Chapter 68 p2
After focusing on her work for a while, Viola knocked on the door.
“CEO Xu, Miss Xia is here,” she said.
“Xia Chun?” Xu Jinnan asked, and Viola confirmed. Xia Chun’s character was a fashion stylist who had studied abroad.
She was wearing a stylish white dress and a dark blue coat, her usual gentle expression replaced by a coldness as she looked at Xu Jinnan.
“Miss Xia, please have a seat,” Xu Jinnan said, leaning back in her chair, unfazed by her demeanor.
“No need for formalities,” Xia Chun replied, standing a few feet away, her voice calm. “I received the information you sent through Tong Jia.”
“Oh, so you’re here to say it was a misunderstanding, that your staff acted without your knowledge?”
“Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. I’m not here to explain myself,” Xia Chun said.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly. “Then what are you here for?”
Xia Chun’s chin lifted slightly. “You sent me a message. I had to respond. If I didn’t, you might think I was afraid of you.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Xu Jinnan replied, her posture relaxed. “I don’t think you’re afraid of me, or anything else, because frankly, I don’t care.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, her words laced with a subtle disdain.
The message was clear – You’re not even on my radar.
Xia Chun’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It’s not important,” she said.
“Xu Jinnan, you don’t deserve her.”
Xu Jinnan raised an eyebrow. So, we’re being direct now, are we? Fine.
“And you do? You’re the one who turned her into a ‘homewrecker’ in the eyes of your fans, accusing her of using you for clout,” she retorted, her smile not reaching her eyes.
Xia Chun’s brow furrowed instinctively, then quickly smoothed out.
She admitted she had ulterior motives, hoping to see Shen Shu, to have a chance to talk to her. Shen Shu’s coldness, her deliberate distance, had been driving her crazy.
In the drama, they were former lovers, their feelings still lingering, but outside of filming, Shen Shu treated her like a stranger, her eyes devoid of any warmth or recognition.
But Shen Shu looked at Xu Jinnan differently.
And it reminded Xia Chun of their past, of the happy memories they had shared.
She had seen the online discussions, the CP super topic drama, and she hadn’t wanted to clarify things… she knew it was wrong.
She had even read the comments accusing Shen Shu of using her for fame.
But she couldn’t help herself, finally reposting Shen Shu’s Weibo post, a painful act of surrender, like handing over the person she loved to someone else.
“I admit I had ulterior motives. And you? You used such underhanded tactics to force her into this marriage. Are you any better?” Xia Chun asked.
Xu Jinnan looked at her, her voice cool and indifferent. “You’re the past. You have no right to question me.”
Xia Chun, stung by her dismissive tone, felt a surge of anger. It was the condescending attitude of someone in power, looking down on those beneath them.
“The future is long. Who knows what will happen?” she retorted.
Xu Jinnan smiled, then, after a moment of silence, wondered if the term “destined” had a different meaning in Savage Lover.
Or perhaps the changes in the plot and Shen Shu’s character had also changed Xia Chun’s role.
The current Xia Chun didn’t seem like the “destined” partner described in the novel.
“Fine, I’ve given you enough face,” she said, her voice cold, then stood up and picked up her phone, finding Shen Shu’s number, which was pinned at the top of her contact list, and dialed it, right in front of Xia Chun.
Xia Chun, not realizing she was making a call, was about to speak when she heard a familiar voice.
“Hello?”
Shen Shu’s cool, calm voice came through the line, the background noise slightly muffled.
Xu Jinnan looked at Xia Chun, her voice low and intimate. “Wife, I miss you,” she murmured. She had used that term once before, when Shen Shu had broken ties with the Shen family, and occasionally in the group chat, but rarely in private.
Shen Shu was silent for a moment.
In the quiet office, the sound of her voice through the phone’s speaker was clear and distinct.
“I miss you too,” she replied.
—
Xia Chun’s face paled, and she left without hearing the rest of their conversation.
The office door closed.
“Xia Chun was just here,” Xu Jinnan explained softly.
“I know,” Shen Shu replied.
Xu Jinnan could hear the faint sounds of activity from the film crew’s office. With their offices facing each other, it wasn’t surprising Shen Shu knew Xia Chun had visited.
“So, you didn’t actually miss me,” Shen Shu said, her tone neutral.
Xu Jinnan paused, unsure what she meant.
She chuckled softly. “Not entirely.”
“Then what?” Shen Shu asked, her voice still calm.
Xu Jinnan pictured Shen Shu sitting in her chair, the script in her lap, her free hand resting on the open page, her head slightly bowed as she spoke on the phone.
“Wait for me,” she said.
She hung up.
—
In the resting area, Shen Shu put down her phone and picked up her well-worn script, her expression unreadable.
A few minutes later, a commotion erupted in the office area across the hall, a mixture of excited chatter and gasps.
She heard a familiar name and looked up.
Xu Jinnan, a smile on her face, was walking towards her, carrying a clear container of grapes. She exchanged greetings with the director and a few actors along the way, handing one of them the container briefly.
After dismissing them with a few polite words, she reached Shen Shu. There were no chairs nearby, so she simply crouched down beside her, placing the container in Shen Shu’s lap.
“Have some. They’re washed,” she said, looking up at Shen Shu, her eyes smiling.
As she crouched down, Shen Shu heard a collective intake of breath from the nearby crew members.
She nudged Xu Jinnan’s arm. “Stand up. There are chairs over there,” she said, her voice slightly sharp.
Xu Jinnan glanced at her arm, then at Shen Shu’s hand, which was still resting on her shoulder. “I have to go out for a bit,” she said.
“Okay,” Shen Shu replied, taking the grapes.
“How’s your leg?” Xu Jinnan asked.
“Still a little sore,” Shen Shu admitted.
“Can you take a couple of days off?”
“The production can’t wait for me,” Shen Shu said. “It’s fine. I don’t have many scenes in the next few days.”
Xu Jinnan didn’t say anything more, watching as Shen Shu peeled a grape. She always peeled her grapes, unlike Xu Jinnan.
Shen Shu offered her a grape, and Xu Jinnan took it, popping it into her mouth and deftly removing the skin with her lips and tongue, then licking a stray drop of juice from her lip.
She’s so… sensual, even when she’s just eating, Shen Shu thought, then noticed a young woman staring at Xu Jinnan.
The woman, catching Shen Shu’s eye, quickly blushed and looked away.
Shen Shu turned to Xu Jinnan. “Can you at least try to be a little more… discreet?” she asked, her voice slightly annoyed.
Xu Jinnan looked at her, puzzled. “Huh?”
Shen Shu didn’t elaborate, and just then, the assistant director called out, “Places, everyone!”
Shen Shu placed the grape back in the container and closed the lid. Xu Jinnan stood up, telling Shen Shu she might be late tonight and wouldn’t be able to pick her up.
“I might go home tonight,” Shen Shu said, meaning the Shen residence.
She was going to retrieve the item her grandmother had left her.
—
After Xu Jinnan left, Shen Shu filmed for another five hours, over an hour later than she had expected.
It was almost 6 p.m., dinner time at the Shen residence, so she decided to go another time.
As she messaged Wei Wuqing to reschedule, she and Tong Jia entered the elevator.
Wei Wuqing didn’t seem particularly bothered, simply adding, [It’s fine. Bring Nannan with you next time.]
Shen Shu replied with a noncommittal “Okay.”
Wei Wuqing had been displeased when Shen Shu had said Xu Jinnan wouldn’t be coming. She knew her mother well; if she refused again, Wei Wuqing would use her grandmother’s gift as leverage.
She was about to reply to Xu Jinnan when a notification popped up.
Xu Jinnan: [Just leaving? I’ll be at the office soon, but I have a few things to deal with.]
Shen Shu: [Just got into the elevator.]
Xu Jinnan asked if she was still going to the Shen residence, and Shen Shu said she would go another day.
Xu Jinnan’s replies were almost instantaneous. [Then go home and get some rest. I’ll come over when I’m done.]
Shen Shu: [Okay.]
Since Shen Shu had been planning to go to the Shen residence, Tong Jia had dismissed her driver, intending to accompany her. Now that she wasn’t going, Tong Jia offered to drive her back to Xingcheng International.
Shen Shu felt bad about imposing on her.
“It’s nothing compared to you taking a slap for me. I’m happy to do it,” Tong Jia said.
Shen Shu’s heart warmed. She had always been aloof and had few friends. Before meeting Xu Jinnan and Tong Jia, only Cai Ying had truly cared about her.
As they reached the parking garage and Shen Shu was about to unlock the car, Tong Jia suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, I left the car keys in my makeup bag! Xinxin gave them to me this afternoon, and I put them away. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Shen Shu replied, nodding, then remembered something. “Jia Jia, can you bring down the grapes too? I forgot them.”
—
As Tong Jia went back upstairs, Xia Chun emerged from the restroom.
“Jia-jie, what are you doing back here? I thought you left with Shu Shu,” a crew member asked.
“Shu Shu is waiting for me downstairs. I forgot my keys,” Tong Jia replied.
Hearing Shen Shu’s name, Xia Chun felt a pang of jealousy.
The image of Shen Shu and Xu Jinnan together, their earlier intimacy, flashed through her mind.
She looked away, her gaze stopping on a figure entering the elevator – a woman in a black hat and glasses.
“Xia Chun, what are you looking at?” her assistant asked, noticing her reaction.
“Did you see the person who just got into the elevator?”
“Which one? I wasn’t paying attention.”
Xia Chun didn’t reply, taking a few steps towards the elevator, as if trying to get a better look, when her agent called out to her.
“Chun Chun, come here. Director Zhang wants you.”
By the time she turned around, the elevator doors had closed.
“Xia Chun, are you feeling alright?” her assistant asked.
Xia Chun paused, then shook her head. “I must have been mistaken,” she murmured. She had seen that woman before, at the prison. For a moment, the woman in the elevator, with her glasses, had reminded her of the Alpha who had assaulted Shen Shu.
But this was a film set, with restricted access. It couldn’t have been her.
Her agent called out to her again, and she pushed the thought aside.
The parking lot had been full that morning, and she had parked in a remote corner. The occasional sound of a car starting echoed through the vast space.
Shen Shu stood by the car, the silence of the parking garage amplifying her sense of unease.
Xu Jinnan had said she would be at the office soon. Perhaps they would meet.
The thought calmed her slightly.
Then, she heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching, and that feeling of being watched returned.
A shiver ran down her spine, and she quickly turned around.
This time, she wasn’t alone.
A woman in a black beret emerged from behind a van a few meters away, smiling at Shen Shu, her glasses glinting in the dim light.
—
As Xu Jinnan’s white Bentley entered the parking garage, she was about to message Shen Shu when she heard a scream.
She froze, her blood running cold.
It was a high-pitched, terrified scream, filled with panic, revulsion, and fear.
A sound so familiar it pierced her heart.
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