After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 35

Although Du Yaozhi and Shen Qing had plenty of kissing scenes ahead of them, Yaozhi wasn’t so unhinged that she’d try to practice snogging while Shen Qing was actually ill.

She wasn’t that sort of person.

Besides, Shen Qing had only caught a chill because of her.

“Not practising then?” Shen Qing watched as Yaozhi entered the room and immediately began checking the air conditioning and plugging in the electric blanket, showing absolutely none of the focus one would expect for a rehearsal.

Yaozhi gave a small smirk. “Does Professor Shen want to kiss me that badly?”

Shen Qing arched an eyebrow, reminding Yaozhi of the proper order of things. “Is it me who wants to kiss you?”

As if it hadn’t been Yaozhi who had spent half the day lurking at her door, prying it open the moment she peeked out, claiming she needed to practice kissing scenes, and eventually wheedling her way into the room.

“As if you don’t want to,” Yaozhi retorted with her usual dismissive huff.

She tested the temperature of the warming blanket and, satisfied, gathered it up and looked at Shen Qing. “Come and sit down.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Shen Qing’s cool eyes fixed on her. She tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowing in a subtle, questioning line.

Yaozhi: Even when she’s weak, she still has to push my buttons!

“Come… sit. Down.” Yaozhi was forced to repeat herself.

Unable to outmanoeuvre Yaozhi, Shen Qing complied and took a seat on the sofa. As they brushed past each other, that familiar, cool fragrance was much fainter, replaced by a damp, biting chill.

Yaozhi had never seen this side of Shen Qing before. With her lashes fluttering and her dark hair falling loosely against her pale skin, Shen Qing waited quietly for her next move. As Yaozhi drew closer, she could hear the woman’s slow, shallow breathing.

She was like a piece of jade soaked in meltwater, carrying a fragile coolness that lacked her usual distant aloofness. Surprisingly, she felt… approachable.

Yaozhi struggled to find the words for it. Entering Shen Qing’s room today felt like stumbling into a grand, long-abandoned theatre. It should have been a place of spectacle and prestige, surrounded by crowds and worshipped by all, but in reality, it was empty. Shen Qing stood there alone against the backdrop of a rare blizzard.

It was a strange feeling. Shen Qing didn’t feel like Shen Qing anymore.

Yaozhi draped the warming blanket over her and gestured toward it with her chin. “There’s a little pocket at the front. Tuck your hands in there; it’ll warm you up much faster.”

“It’s alright, no need,” Shen Qing declined politely. Her fingers curled into a fist, unconsciously clutching the fabric over her abdomen, her breathing thin and airy.

Outside, the snow fell in thick, heavy swirls, the white landscape making her silhouette appear terribly delicate. Yaozhi watched her, her brow furrowed.

Abdominal pain. And it’s the end of the month.

Surely it isn’t—

Yaozhi steeled herself. “Is it… that time of the month?”

Shen Qing didn’t answer, turning her gaze away.

“Shen Qing! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to soak in cold water during your period?!” Yaozhi’s hand on the sofa trembled violently, her voice rasping. “How could you be so reckless…”

No wonder her assistant looked so worried. No wonder she was in such a rush to leave. No wonder she’d locked herself away the moment she got back. Given Shen Qing’s status, she could have easily negotiated her way out of the water scene, yet she’d insisted on doing it for Yaozhi’s sake and then stayed in there, acting tough for so long!

Yaozhi’s breathing was heavy with suppressed emotion. “Have you taken any painkillers?”

“I’ll take them after dinner.”

“And what about dinner?”

“I was just about to make some when you arrived.” Shen Qing glanced toward the kitchen, where a pot of porridge was simmering in the rice cooker. Seeing Yaozhi’s silence, she added softly, “I didn’t have much of an appetite for the crew’s catering.”

“Don’t move.” Yaozhi brushed back Shen Qing’s fringe, pressing her palm to the woman’s forehead, her breath warm and urgent.

She checked Shen Qing’s temperature against her own. Fortunately, no fever. But Shen Qing was chilled to the bone; her hands were like blocks of ice. And she hadn’t had a proper meal all day. This wouldn’t do.

Yaozhi stood by the sofa, looking down at Shen Qing’s face in the shadows. She took a deep breath as if fighting an internal battle, finally closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh. She let go of the sofa and headed straight for the kitchen.

“What do you want to eat?” Yaozhi opened the fridge and scanned the ingredients.

“Pardon?”

“Porridge isn’t enough; it’s not sustaining.” Yaozhi mused over the contents of the fridge. “How about that Matsutake mushroom and lamb brisket broth you used to like? I’ll do some braised ribs and sautéed cabbage too.”

Yaozhi pulled out the Matsutake slices and turned to consult her. When Yaozhi took the lead, she had a way of being both alluring and commanding. She knew how to take the first step and then casually toss out a question, making it seem like an afterthought so the other person couldn’t find a way to refuse.

Just in case Shen Qing didn’t take the bait, Yaozhi added a bit of a performance.

“You loved it back when we first got together. Then you started going out every day, ignored me, and wouldn’t even tell me if you were coming home or not.”

Yaozhi mimicked Shen Qing’s habit of lowering her eyes, her gaze trailing downward with a flash of disappointment before quickly masking it. “I’d leave dinner out for you and have to throw it away the next morning. I expect you’ve forgotten what my cooking even tastes like, haven’t you?”

“I…”

Shen Qing started to speak, but Yaozhi cut her off; she didn’t want to dwell on the bad times. “Right, you’re not allowed to talk. No bringing up the past.”

Yaozhi caught the look in Shen Qing’s eyes; there was no sign of refusal. She took it as a ‘yes’.

“Go and rest for a bit. Have some hot water to warm up. It’ll take me about an hour; I’ll be as quick as I can.” Yaozhi’s heart ached at the sight of her looking so frail, and her tone softened.

As she spoke, she moved the brisket and ribs to the sink, turning on the tap to rinse away the blood. But there was no way Shen Qing was going to let her cook alone. She stood up, switching off the electric blanket.

“I’ll help you.”

“You want to help?” Yaozhi challenged.

“Mhm.”

“Go back to sleep,” Yaozhi said. “I can hardly ‘pay my respects’ to your cooking skills.”

“Pay your respects?” Shen Qing stood there, puzzled by the phrase.

Yaozhi’s words were prickly, though she was suppressing a smile. “Yes. Professor Shen’s talent is so vast, she’s ‘mastered’ six out of the seven openings, she’s a natural.”

It was a joke Zhou Yue had taught her a clever way of saying someone was completely clueless. Yaozhi remembered the first time she’d eaten Shen Qing’s cooking. “Inedible” was the word that had come to mind. But seeing that noble, elegant face so focused on prepping the ingredients like they were works of art… Yaozhi had decided to let it slide. It wasn’t technically poisonous.

“Does that phrase mean it tastes bad?” Shen Qing asked.

Yaozhi didn’t blink. “Quite the opposite. It means it’s brilliant. I’m saying you’re amazing.”

Shen Qing looked skeptical.

“If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Jing.”

Yaozhi rinsed the ribs and placed them methodically into the stew pot with spring onions, ginger, and cooking wine. She took over the kitchen, refusing to let Shen Qing lift a finger, but Shen Qing didn’t leave. She stood there elegantly, quietly keeping her company.

As the ribs simmered over a low heat, Yaozhi moved on to the Matsutake and brisket with practiced ease. The room began to fill with steam, chasing away the chill. However, Yaozhi’s long curls kept getting in her way, falling into her line of sight.

She frowned, reaching up to brush them back, but a pair of cool fingertips beat her to it. The fingers brushed against her ear, carefully tucking the stray lock away. The movement was gentle and familiar. Shen Qing gathered Yaozhi’s hair and held it in her palm.

She had intended to tie it back for her, but a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen made her let out a small huff. Her strength left her, and she leaned forward, burying her face into Yaozhi’s back.

Yaozhi’s body gave an involuntary jolt. She nearly dropped the ladle.

Outside, the snow fell; inside, the steam rose in soft, wavering plumes, reflected in the glass of the extractor fan alongside the image of the two of them huddled together.

With the dark hair brushing against her earlobe, Yaozhi’s breath became shallow. She felt the weight against her back, and her heart gave a frantic leap. It was cold and silent outside, but inside, the air was thick with heat and tension—the kind that makes your breath hitch and leaves you unable to move.

Shen Qing held her, eyes squeezed shut, revealing a level of dependence she had never shown before.

They were so… intimate.

Yaozhi found herself speechless, her throat tight. Feeling the warmth of the person behind her, she felt a long-buried sense of disorientation. Back when Shen Qing used to give her the cold shoulder, Yaozhi would prepare late-night snacks for her, watching the snow fall outside and thinking child-like thoughts.

If only you were here with me. If only you still cared.

If things had been different, Shen Qing could have been the untouchable star to the world, but at home, they could have curled up together, living a quiet, happy life away from the cameras.

But Shen Qing had stopped loving her. At first, Yaozhi hadn’t believed it. She had gone through the motions every day, messaging her, waiting for her to say she was coming home, happily preparing her favourite dishes and waiting. One night, when the snow had stopped, Yaozhi had waited up all night, and Shen Qing never came. Looking at the stone-cold food, she had finally given up.

She never expected that a year after the breakup, they would be entangled like this again. Yaozhi had moved on, yet here was Shen Qing, seemingly in love again. Yaozhi wanted a clean break, yet here she was, playing the part of her girlfriend!

The thought of it made her blood boil. If there really was a reason, why didn’t she just say so?!

You ask me why? I want to ask YOU why!

Fuming, Yaozhi blew the steam off the ladle. “Open up! Tell me if the seasoning is right.”

Shen Qing paused, tasted the broth, and nodded. “It’s perfect.”

“Does it still hurt?” Yaozhi asked, concerned.

“No,” Shen Qing shook her head, taking a deep breath.

“Oh.” Yaozhi’s eyes felt prickly; she rubbed them quickly.

Behind her, Shen Qing called her name. “Du Yaozhi, I’m not in that much pain.”

“You don’t need to feel guilty. Even if it weren’t for you, I would have gone into that pool if the scene required it. It’s my job.”

Stubborn. Yaozhi knew exactly how to deal with stubbornness.

“So you’re all better then?” Yaozhi arched an eyebrow.

“Mhm.”

“Better enough to let go?” Yaozhi teased. She glanced at the hand around her waist, then looked up at her.

“I’m not better,” Shen Qing said flatly.

Oh, so she wasn’t better now. Honestly, the woman was infuriating.

“Shen Qing,” Yaozhi chided, “do your fans know how clingy you are?”

Shen Qing frowned slightly, as if the word “clingy” was foreign to her. “Clingy?”

“Hugging your ex-girlfriend and refusing to let go… if that isn’t clingy, I don’t know what is.”

“Professor Shen,” Yaozhi said, a playful smile on her lips as she tilted her head. “Why don’t you man up a bit?”

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