After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 54

The hallway upstairs was a scene of Du Yaozhi pacing in a frantic circle, but downstairs, the mood was entirely different.

“So, how was my performance?”

The moment the elevator doors hissed shut, Jing Ping immediately turned to Shen Qing to claim her credit. Jing Ping hooked her finger through her keychain, swinging her car keys with a grin. “Hey, what are those ‘three elements of acting’ you guys always talk about? The trinity of actor, character, and audience? I nailed all three, didn’t I? Someone get me an award.”

“Fake,” Shen Qing remarked flatly, stepping out of the elevator as soon as it opened.

Jing Ping froze. “Excuse me?” Did this woman already forget who just bailed her out?

Normally, people in the industry are polite when critiquing someone’s acting; they don’t just tear it down. Especially at Shen Qing’s level, the higher the status, the more diplomatic the feedback should be otherwise, people start whispering that your awards are “unearned.”

Without breaking her stride, Shen Qing glanced sideways at Jing Ping. “The emotion was forced. It was surface-level and lacked subtlety. The ‘acting’ was too obvious.”

Jing Ping got the message: her boss was throwing her a bone, just in case she actually entertained thoughts of becoming an actress.

“Shen Qing, you can try to justify it all you want, but my reputation is trashed because of you. How am I supposed to face people now?” Jing Ping grumbled. She was beyond fed up with the young heiress and even more annoyed that she’d been dragged into playing a part in a hallway drama first thing in the morning.

“There’s no one in that hallway you care about seeing, is there?” Shen Qing pointed out.

After all, that specific wing of the hotel was occupied only by Du Yaozhi and Shen Qing.

Jing Ping shrugged, her mood pivoting quickly. “Fair point.” Gong Lin wasn’t around, so if she looked a bit foolish, so be it. “I’m heading out then.”

Jing Ping was ready to drive off and enjoy her freedom; she still had Xu Wanxin’s mess to clean up.

“Wait a moment,” Shen Qing said.

Jing Ping flinched, the soles of her leather shoes screeching against the lobby floor as she skidded to a halt. She turned back with a resigned arch of her brow. “What other ‘treat’ does the boss have for me?”

She had a sneaking suspicion that Shen Qing was up to no good.

Shen Qing pulled her hand from her coat pocket and, with a completely straight face, pressed something into Jing Ping’s palm. It was thin and rectangular.

The moment Jing Ping realized what it was, her face flushed a furious red. “Shen Qing, are you trying to kill me?!”

“Didn’t you say you wanted an award?”

Shen Qing let go, tucking her hands back into her pockets, her expression as calm as a still lake. “Go practice some more. Repetition is the key to mastery.”

**

When Shen Qing arrived at the film set, she took a slight detour near the entrance.

Outside the dressing rooms, there were often storage racks and locked metal lockers where actors could leave their scripts, bags, and everyday essentials. Du Yaozhi was currently fumbling with her passcode, her mind elsewhere. The biting cold made her fingers tremble, causing her to mistype the code again.

Great. Just my luck.

Clutching her bag, Du Yaozhi squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled a long, frustrated breath. Why did reality always have to slap her in the face every time she tried to act tough?

Suddenly, a flash of cold-white fabric entered her peripheral vision, making her pupils contract. Shen Qing brushed past her, bringing a scent of cool fragrance with her. A slender finger reached out and tapped the screen with clinical precision.

“Shen Qing,” Du Yaozhi blurted out instinctively. “Wait.”

The locker door popped open. Shen Qing’s fingertip hooked the edge of her script, preparing to pull it out. Suddenly, a figure lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and pinning her in place. Then… awkwardly, the person squeezed themselves into the narrow gap between Shen Qing and the locker door.

Shen Qing watched this unfold, the corners of her mouth twitching into a faint smile beneath her mask.

Du Yaozhi was breathless, her long hair a bit of a mess. “Just… listen to me first.”

Given her height and her penchant for heels, crouching into such a tight space wasn’t exactly graceful.

Shen Qing looked down at her. “Not finished biting me yet?”

So, now someone finally decided to acknowledge her?

Du Yaozhi tilted her chin up, looking away. “I’m done biting.”

“Mm. Good to hear.” Shen Qing tried to gently nudge her aside.

Du Yaozhi panicked, whispering a sharp retort. “If I said I wasn’t done, you’d just be annoyed again anyway!”

“Oh?” Shen Qing asked. “And where exactly is there left to bite?”

Shen Qing reached behind her ear, coolly unhooking her mask to reveal the lower half of her face. Then, she began to unwind her scarf…

Du Yaozhi’s heart skipped a beat as she watched. There were bite marks everywhere—on her lips, on her neck.

There really wasn’t any room left.

Suddenly, Du Yaozhi’s anger evaporated. Shen Qing had only kissed her in the shadows; it wouldn’t even affect the shot. But she? She had quite literally chewed the woman up in plain sight!

Shen Qing adjusted her collar and stepped into the dressing room without another word. Since there were no valuables in her bag, Du Yaozhi ditched it on the rack and scrambled to follow her.

“Is it bad? Does it hurt?”

“I was just… caught up in the moment. I didn’t realize I went that hard.”

Du Yaozhi had initially thought Shen Qing was just being dramatic, playing it up for sympathy.

Shen Qing walked into the changing area and muttered a two-word critique: “Vicious teeth.”

She still has the energy to tease me about that!

“I’ll wait for you out here,” Du Yaozhi said, determined to find a chance to explain herself properly.

“Just sit in the dressing room,” Shen Qing said, pulling the curtain shut. “You drank last night; you need to get the swelling down before we start.”

Du Yaozhi: “…” I didn’t drink! I didn’t!

Shen Qing’s makeup artist hurried over to discuss the day’s look. Shen Qing listened intently, but just as the brushes were about to touch her skin, she interrupted.

“Cover this first.” Shen Qing tilted her head, revealing the elegant line of her neck.

The room went dead silent. The makeup artist stared, momentarily stunned.

Du Yaozhi bit her lip, her eyes darting toward the scene with the guilt of a criminal. The marks were tucked into the crevices of the collar, purplish-pink prints tracing a path up from the collarbone. Some were half-hidden by her shirt, showing only a faint arc. Others were glaringly obvious on the side of her neck.

I only count six marks… Du Yaozhi narrowed her eyes, wishing she could lean in for a closer look.

Shen Qing seemed to sense her gaze. Without changing her expression, she moved her arm. Her pale, well-defined fingers caught Du Yaozhi’s attention as they moved against the side of her leg, tracing a single digit: 7.

Seven bite marks.

That one small gesture hit Du Yaozhi like an electric shock. Her face turned bright red in an instant, and she shot Shen Qing a murderous look.

Shen Qing ignored her completely.

“Wow, Teacher Shen… you look very ‘special’ today,” the makeup artist stammered, the atmosphere thick with awkwardness.

“It’s alright,” Shen Qing replied.

“Haha, so… how did this happen?” the artist asked, reaching for the concealer and a beauty blender.

“A cat bit me.”

The artist froze. A cat? Was she kidding? But since she couldn’t exactly challenge a Film Queen, she just gave a strained laugh. “What kind of cat is that fierce?”

“A bad one.”

Makeup Artist:

 Du Yaozhi:

Shen Qing remained perfectly composed. “Do you want to know the kitten’s name?”

“I… well…” Since the star had offered, she felt obligated to say yes.

Seeing the hesitation, Shen Qing pressed on. “It has a very famous name. The first character is split into two parts: the left side is related to water, and the right side is the word for ‘cyan’ (Qing). Want to take a guess?”

Shen Qing’s gaze flickered subtly, catching the deep crimson blooming on the tips of Du Yaozhi’s ears.

The heater in the room felt like it had suddenly been cranked up to a hundred degrees. Du Yaozhi’s fingers gripped the fabric of her skirt, twisting it into deep wrinkles. She could feel the wandering eyes of the staff darting between her and Shen Qing.

Her heart was thumping against her ribs. Shen Qing is the absolute worst! Is she trying to kill me with embarrassment?

The makeup artist finally laughed. “Oh, I know! Isn’t that your”

“Wrong,” Shen Qing interrupted.

“It’s okay. I can write it for you.”

Shen Qing opened the Notes app on her phone. Since the artist was working on her neck, she couldn’t move her head, so she stared into the mirror and began to “blind-write” on the screen.

She lifted the phone, letting the reflection in the mirror display the characters, stroke by stroke… as if she were putting on a private show just for Du Yaozhi.

Shen Qing!!! Du Yaozhi screamed her name internally.

She was an expert at provoking Shen Qing, but she was terrible at smoothing things over. After all, back when Du Yaozhi was Shen Qing’s secret lover, it was always Shen Qing who did the soothing.

Du Yaozhi stared at her, fuming. She almost lost her cool, but instead, she merely lifted the toe of her shoe and gave Shen Qing’s ankle a quick, sharp tap with her heel.

“Are you going to let me live or not?” Du Yaozhi hissed under her breath, her tone a mix of irritation and a plea for mercy.

Shen Qing finally stopped. Or rather, she stopped talking.

Sensing the shift in the air, the makeup artist wisely excused herself. “I’m going to go grab something.”

As soon as she left, Du Yaozhi leaned in close. “Are you free at noon? Want to grab lunch?”

“I have to do pick-up shots for two night scenes at noon, followed by a script meeting. No time.”

“What about after we wrap?”

“Dinner with the investors.”

Seeing the artist returning, Du Yaozhi made a desperate, final attempt. “Tonight. You’ve got to be free tonight, right?”

“I am,” Shen Qing said.

Du Yaozhi let out a breath of relief. But a second later, Shen Qing added the rest in her usual, cool, leisurely tone.

“Assuming you can get your hands on my room key.”

Du Yaozhi leaned against the window, a slim cigarette between her fingers, exhaling a plume of white smoke. The mist drifted through the night air toward Shen Qing’s window before dissipating.

She crushed the cigarette out and slammed the window shut with a thud.

Du Yaozhi tapped the kitten’s head. “Your mom is a bully.”

How on earth was she supposed to get a room key? And why at night? Why her room? Now Du Yaozhi was obsessing over how to sneak into Shen Qing’s room for no reason. Going to someone’s room late at night was… way too intimate.

The kitten gave a confused “meow,” its black fur blending seamlessly into the carpet.

“Godmother,” Du Yaozhi corrected herself. Even though she had handled the adoption papers, Shen Qing was the one who brought the cat back. She had to give Shen Qing some kind of status. “Mom” was out of the question—that would make it sound like they were married. “Godmother” worked.

Du Yaozhi picked up the cat, her fingers absentmindedly scratching its chin as she paced the hallway. Maybe she could wait for the cleaning lady? No, it was too late; she’d likely gone home.

Zhou Yue sent her a message: [You have to believe in destiny. What if someone just… gives it to you?]

Du Yaozhi: [No such thing as destiny.] She didn’t believe in gifts falling from the sky.

Despite her skepticism, she felt a nagging sense that something was off. Just as she reached the elevator, she rounded the corner and ran straight into Jing Ping.

Jing Ping was clutching a bag of medicine, looking like she’d been waiting for an eternity. When she saw Du Yaozhi, her face lit up like she’d found her savior.

“Is now a good time?” Jing Ping asked, frowning.

Du Yaozhi’s heart tightened. She turned around, cat in her arms. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t even get me started,” Jing Ping said, her words coming out in a rush. “The brand side suddenly added an online meeting to discuss the renewal details for the spring spokesperson. I have to get there right now.” She was clearly in a genuine panic. “Where’s Shen Qing? Have you seen her? I’m losing my mind.”

“In her room,” Du Yaozhi said, nodding toward the door.

Jing Ping looked like she was about to cry. “She told me this morning a ‘cat’ bit her. I saw those marks and they’re terrifying. If we don’t treat them now, it’ll be too late. I have to get this medicine to her.”

If this were a movie, Du Yaozhi would have thought the acting was a bit over the top. But right now, this was a glaringly obvious opportunity.

Du Yaozhi’s eyes flickered. She immediately mimicked the frantic energy, stopping Jing Ping. “I’ll go for you.”

Her acting was far more refined.

“Really?” Jing Ping finally exhaled. “You’re a lifesaver! If I don’t finish my work, I’ll never get off the clock today!”

“But I don’t have her room key,” Du Yaozhi prompted, seizing the moment. Her voice sounded like she was betting everything on this one shot.

Normally, a manager would have an artist’s key, but Shen Qing was different. Du Yaozhi knew her; Shen Qing hated people in her space. That was why she moved so often. She wanted to live alone, with only her own traces around her.

But back then, Shen Qing had made an exception for Du Yaozhi. They had lived together for so long. The Du Yaozhi of the past had been so proud of that. Now, that pride was just a source of frustration.

Just as Du Yaozhi was worrying about how to get in, Jing Ping actually pulled it out. Was this the ‘destiny’ Zhou Yue was talking about?

Her and Shen Qing? She felt like she was being lured into a trap.

Jing Ping pulled the thin, rectangular object from her pocket and pressed it into Du Yaozhi’s hand with great ceremony. “Here’s the key. And the medicine.”

Jing Ping looped the bag of medicine over Du Yaozhi’s wrist, her voice suddenly brimming with righteous indignation.

“Remember to give her a good ‘treatment’ for me.”

Du Yaozhi played along, her eyes flashing. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely put her in her place.”

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