After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 71

The air hung silent for a long moment before Tang Shiyu realized her image and persona seemed to have crumbled in front of her daughter. Pressing her lips together, she feigned busyness and abruptly ended the call with Xu Chun, saying, “I can’t talk anymore, I have a meeting to attend.”

Xu Chun stood frozen in place, clutching her phone as if suddenly enlightened. She nodded to herself and murmured, “So that’s how it is.”

So in yuri novels, everyone was this bold and straightforward in pursuing true love.

Instantly grasping the essence, she reflexively started typing a message to Qin Yao to invite her for dinner later. But just as her fingertips finished composing the text, it suddenly struck her, Qin Yao had just returned from abroad without a moment’s rest after her hectic schedule.

She quickly deleted the drafted message, deciding to wait until Qin Yao had properly rested.

Yet this delay stretched on until several days later when Xu Chun finally remembered again. Pressing her lips together, she stared intently at her phone screen, reasoning: Since she still had work keeping her from meeting up anyway, she might as well wait until everything was completely settled before bringing it up.

Having convinced herself with this flimsy logic, Xu Chun picked up the script beside her with serene contentment.

Almost the entire day was scheduled for scenes between her and He Qingli. From waking at five in the morning for makeup, styling, and travel, by the time she arrived on set, the sky was already tinged with the faint glow of dawn.

While they had been sitting separately in their respective trailers earlier, Xu Chun hadn’t noticed anything amiss. But now, as they met on set, she could clearly see the exhaustion etched across He Qingli’s face.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, barely concealed by concealer, while her weary expression, vacant gaze, and slightly furrowed brows all pointed to a sleepless night. Xu Chun couldn’t help but approach her. “You had insomnia last night, didn’t you? Did something happen something involving Fu Xin?”

Her firm tone snapped He Qingli back to reality. He Qingli nodded, then shook her head, reluctant to elaborate. But meeting Xu Chun’s serious expression, her tightly pressed lips gradually relaxed, and she finally admitted, “My parents saw the rumors about me and Fu Xin online.”

Truthfully, since their dating show began, there had been no shortage of shippers for their pairing online. But in an era where scripted performances were everywhere, most remained skeptical. Back then, their interactions had been purely preliminary, showing no unusual signs, so her parents hadn’t commented.

Making money wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.

But as time passed, their contact grew more frequent, and their feelings gradually deepened. Though neither had openly confessed, the romantic tension between them had become impossible for onlookers to ignore.

Despite taking extreme precautions during their dates dressing in full disguises even their own mothers wouldn’t recognize, He Qingli’s fame ensured paparazzi never stopped trailing her.

During their dates, He Qingli would always have to remove her mask when eating. Or after watching a movie and finishing their date, Fu Xin would considerately escort her home. Although there were no particularly intimate gestures between them, in the eyes of the paparazzi, this was already juicy enough gossip to attract attention.

Moreover, both she and Fu Xin were far from ordinary people, and their addresses could easily be found with a simple search.

So as long as the paparazzi were patient enough, the two of them would inevitably slip up and be caught on camera.

In response, He Qingli’s manager had already issued a statement on Weibo clarifying that their relationship was purely platonic, but the paparazzi clearly didn’t believe it. Day after day, they stalked the pair until the scandalous rumors eventually made their way to He Qingli’s parents’ phones.

Her parents had long since chosen a fiancé for her, but He Qingli refused to resign herself to a life whose end was already predetermined. She refused to let her life be dictated by others, even if those others were her own parents.

So back then, in defiance of the arranged marriage, she left home without hesitation. By sheer coincidence, she was discovered by a talent scout and began forging her own path in the entertainment industry, standing on her own two feet. In all the years since leaving home, she hadn’t taken a single cent from her family. During holidays, she would even send her parents red envelopes as a way of repaying their upbringing. Yet despite this, their stance remained unmoved.

They either threatened to cut ties with her or demanded she return home and obediently marry for the sake of the family.

After holding out for so long, how could she possibly compromise now? If she had been willing to submit, she would have accepted her fate from the very beginning.

And so, she and her parents remained locked in this stalemate neither side willing to yield, neither able to convince the other.

They usually ignored each other, each living their own lives, until last night, when her parents suddenly and furiously stormed in, berating her for being unfilial, for lacking self-respect and propriety. After enduring the scolding in bewilderment, He Qingli finally pieced together the reason from her mother’s words.

Staring at the month-old tabloid gossip post online, He Qingli felt nothing but despair. She was certain her parents had seen those rumors long ago, yet they hadn’t confronted her until now. There could only be one explanation, the marriage candidate they had chosen for her was pressuring them.

She couldn’t think of any other reason why her parents would suddenly make such a fuss over old gossip.

Last night’s argument with them lasted over an hour. After hanging up, He Qingli’s emotions remained unsettled for a long time. Layer upon layer of shackles weighed her down, her feelings swinging between rationality and impulsiveness until she could barely breathe.

She desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind and follow her heart, but reason prevailed, making her acutely aware: some things could be avoided temporarily, but never forever. Life wasn’t something that could be smoothed over with simple busyness, she and Fu Xin needed to survive, and survival required money at every turn. If she acted recklessly on impulse, the outcome would surely be disappointing.

Perhaps even her relationship with Fu Xin would gradually erode under the daily grind of mundane life.

He Qingli tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep because of this. She grieved over her parents’ cold indifference, their utter disregard for her feelings, and despaired at her own inadequacies, wallowing in self-pity.

Tormented by these tangled, painful emotions, He Qingli spent the entire night exhausting herself into this listless, drained state.

After listening to He Qingli recount everything calmly, Xu Chun gently reached up and ruffled the back of her head. Taller than He Qingli and with a serious expression, even such an intimate gesture didn’t invite any misinterpretation.

Xu Chun’s heart ached for He Qingli’s struggles. Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle and earnest. “You’ve already done your best,” Xu Chun said, gazing at her. “Resisting is exhausting. And with your parents so far away, they won’t be able to interfere anytime soon. So why don’t we just vent our frustrations passionately for now?”

“Cross that bridge when we come to it. Things will work out in the end.”

He Qingli followed Xu Chun’s gaze and saw the pile of prop guns and daggers. “…”

This kind of venting might end with bloodshed if she lost control.

But with Xu Chun by her side, cracking jokes to distract her, and throwing herself into their scenes with intense focus, He Qingli had no choice but to suppress her inner turmoil and force herself into the right mindset to match Xu Chun’s performance perfectly.

Her spot in the crew had been secured by Xu Chun’s efforts. If she failed to deliver in such a crucial moment, she wouldn’t just disappoint Xu Chun, it might even damage Xu Chun’s reputation when the show aired later.

So He Qingli set aside her personal emotions and poured every ounce of effort into filming. She memorized lines, reapplied smudged makeup, picked herself up after falls, and pushed through the numbness from exhaustion and intense physical strain until her body felt almost numb.

She spun like a top, her mind too occupied to wander. By the time filming wrapped, her strength drained away like a receding tide, and overwhelming fatigue crashed over her. Her assistant gasped upon noticing the unnoticed cuts and bruises on her skin, just before He Qingli’s eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed on the spot.

Xu Chun quickly called for medical staff, then hesitated before sending Fu Xin a message: [Lizi just fainted.]

Fu Xin replied instantly, frantic: [Where are you? I’m coming right now.]

After sharing their location, Xu Chun set her phone aside and turned to the doctor. “How is she?”

“It’s not a big issue, just rest for a couple of days and you’ll be fine.” After saying this, the doctor immediately started an IV drip for He Qingli right there, then instructed the assistant to carry her into the van. “Keep her warm.”

The assistant nodded repeatedly, fetching a brand-new blanket from the trunk to cover He Qingli before sitting anxiously beside her to discuss matters with the manager.

Xu Chun sighed quietly as she watched He Qingli’s furrowed brows even in unconsciousness.

He Qingli remained ill for two full days. After fainting, she didn’t wake until the evening of the next day. Xu Chun had taken leave to care for her and couldn’t resist teasing when she finally awoke: “You’re practically becoming a regular at the hospital.”

“Can’t be helped,” He Qingli joked weakly. “I’ve been pampered since childhood, never had to endure much hardship.”

“The toughest things I’ve faced in life are running away from home to support myself and being forced into marriage.”

“Enough,” Xu Chun shot her a sidelong glance. “Xiao Fu is already here, he just stepped out to heat some porridge for you.” She stood up. “I’ll get out of your way now.”

He Qingli smiled. “Thank you.”

Xu Chun nodded with feigned nonchalance and waved. “I’m off.”

But the moment she turned away, her expression crumpled into near-tears. Some people had partners while others wandered alone her fate was truly more bitter than coptis root!

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Qin Yao’s call came through. “Your filming wraps up next month, right?”

Surprised she knew but not dwelling on it, Xu Chun simply replied, “Yes.”

“Then I’ll come pick you up,” Qin Yao’s husky voice murmured through the phone. “We’ll go home together for dinner.”

Xu Chun’s heart leapt, Qin Yao wanted to see her? And was specifically coming to fetch her on her last day of shooting? She could barely contain her excitement and was about to eagerly agree when, moments later, something struck her as odd.

Wait, go home together for dinner?

Xu Chun’s expression turned puzzled. Whose home? And what kind of dinner did she mean?

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