After The Forced Marriage, I Ended Up With The Top Celebrity - Chapter 15

Inside the Porsche.

Luo Nianshu, Qiao Jinyan, and Molly were sitting in the back seat. Luo Nianshu leaned down to help Qiao Jinyan smooth out the wide skirt.

Molly handed Qiao Jinyan a tablet, her expression solemn: “Look, all the public opinion has completely turned now. Wang Xu’s side has successfully whitewashed the fact that the bride was rented, and netizens are now collectively denouncing you and Luo Nianshu, believing you should bury the hatchet and shouldn’t have ruined your ex’s wedding.”

Qiao Jinyan’s expression was calm as her fingers scrolled up and down the tablet screen, reading the comments on Weibo.

The comments were too nasty and unbearable, cursing everyone from Qiao Jinyan herself to her entire family.

Qiao Jinyan didn’t speak, but her fingertips trembled slightly.

“This might be the worst I’ve ever been slandered since entering the industry,” she said with a laugh.

Luo Nianshu sat up and casually tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ear: “Renting a bride can actually be whitewashed? This world is truly upside down.”

“Later, they found the bride, gave her more money, and bought her silence,” Molly clasped her hands, loosening and then tightening her grip: “The private investigator gave me news these past few days. The mastermind who instigated the anti-fan attack on you that day and the person supporting Wang Xu’s control over the comments this time should be the same person.”

Qiao Jinyan turned off the tablet screen and tucked it into the leather pouch beside the seat. She turned back and forced a smile at Luo Nianshu: “Thirty million. Remember to give me a review today.”

Luo Nianshu’s heart tightened. Looking at the feigning smile of Qiao Jinyan, she felt increasingly distressed. She nodded softly, making the promise.

Qiao Jinyan exhaled and pulled a compact mirror from her bag to touch up her makeup.

She had to appear radiant on the red carpet, to show those who slandered her how well she was doing.

The Porsche slowly stopped in front of the red carpet. Reporters immediately swarmed the car door. Before the door even opened, flashlights had already gone off several times.

The frenzied screams of fans beyond the cordon line drowned out everything else, as enthusiastic as an exploding firework.

A security guard wearing white gloves opened the Porsche’s back door. The corner of a pearl-embellished grey-blue feather dress was the first to appear, followed by Qiao Jinyan, who gracefully and deftly emerged from the car with her neck slightly lowered like a swan. Luo Nianshu followed closely, holding her skirt train.

Lights flashed, and a soft glow plated Qiao Jinyan, making her as beautiful as a Greek oil painting, capturing everyone’s attention. Qiao Jinyan slightly bowed to the camera, then turned and gently waved her arm at the people behind her.

Diagonally behind, a black Mercedes slowly drove up and stopped behind the Porsche.

A large wave of reporters scrambled to crowd around the Mercedes. The flashlights, reflected by the backdrop, were so dazzling they made it hard to open one’s eyes.

The rear door of the Mercedes opened, and a slender, beautiful leg first appeared in people’s sight. Next, a pearl-embellished grey-blue feather dress was shaken out onto the ground.

Everyone present was stunned. Only after the woman completely stepped out of the car did Luo Nianshu dare to confirm that the female celebrity’s dress was exactly the same as Qiao Jinyan’s.

That woman was the second female lead who had returned to the set to act after being ill.

“Senior,” Tang Fu was also taken aback when she saw Qiao Jinyan in front of her, and she became even more flustered when she realized their dresses were identical.

Two celebrities arriving successively in identical dresses is one of the most embarrassing situations for a female star on the red carpet.

The media seized the opportunity to film the scene, ensuring the two were framed together.

Molly’s face went pale: Impossible. The design blueprints for the dress had always been kept in her locked bag. How could there be an identical design?

Qiao Jinyan was momentarily stunned when she suddenly felt a warmth around her waist. Luo Nianshu’s hand was placed on her waist. Her eyes were fixed forward, but her voice whispered into Qiao Jinyan’s ear: “Don’t just stand there. Walk.”

“I don’t need you to remind me.” Qiao Jinyan snapped out of it, controlled her trembling hand, and calmly lifted her skirt to step onto the red carpet. She put on an angelic face and skillfully posed playfully for the cameras.

Tang Fu, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot. It took her a while to recover and walk onto the red carpet, but she had completely lost the aura she had when she stepped out of the car.

“Senior.” In front of the display board at the end of the red carpet, Tang Fu desperately pushed forward and said to Qiao Jinyan, who was signing the board: “I don’t know what’s going on. My management company told me to wear this. I honestly didn’t know your dress was the same as mine beforehand.”

“Your dress is the same as mine,” Qiao Jinyan said with a smile toward the camera, yet uttering cold words from her mouth. She slightly lifted her skirt, deliberately moving farther away from Tang Fu.

Tang Fu clenched her fists.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Qiao Jinyan ignored Tang Fu.

She walked off the platform, and Luo Nianshu reached out to meet her.

Tang Fu followed closely down the steps. Luo Nianshu curled her lips and lightly stepped on the latter’s skirt train with the tip of her shoe. Tang Fu was pulled by the force, cried out “Ouch,” and stumbled forward.

Hearing the sound, Qiao Jinyan turned and supported Tang Fu’s shoulders, catching her.

Tang Fu’s face flushed: “Thank you, Senior.”

Qiao Jinyan let go of her without a response, turned, and followed Luo Nianshu toward the backstage area.

“Why did you just…” Luo Nianshu hesitated, after all, Qiao Jinyan was someone who always sought revenge.

Qiao Jinyan shook her head: “Things in the entertainment industry are complicated, but I’m still very happy that you were willing to stand up for me.”

Qiao Jinyan chuckled, her voice long and resonant like a cello. This was her most genuine smile since getting into the car.

And this smile was brought to her by Luo Nianshu.

Inside the ballroom.

Luo Nianshu leaned against a table next to the dance floor, drinking red wine and watching the gorgeously dressed celebrities waltz.

Her gaze closely followed the woman in the center of the floor.

To promote the movie, Qiao Jinyan had no choice but to dance with Tang Fu as if they were sisters.

“Miss, would you like to dance?” A gentleman suddenly approached Luo Nianshu and bowed, inviting her.

Luo Nianshu smiled: “I don’t know how to dance.”

“I can teach you,” the gentleman invited again.

Luo Nianshu blinked, put down her wine glass, and placed her hand on the gentleman’s, no longer refusing.

As the music started, Luo Nianshu proved to be a born dance simpleton a dance idiot. She couldn’t dance at all. Within a few measures, she had already stepped on the man’s shoes and grabbed his collar.

Luo Nianshu smiled apologetically at him. The male partner was very gentlemanly, enduring the sharp pain of his foot being pierced by the heel, laughing and saying, “It’s alright, it’s alright,” but internally, he was suffering greatly.

On the other side, Qiao Jinyan was already uninterested in dancing with Tang Fu. With a glance, she saw Luo Nianshu laughing and joking with someone else on the dance floor and immediately narrowed her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Fu looked confusedly at Qiao Jinyan’s hand, which had slipped from her waist.

“I have something to attend to.” Qiao Jinyan released Tang Fu, ignoring the disappointed look on her face, and walked straight toward a certain direction.

Qiao Jinyan flipped her dark, lustrous hair, navigated through various skirt trains, and reached Luo Nianshu. She tapped the male partner’s shoulder: “Time to switch partners.”

Her tone brooked no refusal.

The music hadn’t even reached the transition part.

But the male partner was already eager to escape from Luo Nianshu.

After all, his foot was in excruciating pain.

He let go of Luo Nianshu, made a “please” gesture to Qiao Jinyan, and hurriedly went off to look for his next partner.

Seeing Qiao Jinyan, Luo Nianshu looked back in surprise at Tang Fu in the distance: “Aren’t you going to promote the movie?”

“The promotion we did just now was enough.”

Qiao Jinyan lifted Luo Nianshu’s hand and placed it on her own waist. Her left hand moved up Luo Nianshu’s back, resting beneath her shoulder blade. Her right hand interlocked fingers with Luo Nianshu’s and gently raised their hands.

“Why did you run off to the dance floor to dance?” Qiao Jinyan asked with feigned casualness.

Luo Nianshu was only focused on her footwork and replied absently: “That person just now said he would teach me to dance.”

The music changed to the rhythm of a forward box step. Just as Luo Nianshu took her first step, she coincidentally stepped on Qiao Jinyan’s foot.

Qiao Jinyan winced with a “hiss” and frowned. Luo Nianshu quickly apologized. However, Qiao Jinyan, for once, didn’t get angry. She just spoke calmly: “If you want to learn to dance, I can teach you.”

The moment she finished speaking, Luo Nianshu’s second foot stepped down, landing on Qiao Jinyan’s foot again. Qiao Jinyan let out another muffled groan, her eyes blazing with sparks of anger as she stared at Luo Nianshu. Luo Nianshu quickly apologized and released her hand, about to retreat from the dance floor.

“Who allowed you to leave?” Qiao Jinyan didn’t let go, and with a pull of her hand, she circled Luo Nianshu back in.

“Listen to the music,” Qiao Jinyan prompted her.

On the first beat, Qiao Jinyan extended one leg between Luo Nianshu’s legs and slid it outward. Luo Nianshu felt the heat from Qiao Jinyan’s delicate skin slowly flush her cheeks. On the second beat, Qiao Jinyan hooked Luo Nianshu’s leg back, slowly drawing it back, like embroidering an exquisite knot button on a qipao.

Following her steps, Luo Nianshu surprisingly started dancing properly.

“You said you don’t like men.”

Qiao Jinyan suddenly blurted out a sentence for no reason, her footwork still orderly.

Luo Nianshu was baffled for a moment: “When did I say I don’t like men?”

“Huh?”

Qiao Jinyan glanced at her and spoke coolly: “You keep asking me if I like women. I thought you liked women.”

“My asking you if you like women doesn’t mean I don’t like men,” Luo Nianshu tilted her head and winked at her with a hint of amusement, like an innocent fawn.

Qiao Jinyan bit her lower lip: It seemed there was indeed no necessary connection between the two.

But she couldn’t help but press: “Then do you like women or not?”

“Liking women isn’t a crime, of course I like women.”

Hearing this, Qiao Jinyan curled the corner of her mouth as if she had received a satisfactory answer, but then she continued to ask: “What about men?”

“Liking men isn’t a crime either, of course I also like men.”

So the questions and answers just now were all a waste of effort.

It was like asking nothing at all.

The music stopped, and the two left the dance floor. Qiao Jinyan and Luo Nianshu headed to the outdoor tea party for something to eat.

Qiao Jinyan supported herself with one hand behind her and held a red wine glass in the other. She watched Luo Nianshu rummaging around, then suddenly walked over, took Luo Nianshu’s hand, and adjusted the glass she was holding: “This is how you should hold a stemmed glass.”

Luo Nianshu was momentarily stunned by the sudden warmth enveloping her hand: Qiao Jinyan’s kindness toward her today was a bit unusual.

“Luo Nianshu.” Qiao Jinyan’s hand suddenly slid up from Luo Nianshu’s fingers, past her arm, over her neck, and finally rested on her cheek: “Actually, I’ve been thinking about the question you asked this morning.”

“Perhaps,” Qiao Jinyan paused before saying, “perhaps what adults need is not just a bed partner; they might also need a lover.”

Luo Nianshu froze, her blood flow accelerating, her mind racing.

What did that mean?

Luo Nianshu put down her wine glass, calmed herself, and then opened her mouth, speaking one word at a time: “Say it clearly. What exactly does that mean?”

Qiao Jinyan looked up at Luo Nianshu, then quickly lowered her gaze: “It means exactly what it says.”

“I don’t understand,” Luo Nianshu insisted stubbornly.

After a few seconds of silence, Qiao Jinyan took a deep breath: “I hope we can take our relationship further.”

This statement was almost an affirmation. Luo Nianshu’s body trembled, and she gripped the edge of the table with her hand.

It wasn’t enough. Not yet. Qiao Jinyan always spoke in vague generalities. Luo Nianshu shook her head: This wasn’t enough.

“I want you to express it clearly and unequivocally.”

Qiao Jinyan’s earlobes turned red. She still didn’t look up, only staring at the rosé wine in her glass: “This is my limit.”

Luo Nianshu slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding.

Her limit? Fine, she wouldn’t push her, but she still had many doubts that needed clarification.

“Didn’t you say we were just bed partners?” Luo Nianshu stared steadily at her, not wanting to miss any subtle change in Qiao Jinyan’s expression.

“I regret it.” Qiao Jinyan spoke with an air of nonchalance, but the swirling red wine in her glass betrayed her true emotions.

Luo Nianshu shook her head: “But this morning, you clearly…”

“Nianshu,” Qiao Jinyan interrupted her, the emotion in her eyes complex, like lightning illuminating a pitch-black sea.

She said, word for word: “I regret it, Luo Nianshu.”

The author has something to say:

Qiao Jinyan unlocks a new skill: Digging her own grave.