeling or thinking—you could have come to me directly and asked for an explanation. But did you? No. You were indifferent, completely unconcerned, and just let things fall apart step by step.”

“Since you don't care about what's between us and have no intention of making amends, we could have simply gone our separate ways and left each other alone.” Jiang Zhaolie's voice grew hoarse. “But why did you twist right and wrong and distort the facts in front of her to serve your own ends, and paint me as that kind of person?”

“Hm? Yu Sui'an?”

“I don't think I ever wronged you in the past.” Her voice grew heavier. “Right?”

After a long silence on the other end, Yu Sui'an's soft laughter rang out. “So what?” She curved her lips. “Even if I said all that, what are you going to do about it?”

Jiang Zhaolie was so furious she managed a “You—” before words failed her. Yu Sui'an's smile deepened. “As long as I can win back Sister's heart, what does it matter if I slander you into a heartless, faithless scoundrel?” She smiled faintly. “As long as Sister feels even a second of sympathy for me, that's enough.”

“You really are insane,” Jiang Zhaolie finally managed after a long, stunned silence.

“If you want to put it that way, there's nothing I can do about it.” Yu Sui'an lowered her eyes and idly played with her nails, her voice light and mild, yet carrying a faint undercurrent of danger. “Jiang Zhaolie, you'd better stay far away from Sister.”

She said, “I'll be watching you on the show the whole time.”

“Don't get any ideas about going back to your old flame, about patching things up with Sister and returning to how things were.” Yu Sui'an offered her a helpful reminder. “You were the one who abandoned Sister without a second thought back then. You've already hurt her. No matter what you do, it's impossible to make up for the harm you caused her. So I suggest you give up and stop your wishful thinking.”

Yu Sui'an wasn't even bothering to hide her malice anymore. Jiang Zhaolie was furious—incensed, really—but she soon calmed down. “I'll say the same to you.”

“You'd better not forget how you treated her back then, either.” Jiang Zhaolie narrowed her eyes. “Before you broke up, you made snide remarks about her; after the breakup, you hired trolls to push all the blame onto her. Wasn't all that evidence dug up by her fans?”

“You don't actually think that just because she clarified things for you that day, she believes you and has no doubts about you, do you?”

“She just didn't want your personal failings to affect the whole crew and the drama's follow-up work.”

No wonder people said Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an had once considered each other soulmates. They knew each other too well. Even now, when they went for each other's wounds, they were brutally precise.

Both had been struck where it hurt, and gradually their eyes reddened. They argued with everything they had, trying to win the fight, as if winning would prove something.

Xu Chun had no idea the two female leads were currently at each other's throats, each ready to kill the other, and that the person driving them to such madness was herself. Under the warm lamplight of her room, she quietly read a few pages of a book, her thoughts and emotions gradually calming.

The night-owl viewers stared at their screens: 【Honestly, Sister Xu's looks are truly unmatched in this world. If she just promoted her beauty a bit more normally, no newcomer would dare ride her coattails and swagger around using her name.】

【Our Sister Xu is focused entirely on acting and work. Where would she find the time or energy to buy press releases left and right like Yu Sui'an does, building up some pure, innocent, sweet and naïve persona?】

【I saw some leaked set photos a while back. Xu Chun looked good, and the styling was pretty nice. I hope when the drama officially airs next year, it isn't too far off from the retouched images and doesn't ruin my favorite novel.】

【It shouldn't. Xu Chun's looks are consistent, and the original author helped adapt the script too.】

The topic gradually drifted in other directions. Xu Chun tried hard to keep her eyes open but couldn't suppress a yawn. She forced herself to stay awake for a while, but once she felt sleep rolling over her in waves, she gave up the fight and drifted off.

Danmaku: 【Turns out reading is the most effective sleep aid after all.】

The next day, when Xu Chun arrived at the office, she found Jiang Zhaolie looking drained, dark circles under her eyes. Xu Chun blinked, then went over to show concern. “No way? Don't tell me you couldn't sleep all night just because Mama didn't stand up for you?”

Jiang Zhaolie had argued with Yu Sui'an for a long time last night. As the fight dragged on, they had both lost all restraint, dredging up trivial matters from eight hundred years ago to attack and accuse each other. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning, when Yu Sui'an had to go film, that the argument finally ground to a halt.

She hadn't gotten enough sleep to begin with, and now Xu Chun was here spouting nonsense again. Jiang Zhaolie's expression wasn't great, but after a moment, she couldn't be bothered to argue—mainly because she'd been bickering with Yu Sui'an all night and her voice was hoarse. She didn't want to speak at all.

So Jiang Zhaolie merely glanced at Xu Chun indifferently and ignored her.

If she wanted to think that, then let her.

The battle with Yu Sui'an had made her realize that trading barbs was utterly pointless. Adults should settle things with action—the fewer words the better, ideally just fists. For instance, even after a sleepless night, she had forced herself to call every friend she knew and make them seriously reconsider whether Yu Sui'an's character and morals were worthy of any deep collaboration.

Jiang Zhaolie normally disdained using such underhanded tactics, but Yu Sui'an's madness had made one thing clear: some people needed to be taught a lesson.

There was a limit to what she could endure. If she didn't give the other woman a lesson soon, things would only escalate. Yu Sui'an would push further and further.

Even so, Jiang Zhaolie couldn't figure out why a girl she remembered as gentle and kind had become so deranged, almost the complete opposite of the simple, considerate person she once knew.

It was like she'd been possessed.

Or had this been her true face all along? Had the old her been fooled by Yu Sui'an's superb acting? Jiang Zhaolie's heart was full of doubt, and for a moment she couldn't make sense of it.

Seeing that Jiang Zhaolie wasn't paying attention to her and was just standing there with her head down, looking thoughtful, Xu Chun clicked her tongue and found it boring. She got up to leave, but just as she turned, she caught sight of Qin Yao, who had arrived at some point without her noticing, and nearly jumped out of her skin. “Sis— President Qin?”

She corrected herself in time, eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

Realizing that sounded a bit inappropriate, Xu Chun shamelessly tried to smooth it over. “When did you arrive?” She steadied herself and ran toward Qin Yao with feigned composure and enthusiasm. “President Qin, if you needed something, you could have just made a phone call. Why trouble yourself to come in person?”

She was very eager, her fair little face blooming into a smile. “I'm your assistant—just order me around as harshly as you like.”

“Please don't go easy on me just because I'm a delicate flower.”

Jiang Zhaolie had already opened her drawer to get what Qin Yao needed, but when she heard Xu Chun's unbearable nonsense, she looked up, utterly speechless. She'd seen people with no sense of shame before, but never this bad.

Just to become her stepmother, Xu Chun had truly abandoned all shame.

Qin Yao was unmoved, her voice flat as she asked, “Mama? What mama?” Her probing gaze swept over Jiang Zhaolie, then settled on Xu Chun. “What were you two just talking about?”

“Ah.” Xu Chun froze, looking bewildered. “President Qin, did you mishear? We weren't talking about that at all.”

She turned to Jiang Zhaolie. “Right, President Jiang?”

Jiang Zhaolie looked at the hot potato kicked her way and fell silent. But she didn't want Qin Yao to know about the mess between her and Xu Chun either, so she played along and feigned ignorance, declaring with a straight face, “We definitely weren't discussing any mama. President Qin, you must have misheard.”

Qin Yao curved her lips and gave Xu Chun several meaningful looks.

Xu Chun braced herself and put on an expression of utter righteousness, which finally fooled Qin Yao. The other woman didn't press further; she took her documents and left, crisp and efficient, without lingering.

After Qin Yao left, Xu Chun shot Jiang Zhaolie a warning glare. “Watch your words from now on. Don't get caught by President Qin over every little thing and make trouble for me at work.”

Jiang Zhaolie's face twitched. “…” Have you no shame?

But Xu Chun turned and walked away. Jiang Zhaolie gripped her mouse, feeling that this really was karma—because she'd wronged Xu Chun, the other woman had come to collect her debt.

At this rate, she felt like Xu Chun would be the death of her one day.

When Xu Chun returned to her desk, Bai Xianxian greeted her enthusiastically. After replying “Morning,” Xu Chun glanced at her to-do list for the day, then leaned toward Bai Xianxian. She was just about to speak when she saw the other woman quickly close a page on her computer screen. She moved so fast that Xu Chun couldn't catch a thing.

“Tell me, why do I have so much more work than you?” She pointed at her to-do list, utterly puzzled.

Bai Xianxian looked at her for a moment. “You didn't know?”

Xu Chun was baffled. “?”

“All your work is assigned by President Jiang,” Bai Xianxian said with a smile. Seeing that Xu Chun genuinely didn't know, she explained, “The workload for all of you celebrities is set by President Jiang.”

“At first I thought everyone's workload was the same too, but when I got off work and saw the other guests taking it easy all day—some even finding time to flirt with female colleagues in the office—that's when I realized President Jiang was playing favorites too.” She said it meaningfully.

Xu Chun couldn't help but react: “???”

So it was that dog Jiang Zhaolie! And here she'd been caring about this and that for her every day. She never imagined Jiang Zhaolie would openly sabotage her on the show!

Just wait until she became her stepmother. Then she'd show her!

In the midst of her busy schedule, Xu Chun went to check on the others. Compared to her—slaving away like the designated drudge—the other guests were practically on vacation at Qin Group, just playing around. Xu Chun was looking on with envy when Jiang Banxia quietly sidled up. “Yu Sui'an hasn't been harassing you anymore, has she?”

Xu Chun turned, unsure why she'd ask that.

Jiang Banxia said, “I've been pressuring her hard lately. She's probably going to get desperate and try to burn bridges with me.”

“You and her…” Xu Chun hesitated. “Are you two in some kind of conflict?”

Jiang Banxia was a very rational person. Even though she and the original Xu Chun had shared some ambiguous relationship in their youth, that was long past. So Xu Chun didn't think she would go after Yu Sui'an on her behalf.

But other than that, Xu Chun couldn't think of any other reason Jiang Banxia would dislike Yu Sui'an so much.

“Mm.” Jiang Banxia gave a soft sound of agreement, but what she said next sounded rather unreasonable. “There's really no particular reason. It's just that from the very first moment I saw her, I instinctively disliked her.”

She shook her head. “I can't explain why either.”

Xu Chun's thoughts drifted. Was this what people called mutual hatred at first sight?

“But that's not important.” Jiang Banxia turned, lowered her eyes, and changed the subject. “There are rumors going around about me. Don't take them at face value. No matter what you hear—unless you hear it from my own mouth—it's fake.”

She didn't want Xu Chun to misunderstand and think there was something between her and Zheng Yanran. In fact, since she'd returned to the country, she and Zheng Yanran had met barely more than twice.

Zheng Yanran had come looking for her again and again—whether during filming, when she went home for dinner with her parents, or when she was working—but without exception, Jiang Banxia had refused her every time.

She believed she had made things very clear to the other woman: there was absolutely no possibility between them.

She would not go along with her parents' arrangements and enter a marriage alliance with Zheng Yanran, nor would she accept sharing a bed with someone she didn't love. And Zheng Yanran clearly fell into that category.

But the other woman remained lost in her own world. No matter how Jiang Banxia explained or clarified, she paid no heed, charging forward single-mindedly, relentlessly forcing herself into Jiang Banxia's presence.

Sometimes, watching that relentless persistence, Jiang Banxia couldn't help but think—if only she herself had been that brave and direct back then, perhaps she and Xu Chun wouldn't have ended up like this. Times had changed, and so had people.

Xu Chun was full of question marks. What rumors? What was being said about Jiang Banxia now? Why did it feel like the whole world had caught wind of the gossip except her? Thinking it over, Xu Chun concluded it was all Jiang Zhaolie's fault. If she hadn't assigned her so much work and left her with no time to spare, she wouldn't be this out of the loop.

She stayed put and subtly probed, “But isn't there a saying—where there's smoke, there's fire…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Banxia turned to look at her. On her fair, delicate face, a pair of soulful eyes gazed at her deeply and earnestly. “Xu Chun, you should understand how I feel about you.”

Xu Chun very much wanted to say she didn't understand. Jiang Banxia seemed to see through her thoughts and curved her lips into a dangerous smile. “If you don't understand, I can make you understand right now.”

Jiang Banxia didn't want to pressure Xu Chun, because she believed feelings should be mutual. They had finally reunited after so long, and their relationship was slightly better than it had been in their youth. She treasured their current balance. Jiang Banxia didn't want to break it, and was afraid to. She was terrified; she shrank back, worried that they might lose even this lukewarm relationship.

Once, Xu Chun had been the one who kept her going through all her hardships. The other woman had supported her through those difficult years abroad, helped her break out of her cocoon and be reborn, completing a whole new transformation.

“That won't be necessary.” Xu Chun politely declined her offer and muttered quietly, “I just won't believe it, that's all.”

Her words finally pleased Jiang Banxia. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and for the first time, she volunteered something to Xu Chun. “My family… won't be peaceful for a long time to come, I'm afraid.”

Jiang Banxia's tone was complicated—so complicated that Xu Chun couldn't help but look at her. After a moment's hesitation, Xu Chun said, “If you need anything when the time comes, just tell me.”

The smile on Jiang Banxia's face suddenly deepened, her brows and eyes bright and radiant. “Okay.”

Although Jiang Banxia had clearly expressed her feelings to Xu Chun, she always maintained proper boundaries. She wouldn't pressure Xu Chun too much, nor would she disappear for long stretches and lose her presence, letting people misunderstand that her feelings were just a passing remark. She was very smart and knew how to avoid making people dislike her. She had always been good at this.

Because of that, Xu Chun could never bring herself to dislike her. She even admired people like this.

Beautiful, intelligent, calm, mature, and gently powerful.

Far better than Jiang Zhaolie anyway.

Having compared Jiang Banxia and Jiang Zhaolie, Xu Chun felt more and more that Jiang Banxia was much more pleasant. As for Jiang Zhaolie… even a dog would shake its head at her.

Jiang Banxia had indeed been very busy lately; even on the show, she was constantly taking calls, all related to Jiang family matters. Xu Chun didn't feel right eavesdropping on someone else's family affairs, so she gestured that she'd leave first. Jiang Banxia nodded and continued answering calls, dealing with the pile of mess at home.

After walking away, Xu Chun deliberately took out her phone and asked He Qingli: 【What's the gossip on Jiang Banxia lately?】

He Qingli didn't reply immediately. Xu Chun looked up and noticed Fu Xin holding her phone with a subtle smile on her face. She glanced down at the still-unanswered message from He Qingli. “…” Right, no need to guess. She was definitely chatting with Fu Xin.

Xu Chun had no choice but to search online herself, and finally found the thing about Jiang Banxia and Zheng Yanran. Zheng Yanran was also a fierce one who would give everything for love. After Jiang Banxia publicly sent Xu Chun roses yesterday, Zheng Yanran followed suit, ordering an even bigger bouquet of dark night roses for Jiang Banxia.

She even had the delivery person shout loudly at the company entrance: “Miss Jiang Banxia, these are roses customized for you by Miss Zheng Yanran…”

It caused a huge stir both inside and outside the show.

Xu Chun's fingertip slid gently across the screen. Such a big thing had happened yesterday, and she'd been so busy she hadn't known a thing. She stormed off to find Jiang Zhaolie, intending to demand a reduction in her workload, only to find Jiang Zhaolie holding her phone, brows tightly furrowed.

Jiang Zhaolie was extremely annoyed with Yu Sui'an right now. Just moments ago, the woman had taken the initiative to add her as a friend, and before they'd exchanged more than a few messages, she was already calling her “Sister” at every turn, making her eyes hurt. She wished she could block her again.

However, Yu Sui'an seemed to know her intentions too, and casually dropped: 【If you block me, I'll go talk to Sister.】

As if possessed, Jiang Zhaolie paused mid-action and instead asked: 【What exactly do you want?】

【Nothing much.】 Yu Sui'an typed lightly, a smile perpetually on her lips. 【Mainly to keep an eye on you, so you don't secretly scheme against Sister behind her back. And secondly, if there's ever anything I need you for, I hope you can help—pass along messages to Sister and whatnot.】

Jiang Zhaolie: 【Why don't you tell her yourself.】

Yu Sui'an replied instantly: 【Of course I can tell Sister myself, but I'd rather see you suffer.】

Jiang Zhaolie: 【?】

【You hurt Sister, so I'm going to punish you on her behalf.】

Jiang Zhaolie stared at the screen, her brow furrowing deeply. What had Yu Sui'an been through lately to make her this insane?!