After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The heavy photo album was closed, scattering a layer of dust and sealing away past memories.

“Lulu.”

“Yes, Grandma, what is it?”

Grandma held Shen Lu’s hands tightly. “Grandma is telling you all this with no other intention. It’s just that I know my days are numbered. If I leave, I can’t be at ease about Qinqin. At that time, you’ll be the only person she can rely on in this world. I just hope you can understand her, be there for her, and accompany her.”

Shen Lu pursed her lips and gave Grandma a firm promise. “Grandma, don’t worry, I won’t let you down. Besides, you’ll live a long life! You can’t believe everything the doctor says; otherwise, how could so many medical miracles happen?”

Grandma beamed. “Your mouth is so sweet; you know just how to make Grandma happy.”

Shen Lu hugged Grandma’s arm. “That’s not true, I’m telling the truth. Grandma, you’ll definitely live a long life.”

“Oh, weren’t you here to get your household register? I almost forgot about the real business.” Grandma said, rummaging through the iron box twice more. She pulled out two household registers, one of which dropped to the floor. Shen Lu quickly bent down to pick it up. She opened it and saw that it was Ye Qin’s household register.

Inside, there were only three people left: Ye Qin, Grandma, and Ye Qin’s mother, who was still in prison. As for the father’s column, it was stamped with “deceased” and cancelled. Shen Lu quickly closed it and returned it to Grandma, taking her own family’s register.

“Thank you, Grandma.”

“You’re welcome, child. Are you hungry? Grandma will make you something to eat. You rushed here early this morning, haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Grandma asked kindly.

Speaking of hungry… she was indeed very hungry. She hadn’t eaten much since traveling all the way from H City last night, and after waking up and buying things, she came straight to Grandma’s. Shen Lu originally wanted to decline, but Grandma insisted on cooking, so she politely accepted, considering it was the elder’s kind intention.

Then, Grandma put on her kitchen apron and went into the kitchen. Shen Lu sat alone on the sofa in the living room, feeling a little bored. The TV was playing a drama that Ye Qin had starred in. Just then, Shen Lu’s phone chimed. She opened it; it was a WeChat message from Ye Qin.

Ye Qin: Are you there?

Shen Lu: I’m here, at Grandma’s now.

Ye Qin: Mm.

Shen Lu wanted to say something more, but seeing Ye Qin’s “Mm” instantly left her mind blank. However, Ye Qin often killed the conversation like this, and Shen Lu was already used to it. She was a woman of few words in real life, and she was the same on WeChat. It was as if looking at the chat box, she could picture Ye Qin’s cold face while replying.

Forget it. Shen Lu put away her phone, but then another message came. This time, it was from Sister Wang.

Sister Wang Lin: Shen Lu, where are you? We’re about to leave for the film set.

Shen Lu: *shivering* Sister Wang, I’m in A City. Sister Qin asked me to come back last night. She hasn’t told you yet, has she?

Sister Wang Lin: Is that so? Oh, I see.

Shen Lu: I’ll stay here for two days and then head to the set. Sister Qin asked me to spend some time with Grandma.

Sister Wang Lin: Mm, be careful yourself. Don’t let anything slip, and don’t let the media catch anything.

Shen Lu: I will be careful.

Phew~ Putting down her phone, Shen Lu breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, Grandma brought the noodles out, her face beaming. “Here, hot Yang Chun Noodles are ready!”

Seeing this, Shen Lu quickly stepped forward to help Grandma. “It smells so good, Grandma, this noodle.”

“Of course,” Grandma introduced proudly. “Qinqin loved these Yang Chun Noodles when she was little. She could eat two bowls when she was seven or eight!”

Shen Lu looked astonished. Then Grandma added, “You eat first. Later, I’ll teach you the steps for making the noodles. When I’m no longer in this world, you can still make them for Qinqin to eat.”

The bite of noodle Shen Lu was chewing suddenly broke off. She felt like Grandma was saying her final goodbyes, wanting to arrange and settle everything all at once. Perhaps after narrowly escaping death only to learn that her time was truly limited, she was no longer so afraid of dying.

After eating the noodles, Shen Lu began to follow Grandma’s hands-on instructions for making the Yang Chun Noodles. She only remembered the phrase echoing in her mind the entire morning: “A handful of thin noodles, half a bowl of clear broth, a cup of water, five qian (about 15-20 grams) of lard, a spoonful of soy sauce, and then blanch two small bok choy…”

She was clumsy, so she simply wrote down the steps and ingredients in her phone’s memo. That way, no matter where she went, anytime, anywhere, she could make them for her to eat.

In the afternoon, Shen Lu accompanied Grandma for a walk. When they returned, Grandma went to her room for a nap. Shen Lu was alone in the living room again. The TV was still playing the drama Ye Qin had starred in. Bored, she logged into Weibo and saw Ye Qin’s name prominently displayed on the hot search list again.

She was immediately puzzled and clicked on it, discovering that someone had leaked the costume photos for the drama Peerless (Jue Shi Wu Shuang). Everyone was excitedly discussing Ye Qin’s look and even guessing the dominant/submissive roles of the characters, having a great time. (Group chat: 110817951)

However, there were also anti-fans dissing: “This hot search is inexplicable, isn’t it?” “Actress Ye must be really rich, always buying the number one spot.” “The costume photo alone can get on the hot search. What about Zhang Xiaofei, who pays to get on the hot search?”

Zhang Xiaofei had been mocked repeatedly for buying hot searches and hiring internet trolls, facing public scorn almost every time.

Shen Lu reluctantly curled her lips. Ye Qin certainly didn’t buy the hot search; she, as her assistant, knew that very well. What she found strange was that the two lead actresses’ costume photos were taken on the same day, so why was only Ye Qin’s leaked? This question remained unanswered in her mind for the time being.

Ye Qin’s team immediately began to handle the situation, quickly issuing a public relations statement and an official statement on their official Weibo account, declaring that legal action would be taken against those who leaked the costume photos and maliciously slandered her for buying hot searches or hiring internet trolls.

It was very formal and very common; almost every time an artist had an incident, they would first issue a statement to calm the public. As for whether they would actually follow through with the statement’s actions afterward, that remained unknown.

Later, after urgently contacting Sister Wang, Shen Lu learned that this whole series of events was orchestrated by the drama’s producer and director team. They were simply trying to use Ye Qin’s hot search appeal to create buzz for the drama. Okay, it seemed like she had worried for nothing.

At 5 PM, Shen Lu went downstairs to buy some groceries and cooked dinner for Grandma. She listened to Grandma talk about a few funny stories from Ye Qin’s childhood. After helping Grandma bathe and get settled, Shen Lu finally had a chance to rest.

Sitting alone on the old balcony, she dozed off while gazing at the starry sky. Her mind was foggy, and a thick layer of sleepiness began to wash over her. Suddenly, a phone ringtone pierced the night, jolting her awake from her drowsiness.

The name Ye Qin lit up the phone screen. Shen Lu didn’t dare to delay her call for a second, fumbling to answer quickly.

“Sister, it’s me. What’s up?”

In the hotel room, Ye Qin was wrapped in a bath towel while talking on the phone. “Where’s the bra I bought in France last time? I can’t find it.”

“Sister, are you talking about the white one with the lace trim? It should be in your luggage.”

The moment her words fell, a busy signal sounded in her ear. Great… the other party had already hung up. Shen Lu smiled wryly.

In less than two minutes, the phone rang again. Shen Lu patiently asked, “Sister, what is it this time?”

Ye Qin was briefly blank, suddenly forgetting what she was going to say with this call. Shen Lu waited for a long time before the other party finally spoke.

“The ointment I gave you last time, did you use it?”

“I used it, it works great! Thank you, Sister!”

“Mm…” Ye Qin held the phone, wrapped in her bath towel, and unknowingly wandered towards the floor-to-ceiling window. She instinctively reached out to pull the curtains open but managed to stop herself just in time. Otherwise, tomorrow’s headline would be her indecent photo. “Nothing else. I’m hanging up.”

“Okay, Sister!” Shen Lu replied.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… Shen Lu felt strange. She glanced at the phone screen. Why hadn’t she hung up yet? She curiously asked again, “Sister?”

Ye Qin hummed “Mm” again, then said, “Thank you for helping me take care of Grandma…”

“You’re welcome, this is what I should do.” Shen Lu chuckled.

… After about ten seconds of silence between them, Ye Qin’s voice softly came through. “I’m really hanging up this time.”

With that said, before Shen Lu could react, the busy signal was already buzzing in her ear. She smiled foolishly at the phone screen, rested her face in her hand, and looked up at the stars, murmuring to the brightest one, “Silly Qin.”