After The Forced Marriage, I Ended Up With The Top Celebrity - Chapter 30

Qiao Jinyan rushed to the waiting area to find Luo Nianshu immediately after finishing her scene, without even stopping for a drink of water.

However, only Molly was sitting on the waiting chair.

She was gone again. Qiao Jinyan’s heart fluttered in panic: “Where’s Luo Nianshu?”

Molly looked up at her: “Oh, the little assistant went to the supermarket next door to buy some things, she’ll be back soon.”

Went to buy things?

Qiao Jinyan pursed her lips tightly: “Why didn’t you go with her?”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be back in a bit,” Molly patted her shoulder reassuringly.

Qiao Jinyan stood in place with her head lowered for a while, the sun stinging her skin painfully. She opened her mouth with difficulty and bitterness: “Will she… run away again secretly?”

“How could she,” Molly quickly comforted her: “Besides, she had her reasons for leaving you before.”

Qiao Jinyan suddenly looked up, squinting at Molly: “Reasons?”

“Uh… didn’t you always say she had her reasons for leaving? I just got used to saying it because of you,” Molly replied guiltily. Realizing she almost spilled the truth, she quickly shut her mouth, so fast she almost bit her tongue off.

Qiao Jinyan’s eyes darted around, wanting to ask more, but Luo Nianshu returned at this moment, holding a large bag of things.

Ignoring Molly, Qiao Jinyan quickly ran to Luo Nianshu and grabbed her arm: “Where did you go?”

“To buy the bride-price,” Luo Nianshu joked.

Qiao Jinyan’s face flushed upon hearing this. She patted Luo Nianshu’s arm, saying “You’re so improper,” but her hands were impatiently rummaging through the plastic bag.

Milk.

Sunglasses.

Sunscreen.

And a bag of strawberry juice milk candies.

Luo Nianshu tore open the candy package and placed a few strawberry juice milk candies in Qiao Jinyan’s palm.

Qiao Jinyan held the candies, her almond eyes quickly turning, like a cunning fox. She suddenly ran to the reporters with a smile, held the candies up to the camera, and said with a look of happiness: “This is the bride-price Nianshu gave me. Our wedding date will probably be here very, very, very, very soon.”

Luo Nianshu: “…”

The nearby reporters quickly turned on their cameras: “Very, very soon? So, your wedding date is approaching?”

Qiao Jinyan nodded affirmatively: “Yes, Nianshu and I just agreed, we’ll get married next month.”

Luo Nianshu: “???” When did we agree on that?

“Ah, congratulations!” The reporters immediately offered their blessings and quickly organized the news into an article.

Luo Nianshu covered her face speechlessly, while Qiao Jinyan sat down beside her in a very good mood, looking triumphant.

Luo Nianshu sighed helplessly: “I was joking when I said it was the bride-price, why did you take it seriously?”

Qiao Jinyan turned to look at her: “What? Do you want to go back on your word? I’ve already announced the wedding date. Are you trying to break off the engagement now?”

“No,” Luo Nianshu suppressed a smile and placed a few more candies in Qiao Jinyan’s hand: “I just think it’s too shabby to use this as the bride-price.”

After a pause, Luo Nianshu added: “I’ll buy you a more formal one in a few days.”

Qiao Jinyan’s lips curved upwards. She turned her head and pecked Luo Nianshu’s lips: “So obedient.”

Luo Nianshu: “Just kidding, I plan to get something for nothing.”

Qiao Jinyan: “???”

Qiao Jinyan: “How dare you!”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem,” Molly pretended to cough lightly, covering her mouth with a fist: “Be mindful of your surroundings when showing affection.”

The next morning, Luo Nianshu woke up in Qiao Jinyan’s apartment. She shook out the white shirt by the bed, put it on, and prepared to go to work. Her slender fingers casually threaded the buttons, fastening them one by one.

Luo Nianshu never fully buttons her shirt; she usually leaves one or two buttons undone at the collar, revealing her beautiful, delicate collarbone. Finally, she puts on a brown casual blazer over the white shirt, adding an air of nonchalance to her overall look.

Qiao Jinyan propped herself up behind her, watching Luo Nianshu’s back as she dressed. The strap of her milky-white pajamas had slipped down to Qiao Jinyan’s shoulder, and her curled hair draped over her faintly visible chest, making her look seductive and charming.

“Come back early after work,” Qiao Jinyan curled her lips.

Luo Nianshu hummed, glanced back, and saw Qiao Jinyan’s fair and delicate skin, especially her bright, smooth chest, which lifted the white silk pajamas with every breath. Luo Nianshu quickly averted her eyes, grabbed the keys from the bedside, and was about to leave, but Qiao Jinyan hooked her from behind and turned her around.

What was she going to do?

Luo Nianshu’s throat tightened, and her heart rate sped up.

However, Qiao Jinyan merely straightened her turned-out collar.

Seeming to notice Luo Nianshu’s nervousness, Qiao Jinyan’s eyes held a hint of amusement.

“Nianshu, come back home with me the day after tomorrow,” Qiao Jinyan lowered her gaze, checking Luo Nianshu’s collar, focused and earnest: “Don’t refuse me.”

“Do I have the right to refuse?” Luo Nianshu stared at Qiao Jinyan’s face, raising an eyebrow.

Qiao Jinyan looked up at her, her eyes deep and impossible to read: “I always feel like you want to be with me, but you’re afraid to be with me.”

Luo Nianshu’s heart skipped a beat. She said half-jokingly, half seriously: “What are you talking about? Is there anything in this world I’m afraid to do?”

“When we broke up…”

“At that time, I genuinely wanted to break up.”

Qiao Jinyan was silent for a moment: “And now?”

“I don’t know either.”

Her voice was calm and casual, but the end was slightly shaky.

It had been many days since Qiao Jinyan officially announced their relationship. Given how much this news had been circulating, Zhang Weiyin should have known about their relationship long ago, but she hadn’t come looking for them after all this time. Was Zhang Weiyin plotting something else, or had she finally decided to let them go?

Qiao Jinyan lowered her eyes and forced a relaxed smile: “Maybe I’m overthinking it. But you’ve already agreed to marry me, so you naturally keep your promises.”

“Go to work, Nianshu, don’t be late.” Qiao Jinyan kissed her face.

After Luo Nianshu left, Qiao Jinyan lay on the sofa. Cool air drifted in from the window. It had been raining frequently these days, making the weather cooler, but she didn’t want to close the window, wanting to use that clear breeze to stay awake.

The more clues she had, the more confused her thoughts became, and she needed to calm down and sort them out properly.

Qiao Jinyan casually grabbed a khaki wool shawl and wrapped it around herself. The soft wool gathered heat, and only then did she feel a little warmth.

The phone rang. It was the private detective.

Qiao Jinyan was about to answer, but her hand stopped on the green answer button.

Qiao Jinyan hesitated.

The phone screen kept flashing, seemingly urging her to answer quickly.

Her suspicion was about to be revealed in the next moment.

Thinking of this, Qiao Jinyan suddenly felt inexplicably irritable.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of her pounding heart and the incessantly ringing phone interwoven.

If Luo Nianshu was really threatened by Zhang Weiyin, then she could put her mind at ease and work with Luo Nianshu to find a solution, even if it meant running away together.

But what if she wasn’t?

What if the truth was that Luo Nianshu left her willingly?

Qiao Jinyan tightened the fingers gripping her phone, her slender knuckles turning white.

Just the thought of it made her gasp for breath, finding it hard to breathe.

If Luo Nianshu left her voluntarily, should she let her go?

Her finger hovered over the answer button. Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingertips rounded and delicate, yet they were almost devoid of temperature at this moment.

The phone rang for a long, long time.

Sharp and piercing.

Just as the call was about to be cut off, she tapped the connect button.

“Hello, do you have any news?” Qiao Jinyan’s voice was stiff from nervousness.

“We have news,” the sound of ‘tap-tap-tap’ keyboard clicks came from the phone. The private detective responded to Qiao Jinyan while typing information on the computer: “But the information is incomplete. We only have partial information right now.”

Qiao Jinyan took a deep breath, then slowly let it out: “Tell me.”

“Zhang Weiyin did call Luo Nianshu that night, but the specific content of the call, I haven’t been able to find out yet. Zhang Weiyin’s relevant information has been encrypted by her company.”

She made a call?

In other words, Luo Nianshu was very likely threatened.

Even though the truth hadn’t been fully confirmed, Qiao Jinyan was relieved, but she immediately frowned again.

But if it was true, the trouble was that the person threatening Luo Nianshu was very likely Zhang Weiyin.

“I think there’s a ninety percent chance that Zhang Weiyin said something to Luo Nianshu in that call, which led to her having to leave you. What do you think?”

Qiao Jinyan was silent for a moment, her dark eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings: “I think so too.”

“Also, my team could only find a portion of Zhang Weiyin’s data. This evidence is not enough to prove Zhang Weiyin’s series of illegal and criminal activities,” the private detective continued to add.

“How much longer will it take to find out?”

The private detective’s tone was somewhat helpless: “We probably won’t be able to find out here. We can only decrypt it to this extent. But there’s still a way. You need to find someone, and with her help, everything will be easy.”

“Who?”

“Qing Jiuyan. Her maternal grandfather is the CEO of the Zhao Group. This girl is Zhao Yingsong’s granddaughter, but she has always been very low-key, hiding her family background from the public. A few months ago, Zhang Weiyin, unaware of her identity, tried to coerce her, but was later taught a lesson by people Qing Jiuyan found. The two of them can be considered to have formed a grudge.”

Qing Jiuyan?

Qiao Jinyan narrowed her eyes and thought about it. She had an impression of this woman.

Qing Jiuyan was the newest actress to appear in the public eye this year. She looked very much like her, and even her name sounded similar when read, earning her the nickname “Little Qiao Jinyan” in the industry, and she was publicly recognized as the actress most likely to succeed Qiao Jinyan.

Qing Jiuyan had always been low-key and reserved. She accepted very few roles, but every one was outstanding. Qiao Jinyan once happened to see a play performed by Qing Jiuyan. She only watched for a moment and knew that Qing Jiuyan had a promising future.

The Zhao Group is the largest investor in the entire entertainment industry, and half of the entertainment industry has to listen to Zhao Yingsong. She never expected this woman’s maternal grandfather to be the CEO of the Zhao Group, with such a major background.

“But she might not help me,” Qiao Jinyan, with a calm expression, gently tapped her tender white thigh with her finger, considering her options.

“Give it a try. After all, everyone knows Qing Jiuyan dislikes Zhang Weiyin. But you also need to be careful about one thing,” the private detective paused, then chuckled a few times: “There are rumors that Qing Jiuyan likes Tang Fu. If that’s true, you’re her love rival.”

“Then she is overthinking it,” Qiao Jinyan smiled.

“Also, I found something interesting.”

“What?”

“Your Luo Nianshu…” The private detective deliberately drew out the last syllable, trying to be suspenseful.

Qiao Jinyan’s voice sank, cold and threatening: “Hurry up and tell me.”

So fierce? Can’t even crack a joke.

The private detective muttered to himself inwardly, swallowed, and continued: “She has also been looking for Zhang Weiyin’s illegal and criminal information these past two years. Although she’s an amateur, she’s surprisingly obtained a lot of important data. It looks like she’s been preparing to come back to you.”