After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 49

Qi Puzhi was awakened by the sound of knocking.

She turned over in Jiang Tian’s arms, covering her ears in annoyance, then suddenly jolted awake.

Lifting her head, she met Jiang Tian’s gaze, and the two silently communicated with their eyes.

It must be Jiang Tian’s parents returning home.

Qi Puzhi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

What kind of cliché was this, sneaking over to her girlfriend’s place while her parents were away, only to get caught red-handed?

“It’s fine, they won’t come in.”

Seeing Qi Puzhi’s somewhat resigned expression, Jiang Tian found it amusing and whispered reassuringly, “I’ll go check.”

Watching Jiang Tian get out of bed, put on her coat, and head to the door, Qi Puzhi silently buried herself under the covers, trying to pass herself off as a stuffed animal on Jiang Tian’s bed.

When Jiang Tian opened the door, her mother sighed in relief. “I noticed the door wasn’t locked when I got back and was worried there might have been a break-in.”

Jiang Tian rarely came home, and when she did, she usually informed them in advance.

“I had some business nearby, so I stayed the night,” Jiang Tian explained.

Her mother glanced at the nightgown she was wearing, as if she had just been sleeping, and remarked with surprise, “I can’t believe you’re still in bed at this hour.”

In her memory, Jiang Tian had never been one to sleep in, always waking up early without fail, full of energy to start a productive day.

Jiang Tian, who had discovered the joys of sleep after holding Qi Puzhi in her arms: “I was up late working.”

Her mother immediately grew concerned and began lecturing her about not overworking herself, and so on.

Then she added, “I had plans to go shopping this afternoon, but since you’re here, I’ll cook you a proper meal to make up for it.”

Once her mind was made up, nothing could change it. Jiang Tian tried to refuse but failed.

From the bed, Qi Puzhi listened and realized Jiang Tian’s mother would likely be home all day.

Thinking about her afternoon work commitments, she began contemplating whether climbing out the third-floor window would be too risky.

As Jiang Tian was about to close the door, her mother suddenly said, “About that girl from the Qi family. Don’t let her play with your feelings. She’s far more experienced than you.”

Jiang Tian paused, then understood.

Ever since her near-confession last time, she and her parents had argued about this matter several times.

Now, though her mother was still speaking critically of Qi Puzhi, her words were almost an implicit acceptance.

Jiang Tian said earnestly, “She’s not the kind of person who plays with others’ feelings.”

Her mother looked at her infatuated daughter and couldn’t help but shake her head.

Jiang Tian had always been strong-willed, never swayed by anyone, and no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

When Jiang Tian finally returned to bed, she found Qi Puzhi completely hidden under the covers, not even a strand of hair visible. Amused, she pulled her out and teased, “Isn’t it stuffy under there?”

It was, indeed. Qi Puzhi’s face was slightly flushed from the heat as she looked at Jiang Tian. “Does this put you in a difficult position?”

She was referring to the earlier conversation between Jiang Tian and her mother.

What mother would want her daughter to be with someone notorious for being a heartbreaker?

Jiang Tian shook her head, not mentioning past arguments, and simply said, “Don’t overthink it. It’s fine. Don’t take her words to heart, I’ll make sure they get to know you properly over time.”

Qi Puzhi fell silent for a moment. She had never been in a hurry to clear her name, Zhang Hua cared more about it than she did.

But whether in public opinion or in dealing with family, Jiang Tian inevitably suffered because of it.

She thought to herself, she needed to speed up her plans to strike back at Qi Ke.

Jiang Tian hugged her and suddenly thought of something, “Sister, you don’t have work today, do you?”

“I do. I have guests to meet this afternoon.” Qi Puzhi looked at her expectantly, “Does this third floor have any escape routes?”

“…” Jiang Tian recalled her childhood attempt to escape punishment by climbing down a rope from the window, only to nearly break her teeth in the process. She wasn’t sure whether to mention it.

After a brief silence, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get a dignified exit through the front door.”

Qi Puzhi caught the implication, “Oh? Have you had some undignified exits before?”

Jiang Tian simply kissed her to avoid dredging up childhood embarrassments.

But that didn’t stop Qi Puzhi from laughing softly as she pieced together the likely scenario.

“What’s got you imagining, sister?” Jiang Tian’s brow arched as she pinned her down, savoring the delicate skin of her neck and collarbone. The laughter soon transformed into breathless gasps.

Qi Puzhi had just finished her period, so Jiang Tian restrained herself from going too far and reluctantly let her go.

Seeing the woman beneath her with flushed eyes and a teasing gaze, Jiang Tian’s throat tightened, and her heart swelled with emotion.

In this room, where all her youthful joy, heartache, and longing for Qi Puzhi had once dwelled, before that life-sized poster, they now tangled together in intimacy.

It felt too surreal to be true.

But it wasn’t. Qi Puzhi’s skin was warm, her rapid breaths a beautiful rhythm of life, and the faint irritation in her eyes from being teased yet left unsatisfied was utterly endearing.

Jiang Tian gazed at her, then smiled, her eyes crinkling.

It really… couldn’t be any better.

While Jiang Tian distracted her mother with a chat in the study, Qi Puzhi made her escape from the Jiang residence.

As she fastened her seatbelt in the car sent by her driver, she happened to glance out the window and spotted a man stepping out of the Qi family’s gate in the distance.

His face was unmistakably a younger version of Qi Ke’s. He looked older than her.

Qi Puzhi froze for a moment, watching as the man disappeared around the corner.

Pressing her lips together, her expression unreadable, she pulled out her phone and sent Zhang Hua a few messages.

Just as Qi Puzhi was preparing for the battle ahead, Jiang Tian suddenly received a meeting request from Qi Ke.

The older man appeared benevolent, speaking to her with the gentle familiarity of an elder addressing a junior.

After a few pleasantries, Jiang Tian understood his purpose,

Qi Ke wanted her to distance herself from Qi Puzhi.

“No one understands my daughter better than I do,” Qi Ke smiled. “You must have noticed, her endless string of scandals over the years.”

“Her playful nature is hard to change,” Qi Ke sighed, as if resigned to his wayward daughter’s antics. “You may not know this, but recently, whispers have started circulating in B City’s elite circles. some even casting doubts about the Jiang family.”

Qi Ke had seen plenty of young heirs many were proud, with fragile egos, unwilling to be toyed with.

Especially someone like Jiang Tian, the sole heiress of the Jiang fortune. She might have been momentarily bewitched by Qi Puzhi’s charms, but once she realized how undignified it all was, she’d likely flee without a second thought.

Jiang Tian was only 22, fresh from graduating abroad. From what Qi Ke knew, she had barely dipped into the family business. Sheltered and indulged by her parents, she was like an untouched flower, likely naive to the complexities of their world.

“Although our families hardly interact, I still feel guilty that my daughter’s reputation has affected you.”

Qi Ke wore an apologetic expression.

He expected Jiang Tian to appear awkward or embarrassed, but instead, the young woman blinked her eyes and said with surprising earnestness, “But I don’t care.”

Qi Ke opened his mouth to respond, only to see Jiang Tian’s face light up with devout admiration:

“I like her so much that reputation means nothing to me.”

She tilted her head and smiled innocently, “I’d even be willing to marry into the Qi family for her.”

Qi Ke: “…”

After Jiang Tian expressed her boundless affection for Qi Puzhi, declaring she would gladly accept even the occasional scrap of her attention, Qi Ke struggled to maintain his composure.

He steered the conversation back: “What about your parents?”

As expected, Jiang Tian’s bright, confident demeanor faded at the mention of them.

She frowned, seemingly troubled.

Qi Ke observed her reaction discreetly, inwardly relieved.

When Jiang Tian received Qi Ke’s invitation to meet, she had immediately messaged Qi Puzhi. But Qi Puzhi was likely busy and only called that evening.

Qi Puzhi asked, “He didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”

Jiang Tian recounted the entire exchange.

Hearing the part about marrying into the family, Qi Puzhi chuckled. “You have a natural talent for provoking him.”

“It wasn’t entirely to provoke him,” Jiang Tian said seriously. “I meant it.”

Qi Puzhi held her phone, fingers lightly tracing its edges, and murmured, “Mm.”

A little embarrassed, she redirected the conversation: “I don’t think he met you just to convince you to leave me. His main goal was to gauge your parents’ stance on me.”

“His next move will probably be to secretly approach your parents for collaboration.”

Jiang Tian wasn’t as savvy in these matters, so she asked, “But he seems fixated on the past grievances between our families. He’s never worked with mine before.”

“That’s only because he hasn’t been desperate enough. He’s the type to trample his own dignity to achieve his goals.” Qi Puzhi spoke leisurely. “No matter. I’ll just offer better terms than him.”

Jiang Tian paused. “Huh?”

Qi Puzhi said, “I’ll counter his move by collaborating with your family. Jiang Tian, I know you’d want to help me… but in this case, I hope you won’t speak to your parents on my behalf.”

She smiled lightly. “I need to show my sincerity otherwise, how can I atone for stealing you away?”

She made it sound effortless, glossing over the sacrifices behind her words

Offering terms far exceeding the value of the collaboration itself, as a gift before formally visiting their home.

In a way, it could be called a betrothal gift.