After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 58

Was Xu Wanxin gloating? She certainly was, until a moment ago.

Xu Wanxin had been feeling rather smug. To savor the moment of Du Yaozhi’s public humiliation, she had intentionally slowed her pace, even pretending to fuss with her hem to stall for time.

But the moment Xu Wanxin turned around, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. Her “style twin”—the one she had accidentally coordinated with, was none other than Shen Qing!

And to make matters worse… Du Yaozhi wasn’t wearing the sheer, scandalous outfit she’d anticipated at all!

Were they in league against her?!

Shen Qing stood with her shoulders squared and back straight. Her extra-long black chiffon sleeves were gathered at her wrists; as she walked, the fabric billowed in the draft, brushing against her long legs as it settled.

Du Yaozhi was also momentarily stunned when she saw Shen Qing’s attire. Aside from the colour scheme, it was almost identical to the gown she had originally chosen.

Noticing her reaction, Shen Qing gave her a subtle, steadying hand, signaling that everything was under control.

Meanwhile, the live-stream comments section erupted. What was the director of this gala thinking? To have Shen Qing, Du Yaozhi, and Xu Wanxin all in the same frame! Even though it was only for a fleeting moment, the fans were losing their minds.

[I actually thought Xu Wanxin’s outfit looked decent… until Shen Qing appeared. Good heavens, is she a goddess? Xu Wanxin lost this “who wore it better” battle spectacularly.]

[Shen Qing is pure “Top” energy… the screen is nothing but legs. Send help!!]

[Look, I love Wanxin, but this outfit is a bit too garish compared to Teacher Shen. There’s just no contest.]

[Should I look at the face or the legs first?! Our Qingbao is absolutely killing it! Xu Wanxin… well, she’s certainly wearing clothes.]

[Back up, look at our Yaozhi a literal goddess has descended. Can someone deal with this? She looks so soft and elegant in that minimalist style…]

[Bloody hell!! What am I seeing? Is Film Queen Shen waiting for Du Yaozhi?]

[She’s even steadying her! This is too sweet. Has Teacher Shen actually won Yaozhi over yet? I need to know!]

[I need to see “The Fallen Embers” right now!! Give us the “pursuit” behind-the-scenes footage…]

Shen Qing’s solo stans charged into the fray: [You CP fans need to calm down, alright? There’s been no official announcement. Shen Qing is just mentoring a junior. Don’t you lot remember Du Yaozhi’s “diva” antics from back then? Does the internet have no memory?]

Du Yaozhi’s fans shot back: [If she were really a diva, your idol wouldn’t be so head-over-heels, would she? The air has been cleared, so stop clinging to the past.]

Shen Qing’s stans: [You’re joking. There’s no way she loves her, it’s never going to happen!]

While the two fandoms were busy bickering, an even more explosive piece of news was unearthed.

[Xu Wanxin’s team has really blundered this time! Were they trying to piggyback on Shen Qing’s fame? This accidental matching just makes her look second-rate. What a clown.]

[Bloody hell, I just checked—Xu Wanxin is wearing the top-tier “Luxury” version of the collection, while Shen Qing is wearing the standard “Runway” piece?!]

Both fandoms were stunned.

[How on earth…? She thinks she’s worthy of clashing with our Shen Qing?!]

[Xu Wanxin did this on purpose!]

Shen Qing’s fans were now well and truly livid. Their idol was being used for clout—at this point, no one cared about the shipping drama anymore. When the news reached Xu Wanxin, she turned pale with fright and scrambled back to the dressing room to change for the indoor event.

**

After all, as a top-tier superstar, Shen Qing’s fan base was immense and their fighting power was unimaginable. Years ago, when a video of Du Yaozhi supposedly acting like a diva toward Shen Qing leaked, her name was dragged through the trending searches for seven days and nights of relentless abuse.

One had to wonder if Xu Wanxin could weather such a storm.

“Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” Although Shen Qing had effectively hijacked the “insider leak” regarding Du Yaozhi’s dress, Du Yaozhi wasn’t angry. She asked the question with a smile.

Shen Qing turned her head, her aura sophisticated and cool as she walked. “If she wanted to match someone, she might as well match me.”

“I only intended to play a little prank on her. You’ve gone and scared the poor heiress away,” Du Yaozhi teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

Du Yaozhi had always felt that Xu Wanxin’s move was just a smokescreen. If it was just a distraction, she didn’t care to bicker with a child. She hadn’t expected Shen Qing to strike so decisively, pushing Xu Wanxin right into the eye of the storm a storm so violent that Xu Wanxin would find it impossible not to suffer the consequences.

In the past, Xu Wanxin had always pushed Du Yaozhi into the waves to take the hit for her. Seeing her in this position now felt like poetic justice.

Du Yaozhi felt quite cheerful as she walked beside Shen Qing. “Did it ever cross your mind that if I hadn’t changed into my backup dress, the two of us would have clashed too?”

“The theme of this brand is ‘Twin Flowers.’ The inspiration comes from the same root, using symmetrical tailoring and echoing patterns. It was designed specifically for a duo,” Shen Qing replied. “If we wore them, they would be couple’s outfits.”

Du Yaozhi’s ears felt a slight heat, but she intentionally tilted her chin up. Who’s a couple with you? she thought.

How did this enchantress always manage to make such boundary-crossing words sound so beautiful? It made it impossible for Du Yaozhi to find fault with her.

The lights dimmed, and the spotlight hit the centre of the stage. The melodious strains of a violin filled the hall; the show was beginning. Shen Qing skillfully avoided the central front-row seats, heading straight for a pair of seats in a corner.

Her cold nature and dislike for small talk were well-known in the industry, so no other artists dared to sit near her. The seat beside her had remained empty for some time. Du Yaozhi noticed this and cast her gaze over from a distance.

Shen Qing looked up, her eyes meeting Du Yaozhi’s exactly. Seeing that Shen Qing didn’t look away, Du Yaozhi walked over. “Can we sit together?”

Shen Qing lowered the seat for her. “Why wouldn’t we?”

Du Yaozhi: “My current billing is quite a few rungs below yours.”

“Du Yaozhi, you are the lead,” Shen Qing said. “There’s no need to bow your head over billing.”

Shen Qing said things like that repeatedly. Whenever they were together, she would constantly tell Du Yaozhi how talented she was. Although Du Yaozhi knew she was a confident person, she remained humble regarding her acting. Shen Qing was, after all, her senior in the industry, and there was much to learn from her.

Moreover, the stage before them was the very one where Shen Qing had once received her awards. Three gold trophies, Shen Qing had swept them all. A “Grand Slam” Film Queen in every sense of the word. Du Yaozhi didn’t have a single one; she hadn’t even been nominated.

Shen Qing caught the flash of envy in her eyes. She knew how much acting meant to Du Yaozhi, so she gave her hand a gentle, comforting squeeze with her fingertips.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you work hard, you’ll have them one day.”

Du Yaozhi smiled slowly. “And will Teacher Shen be the one to present it to me?”

As she spoke, Du Yaozhi leaned slightly to the side. Her pale pink skirt draped over the edge of the chair, the fabric glowing softly in the dim light. Shen Qing turned to look at her, her eyes holding a rare tenderness. “Alright. I’ll present it to you.”

Du Yaozhi chuckled, not taking it to heart. She assumed Shen Qing was just teasing. Award presenters were chosen based on many factors; sometimes the list was locked in a year in advance. As a Grand Slam winner, Shen Qing would likely be the finale presenter, not someone specifically assigned to her. She was just saying it to coax her.

The warmth of the venue mingled with Shen Qing’s fragrance a scent of cedarwood mixed with a hint of white sandalwood, quietly enveloping Du Yaozhi’s senses. Du Yaozhi felt a bit of a chill on her legs and wondered how Shen Qing was faring.

She glanced at Shen Qing, then scanned the others, her brow furrowing. It seemed Shen Qing was the only one braving the winter with exposed legs. Furthermore, the outfit looked quite inconvenient; she had to be very careful with how she tucked her skirt while sitting.

Du Yaozhi hesitated for a moment, deciding she wasn’t so cold that she couldn’t handle it. So, she simply took off her shawl and draped it over Shen Qing’s legs without a word.

“Hmm?”

“My shawl only cost a hundred bucks, not hundreds of thousands. You can have it for free.”

Du Yaozhi looked away, calmly crossing her left leg over her right. Shen Qing gave a faint smile. “I’ve been caught, then.”

She looked at the shawl on her lap for a moment, straightened it out, carefully spread it, and silently used it to cover both of their legs.

Behind the scenes, Xu Wanxin’s silhouette flickered. She had changed into a standard gown, and her makeup was mostly ruined. Under the dim lights, her eyes were venomous as she stared toward Shen Qing and Du Yaozhi, yet she didn’t dare approach.

Du Yaozhi waved at her with keen interest, which infuriated Xu Wanxin so much she turned and ducked back into the wings.

Shen Qing turned her head, her finger tapping the armrest of her chair. She spoke nonchalantly, “Aren’t you going to ‘reward’ me this time?”

Du Yaozhi twirled a lock of hair near her ear and laughed. “Teacher Shen is dreaming.”

What if a high-definition lens caught them with their fingers interlocked under the seat? Wouldn’t that be as good as an official announcement? Her relationship with Shen Qing wasn’t nearly that intimate; even as contract lovers, they had to take things slowly.

“Is that so?” Shen Qing remained impassive. She simply turned her face back to continue watching the show.

Du Yaozhi stared at Shen Qing’s profile. A black silk ribbon was tied around Shen Qing’s neck, completely concealing the bite mark Du Yaozhi had left a few days ago. But that slight turn of the head held a certain allure in Du Yaozhi’s eyes. The tense lines of Shen Qing’s neck were hidden by the ribbon, leaving only the slight folds of the fabric visible.

When she turned her head, the fabric made a faint rustling sound near Du Yaozhi’s ear—tempting and sophisticated. Is someone pretending to watch the show while waiting for me to take the bait?

No wonder she was a Film Queen. Du Yaozhi felt caught in a stalemate.

Fine! Fine.

“I’ll reward you later,” Du Yaozhi conceded arrogantly. Holding hands was too boring; she’d have to think of something else to startle Shen Qing.

In a secluded corner of the lounge area…

“I don’t know why you’ve come looking for me again. I made it perfectly clear: the Gu family will not help you,” Gu Rong’er’s voice rang out.

“That’s hardly up to you, is it? Rong’er, I remember you used to be so obedient when we were children. What’s happened?” Xu Wanxin spoke slowly. “We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

Inner loathing and helplessness surged within Gu Rong’er. The girl who had once been merely a bit pampered had changed completely into someone who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Back then, if Gu Rong’er simply let her have a toy, Xu Wanxin would stop.

But now? Just because she didn’t get what she wanted once, she had become progressively worse, committing one evil act after another and hurting so many people! Gu Rong’er would no longer allow herself to be a bystander. She refused to indulge this childhood friend who had fallen so far.

Just then, Xu Wanxin’s phone rang. It was her father, Xu Huasheng. A roar of suppressed rage came from the other end: “Look at what you’ve done! The whole internet is laughing at Huasheng! I don’t care how you do it, get those trending searches down immediately! Now!”

Xu Wanxin gave a cold snort and hung up. Gu Rong’er’s expression darkened. Was she still indifferent to her family’s plight? Recently, Jiang Yunjian’s influence had been stripped away by Shen Qing; there was no one left to protect Huasheng Entertainment.

“Ignore him. Let’s talk.” Xu Wanxin’s tone was an unabashed command, carrying her usual pressure. “Standard PR won’t work in time. We need to crush this with more powerful resources. You know what needs to be done, don’t you?”

When she looked at Gu Rong’er, her voice softened with a deliberately gentle lilt. She reached out to take Gu Rong’er’s arm, but her fingertips had barely touched the sleeve before Gu Rong’er stepped aside.

Gu Rong’er didn’t want Xu Wanxin to touch her again. She stood her ground. “You’ve hurt so many people. I won’t help you.”

“Hurt people? Who says?” Xu Wanxin scoffed and leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as if they were sharing an intimacy. “Rong’er, you can’t find any evidence, can you? Given the relationship between our families, as long as Huasheng doesn’t fall, you’ll have to keep helping me, won’t you?”

Xu Wanxin wasn’t just using their families’ long history for moral blackmail; she was issuing a “help me or we all go down together” threat against the entire Gu family.

No evidence. No evidence…

Gu Rong’er’s chest heaved, her voice trembling. “Xu Wanxin, you are utterly unreasonable!”

She shoved Xu Wanxin aside and stormed out, slamming the door. It was the first time in her life she had truly lost her composure. She walked down the quiet corridor, the chill of having pushed Xu Wanxin away still lingering on her fingertips.

She was breathing heavily and didn’t want to return to the noisy gala yet. She wanted to be alone. Suddenly, the sound of low conversation came from behind her.

She instinctively stopped and followed the sound into a nearby service stairwell, only to stumble upon a truly shocking scene.

“Don’t move.”

“Is this how you’re going to reward me?”

“Exactly. Is Teacher Shen scared? You seem to be enjoying it.”

Startled and already flustered, Gu Rong’er let out an involuntary sound. Before her, Du Yaozhi had Shen Qing pinned against the wall, their fingers interlocked.

And the silk ribbon from Shen Qing’s neck…

It was currently tied around Shen Qing’s hands.

The blood froze in Gu Rong’er’s veins. Shen Qing, eyes downcast, was pressing her forehead against Du Yaozhi’s. At the sound, her eyes swept coldly toward the intruder, the black chiffon sleeve sliding down her forearm.

Inch by inch.

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