After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 70

Qi Puzhi suddenly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling as she panted lightly, unable to calm down for a long while.

After a moment, she reached out and touched a dampness at the corner of her eye.

She turned over and saw the young woman beside her lying on her side, facing her with a serene sleeping face. The mist in Qi Puzhi’s eyes grew even thicker.

Jiang Tian was gently shaken awake. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her wife with teary eyes, looking at her with a gaze full of loss and grievance.

Without a second thought, her heart ached sharply. She quickly reached out, pulling the other into her arms, gently patting her back as she soothed:

“What’s wrong, sister? Did you have a nightmare?”

Qi Puzhi instinctively clutched the collar of Jiang Tian’s pajamas. Her voice still carried a lingering sob as she asked pitifully:

“Why weren’t you holding me?”

She had just had a bizarre nightmare about Jiang Tian leaving her. In her drowsy state, her emotions had sunk low.

Waking up to find Jiang Tian lying a body’s length away, not holding her as usual, she momentarily thought the dream had become reality. Her sleep-addled brain hadn’t even begun to process the situation before sadness took over.

Jiang Tian’s patting hand paused.

Then she leaned in to kiss the damp corner of Qi Puzhi’s eye, explaining with a mix of grievance and amusement, “Wasn’t it you, sister, who complained that the blanket was too thick and said it was too hot to cuddle, suggesting we ‘each keep to our own’ for a while?”

At this point, she should have remembered something very important because of the “thick blanket.”

But seeing the woman’s expression of grievance freeze, tinged with a hint of guilt for wrongly blaming her.

Then, half-playfully and half-seriously, she murmured in a low voice:

“I don’t care. I just dreamed you left me, and I was so sad.”

Jiang Tian’s heart melted like water, intertwined with threads of pain.

So she cast everything else aside, holding the other even tighter as she patiently comforted her, “It was just a dream. I would never leave you.”

She physically demonstrated her presence, closing her eyes as she kissed the woman’s soft lips.

Then, out of sheer habit and skill, she rolled over, pinning the other beneath her. Her kisses trailed from the lips to the ear, then to the neck.

Qi Puzhi wrapped her arms around Jiang Tian’s neck, allowing the other to passionately entangle with her.

Just as she accidentally let out her first soft gasp, someone couldn’t sit still any longer.

“Ahem, Teacher Qi, Teacher Jiang, just a reminder, we’re live streaming right now.”

A staff member’s voice came from some speaker, speaking very cautiously. “We just received a violation warning for the live stream. If this continues, the stream will be banned.”

Jiang Tian and Qi Puzhi, both immersed in intense emotions, froze simultaneously.

They stiffened into two statues on the spot.

Maintaining the position of Jiang Tian on top of Qi Puzhi, her face buried in the other’s neck, they remained completely still.

A deathly silence fell.

After a moment, Qi Puzhi’s arm moved slightly, pulling the blanket behind Jiang Tian upward until it covered both of them completely.

Thus, the live stream audience could only see a lumpy mound on the bed.

Stifled and a bit stuffy under the blanket, Qi Puzhi whispered with utter despair, “Is it too late for me to quit the entertainment industry now?”

Jiang Tian’s lips twitched. After a moment, she let out a helpless chuckle and said, “Wife, face reality.”

It was just a case of crashing and burning right from the start, she should be used to it by now.

But Jiang Tian didn’t dare voice the rest of her thoughts. Instead, she soothingly kissed the woman’s cheek under the blanket and whispered, “It’s okay.”

A moment later, Jiang Tian rolled off her and pulled the blanket down slightly.

Qi Puzhi breathed in the fresh air outside the blanket while accidentally making eye contact with a camera positioned directly above.

This was the villa provided by the production team. The live broadcast was scheduled to start in the afternoon, and they had arrived a bit early, so they decided to take a nap first.

Since this was a reality dating show with no on-site staff and complete freedom outside of main tasks, cameras were densely placed from every possible angle.

After waking up, however, the nightmare had made her forget all about them.

Feeling somewhat weak, Qi Puzhi closed her eyes and tried to recall what she had just done.

It was nothing much, just crying pitifully after waking up, tearfully questioning Jiang Tian why she hadn’t held her.

Just being kissed and pressed down by Jiang Tian, nearly going all the way, and letting out a soft moan.

It’s fine. A lifetime passes quickly.

Relying on the resilience she had cultivated in the entertainment industry, Qi Puzhi tried hard to comfort herself, there was still hope.

The dating show’s live broadcast was still long, and she could still work on salvaging her image.

Checking her phone, she saw it was 2:30 PM. There was a task assigned by the production team at 3:00.

Time to get up.

Just as Qi Puzhi was about to throw off the blanket and get out of bed, she sensed something was off.

She turned her head and whispered into Jiang Tian’s ear, “Where are my pants?”

Jiang Tian blinked and replied softly, “I took them off for you earlier. At that time.”

The blanket provided by the production team was too thick, and Qi Puzhi had complained in her sleep that she was hot. Jiang Tian had felt her legs and noticed a light sweat, so she had taken her pants off.

But before she could finish explaining, they were interrupted again by a staff member: “Um, just a reminder for both of you”

“The microphone by the bed has particularly good sound pickup…”

The staff member said with difficulty, “The live stream has already received two warnings. One more and it’ll really be banned.”

“…” Qi Puzhi’s eyelashes trembled. She froze for a moment, then bit her lower lip.

It’s fine. It’s just two consecutive mishaps.

You get used to it after enough of them.

While trying hard to maintain her composure and continue comforting herself, she stubbornly whispered even more quietly into Jiang Tian’s ear:

“Darling, do you think we can just go home now?”

But she hadn’t expected even that to be picked up.

They heard the staff member stammering as they reminded her, “Teacher Qi, the contract has already been signed.”

Qi Puzhi’s heart trembled, but she maintained an elegant smile on her face: “Your production team’s budget is quite generous.”

What kind of equipment did they even buy? The sound pickup might rival those used in ASMR videos.

She had completely forgotten that she was the one who had personally approved the funding and signed off on this show.

Just as Qi Puzhi, feigning calm, took her sleep pants from Jiang Tian and rustled under the blanket to put them on, the live chat exploded.

[Hahahahaha, after both of them flopped on the forums, the couple continues to flop on the dating show. I love watching this kind of drama!]

[I’m dying of laughter. They really didn’t disappoint after half a month of anticipation, coming in strong with heavyweight content right from the start.]

[One moment they’re kissing, coaxing, and nearly going all the way; the next, her pants are missing. Why is your couple’s vibe so different from everyone else’s?]

[Teacher Qi is so soft, uwu. Right off the bat, she’s tearfully asking her wife why she didn’t hold her. What a cutie!]

[Looking at how smoothly Jiang Tian comforts her, someone must be used to acting spoiled, huh?]

After changing and stepping out, Qi Puzhi looked at herself in the mirror and felt somewhat satisfied.

The woman wore a stylish, breezy halter top that revealed a beautifully defined abdominal line and toned, slender arms with tight muscle definition.

Jiang Tian admired her for a moment before glancing out the window at the overcast sky.

Only she knew that those toned abs and arm muscles were the result of Qi Puzhi’s last-minute efforts over the past half-month.

Two weeks ago, when she had touched Qi Puzhi’s stomach, it was still flat, soft, and delicate.

Knowing that Qi Puzhi was doing this to salvage her image on the show, Jiang Tian naturally wanted to cooperate fully, helping her wife regain some of that unnecessary, superficial authority in front of the public.

However, worried that the cold weather might chill Qi Puzhi’s stomach, Jiang Tian gently reminded her:

“Sis, it looks really beautiful… but I just checked the weather, and it’s going to be a bit chilly this afternoon. Maybe consider wearing this outfit tomorrow instead?”

Qi Puzhi tilted her head to look at her.

Because she had trained so intensely and hastily, the results had come quickly but were also fleeting. Skipping even a day would halve the effect by tomorrow, the visual impact wouldn’t be as striking as today.

After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, she stubbornly replied, “It’s fine, I don’t feel cold.”

Jiang Tian had anticipated this response and didn’t press further.

Before heading out, she discreetly took an extra coat from the suitcase, draping it over her arm, and thoughtfully considered whether it matched the pants Qi Puzhi was wearing.

Initially, the viewers’ comments aligned with Qi Puzhi’s hopes.

【Wow, Teacher Qi’s abs are clearer than my future…】

【Her arm lines are so beautiful soft yet full of vitality.】

【Looking at this, Teacher Qi doesn’t seem that much like a bottom anymore. Sis’s outfit today is so stunning and fierce!】

However, the capricious winds of City B were notoriously harsh and merciless, striking without reason.

As soon as they stepped outside, the exposed skin on Qi Puzhi’s body felt the biting chill carried by the strong wind.

She endured it silently composed, graceful, and upright, perfectly showcasing the fruits of her labor under the lenses of the live broadcast crew.

Her confidence and unyielding spirit in the face of the wind left the audience in awe.

【OMG, she’s so gorgeous.】

【I hereby declare this version of Teacher Qi a top-tier beauty (firmly convinced).】

【But it’s really cold in City B right now. Is Teacher Qi just that resilient, or is she prioritizing style over comfort? (whispering)】

Holding Qi Puzhi’s hand, Jiang Tian could feel her fingers gradually turning cold.

Yet, knowing her wife had trained for half a month just for this moment, she held back from offering the coat right away.

Just as she was thinking of buying a cup of hot milk from a nearby shop to warm Qi Puzhi up, an even fiercer gust of wind swept toward them.

Qi Puzhi shivered and couldn’t help covering her mouth as she let out a soft sneeze.

The corners of her eyes reddened slightly.

Reluctantly, Qi Puzhi found herself being firmly wrapped in the coat by Jiang Tian, who insisted, “Sis, you look just as cool in this coat.”

As she buttoned it up for her, one by one, Jiang Tian gazed at Qi Puzhi’s slightly reddened nose and had a premonition.

She had a feeling her wife was about to face another minor mishap.

At this point, the comments began to shift subtly.

【Jiang is so caring, she prepared the coat without a word, and buttoning it up is so charming.】

【It’s so cold out, I bet Teacher Qi wore that outfit just to show off her toned figure. Did Jiang Tian wait around for her wife to finish looking cool before finally making her put on a jacket? Hahaha】

【So, the question is, what was Teacher Qi’s goal here?】

【Just a guess, might be wrong. Could it be that after the forum backlash, she felt her image was too soft and tried to act tough in the reality show?】

【That makes a lot of sense. With so many comments earlier praising Teacher Qi for being so “top,” it seems like some people were almost fooled.】

And just over ten minutes later, Jiang Tian’s premonition of a disaster came true.

Because she noticed Qi Puzhi’s face was pale, and her lips weren’t as rosy as usual.

It was as if she was silently enduring some discomfort.

At that moment, they happened to arrive at the next task location for the show a family-run winery.

So, the Teacher Qi who had been radiant, carefree, and effortlessly charming in the strong wind half an hour earlier was now bundled up in thick, warm clothes, pitifully curled up in Jiang Tian’s arms.

Don’t ask it was because the wind had chilled her stomach, and it had started to ache.

After taking medicine, it hadn’t taken effect yet.

Feeling both heartache and amusement, Jiang Tian slipped her warm hand under the jacket and gently rubbed Qi Puzhi’s abdomen.

With her will to act tough worn down by the intense pain, Qi Puzhi couldn’t be bothered with maintaining her composure anymore.

Slumped weakly in Jiang Tian’s arms, her beautiful eyes half-closed in misery, she whimpered softly, “Rub a little higher up”

【I’m dying of laughter, who else gets it? The livestream has only been on for two hours, and Qi has already face-planted three times.】

【So she really was just trying to act like a “top” Please, Teacher Qi, stop with the futile struggles.】

【Don’t even mention it, she looks even more “bottom” now. I bet she’s regretting joining the show for the third time.】

Sure enough, through the high-end audio equipment the dating show crew had invested in, Qi Puzhi’s muttering was crystal clear as her stomach pain eased slightly and she belatedly realized what she had just done:

“This is so embarrassing… Maybe we should pretend to be sick and go home later”

Thinking about the millions of viewers watching the livestream, she felt even more hopeless.

She buried her face in Jiang Tian’s neck, at least hiding it from the livestream audience.

But then she felt that gesture made her seem too soft, so she sat up straight again.

At that moment, Teacher Qi deeply felt how difficult life could be.