Chapter 20

She couldn't help but think back to the introduction she'd been given to this book when she transmigrated. Xu Chun sighed inwardly. As expected of a yuri novel's female lead in a world where order had collapsed—ordinary people really couldn't follow that kind of logic.

Xu Chun had firmly decided to treat Yu Sui'an as nothing more than a coworker, so she played dumb. “Thanks, but I know my limits.”

Her attitude was lukewarm and her tone cool, as if they were no more than acquaintances exchanging nods in passing. That realization made Yu Sui'an inexplicably uncomfortable; she hated the feeling.

She hated being treated by Xu Chun like she was no different from anyone else.

But Xu Chun had already brushed past her and walked straight to her assistant. The woman who'd been so cold to her a moment ago now wore a soft smile in front of her assistant, chatting and laughing, looking utterly gentle and refined.

Yu Sui'an unconsciously clenched her slender white fingers, the smile fading from her face. Her expression tightened as she stared at Xu Chun's retreating back, her gaze deep and unreadable.

For Xu Chun, filming was novel. Once she set aside the online controversy and Yu Sui'an, life on set was actually quite pleasant. Her assistant handled everything, big and small—food, clothes, daily life—so Xu Chun could spend the time she saved getting closer to Qin Yao.

Three scheduled messages every day—good morning, good afternoon, good night—rain or shine. Qin Yao mostly didn't reply, but Xu Chun never tired of it and never felt discouraged. Every so often Qin Yao would send back a line or two; if she didn't, Xu Chun could guess she was busy and hadn't had time to check her messages.

About a week passed in this comfortable fashion. Just when Xu Chun thought she'd finally caught a rare stretch of peace, “Little Xu Chun” Shen Shutong—who'd been parading around under her name—joined the cast as the second female lead.

The internet immediately exploded. Xu Chun's fans complained the production team had no conscience, deliberately using Xu Chun and stirring up the conflict between Xu Chun and Shen Shutong for attention. Yu Sui'an's fans, who'd been lying low waiting for a chance, immediately pounced to mock: 【Didn't Xu Chun use Suisui to hype herself and whitewash her image before? What do you call this? Call it karma—the wheel of heaven turns and spares no one.】

The two sides were instantly at each other's throats. Onlookers rushed to share the news across every group chat—【Report! Xu Chun's in another scandal!】

Xu Chun quietly sized up Shen Shutong. She was still a student and looked like a peach—fresh and dewy—but her eyes held far too much calculation, a shrewdness beyond her years that made people instinctively wary and put off at first meeting.

By comparison, Xu Chun suddenly found Yu Sui'an—that scheming little white lotus who at least made an effort to keep up appearances—much more tolerable.

Shen Shutong had deliberately pulled strings to join the Secret Crush cast, and naturally her intentions were less than pure. Her plan was to ride Xu Chun's popularity to boost her own fame. She would climb to the very top of the entertainment industry, and Xu Chun would be her first stepping stone. She knew many eyes on set were watching her and Xu Chun, but she didn't care—her backing was solid enough that even if she was rude to Xu Chun, no one could do anything about it.

Her words were utterly impolite, even domineering: “There are some things in the script I don't understand. After filming ends, come to my room and explain them to me.”

Xu Chun narrowed her eyes and was about to speak when Yu Sui'an suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside her. Her delicate face wore a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. “You think you're worthy of having my sister explain the script to you?”

She gave Shen Shutong no quarter whatsoever. Shen Shutong was about to start shouting at her on the spot, but in the end it was Shen Shutong's assistant—who knew Yu Sui'an wasn't someone to provoke—who hurriedly apologized and pulled her away. As she was being dragged off, Shen Shutong kept yelling, “Don't pull me! Go find out what backing Yu Sui'an actually has!”

Xu Chun, who'd been ready to show her own claws, deflated like a punctured balloon. “...”

She couldn't help glancing at Yu Sui'an a few more times, blinking in confusion. Why was this woman acting stranger by the day? Wasn't she supposed to kick Xu Chun while she was down when Shen Shutong targeted her?

Xu Chun was genuinely bewildered.

Yu Sui'an's expression gave nothing away. She smiled softly at Xu Chun. “Sister, don't be afraid. From now on, with me here, I won't let them bully you.”

Xu Chun went numb all over. “???”

Please, I'm begging you, don't be like this. I'm genuinely scared. Keep this up and I'll have nightmares that wake me up at night.

The other woman's avoidance seemed even more pronounced than before. Yu Sui'an slowly lowered her eyelids, hurt flickering in her eyes. She gazed silently in the direction Shen Shutong had been dragged off, her black-and-white eyes glinting faintly.

After being pulled away, Shen Shutong was furious. She vented her anger on her assistant, who knew her brother and sister-in-law were company executives and untouchable, so she could only hang her head and endure the scolding and accusations in silence. The assistant said nothing, as if she'd gone mute, which only made Shen Shutong angrier. She pointed imperiously at Yu Sui'an in the distance. “Tell me, what backing does she have?!”

Normally the assistant was also the type to fawn over the powerful and trample the weak. Whenever Shen Shutong lost her temper, the assistant always went along with her, even volunteering to help her deal with people she didn't like. Today was the first time she'd ever shown weakness and pulled her away. Shen Shutong wasn't stupid—quite the opposite. Having grown up in a wealthy family, surrounded by fair-weather friends who spent their days partying and scheming over the family inheritance, she actually understood social dynamics better than anyone.

But that didn't stop her from believing she was above everyone else.

“I don't know the specifics of her backing,” the assistant said, trembling. “I only know her team is terrifying. People in the industry call them mad dogs—they bite whoever they're set on. Shutong, this is your first time on a set. The enemy's situation is still unclear. I think we should lie low for now...”

Before she could finish, Shen Shutong cut her off with a cold laugh. “What a joke. You think I'm afraid of her?” She was dismissive. “No matter how capable she is, can she twist my brother and sister-in-law's arms? My brother and sister-in-law have the entire company behind them, and I have my parents backing me. I refuse to believe some powerless commoner with no background can do whatever she wants.”

Shen Shutong didn't take Yu Sui'an seriously at all. She stared hard at Xu Chun and once again ordered her assistant, “Go bring her to me. If you can't do that, don't bother coming back today.”

The assistant's heart sank, but she was on their payroll and had no choice but to comply. She could only hope that Yu Sui'an and Xu Chun had truly torn all ties as the rumors said. Otherwise, what she should be worrying about wasn't keeping her job, but keeping her life.

Yu Sui'an took in Shen Shutong's every move, a thin, cold curve tugging at her lips. Her eyes curved as if she were smiling, but they were dark and murky, with not a trace of warmth on closer inspection.

Xu Chun happened to glance at Yu Sui'an's face and jolted on the spot.

She'd lived a virtuous life. Surely she didn't deserve to run into such a terrifying yandere white lotus. Xu Chun closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again to stubbornly look at the other woman—only to meet that pitch-black gaze directly.

Xu Chun watched as that pale little face, lifeless a moment before, was suddenly painted with vivid color. After a brief daze, the other woman broke into a radiant smile, like a gardenia bursting into bloom, her whole expression turning bright and alive.

Yu Sui'an clenched her fingers, gazing at Xu Chun from afar with an anxious heart. So sister really did still care about her after all?

That realization swept away the gloom clinging to Yu Sui'an. She returned to that bright, stubborn, indomitable appearance—pure and fragile, inviting tenderness, with not a shred of aggression anywhere on her person.

Xu Chun: “...” The Best Actress award this year was hers for the taking.

She quickly averted her gaze, terrified Yu Sui'an might come over again. Sensing her avoidance, Yu Sui'an's expression dimmed instantly, but she quickly rallied. Sister's attitude toward her was already much better than before. If she tried harder... maybe Sister would forgive her and stop being angry.

Her dark gaze slowly drifted to the unsuspecting Shen Shutong, and Yu Sui'an smiled.

Shen Shutong was racking her brain for ways to tie herself to Xu Chun and wring out every last bit of her value, but before she could act, her manager called and tore into her. “Shen Shutong, didn't I tell you to keep a low profile on set? How did you cause trouble on your very first day!”

“Huh?” Shen Shutong was at a loss. “I didn't. From the moment I joined the cast until now, I haven't done anything.”

“If you didn't do anything, then why was your role cut, hm?”

“Impossible. That's absolutely impossible.” Shen Shutong denied it without a second thought. Her role couldn't have been cut—she'd begged her brother for ages to get it. If word of the role being cut reached her brother's ears, he definitely wouldn't help her out of sibling affection anymore.

Shen Shutong's expression darkened as she gritted her teeth. After running through every possibility in her mind, her gaze suddenly fixed hard on Xu Chun. It had to be her. In the whole cast, she had the best family background and the strongest backing. No one else had the power and influence to decide whether a supporting role stayed or went.

Besides, since joining the cast, Xu Chun was the only person she'd clashed with.

She stared at Xu Chun with resentment, then hung up on her manager and strode over to block Xu Chun's path—putting on a frail, aggrieved look. “Sister Xu Chun, I don't know what I did to offend you that you'd secretly have my role cut.”

“If I accidentally offended you earlier, can I apologize? This role wasn't easy to get, and I treasure it very much. Please, give me another chance?”

She sobbed convincingly, crying pitifully. Xu Chun's expression was basically the subway grandpa staring at his phone meme: “?” What the hell did that have to do with her?

Shen Shutong had four or five assistants with her, firmly blocking Xu Chun's path. The surrounding staff—even the director—looked over with interest, ears practically perking up. What happened, what happened? Another scandal?

Shen Shutong was dead set on not letting Xu Chun leave today. Today Xu Chun would not only give her role back, but she'd also blow this up on Weibo so everyone would curse and accuse Xu Chun. She'd been worrying over how to find a chance to provoke the other woman, and now Xu Chun had delivered the opportunity right to her door. Shen Shutong was so delighted she could've laughed herself awake.

Shen Shutong and Xu Chun now resembled a parasitic relationship—the weaker the host, the stronger she became. Only by trampling Xu Chun into the mud could Shen Shutong climb higher off her back.

Xu Chun stared speechlessly at the young woman whose eyes brimmed with smug triumph. The girl wouldn't let her leave. Fine, she wouldn't leave. Composure personified, she crossed her arms and looked down at the other woman like a shameless deadbeat. “Then call the police.”

Shen Shutong: “?” Onlookers: “???”

Xu Chun smiled faintly and leaned in close, her expression anything but friendly. “If you won't call them, then I will.” With that, she dialed with lightning speed. “Hello? Officer, someone is harassing me. She slandered me and brought several people to surround me—she won't let me leave. I'm absolutely terrified right now. Yes, the address is the film studio.”

Shen Shutong still hadn't reacted by the time Xu Chun finished talking to the operator. Only after Xu Chun ended the call did she snap out of it and lunge at Xu Chun. “What did you just do?”

Xu Chun quickly retreated behind her bodyguard, heart still pounding. Why did the female supporting characters in this novel always lunge at people trying to claw their faces off?

“Calling the police. Didn't you say I cut your role? I didn't do it, but since you're dead set on insisting I did, I have no choice but to call the police to prove my innocence.”

And so a dirty little matter behind closed doors was dragged into the open, and no one could stay uninvolved.

Xu Chun was still wondering who had secretly set Shen Shutong up to frame her when Yu Sui'an walked up without a sound and stood very close beside her. “Why is it that out of all the actors on set, you're the only one whose role was cut? You should think carefully about whether there's something wrong with your character—that's why you're being targeted.”

If Yu Sui'an had kept quiet, it might have been fine, but the moment she spoke, Xu Chun understood. So it was you, you black lotus, who secretly shot that arrow!

When she unexpectedly met Xu Chun's questioning gaze, Yu Sui'an's indifferent expression gradually turned aggrieved. She cautiously peeked up at Xu Chun, then dropped her eyes in dejection and said softly, “I just couldn't stand to see Sister being bullied.”

“I wanted to help you.”

Xu Chun immediately raised a hand to rub her aching temples and replied coolly, “I won't need that in the future.”

Yu Sui'an bit her lip lightly, desperately wanting to ask why, but the police station was right next door to the set. Officers quickly arrived and took Xu Chun and Shen Shutong back to the station. Xu Chun's assistant went along, while Yu Sui'an, unable to tear herself away from filming, had to stay behind. Her cold eyes landed on Shen Shutong's back. It was all her fault.

If only she'd never appeared.

Once they understood the situation, the police were also speechless at Shen Shutong's behavior. But Xu Chun insisted she'd been slandered and threatened by Shen Shutong, a matter of no small consequence, so they didn't dare be negligent. They made the case involving two female celebrities their top priority.

While the police bustled about, Xu Chun sat in a chair wearing her costume suit, legs crossed, expression grave. She toyed with her phone, but when she messaged Qin Yao, her tone was especially pitiful. “Sister, I got taken to the police station today.”

Qin Yao still didn't reply, so Xu Chun exited WeChat and idly browsed other apps. The moment she opened Weibo, her eyes went wide. #XuChunBulliesNewcomer#, #XuChunHadRoleCutBehindTheScenes#, #ShenShutongRoleCut#, #ShenShutongWorkplaceBullying#. About a dozen topics, large and small, were slowly climbing, all with considerable traction.

This level of turning the tables would make men fall silent and women weep.

Xu Chun propped her chin on her hand expressionlessly, finding the scene before her vaguely, eerily familiar. She furrowed her brow and thought for a long while, then gasped in alarm, her heart trembling.

Don't tell me my useless “always targeted by vicious supporting characters and brutally humiliated and bullied” tragic-heroine halo followed me here too?!

That absolutely couldn't be!

What normal person could stand that kind of torment?

But after careful consideration, Xu Chun felt it was genuinely possible. Her grief surged. Why hadn't her “everyone's crush” halo come along? In her own romance novel, she'd at least met so many gentle, devoted second, third, and fourth male leads who treated her well and loved her single-mindedly.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Yu Sui'an's breathless, smiling face appeared before her. “Sister, I came over as soon as filming ended.” The smile she raised at Xu Chun was pure and harmless. “I hope I'm not too late and can still be of help.”

Xu Chun hesitated. The second female lead defecting and being so attentive to her... did that count as her heroine halo working?

The police station was exceptionally busy.

The matter of Shen Shutong's role being cut couldn't be investigated quickly. Even if it were, would the other side let them find evidence? The entertainment industry's unspoken rules were just a phone call, a single word from those big shots. But now the matter had blown up on Weibo and gained considerable reach, so the police could only work late into the night to clear Xu Chun's name as quickly as possible.

Shen Shutong insisted the whole thing was Xu Chun's doing. She poured out her grievances on Weibo, making her fans ache with sympathy. Some passersby didn't know the full story, but seeing Shen Shutong so aggrieved, they too joined the fray to criticize Xu Chun.

Logically, in a situation where Xu Chun was under attack from all sides, Yu Sui'an's fans should never have passed up the chance to kick her while she was down. Yet today they were strangely silent, not a single word posted, which puzzled the onlookers immensely.

It wasn't that Yu Sui'an's fans didn't want to. But Xu Chun and Suisui were now tightly bound together; if Xu Chun slipped up and dragged Suisui down too, that would be terrible. Most importantly, right from the start, Yu Sui'an had personally dropped into their fan groups and said: “This matter has nothing to do with Sister. Sister is being wronged. Don't let others use you, okay.”

Suisui was so kind, and her tone when speaking to them was so gentle. They were bewitched, and agreed on the spot. Only after Yu Sui'an left the fan groups did they all regret it. They'd been careless.

Their desire to take down Xu Chun was carved into their bones. If they hadn't been momentarily dazzled by Yu Sui'an's beauty, they would've seized this chance no matter what. But since Suisui had personally spoken, they'd let Xu Chun off for now.

Not getting involved at this moment was already the greatest kindness they could show Xu Chun.

Xu Chun always felt jittery around Yu Sui'an. She racked her brain and finally thought of a scapegoat, Jiang Zhaolie. She immediately lowered her head, unlocked her phone, opened WeChat, found Jiang Zhaolie's chat, and sent: 【You there.】

Jiang Zhaolie replied instantly: 【?】

Xu Chun added a smiley emoji: 【You know Suisui followed me into the police station, right?】

Three question marks came back, followed by an urgent: 【Which station are you at? I'm coming right now.】

This one was on the ball. Satisfied, Xu Chun sent her location, and the weight finally lifted from her shoulders. As a qualified yuri-novel supporting character, one must always be mindful of “matchmaking the two female leads and creating opportunities for them.”

If she couldn't control Yu Sui'an, that obsessive yandere black lotus, surely Jiang Zhaolie—the true female lead—could handle her?

In the self-satisfied spirit of “I'm truly a living Lei Feng,” Xu Chun soon spotted Jiang Zhaolie. She glanced down at the time. That was fast; she must have run quite a few red lights.

She rose to meet her. Jiang Zhaolie was frantic, her voice full of anxiety. “Where's Suisui? She's okay, right? What on earth did you do on set—how did she end up in here with you?”

“With all those questions, which one do you want me to answer first?” Xu Chun replied flatly. Jiang Zhaolie choked, then immediately switched questions. “Is she okay?”

“She's fine. I'll take you to her now.” Xu Chun turned and walked alongside Jiang Zhaolie. After a quiet moment, she casually asked about Qin Yao. “Your mother—she's been well lately?”

Jiang Zhaolie's steps faltered. “?”

“Why are you suddenly so concerned about my mom?”

Xu Chun's expression was perfectly composed. “Just asking. Just casually expressing concern for Sister's well-being. Don't be so dramatic—so easily alarmed.” After a pause, she changed tack. “Is your mother busy lately? What's she been up to...”

“Xu Chun.” Jiang Zhaolie couldn't help stopping in her tracks, staring at her darkly. “What scheme are you plotting against my mom?”

Her brow furrowed deeply, though no matter how hard she thought, she'd probably never guess that what Xu Chun coveted was Qin Yao's beauty, her body, and, above all, the chance to become her fair-skinned, beautiful young stepmother.

Xu Chun smiled brightly. “What scheme could I be plotting? I just feel that Sister helped me before, so it's only right I show her some concern.” She blinked innocently, her expression utterly harmless. “Isn't that allowed?”

Jiang Zhaolie wouldn't take the bait. She remained wary. “Then swear it. Swear you have no ulterior motives toward my mom.”

Xu Chun: “...” Silence.

TL Note:

white lotus (白莲花) = internet slang for someone who seems pure and innocent but is actually scheming.

black lotus (黑莲花) = the darker counterpart to a white lotus: sweet on the surface but ruthless and manipulative underneath.

subway grandpa staring at his phone meme (地铁老爷爷看手机) = a Chinese reaction meme of an old man squinting at his phone in confusion/disgust, used for “what the hell is this.”

living Lei Feng (活雷锋) = a model do-gooder; Lei Feng is a Chinese cultural symbol of selfless helpfulness.