After My Flash Marriage with the Movie Queen - Chapter 50

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, around six o’clock, Zhao Xunyin woke up to prepare for her day’s schedule. As she got out of bed, she picked up her phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Shi Nanbei:

“Good luck on your exam today.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. After sending the message, she set her phone aside, grabbed a towel, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Her schedule was packed — three engagements in total. The first started at 9 a.m., a promotional event in Suzhou, not too far from Shanghai. Though the distance wasn’t great, taking the morning bullet train there—factoring in time for makeup and preparation—meant she was already cutting it close. The remaining two events were later in Ningbo, so at least those weren’t as rushed.

When Zhao Xunyin glanced at herself in the mirror, she noticed the faint bluish shadows beneath her eyes. After all, she was thirty-four now — not twenty-four anymore, when she could run on four hours of sleep for three days straight and still look radiant.

Sigh. Getting old.

Last night, she’d been out with the production crew promoting their film until past two in the morning. By the time she got home and finally fell asleep, it was only for two or three hours. Short as that was, in the life of an artist, even two or three hours of rest could feel like a luxury.

Especially for someone as busy as Zhao Xunyin.

She let out a small sigh at her reflection, gathered her toiletries, turned on the shower, and began another whirlwind day.

Compared to Zhao Xunyin, Shi Nanbei’s morning was much more relaxed. It was the last exam of her finals week, starting at 8:30 and ending around 10:30. So when Zhao Xunyin’s phone buzzed with a new message at seven, it was from her little wife:

“I’ll do my best!”

On the way to her event, Zhao Xunyin couldn’t help smiling at the cute emoticon that came with the message. She typed back:

“If you do well, there’ll be a reward waiting for you.”

Shi Nanbei the Bold replied instantly:

“You’re going to send me another photo, aren’t you?”

Clearly, she already knew her wife’s “reward patterns” all too well.

“I am not a lecherous ruler. My beloved consort must not slander me.”

Zhao Xunyin: “……”

Zhao Xunyin sighed. This wife of mine really doesn’t know how to enjoy a romantic moment.

“Go focus on your exam. If you fail, your grandma’s going to break your legs.”

With no other way to get her to behave, Zhao Xunyin had to resort to invoking the ultimate deterrent—Grandma.

Sure enough, the mischievous student instantly turned obedient:

“I definitely won’t fail! Not talking anymore, I’m going to review!”

After that, Shi Nanbei vanished from WeChat, and Zhao Xunyin didn’t mind. They’d been married for almost two months now, and she’d long gotten used to her wife’s alternating bouts of mischief and seriousness.

Her first event was in a Suzhou mall—a commercial performance for a luxury watch brand she endorsed. As the brand ambassador, her presence alone was what mattered. After all, people didn’t pay a film queen like her for nothing; her face, her fame, and her fanbase were what brought in the crowd.

The event went smoothly. The atmosphere was lively, with fans gathering from all over just to see her in person. Zhao Xunyin greeted them warmly, chatting with the audience amid the host’s playful banter.

Everything was perfect—until the very end.

A sudden commotion rippled through the crowd, and before Zhao Xunyin could react, a tall, strikingly beautiful but cold-faced woman walked onto the stage from the back.

When she saw the woman’s face clearly, the noise in the venue grew louder.

Zhao Xunyin froze. Of all the people she could have expected to see today, Shu Yu was not one of them. And in that instant, she finally understood the meaning behind Shu Yu’s parting words the last time they spoke.

She really should have known. Someone like Shu Yu—always composed, always in control—would never step onto a stage without a plan. Not even when it involved her ex-girlfriend.

“Wow! Who would’ve thought our big boss herself would make an appearance today? Isn’t that a surprise, everyone?” the host said quickly, trying to lighten the tension and salvage the situation.

But his effort was futile. The crowd had already gone wild.

Everyone on the internet still remembered the fiery, headline-grabbing romance between Zhao Xunyin and Shu Yu years ago. Add to that the recent rumor that Shu Yu had divorced, and now the two of them—former lovers—appearing together again? It was the kind of moment gossip lovers lived for.

At first, the security team managed to hold things together. But when the press conference segment began, the reporters swarmed them, microphones thrust forward like spears.

“Zhao Xunyin, did you know beforehand that Shu Yu would be attending today’s event?”

“Miss Zhao, what’s your opinion on Shu Yu’s recent divorce?”

“Miss Shu, did you attend today specifically because of Zhao Xunyin?”

“Is it true your divorce was triggered by Zhao Xunyin’s sudden marriage announcement?”

“Miss Zhao, is your recent marriage even real?”

“Were you trying to provoke Shu Yu into getting a divorce?”

“Are you two secretly back together?”

Zhao Xunyin’s expression didn’t change throughout. She stood calm and silent, though it was clear she hadn’t expected this ambush.

Her manager—someone who’d survived countless PR disasters—immediately sprang into action. The moment Shu Yu appeared, she had already called for backup security from the agency.

As the crowd of reporters surged forward, the manager forced her way through with a team of bodyguards, pulling Zhao Xunyin safely out of the chaos. To every question thrown their way, the only response she gave was:

“No comment.”

Once they finally escaped the mall and climbed into the van, the manager exhaled heavily.

“God, if this keeps happening, I’m going to lose weight from sheer stress.”

Zhao Xunyin leaned back in her seat, exhaustion creeping over her. After a pause, she asked, “You knew, didn’t you—that the brand I’m endorsing belongs to Shu Yu’s company?”

The manager went quiet for a moment, clearly weighing whether she could get away with lying. Then she decided against it.

“After you two broke up, she seemed to feel pretty guilty toward you,” the manager admitted. “So, she’s been quietly sending you good resources behind the scenes.”

Zhao Xunyin showed no sign of surprise at the news. She simply asked, “Does the boss know?”

Of course, by “boss,” she meant Qi Yu.

“She knew,” the manager said.

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

It made sense. The Shu and Qi families were closely connected. Nothing like this could have happened without Qi Yu’s approval.

“I see.” Zhao Xunyin didn’t want to dwell on it. “There’ll be gossip again after this. I don’t want my wife seeing anything on social media. She’s in the middle of finals—she doesn’t need the distraction.”

The manager immediately raised both hands in mock oath. “Got it! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s handled.”

Zhao Xunyin trusted her. After all, aside from Qi Yu and An He, her manager was one of the few people she fully relied on. In this industry, an artist was only as strong as the agent who had their back.

But this time, even her capable manager couldn’t stop the storm.

Whether it was the massive crowd or the explosive nature of the story—the “Double Queens’ Reunion” after years apart—the news hit Weibo like wildfire.

Within hours, #ZhaoXunyinShuYu had climbed to the top of the trending list.

Even with the company pulling every possible string to take it down, the post refused to die. The nostalgia and fascination surrounding their past love were too strong. The more they tried to suppress it, the more it spread.

Gossip reporters were like sharks in a feeding frenzy, each one dropping juicier “inside scoops” than the last. It was as if the entire internet was determined to resurrect the long-buried legend of their love.

When the manager came to report the situation, she looked visibly guilty. Back then, when the same scandal broke, it hadn’t been such a big deal—Zhao Xunyin wasn’t married, and being linked to Shu Yu only added to her mystique.

But now?

Now, Zhao Xunyin was a married woman.

And her young wife—just twenty-one, still in college—was bound to see it.

The manager winced just thinking about it. If she was twenty-one and saw her wife trending online with her ex, she’d lose it too.

At best, there’d be a fight.

At worst, she’d have to kneel on a washboard.

“Maybe I should call your wife and explain?” she offered hesitantly. Zhao Xunyin hadn’t spoken for a while, her face unreadable.

Honestly, anyone in her position would look grim too.

No one knew what Shu Yu had been thinking—showing up uninvited, standing there like an ice statue, saying nothing. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Zhao Xunyin owed her millions.

“No need,” Zhao Xunyin finally said. “My wife’s got a big heart. She doesn’t care about things like this.”

That was true enough. The manager relaxed a little at that. As long as Mrs. Zhao was levelheaded, everything else could be managed.

But fate had other plans.

Because there was, unfortunately, a third party involved—Shi Nanbei’s roommate, Wu Lili.

Everyone knew Shi Nanbei herself was easygoing. That was exactly why Zhao Xunyin had felt so confident her wife wouldn’t mind.

What she forgot, however, was that Wu Lili was one of her diehard fans.

And diehard fans, by definition, paid obsessive attention to everything about their idol—including, of course, the bombshell news that her idol’s glamorous ex had suddenly appeared at today’s event.