After Failing To Win Over the Yandere Best Actress, I Got Marked - Chapter 26

On the internet, public opinion had completely shifted due to the technological prowess demonstrated by Ye Qinglan’s company.

A barrage of attacks left Song Jing overwhelmed. As she looked at the online comments, feelings of anxiety and irritation filled her chest. Suddenly, the shrill ring of her phone pierced the air.

She grabbed the phone irritably. The name “Fang Qi” on the screen made the veins in her temples throb.

“Song Jing! Everyone online is cursing me! You have to help me.”

Fang Qi’s sharp, piercing screams came from the other end of the line. Song Jing jerked the phone away from her ear, the veins on her forehead bulging.

“Shut up!” she snapped, interrupting her. “Did you have water in your brain to go and provoke Ye Qinglan? Now you know how to cry?”

Outside the glass walls of the office, several assistants shrank back in fear. Song Jing yanked down the blinds, her fingers tapping the desk in a rhythmic, frantic beat.

“Idiot!”

“I… I didn’t know it would turn out like this…” Fang Qi sobbed. “That bitch must have done it on purpose! She..”

“She what!” Song Jing sneered. “How many years has Ye Qinglan been in this industry? Who do you think you are, trying to drug her?”

On the computer screen, the hashtag #FangQiGetOutOfShowbiz was followed by a deep red “Burst” icon, indicating a trending explosion. Song Jing clicked on the real-time feed; a newly uploaded video showed Fang Qi at a dinner party, fawning over and throwing herself at a director, captured in crystal-clear detail.

“Sister Song…” Fang Qi’s voice suddenly turned sinister. “I want to make Ye Qinglan pay the price…”

“If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!” Song Jing bolted upright, sweeping her coffee cup off the desk. “If you dare go near Ye Qinglan again, you won’t even know how you died!”

She slammed the phone down, her chest heaving. Outside, the sky had darkened, and the neon lights reflected off her distorted silhouette. If she hadn’t wanted to use Fang Qi to cause trouble for Ye Qinglan hoping to drive Ye Qinglan into her arms why would she have shoved this fool into the production crew?

Now, she hadn’t gotten Ye Qinglan, and she was stuck with this idiot.

The internal line on her desk rang.

“President Song, the PR department is asking for instructions on how to guide public opinion,” the secretary asked cautiously. “Currently, six of the top ten trending searches are about Ms. Fang…”

Song Jing stared at the fluctuating data on the screen, her gaze turning cold. She understood the logic of “sacrificing the pawn to save the knight” better than anyone.

“Don’t worry about her,” she said, slowly sitting back in her leather chair. “Also, release the materials we prepared earlier regarding ‘Fang Qi’s unspoken rules for promotion.’ Watch closely and make sure my name doesn’t appear.”

Before Fang Qi was kicked out, she had to clean her own hands. How foolish, she thought, I shouldn’t have acknowledged a relationship earlier. What a mess.

After a moment of silence, she opened a drawer and pulled out a folder labeled “Fang Qi’s Dirt.” Inside were intimate photos of Fang Qi with various investors insurance she had kept from the start.

“Don’t blame me for being heartless,” she whispered to herself, hitting the send button.

Fang Qi sat stunned in the dressing room, her phone screen still stuck on Song Jing’s last message: “Take care of yourself.”

Foundation mixed with tears to create a muddy mess on her face. She mechanically scrolled through Weibo, watching her name being dragged through the mud.

Ding..dong..

A message appeared in the group chat.

Director: Teacher Ye and Teacher Su can return to filming tomorrow.

At the same time, a notification popped up: “Ye Qinglan and Su Jin Return to Set Tomorrow; Production Faces a Rough Road.” The attached photo showed a paparazzi shot of Ye Qinglan and Su Jin talking and laughing, seemingly unaffected by the storm.

“Bitch…” Fang Qi’s nails dug deep into her palms. “It’s all because of you…”

She scrolled through her contacts and dialed an unlabeled number.

“Hello, Brother Hei?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet. “About what we discussed last time… I agree.”

A coarse laugh came from the other end. “It would have been better if you’d been this sensible from the start. Don’t worry, brother will definitely help you vent this anger.”

Fang Qi hung up and gave a twisted smile to the mirror. Tears still hung from her eyes, but her lips were curled at a grotesque angle.

“Ye Qinglan…” she whispered, stroking the screen showing that elegant face. “You think this is over?”

A flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating eyes filled with hatred.

The next day.

The nanny van slowly pulled up to the entrance of the film base. Through the window, Su Jin saw the reporters who had arrived early; camera flashes were going off incessantly. She subconsciously looked at Ye Qinglan beside her. The latter was resting with her eyes closed, her thick lashes casting shadows under her eyes, showing no emotion whatsoever.

“Scared?” Ye Qinglan spoke suddenly, without opening her eyes.

Su Jin curled her lip. “Who’s scared? I just find it troublesome.” Being famous was a hassle; any little thing attracted so many reporters.

Ye Qinglan finally opened her eyes. “Stay close to me later.”

The moment the car door opened, reporters swarmed like a tide. Ye Qinglan stepped out composedly, with Su Jin following close behind. The flashes were blinding, and questions hit them like artillery shells:

“Film Queen Ye, what is your take on Fang Qi and Song Jing’s live response?” “Will the deep fake video incident affect the movie’s filming?” “There are rumors of a private feud between you and Fang Qi. Is this true?”

Ye Qinglan didn’t stop, only turning her head slightly at the last question. “Rumors stop at the wise.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced the noisy crowd. Su Jin marveled inwardly this was the aura of a Film Queen.

Under the protection of security, the two successfully entered the set. Just as they stepped inside, Su Jin felt a cold gaze. She followed the sensation and widened her eyes in surprise.

It was actually Fang Qi.

Having not seen her for a few days, her spirit was clearly broken. Her face was as pale as a ghost’s, but her eyes were frighteningly red, staring fixedly at Ye Qinglan as if she might pounce and bite at any second.

“Why is she still on set?” Su Jin muttered in surprise. She thought that after such a scandal, Fang Qi wouldn’t have the face to show up. And the director actually keeping her? Wasn’t he afraid of more trouble?

[“With Song Jing there, Fang Qi can naturally stay. After all, the two just officially announced their relationship; if they split now, the netizens’ keyboards would crush them to death,”] the System sneered in her mind.

[“The ugly face of capitalists, tsk tsk.”]

Su Jin curled her lip, not sparing Fang Qi another glance as she headed straight for her own dressing room. In this production, both lead actors had their own private spaces.

As soon as Ye Qinglan entered, she heard the sound of the door closing behind her, accompanied by Fang Qi’s voice.

“Ye Qinglan, you must be very proud of yourself right now, aren’t you?” Fang Qi’s voice sounded as if it were squeezed through her teeth. “You’ve ruined my reputation and made me the laughingstock of the entire internet. Are you satisfied?”

Ye Qinglan kept her back to Su Jin, her voice chillingly calm: “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing dumb!” Fang Qi suddenly raised her volume. “That video was clearly your…”

“Miss Fang,” Ye Qinglan interrupted her, “instead of accusing others here, you should think about how to act your part well. After all…” She paused, turning back to look at her with a half-smile, “this might be your last role ever.”

Fang Qi’s face instantly turned deathly pale. “What do you mean?”

Ye Qinglan didn’t answer directly, merely smoothing her cuffs with elegance. “Exactly what I said. No production likes to use artists with such a tarnished record, especially one like you.”

Fang Qi clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her flesh, yet she seemed unable to feel the pain. “It’s not decided yet who will be the one kicked out! Ye Qinglan, I will find evidence! I definitely will!”

Ye Qinglan shrugged. “Suit yourself. However, I need to put on my makeup now, so please leave. This is my dressing room.”

She emphasized the word “my” heavily, watching with satisfaction as Fang Qi’s face turned livid. Without another word, Fang Qi turned and left, slamming the door hard.

Outside, as soon as Fang Qi left, Su Jin entered in her change of clothes, looking worried. “I just saw Fang Qi leaving. She didn’t do anything to you, did she?”

Seeing her, Ye Qinglan’s gaze instantly softened. “Changed already?”

“Yeah,” Su Jin nodded, unable to resist glancing back at the spot where Fang Qi had been trembling. “She…”

“Don’t worry about her,” Ye Qinglan said dismissively. “We have an important scene today. Don’t get distracted.”

The morning shoot went smoothly until the crucial confrontation scene in the afternoon the villain played by Fang Qi was supposed to throw “sulfuric acid” at Ye Qinglan’s character.

Before filming started, Su Jin felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Standing on the sidelines, she watched the prop master hand a bottle of transparent liquid to Fang Qi. As Fang Qi took it, a sinister smile flashed across her lips.

Seeing that smile, Su Jin’s heart raced. [Something feels wrong. System, can you detect what’s in that bottle?]

[It’s sulfuric acid.]

The System paused abruptly before continuing.

This scene required Fang Qi to act out a moment of madness, splashing the acid at Ye Qinglan. Usually, the “acid” used on set is a harmless imitation, essentially water. If she were holding a fake, why would she smile like that?

Unless…

[It’s not a fake. It’s real.]

The System confirmed her suspicion.

Su Jin’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to rush forward, she realized Ye Qinglan was already standing behind her, lightly pressing a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be anxious,” Ye Qinglan whispered in her ear, her warm breath brushing against Su Jin’s earlobe. “Just watch the show.”

The moment the director shouted “Action!”, a look of pure malice flashed in Fang Qi’s eyes. According to the script, she was supposed to raise the bottle in a splashing motion, and Ye Qinglan would dodge.

However, Fang Qi actually hurled the liquid toward Ye Qinglan’s face!

Su Jin’s pupils shrunk. She immediately screamed, “Wait!”

In that split second, Ye Qinglan bypassed the danger with incredible reaction speed, stepping aside while simultaneously giving a firm push. Caught off guard by her own momentum, Fang Qi stumbled forward, and the entire bottle of liquid splashed back onto her own face!

“AHHH!” A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the set.

Fang Qi collapsed, rolling on the ground and clutching her face as her skin began to fester at a visible rate. The staff descended into chaos; some screamed to call an ambulance, while others retreated in horror.

The director dropped his headset and ran over. “What happened?!”

Ye Qinglan’s expression was grim. “It’s real sulfuric acid.”

The director’s face turned ashen. “How can there be real acid? Props! Props!”

After calling out for a long time, no one came. The assistant director eventually found a member of the prop team. Upon seeing Fang Qi’s wretched state, the employee’s face went white. He stammered, “I… I don’t know! The group leader prepared the acid; none of the rest of us were involved.”

“Where are the others?”

“The leader took them to buy supplies. He said they’d be back soon.”

But after waiting a while, only the other employees returned the group leader was nowhere to be found.

The director was livid. When the police arrived, he told them everything. Through the surveillance footage in the prop room, the police confirmed that the group leader had swapped the acid. Furthermore, they found the leader’s phone hidden in a corner; the chat records inside confirmed that Fang Qi had instructed him to make the swap. Fearing the fallout, the leader had already fled.

Instantly, the crew’s sympathy for Fang Qi turned into complex disdain. She had tried to harm another only to ruin herself; she didn’t even have a leg to stand on legally.

Su Jin watched it all unfold with a heavy heart until Ye Qinglan walked over and gently squeezed her hand. “Scared?”

Su Jin was pale, looking at her as if wanting to say something but stopping herself. In her ear, the System was buzzing with excitement: [It’s her! It must be her! This was definitely calculated by the Villainess, just waiting for Fang Qi to make her move.]

[So black hearted, truly too black-hearted! And she’s ruthless wasn’t she afraid she’d be disfigured if she moved just a second too slow?]

Su Jin’s emotions were a mess, though she maintained the same shocked expression as the others.

A police officer came over to take her statement, mentioning that she had tried to stop the scene and asking why.

Su Jin told the truth: “When the filming started, I saw Fang Qi smile. It was a very smug look, not like she was in character. I felt something was wrong, so I tried to call it off, but the accident happened anyway.”

Combined with the evidence from the phone, this testimony confirmed the intent. Fang Qi had done this on purpose.

When the ambulance arrived, paramedics provided basic treatment before the police handcuffed her. Her face was wrapped tightly in gauze, yet she continued to scream hysterically: “Ye Qinglan! You’ll die a horrible death! I won’t let you go even as a ghost!”

Ye Qinglan didn’t even give her a glance, leading Su Jin away by the hand.

Back in the van, Su Jin finally couldn’t help but ask: “You… you knew all along?”

Ye Qinglan gave a soft “Mm.”

“Then why didn’t you…” Su Jin wanted to ask why she didn’t stop it. She was so close so close to being the one hurt.

“It’s just giving her a taste of her own medicine. If she didn’t have the intent to harm, how could my plan have worked against her?”

Su Jin was speechless. After a moment of silence, she asked, “What will happen to her?”

“Intentional assault, starting at three years,” Ye Qinglan said calmly. “Combined with the previous defamation and framing, it’s enough to keep her inside for a while.”

Su Jin suddenly remembered something. “And Song Jing…”

“Song Jing can barely protect herself now,” Ye Qinglan sneered. “In order to get the Song family to save her, Fang Qi will definitely drag her down with her.”

“We’ll just wait and watch the dogs bite each other.”

Sure enough, that evening, a bombshell hit Weibo Fang Qi had confessed during interrogation that Song Jing was the mastermind behind the entire incident. The police summoned Song Jing for investigation overnight, and the Song Group’s stock price plummeted.

Scrolling through the news, Su Jin sighed. “This retribution came so fast…”

Ye Qinglan hugged her from behind, resting her chin on Su Jin’s shoulder. “This is only the beginning.” Her voice was gentle, yet it gave Su Jin an involuntary shiver.

“Next, it’s the Fang family’s turn.” Ye Qinglan lightly kissed Su Jin’s earlobe, a cold light flashing in her eyes.