Chapter 2: 002
Even after hanging up, Shu Ran didn’t hear Qi SiJia offer to pick her up.
The long-accumulating dark clouds finally burst, unleashing a downpour. Shu Ran stood outside the film studio, caught in the rain before she could open her umbrella.
The chilling rainwater extinguished the last embers of Shu Ran’s sexual fantasies about Qi SiJia.
Her girlfriend’s lack of concern, combined with yesterday’s rejection, made Shu Ran wonder if she had been deceived by Qi SiJia’s appearance.
“Tell me,” Shu Ran said with a dark expression, suddenly turning and tossing her bag to her assistant.
“Could she have known who I was all along?”
“Of course, Sister,” the assistant retreated several steps, carefully hopping around puddles to avoid splashing Shu Ran’s shoes.
Holding the umbrella high in her left hand and clutching the expensive bag in her right, the assistant explained, “This bag is a limited edition we borrowed from the brand for the show. It’s quite valuable, and we have to return it.”
“With ‘Pricey Little Wife’ becoming a hit, you’re much more popular than you think. Otherwise, Sister Lin wouldn’t have placed you on an acting variety show with Meng Jiang as a mentor.”
The assistant’s flattery resonated with Shu Ran, deepening her suspicions about Qi SiJia.
If she was so popular, what did Qi SiJia’s indifference towards her career imply?
The bitch probably knew who she was all along and that’s why she never asked.
Previously oblivious, now with her rose-tinted glasses shattered, Shu Ran felt a chill run down her spine.
As her assistant had said, Shu Ran was experiencing a stroke of luck. The short drama “Pricey Little Wife’s Counterattack” she starred in had become a surprise hit. Within a month, she’d gone from an unknown stand-in to a rising star in the entertainment industry.
She’d signed with Huayi Brothers and been assigned an assistant, signifying that investors were interested in promoting her. As for Qi SiJia…
Her agent had been urging her to break up, but Shu Ran had been stalling.
It wasn’t that Shu Ran was particularly devoted. The lesbian community was small, and finding someone like Qi SiJia—a gorgeous, abstinent, long-haired, top—was rare. Especially with those beautiful long hands. Shu Ran imagined being looked down upon by Qi SiJia in bed, the woman’s red lips holding gold-rimmed glasses, shirt half-undone… the thought intensified the thrill.
Shu Ran had been quite active in the scene, effortlessly flirting with women, but with Qi SiJia, she hadn’t even held hands.
So when her agent suggested breaking up, Shu Ran’s first reaction was reluctance. She at least wanted to experience the pleasure of having such a desirable, abstinent top panting on top of her.
So she kept delaying until yesterday.
Now, thinking carefully, she realized her mindset was wrong!
Love or career? Even a fool knew to choose the latter.
She wasn’t love-struck, so why was she so fixated on Qi SiJia?
If it weren’t for yesterday’s rejected advance… Qi SiJia’s aloofness had finally pushed Shu Ran to make the decision to break up.
Thinking about it, Shu Ran felt a wave of fear.
Qi SiJia wasn’t playing hard to get; she was stringing her along, keeping her hooked.
Throughout their month-long relationship, Shu Ran had been the one led by the nose.
They met on a lesbian dating site. Qi SiJia’s photo was at the top of a post titled “The Ultimate Abstinent Long-Haired Top.”
Shu Ran had an undeniable weakness for this type, and she always clicked on such posts.
The photo was a candid shot taken in a supermarket. Qi SiJia wore gold-rimmed glasses and had long, straight hair. Her black mask was pulled down to her chin as she seemed to be paying with facial recognition. Her cool demeanor, striking features, and the glasses…
The camera focused on her long hands, a small red mole on her fingertip against her pale skin, both abstinent and alluring.
Shu Ran fell in love at first sight, smitten. She even pulled strings to find the supermarket in the photo and staked it out until she finally saw Qi SiJia.
She expected such a desirable top would be hard to pursue, but surprisingly, Qi SiJia agreed to date. But after that, nothing much happened.
Shu Ran realized she knew almost nothing about Qi SiJia’s family background, social circle, or career plans.
She only knew her name, that she was a freelancer, a homebody, quiet and seemingly aloof. In their month of dating, they had met twice, mostly communicating online. If Shu Ran didn’t initiate, Qi SiJia could go three days without replying.
Shu Ran was the one sending flirty messages; Qi SiJia responded with emojis.
Previously, it hadn’t seemed strange. Abstinent, aloof tops were like that; they had personality.
But they were in a relationship!
Realizing this, Shu Ran felt disgusted. Qi SiJia wasn’t dating; she was completing a task, keeping Shu Ran dangling, making her itch with anticipation, drawing her deeper.
It was terrifying.
It was like having a piece of meat offered but never allowed to eat, not even a crumb. Of course, Shu Ran was reluctant to let go; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so eager yesterday to hint at sex for a clean break.
But Qi SiJia was probably not interested in women, which was why she finally showed her aversion, not even allowing Shu Ran to hold her hand.
Connecting the dots, Shu Ran’s eyelids twitched. She was becoming somewhat famous now. What did Qi SiJia’s actions imply?
Was she a straight woman pretending to be a lesbian? Or worse, was she trying to secure the girlfriend position to set her up later?
“Fuck!” Shu Ran narrowed her eyes, turning abruptly, startling her assistant.
“Get me a car,” Shu Ran said with a sinister expression, then added, “One that fits the standard of Huaqing Garden.”
Agent Lin was currently at the “New Star Era” set. She was there to treat the production crew to dinner.
But Meng Jiang had arrived, and Agent Lin was stuck in the crowd.
When she received Shu Ran’s call, she struggled to find stable footing.
“What?”
“…I want to borrow your G-Wagon.”
Meng Jiang’s arrival had caused a stir in the studio, and Agent Lin only heard the last part.
“G-Wagon?” Looking over the dense crowd, Agent Lin grew impatient. This was typical of newcomers, coveting things beyond their reach before even becoming famous.
She looked towards the radiant woman whose very presence seemed to glow, and said, “Do you know Meng Jiang? If you were half as popular as her, I’d get you a G-Wagon, or even a super G-Wagon.”
As she spoke, Agent Lin glanced enviously at Meng Jiang’s renowned agent, Chen Cheng.
She envied Chen Cheng’s luck in finding such a promising talent, securing her position as the top agent in the industry within five years.
Thinking about her own situation was frustrating.
Just then, the crowd parted, and the station director personally came to greet Meng Jiang.
The radiant woman in the crowd smiled faintly. Though the smile didn’t reach her eyes, it still exuded charm.
The screams in the studio grew louder as the director shook her hand, his face beaming. The staff’s enthusiasm was almost out of control.
This was Meng Jiang’s first time at Lantai Station.
Everyone in the industry knew that Meng Jiang had an unspoken rule: she never accepted engagements in Ning Cheng. Even for movie promotions, she insisted on bypassing the city. Over the years, she had been to Apple TV, CCTV, Hollywood, even South Korea for promotions.
But she never set foot in Ning Cheng.
Even though Meng Jiang attended Ning University and considered Ning Cheng her half-hometown, for some reason, she seemed to avoid the city, as if it held some taboo, or perhaps she was avoiding someone. Her flights never landed in Ning Cheng.
So her presence at Lantai Station was truly epic.
From the station’s executives to the behind-the-scenes staff, everyone was excited and in disbelief.
Security formed a human wall around the elegant woman. Agent Lin couldn’t squeeze through, and with Shu Ran’s persistent calls, she turned and headed to the restroom, asking, “Why do you need the car?”
“I mentioned this before…”
Newcomers’ relationships couldn’t be hidden. Agent Lin remembered Shu Ran’s current girlfriend: “That nobody—Qi SiJia?”
Shu Ran obediently hummed in agreement.
“That’s her.”
Agent Lin: “Didn’t I tell you to break up with her? What does that have to do with borrowing a car?”
Shu Ran choked up: “Sister, it’s not that I don’t want to break up.”
“It’s her…”
“What about her?”
Shu Ran wasn’t stupid. With her current status, being assigned a luxury car by the company was a stretch. It could create the impression of entitlement before even achieving real fame.
“Sister, I… she… she has ulterior motives, what if she doesn’t agree to a peaceful breakup?” Shu Ran, no longer a naive ingenue, crafted her words carefully, planting the seed of suspicion without explicitly stating it.
“It’s all my fault for being foolish. We started dating right after ‘Pricey Little Wife’ aired.” The lie flowed smoothly as Shu Ran emphasized, “She pursued me.”
“You know about my sexual orientation, it’s not easy for me to find someone, so you agreed.”
“We’ve been dating for a month, and I’ve given her so many gifts.” Game skins, WeChat emojis.
Shu Ran wouldn’t reveal her rejected advances; it would make her seem desperate and cheap.
Anyway, Agent Lin wouldn’t verify it. As long as Qi SiJia was framed as a manipulative gold digger, Agent Lin would intervene.
The lies continued: “Then, for my birthday, she bought me a 100 yuan game skin, and today, for our breakup, she suggested meeting at a place like Huaqing Garden for tea.”
“We’ve been dating for so long, and she wouldn’t even let me hold her hand…”
“I’m somewhat known now,” Shu Ran sobbed, “What if Qi SiJia is pretending to be a lesbian, waiting for me to become famous so she can use this to blackmail me…”
…
“Pfft—”
Before Agent Lin could analyze Shu Ran’s girlfriend’s manipulative tactics, a soft chuckle came from the doorway.
Turning around, Agent Lin almost dropped her phone.
Meng Jiang was in the restroom, leaning against the farthest sink, touching up her makeup. Her champagne-colored trench coat was draped over her wrist. Through the mirrored wall, her smiling phoenix eyes met Agent Lin’s.
She showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping.
Meng Jiang’s lips curved, a rare smile reaching her eyes, enhancing her captivating features. She pointed at the restroom, reminding Agent Lin, “This is a public area. Maybe it’s best not to use speakerphone.”
Agent Lin froze, embarrassed, instinctively covering the receiver, flustered as she reached to turn off the speakerphone, only to realize it wasn’t on.
Shu Ran’s voice had simply been too loud.
“Sorry,” Agent Lin mumbled, wanting to disappear.
Fortunately, Meng Jiang didn’t make a fuss, just nodding and applying lipstick, seemingly uninterested in the phone conversation. As long as it didn’t disturb her.
On the other end of the line, Shu Ran was unaware of Agent Lin’s mortifying experience.
Afraid her grievances weren’t being heard, her sobs intensified: “Qi SiJia’s intentions are so obvious. I’m afraid she won’t agree to a peaceful breakup. What should I do?”
Agent Lin glanced at Meng Jiang, who showed no signs of leaving but didn’t give her another glance, seemingly uninterested in the conversation’s content. Just keep it down.
“Can you lower your voice?” Agent Lin whispered sharply, then, holding the phone, worried about lurking reporters, awkwardly retreated to the farthest stall, hoping to reduce the noise.
Lantai Station was wealthy. The public restrooms were comparable to those in five-star hotels, with mirrored walls on all sides. Meng Jiang easily spotted the closed stall on her right with a slight raise of her eyebrow.
Chen Cheng’s voice came from outside: “They’ve left.”
“Jiang Jiang.”
“Jiang Jiang?” Chen Cheng called again.
“I know,” Meng Jiang replied casually, but didn’t move.
She slowly pulled out her phone and expertly opened a certain Yuri reading app.
Her login triggered a site-wide announcement, befitting a high-spending reader: Author JiLiu’s Invincible Overlord, Rich Flower has logged in.
Meng Jiang’s favorites were filled with JiLiu’s works. She clicked on the latest chapter of “Submerged,” casually dropping a hefty virtual gift, her usual way of urging an update: [When’s the next update?]
Diamond-level reader comments triggered notifications for the author.
JiLiu happened to be online and replied quickly: [Baby, don’t wait. Date night with my girlfriend tonight. Taking a day off.]
Meng Jiang’s perfectly manicured finger lingered over the words “girlfriend,” a hint of amusement in her eyes: [You made up so quickly? Bought the house?]
JiLiu was clearly in a good mood, replying quickly, unusually talkative: [Yeah, thanks to your makeup advice yesterday. Almost made up. No wedding candy for you, but I’ll send you a red packet.]
Meng Jiang chuckled, exasperated: […]
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