After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

After looking after the child—dinner, bath, and tucked into the bedroom—Yang Li finally came out empty-handed. The sudden moment of leisure felt strange and slightly unsettling. Wang Lin was sitting at the table, scrolling through her phone, seemingly still busy with work matters. The living room was perfectly quiet. “Do you want coffee? I’ll make you a cup,” Yang Li asked.

Wang Lin looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”

Yang Li pursed her lips and turned toward the kitchen.

WeChat Message

Wang Lin: Are you saying Ye Qin went out tonight too?

Shen Lu: Yes, Sister Wang. We just boarded the cruise ship now.

Wang Lin: There are many eyes everywhere. Watch your surroundings and make sure she’s safe.

Shen Lu: Don’t worry, Sister Wang.

A sudden shriek came from the kitchen. Wang Lin quickly put down her phone and rushed in at top speed. Yang Li gave her an embarrassed, tight-lipped smile. “I truly am so clumsy.”

Wang Lin glanced at the coffee stain on Yang Li’s clothes and couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle. She stepped closer to check. “Did you burn yourself?”

Yang Li shook her head awkwardly. “The coffee just needs to be brewed again.”

“I won’t drink coffee,” Wang Lin said, wrapping her arms around Yang Li’s waist. “Go take a shower and change your clothes. It’s uncomfortable to wear wet clothes like that.”

A blush spread across Yang Li’s cheeks, as if she understood the meaning behind Wang Lin’s words.

The Bathroom.

Wang Lin personally began unbuttoning the shirt at Yang Li’s chest, one button at a time, with immense patience. Yang Li turned her face away, blushing. “Maybe let me do it myself?”

The brush of Wang Lin’s fingers against her chest made her feel ticklish. Wang Lin looked up at her. “It’s almost done.”

After all her clothes were removed, Yang Li turned to start the shower. When she turned back, her lips were immediately captured. Hot water cascaded down, soaking their faces, hair, and bodies. The fervent kiss slowly spread. After restraining herself for so long, Wang Lin remembered this body with deep longing.

…

“Have you ever been on a cruise ship before?” Ye Qin stood on the deck, hands gripping the railing. Below them was the vast, surging sea. Illuminated by the ship’s lights, the water glittered, beautiful and serene. In the sky above hung a low, full moon.

Shen Lu shook her head. “No, I hadn’t left A City until after I graduated from college, let alone traveled to the seaside or ridden a cruise ship. My family’s financial situation was just average; it was hard enough for my parents to raise my brother and me.”

Ye Qin nodded faintly, her eyes full of troubled thoughts as she gazed into the distance. “Do you love your parents?”

“How should I put it? They gave birth to me and raised me, so of course I do,” Shen Lu replied.

“That’s wonderful,” Ye Qin finally sighed after a long silence.

She must be thinking about something unhappy again. To cheer her up, Shen Lu began, “It’s okay. From now on, my parents are also…” But Shen Lu stopped herself before finishing the sentence. Good thing I hit the brakes in time! Her marriage with Ye Qin was only a contract marriage—it was a marriage in name only. She almost said the wrong thing in front of her.

Standing beside her, Shen Lu secretly glanced up at Ye Qin’s reaction, but noticed a faint smile on Ye Qin’s lips. Shen Lu seriously suspected she was seeing things.

…

After Shen Lu was pulled away, Tan Xueying didn’t stay long in the square. Before leaving, she answered a phone call and then walked to the side of the road.

A black car was parked there. Tan Xueying pulled open the door and got in with almost no hesitation.

The man in the front seat was wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigar late at night. “You know your mission, don’t you?”

“Understood. I know what to do.”

“Mhm,” the man hummed. “Then hurry up. The people upstairs are getting anxious.”

“I have my own plan,” Tan Xueying said. She opened the car door and stepped out, slamming the door shut without looking back, walking in the opposite direction.

…

Suddenly, fireworks went off over the sea. The surrounding crowd cheered, almost all of them stopping what they were doing to watch the spectacle. Even Tan Xueying paused, turning to look at the colorful, illuminated sky. The fireworks are beautiful, but they are nothing without you. A bitter smile touched her lips.

“Look, fireworks!” Shen Lu excitedly pointed. The rumbling sound was hard for anyone to ignore. Ye Qin looked up, her eyes reflecting the dazzling, flowing colors of the pyrotechnics.

“So beautiful,” she sighed.

Due to regulations prohibiting fireworks in the city center, Shen Lu had hardly ever seen real ones, only the special effects on TV. Today was certainly worth the trip. Excited, she quickly pulled out her phone to record a video.

It was then that Ye Qin’s gaze drifted over, settling on Shen Lu, where it lingered for a long, long time.

Until Shen Lu turned back, eager to share the joy. “Sister, isn’t it gorgeous?”

Ye Qin jolted, immediately withdrawing her gaze, and nodded perfunctorily. “Yes, it’s beautiful.” Damn it, was I just lost in thought?

…

After finishing the video, Shen Lu couldn’t wait to post it on her Weibo, adding a very simple and ordinary caption.

“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!”

A moment later, she refreshed the page and comments were already pouring in.

“Happy Holidays to you too, Sister Shen Lu! Say hi to our Baby Qin for us.”

“Happy Holidays to my Qin and Happy Holidays to Shen Lu.”

“Such beautiful fireworks! Where is this?”

“Upstairs, I estimate it’s H City. Qinqin is filming there, and only H City’s lantern festival is this lively. Why don’t we charter a car and go to H City together?”

“I’ve watched the video back and forth several times. Why isn’t my Qin in it? Bad review, bad review!”

“Just a small guess: Sister Shen Lu, are you with beautiful Qin right now?”

“…”

Shen Lu excitedly replied to one fan’s comment, “Your beautiful Qin is right beside me now. Do you have anything you want me to tell her? Naughty smile.jpg”

The fans continued to reply to Shen Lu. “Beautiful Qin hasn’t updated her Weibo in ages! Can she give us some holiday benefits today? Or, Sister Shen Lu, can you secretly snap a few pictures for us to drool over?”

Shen Lu quietly glanced at Ye Qin, only to be caught red-handed. Ye Qin instantly knew she was up to something. “Is something the matter?”

Shen Lu waved her phone. “The fans on Weibo are asking me to secretly take a few pictures of you as a holiday treat.”

Ye Qin subconsciously raised her hand to brush back her hair. “I haven’t posted on Weibo in a while, have I?”

Shen Lu nodded.

“Then take them, and make sure they look good.”

Shen Lu smiled, already eagerly opening her phone camera, muttering to herself, “Sister, you are already beautiful.”

A random shot is already stunning. But if she had to say, the real person was even more beautiful.

Ye Qin didn’t deliberately pose. Some photos were even blurry due to Shen Lu’s poor photography skills, yet they held a subtle, hazy aesthetic…

The fans were in for a feast today.

After taking the photos, Shen Lu showed them to Ye Qin for approval, then posted them unedited on Weibo. Soon, people began wildly sharing them, and marketing accounts even started writing promotional articles.

“The only one in the whole entertainment industry who can look this beautiful without editing must be my beautiful Qin.”

“Daily praise for her world-class beauty.”

“Drooling, drooling!”

“…”

The fireworks display had long ended, but Shen Lu was still focused on her phone, interacting with fans and completely ignoring Ye Qin beside her. Ye Qin felt undeniably neglected and finally moved to distract her.

“It’s getting a bit cold outside. Let’s go in.”

“Oh, okay!” Shen Lu belatedly put away her phone and hurried to catch up. Ye Qin had already walked quite far ahead.

…

The VIP rooms on the cruise ship were on the third floor, costing nearly three thousand yuan per night, sold separately from the cruise tickets. Naturally, at such a high price, Shen Lu had only booked one room for Ye Qin to sleep in. She planned to either get a standard room downstairs or just crash in the lounge for the night.

The VIP room had air conditioning, a living room, a bathroom, a bed, a large LCD TV, Wi-Fi, and fruit. It was exquisitely decorated, like a hotel suite. Pulling back the curtains revealed a unique sea view, and you could see the water flowing below, making the price quite worthwhile.

After Ye Qin entered, she poured herself a glass of water and then turned on the TV. The TV was showing a boring news program. Shen Lu sat in a chair, still fiddling with her phone. Soon, she cried out, “Sister, you’re trending! You’re trending! That’s incredible!”

Ye Qin felt a sudden surge of irritation and casually remarked, “Is your phone that much fun?”

Shen Lu was stunned. She stared blankly at Ye Qin. W-what else am I supposed to do if I don’t play on my phone…? I can’t exactly play with you.

“No, no, the phone isn’t fun,” Shen Lu said with a forced laugh.

“Right, Sister, do you want to eat Japanese food? I heard the Japanese food on this cruise ship is super delicious, made by a Japanese chef. The taste is very authentic. Should I go to the restaurant and order some to be delivered to you?”

Ye Qin raised an eyebrow. Facing Shen Lu’s undisguised and blatant attempt to curry favor, she simply agreed. “Sure. Go buy it; I’m paying.”

That’s fantastic! Shen Lu stood up without a second thought. “I will not fail the mission and shall return in triumph!”

After Shen Lu left, Ye Qin shook her head helplessly, resting her arms on the headboard of the bed. She couldn’t help but smile—what was wrong with her?

I can’t believe I got to ride a cruise ship tonight AND get free Japanese food! This was wonderful. Shen Lu was as satisfied as a three-year-old child at that moment. She walked with a spring in her step, humming a disorganized melody.

Sometimes, she thought, being an assistant was tough, but following a celebrity meant you could sometimes hitch a ride and get free food… which was pretty awesome.

Since it was her first time here, Shen Lu was unfamiliar with the layout and spent a long time just looking for the restaurant. She finally encountered a “kind person” who voluntarily asked if she needed help. Shen Lu said she was looking for the restaurant.

The “kind person” offered to show her the way. But as soon as they turned a corner into a hallway, Shen Lu felt a highly irritating, pungent towel pressed over her nose and mouth, and she was quickly drugged and passed out.