After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 4

In that moment, Qi Puzhi wondered if Jiang Tian actually knew she was weak to this kind of thing.

Yet, somewhere deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel a slight softening.

She thought about asking the staff for some ointment, but then saw Jiang Tian pull out a small tube of cream from her pocket.

“Jiejie, the car owner gave me this.”

Taking the ointment, Qi Puzhi couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you apply it?”

Jiang Tian looked at her without speaking, openly displaying her intentions.

Qi Puzhi chuckled lightly, “I won’t argue with you.”

She pulled Jiang Tian into a corner of the tent, tilting her chin up slightly, Jiang Tian was a few centimeters taller than her.

Then, she gently applied the ointment to the delicate cheek.

Standing so close, with Jiang Tian’s beautiful eyes staring straight at her, Qi Puzhi couldn’t help but say after a moment, “Close your eyes.”

This phrase suddenly reminded Qi Puzhi of that night in the hotel, when she had covered Jiang Tian’s eyes and bitten her lower lip, she had said the same thing then.

Jiang Tian obeyed immediately, closing her eyes before asking innocently, “What’s wrong, jiejie?”

Qi Puzhi didn’t answer. After applying the ointment, she handed Jiang Tian a cooling drink and returned to filming.

Jiang Tian took a few slow sips from the drink, suppressing a smile.

Her gaze drifted to the woman not far away, beautiful and fully aware of it, effortlessly captivating the camera.

Qi Puzhi’s schedule was always tight. The morning after the commercial shoot, she was set to return home.

As an internationally renowned triple-crown actress, her departure at the airport drew crowds of fans and media.

Along the way, she even ran into a certain award-winning actor she had collaborated with before, exchanging distant but polite greetings.

“Jiejie, did something bite you?”

Qi Puzhi scratched the side of her neck, where a small red mark was visible.

“Hmm, seems like a mosquito.” Qi Puzhi couldn’t stand the itch and scratched again.

“I have some cooling oil in my bag.”

But even after applying it, the itch didn’t fade immediately.

Seeing Qi Puzhi about to scratch again, Jiang Tian said softly, “Wait, don’t scratch.”

Qi Puzhi’s skin was delicate and prone to irritation, just a few scratches and it looked like it might bleed.

She knew this well and held back, only to see Jiang Tian lean in slightly. “Would blowing on it help?”

Before she could answer, she felt a gentle breeze on the cooling oil, intensifying the soothing effect and easing the mosquito bite.

But then came another kind of itch.

After their intimate night, Qi Puzhi had checked herself thoroughly and found that, aside from the crucial step of relieving the effects of the drug, Jiang Tian hadn’t done anything else to her.

There were no marks anywhere except for a faint bite on her neck, like the only moment Jiang Tian had allowed herself to lose control.

And that bite was exactly where Jiang Tian had just blown.

Qi Puzhi had been moved by the restraint and respect, she had expected a younger person to be reckless and leave her covered in marks.

When Jiang Tian looked up and asked, “Does it feel better now?” Qi Puzhi pressed her lips together, wanting to say something but only managing a quiet “Mm.”

“But jiejie,” Jiang Tian pointed out calmly, “your neck is even redder now.”

” Qi Puzhi scoffed. “Even the well-behaved ones can be annoyingly cheeky.”

Jiang Tian smirked but didn’t defend herself.

They arrived in the capital by nightfall.

After the plane landed, Qi Puzhi had just turned off airplane mode when her manager’s call came through.

“Your scandal is trending.”

Qi Puzhi was slightly taken aback. “What scandal?”

After listening to her manager’s explanation, Qi Puzhi was left speechless.

“I just saw him at the airport before departure and said hello. How did that turn into a week-long secret rendezvous in the U.S.?”

“And that hickey on your neck.”

“That was a mosquito bite.”

Her manager was equally exasperated. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”

By the time she disembarked, several reporters were already lying in wait. Qi Puzhi had barely taken a few steps before microphones and cameras surrounded her.

Qi Puzhi remained unruffled. “Go ahead, ask.”

“Ms. Qi, could you explain the red mark on your neck.”

“It’s a hickey.”

Qi Puzhi answered leisurely, then continued under the reporters’ stunned yet delighted gazes, “The kind that feels better after applying menthol oil.”

With that, she walked off with Jiang Tian in a carefree manner.

Reporters:

Jiang Tian had witnessed the entire process of the scandal’s rise and fall.

When they were finally alone, she asked curiously, “Sister, is this how all your scandals start?”

Qi Puzhi detected the underlying intent in her question and narrowed her eyes. “Trying to fish for information?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Jiang Tian shook her head obediently.

“When we signed the agreement, didn’t you say you liked me even though I was flirtatious and surrounded by scandals?” Qi Puzhi brought up casually.

“Mm.” Jiang Tian stopped walking and looked at her. “My answer hasn’t changed.”

“No matter what, I’ll always like you.”

As if that wasn’t straightforward enough, Jiang Tian added an even more direct confession.

Qi Puzhi also stopped and regarded her with amusement. “Spouting sweet nothings so effortlessly, is this how you charm every ‘good sister’?”

In truth, Jiang Tian spoke with utter sincerity.

The young woman’s strikingly beautiful eyes, hidden beneath a cap and mask, were filled with nothing but reflections of her.

It didn’t seem like she was playing games with sweet talk at all.

But it was precisely this realization that made Qi Puzhi’s heart warm slightly, leaving her somewhat unsettled.

Perhaps only teasing and taunting could mask the emotions flowing beneath, keeping everything under her control.

Jiang Tian replied, “I was afraid you wouldn’t like me if I were dull and awkward.”

She sounded rather pitiful.

Qi Puzhi hooked a finger under Jiang Tian’s chin, embodying the very essence of a heartbreaker. “How could that be? You’re so well-behaved I like that very much.”

Jiang Tian yielded to her touch and asked offhandedly, “What if one day I’m not well-behaved?”

Qi Puzhi laughed. “I wouldn’t let you rebel.”

After returning from the U.S., Qi Puzhi was busy promoting her new film while also keeping tabs on the Star Path project.

After a three-year hiatus, talent shows were making a comeback, and every entertainment company wanted a piece of the market.

But given that previous seasons had seen declining popularity, ending with little impact and frequent scandals, even getting shut down many companies hesitated, waiting for others to test the waters first.

When Puxing Entertainment announced it would take the lead, everyone reacted with a sense of inevitability.

Qi Puzhi’s Puxing Entertainment had always been daring and innovative, with a uniquely discerning vision. In just a few short years, it had flourished spectacularly. Though the agency didn’t have many artists under its wing, it had already matched or even surpassed many long-established major companies in numerous aspects.

While Qi Puzhi was so busy that she was rarely seen, Jiang Tian had no chance to simply wait passively for an opportunity.

As the music in the dance studio faded, she lifted her gaze to her reflection in the mirror.

Dressed in a hoodie and cargo pants, sweat from her intense dance session trickled down from her temples, gathering at her chin.

Breathing heavily, she casually sat down on the floor.

This was a side of her Qi Puzhi had never seen before.

Previously, she had always dressed softly and elegantly, the very picture of a refined young lady from a distinguished family.

If Qi Puzhi were to see her like this, she probably wouldn’t know how to react.

As she wiped her sweat with a towel, Jiang Tian drifted into thought.

The dance instructor, Qin Jie, didn’t hide her admiration: “Your progress is way ahead of expectations, your ability to pick up dance moves is almost unreal.”

Jiang Tian remained unfazed by the praise, offering only a polite, faint smile in response.

Qin Jie studied the young woman’s graceful figure and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

When she first met Jiang Tian, she had been struck by her striking beauty and an air of aristocratic poise.

Aloof yet impeccably mannered.

Unexpectedly, even after getting to know her, Jiang Tian remained exactly the same.

She spoke little, was ruthlessly professional.

Having run the dance studio for over a decade, Qin Jie had seen all kinds of people.

Most who came to learn street dance were skilled at styling themselves with a cool, edgy vibe, though in Qin Jie’s experienced eyes, many were just putting on an act.

Their eagerness to show off and attract attention was glaringly obvious.

Jiang Tian, however, was a rare exception, her aloofness radiated from within. She didn’t need to try; it was as if she didn’t care at all.

Yet when she moved to the music, paired with those distant yet occasionally sharp eyes, she could effortlessly make people weak in the knees with sheer coolness.

She was just too icy so much so that Qin Jie’s initial flutter of excitement over a beautiful, talented young dancer had gradually faded into numbness, leaving not a trace behind.

Best to just appreciate from afar.

As Qin Jie mused, Jiang Tian finished her break and resumed dancing.

Then, her phone rang from where it lay nearby.

Normally, Jiang Tian would ignore calls during practice, either silencing her phone outright.

But this time, she stopped and said, “Qin Jie, hold on a moment.”

Baffled, Qin Jie turned off the music.

Jiang Tian strode over to grab her phone, answering it as she walked out the door.

“Jiejie?”

Qin Jie stood frozen, struggling to process what she’d just heard.

Had that voice really come from Jiang Tian? That sweet, soft tone? Had her ears gone blind?

While Qin Jie stood in the studio, eyes wide with shock, Jiang Tian found a quiet spot by the window to listen to the caller.

“Jiang Tian, you signed up for Stellar Journey?”

Qi Puzhi seemed to be at some event background noise buzzed faintly through the line.

“Mm.”

Jiang Tian wasn’t surprised she already knew.

Qi Puzhi was well aware of Jiang Tian’s musical talent. After all, Jiang Tian had majored in composition.

At many banquets, once Jiang Tian’s father had a few drinks, he loved boasting about his only daughter:

Gentle, refined, and unfailingly obedient, she enjoyed playing the guqin and performing classical Chinese dance to cultivate her spirit. Supposedly, she was also skilled in calligraphy and traditional painting.

Though some parents tended to exaggerate their children’s virtues, the general direction was usually close enough.

Qi Puzhi understood implicitly and said, “I’ve thought before that your looks would suit the entertainment industry. But it’s a messy world well-behaved kids can easily get bullied.”

Jiang Tian said softly, “Sister, I’m just behaving well for you.”

“Oh?” Qi Puzhi curved her lips, treating this as sweet talk. “I called to ask if you’d like to sign with Puxing during the competition. After your debut, you can go wherever you want.”

Puxing Entertainment, as a well-known entertainment company, carried its own clout and popularity under Qi Puzhi’s name. If Jiang Tian participated in Stellar Journey as a trainee under the company, it would be far smoother than going as an independent contestant.

Yet Jiang Tian politely declined her offer.

Qi Puzhi was momentarily taken a back, this was the first time Jiang Tian had refused her.

But she understood Jiang Tian’s desire to carve her own path. After all, she herself had once struggled through the industry alone.

So, she wasn’t upset, simply saying, “Alright then, kid. I’ll be looking forward to your performance.”