After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 29

Du Yaozhi knew this was an invitation that couldn’t be refused.

Danger, profit, and a shared sense of wild, untamed beauty, the vibe was absolutely unparalleled. Since Shen Qing wanted an “uncontrollable factor,” surely, she wouldn’t turn down something this entertaining and high reward?

For instance, pretending to get caught in a tryst.

“Is everyone here?” Du Yaozhi held her phone up, scanning the surroundings.

Not bad. Attached to the private dining room was a lounge, separated from the eating area by a lockable door. It was spacious and private. More importantly, the entrance leading to the hallway had double doors; if she left a slight crack at just the right angle, she could get exactly the visual effect she wanted.

“Paparazzi are already trickling in. They’re lingering at the entrance, getting ready to hide their gear. They’ll probably find your floor soon.”

“Good. Also, help me look after the guests. I’d like a chance to speak with them once this is over. I’ll leave that to you.” Du Yaozhi squinted one eye, measuring the angle relative to the door crack.

“Understood. Jing Ping and I will keep an eye on things.” Gong Lin was nothing if not reliable.

Du Yaozhi smiled. As she pushed a small sofa to set the scene, she tossed out a casual tease. “Is it really okay? The two of you being together?”

Gong Lin laughed back. “What about the two of you? Can you handle the situation?”

“Easily.” Du Yaozhi wasn’t one to back down. When it came to tit-for-tat, she was an expert. “As long as Teacher Shen can handle herself, so can I.”

Gong Lin didn’t press further. “See you in a bit, then.”

“See you.”

Du Yaozhi hung up and brushed the dust off her hands. After meticulously finishing the “set decoration,” she walked to the wall in her high heels and—click—flipped the light switch.

The room plunged into darkness.

The only illumination came from the sliver of light leaking through the door crack, providing a faint, narrow glow that made the atmosphere feel tight with nervous energy. Du Yaozhi loosened her collar and tossed her coat onto the sofa. She reached behind her neck to pull her long, curled hair out from under her top, letting it drape perfectly over the slim waist outlined by her red knit dress.

She picked up the remote and, in high spirits, cranked up the heater.

“Waiting for me?”

A cool voice rang out through the dark. Shen Qing stepped in through the other door.

Without turning her head, Du Yaozhi let a slow smirk spread across her lips. “Of course. Aren’t you my girlfriend? Naturally, I’d wait for you.”

“But you didn’t reply to my messages yesterday,” Du Yaozhi added, her tone unreadable.

“Oh?” Shen Qing’s response was brief, devoid of emotion.

“I thought you were scared.” Du Yaozhi tapped her fingers against her arm and chuckled.

“That’s because I was busy preparing.”

Shen Qing had her coat draped over her left arm. As she closed the door with her other hand, the force of the movement caused her necklace to sway. She was wearing a black turtleneck with the sleeves slightly pushed up, paired with crisp white trousers. The outfit emphasized her already striking, tall silhouette, making her look even more aloof and refined.

The turtleneck climbed high, hugging the line of her neck and leaving only a tiny patch of skin visible above her throat. It was meticulous, yet under the faint light, she looked like cool jade, intellectual and repressed.

So mature. So Alpha.

“You… why are you dressed like this?” Du Yaozhi asked, surprised.

In her memory, Shen Qing never dressed this way. What was with her today? She was even wearing wire-framed glasses.

“Miss Du invited me personally. Shouldn’t I dress the part?”

Shen Qing lowered her head slightly, letting the black-framed glasses slide a fraction down the bridge of her nose. Her gaze pierced through the lenses at Du Yaozhi. “You said you liked this style, so I went and learned.”

“It took me all night to learn.” Shen Qing raised a hand, using a fingertip to gently push the glasses back into place. “What do you think?”

When a world-renowned, icy beauty looks you in the eye like that, it’s impossible for your heart not to skip a beat. Despite having seen this face countless times, Du Yaozhi was still stunned by Shen Qing’s beauty. She steadied her breath and swallowed hard. “Wear whatever you want. I don’t feel anything about it.”

Shen Qing: “Then let’s begin.”

Du Yaozhi: “Begin what?”

Shen Qing’s voice was icy, purely businesslike: “Our affair.”

Why does she have to be so blunt!

Du Yaozhi glared at her. Shen Qing just stood there, cold and unresponsive.

Is she angry? Or… disappointed?

Du Yaozhi’s mind raced, unable to make sense of it. What’s with the downcast eyes? We’re just a fake couple. Shen Qing had given her the cold shoulder for so long before they broke up without a single explanation—what was there to be sad about now?

A flash of white light flickered outside the door. Alert, Du Yaozhi grabbed Shen Qing’s arm and quickly pinned her against the wall, hiding her within the gap between her body and the bricks.

Soon, there was more movement outside. Faint footsteps echoed in the hallway as people searched for Du Yaozhi’s location.

“They’re here.”

Du Yaozhi waited in the dark, her brow furrowed, waiting for the fish to bite the bait. Shen Qing’s wrist was gripped tight in her hand, pinned to the wall. Shen Qing’s deep, pool-like eyes stared at her calmly, waiting unmoved for her next move.

This vibe was totally “out of character.”

The audience was here—if they weren’t going to act now, when would they? Given Shen Qing’s professional caliber, she shouldn’t be this icy or failing at emotional management. She had to be doing this on purpose to trip her up!

But Du Yaozhi wasn’t so easily defeated.

She recalled a line from her acting classes:

“When you perform, it’s best not to fake emotion. It’s better to find that emotion within yourself and your own experiences and see if you can bring it to the surface. That way, you can truly give it to the character and let them run with it.”

Since Shen Qing refused to provide the emotion, Du Yaozhi would bring it to her.

“Baby, don’t be like this.” Du Yaozhi’s lips curled. Her voice became instantly soft and airy, a complete 180 from her previous calm.

“Aren’t you acting as my lover? Why have you gone quiet?”

She casually hooked a finger under Shen Qing’s pinned wrist, giving the sensitive skin a light, playful scratch. “Am I not fulfilling my promise? Hmm? Aside from when we’re doing ‘official’ business, I’ve been holding your hand.”

“Don’t you like me like this?” Du Yaozhi smiled, tilting her head. “Or is it that Teacher Shen… can’t keep up?”

Her gentle, non-threatening face was full of provocation, graceful and vivid, like a rose hiding its thorns to flaunt its petals. The warmth of their breath caused the temperature in the air-conditioned room to rise, along with the burgeoning tension between them.

This was their set. Outside was the battlefield.

Countless hidden lenses were aimed at their silhouettes, hoping for a scandal. The tiny clicks of shutters felt like they were stepping on Du Yaozhi’s nerves. But the more intense it got, the more real she had to make it.

“You can’t keep up, but I certainly can.”

She let out a soft laugh, her knee unnoticeably slipping into the space between Shen Qing’s legs, pinning her completely against the wall. Du Yaozhi’s lips were nearly pressed against Shen Qing’s, and her other hand boldly climbed onto Shen Qing’s shoulder. Her fingertips traced the edge of the collar, slowly sliding down toward the waist.

Du Yaozhi was in her element; her performance of intimacy was flawless.

Finally, Shen Qing let out a light chuckle. “Are you really that unfamiliar with me, Du Yaozhi?”

“You… should be very familiar with me, right?”

While Du Yaozhi was still processing the meaning behind those words, the other woman suddenly moved. With an icy grip, Shen Qing caught her wrist, effectively breaking Du Yaozhi’s performance.

Coldly and with an air of command that brooked no refusal, Shen Qing guided Du Yaozhi’s hand upward, placing it against her own exposed, pale, and sensitive neck.

Skin met skin. As Shen Qing breathed, the pulse beneath Du Yaozhi’s fingertips fluttered. It was as if she were a teacher instructing a student, telling her:

You’re bullying the wrong spot. You should be bullying me here.

The sudden rush of adrenaline and the pounding of her heart felt like suffocation in the dark. Every breath Du Yaozhi took felt like she was stealing the oxygen from Shen Qing’s lips. Yet, to hide Shen Qing’s face from the cameras, she had to stay this close.

And her hand was still touching Shen Qing’s neck!

The commotion outside reached its peak. Someone seemed to have jostled for a better angle, and a camera lens thudded against the door panel with a dull thump.

Sensing Du Yaozhi’s alertness, the intruders quickly grabbed their gear and fled. With a scoop this big, they couldn’t afford to get caught on the scene.

Once the silence returned, Du Yaozhi turned her head back, staring straight at Shen Qing. “They’re gone. You can let go now.”

Just to be safe, she stayed in the corner with Shen Qing for a while longer, maintaining a facade of respectful distance. Shen Qing, however, seemed to have other ideas.

“Let go?” Shen Qing said. “You were just performing for them. You weren’t performing for me. How can that count as a ‘tryst’?”

“You!” Du Yaozhi struggled, though she couldn’t make it too obvious. She forced a smirk. “What do you want?”

“You lied to me,” Shen Qing said smoothly. “I want to hear the truth. What do you think of me?”

“What kind of… feeling do you have for me?”

“You’re beautiful. Drop-dead gorgeous.” Du Yaozhi gritted her teeth, still forced to maintain the intimate embrace around Shen Qing’s waist. “Satisfied?”

God, she’s so annoying! How could Shen Qing be such a temptress? With that ice-queen face, everything she did felt like a calculated seduction. How could she be so wicked?

“Miss Du has kept her eyes closed this whole time. How am I supposed to know if you’re being sincere or just placating me?” Shen Qing’s breath brushed against her eyelashes. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”

The elegant, cold fragrance overwhelmed her nerves, stirring up emotions and senses hidden in the dark. Du Yaozhi’s heart felt itchy, but she refused to back down.

But the moment their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat.

Shen Qing’s eyes possessed a deep, profound beauty. The sliver of light from the door hit her dark pupils, making them look like dangerous, cold slits. The skin beneath Du Yaozhi’s fingertips felt as delicate as a cicada’s wing—cool, rising and falling with her breath and—wait, I’ve gripped her so hard it’s turned red!

Hectic thoughts flooded her mind. That familiar feeling, that familiar palpitation… why was it so familiar?

Du Yaozhi swallowed hard. Clinging to her last shred of logic, she reached up to cup Shen Qing’s face, shielding her within the shadow of her own arm.

“Don’t… don’t let them catch you. If your face gets caught like this, it’ll be very difficult for me to handle,” Du Yaozhi said coldly.

The messy lounge, the clothes scattered on the sofa, the suggestive darkness and heat

“By ‘difficult to handle,’ do you mean you have more tricks up your sleeve?” Shen Qing’s tone went up an octave. She added softly, “That’s so boring.”

“Do you insist on making this a public spectacle?” Du Yaozhi hissed, her voice low and demanding. You’re Shen Qing! You’re not like me! For the sake of this, are you really willing to throw away your reputation and your honor?! You’re Shen Qing!

“Enough. That’s really enough,” Du Yaozhi gasped, her wrists losing the strength to struggle.

“Is it?” Shen Qing said. “That’s not what you said last night. You said, I like it when you’re the active one.”

“In fact, I really do like it,” Shen Qing whispered into her ear, ignoring Du Yaozhi’s protest.

She took off her glasses and, under Du Yaozhi’s panicked gaze, slowly placed them into Du Yaozhi’s palm. “However, I’m rarely the passive party. In this regard, my knowledge is indeed quite shallow.”

“Why don’t you, Teacher Du”

“Teach me yourself?”

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