Chapter 22

Jiang Zhaolie's first instinct was to smack Xu Chun hard on the back of the head. Her body moved before her brain caught up—her hand was already raised, palm mid-swing—when sudden clarity hit her. She stopped herself and forced her hand back down.

She wasn't going to expose Xu Chun now. She wanted to see what other outrageous things this woman would dare do behind her back.

Sun Tzu's Art of War taught her to let the enemy reveal themselves while she stayed hidden; she would see through it all without a word, then strike hard when the moment was right. Openly coveting her mother? The nerve. Did this woman have a death wish?

Jiang Zhaolie walked away without a word. She'd let Xu Chun off the hook. But she couldn't figure out what Xu Chun stood to gain. Was it because she'd gone too far before, and Xu Chun wanted revenge?

But there were plenty of ways to get revenge. There was no need for Xu Chun to drag herself into it like this.

The more Jiang Zhaolie thought about it, the more confused she became. This Xu Chun seemed like a completely different person; her behavior was the polar opposite of before, and her intentions and goals were impossible to read. They'd known each other for so long, yet the distance between them now felt wider than between two strangers.

A beat late, Xu Chun felt something brush past the back of her head. She whipped around, but there was no one behind her—only Jiang Zhaolie, some distance away, striding off with her back turned. Xu Chun scratched her cheek in confusion. Was she imagining things?

She shook her head, pulled her attention back, and refocused on her chat with Qin Yao. The other woman had finally promised to visit the set in a few days once her work was done. Xu Chun was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface, she was the picture of understanding and consideration: “It's fine, Sister—your work comes first.”

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow, amused. “All right, then. We'll talk about it next month, after I'm done.”

Xu Chun: “?”

Her shoulders slumped immediately. Wait—no! Sister, I was joking!

But Qin Yao went silent again. Xu Chun clutched her phone, on the verge of tears. Could she take back what she'd just said? She checked the timestamp. It hadn't even been two minutes. There was still time!

Overjoyed, she quickly pressed and held the message box. But her finger, as if possessed, moved without hesitation and tapped 【Delete】.

Xu Chun: “...?!” What had she just done?

Realizing she hadn't managed to recall the message in time and had deleted it instead, Xu Chun wanted to cry. Just then, her assistant came over to touch up her makeup for the next scene. Seeing her looking like she wanted to cry but couldn't, the assistant's heart softened, and she hurried to comfort her. “Sister, it's fine. The netizens are all on your side right now.”

“Don't worry. Shen Shutong's situation will be handled by tomorrow at the latest. Sister Yang is already working on taking her down. This time Shen Shutong threw herself right into the line of fire—Sister Yang definitely won't let her off easy.”

The reminder made Xu Chun remember that Shen Shutong's situation was still unresolved, and her mood sank even further.

Her lot in this life was more bitter than coffee.

...

At first, Shen Shutong being replaced wasn't a big deal; not many people had noticed. But she insisted on using her brother and sister-in-law's connections to make a huge fuss, trying to win back her role and get justice, clinging to Xu Chun and refusing to let go. That alone might have been one thing, but greed got the better of her. She had people buy her trending searches and personally played the victim online, trying to use moral coercion to force Xu Chun into apologizing.

She'd always thrown her weight around, relying on her backing. She'd made countless enemies in her short time in the industry. Not everyone was as tough as Xu Chun or Yu Sui'an, but now that the wall was falling, everyone pushed. Stars and ordinary people she'd bullied came forward one after another, accusing her of her past arrogance and tyranny.

More and more people spoke up, until eventually no one could tell who was a genuine victim and who was just jumping on the bandwagon. But that didn't stop everyone from enjoying the show and getting in a kick of their own.

There were only so many resources in the industry. Every enemy taken down meant one more chance for everyone else. No one would pass up a windfall that landed right in their laps.

So in just half a day, Shen Shutong went from a pitied victim to a rat everyone was eager to strike down. And her brother and sister-in-law, whom she never stopped mentioning, had already been suspended and fired by their company, vanishing without a trace.

Shen Shutong was panicking, but not completely. With the Shen family's foundation, they wouldn't be toppled by such a trivial matter. Besides, her grandparents had retired from high positions; no matter how big the trouble, they would cover for them.

But what she never expected was that while she was riding home after a lecture from her father, Xu Chun personally jumped in—reposting every piece of dirt the netizens had dug up about her and her family on her own Weibo, and commenting like any other gossip-loving bystander: keeping up with the latest updates.

She might as well have come right out and said, “Don't let me off.”

What tier was Xu Chun? Among first-tier actresses, those with better acting skills weren't as pretty as her, and those prettier than her were... practically nonexistent. She had star power, she had ratings; she was already a minor top star. Xu Chun throwing herself into the gossip set off a traffic explosion. For the Shen family to quietly lie low and wait out the storm was now almost impossible.

Shen Shutong gritted her teeth and silently reassured herself: Don't panic, don't panic. Maybe Xu Chun was just angry for the moment and got carried away today. Maybe once she's busy in a couple of days, she won't pay attention to this anymore.

She was a public figure, after all, with a heavy filming schedule every day. She couldn't possibly keep her eyes on this all the time.

But things didn't go as she hoped. Xu Chun did have a lot of filming every day, and she was indeed busy, but even in the midst of it all, she never forgot to keep up with Shen Shutong's scandals. Even after the police published the investigation results regarding Shen Shutong's removal from the role, Xu Chun remained tireless, persistently @-ing the police: 【What else? Please also investigate Shen Shutong's brother, sister-in-law, and other family members.】

Netizens responded in droves: 【How savage—you've hogged all the bamboo shoots on the mountain, but I'm raising both hands in support of Sister Xu's refusal to let a single injustice or wrongful case slide.】

【Just based on Xu Chun speaking up for so many victims this time, I'll never say a bad word about you again.】

【Justice and truth require persistence. If Sister Xu hadn't persisted for over a week, Shen Shutong's removal might have been pinned on her again. Sister Xu's ‘trouble magnet’ nature is truly pitiful.】

After scrolling through the comments, Shen Shutong nearly ground her teeth to dust. Hadn't she just talked back to Xu Chun once? Was it really necessary to hold such a grudge?

Xu Chun was indeed the grudge-holding type. To the netizens' teasing and questioning, she responded with righteous indignation: 【I really can't eat or sleep peacefully without seeing the bad guys punished with my own eyes. Today you don't speak up, I don't speak up—tomorrow when the knife lands on your own neck, you'll know how much it hurts.】

Some of Xu Chun's longtime fans felt complicated. I believe you, my ass. You're clearly just bored while filming and don't want to interact with Yu Sui'an, so you're deliberately looking for entertainment online.

When you finally come across a long, nasty, month-long dog-blood drama like the Shen Shutong family case, of course you wouldn't let it go.

Some fans had indeed hit the nail on the head.

But what fans could guess, Yu Sui'an—clever as she was—could naturally guess too. She watched Xu Chun silently. The other woman was glued to her phone, playing with great relish, and Yu Sui'an was unwilling to believe Xu Chun could let her go so quickly.

When they broke up before, hadn't Xu Chun been devastated, almost drinking herself numb? How could someone who couldn't forget her lose all feelings for her in such a short time?

Or perhaps the other woman was deliberately putting on a show. She was acting indifferent and ignoring her on purpose—all to make her panic, to make her fear losing her completely, to make her nervous enough to come find her, coax her, and win back what they once had.

Xu Chun's move was risky, but she'd played it right.

Xu Chun's indifference toward her had indeed rekindled that competitive fire inside Yu Sui'an. If she could conquer the other woman once, she could conquer her a second and third time—make her fall at her feet again, utterly besotted, revolving her whole world around her.

Just thinking about it made Yu Sui'an restless.

She took a deep breath, reined in all the aggressive emotion in her eyes and face, and when she exhaled, she had completely transformed back into the gentle, harmless white-lotus image others saw.

Her gentleness was unbeatable. Everyone, under her carefully crafted emotions and lines, would unknowingly become her devoted follower.

Xu Chun would be no exception.

Xu Chun was busy tracking the Shen family case when her assistant suddenly called out frantically, “Sister Xu Chun, Sister Xu Chun, Yu Sui'an is here!” She lowered her voice, speaking rapidly. “Estimated enemy arrival in ten seconds!”

Before Xu Chun could even react, a soft “Sister” sounded beside her ear. By the time she looked up, Yu Sui'an had already strode over, stopped in front of her, and was looking down at her with a bright smile. “Sister, the next scene... let's rehearse it in advance.”

As if knowing Xu Chun would refuse, she added pointedly, “I can't quite grasp the emotions. I'm afraid if I don't practice beforehand, I'll hold up everyone's filming all by myself. So I have no choice but to trouble you, Sister.”

One sentence, and Xu Chun had no way out, no escape.

At the sight of her, Xu Chun's vision went black with despair. She raised her heavily made-up eyes—sharp and piercing—and asked Yu Sui'an, refusing to give up, “Do I have any other choice?”

“No,” Yu Sui'an answered gently. “This scene... it seems only you can help me, Sister.”

Xu Chun: “...” Being alone with Yu Sui'an—this should count as a work injury, right?

Helpless, she could only grit her teeth and follow Yu Sui'an away. She knew the next scene. It was rather intimate, mainly her character going mad and humiliating the other all on her own. The original novel described it in especially steamy detail, but since it couldn't pass TV censorship, the screenwriter had already revised it to be particularly chaste. Even so, the rating was still not low.

Xu Chun couldn't help undoing a button on her shirt, feeling like she was already sweating.

She was tall, wearing a finely tailored suit, exuding an aristocratic, alluring aura from her very bones. Sometimes even Yu Sui'an couldn't help staring at her in a daze, drowning in her passionate gaze, unable to free herself.

When she came back to her senses and saw Xu Chun's cold attitude toward her, a determined glint appeared in Yu Sui'an's eyes.

Jiang Zhaolie watched the two of them leave side by side without moving. She should have left the set and returned to the company last week; Qin Yao had already relented and restored her position and all her duties. She could go back to work anytime. But she didn't want to leave.

On one hand, she wanted to keep an eye on Xu Chun and see what the hell she was plotting against her mother every day. On the other hand, she'd suddenly noticed that Yu Sui'an's attitude toward Xu Chun had done a complete one-eighty. She'd become very attentive and clingy. Before, Yu Sui'an would say good things about Xu Chun in front of her, but her attitude had been different from what it was now.

It was as if Yu Sui'an had never considered getting back together with Xu Chun before, but now, at some point, she'd quietly reignited that desire and started taking action. Every day, whenever she had a moment, she'd drag Xu Chun off to discuss the script, shamelessly clinging to her. No matter how bad Xu Chun's expression was, no matter how lukewarm her response, Yu Sui'an acted like she didn't see it, stubbornly throwing her whole heart at the other woman.

This gave Jiang Zhaolie a very strong sense of crisis.

After Yu Sui'an and Xu Chun finally finished discussing the script and Yu Sui'an went off alone to film her solo scene, Jiang Zhaolie took the opportunity to stride over to Xu Chun and plant herself in front of her. Xu Chun had just spent nearly an hour matching wits with Yu Sui'an, and her brain cells were nearly spent. Now, seeing Jiang Zhaolie approach again, she felt exhaustion piled on exhaustion. She weakly lifted her eyelids. “What do you want now?”

She'd been lounging lazily, but something occurred to her, and she suddenly sat up straight, back rigid, gazing at Jiang Zhaolie with cool eyes. “You'd better have a real reason for coming to me.”

Jiang Zhaolie was speechless at the two-faced attitude. “Did you and Suisui discuss scripts like this every day before too?”

Absolutely. Xu Chun immediately wanted to pour out her grievances to Jiang Zhaolie. But just as the words were about to leave her mouth, she stopped herself in time. She reclined lazily back into her chair, slowly raised an eyebrow at Jiang Zhaolie, and tempted her like a demon: “Jiang Zhaolie, how about we make a deal?”

Jiang Zhaolie didn't respond, just stared at her without moving.

Xu Chun didn't mind her attitude. Jiang Zhaolie was paranoid by nature, trusting no one—especially not her. Xu Chun complained inwardly: this woman actually had a day when she opened her heart to Yu Sui'an and trusted her unconditionally? Talk about a rare sight.

She pulled her thoughts back in time, and her expression turned serious. “I can tell you with absolute certainty: I have no feelings for Yu Sui'an whatsoever. Not before, not now, and definitely not in the future.”

Jiang Zhaolie didn't believe her. “I don't believe a single word you just said.”

She'd seen with her own eyes how inseparable the two of them had been these past few days. Did Xu Chun really think a few words would make her believe her? Impossible.

Xu Chun: “...” You forced my hand.

She looked up at Jiang Zhaolie with a sinister air, but suddenly a gentle, radiant smile curved her lips. “Zhaolie, you really like Suisui, don't you? You like her so much you'd marry no one else in this life, right?”

Jiang Zhaolie didn't know what scheme Xu Chun was hatching now, but hearing those words, she hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The smile on Xu Chun's fair face grew even brighter. “In that case, how about I help you pursue Suisui from now on?”

Help her pursue Suisui? What kind of good intentions were these? Jiang Zhaolie didn't quite believe it, but the offer was too tempting. For a moment, she didn't know whether to agree or refuse, and stood in a silent stalemate with Xu Chun.

Xu Chun didn't mind that she was as unresponsive as a block of wood. She drew out her tone, her eyes glinting playfully, then spoke with a warm smile, her voice soft: “In return, you help me pursue Sister too, alright?”

Sister? Jiang Zhaolie froze. Which sister?

A moment later, she got her answer from Xu Chun's face. She immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, furious. “Xu Chun, don't even think about it! I'd rather stay single my whole life than let you go and ruin my mother!”

“I'd rather never get anywhere with Suisui in this lifetime than watch my mother fall into your clutches, be played with in the palm of your hand, and suffer being let down by you!” Jiang Zhaolie was burning with rage. How dare she? How dare she covet the pure and noble Qin Yao?

Jiang Zhaolie was so angry her chest hurt. But Xu Chun just smiled brightly and said, “Oh, I'm just teasing you. Seeing you get so worked up at the idea of me being with Sister tells me you still have feelings for me.” Her deep, affectionate eyes gazed earnestly at Jiang Zhaolie. “Zhaolie, you haven't completely let go of me.”

“Am I right?” Her tone was so certain that Jiang Zhaolie couldn't tell what act she was putting on now.

Just as she furrowed her brow in deep confusion, Xu Chun's assistant's voice rang out from nearby. “Miss Yu, President...” Her tone held a note of uncertainty. “President Qin?”

“Why aren't you going in?” the assistant asked, puzzled.

Jiang Zhaolie's whole body went rigid. She turned her head stiffly and indeed found Yu Sui'an and Qin Yao, who had arrived at some point without her noticing.

Jiang Zhaolie panicked. “No, Mom—no, Suisui...” She looked left at Qin Yao, right at Yu Sui'an, her gaze darting between the two. Flustered, she didn't know whether to explain to Qin Yao first or Yu Sui'an.

Her palms were drenched with sweat. Then she caught sight of the instigator's composed, leisurely expression, and fury surged anew. Jiang Zhaolie racked her brains. Suddenly, she wasn't panicked anymore. She smiled slightly and, like a water ghost dragging someone down with her, pulled Xu Chun into the water without hesitation. “Didn't you just tell me earlier that you missed me, and that's why you called me over to meet you?”

Xu Chun's gossip-loving smile froze on her face. “?!”

Treacherous brat! Stop trying to drive a wedge between me and your mother!