After My Flash Marriage with the Movie Queen - Chapter 9

Hearing that, Zhao Xunyin couldn’t help but laugh. She walked over and lightly patted Shi Nanbei’s cheek, her tone indulgent.

“Little one, you already think I’m great?”

Were kids these days really this easy to please? Just one cabinet full of cosmetics and that’s enough?

Shi Nanbei nodded seriously. “Whoever says you’re not, I’ll beat them up!”

“Alright.” Zhao Xunyin didn’t take the child’s words to heart. She pulled Shi Nanbei over to the mirror, opened an array of bottles and jars, and began applying skincare products for her.

“You’re already very pretty. You don’t even need makeup to look good. But girls still need to take care of their skin, okay? First comes toner, then—don’t move—this is serum. I’ve always used this brand, the Little Black Bottle.”

Her gaze softened with focus as she earnestly recommended various skincare products to Shi Nanbei.

“Do you usually use serum?”

Shi Nanbei tried to shake her head but Zhao Xunyin’s hand was gently cupping her chin. Her hands were long and slender, with delicate joints and soft fingertips—hands that any woman would envy.

“No, I don’t. I’m still young. I usually just use Dabao lotion.”

Zhao Xunyin chuckled. “Twenty one’s not too young. You can start now. Good skincare habits start early—otherwise, when you get older, your face will be full of fine lines. If you’re a celebrity, you’ll even have to pay for facelifts.”

At that, Shi Nanbei suddenly remembered a recent gossip thread on Weibo.

“Oh right, do you know a lot of celebrities?”

“More or less,” Zhao Xunyin replied modestly, though in truth, she knew over half the entertainment industry—many of them personal friends. “Why? Do you want an autograph? Whose fan are you?”

Wasn’t this kid supposed to be her fan?

“No, no,” Shi Nanbei’s eyes sparkled. “It’s just, a few days ago, someone exposed that a young idol was being kept by a rich woman. Is that true?”

Zhao Xunyin smiled and teasingly tapped the tip of Shi Nanbei’s nose. “You really want to know?”

“Yes!”

What she didn’t say was that the young idol in question happened to be the favorite of a girl in her class—someone who often clashed with Wu Lili.

When the scandal broke, Wu Lili, ever the spectator, posted a 32-character-long “hahahahahaha” on Weibo—complete with her location tag. Unfortunately, that very post got seen by the idol’s fan. The two almost came to blows after class.

Wu Lili scorned, “That idol’s got no morals. Total gigolo.”

The other girl, a devoted fan, shot back, “What do you know? Do you have any idea how hard he works? Stop slandering him!”

The argument escalated fast. Furious, the girl then retaliated, “You think my taste is bad? Your idol Zhao Xunyin became a film queen by sleeping her way up! With men and women both! How clean can she be?”

That was the last straw for Wu Lili, who nearly lunged to tear her mouth open. And as Zhao Xunyin’s legal wife, Shi Nanbei couldn’t stand still either.

Forget the fact that Zhao Xunyin was now her wife—just hearing such nonsense was infuriating.

What kind of outdated logic was this? That a successful actress must’ve “slept her way” up?

If not for their four other roommates holding them back, that girl’s mouth would’ve been shredded on the spot.

Later, Wu Lili patted Shi Nanbei’s shoulder approvingly.

“Good job today! Mommy’s proud of you. When I marry Zhao Xunyin, you can give two hundred yuan less as your wedding gift.”

Shi Nanbei stared blankly at Wu Lili’s lovestruck expression every time she mentioned Zhao Xunyin. For a long moment, she couldn’t figure out how to eventually tell her that she and Zhao Xunyin were already married.

She’d probably be murdered on the spot.

“So, you’re a gossip-loving kid, huh?” Zhao Xunyin asked.

“Uh-huh!”

After finishing Shi Nanbei’s skincare, Zhao Xunyin started applying her own. Shi Nanbei didn’t leave but stood by her side, watching like a curious kitten. Zhao Xunyin sighed helplessly.

“That young idol’s done for. The rich woman keeping him is a married executive at an entertainment company.”

Shi Nanbei’s eyes went wide. She’d thought it was just a transactional thing—but there was infidelity involved too?

“Seriously?”

“Mm-hm.” Zhao Xunyin’s tone was calm. She’d been in the industry long enough that such things no longer surprised her.

That boy had brought it upon himself. Relationships between artists and wealthy benefactors were nothing new—but if you go that route, you should be ready for the fallout. He’d gotten greedy, tried to blackmail his sugar mommy after deciding to dump her.

But you don’t threaten a woman who’s powerful and ruthless. The executive retaliated by leaking everything herself. Her marriage was already falling apart, and if she could disgust her cheating husband in the process, all the better.

When Zhao Xunyin finished the story, the pure-minded Shi Nanbei was stunned. She had never heard gossip this concrete before.

“Then, can he still keep being a celebrity?” she asked dumbly.

Zhao Xunyin chuckled softly at her innocence. “Theoretically, no. His company’s already frozen him out. Unless another investor takes a liking to him, he’s probably finished.”

Shi Nanbei thought back to how popular that idol had been when she was a freshman, and compared it to the ridicule he now faced online. She couldn’t help but sigh, “The entertainment industry is so tough and so complicated.”

“Am I complicated too?” Zhao Xunyin turned to her with a smile.

Shi Nanbei looked at her carefully, then said solemnly, “You’re not complicated.”

Just as Zhao Xunyin’s lips began to curl into a smile, Shi Nanbei added, “You are the complication itself.”

Zhao Xunyin: “…”

This kid was going to be the death of her someday.

“How so?” she asked, crossing her arms.

Shi Nanbei thought about it and decided to be honest.

“Well, I heard you had a few exes?”

Even though they were married, she figured it wasn’t too late to ask.

Zhao Xunyin immediately understood what was going on in that little head. She nodded.

“Yes, I did. But I was never anyone’s sugar baby.”

Hearing her admit it still made Shi Nanbei’s heart feel oddly sour. She puffed her cheeks.

“I don’t even have a single ex.”

Zhao Xunyin laughed but said gently, “I’m thirty-four. Of course I’ve had past relationships. But they’re in the past, aren’t they?”

She reached out and took Shi Nanbei’s hand, soothing her.

“You’re my present—and my future.”

That line did the trick. Shi Nanbei, simple as she was, tilted her head, thinking hard.

“I mean, I wasn’t trying to be unreasonable. I’m just curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“Why did you marry me?” she asked softly, nibbling on her finger. “I’m not that smart, just a student. I look okay, maybe a little cute. But what do you even like about me?”

Zhao Xunyin nearly burst out laughing when she heard Shi Nanbei describe herself as “a little cute” in that soft, milky tone. She ruffled her hair with a mysterious smile.

“You’ll understand later.”

When you reach my age—after losing and finding again—you’ll know how rare someone as clean-hearted as you truly is.

Shi Nanbei still had many questions she wanted to ask, but seeing that Zhao Xunyin didn’t want to elaborate, she didn’t push.

After all, marriage meant giving each other space.

For someone young, she surprisingly grasped that principle quite well.

By the time they finished washing up, it was already past eight. Zhao Xunyin checked the clock, a little apologetic.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice the time. You must be hungry. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Shi Nanbei obediently nodded. Whatever Zhao Xunyin said, she followed—like the perfect little wife.

“Okay!”

“So good,” Zhao Xunyin praised again, unable to help herself. Even knowing this little devil had her mischievous side, that innocent face was disarming.

Truthfully, she’d only agreed to the blind date because of Shi Nanbei’s grandmother. But when she saw Shi Nanbei again, she couldn’t help recalling the little girl from years ago clinging to her leg, looking up and calling her “jiejie.”

At first, she thought it would be just one day—but the more time she spent with Shi Nanbei, the more at ease she felt.

Perhaps that was the beauty of being with someone so young. Perhaps that was Shi Nanbei’s greatest charm. For years, Zhao Xunyin had worn the mask of “Best Actress Zhao,” meeting countless people, living through endless roles, until she’d nearly forgotten who she truly was.

But when she stood before Shi Nanbei, she remembered.

With Shi Nanbei, it felt like looking into a crystal-clear lake—every emotion transparent, every thought pure and unfiltered. No suspicion. No pretense.

Just a heart, laid bare.

And that, indeed, was a whole new experience.

Before coming to Chengdu, her boss had sighed when he heard about her blind date.

“Maybe the beauty of life,” he’d said, “lies in our impulsive moments.”

She had laughed back then, saying, “I’m not the impulsive type.”

And she wasn’t—until she met Shi Nanbei.

Because that little girl had really grown up.