Zhong Chu turned and hurried out, both anxious about An Yanqing’s injury and desperate to escape the strange atmosphere that made her so embarrassed her jaw nearly hit the floor.
An Yanqing leisurely smoothed the corners of her clothes, a slight smile curving her lips. The room was brightly lit, her dark eyes shimmering under the light.
Her gaze pursued Zhong Chu’s fleeing figure until she vanished completely from sight. Only then did An Yanqing reach back to touch the spot where she had just been handled.
The allergic area was more swollen and red than yesterday, standing out starkly against her fair skin. The collision of red and white was a startling sight.
However, the searing pain was actually less intense than the previous day; as long as it wasn’t touched, the suffering was practically gone.
This matter of showing weakness…
An Yanqing closed her eyes, her fingertips tracing the path Zhong Chu’s fingers had just taken across her skin.
Strangely, despite it being the exact same motion and sensation, the heart-pounding palpitation vanished without a trace when she did it to herself.
She could only press down with deeper, heavier force, her hard knuckles methodically following the intended trajectory. A slight pain surged up—an irrepressible ache mixed with a deep-seated itch—as she attempted to use this form of self-harm to reclaim even a fraction of the feeling Zhong Chu had given her.
The eldest Miss Zhong was proud and overbearing by nature; An Yanqing was intentionally showing weakness before her.
It appeared to be a voluntary retreat, but it was actually a move to gain the upper hand.
An Yanqing opened her eyes again, the depths of her pupils dark and murky. Her long eyelashes lowered, concealing the turbulent, shadowy emotions swirling within.
Her phone rang. She brushed against the bruised area one last, lingering time before answering.
On the other end was her manager, Zhou Qidong—a man consistently grim, efficient, and resolute, whose personality harmonized perfectly with An Yanqing’s.
He wasted no words, starting immediately: “Yanqing, the person who sold your real address to that sasaeng fan has been caught. It was those assistants you dismissed before for privately stealing your unedited photos to sell for money.”
An Yanqing gave a faint hum of affirmation. She had suspected this outcome long ago and wasn’t surprised.
“Those people held a grudge after you kicked them out for their mistakes. That sasaeng isn’t a first-time fanatic and offered a sky-high price for your info, so those few teamed up to screw you over one more time.”
Zhou Qidong’s tone was solemn as he finished the summary, then added: “The evidence has been gathered. The Zhong family’s gold-standard legal team has always been the best in the industry—are you sure you want to completely bypass the company this time and not borrow anyone from Old Master Zhong?”
An Yanqing leaned her back against the hard tabletop; the friction inevitably irritated her wounds. Holding the phone, her expression remained unchanged, her eyes cold as water. “I’m sure. My private affairs don’t require the Zhong family’s interference.”
Zhou Qidong always sought maximum efficiency. Having worked together for years, the two understood each other deeply, and he assumed An Yanqing felt the same. He hadn’t expected her to take the long way around this time.
Hearing her words, Zhou Qidong couldn’t help but advise: “Yanqing, finding our own people won’t be nearly as convenient as relying on the giant trees of Galaxy Media and the Zhong family.”
“Old Master Zhong has always favored you. As long as you speak up, this minor matter is just a simple favor—it wouldn’t even count as a debt. Why must we do twice the work for half the result?”
An Yanqing didn’t reply to that. She quietly watched the small safe sitting crookedly on the table in front of her.
Zhong Chu had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t closed the safe door tightly. Through the narrow gap, a stack of white papers was vaguely visible.
She averted her eyes. Curious as she was, she didn’t look further. “Brother Zhou, there’s no need to disturb the Old Master over such a small thing.”
Zhou Qidong hesitated. “Yanqing, do you think this was just a simple accident?”
An Yanqing slowly stretched her body, her waist lengthening to reveal a sliver of snowy-white skin.
She gave a light chuckle and said softly, “Brother Zhou, there aren’t that many coincidences in this world. Keep asking, keep investigating.”
Zhou Qidong wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard a strange, distorted sense of excitement in those few simple words.
His mind wandered for a moment, dismissing it as a trick of the ear. Then, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, followed by the opening and closing of a door.
A female voice rose at the end of the sentence, her soft, warm tone sounding very much like acting spoiled: “An Yanqing, I brought the medicine box.”
The voice was unfamiliar. As An Yanqing’s manager, Zhou Qidong naturally understood her temperament.
An Yanqing had a very narrow social circle and almost no friends. The voices of the few people she was on speaking terms with did not match this person.
While Zhou Qidong was still wondering where the sense of familiarity came from, he heard An Yanqing say, “I have something to attend to here, I’m hanging up. If there are any issues, just message me directly.”
The moment that person appeared, An Yanqing’s tone changed. The faint sense of danger from before vanished instantly, her tense voice relaxing into the gentle, indifferent persona she always showed the world.
Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Zhong Chu glanced at the phone but didn’t care who she was talking to.
Her gaze swept past the bedside; she paused at her safe, walked over to shut the door properly, and placed the small medicine box on the table.
Zhong Chu turned to confirm with her, “Do you really not want a doctor to come over? Don’t hide your illness from the doctor. If it’s really painful, it’s better to let a professional take a look.”
An Yanqing pursed her lips slightly and put away her phone, her body moving back silently as her gaze lingered on the medicine box for a moment. “It’s fine.”
Her posture betrayed a subtle reluctance and resistance. Even so, Zhong Chu initiated a video call with a doctor right in front of her.
She even forced her down onto the bed and pulled aside her clothes so the doctor could see the injury clearly.
After confirming it was only a mild allergy that could be treated with simple ointment, Zhong Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
An Yanqing was a big star now and the cash cow of their Galaxy Media; her body was as precious as her face. If this person’s body suffered damage because of her mistake, she would truly be beyond forgiveness.
An Yanqing refused to cooperate. After this ordeal, Zhong Chu was exhausted just from the effort of pinning her down on the bed.
She took the necessary ointment from the box, pressed her knee firmly against An Yanqing’s shoulder, and practically put her entire weight onto the other woman’s back, saying fiercely, “Don’t move, I’m putting the medicine on.”
She was pressing down on exactly the right spot. An Yanqing, caught off guard by her roughness earlier, had lost the advantage and couldn’t recover now.
Her current position left her with no leverage; she wanted to push Zhong Chu away but couldn’t withstand her full weight.
From Zhong Chu’s angle, she could see the other woman’s tightly pursed lips, red as blood, and her brow furrowed in endurance. The lamplight cast a faint halo, making her fair profile shimmer.
An Yanqing spoke, her voice calm and restrained: “I can do it myself, there’s no need for Miss Zhong to trouble herself.”
During this process, physical contact was inevitable, and Zhong Chu immediately sensed the sensitivity of An Yanqing’s skin.
She would tremble at a light touch, break out in hives from ink, and bruise from a slight squeeze.
Her crimes were written all over An Yanqing’s slender waist; the bright red marks on the jade-like skin were the best accusation against her.
The red marks were eyesores. Zhong Chu felt guilty and only wanted to apply the medicine quickly, not daring to look further.
She searched for a while but couldn’t find any disposable gloves. Seeing An Yanqing frowning and trying to dodge again, she grew frustrated. She squeezed the ointment directly onto her hand and forcibly rubbed it onto An Yanqing’s red welts.
Upon contact, the body beneath her fingers froze instantly.
Because of An Yanqing’s resistance, Zhong Chu’s expression was cold. Pressing down on her waist, she said impatiently, “I told you, don’t move.”