After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The next morning, Shen Lu went to Ye Qin’s room as usual to wake her up. Perhaps due to the hangover, Ye Qin was sleeping so soundly that she didn’t notice Shen Lu enter the room. On the bedside table lay a brand-new phone box, the Apple logo clearly visible on top. Could it be true, as Sister Wang said, that Ye Qin bought this phone for her?

Just then, Ye Qin turned over to face her. She inexplicably opened her eyes and saw Shen Lu first. Murmuring drowsily, she said, “Shen Lu?”

“Sister, I’m… here to wake you up,” Shen Lu stammered, feeling a little guilty.

Ye Qin glanced at the phone box on the table. “Take this.”

“No, no, it’s too expensive. I can buy my own.”

As the words left her mouth, Ye Qin shot her a sharp look that intimidated Shen Lu into silence. “I said take it.”

“Then… thank you, Sister Qin.” Shen Lu carefully reached out and took the phone box. Was Ye Qin still angry about last night? But Shen Lu didn’t quite understand the source of Ye Qin’s anger. Was it just because she wore Sister Xueying’s jacket?

“Sister, about last night…”

“What about last night?” Ye Qin sat up, preparing to get out of bed. She sounded like she had completely forgotten.

“Nothing, nothing,” Shen Lu replied with a relieved smile. “I’ll wait for you in the living room.” With that, she escaped the bedroom, clutching the new phone.

While waiting in the living room, Shen Lu was curious enough to open the new phone. It was the latest iPhone model. It felt thin yet substantial in her hand. If it were up to her, she would never splurge on such an expensive phone. Accustomed to Android phones, she initially found the iOS system confusing. It took her a while with the user manual to get the hang of it. After registering her ID account, she could download apps. The first one, naturally, was WeChat.

Due to work requirements, she hadn’t expected to receive so many messages during the two days her phone was missing. Among them were messages from Tan Xueying. To be honest, seeing Tan Xueying’s name made Shen Lu nervous and apprehensive. She couldn’t shake the memory of the kiss from last night. Although it was only on her cheek, it felt like it signified something.

The latest message was sent this morning. Even without opening the chat box, she could see it.

Tan Xueying: I’m sorry about last night. I couldn’t control myself…

Shen Lu’s hand, poised to reply, froze mid-air. Just then, Ye Qin, dressed and ready, walked out. Shen Lu instinctively turned off her phone screen and put it away. “Sister, you’re… ready.”

“Mm.” Ye Qin glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

When they left, Shen Lu’s parents saw them off. To any outsider, it looked like nothing more than an assistant’s parents visiting their child. No one would connect it to anything else.

Shen Jing drove, chattering nonstop. “Sis, you really missed out last night! Do you know how much good food Sister Qin ordered? All kinds of delicacies, we couldn’t even finish it all!”

Shen Lu gave an awkward, perfunctory smile, her hand nervously clutching the phone, seeming preoccupied.

Ye Qin, sitting on the other side, darted a look at her, then answered Shen Jing. “I’m sure Shen Lu was also very happy last night.”

“No, it was just okay…” Shen Lu mumbled, looking out the window, unsure of what to do or how to face Sister Xueying when they got to the set.

The atmosphere in the car was heavy, and even Shen Jing wisely kept quiet. He had a feeling his sister and Sister Qin were having a disagreement. Was it because his sister went out to dinner with another woman last night?

…

Today’s shoot was an outdoor scene at a temporarily constructed set. Female leads had their own private tables for use. When they arrived, there was a bouquet of flowers on Ye Qin’s table. At first, everyone assumed a fan had sent them to Ye Qin and paid them no mind. It wasn’t until Ye Qin was sitting there getting her makeup done that the sharp-eyed makeup artist noticed the card attached to the side of the bouquet: Gift to Shen Lu.

This caused quite a stir on the set. Everyone, men and women alike, was eager for gossip.

“Shen Lu, this must be from a secret admirer!”

“I didn’t realize you had such charm, Shen Lu.”

“Shen Lu, tell me quickly, what does he do? An actor? Someone in the industry, or outside?”

“…”

Faced with the deluge of questions, Shen Lu felt her head was about to explode. She was a single dog; how was she supposed to know who sent the flowers?

On the other side, Tan Xueying’s assistant, Li Li, rolled her eyes dismissively. “It’s just a bouquet of flowers, what’s the big deal? Showing off!”

Tan Xueying sat there, coughing twice, her expression slightly unnatural.

Her own brother, in this situation, naturally had to join the teasing. He whispered into Shen Lu’s ear, “Didn’t expect you to have such endless charm, Sis. Is Sister Qin going to be mad?”

Shen Lu was so irritated she pinched his thigh. “Talk less, work more on set.”

“Fine, fine,” Shen Jing pouted.

…

In the afternoon, when Shen Lu was alone, Tan Xueying approached her. Her very first sentence was, “Do you like the flowers I sent?”

Shen Lu was stunned. Although she had considered that the flowers might be from Sister Xueying, hearing her say it in person still shocked her. “Sister Xueying, I…” She didn’t know what to say or do, just standing there awkwardly, at a loss.

Tan Xueying took a step forward and took her hand. Shen Lu instinctively tried to flinch away, but her hands were tightly grasped. “Don’t be afraid. Yes, I like you. You don’t need to be surprised or disbelieving. You are very special. You have many good qualities. You deserve it.”

Shen Lu slowly pulled her hands back. “But I…” She lowered her head. But she was already married, even if it was just a contractual marriage, she had to keep that secret for five years.

“I know. You’re afraid of affecting your relationship with Ye Qin, right? Ye Qin has always seen me as her nemesis. But it doesn’t matter. You can come to my side. I will offer you a much easier position at my studio than the one you have now. Be with me, okay?”

Shen Lu secretly dug her fingernails into her palm. Just as she was struggling to find a way to refuse, Ye Qin appeared from seemingly nowhere. Without a word, she sent Shen Lu away and directly confronted Tan Xueying.

“The flowers Shen Lu received, were they from you?”

Tan Xueying smirked. “So, you know.”

Ye Qin sneered, and the atmosphere between the two plummeted to an icy low. “I know you’re deliberately trying to get close to Shen Lu.”

Tan Xueying refused to back down. “I like her. I’m going to pursue her. I don’t think you, as her boss, have the right to interfere in her private life. At worst, you get angry and fire her. That would be perfect—she can come to my studio and be with me.”

“You…!”

“Unless there’s some secret relationship between you two, you have no right to interfere, do you?” Tan Xueying leaned close to Ye Qin’s ear and smiled.

“We are just in a superior-subordinate relationship. It’s her business who she chooses to date,” Ye Qin said, her face cold, and she walked away quickly.

Shen Lu watched the two from a distance. As soon as Ye Qin walked away and the conversation seemed to be over, she quickly withdrew her gaze. Her heart was pounding wildly. Sister Qin must be furious right now. I’d better not provoke her for now.

…

Upon returning, Ye Qin immediately found Wang Lin for an urgent discussion about the matter.

Wang Lin’s expression was grim, her eyes lowered in thought. Ye Qin seemed impatient. “That Tan Xueying clearly intends to challenge me head-on.”

Wang Lin shook her head. “I think she may have learned something somehow. Her actions are meant to confirm her suspicions. You absolutely must not fall into her trap.”

“Then what should we do?” Ye Qin asked.

“Tan Xueying wants to pursue Shen Lu. Then let her pursue her. This will actually help conceal the fact that you are married. She wants your relationship exposed, so we’ll prevent her from achieving that goal.”

This might be the best countermeasure: if the enemy moves, you don’t. Don’t give the enemy any opportunity to find clues.

But… Ye Qin rested her chin on her hand. What would Shen Lu choose? Would she really get together with Tan Xueying? The thought made her feel inexplicably uneasy.