Chapter 88 – After Secretly Marrying a Top Star, I Was Cheated On by Her (17)

Yu Bing stood expressionless as Yu Liuxue nestled against her like a delicate bird. The sight was piercingly ironic in Xiao Nian’s eyes. Just then, her agent walked in. The agent glanced at Yu Liuxue and Yu Bing, then turned to Xiao Nian with a raised brow. “And this is?”

Yu Liuxue immediately turned with a sweet smile and said, “I heard Teacher Xiao was also filming today. I’ve admired her for a long time, so I came over specially to say hello.”

She held onto Yu Bing’s arm and added, “I didn’t expect Teacher Xiao to be busy today. In that case, I won’t disturb you.” On her way out, she gave Xiao Nian’s agent a polite wave and said softly, “Goodbye, big sister.”

After they left, the agent turned back to Xiao Nian. “That little fan of yours is actually quite polite.”

Xiao Nian nearly choked on her breath, fury constricting her chest. Gu Qingzhi was a master of these little tricks—she used that innocent face to fool everyone around her. Yu Yu, Yang Nianjiao, Yu Bing, even Zhou Zhou had all been taken in. And now, her own agent had been fooled too.

With a cold face, Xiao Nian said, “She’s the one who’s been smearing me online lately.”

The agent was surprised. “It was her?”

Xiao Nian pressed her lips together and hesitated. In the end, she decided to keep the fact that she had once been divorced completely secret, especially from her somewhat unreliable agent.

After leaving Xiao Nian’s dressing room, Yu Bing walked ahead. Her cool voice floated back. “Didn’t you say you were going to the restroom?”

“I was,” Yu Liuxue replied quickly, “but when I passed by and saw Teacher Xiao’s door open with only her inside, I thought it would be rude not to say hello…”

As she tried to justify herself, Yu Bing calmly exposed the lie: “The restroom is in the other direction.”

“…”

Yu Liuxue instantly deflated like a soaked firecracker, falling silent. Yu Bing stopped and turned to look at her, eyes calm. “You’re not still hung up on her, are you?”

Yu Liuxue’s eyes lit up—that was the perfect excuse. Yu Bing was so considerate, even coming up with one for her. She immediately adopted a heartbroken expression, eyes misty. “To me, Teacher Xiao is one of a kind in this world. She’s my faith, my light, my warmth, my—”

Under Yu Bing’s increasingly cold gaze, her voice grew smaller and smaller until it vanished altogether.

Yu Bing couldn’t even explain how she felt. Just uncomfortable. Gu Qingzhi was still young, sure—but she’d already been fooled by Xiao Nian once. Why couldn’t she let it go?

Yu Bing pressed her lips together. “Shake your head.”

Yu Liuxue blinked, then obediently gave her head a little shake. She looked up expectantly. “I shook it. Now what?”

“You didn’t hear the sound of the sea?”

“…”

The system let out a schadenfreude-laced chuckle. Yu Liuxue pouted in grievance and mumbled, “I know I shouldn’t cling to the past, but forgetting someone is so hard. It feels like tearing a piece out of my heart. I want to move on, but…”

Suddenly her tone shifted and her eyes lit up. “How about this—why don’t you become my only faith, my only light, and my only warmth?”

Yu Bing’s expression flickered.

The girl before her had starlight in her eyes, filled with trust—as if, if she only nodded, the girl would hand over everything without hesitation. That kind of pure, direct trust burned at her heart like a bed of coals.

Sensing victory, Yu Liuxue stepped closer and asked again, “Is that okay, big sister?”

That soft “big sister” jolted Yu Bing back to her senses. Her expression didn’t change. “The shoot’s about to start. Go touch up your makeup.”

Though Yu Bing didn’t say yes, she hadn’t rejected her either. After thinking it over, Yu Liuxue decided to give her plenty of time to consider. She went about everything as usual, without showing a hint of impatience.

Yu Bing leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed, watching her. Her lashes fluttered slightly. Acting so normal now—those earlier words must’ve been said casually, nothing serious.

She’s always liked her older sister more anyway.

So, whether it’s her or the sister—either would probably do.

During the recording, Xiao Nian performed excellently, captivating from start to finish. At the moment, she and Yu Liuxue were strictly business partners. On camera, they smiled constantly, but once they turned away, the looks they gave each other were full of subtle undercurrents.

Xiao Nian had never realized Gu Qingzhi could be so slippery. She’d tried to trap her during the shoot, but Yu Liuxue dodged everything with ease, even joking, “Teacher Xiao is so amazing, I don’t think anyone in the world is worthy of her.”

Wasn’t that basically cursing her to be alone forever?

After the program ended, Xiao Nian didn’t want to stay a moment longer. She quickly left in a car with her agent.

Yu Liuxue, meanwhile, took her time fixing her makeup. Then she exited the station with the perfect look and posture to greet the media and fans. As Yu Bing shielded her and helped her into the car, Yu Liuxue turned with a smile and said to the fans, “I asked my assistant to prepare some drinks for everyone. Thanks for waiting so late tonight.”

Fans were instantly touched. “Qingzhi, how are you so kind? Were you an angel in your past life?!”

Yu Liuxue smiled sweetly. “To me, you’ve always been the little angels who protect me.”

Yu Bing lowered her gaze. Yu Liuxue, sensing it, quickly turned around and added nervously, “Of course, in my heart, you’re my one and only irreplaceable angel.”

Yu Bing remained expressionless.

Recently, Xiao Nian had been focusing on work and public appearances. Her company had spent a fortune scrubbing the internet clean of any rumors. Now, searching for anything linking Xiao Nian to Gu Qingzhi or Zhou Zhou turned up barely anything. Over time, fans began to selectively forget—as if none of it had ever happened.

Last month, the finale of Snow Slash performed exceptionally well, and thanks to her compelling lead role, Xiao Nian gained another wave of new fans. These fans were fiercely loyal and quick to defend her, terrified she might suffer even the slightest grievance.

Some fans still hadn’t given up trying to convince Yu Yu to go back to Xiao Nian. Their persistence had not only annoyed Xiao Nian’s current agent but also begun to draw the ire of bystanders. As some onlookers pointed out: When Yu Yu and Xiao Nian worked together, Yu Yu had been generous with resources and had never done anything to hurt her. Now that she’d simply changed jobs, people were acting like she’d suddenly become some kind of heartless jerk.

The two had clearly parted ways on mutual terms. Yet the fans kept trying to moralize the situation, forcing both sides into a bind where neither could come out looking good.

Thanks to these fans, the question “Why did Yu Yu really leave Xiao Nian?” was once again at the center of attention.

This kind of thing didn’t even need Yu Liuxue to step in—there were already people who either had a good relationship with Yu Yu or had heard things from friends, and they anonymously posted on forums: “Since so many people want to know why Yu Yu left Xiao Nian, let me briefly explain. I’m someone in the industry. The gossip in our circle is always a mix of truth and lies, but I swear on my life, what I’m saying is absolutely true. After all, this matter isn’t even a secret in the industry anymore.”

“Back when Xiao Nian and Yu Yu were still working together—around six months ago—Xiao Nian was already secretly meeting with other managers in the circle behind Yu Yu’s back. Several of my friends even had meals with her in private. Later on, she ended up choosing a company with the most relaxed and generous contract—one I’m sure you all know. But honestly, I don’t have much faith in her future development.”

“As for her current agent, well… I won’t name names, but if you’re a fan of other artists from her company, you’ll know exactly what I mean.”

Naturally, fans didn’t believe this kind of gossip.
“Our Nian-jie is the best person in the world—why are there always people trying to bring her down?”

Yu Liuxue blinked and gave a light chuckle. Why? Obviously because of you all. If Xiao Nian ever realized how her own fans were out there creating enemies for her and destroying her public image and likability, who knows what she’d think?

“Gu Qingzhi!” Zhou Zhou came running over in a huff. Two months ago, Mercury Girls’ group activities had officially ended. Zhou Zhou had gained a bit of popularity through Snow Slash, but it still didn’t compare to Yu Liuxue. Lately, she’d been lazing around the company, and Yu Yu was watching her like a hawk—even her shopping trips had time limits and required reports. She was on the verge of losing her mind. So the moment she saw Yu Liuxue today, she rushed over without hesitation.

“This is all your fault for not clearing things up with Director Yang and the others. Now I can’t even leave the building. You owe me compensation.”

Yu Liuxue set down her phone, clearly entertained. “Oh? Sweetie, how do you want me to compensate you?”

Zhou Zhou lifted her chin. “Next time you attend an event, you must bring me with you. I’ll pretend to be your assistant and sneak out of the company with you.” She then glared fiercely at Yu Liuxue and added, “If you dare refuse me, I’ll tell Director Yang that you and I are currently in a vague romantic stage, just about to make it official.”

“Who’s in a vague romantic stage? Who’s about to make it official?”
Yang Nianjiao approached slowly, heels clicking, a purse in hand. Her sharp gaze swept toward Zhou Zhou, who instantly froze, shrank back several steps, and stood at attention like a schoolkid caught misbehaving.

“Director Yang, don’t misunderstand. Nothing’s going on between Gu Qingzhi and me,” Yu Liuxue said, secretly pleased. But before she could celebrate for long, Gu Qingzhi chimed in, “We’ve just been in close contact for a while, and feelings developed over time.”

Yu Liuxue pointed at Zhou Zhou in disbelief. “???”

You dragged me down with you—you’re even willing to blow yourself up in the process?! I misjudged you. You’re ruthless.

Yang Nianjiao gave a cold smile. “Come here.”

Zhou Zhou shuffled over slowly. Yang Nianjiao gave her a bland glance, then looked sideways at Yu Liuxue. “Gu Qingzhi.”

Zhou Zhou instantly stopped in her tracks and froze on the spot. Yu Liuxue felt more wronged than Dou E. She looked like she was about to cry as she rushed to Yang Nianjiao. “Director Yang, it’s not like that! Please let me explain!”

Yang Nianjiao wouldn’t have made it this far if she were easily fooled. Her icy stare landed like slaps on Yu Liuxue’s face. Under her gaze, Yu Liuxue wilted and admitted, “Okay, I did chat with Zhou Tiantian, but she’s not innocent either! She also has entanglements with Xiao Nian. Director Yang, she’s even sneakier than I am!”

Zhou Zhou suddenly heard a sharp “whoosh” as if something was flying past her ear. She looked up—it was a metaphorical knife flying from Yang Nianjiao’s eyes.

Panicking, Zhou Zhou cried, “No, it’s not true! She’s making things up!”

“You two are grounded for a month,” Yang Nianjiao said with an icy laugh. “Oh, and by the way, Gu Qingzhi, you’ve got a concert next month, don’t you? You’ll spend the entire month locked in the practice room. You’re not allowed to go anywhere else.”

Yu Liuxue: “…!”

While Yu Liuxue was locked away in the practice room, Xiao Nian was thriving—she’d landed roles in several big-name directors’ films. The pay was high, the budgets were large, and the casts were star-studded. Compared to the grounded Yu Liuxue, she was living the dream.

On top of that, the film she started shooting before the New Year had already wrapped and entered post-production and promotion.

And wouldn’t you know it—her promo schedule kept clashing with Yu Liuxue’s, causing tension between their fanbases. Each side believed their idol was the best in the world, and couldn’t tolerate any comparisons. So when shady marketing accounts started stirring up controversy with half-truths and misleading posts, fans walked right into the trap.

Xiao Nian’s fans:
“Gu Qingzhi, the queen of clout-chasing! Shameless clout-chasing founder Gu Qingzhi! Lies for days, Gu Qingzhi!”

Yu Liuxue’s fans:
“Cheating queen Xiao Nian! ‘Just a fan’ Xiao Nian! Backstabbing traitor Xiao Nian! Emotional manipulator Xiao Nian!”

Xiao Nian’s fans were nearly foaming at the mouth. Whether it was the rumors about her and Gu Qingzhi, or her with Zhou Zhou, or her and Yu Yu—there was no proof for any of it. And if there’s no proof, then obviously it’s all fake, made up by jealous haters trying to smear their beloved Xiao Nian.

Meanwhile, in her free time, Yu Liuxue scribbled on three slips of paper. She balled them up, closed her eyes, and picked one at random.
“Now, I shall draw a lucky cutie to expose. Who will be the fortunate one?”

Muttering to herself, she reached out and unfolded a slip. Written in bold letters: “Gu Qingzhi.”

Yu Liuxue batted her lashes innocently. “Xiao Nian has such bad luck. How could I pull the ultimate bomb?”

Exposing the truth about Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi was almost too easy. After her mini-concert, Yu Liuxue jumped on her alt account—already with over 100,000 followers—and posted a photo she had dug up of Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi from before either of them were famous.
“Paid a pretty penny to get this from a friend. What do you guys think—when was this taken?”

One photo stirred up a frenzy.
“Judging from those hairstyles, definitely from before Xiao Nian got famous.”

“Wait—does this mean Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi were actually a thing?!”

Not long after posting the photo, Yu Liuxue’s phone rang. It was Xiao Nian, practically gnashing her teeth:
“Gu Qingzhi, what the hell do you want? Haven’t you already gotten everything? You walked away from the divorce with money, a house, a car—wasn’t that enough to keep your mouth shut?!”

Xiao Nian was furious. She had several big-budget films in the pipeline, and deposits had already hit her account. If Gu Qingzhi exposed their past now, just the breach penalties alone would cost her a fortune.

She would never allow that to happen.

After a moment of forced calm, her voice turned cold.
“When are you free? Let’s meet. Tell me what you want. As long as you’re willing to cooperate, I’ll do everything I can to give it to you.”

Yu Liuxue was delighted. Oh, she was pissed now. She blinked innocently and replied in the most pitiful tone she could muster,
“Miss Xiao, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been busy preparing for my concert lately.”

She refused to admit it. No matter how Xiao Nian tried to probe indirectly, Yu Liuxue simply wouldn’t let anything slip. She even found an excuse to hang up on her and then blocked her number. Disappointed, Xiao Nian put down her phone, stopped the recording, and after a moment of calm, called her agent for help. “Sis, the online exposé is causing a huge negative impact on me. Please take care of it for me.”

The agent didn’t hesitate and immediately reported the matter to the company’s boss.

Right now, Xiao Nian was their company’s cash cow—nothing could be allowed to happen to her, lest it affect their revenue. The boss thought for a moment: wasn’t all of this caused by Gu Qingzhi? Since that’s the case, then just hire paid trolls to smear Gu Qingzhi so badly that even her own mother wouldn’t recognize her. That would preserve Xiao Nian’s reputation, wouldn’t it?

Soon enough, gossip-loving netizens noticed a sudden influx of smear posts online targeting Gu Qingzhi. Claims of “lip-syncing,” “mouthing words,” “lack of real talent”—every conceivable accusation was thrown at her.

“I’m actually starting to believe that blogger now. So much dirt suddenly popped up about Gu Qingzhi—aside from Xiao Nian, I don’t see who else would go to all this trouble.”

“No talent? Please. Qingzhi just held a concert. She performed ten songs in a row without missing a beat—she’s insanely talented. You dare say she’s got no skills? At least update your facts before trying to smear someone.”

“My poor Qingzhi… Sigh. But this is just the usual trick—some top celeb using her for buzz again.”

Xiao Nian began questioning her life choices. One of the main reasons she chose her current agency, aside from the generous contract, was that it was a top-tier, long-established company in the industry. She thought their agents would be just as competent. Yet ever since last year, her agent’s endless parade of ridiculous moves had left her utterly dumbfounded.

All she wanted was for her agent to quietly remove the posts like she had done in the past. Never did she expect her to go hire paid trolls to attack Gu Qingzhi. Doing that now was practically a confession of guilt—a clear sign she was lashing out from a guilty conscience.

Frustrated and anxious, Xiao Nian found herself missing Yu Yu—how capable and worry-free she’d been. She wanted to call and scold her agent but suddenly remembered something her assistant had once casually mentioned: the agent was actually the boss’s cousin. Because of that connection, Xiao Nian couldn’t afford to completely fall out with her.

She had nowhere to vent her anger. Gu Qingzhi made her so upset she couldn’t eat or sleep, and now her incompetent agent was dragging her down too. Xiao Nian’s complexion visibly deteriorated, and even her once well-maintained face started to show fine lines.

Even by the time filming resumed, Xiao Nian hadn’t returned to her former peak state.

Yu Liuxue was nearly amused to death by Xiao Nian’s agent. She even began to suspect the woman had fallen for her at first sight—why else would she help her so much? That photo she’d leaked had been highly convincing, and now, thanks to all the sudden smear posts, more and more people were starting to believe she and Xiao Nian were actually in a romantic relationship.

Yu Liuxue rubbed her chin and temporarily logged off her alt account. Xiao Nian would be stuck on set for quite a while—now was not yet the best time to reveal all her cards.

“Gu Qingzhi, President Yang would like to see you.” The secretary walked in and said softly. She glanced briefly at Yu Bing, then quickly looked away and turned her eyes to Yu Liuxue. “President Yang is in a good mood today.”

Hearing this, Yu Liuxue immediately grabbed her phone and dashed off. She pushed open the office door, excited. “President Yang, you wanted to see me?”

Yang Nianjiao tossed her a bank card. “Your salary.”

Yu Liuxue quickly picked up the card. After linking it to her phone and seeing the balance, her smile nearly reached her ears. “President Yang, I made this much money. Shouldn’t you agree to let me and Sister Bing get married now?”

Yang Nianjiao smiled faintly. “It’s not up to me. You’ll need her family’s blessing.” As she spoke, she nodded toward the person behind Yu Liuxue—Yu Yu, just out of her room, having just woken up. “Sister Yu, what do you think?”

Yu Yu wore a blank expression. Even without turning around, Yu Liuxue could picture her face.

So she quickly switched to survival mode and blurted out, “Sis, don’t take it seriously. I was joking. I’m an idol in a girl group, I’m still young, how could I possibly be in a relationship? Right?”

Yu Yu tugged the corner of her lips and looked toward Yu Bing, who had followed Yu Liuxue upstairs and just arrived at the doorway. “You heard that, didn’t you? Everything she said to you before was a lie.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?”

She slowly turned around and was met with the identical, expressionless faces of Yu Bing and Yu Yu. Wait, sisters—please let me explain! Tearfully, she collapsed onto the couch.

“System, should I prove to Yu Bing that I truly like her, or should I prove to President Yang and Sister Yu that I’m righteous and definitely not the type to disgrace my idol image with romance?”

System: “I think, Host, you can do both. At worst, you’ll just suffer a bit of physical pain.”