After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“Okay, I understand, Sister Wang. I’ll go back tomorrow morning.” Hanging up the phone, Shen Lu walked inside and closed the glass door to the balcony. The night wind was a bit strong, and she was afraid the elderly woman would catch a chill.

“Lulu, come quickly! I’ve put a big piece of meat on your plate,” Grandma called out immediately.

Shen Lu smiled. “Coming, Grandma.”

A moment later, Grandma guessed like a fortune teller. “That was Qinqin’s phone call, wasn’t it?”

Shen Lu nodded. “There was a small situation over there, and they want me to go back earlier.”

Grandma nodded, not pressing her to stay. “Then you go to bed early tonight and go back to your work tomorrow. I’ve been very happy with your company these past two days. Go back and tell Qinqin not to worry about me and to focus on her work.”

“I know, Grandma.” Shen Lu smiled gently, holding her bowl.

…

A Sleepless Night and a Look Back

The night was deep, and a cool breeze rustled the curtains by the window. Ye Qin was once again suffering from insomnia. She had no choice but to get up, pour herself a glass of red wine, and stand by the window, sipping the wine while feeling the breeze. The view outside was the typical urban nightscape—tall buildings, twinkling lights—and she stood in the top-floor suite of the hotel, looking down at everything, savoring the heartlessness and complexity of the world beneath the concrete and steel.

She suddenly recalled that night many years ago, on her eighteenth birthday. She had just returned from a prison visit—her first in over a decade since the family incident. She bought a lot of alcohol from a nearby convenience store and sat on the side of the road, drinking and feeling the wind, her face cold and expressionless.

Until a pair of feet appeared before her, wearing black high heels. A voice came from above her head. “Do you need company for a drink?”

Ye Qin looked up suddenly. That was the first time she met Wang Lin. Wang Lin had a sharp, short haircut and wore a sleek black women’s suit, like an office lady finishing work. Ye Qin glanced at the few remaining liquor bottles in the shopping bag beside her and said, “Whatever.”

Wang Lin sat down beside her, right there on the roadside. She opened a can of beer, took a big gulp, and then let out a deep sigh. That year was also the year Yang Li got married and had a child, a piece of news Wang Lin had just found out.

Ye Qin continued to drink by herself and didn’t start a conversation with Wang Lin. They drank in silence for an unknown amount of time until all the alcohol was finished. Only then did Wang Lin ask, “Hey, I see you have good potential. How about you follow me?”

And just like that, the quiet, withdrawn, and socially awkward Ye Qin, who was often called a weirdo, was brought into the entertainment industry by Wang Lin.

She had already finished one glass of wine. Ye Qin shook the empty glass and was about to pour herself another to pass the long night, only to find the bottle was empty. She gave up. Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, she had become fragile, sensitive, and paranoid. She was often deeply affected by online comments. Sometimes she also wondered if she was truly suited for this job and this industry.

In Shen Lu’s words, she was too thin-skinned.

Speaking of Shen Lu, Ye Qin remembered when Shen Lu first joined her as an assistant three years ago after graduation. She was clumsy, knew nothing, and was often scolded to tears by Sister Wang Lin.

…

Reunited

Shen Lu lay in Ye Qin’s old room—Grandma had insisted she sleep there. At first, she couldn’t fall asleep. It was hard to imagine lying in Ye Qin’s bedroom, in the bed she had slept in for over ten years. Although the sheets were freshly laundered, she still felt she could catch a faint, pleasant, indescribable scent of Ye Qin.

She remembered her first job after graduation. She first took the certified celebrity assistant exam, attended the assistant recruitment, then went through training, and finally was assigned. When the colleagues who joined with her were discussing which celebrity they would be assigned to, Shen Lu heard Ye Qin’s name.

“Hey, my cousin works here. I heard that Ye Qin has changed assistants several times. None of them lasted three months.”

“Then she must be very difficult to work for. Please, God, don’t let me be assigned to her.”

Was she really that scary? At that time, Ye Qin had already started to become famous. When Shen Lu was assigned to her, she finally understood why Ye Qin’s previous assistants had frequently resigned.

The reason was that Ye Qin was truly eccentric. Most people couldn’t handle her.

Ye Qin’s first impression on Shen Lu was cold, and then indifferent. During her first month of work, Shen Lu felt almost suffocated by the low-pressure atmosphere, feeling like she was about to have a nervous breakdown or even depression.

But she made it through. After three months, she noticed that things slowly started to change. For example, Ye Qin, who never allowed her to touch anything, now confidently entrusted her with her personal life. Later, it became almost… complete reliance. Sometimes, being too reliant wasn’t a good thing. For example, right now, this woman couldn’t live for a moment without her.

Thinking this, Shen Lu felt a little smug.

She believed that after three years of working together, she knew Ye Qin well enough. However, there were still some things Ye Qin kept tightly locked away, refusing to let anyone touch. Perhaps it was the things Ye Qin’s grandmother had told her this time.

Suddenly, for a moment, Shen Lu felt like she was carrying a very, very big secret on her shoulders.

No, it’s two secrets now.

Back to Work

The next morning, Shen Lu rushed back to H City on the earliest intercity train.

After quickly dropping off her luggage in the hotel room, she still had time to go and wake up Ye Qin. After having a hotel staff member open the door, Shen Lu quietly walked in. On the living room table were an empty red wine bottle and a stemmed glass. The room was dark and inexplicably oppressive, so she quickly walked over and pulled back all the curtains. After a quick tidying, she went to wake Ye Qin.

Ye Qin, her hair disheveled, asked while getting ready, “Why are you back?”

“S-Sister Wang asked me to come back. Sister, was the filming at the set delayed yesterday?” The moment Shen Lu asked, she regretted it. She was bringing up a sore subject.

Sure enough, Ye Qin looked at her with a dark expression and coldly stated, “You really think I can’t live without you.”

“No, no, Sister, why would I think that? It’s getting late, let’s hurry downstairs.” Shen Lu cleverly changed the subject.

Ye Qin said nothing more and walked ahead. Shen Lu followed behind with her bag. Perhaps before this trip home, her view of Ye Qin was somewhat biased, thinking she was just a spoiled, ill-tempered celebrity. But now, as Shen Lu watched her back, the words Grandma had spoken echoed in her mind. It was truly hard to believe that someone like her had gone through such immense pain—witnessing the cruel scene of a mother murdering a father—and had carried these secrets alone, buried deep in her heart, all these years.

“What are you standing there for?” Ye Qin stood in the elevator, expressionless.

Shen Lu snapped out of it, realizing she had been standing outside the elevator in a daze for a long time without going in. She hurriedly rushed in. “Sorry, Sister. I was lost in thought.”

“Thinking about what?” Ye Qin asked casually.

“Huh?” Shen Lu was startled, her face pale. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

Afterward, Shen Lu quietly glanced at Ye Qin, thinking it was better not to tell her that she already knew everything. What if she got upset and fired her…

Back at work, Shen Lu began a new day of miscellaneous tasks on the set. At noon, she personally prepared a lunchbox for Ye Qin, following the nutritional recipe Sister Wang had sent her. Watching Ye Qin use a fork to put a flower-shaped carrot slice into her mouth, Shen Lu’s heart was pounding in her throat, her eyes fixed on Ye Qin’s every move.

“Sister, how is it? Does it taste okay?”

Ye Qin chewed twice, and her tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. “How did you make this?”

“Is it very bad?” Shen Lu asked cautiously.

Ye Qin shook her head. “Not exactly. At least it’s better than my diet meals… Make this at the set from now on.”

“Okay!” Shen Lu nodded excitedly. This was a form of affirmation for her.

“Oh, right,” Ye Qin called out to her again.

“Just tell me what you need!”

“If you don’t have anything on tonight, come to my room.” Ye Qin said without raising her head, still eating.

Shen Lu, standing behind her, was stunned, a little unsure what she meant. “Do I have to go?”

Ye Qin looked up, glancing at her. “Why?” She quickly looked around to make sure no one was there, and then gave a meaningful smile. “Are you afraid I’ll make a move on you again?”

“No, no!” Shen Lu quickly waved her hands, trying to clear the air. “I didn’t think that.”

“Besides…” Ye Qin thought it was strange. “I was drunk that night, but you were still sober. Why did that happen?”

Shen Lu’s face instantly turned red. She knew nothing, and she wouldn’t admit anything. “Sister, I have something to do. You eat first.” With that, she tucked her tail and ran away.