After Being Targeted by the Gloomy and Obsessive Movie Queen - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Reunion — Her Sparkling Starlight

A City had been plagued by continuous heavy rain recently, and the air was filled with damp moisture and a mix of humid, stale odors.

The taxi driver stopped and said impatiently to the woman in the back, “We’re here.”

He glanced at the silent woman through the rear-view mirror.

The woman wore a white shirt tucked into high-waisted black trousers, making her waist look slender. Her fair hands clutched a black blazer. She wore a hat and a mask, completely covering her face, but just sitting there, she exuded a cold, melancholic sense of faded beauty.

Xu Yinyu gave a cool “Mm,” paid, and got out of the car. Her other hand nervously gripped her phone, dialing one number after another. Every call was either rejected instantly or interrupted before she could say two sentences. No one would listen to her explanation.

Xu Yinyu clenched the hand holding the blazer into a fist, the veins bulging, and the visible part of her eyes was bloodshot.

She hadn’t rested in a week.

Xu Yinyu had submitted her comic manuscript last week, and the very next day, her name inexplicably became a trending topic. She was a 36th-tier part-time artist, publicly accused of plagiarism by a leading artist in the industry. This enormous frame-up made her infamous online, reaching the point where everyone was condemning her.

Netizens on Star Weibo quickly dug up all her personal information—her name, photo, and more—and continuously cursed her in the comments section of her accounts. The impact was far beyond her expectation.

All of Xu Yinyu’s contracted comics were removed from the platform, and she was now facing massive penalty fees for breach of contract. Her mother was so angered by the malicious comments that she suffered a recurrence of heart failure and was involved in a car accident on the way to the hospital. She was in the ICU, still unconscious.

In just seven days, Xu Yinyu was blacklisted by the comic platform, frozen out by her main company, and burdened with huge fines, turning her into an outcast.

Xu Yinyu arrived at the entrance of Star Entertainment Company, lifting her head slightly, her lips tightly pursed. Her clearly defined knuckles pressed down on the brim of her hat, pulling it tightly over her eyes.

Xu Yinyu holding the black blazer accentuated her whole body with an unrestrained, casual look.

The usher at the door gave her an unfriendly look. She took out her invitation from her jacket pocket and handed it over, receiving only a forced smile in return.

“Miss Xu, please come in.”

The door was opened from the outside, and the flickering lights spilled onto her face, momentarily stinging her eyes.

Everyone’s gaze fell on her. There was confusion, contempt, and even a few snickers.

Her gaze, however, cut through the noisy decadence like a light butterfly, landing on a sufficiently extravagant and dazzling celebrity.

A sudden reunion dropped right in front of her.

Xu Yinyu’s eyes settled on the current top-tier celebrity, Yu Shujin, and the sharp, dazzling jewels instantly scattered the bitter, youthful memories.

Her body was frozen stiff, unable to make a sound. People around her had already started whispering about the unfamiliar face, and she desperately wanted to leave this place immediately.

But logic and reality tore at her pride.

She can’t leave. Her mother is still in the hospital.

She can’t leave.

Xu Yinyu took a deep, cold breath. She tried to shrink her presence, pulling her gaze away from the most prominent figure, the dazzling star.

At this moment, Su Baili was all smiles amidst the clinking of glasses. She had recently stirred up a wave of popularity, signed two million-level contracts, and incidentally resolved a potential major threat, putting her in an exceedingly good mood.

It wasn’t until Xu Yinyu walked up to her that Su Baili pulled herself away from her success, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she looked at Xu Yinyu, “Oh, it’s little Xu. Are you here to apologize to me?”

Xu Yinyu’s eyes were bloodshot as she gazed at Su Baili’s beautiful face. The light falling on her perfect features even made Xu Yinyu wonder if she had made a mistake.

How could this artist, who looked as beautiful as a banished immortal and had consistently produced god-tier works since her debut, be the malicious person who repeatedly left no room for retreat for a newcomer?

However, she was the one being mocked by thousands of eyes right now, and she was the one bearing the brunt of countless curses online.

Xu Yinyu gripped her black blazer and said in a deep voice, “Hello, Senior Su. I think I must explain to you that I did not plagiarize the plot direction or style of your comic.”

The moment the words left her mouth, not just Su Baili, but the people standing close to her couldn’t help but laugh, their eyes filled with disdain.

They hadn’t seen anyone more naive or presumptuous than Xu Yinyu. But this was the first time someone dared to stir up trouble right in front of them.

Ignoring the ridicule, Xu Yinyu continued earnestly, “So, please, restore my reputation on Star Weibo.”

Immediately after Xu Yinyu finished speaking, a deliberately affected female voice came from behind her, “Oops, excuse me.”

As the female voice faded, Xu Yinyu felt a cold, damp sensation on her neck. She turned around to see that her most expensive shirt was drenched in red wine, even revealing the outline of her inner wear.

“I said ‘excuse me’! Why were you still blocking my sister? I’m so sorry!” The sharp laughter contained no hint of an apology.

Before Su Qingqing could fully retract her triumphant smile,

Xu Yinyu, with her dark, round eyes, turned back. Her waist tightened instantly, and with a swift, decisive motion of her hand—”Slap!”

A resounding slap instantly froze the lights across the venue. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and even Su Qingqing, known for her feisty and spoiled temper, was momentarily shocked into self-doubt.

Xu Yinyu’s hand trembled uncontrollably after hitting her. She rarely reacted by uncontrollably attacking others, but for some reason, today she was exceptionally out of control. A surge of irritation radiated from the inside out. She had been pushed to the edge, and there was no room in her mind to think about anything else.

Xu Yinyu continued to make her request to Su Baili, her voice growing louder, already drawing attention, “Senior Su, you know that our drawing styles are completely different. Anyone professionally trained in art can tell. You cannot be this unreasonable.”

This time, Su Baili immediately distanced herself from her and signaled to a waiter. Xu Yinyu saw two security guards approaching her.

Xu Yinyu’s face went pale. A flicker of panic crossed her mind, and she subconsciously stepped back, only to bump into the person behind her.

A scent of hyacinth wafted to her nose. Before she could turn around and clearly look, the blazer in her hand was gently taken and placed over Xu Yinyu’s drenched body. A light, gentle greeting brushed past her ear.

“Long time no see, Miss Xu. What happened here?”

The voice was even softer now, a soothing tone that sounded less like a greeting to Xu Yinyu and more like a final farewell performance after playing the piano at a concert.

Xu Yinyu’s frozen, soaked heart was gently knocked open a tiny crack by this greeting.

Yu Shujin walked up to the completely drenched Xu Yinyu, catching everyone off guard.

No one knew the romantic history of the youngest Chinese Movie Queen in history. Moreover, no one dared to dig into the past affairs of the young Miss Yu of the Yu family. Even if Yu Shujin displayed it right in front of them carelessly, no one was reckless enough to photograph it.

The initially raging Su Qingqing felt a bucket of cold water dumped on her head, sobering her up beyond belief. She could only grab her sister, Su Baili.

Su Baili secretly cursed her bad luck, but outwardly remained composed. Deep down, she didn’t believe Yu Shujin would offend her for the sake of an obscure 36th-tier artist who had no reputation before.

“Teacher Yu, is this your friend? We had a little misunderstanding. You don’t mind, do you?” Su Baili smiled, testing the waters.

Yu Shujin glanced at Su Baili, seeing only a fake smile in that somewhat dazzling and gorgeous face. She lightly patted Xu Yinyu’s shoulder, “Teacher Su, my friend’s clothes are wet. Please step aside.”

Xu Yinyu’s eyes were wide with surprise. She seemed to sense something, “Yu Shujin, I don’t need this.”

Yu Shujin felt Xu Yinyu’s tension and subconsciously tightened her grip on her hand, only to realize that Xu Yinyu’s whole body was trembling.

Trembling from the cold.

Xu Yinyu was pulled by Yu Shujin into her exclusive private room, everyone’s eyes following them until the door was closed from the outside by Yu Shujin’s assistant.

A cluster of flames gathered in Su Baili’s eyes. She rarely flattened her lips, and her beautiful eyes were lowered as she looked towards the private room on the upper floor.

Su Qingqing cursed audibly, ignoring the setting, “Just a bastard child, she sure knows how to put on airs.”

Many people present heard it, but no one dared to agree.

Hearing this, Su Baili’s eyes instead pressed down on Su Qingqing. She stared at the side of her face, which was red from Xu Yinyu’s slap, like a spotted, poisonous snake in the deep forest, gloomy and dominating. Su Qingqing instantly realized her slip-up, lowered her head, and left with Su Baili, looking obedient and wretched.

Xu Yinyu was led into the exclusive private room by Yu Shujin.

The room was warm. Xu Yinyu paused at the entrance, awkwardly taking off the black blazer. The pure-colored inner wear mixed with the wet, red wine created a vivid, beautiful color that made Xu Yinyu’s pale, cold skin look especially vibrant. She painstakingly unbuttoned the shirt, quickly took off the soaked shirt, and put on the new shirt offered by Yu Shujin.

“Thank you, Miss Yu…” Xu Yinyu felt the burning gaze from Yu Shujin behind her. Her fingers trembled, and she barely managed to button up the shirt.

Yu Shujin’s gaze moved from Xu Yinyu’s back up to her neck, where a jade safety clasp, connected by a red string, passed over her former lover’s neck.

In those innocent years at seventeen, no one knew that Yu Shujin and Xu Yinyu once had an unknown love affair.

For Yu Shujin, that was the only tranquility in her insane youth. Losing it then was too easy, so she didn’t take it to heart, until time wore away the memories. Every night, when she tossed and turned, a bitter ache welled up in her chest, as if rubbed raw by a blade.

The air felt like a glass of red wine had been spilled again. Xu Yinyu stiffly turned around. She would have preferred to be mocked by strangers outside without knowing the reason than to accept help from her ex-lover, as she was doing now.

But fate never seemed to follow Xu Yinyu’s wishes. “Miss Xu, you don’t seem to be doing very well recently. Have you run into some trouble?”

Yu Shujin’s tone held no complex hidden meaning, sounding like an old friend genuinely concerned about a fallen comrade.

Xu Yinyu had seen the cruel, scoundrel Yu Shujin at seventeen. Seeing the sparkling, 25-year-old Yu Shujin now, for a fleeting moment of genuine desire, she wanted to say sorry to the seventeen-year-old Yu Shujin.

But would the 25-year-old Yu Shujin still want her apology?

“I’m fine. You look great,” Xu Yinyu replied subconsciously.

Yu Shujin’s narrow eyes paused briefly, then she lowered her head and smiled, “Oh.”

“You saw just now, I’ve become very powerful. Given our past, I’ll give you a chance to cling to me.” Yu Shujin walked beside Xu Yinyu, almost pressing her ear, her gentle breath sounding like passionate whispers.

Xu Yinyu abruptly pushed Yu Shujin away, her face darkening. She shook her head hard, “No need, thank you.”

She didn’t need it, and she couldn’t accept it. Regardless of whether Yu Shujin had “moved on” from what happened eight years ago, the pain Xu Yinyu was forced to inflict on Yu Shujin remained a self-imposed prison, tightly shrouding her heart with guilt.

Yu Shujin’s clear eyes suddenly dimmed. She sharply pulled away, glancing at her with extreme coldness, “Since Miss Xu is so independent, you must have the ability to clear your name in front of the media and remove the stigma. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Xu Yinyu nodded, “Thank you. I will transfer the cost of the shirt to you with my next month’s salary.”

Yu Shujin’s chest rose and fell slightly. She forcibly suppressed the frustration in her heart, her tone devoid of anger, “It’s just a shirt. Consider it compensation for the help you once gave me, A’yu.”

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