After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 23

Qi Puzhi felt like she had lost all the face she had built up over twenty years in just ten short minutes.

Especially since Jiang Tian dared to laugh at her. She propped herself up, half-embarrassed and half-annoyed, trying to get off Jiang Tian’s lap.

Jiang Tian quickly wrapped her arms around Qi Puzhi’s waist to stop her from leaving.

“Don’t go, jiejie.”

Jiang Tian took one of Qi Puzhi’s hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze, looking up at her with gentle eyes. “I wasn’t laughing at you.”

After a pause, she smiled and added, “I just thought you were too adorable.”

Qi Puzhi pressed her lips together, struggling to regain some composure.

Since it was a gift, she ought to see it through to the end. Even though the latter half of the gifting process had completely fallen apart, she couldn’t let her dignity crumble.

Her breathing had gradually steadied, and she let out a soft huff. “Anyway, that’s the gift. I’ve given it now.”

“Mm.” Jiang Tian gazed at her without blinking, her eyes brimming with undisguised tenderness. “Thank you, jiejie. I loved every part of the gift.”

“Especially loved it.” As if that wasn’t enough, she added, “Whether it was the beginning or the end, it was all so charming.”

Under Jiang Tian’s sincere gaze and words, Qi Puzhi’s embarrassment seemed to ease a little but only a little.

She gave a quiet “Mm” and was about to say something else when the private room door was suddenly knocked.

The waitress was puzzled about why the door was locked, but the moment she saw the woman who opened it, she momentarily forgot her confusion.

Oh my god, wasn’t this her idol?!

Adhering to professionalism, the waitress kept her expression neutral and didn’t ask for a photo or anything. She pretended to calmly serve the dishes while discreetly glancing at the other woman in the room, only to feel even more excitement bubbling inside.

It was Qi Puzhi!

Just two days ago, Puxing Entertainment had officially announced Jiang Tian’s signing, making it public knowledge that she was now an artist under Puxing.

The Sweet Juice CP fans, who were still clinging to every interaction between the two from the entertainment phase of Stellar Journey, immediately went wild, sensing that there would be plenty of sugar to feast on in the future.

As it turned out, the waitress was one of the most active big-name fans in the CP fandom.

Seeing the two dining together in private, with the door even locked.

As she lit the stove, a 10,000-word CP fanfic unfolded in her mind.

The fire in her heart burned hotter than the one in the stove.

After serving the dishes, she discreetly pulled out her phone and shared this earth-shattering piece of sugar in the CP fan group,

[OMG, I just ran into Jiang-jiejie having dinner with Puzhi!!! They were sitting across from each other, both dressed up so beautifully, and the private room was locked before I knocked.]

The moment the message was sent, the group exploded:

[For real?? Holy shit, are they dating? Are they dating?!]

[What were they doing with the door locked? Could it be sparks flying.]

[Given that Jiang-jiejie’s fan meet tonight was canceled, does that mean she dressed up extra pretty just to spend Christmas with Puzhi? AHHHH]

The waitress thought for a moment and replied: [Let’s keep this among ourselves, okay? Don’t spread it outside.]

As a waitress, she technically shouldn’t be leaking this kind of information. But the Sweet Juice CP had been starved for sugar for so long, and everyone was desperate for content, so she couldn’t resist sharing.

Seeing everyone in the group say [Don’t worry, we won’t leak it], she felt a little more at ease and put her phone away to focus on work.

What she didn’t know was that while she was busy, the hashtag [Qi Puzhi and Jiang Tian’s Christmas Rendezvous] had already climbed onto the trending list.

And it kept rising, eventually marked with a [HOT] label.

“What’s going on?”

After finishing their meal, Qi Puzhi and Jiang Tian took the elevator down together when Zhang Hua’s call came through.

“Where are you?” Zhang Hua’s voice carried a hint of urgency. “The news about you two having dinner together has leaked, and the restaurant’s address has been exposed. A swarm of media is now blocking the underground parking lot of the mall, waiting to make a big story out of this.”

In the cramped elevator, Zhang Hua’s voice was clear, and Jiang Tian, standing nearby, likely heard it as well.

Qi Puzhi exchanged a glance with her.

Truthfully, Qi Puzhi and Jiang Tian being seen together wasn’t a major issue, it was perfectly normal for a boss to have a meal with a newly signed artist.

The problem lay in the fact that one was a renowned film queen, and the other a top-tier idol. Their popularity was too high, and the sheer number of media gathered meant that facing them now would inevitably lead to a prolonged ordeal. And without a doubt, some reporters would seize the opportunity to ask pointed questions about their rumored relationship.

Jiang Tian had just debuted, and such scenes being broadcasted would undoubtedly have a negative impact.

Exiting the elevator, Qi Puzhi glanced at the nearby signs and said quietly, “We’re at the parking lot, in the adjacent section.”

Their car was parked in Zone A, while the elevator had brought them to Zone C, though it wasn’t far.

Even standing by the elevator, they could hear the commotion from Zone A and catch glimpses of people lying in wait.

Seeing that some seemed to be heading their way, Qi Puzhi made a quick decision. She pulled Jiang Tian back into the elevator and said to Zhang Hua, “Alright, don’t worry. We’ll handle it ourselves.”

After hanging up, she turned to Jiang Tian with a resigned expression. “There are too many media outlets to deal with. We’ll have to take an unconventional route and leave through the mall’s back door.”

“Mm,” Jiang Tian agreed without objection.

They were wearing masks and hats, and the mall they’d chosen for dinner was deliberately picked for its low foot traffic. Based on past experience, escaping shouldn’t have been difficult.

But,

“Hey, is that Qi Puzhi and Jiang.”

From a distance, they could hear murmurs that sounded like someone recognizing them. Qi Puzhi pulled her hat lower, and she and Jiang Tian hurried through less crowded areas.

Whether it was paparazzi spreading the news online or something else, gradually, people whether reporters, media, fans, or passersby, began converging from all directions.

Just as Qi Puzhi was debating whether to throw caution to the wind and face the challenge head-on with Jiang Tian, creating tonight’s big headline, or to continue fleeing, she suddenly felt a firm but gentle tug on her wrist. Before she knew it, she was pulled into an unknown space.

Caught off guard, Qi Puzhi stumbled slightly, but Jiang Tian steadied her with a hand on her waist.

The surroundings were dim, resembling a storage area. The cramped room was haphazardly filled with stacked boxes, with only a sliver of light filtering in from a high window.

Jiang Tian glanced around, quietly sliding the door bolt shut before turning back to whisper to Qi Puzhi, “It’s an unlocked storage room.”

“Where are they?”

“Dammit, they were definitely heading this way.”

Outside, hurried footsteps and voices grew louder, multiplying by the second.

The storage room door was wooden, thin and seemingly flimsy, with almost no soundproofing. It felt as though the crowd was standing right beside them.

Qi Puzhi’s breath hitched slightly, her heartbeat quickening.

If it were just her, she wouldn’t be so concerned. Handling the media with ease, even teasing them, was second nature to her.

When she no longer felt the socially conditioned shame associated with so-called “scandalous behavior,” the media’s verbal attacks lost their sting. In fact, the reporters themselves grew frustrated, as if their blows were cotton striking stone utterly ineffective.

But now the situation had spiraled beyond control. Jiang Tian had been dragged into it, and Qi Puzhi couldn’t ignore that.

Going to a mall for a meal together might still be considered normal, but hiding together in a cramped storage room, no matter how it was photographed or reported was undeniably suggestive.

“They wouldn’t be in here, would they?”

The thin wooden door was shoved forcefully, trembling under the impact.

Amid the shaky creaking of the door’s hinges, Qi Puzhi’s heartbeat quickened, terrified that the door might swing open at any moment.

Jiang Tian, however, seemed entirely unbothered. Instead, she took the leisurely liberty of tucking a stray strand of Qi Puzhi’s hair behind her ear.

“Jiejie,” she whispered, her breath ghosting over Qi Puzhi’s ear, “you still haven’t gotten your Christmas gift.”

Perhaps mindful of the people outside, her voice was so soft that Qi Puzhi took a moment to process the words.

Now? She’s thinking about this now?

But it wasn’t unusual for someone young to care about holiday traditions and the exchange of gifts.

Qi Puzhi was about to placate her, the words “We’ll talk later” on the tip of her tongue, when Jiang Tian’s fingers brushed against her ear.

Her ears had always been highly sensitive. The words caught in her throat, replaced by a sharp inhale, and then she felt the slight release of pressure.

Jiang Tian was removing her mask.

Watching as Jiang Tian pulled off her own mask with her other hand, Qi Puzhi immediately understood her intention.

In the dim light, Jiang Tian’s gaze darkened, brimming with restraint and longing.

Qi Puzhi met her eyes, her heart skipping a beat.

Just beyond the wall, the reporters were still chattering: “There’s nowhere else they could be, right? Where else could they have gone?”

“But this door is locked.”

As the words fell, the flimsy door rattled again under another push.

So close, the sound was deafening.

In that instant, Jiang Tian cupped her chin and leaned in, kissing her. The sudden sensation nearly drew a soft moan from Qi Puzhi.

But Jiang Tian swallowed it before it could escape.

Far from the simple, chaste brushes of lips they had shared before, Jiang Tian deepened the kiss almost immediately, as if she had been holding back for too long and could no longer restrain herself.

Afraid of making too much noise, Qi Puzhi suppressed her breathing and couldn’t bring herself to push her away. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Tian pressed further, one hand cradling the back of Qi Puzhi’s head to keep her from pulling back, kissing her with fervent intensity.

Wet, scorching, deep, it was a kiss full of possession.

Compared to the light, tender “gift” Qi Puzhi had given her in the private room earlier, this kiss in the cramped storage room was overwhelmingly passionate and lingering.

Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar intensity, Qi Puzhi’s legs grew weak, her body threatening to buckle. She could only cling tighter to Jiang Tian’s neck.

Sensing this, Jiang Tian supported her back with one hand, ensuring she wouldn’t slip down as she continued to kiss her.

“Maybe it’s a diversion, they might’ve already escaped through the parking lot.”

Unaware that the “big scoop” they had been staking out was just a wall away, the reporters grumbled among themselves.

Between the clamor of voices outside and the relentless heat of Jiang Tian’s kiss, Qi Puzhi found herself increasingly breathless, lost in the overwhelming stimulation.

Jiang Tian finally began to ease up, sensing Qi Puzhi’s exhaustion, yet still lingering with kisses at the corners of her lips.

The cramped and pitch-dark storage room was filled with the sound of their uneven breaths intertwining, creating an unmistakable intimacy.

Qi Puzhi’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her eyes misty with dazed desire. As she struggled to regain her senses, she felt Jiang Tian’s lips trail from the corner of her mouth to her ear. The warm breath against her earlobe sent shivers down her spine.

“You’re so sweet, Qi Puzhi.”

Jiang Tian: Pushing boundaries, advancing step by step.