After Failing To Win Over the Yandere Best Actress, I Got Marked - Chapter 35

Downstairs in the kitchen, Ye Qinglan placed the last clean plate into the disinfection cabinet, the scent of lemon detergent still lingering on her fingertips.

In the living room, the phone rang for the nth time, sounding particularly piercing in the empty villa.

She dried her hands and walked slowly toward the living room. Outside the floor to ceiling windows, the sunlight cast a long shadow behind her. On the screen, the name “Zhao Man” flashed repeatedly, like a relentless alarm.

“Hello,” Ye Qinglan answered, her voice terrifyingly calm.

“Qinglan, what are you doing? Why haven’t you been picking up?”

“I’m busy,” she replied coldly. “Is there anything else?”

“Qinglan, I really hope you can understand. Going public with a relationship is never a good thing, especially with her!” Zhao Man’s voice almost pierced through the receiver. “What’s so good about that Su Jin? A third-tier artist from a tiny company no connections, no resources. She’s clearly just clinging to you to climb the ladder!”

Ye Qinglan’s fingertips tapped rhythmically and slowly on the sofa armrest. “Are you finished?”

“That manager of hers, Sister Li, might as well have the words ‘blood-sucker’ written on her face!” Zhao Man prattled on. “And that trashy company of hers was contacting the media yesterday to prepare a press release…”

“Zhao Man.” Ye Qinglan suddenly interrupted, her voice dropping several degrees. “You’ve overstepped.”

The other end of the line went dead silent.

“My private affairs are not for you to dictate,” Ye Qinglan said word by word, each one sharp as ice. “Remember your position.”

Zhao Man’s breathing became audibly hurried. “I’m doing this for your own good! That Su Jin…”

“Enough,” Ye Qinglan cut her off coldly. “This is my business, do not interfere. Furthermore, I don’t want to hear any more negative comments about Su Jin. Do you understand?”

Without waiting for an answer, she hung up. The phone was tossed onto the coffee table with a dull thud.

The window reflected her grim expression. Ye Qinglan took a deep breath, turned to the wine cabinet, and poured herself half a glass of whisky. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, much like the dark tides surging in her eyes.

Meanwhile, at the office.

Zhao Man stared at the disconnected call, her face livid. She slammed her phone onto the desk, scattering her office supplies.

“Damn it!” she hissed, her fingers digging deep into her palms.

What did Su Jin have that made Ye Qinglan abandon her bottom line time and time again? Previously, Ye Qinglan would never accept hype, let alone allow others to use her as a stepping stone.

Yet, Su Jin was the exception!

Zhao Man trembled with rage. “Damn that Su Jin!”

Her screen lit up with a new message from Su Jin’s manager, Sister Li:

Sister Zhao, our company discussed it and we think the Best Actress Ye and Su Jin could go on a dating variety show together. The hype is so high right now, it would be a waste not to use it. We have access to a show called ‘Heartbeat Acceleration.’ If Ye agrees, I’ll contact them immediately.

Zhao Man sneered and deleted the message instantly. She took a sip of her coffee, only to find it had gone cold, the bitter taste only fueled her irritation.

Just then, her phone rang again with an unfamiliar number.

“Hello?” Zhao Man answered impatiently.

“Miss Zhao, long time no see.” Song Jing’s elegant voice came through the line. “I heard things haven’t been… going smoothly for you lately?”

Zhao Man’s spine straightened instantly. “President Song?”

“Don’t be nervous,” Song Jing laughed softly. “I just want to help. That Su Jin… she isn’t as simple as she looks.”

Zhao Man narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Her approaching Ye Qinglan was no accident.”

Zhao Man began tapping the desk subconsciously. “Explain.”

“Don’t you find it strange? Qinglan has been in this industry for years and has always been cold and aloof to everyone. Why would she favor someone like her?” Song Jing’s voice was seductive. “I’ve discovered some interesting things.”

“Do you have proof?”

“Of course I have proof,” Song Jing said unhurriedly. “But… I need you to do me a small favor first.”

“Speak.”

“I need your company to issue a statement saying that after investigation, the incident was caused by a prop error. Furthermore, your company has decided not to pursue the matter.” Song Jing’s voice was gentle. “In exchange, I will give you three top-tier scripts to ensure Ye Qinglan’s career reaches even greater heights.”

Zhao Man’s face turned cold. “Impossible! Fang Qi’s crime is a shut case. Besides, with so many people watching, even if the company issues a statement, the fans and netizens won’t believe it.”

“Whether they believe it is their business. I just need your company to cooperate. I will find a way to suppress the public outcry. Fang Qi is already disfigured; her career as an artist is over. As a private citizen, her reputation is ruined she won’t be able to cause any more trouble.”

“So, let’s show some mercy. Let her go this once, for my sake.”

“No,” Zhao Man refused. “If the company issues this statement, believe it or not, we will be dragged into the trending searches by angry fans.”

“But even if you do nothing, the fans will still drag you. Su Jin is a ticking time bomb; she could drag Ye Qinglan down to the abyss at any moment. You don’t want Ye Qinglan to be ruined by Su Jin, do you?”

Zhao Man suppressed her anger. “How do I know what you’re saying is true?”

“Miss Zhao,” Song Jing chuckled, “do you think I would joke about Ye Qinglan’s future? After all…” Her voice suddenly turned suggestive, “…she is the only person I truly care about.”

Zhao Man’s pupils contracted. She remembered something and lowered her voice: “You said Su Jin isn’t simple… what’s the evidence?”

The sound of rustling paper came from the other end. “Her manager, Sister Li, once sent an artist to a director’s bed. When that artist tried to sue her, Li framed her instead, claiming the artist initiated it. She forged evidence, leading the artist to commit suicide out of humiliation.”

She paused. “However, that was over a decade ago; it isn’t easy to investigate. I just happen to have the evidence in my hands.”

Zhao Man’s breath hitched.

“If this gets out, what do you think will happen to Su Jin?” Song Jing said meaningfully. “With a manager like that, every resource Su Jin has ever obtained will be questioned. People will wonder how a third-tier nobody managed to star alongside Best Actress Ye… and how she managed to crawl into Ye Qinglan’s bed in such a short time.”

Zhao Man’s nails bit into her palms as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Why are you doing this?”

Song Jing’s voice became tender. “I just want Ye Qinglan to see the truth and return… to the side of the person who truly suits her. As for the previous matter… that’s just an additional condition. And it does no harm to Ye Qinglan.”

“Think it over. Call me when you’ve decided.”

After hanging up, Zhao Man stared blankly at her computer screen. On it was a photo: Ye Qinglan and Su Jin standing together on set.

The look in Ye Qinglan’s eyes when she watched Su Jin held a tenderness Zhao Man had never seen before.

She slammed her laptop shut, grabbed her coat, and strode out of the office.

In the hallway, several employees were whispering; they fell silent the moment they saw her.

“Notify the PR department. Meeting in half an hour,” Zhao Man commanded coldly. “The statement regarding Best Actress Ye’s relationship needs to be redrafted.”

The moment the elevator doors closed, her phone rang again. It was a message from Sister Li:

Sister Zhao, have you thought about it? The producer of ‘Heartbeat Acceleration’ is waiting for a reply.

Zhao Man sneered and replied: Keep dreaming.

Meanwhile, at the Ye family villa, Ye Qinglan stood before the floor to ceiling window, her glass of whisky already empty. The sunlight cast a halo around her profile, but it couldn’t dispel the haze in her eyes.

Her phone vibrated with a message from her assistant:

Sister Ye, I’ve tracked some of Song Jing’s movements. She met secretly with three media outlets today, seemingly preparing a press release. Should we intercept it?

A cold smirk played on Ye Qinglan’s lips: No need. Let her publish it.

She set down the glass and headed upstairs.

Stopping before the master bedroom, she pushed the door open softly. Sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting mottled shadows across the floor. Su Jin was lying on her side in bed, the thin quilt having slipped to her waist, revealing a slender waistline and the smooth curve of her back.

Ye Qinglan lightened her steps as she approached the bed. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the corner of the quilt, Su Jin suddenly rolled over, her sleepy eyes reflecting the soft light.

“Did I wake you?” Ye Qinglan’s voice was gentler than the moonlight.

Su Jin shook her head. In her daze, she reached out and hooked her finger into the hem of Ye Qinglan’s clothes. “Why did you only just come up…”

That soft, nasal murmur made Ye Qinglan’s heart tremble.

She sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through Su Jin’s scattered hair. “Just handling a few things.”

Su Jin propped herself up halfway. The strap of her silk nightgown slipped down, exposing a rounded shoulder. Oblivious, she leaned closer to Ye Qinglan’s neck with the innocent confusion of someone newly awakened. “Have you been drinking?”

“A little.” Ye Qinglan’s throat tightened. Su Jin’s warm breath was puffing against her sensitive glands.

“It doesn’t smell good…” Su Jin wrinkled her nose, yet she leaned even closer, her nose brushing against Ye Qinglan’s collarbone. “But mixed with your pheromones, it actually smells nice…”

Ye Qinglan’s breathing grew heavy. She cupped the back of Su Jin’s head, her voice husky. “Sister, do you know what you’re doing?”

Su Jin finally realized how close they were. Panicked, she tried to retreat, but Ye Qinglan grabbed her waist and pulled her directly onto her lap.

“You want to run after teasing me?” Ye Qinglan’s lips were practically pressed against her earlobe. “Who taught you such a bad habit?”

The tips of Su Jin’s ears burned. She pressed her hands against Ye Qinglan’s chest. “I… I just…”

“Just what?” Ye Qinglan’s fingertips traced slowly up her spine, pressing lightly against each vertebra. “You smelled the alcohol on me and felt like getting close?”

Su Jin felt her whole body go soft, nearly melting under the touch. She unconsciously tilted her head back, exposing her vulnerable neckline. “Qinglan…”

That soft call was the final straw for Ye Qinglan’s restraint.

Ye Qinglan leaned down abruptly and captured her slightly parted lips. Unlike the gentleness of previous days, this kiss carried the richness of whisky and long-suppressed desire, sweeping through her senses like a conquest.

Su Jin’s fingers instinctively tightened around Ye Qinglan’s collar until she felt a hand slip beneath the hem of her nightgown. The cold fingertips touching her waist jolted her awake. She grabbed Ye Qinglan’s hand to stop her.

Ye Qinglan lingered against her lips, her voice gravelly. “What is it? Don’t you want to?”

“It’s not that…” Su Jin’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, her lashes trembling. “I haven’t showered yet…”

Ye Qinglan let out a low chuckle, her nose brushing against Su Jin’s burning cheek. “Together?”

Those words made Su Jin turn red from her ears to her collarbone. She shook her head frantically, but Ye Qinglan scooped her up in a princess carry. The sudden weightlessness made her instinctively wrap her arms around Ye Qinglan’s neck.

“Put me down!” she protested weakly, her legs kicking lightly in the air.

Ye Qinglan remained deaf to her pleas, striding toward the bathroom.

When the warm water poured down from the showerhead, Su Jin realized her nightgown was already soaked through. The thin fabric clung to her body, outlining every curve.

“You… go out…” She tried to push Ye Qinglan away with a frantic mess of hands, but her wrists were caught and pinned against the tiled wall.

“Why are you hiding?” Ye Qinglan’s fingertips toyed with a wet strand of hair. “Haven’t I seen everything already?”

Water droplets rolled down Ye Qinglan’s brow, slid over the bridge of her nose, and hung precariously from her parted lips. Su Jin reached out as if possessed; when her fingertip touched that warmth, Ye Qinglan took her finger into her mouth.

“!” Su Jin tried to pull back as if she’d been electrocuted, but she was held tighter.

Ye Qinglan’s tongue swirled around her fingertip while her eyes remained locked onto Su Jin’s, as if she were savoring something delicious. Su Jin’s legs felt like jelly; she was entirely supported by the arm around her waist.

“Don’t… don’t be like this…” Her protest was drowned out by the sound of the water, sounding more like a flirtatious “no” that meant “yes.”

Ye Qinglan finally released her finger and placed a kiss in her palm instead. “Like this, then?”

Amidst the steam, Su Jin saw tiny droplets hanging from Ye Qinglan’s lashes, her dark eyes deeper than ever. Feeling enchanted, Su Jin took the initiative to tilt her head up and kiss those thin lips.

The kiss was quickly reclaimed.

Ye Qinglan pressed her against the wall, one hand cradling the back of her head through her wet hair, the other sliding down her waist. The water washed over their joined bodies, but it couldn’t extinguish the fire burning brighter by the second.

When Ye Qinglan’s lips moved to her neck, Su Jin suddenly remembered something and pushed her gently. “Wait… the things on Weibo…”

“Ignore it,” Ye Qinglan murmured against the soft skin of her collarbone.

“But Zhao Man…”

“Don’t worry about her. I’ll handle it.”

“There are no ‘buts’.”

Ye Qinglan finally looked up, water dripping from her jaw onto Su Jin’s chest. “This time, I will definitely protect you!”

“Protect me?” Su Jin asked softly. “Is someone trying to do something again?”

Ye Qinglan didn’t answer. She simply stroked the reddened corners of Su Jin’s eyes with her thumb. “Rest assured. I’ve already hired people to handle the internet. No one will be allowed to say a bad word about you.”

The words were as light as a sigh but held the weight of a mountain.

Su Jin’s heart warmed. She wrapped her arms around Ye Qinglan’s neck and buried her face in the crook of her shoulder. “Actually, I don’t care what others say…”

“I care,” Ye Qinglan’s voice was clear even through the sound of the water. “My sister deserves the best in the world.”

As the water began to run cool, Ye Qinglan turned off the shower and wrapped Su Jin tightly in a bath towel.

Back in bed, Su Jin curled up in Ye Qinglan’s arms, listening to the steady, powerful heartbeat as she drifted off.

“Qinglan…” she murmured between sleep and wakefulness. “Will we always be like this?”

Ye Qinglan tightened her embrace and kissed the top of her head. “We will.”