After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Papa Shen rushed in, only to have Mama Shen thrust a marriage certificate at him. Papa Shen was still confused, smiling as he playfully waved it. “Is this our marriage certificate? Why is it in Lu Lu’s room?” But then he realized something was wrong. A marriage certificate from over twenty years ago wouldn’t look like this. His heart immediately sank, and he found his wife’s silently grave expression confirmed his suspicion.

Shen Jing stood to the side without speaking, his expression also quite indescribable.

Nervously, Papa Shen cautiously opened the marriage certificate, his hands trembling just like his wife’s. The photo, with its red background and white shirts, clearly showed his own daughter and another woman. The names of the registrants, besides the prominent “Shen Lu,” included the name “Ye Qin.” Even non-celebrity-following Papa and Mama Shen would know who Ye Qin was—their daughter’s current superior, boss, and a popular female artist.

“Is this real?” Papa Shen’s face was a mask of shock and disbelief.

Mama Shen pouted, utterly resigned. “Can a marriage certificate be fake? I noticed the household registration book was missing a while ago. That girl must have taken it to use.”

Shen Jing, realizing he had caused trouble, was about to silently slip away, but he was stopped by a shout.

“Shen Jing, go call your sister! Tell her to come back! Right now, get her back here!” Papa Shen said with a dark expression.

Shen Jing froze, swallowing hard as he turned his back. “Okay, okay, I know. I’ll call her right now.”

He pulled out his phone and went to the living room. Mama Shen plopped down onto the chair in her daughter’s room, sighing repeatedly. “Why didn’t Lu Lu discuss such a huge matter with us? Do we even matter to her anymore?”

“It’s no use saying that now,” Papa Shen said, hands on his hips, also feeling helpless.

Shen Jing called his sister, but no one answered for a long time. He was just as anxious. He had no idea his sister was hiding something this big. He regretted saying anything in the first place. Although his initial intention was good—if his sister had taken out a huge loan, the family could help her shoulder some of the burden, so she wouldn’t have to endure it alone. But now…

“Shen Jing, why are you on the phone for so long!” Papa Shen said impatiently.

“I’m calling, I’m calling! Don’t rush me!” Shen Jing hung up and immediately dialed again.

…

“Shen Lu, is that your phone ringing? Go take care of it quickly.”

At that moment, Shen Lu was busy running errands for Ye Qin on the set. The ringing of her phone, which she carried with her, was adding to the noise on the set. Someone finally couldn’t help but point it out. Seeing it was a call from her brother, Shen Lu wasn’t very concerned. She just hit decline, thinking she’d finish her work first.

That brat Shen Jing wouldn’t be calling for anything good; she’d let him stew for a bit.

Ye Qin reached out and took the black coffee Shen Lu offered. “Sister, it’s freshly brewed. Be careful, it’s hot.”

As the words fell, Shen Lu’s phone rang again. This time, even Ye Qin couldn’t help but speak. “Alright, I don’t need you right now. Go deal with your phone call.”

Granted permission, Shen Lu nodded, quickly walked out of the set with her phone. First, it was too noisy inside to talk, and second, she wanted to avoid any potential privacy leaks.

The call finally connected. Shen Jing sighed with relief and complained, “Sis, you finally answered the phone.”

Shen Lu put a hand on her hip, her tone very much the older sister. “I said, Shen Jing, why are you calling me nonstop? Don’t you know I’m working?”

“Aiya, something big has happened, Sis! Something really big this time!”

Shen Lu pursed her lips, frowned, and rubbed her forehead, all in one smooth motion. “What trouble did you get into this time, you brat?”

“I didn’t cause trouble! I can’t explain it over the phone. Just hurry up and come home! Dad is telling you to come back right now,” Shen Jing said anxiously.

Shen Lu was confused. “Wait, what does that have to do with me?” At the same time, she felt a sinking premonition and quickly asked, “What exactly happened? You better explain yourself clearly.”

“It’s about… Mom was looking for the lost gold ring today, and she thought she’d look in your room… and then she accidentally found your marriage certificate…” Shen Jing felt extremely guilty, afraid of admitting it was his fault that Mom went into his sister’s room in the first place.

I’m done, done, done. That was Shen Lu’s first reaction. Her brain exploded in a deafening crash. Not only was the 5 million potentially going down the drain, but she was also facing a huge 50 million penalty, and she had no idea how to explain things back home.

“So… besides the marriage certificate, did Mom find anything else?” Shen Lu stammered.

“Sis, are you hiding something even bigger from the family besides this?” Shen Jing countered.

“Listen, your job right now is to get Mom and Dad out of my room immediately! I’ll give you a big reward when this is over!” Shen Lu was direct, wasting no time on pleasantries.

“No problem! Leave this to your little brother! But Sis, you really did surprise me this time. To actually be with…”

Before Shen Jing could finish, Shen Lu abruptly stopped him, a caution and fear in her voice as if she could be overheard through the phone. “Don’t say anything else! I’ll pack up and come back. That’s all for now.” She hung up first.

“Mom, Dad, I finished the call,” Shen Jing called out. “Sis said she’d pack up and be right back.”

Mama Shen, sitting in her daughter’s room, became unusually vigilant and suspicious. “Do you think Lu Lu is hiding anything else from us?”

Shen Jing was scared when he heard this. To draw his parents’ attention away, he deliberately knocked over Mama’s beloved vase in the living room. The sound of the vase smashing echoed throughout the house. “Oops…”

“What was that sound!” Sure enough, Mama Shen was drawn out. Papa Shen, already in a bad mood, didn’t want to linger inside. He grabbed the marriage certificate and closed the bedroom door as he came out.

“My favorite vase!” Mama Shen was heartbroken.

Shen Jing pursed his lips and stood aside, looking remorseful. “Mom, it was an accident…” Sis, I’ll count this sacrifice as repayment for betraying you T_T.

…

Walking back after the phone call, Shen Lu felt completely miserable. How was she going to tell Ye Qin this? She wondered if Ye Qin would demand the 50 million penalty on the spot. She couldn’t earn that much money in a lifetime. Would she have to sign some sort of slavery contract for Ye Qin? And Ye Qin might not even agree to that…

When she returned, Ye Qin was sitting in a sun chair, drinking coffee and reading the script. Shen Lu sat down on the small stool in front of her, drooping her head and cupping her face, looking utterly dejected.

Ye Qin, quite curious, set down her coffee cup. “What’s wrong? You took a phone call and came back looking like you lost your soul?”

Shen Lu was submerged in her own thoughts, not hearing a word Ye Qin said.

So, should she tell her, or hide it and deal with it herself? What could she possibly use to deal with it? The marriage certificate was exposed, and her parents and brother all knew. At any moment, one slip of the tongue could ruin everything.

“Shen Lu!” Ye Qin called her name, raising her voice.

Shen Lu quickly responded, “Oh, Sister, I’m here!”

Ye Qin sat up and leaned forward slightly, staring at her nervous face. “What are you thinking about?”

A bead of sweat trickled down Shen Lu’s forehead. She was even more nervous facing Ye Qin. She gritted her teeth, thinking, Forget it. I’m dead either way. I might as well tell her now. Maybe the penalty will be lessened.

The set was crowded, and even the slightest whisper could get out. Shen Lu simply pulled out her phone and typed a line in the notes app.

“My mom found my marriage certificate. Now my dad, mom, and brother all know, and they’re calling me to come home immediately.” She then handed the phone to Ye Qin.

Sure enough, Ye Qin’s face immediately fell. Shen Lu watched her reaction intently, not daring to relax for a second, her heart pounding nervously in her throat.

After reading it, Ye Qin deleted the text Shen Lu had typed, looked up, and asked, lowering her voice to the quietest volume, “How could you be so careless in handling this?”

Shen Lu felt helpless; she had anticipated that Ye Qin would be angry and blame her. However, if she thought about it from the opposite perspective, she could understand. In any case, while there was still a chance to salvage the situation, they should discuss a solution together. If the truth really came out, it would be a huge disaster for Ye Qin as well, and she certainly wouldn’t want to see that day.

“Was the contract also discovered?” Ye Qin asked again.

Shen Lu quickly shook her head. “No. My brother said they only found that one thing.”

“That’s a relief. There’s still room to fix this,” Ye Qin said. “Here’s what we’ll do: you hurry back now, hide the contract properly, and tell them whatever you need to. But don’t mention the contract at all.”

Shen Lu was taken aback. “So, Sister, you mean you want me to go back and tell them…?”

Ye Qin didn’t answer again, sitting there with a cold demeanor, letting Shen Lu understand her meaning.

Shen Lu suddenly felt like laughing and instinctively covered her mouth. “That… wouldn’t that mean I’m taking advantage of you, Sister…”

Seeing Shen Lu still managing to smile at a time like this, Ye Qin was so annoyed she couldn’t speak. She stood up, looking down at Shen Lu. “You should be grateful I’m not suing you for breach of contract.”

The smile on Shen Lu’s face instantly froze. She opened her mouth, intending to say something, but Ye Qin had already walked away.