After Secretly Marrying the Top Celebrity, I Fell in Love - Chapter 30

The kiss gradually grew more intense, and soft, ambiguous gasps echoed in the quiet bedroom.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, Ye Manqing tasted a slight bitterness of loquat syrup—the taste of cough syrup.

Reason slowly returned. Bo Yiyan was still sick, she shouldn’t…

The kiss came to an abrupt halt.

Bo Yiyan, her breathing still uneven, suddenly turned her head away and covered her mouth, coughing violently several times in a row.

“Cough… cough…” The muffled coughing sounds came through her palm.

Ye Manqing quickly got off Bo Yiyan and helped the incessantly coughing woman sit up.

After a few more coughs, Bo Yiyan finally stopped. Her beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with physiological tears, each one welling up on her lashes.

A redness appeared around her eyes.

The doctor had said that after the high fever subsided, she might cough. Remember to have the patient take her medicine on time and drink plenty of hot water. The cough would only completely disappear once the inflammation was fully gone.

In short, it couldn’t be rushed.

“I’ll go pour you a glass of water.” Ye Manqing looked at Bo Yiyan with distress, reaching out to tuck a few strands of hair that were obscuring her cheek behind her ear.

“Mhm.” Bo Yiyan lifted her eyelids and gave Ye Manqing a reassuring, faint smile.

Looking at Ye Manqing’s crystal-clear, rosy lips, Bo Yiyan immediately recalled the scene just now, and her heart began to thump wildly.

While still drowsy, Bo Yiyan felt a softness on her lips and a familiar cool fragrance assailed her nostrils. Realizing it was Ye Manqing kissing her, Bo Yiyan vaguely returned the kiss instinctively.

And for the next few minutes of passionate entanglement, Bo Yiyan maintained the dominant position until Ye Manqing suddenly stopped their intimate exchange.

Although Bo Yiyan’s head was indeed a bit hazy when she woke up, it didn’t mean she was unaware of what she was doing. On the contrary, she was fully conscious.

After Ye Manqing’s figure completely disappeared at the doorway, Bo Yiyan still gazed in that direction. She raised her hand, lightly pressed her white index finger against her lips, and her fingertip rubbed her slightly parted red lips.

She felt the residual warmth on her mouth.

Ye Manqing’s lips were very enticing, soft to kiss, and a little sweet, captivating one instantly. The feeling of kissing her was deeply mesmerizing to Bo Yiyan.

A few minutes later, Ye Manqing returned to the bedroom holding a glass of warm water.

Bo Yiyan took the glass with both hands and began to drink slowly. The hot, scratchy throat was gradually soothed by the water. After drinking more than half the cup, her throat felt much more comfortable.

“Do you want to sleep a little more?” Ye Manqing gently took the glass from Bo Yiyan’s hands and placed it on the bedside table.

Bo Yiyan replied, “No need.”

She had indeed slept enough and didn’t feel sleepy at all now.

Ye Manqing: “What would you like for lunch?”

Bo Yiyan pondered seriously but couldn’t give an answer right away.

Ye Manqing: “Still don’t have much of an appetite?”

Bo Yiyan: “Mhm.”

Ye Manqing: “Then I’ll just make something light?”

Bo Yiyan nodded, then suddenly thought of something, her clear, crystalline eyes fixed on Ye Manqing.

Ye Manqing: “What is it? Something on your mind?”

Bo Yiyan: “Teacher Ye, about my fees for joining the crew… did you suggest it to Director Zhang?”

Ye Manqing’s expression slightly froze, surprised that Bo Yiyan had guessed it was her so quickly.

“Yes, it was me,” Ye Manqing admitted openly.

Bo Yiyan thanked her sincerely: “Thank you, Teacher Ye.”

Ye Manqing noticed a smear of plum-red lipstick on Bo Yiyan’s lips, which looked especially vibrant and alluring after being moistened.

It was obvious that this lipstick had been transferred to Bo Yiyan by Ye Manqing, mouth-to-mouth, during their kiss just now. Furthermore, there was a little smudge of lipstick on the corner of Bo Yiyan’s lower lip.

“You’re always so polite with me.” Ye Manqing reached out and cupped Bo Yiyan’s cheeks, gently pressing her thumb against the corner of Bo Yiyan’s mouth, softly wiping away the lipstick smudge with her fingertip.

“Yiyan, I hope you understand one thing. From the day we got our marriage certificate, I became the closest person to you in this world.”

Bo Yiyan was an orphan, lonely since childhood, with no blood relatives around.

The two were spouses to each other, a legal wife-wife relationship. Legally speaking, Ye Manqing was the closest person to Bo Yiyan.

Of course, Ye Manqing hoped even more to eventually become the person Bo Yiyan loved.

Bo Yiyan remained silent, quietly gazing into Ye Manqing’s eyes, trying to peer into the depths of her profound pupils, trying to understand her.

Why is she so good to me?

Five days later, Bo Yiyan finally stopped coughing. The family doctor came to take a blood routine sample for Bo Yiyan. An hour later, he sent the digital copy of the blood routine results to Bo Yiyan and also sent a copy to Ye Manqing.

The results showed that red blood cells, hemoglobin, and all other indicators were normal.

Ye Manqing carefully reviewed the various indicators and immediately called the family doctor for a detailed consultation.

Bo Yiyan’s cold and fever, accompanied by a cough, took a full week to completely recover. Throughout this week, Ye Manqing had stayed by Bo Yiyan’s side.

During this time, Ye Manqing personally cooked all three meals a day for them. She supervised Bo Yiyan to take her medicine on time and ensured she went to bed early every night, watching her fall asleep first.

The night was deep. A beam of cold moonlight slanted into the study, pouring onto the wooden floor like flowing water.

At the desk, the woman was dressed in a sophisticated, tailored dark green shirt paired with black straight-leg trousers, a pair of frameless blue-light filtering glasses perched on her nose.

Ye Manqing had signed with a management company when she first debuted. After the three-year contract expired, she founded her own studio.

Her manager, Yu Tang, also moved to Ye Manqing’s studio. Besides managing Ye Manqing, she had gradually signed several other artists over the years.

All the artists were focused purely on acting, steadily taking each step, avoiding flashiness and sensationalism, and maintaining zero scandals.

But zero scandals did not mean they would never have a scandal, and Ye Manqing was well aware of this.

Therefore, when her artist Ruan Yun was exposed in a hot search earlier that afternoon, photographed kissing Xia Xinglu, Ye Manqing accepted and processed the fact in less than a minute.

Ruan Yun was the first female artist signed by the studio. Over the years, she had established herself in the entertainment industry with her excellent acting skills and had never been associated with a scandal.

The other party involved, Xia Xinglu, was one of the most influential female artists among the post-2000 generation, a genuine ‘traffic’ star.

Her TV series had just been a summer hit, with ratings soaring and utterly crushing other simultaneously broadcasted dramas.

Both of them had their own standing in the entertainment industry.

One of the biggest differences between a talented actor and a traffic star is the activity level of their fans. As soon as the gossip broke, Xia Xinglu’s fans were ferociously aggressive, wishing they could “tear apart” Ruan Yun.

【What an old woman, she’s a full ten years older than our Lulu. Ugh! She clearly just covets our Lulu’s body…】

【I don’t believe it! This is definitely a publicity stunt!! Wife, say something!!】

【Is this a set photo from filming? It absolutely is!! If it’s not, I’ll wash my hair standing on my head (Crying emoji)】

【Ruan Yun is a textbook intelligent beauty, her aura is absolutely stunning! Besides, same-sex marriage has been legal for a long time (Blessing emoji)】

Ye Manqing rested her head on one hand, staring at the computer screen, her long, thick lashes slightly lowered, deep in thought.

The words her manager Yu Tang had just said over the phone echoed in her ears.

“We discussed it all afternoon and came up with a very clear solution: admit the photo is real, but vehemently deny it’s an actual relationship, just say it’s a behind-the-scenes shot from an audition.”

“It’s not like there are no scripts with same-sex themes. This explanation is plausible, and we can release some supplementary material later to keep up appearances.”

“But Ruan Yun, that girl, has gone mad! Not only is she refusing to cooperate, but she’s actually thinking of using this opportunity to make an official announcement. I, as the Director of Artists, am truly a failure! I didn’t even know when they got together. If she dares to announce it, the company will definitely not renew her contract…”

“Manqing, you know that among all the artists in our studio, I like Ruan Yun the most. She’s always been very obedient. She must have been utterly charmed and lost her mind by that little girl, Xia Xinglu!”

“No! I need to set up a meeting with Xia Xinglu’s manager for a serious talk!”

Ye Manqing had an impression of Ruan Yun, but not a deep one. Ruan Yun’s first impression was that she had a great personality and was a warm, poised, classical beauty in appearance.

As the artist and the boss of the studio, Ye Manqing had a responsibility to sort out this kind of trouble.

Ye Manqing sat behind the large office desk, one beautiful, jade-like hand holding a black phone, flipping it over and then back again.

The next second, Ye Manqing directly dialed Ruan Yun’s number.

The phone rang for quite a while before it was finally answered. The person who answered was not Ruan Yun, but a young girl whose voice sounded unfamiliar.

“Hello, may I ask if this is Teacher Ye?”

“It is. Where is Ruan Yun?”

“She… she’s taking a shower! I’ll have her call you back in a moment.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Wait! Teacher Ye, please don’t hang up yet! She just came out.”

“Okay.”

On the other end of the phone, two people’s conversation could be heard. Although the voices were not loud, because the surroundings were very quiet, and combined with Ye Manqing’s acute hearing, she could hear them clearly.

“It’s your phone, your boss is calling.”

“Oh no, oh no! She must be calling to reprimand me, what should I do?”

“It’s okay, give me the phone.”

Seconds later, Ruan Yun’s delicate voice came through the receiver, her tone polite and humble.

“Boss Ye, you were looking for me.”

Ye Manqing held the phone close to her ear with her right hand, her left hand resting lightly on the office desk, her ring and little fingers raised and drumming rhythmically on the tabletop.

Tap, tap, tap…

The diamond wedding ring on the ring finger of her left hand refracted fine flashes of light, making her fingers, sculpted like jade, appear even longer and fairer.

“Have you thought it through? Do you really intend to do this?”

“Boss Ye, you mean…?”

“Risking the career you’ve worked so hard to build over these years, just to make an announcement at an inappropriate time.” Ye Manqing’s tone was calm, precisely summarizing everything in just one sentence.

“Boss Ye, I have carefully considered all the consequences you mentioned.” Ruan Yun stood by the window holding the phone, her expression neither servile nor arrogant. Every word she spoke was well thought out.

“But since Lulu is so brave, how can I back down? I have to give the little one an account.”

“Xia Xinglu is still too young; it’s normal for her not to think things through completely. But you are different, you are ten years older than her,” Ye Manqing said coldly.

“That’s why I, as the older sister, should be even braver, shouldn’t I?” Ruan Yun suddenly became serious. The woman’s solemn face was reflected in the glass window.

“Boss Ye, I’ve caused you trouble. Thank you to the company for all your careful guidance over the years, I will…”

A wave of sourness welled up in Ruan Yun’s nose, making it hard for her to continue speaking.

“What? Not planning to renew your contract?” Ye Manqing lowered her dark eyelashes, admiring the diamond ring on her left ring finger.

“Boss Ye!” Ruan Yun suddenly had red-rimmed eyes, her voice slightly choked.

“Yu Tang can be a little temperamental, but that’s just how she talks, don’t take it to heart,” Ye Manqing said faintly.

“Don’t worry, as long as you are an artist in my company for one day, I will continue to protect you.”

…

The phone call ended.

Ye Manqing lightly lowered her eyelids. Just as she gently placed her phone on the desk, footsteps sounded outside the study. Immediately after, Bo Yiyan’s voice came from the door.

“Teacher Ye, is it convenient for me to come in?”

Ye Manqing regained her composure, rose from the boss chair, and walked toward the door. When she was close, she placed her hand lightly on the doorknob.

The study door opened from the inside.

“What’s wrong? Yiyan.” Ye Manqing looked at Bo Yiyan with gentle eyes, asking concernedly, “Why did you suddenly wake up?”

Bo Yiyan stood outside the study in her pajamas, holding a tray with a glass of milk on it. Her gaze fell lightly on Ye Manqing’s face, immediately drawn to the glasses perched on her nose.

This was the first time Bo Yiyan had seen Ye Manqing wearing glasses, and for a moment, she couldn’t look away.

Bo Yiyan tried to maintain her composure, saying, “Maybe I slept too much during the day.”

“I heated up a glass of milk for you.”

“Thank you.” Ye Manqing reached out, took the glass of milk from the tray, and casually asked, “Do you want to come in?”

“No need.” Bo Yiyan shook her head, explaining, “I just came to bring you a glass of milk.”

Ye Manqing didn’t speak, quietly gazing at Bo Yiyan, trying to read a hint of concern from her habitually calm and self-possessed eyes.

Bo Yiyan spoke words of care: “Teacher Ye, rest early.”

Ye Manqing smiled, flawlessly: “Okay.”

Watching Bo Yiyan’s retreating figure, Ye Manqing unhurriedly raised her hand and took a sip of the snowy-white milk in the glass.

Ye Manqing understood that although their intimacy seemed to be gradually increasing, Bo Yiyan’s heart remained closed and she had never revealed her innermost true thoughts to her.

Looking at the empty corridor, Ruan Yun’s words from the phone call suddenly echoed in Ye Manqing’s mind.

“I will not regret my choice.”

“There is no absolutely correct choice in this world. All I can do is make the choice correct.”

These words also enlightened Ye Manqing. It was she who had taken the first step, while the two were still just ordinary friends, cementing their relationship with the marriage certificate.

Likewise, she was the older one, and she must be brave enough to shoulder the responsibility of an older sister.

Support