After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 45.2

Ye Su wanted to join in the fun and pulled Pei Ying along to pick out masks and capes.

“Actually, we shouldn’t choose together,” Ye Su suddenly said after browsing for a while. “Let’s each pick our own and see if we can recognize each other at a glance.”

Pei Ying smiled indulgently, happy to let Ye Su have her way.

There were many mask stalls, and she watched as Ye Su wandered off toward another stand, disappearing into the bustling crowd.

For some reason, a wave of unease rose in her chest.

Biting her lip lightly, Pei Ying told herself she was being overly clingy and suppressed the flickering anxiety as she continued selecting a mask.

Once she had it on, she was about to pick out a cape when she passed a weathered pillar on the street and inadvertently glanced at the notice pasted on it.

It was a missing person poster.

The slightly blurred black-and-white photo showed a young woman with a cold, strikingly beautiful face.

Urgent Search for the Third Miss of the Ye Family, age 22.

The poster looked freshly pasted, the paper still new and not firmly stuck. Pei Ying easily peeled it off, clutching it in her hand so tightly that her fingers trembled.

Her mind went blank, her breathing uneven. She turned around, staring blankly at the crowd, her face beneath the mask suddenly drained of color.

“Ah-Ying.” Someone wrapped their arms around her from behind, teasing with a laugh, “Why haven’t you picked a cape yet? I already know what your mask looks like, you can’t accuse me of cheating now.”

Pei Ying’s lips quivered. She turned and saw a playful little wolf mask.

She pinched Ye Su’s arm, struggling to steady the tremor in her voice. “Ye Su, let’s go back, okay? I don’t want to play anymore.”

She repeated “go back” over and over, her voice growing fainter until it finally gave out entirely.

Ye Su paused, sensing something was wrong. Without another thought for the masquerade, she immediately pulled Pei Ying into a comforting embrace. “Alright, we’ll go back right now.”

She removed Pei Ying’s mask and saw the silent tears streaking the woman’s cheeks.

Ye Su’s heart clenched painfully. She reached out and wiped the tears away.

There was no time to ask questions now. She simply took Pei Ying’s hand and led her straight back to the hotel.

Once the door to their room was closed, Ye Su was about to ask if someone had upset Pei Ying when the latter handed her a piece of paper.

Ye Su stared at the contents, her expression freezing.

Her breath hitched.

After reading it twice, she forced a lighthearted tone. “Of course they’d be looking for me everywhere. That’s only natural.”

Seeing Pei Ying’s lips pressed tightly together, Ye Su pulled her onto her lap and said softly, “When I ran away, I planned it all out in advance. I left traces pointing toward a big city in the south.”

Ye Su had always been clever, meticulous in everything she did.

But now, the Ye family had somehow begun searching as far as Hongcheng, not far from Wucheng. Perhaps some clue had gone awry, or someone had betrayed her.

In any case, it was no longer safe. They would likely find their way to Wucheng soon, and many people at the opera house had seen Ye Su’s face.

But she couldn’t show her worry, because Pei Ying would only grow more afraid.

Gently patting Pei Ying’s back, Ye Su wanted to say something to cheer her up, but her throat felt tight and sour.

It was as if she couldn’t promise anything at all.

Both of them knew, from this moment on, the days of Ye Su playing piano in the orchestra or watching Pei Ying perform on stage were already gone.

Her attempt at appearing carefree was poorly acted, and Pei Ying saw through it at a glance.

In the prolonged silence, the two faced each other wordlessly, expressing the worries and unease in their hearts only through the most primal instincts.

Clothes scattered, stumbling and faltering.

Amidst the scorching entanglement, Pei Ying felt filled yet increasingly hollow.

Clutching Ye Su’s neck, she murmured helplessly, “Take me.” over and over again.

She was clearly already at her limit.

Ye Su wished she could merge with her entirely.

By the end, when even their sweat had dried, between ragged breaths, she heard the woman whisper four words, faint as a mosquito’s hum.

It vaguely sounded like, Don’t leave me.

Don’t cruelly strip everything away after giving it to her.

Ye Su’s heart trembled.

Those four words allowed the thought she had been turning over in her mind all night to grow unchecked, breaking free from all restraints and finally surging forth without hesitation: “A-Ying, shall we run away together?”

It was the only way out. Wu City wasn’t far from the city where the Ye family resided. She had lingered there for Pei Ying, taking risks for far too long, but now there was no room left for recklessness.

Yet how could she bear to use love to bind Pei Ying, to make her endure the hardship of fleeing and wandering once more?

She knew how hard Pei Ying had worked to build the life she had now.

In Wu City, she had a stable career, the Li family who sheltered her out of gratitude, and the cozy little home she had carefully designed and furnished.

Regret flooded Ye Su the moment the words left her lips. She prayed Pei Ying hadn’t heard that selfish plea, scrambling to distract her with idle chatter.

But then Pei Ying said, “Okay.”

Ye Su froze, staring down at the woman beneath her.

“We’ll run away,” Pei Ying repeated, clinging to those words like a lifeline.

Her voice slightly choked, she continued, “I have quite a bit of money saved, I won’t let you suffer. We can take it slow, rent a place, find jobs. It’s not that hard.”

Her words came quickly, as if afraid Ye Su might retreat.

But then she faltered, biting her lower lip. After all, Ye Su could return home to a life a hundred times more comfortable than the hardships of wandering.

Ye Su gazed at her for a long moment before closing her eyes and pressing a reverent kiss to her forehead. “Okay.”

As the kiss landed, the dream still seemed within reach.

But it shattered effortlessly the next morning.

The moment they boarded the boat back to Wu City, Ye Su was seized by people sent by the Ye family.

Humiliation, shame, helplessness, and hatred swayed with the rocking of the boat. What should have been a mutual affection was treated like an unforgivable sin, met with condemnation from all sides.

Ye Su had always been proud, and being forcibly restrained in front of her lover was a torment she could hardly bear.

Yet she struggled to keep her eyes open, drinking in the sight of the woman across from her, red-eyed and similarly restrained, memorizing her face as though it might be the last time.

Please don’t let this be the last time.

“Cut!”

The extras released Qi Puzhi, but she remained seated in the same position, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Through the blur of tears, she saw Jiang Tian approach from the opposite side, gently wiping them away.

She wasn’t a method actor, usually relying on her superb skills to immerse and detach from roles swiftly.

But now, she felt as though she was Pei Ying, who had just lost her beloved, her heart hollowed out, a biting wind howling through the emptiness.

Seeing Qi Puzhi’s tears continue to fall, Jiang Tian’s heart ached unbearably.

Ignoring the cameras, she pulled her into an embrace, softly patting her back and murmuring soothing words.

Eventually, Qi Puzhi’s tears subsided, and she lay still in Jiang Tian’s arms, unmoving.

Jiang Tian almost thought she had fallen asleep.

Just as she began to withdraw slightly to take a look, Qi Puzhi hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her back into close proximity.

The woman’s voice was slightly hoarse from crying as she whispered, “Hold me a little longer…”