Chapter 53

Yan Qingqiu stayed inside for a long time before coming out. She figured it had to be because the two of them had been getting too intimate lately, leaving her barely able to contain the longing inside her, always wanting to do something improper.

She gave herself a quick rinse. When she emerged, two technicians were already waiting outside—both young and pretty, with nimble fingers and a lively skill. Another one stood by the bed, waiting for her to come out so she could start on her.

Su Xingjie and Song Qingre were lying face-down on the bed, thin blankets draped over their waists, shoulders bare. Both had lovely skin—each a different kind of beauty. Yan Qingqiu wasn't in a hurry to get her massage. She looked at Su Xingjie, then at Song Qingre.

Su Xingjie noticed her gaze, turned her head, and asked, "Qiu Bao, what are you doing?"

"...Admiring half-naked beauties," Yan Qingqiu said.

"Huh?" Su Xingjie was confused.

Song Qingre also turned her head, lifting herself slightly on her arms. Her chest pressed against the golden-orange sheets, soft and smooth. She asked, "Hm? What's that?"

Yan Qingqiu quickly sat down on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. "Got a little shy, that's all. Honestly, you two don't understand girls at all."

She loosened her towel a bit and lay face-down. The technician came over, fingers landing on her shoulders, and began to work.

Yan Qingqiu turned her face toward Su Xingjie and said softly, "So, Xing Xing, you feeling good?"

Su Xingjie hummed in agreement. Of course it felt good—she worked every day, running around everywhere. Now, getting massaged, she felt like all her misaligned bones were slotting back into place. It had been so long since she'd relaxed. She really needed this.

She glanced over at Song Qingre, whose eyes were already closed, cheek resting on her arm as she dozed off. Yan Qingqiu looked left and right, finally finding a comfortable position to lie in. The technician's technique was excellent—before long, they were all drowsy.

The techs were skilled, and the three of them were too comfortable to want to talk. Yan Qingqiu grew sleepy from the massage, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

While asleep, she had a dream. In it, she was a young, wealthy rich woman, and Song Qingre was her technician, wearing a work uniform and asking what services she wanted. She said something exciting.

Song Qingre said, "Then let's do some private care."

Once she nodded in agreement, Song Qingre stood beside her, picked up something, applied a slick, slippery substance to it, then walked over, hands braced on either side of her, and said in a gentle tone, "I'll begin now, mistress."

Instantly, Yan Qingqiu was jolted awake by the shock. She let out a muffled groan, breathing heavily, her body tensed with fright.

It must have been her subconscious realizing she shouldn't be having such a dream during a massage, startling her awake.

Thinking about it, Yan Qingqiu felt embarrassed. Everyone else was getting massages, and she was the only one being improper, her mind secretly drifting into filth.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand—she'd only slept about twenty minutes.

The technician dutifully continued massaging her, asking if she needed anything, fingers lightly pressing her temples.

Yan Qingqiu shook her head and lay back down to enjoy it. Perhaps thanks to that little scare, she didn't dare dream again afterwards and quietly fell asleep.

When she woke up again, her head was a bit foggy, her body light and floaty. Comfortable.

The technician had already left—the massage must be over.

She flipped over, her upper body cool. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, then noticed the gaze from the people beside her. Damn, both of them had seen.

Awkward.

B-But they were all women. Why be so modest?

She coughed lightly, pressed one hand against the blanket on her chest, lifted herself up a little, and rinsed her mouth with the mouthwash nearby. "How long has it been?"

Su Xingjie and Song Qingre were both awake. Su Xingjie was looking at her phone, while Song Qingre was flipping through channels with the remote. Song Qingre said, "An hour and a half."

Yan Qingqiu said, "I feel like my whole body's gone soft. How about you two?"

"Not bad. Want to do facials?" Su Xingjie chimed in.

"Yes, yes, yes." Yan Qingqiu nodded and stretched. Song Qingre made a phone call, and soon a few young estheticians arrived, carrying the skincare set from Yan Qingqiu's home package.

"Tsk." Yan Qingqiu felt a little proud.

She lay flat, and the estheticians gave them facial massages, kneading her cheeks. By this afternoon, from the inside out, skin to bone, everything was thoroughly relaxed.

When they came out, they changed back into their original clothes and went down from the second floor. Along the way, they ran into quite a few wives and familiar faces from their circle, forced into small talk.

They went to the first floor to find Ye Sichun. Ye Sichun was peeling a tangerine and handed half to the person across from her.

Yan Qingqiu leaned against the front desk, staring intently. She clicked her tongue inwardly—sure enough, those two looked like they had something going on.

No arguments accepted.

Ye Sichun spotted them, popped a tangerine segment into her mouth, and called out, "Come sit and have some?"

Luo Xi also turned her head, swept a glance over them, then sat back down.

Yan Qingqiu asked Song Qingre, "Did you pay for this one too? I'll go settle the bill."

"Just put it on the account. Didn't you guys have a VIP membership before? Go give them the account number."

Song Qingre handed her VIP card to the assistant nearby, went over to say a few words to Ye Sichun, then grabbed three tangerines and gave one each to Yan Qingqiu and Su Xingjie.

Yan Qingqiu found the gossip entertaining, so she wasn't in a rush. On the other side, Luo Xi could sense her gaze and quietly cursed her out in her heart.

Luo Xi felt uncomfortable being stared at, feeling like Yan Qingqiu was getting revenge, deliberately mocking her inside.

Back when she'd discovered Yan Qingqiu and Song Qingre's affair, she'd always stared at them too. How long had it been, and now the tables had turned.

Yan Qingqiu said to Su Xingjie, "Last time at tea, that bitch was so smug. Let me make her squirm a little too."

Previously, she and Luo Xi had been completely at odds, but after that last incident, though they still disliked each other, their relationship had eased considerably—no more fighting at first sight.

Luo Xi looked up and noticed the painting on the wall, staring at it for a while. A perfectly good wall, and yet it displayed a chaotic, messy splatter of colors. She found it rather eyesore.

"Why did you hang up a sketch for a painting on the wall?" Luo Xi asked curiously.

"A sketch?" Ye Sichun turned to look, shifting in her seat. She smiled. "You don't understand art either, huh? That's a painting I bought."

"A painting?" Luo Xi frowned. First time she'd heard of a painting like this. It wasn't about whether it was ugly or not; it just didn't look like a painting at all.

Looking at Ye Sichun's expression, she felt a bit uncertain. She simply couldn't appreciate this kind of art. "I still prefer Song Qingre's art. Have you seen her paintings? I think hers are great—much more artistic than this."

Ye Sichun laughed. "Silly, this is one I bought from her."

"..." Luo Xi didn't want to talk to her anymore. "So you're just trying to make fun of me with all that talk?"

"How could I?" Ye Sichun smiled. "It's just a painting. Some people can appreciate it, some can't. Everyone's taste differs."

"I think your taste and my taste are about the same—I like this painting too." Luo Xi earnestly tried to appreciate it, but still couldn't. She forced herself to look, straining hard, and barely managed to understand it.

The three of them behind also looked along with them. Yan Qingqiu glanced at it first, then squinted to see what it actually was. She turned her head in surprise at Song Qingre.

Song Qingre calmly accepted the gift bag the staff handed her.

Su Xingjie wasn't wearing her glasses, so she couldn't see clearly. After a while, she asked, "Is it nice? The materials look pretty rich." It was a mess, but maybe that was because her nearsightedness had gotten worse.

Over there, Ye Sichun was still laughing with Luo Xi. "If you want it... I'll give it to you?"

Luo Xi's heart jumped.

The painting she'd worked so hard to get, wrung out through persuasion—and Ye Sichun would just give it away?

Luo Xi's palms grew hot. She knew Yan Qingqiu and the others hadn't left, and felt incredibly awkward... mortifying.

Yan Qingqiu's ears burned too. Ye Sichun was too smooth with her flirting. She quickly pushed Song Qingre and Su Xingjie to leave.

Don't listen, don't listen—if she heard any more, she'd burst out laughing.

She hurried the two of them along, and Luo Xi turned back to look, deliberately calling out to save face, "Sister Song, take care."

Yan Qingqiu stumbled—not from anger at Luo Xi. She came out through the door and, standing at the entrance, couldn't hold back a burst of laughter.

"What's wrong?" Su Xingjie looked at her curiously.

"Did you see the painting on their wall?" Yan Qingqiu laughed uncontrollably.

"Saw a bit of it. Not really my style, but I can look at it. Isn't that just how artists are? They make art nobody can understand." Su Xingjie said, then glanced at Song Qingre. "I'm not talking about you. Yours are pretty good—I get those."

"Hahahahaha, it's normal you'd think that, because I painted it. Those two are a match made in heaven, just rushing to hand me money."

Thinking that they might even use that painting as a love token in the future...

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help it. "Hahahahaha, respect and blessings, respect and blessings."

Su Xingjie was startled, then couldn't help laughing either, quickly pushing her along. Whatever they did, they mustn't let the people inside hear.

That night, they ate out too, leeching off Song Qingre the whole time. Song Qingre didn't scold her, letting Yan Qingqiu spend away on her card.

Late at night, Su Xingjie wasn't in a hurry to go home. Her car followed Song Qingre's for a stretch until they reached Yan Qingqiu's front door. Yan Qingqiu asked her to stay the night rather than drive back, but Su Xingjie didn't stay—she insisted on going home.

"Oh, and about the idea Song Qingre came up with for you today—don't tell anyone," Yan Qingqiu admonished her.

"Mm?"

Yan Qingqiu said seriously, "I keep feeling like this person will cause more trouble. We still can't tell who's been sowing discord. What if it turns out to be someone you trust most? This isn't the first time."

Su Xingjie nodded. She had a point.

But Su Xingjie hadn't expected that someone around her could be so ruthless, working tirelessly to ruin things, wanting her dead.

She thought for a moment. "Mm, then I'll take this opportunity to clean out a batch of people and bring in a new group. I won't reveal the full plan for now. I'll give each person only part of the work and have them handle it separately. Whoever leaks it—that's the mole."

"Mm-hm."

The winter wind blew, and only a few bare branches swayed on the trees. Su Xingjie reached out and plucked a leaf from Yan Qingqiu's hair.

"Thanks, Xing Xing." Yan Qingqiu smiled, the bleak winter scenery reflected in her eyes turning gentle in that moment.

Su Xingjie paused. "And tell Song Qingre thanks for me too."

"OK!" Yan Qingqiu reminded her again, "Don't rush back to work. You finally got a day off—sleep early tonight, listen to some music."

Su Xingjie said she got it, waved, and drove off. Yan Qingqiu stood at the door for a while, watching until her car disappeared.

The car stopped. Su Xingjie bent down to grab the bag from the passenger seat, then walked toward the lobby. Su Xingjie lived alone, and she didn't like staying in her own villa—she always stayed in a large flat-style apartment near Jinnan Street.

She went upstairs, and her phone started vibrating.

Qiu Bao: 【Said thanks for you └(^O^)┐】

Su Xingjie replied: 【Thanks (*^。^*) kiss kiss~】

Entering the room, she pressed the smart switch nearby, and the home appliances automatically started working, boiling a pot of water for her.

She walked to the bar, poured a cup of water. The steam rose in a white plume, and she reached out to cut through the smoke.

In the quiet of the night, her anxious mood settled into calm.

In the past, if she'd faced a situation like today's, she'd have been anxious, sitting at the bar drinking alone in melancholy.

Su Xingjie pressed her delicate face into her arm, gripping the cup in her hand, replaying everything that happened today. She really wanted a drink right now too.

She took a sip of warm water, sat up straight again, fingers propping up her chin. She scrolled down her phone screen—all the messages popped up, all from the company's models. They contained all sorts of things: some explaining and defending their positions, some threatening her—if she insisted on throwing resources at Yan Qingqiu, then there was nothing they could do but leave.

Su Xingjie rested her arm on the table, fingers tapping the keyboard as she typed: 【If you want to leave, then leave. Who I want to promote is my right, but I don't mind telling you why. Because Qiu Bao has never threatened me. Whatever happens to me, she seriously helps me think of solutions. When I'm sad, she's sadder than I am. So if you want to go, go. Just never come back to disgust me. You don't even have the right to be weighed on the same scale as her.】

That was the most words she'd ever said to a model. As always, her words wounded people—she never learned tact. The model wanted to reply, but found she'd been blocked and deleted with one tap.

Having done all that, Su Xingjie planned to listen to Yan Qingqiu and rest early, no longer listening to all their nagging.

Su Xingjie took out the leaf from her bag, walked to the bookshelf nearby, pulled out a book, opened it to a page, and tucked the leaf inside.

··

Who knows what that mastermind had drugged those models with, but they'd all insisted on terminating their contracts. Luckily, ER's main business was in clothing; otherwise, with this kind of sabotage, ER would take a big loss.

Su Xingjie had held a meeting yesterday trying to keep those models, but you can't force what doesn't want to stay. Su Xingjie didn't push it. If they wanted to leave, they could leave. Once the contracts were dissolved, they shouldn't stay at the company either. Hurry up and go—Su Xingjie wasn't going to see them off.

In just one day, the office emptied by more than half. Yan Qingqiu stood upstairs looking down, counting the people carrying boxes out—roughly four people.

Ji Xiangsi sighed. "This is a huge shake-up. We used to have over twenty models. Now only eight are left."

"Trust your director. She'll find a way."

"Right. In the beginning, it was the director who brought ER back to life."

But all the pressure fell on the director's shoulders. Just thinking about it felt heavy to Yan Qingqiu, let alone to Su Xingjie herself.

Yan Qingqiu sat behind the desk looking at her phone. Last time, Song Qingre had said she'd investigate. She wondered if she'd find anything.

She sent a message to Song Qingre and began to wait.

This time, Yan Qingqiu got to meet the company's president—another young woman. Before, she'd always heard people at the company gossiping that the president was just a figurehead, that Su Xingjie was the one who actually spoke, and the two of them never got along at work.

Yan Qingqiu watched the president go in with wave after wave of people, feeling nervous inside. She didn't know if the president would target Su Xingjie.

The meeting went on for about two hours. When the people came out, Ji Xiangsi went to investigate and reported, "Director Su plans to use the models' termination fees to sign a new batch of models. And she intends to directly establish an ER modeling division. After that, she'll visit fashion shows to scout promising models domestically and internationally."

Yan Qingqiu hadn't quite understood at first, but Ji Xiangsi added with admiration, "As expected of Director Su—she meets difficulties head-on. The models left, so she upgrades the lineup. They wanted to start a modeling company, so Director Su directly creates a division."

Got it. It's just going tit-for-tat. Su Xingjie wasn't the type to admit defeat.

Yan Qingqiu let out a breath. She stood at the door watching as Su Xingjie talked to Qiang Wei. Qiang Wei asked if there was anything she could help with. Su Xingjie shook her head. "Just get ready for the show. Don't worry about anything else. I'll have a doctor come look after you."

"Okay." Qiang Wei left.

Seeing Yan Qingqiu, she smiled at her. As she turned the corner, Qiang Wei saw Fu Sang. Fu Sang crossed her arms and shot her a cold look, her gaze full of contempt. "What, are you doing the show too? As backup for Yan Qingqiu?"

Qiang Wei frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm just stating the facts."

Qiang Wei ignored her and kept walking. As she pressed the elevator button, Fu Sang added from behind, "You think people don't know about those dirty little thoughts of yours? What are you playing saint for? Putting on a show of being nice to Yan Qingqiu for Su Xingjie to see—aren't you sick?"

Yan Qingqiu didn't listen further and turned to leave.

But Fu Sang knew she was still behind her and deliberately said, "The company's basically been emptied because of you now. You're pretty happy about that, aren't you?"

Her sneering voice carried through several corridors.

That woman was truly insufferable.

Yan Qingqiu thought furiously, her fingers clenching hard.

In the afternoon, Yan Qingqiu was arranged for training—walking the runway with the remaining models, then going to the design department to get measured, providing inspiration for the designers.

She was busy all afternoon, but time passed incredibly slowly, painfully so. She could clearly feel herself being targeted—that kind of... isolating feeling of being disliked by everyone.

Qiang Wei came to bring her water once and talked with her for a long while, even guiding her during training. She was quite warm.

That afternoon felt like an eternity.

Just before work ended, she received a message.

Song Qingre sent her a picture. Frowning at the two people in the image, she asked: 【Where is this?】

Song Qingre sent her an address: 【I'll go check it out in a bit. Wait a little longer.】

Wait, my ass.

With Yan Qingqiu's short temper, she couldn't hold back. She stuffed her phone into her pocket, clocked out early, and drove straight over.

The address was at a private club, highly exclusive, and ordinary people couldn't get in. Yan Qingqiu got in using her father's card.

She checked her phone to find the spot, opened the room opposite the one Song Qingre had sent, and sat down. She left the door wide open, watched the time—half an hour later, a man and a woman emerged from the room.

"I knew that bitch was behind it." Seeing they were about to leave, Yan Qingqiu quickly stood up and pulled out her phone to take photos.

For some reason, she felt like her brain had been stabbed—her head ached so much her fingers couldn't hold the phone. The System was blocking her from gathering evidence.

【By rights, now that I've discovered Fu Ye's plot, you should be giving me plot points. Not only did you not give me any, you're targeting me.】

The System said, 【If you do this...】

As it spoke, Yan Qingqiu's head throbbed to the extreme. She still tried to open her phone to call Song Qingre, but her fingers twitched and the phone fell to the ground. Her head hurt so much. She clutched her head and bent to pick it up.

The System's tone was icy. 【Please have the Host come into direct contact with Fu Ye.】

【Contact your damn mother. I'm dying of pain.】

【It only requires three seconds of contact with him.】

Damn, forget three seconds—she couldn't last even one. Yan Qingqiu leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself, but the people on the other side noticed her. Fu Ye stared at her, locking onto her like prey. She hastily backed away.

Fu Ye strode over to touch her. Yan Qingqiu raised her hand and shoved him away. He tried to talk to her, and she slapped him across the face. Fu Ye was stunned dumb.

【Stay away from me!】

Realizing they were communicating mentally, Yan Qingqiu immediately switched to a verbal tirade. "Look at yourself. Trying to pull some wall-dong move like everyone else. Stay away from me... just looking at you makes me sick!"

【The Host has severely deviated from the plot. I apologize, but I must increase the punishment.】

As it spoke, her head split with pain, like her brains were about to pour out—as if someone had shoved a power drill into her skull and stirred her brain into mush.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She lowered her head, fingers clutching her hair, knees scraping against the floor.

"What do I do, what do I do."

【Please follow the plot, Host, and accept the male lead's goodwill.】

"Qiuqiu, what's wrong—" Fu Ye reached out to touch her. She raised her hand to knock it away.

The second time he reached, she tried to push him off again, but in that instant, the System went offline, and the pain vanished. She looked up and saw Song Qingre. As if seeing a savior, she grabbed her hand tightly. "It hurts, save me, it hurts so much..."

Song Qingre crouched and held her, pressing her hand against the back of Yan Qingqiu's head. Her heartbeat was chaotic.

But she didn't stand up. She picked up the phone and called Su Xingjie. "Come over. I know who did it—it's Fu Sang. She's been feeding information to Fu Ye, leaking your plans. Get here now."

Fu Sang had been about to step into the elevator, but she turned back and rushed over to snatch the phone, grabbing at Yan Qingqiu's hair. Song Qingre shoved her away directly. Song Qingre looked at Yan Qingqiu. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She pulled Yan Qingqiu into her arms and checked her over.

"Song Qingre, you..." Fu Sang was in pain. "You dare touch my face."

With a clatter, a cup smashed against her forehead again, giving her no time to fight back. Song Qingre warned her in a low voice, "You touched one—I endured it. Now you come for another?"

Fu Sang, hurt, lashed out directly at Song Qingre with her mental power. Song Qingre's brow furrowed. Fu Sang's forehead was swollen, and that high-class, world-weary face turned vicious. She looked at Fu Ye. "Don't you want Yan Qingqiu? Go get her."

Fu Ye snapped out of his daze and reached for Yan Qingqiu. Song Qingre released her restraint on Fu Sang, grabbed a chair, and hurled it at Fu Ye. It struck his back, and he winced in pain. He reached for Yan Qingqiu again but she slapped his hand away.

Yan Qingqiu jumped up, grabbed her phone, ran to Song Qingre's side, and started filming. "Look at these two birds of a feather—two alphas bullying an alpha, and trying to rape an omega!"

Fu Sang realized what she was doing. Her instincts screamed to grab the phone, but the pain at her temple reminded her—Yan Qingqiu was trying to destroy her reputation. She too pulled out her phone, but not to record—to call the police. Song Qingre had struck first, and her face was the best evidence. With police as witnesses, the two of them could only swallow the loss.

Yan Qingqiu aimed the video at her, then turned to Song Qingre. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Song Qingre's condition looked bad—her face was deathly pale. Fu Sang's flower wasn't an aromatic plant and had no scent of its own, but her mental power was like some toxic bloom. It had just stabbed through Song Qingre viciously.

Song Qingre said quietly, "Call an ambulance."

Fu Sang heard this and froze, staring at Song Qingre in disbelief. She'd only given a little jolt—how could it warrant an ambulance?

"What are you doing?"

Fu Sang called the police; Song Qingre called for an ambulance. Deliberately one-upping her.

Yan Qingqiu panicked. With trembling fingers, she called emergency services, then immediately looked at Song Qingre. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

She didn't know what happened when an alpha's mental power was injured. She touched Song Qingre's forehead. "Do you... feel bad? Hey..." She glanced at Fu Sang beside her, grabbing a chair. "You just wait. I'll make you pay sooner or later."

She raised the chair to smash Fu Sang, but Song Qingre stopped her. Song Qingre sat down, grabbed her hand to keep her still, and placed it on her own temple. "Massage it for me."

Yan Qingqiu quickly began to rub, biting her lip hard, her heart aching. Those two bastards in cahoots—how dare they lay a hand on Song Qingre. She turned to Fu Ye and spat, "Rot in hell. You'll rot in hell."

She was so furious she grabbed a cup and hurled it at Fu Ye. Fu Ye stood there in confusion. He and Fu Sang had been in contact for quite some time; today was just a chat, yet it had blown up—and Yan Qingqiu had caught them red-handed. Unless Song Qingre had been tailing him all along... He looked at Fu Sang, signaling her to leave now.

But Fu Sang had already called the police—how could she leave? She was afraid Yan Qingqiu would badmouth her later.

She kept rubbing her head, afraid of being disfigured, afraid that if she wasn't beaten badly enough, she'd be at a disadvantage.

As she rubbed, she spotted a familiar face. Su Xingjie had arrived. She froze for a moment. Su Xingjie, having gotten the message, came immediately. Seeing the scene, she walked straight to Yan Qingqiu and asked worriedly, "Qiu Bao, what happened? What's going on?"

Yan Qingqiu, who'd been holding in a bellyful of anger, said directly, "She's in cahoots with Fu Ye. She's been poaching all your models for him."

"What nonsense are you spouting? That's not it at all!" Fu Sang tried to explain.

"Then what is it?" Yan Qingqiu's breath was unsteady. "She even injured Song Qingre."

Her voice carried a teary edge. Fu Sang was furious. "What are you talking about?! She struck first!"

"Shut up!" Su Xingjie glared at her. "Do I not have eyes? What are you doing together with Fu Ye?"

"Yeah, what were you doing with Fu Ye? Got some business dealings? Or are you two dating?"

"Yan Qingqiu!" Fu Sang swept the things off the table. The shop staff tried several times to intervene but held back at the sight of them raging. Even the manager didn't move, letting them argue. Their statuses meant no one dared offend them. Let them fight—if they broke things, they'd bill someone later.

"Can you shut up and stop making things up? When did I ever do that? Do you have proof?"

"Don't need proof. The fact that you're here meeting Fu Ye—I can't imagine any legitimate reason."

Fu Sang choked. She looked at Su Xingjie, slowly moving closer, and said softly, "I was just thinking whether it might be him. I wanted to talk it out with him and help you resolve the problem. Don't listen to her nonsense."

Su Xingjie's face was full of suspicion. Fu Sang bit her lip. "Do you really think so little of me?"

"No, you two were definitely talking about the models!" Yan Qingqiu looked at Fu Ye. "Isn't that right?"

Fu Ye shook his head. "Fu Sang really did come to ask for my help. You misunderstood."

Yan Qingqiu was silenced.

Fu Sang turned to Yan Qingqiu, gaining the upper hand, and snapped, "Can you get your facts straight before speaking? You're only causing trouble. Did you even hear what I said to him? The company's been turned into chaos by you. What else do you want?"

Yan Qingqiu gripped the edge of the table. It was true—she hadn't heard.

"Qiuqiu, didn't you record a video?"

Song Qingre called out, and Yan Qingqiu snapped back to reality. She pulled out her phone. Apart from the footage from earlier, she hadn't recorded anything after. Her fingers trembled as she handed it to Su Xingjie.

Su Xingjie watched along, and near the end, faintly heard a line: "Don't you want Yan Qingqiu? Go get her."

Su Xingjie paused the video. She walked over to face Fu Sang, grabbed the juice on the table, and splashed it directly in her face. "Terminated. Get out. Never show your face in front of me again."

Fu Sang was drenched. The juice ran freely over her, her golden hair soaked, strands clinging together in messy clumps.

She swallowed, her gaze at Su Xingjie gradually dimming. Caught completely off guard. "You really don't believe me?"

Her voice was low, with an unspeakable bitterness.

Su Xingjie held up the phone. "How can I believe you?"

"The truth is you never wanted to, is that it?"

Su Xingjie didn't look at her again. She turned to Yan Qingqiu. "Are you okay?"

Yan Qingqiu shook her head, then looked at Song Qingre with worry. Song Qingre also shook her head.

"Let's go." Su Xingjie moved to help escort them.

Song Qingre didn't move. "Wait for the police." Her gaze rested on Fu Sang.

Su Xingjie glared at Fu Sang. "You called the police too?"

Fu Sang gritted her teeth. "Can't you see how badly she beat me?"

Su Xingjie didn't respond. Clearly, she couldn't see it—completely blind and deaf.

Fu Sang clenched her fists. She picked up her phone and called, telling the police it was resolved and they didn't need to come. But the police told her officers were already on their way.

Su Xingjie looked at her coldly—not just with distance, but like an enemy. She said, "I hope you know what to say when they get here. Otherwise... you're terminated too."

The room fell into silence. The club manager caught on quickly—no one wanted to blow this up. They hastily cleaned up the scene, tidying the room before the police arrived.

Soon, the police came. Everyone in the room underwent questioning, but no one said why they'd been fighting—only vaguely claiming it was a dispute. Fu Sang said little, sitting on the sofa with her hand over her face, her forehead bruised and swollen.

She bit the corner of her lip, watching Su Xingjie talk to the police. Whatever Su Xingjie said, the police took down. Then she looked at Yan Qingqiu, who said nothing at all.

The police looked at Fu Sang. "Do you want to go to the station for a forensic injury assessment?"

Song Qingre said, "An ambulance is on the way. I called one for Miss Fu Sang."

Fu Sang's heart tightened. She looked at Song Qingre, her eyes full of disbelief. This woman... was too calculating.

Making a big scene now would only hurt her. It would hit the news, cause trouble for the Winter Show, and put Su Xingjie in an even harder spot.

The police sighed and told them not to resort to fighting in the future, then came and went quickly. And just like that, the matter was closed.

But Su Xingjie had thoroughly come to despise Fu Sang.

Yan Qingqiu helped Song Qingre and prepared to leave. Su Xingjie followed them. Fu Sang still sat in the chair, staring at them—her initial contempt for Yan Qingqiu now fully transformed into hatred, and when her gaze shifted to Song Qingre, it rose another level.

Fu Ye, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, raising his voice: "Qiuqiu, I need to talk to you."

He braced himself against the table. Yan Qingqiu didn't want to deal with him, walking straight out of the room. Fu Ye's voice turned stern, following behind her. "Qiuqiu, I'll only say this once."

Yan Qingqiu turned to look at him, and only after leaving the club did she hesitate for a moment. She handed Song Qingre to Su Xingjie. "I'll go see what he wants."

Su Xingjie was worried and tugged at her. She said, "It's fine."

Song Qingre leaned against the wall, her gaze coldly fixed on Fu Ye.

Fu Ye walked a few steps into the lobby. Yan Qingqiu followed, and the two stood in a corner near the back, as if about to discuss something shameful.

His true nature surfaced. In his eyes was a predatory gleam, greedy like a starving wolf. "Qiuqiu, my heat is almost here. I only want to mark you. You're my fated one..."

Yan Qingqiu stepped back, ready to bolt at any moment. There was no use fighting Fu Ye head-on now—no need to think about it. The male lead's fated one was obviously the female lead, wasn't it?

It's over.

Some plot point was about to trigger.

Cursing him out now was pointless. Yan Qingqiu put more distance between them and quickly set her phone to emergency call mode.

"I won't do anything to you right now. But Song Qingre has pushed me to the edge. I can't guarantee what I might do." Fu Ye was annoyed, hounded by several illegitimate children, and mocked by the outside world. He didn't mind taking Yan Qingqiu by force. Since he had to marry someone anyway, he might as well marry someone he liked. "If you don't behave this time... I won't hesitate... to do something to you."

Yan Qingqiu averted his gaze and hurried out.

She quickly got Song Qingre into the car, terrified that the seven-days-seven-nights plot line was coming. Yan Qingqiu drove, her mind a mess, the car moving slower than a bicycle.

Song Qingre said, "Go home first. Don't be scared."

Yan Qingqiu drove slowly and glanced in the rearview mirror—Su Xingjie's car hadn't followed.

Song Qingre said, "She probably went back to the company to handle things."

Because Fu Sang had left with the ambulance, Su Xingjie had to go contact Fu Sang's agent. She needed to go to the company and suppress this matter.

"Thank you for today," Yan Qingqiu said, gripping the steering wheel.

"Just thanks?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu didn't answer. She pulled the car over to the side of the road, stopped, and took out her phone to call the family doctor.

"Then what else do you want?" Yan Qingqiu lifted her eyes and looked straight ahead, not daring to turn her head.

She bit her lip. She could feel Song Qingre's gaze growing hot inside the car.

Like that unfinished kiss on the second floor that day, it landed on her lightly, leaving her at a loss—moving forward felt wrong, and stepping back didn't feel right either.

Song Qingre said, "Qiuqiu can choose for herself. Whatever you give, I'll take."

Yan Qingqiu caught the rich scent of citrus on her, her nose twitching. Song Qingre said again, "Which tastes better—citrus or cherries?"

"You're so petty..." She still remembered that time in the car.

"Mm. So which tastes better?"

She asked, leaving Yan Qingqiu with no way to answer, her lips pressed together again and again.

Song Qingre's finger pressed lightly beneath her lip. "Don't bite."

Why? Yan Qingqiu looked at her, puzzled.

Song Qingre shamelessly said, "If you bite yourself raw, I'll hurt you when I kiss you."

"Mm..." Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but let out a muffled sound. It just felt so good. Verbal stimulation alone was enough to make her lose composure, wanting something to happen between them, wanting to... The feeling was coming again. Was this the price of having once been moved—put the mood and setting together, and she couldn't stop wanting to do unspeakable things with her?

There was a faint rustling in the car. Yan Qingqiu carefully shifted her body, leaning forward. She was about to kiss Song Qingre, but her lips stopped beside her cheek.

She said, "It's legal."

"...Mm?" Song Qingre blinked.

A moment later, breathing hard, she looked at her. "What's legal?"

Yan Qingqiu swallowed, catching her breath. "I-let's get married..."

"Get the certificate."