After My Flash Marriage with the Movie Queen - Chapter 67

Zhao Xunyin had no choice. The number of fans was just too overwhelming. If she didn’t stop to greet them, there was no way she could leave. She had only brought one assistant, and calling the company to send a car would take too long. It was far better to figure out a way to get through this first.

So, the reluctantly “on-duty” Zhao Xunyin began signing autographs one by one and taking photos with each fan who requested them. Beside her, Shi Nanbei behaved like a model wife—quietly standing, head lowered, following her along.

Just looking at her, one could almost want to tug at the hem of her clothes—she was that obedient.

At first, the fans hadn’t recognized Shi Nanbei. Partly because she was doing her best to minimize her presence, and partly because she was wearing the mask and baseball cap Zhao Xunyin had handed her when they disembarked from the plane—just in case. And unexpectedly, it had actually worked: the fans genuinely didn’t notice her.

But this situation didn’t last long. Soon, a fan’s phone was jostled out of their hands. Zhao Xunyin, busy signing, hadn’t noticed the commotion behind her. Ironically, the less she paid attention to Shi Nanbei, the safer Shi Nanbei was.

Then the phone got kicked across by the crowd and landed right at Shi Nanbei’s feet. She must have heard the fan’s startled cry because, without hesitation, she bent down and picked it up, handing it back with both hands.

And in that moment of bending and lifting her head, Shi Nanbei’s highly recognizable face was finally revealed. Sharp-eyed fans immediately realized that the person following Zhao Xunyin wasn’t her assistant at all—but Zhao Xunyin’s wife.

“Ahhhh! It’s Little Dumbcutie!”

“Ahhhh, it really is Little Dumbcutie!”

The crowd went wild. The screams were louder than when Zhao Xunyin had first appeared, completely overshadowing her earlier entrance.

Zhao Xunyin, oblivious to what had happened behind her, only noticed the sudden surge in cheers. She froze for a moment. “?”

Were the fans really this devoted to her now? Each cheer seemed louder than the last. If this kept up, how were other popular stars supposed to compete?

Calm down, everyone—she’s an actress, a method actress!

Shi Nanbei, just having stood up, was equally bewildered. Before she could fully grasp the situation, a fan had already thrust a notebook in front of her.

Shi Nanbei blinked. “?”

What was this about?

She stared blankly at the fan and asked, a little confused, “Aren’t you supposed to be asking Xunyin for a signature?”

The fan, skilled at sneaking past the crowd, answered boldly: “We came mainly to see you. Zhao Xunyin is just a bonus. I’m your fan. Could you sign this for me, Little Little Dumbcutie?”

Zhao Xunyin, hearing this, froze mid-signature. “….”

What was going on with the fans these days? They were openly bypassing her—the main star—right in front of her!

Justice? Where is the justice?

Shi Nanbei didn’t care about justice. When she heard someone claim to be her fan and ask for a signature so earnestly, her normally thin cheeks flushed even redder.

Aw, she actually had fans now.

Pride swelled in her chest.

“Do you really want my autograph? I haven’t practiced,” Shi Nanbei said shyly.

“Of course,” the fan replied without hesitation.

Seeing the fan staring so intently at her, Shi Nanbei shyly accepted the notebook. She twisted her body nervously, took the pen, and gracefully wrote a neat line across the page.

Zhao Xunyin had wanted to sneak a peek at what she was writing, but the crowd was too dense. As soon as Shi Nanbei finished signing, the next fan pushed their notebook forward with lightning speed. Even Zhao Xunyin, an acclaimed actress, had never been given such attention, and there was no chance to see what Shi Nanbei wrote.

After finally finishing, Shi Nanbei, feeling the warmth of the fans’ enthusiasm for the second time in her life, remained relatively composed. On the way to the car, she even looked at Zhao Xunyin with a little pride:

“I did pretty well today, right?”

“Of course, you did.” Zhao Xunyin smiled, gently rubbing her wife’s small face. “Everything you do is wonderful, Beibei. Truly worthy of a top student.”

The assistant beside them was completely blindsided. “….”

Why did I even agree to travel abroad with these two and then come back with them?

I hate being single!

Finally back at Zhao Xunyin’s apartment in Shanghai, the two were exhausted. Between the hectic travel schedule and being swarmed by fans at the airport, they had been “on duty” for far too long. After dropping their bags, they both collapsed on the bed for a nap.

In the middle of their deep sleep, Shi Nanbei’s phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.

She was the first to react, though she didn’t wake fully. Still drowsy, she nuzzled into Zhao Xunyin’s arms, whining softly: “Jiejie.”

“Jie, the phone.”

Her sleepy murmur was incredibly sweet, but the phone continued ringing on the bedside table. Zhao Xunyin, finally stirred, instinctively held her wife closer and, eyes closed, asked, “Whose phone is ringing?”

She reached out, finally grabbing the persistently ringing phone, and looked at the screen. It read: “Mother Dearest.”

Zhao Xunyin would never save her mother’s contact like that. Her mother was a character in her own right, someone with a larger-than-life personality. This kind of affectionate nickname would only belong to the other female lead in the room: Shi Nanbei.

Zhao Xunyin cupped Shi Nanbei’s hip with one hand to stop her from nuzzling any closer, while holding her phone out to her with the other. “Your mom is calling,” she said.

But Shi Nanbei was still groggy from sleep. Her brain didn’t register what Zhao Xunyin had said; she assumed it was someone unimportant calling and muttered with her eyes closed, “Hang up.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

So, you’re really grumpy when you just wake up, huh?

She repeated herself, this time emphasizing: “It’s your mom.”

“What?” Shi Nanbei finally registered, her eyes snapping open.

“Your mom,” Zhao Xunyin repeated.

“Oh.”

Shi Nanbei pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear. The next second, she heard herself speaking to her mom in a careful, slightly flustered tone:

“Hello. Mom.”

Zhao Xunyin: “….”

“I’m in Shanghai. Where else would I be?” Shi Nanbei nestled back into Zhao Xunyin’s embrace, eyes still closed.

Zhao Xunyin: “….”

“Whose place else? Of course, I’m at my wife’s place.”

Then, whatever her mom said next jolted Shi Nanbei completely awake. She bolted upright in bed.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Zhao Xunyin, lying beside her, felt her eyelid twitch involuntarily. Sure enough, she heard Shi Nanbei’s voice, nervous and guilty, tremble slightly as she confessed to her mom:

“Yes, we’re married. We got our marriage certificate.”

Zhao Xunyin: “….”

Shi Nanbei glanced at Zhao Xunyin, clearly feeling guilty. Then, taking the phone, she turned away and whispered apologetically into it:

“It’s been three months. I’m sorry, Mom. I really thought I told you.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

If she was Shi Nanbei’s mother, she’d probably have died of frustration too.

Her mom was probably furious. Shi Nanbei was already twenty-one and had long ignored her mother. Now, her mom went straight into full-on scolding mode, making Shi Nanbei kneel on the bed and listen to a reprimand that was nothing short of relentless—almost as if she was going to accuse Shi Nanbei of being brainless.

Shi Nanbei: “….”

Feeling utterly wronged.

The scolding lasted nearly ten minutes. Zhao Xunyin, watching her wife’s expression grow increasingly miserable, finally felt a pang of sympathy. Just as she was about to offer some comfort, she saw Shi Nanbei lift her head and, with eager eyes, hand the phone to her.

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

Shi Nanbei looked like someone who had finally endured a long lecture, suppressing a smile of relief as she said: “Mom wants you to take the call.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

She had known she shouldn’t have worried about Shi Nanbei in the first place.

There was no choice now. Her wife had already handed her over. With her mother-in-law on the line, Zhao Xunyin couldn’t refuse. She braced herself and took the phone.

“Hello, Auntie, this is Zhao Xunyin.”

A strong, commanding female voice came through: “Auntie? You’ve slept with my daughter and you don’t call me Mom?”

Zhao Xunyin froze. “…”

She could now guess where Shi Nanbei inherited her obliviousness.

After about three seconds of awkward silence, Zhao Xunyin said carefully, “Mom, this is Zhao Xunyin.”

“Wait a moment.” Shi Nanbei’s mother seemed to call someone. Half a minute later, she said: “Okay, now speak up. Speak loudly—I’ve put it on speaker.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

That sounded a little strange.

Still, Zhao Xunyin had no choice. She’d never dealt with her mother-in-law before and had no idea how this woman, who had just scolded Shi Nanbei for ten minutes straight, might react. If she said the wrong thing and got scolded too, it would be embarrassing.

Then again, she was thirty-four and married to a young, fresh-faced twenty-one-year-old. No matter how you looked at it, she had the advantage. Now that her mother-in-law knew, a few reprimands were only natural.

Besides, the mother-in-law’s demand wasn’t unreasonable. Shi Nanbei was already married to her; calling her “Mom” was appropriate.

Though, admittedly, this mom was a little unusual.