After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 25

Utilize her.

Shen Qing spoke with the face of a noble ice queen. As the wind swept across the terrace, she neither flinched nor welcomed it; with a single blink, she made the word “utilize” sound like a formal invitation.

Back when they were dating, Du Yaozhi had discovered that Shen Qing preferred being passive; she liked to draw close quietly, often before the other person even realised it.

Shen Qing wasn’t a sudden blizzard; her speech possessed a sort of delayed, lingering sexiness that was stretched out by silence. She would lay the groundwork well in advance, guiding you to think, guiding you to ask her questions.

Guiding you to explore her within the stillness.

By the time you realised it, the snow would have already melted for you, replaced by a long, sweet aftertaste. Only then would you wake up and think: Oh, so that’s what she was thinking at the time.

For instance, if Du Yaozhi changed to a rose-scented hair spray, Shen Qing would suddenly say, much later: “Your hair spray suits you.”

Then, Du Yaozhi would secretly rummage through her things, find that bottle, and spray it everywhere, without even knowing why she was doing it.

During their year apart, Du Yaozhi had never met anyone like her again. Only later did she realise that this was Shen Qing’s charm, she was born with that glacial, slow-burning pace that hooked the soul.

Of course, Du Yaozhi wasn’t about to let her soul be hooked by Shen Qing now. Hadn’t she fallen for enough of her ex-girlfriend’s traps?

She pulled out a plain wooden chair on the terrace and sat down, her expression serious. “Fine. But speak plainly.”

“The contract period covers the shoot, post-production, scheduling, and a twelve-month promotion period. After that, we’ll take two months for a dignified decoupling, fourteen months in total.” Shen Qing sat opposite her, wasting no time.

“Public appearances together, synchronized external statements from both teams, and maintaining a certain degree of physical intimacy. Can you do that?” Shen Qing asked.

“What exactly is the scope of ‘a certain degree of physical intimacy’?” Du Yaozhi narrowed her eyes.

“Being close to me. Acting intimate in public, hype as a couple, and so on. It’s written there.” Shen Qing pointed to a clause, her tone cool.

“Does it require me to share a bed with you?”

“No.”

Du Yaozhi nodded thoughtfully. “Go on.”

“I will cooperate to build your positive image and increase public goodwill until you are famous.”

Hearing this, Du Yaozhi couldn’t help but interrupt. “‘Until I’m famous’? You’re that certain I’ll be a hit?”

“Du Yaozhi, are you doubting yourself? Or are you doubting me?” Shen Qing’s eyes lifted slightly, her tone remaining flat. “I believe I taught you to always maintain self-confidence.”

Shen Qing was dead serious, her dark eyes as still as a deep pool. “The person who set the stage, had the courage, and used their strength to get to this point is you. The role of Wen Jinyue was won by your own merit. ‘Being a hit’ isn’t a matter of luck for someone like you.”

Du Yaozhi smiled, not taking it to heart. “Teacher Shen’s praise is too high. But what about you? It seems you don’t need to do anything in return.”

“Don’t you hate me? Don’t you want to destroy me?”

Shen Qing gazed at Du Yaozhi as if looking at her former lover, saying each word deliberately: “I’m helping you.”

The wind on the terrace caught the dark hair resting on Shen Qing’s shoulder. A stray strand clung to her cheek, tracing her clean jawline and making her features look even more cold and elegant.

She spoke as if she were discussing something that didn’t affect her at all.

Du Yaozhi frowned. There it was again. Shen Qing didn’t sound like she wanted to hurt or take revenge at all; just like that day when she said, “You can hate me,” she sounded as if she were seeking forgiveness.

“You aren’t throwing me a lifeline. You’re inviting me to play with fire with you, aren’t you?”

“Mm.” A cold, simple admission.

Du Yaozhi steered the conversation back to business. “Fine. It sounds interesting.”

“However, I don’t hate you quite that much.” Not enough to “destroy her,” Du Yaozhi added, testing the waters. She tapped her fingers on the table, the beauty mark at her eye quivering. Resting her chin on her elbow, she said, “I just don’t love you anymore. I just want to play around with Teacher Shen.”

Shen Qing: “Are you tired of playing now?”

“Not yet.” Du Yaozhi brushed back a messy curl, not mincing words. “What specifically do you need me to do? Just act as your girlfriend?”

That shouldn’t be hard, Du Yaozhi thought initially.

Shen Qing listened and replied, “I need an uncontrollable factor. So, you just need to be yourself. That is the cooperation.”

Du Yaozhi pondered for a moment and nodded. She flipped through the contract and stopped at the end. “One more question.”

“Ask.”

“What does this amount at the bottom mean?” Du Yaozhi pointed to a figure.

“When you and your agent negotiated the contract for the production, you mentioned a pay cut, didn’t you?” Shen Qing said.

“How did you know?” Du Yaozhi’s reputation was small, and Gong Lin had spent a lot of effort to clear a path for her after the audition, not wanting to let a gem like her go to waste.

Gong Lin was experienced; she had quickly discussed a pay-cut strategy, assuring Du Yaozhi that the sacrifice would be worth it. Du Yaozhi had accepted it gladly, knowing it was part of her “entry ticket.”

But it was a thirty-five percent cut. For a “notorious” artist who constantly had to set aside funds for PR, it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt.

Shen Qing said impassively, “I will pay you the difference as your compensation.”

Du Yaozhi looked at Shen Qing in disbelief, wondering if her ex-girlfriend had lost her mind.

“With your breakup settlement, you bought a house, a car, and rented luxury evening gowns. Do you still have enough?” Shen Qing asked.

Du Yaozhi: 

“One thing at a time. I can’t take your resources and take that much of your money just for acting in a play with you,” Du Yaozhi countered immediately.

“Then, Miss Du,” Shen Qing said slowly, “please put some effort into your acting so that no one sees through the flaws.”

Fine. There was no point arguing with the Great Miss Shen.

But how could Du Yaozhi let herself be outdone? She leaned forward, her妩媚 curls swinging with the movement, her lips curving into a mocking smile. “I haven’t even started acting yet, and Teacher Shen is already saying I’m not trying hard enough?”

“Very well. Where would you like to start?” Shen Qing looked up at her.

“Give me your hand.”

Shen Qing obediently held out a hand.

Without hesitation, Du Yaozhi took it. She held Shen Qing’s hand in one of hers, then slowly interlaced their fingers with the other, her thumb grazing the other woman’s fingertips. Their gazes met and locked.

They held on until their fingers were tightly entwined.

The temperature was dropping as winter approached. Shen Qing’s fingertips were ice-cold and slender; her protruding knuckles and blue veins stood out against her snow-white skin, making her look aloof.

But her palm was warm. When Du Yaozhi touched it, it felt like touching the white feathers of a swan. As their fingers overlapped, Du Yaozhi’s own palm began to heat up. For a moment, it was unclear who was seducing whom.

Shen Qing looked at their joined hands, then at Du Yaozhi’s halted movements. Her gaze lingered.

Du Yaozhi, showing no fear, added calmly: “From now until the opening ceremony, I won’t let go of your hand, except for official business.”

“Is Teacher Shen satisfied with this beginning?”

Shen Qing stood up and nodded. “Miss Du has quite the imagination.”

“Let’s go. They must have been waiting long enough.”

Shen Qing pushed open the door, with Du Yaozhi holding her hand in one hand and the contract in the other.

Shen Qing was a head taller than her, standing tall and elegant. Her dark hair was slightly messy, but she remained poised, the sleeves of her coat barely swaying as she walked. Her profile was incredibly beautiful, and the way she held Du Yaozhi’s hand was gentle, providing a sense of stability.

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Du Yaozhi’s palm, and she felt a flicker of annoyance. Holding hands with an ex-girlfriend is still too intimate.

Why does it feel like Shen Qing is the one leading her?

Back when they were secret lovers, they had held hands and hugged without a care in the world. But now that they had to act as if everyone knew, even a simple hand-hold felt awkward. Wouldn’t that be a joke?

Refusing to show weakness, Du Yaozhi frowned slightly and tightened her grip, possessively locking Shen Qing’s hand in hers. She lifted her chin and walked forward as if nothing were wrong.

Shen Qing turned to look at her.

“What?” Du Yaozhi’s beautiful face was a picture of soft gentleness, without a trace of aggression.

“Nothing,” Shen Qing said.

Jing Ping was holding a walkie-talkie, sweating profusely. “Thank goodness! I was so worried. Do you have any idea how long you two were in there? Thank heavens Director Chen is nice enough to say we can pause for today, otherwise I’d have to owe her a favour. How did your talk go?”

“It went well,” Shen Qing said.

“That’s good. It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d said no. Yaozhi, don’t be afraid. We’re here. We won’t let those people use underhanded tactics to hurt you, don’t worry!” Jing Ping assured her.

Du Yaozhi smiled and thanked her for the kindness. But she wasn’t about to let those people go, the ones who had hurt her and tarnished her reputation.

Jing Ping worked at a rapid-fire pace, wasting no words. “Xiao Ling, help me move that camera over there, about three inches from the door. Dim the lights. Yes, that’s it. Get two more people, anyone will do.”

She was moving like a whirlwind, barking orders into her walkie-talkie, telling people to move things into an empty meeting room. But as she turned her head, her gaze landed squarely on Du Yaozhi and Shen Qing’s tightly joined hands.

Jing Ping paused in a bizarre fashion. Her eyes widened as she looked at their hands, then at Shen Qing, before glaring at her with resentment.

“Miss Shen, you’re really too much! How can you be so thirsty? She only just agreed, and you’re already refusing to let go?”

Jing Ping frowned, lowering her voice as she leaned in toward Shen Qing, winking and gesturing for her to release Du Yaozhi.

“I can’t let go for the moment,” Shen Qing said calmly.

Jing Ping was speechless. “You’re out of your mind, Shen Qing. Didn’t we say to take it slow? If you force her like this, what will she think? What will the netizens think?”

Shen Qing slowly waved their joined hands, Du Yaozhi’s grip was so tight her knuckles were turning white and then looked at Du Yaozhi. “What does Miss Du think?”

Du Yaozhi: 

Du Yaozhi gritted her teeth and loosened her grip slightly. Only then did Jing Ping stop staring at Shen Qing and head back to her work, satisfied.

Shen Qing looked down at Du Yaozhi. “Who is your new agent? We should discuss the contract.”

“Miss Gong. Her name is Gong Lin. She should be in the next room waiting for me.” Du Yaozhi reached into her pocket for her phone with her free hand. “I’ll call her over now.”

“Wait, who?” Jing Ping suddenly spun around. “Did you say your agent’s name is Gong Lin?”

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