A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 43.1

Luo Mijin stood frozen for a long moment, feeling as if she’d stepped into the wrong room. She took two steps back to double-check the private booth number.

Through the door crack, she could see unfinished sturgeon caviar on the black marble table, while the alcoholic scent of mint liqueur lingered persistently.

Betrayal, rage, and unbearable emotions surged through Luo Mijin’s veins, her hands trembling as they gripped the door handle. Without rational thought, she barged in.

The two inside sprang apart, staring at Luo Mijin in shock before quickly composing themselves.

“Riddle, you’re right on time,” Scott said, drawing from his drama club experience to feign nonchalance as he casually leaned back on the sofa after separating from Mike.

Luo Mijin’s piercing gaze swept over them, giving them the chilling sensation of being X-rayed.

Under her murderous silence, Scott forced calm as he opened his laptop behind him. “I saw this unique wedding performance recently. Watching the sunset during an engagement ceremony on an azure cruise ship would be incredibly romantic. Could you create a demo suitable for such a scene?”

The handsome blond Mike nodded solemnly while sipping his drink. “I agree it’s an excellent concept. A pirate theme for the sea voyage would be quite atmospheric.”

Nearly petrified by Luo Mijin’s glare, Scott stiffly turned his neck toward Mike with a strained smile. “Ah, Mike, you’re absolutely right. You’re my little genius.”

“Haha, indeed,” Mike replied, his grin half-frozen.

“Aren’t you going to explain this situation? I’m not blind,” Luo Mijin said coldly, her normally wild features now radiating formidable authority through her fury.

“What’s there to explain? You’ve seen it all,” Scott dared not face her, shrugging nonchalantly at Mike instead. “Let’s just discuss the new demo.”

Luo Mijin slapped away the notepad Scott offered, her eyes blazing. “Aren’t you and Rong Qingyao getting engaged?”

“Well, we…” Scott nervously gulped his drink and loosened his tie, unprepared for Luo Mijin’s intimidating presence when angered. “We are getting engaged. What about it?”

“So infidelity is your usual approach…” Luo Mijin’s normally gentle eyes darkened with menace, “…to relationships?”

Scott glanced at Mike and pouted. “I haven’t been unfaithful.”

Luo Mijin scoffed. “Or are you calling off the engagement?”

Call it off?

Scott thought to himself since when did he have any say? Everything depended on that scheming woman Rong Qingyao.

It was Rong Qingyao who proposed the marriage alliance, demanded media announcements to boost stock prices for profit, and now orchestrated this cheating-fiancé charade. What came next was entirely beyond his control.

As a favored child in his family and a socialite who navigated high society with ease, in Rong Qingyao’s hands, he was nothing more than that woman’s puppet on strings.

Sold out, yet still counting the money for her.

From start to finish, he was just a pitiful pawn who followed orders for money, while the mastermind Rong Qingyao now played the role of the sympathetic victim. How utterly ruthless.

He took a knife for his friend, only for that friend to stab him twice in the back nowhere left to even cry.

How wronged he was, how innocent.

“We’re not calling off the engagement, at least not for now. But considering the benefits, I don’t think we’d do anything that foolish,” Scott analyzed seriously, convinced that Rong Qingyao prioritized profit above all. Even if emotions were involved, she’d wait to squeeze out every last drop of value first.

To Luo Mijin’s ears, those words took on a different meaning. This person from the Resson family seemed to be binding Rong Qingyao with interests.

She wouldn’t allow anyone to bully Rong Qingyao.

Luo Mijin’s brows lowered, her pale eyes burning with a cold fire. “Do you like Rong Qingyao?”

“She’s alright,” Scott groaned inwardly. How could he dare to like Rong Qingyao? “Riddle, this has nothing to do with you. You’re just a drummer I hired under contract. My relationship with Qing isn’t as simple as you think.”

He’d have to demand compensation from Rong Qingyao for emotional distress. Who could endure being glared at by Riddle for minutes on end? It was enough to make one’s soul leave their body.

“Have a drink, don’t take it too seriously,” Mike chimed in, saying something uncharacteristic of himself. But for his boyfriend’s friend, he’d go all out. “What kind of cocktail do you like? I can mix a few. Just name it.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care how complicated your relationship is. But you’re getting engaged…” Luo Mijin closed her eyes, swallowing the bitterness in her chest before continuing, “You might even get married. Is this really how you treat marriage?”

Uncomfortable under Luo Mijin’s gaze, Scott lowered his eyes to his laptop and cleared his throat. “I don’t see a problem. Do you have an issue with it, or do you want to discuss my views on marriage?”

Being forced into the role of the villain made him want to vomit blood. Only a lunatic like Rong Qingyao could come up with such a lose-lose scheme.

As Luo Mijin stepped closer, Scott instinctively shrank back into the sofa.

Despite her frail, paper-thin appearance as if a gust of wind could knock her over, a dangerous chill crept up his spine, making him feel like prey under the gaze of a vengeful lone wolf.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Let me remind you, we live in a society governed by law. Assault is illegal. I’ve trained in taekwondo, I’m a black belt! And Mike, Mike’s right here with me!”

Scott turned his head, only to find Mike had already retreated to a corner, pretending to be invisible.

Just as he braced himself for an inevitable beating, Luo Mijin unexpectedly stopped.

The girl’s long hair fluttered in the wind, still wearing the fisherman’s hat from her performance to block the light, making her face appear as delicate as soft jade. Those beautiful eyes slowly lifted beneath the brim of the hat, gazing at the person before her with an almost divine or demonic presence, exuding solemn dignity.

“Riddle, what are you doing? Don’t act recklessly.” Scott had no choice but to shield his head to avoid the possibility of disfigurement.

“Mr. Scott, please don’t hurt her. She’s my friend.”

“Don’t fight, don’t fight…” Scott unexpectedly heard Luo Mijin’s voice tinged with sorrow. Summoning his courage, he looked up and saw that behind Luo Mijin’s eyes lay a grief that seemed never to fade over the years.

He had to lean back to avoid that gaze, afraid the anger and sorrow within might scorch him.

“Just a friend, don’t you think you’re overstepping?” Scott took a deep breath and continued to uphold his so-called “actor’s demeanor.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell her?” Luo Mijin asked quietly.

“Go ahead and tell her,” Scott replied, seeing that Luo Mijin had finally gotten to the point. He maintained a provocatively arrogant demeanor, subtly guiding the conversation. “You can call her right now. If you don’t have her number, I can give it to you.”

Luo Mijin hesitated as she reached for her phone. She was afraid Rong Qingyao might get hurt the woman had already been hurt by her once. Now that she had finally found happiness, what would happen if she were hurt again?

And Scott’s arrogance could it mean he had some leverage over Rong Qingyao?

When it came to the tangled webs of interests and schemes, Luo Mijin knew she was utterly clueless. Acting rashly would only make things worse.

“Mr. Scott, I hope you’ll admit your mistakes to Rong Qingyao and leave her. She deserves better,” Luo Mijin said softly, lowering her head. “She needs someone better, she shouldn’t be betrayed.”

At this point, Scott finally concluded that Luo Mijin truly cared about Rong Qingyao. It was just that years of misunderstandings stood between them, and neither dared to take the first step.

As a friend, he really ought to help.

“How do you know she shouldn’t be betrayed? Unless… you betrayed her before?”

Luo Mijin stiffened for a moment, her expression turning unnatural. “She’s a good person, so of course she shouldn’t be betrayed by anyone. Please be kind tell her the truth and leave her on your own.”

As she spoke, Luo Mijin closed her eyes slightly in the dim light. If those who betrayed sincere hearts deserved punishment, then she was the one guilty of the gravest sin.

“What if I don’t leave?”

“Perhaps you’ve never heard this ancient saying of ours,” Luo Mijin said, her delicate brows lifting like distant mountains. “‘When the Son of Heaven is enraged, corpses pile in the millions, and blood flows for miles.’ I may be but a commoner, but I, too, have my wrath.”

“I don’t really get it. Can you explain?” Scott hadn’t expected Luo Mijin to start quoting classical texts at him and was completely baffled.

But he realized the rumors in the bar weren’t unfounded Riddle was indeed unusually different. Paired with Rong Qingyao, whose face was as serene as a Bodhisattva’s but whose heart was as venomous as a serpent’s, they were truly a match.

No wonder they’ve been entangled for so many years, with lingering feelings that inevitably echo back.

Luo Mijin paused, her expression stubborn and disdainful as she smirked. “The barefooted fear not the shod.”

“Still don’t get it.”

“Mutual destruction, understand?”

“That one I’ve learned. Are you saying you’d go for mutual destruction with me?”

“When delicate porcelain clashes with cheap stone, the porcelain shatters first,” Luo Mijin said, her icy gaze finally settling on Scott before she strode decisively out of the private booth.

“Wait, Riddle,” Scott deliberately adopted a careless tone to question Luo Mijin. “And what exactly is your position to say all this to me?”

Luo Mijin halted, her profile pale and sharp. “I’ve said it before, she’s my friend.”

Watching Luo Mijin’s retreating figure, Scott suddenly recalled the first time he’d met Rong Qingyao terrifying yet elegant.

At their meeting, Rong Qingyao had lightly tapped the ground with the pointed toe of her red-soled high heels, persuading a room full of venture capitalists to invest in their fledgling company.

The woman was clearly fragile and seemingly helpless, even her suit borrowed, yet she paid no mind to the scornful glances, speaking eloquently as if divinely inspired like a thorny lotus blooming alone in black waters.

A deathly silence fell over the private booth. Scott and Mike exchanged glances, even forgetting to call Rong Qingyao to report that the matter was settled.

“Riddle said she’s Qing’s… friend? What kind of friend?” Mike finally revived from his corner invisibility, sitting back on the sofa with a sigh.

“The kind you secretly love in your heart?” Scott wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “Hard to tell if she still has lingering feelings for Qing.”

“Either way, I don’t want to go through this again. I’m no good at playing the villain, and her glare was terrifying.”

“‘Facing death unflinchingly’ that idiom fits here, right?” Scott shook his head, sighing. “She’s usually so quiet, who knew she could be this tough and cool?”

“She looked really angry. You think she went to grab something to beat us up? Or maybe gather reinforcements? Her band’s got some muscular guys, who could stop them if they started swinging?”

Mike glanced nervously at the still-swaying wooden door.

Scott shook his head, his tone grave. “If it were Qing, that’d definitely be possible.”

“But didn’t you think Riddle’s expression just now was terrifying? Scared the hell out of me.”

“It was horrifying.”

Scott nodded emphatically. He’d watched Luo Mijin play drums for over a year, thinking her perpetually world-weary and sullen. Who knew she could erupt in such fury for love?

“You’ve watched Animal Planet, right? There was an episode where a lone wolf killed a big reindeer. When the young reindeer returned and saw it, that was exactly Riddle’s vibe, ready to tear the wolf apart at any cost.”

“You’re getting way too dramatic. After this is over, we’re demanding compensation from that lunatic Qing for emotional distress,” Scott muttered. “So beautiful, yet so unhinged. Couldn’t she just use her looks to solve relationship problems? I mean, with her face, who couldn’t she have?”

Mike shot Scott a disdainful look. “Pfft, you think everyone’s as shallow as you, only caring about looks? No substance at all. If there are any new developments with those two, you’d better tell me first. I want to be the first to follow the updates.”

“What new developments could there be?” Scott suddenly perked up as if struck by an idea. “Actually, I’d love to see Riddle crash the engagement party and make a scene. That would definitely make headlines.”

“Headlines or scandal?”

“Control the media narrative, and even the darkest stories can be spun into gold.” Scott gave a knowing look.

“Alright, let’s get out of here. I’m terrified Riddle might double back and catch us.”

At eleven that night, Luo Mijin was pulled aside by the band’s guitarist for an impromptu arrangement to liven up the atmosphere.

Support