After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The noise outside was loud. Everyone was eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing, fully venting the fatigue of a day’s work. The usually quiet set assistant, who usually kept to himself, was now the life of the party, red-faced and recounting all sorts of gossip and anecdotes.

The sound was loud enough that Shen Lu, sitting in the private room, could hear it. Looking down, the table in front of her was piled high with shrimp and crab shells, while the table in front of Tan Xueying was conspicuously clean, with not a drop of sauce left on her plate. The contrast was obvious. Shen Lu felt a little embarrassed to continue eating. She pulled a napkin from the dispenser and wiped her mouth. “Sister Xueying, aren’t you eating?”

Only then did Tan Xueying symbolically pick up a piece of green vegetable and take a bite. “You know, we female artists have to watch our figures…”

Shen Lu understood immediately, offering an awkward smile. “I get it. Ye Qin is the same way, she eats very little. But Sister Xueying, you still have to take care of your health. Don’t ruin your body for the sake of your figure. Ye Qin was hospitalized because of that a while ago.”

Tan Xueying smiled. “Thank you for your concern. But you should eat more.”

Shen Lu looked down at her already-stuffed, rounded belly. She was clearly full, but it would be such a waste to leave so much delicious food. “Um, Sister Xueying, can I take some leftovers home in a container?”

Tan Xueying was slightly surprised. “Why? Are you saving it for a late-night snack?” she asked with a smile.

“No, no. I was thinking Ye Qin hasn’t eaten anything tonight, so I’ll take some back for her. Whether she eats it or not, at least I’ll have delivered my good intentions,” Shen Lu explained.

“I see. You are truly thoughtful and attentive to her. I’ll have Li Li bring you some clean containers in a moment.”

“Mhm!” Shen Lu nodded. “Thank you, Sister Xueying.”

Li Li reluctantly complied. Shen Lu used the containers to pack fresh food, getting everything ready to take back later that night.

“Sister, everyone outside is playing a game. Do you want to go out and watch?” Li Li asked.

Tan Xueying said, “Oh,” and then looked at Shen Lu. “Shen Lu, how about we go out and take a look together?”

Shen Lu was taken aback. “Okay, sounds good.”

Li Li pouted. Why did she have to be everywhere! What was this woman’s motive for trying so hard to get close to Sister Xueying?

The well-fed crowd had started playing Truth or Dare. When Tan Xueying came out, both the men and women cheered and yelled, egging her on to join. Tan Xueying smiled and waved her hand, humbly saying, “I’ll just watch you all play. This game is not for me.”

Big stars had privileges, so no one objected to her bowing out. Besides, Sister Xueying’s reputation on set was always excellent—a complete contrast to Ye Qin. As for Shen Lu, she could only sheepishly join the game under the crowd’s encouragement.

This wasn’t the first time Shen Lu had played Truth or Dare. She distinctly remembered playing it at her university graduation party with classmates. Shen Lu was a complete game magnet for bad luck; she was the one who suffered every time, forced to reveal many truths and complete many dares. In short, she was utterly tormented, and the memory was still fresh.

Now, facing the game again, she couldn’t help but feel a chill. It had been years; surely her luck couldn’t still be that bad?

Since there were many players, they decided to use a Pass the Parcel method to choose the person who had to do the dare or tell the truth. Since Tan Xueying wasn’t playing, the crowd nominated her to be the one to beat the drum. Tan Xueying found it hard to refuse such enthusiasm and agreed.

The “parcel” naturally started with Shen Lu, who had just joined. Shen Lu held the flower and glanced at the large group, thinking there was no way the luck would stop with her on the first round. So, when the drumbeat started, she confidently passed it to the next person.

The drumbeat was very rhythmic, leading the people present to wonder if Tan Xueying had talent in this area as well. Everyone smiled, passing the flower to the next person. As it got closer and closer to her, Shen Lu’s heart tightened. Why hasn’t it stopped yet? Why hasn’t it stopped? When it finally did stop, Shen Lu looked down and glanced helplessly at the flower in her hand. What kind of luck is this!

To get hit like this, she had no one to blame but herself.

Tan Xueying turned around and was also surprised to see it was Shen Lu. Shen Lu forced a bitter smile and then said to the man who had just handed her the flower, “I’ll choose Truth.”

“We all work together, so we won’t make it too difficult for you…” The man stroked his chin and winked. “Do you like Ye Qin?”

As soon as the question was asked, the crowd erupted in a chorus of oohs, all ready for some drama, leaning forward and cupping their ears.

“How should I put this? She is my boss, after all. I can’t exactly say I hate her, can I?” Shen Lu really didn’t know how to answer. “Alright, alright, that’s my answer.”

“Tch~ What kind of answer is that~” Although everyone wasn’t satisfied with the perfunctory response, there was nothing they could do but proceed with the next round of the game.

The drumbeat started with Shen Lu again. She secretly wished it wouldn’t stop with her this time, or she would genuinely develop a psychological complex about this game. But what she feared most happened: it stopped right at Shen Lu for the second time. Even she suspected the game was rigged now.

But Tan Xueying, who was beating the drum, was also startled, which showed just how terrifying the atmosphere was for Shen Lu.

“Shen Lu, I didn’t mean to. You don’t blame me, right?” Tan Xueying comforted her.

“No, no, of course not. I can only blame my own bad luck,” Shen Lu self-mocked.

This time, she didn’t choose Truth again. Instead, she chose Dare. Doing something was better than saying something. In this industry, saying even one extra word could easily be used against her. Sister Wang’s advice was always etched in her mind.

“Shen Lu actually chose Dare!”

“Do you dare to play?”

“Hahahaha, this is going to be good!”

“…”

Shen Lu stood in the center, pouting with a look of facing death unflinchingly. “What’s there to be afraid of? Tell me what the dare is!”

“In that case, go and give Tan Xueying a heartfelt confession of love!”

“Hahahaha… That’s a great idea, I agree!”

“…”

These people were too cruel.

Shen Lu bit her lip, and under everyone’s gaze, she slowly shuffled like an ant toward Tan Xueying. Her face was already beet red, and she kept her head down, afraid to look at Tan Xueying’s face. With the mentality of just getting the punishment over with, she mumbled, “I like you.”

The crowd felt her confession wasn’t sincere enough and demanded she do it again. That’s when Tan Xueying proactively stepped forward to save Shen Lu.

“It’s just a game for fun; don’t take it too far. Shen Lu, didn’t you say you had to be back at the hotel by nine? It’s already 8:59,” Tan Xueying said.

Shen Lu immediately understood her cue. “Oh, right! I have to leave at nine. I’ll get scolded if I’m late. Everyone, keep playing and have fun!”

Thanks to Sister Xueying’s intervention, Shen Lu was able to safely exit.

Carrying the pre-packed food, Shen Lu said goodbye to Tan Xueying and left the restaurant on her own. The moment she walked out, she let out a huge sigh of relief. It had been an eventful but harmless evening.

…

Tan Xueying left shortly after. Her assistant, Li Li, finally couldn’t hold back her complaints. She had been bottling up resentment all evening.

“Sister Xueying, why are you getting so close to Ye Qin’s assistant?”

“Am I close?” Tan Xueying countered, avoiding a direct answer.

Li Li pouted, very dissatisfied. “Someone who didn’t know would think she was your assistant! I was just the errand runner all night, and I even had to serve her! Sister, I suspect she’s approaching you with ulterior motives. You have to be careful,” Li Li insisted.

Tan Xueying smiled. “Li Li, not everyone in this world is what you imagine, and you shouldn’t judge a person based on their appearance or a one-sided impression.”

“But she’s on Ye Qin’s side…”

“I don’t care whose side she’s on. At least, she’s someone who is willing to believe in me,” Tan Xueying said emphatically, leaving Li Li with no retort.

As the car was driving, it happened to pass Shen Lu walking back to the hotel along the roadside. Tan Xueying told the driver, “Please stop the car.”

The car stopped next to Shen Lu, and the window slid down. Tan Xueying leaned out slightly and kindly asked, “Get in. Let’s go back together.”

“No, no need, thank you, Sister Xueying. It’s not far; I’ll get there soon by walking,” Shen Lu politely declined.

Tan Xueying glanced ahead, estimating the distance was quite far. “Are you sure?”

“I ate too much tonight, so this is a good way to digest. Hehe, just digesting,” Shen Lu patted her belly.

“Alright then, I won’t pressure you. Just be careful.”

“Mhm! Bye, Sister Xueying!” Shen Lu waved with a smile.

The car window closed, and the vehicle drove off, gradually disappearing from Shen Lu’s sight.

…

Ye Qin, who was in her hotel room, had just finished showering and was about to go to bed when she suddenly received a video sent from a crew member’s phone. Ye Qin curiously clicked it open, and it was the video of Shen Lu, red-faced, confessing to Tan Xueying. In a fit of instinctive anger, she threw her phone onto the bed. But after a long time, she picked it up again, quietly closed the chat window, and deleted the message. She didn’t reply to the crew member. Why should she be angry? She had no reason to be angry. Shen Lu was just in a contractual marriage with her. Who she chose to like was none of her business.

Yet, she couldn’t fall asleep. Ye Qin lit up her phone screen. The time showed it was late. She wondered if that woman, Shen Lu, had returned yet. Subconsciously, she opened her contact list, ready to call and hurry her back as usual, but the image from the video suddenly flashed in her mind. Even though the video had been deleted, the memory was vivid and present. Ye Qin smiled bitterly. Shen Lu was probably having a wonderful time out there. Why call her? There was no need.

Ye Qin turned off her phone, placed it on the nightstand, got up, turned off the bedside lamp, and lay back down.

…

She didn’t know how long she had walked until her feet started to ache and feel numb. It was only then that Shen Lu realized the distance from the restaurant to the hotel was truly far. Why did she turn down Sister Xueying’s kind offer for a ride? She was only making things harder for herself. Furthermore, it was so late, and they were in the remote suburbs, so she couldn’t hail a cab.

With astonishing willpower that even surprised herself, Shen Lu finally walked back to the hotel close to eleven o’clock. It had taken almost two hours, completely digesting the huge meal she had devoured earlier.

Remembering the dinner she had brought back for Ye Qin, Shen Lu decided to press the elevator button one floor higher, heading directly to Ye Qin’s floor. At this hour, Ye Qin shouldn’t be asleep yet, right? Shen Lu knew her well. She would either be reading the script, binge-watching a show, or simply spacing out. In short, she wouldn’t be sleeping. Her insomnia had lasted a long time, especially after catching a quick nap on the way back from work; she would be even more awake at night.

Feeling certain, Shen Lu opened the door directly, only to be met with complete darkness. No way? Did she actually go to bed early for once?

The bedroom door was closed. Shen Lu turned on the living room light and tiptoed in.

Of course, Ye Qin, lying in bed at that moment, was not asleep. Her first reaction was that either Shen Lu or Wang Lin had entered. It was highly unlikely to be anyone else.

“Sister, are you asleep? I brought you some food back. Do you want to get up and eat a little?” Shen Lu whispered outside Ye Qin’s bedroom door.

Ye Qin quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Fortunately, Shen Lu wouldn’t be so rude as to enter the bedroom late at night.

She called out a few more times. Receiving no response, she had no choice but to place the food on the living room table. “I put it on the table, Sister. If you get hungry, you can warm it up in the microwave. I’ll head back down now.”

Still, there was no response. Shen Lu quietly picked up her bag, opened the door, and left.

It was strange. Ye Qin was clearly awake, but in that moment, upon hearing Shen Lu call her, she simply didn’t want to acknowledge her.

For no particular reason, in that moment, she just didn’t want to reply.

Perhaps it was because of the video, or maybe something else. She didn’t know either.