After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 51

Qi Puzhi dawdled in the bathroom for a few minutes before finally mustering the courage to open the door and step out.

As expected, Jiang Tian was standing right outside the door, being rather “unaccommodating” as she waited for her.

Qi Puzhi awkwardly averted her gaze.

Seeing that the woman had finally decided to come out, Jiang Tian suppressed a smile and pretended to have forgotten the earlier incident.

She reached out, took Qi Puzhi’s hand, and led her toward the bed. “Let’s rest now, Sister. It’s late.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t tease her about what had happened.

“Mm,” Qi Puzhi pursed her lips, deciding to take the opportunity to let the matter drop.

Nestled in a soft embrace, on the verge of drifting off to sleep, Qi Puzhi heard Jiang Tian ask softly, “Are you still feeling upset?”

She realized then that Jiang Tian had noticed something.

Almost instinctively, she replied, “I’m fine now.”

After a brief, delicate silence, Jiang Tian kissed her forehead and whispered, “That’s good. Goodnight.”

Jiang Tian had never been deeply involved in her family’s business affairs; over the years, she had focused purely on enjoying music.

Now that Qi Puzhi was running around preparing to confront the situation, Jiang Tian couldn’t really offer much help. Especially since Qi Puzhi had made it clear beforehand that she didn’t want Jiang Tian to ask her family for anything regarding this matter.

And Qi Puzhi, having grown accustomed to bearing things alone over the years, wouldn’t openly share those emotions to burden Jiang Tian. If it weren’t for her drunken state, Jiang Tian wouldn’t have even known she had been feeling troubled lately.

So, whether it was about the situation itself or sharing the emotional load, Jiang Tian felt somewhat powerless.

Being unable to provide for someone you love can be its own kind of pain.

But Jiang Tian wouldn’t bring it up, not wanting to add to Qi Puzhi’s burdens. She understood her place and remained considerately silent, just as she had done for many years while waiting.

Having long grown accustomed to such situations, she quietly and quickly adjusted her emotions and was about to sleep when Qi Puzhi’s voice sounded beside her ear again:

“If I hadn’t seen you tonight. I think I would have remained ‘not fine’ for a long time.”

Jiang Tian was slightly taken aback, not expecting to hear such words from her.

After a pause, Qi Puzhi’s hand, which had been resting on her shoulder, moved to gently stroke the back of her neck. She said softly, “I always thought the only way to deal with emotions was to let time wear them away.”

“But you made me realize there’s a shortcut.” Her voice carried a note of wonder.

Qi Puzhi gazed at the younger woman, noticing how she stared back unblinkingly, her beautiful eyes seeming to glisten with moisture.

The sight made Qi Puzhi’s heart ache slightly.

So, just being needed to this extent already made her so happy.

Lowering her gaze, Qi Puzhi’s lips trembled slightly as she spoke, somewhat embarrassed, uttering words she never imagined she would say:

“So, I might be feeling down quite often lately, I’ll have to trouble you to, comfort me more.”

Jiang Tian watched as the woman, fighting back her shyness, sincerely opened her heart to her. For a moment, her throat tightened with emotion, and she found it hard to speak.

Before she started dating Qi Puzhi, she had wondered what it would be like.

With a young heart full of pure romance, she had hoped their love would be like a fairy tale.

But after truly having her, Jiang Tian discovered it was an experience far more beautiful than any fairy tale.

The Qi Puzhi she had known from afar was nowhere near as sincere, vibrant, and endearing as the real Qi Puzhi.

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

Qi Puzhi lightly pinched the back of Jiang Tian’s neck, sounding a bit annoyed.

Here she was, the renowned Qi Laoshi, who had caused quite a stir in the entertainment industry, finally mustering the courage to say something almost coquettish, only to be met with prolonged silence. Where was she supposed to put her pride?

“If you won’t coax me, then don’t” Qi Puzhi’s petulant words were cut short as Jiang Tian’s fervent kiss sealed her lips.

In that kiss, Jiang Tian conveyed all the answers.

This episode of “Cross-Border Date” would complete the filming of the second half of “Light and Shadow.”

As she put on the clothes from that era and watched the makeup artist apply the popular makeup of the time, Jiang Tian began to feel a sense of reluctance.

With every scene filmed, it felt as though she was drifting further away from that story.

When Qi Puzhi stepped out of the makeup room, she saw the door of the opposite makeup room wide open, with no one inside.

Gu Wen happened to pass by and, noticing her gaze fixed on the opposite room, couldn’t help but smile. “She was just called to the set by the director.”

“Go find your Ye Su now, Pei Ying.”

Those words echoed in Qi Puzhi’s ears like a whisper transcending time and space.

“These three months are the busiest time of the year for Wucheng’s opera house industry. As the star performer of our opera house, you actually want to take a quarter off.” The manager glared at Pei Ying in frustration. “If you don’t want to work anymore, just say so.”

She knew that most of the people in the opera house came from tragic backgrounds, forced to make a living here by selling their talents and sometimes their bodies.

For them, the phrase “don’t want to work anymore” was a severe threat, and such reprimands usually made them bow their heads and comply.

But Pei Ying remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, “Then I resign.”

“You” The manager stared at her in disbelief.

Since the gloomy rain after Qingming Festival, the sky in Wucheng had never cleared.

Pei Ying walked under an oil-paper umbrella to the dilapidated building, suddenly recalling the night she had brought Ye Su here before turning to leave for the Li family.

At that time, Ye Su didn’t know about her collaboration with the Li family and thought she was going to ruin herself.

The young woman’s hand had clung to her wrist, reluctant and resentful, before silently withdrawing and walking away in restraint.

Ye Su was a bright and passionate person, but for Pei Ying, she often held back.

Pei Ying stood there for a long while before snapping back to reality.

She wiped the moisture from her cheeks. Perhaps the rain was too heavy, splashing in from outside the umbrella.

But how could rainwater be warm?

Pushing open the door to her home.

Pei Ying loved cleanliness and order, but she hadn’t cleared away the jacket Ye Su had casually draped over the sofa before their rushed trip to Hongcheng, nor the half-filled cup of water on the table.

She hadn’t even righted a small ornament that might have been knocked over during a kiss.

These traces were scattered all over the small home, creating a mess, but with that person gone, the place no longer felt alive.

Pei Ying didn’t linger on the traces. Pressing her lips together, she finished packing her luggage for the last time and stepped out.

After more than a decade, she was embarking on the unknown once again.

Back then, it was for freedom; now, she was willingly binding herself in the shackles of love.

How contradictory, both freedom and shackles could inspire the courage to take a leap of faith.

Yecheng had once been the darkest and brightest place in Pei Ying’s life.

She had ended up there, starving and in tattered clothes, and because her striking beauty was hard to conceal, she had nearly been taken advantage of by a bachelor who wanted to force her into marriage.

Fortunately, Ye Su had saved her, secretly sheltering her in her own courtyard and providing her with days of food and clothing.

Pei Ying couldn’t tell whether she feared this place more or cherished it more.

But at this moment, she was filled with unease.

An individual’s strength is utterly insignificant before a large, powerful family, so feeble it can hardly be considered as pitting an egg against a rock.

What use was there in coming here? Pei Ying hadn’t figured it out, yet she came anyway. Even if it meant resigning from her job, even if it meant pawning the precious jewelry she had painstakingly collected.

Upon arriving in Ye City, Pei Ying found a hotel to rest.

The hotel was one of the Ye family’s businesses. As the attendant led her to her room, he handed her a large, crimson brocade pouch before leaving.

Seeing Pei Ying’s puzzled gaze fixed on the pouch, swollen with its contents, the attendant explained, “The Third Young Miss of the Ye family is getting married the day after tomorrow. Guests spending at any Ye family establishment receive wedding candies as a gift.”

Thud.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the pouch abruptly fell to the floor.

Noticing the young lady’s sudden pallor and her trembling hands, which could no longer hold the candies steady, the attendant asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

Pei Ying shook her head distractedly, her lips quivering as she staggered back a few steps into the room and slammed the door shut with a forceful bang.

She stood blankly staring at the wooden door, her chest heaving, her mind a void.

She’s getting married.

A sharp pain twisted in her heart, so intense she gasped for breath. Overwhelmed, her usually straight back hunched over involuntarily.

In the tide of the times, most people are as insignificant as mayflies. As women, perpetually oppressed by society, their status is even more humble sometimes, merely having their own thoughts is deemed a grave sin.

Chasing love might be a delusion requiring repentance for lifetimes.

Pei Ying collapsed to the floor as if her soul had left her.

Motionless. Through dusk, into the night, until the moon hung high in the sky. She sat like a statue carved of stone.

Dawn broke, and glaring sunlight fell upon the woman’s expressionless face.

Pei Ying stirred, struggling to push herself up.

The Ye family had always doted on the Third Young Miss, meticulously preparing for her upcoming wedding and spreading the news throughout the city.

They wanted her to marry in the most glorious manner.

Pei Ying spent the entire day rushing about before she managed to find a way, spending money to secure a seat as a wedding guest.

What should she do next? Under the Ye family’s influence, causing a scene at the wedding would only bring disgrace, it would achieve nothing else.

Lost in thought, Pei Ying drifted like a wandering spirit, about to leave through the small back gate of the Ye residence.

As she passed through the long corridor and by several side rooms, a slender hand suddenly reached out and yanked her inside.

Caught off guard, Pei Ying stumbled, instinctively about to cry out in alarm.

But her lips were muffled by a warm, soft palm, and her entire body fell into a familiar embrace. Pei Ying’s struggles ceased instantly.

“A-Ying.”

The voice she had longed for echoed in her ear, making Pei Ying wonder if she was trapped in a dream.

Ye Su held her tightly, so tightly that both of them were nearly breathless.

Her voice clearly trembled with tears, yet she feigned a tone of triumph: “I knew A-Ying couldn’t bear to be without me, that you’d come find me.”

Pei Ying didn’t speak. Instead, she lifted her head, caressed Ye Su’s face, and stared at her in a daze.

As if gazing at a painting she could admire but never possess.

In that silent exchange, it felt as though a thousand words had already been spoken.

Seeing the woman’s haggard appearance and her eyes gradually reddening with unshed tears, Ye Su’s heart ached unbearably.

Suppressing her own sorrow, she lowered her head and kissed her.

The kiss was deep and urgent, as if they wished to merge into one in that tangled embrace.

By the end, both their faces were streaked with tears, their lips rubbed raw and sore.

“Ye Su.” Pei Ying buried her face in Ye Su’s neck, her voice trembling lightly as she called her name.

For days, these two words had lingered in her heart countless times, but only now did she dare to voice them aloud.

“I’m here.” Ye Su held her close, almost greedily inhaling her subtle fragrance.

Pei Ying called out to her repeatedly, and she answered each time just as tenderly.

After a long, intimate moment, Ye Su wished time could stand still just like this.

But unfortunately, it couldn’t not yet.

Reluctantly, she kissed Pei Ying’s cheek and said, “A-Ying, I have to go back.”

Seeing Pei Ying’s hesitant expression, wanting to ask but not daring to her heart ached with tenderness. She gently stroked Pei Ying’s back.

“Don’t worry, A-Ying, listen to me”

She carefully explained everything.

Pei Ying bit her lip and gazed at her without saying a word. Ye Su let out a soft sigh.

She reached out, gently tugged aside Pei Ying’s collar, and buried her face against her shoulder, biting down softly.

Ye Su had always cherished her, knowing how delicate and sensitive her skin was, and usually held back her strength.

But this time, she pressed a little harder, leaving behind a faint mix of pain and tingling. Then, carefully, she soothed the spot with a gentle lick to ease the discomfort.

Lifting her head again, Ye Su looked intently at Pei Ying and said, “Wait for me.” Her young, gentle voice carried an inexplicable power to calm and reassure.

After a pause, she added playfully, trying to lighten the mood, “If it gets too hard… just look at the mark I left.” She was referring to the bite.

Pei Ying’s breathing grew heavy.

It turned out that ever since Ye Su had been taken back home, she hadn’t spent a single moment without striving for their future.

While Pei Ying had resigned from her job, pawned her jewelry, and fought her inner fears to travel alone to an unfamiliar city for Ye Su, Ye Su had been racking her brains, seizing every opportunity to plan her escape,

From the bribed Ye family servant who claimed to arrange a wedding seat for her, to everything that followed.

Pei Ying gazed at her and replied softly, “I believe in you.”

Just as she had answered before, when Ye Su said, “I will never lose the instinct to chase after you.”