Wen Ruqiao was so furious that her fingers flew across the keyboard, typing so fast they almost blurred.
[I’m your father!]
Ugh, who wants to be his father? Even a dog wouldn’t want to!
Wen Ruqiao deleted the message and changed it to [You scumbag! You pervert!]
Bah, bah, bah! For a man like Fu Yuchuan, who has no sense of decency, she shouldn’t even spare him a glance!
Wasting even a single word on him was a waste of time!
Having realized this, Wen Ruqiao directly blocked Fu Yuchuan’s number.
Witnessing this impressive move, Song Qingqing was in awe. “Girl, you’re amazing!”
Wen Ruqiao snorted proudly.
“But speaking of which, what exactly happened between you two abroad…” Song Qingqing pressed curiously.
Wen Ruqiao didn’t answer.
After eating her fill, Wen Ruqiao sprawled on Song Qingqing’s couch to catch up on sleep. As she drifted off, the scene of bidding farewell to Fu Yuchuan outside the church inexplicably flashed through her mind.
She had said, “Let’s just pretend nothing happened.”
Fu Yuchuan remained silent for a long time—so long that Wen Ruqiao began to wonder if he was constipated, given how awful his expression looked.
In the end, Fu Yuchuan left.
But who would have thought they’d reunite back in the country, become neighbors, and last night she even…
And it wasn’t that he couldn’t perform—he was way too capable!
Wen Ruqiao gritted her teeth and rubbed her sore waist.
…
The doorbell rang for a long time, but no one answered.
The motion-sensor light shone as bright as day, illuminating the imposing figure of the man standing at the door.
Even in black pajamas, Fu Yuchuan’s tall and imposing stature was unmistakable. The man stood coldly in the hallway, appearing both restrained and icy.
The collar of his pajamas was slightly open, revealing a stretch of pale skin with what seemed to be a few scratch marks. At his throat, there lingered traces that looked suspiciously like bite marks… The disarray hinted at an ambiguous intimacy that invited imagination.
She had run away again.
His dark, thick lashes lowered, resting on the thin card in his palm. A visible trace of gloom flashed in Fu Yuchuan’s eyes.
Wen Ruqiao…
Just the thought of her name made the rising hostility within him subside completely.
He closed his eyes, a helpless and self-mocking curve forming on his thin lips.
“Xiao Qiao, am I really that unworthy of your affection?”
Over the next few days, Wen Ruqiao buried herself in the lab until Song Qingqing called her late one night—
“Girl! Save me!!”
Wen Ruqiao had just prepared a cup of instant noodles, and steam rose as she lifted the lid. “What’s going on? Did you fight with your family again?”
The Song family was considered a newly wealthy household, and Song Qingqing’s decision to become a talent agent was largely due to her falling out with her family.
Even through the phone, Wen Ruqiao could hear Song Qingqing’s wailing. “I begged and pleaded to secure this variety show opportunity! The contract’s already signed, but An Qi stood me up again!”
Song Qingqing only managed two artists—one male trainee she had just sent to a talent show, and the other was An Qi.
Wen Ruqiao slurped her noodles noisily. “Didn’t you say that show had pretty high exposure?”
“Don’t even mention it! An Qi said her boyfriend doesn’t want her to be in the public eye, and that she’s been working too hard lately, so she went to make soup for her boyfriend instead!”
Wen Ruqiao slowly typed out a question mark.
In her eyes, this kind of love-struck behavior was truly hard to comprehend.
Men only slowed down her pace when dissecting lab mice. 🙂
“How much is the penalty for breach of contract?” Wen Ruqiao asked casually.
“Ahem… Sis, Xiao Qiao, honey, sweetie…” Song Qingqing’s voice grew increasingly sweet and coquettish with each word.
Wen Ruqiao inexplicably had a bad feeling.
“This variety show is only two days long. How about you go participate, Xiao Qiao? Please?”
“No, not interested.” Wen Ruqiao refused without a second thought.
Song Qingqing knew why Wen Ruqiao was so resistant.
Previously, she had accepted a magazine photoshoot job for An Qi, but An Qi ended up standing them up. It was Wen Ruqiao who stepped in to save the day.
Song Qingqing mobilized her connections and borrowed a new designer dress.
At that time, the cover shoot featured a male celebrity who had made a comeback but had poor fashion resources. The brand of clothes he wore during the shoot was inferior to Wen Ruqiao’s.
That male celebrity was full of drama. First, he stirred up a narrative about “a popular young actor receiving worse treatment than an unknown female model.” Then, his manager jumped in to add fuel to the fire, claiming Wen Ruqiao had seduced him, inciting a frenzy among his fans.
The angry fans couldn’t dig up any information on Wen Ruqiao, so they vented on Song Qingqing’s Weibo account, which only had a few hundred followers. They managed to flood the comments on Song Qingqing’s latest Weibo post with over ten thousand hateful messages.
“Xiao Qiao… I’m begging you…” Song Qingqing pleaded pitifully, “If I breach this contract, it’ll be even harder for me to secure resources in the future. Can you bear to see me go home and be laughed at? Wuwu, Xiao Qiao, please help me one last time…”
Wen Ruqiao snorted lightly, “You’ve said that many times before.” But her tone had clearly softened.
Song Qingqing knew her best. Despite Wen Ruqiao usually acting like a tough, funny girl, she was actually more responsive to soft persuasion than coercion.
Sure enough, under Song Qingqing’s triple assault of pleading, crying, and promising to treat her to hotpot, Wen Ruqiao eventually surrendered.
As soon as Wen Ruqiao got off the plane, a staff member from the production team immediately approached her.
“Teacher Wen, this way please. The other two guests have also arrived. We can all take the boat together to the island where we’ll be livestreaming.”
The staff member was enthusiastic, thinking to herself that this substitute was absolutely stunning. No wonder the Director was initially angry when he heard about the replacement, but after seeing her photo, he immediately slapped his thigh in agreement.
Just as Wen Ruqiao steadied herself, she heard a male voice greeting her:
“Ru Qiao, long time no see.”
Wen Ruqiao followed the voice and saw a man dressed in trendy streetwear smiling as he greeted her.
Standing beside him was a petite, delicate-looking girl. The moment the girl heard him greet Wen Ruqiao, her gaze toward Wen Ruqiao instantly filled with wariness.
As if afraid Wen Ruqiao would steal her man.
Wen Ruqiao took off her sunglasses, her eyes filled with confusion. “You are…?”
This time, she wasn’t pretending not to know him; she genuinely didn’t recognize him.
The man’s smile froze for a moment before he forced himself to maintain his composure. “He Huainan.”
Hearing the name, Wen Ruqiao raised an eyebrow.
So it was him.
He Huainan was the male celebrity who had spread rumors about her seducing him.
He had led his fans to cyberbully her across the internet, and now he could greet her as if nothing had happened.
Look at this acting. What a shame the Best Actor award wasn’t given to him instead of Fu Yuchuan.
“What happened before was all a misunderstanding,” He Huainan said gently. His public persona in the industry had always been that of a refined, gentlemanly type. “Ru Qiao, I apologize on behalf of my fans. They were just overly concerned and acted rashly…”
After waiting for a long time, there was still no reaction from Wen Ruqiao. She kept her head down, typing as if sending a message to someone.
He Huainan could still remain composed, but An Ruosu beside him couldn’t help but snap, “Wen Ruqiao, Senior He has already apologized to you. What more do you want?”
Wen Ruqiao still showed no response.
An Ruosu unconsciously raised her voice, “Wen Ruqiao!”
Wen Ruqiao replied leisurely, “What’s the matter?”
An Ruosu grew irritated, “Wen Ruqiao, do you have any manners? A senior is talking to you, and you’re still typing?”
Wen Ruqiao smiled brightly. She wore no makeup, not even lipstick, yet her smile left even An Ruosu momentarily stunned.
He Huainan’s eyes were practically glued to her.
To be honest, Wen Ruqiao’s face wouldn’t pale even when standing next to a top-tier starlet…
If Wen Ruqiao would just soften up a little and yield to him, he wouldn’t mind flirting with her…
Of course, it would only be for fun. He couldn’t lose his entire “pond” over one Wen Ruqiao, no matter how much of a mermaid she was.
Then, they heard Wen Ruqiao speak in the gentlest tone, uttering the most ruthless words:
“It’s not your family’s epitaph I’m typing. Why are you so worked up?”
An Ruosu: ?
He Huainan: ?