Chapter 34: Trampling the Harem Protagonist (8)

Shen Yu’s mouth twitched again. He had originally planned to stay out of the situation, but seeing no other choice, he reluctantly stepped in to smooth things over. However, Yan Yi wasn’t in the mood to entertain him. After glancing at the rich woman twice, she directly pulled Yu Liuxue back into the private room.

As the door shut behind them, Yan Yi reached back and locked it with a click. A shadow loomed over Yu Liuxue, and before she could react, she found herself pinned against the door by Yan Yi.

Yan Yi narrowed her eyes slightly. “It’s only been a short while, and you’re already out there attracting other women?”

Yu Liuxue wanted to cry out, I’m being wronged! She clutched Yan Yi’s clothes cautiously and said, “Would you believe me if I said she was the one interested in me? I was just passing by. I didn’t expect to run into Shen Yu.”

As she spoke, she quickly raised two fingers. “I swear, I absolutely don’t know the woman with Shen Yu. This was my first time seeing her.”

Yan Yi tilted her head slightly and asked leisurely, “Oh? Is that so?”

“Of course! If I’m lying, you can do whatever you want with me in the future!” Yu Liuxue declared seriously.

Yan Yi kissed her lips. After a lingering, tender kiss, she pulled back without a hint of breathlessness and stated calmly, “I just feel like you’re lying.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?” You just want to bully me.

—

Shen Yu had calculated everything, but he never expected to be seen by Xia Xiaoshi. His expression stiffened slightly as he could almost imagine the look of contempt she must have for him now. He had kicked Xia Xiaoshi aside, grown distant from Li Nuolin, and now that Li Nuolin had a new flame, she had completely discarded him. Meanwhile, the company he had placed high hopes on, upon realizing that his value wasn’t as great as expected, had also shifted into a half-abandonment state.

They no longer prioritized him as they once did.

Shen Yu was never one to admit defeat easily. Since the company wasn’t taking action, he would find a way himself. Luckily, the wealthy woman his agent had introduced him to—the very same Madam Wang sitting beside him—had just lost her husband. They had maintained a decent relationship, not too intimate, but still lingering within the bounds of ambiguous friendship.

Shen Yu wanted to land a better role to make a comeback. After much consideration, he realized that within his social circle, only Madam Wang had the power to support him. So, after weighing his options, he took the initiative to invite her out for a meal. Who would have thought that on his first attempt at something like this, he’d run into Xia Xiaoshi and Yan Yi?

His brows furrowed. Would Xia Xiaoshi and Yan Yi assume he regularly engaged in such affairs?

Madam Wang had already seen through his thoughts and calculations, but she feigned ignorance, smiling as she remarked, “Your ex-girlfriend is quite the actress. She’s had two consecutive hit dramas, just like you back in the day.”

A true hero doesn’t dwell on past glories. Shen Yu felt a bit awkward but concealed it well. “The Xia family has always had a good eye. It’s no surprise that she became popular.”

“And what about you?” Madam Wang smiled at him, resting her chin on her hand. “The more famous she gets, the more unstable your position becomes. What’s your plan?”

Shen Yu lowered his gaze. “I went from being an extra to where I am today. Now that I’m starting from a higher position, if I work even harder, I’ll become even better than I am now.”

Madam Wang smiled but said nothing.

Just as they were about to part ways, she spoke with a meaningful tone, “One of my late husband’s friends is a director. He’s currently preparing a high-quality campus web drama. Would you be interested?”

A campus web drama? Wasn’t that made for him? With his looks, he could easily play the male lead.

Joy flickered in Shen Yu’s heart, but he remained composed. “Let me escort you home, Madam Wang.”

She smiled and didn’t refuse.

—

Yu Liuxue deliberately hinted that she was going on a date, and as expected, she made it onto the trending list. Everyone was speculating about her date’s identity. Every artist under the Xia family’s company was dragged into the mess, each one being suspected in turn. Xia Zhengtian, after seeing this, was so frustrated that his eyelid twitched violently. He immediately issued a warning:

“Anyone who dares to date Xiaoshi can forget about staying in the industry.”

In an instant, all Xia family artists were scared stiff and started avoiding Yu Liuxue like the plague.

When the gossiping masses found out that her date wasn’t one of the Xia family’s artists, they were disappointed and began speculating about other possibilities. Meanwhile, Yu Liuxue held her phone, sneakily glancing at the woman beside her, who was quietly reading a script. No matter how much people racked their brains, they would never guess that the one she was dating was right in front of them—her real-life CP (Couple pairing).

—

The Inner Palace hadn’t even finished airing yet, but Yan Yi had already accepted a new script and would be heading to the film city next week for filming. Right now, she was familiarizing herself with the script, but when it came to bullying Yu Liuxue, she never slacked off. Yu Liuxue hugged a pillow, crying her eyes out, wishing next week would come sooner.

Yan Yi put down the script. “I know a director who’s preparing a campus web drama. It’s your favorite type—full of angsty youth drama with fights, abortions, and forceful kisses. A full-on Mary Sue melodrama.”

Yu Liuxue’s eyes lit up. “Really? I want in! I want in!”

“Alright, I’ll bring the script over another day for you to check out before you decide.”

The director had shot a classic modern workplace drama three years ago. He was a meticulous perfectionist who took his time to refine every detail. With him at the helm, even the most ridiculous plot could turn into high-quality drama. His ability to rewrite scripts for maximum impact catered well to audiences’ curiosity and love for over-the-top stories.

Since Yu Liuxue wanted to star in a melodramatic story, Yan Yi figured this web drama was the best fit for her.

At the moment, only a few people in the industry knew about the project. Leveraging her connections, Yan Yi delivered the script to Yu Liuxue the very next day.

Yu Liuxue read it with great interest. “These kids are so young, yet instead of studying, they’re busy smoking, drinking, falling in love, stealing their best friend’s boyfriend, getting abortions, and managing a harem. How are their brains this sharp?”

She frowned, flipping through the pages. After careful consideration, she concluded, “The female lead is way too frustrating. I’m not playing her.” She thought for a moment before saying decisively, “I’ll be the rich and beautiful second female lead instead.”

The rich and beautiful second female lead has both looks and money, as well as a childhood fiancé—the male lead. Their relationship and feelings for each other were quite good, and barring any accidents, they would have naturally progressed to discussing marriage when they came of age. Unfortunately, the world is full of accidents. The male lead encountered the female lead, who exuded a delicate white lotus aura. Step by step, she won over his heart and successfully stole the second female lead’s fiancé, who was also her best friend from college.

What followed was a dramatic best-friend fallout and an entangled N-angle love affair.

Yu Liuxue stroked her chin. “I feel like acting in this kind of drama doesn’t require any skills. I just need to focus on being beautiful.”

System: 【You’re absolutely right.】

Hearing this, Yan Yi agreed, “I also think you’re perfect for this role. The others wouldn’t benefit your career anyway.”

Having made her decision, Yu Liuxue immediately went to find her cheap dad. “Dad, I want to act in that campus web drama called Little Indulgence. I want to play the second female lead.”

Xia Zhengtian quickly responded, “Alright, alright. But if our little persimmon is acting, she should play the female lead—”

“No, Dad, I want to play the second female lead. If it’s not the second female lead, I’m not doing it.”

Xia Zhengtian: “…”

Meanwhile, Shen Yu secured the male lead role in Little Indulgence through connections with Sister Wang. Just after signing the contract, the person across from him suddenly spoke with schadenfreude, “Speaking of which, the second female lead has also been confirmed. And it’s an old acquaintance of yours.”

Shen Yu instinctively asked, “Who?”

“Xia Xiaoshi,” the person replied.

Who?

Yu Liuxue also found out after signing the contract that the scumbag male lead was Shen Yu. She raised an eyebrow slightly—method acting? She burst into laughter. Had Shen Yu lost his mind? He was personally ruining his own reputation.

He was already a scumbag, yet he was playing a scumbag again in the same drama as his ex-wife, acting out the same cheating and falling-for-another-woman storyline.

If that wasn’t method acting, what was?

Even before The Inner Palace reached its grand finale, the production team had already released the news that Shen Yu and Yu Liuxue would be co-starring in a campus web drama. The production team deliberately kept it from both of them, banking on their popularity. As for how the two of them felt about it, that wasn’t the production team’s concern.

After all, the contracts were signed. Could they back out?

Sure, if they were willing to cough up an enormous penalty fee first.

As expected, the gossiping masses exploded.

“What the hell is Shen Yu thinking? How does he have the guts to take on this kind of scumbag role? Isn’t he afraid of being torn apart by Xia Xiaoshi’s fans?”

Nowadays, Xia Xiaoshi was no longer the soft-spoken girl she used to be. She had become an immensely popular rising star with a massive die-hard fanbase—Niohuru Liuxue. If The Inner Palace had been running a little longer and Yu Liuxue’s status had been more solid, she might have even dethroned Shen Yu as the top celebrity in the industry.

Yu Liuxue watched Shen Yu’s reaction with amusement. Although he was fuming with rage, he couldn’t afford to show it too openly, lest he be accused of throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment. He remained silent as a chicken. After waiting for a few days, Yu Liuxue finally put down her phone in disappointment. “The male lead has an impressive mentality.”

Yan Yi was about to join her own film crew soon, and Yu Liuxue also had to prepare for filming. They wouldn’t see each other again for a whole six months. Before parting, Yan Yi playfully put Yu Liuxue in various poses and teased her. Yu Liuxue’s eyelids twitched as she complained to the system, “The female lead really has a lot of tricks.”

The system quickly tried to comfort her: 【Host, please endure it…】

But then Yu Liuxue excitedly said, “I never knew you could play like this! This feels so thrilling and exciting!”

“Oh! Double the sensitivity, double the pleasure, I can’t take it anymore!”

The system: 【…】

It shut down in frustration.

Once The Inner Palace aired its final episode, Yan Yi departed for filming. Her shoot was set in a scenic location featuring a vast sea of bamboo, whereas Yu Liuxue’s location was in a university halfway across the country.

Although The Inner Palace had ended, fans were reluctant to let go. They missed the elegant and scheming Empress and the unruly yet charming Consort Ling. Although the Empress and Consort Ling often clashed, when the Empress fell from power, Consort Ling even went to the Cold Palace specifically to humiliate her. But that final look in the Empress’s eyes… it was too thought-provoking.

Somehow, Yu Liuxue found herself becoming the protagonist of X-rated fanfics.

Fanworks featuring the Empress and Consort Ling flooded every corner of the internet. Driven by curiosity, Yu Liuxue clicked into one vertically and crawled out horizontally.

Too brutal. Even worse than the real Yan Yi.

Clutching her chest, Yu Liuxue muttered, “Has the world of fanfiction evolved this much?”

No. It’s just that you and Yan Yi’s ship is way too popular.

The Inner Palace was the second major hit drama of the summer. By the time it ended, its rating had reached an unprecedented 9.4. In contrast, Fiery Passion had only average success. When it ended, its rating was 8.9, but it had since dropped to 8.6—not terrible, but it paled in comparison to The Inner Palace.

Because of this, Shen Yu felt utterly humiliated, and his personality grew more violent. His mood swung unpredictably, convinced that everyone was laughing at how his ex-wife Xia Xiaoshi had outshone him.

In truth, people were indeed thinking exactly that—it wasn’t just his paranoia.

As Shen Yu’s mentality and personality became increasingly obsessive, Little Indulgence finally called the cast in for filming. The director, Lin Shu, had a literary air about him—thin, weak, and scholarly, unlike the typical rotund directors. Meanwhile, the female lead was a complete industry insider plant, forced into the role by Lin Shu’s company. She was a newcomer with zero fame, named Zhao Long.

The moment Yu Liuxue arrived on set, she noticed a petite girl—with a somewhat cute face but a disastrous height and figure—glaring at her with hostility. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Yu Liuxue turned to her assistant and asked, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, “Who’s she?”

The assistant whispered, “She’s the female lead, Zhao Long.”

“Oh.” So, the casting standards for campus dramas had fallen this low? Yu Liuxue glanced down at her own legs. Her legs alone were probably taller than Zhao Long’s waist.

She couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected, I am the face of Little Indulgence.”

The assistant resisted the urge to cover her little mouth and continued explaining, “Miss Xia, Zhao Long is an artist from the same company as Director Lin Shu. I heard that her backer is quite powerful…”

“Powerful? No matter how powerful, can they be more powerful than my dad? My dad is Xia Zhengtian.”

The assistant was left speechless.

Yu Liuxue had only come to torment Shen Yu. However, after Zhao Long deliberately put peanuts in her boxed meal, causing her to have an allergic reaction and nearly go into shock, she decided to torment both Shen Yu and Zhao Long.

Yu Liuxue filed her nails, narrowing her eyes as she watched Shen Yu and Zhao Long acting together. When Lin Shu impatiently called for another cut, she couldn’t help but laugh softly, “Oh! My dear consort! Is that Zhao Long the little demon you sent to help me torment Shen Yu?!”

【System: That’s not true! I didn’t do anything, Host, please don’t say nonsense!】

Zhao Long, like Yu Liuxue, had entered the industry midway, but while Yu Liuxue’s life was filled with drama, making her a natural actress in any role, Zhao Long lacked both life experience and talent. Every time she acted, it was a complete disaster.

Lin Shu felt his patience reaching its limit. He had a dark expression, and everyone else was holding their breath, except for Yu Liuxue.

Yu Liuxue put down her nail buffer, fanned herself, and walked over with a bright smile, offering Lin Shu a cup of iced mung bean soup. “Director, let’s take a break before continuing. If we stay in the sun any longer, we’re all going to suffer heatstroke.”

Though Lin Shu was frustrated, he still had to give Yu Liuxue some face. Her last two dramas were major hits, her acting skills were solid, and she had always been professional on set. He relented, setting his things down. “Break!”

As he took the iced mung bean soup from Yu Liuxue’s hands, she casually remarked, “Director, if we keep filming like this, not only will our schedule be delayed, but the final product will probably get torn apart by the audience.”

“What do you suggest?”

Of course, Lin Shu already knew the problem. But Zhao Long had been personally assigned to him by the boss, so he had no choice but to take her on. However, if they continued filming like this, he was bound to die from frustration sooner or later.

Yu Liuxue said just enough and then left with a smile, fanning herself as she strolled away.

Lin Shu watched her retreating figure for a moment before glancing at Shen Yu. Right now, the biggest topic of interest was the gossip between Xia Xiaoshi and Shen Yu. The two of them were also the main attraction of Little Indulgence, ensuring its ratings. With them on board, there was no worry about the show flopping.

As for Zhao Long…

Who cared about her?

Lin Shu immediately walked up to the screenwriter and said expressionlessly, “Rewrite the script.”

The screenwriter adjusted his glasses. “Huh?”

Rewrite how?

“Reduce the scenes between the male and female leads. Increase the scenes between Xia Xiaoshi and Shen Yu.” Lin Shu sat down and quickly began writing with a pen. “Shen Yu and Xia Xiaoshi are the most popular actors, and they have the best acting skills. Do you understand what I mean?”

The screenwriter’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Understood, understood! Don’t worry, I’ll revise it right away!”

Lin Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The boss had ordered him to take Zhao Long under his wing, and he had done that. If she couldn’t hold her own, that wasn’t his fault.

A week later, Yu Liuxue received a revised script where her scenes as the second female lead were even more numerous than the female lead’s. She grinned from ear to ear as she held the script. “Looks like I was born to be the lead.”

When Zhao Long found out, she was furious and immediately called her backer to complain.

The backer patiently reassured her, “Longlong, you’re still a newcomer. I got you into the show so you could hone your acting skills, not to fight for ranking.”

Zhao Long refused to accept it. “But where in the world does a second female lead have more scenes than the female lead? Lin Shu just doesn’t like me! And that Xia Xiaoshi, she must be jealous of my connections and is deliberately targeting me!”

Her backer resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Stop making a fuss.”

Zhao Long immediately started crying pitifully. Her backer, now with a headache from her sobbing, had no choice but to say, “Fine, I’ll talk to Lin Shu.”

Lin Shu, caught in the middle, had no choice but to seek out Yu Liuxue.

As soon as Yu Liuxue heard about it, she immediately called her cheap old dad in front of Lin Shu. The moment the call connected, she exclaimed, “Dad! The female lead wants to cut my scenes!”

Xia Zhengtian was instantly furious. “Which company’s artist is she?! How dare she try to cut my precious daughter’s scenes? I’ll talk to her boss right now!”

Less than half an hour later, Lin Shu received another call. His boss simply said, “Do whatever you want. Don’t worry about Zhao Long.”

Shen Yu: “…”

Do any of you actually care about me at all?

This was supposed to be a drama about three people, yet somehow, I have no presence whatsoever.

Once the script was finalized, Little Indulgence resumed filming. With fewer scenes between Shen Yu and Zhao Long, both of them seemed much more relaxed. However, the next scene was Shen Yu’s first on-screen interaction with Yu Liuxue.

He had already memorized his lines and carefully prepared his emotions. He was confident that his acting would surpass Yu Liuxue’s.

Everything was set.

The moment the cameras rolled, Yu Liuxue’s eyes turned red. Tears welled up but stubbornly refused to fall. The corners of her eyes, tinged with a soft pink as if painted with watercolor, were breathtakingly beautiful—like a peach blossom just beginning to bloom.

She held herself back, unwilling to appear too miserable in front of her ex-fiancé. Her vision blurred with tears, reducing everything in front of her to vague shapes, making even her ex-fiancé’s figure indistinct.

“Shaoning.” She finally spoke her first line.

Her voice was slightly hoarse, thick with nasal undertones, making listeners instinctively feel a pang of sorrow, as if they, too, were about to cry.

Shen Yu was completely stunned.

He had thought he was well-prepared. But in front of Yu Liuxue, he suddenly felt inexplicably guilty.

She was clearly calling the name of the man in the script, yet for some reason, it felt like she was calling him.

“Shaoning, why?”

The first hot tear finally fell with her calm words, sliding off her sharp chin and dropping down. The second tear followed immediately after.

In an instant, her tears cascaded like a broken string of pearls, streaming down in succession.

Even though she was in so much pain, she still maintained her pride and beauty. Her excessive strength made people want to hold her tightly and comfort her.

Shen Yu was at a complete loss. The lines were on the tip of his tongue, but his throat felt like it was glued shut. His lips moved, but not a single word came out.

The first scene between them ended in Shen Yu’s failure. He remained silent, while Yu Liuxue finished all her lines. Perhaps because their relationship was too special, her real emotions seeped into her performance, and the final result turned out even better than what the script dictated.

Yu Liuxue wiped her tears while watching herself on screen. Sniffling, she suddenly beamed and said, “So I even look this good when I cry.”

Shen Yu: “……”

That made it sting even more. His ex-wife not only delivered all her lines flawlessly but even nailed the crying scene.

In this first scene, he had completely lost to Yu Liuxue.

However, Shen Yu had come a long way to reach this point—his mental resilience was already quite strong. The reason he had performed poorly in his first scene with Yu Liuxue was that he had never seen her cry in front of him before. The sudden impact left him momentarily stunned, unsure of how to react.

After thoroughly convincing himself with some self-hypnosis, Shen Yu pulled himself together. The shock from Yu Liuxue had ignited something in him, and when he acted opposite Zhao Long, he unleashed his full strength without holding back.

Zhao Long: “?” What did I do wrong now? Go take it out on someone else! Why am I the one getting thrashed?

Lin Shu rubbed his forehead, already half-giving up on Zhao Long. After a few days, he simply thought, Forget it. If Zhao Long gets scolded, so be it. As long as the scenes between Yu Liuxue and Shen Yu are dramatic and juicy enough, that’s all that matters.

Thus, after going through the classic tropes—mistakenly sleeping together due to drunkenness, the male and female leads confirming their relationship, and the second female lead exiting in sorrow—the filming finally reached the key dramatic scene Lin Shu had been keeping under wraps.

The male lead’s father was played by a veteran actor, and Lin Shu had specifically instructed him not to reveal the script in advance. So, when he erupted in rage, threw a stack of newspapers at Shen Yu, and furiously shouted, “You wretched child! She’s your biological sister!”—every actor on set froze.

Shen Yu and Zhao Long, as the ones directly involved, had never expected this plot twist. They had not been informed beforehand.

Yu Liuxue was utterly shocked. “Hat?!”

Was it really this intense?!

Lin Shu, satisfied after capturing everyone’s stunned reactions, cheerfully declared, “That’s a wrap for today.”

Back at the hotel, Yu Liuxue was so exhilarated that she was about to call Yan Yi on video chat when she noticed the bathroom light was on. She frowned—this wasn’t normal. Cautiously approaching, she was suddenly grabbed by a fair, delicate hand and pulled into a firm embrace.

Yu Liuxue looked up. “Yan Yi?”

Yan Yi had just finished showering. Her fair skin was slightly flushed from the heat, and her usually cool eyes softened. “I missed you.”

Yu Liuxue immediately turned around to hug her. “Weren’t you filming?”

“There was a last-minute event nearby, so I came to see you.” After saying this, Yan Yi lifted Yu Liuxue’s chin and claimed her lips aggressively. Yu Liuxue’s eyes turned misty as she sat atop the cold marble sink. “Yan Yi, do you know? This campus web drama’s plot is ridiculously dramatic!”

“The male and female leads turned out to be biological siblings. Can you believe that—”

Before she could finish, Yan Yi’s movements suddenly intensified. Yu Liuxue shuddered, quickly shutting her mouth and pitifully admitting, “I was wrong.”

But it was too late for regrets. As she lay against the sink, teary-eyed, Yu Liuxue thought: Maybe I should just be mute in my next life.

After their passionate entanglement, Yan Yi gently helped Yu Liuxue clean up, carefully wrung the water from her hair, and carried her back to bed. Once Yu Liuxue had regained a bit of her strength, Yan Yi started again. And again.

Yu Liuxue, exhausted, solemnly told the system, “Next time, please don’t find me a girlfriend with this much stamina.”

The system timidly retorted, “But wasn’t this girlfriend chosen by you, Host?”

Yu Liuxue: “……” That’s true.

As dawn approached and Yu Liuxue reached another state of blissful exhaustion, even breathing felt like too much effort. Yan Yi pulled her into an embrace. “I have to leave once you fall asleep.”

Yu Liuxue forced her eyes open. “So soon?”

Deep down, though, she was secretly relieved.

“There’s no extra time after the event. I’ll be flying straight back to the set.” Seeing how drowsy Yu Liuxue was, Yan Yi knew she wasn’t really listening. She sighed softly, tucked the blanket around her, and murmured, “Go to sleep.”

By then, Yu Liuxue had already drifted off. Yan Yi got up, dressed, then leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Don’t go flirting behind my back again.”

Clearly, the “other person” she was referring to was Zhao Long.

Yan Yi still didn’t know about Zhao Long’s secret crush on Yu Liuxue. She was just instinctively treating every woman around Yu Liuxue as a potential rival. But after looking at Zhao Long’s photo, she figured—there didn’t seem to be much competition anyway.

Filming for Little Indulgence continued. Yu Liuxue remained at the top of the food chain. After suffering under Yu Liuxue, Shen Yu would turn around and torment Zhao Long, who would then erupt in anger—but with no one else to vent on, she could only take it out on her perceived rival, Yu Liuxue.

Zhao Long wanted to leverage the buzz between Yu Liuxue and Shen Yu to gain popularity as the female lead, but at the same time, she feared that Yu Liuxue would outshine her. So she frequently whispered to her sponsor, subtly suggesting they tweak the editing in post-production to make Yu Liuxue’s role seem less significant, downplaying her acting skills.

But the sponsor wasn’t stupid. Though he agreed on the surface, he had no intention of actually doing it.

He was well aware—if he dared to pull any tricks, Xia Zhengtian would probably storm into his office with a knife.

After all, Xia Zhengtian was a famously overprotective father. The real mystery was—what kind of guy would ever manage to marry his daughter?

And just when everyone thought the drama couldn’t get any wilder after the “The male and female leads are actually siblings?!” twist, the plot took another earth-shattering turn—

Actually, neither the male lead nor the female lead are the biological children of the father whom the male lead has called “Dad” since childhood. Their real father is someone else!

Yu Liuxue: “…?”

Subway Grandpa Looking at Phone.jpg

What kind of devilish plot is this? Screenwriter, is your imagination running too wild? Huh?

And that’s not all—just two episodes later, it’s revealed that the real father of the male and female leads is actually the arch-enemy of the male lead’s adoptive father, the president of a rival company.

Yu Liuxue had been having an incredibly eventful time lately—acting while munching on sunflower seeds and enjoying the drama on the side. Until the extras appeared, no one knew what kind of over-the-top twists the next episode would bring.

Yu Liuxue was immensely satisfied and told the system, “I just love this.”

Unfortunately, before long, the screenwriter ran out of ideas and could no longer keep up. Yu Liuxue rolled up her sleeves and eagerly raised her hand. “I can! I can! I have tons of bold ideas!”

So, the screenwriter and Yu Liuxue huddled together every day, studying Mary Sue tropes and adding twist after twist to the script. The story grew longer and longer, overflowing with dramatic developments, until what was originally a youth-oriented, bittersweet campus drama became completely unrecognizable.

Shen Yu: “…”

He had been hoping to use this drama as his comeback!

But with Lin Shu overseeing everything, no matter how dissatisfied he was, he could only swallow his frustration and stay silent.

A small web drama ended up filming for a full five months—something even Yu Liuxue herself found hard to believe. But this filming process had completely satisfied her thirst for melodrama. Now, with the wrap-up in sight, she was about to perform her last scene with the male lead.

As the drama’s secondary screenwriter, Yu Liuxue naturally knew the story’s development, whereas Shen Yu had been kept completely in the dark.

Over the past five months, Shen Yu hadn’t managed to gain any advantage over Yu Liuxue—losing every battle. So, for this final scene, he put in his full effort, determined to turn the tables.

However, when he saw Yu Liuxue dressed elegantly like a high-class lady, shyly holding onto her biological brother’s arm and walking toward him, he was stunned.

The biological brother smiled as he introduced Yu Liuxue: “Changning, this is your sister-in-law. I know you and your sister-in-law have had some past grievances, but you should get along well with her, understand?”

Shen Yu: “…?”

Why did I take this role?

The male lead ended up with nothing—oppressed by his biological brother, stripped of his inheritance, and even his former fiancée had become his sister-in-law.

The only fortunate thing? At least he and the female lead had only had a false alarm and weren’t actually biological siblings.

Finally, Little Indulgence wrapped up filming, but Shen Yu’s expression didn’t improve one bit. After the wrap party, Zhao Long approached him. “Want to collaborate?”

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. “Alright.”

Yu Liuxue had just returned home when the buzz from the wrap party was still trending online. However, soon people started noticing that many marketing accounts were posting in unison, accusing Yu Liuxue of rewriting the script on set, cutting many interactions between the male and female leads, and altering the script beyond recognition.

Zhao Long didn’t have much of a fan base, so only Shen Yu’s fans were left protesting.

Shen Yu belatedly realized that he had been used by Zhao Long. His face turned dark with anger, and he decided he wouldn’t spend another penny to benefit Zhao Long. So, within a single night, Yu Liuxue’s fans debunked the false accusations, reporting and getting the posts deleted.

Yu Liuxue lay comfortably in bed, holding her phone while video chatting with Yan Yi. The drama Yan Yi was filming was also about to wrap up—at most, it would take another half a month. After that, Yan Yi would finally be coming home.

Yu Liuxue suddenly became worried. “Tell me, Yan Yi is such a ruthless person—why haven’t her fans seen through her true nature at all?”

The system replied numbly, “Because Yan Yi only bullies you.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” Thanks, but you can shut up now.

A few days later, Yan Yi returned home.

Yu Liuxue was both happy and troubled but ultimately decided to play dumb. Yan Yi easily saw through Yu Liuxue’s intentions, but she didn’t say anything. She simply thought up new ways to tease Yu Liuxue every day. At first, Yu Liuxue resisted with a mix of joy and suffering, but over time, she mysteriously got used to it.

System: ?

The press conference for Little Indulgence was just three days away. Yu Liuxue righteously refused any public displays of affection with Yan Yi. “I can’t! Absolutely not! I’m about to go to a press conference!”

She couldn’t afford to let the fans notice anything.

Yan Yi narrowed her eyes slightly. Yu Liuxue, feeling guilty, took the initiative to give her a quick kiss before immediately pulling back and wrapping herself tightly in a blanket.

The press conference arrived in no time. As the second female lead, Yu Liuxue dressed very modestly—she wore a simple white dress that reached her ankles, made of comfortable fabric, making her look gentle and harmless. Zhao Long, on the other hand, had put a lot of effort into her appearance. As soon as the conference started, numerous media outlets released articles saying:

“Little Indulgence Press Conference: Leading Lady Zhao Long Outshines Xia Xiaoshi.”

“Little Indulgence Press Conference: Xia Xiaoshi Looks Downcast and Worn Out, While Zhao Long is Vibrant and Full of Charm—Who Do You Prefer?”

Yan Yi sat at home, staring blankly at the latest gossip posts from marketing accounts, thinking—

Is Zhao Long trying to indirectly get my girlfriend’s attention?

Without a second thought, she drove straight to the event venue and waited backstage for Zhao Long.

As soon as the press conference ended, Zhao Long returned to her dressing room. The moment she opened the door, Yan Yi stood up slowly, towering over her as she approached, her eyes narrowing.

“If you dare use cheap tricks to get my girlfriend’s attention…”

“I have a hundred ways to make sure you never survive in the entertainment industry.”

Notes

—Niohuru (钮祜禄) was a prominent Manchu clan during the Qing Dynasty, known for producing empresses, consorts, and high-ranking officials. It was one of the Eight Great Manchu Surnames, with members serving in the imperial court. Some later sinicized the surname to “钮” (Niǔ).