When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 41

Jiang Yan felt utterly disgusted, yet she couldn’t move. Watching Yu Shuang’s face get closer and closer, she suddenly squeezed her eyes shut.

“Bang!” With a loud crash, the door to the dressing room was kicked open from the outside. The person who entered carried a wave of fury. Before even getting close, a long leg shot out and forcefully kicked Yu Shuang onto the floor.

“Yu Shuang, you’ve gone too far.”

The tone wasn’t overtly furious, but it contained a sharp coldness, like a keen dagger.

Qin Yishu only gave Yu Shuang an extremely cold and gloomy look. She then pulled her “little friend” into her arms and softly asked, “Are you alright? Did she do anything to you?”

At this moment, Jiang Yan felt as if Qin Yishu was the peerless hero arriving on seven-colored auspicious clouds. She wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes and whispered that she was fine.

After all, both of them had tens of millions of fans. If this scandal escalated and got out, it would be tomorrow’s entertainment headline.

“Great film empress Qin, you’ve just used violence against me.”

Yu Shuang stood up, pointing to the scrape on her arm, looking completely unconcerned, as if the act of forcing herself upon Jiang Yan moments ago hadn’t happened.

Jiang Yan felt an inexplicable rush of anger. She fiercely pinched her thigh, and tears instantly streamed out of her eyes.

“Let’s go. She’s so scary. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I don’t know what would have happened.”

A beauty in tears would make anyone’s heart ache, and Qin Yishu certainly couldn’t tolerate it. She also regretted leaving her “little thing” here alone.

Jiang Yan had the look of a little white rabbit—anyone who saw her would want to take a bite, especially a vicious person like Yu Shuang.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I won’t let her hurt you.”

Jiang Yan timidly asked, “Will you protect me?”

Qin Yishu held Jiang Yan even tighter and nodded solemnly. “Yes, I will protect you, no matter what the circumstances are.”

Yu Shuang licked her lips with a sly smile, pinched her still bleeding arm, and casually said, “Oh, my, my. Since you two are so inseparable, I won’t interrupt you. I certainly don’t eat dog food.”

Seeing that Yu Shuang was about to leave, Qin Yishu picked up a potted mini-cactus from a nearby shelf and threw it at her. The force was so great that after it hit Yu Shuang’s shoulder, she stumbled forward.

“Are you sick?” She turned back and looked at Qin Yishu.

Qin Yishu remained stone-faced, and hearing this, her expression grew even colder, her voice like a poison-laced knife.

“Apologize!”

Seeing this, Jiang Yan thought it would be improper not to fan the flames.

She tugged at Qin Yishu’s sleeve, her voice soft and sweet: “Forget it. She only pinched my chin. It’s nothing serious. You don’t need to break ties with her for my sake.”

Hearing this, Qin Yishu grew even angrier. If she didn’t need to comfort her “little thing,” she would have gone over and taught Yu Shuang a lesson long ago.

Usually, even if Yu Shuang messed around in front of her, Qin Yishu maintained the principle of minding her own business and never paid attention. But Yu Shuang should not have turned her focus onto her person.

Her “little thing” was so simple and pure; what if she ended up with a psychological trauma?

The more she thought about it, Qin Yishu’s fury grew several magnitudes higher.

Yu Shuang smiled at the corners of her mouth, her eyes never leaving Jiang Yan.

She somehow felt that this “little friend” seemed to be mediating, but was actually continuously stirring up trouble, making even someone as calm and restrained as Qin Yishu resort to violence.

An interesting person indeed; she was becoming more and more intrigued.

“Little friend—oh, no, Little Sister Jiang Yan. What happened today was me losing control. Please, let bygones be bygones and forgive me.”

Jiang Yan didn’t expect Yu Shuang to be so agreeable and capable of submission.

She didn’t reply, instead snuggling closer into Qin Yishu’s embrace, which, in Qin Yishu’s view, meant she was terrified of Yu Shuang.

Qin Yishu also found Yu Shuang an eyesore and said impatiently, “Get lost!”

It was true that they couldn’t completely sever ties right now. If a scandal spread, she would be very troubled.

However, just because it couldn’t be done openly didn’t mean it couldn’t be done secretly. She heard that the Xiang brand was looking for a spokesperson, and the higher-ups were considering both her and Yu Shuang. Yu Shuang’s team was already actively negotiating.

Initially, she hadn’t planned to compete for this, as she already had a “blue chip” endorsement in hand, but now she had changed her mind.

This endorsement could land in anyone’s hands, except Yu Shuang’s.

Because of her chaotic private life, Yu Shuang was notorious in the industry, so many directors avoided using her. She didn’t have many influential, top-grossing films and relied entirely on commercial endorsements to maintain her star status. If she lost this endorsement, she wouldn’t have any other good ones this year.

After all, if she were rejected by the Xiang brand, other major brands of equal standing wouldn’t use her either.

With this thought, Qin Yishu’s expression finally softened a bit. She stroked Jiang Yan’s head and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t cry. The bad person has already been chased away by me.”

Jiang Yan found her method quite childish, but for some reason, the words sounded vaguely familiar.

“Mm-hmm, now that you’re here, I’m not scared anymore.”

Qin Yishu picked up the trench coat from the sofa, draped it over her, and led her out.

“Let’s go home.”

Jiang Yan obediently followed her, feeling the warmth from the palm of her hand. Her heart gradually calmed down, and the feeling of revulsion Yu Shuang had given her slowly disappeared.

Back at home, Qin Yishu settled her on the sofa and handed her a stuffed toy.

“Be a good girl. Play with the little bear first. I’ll go run a bath for you.”

Jiang Yan looked at the little duck in her hand, three black lines appearing on her forehead.

After preparing the bathwater, Qin Yishu pulled Jiang Yan into the bathroom and gently unzipped her dress.

Jiang Yan hadn’t fully recovered her composure. She quickly grabbed Qin Yishu’s hand and nervously said, “I’ll wash myself. You should go out.”

Otherwise, she didn’t know what might happen while she was bathing. This woman had too much energy and didn’t know what fatigue was.

She had truly experienced it several times and was absolutely determined not to be led by the nose again.

Qin Yishu curved her lips, reached out, and flicked her cheek, then turned and left the bathroom.

It was a good time for her to deal with some matters, too.

Stepping out of the bathroom, the smile vanished from Qin Yishu’s face, replaced by a gaze frozen with ice.

It was a miracle that someone as willful and unruly as Yu Shuang could still stay in this industry. Since others dared not do anything to her, she would start.

Others might fear her, but she certainly did not.

Since Yu Shuang laid a hand on her “little thing,” she should have expected the consequences.

While Jiang Yan was bathing, the system notification sound from Oscar rang out.

[Congratulations to the Host! The target’s Blackening Value has decreased by five. The current total Blackening Value is eighty.]

Jiang Yan snapped her eyes open and sat up straight.

This isn’t right!

Qin Yishu’s Blackening Value was already eighty. How could it still be eighty after a five-point decrease?

“Little Oscar, you should find time to brush up on your math. You seem to really need it.”

Oscar huffed haughtily and replied: [Last night—no, early this morning—Qin Yishu’s Blackening Value increased by five points, bringing the total to eighty-five. It has now decreased by five points, making it eighty again.]

Jiang Yan was shocked. When did that happen? She had absolutely no memory of it!

“You didn’t report it to me?”

[I personally suggest that the Host clean out their ears. That way, they won’t miss the notification next time, oh.]

Oscar retorted and then quickly slipped away, afraid of the Host’s retaliation.

Jiang Yan was filled with impotent rage, slamming her two fists on the water surface, causing splashing water to hit her face.

This awful woman looked gentle but was quite difficult to deal with. She was practically half-dead from exhaustion last night, yet the woman still wasn’t satisfied.

The person involved was currently furious, extremely furious.

Thus, Qin Yishu, who was on the phone, saw the little white rabbit wrapped in a bath towel, with a look of extreme dissatisfaction on her face.

Her hand paused, and her eyes darkened.

She hastily hung up the phone and rushed to the little white rabbit, asking what was wrong.

Jiang Yan secretly rolled her eyes, not really wanting to talk. But she didn’t realize how enticing she looked until Qin Yishu pulled her into her arms. Only then did she react and try to struggle.

“Are you going to tell me or not? If you don’t, don’t think about sleeping tonight.”

The moment Jiang Yan heard the word “sleep,” she reacted excessively, as if a certain area had started to faintly ache again.

“Let go of me. I want to go to sleep.”

She wasn’t particularly sleepy, but staying near Qin Yishu was definitely very dangerous. She could already see the surging desire in the other woman’s eyes.

Qin Yishu gently bit her on the cheek and then released her hand. “Go on, then. I’ll call you when the takeout arrives.”

Although she also wanted to do something, her “little thing’s” body couldn’t handle it. If she wasn’t restrained, she would get hurt.

Jiang Yan quickly ran into the bedroom and wrapped herself in the quilt. No sooner had she lain down for two minutes than her phone rang.

Jiang Yan picked up her phone; the two words “Zhuo Wei” were flashing on the screen.

Without a second thought, she hung up. Since she had already achieved her goal, she naturally wouldn’t have any further connection with them.

However, Jiang Yan still had professional ethics. She returned the 10,000 yuan Zhuo Wei had sent and also “resigned.”

Zhuo Wei didn’t accept the transfer back and urged her to reconsider, saying he highly valued Jiang Yan’s abilities and hoped she could become a member of the “Ba Le Ge Gua” (Gossip) magazine, where she could look forward to promotions and raises, and one day become the feared “Number One Paparazzo” in the industry.

Jiang Yan looked at his message and inexplicably wanted to laugh.

Feared wasn’t quite right; universally hated was more like it.

Besides, what could the Number One Paparazzo do? Maybe they hadn’t even met Qin Yishu, yet she was now sleeping in Qin Yishu’s bed.

Thinking about this, Jiang Yan felt that her approach to Qin Yishu was a bit too easy.

Didn’t the woman suspect that she might actually be sent by a rival?

Jiang Yan couldn’t figure it out. She rolled around on the bed until Qin Yishu pinned her down.

“Get up and eat, Silkworm Baby.”

Jiang Yan poked her head out from under the quilt and asked, puzzled, “What Silkworm Baby?”

“You’ve wrapped yourself up like a silkworm cocoon and are wriggling around like that, so aren’t you a Silkworm Baby?”

When Jiang Yan heard the word “wriggle,” she was inexplicably reminded of an unpleasant creature, and her stomach felt a little uneasy.

Qin Yishu was still “considerate,” ordering only bland, mild food, which Jiang Yan found somewhat flavorless. She hadn’t been a big fan of spicy food before, but in this world, she had an unexplained craving for it. Eating bland food for several meals in a row left her with a constant feeling of emptiness, as if she hadn’t eaten enough.

Qin Yishu noticed and asked if the food wasn’t to her taste. Jiang Yan nodded, explained her thoughts, but met with Qin Yishu’s non-harsh but firm rejection.

“Why can’t I eat spicy food?” Jiang Yan complained.

Qin Yishu tucked a piece of watermelon into her mouth, smiling with an air of secrecy.

Jiang Yan didn’t get an answer. After sitting for a while, Qin Yishu hauled her off to bed.

She initially thought it would be another tug-of-war, but unexpectedly, Qin Yishu was very well-behaved, merely holding her to sleep without any excessive movements.

At first, Jiang Yan thought she was just putting on an act to gain her trust, but after confirming there were no improper intentions, she slept soundly.

Qin Yishu looked at the “little thing” sleeping peacefully in her arms and sighed.

The little white rabbit was too delicious, but she could only look and not eat. She wouldn’t be able to sleep again tonight.

…

Qin Yishu hadn’t worked for several days straight, which Jiang Yan thought was unscientific. She asked about it indirectly and learned that Qin Yishu had saved up all her rest days for this period, solely to spend time with her.

When Jiang Yan heard the answer, all she felt was surprise and confusion.

They had only been together for a week at most. Qin Yishu gave up work for her?

Analyzing this with normal human thinking, it was impossible.

So, she figured Qin Yishu probably just wanted to rest, but since she asked, she used it as an opportunity to flatter her. There was no harm in it anyway.

After all, didn’t she have to humor her in bed anyway? This way, she could kill two birds with one stone.

Not only was Jiang Yan not touched, but she also found Qin Yishu’s trick quite clumsy. Therefore, she went to the guest room early that evening and locked the door. She just didn’t know why she woke up in Qin Yishu’s arms.

“Morning, baby.” Qin Yishu greeted her, looking energetic.

Jiang Yan sighed silently and glanced at the door lock.

“I forgot to tell you, the locks at home are specially made. You can’t lock them from the inside.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Then why was Qin Yishu outside last night, insisting she open the door? It really was a multi-layered scheme.

Having rested enough, Qin Yishu was forced to “go to work.” The first thing she did was officially announce her endorsement for the Xiang brand.

Many people in the entertainment industry have very sharp instincts. They had already been saying that Yu Shuang would become the Xiang brand’s spokesperson, but the official announcement was Qin Yishu.

A segment of Yu Shuang’s fans was displeased and began to hint that Qin Yishu had used improper means to secure the endorsement. Many people followed suit, with thousands of reposts. Qin Yishu’s team didn’t offer any lengthy explanation; they simply sued the people who published the false rumors. Those who had been acting aggressively under Qin Yishu’s Weibo instantly quieted down.

Jiang Yan fought a three-hundred-round battle with the anti-fans, directly forcing one of them to delete their account.

Actually, she didn’t say anything particularly harsh. She just stated facts, reasoned logically, and tossed in some colorful language for good measure, which the anti-fan couldn’t handle.

Sure enough, all reactionaries are paper tigers.

Qin Yishu’s work proceeded as usual, completely unaffected by the public opinion. However, coincidentally, the Ma-Tong TV station paired her with Yu Shuang again.

It was a variety show contract signed beforehand. Qin Yishu wouldn’t breach a contract temporarily, as it would damage her professional ethics, and she couldn’t be bothered to do so anyway.

Yu Shuang had been navigating the industry for many years, relying solely on her thick skin. No matter how unpleasant things were privately, she could act like close sisters in front of the cameras.

Ma-Tong TV was always adept at using public opinion and editing to create conflict, so they deliberately brought the two together to generate a strange “chemical reaction.”

Initially, the two greeted the audience separately and followed the host’s script. Everything seemed harmonious.

But when they reached the game segment, the atmosphere of confrontation emerged.

The two took turns attacking each other, and the scene nearly spiraled out of control. Fortunately, the host reacted quickly. They stopped the segment when the time was up and said some encouraging words. With the help of the other hosts to smooth things over, the segment concluded without major incident.

By the end, Qin Yishu’s face was already quite unpleasant; she didn’t even spare Yu Shuang a glance.

The two had been close to each other moments ago, and she had personally heard Yu Shuang say that she would get her “little thing” no matter what and taste her deliciousness.

That was why she couldn’t restrain herself and slammed the inflatable hammer in her hand down hard.

She regretted that what she held wasn’t made of iron. Otherwise, she would have taught her a lesson and let her know that not everything could be coveted.

Jiang Yan watched from the audience, her heart pounding, wishing she could rush up to mediate for Qin Yishu.

Yu Shuang was clearly trying to provoke her. Qin Yishu couldn’t fall for her trick, or she would only fulfill the intentions of both Yu Shuang and Ma-Tong TV.

After all, it hadn’t been long since she won the Golden Lion Award. If negative news like acting like a diva or violence spread, it would be detrimental to her reputation.

During the fifteen-minute break, Jiang Yan handed Qin Yishu a bottle of water and asked if she was okay.

Qin Yishu said she was fine and smiled as she stroked her head.

Jiang Yan subtly dodged the touch, glanced around, and reminded Qin Yishu to be discreet. This place was a mixed bag, and paparazzi could be lurking anywhere.

Qin Yishu didn’t seem to care much. While the makeup artist was touching up her makeup, she was still joking with Jiang Yan, making many fans envious.

Jiang Yan stood three steps away, maintaining a safe distance. Before Qin Yishu went back on stage, she reminded her one more time not to clash with Yu Shuang.

Qin Yishu mouthed the word “Relax,” and then composedly went back on stage.

After a short break, the atmosphere was noticeably better. Just when the host breathed a sigh of relief, a problem arose in the last game segment.

Things were going fine, but Yu Shuang suddenly pushed Qin Yishu off a two-meter-high mat. If there hadn’t been foam padding underneath, Qin Yishu would surely have been injured.

The three hosts were so scared their microphones dropped. They rushed over simultaneously, and the on-site medical staff also rushed forward to check on Qin Yishu, forcing the recording to stop.

Jiang Yan was also terrified, but she could only worry from the periphery, unable to squeeze to the front.

After Qin Yishu got up, she said to Jiang Yan’s direction that she was fine, and only then did Jiang Yan feel relieved.

The fans were enraged, shouting that they wanted to go and physically tear Yu Shuang apart. They started arguing with Yu Shuang’s fans, making the scene even more chaotic.

Qin Yishu left the stage early. Before leaving, she glanced at the chillingly dark Yu Shuang, her eyes full of disdain.

Who couldn’t use provocation? She had stopped playing that trick over ten years ago.

On the way back, Jiang Yan curiously asked, “What happened between you and Yu Shuang? Why did she suddenly seem like a different person?”

Even now, recalling Yu Shuang’s gaze made her feel uneasy.

Qin Yishu hooked her finger through Jiang Yan’s hair and said casually, “Nothing. Just giving her a taste of her own medicine.”

Could Yu Shuang be allowed to constantly talk about getting her “little thing,” but she wasn’t allowed to retaliate?

She knew Yu Shuang’s weakness very well. It was just that before, their rivalry was mostly commercial, and there was no need to use the other person’s weaknesses to attack them.

But now was different. She had to protect her “little thing.”

Jiang Yan pouted. If she wouldn’t say, then so be it. She wasn’t that interested in knowing anyway.

Before they even reached home, candid photos of Qin Yishu were already circulating, with some strange content mixed in.

While Jiang Yan was scrolling through Weibo, she saw herself, and the position was very subtle; she and Qin Yishu looked as if they were kissing.

She felt a moment of panic and quickly checked the comments. Fortunately, the fans were focused on Qin Yishu’s beauty, and no one found the picture strange.

Some people even posted animated GIFs below, and the fans’ focus was on how their “Jiejie” (older sister) could actually smile.

Jiang Yan looked at Qin Yishu, who was sitting with her eyes closed and deep, cold features. Compared to the stunningly beautiful smile in the GIF, the contrast was quite significant.

“If you keep looking, I’m going to lose control.” Qin Yishu slowly opened her eyes, with a strange light flowing within them.

Jiang Yan quickly scooted to the side, curling up into a ball.

She was here to lower Qin Yishu’s Blackening Value, not to deliver herself to be food. Qin Yishu seemed to be addicted to “eating” her. In public, she maintained a cold, unapproachable demeanor, but in private, she spoke constant double entendres. Jiang Yan felt inferior, regretting that she wasn’t more of a veteran!

Qin Yishu saw her being so defensive and didn’t get angry. Instead, she curved her lips into a smile and then closed her eyes again.

The little white rabbit’s body was too weak. She couldn’t handle even slight intensity and would get hurt. She needed to let her properly nourish her body first.

The car stopped outside the neighborhood gate. Qin Yishu took advantage of the deserted surroundings to hook Jiang Yan’s hand and lead her back together.

Jiang Yan subconsciously tried to pull her hand away but was held even tighter.