After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 51

Staying overnight in a motorhome was a massive time-saver for commuting. Since the set was right next door, one could dive straight into filming upon waking up. Theoretically, a celebrity could use this to be a bit lazy and sleep in.

However, Ms. Du Yaozhi, with her powerful professional drive, didn’t see it that way.

“Stay down, and don’t you dare move,” Du Yaozhi flicked her stray hair to the side, her breath pressing down.

“Mm.” Having just finished washing up, Shen Qing wasn’t fully awake yet; her nasal tone carried a cool, raspy quality.

“The ‘more-than-friends’ relationship you mentioned yesterday… is it this kind?”

Shen Qing propped her hands on the bedding, her upper body slowly lifting with the force as she looked over. She was referring to being pinned to the bed and kissed wildly first thing in the morning.

Her moist lips parted slightly, and one button of her pajamas had come undone, revealing her collarbone. It was a posture that should have invited wild imagination, but Shen Qing controlled her movements so perfectly and held such a faint, icy look in her eyes that it looked more like a high-fashion magazine shoot, noble beyond words.

Du Yaozhi was dazed. How does this temptress manage to make every single move look so dignified?

Du Yaozhi retracted her gaze and opened a cabinet to look for something. “Work is work, feelings are feelings.”

She had a heavy filming schedule today and couldn’t afford any slips. Plus, she had to look after Zhou Yue, so she had to hurry. But while she said that with her mouth, her heart was elsewhere.

“Here.” She glanced at Shen Qing, turned around, and pulled out a lip balm to hand over. “Put some on, or the cold wind will dry out your lips later.”

“Okay.” Shen Qing twisted the cap open, feeling a bit more awake.

Du Yaozhi checked the video recording on her phone, glanced at the script, and stood up with satisfaction. The movements, the expressions, the kiss—they were all practiced to perfection and stayed true to the original novel. The key was that Shen Qing was incredibly cooperative.

Du Yaozhi felt as if her heart was dipped in honey. She slid the recording over for Shen Qing to confirm. “The performance tonight has to be exactly like this. You can’t act up again, understood?”

What kind of word is “act up”? Shen Qing took the word to heart and gave a soft laugh.

Seeing Shen Qing’s tacit agreement, Du Yaozhi happily went to find her hair straightener. She had to straighten her hair every day to make it easier for the stylists to do her hair.

“Breakfast is in the fridge. Heat it up before you eat. I’m going to feed Qing-bao,” Shen Qing said.

“Okay.”

Shen Qing turned to get the cat food. The kitten sat obediently on the carpet, a little ball of darkness with nothing but a pair of blinking blue eyes. Seeing her approach, the kitten hesitated—this was the cold woman who had wrapped it into a ball and carried it back.

But seeing Shen Qing tear open the cat food bag to fill its bowl, the kitten immediately flipped over in delight, showing its belly to her with its paws in the air. Shen Qing saw it; this was the kitten’s signal of goodwill, asking for pets.

Shen Qing’s long fingers hovered in the air for a second, then curled back. “Eat.” She pushed the bowl over and looked away.

Seeing its effort go unrewarded, the kitten gave an angry “Meow” and buried its head in its food.

Shen Qing turned to look at the calendar on the counter. In a place like a film set, where one is immersed and isolated from the world for long periods, most actors are too busy to remember the date. If you asked others, they might give you a production number like “Day 42,” but if you asked Shen Qing, she would tell you the exact date and day of the week. She had a habit of tracking dates; every day had to be accounted for.

December 9th.

Today was a special day. Ever since she started living with Jiang Yunjian, Shen Qing hadn’t celebrated it. But Du Yaozhi had told her repeatedly that it was important, so she had celebrated it with her every year they were together, until their cold war and subsequent breakup.

She wondered if the date was still important to her this year. Shen Qing looked toward Du Yaozhi from a distance, put down the calendar, and entered the dressing room.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Du Yaozhi was right by the door.

“It’s me, Sister.” Gu Rong’er sounded a bit confused when she heard Du Yaozhi’s voice. Shouldn’t this be Teacher Shen’s motorhome? Have they reached this stage already? Even at night… are they playing that?

Gu Rong’er’s heart tightened as she fingered the rough string of a gift bag.

Du Yaozhi put down the straightener. “Rong’er, you’re here early.”

“Yes. Lin Song bought some snacks for everyone today and asked me to deliver them.” Gu Rong’er shook the gift bag earnestly, giving the credit to her manager.

Du Yaozhi chuckled inwardly. This little sister was too sincere; she wore her social etiquette right on her face. But considering she had only recently turned eighteen, Du Yaozhi understood her lack of guile.

Gu Rong’er glanced into the motorhome and didn’t see Shen Qing, so she only handed one portion to Du Yaozhi. Du Yaozhi looked down—it was an expensive brand. It felt heavy in her hand. Not wanting to take advantage, she called out, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Gu Rong’er: “Yes.”

The next second, Gu Rong’er’s stomach gave an ill-timed growl. Du Yaozhi didn’t call her out, just arched a brow. “Hmm?”

Gu Rong’er blushed furiously. “I haven’t had time yet.”

“Wait a second.” Being a delivery girl first thing in the morning meant she really didn’t have time to eat. Du Yaozhi checked the fridge; there were still some sponge cakes left. They were probably the ones Shen Qing bought last time—they were actually quite delicious.

Du Yaozhi took them all out, heated them in the microwave out of consideration, and put them in a plastic bag. “They’re still warm. Eat up.”

Gu Rong’er was full of thanks. “Thank you, Sister!”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for the snacks.”

Du Yaozhi returned with the gift box, but as she stared at the packaging, she frowned. Why is there only one? Didn’t she prepare one for Shen Qing? Did she forget?

Whatever, I’ll just give this one to Shen Qing. It’s not a big deal compared to work. Du Yaozhi waved the thought away.

When Shen Qing emerged from the dressing room, she had changed into her costume. The ink-colored fabric made her skin look even paler. She scanned the interior and didn’t see Du Yaozhi eating breakfast at the table as expected; instead, she saw her bending over to change her shoes, her straightened hair falling over her shoulder.

Shen Qing glanced at the extra gift box on the table. “Didn’t you eat breakfast?”

Du Yaozhi pulled up the heel of her shoe. “I’ll eat at the studio.”

Shen Qing looked up. “Is it not good?”

What does that mean? Du Yaozhi pondered the words but couldn’t quite figure them out. It’s not like you made it.

“No, it’s just that Rong’er came to deliver snacks. I saw she hadn’t eaten, and it felt wrong to just take her things, so I gave it to her.” Du Yaozhi tilted her chin toward the exquisite box on the table. “This one is for you.”

“…” Shen Qing’s footsteps paused, and she remained silent.

“What is it?” Seeing Shen Qing’s indifferent expression, as if she didn’t care at all, Du Yaozhi felt a strange sense of blockage in her chest. She looked at Shen Qing with a hint of questioning doubt.

The exhaust fan in the motorhome hummed low, filtering the noise from the set into a blurred drone. A narrow sliver of sunlight hit the ribbon of the gift box.

Shen Qing coldly looked away. “Nothing. It’s just breakfast.”

What could breakfast prove anyway? Shen Qing restrainedly lowered her gaze and brushed past Du Yaozhi.

Shen Qing caught sight of the red marks on Du Yaozhi’s hand from the gift bag’s strings. After the door opened, she caught a glimpse of her own wrist.

The cold wind blew. It felt empty.

**

The morning filming ended, and Du Yaozhi went to pick up Zhou Yue after lunch. Zhou Yue saw Du Yaozhi from a distance and came running.

“Zhizhi!!! I missed you so much! Sister Lin puts me through devil training every day. Look, I’m wilting!” Zhou Yue spun around with her arms open, pouring out her grievances.

Du Yaozhi laughed. “I don’t see any wilting, but you have lost weight.”

Zhou Yue was proud, patting her chest. “Then I have to tell you about my heroic deeds!”

“Come inside. The wind is picking up; don’t let it blow your heroic deeds away.” Du Yaozhi opened the motorhome door.

The vehicle was matte silver-gray, and the interior was lined with creamy-white leather. The hidden LED strips along the ceiling gave the space a cold, elegant feel. Unlike standard motorhomes, Shen Qing’s model was rare and spacious, with a wide aisle and all the necessary facilities for rest.

Hearing someone return, the kitten immediately ran to the door to greet them. Zhou Yue’s gaze was instantly glued to the cat. She gasped, her eyes lighting up as she squatted down. “Wow, is this the black kitten you mentioned? Its fur is so soft!”

The kitten didn’t seem to mind her touch, giving a lazy “Meow” and rubbing its head against her palm. Zhou Yue asked excitedly, “What’s its name?”

Du Yaozhi leaned against the doorframe. “Qing-bao.”

“Oh, and you say you’re not in love.” Zhou Yue gave Du Yaozhi a little eye-roll. She’s clearly head over heels.

Zhou Yue’s fingers were covered in cat hair as she raised her chin toward Du Yaozhi with a mischievous smirk. Du Yaozhi felt uncomfortable under her gaze, smoothing the stray hairs behind her ear. Her fingertips brushed her burning earlobe as she feigned nonchalance. “It’s not ‘love.’ I’m just starting over with her—starting as friends.”

Starting over. Re-connecting with her. Zhou Yue looked at Du Yaozhi and chided her silently. You’re kissing her like that, yet you’re still being stubborn.

“Look at that.” She glanced casually at the messy bed; the bedding was covered in claw marks. “What kind of ‘friends’ are that intense?”

The ears that had just calmed down turned red again. Du Yaozhi stood up. “Don’t look over there!!”

Shen Qing usually tidied up before leaving. Was she in such a hurry today? Du Yaozhi walked over quickly. Just as her fingertips touched the bedding, a faint scent from the ends of Shen Qing’s hair still lingered on the fabric. The scent was fleeting.

Just like many days in the past. Du Yaozhi paused. We’re different now, aren’t we?

Coming to her senses, she began to smooth out the wrinkled corners of the quilt, carefully ironing out even the smallest traces. Seeing Zhou Yue looking at the calendar nearby, Du Yaozhi rushed over to stop her before she could say anything else shocking. “Don’t you have ‘heroic deeds’ to tell me? I want to hear them now. Hurry up!”

Zhou Yue jumped, thinking she had touched something important. “Oh… right! The heroic deeds.”

Du Yaozhi pulled over a chair. “Sit and tell me.”

Zhou Yue felt a bit shy seeing Du Yaozhi listen so intently. “It’s nothing much. It’s just that there’s a minor actor on our side who seems to have something on her mind, or maybe a lot of pressure… anyway, she gets very agitated when people get close. She won’t eat the boxed meals with everyone else; she just goes hungry.”

“Goes hungry?” Du Yaozhi was suspicious. “Is she not used to the catering?”

Zhou Yue: “I don’t know, but it looks heartbreaking. Anyway, I was slacking off, so I gave her the food I made.” Zhou Yue kicked at some stray cat fur on the carpet. “A few days ago, she’d run as soon as she saw me. Yesterday, she actually accepted it. She must have been starving, she even said my cooking was delicious! I was so pleased.”

Zhou Yue’s voice rose; for her, this was a great deed.

Du Yaozhi pointed out a suspicious detail: “You can cook on set?”

Zhou Yue: “Of course!”

Du Yaozhi didn’t believe her. “What did you make?”

Zhou Yue: “The ‘Ultimate Deluxe Version’ of Sour Soup Beef instant noodles. I added two sausages, a pack of spicy strips, a poached egg, and some Five-Kernel pickled vegetables.”

Du Yaozhi: I should have known better than to ask.

But the detail about getting agitated when people approached was noteworthy. It sounded like the stress response Du Yaozhi had after being workplace-bullied by Xu Wanxin. Except Du Yaozhi had learned hers from books. After being hurt by Shen Qing, her heart had gone numb, and she found Xu Wanxin’s little tricks almost funny.

Du Yaozhi looked up and said, “Next time, I’ll cook the deluxe version of crab noodles for you.”

Zhou Yue: “What, questioning my culinary skills?”

“No.” Du Yaozhi shook her head. “That minor actor… help me look after her a bit more.”

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