The Female Lead Gets Disciplined

Afraid that Yu Sui'an wouldn't believe her, Xu Chun wished she could raise ten fingers to the sky and swear. "Suisui, in my eyes, she's nothing more than a perfectly ordinary carbon-based lifeform—that's all. I can swear that even if she were the last woman on earth, I wouldn't have a single thought about her."

"Really." Xu Chun repeated the word again and again while carefully watching Yu Sui'an's expression. Please don't misunderstand, female lead—I still want to live.

Jiang Zhaolie, who had done absolutely nothing, had just been thoroughly belittled by the other party. "..."

That was going too far.

Jiang Zhaolie felt that sooner or later, Xu Chun would anger her to death. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, veins bulging slightly on the back of her hand; she was clearly making a great effort to control her temper.

Thank goodness this was being livestreamed, Xu Chun thought with relief. Otherwise, with no tens of millions of eyes across the country watching Jiang Zhaolie, there was no telling what kind of monstrous, indecent thing she might do off-camera.

Xu Chun let out a soft breath and tried hard to prove her innocence. "Suisui, believe me—I don't have one shred of affection for her, I swear."

She emphasized it over and over, every word dripping with disdain for Jiang Zhaolie. Jiang Zhaolie's eyelid twitched. Her grip tightened until it seemed she might tear the steering wheel off. Even amid her anger, she forced herself to think calmly for a moment and decided that Xu Chun drawing such a firm line between them wasn't entirely a bad thing.

The tangled feelings among the three of them had already caused a huge uproar online; once the matter came to light, none of them had escaped the netizens' vicious scolding. But now it was fine. They couldn't stand the sight of each other, their marriage had been arranged by their elders and was a feudal leftover, and once reasonable netizens understood the truth, they would surely sympathize with their predicament.

As long as she and Xu Chun were innocent and clean, this wouldn't drag Suisui down, much less affect her pursuit of Suisui in the future.

Jiang Zhaolie breathed a sigh of relief, and in that instant her feelings grew complicated. Yes, Xu Chun had helped her, but she had also thoroughly belittled her in front of so many viewers across the country!

Yu Sui'an's brows furrowed subtly. She studied Xu Chun a couple of times, unable to figure out what she was up to. Xu Chun didn't seem to have any intention of making up with her; instead, she was doing her utmost to match her up with Jiang Zhaolie.

Even though this was exactly what Yu Sui'an wanted, still—why would Xu Chun do this?

After all, just yesterday, before the show started, Xu Chun had been deeply in love with her.

Yu Sui'an's probing gaze burned. Xu Chun smiled awkwardly under her stare and gave a dry laugh to hide her discomfort. Fortunately, Xu Chun hadn't expected Yu Sui'an to believe her right away, so she could still accept this outcome.

The topic ended there, and the car fell quiet. The two in front occasionally chatted; seeing that Xu Chun wasn't speaking, Yu Sui'an even made a point of drawing her in: "Sister, what do you think?"

What did she think? Like hell she was going to think anything.

Was there even any place here for a vicious supporting character like her to speak?

Xu Chun glared at Yu Sui'an, her mood complicated. Fortunately, Jiang Zhaolie reminded them in time: "We're at the supermarket." Xu Chun immediately pushed open the car door and tumbled out, walking toward the supermarket ahead of them.

The supermarket wasn't remote and normally saw a fair amount of foot traffic. Because of the livestream, quite a few fans recognized the surroundings along the way and posted the address online, and people immediately deduced where the trio was headed. Fans who got the news rushed over, so the moment the three arrived, they were surrounded by a crowd of frenzied fans packed so tightly that not a drop could have leaked through.

Of course, the vast majority were Yu Sui'an's fans.

The fans were so excited that they forced Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an back into the car. Xu Chun was farther away from the two and barely escaped disaster. Just as she was counting herself lucky, someone turned and suddenly pointed at her, shouting at the top of their lungs with earth-shaking force: "Sisters, that scumbag who let Suisui down is over there!"

Xu Chun: "?!"

What was going on? Don't do anything rash! I'm calling the police!

A crowd came rushing toward Xu Chun with a great clamor. Her scalp went numb. Clutching her phone, she turned and ran. After a short distance, Yu Sui'an's fans looked about to catch her. Just then, a car by the roadside was preparing to pull into a parking spot. Without a second thought, she yanked the door open and rushed inside. "Go, go, hurry!"

The other party was stunned, still not over the fact that a disheveled beautiful woman had just burst into her car, when she saw Yu Sui'an's crazed fans surging toward them. Qiao Wan's legs trembled in fright, and she frantically stomped on the accelerator. The car shot out like an arrow released from a bow.

Watching the crowd shrink in the distance until they finally disappeared completely, Xu Chun's pounding heart finally settled. She raised a hand to smooth her slightly messy long hair, flashed a smile of having survived a disaster, and turned her head. "Thank you, kind soul."

Qiao Wan immediately looked at her strangely, her expression extremely complicated. "You're calling me kind soul?"

Xu Chun's smile stiffened. She couldn't help studying Qiao Wan's face, and the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed. "We..." Xu Chun hesitated. "Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Qiao Wan raised an eyebrow, smiling without any warmth. "What do you think?"

Her answer clearly meant they knew each other. Xu Chun shrank back, racking her brains until she finally matched that face to a name in her memory.

The moment she remembered who the other party was, Xu Chun's breath caught—

Wasn't this fucking the rumored other woman from her so-called cheating scandal?!

The one the black-hearted media had branded as her affair partner, supposedly meeting her in secret while she was with Yu Sui'an—after Yu Sui'an announced their breakup on Weibo.

Seeing that the other party had finally remembered, Qiao Wan pressed her lips into a tight line, overcome by the urge to beat her viciously. The truth was, she didn't know any Xu Chun or Zhao Chun at all. That day, she had gone out to eat with friends and had merely walked side by side with this unfamiliar female celebrity for a few steps!

Just like that, she had been labeled a homewrecker who knew about the relationship and still interfered, and netizens across the country had viciously cursed her for days. Even her relatives and friends had called to ask whether it was true. If she hadn't defended herself strenuously, her father would have broken both her legs the moment the news hit the internet!

The more Qiao Wan thought, the more wronged she felt. What sins had she committed in a past life? She simply pulled the car over to the side of the road, expressionless, and ordered, "Get out."

Xu Chun didn't react. "Huh?"

"Huh what? I said get out." Just thinking about what had happened made Qiao Wan feel like she was about to have a heart attack. She had finally managed to explain things to her relatives and friends, and they had barely believed her based on her usual character. And then just now, the other party's impressive stunt had ruined her reputation all over again.

Qiao Wan could almost imagine the so-called scandal photos of her and this female celebrity—snapped by that crowd holding up their phones—already flooding the internet.

And yet today she had only been thirsty. She'd just wanted to park and buy a bottle of water!

Qiao Wan's face was unfriendly. Guiltily, Xu Chun tucked her feet in further. "Sorry for causing you trouble."

Qiao Wan stared at her expressionlessly and didn't reply. Xu Chun awkwardly scratched her cheek. "How about we exchange contact info? If there's anything I can help with later, just say the word." She gave a dry laugh. "Even if it means climbing a mountain of knives or walking through a sea of fire, I'll..."

"Enough, enough." Qiao Wan cut her off. "The only way you can help me is by staying as far away from me as possible from now on."

Best if we never meet again for the rest of our lives, Qiao Wan thought silently.

Xu Chun knew she was in the wrong and smiled awkwardly at her. She turned and grasped the door handle. But just as she pushed the door open, Qiao Wan suddenly saw a group of people behind them—some holding phones, some shouldering cameras—a dark mass of lenses aimed dead at her car. Qiao Wan's face went white, and only one thought filled her mind—

It's over. This time her father really was going to break both her legs.

After getting out, Xu Chun turned back and bowed politely. "Thank you so much for today," she said sincerely. If not for her, she might have been torn to pieces by Yu Sui'an's fans.

The female celebrity's voice was as sweet as a yellow oriole's song. Qiao Wan, her heart in ashes, rolled her eyes numbly. Then she saw the crowd chasing after Xu Chun, and her expression changed. After a moment's hesitation, she didn't leave Xu Chun there alone after all. Xu Chun only saw the rich young lady in the car change expression; before she could ask why, Qiao Wan gritted her teeth, yanked her back into the car, and snapped, "Get in!"

Xu Chun was dragged in, stumbling and falling into the car with one knee on the seat. Qiao Wan started the car while leaning over to shut the door on her right, and as she straightened, she pushed Xu Chun down. "Buckle your seatbelt. Now."

Before Xu Chun could make sense of her words, she heard her speak softly. "I'm going to accelerate—"

Before she finished speaking, the car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Xu Chun screamed reflexively, fumbling hurriedly to fasten her seatbelt. After they had sped a good distance, Xu Chun finally saw several vans in hot pursuit behind them.

She swallowed and turned to Qiao Wan. "Are those all Yu Sui'an's fans?"

"How would I know?" Qiao Wan suppressed the urge to hit someone. She felt she had been truly unlucky lately. After a wave of regret, she began to reflect: why hadn't she checked the almanac when she left the house today? If she had, she wouldn't have repeated the same mistake and run into this miserable business again!

The young lady's resentment was enough to frighten a ghost. Xu Chun guiltily twitched the corner of her mouth and obediently placed both hands on her knees, not daring to make a sound.

After being quiet for a while, she still couldn't resist turning to look at Qiao Wan, who was driving seriously and focused on shaking off the fans. She looked about Xu Chun's age—just twenty-two or twenty-three—with clear skin and deep, refined features. Although there was still a touch of youthful rawness and immaturity about her, one could already imagine how imposing and hard to fool she would be once she fully grew into her looks.

Qiao Wan was tall, with long legs—nearly one meter eighty. Although the car's interior was spacious, her long legs were still cramped in the current space. She wasn't soft and gentle like Yu Sui'an; she had more of a heroic air, which, combined with her young face, made her resemble an alpha who had just come of age.

Good-looking, and easy to bully.

Qiao Wan noticed her shimmering gaze and immediately tensed. "What are you looking at?"

"Ah." After that reflexive sound, Xu Chun came back to herself and seriously withdrew her gaze. "Nothing." The car was quiet for a moment, then Xu Chun couldn't help looking at Qiao Wan again. "You're really good-looking."

Qiao Wan: "...?" Was this person repaying her kindness with ingratitude and getting ideas just because she was good-looking?

Fortunately, Xu Chun had some sense of propriety and shut her mouth after the compliment, keeping a nervous eye on Yu Sui'an's fans still chasing them. Seeing that they were almost at the guesthouse and the fans showed no sign of giving up, she couldn't help muttering quietly, "It was just a breakup with Yu Sui'an, wasn't it? Is there any need to look like you want to beat me down to the eighteenth level of hell?"

Qiao Wan's ears pricked up, and she couldn't help but sneer. "If it were me—" Xu Chun immediately turned back, eyes sparkling with expectation. "—beating you down to the eighteenth level of hell wouldn't even begin to soothe my hatred."

Xu Chun: "..."

The sedan sped up to the guesthouse. The director saw Xu Chun sitting in a stranger's car and hurried over. "Why are you alone? Where are Miss Jiang and Suisui?"

Xu Chun immediately tearfully recounted everything that had just happened. Hearing it, the director was alarmed. How could this be? He quickly had someone contact Yu Sui'an, and only after confirming the two were safe did he let out a long breath of relief.

While Xu Chun was talking with the director, Qiao Wan's phone suddenly started ringing like crazy. Aunts and uncles from every branch of the family started calling frantically; she didn't need to guess what they were asking about—her scandal online, again. A bitter taste filled Qiao Wan's mouth. This time, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash her clean.

Just as she hesitated over whether to answer at all, and whose call to take, a new number came in. Qiao Wan's eyes lit up at the caller ID, and she quickly picked up. "Aunt, I got held up on the road. I'll be a little late."

A pause. "By the way, Aunt, there's something I'd like to ask you..." she said cautiously. "Could you please explain to my dad that I have absolutely nothing to do with that female celebrity named Xu Chun?"

"I just walked beside her on the road for a few steps, and the media fabricated a story that I ruined her relationship with someone. I'm really wronged, Aunt."

The phone was silent for a few seconds. Finally, the woman's low, magnetic voice sounded slowly. "She is your cousin Zhaolie's fiancée."

"In other words, your future cousin-in-law."

Previously, Jiang Zhaolie and Xu Chun's engagement hadn't been widely publicized, so most people didn't know about it. Later, as Jiang Zhaolie grew up, her dislike for Xu Chun made her wish she could bury the matter completely. Over time, everyone had almost forgotten she was still engaged.

Hearing Aunt Qin Yao confirm it personally, Qiao Wan was first stunned, then delighted. Cousin Zhaolie's fiancée? Her future cousin-in-law?!

So they were all family! She could finally prove her innocence.

But just as she was so happy she could barely tell north from south, she discovered Weibo had pushed a scandalous news item to her: 【Xu Chun openly brings her cheating partner to film the show—is this a distortion of human nature or a loss of morality?】

Qiao Wan's eyelid twitched violently.

"What are you all thinking?" Qiao Wan couldn't hold back anymore. She pointed at Xu Chun, facing the camera lens. "This person is cousin Zhaolie's fiancée, which makes her my own cousin-in-law!"

The comment section went quiet for a moment, then a line of bold, enlarged pink text floated by—

"Cousin-in-law?"

"Even more exciting."

Qiao Wan: "???" Darling, how did your thirty-seven-degree fingers manage to type something so cold, so cold?