After Being Targeted by the Gloomy and Obsessive Movie Queen - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Cold War – Didn’t You Say You Weren’t Going to Use It?

Yu Shujin and Xu Yinyu had fallen into a state of cold war.

Although Xu Yinyu continued to act as Yu Shujin’s personal assistant, Yu Shujin now only kept her in her private lounge. This was a complete reversal of her previous style of publicly displaying Xu Yinyu on set, instead creating a mysterious sense of “hidden beauty.”

Every morning, Xu Yinyu would wake up in a panic and stay with Yu Shujin at Hengdian, bound by constant, close proximity.

In the evenings, she served as the movie queen’s emotional outlet. Because Xu Yinyu had been numb like a piece of wood lately, Yu Shujin’s roughhousing in bed intensified. Often, Xu Yinyu would cry and beg her several times, but she would not be released.

Instead, Yu Shujin would mock her, “Didn’t you say you ‘weren’t going to use it,’ hmm?”

The pain of Yu Shujin’s rejection was completely returned to Xu Yinyu in bed.

Eventually, Xu Yinyu stopped even begging for mercy. She simply suppressed herself, silently accepting everything Yu Shujin inflicted.

Her mood gradually shifted from resentment to calmness, hoping only that everything would end quickly.

In the end, Yu Shujin could only hold her, softening her tone to ask bitterly, “Why don’t you talk to me?”

Xu Yinyu’s eyes were unfocused, tears lingered in the corners, and her fair skin was practically unmarked by healthy tissue, covered instead with intertwined red and blue bite and pinch marks.

Yu Shujin lowered her head and kissed away the tears at the corners of Xu Yinyu’s eyes. The bitter, salty taste filled her mouth. She held Xu Yinyu’s body tightly, showing no sign of letting go.

They finally fell asleep embracing each other.

The next morning, Xu Yinyu was dragged by Yu Shujin to the washbasin to clean up, then pulled into a suit with tailored cuts. Xu Yinyu offered no resistance during this process.

Yu Shujin had become incredibly proficient in taking care of Xu Yinyu.

She could even instantly notice a wrinkle in Xu Yinyu’s clothes. Today, she was dressing up Xu Yinyu like a doll, styling her long hair while carefully examining the person in the mirror.

Xu Yinyu’s face was small, palm-sized, with delicate, enduring features. However, the continuous confinement had made her eyes lose their luster, and her complexion was sickly pale. She looked fragile and wan, like a long-term patient.

After Yu Shujin’s effort, Xu Yinyu was finally no longer lifeless. She even looked bright and vivid, possessing a beauty that resembled the swaying of spring wind—unassuming but endearing.

The stray kitten had, in the blink of an eye, turned into an expensive, beautiful Ragdoll cat.

“Auntie Xu has been recovering very well lately. I’m taking you to see her,” Yu Shujin said.

Xu Yinyu finally stopped looking vacant and unfocused. Her eyes slightly focused on Yu Shujin, and she responded seriously, “Thank you.”

Yu Shujin pointed to her cheek. “No reward?”

Xu Yinyu wrapped her arms around Yu Shujin’s neck and quickly kissed her left cheek. Then, she looked at her with bright eyes, a look of expectation rising. “Is that enough?”

A smile escaped Yu Shujin’s lips.

“Ah-Yu, let’s go see Auntie Xu together.”

The two quickly arrived at a high-end hospital in a private car. Xu Yinyu looked around and saw nothing but the latest medical equipment and professional doctors. Even some of the attending physicians on the wall of honors had returned from studying at the world’s top medical universities abroad.

Yu Shujin led Xu Yinyu into a luxurious patient room. Xu Yinyu tripped as she entered, and Yu Shujin quickly steadied her.

In the process, Xu Yinyu unintentionally grabbed Yu Shujin’s clothes.

Xu Yinyu frantically rushed to her unconscious mother, staring at her without blinking, examining her from head to toe. Her fingers tentatively touched the back of her mother’s hand.

It was stiff, aged, and even carried inappropriate chilblains.

It was her mother’s hand.

Xu Yinyu thought that if she had brought a bottle of hand lotion this morning, she could apply it to her mother’s hand now. Then, when she touched it again, she wouldn’t so clearly feel her mother’s hardship.

And here she was, living at the mercy of others, her own emotions useless.

“Can I be alone with Mom for a while?” Xu Yinyu turned to Yu Shujin.

Yu Shujin silently left the room, closing the door, uncharacteristically leaving Xu Yinyu a private space to be with her mother.

Only Xu Yinyu and her sleeping mother remained in the room. Xu Yinyu pulled up a chair, sat by the bedside, lowered her head, and tightly held her mother’s hand, her lips trembling.

As Yu Shujin stepped out, she coincidentally encountered Xu Ruoying doing her rounds. She glanced at Xu Ruoying’s neck, where there was a clear bite mark.

Xu Ruoying tilted her head. “Boss Yu, bringing Miss Xu to see her mother?”

Yu Shujin chuckled softly. “Is that battle damage makeup on your neck?”

“The result of the mess Boss Yu dumped on me,” Xu Ruoying replied with a smile. “I can only try my best to handle it.”

“You better ‘handle it,’” Yu Shujin pulled a ladies’ cigarette from her case and held it with her mouth, just for the craving. “And not cause me any weird trouble.”

“Didn’t Boss Yu say you wouldn’t question or interfere? Does that no longer count?” Xu Ruoying’s expression also turned serious.

Yu Shujin stared at her coldly, her eyes deep and unfathomable. “But the prerequisite is that Xu Lianyue remains alive and intact.”

Xu Ruoying tilted her head. “I let her stay in my room, eat the food I prepare, and even helped her bathe. Which part of what I’ve done violates that prerequisite?”

It indeed sounded like no prerequisite was violated. In fact, she seemed to be meticulously caring for Xu Lianyue.

But a strong sense of strangeness arose in Yu Shujin’s heart from Xu Ruoying’s radiant demeanor.

The main reason was that Xu Ruoying was no kind-hearted nanny. She was born into a wealthy merchant family in the Empire, and though not highly regarded, her family background was excellent. She had always been a spoiled young lady who had everything served to her, never one to condescend to serve others.

The fact that she could tolerate Xu Lianyue, and even meticulously care for her, doing something so contradictory to her own habits, could only mean she had found something more exciting in Xu Lianyue.

“Everyone has some quirks,” Xu Ruoying stated candidly. “But my little quirk is nothing compared to Boss Yu’s, is it?”

“I haven’t driven someone I care about to hyperventilate.”

Yu Shujin gave her a side-eye, skipping the unnecessary talk, and threw the cigarette butt into the ash box. “Oh, do you think you’re very likable? The person you care about shows no intimacy towards you and treats you like an enemy.”

In the end, both suffered losses and left disappointed.

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Yinyu heard a knock on the door. She assumed it was Yu Shujin and didn’t respond, but the rhythm of the knocking was quite different from the knocks she had heard before.

Xu Yinyu got up to open the door and saw Chi Xia carrying a food container. “Why did you take so long to open the door? Were you asleep?”

Xu Yinyu remained motionless. Chi Xia placed the soup and dishes, prepared by Yu family’s exclusive chef, on the table. Xu Yinyu glanced at them and saw ingredients she usually only encountered at expensive banquets.

“She had to rush back to the set. She won’t be back for the next few days,” Chi Xia said softly, observing the emotional changes on Xu Yinyu’s face. “Miss Xu, since you’ve gotten everything you wanted, aren’t you going to consider protecting yourself?”

Xu Yinyu opened the door and looked at Chi Xia. “My mother needs quiet recovery. Please leave.”

“Ha.” Chi Xia gritted her teeth and snorted, walking to the door and closing it with a bang! Her lips pulled down. “So pretentious.”

Xu Yinyu couldn’t guess Yu Shujin’s thoughts. She belatedly felt the cruelty of a stranger from Yu Shujin.

They had become strangers who didn’t recognize each other. There was a huge gap in their social status. People would even sigh regretfully when they stood together. Their relationship had even changed from former lovers to a position that couldn’t be shown openly—no, only she had become a nameless, unspeakable representative of something inappropriate.

“Mom, have I disappointed you?”

But I’m already trying my best to save myself.

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