Chapter 83 — After Secretly Marrying a Top Star, I Was Cheated On by Her（12）

It made sense that Yu Yu would rush over to save Yu Liuxue—Xiao Nian could understand that.

But why on earth did Zhou Zhou, the one she’d been thinking about day and night, also charge over without hesitation? Weren’t those two always at odds?

While Xiao Nian stood there in a daze, questioning life itself, Yu Liuxue had already been helped up by Zhou Zhou on one side and Yu Yu on the other. Yu Liuxue hadn’t yet spotted Xiao Nian. She lifted her brows in surprise, then dove into Yu Yu’s arms with delight, blinking playfully. “Jie, what are you doing here?”

Zhou Zhou’s hand froze midair, her face faintly awkward. A wave of confusion washed over her.

Why had she rushed to save Gu Qingzhi on instinct? The platform was low—falling wouldn’t have hurt much, and there was a thick foam mat. Gu Qingzhi would’ve been totally fine.

Zhou Zhou slowly retracted her hand, her eyes wide, staring at the ground in horror.

Don’t tell me… I actually like Gu Qingzhi?!

Why else would I have run out like that without thinking? But if I do like her, Zhou Zhou frowned, then why didn’t I notice it myself? When you like someone, don’t you think about them day and night? Think of them when you eat, when you bathe, when you sleep—can’t get them out of your head, lose your appetite…

The only person who’s made me feel like that… is Xiao Nian.

Zhou Zhou had always suspected Xiao Nian of using her for publicity. She was constantly on edge, worried Xiao Nian would suddenly show up and get caught on camera with her—destroying her reputation. If that happened, she’d never surpass Gu Qingzhi in popularity.

She pursed her lips. The more she thought, the more muddled her brain became.

Wait… could it be… I like both Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi?!

Yu Liuxue, light as a butterfly, had flung herself into Yu Yu’s arms. The moment stunned Xiao Nian, and her face turned dark. And they claimed there was nothing between them? Caught red-handed!

Yu Yu had tried to dodge when Yu Liuxue rushed at her, but the latter was quicker. As Yu Yu lifted her foot to move away, Yu Liuxue was already clinging to her like an octopus.

Yu Liuxue’s eyes sparkled with gratitude. “Jie, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Zhou Zhou and Yu Yu both glanced at the spot barely higher than their knees. There was really nothing dangerous. The whole situation was… hard to explain.

Xiao Nian stood to the side, face dark as ever. Yu Yu instinctively took two steps back, putting distance between herself and Yu Liuxue. Her expression was cool. “Good to know you’re fine.”

Yu Yu was doing everything she could to distance herself, trying to prove her innocence to Xiao Nian. But Yu Liuxue clearly wasn’t going to let her off that easily.

She smiled sweetly. “Jie, I knew it. Deep down, you care about me. I matter to you.”

Xiao Nian’s face turned another shade darker.

Though she was divorced from Gu Qingzhi now, hearing Gu Qingzhi say such flirty things to her own agent right in front of her—it still pissed her off. She had to take two deep breaths to suppress the urge to explode.

Shameless.

Yu Yu knew there was no clearing her name now, even if she jumped into the Yellow River. She nodded calmly, giving up on explaining.

Anyway, that little green tea witch was a master manipulator. Xiao Nian had always been suspicious of her. Now, she finally got what she wanted—her suspicions confirmed. Once Xiao Nian made up her mind, no amount of explanation would convince her otherwise. She’d just think Yu Yu was trying to weasel out of it.

So Yu Yu gave up. They were about to go their separate ways soon anyway.

Yu Liuxue beamed even more. “Jie, I’ll be good from now on. Whatever you say, I’ll do it.”

Here she goes again. Yu Yu sighed helplessly, but also felt a strange sense of relief that Yu Liuxue didn’t add—

“Of course, if you come to my room at night, I’ll be all clean and waiting in bed for you.”

If she had said that, Xiao Nian might’ve exploded on the spot.

Zhou Zhou was increasingly horrified. Was this how Gu Qingzhi played these women like puppets?

If her methods were this cheap, how had none of them seen through her manipulations?

Zhou Zhou was furious—and anxious. She had always assumed Yu Liuxue was a high-level player. But now that they’d met in person…

This was it?

Then I’ve got a shot too, she thought.

Before the thought could settle, Yu Liuxue turned to her with a radiant smile and walked over. She grasped Zhou Zhou’s hands warmly.

“Zhou Zhou, thank you so much earlier! If you hadn’t steadied me, I might’ve gotten hurt. That would’ve caused a lot of trouble for everyone.”

“Zhou Zhou, you’re really the best. Now I understand—when you were mean to me before, you didn’t mean it. You were just pretending to be cold. There may not be real angels in the world, but you’re the closest thing to one!”

Zhou Zhou: stunned.jpg

Zhou Zhou: “???”

I just instinctively caught you! Anyone watching this would think I gave you a billion yuan, bought your family a mansion, and donated a helicopter for rural development.

Still, Zhou Zhou knew she couldn’t believe a single word out of Yu Liuxue’s mouth… and yet, she felt strangely good.

It was like… she was Liuxue’s one and only savior in this world.

Liuxue saw her as everything—as her faith, as someone to trust unconditionally. A little kindness from her, and it felt like Liuxue had received the love of the whole world.

Naturally, she became Liuxue’s entire world.

Yes, it was a dangerous train of thought. But Zhou Zhou couldn’t help herself. She smiled and said politely, “It was nothing. Just a reflex.”

Yu Liuxue looked even more grateful. Her eyes lifted shyly to glance at Zhou Zhou, then dropped again. Her earlobes were faintly red.

“Zhou Zhou, you’re really too good.”

Xiao Nian’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Her eyes were locked on Yu Liuxue’s hands still wrapped around Zhou Zhou’s.

She had the overwhelming urge to slap those hands away and kick Yu Liuxue aside.

First, she had seduced the agent Xiao Nian trusted the most. And now she was going after her ambiguous lover?

Xiao Nian walked over coldly and stood beside Zhou Zhou.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Then she took Zhou Zhou’s hand and examined it, only letting go after a moment. “Good, no injuries.”

It was just an excuse to squeeze Yu Liuxue out of the picture. Yu Liuxue scratched her cheek and stood there like she was watching a drama unfold, completely entertained.

Zhou Zhou frowned slightly. Xiao Nian was acting strangely today.

She glanced at Yu Yu, then at Yu Liuxue, then finally at Xiao Nian.

What the hell kind of murder mystery stage play are you three acting out?

Why do I feel completely out of the loop?

“Attention! Get ready to shoot!” someone shouted nearby. Yu Yu immediately walked toward Xiao Nian and motioned for her to join the others.

Yu Liuxue looked a little disappointed. She’d been hoping to witness some real drama, but it had been cut off just as it was getting good.

Xiao Nian, ever the consummate actress, performed flawlessly throughout the filming. She was witty, relaxed, and totally unpretentious.

More than that, she used every opportunity during tasks to get closer to Zhou Zhou—talking to her whenever she could, trying to relieve the ache of longing.

Xiao Nian’s enthusiasm made Zhou Zhou even more guarded. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Xiao Nian’s sudden kindness came with strings attached.

So during the entire shoot, Zhou Zhou was on her best behavior, keeping her distance. She was terrified of getting too close and ending up as public enemy number one for Xiao Nian’s fanbase.

Zhou Zhou’s reaction was extremely abnormal. Xiao Nian, ever perceptive, immediately suspected that Yu Liuxue might be the one stirring trouble, possibly badmouthing her in front of Zhou Zhou. That day when she had gone to the studio to find Gu Qingzhi, Zhou Zhou had been present—perhaps she had overheard parts of their conversation and misunderstood that Xiao Nian hadn’t yet divorced?

Or maybe Yu Liuxue had intentionally smeared her image in front of Zhou Zhou, painting her as a terrible person. That would explain why Zhou Zhou no longer treated her as affectionately as before.

They had seen each other many times now, yet Zhou Zhou had not smiled at her once.

As soon as the recording ended, Xiao Nian went straight to look for Zhou Zhou, who was waiting for Yu Liuxue to change clothes so they could ride back to the company together. Suddenly, Xiao Nian barged in, startling Zhou Zhou so much that she nearly dropped her phone. Xiao Nian pinned Zhou Zhou down on the sofa, her voice hoarse as she said, “Zhou Zhou, I miss you so much.”

Zhou Zhou: “…!” She says she misses me? Is she trying to get something out of me?

Just then, Yu Liuxue appeared at the worst possible moment, holding her changed outfit, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. Xiao Nian frowned and unceremoniously said, “Get out.”

Zhou Zhou hesitated. She wanted to ask Yu Liuxue to stay with her but couldn’t bring herself to say it. She was afraid Yu Liuxue might overthink and imagine something that didn’t exist. Her lips twitched, and before she could push Xiao Nian away, she saw Yu Liuxue step back as if deeply wounded, her face filled with sorrow as her eyes moved slowly over both her and Xiao Nian with a complicated expression. Then, on the verge of tears, she said, “You two talk, I won’t disturb you.”

With that, she turned and ran, hugging her clothes.

Zhou Zhou swore she definitely saw tears glimmering in her eyes.

Her emotions grew extremely tangled. She no longer had the heart to catch up with Xiao Nian and tried to push her away. “Xiao Nian-jie, I’m sorry, I need to get back to the company…”

But Xiao Nian pressed her down more forcefully. “Zhou Zhou, what on earth is going on?”

“Why are you treating me like some kind of venomous snake?” Xiao Nian was both angry and helpless. She couldn’t bring herself to get mad at Zhou Zhou, but she desperately wanted to know why Zhou Zhou was acting so distant—like a completely different person—barely even willing to talk to her.

Zhou Zhou’s eyes darted. “N-nothing… I’ve just been busy lately. I still need to get back to practicing the new song…”

Xiao Nian gently lifted her chin. “Zhou Zhou, tell me the truth.”

After running out of the room, Yu Liuxue contentedly found Yu Yu, who was waiting in the car for Xiao Nian. Yu Liuxue opened the car door and slid in like she belonged there. Yu Yu looked down at her, and Yu Liuxue lifted her face, her eyes shimmering with tears and a look of loss. “Jiejie, Miss Xiao said she had something special to do with Zhou Zhou, so she asked us to leave first.”

Yu Yu immediately understood. A ripple passed through her heart, but she said nothing. She simply instructed the driver, “To Diyu Entertainment Company.”

After giving the order, she noticed Yu Liuxue looked like she was about to cry. Yu Yu frowned slightly. “You still can’t let her go?”

Surprisingly, it was a question, not a statement. Yu Liuxue pursed her lips and muttered, “How could I? She treated me so badly. You’re so much better to me, jiejie. Why would I waste my time missing her and neglect you?”

Then, she suddenly changed expressions and beamed. “Having you is enough.”

Yu Yu: “…”

She said no more. After dropping Yu Liuxue off, she ordered her out of the car. Yu Liuxue stared at the departing car and let out a deep sigh. “Sigh, how am I supposed to win jiejie’s heart?”

The system had watched her act for a while and finally couldn’t help but remind her, “Host, mind the limits. Don’t overdo it.”

Yu Liuxue responded nonchalantly with an “oh” and continued pestering Yang Nianjiao for Yu Bing. Yang Nianjiao was beyond fed up with her. She had already ordered the whole company not to let Yu Liuxue use the elevator card, yet Yu Liuxue always found a way to sneak upstairs.

Yang Nianjiao seriously began to suspect her elevator card had developed a spirit of its own.

Yu Liuxue looked at Yang Nianjiao with a pitiful expression and whined, “President Yang, I’m about to start my promotions. See, Sister Yu isn’t busy right now. Can’t you let her be my guardian angel? If she’s with me, I’m sure I can do double the schedule…”

Just as she said that, Yang Nianjiao narrowed her eyes, tapped her pen on the desk, and said, “Fine.”

Yu Liuxue didn’t catch that and went on, “Sister Yu is my Red Bull, my energy drink… Wait, what?!”

She stared, eyes wide in shock. Did she really hear that right? Was she hallucinating?

Yang Nianjiao smiled faintly. “Yu Bing is yours. And so is the double schedule.”

Leaning back in her chair, Yang Nianjiao crossed her legs and curled her red lips into a smirk. “You’d better not disappoint me.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” Is it too late to take back what I just said?! Help! The boss is going to work me to death!

Still, at least she managed to get Yu Bing—probably the only happy thing she’ll have for the next five months. Whether it’s personal or group promotions, they’re all scheduled to last five months straight. That means she has to cover a year’s worth of events in under half a year.

Yu Liuxue leaned against the wall, nearly foaming at the mouth. Yang Nianjiao was truly ruthless.

Yang Nianjiao was like a heartless money-making machine. Taking all factors into account, the return of Mercury Girls was scheduled half a month before Yu Liuxue’s solo album. Group activities were prioritized to avoid public backlash and to help Yu Liuxue ease into the momentum.

After all, Gu Qingzhi hadn’t had any formal activities in three years. Yang Nianjiao was worried Yu Liuxue wouldn’t adapt quickly, so she staggered the schedules.

The other three teammates had already returned. They were either practicing singing or memorizing choreography. Yu Liuxue had been busy recently and hadn’t properly greeted them. Nuomi was relatively close with Gu Qingzhi, so she was the first to strike up a conversation with Yu Liuxue when she arrived.

Zhou Zhou wasn’t there. After nodding to the other two, Yu Liuxue spoke plainly, “I know our situation is… unique. But I believe that as long as we work together, we can overcome it.”

The others weren’t fools; they understood her meaning instantly. After some hesitation, they nodded.

Yu Liuxue smiled and extended her hand. “Let’s go, Mercury Girls!”

With the agreement reached, the girls threw themselves into comeback preparations. The songs were already recorded, the album produced, and pre-sales had begun on all major platforms. Not only were fans watching album sales like hawks, even Xiao Nian’s fans and casual bystanders were constantly tallying numbers—who had the highest individual sales, which group’s total numbers were surpassed—and it all sparked a wave of intense discussion.

Twenty-four hours later, the stats were in.

Gu Qingzhi’s fans had bought 150,000 copies in just one day. Zhou Zhou followed with around 50,000. The remaining members combined totaled only 30,000.

“Everyone kept saying Gu Qingzhi flopped, but her fans are clearly powerful. And this is only the 24-hour data—imagine if she hits 500k in a week!”

“Gu Qingzhi dropping out of the competition is my biggest regret. She’s so talented—if she had held on a little longer, she definitely would’ve debuted in the center position!”

“Same. I’ll never get over Gu Qingzhi not debuting. If she had made it, the whole rookie girl group scene would’ve been elevated. But who would’ve thought they’d become rivals now, when they used to be so close.”

Everyone thought Yu Liuxue had a good relationship with the other group members because one of them had publicly thanked her during their debut. Although the reasons were never detailed, whenever fans badmouthed Yu Liuxue, she would always defend her seriously, saying, “Don’t talk about Qingzhi like that. She’s a really good girl.”

However, there were also those who said, “It would be better without Gu Qingzhi. If she’s part of the group, I’m not following them anymore.”

A week later, the group officially made their comeback, and Yu Liuxue’s solo album sales soared past 600,000 copies. Mercury Girls’ total album sales weren’t even 800,000. Now, no one dared say Gu Qingzhi was irrelevant anymore. Anyone who tried would immediately be bombarded by fans with live screenshots of hard data.

Yang Nianjiao was very pleased with Yu Liuxue’s performance. Sitting in her office after counting her money, she lifted her chin and said, “Yu Bing, from now on, you keep an eye on Gu Qingzhi for me.”

Yu Bing looked up slightly. “Didn’t you disagree with that before?”

“But now I’ve realized she’s worth far more than I imagined.” Yang Nianjiao laced her fingers and rested them under her chin. “She’s the future cash cow of our company. You must protect her for me. Don’t let anything bad happen to her.”

Yu Bing didn’t care whom she was assigned to protect. She nodded slowly. “Alright.”

After a while, Yang Nianjiao added tactfully, “But there’s no need to go along with her on everything. Once she gets off work and goes home, your job is done too.”

Yang Nianjiao trusted Yu Bing completely. What she didn’t trust was Yu Liuxue. She had a strong gut feeling that Yu Liuxue might, on some late night, enthusiastically invite Yu Bing to stay over in her room and then seduce her, doing things unfit for minors.

Yu Liuxue was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

Yu Bing pressed her lips together. When she was home before, her older sister had warned her to be careful around Gu Qingzhi too. But her sister had put it far more bluntly: “Even though Gu Qingzhi often tries to seduce me, I think you’re her real target. Be careful.”

But Yu Bing didn’t think so. Gu Qingzhi clearly had much more interest in her sister, maybe even in Zhou Zhou more than in her.

Speaking of Zhou Zhou, she’d been having a terrible time lately. That day when Yu Liuxue had left her behind and walked off, she was first cornered by Xiao Nian on the couch in the changing room, then forcibly taken to her car. Xiao Nian slammed the gas pedal all the way back to her own home. Zhou Zhou was anxious the whole time, expecting Xiao Nian to do something to her. But to her surprise, Xiao Nian was very polite, gently brought her a glass of water, and even sweetly asked what she wanted to eat—saying she’d cook it for her.

Zhou Zhou hesitated and tentatively listed a few dishes, thinking Xiao Nian was just being polite. But Xiao Nian really spent three hours making all the dishes Zhou Zhou had named—and she was an excellent cook. The food softened Zhou Zhou’s guard, and she unconsciously mimicked Yu Liuxue’s expression and tone, saying, “Sister Xiao Nian, you’re amazing!”

Xiao Nian smiled faintly. “If you like it, I’ll cook for you every day, okay?”

Zhou Zhou answered shyly, “But Sister Xiao Nian, you’re so busy… how would you have time to cook? And we’re not even—”

She suddenly choked on her words, held her breath in disbelief. No way!

The candlelight on the table made Zhou Zhou’s cheeks glow red. She saw a spark flickering in Xiao Nian’s eyes, and then heard the one thing she didn’t want to hear most:

“Zhou Zhou, be with me, okay?”

“I’ll make our relationship public when the time comes. I won’t let you suffer any wrongs.”

Zhou Zhou was so startled she dropped her fork. “Sister Xiao Nian, this…”

Make it public and not suffer any backlash? She would definitely be torn apart by Xiao Nian’s fans. Zhou Zhou fell silent. Xiao Nian thought she was just shocked by the sudden confession, so she smiled lightly and said, “It’s okay. I can wait until you’re sure.”

“There’s still plenty of time. Just tell me when you’ve figured it out.” She smiled calmly. “I won’t force you.”

After dinner, Xiao Nian dropped Zhou Zhou off at her apartment. Zhou Zhou was in a daze, completely overwhelmed. She started regretting everything—regretting that she’d tried to seduce Xiao Nian just to compete with Gu Qingzhi. Now Xiao Nian was clearly serious, but Zhou Zhou didn’t have feelings for her at all.

Their fame gap was too big. It wouldn’t be good for either of them.

Their relationship would never be blessed by others.

They’d face public scrutiny, mutual suspicion… and worst of all, she only approached Xiao Nian in the first place because of Gu Qingzhi.

Zhou Zhou suddenly felt like she was about to crash and burn.

After Xiao Nian’s confession, she became bolder by the day, showing Zhou Zhou overwhelming concern and care. It got to the point where Zhou Zhou’s skin crawled—she even considered blocking her. After a few nerve-wracking days, Zhou Zhou finally couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed up to Yu Liuxue and said earnestly, “Gu Qingzhi, confess to me. Right now.”

Yu Liuxue blinked. “Why?”

Zhou Zhou said anxiously, “I need to figure out how I feel. Please, I’m begging you.”

Yu Liuxue raised a brow. Feelings? What feelings? Could it be the heroine actually likes her? Her interest was piqued instantly. She snapped into character at lightning speed, leaving Zhou Zhou dumbfounded.

“I’m the 9, you’re the 3. I divide myself by you, and I’m still you.”

Zhou Zhou didn’t respond. She even looked like she wanted to speak but didn’t. Yu Liuxue wondered—was that not good enough? So she racked her brain and said:

“In binary, you’re the 0 and I’m the 1. Together, we’re the entire world.”

Zhou Zhou finally reacted. But what came out of her mouth was a chilling, “President Yang.”

Yu Liuxue froze on the spot. She cautiously turned around—and sure enough, she saw Yang Nianjiao’s face, barely concealing signs of brewing rage. Yu Liuxue looked at Zhou Zhou in despair, completely unsure if she’d been tricked by the heroine—or really tricked by the heroine.

Yang Nianjiao crossed her arms and sneered coldly, “Come to my office. Let’s slowly talk this over. Who’s the 0, and who’s the 1?”