After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 24

“Use me. According to the contract… be mine.”

【Du Yaozhi?? That obscure nobody who acted like a diva to Shen Qing?】

【How is it her? Is this a joke? They’re making a film of Queen play second fiddle to her?】

【They’ve clashed this badly in public and they’re still acting together? Even if you summoned the Almighty Himself, you couldn’t save a show where the two leads have zero chemistry and zero cooperation!】

【A decorated actress carrying the water for a nobody? The industry isn’t even pretending anymore—have they no shame?】

The fans of Xu Wanxin nearly tore Weibo apart. The comment section for Jin Luo was a battlefield, forcing the actress herself to respond.

【Xu Wanxin V: Thank you for the support. I’m sorry for taking up public attention. The rumours regarding my involvement with ‘Jin Luo’ are false. I wish the production a successful shoot! @TV_JinLuo_V】

The cold glow of the screen reflected Xu Wanxin’s absolute fury. She gripped her phone so hard her nails nearly pierced the glass.

Du Yaozhi… how dare she step over me? Back then, Yaozhi was nothing but a grovelling subordinate. Now, she had exposed her true colours, stealing a role Wanxin considered hers by right. And why… why is Shen Qing siding with her?

Wanxin had everything: wealth, adoration, and power. Other actors sucked up to her; directors begged for her investment. Yet, she’d hit a brick wall with an “old-fashioned” director who only cared about acting, and Yaozhi had used that opening to claw her way back up.

Her phone vibrated. It was Li Rongjin. She answered, her voice dripping with irritation.

“That bitch has serious backing,” Li growled into the phone. “How did she manage to flip the script like this?”

Hearing someone insult Yaozhi improved Wanxin’s mood slightly. But speaking of backing… a cold light flashed in her eyes. “Don’t worry, Uncle Li. I have a plan. I just need a little bit of help from you, and I’ll make sure she stays down for good.”

Xu Wanxin dialled a rarely used number. A solemn voice answered: “Who is calling?”

“It’s Xu Wanxin. I need to speak with Auntie Jiang. Please put her through.”

In a high-end hospital room, Jiang Yuanjian, dressed in patient robes, stood before a floor-to-ceiling window. She was pruning a potted plant, her shears snip-snapping away at any branch she found unsightly. She smothered even the youngest buds without mercy.

When her assistant approached with the phone, Jiang let out a cold snort, not even lifting her head. She gave a curt wave.

“Apologies, Miss Xu, the Head of the family is busy,” the assistant said, moving to hang up.

“Wait, Auntie Jiang!” Wanxin’s voice rose. “I know you’re listening. Why not give me a chance to explain?”

Jiang paused. The assistant bowed and held the phone out to her.

“I gave you two tasks, and you failed both,” Jiang said, her face pale from illness, yet her voice remained imperious. “What right do you have to seek me out?”

“That was my fault, Auntie Jiang. I admit it,” Wanxin said, putting on a humble front. “I didn’t have the strength to crush that little wretch two months ago, and now she’s thriving. She’s even… tainted your daughter.”

Wanxin lowered her head for once, but soon smiled with renewed confidence. “But you’re in a bit of a bind too, aren’t you? Without a sharp blade by your side, things aren’t going smoothly.”

The sound of shears cutting through wood rang out a sharp, icy snap.

Wanxin knew that in the past, Shen Qing had been Jiang’s puppet. But lately, the power had shifted to the daughter. Jiang was trapped in her ivory tower of a hospital room, refusing to bow her head even as her influence waned.

“If you strike just once more,” Wanxin pushed, “I can guarantee Du Yaozhi’s total ruin.”

“Xu Wanxin, know your place,” Jiang countered. “If you’re asking for a favour, bring a payment of equal value. What benefit is there for me in the downfall of a nobody?”

“I know your status, Auntie Jiang. It’s because I respect you that I came to you. If you help me, I can separate Shen Qing from that woman. I’ll make her heart bleed. I’ll make her pay for defying you.”

“Oh?” Jiang chuckled darkly. “I remember you. Years ago, you knelt and begged me just for a meeting with her.”

“I did,” Wanxin admitted. “But just because I can’t please her doesn’t mean I can’t destroy what she cares about. I have a debt to settle with Yaozhi. You wouldn’t want to see your daughter continue to ignore your authority, would you?”

“Xiao Luo… do you hate me that much? Enough to sever our fate with your own hands?”

Du Yaozhi panted slightly, weaving Wen Jinyue’s suppressed sorrow into her lines. Her eyes were rimmed with red. “But do you have any idea of the burden I carry?”

“Adjust your breathing,” Shen Qing said, listening intently before offering professional feedback. “Don’t rush this line. Save the tension for the emotional outburst later. It’ll help you find your rhythm.”

Shen Qing’s professional aura was undeniable. Even though Yaozhi was skilled, Shen Qing’s insights were always surgical. Yaozhi nodded and reset.

Halfway through the script reading, the door was pushed open. Jing Ping entered, her expression more serious than ever. She whispered to Director Chen, who frowned and nodded. “Ten-minute break, everyone.”

Jing Ping looked at Shen Qing. Shen Qing’s eyes darkened; she grabbed her coat and walked out immediately. Outside, the night was pitch black, and a biting wind swept through the corridor. Yaozhi pulled her coat tight, a sense of unease rising in her chest.

Soon, Gong Lin came to find her. But instead of news, he brought a document.

Yaozhi froze as she gripped the papers. The stark white page felt like a slap to her dignity.

“Contract lovers,” Yaozhi whispered with a cold laugh. “What is the meaning of this?”

She wanted a chance to test Shen Qing, and now Shen Qing was handing her this?

“Xu Wanxin and Li Rongjin have bought off over forty media outlets,” Gong Lin said grimly. “They’ve coordinated with major marketing accounts to launch a character assassination campaign next week. This is bigger than you think. It affects you, the production, and Shen Qing.”

He paused. “Standard PR won’t work anymore. Someone powerful is pulling the strings. But if you and Shen Qing can reach an agreement, find a more explosive, game-changing headline, you can break the deadlock.”

“You want me to use her?” Yaozhi asked.

“Not me,” Gong Lin shook his head. “This agreement… was Shen Qing’s idea.”

The terrace was heavy with the silence of the night. Shen Qing leaned against the railing, her dark eyes overlooking the city lights.

The door creaked open. The click-clack of heels approached. The newcomer shut the door and stood in silence, the sound of fabric rustling as she put her hands in her pockets. Then, the sharp flick of a lighter.

Yaozhi lit a cigarette, daintily holding it between her lips. She leaned against the wall, exhaling a plume of smoke, her sharp jawline carving a beautiful arc in the dark.

So it really was Shen Qing’s idea…

Yaozhi decided to strike first. She flicked the ash, her gaze locking onto Shen Qing with a sultry, mocking smile. “The same old play? You want to perform a second act, Teacher?”

“Keep me by your side, pretend we’re madly in love… and then what? Give me the cold shoulder? Cast me aside so I have to dump you again?” Yaozhi stepped closer until the toes of her heels almost touched Shen Qing’s. “Is this fun for you, Shen Qing?”

She loomed into Shen Qing’s personal space an aggressive, invasive tactic she knew well.

Shen Qing opened her mouth to speak, but Yaozhi grabbed her collar, her other hand hooking around Shen Qing’s neck, forcing her to look down. Their faces were inches apart. Yaozhi’s fingertips trailed boldly over Shen Qing’s temple and jaw.

“Is it fun?” Yaozhi repeated, her eyes overflowing with defiance.

“I never intended to play with your feelings,” Shen Qing said, her voice like ice.

“Then what is this? Charity?” Yaozhi laughed. “I haven’t said no yet, have I? Why won’t you tell me the truth?”

The glowing tip of the cigarette was dangerously close to Shen Qing’s skin. Shen Qing didn’t flinch, though she could feel the heat with every breath.

“What is it you want to hear?” Shen Qing asked softly, unfazed by the threat.

“Why are you dragging yourself into this mess just to help me?”

“It’s not ‘dragging myself in,'” Shen Qing said logically. “First, I owe you. Second, the person behind Xu Wanxin and Li Rongjin… has a connection to me.”

“To you?”

“My mother, Jiang Yuanjian,” Shen Qing said calmly. “Without her pull, they could never have caused a storm this big. Taking her down benefits me.”

This was the first time Yaozhi had heard Shen Qing mention her family. She’d always assumed Shen Qing was a pampered princess, but it turned out the rift with her mother was so deep it had come to this.

Yaozhi’s expression wavered. She released Shen Qing and stepped back. Could this be linked to the truth behind the breakup?

“Furthermore,” Shen Qing continued, “their tactics are filthy. I cannot stand by and watch.” She looked at Yaozhi, then averted her gaze. “You’re better off not knowing the details.”

“We’re about to be ‘lovers.’ You’re not going to tell me?”

Shen Qing took a breath. “The headlines involve your… ‘personal morality’.”

Yaozhi’s heart skipped a beat, a surge of suppressed fury in her eyes. “What does that even mean?”

“You hate these tactics as much as I do,” Shen Qing said coldly. “A clean actress being slandered and abused just because of someone’s twisted, filthy mind. Even if you clarify, the trolls don’t stop; they just hide behind their screens and revel in the scandal. If this were your friend or a partner, could you tolerate it?”

Yaozhi was silent. She crushed her cigarette in a nearby ashtray, her eyes darkening.

Personal morality. A normal phrase twisted into a weapon against women in the industry. They bound the term to a woman’s identity, magnifying private details and spinning filth until it became a public lynching.

She hated it. And she wouldn’t let them get away with it.

“What do you want me to do?” Yaozhi asked, her front suddenly aligning with Shen Qing’s.

She stood tall, her beautiful, sharp eyes meeting Shen Qing’s without blinking. She needed revenge on her enemies. And Shen Qing… she still needed to test her.

“Since they are using my mother,” Shen Qing paused, her next words striking Yaozhi’s heart with perfect precision. “Then why shouldn’t you use me in return?”

It sounded like an incantation, a lure.

“Use me.”

“According to the contract, be my lover.”

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