The Female Lead Is Heartbroken Beyond Measure

“Xu Chun, get up!” Seeing Xu Chun still shamelessly sitting on Yu Sui'an's lap without moving, Jiang Zhaolie could bear it no longer and spoke out. She knew they were live right now, so she had to keep her composure and not do anything that would put Suisui in an awkward position.

But Xu Chun's reaction made her absolutely furious. If this had been an ordinary pre-recorded show today, she could have rushed over and interrupted the recording on the spot, giving Xu Chun a severe lesson. But of all things, this was a brand-new live variety show.

Jiang Zhaolie was beside herself with rage.

She knew Xu Chun had always pestered and annoyed Suisui, but she never imagined Xu Chun would dare be this brazen!

Jiang Zhaolie's indignant expression, as though her own wife had been defiled, drew glances from everyone present. Her malice toward Xu Chun was undisguised. Even a blind person could see it. Xu Chun's rebellious streak flared at once, but staying sprawled on Yu Sui'an's lap really wasn't a solution either, so she prepared to get up and put some distance between herself and Yu Sui'an first.

But who would have guessed? Her skirt hem was pinned firmly under Yu Sui'an. So when she tried with all her might to rise, she was caught off guard; the tug of her skirt sent her bouncing right back, her whole body crashing straight into Yu Sui'an's embrace, looking for all the world like a docile, gentle little wife nestling close.

Xu Chun: “...”

Yu Sui'an: “...” She found it hard to believe Xu Chun wasn't doing this on purpose.

Jiang Zhaolie's brow twitched violently at the sight. “Don't you dare sit back down!”

Held in Yu Sui'an's arms, with the other woman's movements gentle and a faint, clear smile on her face, Xu Chun suddenly found Yu Sui'an pleasing to look at—especially compared with the hysterical, utterly graceless Jiang Zhaolie. In such a suffocating situation, Xu Chun's mind wandered at a most inopportune moment, and she thought hazily: no wonder men all like gentle women.

Now that it was happening to her, she couldn't withstand it either.

Jiang Zhaolie's voice brought her back to her senses again. Xu Chun lifted her dark eyes, her expression a little unnatural. “You're pressing on my skirt.”

Yu Sui'an instinctively shifted slightly to one side and freed Xu Chun's skirt with one hand. “There.” She lowered her eyes as she spoke to Xu Chun and noticed that beneath those seductive, amorous eyes, Xu Chun's cheeks were flushed pink and white, tinged with an indescribable shyness.

Yu Sui'an froze. Xu Chun, meanwhile, hurriedly moved away from her, tidying her skirt while grumbling inwardly. Sure enough, nothing good ever came from getting close to the female lead. From now on, she needed to stay as far away from these two women as possible. But quitting the show now wasn't worth it; her agent wouldn't allow her to act so recklessly, and if she suddenly stopped participating, rumors would surely flood the internet again.

While Xu Chun was lost in thought, Jiang Zhaolie rushed to Yu Sui'an's side, her face full of concern. “Suisui, are you all right? Did Xu Chun do anything to you? It's all my fault. If I hadn't been held up by an urgent matter today, there's no way you would have suffered this kind of grievance.”

Xu Chun spared a sliver of attention for Jiang Zhaolie. What grievance could Yu Sui'an possibly suffer? It would be a wonder if she didn't give others grief. With Yu Sui'an's masterful acting skills and her ruthless, sharp-tongued team, if she dared to throw her weight around in the industry, no one would dare cross her.

Yu Sui'an smiled faintly at Jiang Zhaolie, her voice soft and sweet. “Zhaolie, I'm fine.” Then she hung her head like a child who had accidentally done something wrong and said worriedly, “We interrupted the live broadcast just now—I'm afraid everyone might be unhappy...”

As soon as she finished speaking, the comments flooded in with concern: 【No, no. She cares about Suisui so much and protects her so well. We're too happy to even think about being unhappy. How could we be?】

【Right—as long as Suisui is fine, we have no other feelings at all.】

【But speaking of which, who is this sister? She's so beautiful and cares about Suisui so much. I really hope she's Suisui's admirer and can be with Suisui. If Suisui were with this sister, she definitely wouldn't be wronged by someone who blames the victim like a certain person.】

At that, more comments immediately chimed in: 【I approve this marriage!】【I approve too!】【+10086.】【+ID number!】

Jiang Zhaolie also realized she had been a bit impulsive just now. She turned and glanced at Xu Chun. Xu Chun, on the receiving end of that inexplicable glare, stood beside them with her arms crossed, aloof and elegant, looking down at Jiang Zhaolie, who was on one knee before Yu Sui'an coaxing her. Tsk—anyone who didn't know better would think Yu Sui'an was her fiancée.

But surely these two couldn't have gotten together this fast? After all, Yu Sui'an hadn't broken up that long ago. Even if the former Xu Chun had been the one at fault, jumping straight into a new relationship would still invite gossip—especially since Yu Sui'an's rise to fame had threatened quite a few people's resources. If she took even one wrong step, she could very well be attacked by people teaming up against her.

So Xu Chun figured that, given Yu Sui'an's personality, she would keep things ambiguous with Jiang Zhaolie for a while yet.

But what did that have to do with her? Even without looking at the comments, she knew she was surely being cursed out relentlessly right now.

Jiang Zhaolie pondered for a moment, then decisively made up her mind. “Suisui, you know I can't possibly leave you alone on this show to suffer.” Her voice softened. “So I've decided to formally join the show starting now to protect you.”

Xu Chun was close enough to hear Jiang Zhaolie's words, and she nearly cursed aloud. What the hell?! If that damned Jiang Zhaolie joined the show too, then with seven people, someone would be left without a partner. Everyone else would be paired up; only she and Yu Sui'an would make a shaky pair. If Yu Sui'an later left with Jiang Zhaolie, she'd be the one left alone and made into a laughingstock.

Yu Sui'an had realized the same problem. She glanced at Xu Chun, her expression troubled. “But...”

“No buts.” Jiang Zhaolie cut her off, her voice gentle. “Don't worry—I'll handle the rest with the director. I'll join the show as a challenger, and I'll invest tens of millions in the show while I'm at it. I'm confident the director won't refuse.”

The director indeed had no reason to refuse. Just from hearing the rough outline of Jiang Zhaolie's idea, he already found her justification flawless. And once Jiang Zhaolie joined, the three of them would have remarkable chemistry that could bring the show more buzz than he could imagine! Most importantly, she was going to invest—not hundreds of thousands, not millions, but tens of millions!

He couldn't help turning to Xu Chun with a guilty, apologetic look. “Sorry—she's just offering too much.”

Xu Chun: “...”

Xu Chun had no doubt Jiang Zhaolie would do exactly as she said. Jiang Zhaolie had powerful backing and considerable personal ability. Ever since she returned from studying abroad and took over the tech company her family gave her, she had run it efficiently; her reputation had grown and profits had climbed higher and higher. Jiang Zhaolie was young, accomplished, and rich. Never mind Xu Chun—even the combined assets of the entire Xu family couldn't match a single finger of hers.

Now that she fully grasped her situation, Xu Chun couldn't help feeling emo.

Yu Sui'an was still hesitating, looking for all the world as though she'd wronged Xu Chun for eight lifetimes. Seeing this, Jiang Zhaolie grew only more determined. She pulled Yu Sui'an toward the director to formally and thoroughly discuss the details of joining the show and the investment. Just as the two were about to walk out of frame, Xu Chun raised her voice before she could stop herself and cried out in anguish, “Zhaolie, where are you going?”

“Have you forgotten that I'm actually your fiancée?” Xu Chun covered her face as if about to burst into tears, her voice choked. “Zhaolie, how can you be so cruel to me?”

The director, unexpectedly hit with this earth-shattering bombshell on the spot: “??”

And the nationwide audience, whose brains took half a second to catch up with the gossip they'd just heard: “????”

What?

What did she just say?

This woman who was so protective of Yu Sui'an, who looked like Yu Sui'an's admirer, was actually Xu Chun's fiancée? My fiancée has fallen for my ex-girlfriend? My scumbag ex is actually my admirer's fiancée? I cast aside my perfectly good fiancée to fall for my fiancée's ex-girlfriend?

What kind of tangled mess of relationships was this?

Everyone's brains struggled to keep up. Only He Qingli, too worried about her idol, hurried to Xu Chun's side and gently patted her back. “Sister Xu Chun, are you okay?”

At those words, the delicate hands covering Xu Chun's face parted just enough for her to peek through. It was all for show. Her crying sounded heartbroken, yet not a single tear had actually fallen. Her eyes weren't even slightly wet.

It truly lived up to the saying: I cried, I faked it.

He Qingli's eye twitched violently: “...”

The scene descended into chaos. The director, thinking quickly, signaled for the guests to take a break and touch up their makeup, then hurriedly escorted Jiang Zhaolie out of frame. At the same time, he didn't forget to signal He Qingli to keep an eye on Xu Chun and stop her from spouting more nonsense and causing trouble on the show.

He Qingli, suddenly saddled with this heavy responsibility: “...” Could she even manage Xu Chun? She'd be thanking her lucky stars if Xu Chun didn't manage her to death.

Jiang Zhaolie never expected Xu Chun would dare expose their relationship so recklessly in public. Thinking about how Suisui might be cyberbullied next because people would speculate and gossip about her connection to Xu Chun, Jiang Zhaolie felt a surge of irritation. Before she left with the director, expressionless, Jiang Zhaolie gave Xu Chun a cold look, thinking that dissolving her engagement to Xu Chun needed to be put on the agenda immediately.

She couldn't bear the thought of Suisui being talked about or suffering grievances—especially when she herself was the one causing them.

But now that it had happened, she needed to think about how to minimize the harm to Suisui. As long as Xu Chun stayed on the show for even one day, she wouldn't be at ease for a single day. So joining the show to protect Suisui was imperative.

Jiang Zhaolie was away with the director for a long time. During that time, Xu Chun's agent stood just outside the frame, as close to Xu Chun as possible, eyes full of worry, wanting to speak but holding back. Fully committed to the performance, Xu Chun likewise looked at her agent with tearful eyes, wearing an expression of utter heartbreak.

Seeing this, some netizens wavered: 【Even though Xu Chun betrayed Yu Sui'an in their relationship, Yu Sui'an being so intimate with someone else's fiancée... doesn't seem quite right either, does it?】

【Who knows when Yu Sui'an got involved with Xu Chun's fiancée? What if Xu Chun only cheated because she discovered her girlfriend and her fiancée were being intimate?】

【What a brilliant whitewashing tactic! Xu Chun's team would want to tape your mouths shut if they heard this. Xu Chun had a fiancée and still dated someone else. Doesn't that make her even scummier?】

【But Xu Chun's fiancée clearly doesn't even like Xu Chun. Maybe the engagement was just the elders' arrangement, and there are no feelings between them at all. If that's the case, why can't Xu Chun be with the person she likes?】

【Then by your logic, there's no problem with Jiang Zhaolie pursuing Suisui now either.】

【... How is Yu Sui'an completely invisible in all this? Why aren't any of you mentioning her behavior? First, she knew Xu Chun had a fiancée and still chose to be with her. That was wrong. Second, after she and Xu Chun broke up, she knew full well Jiang Zhaolie was Xu Chun's fiancée, yet she still accepted Jiang Zhaolie's affection and pursuit as a matter of course, completely disregarding Xu Chun's feelings. That's knowingly becoming the third party.】

【She's had her hands on both of these fiancées—quite the appetite.】

At that, Yu Sui'an's fans immediately started fighting in the comments. It wasn't until the moderators muted the troublemaking accounts that some clear-headed viewers emerged to summarize: 【Case closed. Turns out everyone here is a villain.】

Jiang Zhaolie soon finished discussing the broad terms with the director. Although no contract had been signed yet, Jiang Zhaolie was unwilling to stand by and do nothing while her beloved was tangled up with Xu Chun. So she couldn't wait to join the show and have a proper status and reason to stay close to Yu Sui'an.

Xu Chun knew Jiang Zhaolie wouldn't give up easily, so when the director announced the “challenger guest” would enter, she wasn't surprised.

Just as Xu Chun had predicted, with seven guests paired off in twos, someone would inevitably be left solo. Jiang Zhaolie stood beside Yu Sui'an with a deeply affectionate expression, clearly determined to stick to her. Jiang Zhaolie couldn't possibly allow Yu Sui'an to date anyone else, least of all Xu Chun, so Xu Chun was left solo just as expected.

He Qingli couldn't bear to watch. She decided to bring her idol along for the rest of the show. After discussing it with her date, who agreed, He Qingli took a step, about to speak—only to see Xu Chun stride over to Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie. Xu Chun didn't bother lowering her voice, so everyone could hear what she said: “Zhaolie, look—among the three of us, someone will always end up alone. And no matter who gets abandoned, it's embarrassing for them...”

Jiang Zhaolie watched Xu Chun warily. What trick are you trying to pull now?

Then, before she could guess what Xu Chun was planning, she heard Xu Chun's shameless suggestion: “So why don't the three of us go on a date together?”

“The more the merrier!”

Jiang Zhaolie nearly cursed aloud. What kind of ridiculous joke was this?!

TL Note:

emo (emo了) = Chinese internet slang for feeling down or depressed.

+10086 and +ID number (加10086 / 加身份证号) = emphatic ways of agreeing in Chinese comment sections, like an exaggerated “+1.”

“I cried, I faked it” (我哭了，我装的) = popular meme phrase for pretending to cry or be upset.