After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

On the other side, Ye Qin and her party also arrived at the reserved restaurant.

A waiter led them to a private room. This restaurant was known as the most expensive in H City, a place only so-called wealthy people could afford. Of course, many nouveaux riches also came here to treat their fair-weather friends, making the atmosphere quite noisy.

“Such a nice restaurant, Qinqin. Did you spend too much?” Shen Mom looked pained.

“It’s nothing, Auntie. This little bit of money is nothing. The most important thing is that you and Uncle enjoy the meal,” Ye Qin said, handing the menu to the elders. “Feel free to order anything you and Uncle would like.”

At this point, Shen Jing leaned over, pointing to a dish on the menu, and loudly exclaimed, “I want the lamb chops!”

Shen Mom didn’t hesitate to swat his hand. “It’s outrageously expensive! It’s four digits! Why eat lamb chops? Eat more vegetables instead.”

Ye Qin heard them and smiled. “It’s fine. If you want lamb chops, order them.”

“This son of mine is so insensible and has no self-control. Please don’t mind him, Qinqin.”

“It’s truly fine, Auntie.” Although Ye Qin was smiling, she felt a heavy cloud inside. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what Shen Lu and Tan Xueying were doing and what they were talking about.

…

“So, how does Ye Qin treat you in your daily life?” Tan Xueying asked Shen Lu as they ate.

Shen Lu picked up a piece of sushi and put it in her mouth, her cheeks full, but she still managed to answer indistinctly. “Actually, don’t let Ye Qin’s constant cold face fool you—she looks like she doesn’t want anyone near her—but her heart isn’t bad. In fact, she’s a little… vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable?” Tan Xueying sounded surprised.

Shen Lu instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth. I almost let the secret slip! She had promised Ye Qin’s grandmother she would keep those things confidential. She offered an embarrassed laugh to cover it up. “Haha, actually, what I mean by vulnerable is that she sometimes cries! For example, when she sees malicious personal attacks and bad reviews online, she gets upset and sheds tears.”

Tan Xueying lowered her head, smiling faintly, making it impossible to read her emotions. “I truly never would have guessed she would cry over things like that.”

“She does,” Shen Lu casually said.

“I always thought she had a heart of steel.”

“Pfft. Sister Xueying, you’re joking again. But speaking of that, how does Sister Xueying usually handle haters?”

Tan Xueying offered a light-as-a-cloud smile. “Simply ignore them. Why bother worrying and racking your brain over people you don’t know or have never even met?”

Shen Lu strongly agreed, nodding vigorously. “If only Ye Qin could come to that realization. She wouldn’t constantly get upset by those malicious comments.”

…

Before long, the dishes started arriving, gradually filling the entire table. Facing all these lavish, expensive dishes—each representing cold hard cash—Shen Mom held her chopsticks, unsure where to start. She suspected this meal cost a fortune. If it weren’t for Lulu, their family would never have the money to dine at a place like this.

The red wine Ye Qin ordered also arrived. She personally picked up the bottle and poured glasses for Shen Dad and Shen Mom. Wang Lin advised Ye Qin to drink less, as she had work tomorrow, but Ye Qin wouldn’t listen, drinking glass after glass. Before long, one bottle was empty. Without having eaten much food, she ordered another one. Her cheeks were already flushed, and her voice sounded slightly floaty.

Helpless, Wang Lin had no choice but to take Ye Qin back first. Before leaving, she apologized to Shen Dad and Shen Mom for Ye Qin and made sure to pay the bill. Shen Mom was quite understanding. “That Qinqin must be under too much work pressure. It’s understandable that she drank too much.”

Shen Dad looked at the table full of food. “Can the three of us finish all this?”

Shen Jing was devouring the lamb chops, his mouth greasy and cheeks bulging. “What do you mean, finish? If we can’t finish, we can pack it up! I’ll eat it as a midnight snack back at the hotel.”

Shen Mom then said, “And you! You’re just focused on eating! You didn’t even drink with your Sister Qin.”

Shen Jing looked up, protesting, “Mom, I don’t like drinking that red wine stuff…”

Wang Lin, who finally helped Ye Qin into the car, was utterly frustrated. “Look at you! Why drink so much? She’s just going out to have dinner with someone!” As she fastened Ye Qin’s seatbelt, she complained, “I think you’re slowly getting sucked in. When that day comes, you won’t even know how you fell.”

Ye Qin leaned her head against the seat. “Sister Wang, what are you talking about?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Wang Lin fastened her own seatbelt and started the car, driving away from the restaurant.

Along the way, they passed a mobile phone store. Ye Qin suddenly shouted for Wang Lin to stop, causing Sister Wang to slam on the brakes and look over anxiously. “What is it? What’s wrong? Do you need to throw up, or are you feeling unwell?”

Ye Qin raised her hand and pointed to the phone store across the street. “I need to go buy a phone.”

Wang Lin immediately figured it out. “It’s for Shen Lu, right?”

Ye Qin didn’t reply, fumbling to undo her seatbelt. Wang Lin quickly held her back. “Stop it. I’ll go down and buy it for you. In your drunken state, everyone in that store would take pictures of you. Do you want to see your drunk face on the trending list tomorrow?”

Wang Lin got out of the car alone and walked toward the mobile phone store, smiling helplessly. Ye Qin was becoming incredibly generous toward Shen Lu. She’s even buying her an Apple phone?

…

Even though Tan Xueying was treating her to dinner, the conversation kept circling back to Ye Qin, which Shen Lu found a little strange. She couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Xueying, can we not talk about Ye Qin anymore? She’s my boss. I feel a bit odd talking about her behind her back.”

“Alright, we won’t talk about her. How about we talk about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Do you have any plans for the future? Have you ever thought about quitting your assistant job and doing something else?” Tan Xueying asked.

“Doing something else…” Perhaps after the contract ends in five years. At that point, Shen Lu might use the five million yuan to open a bookstore in A City, become a comfortable bookstore owner, and spend her days curled up in the shop reading books and drinking coffee. But her reply was, “I have thought about it. I plan to be an assistant for a few years, save some money, and open a bookstore in the future.”

Tan Xueying laughed at her ambition. “Your ideal is quite unusual. In my opinion, most people who enter this industry are reluctant to leave. Many experienced assistants move up to become managers, or even producers…”

Shen Lu quickly waved her hands. “I can’t do that, I can’t! I’m not smart, and I don’t have that kind of business mind for making a lot of money. I’m satisfied just having a stable, peaceful life.”

Tan Xueying’s smile faded, and her expression suddenly became extremely serious. “Shen Lu, you know what? I really like your stable personality.”

Shen Lu’s face instantly blushed, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Seeing that Shen Lu seemed startled, Tan Xueying quickly changed the subject to break the awkward tension.

All in all, the dinner left Shen Lu on edge. Sister Xueying was a good person, that was certain, but something felt off; she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

On the drive back after dinner, the music playing in Tan Xueying’s car consisted of songs Shen Lu liked. This made her curious. “Sister Xueying, you like these songs too?”

Tan Xueying’s lips curved upwards. “Yes. I happened to scroll through your Weibo and saw you shared them. I listened, and I actually quite liked them.”

Shen Lu nodded, surprised that Sister Xueying actually checked her Weibo…

…

Wang Lin drove Ye Qin back to her hotel room, holding a mobile phone box. “Should I give this to her later?”

The tipsy Ye Qin shook her head and childishly snatched the box away.

“Fine, fine. Give it to her yourself. I’m leaving now,” Wang Lin said, shrugging helplessly before quickly opening the door and leaving.

Simultaneously, Tan Xueying drove Shen Lu back to the hotel’s underground parking garage.

“Sister Xueying, thank you for the treat today. The Japanese food was delicious.” She smiled happily and reached to unbuckle her seatbelt to get out of the car, but Tan Xueying’s hand suddenly reached over and covered hers.

Shen Lu froze completely.

Then, Tan Xueying’s face suddenly moved closer. Facing her rapidly enlarged features, Shen Lu held her breath until Tan Xueying swiftly placed a kiss on her cheek and pulled away. Only then did Shen Lu sigh in relief, her heart pounding.

Even now, she could still feel the burning gaze of the person next to her. Shen Lu frantically unbuckled her seatbelt and stammered, “I, I’m going up now.” She then bolted, disappearing from view in an instant.

Shen Lu wandered through the underground parking lot, desperately trying to find the elevator door to go up. Even her hand was shaking as she pressed the floor button, terrified that Sister Xueying’s face might pop out and join her in the elevator.

Tan Xueying stayed in the car, her hands resting casually on the steering wheel, a smile playing on her lips.

…

Shen Lu’s mind was completely chaotic, a total mess. Sister Xueying just kissed me, right? But what did that kiss mean?

Like a thief, Shen Lu reached her floor and frantically ran out, rushing toward her room, where she unexpectedly ran into Ye Qin waiting by her door.

Shen Lu stopped short, slowly moving forward. “Sister Qin… what are you doing here? Weren’t you out to dinner with Shen Jing and the others?”

Ye Qin’s cheeks were crimson. Although she was slightly drunk, a sliver of clarity remained in her mind. Her hands were clasped behind her back, holding the new Apple phone she had bought for Shen Lu.

“You’re back,” Ye Qin murmured.

“You’ve been drinking?” Shen Lu instinctively asked.

It was then that Ye Qin noticed the jacket Shen Lu was wearing, staring at it for a long time. Through Ye Qin’s eyes, Shen Lu realized that she had been so rushed that she had forgotten to return Sister Xueying’s jacket and had worn it back.

Ye Qin’s face instantly darkened. Her tone became sharp and cold. “Why are you wearing her clothes?” Ye Qin recognized the jacket immediately, as Tan Xueying had worn it earlier that day.

“I… I…” Shen Lu didn’t know how to explain. “It was Sister Xueying, she…”

“Enough. Whatever you want,” Ye Qin snapped.

With that, Ye Qin turned and walked away, the object in her hand tightly clenched. Shen Lu watched her angry retreating figure, her heart aching. She didn’t know why, but seeing her like this, hearing her words, and seeing her expression, Shen Lu’s heart was twisting in pain.

She stood by the door in a daze for a long time, not opening it to go in. Shortly after she finally went inside, the room’s landline rang. It was Sister Wang calling.

“Did you get back to the hotel?”

“I did,” Shen Lu replied.

“Ye Qin drank too much today. Go check on her. I’m worried something might happen to her,” Wang Lin said.

“…” Shen Lu bit her lip and told Wang Lin what had just happened. “I just ran into Sister Qin by my door when I came back.”

“Oh, really?” Wang Lin sounded surprised. “I thought she was too drunk to get up. Did she give you the phone?”

“The phone? What phone?” Shen Lu didn’t understand.

“The new one she bought for you tonight! It cost over eight thousand yuan. What? She didn’t give it to you?” Wang Lin was confused.

Shen Lu’s lips moved slightly. Now I get it! No wonder Ye Qin had her hands behind her back. She came to give me the phone? Oh no, I made her angry and she walked away…

“Sister Wang…”

“What is it?”

“I think I made her angry,” Shen Lu said.