Chapter 86: After Secretly Marrying a Top Star, I Was Cheated On by Her (15)

Seeing the situation, Yu Liuxue immediately stepped back and hid behind Yu Bing, cleanly distancing herself from everything. Not only that, she even played the victim and turned the tables, saying, “President Yang, I never expected myself to be so charming that she would fall for me so deeply.”

With Yu Bing as her shield, Yu Liuxue was the very embodiment of someone spoiled by favoritism. Zhou Zhou was stunned by what she heard. She turned around, eyes wide with disbelief, hand trembling as she pointed at Yu Liuxue. “…?!”

I never thought you were the kind of trash who’d betray a friend for glory.

Yang Nianjiao gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, then glanced at Zhou Zhou. Zhou Zhou was dragged out of the kitchen by Yu Yu and sat stiffly on the sofa, enduring the death stares from both Yang Nianjiao and Yu Yu. She nearly fainted on the spot. Slumped, she stared at her own fingers, constantly questioning what kind of cursed fate she must have to end up like this.

In a last-ditch effort, she tried to explain. “President Yang, sis, please let me explain—this isn’t what it looks like!”

Although Yu Liuxue had narrowly avoided disaster for the moment, once dinner was ready and the five of them sat down to eat, she was subjected to the same punishment as Zhou Zhou. Yu Liuxue swore she had never experienced such a hellish ordeal while eating. So when Yang Nianjiao finally stood up, seemingly about to leave, both she and Zhou Zhou nearly jumped up to bang gongs and celebrate.

But just as Yu Liuxue stood up to see Yang Nianjiao off, she politely and courteously tried to get her to stay. “President Yang, it’s rare for you to visit. Why not stay and play for a bit?”

Yang Nianjiao gave a faint smile. “Sure.”

“If you’re that enthusiastic, I won’t hold back.”

Yu Liuxue and Zhou Zhou were immediately full of question marks. Zhou Zhou, seeing that Yang Nianjiao really did sit back down, shot Yu Liuxue several angry glares. Realizing her mistake, Yu Liuxue guiltily lifted her hand to half-cover her pursed lips, regret eating away at her.

Yang Nianjiao made no move to leave, and no one dared to tell her to. But a few minutes later, she received a call and had to leave for urgent matters. Zhou Zhou and Yu Liuxue, who overheard the conversation, looked at her with sparkling eyes. Though they tried to hide their relief, Yang Nianjiao immediately saw through their thoughts.

Tilting her chin slightly, Yang Nianjiao glanced at Yu Bing but addressed Yu Yu: “Keep an eye on those three.”

“Especially those two,” she said, looking pointedly at Yu Liuxue and Zhou Zhou. Curling her lips into a chilling smile, she added, “Spray them both with perfume. If I ever smell the other’s perfume on either of them again…”

She paused. Her voice turned devilish. “You’re both done.”

Yu Yu naturally agreed. Once the devil left, she dutifully followed orders, instructing Zhou Zhou and Yu Liuxue to bring out their favorite perfumes and then sprayed them generously. Yu Liuxue, devastated, covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out. Stumbling, she collapsed into Yu Bing’s arms, looking up tearfully. “Sis, if I were a perfume sprite, would you still love me?”

Yu Bing answered with her actions. She wrinkled her nose slightly, then frowned and replied very honestly, “I’m allergic to fragrances.”

“You’re too fragrant.”

Yu Liuxue: “…!” That only made her more miserable.

Zhou Zhou felt everything that had happened today was a complete disaster out of nowhere. Her expression chilled as she pointed at Yu Liuxue and declared, “Gu Qingzhi, see you on QQ.”

With that, she subconsciously moved to pass by Yu Liuxue. But as she got within a meter, she suddenly stopped, wrinkled her nose, and said with disdain, “You smell so strong.”

Then she detoured around her and left, clearly remembering Yang Nianjiao’s warning. Yu Bing also got ready to leave with Yu Yu. Yu Liuxue looked at her longingly—not only had her long-awaited date been ruined, but now, thanks to Zhou Zhou, she had become Yu Bing’s allergen. As soon as the two left, Yu Liuxue immediately grabbed her phone, logged into QQ, and launched into an intense battle with Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou blamed everything on Yu Liuxue. Naturally unwilling to accept that, Yu Liuxue fought back. The two of them bickered like grade schoolers all the way until midnight. Finally, Yu Liuxue grew tired and typed quickly, “Can’t you try to be more mature, like me?”

After sending that, she added Zhou Zhou to her blacklist and went to sleep peacefully.

Zhou Zhou saw a string of red exclamation marks with every message she sent. Enraged, she shouted, “Gu Qingzhi, you dare block me?! Just wait! I won’t let this go!”

And to show her etiquette, she blocked Yu Liuxue too.

That day happened to be the premiere of Xiao Nian’s new drama Snow Slash. At 7:30 in the evening, countless fans tuned into their TVs and video platforms, eagerly waiting for the first episode. Anticipation was sky-high, and they didn’t even want to skip the opening credits. Most importantly, they were dying to know what kind of song Gu Qingzhi could possibly sing.

But once the opening ended, a portion of Xiao Nian’s fans were surprised to find the song a little… catchy. Embarrassed, they quickly blushed—this was a blow to their pride. So they comforted themselves, insisting that the only reason the theme song sounded good was because of Xiao Nian’s stellar acting and that of the rest of the cast, which had immersed them so deeply they mistakenly thought the song was good.

They even posted in group chats: “Gu Qingzhi is a next-level clout-chaser—she scored big this time.”

Others immediately agreed. With Xiao Nian’s acting as a buffer, even if Gu Qingzhi sang terribly, fans might subconsciously beautify it. After all, who could blame them? Xiao Nian’s acting was just that compelling.

So they kept watching. Snow Slash was adapted from a notoriously tragic novel full of heartbreak and suffering. Some viewers had read the original; others hadn’t. But no one expected the scriptwriter to be so ruthless as to completely scramble the plot from the very first episode, unleashing heartbreak from the get-go.

The audience was reduced to tears, nearly using up a whole box of tissues. Xiao Nian’s acting, needless to say, was incredible, but the male lead and the rest of the cast were also top-tier talents. Within minutes, the show had sucked everyone into its world of national vengeance and personal grief.

As the first episode neared its end, the theme song swelled again, accompanying an intense scene between the two leads. It shook viewers to their core.

Once again, Xiao Nian’s fans reassured themselves: It must be the leads’ amazing performances that gave me goosebumps. No way Gu Qingzhi could actually sing well. I must’ve gotten water in my brain during my shower today and imagined it.

After the ads, everyone rushed to watch episode two. The Snow Slash scriptwriter was incredibly skilled. Every episode ended with a cliffhanger twist that left audiences desperate for more. These dramatic moments were always paired with Gu Qingzhi’s theme song.

Sometimes her voice was ethereal, leaving people breathless. Other times, it was sorrowful and tender, moving people to tears. Xiao Nian’s fans sobbed while mumbling, “Xiao Nian-jie’s acting is just too amazing. Please accept my knees!”

Meanwhile, the original novel fans—who had spent months feuding with Xiao Nian’s fans—had much simpler thoughts: Had I read the wrong version of the novel before? Was it really this tragic? It’s got me questioning my life choices.

And that theme song—was it seriously this good?! Good enough to make someone want to scream expletives.

While Xiao Nian dominated the trending charts, the “Snow Slash Theme Song” climbed steadily as well. By the time Yu Liuxue went to sleep, it had already reached the front page—just below “Xiao Nian’s Acting.”

Zhou Zhou felt extremely uneasy as she looked at the trending searches. Unwilling to accept the situation, she went to a music app to look for the theme song to give it a listen, only to be informed that the music hadn’t been released yet. That’s when she remembered—it was one of the title tracks from Gu Qingzhi’s solo album.

Left with no choice, Zhou Zhou turned to a bullet comment streaming site. The more she listened, the more complex her emotions became. By the time the chorus hit, she subconsciously set her phone down in a daze. Gu Qingzhi’s popularity was rising fast—could she really surpass her and trample her underfoot?

Zhou Zhou was already feeling conflicted enough, but Xiao Nian was faring even worse. On one hand, she wanted to once again use her influence to suppress Gu Qingzhi. But when she tried to give Yu Yu instructions, she suddenly remembered—they had broken up, and Yu Yu had defected to Gu Qingzhi’s camp.

A wave of frustration overwhelmed Xiao Nian. She was still in the adjustment phase with her new agent and wasn’t familiar with their personality yet. A petty move like this couldn’t be ordered openly—doing so would only ruin her public image and possibly affect her future resources.

She flung her phone aside and rubbed her temples in irritation. How had things come to this? Was it because Gu Qingzhi had gained from her past glory?

She hadn’t watched today’s premiere, nor had she listened to the theme song sung by Yu Liuxue. She didn’t care to. In her heart, she was deeply convinced that “Gu Qingzhi couldn’t possibly produce a decent song.” She knew better than anyone what Gu Qingzhi’s abilities were. It was only because Yu Yu was backing her now that she was getting this little wave of popularity from the drama’s release.

And that alone was enough. Yu Yu would soon lay out a wealth of prime resources for Gu Qingzhi to pick and choose from.

Thinking back on everything Yu Yu had once done for her, a faint trace of regret stirred in Xiao Nian’s heart. Yu Yu was that capable—she shouldn’t have let her go, shouldn’t have handed her over to Gu Qingzhi so easily, even if their relationship had soured.

What if one day Gu Qingzhi really did surpass her?

What if one day Gu Qingzhi revealed their marriage to the public?

When that happened, people would compare them endlessly. Whether Gu Qingzhi was successful or not, their names would be tied together forever. And because Gu Qingzhi was a constant source of buzz, invitations would pour in regardless. Then she’d have both fame and money—everything.

Just as Xiao Nian was deep in anxiety, her new agent arrived with a timely proposal:
“Xiao Nian, take a look at this script. What do you think?”

The agent sent over a file. Xiao Nian was about to open it when another message followed:
“The pay is very high—eighty million.”

Eighty million? Xiao Nian’s heart skipped. That was no small sum—enough to offset part of the assets she lost in the divorce to Yu Liuxue. Just seeing the offer made her heart stir.

Today’s wave of popularity had come just as Yu Liuxue expected. Yang Nianjiao and Yu Yu were even more composed, calm and cunning like two old foxes, betraying none of their true feelings. Thanks to Yu Liuxue, Mercury Girls’ promotions were going more smoothly, and offers for variety shows, brand endorsements, and commercial performances were climbing.

Even more notably, thanks to Yu Liuxue’s popularity, people began paying attention to the other four members as well, and their popularity rose slightly. The one who benefited most was Zhou Zhou. Though she wasn’t particularly talented, her good looks—earned more by luck than effort—won over fans migrating from Yu Liuxue. They became casual followers of Zhou Zhou.

Marketing accounts praised and promoted Zhou Zhou tirelessly:
“Everyone’s talking about the internet sensation Gu Qingzhi, but they don’t know that her group has another member—a beautiful girl with a sweet voice…”

“Yes, yes! When I saw Miss Zhou Zhou, I was shocked. How could anyone smile that sweetly?!”

“Sniper of girl hearts, Little Sweet Zhou! Milky skin Sweet Zhou! Love at first sight with our sweet little Zhou! She’s not just pretty and has a nice voice—she’s even adorably dumb and sweet. It’s lethal!”

Yu Liuxue stared at her phone, instinctively making the same expression as the subway grandpa meme: “…?”

Sweet? Nice personality? Let’s be real—none of those words applied to Zhou Zhou.

At that moment, Zhou Zhou walked past Yu Liuxue. With sharp eyes, she instantly saw what Yu Liuxue was looking at and then noticed the suspicion and disdain on her face. Zhou Zhou felt insulted. She scoffed inwardly—they weren’t wrong.

Yu Liuxue caught a whiff of Zhou Zhou’s perfume and immediately stood up, ready to approach her. But Zhou Zhou, as if facing a mortal enemy, raised her hand to stop her, her expression full of wariness.
“What are you doing? Don’t come near me.”

“Gu Qingzhi, please stay at least two meters away from me.”

She thought, Gu Qingzhi looks down on me, thinks I’m dumb and evil—so stay away.

After saying this, Zhou Zhou raised her chin arrogantly. She had grown up in luxury with a wealthy family. For Gu Qingzhi to even cross paths with her was a blessing from a hundred lifetimes. And she dared to look down on her?

Yu Liuxue stared, utterly confused, as Zhou Zhou stomped off in her high heels to join the other members, ignoring her completely. She blinked, then raised her voice.
“Zhou Zhou, when are you taking me off your block list? I’m so bored. Let’s keep arguing on QQ.”

The other members turned around with indescribable expressions.
Are you two elementary school kids? Arguing on QQ? Why not just wear inflatable suits and physically fight it out?

Without turning her head, Zhou Zhou replied,
“Don’t even think about it.”

A few seconds later—
“Unless you unblock me first.”

The teammates: “…………”

Thanks to Zhou Zhou, Yu Liuxue was able to relax a bit during their hectic group schedule. As Snow Slash aired, the theme song steadily gained popularity, and Yu Liuxue herself had a small resurgence thanks to the song. But since the track hadn’t officially dropped yet, people kept leaving comments under her Weibo begging for the audio.

On the eve of her solo album’s release, Yu Yu posted an announcement on Yu Liuxue’s Weibo:
“At 12:10 a.m. tonight, all tracks from my first album Rise will be available on NetCloud Music. Welcome to listen.”

The diehard fans already knew about it. What’s more, the album Rise had two lead singles. Aside from the highly anticipated theme song of Snow Slash, there was also an unknown track. When fans had only heard the previews, they didn’t realize the album had two title tracks and had been debating which song was better. Who would’ve guessed—their two favorites were both lead singles.

At the stroke of midnight, listeners swarmed the music app. But no matter how many times they refreshed, nothing showed up. Fans rushed to Weibo, the homepage filled with question marks:
“Did NetCloud crash?!”

They quickly switched apps and refreshed again.
“It really did crash. NetCloud, you’ve really let mom down this time.”

Half an hour later, after a frantic rescue effort by the developers, the app finally returned to normal, and fans were at last able to hear the songs they had been yearning for. Besides the tearjerking theme song, the other track was just as moving. The rhythm, melody, and lyrics were all deeply inspiring—like a beam of light piercing through dark clouds, bringing a glimmer of hope and warmth to the struggling soul.

“I’ll never badmouth Diyu Entertainment again. Their planning this time was incredible. They really put heart into it.”

“Been looping the two songs back and forth—one moment I’m emotionally wrecked, the next I feel so healed life seems full of love. Then the cycle repeats, and I’m a mess all over again. This is addictive. I can’t stop.”

“Is Gu Qingzhi really the chosen one? When the entire internet was against her, she chose silence. She chose to prove herself through sheer strength, rising from the bottom all the way to her current stellar reputation. I hereby declare—she’s my favorite singer from now on.”

The album Rise received widespread praise. Although Zhou Zhou was unwilling, she still followed her teammates and reposted Yu Liuxue’s Weibo to help promote her. Upon seeing this, Yu Liuxue immediately messaged her on QQ: “Oh! Sweetie Zhou, I knew it! You still care about me!”

Zhou Zhou replied instantly, “Lunatic.”

The disdain practically spilled out of the screen.

Yu Liuxue just beamed, in too good a mood to retaliate. Besides the group’s activities, her solo events would begin tomorrow. Without Zhou Zhou tagging along as a third wheel, she was confident her shining moment would come, and she’d win over Yu Bing in one go.

When Xiao Nian saw the trending topic, she knew she could no longer stop Yu Liuxue’s rise. Though it felt a little complicated, her mood wasn’t affected much. She had just closed on that 80 million script. Soon she would enter filming, cut off from the world—whether Gu Qingzhi lived or died had nothing to do with her.

Still, thinking of the past and the present, she regretted more than ever—she should never have let Yu Yu leave.

Rumor had it Yu Yu even helped Gu Qingzhi land a top luxury brand endorsement. Once the ad was shot, Gu Qingzhi’s position in the fashion world would climb step by step. By then, she would become Xiao Nian’s formidable rival.

In the past, Xiao Nian had stood alone at the top. Brand reps had queued up, humbly presenting contracts to her. Now, with Yu Yu backing Gu Qingzhi, Xiao Nian feared that even with her status and value, she might not be able to outcompete her.

This was the one outcome Xiao Nian least wanted to see.

After releasing her new song, Yu Liuxue juggled group schedules, commercial performances, variety show recordings, and autograph events. The week left her dizzy and light-headed, as if she were floating—everything felt unreal. She was so busy she hadn’t even gotten the chance to execute her shortest-plan-yet to win over Yu Bing, and it had already been shelved.

The first two weeks post-album release were the busiest. Yu Liuxue comforted herself fiercely: “It’s okay! As long as I live long enough, I’ll win eventually!”

The system kindly reminded her: “Host, don’t forget—you have a mission.”

Yu Liuxue: “…Right.”

So she promptly “accidentally” liked a Weibo post about the ambiguous relationship between Xiao Nian and Zhou Zhou, instantly shoving the matter back into the public eye. Zhou Zhou was lying in bed with a face mask on when the Weibo notification popped up. She was so furious she tore the mask off and flung it into the trash.

Lately, she’d been closely watched by President Yang and Yu Yu—she couldn’t say or do anything freely. Life was already hard enough, and now Gu Qingzhi just had to pour oil on the fire and kick her while she was down.

Zhou Zhou gritted her teeth and opened Weibo. “Gu Qingzhi, you made the first move. Don’t blame me for being rude.”

After threatening Yu Liuxue, Zhou Zhou also used a fan-familiar alt account to “accidentally” like a Weibo post speculating on a relationship between Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi. The gossip accounts quickly took screenshots and paid to boost their Weibo to the trending list.

The three fandoms: “…?”

What’s next? Xiao Nian herself liking a post about being entangled with both girls?

Total chaos.

Of course, Xiao Nian wasn’t about to like anything. But Yu Liuxue and Zhou Zhou’s little tricks had already piqued the public’s curiosity.

“I have a bold theory—what if Gu Qingzhi and Sweetie Zhou are love rivals? Maybe they both fell for Xiao Nian and that’s why they can’t stand each other? Remember the past gossip? It was said they always avoided being within a meter of each other. Think about it. Really think.”

“My friend works at a TV station and swears to me that Gu Qingzhi and Zhou Zhou have never been in close contact. If either got near, the other would back away instantly, with a look full of hostility.”

“I heard that too! I thought they just didn’t like each other’s perfume. Turns out the truth is this?!”

Of course not! Zhou Zhou rolled her eyes so hard they almost flipped. How could people misunderstand so badly? She and Gu Qingzhi were lifelong enemies—there was absolutely no chance of reconciliation.

Beyond the romantic speculation, someone pointed out the obvious drama:

“Xiao Nian is hitting on both sweethearts at the same time? That’s kinda scummy… (whispers).”

“Why is it Xiao Nian hitting on Gu Qingzhi and Zhou Zhou, and not them shamelessly clinging to her?”

“Sis, could you finish reading the gossip before speaking? Every photo exposing Xiao Nian’s relationships shows her making the first move. Especially with Zhou Zhou.”

The whole incident wasn’t huge, but Yu Liuxue had achieved her goal, so she set down her phone and dutifully stepped back into the recording studio. As if to drain her energy, Yu Yu deliberately signed her up for a grueling indoor sports variety show, just to keep her from seducing her sister.

After jumping through hula hoops like a monkey, getting slammed into a pool by a giant hammer, and running 100 meters barefoot on a reflexology mat—then finally being splashed with colorful paint—the recording wrapped. Yu Liuxue lay on the floor, breathless and unwilling to move.

Yu Bing walked over with large strides, kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?”

Yu Liuxue weakly blinked, “Sister Yu… I can’t move anymore…”

After a moment of thought, Yu Bing picked her up. The paint on Yu Liuxue’s body smeared onto her, but she didn’t even glance at it. With a calm expression, she carried her into the bathroom.

It was empty and quiet inside. Yu Bing took out a small pack of wet wipes, had Yu Liuxue lean over the sink facing the mirror, wet the wipes, and began carefully cleaning the paint off the back and inner parts of her thighs.

Seeing her own position in the mirror, Yu Liuxue’s face slowly turned red.

This position was just… too suggestive.

She lowered her gaze to observe Yu Bing, who still looked completely unaffected. After cleaning her legs, Yu Bing asked her to turn around and wiped her arms, chest, and face thoroughly. She thought she hadn’t used much force, but Yu Liuxue’s pale skin showed red wipe marks and faint fingerprints.

Yu Bing glanced up. “Does it hurt?”

Yu Liuxue nodded pitifully, “It hurts… Sister Yu, my waist is so sore, and my legs hurt too…”

Before she could finish, Yu Yu—who had come to pick her up—didn’t find the two in the lounge and asked staff where they were. She rushed to the bathroom, only to overhear Yu Liuxue’s tearful, trembling voice complaining about her sister’s “animalistic” behavior.

Stepping in, she saw Yu Liuxue’s body covered in red marks, her expression coy and shy.

The air around Yu Yu instantly dropped several degrees. She looked toward Yu Bing. “What happened?”

Yu Liuxue’s current appearance and her earlier vague words were too suggestive. It was hard not to jump to conclusions.

Hearing her voice, Yu Liuxue immediately turned around, eyes sparkling as she looked at Yu Yu, but her tone was full of grievance. “Sister, Bing-jie is so strong. She has no idea how to be gentle. She made me lean over the sink, pressed me into the corner, grabbed my arms and legs, and just…”

Yu Bing’s heart skipped a beat.

Yu Liuxue paused, then finished, “…scrubbed off all the paint from the games.”

Yu Yu: “……”