After My Flash Marriage with the Movie Queen - Chapter 49

Before Zhao Xunyin could start lecturing Shi Nanbei, the girl had already sent a quick message. “I’m going to study now.” There was nothing Zhao could say to that; after all, academics came first. Still, she sat there with her phone in hand, brows furrowed, trying to release the irritation stuck in her chest—but it wouldn’t go away.

She began to imagine what kind of little demon Shi Nanbei would grow into when she got older.

If they ever had a kid, she must never let Shi Nanbei raise it. Otherwise, there’d be no saving that child—it’d turn out to be a full-blown little devil. One Shi Nanbei was already more than enough to keep her on her toes. If another appeared—a mini Shi Nanbei—Zhao Xunyin would probably go insane.

When Zhao Xunyin’s manager arrived at her house, she found Zhao Xunyin sitting on the sofa, nodding and shaking her head to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips. The manager thought Zhao Xunyin must be looking at something funny on her phone, but when she came closer, the screen was black.

Manager: “…”

Okay, this was getting weird.

“What are you grinning at all by yourself?” The manager finally couldn’t take it anymore. After working with Zhao Xunyin for over a decade, she had never seen her like this before. It gave her goosebumps.

“Oh, you’re here.” As soon as Zhao Xunyin noticed her, the smile vanished, replaced in an instant by her usual cool, distant Movie Queen demeanor. The transformation was so quick that the manager nearly doubted her own eyes.

Was that even the same person? Or had Zhao Xunyin’s long-lost twin sister shown up instead?

“Are you in love or something?” The manager hesitated for a long time, but eventually couldn’t help asking.

It wasn’t an unreasonable question. Zhao Xunyin had always been the calm, detached type—stoic to the point of being called cold-blooded. She never got sentimental over anyone or anything. Nothing was worth her time.

Except money.

But now, seeing her like this, the manager couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Every time Zhao Xunyin came back to Chengdu, she seemed to change a little more—less of that icy movie star aura, and more warmth, more life.

Good grief.

Whatever happened to the aloof goddess image? The elegant, untouchable queen? The emotionless professional?

“Love?” Zhao Xunyin blinked at the question, genuinely caught off guard. It had been so long since that word applied to her that for a second, she couldn’t even process it. But then, thinking of something, she looked down and smiled faintly. “Maybe.”

After all, when it came to Shi Nanbei, she was hopelessly in love.

They were already married, sure—but what was wrong with falling in love after marriage?

Once Zhao Xunyin returned to Shanghai, her life snapped back into its usual whirlwind. Aside from the occasional WeChat message, she was almost impossible to reach. Even calls didn’t work—artists like her rarely had their phones; they were usually with assistants or managers.

“If you miss me, just leave me a message on WeChat,” Zhao Xunyin told Shi Nanbei during one of her rare breaks. “I’ll reply when I see it.”

But Shi Nanbei didn’t even bother to be polite. “I’m so busy with exams. I barely have time to breathe, let alone miss you.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Couldn’t she have even one moment of newlywed sweetness with her wife?

“Can’t you at least pretend to be a shy, lovestruck young woman once in a while?” Zhao Xunyin sighed helplessly. “I’m your wife, and a Movie Queen, for heaven’s sake. You could treat me with a little more reverence, maybe? I’m juggling a crazy schedule just to make time to call you, and what do I get? You ignore my calls because you’re in the library, and when you do pick up, you tell me you’re too busy to miss me?”

Her tone turned grumpy. “Were you like this with your exes too?”

Shi Nanbei, completely unbothered, replied, “Nope. You’re my first love.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Zhao Xunyin was instantly disarmed. Not only that—she felt a little smug. She was just about to tease her with something sweet when Shi Nanbei added cheerfully.

“Okay, okay, I’m really busy. Be good, go find something to do. I’ll call you when I’m free. Bye.”

And hung up.

Zhao Xunyin stared at her phone, silent. For what must have been the hundredth time, she’d been hung up on by her own wife.

Zhao Xunyin: “…” she sighed.

Maybe Shi Nanbei didn’t really like her after all.

Hmph.

Exam week was long and brutal for Shi Nanbei—and by extension, lonely and frustrating for Zhao Xunyin.

At first, Zhao didn’t mind. They were both busy adults; it was normal to have separate schedules. But then her friend An He started running her mouth. Every day she’d say something like, “Young girls get distracted easily, you know.

You’re not exactly new and exciting anymore.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Enough was enough!

“How am I not exciting? I’m a Movie Queen, okay? The number one girlfriend material in the entire sapphic circle!”

An He was sunbathing in her villa garden during their video call, and at that, she rolled her eyes dramatically. “Correction: you’re now a married housewife.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

“Aren’t you a married woman yourself?”

An He was clearly prepared for that question. “I’m not like you,” she said, smiling faintly at Zhao Xunyin through the video call. “I’m a rich married woman. I only married Qi Yu for the divorce settlement, you know?”

Zhao Xunyin’s expression didn’t change. “Is that so? Then when are you two getting divorced?”

At that, the perfectly maintained face on the other side of the screen twisted slightly with frustration. “Don’t even get me started. Wasn’t Qi Yu supposed to be a total flirt before we got married? I thought I’d be collecting a nice shiny green hat in no time—but no! That woman goes to work, goes home, sticks to me every chance she gets—where does she even find the time to cheat? And now she’s talking about wanting a kid! I’m only thirty-six! If I have a baby, how am I supposed to remarry after the divorce?”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Are you sure the next woman you find will be richer than Boss Qi?

Sometimes, she really didn’t understand how An He and Qi Yu ever ended up together.

“So, are you planning to have the baby?” Zhao Xunyin asked.

“Of course not!” An He huffed dramatically. “I’m in this for the money—no, for the resources! I want fame. She promised to boost my career after marriage, but it’s been years and nothing’s happened! If I have a kid, how am I supposed to keep acting?”

She threw up her hands. “What, am I supposed to start playing someone’s mom?”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

No offense, but fame really is a mysterious thing—and you’re the type who couldn’t get famous even if you burned money to do it.

They talked for over an hour, with An He spending nearly fifty minutes ranting about Boss Qi. Zhao Xunyin thought that would buy her at least a few days of peace—but barely a week later, An He turned up again.

This time, she showed up right on set, and the first thing she said was, “I think I might be pregnant.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Zhao Xunyin: “?”

Looking at An He—fair-skinned, beautiful, and every inch the wealthy wife— Zhao Xunyin asked, “Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t want kids?”

“I didn’t! I really didn’t plan to!” An He looked utterly exasperated. “But Qi Yu is just too cunning, you know? She took me straight into her family’s private bank vault, showed me ten billion in cash, and told me, ‘Installment plan—five billion a year. Say yes to a baby, and I’ll pay upfront for the first year.’”

An He looked half-delirious. “Are all rich people this brutally straightforward in their negotiations? Ten billion! How long will it even take me to spend all that?”

Such a simple dream—aside from wanting fame, her life’s goal was apparently to bankrupt the Qi family.

Zhao Xunyin sighed. “So what, you came here just to flaunt your marriage that reeks of money?”

An He clasped Zhao Xunyin’s hand earnestly. “No, no, I came to warn you—don’t ever learn from your boss. If you and your wife ever plan to have kids, don’t let money get involved. I’m telling you, I went to the bank one day, the hospital the next, and now this so-called love child feels anything but pure.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

My wife is nothing like you, thank you very much!

Though, truth be told, Zhao Xunyin wasn’t entirely sure about that. Because when she told Shi Nanbei about it over the phone, the girl actually sounded a little envious.

“Wait, you can do that?”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

She’s turning into An He.

Shi Nanbei’s exam week was finally coming to an end—just one more paper left. She carved out a bit of time from her hectic schedule to call her wife.

“That woman’s always been like that,” Zhao Xunyin said, rolling her eyes as she tried to dissuade her wife from picking up any bad ideas. “All she ever thinks about is money. Both she and Boss Qi are swimming in it. That kind of love—if you can even call it that—isn’t pure at all. Don’t ever end up like them.”

“Is that so?” Shi Nanbei sounded skeptical.

“Yes!” Zhao Xunyin replied firmly.

“Alright then, enough about that. My exam ends tomorrow. How about you? Still busy?” Shi Nanbei asked.

“Nothing too major,” Zhao Xunyin replied. “Just a few more days of promo events for the new film—maybe ten or so in total. Once that’s done, I should be free. After your exams, are you coming to Shanghai, or should I meet you in Chengdu?”

At that, Shi Nanbei’s little mental calculator started clicking away. Ever since she’d moved into the villa after marrying Zhao Xunyin, her wife had been watching her like a hawk. Then came exam season, which meant she hadn’t logged in to play games with her friends for ages.

“I’ll just stay in Chengdu,” she said sweetly. “You’re so busy anyway. Oh, and I need to move some of my stuff for finals. Can I bring them over to the villa?”

Finally, her oversized gaming PC would have a proper home.

Naturally, Zhao Xunyin agreed without hesitation. How could she refuse? Besides, she had no idea what Shi Nanbei was planning to move. “Of course you can. That’s your home too—bring whatever you like.”

“Thanks, darling.” Shi Nanbei’s voice turned soft and sugary. Even over the phone, Zhao Xunyin could picture her smiling with her eyes half-curved and dimples showing—adorable beyond words.

Ah, age really does make you soft. Sweetness hits harder than ever.

“Then do your best tomorrow, okay?” Zhao Xunyin said in the end.

“I will!” Shi Nanbei replied brightly—obedient, charming, and impossibly endearing. Whether as a girlfriend or a wife, she was perfect in every way.

Zhao Xunyin loved her—to absolute bits.