After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 27

The bathroom was still filled with lingering steam and a damp mist.

Qi Puzhi was pressed against the wall, the slightly hoarse voice of the young woman brushing against her ear.

“How many punishments are left?”

Jiang Tian’s earlier question carried a dangerous undertone to Qi Puzhi’s ears.

It was as if once the remaining punishments were used up, she could do whatever she pleased.

Driven by an inexplicable sense of crisis, how could Qi Puzhi possibly relent?

She shifted slightly in their close embrace, murmuring, “That depends on your performance.”

“Jiejie,” Jiang Tian’s voice was so innocent it bordered on pitiful, “Haven’t I been good enough?”

She locked eyes with Qi Puzhi, their noses nearly touching from the proximity.

Though her words feigned grievance, the hand pressing Qi Puzhi down didn’t loosen in the slightest. Instead, upon sensing Qi Puzhi’s slight movement, she even reached out to pin one of her arms.

A blatant contradiction, submissive yet audacious.

And yet, that ethereally beautiful face was painted with an expression of being utterly at someone’s mercy, her eyes tinged red from restrained desire, as if truly tormented by Qi Puzhi’s teasing.

This was a deliberately laid trap, the cunning disguise of a wolf with ulterior motives.

Yet even though Qi Puzhi knew this all too well, at this moment, she still found herself inexplicably thinking.

It was kind of adorable.

Emotions truly defied reason. She kept her expression neutral, softening her tone slightly. “Alright, let me go first.”

After all, Qi Puzhi was only wearing a bikini, most of her skin exposed. The intimate closeness stirred an instinctive unease in her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door, and a female staff member called out, “Teacher Qi? Xiao Jiang?”

It wasn’t yet time for the hot spring segment scheduled by the production team, and the guests were free to do as they pleased. But since the two had been missing for a while and none of the other guests had seen them, there was some concern.

Qi Puzhi signaled Jiang Tian to stay quiet and responded herself.

Among the shower stalls, only one had its curtain drawn. The staff member couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher Qi, have you seen Xiao Jiang?”

“She was here just a moment ago,” Qi Puzhi replied calmly, her eyes still locked with Jiang Tian’s.

Reassured by her words, the staff member said, “Alright, we were just worried about safety since it’s not safe to wander alone in the mountains. Just checking in.”

“Mhm.”

Once the staff member left, Qi Puzhi ruffled Jiang Tian’s hair with her free hand and said gently, “We should get ready for filming. Be good.”

At most, she’d find a way to make it up to her later.

Her tone carried a hint of coaxing, and Jiang Tian had no intention of pushing further against her wishes.

Though her breathing was still uneven, she merely brushed her lips lightly against Qi Puzhi’s before stepping out of the stall, leaving it to her.

Having been kissed so casually, Qi Puzhi, guilty over rousing Jiang Tian’s desires without satisfying them, silently indulged this small transgression.

Only after Qi Puzhi changed back into her more conservative swimsuit did the two finally appear by the hot spring together.

The other four guests had already been chatting for a while. When they saw the two arrive together, their gazes instinctively turned toward them.

“Teacher Qi and Jiang Tian’s swimsuits match so well!”

The dancer smiled as she made her comment. Staring at the two strikingly beautiful women, an inexplicable thought surfaced in her mind, they didn’t just look good together in swimsuits; they seemed perfectly matched in every way appearance, temperament, everything.

As a seasoned straight woman, the dancer didn’t have much awareness about relationships between women, so she blurted out what she was thinking: “Professor Qi and Xiao Jiang look so compatible together, haha.”

Although this variety show had a very proper theme of cross-industry interactions, the word “date” inevitably carried a subtle undertone of romance. As soon as the words were spoken, the more perceptive guests on set reacted with varying thoughts.

After all, Qi Puzhi’s reputation in the industry was that she was open to all, men and women alike.

After the hot spring session, there would be a vote to choose partners for the subsequent recordings of the show, and the dancer’s comment had inadvertently teased out everyone’s hidden intentions.

A famous male host, who had joined Cross-Date specifically for Qi Puzhi, chuckled and said, “Yeah, they look like really close sisters.”

Qi Puzhi had just stepped into the hot spring. Hearing this, she glanced at the male host.

It was the first time since the show began that the male host had received a look from Qi Puzhi. He cleared his throat and leaned back slightly, trying to show off the muscles he had worked hard to build.

But before he could even finish striking his pose, Qi Puzhi’s gaze had already moved on.

The male singer beside him, however, looked over in pleasant surprise and reached out to give his arm a squeeze. “You’ve trained really well, huh.”

“Mhm.”

The male host awkwardly retracted his arm, privately wondering if Qi Puzhi’s glance had been some kind of hint about mutual selection.

Among the six guests four women and two men, no matter how the pairings ended up, at least one pair would consist of two women.

Logically speaking, as the rarer gender on set, the two men should have been in higher demand.

However… the award-winning actress made no secret of her admiration for Qi Puzhi, earnestly recommending herself, while the dancer openly called the actress adorable and expressed a desire to befriend her.

The only one who hadn’t spoken much was Jiang Tian. She seemed somewhat aloof, as if she hadn’t yet formed any opinions.

She was extraordinarily beautiful, yet even soaking in the warm hot spring, she retained a cool, detached air, though the faint flush on her cheeks from the steam was particularly captivating.

The male singer felt it was necessary to strike first. Since Jiang Tian didn’t seem to have any preferences yet, his chances of success were high if he took the initiative.

So he asked directly, “Xiao Jiang, have you thought about who you’d like as your partner?”

Jiang Tian’s voice was like pearls falling onto a plate, pleasant to hear but carrying an unmistakable sense of distance. “Yes.”

Her answer was brief, but everyone was already familiar with Jiang Tian’s cool, reserved demeanor and didn’t think much of it.

The male singer was a little surprised but pressed on, “Who is it?”

The other guests also looked over curiously.

Jiang Tian calmly shifted her gaze to the woman beside her and stated plainly, “Professor Qi.”

“Huh?” The actress was stunned, her eyes widening immediately. “Xiao Jiang, you’re trying to steal my person!!”

Qi Puzhi met her gaze, feigning mild surprise and maintaining a convincingly distant demeanor for the cameras. “Oh? Xiao Jiang, you want to partner with me?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Tian played the role of a respectful junior perfectly, admiring but not fawning. She spoke slowly, “Has Professor Qi already decided on someone?”

Qi Puzhi studied her for a few seconds before smiling breezily. “Perhaps I have.”

The sense of distance between the two during their exchange made them seem entirely unfamiliar, yet there was something else lingering beneath the surface.

The male singer didn’t quite grasp the situation and thought they had no chance. He joked, “This isn’t working out for you guys. You’re almost all paired up internally, leaving the two of us men with nothing.”

His use of the word “allocated” seemed to treat the female guests as some kind of resource, so none of the women present responded to his remark.

The atmosphere suddenly turned a bit awkward. The male host, who was most skilled at defusing tension, chuckled and said, “Worst case, we two can pair up internally.”

Then, as if worried his words might come true, he quickly added, “But it probably won’t come to that.”

This segment of the hot spring recording was all about undercurrents, watching the guests engage in verbal sparring over their final pairings.

By this point, the production team felt they had achieved the desired effect, and the staff announced they had enough footage.

It was winter. Emerging from the hot spring, though their skin still radiated warmth, they ultimately felt the chill. As Qi Puzhi stepped out, Jiang Tian had already handed her a towel.

“Thank you,” Qi Puzhi said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The award-winning actress had also intended to help Qi Puzhi, but seeing this, she paused just a step too late.

She felt like crying. Though Jiang Tian was a newcomer and didn’t stand out much in conversation, her actions showed she knew how to take the initiative.

Once everyone had changed and gathered in the living room, it was time for the final task of the night, voting for their partners.

This segment moved quickly. Voting devices were distributed, allowing each guest to select three people in order of preference first, second, and third choices. The production team would then assign partners based on these preferences to match everyone as closely as possible.

Before voting, the male host decided to seize his last chance to be bold. He said, “Ms. Qi, I actually came here for you.”

Qi Puzhi glanced at him and nodded politely but offered no response.

After all, she had come for someone else too.

The male host was momentarily taken aback. Wasn’t Qi Puzhi supposed to be flirtatious and unrestrained, engaging with everyone? Yet after a whole evening, that didn’t seem to be the case at all.

Once the guests had voted, the production team began assigning partners.

Amid the murmurs, a staff member’s eyes widened. “This.”

When the rule limiting choices to three people was set, some on the production team had thought it too few. But now, two guests had each selected only one person and it was each other.

They had left their second and third choices blank, as if their intentions were crystal clear, and they were fully confident the other would choose them too.

The staff member who was secretly Jiang Tian’s biggest fan swallowed hard, feeling a bit crushed. Distractedly, she said, “Then these two can pair up directly. No need for further assignment.”

The remaining guests had chosen either two or all three options. After assigning partners based on preferences, the show’s lineup ended up being entirely same-sex pairs.

What was initially planned as a mix of two heterosexual and one homosexual pairing, just skirting the edges of LGBTQ+ themes, had turned into a show overflowing with sapphic and bromantic energy.

The director sat to the side, looking unfazed. After a moment, she mused, “Maybe this is exactly what will make it a hit.”

With partners assigned, some were delighted while others were disappointed. But since variety shows were ultimately about performance, all the guests quickly adapted.

As per the show’s arrangements, same-sex partners would share double rooms.

Jiang Tian followed Qi Puzhi into the room. Although there weren’t as many cameras here as in the living room, they were still positioned at multiple angles.

The only place without cameras was the bathroom.

Qi Puzhi was examining the bedroom layout. The production team had spared no expenset, he double bedroom was fully equipped with everything one could need.

The two single beds were both spacious, each large enough to comfortably fit two people.

As she stepped into the bathroom to take a look, the younger woman followed closely behind, seemingly wanting to inspect it together.

But then, the bathroom door clicked shut.

Qi Puzhi instinctively turned around and met Jiang Tian’s clear, unwavering gaze. “Sister,” Jiang Tian asked, “who else did you choose besides me?”

My heart has grown as cold as if I’d spent ten years slaughtering fish at RT-Mart after being rejected by editors over and over.

Yet when I started writing the push-and-pull between Sister and Xiao Jiang: Very well, the passion fiercely reignited.