After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 38

Du Yaozhi, the woman who rejected Shen Qing.

On this day, Du Yaozhi didn’t just gain a “wife” who was publicly chasing her across the entire internet; she also reaped a mountain of dramatic fan fiction because of it.

Zhou Yue sent a string of novel links into their three-person group chat.

《The Movie Queen’s Ex is Too Cold; If You Want to Chase Your Wife, Better Burn Some Incense》

《Oh My God, My Chaste Ex-Wife Has Become Obsessed with Me After the Breakup》

《The Long Road of the Unreachable Goddess: Bowing Down for Love in Front of the Whole World!》

《Woman, You Cannot Lose to That Temptress!》

Du Yaozhi’s own Weibo was already exploding. Seeing these messages, she felt like crying: Where on earth did you find so many melodramatic stories?

Zhou Yue: It’s the same author who wrote 《Dumping My Ex-Girlfriend Only for Her to Turn Sweet and Flirty》! She’s basically the pioneer of cliché lesbian melodrama. Seriously, she churns these out single-handedly. They’re so hilarious, her real life must be incredibly chaotic!

Zhou Yue: And she’s actually quite the prophet. The outfits she writes for the female lead are identical to what Shen Qing has been wearing lately. Look.

She sent a screenshot of a descriptive passage from the novel and compared it to the black trench coat Shen Qing wore yesterday. The similarity was easily 99%.

The only difference was that on Shen Qing, it looked even more expensive.

Du Yaozhi: 

This wasn’t a prophecy… Shen Qing was clearly studying the books and copying them!

Du Yaozhi began to regret telling Shen Qing to “step it up.” She had only teased her casually, but now that this woman had actually put in the effort, it was terrifying!!

Gu Lin had watched the video from the previous night: It’s a good thing Teacher Shen stabilized the situation. Otherwise, if things had really spiraled, your reputation would have taken a hit. I think you should thank her.

This was true. If Du Yaozhi had handled it alone under those extreme circumstances, she likely could have only managed to calm the girl’s anger.

Shen Qing’s move hadn’t just saved her a fan; it had attracted a massive wave of, well, “CP fans” (shippers).

And hey, a fan is a fan, right?

Du Yaozhi rewatched the video of the scene several times.

When Shen Qing stepped forward to face that radical fan, the girl was still screaming, wildly waving a dangerous, hard object in her hand.

Du Yaozhi felt a slight tug at her heartstrings.

She felt as though her own heart had been turned into a transparent progress bar, being dragged back and forth, knowing the ending, yet unsure of where she was being pulled.

If it was strictly for the contract, why would Shen Qing go to such lengths? And why did she ignore her own safety every single time?

Du Yaozhi: I will, later. But I have to handle something first.

Zhou Yue, being the curious soul she was: Handle what?

Du Yaozhi took a deep breath and let out a long sigh: Handling the confession requests from the “Movie Queen Ex,” the “Chaste Ex-Wife,” and the “Unreachable Goddess on the Long Road to Chasing Her Wife.”

Zhou Yue: You agreed that fast?

Du Yaozhi didn’t even look up: Rejected.

Du Yaozhi logged into her main Weibo account and posted the content she had previously drafted and edited with Gong Lin.

Du Yaozhi V: I am deeply sorry. Due to a coordination error in my schedule, I was unable to make our appointment on time. I feel a great personal sense of regret. I have consulted with the production crew to arrange a makeup fan meeting, where I will perform a sword dance as compensation. I look forward to seeing you all again.

Du Yaozhi V: Also, thank you to Teacher Shen Qing for your concern. I hope everyone focuses more on our work. Thank you again.  Replying to Shen Qing V: Thank you all for your love for Yaozhi.

Who knows how long I’ve been camping here! Sister is so direct, responding to Shen Qing like that?

On the surface, she’s “focusing on the work,” but she’s actually rejecting Shen Qing, haha!

Du Yaozhi: The woman who rejected Shen Qing.

Eeee, “Thank you all for your love for Yaozhi,” @Shen Qing V, but it seems your wife doesn’t like you back.

Reply to OP: @Shen Qing V Your~ wife~ doesn’t~ seem~ to~ like~ you~ back~

Where’s that guy who said he’d kowtow? Get him over here!

Right! He kowtows, and we stan the CP. Serves him right for hiding behind a screen and slandering people!

Exactly!

Of course, the official fan club came in to maintain order so the comments wouldn’t be entirely buried by shippers.

‘Waving the Banner’ for Du Yaozhi (heart). Sister looks so cool when she’s focused on her career! Looking forward to the fan meeting.

Top Comment: Can CP fans go?

Reply to above: CP fans can go see the rejected Shen Qing.

Hahahahaha, “The rejected Shen Qing,” oh my god. Who’s going to push this to the trending searches?

Hahaha, I can’t breathe, help!

The fan club immediately tried to steer the conversation back: Focus on the work, everyone! Let’s support our Yaozhi.

@Du Yaozhi V, Day n+1 of wanting to see Sister.

Is it a sword dance!!! So excited.

**

From the day she released the statement, Du Yaozhi wasn’t just getting up in the early hours to practice intensely; even after a grueling day of filming, she insisted on practicing her sword dance in the dark.

Xiao Yun felt she was improving at lightning speed, but she also worried about her health: “Why don’t you actually take a day off?”

Du Yaozhi shook her head. “It’s too late for that.”

They didn’t know how terrifying the pressure from the industry investors could be. She was a low-tier artist to begin with; if something went wrong, the investors would be the first to suppress her.

But if Du Yaozhi moved first and promoted this scene perfectly, she might be able to save this footage and protect her chance to portray Wen Jinyue’s character arc.

This was exactly why she had included this segment in the fan meeting.

Xiao Yun had to go to a meeting after work regarding the investors, so she could only urge Du Yaozhi to go back and rest early.

“It’s okay, I’ll stay with Sister Yaozhi.”

Shu Yuanxiang’s nose was red from the cold. She tried her best to stay awake as she saw Xiao Yun off.

Because she had messed up the schedule last time, Shu Yuanxiang had been feeling very guilty. While Du Yaozhi practiced her sword dance, she crouched in a small corner, watching over Du Yaozhi’s lone light.

Whenever the cold wind blew, Shu Yuanxiang would huddle closer and sniffle.

Du Yaozhi was very good at taking care of people. She was sensitive to others’ needs; if someone showed even a hint of discomfort, she was always the first to notice.

Du Yaozhi walked over and crouched down, wrapping her arms around Shu Yuanxiang and using her own body to shield her from the wind. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Did you catch a cold?”

“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me.”

Seeing Shu Yuanxiang still trying to act tough, Du Yaozhi immediately called Gong Lin. “Yuanxiang looks like she’s about to catch a fever. We can’t let this continue. Can you come and pick her up?”

“I’m on my way.”

Gong Lin moved fast and arrived shortly after, carrying emergency medicine as she helped Shu Yuanxiang up.

“What about Sister Yaozhi? What will she do alone?” Shu Yuanxiang’s face was flushed, and she was dizzy, but she spoke up anxiously.

Gong Lin: “Should I call a production assistant to stay with you?”

Du Yaozhi: “Don’t bother. Someone is coming to pick me up.” Anyway, she was leaving as soon as she finished this movement.

Shu Yuanxiang wasn’t as easy to fool as Zhou Yue: “Who?”

“Teacher Shen is coming to pick me up.” Du Yaozhi’s ability to lie on the fly was masterful. Her back straightened, and her lips curled into a natural smile.

Shen Qing couldn’t hear her anyway, so what was the harm in using her name?

It wasn’t like this “rejected wife” of hers would grow a third ear and come hunting for her in the middle of the night, right?

Du Yaozhi wouldn’t believe in consequences until she hit a wall.

However, Shen Qing’s name was indeed effective. As soon as everyone heard those two words, they felt strangely at ease.

Shu Yuanxiang’s eyelids felt heavy as lead. She nodded, then suddenly shook her head.

Seeing her hesitation, Du Yaozhi quickly signaled Gong Lin to take her away.

Gong Lin nodded in understanding. She couldn’t tell if Du Yaozhi was lying, but as a manager, she couldn’t leave Du Yaozhi alone.

So, after bringing Shu Yuanxiang back to her room, she sent a message to the one person she least wanted to contact.

Jing Ping, Yaozhi, is at this location. If Teacher Shen is coming to pick her up, tell her not to go to the wrong place.

**

That night, after the production meeting ended.

A messenger was searching everywhere and finally found the place where Du Yaozhi was practicing her sword dance, only to run into an unexpected person.

“Teacher Shen… Good evening, Teacher Shen!”

Shen Qing held her index finger to her lips in a “hush” gesture, signaling the other person to lower their voice. She replied coldly, “Good evening.”

“Teacher Shen, you are.”

“Waiting to pick someone up,” Shen Qing said.

The messenger was baffled. He just wanted to finish his work and go home. “Uh, then could you please move aside? I have to report to Teacher Du.”

Shen Qing’s fingertip tapped lightly on her cufflink.

“The investors spoke up. They said Director Chen agreed to Teacher Du’s request for extra sword dance scenes, but after the rough cut, they found it drags the main plot. It has to be cut. They said to use shots of other characters to bridge the gap instead, so you have to let—”

“Who?” Before the sentence could finish, Shen Qing looked up coldly. Since they were being so ungrateful, there was no need for more talk. “Speak.”

The messenger timidly gave a name.

There was no threat in Shen Qing’s tone, no emotion. She tilted her neck slightly, looking at the misty moonlight as she laid out her terms. “Fine. Tell him to come and talk to me personally.”

Let the investor… come personally, to talk?

How… how is that possible?

“To talk about the plot progression? Or the shot transitions after the rough cut? Or—”

“To talk about what exactly the phrase ‘replace with other characters’ means.” Shen Qing’s voice rose slightly at the end as she glanced sideways at the man, then turned her shoulder away.

“This”

“Character performance is no easy task. Similarly, the silent dialogue within a performance is the highlight of this scene a concrete manifestation of an emotional explosion. If it is cut directly, the character’s emotional arc will be fractured. Surely, the people over there can understand that?”

Shen Qing stood tall and elegant, her voice unreadable.

But from start to finish, she had only one stance, she was blatantly backing Du Yaozhi up.

The messenger panicked, caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side was Gu Rong’er’s investor backing; on the other was Shen Qing applying pressure.

Is this a contest of whose family background is tougher?

Still confused, the messenger could only bite the bullet and ask: “May I be so bold as to ask… what is your relationship with Teacher Du?”

“Are you?” Shen Qing turned back, speaking one last time, “asking me?”

Du Yaozhi took a deep breath, dropping her wrists and shoulders. The tip of her sword pointed sideways toward the ground as she twisted her flexible waist to generate power.

The angle wasn’t perfect; the effect was weak.

Du Yaozhi wasn’t satisfied.

Again.

She casually tied her hair into a ponytail, leaving a few stray strands sticking to the side of her neck. Then she turned her back, took a sharp step, and thrust the sword out!

At that moment, someone lightly tapped on the doorframe behind her. “Miss Du, it’s late. We should go.”

Du Yaozhi jumped, nearly dropping the hilt of her sword. “Who’s there!”

“It’s me.” The cold, familiar voice echoed in the empty practice shed, carrying a hint of the night’s chill.

“Why are you here?”

Du Yaozhi’s tense nerves snapped back, only to be replaced by a strange sense of lingering fear. She was startled and a bit annoyed.

“Shen Qing, don’t you have no more scheduled work? Why would you come here?”

“Did you forget?” Shen Qing looked at the culprit. Far from being angry, she was as calm as water. “Do you want me to remind you?”

“Fine. I’d love to hear what kind of reason you can come up with.”

Du Yaozhi casually flicked her wrist, staring at Shen Qing as she spun the sword in a beautiful flourish. She had practiced for so long that she had long since put her own words behind her.

“You won’t want to hear it,” Shen Qing said.

“Of course I want to hear it. What’s the big deal?” Du Yaozhi said dismissively.

“Is that so?”

Without changing her expression, Shen Qing tapped her phone screen and played a voice message from Jing Ping.

Jing Ping’s voice rang out without warning, making Du Yaozhi flinch.

“Holy crap, Shen Qing!!! You’re really wicked. How can you be this mean!”

“Shen Qing, what did I tell you? Even if you were rejected, you can’t let our Yaozhi stay out there alone in the cold wind!! How could you have the heart?”

“Now look, she’s been waiting for you until the flowers have withered. She’s waiting with such sorrow that her face is covered in tears, longing for you to pick her up.”

Wait, wait, wait!

The more Du Yaozhi heard, the more ashamed she became. Her ears turned beet red instantly. She snatched Shen Qing’s phone and cut off the voice message.

What on earth was being spread around?!

When did she ever long for Shen Qing to pick her up!

And longing with sorrow and a face covered in tears?

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