After My Flash Marriage with the Movie Queen - Chapter 56

The manager felt genuinely wronged. “If you don’t want to, then don’t. Why tell me to scram?”

Xu Juan had never felt such frustration around Zhao Xunyin before. For a moment, she felt so upset she almost teared up.

Actually, Zhao Xunyin didn’t even know why she felt jealous—she just subconsciously didn’t want anyone else to know how adorable Shi Nanbei was.

She hadn’t forgotten how, after meeting Shi Nanbei, her manager had come back two days later and lamented, in front of her, that she—the old “cow” had gotten to enjoy such fresh, tender grass.

Annoying.

That said, Zhao Xunyin still gave her manager Shi Nanbei’s phone number. Partly because the matter genuinely required Shi Nanbei to make her own decisions, and partly because she worried about what might happen if something came up and Shi Nanbei couldn’t reach her.

She reminded her manager carefully, stressing not to say anything unnecessary in front of Shi Nanbei. Her wife was already a little dismissive of her; if her manager meddled, Zhao Xunyin worried Shi Nanbei might kick her aside and throw herself into another actress’s arms.

“Seriously? You’re the queen of the screen, and you’re acting like this? So cautious, so anxious?” The manager had never seen Zhao Xunyin like this before. Over the phone, she rambled for over ten, maybe twenty minutes, just giving instructions about Shi Nanbei. Her ears were about to go numb.

Zhao Xunyin exhaled softly and then recounted, in front of her manager, the two breathtaking love stories from Water Arrow Girls that her wife had talked about.

True to her reputation as a top actress, Zhao Xunyin captured perfectly the tone and inflection that conveyed Shi Nanbei’s admiration for the two actresses. Just by listening, her manager could imagine the exact expressions on Shi

Nanbei’s face when she spoke about them.

The manager: “…”

The manager seemed to get it. “Wait a second, are you jealous of two newcomers?”

Zhao Xunyin: “….”

Jealous of you, big-headed ghost.

Without another word, Zhao Xunyin hung up. Her manager held the phone for a moment, stunned, and then finally laughed outright.

So that little girl was impressive—she could make someone as flirtatious as Zhao Xunyin completely devoted, and even secretly provoke jealousy behind everyone’s back?

Hmm, kind of sultry in a subtle way.

Zhao Xunyin had no idea her manager had called her “subtly sultry” behind her back. Her mind was entirely on her adorable wife. The next day, after stepping off the stage, she called Shi Nanbei to say that her manager would contact her about appearing on a variety show.

Shi Nanbei didn’t care at all. “A variety show? Why would I go on a variety show? I’m not a celebrity. Not going.” She spoke while playing a game.

“You’re playing again?” Zhao Xunyin asked. Even through the phone, she could hear the game sounds coming from Shi Nanbei’s computer. How many times had this happened? At least eight out of ten calls found Shi Nanbei gaming.

Sometimes she really wondered—how did someone who loved gaming and reading fanfiction like Shi Nanbei manage to get into the medical school program at West China Medical School straight through undergrad and grad studies?

Could it be that coming from a scholarly family automatically makes you smarter than ordinary people?

“Just one round,” Shi Nanbei said cheerfully. “I’ve passed all my exams. Grandma said I did well this time, so let me relax a bit, okay?”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Well, that actually made sense. Thinking of Shi Nanbei’s transcript filled with A+ grades, Zhao Xunyin swallowed the lecture she’d been about to give: “Little ones should love studying and not get addicted to games.”

Shi Nanbei could play all she wanted, yet nothing important was delayed. Zhao Xunyin, as her wife, had no real excuse to scold her.

Sigh, she, a mediocre student, really shouldn’t have agreed to a blind date with a top scholar.

Although Shi Nanbei had convinced Zhao Xunyin with her grades, Zhao Xunyin still worried a little:

“You remember dinner at Grandma’s this afternoon, right? She’s going abroad in a couple of days and wants to see you before she leaves. Don’t be late. Should I have the assistant drive you?”

“I remember. Don’t worry, having someone run around is a hassle. I’ll drive myself. Just got my license, still fresh and new.”

Zhao Xunyin hurried through another set of filming, getting makeup done and preparing for an interview with Boss Qi, all while squeezing in a call to Shi Nanbei.

She had assumed Shi Nanbei would be bored at home alone and needed company. But surprisingly, without Zhao Xunyin around, Shi Nanbei was even more relaxed. Over the past week or two, she had been gaming, attending concerts, and going shopping with friends—nothing delayed.

Her presence seemed completely unimportant.

Zhao Xunyin, the acclaimed actress, had no dignity at all in front of her wife, who had none of the usual fan excitement of meeting her idol, nor any sense of triumph over an older sisterly figure.

An He’s words—none of it was true.

“Can you even drive?” Zhao Xunyin asked. Not that she doubted her wife, but just judging from Shi Nanbei’s face, she looked like a pampered young lady who had never touched a thing in her life.

If she hadn’t even touched basic chores, surely driving would be impossible, especially since Shi Nanbei had once told her she’d flunked the second part of the driving test.

Although it had been almost two months and Shi Nanbei had since retaken it and earned her license, Zhao Xunyin still worried a bit.

Maybe it was age or maybe marrying someone much younger made her excessively overprotective. Her endless nagging drew a sideways glance from Boss Qi, who clearly hadn’t expected her to be so talkative.

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

She didn’t want to, really—it was mainly because Shi Nanbei was just too reckless.

“I can drive.” Shi Nanbei brushed off her wife’s concern without a second thought. “What’s so hard about it? I’ve been driving for over ten years.”

Zhao Xunyin froze for a moment. At first, it sounded believable, but then she thought harder, something didn’t add up. “Aren’t you only twenty-one? Where on earth did you get ten years of driving experience?”

Shi Nanbei spoke with absolute confidence when lying. “Haven’t you ever ridden a bike as a kid? Isn’t that a vehicle? How does that not count toward driving experience?”

Zhao Xunyin had nothing to say—her wife’s sharp tongue had completely shut her up. “…”

Well, she did have a point.

“Just be careful when you drive. I’m about to go on camera, so I won’t be able to answer your calls.” Zhao Xunyin took on the tone of a mother giving instructions. “The car keys should be on the cabinet in the entryway. Take whichever one you like. The Mercedes sports car has the driver’s seat on the right; if you’re not used to that, don’t take it. The others are fine.”

Still, she couldn’t help worrying. “Are you sure you don’t want me to have my assistant pick you up?”

Shi Nanbei felt an indignation unlike any other—her driving skills being doubted! She could understand being suspected while lying in bed, but getting doubted after getting out of bed? Truly tragic.

“No need! I said no need—that’s final. Can’t a couple have a little bit of trust in each other?”

Zhao Xunyin, who didn’t quite trust her own wife, was speechless. “…”

At this point, the argument had escalated to the level of marital trust. What else could she do but believe her?

But the trust Zhao Xunyin had just granted didn’t last long. The moment she went on camera, Shi Nanbei had already taken her BMW out for a spin—and got chased by someone. And that was only two hours after Zhao Xunyin hung up the phone. Considering the time Shi Nanbei spent playing games, she probably drove for less than half an hour.

The speed was shocking.

During the mid-interview break, Zhao Xunyin’s expression darkened when her manager told her that Shi Nanbei had been in a minor accident, and that paparazzi had caught it—and she was driving Zhao Xunyin’s car.

“Your wife, Shi Nanbei, is already trending on Weibo.” Her manager said calmly. “And it’s live-streamed.”

Zhao Xunyin froze.

“In other words, you’ve been worrying and thinking about her constantly, trying to keep your wife out of the public eye. But she went out driving herself, got into a minor accident, and boom—ends up trending.”

Seeing that Zhao Xunyin still looked confused, her manager rephrased it more plainly, summarizing Shi Nanbei’s recklessness in just a few words.

“Is it really necessary for you to explain it in such detail?” Zhao Xunyin’s face darkened further. “I don’t care about all that—I care if she’s okay! Did she get hurt? Was anyone hurt?”

“She’s fine. Just a small dent on the rear bumper. Your wife, though, she’s got a big heart. After getting out of the car, she was joking and chatting with everyone like old friends—probably would have gone for drinks if she’d had the chance.”

Zhao Xunyin fell silent. “…”

As for just how big Shi Nanbei’s heart really was, well, not even her own grandmother—who had raised Shi Nanbei since childhood—could measure it. People might call her naive, but that would be an understatement.

“Nanbei, usually people with ‘big hearts’ are the ones who, even after being sold off, still help count the money. But she’s different—she counts the money and complains the amount is too small.” Shi Nanbei’s grandmother had once explained over the phone to Zhao Xunyin, talking about Nanbei’s previous matchmaking attempts. “I was never really at ease leaving her with someone else. You’ve both grown up under my watch. If you think it’s right, why not give it a try?”

For some reason, that night, Zhao Xunyin dreamt of a tiny Shi Nanbei standing in front of her, softly calling her “Xunyin.” When she woke up, she impulsively replied to Shi Nanbei’s grandmother, agreeing to the match—and thus, their story began.

But the pressing matter now was that Zhao Xunyin had just learned her wife had been caught live on camera by paparazzi—and she wasn’t happy. “Which news outlet? Shut that damn live stream down immediately!”

Zhao Xunyin was genuinely angry. Her manager said, “There are already seven or eight hundred thousand viewers watching the live stream, all just to see your wife. If she hadn’t appeared, it would’ve been fine—but she’s on camera now.

No news outlet will give up a chance like this.”

Checking Weibo, the manager looked up. “Oh, and your wife is already trending number one on Weibo. She singlehandedly knocked down two other artists who bought trending spots to promote their new dramas. And the post even has the word —HOT—next to it.”

Zhao Xunyin: “Close your mouth, please!”