After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Having been personally approved by Ye Qin to go home, Shen Lu’s heart was temporarily relieved of half its burden. Now, she needed to return to the lounge to grab her things. Unexpectedly, upon opening the door, she ran into Sister Wang Lin inside.

Shen Lu stood frozen in the doorway, feeling a little flustered.

It wasn’t until Wang Lin spoke with an expressionless face, “Come in. Close the door.”

Shen Lu obediently walked in and stood before Wang Lin. “Sister Wang, I…”

Before she could finish, Wang Lin interrupted her. “I already know everything. Qin just told me. I told her long ago that this method was unworkable, impossible to pull off, and prone to issues. But she wouldn’t listen. Now look.”

“Sister Wang, please don’t worry. I will definitely explain everything properly to my family when I go back.”

“Explain? How do you intend to explain? Tell them everything?” Wang Lin countered.

Sister Wang, sitting on the tall stool, looked even more imposing and authoritative at this moment, intimidating Shen Lu into silence.

“Sister Qin meant for me to continue pretending to be married to her, just like I did when facing my grandmother,” Shen Lu answered quietly, too guilty to raise her head and look at Wang Lin’s expression.

“I won’t worry about you two. You do whatever you want, but there’s one thing you must remember, Shen Lu: you and Ye Qin are in the same boat. Don’t do anything that will end up shooting yourself in the foot.”

Shen Lu quickly nodded. “I understand what you mean, Sister. I will be much more careful and cautious in the future.”

“Alright, I won’t delay your travel. Pack your things, and I’ll take you to the airport.”

Huh? The airport? Shen Lu was startled. “It’s not that far from City H to City A. I’ll just take the train. Plane tickets are much more expensive than train tickets.”

As the words left her mouth, Wang Lin had already risen from the stool and glanced at Shen Lu. “This is what Qin instructed.” After saying that, she opened the door and strode out, leaving Shen Lu alone and confused inside.

After returning to the hotel to gather her luggage and identification, Shen Lu got into Sister Wang’s car and headed to the airport. At the airport, Sister Wang Lin personally handled the ticket purchase for Shen Lu. This was usually the kind of mundane task Shen Lu handled, so she felt a little overwhelmed to personally receive this high-level manager’s service.

“Don’t think too much about it. Qin just told me to reimburse your travel expenses. Don’t let her hard work go to waste when you get back,” Sister Wang promptly poured a bucket of cold water on her to bring her back to reality.

Shen Lu clutched the boarding pass and smiled, nodding. “I know. Please thank Sister Qin for me when you go back, and thank you too, Sister Wang, for personally driving me to the airport.”

Wang Lin shook her head helplessly. This girl, at a time like this, can still smile? She wondered if such a personality was a blessing or a curse.

“Alright, my task is complete now that I’ve dropped you off. I’m leaving.”

Shen Lu waved. “Goodbye, Sister!” Wang Lin didn’t look back, walking with long strides, and soon disappeared. Shen Lu pursed her lips. Sister Wang was as decisive and efficient as ever. People like her walked with the wind.

…

At 5 p.m., the Shen family sat in the living room, all wearing troubled expressions. No one spoke, and the air pressure was noticeably low.

Finally, Shen Jing couldn’t stand it anymore and lightly patted the table. “I said, Mom, we called Sis around 2:00 p.m. Even by train, it takes at least four hours to get back from City H. Even if she rushed back immediately, she wouldn’t be home until seven or eight… I’m starving. Can we eat now?”

Mama Shen hugged her arms, leaning on the sofa, and glanced at Shen Jing. “You don’t worry about family matters at all. Fine, I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles.”

“After starving all afternoon, I only get noodles…” Shen Jing’s tone was full of distaste.

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from outside the door, immediately drawing the family’s attention.

A moment later, Shen Lu pushed the door open, carrying her bag. She met the eyes of the three family members and pretended to be calm. “Dad, Mom, you’re all home.” Then, without rushing, she started changing her shoes in the entryway.

Shen Jing was stunned. “Sis, you must have flown back! You’re so fast! I was just saying you probably wouldn’t get here until seven or eight tonight.”

Shen Lu, who had finished changing her shoes, looked up. “How do you know I flew back?”

“Ahem!” Just then, Papa Shen coughed lightly twice, put his hands behind his back, and stood up. “Lu Lu, come here. Your mom and I have some questions for you.”

“Mhm, okay. I’ll just go put my luggage away first.” Shen Lu replied.

“Leave your luggage for now.” With that, her father tossed the marriage certificate onto the table.

Shen Lu pursed her lips. She simply threw her luggage bag to Shen Jing, who was watching the scene unfold. “You go put this away for me.” Then she pulled a chair over and sat down in front of her parents.

Shen Jing quickly complied. In his opinion, there was likely to be a fierce battle at home soon. Should he go hide outside?

“Lu Lu, how could you register your marriage behind our backs? Don’t you know marriage is a lifelong commitment?” Mama Shen asked.

“Mom, I know I was wrong for not telling you beforehand. But since things are already like this, I hope you can support your daughter, and support me and… Ye Qin,” Shen Lu said. It was hard not to feel nervous saying these things, but in order to avoid breaching the contract, what did a few lies matter?

Mama Shen clearly couldn’t believe or accept it. “Did you really marry Ye Qin?”

Shen Lu nodded, her eyes full of conviction.

“That Ye Qin? Your boss, the artist Ye Qin?”

Shen Lu nodded again. “I know it’s hard for you to believe this right now, but it’s true that I registered my marriage with my boss. It’s one hundred percent real.”

She paused, then added, “It’s all your daughter’s fault. I know you’re very angry at me right now. You can hit me or punish me; please don’t hold back.” With that, Shen Lu closed her eyes.

Since putting away Shen Lu’s luggage, Shen Jing had been staying in her room, not daring to come out. But he was peering through the door crack, observing the situation outside. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. His parents wouldn’t actually hit her, would they? He hadn’t seen his sister hit in years.

However, marrying a big celebrity—no matter how he looked at it, their family was getting the better end of the deal. He wondered what his parents were thinking.

However, instead of a scolding or a blow, Mama Shen walked forward and held her hands. Shen Lu hesitantly opened her eyes and heard her mother say:

“Tell Mom, did she force you? Was registering this marriage… voluntary?”

Shen Lu smiled. “Mom, of course it was voluntary. I don’t have money, and I look very ordinary. If anything, we’re the ones who benefited. How could she possibly force me to marry her?”

“That’s true,” Mama Shen murmured.

Shen Lu: …Mom, you really don’t spare your daughter any face.

Just then, Papa Shen, who hadn’t spoken in a while, slowly floated in a sentence. “In any case, this whole thing is completely out of line!”

“Yes, yes, it is out of line. We shouldn’t have hidden our marriage from you and Dad. When she has time, I will definitely bring her home to apologize to you both.” Shen Lu quickly tried to appease her father.

Papa Shen’s expression softened slightly. Mama Shen sighed. “My heart just isn’t settled, I don’t know why. How could a famous celebrity like her fall for our daughter? The money she earns in a year is more than our whole family earns in a lifetime. I just don’t understand what she was thinking.”

Shen Lu’s mouth twitched awkwardly. While this situation was indeed unbelievable in real life, Mom, does your daughter not have a single redeeming quality? It was too hurtful.

Papa Shen echoed her sentiment. “Yes, I can’t figure this out either.”

“It’s simple!” Shen Jing suddenly popped out, sounding like he was stating a profound truth. “To sum up this whole thing: one is willing to beat, and the other is willing to be beaten (a Chinese idiom for mutual consent). It’s just a shame that such a beautiful celebrity likes the same sex. There’s no chance for us straight guys anymore!”

Shen Lu rolled her eyes at her brother. “Even if she liked the opposite sex, you wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“Hey, Sis, that’s not fair. If she likes the same sex and she’s willing to be with you, why couldn’t she be willing to be with me if she liked the opposite sex? We’re from the same womb!”

“Yes, yes, born from the same mother, yet the difference is so huge,” Shen Lu said slowly. Unconsciously, the siblings had slipped into their usual bickering mode.

“Alright, stop arguing, you two! Shen Jing, didn’t you see your father and I are talking about serious things!” The verbal battle finally ended under their mother’s intervention.

“However, Lu Lu, since it’s already done, how about the family holds a wedding for you two? You’re our only daughter. When you marry, we have to invite relatives and friends to celebrate!”

“Your mom is right. Regardless of what the other family plans to do, our Shen family cannot be lacking in etiquette. This is a matter of saving face.”

“Hold it!”

Shen Lu took a deep breath. “The wedding… we can’t have one. You know Ye Qin is an artist. She needs to protect her privacy. If people found out she was married, it would affect her career.”

Papa Shen didn’t agree. “You’re already married. What’s there to hide? Don’t you two genuinely love each other?”

“Yes, of course, we genuinely love each other! It’s precisely because of that that I need to consider her career. I don’t want to interrupt her future because of me. And we both agreed on this, so I need to ask you and Mom to keep our marriage a secret. You absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot tell anyone else.”

Please, Mom and Dad, you must agree! This is about the 50 million breach of contract penalty! Shen Lu was incredibly anxious. She knew her parents cared deeply about saving face, and getting their agreement on this was going to be difficult.

“Fine, fine. Since you two even pulled off a secret marriage, your mom and I have no reason not to help you keep it quiet.”

As the words fell, Shen Lu’s world suddenly felt illuminated. The previous dark clouds were instantly dispelled. She immediately stood up and hugged her own father. It had to be her real father. “Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Mom!”

Unexpectedly, this matter, which had caused Shen Lu such a headache, was resolved so easily. Overcome with happiness, she forgot to send a message to inform Ye Qin right away. At 8:00 p.m., the family was sitting happily in the living room, eating dinner together.

…

Ye Qin finished work early and, anxiously anticipating news about the situation, still hadn’t received any word from Shen Lu. Looking at the time, Shen Lu should have been home for several hours. Ye Qin grew restless sitting in her hotel room. Forget it, she thought, I’ll just go myself. Shen Lu is such an idiot; who knows if she can handle everything properly.