Chapter 39: Afraid of Her Part 2

Bai Ran was deathly afraid of seeing Xu Yinian look so lost and frightened—as if the girl might start avoiding her again like she used to. Only after seeing Xu Yinian nod, seemingly charmed by her voice, did she continue in a soft, coaxing tone that was almost impossible to refuse.

“Niannian, can you let me see your knees? They look very red.”

Xu Yinian’s breath hitched. She instinctively looked down at her legs, but they were well-hidden under her skirt and socks. No, she suddenly remembered Bai Ran’s long silence when she was changing shoes…

She had been discovered then. It was no wonder Bai Ran had looked so serious and cold; she must be worried that Yinian had been bullied while she was out. Because of this oversight, she had to give Sister Ran an explanation.

Thinking this, Xu Yinian whispered, “Okay.”

She bit her lip, looking embarrassed as she gripped her skirt with both hands. She slowly lifted a corner of the knee-length fabric. Even though she stopped right at the top of her knees, the action made Bai Ran’s breathing heavy.

An unintentional gesture was fatally seductive, and the fact that Xu Yinian was entirely unaware of it made the dark desires stirred by this pure jasmine feel even more sinful and forbidden.

The congested area on her knees was finally revealed. It looked pitiful, but against the backdrop of her pale skin, the redness appeared even more vivid, carrying an indescribable eroticism.

This was the “work” produced under Ji Yan’s “guidance,” and it had naturally been done according to her wicked tastes.

Facing that stinging red, Bai Ran closed her eyes, trying to digest the morbid, violent emotions surging within her. Initially, she couldn’t even stand to see Ji Yan grab Niannian’s wrist. How could she accept these massive marks left by someone else’s wanton play?

Xu Yinian also glanced at her own knees and still found them a bit scary. Seeing Bai Ran close her eyes, she hurried to comfort her softly.

“It… it doesn’t hurt. Sister Ran, don’t worry about me.”

Her voice seemed to be the best medicine, causing the morbid thoughts growing wildly in Bai Ran’s heart to recede slightly. When Bai Ran opened her eyes, she no longer hid the dominance beneath her gentleness.

“I’m sorry, Niannian. But for this alone, I must know.”

“Who did this? Was it Qin Jiashu?”

The first half of the sentence was calm as usual, but when she uttered that name, her voice grew lighter—only to hide the underlying malice in the syllables.

Today’s Bai Ran was indeed unusual. Normally, she would never force Xu Yinian to reveal something she wanted to hide. In fact, Bai Ran could easily investigate where Xu Yinian had gone and what she had done today behind her back. But as she said, for this one thing, she would not allow Xu Yinian to cover for that person’s violation.

Xu Yinian had seen Bai Ran’s dominance more than once, but this was the first time she had faced her unyielding questioning alone. Even with the usual gentle and inclusive explanation, she was so nervous that she swallowed unconsciously.

“No… it wasn’t the Senior Sister.”

Xu Yinian could only rush to defend Qin Jiashu, forgetting that she hadn’t mentioned the Senior Sister’s name to Bai Ran yet. Bai Ran’s access to information regarding her was far too fast.

Bai Ran took in this anxious favoritism. It felt like something had pricked her heart. It took a long time before she spoke again, her voice holding a strange stillness.

“Niannian, you denied the person, but you didn’t deny that someone did it.”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Images of Ji Yan’s pathological germaphobia and her insane behavior—forcing Yinian to scrub her own skin red—flashed through Yinian’s mind. Perhaps… perhaps she should say it.

Her bitten lip finally loosened, and a look of resolve crossed her eyes.

“It was Ji Yan. She… she forced me.” Xu Yinian seemed to find it difficult to speak; a thin blush rose to her face, and her voice trembled slightly. “She has germaphobia, but she forced me to scrub my own knees. She wouldn’t let me go until I scrubbed them like this.”

“Ji Yan is an unreasonable lunatic. Sister Ran, I… I’m really afraid of her…”

Xu Yinian looked away. It appeared to be out of intense shame, but only she knew she was feeling guilty. Guilty for utilizing Bai Ran’s protection.

If it were just about giving an answer, she wouldn’t have gone into such detail. She had laid out her fear entirely while simultaneously hiding the role the Senior Sister had played in the incident.

It seems I’ve become a bad person…

Qin Jiashu knew that her pursuit of Xu Yinian would inevitably draw Ji Yan’s dissatisfaction. She hadn’t expected, however, that the person to ask for a meeting first would be herself.

Ever since parting with Xu Yinian, her single-minded focus on the girl had finally paused, giving her time to think about the confusion in the bathroom stall.

Xu Yinian had been right there, seemingly pressed against the door. That crying tone, the bright red earlobes, the excuse to send her away…

All the unintentional oddities connected at this moment.

When Qin Jiashu finally heard the voice of the other lead actress for Improper Thoughts online, she finally understood everything.

Qin Jiashu was far more professional than Xu Yinian. Without a hint of doubt, she immediately recognized the voice as Ji Yan, though it was slightly disguised.

Ji Yan had been there! She had been in that stall with Xu Yinian, doing something right in front of her.

Qin Jiashu suddenly realized she had been used. Ji Yan’s goal from the start was to trick Xu Yinian into coming over and signing that voice-acting contract.

When she thought of Xu Yinian, her heart skipped a beat. If her junior found out the truth, would she think Qin Jiashu and Ji Yan had been conspiring together?

An indescribable surge of anger rose in her chest. Qin Jiashu had put in all this effort, only to end up doing someone else’s laundry.

From now on, every time there was a recording session, Ji Yan would have plenty of opportunities to be alone with Xu Yinian. Given the suggestive nature of the script, how could Qin Jiashu not know what Ji Yan was plotting?

Looking at Ji Yan’s alias in the voice-acting circle, “Briefly Put,” Qin Jiashu understood the situation perfectly. If the identity of this star second-generation heiress was linked to GL voice acting, it would be a devastatingly effective piece of leverage.

And so, she called Ji Yan out directly.

Ji Yan didn’t bother to deny it; she had always been reckless. “So? Weren’t you the one who invited her to the audition with your own ulterior motives? I doubt your tactics in the recording studio were any cleaner than mine.”

“Ji Yan, I know you keep such a low profile in the industry because you don’t want anyone to know about your family background. If you cooperate, things will be easier for both of us. I’ve already spoken to Director Lin. I’m taking the role of the Second Female Lead in Improper Thoughts as payment for being used.”

In her fury, Qin Jiashu no longer feared this “mad dog.”

After all, while the Ji family was prestigious, if Old Master Ji found out what Ji Yan was doing, there was no way he would approve. Given Ji Yan’s personality, if this matter truly blew up, she wouldn’t be able to continue voice acting anyway. She loathed the gossip and attention of the media and the public.

“Qin Jiashu, are you threatening me? Do you even have the capability?” Ji Yan sneered, as if she were watching a joke.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not important whether you fear the threat or not. Lin San fears it. If something happens to you, your grandfather will wipe out the entire Monologue studio in one fell swoop.”