After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

“Don’t overthink it, let’s go.” Ye Qin patted Shen Lu’s shoulder and stood up.

Shen Lu was startled by the pat and followed in a daze. “Sister, wait for me.”

…

Back at the hotel, Ye Qin sent Shen Lu a message: “When Sister Wang leaves later, come up and find me.”

At that moment, Wang Lin was going over the schedule for the next few days with Shen Lu. Shen Lu quietly took out her phone, saw the message from Ye Qin, and became absent-minded.

Wang Lin cleared her throat softly, showing her displeasure. “Shen Lu, are you listening?”

Shen Lu was startled and quickly hid her phone. “I am listening, Sister Wang. Please continue.”

…Finally, the immediate matters were handled, and Shen Lu smiled and saw Sister Wang off. She was only slightly relieved. Thinking of the ‘ancestor’ upstairs who needed serving, she didn’t dare delay. She just took a sip of water, sat for a little while, and then headed upstairs.

Ye Qin pulled the door open, wearing a hat and sunglasses, her mouth upturned. Even without seeing her expression, Shen Lu could feel her joy.

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Shen Lu eagerly matched her pace.

“You’ll know when we get there,” Ye Qin said mysteriously.

Shen Lu pouted, thinking, Fine, now she’s keeping secrets.

When they left the hotel, it was already dark outside. The days were getting shorter, signaling that winter was approaching. They had been in H City for a whole autumn without realizing it.

Ye Qin chose to walk instead of drive. Shen Lu was extremely curious about where she was taking her.

They crossed a road, and the barbecue stall at the opposite alley entrance was already setting up shop. Ye Qin walked straight towards it. Could it be a barbecue? But Wang Lin had strictly forbidden her from eating this kind of food!

It wasn’t until Ye Qin found a small table and picked up the somewhat greasy menu that Shen Lu was certain: they were sneaking out to eat! If Sister Wang found out, she’d be dead.

“Sister, can we go eat something else? You know Sister Wang never allows you to eat this…”

Ye Qin was unmoved and continued flipping through the menu. “If you don’t talk and I don’t talk, no one will know, right?”

Sigh, there was really no arguing with her. Shen Lu sat there, holding her bag in her lap, watching her obediently.

Ye Qin saw her sitting idle and threw the menu in front of her. “Don’t just sit there stunned. Order whatever you want to eat. My treat tonight.”

Shen Lu swallowed. Combined with the fragrant smoke drifting from the barbecue stall, she decided to make an exception just this once. The two ordered a lot of food, along with a few bottles of beer. They ate skewers, watched the pedestrians on the street, and savored the taste of life.

“Barbecue is delicious, but you shouldn’t eat too much. I heard eating too much can cause cancer,” Shen Lu said.

Ye Qin was slightly tipsy. Holding a beer bottle, she squinted at Shen Lu. “As long as a person is happy while alive, that’s what matters. If I’m not happy, why would I want to live a long life?”

Shen Lu pondered this, feeling there was some truth to her words.

The two ate until eleven at night. The night was deep, and the wind in the alley was cold. This finally prompted them to pay the bill and head back. On the way back to the hotel, both huddled close and wrapped their clothes tightly, letting the night wind toss their hair around, laughing without restraint in the breeze.

…

The next day when she woke up, Shen Lu was trending on the hot search again—of course, along with Ye Qin. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person like her get the top spot for free every day?

The reason was that someone had secretly photographed them eating barbecue at a roadside stall last night. The same people were spreading rumors about their relationship, but this time, Ye Qin’s team had to issue a clarification. The first time, they could push it aside as mere rumor, but a second time required an explanation.

Sister Wang was furious, flying into a rage. Since she couldn’t take it out on Ye Qin, she directed all her anger at Shen Lu. Ye Qin couldn’t stand it and stepped forward to defend her.

“This has nothing to do with Shen Lu. I was the one who wanted to eat it.”

Wang Lin was utterly unmoved. “She’s your assistant. If you get photographed and become news, it’s her responsibility. And how many times have I told you not to eat this kind of food? It’s bad for your body, your stomach, and your skin. As a female artist, don’t you know how important your face is?”

“Shen Lu, you go outside first.”

“Sister, I…”

Ye Qin’s face was cold, and she emphasized again without looking up, “You go outside first.”

“Then… then I’ll go downstairs and buy coffee,” Shen Lu said, quickly slipping out and closing the door behind her.

Only Ye Qin and Wang Lin were left in the room. Shen Lu wondered if they would start arguing. Sometimes she thought being a celebrity was tough—earning so much money but unable to do this or eat that. What was the joy in that?

Just as Shen Lu was about to leave, she unintentionally heard the conversation inside. She hadn’t expected the best suite in the hotel to have such mediocre soundproofing, nor had she expected herself to be crouching there eavesdropping like a thief.

“You and Shen Lu are not in the same league. There’s no possibility between you two. I advise you to focus your attention on your career.”

Shen Lu was shocked and covered her mouth.

As a contingency plan, I can only let you down, Sister Wang. Ye Qin turned and sat down, opening her mouth to say, “I have no other intentions toward Shen Lu. She was wronged by marrying me. I just want to take better care of her. Once the five years are up, I will let her leave. At that time, we will go our separate ways, dust to dust, and have no further entanglement.”

Hearing this, Shen Lu’s pupils widened, and her heart seemed to seize up for a moment. She couldn’t bear to listen anymore and quickly walked away.

After Ye Qin finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Sister Wang. Surely, she didn’t see any cracks in my facade when I said that, did she?

“…Since you say so, I’m relieved. Remember what you said today, and be more careful in the future.”

When Sister Wang opened the door, she happened to run into Shen Lu, who was returning with two cups of coffee.

Shen Lu quickly offered one cup to Sister Wang. Wang Lin raised a hand in a stopping gesture. “I’m off coffee lately.” With that, she left with an air of superiority.

“Is that Shen Lu?” Ye Qin’s voice came from inside.

“It is!” Shen Lu drew out the last syllable in her reply and quickly ran in, placing the coffee she bought on the table.

“Sister Wang left?”

“Mhm!” Shen Lu nodded.

…

“Jing, I miss you so much. It’s been so many days, and you still haven’t replied to my message.”

Shen Jing received the person’s message again and threw his phone as far away as possible, goosebumps trembling all over his body.

Immediately after, the other party sent several sad emojis. Shen Jing, catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye, felt a little sympathetic again. He picked up his phone and replied: I’m leaving H City in a few days. Forget about me.

Little Zhizhi: You finally agreed to reply to me! Little Zhizhi: …Why are you leaving? Where are you going? Will you come back?

He had only intended to say one thing and stop replying, but seeing the other person’s reaction, Shen Jing felt he should resolve this before leaving.

Shen Jing: Naturally, I’m returning home. I won’t come back here, and it’s impossible for us to see each other again.

Little Zhizhi: You once said you liked me very much, but now you seem to despise me so much.

Shen Jing: That’s because you deceived me! I like girls, not a man in drag!

After this message, the other party took a long time to reply. Shen Jing waited so long he almost thought his words had hurt the other person.

Little Zhizhi: I feel like I am a girl; it’s just my physiological features that aren’t. But is this appearance really that important?

Shen Jing: ……

Little Zhizhi: I know you still have feelings for me, right?

Shen Jing was so scared he dropped his phone, held his head, and huddled at the head of the bed.

…

Just then, the doorbell rang outside. The sound was urgent. He got out of bed, put on his slippers, and went to open the door. Standing there was… Tan Xueying.

Why is it her? This woman has absolutely no connection to him. There’s no reason for her to come looking for him so late at night. There must be a catch. Shen Jing thought it best to be cautious. After all, he’d been in the mix for a while, and there were too many schemes and double-dealing in this circle. Last time, she tried to steal Sister Qin’s woman. If their marriage hadn’t been a secret, Shen Jing would have truly wanted to punch this woman.

“Something wrong?” Shen Jing’s tone was unfriendly.

Tan Xueying smiled faintly, looking as gentle as ever. “May I come in and sit down?”

Shen Jing put a hand on the door frame, squinting flirtatiously. “A man and a woman alone… that’s not appropriate, is it?” Then he quickly changed his tune. “If you have something to say, say it here. I’m tired and need to sleep.”

Tan Xueying was amused. “You and your sister really have different personalities.”

“Of course. She is her, and I am me,” Shen Jing said, crossing his arms, looking impatient. “Hey, I said, do you have something to say? If not, I’m going in.”

Tan Xueying restrained her smile but still insisted. “Can you let me in to talk? It’s not convenient out here. If we get photographed, it won’t be good for either of us.”

Shen Jing shrugged. “I’m just an ordinary driver; it won’t affect me. You’re afraid of affecting yourself, aren’t you?”

Tan Xueying shook her head helplessly. “You’re Shen Lu’s brother, so naturally, she’ll be implicated, too, won’t she?”

Hearing her words, Shen Jing had no rebuttal. He simply opened the door wide. “Come in, come in then.”

Tan Xueying stepped inside. Shen Jing poked his head out the door to make sure no one was outside before carefully closing the door.

“Hurry up. I don’t have much patience,” Shen Jing urged.

Tan Xueying sat down, unhurriedly opened her bag, and took out a thick stack of bills, placing them on the table in front of him.