After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In the morning, people in H City had already started their busy day. The film crew was in position early, adjusting camera angles, arranging the background, and cleaning up, making full preparations for today’s shoot. Tan Xueying arrived very early, even before the director. She was accompanied by an assistant and greeted every crew member warmly.

But as soon as she turned away, she could hear people discussing her behind her back.

“In this day and age, what’s the use of good acting? She still gets overshadowed.”

“Exactly, it’s an era where looks are everything.”

“Both their costume photos leaked, but one can get on the hot search, and the other barely makes a ripple.”

“…”

“Sis, did you hear what they were saying?!” Lili stomped her feet, furious.

Tan Xueying smiled serenely. “It’s fine, let it go.” She walked straight into her dressing room. Lili pouted and muttered a quiet retort. “Snobs!” Then she quickly followed.

…

Ye Qin didn’t have a restful sleep. She couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but she kept waking up at night, so she couldn’t get out of bed late in the morning.

Wang Lin was standing at Ye Qin’s bedside, looking down at her, just short of shouting into a megaphone. “Do you know what time it is?”

Ye Qin subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light. Wang Lin was standing with the sunlight from the window behind her, making her figure look dark, like a soul-reaper from the underworld. “What time is it… Where’s Shen Lu? How come she didn’t wake me up?”

Wang Lin sighed helplessly. “You sent Shen Lu back to A City, did you forget?”

Only then did Ye Qin slowly sit up, grasping her hair with her head down. It took her a while to fully wake up, and she mumbled, “Oh… I remember now.” Then she climbed out of bed. “I know, I’m getting up now.”

While Ye Qin was getting ready, Wang Lin asked, “When do you plan to have Shen Lu come back?”

Ye Qin, brushing her teeth, mumbled incoherently, “I don’t know. Let her stay a few more days if she can. It’s good to spend more time with Grandma.”

“I think you shouldn’t rely on Shen Lu too much sometimes. What if you can’t live without her in the future?” Wang Lin asked seriously, but to Ye Qin, it sounded like a joke.

Ye Qin burst out laughing, her smile breathtakingly beautiful, even with foam around her mouth. “How is that possible? You think too highly of her.”

Wang Lin looked up at her. Is that really the case?

To begin with, as Ye Qin’s manager, she was the first to oppose this marriage alliance. It was practically treating marriage as a game. How could two people who didn’t love each other get a marriage certificate? Although she understood Ye Qin’s difficulties—her desperate desire to fulfill her grandmother’s long-cherished wish and not leave her with regrets before her death—she felt this wasn’t a good solution, or at least not the most feasible one.

However, as things stood, there seemed to be no turning back. Now, she could only pray that nothing went wrong before the expiration of their contractual marriage. Otherwise, it would directly impact Ye Qin’s career, and all the effort she had poured into it might be for nothing.

After Wang Lin helped her finish getting ready, she drove her to the set. With Shen Lu gone for the next few days, Wang Lin might have to spend more time at the set, as Ye Qin was someone who couldn’t manage anything without Shen Lu.

…

Shen Lu was hanging clothes on the balcony when she let out a huge sneeze. Grandma quickly asked from inside, “Are you catching a cold?”

“I’m fine, Grandma, it was just a sneeze.” Shen Lu finished up and quickly went inside. “Grandma, is there anything else you need me to do?” she asked, rolling up her sleeves.

“Silly child, it’s wonderful just having you here to talk to me. Why are you doing the housekeeper’s job, too?”

Shen Lu smiled. “It’s nothing, nothing. I can’t sit still; I feel better when I have something to do.”

Grandma’s tone suddenly became conspiratorial. “Qinqin doesn’t usually make you do chores like this, does she?”

Shen Lu froze, her face momentarily awkward. “No, how could she? She… she’s very good to me. She usually doesn’t let me do chores.” Lying felt strange. If that woman really had a day where she didn’t let her do chores, wouldn’t the sun rise from the west? (The sun really did rise from the west later / smile)

“If she dares to bully you, you secretly tell Grandma, and Grandma will take care of her!” Grandma whispered, clutching her hand.

Shen Lu forced an awkward, guilty laugh. “Yes, yes, Grandma.”

She’s my boss, Shen Lu didn’t dare to offend her.

…

During Grandma’s lunchtime nap, Shen Lu decided to go home quickly to return the household register. That way, she could lift the burden off her mind sooner; she was constantly worried about it.

It was only a short trip from Ye Qin’s old house—a few bus stops and three subway stops. In a large city where a trip often took an hour, twenty minutes wasn’t far. It was a workday, so she figured no one would be home. This way, she could secretly put the household register back without anyone knowing.

She opened the door at home, and sure enough, no one was there. Shen Lu no longer needed to tiptoe around. She felt comfortable doing whatever she pleased in her own home. First, she changed her shoes, took a soda from the fridge, opened it, and took a few sips. Then, without rushing, she opened the door to her parents’ room. She opened the drawer where the household register was kept. Just as she placed the register back in its original spot, she heard two coughs behind her. Shen Lu jumped in fear, nearly dropping the soda can.

She turned to see that it was just her brother, Shen Jing. “You scared me to death!”

“I thought we had a thief in the house. It’s just you, Sis!” Shen Jing leaned against the door, laughing loudly.

Shen Lu closed the drawer and stood up, giving him a glare. “I put the household register back. You promised to keep it a secret for me.”

“I know, I know. Your little brother has some principles.” Shen Jing then added, “But when did you get back? Weren’t you in H City?”

“I rushed back to bring the household register, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it all the time,” Shen Lu said. She examined Shen Jing’s appearance: a white tank top, big shorts, flip-flops, and a scruffy beard. She couldn’t help but show her distaste. “Looking like that, it’ll be a problem for you to even find a girlfriend later.”

“I’m not worried at all. Sis, you should worry about yourself first. You must be 25 years old this year.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Shen Lu finished speaking and walked out of the room, dragging Shen Jing along. She was preparing to leave.

“You just got back and you’re already leaving? Aren’t you going to wait for Mom and Dad to come home and have dinner?” Shen Jing asked.

Shen Lu changed her shoes. “No, I’m busy with work. Not like you, who loafs around all day. If you’re really bored, go work as a manager at the internet café downstairs. At least you can earn money for food and your monthly internet fees.”

Shen Jing watched his sister’s disappearing back at the door: Work as an internet café manager??

…

In the afternoon, the second scene had just started shooting. It was a scene where Ye Qin, playing a junior employee, had just joined the company where Tan Xueying, playing the boss, worked. There was a custom-made uniform for the scene. When it was first issued, Ye Qin had asked Shen Lu to take it to the dry cleaner. Now, when it was time to change clothes, the uniform was nowhere to be found.

The crew members were searching everywhere for her. The director was losing his temper and ordered everyone to search the entire set. Ye Qin’s dressing room was searched high and low, but there was still no result. Because of the uniform problem, the entire shoot was stalled. Without this scene, they couldn’t proceed with the subsequent ones. Several other featured extras were waiting nearby, their complaints growing louder.

“What the heck? Because of just her, all of us have to wait. How long is this going to take? Can we even shoot this scene today?”

“Big stars are really something.”

“…”

“Are you sure Shen Lu really brought the clothes to the set?” Wang Lin asked.

Ye Qin nodded. She had seen it with her own eyes and had placed it herself. How could there be a problem?

Wang Lin was helpless and had to call Shen Lu. “Do you know where Ye Qin put that employee uniform?”

Shen Lu asked, “Is it missing?”

“Yes, the entire crew is waiting now, and the shooting is interrupted.” Wang Lin paused and then said, “Try to think carefully. Knowing her, where might she have put it?”

Wang Lin was certain the uniform wasn’t lost; Ye Qin had just forgotten where she put it.

Shen Lu quickly calmed down and thought hard. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. “Could Sister have… accidentally taken it back to the hotel with her when she changed after wrapping up?” This was just a guess, but with Ye Qin’s occasional absent-mindedness, it was highly possible.

“I know, I’ll go back and look.” With that, Wang Lin hung up the phone.

Later, it turned out exactly as Shen Lu had predicted. Ye Qin had indeed taken it back to the hotel and had thrown it into a pile of clothes. Although the shoot was finally completed successfully, albeit late into the evening, the commotion inevitably led to resentment among the crew.

Frankly, Ye Qin wasn’t known for her acting skills and was easily criticized. This incident would likely worsen her reputation within the film crew.

As she was preparing to leave after wrapping up, just as Ye Qin was about to get into the car, she overheard two minor actresses walking past her. Their conversation went straight into her ears.

“Ugh, if it weren’t for Ye Qin, that flower vase, I could have wrapped up and gone home already. Getting off this late, and they won’t even give us overtime pay.”

“I really don’t get how someone like her got famous—no acting skills, no ability, just a good face. How far can she really get with just that?”

“Oh, don’t say that. That big-shot earns enough in a year for us to live a lifetime. When she can’t rely on her looks anymore, she can just retire.”

“I’m so annoyed, so annoyed…”

They walked away, and Ye Qin couldn’t hear them clearly anymore. She just stood by the car door, lost in thought.

Wang Lin opened the car door for her. “Get in. Don’t mind them.”

Ye Qin didn’t say anything, bowed her head, and got into the car. The ride was silent and heavy until she softly asked, “Am I not suitable for this industry?”

Wang Lin quickly comforted her. “What are you thinking? You’re more than suitable; you’re irreplaceable. Look, what happened today is no big deal. You’re still the director’s favorite. Go back, get some good rest, and keep up the good work tomorrow.”

Back at the hotel, Ye Qin lay down on the sofa, an arm covering her eyes. It was unclear if she was awake or asleep.

Wang Lin silently tidied up the messy room for her and prepared to leave. Before walking out, she said, “Rest now. If anything happens, call me.”

Ye Qin quickly and secretly wiped her eyes, not wanting Wang Lin to see. She only replied with one word, “Okay.”

Wang Lin pursed her lips but closed the door and left. She thought this couldn’t go on and had to pull out her phone to call Shen Lu.

Shen Lu was having dinner with Grandma. She went to the balcony to answer the call. “Sister Wang, what’s up?”

“Shen Lu, you need to come back quickly. She can’t manage without you.”