After Marrying the Cold Omega in Secret - Chapter 22

Not only was everyone else stunned, but Chu Jin herself was completely caught off guard.

What kind of storyline was this?

She glanced over at Chi Ye, the largest investor in the show, and saw that Chi Ye’s expression looked even worse than her own. Clearly, she had not been informed either.

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward. Chu Jin offered a polite smile.

“Welcome to the show.”

Receiving her response, Qiao Man’s smile deepened. Even when the others introduced themselves, she responded half-heartedly, her attention never leaving Chu Jin.

Even when Zhou Meng, who had helped carry her suitcase, came back downstairs, Qiao Man only offered a flashy smile with little genuine gratitude in her eyes.

“Thank you, Meng-jie.”

Hearing herself called “Meng-jie,” Zhou Meng’s face lit up with delight and she could not hide her smile.

As everyone’s attention began to shift toward the newcomer, Wen Zhixue’s expression darkened. She stepped forward to greet Qiao Man, but Qiao Man simply gave her a shallow smile without even lifting her hand.

Then her eyes returned to Chu Jin.

Chu Jin had never encountered a situation like this before.

Because of her appearance, she had always attracted admirers growing up. But someone this direct was rare.

Perhaps it was because Qiao Man was young, freshly graduated from university, similar to Xin Ning in how openly she expressed her thoughts and emotions. That kind of personality often made people speak and act without much filter.

It was getting late, and Zhou Meng and Chen Mo hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Qiao Man also needed to unpack upstairs. Not missing a single chance, she invited Chu Jin to come along with her.

Faced with her earnest eyes, Chu Jin was momentarily unsure how to turn her down. At the same time, she felt another gaze watching her from across the room.

It was from Chi Ye, still sitting in the living room.

Chu Jin did not need to look to know how cold that gaze must have been.

She was a smart person and had not forgotten her role. She would never let a small mistake jeopardize her position. After all, nothing was more important than keeping Chi Ye satisfied.

She quickly clutched her stomach and faked a slight groan, acting the part perfectly.

“My stomach suddenly hurts. I need to use the bathroom.”

Qiao Man looked slightly disappointed but had no choice but to head upstairs alone. Zhou Meng, who saw this happen from the kitchen, looked visibly worried. But since she had to cook today, she could only watch Qiao Man disappear up the stairs and sigh before returning to slicing vegetables.

To keep up the act, Chu Jin did go to the bathroom for a moment. When she came back out, Chi Ye was no longer there.

Worried that Qiao Man might come back down and see her again, she stepped out into the courtyard instead.

The sunlight was warm and gentle today. As she sat on the swing, enjoying the comforting rays, her phone suddenly rang.

It was her agent, Liu Lu.

Ever since she had entered this dating show, her agent had kept a hands-off approach, only calling once before she arrived to remind her not to do anything that would damage her image and to stick to the “intellectual and gentle” persona the producers had planned for her.

Chu Jin felt that she had done fairly well so far. There had been no negative attention, and her public image was still intact. The only unexpected element had been her rising popularity as part of the CP pairing with Chi Ye.

She answered the call and greeted politely.

“Lu-jie, what’s going on?”

“Xiao Chu,” Liu Lu got straight to the point, as always. Her tone was quick and efficient.

“This Qiao Man is not a true civilian contestant, just like you. I’ve confirmed she’s a newly signed artist under Siyu Entertainment.”

Chu Jin was slightly surprised to hear that.

Siyu was one of the top agencies in the country, just like Yijing Media, Chu Jin’s own company. The two were direct competitors.

Not only did they often fight over resources, but the fan bases of both agencies frequently clashed online. The relationship had always been hostile.

“Your contract with Yijing was kept confidential, so theoretically they shouldn’t know. But you should still be cautious around her,” Liu Lu reminded her.

Chu Jin had never believed in coincidences. Qiao Man’s behavior was strange from the start. While there was no concrete proof yet, it was reasonable to suspect that her intentions were far from simple.

“I understand, Lu-jie,” Chu Jin said, her tone more serious. “Thank you for the heads-up.”

“Alright. Nothing else for now, so I’ll hang up.”

Just as Chu Jin was about to say goodbye, Liu Lu added one more thing.

“By the way, your CP buzz with Chi Ye is doing well. You can keep building on it. Just remember… never let the act turn into something real.”

For some reason, even someone as thick-skinned as Chu Jin suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, Lu-jie. I know what I’m doing.”

She and Chi Ye were strictly bound by contract. Even their marriage was fake. There was no way real feelings could develop.

And even if there were, it would only be real affection for Chi Ye’s money.

Just as she hung up the phone, Xin Ning came over to call her for dinner.

They were having noodles tonight. Chu Jin went into the kitchen to grab a bowl and had just reached the dining table when she saw that Chi Ye was already seated.

The noodles were steaming hot and required both hands to carry.

Since Chi Ye had an injured hand, she could not carry her own bowl.

Chu Jin was about to offer her own bowl to her when she saw Wen Zhixue act first. She placed the noodles in front of Chi Ye with a smile.

“You can’t carry it right now. Go ahead and eat.”

Chi Ye did not refuse. She gave a polite reply.

“Thank you.”

Chu Jin slowly withdrew her hand. She hesitated for a moment and was just about to sit next to Chi Ye when Qiao Man quickly took the seat instead.

With her own bowl in hand, Qiao Man casually sat down, acting as if nothing was out of place. She even looked up and smiled.

“Come sit next to me, Jie.”

The cameras were still filming, so Chu Jin could not refuse. She sat down beside Qiao Man.

During the meal, Qiao Man tried several times to start a conversation with her. But Chu Jin was distracted, her attention constantly drifting toward Chi Ye.

She did not know why, but she felt a strange sense of guilt.

Ever since Qiao Man arrived, she had hardly spoken to Chi Ye. Now the two of them were separated, and for some reason, it felt like she had betrayed her.

But Chi Ye seemed completely unaffected. Throughout the meal, Chu Jin glanced at her several times, but Chi Ye never once looked back.

Of course. Chi Ye had someone she liked. Why would she look at her?

Just like Liu Lu had said, everything between them was pretend.

If it was just pretend, then why expect any real emotion?

An actor who develops real feelings during a role is a fool.

That afternoon, the production team did not arrange any group activities, so everyone was free to do as they pleased.

After dinner, Chu Jin sat in the courtyard and watched the sunset.

The sun was about to dip below the horizon, and the sky glowed with golden light.

She had not been sitting long when Qiao Man walked out, holding a bottle of wine.

“I heard you can hold your liquor,” she said as she swirled the wine in her glass. “Care for a drink?”

The sunlight landed perfectly on Qiao Man’s figure, and the glass reflected a blinding light. Chu Jin narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at her, and did not refuse.

Qiao Man opened the bottle and poured Chu Jin a glass of wine, then handed it to her.

Chu Jin accepted it, and the two of them clinked glasses lightly.

She took a small sip. As she tilted her head, her gaze drifted toward the villa through the window, but there was still no sign of Chi Ye.

Qiao Man noticed where she was looking. After taking a sip of her own wine, she said softly, “She just went out.”

She went out?

Chu Jin was puzzled. Why did she go out? When did it happen? Was it something important? Who was she with?

Qiao Man did not notice that Chu Jin had become distracted. She put her glass down and started to speak from the heart.

“Jie, I know you’ve known Chi Ye longer and you’re probably closer to her,” she said while sitting across from Chu Jin, her tone filled with sincerity. “But I really like you. From the moment I saw you appear on the show, I fell for you. Would you give me a chance?”

Chu Jin looked at her, but she was not in the mood to figure out whether her words were genuine or not. Her mind was full of questions about where Chi Ye had gone.

She had noticed earlier, about an hour ago, that Chi Ye was nowhere to be seen. She had even checked the bedroom but could not find her anywhere.

“When exactly did she leave?”

The question slipped out before Chu Jin could stop herself.

Qiao Man frowned slightly and looked a bit hurt.

“I’m sorry,” Chu Jin quickly said, realizing how she had reacted. Then she gave a polite and vague response to Qiao Man’s confession. “We can take our time and get to know each other.”

Qiao Man’s face lit up with joy. She raised her glass again.

“Thank you, Jie.”

Chu Jin smiled faintly and clinked her glass with Qiao Man’s once more.

She had just taken another sip, the crisp wine sliding down her throat, when she caught a glimpse of someone returning to the villa.

It was Chi Ye.

At that moment, Chi Ye looked in her direction.

Her gaze was cold and sharp.

Their eyes met briefly before Chi Ye turned away. She did not pause and walked straight upstairs without a word.

Seeing her return made Chu Jin feel a little more at ease, but at the same time, it made her uneasy. She wanted to go upstairs and check on her.

But with the cameras still filming, she could not show too much emotion.

She forced herself to stay in the courtyard with Qiao Man for another twenty minutes before politely excusing herself.

When she entered the bedroom, no one was there. The lights were off, and only a narrow line of warm light glowed from the bathroom door, which was slightly open.

The soft yellow light cast a warm pattern on the floor, along with the faint scent of floral bath steam drifting from inside.

Almost without thinking, Chu Jin walked up to the door. Her eyes wandered for a moment and caught a glimpse inside.

Chi Ye was soaking in the bathtub.

Only one dim wall lamp was on. The light wrapped the space in a hazy, intimate glow. It spilled softly across Chi Ye’s skin, making the scene feel quiet and dreamlike.

Chu Jin quickly turned her gaze away after just a glance. Her fingers tightened around the doorknob, trying to control the sudden rush of emotion inside her.

Her knuckles turned pale as she gripped the handle.

Just then, Chi Ye’s voice came from inside the bathroom.

“Was it good?”

Chu Jin stared at the doorframe without moving.

“What?”

There was a pause before Chi Ye spoke again.

“The wine. Did it taste good?”

Chu Jin noticed something bitter in her tone.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Before she could say anything, Chi Ye spoke again.

This time, her voice was calm but firm.

“Come in.”

Support After Marrying the Cold Omega in Secret