Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 23

Yi Qian glanced sideways at Ye Shuyi sitting beside her and feigned nonchalance as she answered, “No.”

Beep~ The red light on the lie detector spun rapidly.

Yi Qian immediately flung the device away, jumping back almost three feet in shock.

She hadn’t expected the electric current to be so strong.

Witnessing the scene, Ye Shuyi couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Director Lu cheerfully picked up the lie detector and waved Yi Qian over with a friendly smile. “Come on, Teacher Yi, your questioning isn’t over yet.”

Clenching her fists, Yi Qian reluctantly returned and sat back down, though clearly displeased.

Director Lu repeated, “Please answer the previous question.”

Yi Qian lifted her gaze with slight impatience. “No correction, yes.”

Ding. The green light lit up.

Satisfied, Director Lu pulled another question from the box, his eyes lighting up again as he read it. “How many exes have you had?”

Yi Qian raised an eyebrow, her tone icy. “So this game is just designed to mess with me, huh?”

While others got simple questions like height and weight, hers were all about exes.

Director Lu smiled warmly. “Not at all! Our show guarantees fairness, transparency, and randomness. Please answer honestly, Teacher Yi.”

Gritting her teeth, Yi Qian threw out a random number. “Eight.”

The lie detector mercilessly flashed red again, shocking her into standing up once more.

Director Lu shook his head with mock disappointment. “Tsk, Teacher Yi, seems you’re not being very truthful.”

Yi Qian shot him a glare before sitting back down and answering flatly, “One.”

At this answer, Director Lu sighed but before she could finish, the lie detector dinged, the green light illuminating. Her mouth fell open slightly in disbelief.

She had assumed Yi Qian was still playing games with the lie detector. If even “eight” was wrong, how could the answer be “one”? Yet it was true only one ex. Then how had Yi Qian earned her reputation as the entertainment industry’s most notorious playgirl?

Cai Yunyoo bounced excitedly, grabbing Long Xiaoqin’s arm. “I knew my idol was the pure-hearted type!”

Huang Xin glanced at her artist and remarked dryly, “Still such a kid. Grow up. Few relationships don’t automatically mean pure-hearted.”

Cai Yunyoo muttered, “Really wish I could tell someone that throwing cold water on people every day won’t kill them.”

Long Xiaoqin patted her arm soothingly.

Director Lu drew a third slip from the box, her expression slightly stunned. She preemptively clarified, “Just to reiterate, Teacher Yi, these questions are absolutely, definitely, 100% random.”

“Third question: What was the last thing you said to your ex when you broke up?”

“Hope you don’t regret it.”

Beep~ The lie detector blared red with unusual enthusiasm. Whether due to prior experience or recalling something, this time Yi Qian barely reacted to the shock, only furrowing her brows tightly.

Director Lu kindly reminded her, “Teacher Yi, as of now, you owe the show sixty bucks.”

After a brief silence, Yi Qian answered softly, “Don’t leave me.”

Cai Yunyoo gasped dramatically. “Wow, turns out my idol isn’t just pure-hearted, she’s also the devoted type!”

Huang Xin rubbed her temples in exasperation.

Director Lu turned to Ye Shuyi sitting on the sofa: “Let’s welcome our final guest, Agent Ye, to come over here.”

Ye Shuyi snapped out of her thoughts, nodded, and walked over to sit in front of the lie detector, placing her hand inside it.

Director Lu: “Is there someone you can’t let go of in your heart?”

Ye Shuyi: “Yes.”

Ding~ The green light lit up.

Director Lu: “What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?”

Ye Shuyi: “I once told someone I didn’t love her.”

Ding~ The green light lit up.

Director Lu: “Your least favorite food.”

Ye Shuyi: “Mushrooms, because I’m allergic.”

Ding~ All green lights.

Director Lu looked somewhat disappointed: “Agent Ye is really quite honest.”

Ye Shuyi smiled slightly: “There’s nothing I can’t say.”

Yi Qian stared at the back of the person answering questions, her gaze deep and unreadable.

Huang Xin glanced at Yi Qian sitting on the sofa and asked casually: “Agent Ye, is your mushroom allergy the kind that would send you to the hospital?”

Ye Shuyi nodded: “Yes, how did you know?”

Huang Xin: “Because when I tried to put mushrooms in the pot tonight, someone stopped me and said she was allergic to mushrooms, the kind that would send her to the hospital.”

Yi Qian: “……”

No need to remember her words so precisely.

Ye Shuyi guessed what had happened but still asked: “What a coincidence? Who was it?”

Cai Yunyoo exclaimed loudly: “Sister Yi! We all know, it was her who said she’s allergic to mushrooms. That’s why I didn’t eat my favorite mushrooms tonight.”

All eyes instantly focused on Yi Qian.

Yi Qian cleared her throat: “If I say I’m allergic, then I’m allergic. What, is only one person in the world allowed to be allergic to mushrooms?”

Huang Xin said calmly: “Isn’t Miss Yi overreacting a bit? We didn’t say anything.”

Yi Qian stood up, her expression cool without a trace of guilt: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head upstairs first.”

As everyone watched her retreating figure, Huang Xin curled her lips and murmured: “Tsk, what an actress.”

After showering and stepping out of the bathroom, Yi Qian was hit by the chilly air in the room and sneezed. Just then, the door opened as Ye Shuyi entered carrying a quilt, a pillow, and two sets of toiletries.

Only then did Yi Qian realize what was wrong with the room.

The room had warm yellow carpeting, a wardrobe near the bathroom door, and two beds separated by a small nightstand nothing unusual at first glance.

The problem was that the beds were completely bare, no quilts or pillows.

At that moment, a voice came through the installed speaker:

“Testing, testing. Just an announcement some guests asked when the heating will be turned on. Let me clarify that everything you use during filming needs to be paid for. If you want heating in your room, come find me in the director’s office, 50 yuan per night. Sweet dreams, over.”

Yi Qian looked hopefully at Ye Shuyi beside her, who showed her the remaining 10 yuan in her hand, shrugged slightly as if to say “can’t help,” then went to the wardrobe for pajamas before entering the bathroom.

Yi Qian looked at the empty bed and immediately began self-brainwashing: I’m not cold, I’m not cold!

When Ye Shuyi stepped out of the bathroom, Yi Qian was already in bed, curled up under her own down jacket with only her sock-clad feet exposed. The occasional twitch of her ankles betrayed that she wasn’t asleep yet.

On such a cold night, the pain in her ankles must be keeping her awake.

The truth was, Ye Shuyi had always kept tabs on everything about Yi Qian. But no matter how closely she followed, she could only gather fragments of information about her online.

She knew Yi Qian had been injured during filming, a fall from about one story high while on wires. When fans on set posted the footage, it caused quite a stir. However, Yi Qian’s studio quickly issued a statement claiming the injury was minor.

But before the show, Manager Zhang had told her the truth: Yi Qian had actually fractured her ankle in that accident. The healed injury left lingering effects, flaring up in cold weather if not properly kept warm. In winter, she practically survived on heating alone.

Manager Zhang had repeatedly warned her no letting Yi Qian soak in icy water, no letting her ankles get cold.

Watching the subtle shifts in Yi Qian’s feet, it was clear the pain had become unbearable.

So she’d rather freeze than say a single word to her? Did Yi Qian really think she was that heartless?

Ye Shuyi sighed and shook her head.

After tidying up, she pulled something from the closet, turned off the lights by the door, and climbed into bed.

Only when the room fell completely silent did Yi Qian slowly peek out from under the jacket. Her eyes darted toward the opposite bed, but seeing no movement as if Ye Shuyi had already fallen asleep, she frowned.

Had Manager Zhang not made things clear enough? Or did Ye Shuyi truly not care about her anymore? Wrapped tightly in her own arms, she looked like a child who’d been wronged and left unloved.

A short while later, rustling sounds came from the neighboring bed, making Yi Qian’s heart leap into her throat. But the noise soon faded as footsteps retreated toward the bathroom.

Her mood instantly plummeted.

Deep down, she knew Ye Shuyi wouldn’t be so cruel as to let her shiver all night if she just asked. Yet, for some reason, tonight she refused to speak up. Besides, if the person in tonight’s Q&A had been her, surely Ye Shuyi wouldn’t have remained indifferent.

A piece of candy begged for tastes the same, but somehow feels less sweet.

And after all the hints she’d dropped, if Ye Shuyi still ignored her, it could only mean one thing.

Resigned, Yi Qian closed her eyes. Night was just a blink away tomorrow, she’d focus on work and making money.

But the sharp, throbbing pain in her ankles refused to be ignored.

Just then, something warm suddenly slipped over her feet. Before she could react, a warm body pressed against her, and a thick, heated blanket draped over her, cocooning her completely.

Yi Qian stiffened slightly. “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ye Shuyi replied flatly. “Sleeping together. It’s warmer.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Yi Qian muttered stubbornly.

Ye Shuyi: “I’m not pitying you. I’m pitying a certain injured ankle from the past.”

Yi Qian: “……”

If she remembered correctly, that ankle was hers.

“You knew?”

Ye Shuyi: “Mhm. A competent agent should know these things about their artist.”

Yi Qian fell silent for a moment before abruptly throwing off the blanket.

The night was still as water, the darkness dim. The streetlights in the community shone brightly, their glow seeping through the glass door into the room, leaving it not so dark that nothing could be seen.

In the hazy dimness, Ye Shuyi glanced at the other’s expression and curved her lips slightly. Clearly, the other was dissatisfied with her answer and was now sulking.

She pulled the blanket back over her, then casually wrapped an arm around her waist to pin her hand down, coaxing, “How about this ask me one more question.”

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