After The Forced Marriage, I Ended Up With The Top Celebrity - Chapter 28

The night was as still and dark as water.

In the midst of sleep, Luo Nianshu faintly heard someone calling her name.

“Nianshu… Luo Nianshu…”

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, only to see Qiao Jinyan beside her, her hand grasping lightly in the air, lips murmuring unintelligibly.

A nightmare?

Frowning, Luo Nianshu gently cupped Qiao Jinyan’s face and patted it lightly. “Shh, Jinyan, wake up.”

Qiao Jinyan slowly opened her eyes. There was a haze of confusion in them, but also a flicker of cunning. She blinked and focused on Luo Nianshu beside her, slowly becoming more aware.

Luo Nianshu offered her hand to hold. “I’m here. I haven’t gone anywhere.”

Qiao Jinyan looked aggrieved. She bit her lip and suddenly rolled over, wrapping her arms tightly around Luo Nianshu and burying her face against her cheek. Luo Nianshu couldn’t see her expression.

“I had a nightmare,” Qiao Jinyan said with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Luo Nianshu gently stroked her hair, soothing her. “What was the dream about?”

“You wanted to break up with me. You didn’t want me anymore.”

Her fragile voice tugged at every nerve in Luo Nianshu’s body.

She held Qiao Jinyan tighter. “I want you. Only you.”

“Nianshu, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?”

“Did you?” Qiao Jinyan’s voice quivered as if on the verge of tears.

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“So much. So much that it aches in my chest every day.” Luo Nianshu tightened her arms around Qiao Jinyan’s frail body, pressing her closer, as if to crush her into her very bones.

“Then why did you break up with me two years ago? Why did you disappear without a word?” Qiao Jinyan’s voice trembled, almost crying. “Was someone forcing you? Is that it?”

Luo Nianshu was silent for a moment. “If someone really was forcing me, what would you do?”

Qiao Jinyan’s gaze instantly turned cold. She sat up, staring directly into Luo Nianshu’s eyes. “Who was it?”

Luo Nianshu was momentarily stunned, realizing Qiao Jinyan had been acting just now. She quickly masked her expression and said firmly, “No one.”

“I don’t believe you. We were so good together how could you just end it like that?” Qiao Jinyan cupped Luo Nianshu’s face, gazing into her eyes. Her voice turned soft, seductive.

“Tell me, okay? Nianshu, tell me the truth. I’ll avenge you.”

Those words avenge you made Luo Nianshu’s heart leap in fear. She quickly covered Qiao Jinyan’s mouth. “Don’t say that. No one forced me.”

Qiao Jinyan pushed her hand away. “Who was it? Molly? My agency? Who else could it be?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Zhang Weiyin?”

At that name, Luo Nianshu’s mouth twitched ever so slightly. She hurriedly shook her head.

But Qiao Jinyan caught it.

“There’s no one,” Luo Nianshu said as she helped Qiao Jinyan lie back down. She brushed the hair from her face and silently stared at the wrinkles on her pajama collar, toying with the buttons as if she could pluck flowers from them.

Perhaps sensing her reluctance, Qiao Jinyan didn’t press further. She instead wrapped her arms around Luo Nianshu, her fingers gently tracing her spine.

“Nianshu, trust me. I’ve worked hard these past two years. Now, no one dares challenge me.”

She paused and rested her chin on Luo Nianshu’s head, gently rubbing it.

“No one in this world can bully you not even me.”

Luo Nianshu trembled slightly in her arms. Qiao Jinyan felt the warmth of tears on her chest and instinctively leaned back. Her slender fingers brushed Luo Nianshu’s cheek and touched the burning wetness.

“Don’t cry,” Qiao Jinyan whispered as she kissed her tears, soft lips soothing her skin. “Don’t cry, Nianshu. It breaks my heart.”

Luo Nianshu didn’t speak. She simply shook her head and buried herself deeper in Qiao Jinyan’s embrace.

“Don’t cry… my Nianshu.”

Kiss after kiss landed on Luo Nianshu’s crown. Qiao Jinyan’s fingers combed through her long hair, stirring the dark silky strands.

“Goddess…” Luo Nianshu rasped. It had been a long time since she had called Qiao Jinyan that.

The title made Qiao Jinyan’s heart flutter wildly, joy surging through her like a current. “What did you just call me?”

“Goddess,” Luo Nianshu murmured, lifting her eyes with a firm gaze. “Don’t get involved in this. Give me time I’ll find a way.”

Qiao Jinyan stared at her. Their eyes met and lingered. In the darkness, a flicker of starlight glowed in Luo Nianshu’s gaze. The shadow of hope.

Qiao Jinyan narrowed her eyes, and in the end, said nothing more. She sighed and held her close. “Alright. I’ll do as you say.”

At dawn. It had rained the night before. A sliver of cold air crept in through a cracked window.

Qiao Jinyan sat on the kitchen counter, wearing only a thin shirt, seemingly unaffected by the chill.

She stared at her contact list. Her finger hovered over Molly’s number. After a moment’s thought, she scrolled down and dialed her private investigator.

“Hello, goddess? What brings you calling me so early?”

“I want a full background on Zhang Weiyin. Every dirty deed she’s done. And”

She paused, her voice turning cold and sharp, like a commander on a battlefield.

“I want every detail of her interactions with Luo Nianshu. Even brief phone calls.”

“Zhang Weiyin… she’s not easy to investigate.” The PI hesitated.

“How much?”

“Ha… come on, with us it’s not about money…”

Despite his words, he quoted an astronomical figure. Qiao Jinyan didn’t blink.

“Done.”

Deal sealed.

Before hanging up, the PI couldn’t help but ask, “You called me personally this time. Going all in?”

Usually it was Molly who contacted him about small matters. But this time, Qiao Jinyan was handling it herself and targeting the infamous Zhang Weiyin.

Something serious must’ve happened.

Qiao Jinyan tucked her wind-tousled hair behind her ear. Looking out at the blooming peach blossoms, her voice turned soft and indulgent.

“I suspect someone’s trying to hurt my little kitten. How could I allow that?”

The PI was stunned. “You’re in love?”

Qiao Jinyan didn’t answer, only smiled.

“Wait are you saying what you posted on Weibo yesterday was real? You and that wedding crasher?”

The PI screeched. Though he and Qiao Jinyan were just business associates, he had always nursed a tiny fantasy of marrying the national goddess. Now, that dream was crushed.

Qiao Jinyan lazily tapped the marble countertop with her fingertip. “What I post is always real.”

The PI wiped a tear dramatically. “Goddess, I’ve been secretly in love with you for years.”

“I already have Luo Nianshu.”

“I know, I just wanted to express my feelings.” He sniffled, then added, “But be careful. Zhang Weiyin is ruthless. Sometimes it’s safer to just follow her rules.”

Qiao Jinyan hummed in acknowledgment but clearly didn’t take the warning seriously.

If Zhang Weiyin could be angered, so could she.

If anyone dared to separate her from Luo Nianshu, she would return the favor with interest.

Unless

Qiao Jinyan’s lashes lowered.

Unless Luo Nianshu truly didn’t want her anymore.

“Jinyan?”

Footsteps approached. Qiao Jinyan quickly hung up.

When Luo Nianshu entered the kitchen, she saw her sitting there by the open window, letting the wind blow in.

“What are you doing here so early?” she asked, puzzled. She shut the window and reached out to warm Qiao Jinyan’s icy nose with her palm.

Qiao Jinyan smiled. “Just enjoying the breeze. Let’s go you promised to watch me film today.”

They changed clothes and went downstairs. The driver was already waiting.

Luo Nianshu darted to open the passenger door but was pulled back by Qiao Jinyan.

“Sit with me in the back.”

“Not a good idea,” Luo Nianshu explained with a sheepish smile, inching toward the front seat. “If people see us together, it might affect your image.”

“Driver.”

At Qiao Jinyan’s signal, the driver promptly shut and locked the passenger door from the inside.

With a sly glance, Qiao Jinyan watched Luo Nianshu retreat in defeat and crawl into the backseat, where she promptly joined her.

The car drove smoothly toward the set. But as they neared the location, a crowd of reporters swarmed them, blocking the vehicle’s path.

Qiao Jinyan motioned for the driver to stop. As she reached for the door, Luo Nianshu grabbed her hand.

“Don’t. They’ll see me.”

Qiao Jinyan smirked, grabbed her hand, and with a sudden move, pulled her close and opened the door.

Together, they appeared in front of a sea of flashing cameras arms wrapped around each other.

Luo Nianshu was stunned. She had never expected to be exposed so directly. But Qiao Jinyan only held her tighter, unfazed by the chaos around them.

With calm grace, Qiao Jinyan smiled and addressed the cameras. “This is my girlfriend, Luo Nianshu. It’s her first time on camera, please be gentle.”

The reporters nodded knowingly. Security parted the crowd and guided them toward the set.

A mic reached in from the side. “Miss Qiao, weren’t you with Miss Tang before? Why did your Weibo say you’ve always been with Miss Luo?”

“My relationship with Tang Fu was for publicity. Luo Nianshu and I never broke up.” Qiao Jinyan tightened her grip.

Luo Nianshu wanted to escape the embrace but didn’t. If she left now, Qiao Jinyan would lose face.

“Miss Qiao, your girlfriend once stole your fiancé. What are your thoughts on that?”

Qiao Jinyan tilted her head and smiled sweetly. “I’m grateful she did. But from now on, she’s not allowed to steal anyone but me.”

The crowd erupted in excitement. CP fans squealed as if they’d just witnessed a romance drama come to life.

Luo Nianshu whispered in her ear, “Stop messing around.”

But from the outside, it looked like a lovers’ whisper. A few savvy reporters captured the angle perfectly intimate and close.

“Hm?” Qiao Jinyan feigned innocence, then turned back to the cameras.

“My wife just told me she loves me very much.”

Luo Nianshu: “???”

“Wife?” The reporters exploded.

“Are you two married?!”

Qiao Jinyan’s smile deepened. She leaned in, kissed the stunned Luo Nianshu on the cheek, and replied sweetly:

“It’s in the works. Soon.”