Chapter 90: After Secretly Marrying a Top Star, I Was Cheated On by Her (19)

Yu Liuxue shivered all over, quickly walking over to Yu Bing’s side and carefully sniffing the air. “Mr. Yang, there’s nothing. Are you sure you’re not hallucinating?”

After saying that, she quickly gave Yu Bing a wink. Yu Bing fell silent for a moment before calmly replying, “Just now, when I was sitting on the sofa, she touched me.”

Yu Liuxue didn’t know whether Yu Bing was friend or foe at that moment. She wasn’t sure if Yu Bing was trying to cover for her or subtly setting her up. With a pitiful expression, Yu Liuxue looked at Yang Nianjiao. “Mr. Yang, I accidentally bumped into her.”

Yang Nianjiao looked at her skeptically, a cold smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Is that so?”

Yu Liuxue hurriedly nodded, like a chick pecking at rice. Yang Nianjiao smirked, standing upright. “It better be. Gu Qingzhi, if I find out anything, you’re finished.”

Before leaving, Yu Yu also shot a suspicious glance at Yu Liuxue, then looked at her unamused younger sister. She had watched Yu Bing grow up and knew that Yu Bing was a person of integrity, not one to lie. Since her sister said it wasn’t anything, then it likely wasn’t.

However, she still needed to remind her sister once again not to fall into Gu Qingzhi’s trap.

After the four of them went downstairs, Yang Nianjiao and Yu Yu left the company by car. After Yu Liuxue watched them leave, still in a daze, she was suddenly pulled into a corner by Yu Bing. Yu Bing pinned her against the wall, gripping her waist, and began kissing her fiercely. Yu Liuxue almost lost her breath, her hands clutching Yu Bing’s clothes as she gasped. “Sister?”

Her voice was soft, almost coquettish, and Yu Bing leaned in slightly. “What about me?”

“What?” Yu Liuxue froze, not understanding what she meant. But before she could react, Yu Bing’s aura suddenly shifted, and the pressure in the air dropped as she spoke. “Why, when you gave your speech, did you forget about me?”

“Am I not the most precious person to you in this world?”

“Why did Xiao Nian get seventy-six words, and I didn’t get a single one?” Yu Bing pressed her lips together, her eyes sharpening.

Yu Liuxue suddenly understood—Yu Bing was jealous! She blinked, looking utterly pitiful as she explained, “Sister, I was so excited at the time that I accidentally let my thoughts slip. Xiao Lǎoshī may be heartless, but she was once a small light and my persistence in a dark time…”

Yu Bing’s grip tightened, her anger rising. Was she really expressing lingering feelings for her ex in front of her? Was she asking for trouble?

In a swift motion, Yu Bing scooped her up and strode toward her apartment. Yu Liuxue was startled. “So many people!”

“Lower your head,” Yu Bing commanded, pausing for a moment before swiftly taking a quieter route. After they arrived and Yu Liuxue used her fingerprint to unlock the door, Yu Bing kicked it shut with her foot, set her down, and kissed her again. Only then did Yu Liuxue realize what Yu Bing was up to. She hurriedly explained, “Actually, it’s like this!”

“I didn’t want to share you with too many people, so I left you out. I selfishly wanted to monopolize you, so I…”

“Six minutes,” Yu Bing suddenly spoke.

“Huh?”

Yu Bing glanced down. “That’s the excuse you came up with in six minutes?”

Yu Liuxue was speechless.

She looked frustrated, but in reality, she was quite content. Under Yu Bing’s almost punishing actions, Yu Liuxue weakly gave in, half-resisting. When it was over, she clutched the blanket, on the verge of tears, and pouted. “Sister, you’re so bad.”

Yu Bing leisurely slipped on her white shirt and suit jacket. Hearing this, she paused slightly, her expression faint. “Didn’t you like it?”

Yu Liuxue was immediately rendered speechless. Had she been that obvious?

Her expression succeeded in making Yu Bing smile, and after buttoning up her suit, Yu Bing returned to sit on the edge of the bed. She gently lifted Yu Liuxue’s chin and kissed her for half a minute, then slowly pulled away. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

Zhou Zhou returned with a small loaf of bread. When she saw Yu Bing coming out of Yu Liuxue’s room, her hair slightly disheveled, a barely noticeable smile on her lips, she froze in place. Could it be…?

Zhou Zhou’s mood suddenly became complicated. Although Gu Qingzhi had repeatedly claimed to like her, Zhou Zhou had never experienced the traits of someone truly in love—those feelings of obsession, losing appetite or sleep. On the contrary, she ate more and felt a growing appetite, so she had always believed her feelings for Gu Qingzhi were just a slight infatuation, not enough to be called love.

Yet, at this moment, upon learning that Gu Qingzhi had become someone else’s woman, she felt a strange and inexplicable sensation in her heart.

Yu Bing passed by her, her emotions calm. Zhou Zhou, with her keen eyes, noticed the few scratches on Yu Bing’s porcelain skin—slightly red and clear. She instinctively called out, “Sister, what happened to your neck?”

Yu Bing stopped and touched the spot Zhou Zhou pointed to. It hurt a little, likely from Yu Liuxue, who, in a fit of anger, had scratched her earlier.

She lowered her hand, her eyes blank. “A cat scratched me. Is there a problem?”

Zhou Zhou: “…”

She then pointed to two bite marks on the back of Yu Bing’s hand. “And what about your hand? Surely it wasn’t a wild cat?”

Yu Bing glanced at it without changing expression. “I bit myself.”

Zhou Zhou: “???” What, are you the type to boast without thinking?

Seeing Zhou Zhou speechless, Yu Bing turned and left, her strides large as she disappeared quickly. Zhou Zhou took the elevator upstairs, stopping in front of Yu Liuxue’s door for several minutes before steeling herself, pressing the doorbell and asking, “Gu Qingzhi, do you want some bread?”

Yu Liuxue glanced at the clothes scattered around her, paused for a moment, then decisively rejected. “No. Sweetie, are you trying to get me to gain weight by offering me bread right now, so you can take advantage of me later?”

“I never thought you would go so far just to get me!”

Zhou Zhou, halfway through, rolled her eyes in frustration, turned, and left, throwing over a cold remark: “Take it or leave it. Who even wants you?”

She closed the door, shaking her head. There was no way she could like such a troublesome woman. Yet, Gu Qingzhi… she had actually gotten that bodyguard…

So disappointing. Was she upset because she lost to Gu Qingzhi again, or was it because of those confusing feelings she had toward her? Zhou Zhou suddenly shuddered. Was she beginning to feel some possessiveness toward Gu Qingzhi?

After Zhou Zhou left, Yu Liuxue simply lay on the bed and uploaded an old photo—a photo from when Gu Qingzhi and Xiao Nian went to take their wedding photos. A sister, impressed by their good looks, had taken the photo from afar. At the time, Gu Qingzhi had secretly taken the photo from Xiao Nian and kept it on her phone.

Yu Liuxue smiled as she uploaded the photo to the top star gossip site. “A very convincing submission from the enthusiastic melon-eating crowd, right?”

In the photo, Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi were very close. Gu Qingzhi was sitting on a chair, and Xiao Nian was standing next to her, bent over. The two of them were chatting, their faces showing happiness and sweetness. Beside them were the wedding photo props, easily recognizable.

As soon as the photo was posted, Weibo crashed.

“Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi secretly married” became an explosive real-time headline, with platforms pushing the news. In an instant, everyone was left unsure of how to respond. Xiao Nian’s fans were in disarray. Their beloved idol had secretly married the person they had been attacking for so long. Some fans, hot-tempered, immediately declared they were unfollowing and started to fight back.

Even though the fans hated Gu Qingzhi so much, why would Xiao Nian go against their wishes and marry the person they despised the most? Did she ever consider how her fans would feel when they found out?

Some fans felt used, like they were just tools. Xiao Nian said she didn’t like her, but then she actually went and got a marriage certificate with her? What did they look like to her—monkeys? Had all their hard work protecting her image and reputation been nothing more than a joke?

Treating fans like fools—how could anyone do such a thing?

Xiao Nian’s fans began to drop rapidly, and Yu Liuxue wasn’t faring much better. For a girl group idol, dating was already taboo—yet she had the audacity to get married? It was unheard of. Yu Liuxue had mentally prepared for a scenario of hurting herself while taking down the enemy, but to her surprise, the loss of fans was only half of what she had expected.

Completely baffled, Yu Liuxue exclaimed, “System, I didn’t think they loved me so deeply—I’m so touched! I swear, I’ll sing even better songs to repay them!”

The system responded coolly, “Host, your fans would be grateful enough if you just stopped falling in love.”

Yu Liuxue: “Alright then. But one love affair in this lifetime is enough for me.”

System: “…”

When Zhou Zhou got the notification, she jumped out of bed in shock. Gu Qingzhi? How could this be?! Why did it have to break out now, of all times? Who was trying to ruin her? Never mind that Mercury Girls were on the rise—Gu Qingzhi’s personal career had just reached a peak, finally earning her widespread recognition. If things went smoothly, she was bound to become a big star. But now, this…

Zhou Zhou instinctively wanted to go find her, but then remembered they were currently on bad terms. So she sat back down and sent a QQ message: “Even though I’m mad at you right now, your reputation affects the whole group. So I want to ask: what’s your plan?”

Yu Liuxue was touched and replied, “President Yang and the others will handle it for me.”

Then she added, “Sweetie, even when you’re mad, you still care about me. I knew you really did care!”

Zhou Zhou was so furious she blocked Yu Liuxue on the spot.

Though Yang Nianjiao was utterly exasperated that Yu Liuxue had gone behind her back pulling stunts again, exasperation was one thing—crisis management was another. Less than ten minutes after Weibo resumed functioning, the official account of Diyu Entertainment posted a statement. The gist was: “Our artist Gu Qingzhi and Ms. Xiao Nian have amicably separated. Thank you all for your concern.”

“This is actually real?!” Many people still found it hard to believe. After all, Gu Qingzhi had first come into the public eye precisely because she clung to Xiao Nian and became familiar to everyone that way.

“Serious question: if this is true, doesn’t that make Xiao Nian the scumbag here? Gu Qingzhi was her girl! And she just stood there watching her fans attack her own woman?! If I had such a stunning wife, I’d spoil her rotten!”

“To Xiao Nian’s fans, from Gu Qingzhi: do you know how long she had to coax me in bed because of your vicious words? Hours and hours!”

“But has anyone considered this? What if, after divorcing Xiao Nian, Gu Qingzhi was still unsatisfied and started threatening her? Maybe even ambushed her after work just to extort her?”

“No way! Our Qingzhi is beautiful and kind. Every time a shoot wrapped late at night, she’d ask her assistant to bring snacks and drinks to the waiting fans. She’s that good—how could she be the kind of person you say? You must be Xiao Nian’s fans, trying to do damage control. Fine, but don’t fling your dirty water onto our sweet girl, okay?”

Yu Liuxue had just won an award and was riding a wave of popularity. She was no longer the pushover she used to be. Even as Xiao Nian’s fans threw verbal daggers at her, her own fans weren’t about to take it lying down. They fought back fiercely. The battle between the fandoms was blazing.

Xiao Nian also took home several awards tonight for Snow Slash, boosting her popularity even higher—so in the end, no one had it easy.

But Xiao Nian’s company still hadn’t issued an official response. Not only were her fans getting antsy, she herself was feeling frazzled. Her manager called: “Didn’t I tell you? Flies don’t bite seamless eggs. If you hadn’t done those things, no one would have anything to expose.”

“None of my artists have ever gotten into this kind of mess. Under my management, they’ve all kept squeaky clean. No one can find a single flaw.”

Xiao Nian was practically driven mad with anger. She took a deep breath and said coldly, “Our contract states that the company has the responsibility to handle emergencies like this. If you won’t act, I’ll see you in court.”

The manager perked up immediately. “Oh, really? Go right ahead. Let’s see you explain how your private life’s a mess while blaming the company for not cleaning up after you.”

“Xiao Nian, can you even manage your own problems right now? Do you really have the energy to come after the company? If you keep dragging your feet, don’t be surprised if termination notices from your advertisers start flooding my inbox by tomorrow.” With that sarcastic tirade, the manager hung up.

Xiao Nian was in a terrible state. Ever since signing with Yu Yu, she’d never been this stressed. With no other choice, she logged into her Weibo and posted an explanation: “It’s true. But in the end, we broke up due to incompatible personalities.”

Then came a cutting question: “Just broke up? Not divorced?”

Xiao Nian’s Weibo post had already been seen by many—there was no way to retract it now. A call came in from an unfamiliar number. No doubt it was a reporter who had somehow gotten her contact info. Without even thinking, Xiao Nian powered off her phone and curled up alone in her cold, empty bed.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

She had been on the verge of securing her position at the top.

Suddenly, she wanted so badly to beg Yu Yu to come back, to return and fix everything for her.

Xiao Nian was truly a top-tier celebrity—the drama remained a trending topic for days. Meanwhile, Yu Liuxue continued attending award shows and public events. The reporters were practically shoving microphones up her nose. Every time that happened, Yu Liuxue would pretend to swoon into Yu Bing’s arms, shamelessly taking advantage.

Plenty of people recognized Yu Bing. One cold glance from her was enough to make some reporters instinctively back away, no longer daring to press Yu Liuxue further.

After finally escaping the crowd, Yu Liuxue sat in the car, clutching her chest in lingering panic. “Sis, if it weren’t for you, I’d have no idea how to handle that.”

Yu Bing pushed her down into the seat and said sternly, “Just now, you touched that female reporter’s hand.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?!” Really? I have no memory of that! Am I that much of a beast now—groping people without even realizing it?

Yu Bing gave her a good scolding on the spot. Rubbing her lips, which were slightly swollen and warm from the kiss, Yu Liuxue was utterly delighted—she even wanted to push things further. Because she’d been grounded by Yang Nianjiao, meeting up with Yu Bing had become even harder than a Cowherd and Weaver Girl reunion. The less time they had, the more she missed her…

…skills.

With kiss-bruised lips, Yu Liuxue murmured, “Sis, are you coming to me tonight or am I going to you?”

“I’ll come pick you up.” After a pause, she added, “It’s not safe for you to go out alone.”

Xiao Nian’s response on Weibo became the subject of ridicule. People said she would’ve been better off playing dead than responding at all. The backlash hit her hard, and her self-confidence took a nosedive. At her next award shows and public appearances, the dazzling light and pride that once sparkled in her eyes were gone. She now looked like someone who’d weathered life’s storms—her gaze heavy with exhaustion.

Her fans were heartbroken.
“Gu Qingzhi has no conscience! Just look at what she’s done to our Nian-jie. And now she’s out there hugging and clinging to her bodyguard in front of the media—how come no one’s calling her out for it?”

Although Xiao Nian had received quite a few awards, she couldn’t muster any joy. She still had several films lined up, with shoots scheduled all the way into the year after next. That meant no rest at all for the next two years. Still, her new movie was about to premiere. If it could help her recover some lost ground…

As soon as she made enough money, she’d terminate her contract with the company.

The new and old grudges between her and Gu Qingzhi had to be settled eventually.

But as the saying goes, when someone’s down on their luck, even cold water can chip their teeth. On New Year’s Eve, more evidence surfaced, nailing down her rumored involvement with Zhou Zhou.
“That top-tier celeb probably didn’t have an amicable breakup, huh? Calling it infidelity during marriage might be more accurate.”

Zhou Zhou never imagined she’d be dragged into the mess too. She was left utterly speechless. If she admitted to anything, she’d be done for in the industry. People loathed homewreckers, to the point of wanting to beat them with a stick and toss them into a pig cage. In her panic, Zhou Zhou rushed to Weibo to defend herself:
“I’m not! I didn’t! Please stop spreading nonsense! Singleness has been by my side all along, never once leaving me.”

The onlookers chuckled.
“Look how flustered that poor girl got.”

Still, if Zhou Zhou hadn’t done anything wrong, then did that mean Xiao Nian had tried to seduce her? And so, another blow landed on Xiao Nian. Her public image took another hit, teetering on the edge of collapse despite the years she’d spent carefully cultivating it.

And to make things worse, she realized that Yu Liuxue’s comeback date coincided with her own film’s release. That meant someone would definitely compare the two of them. During filming, Xiao Nian hadn’t been in the best state, which made her nervous—terrified, even—that she’d end up losing to Yu Liuxue.

Gu Qingzhi—wasn’t she just a singer? If Xiao Nian lost to someone like her, she’d never be able to lift her head again. She couldn’t accept that kind of reality.

Yang Nianjiao had done this on purpose. She knew full well the quality of the songs she’d bought. Xiao Nian was a fat piece of meat, and with Xiao Nian’s heat coming for free, how could she possibly let it go? She wasn’t just shamelessly riding Xiao Nian’s popularity—she kept a constant eye on Yu Liuxue in the recording studio, nitpicking like crazy, harsher than Cinderella’s stepmother in the fairy tale.

Yu Liuxue hadn’t seen Yu Bing for almost a month. Every night she could only text her. To protect her voice, she wasn’t allowed to speak unnecessarily. The moment something seemed off, Yang Nianjiao would catch on immediately. Yu Liuxue found her terrifying—wasting her talents not becoming a detective.

On the day she finally finished recording, Yu Liuxue was so happy she nearly jumped with joy.

She begged Yang Nianjiao for quite a while before finally getting permission to go out shopping. The moment she got into the taxi, she swore fiercely to herself: when her contract expires next year, her first condition for re-signing will be that Yang Nianjiao is no longer allowed to restrict her freedom or stop her from dating.

In her heart, Yu Liuxue was already preparing to be “bullied” by Yu Bing. She made a point to buy a little cake and a set of sexy pajamas, humming happily as she headed toward Yu Bing’s place. After punching in the door code, the door opened.

“Jiejie, I’m here!”

But just as she bent down to change her shoes, she spotted two pairs of heels that looked strangely familiar.

Aren’t these…

Weren’t these the heels Yang-zong and Yu Yu were wearing today?

The smile on Yu Liuxue’s face froze. She instinctively looked up—and sure enough, there on the sofa, backlit by the window, sat Yu Bing in her loungewear, flanked by two glamorous, elegant, and utterly commanding women. Both wore expressionless faces, slightly arching their brows as they looked at her.

Yu Liuxue: “…”

Sorry to disturb.
Press ESC to exit game.

She instinctively hid the little shopping bag behind her back, terrified Yang Nianjiao or Yu Yu might see it. Standing in the doorway, a step forward meant plunging into hell, a step back perhaps a sliver of mercy—but in the end, a storm awaited either way.

Yang Nianjiao raised an eyebrow slightly.
“What are you hiding behind your back?”

“A cake,” Yu Liuxue said, trying her best to keep her expression calm.
“A high-calorie cake, Yang-zong. I’ll only eat one slice. I swear I’ll work out tomorrow and burn off every bit of fat I gain today.”

Yang Nianjiao was unmoved.
“And the other bag?”

“Hand it over. Let me see.”

Yu Liuxue froze.
“Th-that’s really not a good idea…”

She quickly shuffled over to Yu Bing and stuffed the bag into her arms, nervously explaining,
“It’s from a fan of Bing-jiejie, someone who wishes to remain anonymous. She asked me to secretly pass this to Bing-jiejie and not let anyone else find out.”

“What could be so shameful?”

Yu Bing opened the small bag and took a glance.
“A diary.”

Yang Nianjiao gave a soft “Oh,” then abruptly changed the subject.
“Well then, tell me properly now—how did you know the passcode to Yu Bing’s house?”