After Failing To Win Over the Yandere Best Actress, I Got Marked - Chapter 36

“If it could always be like this, that would be pretty nice.”

Su Jin was half-asleep, her voice muffled and groggy.

“Mm.”

In the darkness, Ye Qinglan’s fingertips lightly traced her features, as if trying to carve every contour into her memory.

“It itches…” Su Jin sleepily caught the mischievous finger, her voice thick with slumber.

Ye Qinglan chuckled low, gathering Su Jin’s hand into her palm and kissing her brow. Her voice was gentle.

“I won’t tease you anymore. Sleep.”

Su Jin frowned for a brief second; once she was sure she wouldn’t be bothered again, she drifted back into a deep sleep.

Outside, the city lights flickered out one by one. In the dark, a soft glow appeared. Ye Qinglan reached for the phone on the nightstand and saw a message from her assistant:

Song Jing’s press release has been issued. The trending topics are gaining momentum.

Her eyes suddenly turned cold. While she messaged with one hand, her other hand continued to gently stroke Su Jin’s hair, her movements remaining tender.

“Mm?” Su Jin seemed to sense something and half-opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Ye Qinglan leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Just work stuff.”

Su Jin closed her eyes, forcing herself to stay somewhat conscious. “Is there news from the film crew?”

Several days had passed, and the director hadn’t called back. She yawned. “I heard from my manager, Sister Li, that there are investment issues. The drama might fall through.”

“But it makes sense. With so many problems occurring, Song Jing probably doesn’t have the heart to focus on this project anymore.” She blinked sleepily. “I saw online that because Fang Qi is in it, many people are boycotting it.”

“The drama is guaranteed to lose money; Song Jing should be cutting her losses right about now.”

These were just her guesses, of course; they had to wait for the director’s notification. Su Jin reached out and fumbled to rub Ye Qinglan’s head. “It’s just a pity we filmed for so long, only for it to come to nothing.”

“Better to have no drama at all than to have one that fans list as a ‘black history’ blemish on your record.” Ye Qinglan smoothed her long hair and patted her shoulder. “Go to sleep if you’re tired.”

Su Jin hummed in agreement and sank back into Ye Qinglan’s embrace, falling fast asleep.

Listening to the steady breathing beside her, Ye Qinglan carefully slid her arm out from under Su Jin and took her phone out to the balcony.

The night breeze was cool, dispersing the residual warmth of the bed. The cold light of the screen reflected off her calm face. The chat history with her assistant showed:

Fang Qi has been bailed out by Song Group’s lawyers. However, her facial burns are severe; hospital checks indicate she needs multiple reconstructive surgeries.

According to our intel, Song Jing has reached a deal with the Fang family. They will do everything to minimize public outcry, possibly by introducing a scapegoat for the crime.

Song’s lawyers are also actively looking for ways to fabricate evidence to get Fang Qi acquitted.

“Acquitted? She certainly has the nerve.”

A cold sneer played on Ye Qinglan’s lips as she quickly replied:

Is all the evidence saved?

Everything is backed up. Including the recording of the conversation between Fang Qi and Song Jing’s assistant in the hospital hallway.

Good. [Transfer: 100,000]

Just as she was about to type more, an unknown number called. The name “Zhao Man” on the screen was jarring in the night. Ye Qinglan pressed accept but didn’t speak.

“Qinglan?” Zhao Man’s voice came through, sounding tentative. “I know you’re listening.”

“Speak,” Ye Qinglan’s voice was colder than the wind.

Silence lasted for a few seconds. Zhao Man seemed to be bracing herself. “I… I found some things. Regarding the deal between Song Jing and Fang Qi.”

Ye Qinglan turned, her gaze sweeping toward the bedroom to confirm Su Jin was still asleep before lowering her voice. “Go on.”

“Song Jing won’t just help Fang Qi overturn the case; she’ll also give her enough money to heal her face and provide resources for her to return to the industry once she recovers.”

Zhao Man spoke quickly, as if afraid of being interrupted. “The condition is that she changes her statement and… at the right time, accuses Su Jin.”

Ye Qinglan’s knuckles whitened instantly.

“The specific timing?”

“Not sure. But Song Jing has already prepared the press releases. The content is roughly… Su Jin was jealous of Fang Qi and intentionally tampered with the props.”

“I told you the moment I found out, so can you…”

Ye Qinglan suddenly let out a soft laugh that made the hair on Zhao Man’s neck stand up.

“Zhao Man,” her voice was terrifyingly soft, “why are you telling me this?”

Silence again. Finally, Zhao Man whispered, “I… I owe Su Jin an apology.”

“Heh.” Ye Qinglan remained noncommittal. “Anything else?”

Zhao Man paused. “Qinglan, she is determined to destroy Su Jin this time. If you stay with Su Jin, you’ll only be dragged down!”

The night wind ruffled Ye Qinglan’s long hair, hiding the dark tides in her eyes.

“I see. Thanks for the call, but I don’t want to hear anything else.” She prepared to hang up.

“Wait!” Zhao Man shouted urgently. “What do you plan to do? Do you need me to”

“I don’t.” Ye Qinglan interrupted. “Just keep your mouth shut.”

The call ended. Ye Qinglan stood on the balcony for a long time. When her phone vibrated again, her assistant sent a final update:

Zhao Man just contacted Song Jing, but the content of the call couldn’t be intercepted.

Ye Qinglan narrowed her eyes.

Keep monitoring.

Closing her phone, she returned to the bedroom. Sensing her absence, Su Jin had curled up uneasily in the center of the bed. Ye Qinglan stepped forward and pulled her back into her arms.

“Cold…” Su Jin instinctively burrowed into her.

Ye Qinglan tightened her grip, warming the girl’s cool body with her own. “I’m here.”

Feeling the warmth, Su Jin’s body finally relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep once more. Ye Qinglan watched her peaceful sleeping face for a long time, her finger gently brushing the slight furrow in Su Jin’s brow.

“Soon. It’s almost over.”

Once she finished off Song Jing and the system finished absorbing all the energy, it would be the end. Speaking of which, she hadn’t seen her own system all day. She looked at the person in her arms again, wondering how things were being arranged on that side.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a ding sounded the system appeared.

[Detection complete. There is no system on the Host’s body.]

“None?” Ye Qinglan’s eyes widened slightly. She asked in a whisper, “Why is there no system? Where did it go?”

The system was silent for a few seconds, its electronic voice sounding puzzled. [Monitoring shows that as of yesterday afternoon, the system no longer existed in the Host’s body. It seems to have departed.]

“Departed…”

Ye Qinglan pondered for a moment. “Do you know why?”

[Unknown. It is suggested you ask Su Jin directly.]

Her gaze darkened. “I understand. Keep monitoring and notify me if there’s news.”

[Understood.]

The system vanished, leaving Ye Qinglan alone with her thoughts in the dark.

The morning sun spilled through the gaps in the curtains. Su Jin opened her eyes groppily to find the space beside her empty. She reached out to touch the sheets, which were still warm, and sat up to stretch.

“Up so early, what is she doing?” she muttered while yawning.

After washing up and heading downstairs, she saw Ye Qinglan in the kitchen wearing an apron, frying eggs. The morning light gave her a golden silhouette. Hearing footsteps, she turned and smiled. “Good morning.”

Su Jin stood at the stairs, feeling a bit dazed. Such a warm scene felt like stolen happiness.

“Why the blank stare?” Ye Qinglan turned off the stove and walked over, carrying the scent of breakfast. She ruffled Su Jin’s hair. “Sleep well?”

Su Jin nodded and sighed. “I haven’t slept this well in a long time.”

“You can sleep this soundly every day from now on,” Ye Qinglan said with a smile. “Alright, let’s eat.”

On the table, the eggs were golden, the toast was perfectly crisp, and there was a steaming glass of milk. Su Jin sipped the milk, peeking at Ye Qinglan, who was focused on her tablet.

“Um…” she started hesitantly, “did something happen?”

Ye Qinglan set the tablet down, her expression normal. “Why do you ask?”

“Your face,” Su Jin pointed at her dark circles. “You didn’t sleep well?”

Ye Qinglan chuckled and wiped a milk smudge from the corner of Su Jin’s mouth. “Because a certain someone kept burrowing into my arms, making it hard for me to sleep.”

Su Jin’s face flushed instantly. she lowered her head to focus on breakfast, not daring to ask more.

Ye Qinglan’s gaze lingered tenderly on her. “By the way, did your system leave?”

Su Jin nodded while eating. “Yeah. Because the plot went haywire, it said it had to investigate. It left yesterday afternoon.”

She propped her chin on her hand. “I really didn’t expect the system to make such a huge mistake with the plot! I didn’t know when you became the villain, I had to ‘conquer’ you but didn’t know why, and I didn’t even know where the female lead was.” Su Jin frowned. “I don’t know where it went wrong; the investigation might take a while.”

Hearing this, Ye Qinglan paused her eating. “Villain?”

Seeing Su Jin nod, she slowly put down her cutlery. “If I’m the villain, then doing things a villain would do shouldn’t be considered a violation, right?”

Su Jin’s brain stalled for a moment. “What do you mean by ‘things a villain would do’?”

“Just things.” Ye Qinglan smiled mysteriously. “I won’t tell you ‘villain’ business. When your system comes back, let me know, and I’ll continue to cooperate with you.”

“Okay,” Su Jin laughed.

“Then before that, can we relax a bit?”

Su Jin nodded. “How?”

“What are your plans for today?” Ye Qinglan asked.

Su Jin looked up. “Sister Li said there’s a variety show invite”

“Push it back,” Ye Qinglan interrupted. “Stay with me today.”

“Huh? But…”

“No buts.” Ye Qinglan stood up, walked around the table, and pulled her up. “Today is our first day officially dating. We should celebrate.”

Su Jin wanted to say something else, but she was cut off by a sudden hug. Ye Qinglan buried her face in Su Jin’s neck, her voice muffled. “Just for today, look only at me, okay?”

Such a vulnerable Ye Qinglan made Su Jin’s heart melt. She gently hugged her back. “Okay.”

Ye Qinglan looked up, a glimmer of success in her eyes. “Let’s go traveling.”