Chapter 114

In the evening, just after the sun had set, the sky was tinted a soft red, casting a beautiful glow over all of City B.

Kong Xiyan looked out the car window, her mood light.

She had finally said those heartfelt words to Guan Xiaoying.

And finally made a clean break.

From now on, she would walk her own narrow bridge, and Guan Xiaoying could walk her own broad road—they would have no more contact.

She rolled down the window. The evening air had turned cool, and gusts of wind blew in, making her squint involuntarily.

Fu Qiu, sitting beside her, glanced over, then took a tissue from her bag and handed it to Kong Xiyan. "Sister Kong, why are you crying?"

Kong Xiyan touched her face. "Am I?"

"Maybe the wind is too strong, it made my eyes water."

She said, taking the tissue from Fu Qiu and dabbing at the corners of her eyes, a faint smile on her face.

Fu Qiu asked worriedly, "Sister Kong, honestly, are you feeling upset because of today's filming ceremony?"

Kong Xiyan let out a puzzled "Huh?"

Fu Qiu continued, "I saw on Weibo that President Chi... President Chi might have had some connection with Miss Chai before, and now Miss Chai is in the 'Dawn' cast, so is that why you're sad?"

Kong Xiyan found Fu Qiu's guess amusing and couldn't help but laugh. "Of course not."

Fu Qiu pursed her lips. "Sister Kong, I know I'm not smart, and I'm not good with words. Sister Tong told me she wanted to replace me, but you stopped her."

"Sister Kong, I know how well you've treated me."

"So I want to be good to you too. If you feel upset, you can tell me—I swear I'm like a trash can, emptied the next day."

"If you keep it all inside and don't say anything, you'll get sick."

Fu Qiu was sincere, her starry eyes full of earnestness. Kong Xiyan looked at her and smiled. "Alright, let me tell you the truth."

"I'm not upset right now."

"On the contrary, I'm very happy."

How could she not be happy, now that the heavy stone in her heart was lifted?

Fu Qiu stared at her smiling profile, disbelief in her voice. "Really?"

Kong Xiyan said to her, "Really."

Fu Qiu bit her lip. "Sister Kong, are the rumors online true then?"

That would explain why Kong Xiyan looked not the least bit angry, and even said she was happy.

After all, who could say the word "happy" when faced with this kind of situation?

Was it possible that the rumors online were all true?

Kong Xiyan, noticing Fu Qiu's hesitation, lightly chuckled. "Online rumors? What online rumors?"

Fu Qiu looked up at her. "They say that you and President Chi are... are... are in a fake marriage."

Kong Xiyan looked at Fu Qiu, bewildered. "What?"

A fake marriage?

Leave it to those people to come up with that.

Fu Qiu was about to say more, but Kong Xiyan cut her off: "Just be quiet. I'll go look myself."

As she said this, she took out her phone and logged onto Weibo.

The 'Dawn' filming ceremony had already dropped off the hot search, replaced by another one: #Old Flame vs. New Love: Who to Choose?#

This one clearly hinted at her and Chai Yin.

But it was done cleverly—no real names, just letters standing in for them.

The post claimed that since Kong Xiyan bore a slight resemblance to Chai Yin, she had become entangled with Chi Wanzhao. Now that Chai Yin was back in the country, Chi Wanzhao had grown restless, so she'd cooked up this marriage with Kong Xiyan as a ploy to make Chai Yin jealous and win her back.

Kong Xiyan was both annoyed and amused by the post. She tapped on the comments and saw many netizens leaving remarks.

—Blogger, are you hinting at Kong Xiyan and Chai Yin?

—Obviously, why even guess? The hottest gossip lately is just about Kong Xiyan and Chai Yin.

—Must be. I always thought it was weird how Kong Xiyan's marriage was so rushed, and they haven't even posted wedding photos. It's probably fake!

—The blogger's guess makes some sense. I'll vote for that!

—Looking at it this way, our Yan Yan is so pitiful! She became a stepping stone in someone's love story! I'm so sad!

—I'm sad too. Yan Yan is such a good person!

—Why are you all feeling sorry for her? I think Chai Yin's the one who's been wronged. They're adults, yet still playing these games. So immature!

—Right, Chai Yin is the most pitiful!

—Just a passerby, all I can say is the entertainment circle is a total mess.

Fu Qiu noticed that Kong Xiyan's expression had darkened. She swallowed nervously and called out in a low voice, "Sister Kong?"

Kong Xiyan replied nonchalantly, "Hmm?"

Fu Qiu forced a smile. "We're here."

Kong Xiyan glanced out the window. They were already on the road near the apartment. Her fingers tightened around her phone, but her tone stayed even. "Drive in."

Fu Qiu was taken aback. "Huh?"

Then she quickly recovered. "Oh, right. Driver, drive in."

Kong Xiyan handed the driver a card, and after swiping it at the gate, the car drove in. Only when they reached the apartment entrance did she let him stop. This was Fu Qiu's first time visiting, so she asked, "Sister Kong, do you live here?"

Kong Xiyan got out of the car, nodding. "Yes. Next time, just drive straight in to pick me up."

Fu Qiu nodded. "Okay."

She was about to take her leave when another car pulled up behind them. She watched as Assistant Zhou got out, hurried to the rear door, and opened it. From the gap, a pair of pointed high heels appeared, and then Chi Wanzhao emerged before her.

Startled, Fu Qiu bowed and stammered, "President Chi."

Chi Wanzhao walked straight over, sized Fu Qiu up, and said, "Xiyan's assistant? Your name's Fu Qiu, right?"

Fu Qiu hadn't expected President Chi to remember her. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she accidentally bit her tongue, and tears welled up in her eyes. Chi Wanzhao looked at her expression, then pressed her lips together. "After all this time, still no better."

Fu Qiu immediately shot Kong Xiyan a pleading look.

President Chi's powerful aura was overwhelming her.

Kong Xiyan saw her pitiful eyes, stepped forward, and called, "Xiao Wan."

Chi Wanzhao turned her head. "Hmm?"

Fu Qiu watched from the corner of her eye. Though Chi Wanzhao's expression remained unchanged, Fu Qiu could clearly feel the shift in his demeanor toward Kong Xiyan. He softened in an instant, and that soft "hmm" was practically gentle.

After responding to Kong Xiyan, Chi Wanzhao ignored Fu Qiu entirely, brushing past her to stand beside Kong Xiyan.

"How did it go?"

"Fine."

"You're wearing too little. You'll catch a chill again. Let's go home first."

"Alright."

Chi Wanzhao took Kong Xiyan's hand, guiding her toward the apartment. Kong Xiyan turned back and waved at Fu Qiu with her other hand to signal her to leave. Fu Qiu quickly nodded, watching their receding figures as they leaned into each other, and muttered to herself.

Whoever dared to say Sister Kong and President Chi were in a fake marriage would have to deal with her.

This dog food—she was stuffed!

She pulled out her phone and saw the Weibo post still trending.

It was infuriating.

What nonsense! President Chi liking Chai Yin? Fake marriage with Sister Kong? All baseless speculation! After some thought, Fu Qiu decided to call Tong Yue.

As dusk deepened, Kong Xiyan had sent Fu Qiu off and was now sitting on the sofa watching the day's filming ceremony replay. Chi Wanzhao came over with a glass of warm milk and sat down beside her. "What are you watching?"

Kong Xiyan curled her lips. "Just checking to see what I look like as the new love meeting the old flame."

Hearing this, Chi Wanzhao turned to look at her, eyes bright and clear. "Chai Yin and I have no relationship whatsoever."

Kong Xiyan's expression stayed calm, but her heart fluttered. "No relationship at all? And yet there are rumors. President Chi is quite something."

Chi Wanzhao was amused by her sarcastic tone and reached over to pull her into an embrace. "Of course I'm capable. If I weren't, how would I have won a lady like you?"

Kong Xiyan shot him a coy glare. "Don't change the subject. You and her three years ago..."

"We had nothing then either."

"Three years ago, she was in trouble, and I merely helped out as a favor. Xiyan, my heart is very small. There's room for no one else but you."

Kong Xiyan gave a light humph, turned her face away in a show of pride, and fixed her gaze on the TV.

Onscreen, it showed the moment the reporter interviewed her. Kong Xiyan suddenly remembered something and moved to grab the remote, but Chi Wanzhao beat her to it. She reached for it, but he leaned back, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her down on top of him!

Their noses were nearly touching, their breaths mingled, the atmosphere thick with intimacy.

Kong Xiyan tried to get up, but Chi Wanzhao held her tight. She braced her hands against his chest.

From the TV came Kong Xiyan's light, clear voice: "I don't know about others' reasons for announcing marriage, but when I announced mine, it was because I love her and want to spend my life with her. That's the only reason."

When Chi Wanzhao heard those words, he wrapped his arms around her even more firmly, his lips brushing against her ear. "After such a confession today, shouldn't I give you something in return?"

Kong Xiyan felt flustered, her thoughts scattered by his embrace. She murmured, "What?"

Chi Wanzhao said, "How about granting your wish?"

Kong Xiyan's body froze for a few seconds. "What wish?"

"You said you wanted to eat me," he whispered, his breath grazing her earlobe, sending a ticklish shiver down her spine.

Kong Xiyan stammered, "I... no, I didn't."

Chi Wanzhao chuckled softly. "Why not? Could it be that my lady doesn't know how?"

Before Kong Xiyan could respond, Chi Wanzhao tightened his grip, and in one swift motion, he flipped their positions, looming over her. "That's okay. I'll teach you in person, my lady."

Kong Xiyan: ...