She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Scandal — A Melodramatic Masterpiece

The explanation had lasted until very late. Eventually, in the haze between sleep and wakefulness, Lu Shuyu thought she heard the sound of Xia Leshuang leaving.

When she finally jolted awake, the sun was already high in the sky. Xia Leshuang’s bedroom door was open; the pillows and blankets on the bed were spread out neatly and tidily.

Lu Shuyu rubbed her eyes and laughed to herself: Didn’t she say she was going to take the pillow with her?

Walking back to her own bedroom, she found a sticky note on her door.

— Shuyu, I’m heading out. See you soon.

She pulled open her desk drawer, revealing a pale green diary. However, Lu Shuyu didn’t use it for journaling; instead, it served as a collection for every note Xia Leshuang had left her since their reunion.

She stuck the new note onto a fresh page and flipped back through the book. She hadn’t realized she had already collected quite a few.

“How does her handwriting keep getting prettier?” she murmured with a smile.

After tucking the diary back into the drawer, she finally remembered to check her phone.

— I’m taking off! [Photo of airplane window view.jpg] — Arrived in City H! [Photo of City H airport.jpg] — Checked into the hotel~ [Photo of room.jpg] — Script reading is about to start! [Photo of meeting room.jpg]

After scrolling through the messages several times, Lu Shuyu couldn’t help but collapse onto her bed, burying her face in the soft quilt for a long time before looking up.

What was this… Was this a play-by-play report typically used by “couples in a long-distance relationship”?

After thinking about it with a flushed face for a long time, Lu Shuyu finally replied: I just woke up~ Hope the reading goes smoothly!

As soon as she sent the message, she thought to herself that she really needed to find an opportunity to clarify the rumors about her and Min Wutong as soon as possible. Getting up, her eyes caught the pillow again, so she sent another message: You didn’t take your pillow. Do you want me to mail it to you?

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Xia Leshuang replied: Yes! I left in such a rush this morning… I forgot to grab it…

This was the first time Lu Shuyu had entered Xia Leshuang’s bedroom since they started living together. She felt a sudden, uneasy sense of trespassing into a forbidden zone.

Originally, she intended to grab the pillow and leave, but then she remembered how often Xia Leshuang changed her pillowcases. She opened the wardrobe, planning to find a few extra cases to send along.

While searching, she discovered a few other things. For example, a locked old wooden box, recording equipment, and various merchandise from the radio dramas “Er Yu” had voiced.

Lu Shuyu immediately stood up and closed the closet door, feeling a bit awkward. Even though it was accidental, peeking into someone’s privacy was indeed her mistake.

After thinking it over, she sent a message: I’ll just mail the pillow. I couldn’t find where your pillowcases were. Send me the address!

The next morning, she saw Xia Leshuang’s reply sent in the middle of the night.

— The reading just finished… — [Address] — Okay, I’ll just buy some pillow towels later, it’s more convenient.

A few minutes after that, Xia Leshuang sent another one.

— Goodnight, Shuyu. [Moon emoji]

It didn’t just feel like they were in different cities; it felt like they were in different time zones…

“Gosh,” Lu Shuyu muttered. “I’m losing my mind…”

Running her fingers through her hair, she sat up and replied to each one.

— Morning, Teacher Xia! — Got it, mailing it today~ — Hard work! Keep it up today!

Script readings usually lasted several days, and Xia Leshuang rarely had time to chat for more than a few sentences. Before this “long-distance time zone” situation could end, Min Wutong suddenly sent a message: Want to go visit the set?

It was a random message without context, and Lu Shuyu was baffled.

Suddenly, a notification appeared at the top of her screen—Min Wutong had updated her social media account. Ever since they agreed to play along with the “couple” scandal, their accounts had been set to follow each other with “special notifications” turned on.

Thus, Lu Shuyu remembered the other’s posting frequency—usually about once a month, mostly sharing important information from Cherry Entertainment. The last time she posted something with personal emotion was back in February, celebrating the “coming out” of a close friend who was a retired Best Actress.

But now—

@MinWutongV: @ZhouHong stop writing your clichéd, trashy scripts. They’re terrible. Teacher Xia is a signed artist our company values and admires, nothing more.

Cherry Entertainment has specific plans for every artist under its wing. Once signed, we take full responsibility and do not play favorites.

Finally: Teacher Xia’s current crime drama features a female cast of 80%. A series of female-led stories are in development. Self-recommendations are welcome. Looking forward to meeting you!

After scrolling through the trending topics, Lu Shuyu finally understood what had happened.

Yesterday afternoon, a “blind item” scandal had suddenly topped the charts. It claimed a certain actress who had changed her name to make a comeback was refusing to listen to her parents. After winning Best Actress, she had become so arrogant that she looked down on her family’s scripts and refused to act in them.

Later, it claimed she threw herself at the eldest son of a major conglomerate to date him, only to be dumped within a month. She supposedly failed to get any resources and offended people in the process, later hopping over to a new “sugar daddy” just to get a spot on a variety show.

The rumor concluded that the new sugar daddy also looked down on her, so even after her resurgence, she was only given a low-budget, short crime drama.

Although no names were mentioned, it was effectively identifying her. The leaker made no effort to hide it, fearing people wouldn’t guess—they even “liked” several comments in the thread that cracked the code. Several major marketing accounts joined in with snide remarks. While it wasn’t clear who authorized the smear campaign, seeing Min Wutong call out the source directly made the origin obvious.

Lu Shuyu clicked her tongue. So aggressive. No wonder Min Wutong was so furious.

As she finished reading and returned to the search page, a new trending tag appeared. Luo Le and Rong Shu had both reposted Min Wutong’s post, both expressing anticipation for their upcoming collaboration. Indeed, one should never waste free advertising space.

She spent quite a while “eating the melon” (reading the gossip), and Min Wutong, unable to wait any longer, called her directly.

The first thing she said was: “Are you going or not?”

Lu Shuyu was caught between laughter and tears. “President Min, I just finished catching up on the whole story.”

“Oh,” Min Wutong replied. “So, are you going?”

…

Lu Shuyu gave in. Just as she was about to say she’d consider it, the person on the other end was already on the move. “Stay at home, I’m coming to get you.”

Facing the disconnected call, Lu Shuyu had some suspicions. Min Wutong likely wanted to use this opportunity to do something. And she, apparently, was going to be the “tool.”

What a headache, Lu Shuyu thought, rubbing her forehead. But when the boss makes a request, can an employee say no?

The company was close, and Min Wutong arrived in minutes, moving like she had wheels on her feet. Lu Shuyu let her in and joked, “President Min, why didn’t you just use the passcode yourself?”

They had moved in such a hurry that they hadn’t asked, but she and Xia Leshuang both knew this apartment was definitely connected to Min Wutong. Later, after learning it was indeed Min Wutong’s and she was happy to let them pay rent, they stayed. After all, President Min had apartments everywhere; she didn’t lack this one.

“The right to use it belongs to you during your lease,” Min Wutong said while changing shoes. “I don’t have a hobby of trespassing into private residences.”

She had arrived in a rush; sweat beaded on her forehead, and a few strands of hair were stuck to her skin. She looked a bit disheveled. Lu Shuyu, seeing her like this for the first time, quickly poured a glass of ice water. “What happened?”

Min Wutong downed a large gulp and waved her hand. “It’s not about you two.”

Since she put it that way, Lu Shuyu understood. “Relationship issues?”

“Yeah,” Min Wutong surprisingly didn’t snap in embarrassment. “I need you to do me a favor.”

There it is, Lu Shuyu sighed inwardly. She really was being used as a tool. “Go ahead. As long as it’s not too outrageous, I’ll help.”

“Be my ‘scandalous girlfriend’ one more time.”

…

@DailyGossip: Min Wutong, head of Cherry Entertainment, departed for City H today to support Xia Leshuang, breaking rumors of neglect. Interestingly, the person traveling with her seems to be her rumored girlfriend?

— Rumored girlfriend? Am I blind? Are they serious? — Wow, this is explosive… — Isn’t this the producer of “Jin-Jin”? I’ve seen a group photo on Xia Leshuang’s Weibo. — It seems ever since that retired Best Actress boldly came out, a lot of people are starting to make moves. — This is also to break the ‘sugar daddy’ rumors between Min Wutong and Xia Leshuang, right?

The plane landed in City H. On the way to the filming location, Lu Shuyu read the trending topics with a racing heart.

“President Min, are you sure you want to make it this big?”

While she understood that emotional issues were difficult, was Min Wutong really not afraid that using this method to provoke the person she liked would backfire?

“If I had any other way, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Min Wutong said with her eyes closed, sounding exhausted.

Fine. Lu Shuyu stopped talking. She hadn’t even solved her own romantic problems; she couldn’t help anyone else.

At first, she hadn’t agreed to the suggestion. But then she thought about it—this was indeed a perfect opportunity to clear up her own scandal once and for all. As long as Xia Leshuang didn’t get angry after seeing it and was willing to listen to her explanation…

At that thought, a surge of panic rose in her heart. Lu Shuyu looked out the window silently, wishing they would arrive immediately.

When they arrived, Min Wutong went to find Song Qingqiong. Lu Shuyu stayed at the back of the filming area, watching Xia Leshuang work.

The script was a crime thriller, and the protagonist Xia Leshuang played was a detective. Right now, to find clues, she was in civilian clothes carefully investigating a crime scene. Her gaze was sharp and calm, not missing a single detail.

Lu Shuyu felt a surge of warmth in her chest.

Before getting close to Xia Leshuang, she had watched her dramas. Even though they were classmates, she had always felt Leshuang was far away. After becoming familiar, she still felt a sense of surrealism—the Xia Leshuang on screen and the one off screen seemed like two different people. Shuyu felt like an observer who had accidentally broken through the fourth wall and could be kicked out at any moment.

Back then, she had wanted to see what Xia Leshuang looked like while filming—to see how she created a real world. She also wanted to see if she could stop being just a bystander.

That wish was finally being fulfilled ten years later. Even though it had taken a long time, it felt satisfying. Perhaps because of her own experience behind the scenes over the years, she no longer felt like an intruder, but a witness.

She and Xia Leshuang were no longer far apart.

“Director Lu?!” Li Ruowei noticed her and hurried over. “Are you here for a set visit?”

Lu Shuyu made a “shh” gesture and nodded. “I came with President Min.”

Seeing the director about to call “cut,” she said, “Don’t tell her I’m here yet.”

“Also, remind her to check the trending topics!”

She left as soon as she spoke. It took a moment for Li Ruowei to process what she meant. Oh, preparing another surprise? She couldn’t help but check the hot searches first, but her pupils constricted when she saw the tag—

This is a “shock,” not a “surprise,” right…

“OK, cut!” the director shouted. “Teacher Xia was great. Let’s take a ten-minute break before we continue.”

Xia Leshuang walked over quickly. Li Ruowei habitually handed her the phone, her expression conflicted. “Shuang-shuang, um, President Min is here to visit the set.”

Xia Leshuang was startled but quickly realized. “Is it because of what happened yesterday?”

“Yes,” Li Ruowei decided to just let it all out, handing over her phone. “It’s currently hanging on the hot searches.”

[Min Wutong’s Rumored Girlfriend Surnamed Lu]

Xia Leshuang’s face stiffened. She immediately took the phone. But after clicking in and reading the content carefully, she let out a sigh of relief and looked around. “Director Lu came too?”

Li Ruowei froze. A grand melodrama of “tragic love and deep obsession” exploded in her head. For a moment, she didn’t know if she should speak or how to say it.

Seeing her reaction, Xia Leshuang smiled slightly. “Okay, I see.”

Behind a corner not far away, Lu Shuyu was hiding sneakily, looking at the smile on Xia Leshuang’s face with confusion.

What the heck? Did she see it or not? Why does she look kind of happy?

Suddenly, her pocket vibrated. It was a message from Xia Leshuang.

— Dinner together tonight? [Expectant face emoji]