After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 49

Xu Ying knew very well that given Gu Qingzhu’s personality, she wouldn’t care whether Sheng Qiuyu was humiliated or not.

She only did what she wanted, stubbornly protecting those she wished to shield.

“Perhaps she didn’t know either,” Xu Ying sighed and finally spoke up. “It’s just one day of filming. It’ll be over soon.”

“Please don’t be like this, alright?”

The alpha’s voice was low, carrying a hint of pleading.

Gu Qingzhu paused for a moment before stopping in her tracks.

“Just this once,” she warned.

Out of the camera’s view, Xu Ying gently reached out and patted the omega’s arm.

The displeasure on Gu Qingzhu’s face finally eased slightly.

The guests present were all sharp-witted, greeting the two enthusiastically upon seeing them.

In many variety shows, there was always an overlooked outsider, and in this episode, that role clearly belonged to Sheng Qiuyu.

She stood in the corner, not even participating in the greetings. Earlier, Xu Ying had glanced her way, but within seconds, the alpha averted her gaze and turned to say something to Gu Qingzhu.

Without needing to ask, Sheng Qiuyu could guess their conversation.

She felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation, the shame making her want to leave immediately. But thinking of her family’s current situation, she bit her lip and forced a smile.

Just as she lifted her head and prepared to join in, the alpha had already walked up to her.

Xu Ying extended her hand, as poised and gentle as when introducing herself to others, but instead of saying “Hello,” she uttered, “Long time no see.”

Sheng Qiuyu froze, instinctively reaching out. In the few seconds their fingertips touched, she saw Xu Ying smile at her.

Her breath hitched involuntarily, and Sheng Qiuyu parted her lips. “I”

Before she could say more, Xu Ying withdrew her hand and turned back to Gu Qingzhu.

Like a beautiful dream that lasted only two seconds.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qiuyu lowered her hand. Cheng Jun noticed and wanted to comfort her but was silently rejected.

Soon, the director announced the tasks.

Perhaps to accommodate the new guest, or maybe because this episode’s theme was inherently mild, the day’s schedule was very relaxed.

In the morning, they would hike up to a temple. The first to reach the summit would get priority in choosing lunch and some special perks. The afternoon would feature some games, and the evening held a mysterious surprise.

The teams were usually fixed, with Sheng Qiuyu already paired with Cheng Jun, leaving the two newcomers to form a team, each wearing matching light blue ribbons on their wrists.

Gu Qingzhu seemed to like the color, constantly fiddling with the ribbon, watching it flutter in the wind.

Xu Ying, meanwhile, looked toward the mountaintop. The hike would normally take several hours, and by the time they descended, it would be just in time for lunch.

A reasonable arrangement.

She wasn’t interested in coming in first, and neither was Gu Qingzhu.

In silent agreement, the two walked leisurely, enjoying the scenery and occasionally chatting with the cameraman.

The main livestream focused only on the leading team. So many artists ran hard to get screen time, and the main feed was often filled with angry complaints about stepping on each other’s feet, drawing endless ridicule.

But in this lively, chaotic scene, the duo with the highest viewership was nowhere to be seen.

Soon, many couldn’t resist paying to switch to their personal livestream angle.

The moment they clicked in, they saw Xu Ying stop and ask, “Are you thirsty?”

Gu Qingzhu looked rosy-cheeked and in high spirits. When asked, she replied breezily, “No.”

After walking a few steps, Ying Xu asked again, “Are you hot?”

Gu Qingzhu hesitated for a moment but still shook her head.

A couple more steps later, Ying Xu furrowed her brows and asked, “Isn’t this too tiring?”

Gu Qingzhu:

For a moment, the barrage of comments was stunned.

[Did I click on the wrong show? Is this a competition segment?]

[Can you two just go flirt on a dating show… Oh wait, this is a dating show. Never mind.]

[Working hard or slacking off both get paid, and the latter earns more. What would you choose?]

[Someone already leaked that both of them are unpaid participants. Stop spreading nonsense.]

Just as Ying Xu stopped again, seemingly about to make an important announcement, Gu Qingzhu preemptively said, “Not hungry, not”

But Ying Xu had already handed her a bottle of water, blinking innocently. “I wasn’t going to ask that. I’m just a little thirsty, but I can’t open the bottle.”

For a moment, even the hateful comments paused, and the livestream atmosphere turned strange.

[An alpha can’t open a water bottle? That’s gotta be an act.]

[Is she about to announce their relationship? I’m scared, but also… I can’t resist shipping them.]

[Update: Sheng Qiuyu has surpassed Song Shixue and taken first place.]

[Ying Xu, don’t be so obvious. Gu Qingzhu isn’t into you.]

[Who doesn’t know #GuQingzhuOnlyLovesYingXu#? I’d be heartbroken if you didn’t!]

Gu Qingzhu paused as she took the water. She could tell Ying Xu was deliberately acting affectionate with her in front of the cameras.

Why? Was Ying Xu trying to show the public how close they were? Did that mean she didn’t care about what happened before?

“Qingzhu,” Ying Xu called her name again, as if urging her, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Gu Qingzhu pushed aside her thoughts, opened the bottle, and watched as Ying Xu drank a third of it before looking away into the distance.

It wasn’t a big deal indulging her was fine.

But because of the delay, they were the last to arrive.

In past episodes, coming in last always meant punishment, but faced with Gu Qingzhu, the director just awkwardly smiled, made a few closing remarks, and let them rest before descending the mountain together later.

At the summit stood a grand temple, its incense smoke curling into the air.

Ying Xu had no interest in such cultural sites and was just looking for a way to pass the time. But unlike her, Gu Qingzhu kept glancing hesitantly toward the main hall where incense burned.

Ying Xu stopped walking.

Someone who visited a grave every year to talk to the deceased might also want to pray for the dead in a temple, it wasn’t hard to understand.

She looked at Gu Qingzhu just as the other woman turned to her. Their eyes met, and they spoke almost simultaneously.

“Let’s go.”

“Go ahead.”

The synchronicity sent a flurry of question marks across the livestream.

Ying Xu was also surprised by their unison and said gently, “Go if you want to.”

She didn’t call out Gu Qingzhu’s intentions. Watching the omega hesitate briefly before turning away, Ying Xu finally averted her gaze.

For the next half hour, Ying Xu wandered around the temple, occasionally taking photos.

When the cameraman asked, she simply said, “I want to show them to a friend.”

[“You mean that friend who just left?”

“No way people actually think they’re for real.”

“Gu Qingzhu would rather be with a cat than with Ying Xu.”

“Comparing Ying Xu to a cat is an insult to cats.”

Perhaps noticing Ying Xu’s solitude, as she was halfway back, a special solo task was suddenly assigned to her: [“Go to the side hall and light an incense stick.”]

As a reward, Ying Xu could learn the specific details of the afternoon’s game in advance.

Ying Xu understood that the production team had chosen this location for filming precisely to promote the temple, so she naturally didn’t refuse.

Following the cameraman’s guidance, she entered a side hall.

The space inside was spacious, with a Buddha statue standing prominently in the center, bathed in exceptionally bright light.

Ying Xu had assumed there would only be a few visitors, but upon stepping in, she unexpectedly spotted a cameraman near the incense burner.

Another guest had already lit an incense stick and received a peace charm from a monk.

Seeing Ying Xu, the guest’s waiting partner seemed slightly surprised. After nodding in acknowledgment, they walked out.

“Last time I saw comments saying this place is really effective for praying for love. Why did you just ask for a peace charm?”

“Peace is enough,” the omega replied with a faint smile. “Love isn’t important.”

The morning livestream came to an end after Ying Xu completed her task.

As she stepped out of the side hall, the trees rustled in the wind, and the distant mountain range stretched endlessly, shrouded in mist and glowing clouds. Yet, the first thing she noticed was a figure waiting by the railing.

Gu Qingzhu.

As she got closer, Ying Xu noticed the woman was holding a paper bag of unknown origin, her fingers scrolling through photos on her phone pictures of Ying Ying.

The tortoiseshell cat had ultimately been named “Ying Ying.”

Gu Qingzhu adored the name, and her tolerance for the cat had risen a notch. She’d even proactively added the shop owner’s contact just to receive updates on Ying Ying faster.

But now, Gu Qingzhu seemed distracted, pausing intermittently as she looked at the photos.

Only when Ying Xu called out to her did Gu Qingzhu snap out of it, instinctively hiding the paper bag behind her back.

Realizing it was pointless, she lowered her hand and stopped concealing it.

“Why are you here?” Ying Xu asked.

“The scenery is nice here,” she replied after a pause, her tone casual. “I thought you weren’t interested in these things. I asked around and found out you were here.”

Asked around?

Ying Xu was surprised. Among the recording guests, Gu Qingzhu wasn’t close to anyone. Yet she’d taken the initiative to talk to them just to find her?

“Next time, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Gu Qingzhu’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but her hand had already reached into the paper bag.

A moment later, she handed Ying Xu a redwood box.

“What is it?” Ying Xu asked.

No response. Gu Qingzhu simply stared at her in silence, as if locked in some kind of standoff.

Only when Ying Xu took it did Gu Qingzhu’s gaze shift to her hands, watching as she opened the box.

Inside lay a piece of mutton-fat jade, carved with clusters of bamboo.

Beneath the jade was a yellowed piece of paper, the same one she had received from the monk just minutes earlier.

“This was bought a long time ago and sent here for consecration, but I never found the time to come pick it up.” Just as Ying Xu was lost in thought, Gu Qingzhu had already spoken. “The quality of this piece isn’t considered very good now. If you don’t like it, I can have someone carve a new one.”

The wooden box bore no trace of incense ash, meaning the Omega’s intentions from the start were entirely different from what Ying Xu had imagined.

She had only come to retrieve the jade she had left here earlier.

Even if she had genuinely wanted to pray for blessings, it would have been solely for Ying Xu.

Amid the curling smoke, Ying Xu unconsciously tightened her grip.

“I love it.” Before Gu Qingzhu could withdraw the box, Ying Xu interrupted her. “This one is perfect. There’s no need to replace it.”

At these words of “love,” Gu Qingzhu finally relaxed, asking no further questions, her eyes glimmering with faint amusement.

The two walked out of the temple side by side, their proximity seeming to close the distance between them without either noticing.

As their sleeves brushed and their fingertips nearly touched, cold skin just a breath away the director’s voice suddenly called out from a distance, announcing a new task. Clearly, something had come up, and the next segment of filming was about to begin.

Almost the instant the voice rang out, Gu Qingzhu’s fingers flinched back. But just as they were about to retreat, the hand that had never quite reached hers suddenly closed around her fingertips.

Skin pressed against skin, leaving not the slightest gap.

“Let’s go.” Without looking at Gu Qingzhu’s expression, Ying Xu simply pulled her forward.

Gu Qingzhu hesitated. “But the cameras ”

“So what?” Ying Xu smiled. “Are you afraid of being misunderstood, Qingzhu?”

Of course, Gu Qingzhu wasn’t afraid of being misunderstood herself.

She was afraid Ying Xu would be misunderstood by others.

No matter what, her current public image was far from favorable. Having her name linked with Gu Qingzhu would only subject Ying Xu to baseless criticism.

Yet Ying Xu seemed to see right through her thoughts, speaking before Gu Qingzhu could. “Besides.”

“This isn’t a misunderstanding.” She looked directly at Gu Qingzhu, leaving no room for retreat. “Right?”

Gu Qingzhu’s lips parted slightly, her other hand clutching a paper bag tightening unconsciously.

A few seconds later, Ying Xu received Gu Qingzhu’s silent response. Watching their intertwined hands grip even tighter, she blinked slowly.

When the two reappeared on camera, the live chat was still discussing the earlier incident, a minor issue where one guest had suddenly claimed to feel unwell, only for it to be revealed as a ploy to skip the afternoon games.

Until one comment floated by.

[Am I seeing things? Are Ying Xu and Gu Qingzhu, holding hands?]

In an instant, the chat, which had prided itself on having “seen it all” that morning exploded after a long freeze.

As for the parties involved? Their only response was to clasp hands even tighter, utterly indifferent to the uproar.

If the live chat noticed, the other guests naturally did too. But under the director’s frantic signals, most followed the lead of the “sick” guest, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

Yet the hashtag #YingXuSeeminglyConfirmsRelationshipWithGuQingzhu still skyrocketed to the top of trending topics, sparking endless debate.

And just as the frenzy peaked, the live stream abruptly ended, drawing a wave of backlash.

Before the afternoon filming resumed, the guests were given a brief break.

The paper bag in Gu Qingzhu’s hand had already disappeared. When Ying Xu casually asked about it, the only response she got was a hurried: “Lost it.”

As if annoyed that she even asked, Gu Qingzhu said, “Everything inside was given to you. Why do you care?”

Ying Xu thought for a moment before replying, “Perhaps it’s because ‘care makes one reckless.'”

“I just wanted to care about Qingzhu too much, so ”

The only response Ying Xu received was the omega’s flushed ears and the door abruptly shutting in her face.

Ying Xu smiled faintly and turned to go back to her room.

Before lunch, the director announced the rules for a few games.

Earlier, while browsing StarNet, Ying Xu had come across many mocking comments about how, no matter how popular the two were, they would still end up at the bottom of the rankings on the show.

She had no interest in such petty provocations, but she also genuinely didn’t want Gu Qingzhu to be constantly associated with the word “last place.”

Just as Ying Xu was pondering strategies for the games, a message from Cheng Yun suddenly popped up on her screen. The alpha shared a two-minute video documenting Gu Qingzhu’s time alone after parting ways with Ying Xu.

Before entering the temple, Gu Qingzhu had left the cameraman outside. When she reappeared, she was already holding a paper bag.

Ying Xu glanced at it but didn’t notice anything amiss. Just as she was about to close the video, the paper bag was circled in red by the uploader.

[There are clearly two boxes here, but Ying Xu only took one. What does this mean?]

Ying Xu froze.

Two boxes?

Ever since receiving that jade, her mind had been nearly blank, too preoccupied to pay attention to trivial matters.

Until now.

Ying Xu reopened the box. She took out the yellow paper inside, it indeed bore the pattern of a peace charm, but the cinnabar had long dried, and the paper was wrinkled. Meanwhile, the one she had prayed for still had fresh cinnabar, leaving faint red marks on her fingertips when touched.

Ying Xu placed the jade back in its spot and tossed away the crumpled yellow paper. In the silence, she finally recalled Gu Qingzhu’s instinctive attempt to hide the paper bag, the hesitant hand that had almost reached out to respond.

Perhaps Gu Qingzhu hadn’t lied.

This jade really had been purchased long ago and sent for blessings.

But she had instinctively concealed something.

For example, the jade sent for blessings wasn’t just this one piece.

And another thing.

One piece was meant for Gu Qingzhu.

What about the other?