After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 33

Four hours had passed since Qi Puzhi’s car accident, and it was the dead of night when Zhang Hua suddenly received a call from the company.

After just a few words on the phone, her brows immediately furrowed.

Qi Puzhi usually went to a specific private hospital for medical care, which offered excellent privacy.

However, this time, due to the accident, a passerby had called 120, and she was directly taken to a public hospital. There was no way to keep the news under wraps.

But somehow, a rumor had emerged claiming that Qi Puzhi had gotten pregnant from reckless behavior and was hospitalized for an abortion.

Now, this rumor had even overshadowed the news of the car accident, and many people believed it to be true.

At 2:30 a.m., two or three hashtags related to Qi Puzhi were trending on social media, each describing the incident from different angles. Late-night netizens were eagerly consuming the gossip, and the buzz was unusually intense.

“According to the company’s investigation, Yinghe Entertainment seems to be behind fueling this public opinion,” Zhang Hua said. “But it appears they’re just adding fuel to the fire, the source doesn’t seem to be them.”

Qi Puzhi hummed in acknowledgment. “Look into it along with the car accident.”

Zhang Hua had been thinking the same thing and snorted. “I want to see who’s so eager to ruin you.”

Qi Puzhi curled her lips into a faint, cold smile. “I hope it’s not him.”

Zhang Hua was startled and glanced at her. She had been about to say it couldn’t be, but after a moment’s thought, she swallowed her words.

The car accident followed immediately by a public opinion campaign, each step seamlessly connected and executed on such a large scale, wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.

At that moment, Jiang Tian, who had been silent all along, spoke up. “Can I help?”

With the Jiang family’s influence, her assistance in the investigation would be a significant advantage.

But Qi Puzhi didn’t want to trouble her and instinctively wanted to refuse.

Jiang Tian’s puppy-like, pitiful gaze stopped the words in her throat.

Her lover had been targeted and nearly harmed. Even if she couldn’t personally exact revenge, standing idly by would be unbearable torture.

Seeing Qi Puzhi’s silent acquiescence, Zhang Hua said, “That’s fine. The surveillance cameras near where Puzhi had the accident have been under maintenance for the past couple of days, so investigating won’t be easy.”

For now, they could only discuss briefly, leaving the rest for the next day.

Both Jiang Tian and Zhang Hua had rushed over from an ad shoot in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the shoot had already wrapped.

After moving to a high-end luxury hospital room, they found it equipped with a patient bed and a caregiver’s bed, both quite spacious.

Zhang Hua was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. Pointing to the caregiver’s bed, she said, “I’ll sleep here. You two lovebirds can share the big bed, it’s spacious enough that you shouldn’t crush each other.”

She meant that Jiang Tian wouldn’t accidentally roll over and press down on Qi Puzhi, but as soon as the words left her mouth, they sounded odd.

Crush? What kind of talk is that?

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Hua added, “…Ahem, well, I know you two are like newlyweds after a short separation. I’m usually a heavy sleeper, it takes a lot of noise to wake me up.”

“…What are you thinking?” Qi Puzhi said, exasperated. “Just go to sleep.”

The room had an attached bathroom, and the three of them freshened up briefly.

Zhang Hua tactfully lay facing away from the patient bed, trying to dim her presence as the third wheel.

Her consideration was somewhat helpful, but not entirely.

Qi Puzhi had just been in a car accident and hadn’t fully recovered. How could Jiang Tian possibly misbehave? She only rested her arm lightly around Qi Puzhi’s waist, whispering “good night” with a kiss at the corner of her lips.

In that tenderness, Qi Puzhi silently curved her lips into a faint smile. Since waking from the accident, her mind had been slightly foggy, and she soon drifted into sleep.

Her dreams were a chaotic haze.

When the haziness finally cleared, she saw Jiang Tian driving.

It was her car, the same route she had driven today, but she was sitting in the passenger seat.

Jiang Tian glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed a car tailing them.

She did exactly as Qi Puzhi had done took a detour, accelerated, and discovered the brakes had failed.

Everything was identical, every detail unfolding naturally.

But as they approached the uphill section, Jiang Tian seemed completely unaware, driving straight ahead without hesitation.

Qi Puzhi, frantic, slapped her shoulder and shouted, urging her to turn around immediately. Yet Jiang Tian seemed not to hear a word, gripping the steering wheel as she charged toward the uphill stretch.

With inexplicable strength, the steering wheel seemed welded into her hands. Qi Puzhi tried to wrest control from her but failed.

There was no time left. Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it would leap out of her throat. Qi Puzhi’s pupils contracted sharply as she saw the massive truck hurtling down like a death warrant.

Closer and closer.

Just as the truck was about to hit them, Jiang Tian seemed to snap back to reality, swerving sharply to the right, using her side to take the impact.

“Jiang Tian ”

Qi Puzhi’s desperate cry was swallowed by the deafening crash.

“Bang!”

For a moment, Qi Puzhi’s ears rang, and her vision went black.

Something warm, slightly thick, and carrying a sweet, metallic scent was trickling down her arm. It wasn’t hers.

Just as she had lost her beloved toys, dear childhood friends, cherished pets, and hard-won audition opportunities in the past, she had now lost Jiang Tian.

“Sister?”

Qi Puzhi’s eyes snapped open. Gasping for breath, she felt herself being pulled into a soft embrace, a hand gently patting her back in reassurance.

Disturbed by the car crash, Jiang Tian had been unable to sleep and was the first to notice Qi Puzhi’s restless state.

Gazing at the woman with concern under the moonlight, she knew she must have had a nightmare.

The images from the dream still vivid in her mind, Qi Puzhi’s heart raced uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Tian’s neck, burying her face against her shoulder.

Trembling, she took a while to calm down in Jiang Tian’s embrace.

Jiang Tian’s hand, stroking her back, suddenly paused.

A warm, damp sensation spread across her neck.

Her heart ached, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe.

After a long while, Qi Puzhi slowly lifted her head from Jiang Tian’s embrace. Before Jiang Tian could react, she cupped her face with both hands and pressed her lips to hers.

The kiss was urgent, but her weakened body lacked strength, making it difficult to continue.

She gently tugged Jiang Tian’s ear, urging her to take the lead.

Rarely so impatient, Qi Puzhi’s urgency made Jiang Tian, who had been holding back out of concern for her condition, finally cradle the woman’s head and kiss her tenderly.

The night was cool, but their lips and tongues burned with heat.

In this silent, intimate exchange, Qi Puzhi’s turbulent emotions gradually began to settle.

Jiang Tian released her just before she became overwhelmed, watching as the woman caught her breath, then gently wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye with her index finger.

Worried about waking Zhang Hua, she whispered softly, “What did you dream about, sister?”

In the boundless silence of the night, Qi Puzhi met her gaze for a long moment before pursing her lips and turning away, her hand still gripping Jiang Tian’s arm tightly, unwilling to let go.

She didn’t want to answer. But it was clearly about her.

Jiang Tian didn’t press further, though she had a rough idea of what it might be.

Since signing the love agreement, the superficial dynamic between the two had always resembled Qi Puzhi taking advantage of being loved to act boldly without fear, while Jiang Tian chased after her with unrequited devotion.

Although Jiang Tian knew it wasn’t truly like that, at this moment, she felt more clearly than ever before the suppressed fear of losing her buried deep in Qi Puzhi’s heart.

She comforted Qi Puzhi as if soothing a child, reassuring her over and over that she would always be there.

Qi Puzhi lay in her embrace, gradually relaxing under such comfort. Yet, the moment she closed her eyes, it felt as if she were about to touch the despair of that nightmare again, and her drowsiness instantly vanished.

This cycle repeated endlessly.

In her dazed state, Qi Puzhi grew frustrated with her own restlessness. Moreover, Jiang Tian had worked late into the night and rushed over, only to exert herself further to calm her down.

Driven by a slight urgency to fall asleep, Qi Puzhi suddenly had a whimsical idea.

After hesitating for a moment, she tugged lightly at the fabric of Jiang Tian’s waistline and whispered something almost inaudibly into her ear.

The sound was too faint, and Jiang Tian didn’t catch it at first. “Hmm?”

Qi Puzhi bit her lip, seemingly reluctant to repeat herself.

A moment later, she mustered a slightly louder breathy voice and spoke word by word into Jiang Tian’s ear: “Have me.”

Jiang Tian’s comforting motions paused. She blinked, wondering if she had misheard.

Under Jiang Tian’s slight surprise, Qi Puzhi’s ears grew warm with embarrassment. She pursed her lips uncomfortably but tried to maintain her composure as she explained, “I want to sleep. That makes it easier to fall asleep.”

After a pause, she added, “Just like last time is fine.”

Though usually quick with bold words, when it came to real situations, Qi Puzhi was actually quite shy. After saying this, she couldn’t utter another word.

She simply fixed a deep, expectant gaze on Jiang Tian, hoping she understood.

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Tian would have granted her request without hesitation.

Especially now, with Qi Puzhi looking at her with that mix of shyness and anticipation, so fragile and soft under the moonlight, utterly tempting at a glance.

Jiang Tian’s throat moved as she fought back the surge of desire. Unable to resist, she gently bit Qi Puzhi’s lower lip, trying to ease the restless longing in her heart.

But it only made her crave more.

Breathing slightly heavily, she mustered her rationality and whispered into Qi Puzhi’s ear, “Sister, I really want you, but the doctor said.”

It took Qi Puzhi a moment to recall: after she woke up, the doctor had seriously instructed her to avoid any sexual activity for a week.

At the time, she hadn’t paid it much mind, thinking she wasn’t the type to be driven by desire, especially not while recovering from a car accident.

“…” Qi Puzhi fell silent.

She understood the reasoning, but having mustered the courage to initiate intimacy only to be rejected was still deeply embarrassing.

Though inwardly mortified, Qi Puzhi maintained a calm facade. She said lightly, “Oh.”

With poise and grace, she withdrew from Jiang Tian’s embrace, lay back on the bed, and pretended to be asleep.

Jiang Tian’s brow twitched slightly as she watched Qi Puzhi, who had closed her eyes as if already drifting off. It wasn’t hard to see through her awkwardness.

Fortunately, Jiang Tian was far less shy than Qi Puzhi in such matters and knew how to handle the situation well.

With her eyes closed, Qi Puzhi was inwardly regretting her impulsive words when she suddenly felt a warmth at her ear.

The younger woman buried her head like a puppy against Qi Puzhi’s ear, occasionally nibbling and whispering things that were better left unheard.

“Things like really wanting her, and how it’s even harder to bear if I can’t have her.”

Qi Puzhi was initially stunned upon hearing this, then quickly realized Jiang Tian was using blunt expressions of desire to ease the awkwardness of her own rejection.

Though she understood this rationally, warmth still spread through her chest. Eventually unable to bear it, Qi Puzhi reached out and covered Jiang Tian’s mouth.

Her earlier claim of wanting had mainly been about just wanting to sleep, but now Jiang Tian had genuinely stirred physical longing within her.

The embarrassment of the failed seduction attempt had vanished, but something else had intensified.

How exactly had things escalated to this point?

Zhang Hua: SOS you couple. Whatever, I’ll sleep like the dead.