*Scandal*
From the moment Song Qingxu stepped out of the car, the paparazzi had been tailing her. Unfortunately for them, all they had managed so far were shots of the two women from behind. Just as they finally caught the pair facing their way, Song Qingxu’s keen awareness of the camera ruined their chance.
The instant their fingers were about to hammer the shutter, she spotted them—
and swiftly found something to cover her face.
“Damn, what a shame. No high-def front shots,” Paparazzo A grumbled.
“It’s fine,” Paparazzo B replied. “We still got them shopping together. Anyone know who that is next to the Best Actress?”
“No idea. Looks like some nobody.”
“I already have the headline: New Best Actress Caught in Secret Rendezvous with Mystery Woman.”
Even paparazzi liked to gossip among themselves.
“Today’s haul is gold. It’s been ages since we last caught sight of Song Qingxu—ever since she got married, she’s barely been seen. Did she really marry into a rich family?”
“Who cares if it’s real or not? What’s real is that we just caught her shopping with a nobody.”
They carefully saved duplicate copies of the film.
“Got our scoop for the day—we can clock out early.”
A rookie piped up, “Should we contact her company? Sell them the photos so they can buy them out—”
He didn’t even finish before a senior cut him off. “From now on, if you get pictures of Song Qingxu, don’t bother calling her company or her manager. They won’t spend the money.”
Another agreed, “Yeah, just release them directly next time.”
Meanwhile, Song Qingxu—wearing a sun hat—grabbed Yuan Lai by the wrist and bolted in the opposite direction.
Yuan Lai let herself be pulled along at full speed.
They finally rushed into the underground parking garage. Just as Song Qingxu was about to step out of the elevator, Yuan Lai blocked her.
“Let me check first.”
She leaned out, scanned the area, and only when she saw no lingering paparazzi did she nod back at Song Qingxu.
For a fleeting moment, warmth flickered in Song Qingxu’s heart.
They exited the elevator quickly.
Back in the car with the windows rolled up, Song Qingxu finally removed her tightly secured hat.
“Sorry. I dragged you into this.”
It was clear the paparazzi were targeting her—Yuan Lai was simply collateral damage.
“Why apologize?” Yuan Lai met her eyes seriously. “The only ones who should apologize are the paparazzi for taking your photo without consent, not you.”
She then glanced down at her phone, replying to messages from the warehouse staff, instructing them to finish preparing the order. She’d arrange for someone to pick it up later.
Song Qingxu lowered her gaze. The small warmth from earlier faded as Yuan Lai immersed herself in work again.
When Yuan Lai finally put her phone away, she asked, “Where do you want to go next?”
“Home,” Song Qingxu said flatly, staring out the window.
Yuan Lai didn’t object. She started the engine and took a detour to avoid possible tails.
The silence in the car was heavy. Then Yuan Lai suddenly joked, “Why don’t I become your assistant? Not having one makes things inconvenient for you.”
Song Qingxu finally turned from the window. “The Yuan family’s heir working as my assistant? I couldn’t afford you.”
Yuan Lai chuckled. “I don’t need a salary. Just pay me in other ways.”
“What ways?”
Yuan Lai smirked. “I’ll tell you when I think of it.”
“Well, thank you for the ride home today, Assistant Yuan.” Song Qingxu said.
“Just doing my job as your assistant.” Yuan Lai replied.
To throw off any lingering paparazzi, Yuan Lai took a much longer route home.
The ride was so quiet that Song Qingxu started to feel drowsy and yawned softly.
Catching it immediately, Yuan Lai said, “Sleep if you want. We’ve still got a while before we get there.”
Song Qingxu closed her eyes without protest.
Yuan Lai turned up the temperature and slowed the car.
By the time Song Qingxu woke, they were parked in the garage.
She blinked, her voice still soft from sleep. “How long was I out?”
Before she opened her eyes, Yuan Lai quickly sat upright, hiding the fact she’d been watching her the whole time.
“Not long,” she said—though in truth, Song Qingxu had slept for an entire hour.
Stretching lazily after getting out, Song Qingxu realized it had been ages since she’d had such a good nap. She glanced at Yuan Lai—
Even without pheromones, could simply being near her be this calming?
They had barely stepped inside when Song Qingxu’s phone rang.
Her faint smile vanished at the sight of the caller ID.
It rang for a while before she finally sighed and answered.
“Ge-jie, what is it?”
It was her manager, Ge He.
“You’ve been photographed, and the gossip pieces are nasty,” Ge He said bluntly. “Who’s that mystery woman with you?”
Instead of answering, Song Qingxu asked, “How’s the company handling it?”
“They’re going for a cold approach. No statement. Just wait for the storm to pass.” Ge He replied.
In other words—no PR at all.
She’d expected as much, but facing it still left a shadow of disappointment in her eyes.
Yuan Lai, listening from nearby, didn’t miss it.
Yuan Lai took the phone from her and hung up, her voice firm. “What a useless company and manager. Forget the garbage online. We don’t need to dignify it.”
But while she told Song Qingxu to ignore the gossip, she herself secretly contacted Yan Linda—since it was clear the actress’s own company wouldn’t lift a finger.
Pulling Song Qingxu to the couch, Yuan Lai said, “Let’s forget all this and do what you most want right now.”
“What I most want?” Song Qingxu thought for a moment. Right now, she just wanted to slow down—feel the sun, breathe in the breeze.
“I want to lie in the sun and do nothing.”
Yuan Lai nodded and stepped into the next room to make a call.
When she came back, leaning casually against the doorway, she asked, “Ready to head out once you’ve packed?”
“Where to?”
“A place to lie in the sun,” Yuan Lai replied with a smile.
That smile was strangely infectious, and before she knew it, Song Qingxu had agreed.
Only when they were standing before the Yuan family’s private jet did she realize their definitions of “a place” were wildly different. She’d imagined some quiet corner nearby—not a flight.
“Relax. We’ll be there soon.” Yuan Lai said.
A few hours later, the plane landed on an island.
Golden sunlight, soft sea breezes, and an entire private beach awaited them.
“This is yours,” Yuan Lai said, holding out her hand to help her down. “You can lie here as long as you like. This stretch of ocean is ours alone.”
The glare of the sun made Song Qingxu squint. The deep blue water shimmered like crystal under the light.
The waves rolled in endlessly, scattering foamy crests on the sand. Her troubles suddenly felt as small as a drop in the ocean.
Barefoot on the powdery sand—so fine it was like walking on flour—she felt the heaviness in her chest drift away.
Yuan Lai led her toward the waterline, their linked wrists never parting since they left the plane. Whether by accident or intent, she never let go.
The waves lapped at their feet as they strolled the shallows. Yuan Lai stayed just behind, holding up Song Qingxu’s skirt to keep it dry—though her own pant legs were quickly soaked.
“There are shells here!” Song Qingxu bent down excitedly, only for Yuan Lai to deftly catch her long hair before it dipped into the water.
She straightened, showing a pure white shell in her palm. “Look! Isn’t it pretty?”
Leaning closer, Yuan Lai smiled. “Let me see.”
The shell gleamed spotless in the sun.
Encouraged, Song Qingxu began combing the shore for more. Yuan Lai dutifully followed, juggling skirt-holding duty and shell collection—filling her pockets, then using her shirt hem when space ran out.
The two moved along the beach as the sun dipped lower, their shadows stretched long, hair tangled together in the breeze.
They had no idea that, online, chaos was erupting.
Yan Linda was neck-deep in damage control.
The paparazzi had posted their shots directly, sparking a frenzy:
[Hiss] Juicy gossip incoming!
New Best Actress Defies Married Life, Publicly Dates Mystery Woman!
They’re even holding her bag—so girlfriend-coded!
Scandalous!
Looks exactly like a couple on a date!
Her spouse must be miserable—newlywed wife flaunting her affair in public.
This is outright cheating—blacklist her!
Can’t it just be a female friend?
Matching outfits, carrying her bag… and you call that “just friends”?!
Why an outdoor gear store though?
Maybe the Best Actress’s girlfriend likes outdoorsy stuff.
…Somehow that makes it even cuter.
Yan Linda scrambled to have the photos taken down and hired bots to shift the trending topics toward Song Qingxu’s upcoming variety show Wilderness Diary.
Soon the chatter turned:
White shirts are common. Could be a coincidence.
Might just be her assistant carrying the bag.
New assistant’s pretty cute though.
Cold actress x clueless assistant—kinda shippable.
She’s known for switching assistants often.
And just when the fire seemed to be dying down—
Lin Yajie chose the perfect moment, right as everyone was ready to log off work, to drop a bomb:
[Surprised] So your relationship’s been found out, huh?
The internet exploded all over again.