After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 13

Chapter 13

Spring had arrived in Jing’an a few days ago.

A continuous spring rain had fallen last night. This morning, as she walked onto campus, the breeze carried the fresh scent of the earth.

Zhou Jinsi breathed it in as she walked, and the drowsiness of her early morning start dissipated quite a bit.

She looked up. Seeing the empty athletic field, her steps unconsciously slowed.

Since last week, the film crew had finished shooting the main characters’ high school scenes and had already moved to a new location. The filming spot, which used to be surrounded by crowds every day, was now back to normal.

And her last conversation with Shi Qin was still stuck in that stairwell, where they had parted on bad terms.

After that day, to distract herself, she had thrown all her energy into her work. Even when Shen Nan invited her to visit the set again, she politely declined. And Shi Qin hadn’t actively sought her out again.

It seemed that since then, the two of them had returned to a normal post-breakup relationship. To her surprise, half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

The bell for the school’s morning self-study session rang. Zhou Jinsi reined in her thoughts and quickened her pace toward the academic building.

Everything had indeed returned to its proper track, just as she had wished. It was just… why did her heart still feel so empty…

.

Inside a private room at a high-end hotel.

Under the warm yellow lights, a group of people sat around a table, talking and laughing. The table was laden with several courses of rare delicacies from the mountains and seas, their colors tempting.

There were four men and three women present. One of them was particularly eye-catching; even without a hint of makeup, she was stunningly beautiful.

“Although I’ve heard it from others, seeing Miss Shi today, I’m still quite amazed, hahaha…” A middle-aged man in a suit with slicked-back hair said, looking at Shi Qin with a broad smile.

“Not at all, not at all. President Lin, you’re too kind.”

Shi Qin also maintained a polite smile, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out another burst of laughter.

Little did he know that he was being secretly cursed by the woman smiling like a flower in front of him.

After dealing with him, the smile on Shi Qin’s lips slowly faded. She took a sip of water from the glass on the table to calm her inner frustration.

The middle-aged man’s name was Lin Hai, the main investor for this film. This dinner was also something he had arranged on a whim, inviting Shen Junnan, Yin Chenxuan, and her, as well as a few other young and beautiful actors from the cast.

She had already planned her evening, intending to have a lovely spa session. But then, Chen Ming had called, saying the investor had arranged a private dinner tonight that she had to attend.

To make matters worse, Mo Li had taken sick leave today and wasn’t with her. Chen Ming had offered to assign her a new assistant, but Shi Qin refused, only saying she would call her after the dinner to have someone pick her up.

Although Mo Li usually prepared things for her to sober up, Shi Qin wasn’t stupid. Just in case, she had brought a bottle of milk in her bag.

But what she hadn’t expected was that this Lin Hai was clearly targeting her.

He kept steering the conversation toward her. Whenever he proposed a toast, she had no choice but to drink. This was the big boss, the golden goose. It was the same principle as “the customer is always right.”

Being an actress seemed like a very glamorous profession, but in essence, she was just a worker. The real upper echelon consisted of capitalists who held the financial power.

Lin Hai’s face was flushed from drinking, the fat on his cheeks squeezed to the sides by his wide grin. He raised his glass, his gaze once again turning to Shi Qin. “Come, come, Miss Shi. I find that we really get along. How about another glass?”

Another glass, my ass!

Shi Qin mentally rolled her eyes at him.

Shen Junnan looked between the two of them, his gaze finally resting on Shi Qin. After a few seconds, he let out a helpless sigh and silently took a sip of his wine.

By now, Shi Qin was already quite drunk. Everyone at the table could see it. Even Yin Chenxuan played the gentleman for once, reminding Lin Hai that she wasn’t a good drinker.

But Lin Hai paid him no mind. Besides, wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?

He said with a sly smile, “Hey, Miss Shi, we agreed to have a good time tonight. You’re not going to deny me this, are you?”

The smile returned to Shi Qin’s face. She fiercely pinched the fleshy part of her hand between her thumb and forefinger under the tablecloth. The pain sobered her up a little. She raised her glass as well. “Of course not. How could I? President Lin, please.”

Fine, I’ll drink. Is that not enough?

After a few more rounds like this, Shi Qin’s eyes started to glaze over. She was barely holding on, fighting against the drunkenness and fatigue to remain composed. Fortunately, everyone saw that it was getting late and prepared to leave.

As she was getting up, Yin Chenxuan, who was sitting next to her, offered to give her a ride. But even though Shi Qin was drunk, her brain was still working. She was trying to find a chance to uncouple from him. If they were photographed together again, who knew what nonsense the media would cook up.

She had just rejected one when another one followed close behind.

After going to the restroom, drinking a bottle of milk, and washing her face, her drunkenness had subsided a little. The moment she came out, she saw Lin Hai standing in the hallway, his smile looking somewhat creepy to her.

“President Lin… what are you doing here?”

Although Shi Qin was annoyed, she still maintained a polite smile.

Lin Hai chuckled twice and approached her, reaching out to support her, but Shi Qin deftly dodged him.

He frowned slightly, then smiled again. “Miss Shi, I truly admire you. You should know that…”

Hearing this, Shi Qin sneered inwardly.

Admire my ass! He probably wants to admire me in bed, right?

“Thank you for your admiration, President Lin.”

Lin Hai: “Hey, as for me, I prefer to express myself through actions. Miss Shi, I think if there’s a chance, I’ll support your next film as well. What do you think?”

The implication was obvious. Lin Hai might as well have just told her the hotel room number.

Shi Qin barely managed to steady herself. After composing her expression with her head down, she looked up and replied, neither servile nor overbearing, “If my commercial value is appreciated by President Lin, then I’m very grateful. As for the opportunity you mentioned, I don’t think I have the right, nor the desire, to decide.”

A very proper smile was given to Lin Hai. Before he could speak, Shi Qin added, “Also, thank you for the dinner tonight, President Lin. I had a wonderful time. It’s getting late now, and I’d like to go rest. See you next time, President Lin.”

She didn’t want to, so of course, Lin Hai couldn’t force her.

Without looking at Lin Hai’s expression, Shi Qin turned and walked away, using all her willpower to walk in a straight line. But her figure still swayed. When she finally reached the hotel entrance, she couldn’t hold on any longer.

She stopped at a corner by the roadside. The discomfort was too much. She couldn’t help but lean against a nearby car for support.

“Damn it…”

Shi Qin closed her eyes and cursed under her breath. Her stomach was churning and burning from the alcohol. It was excruciating. When she opened her eyes again, the world was spinning.

“Hello, this is my car…”

A familiar voice came from behind her. Shi Qin’s heart skipped a beat. She turned around to look—

Zhou Jinsi stood there woodenly. The moment she saw it was her, she was clearly taken aback as well.

“My apologies.”

Shi Qin snapped back to her senses. Remembering the cold words from last time, her heart turned cold again. She replied with an expressionless face and was about to walk away.

But the aftereffects of the alcohol were too strong. No matter how focused Shi Qin was on walking, her body swayed uncontrollably, her steps trembling. Zhou Jinsi watched her from behind, her brow unconsciously furrowing.

Even in the dark, she had noticed Shi Qin’s excessively flushed face. And now she was walking so unsteadily. Zhou Jinsi looked up at the hotel in front of them, her frown deepening.

Before she could think further, Shi Qin suddenly stumbled, looking as if she were about to fall. Zhou Jinsi subconsciously lunged forward, standing behind her and steadying her.

“Thanks.”

“You…”

Seeing such a particularly cold Shi Qin, Zhou Jinsi’s heart ached. But she was the one who had spoken the harsh words first. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Hearing her voice, Shi Qin turned to look at her.

They were quite close. She smelled the faint, crisp scent on Zhou Jinsi, and for a moment, she felt a little hot, unsure if it was because of the alcohol or something else.

Shi Qin still held a bit of expectation. But when she saw that Zhou Jinsi still had that same wooden expression, she couldn’t help but turn away in disappointment, planning to find a place to rest and call Chen Ming.

The moment she walked away, Zhou Jinsi couldn’t help but take a couple of steps after her. Several times, she wanted to speak, but the words died on her lips.

A lone girl, especially a beautiful one, drunk, in the middle of the night—it was so unsafe. Zhou Jinsi didn’t know if anyone was coming to pick her up. It didn’t look like anyone was with her. She was naturally worried.

“Hey…”

Following behind her, Zhou Jinsi finally spoke.

Shi Qin closed her eyes, trying to sort out the chaotic thoughts that had appeared with this person’s arrival, then turned to look at her.

“What on earth do you want to say?”

Zhou Jinsi’s eyes flickered. Her long fingers unconsciously fiddled with each other. She asked tentatively, “Are… are you drunk?”

Isn’t that fucking obvious?

And to think she still held out some hope for this blockhead. Shi Qin shot her a speechless glance and said, “Zhou Jinsi, I’m not feeling well right now. If you want to talk nonsense, then there’s no need for us to chat.”

With that, she swayed forward again. But Zhou Jinsi only heard that one sentence: “I’m not feeling well right now.”

Not feeling well…

Safety was more important. Zhou Jinsi thought for a moment and followed her again. She wanted to reach out and grab Shi Qin’s wrist, but her hand stopped mid-air. Instead, she walked in front of her.

Shi Qin couldn’t stop in time and walked straight into her chest.

She looked up in confusion. “Now what?”

Zhou Jinsi frowned and pursed her lips. Finally, she mustered the courage to say, “You’re drunk. It’s not safe for you to be alone at night. Is someone coming to pick you up?”

Shi Qin retorted with a cold laugh, “Whether someone is coming to pick me up or not, what’s it to you?”

“Didn’t you say we have no relationship now?”

Zhou Jinsi knew that she had been angry that day and her words had been too harsh, so she didn’t argue. She just stared at the drunk person in front of her and asked again.

“Is someone coming to pick you up?”

By now, Shi Qin was truly drunk. A sense of grievance welled up in her heart. She couldn’t fight the dizziness in her head. She stumbled, and was immediately caught and held steady by Zhou Jinsi.

Shi Qin looked at the hand on her shoulder, which was immediately withdrawn. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes. She looked up at her with a hint of a smile.

“If no one’s coming, will you take me home?”

As expected, Zhou Jinsi froze, saying nothing more.

I knew it.

Shi Qin mocked herself inwardly and was about to turn away when Zhou Jinsi’s slightly hoarse voice came from behind.

“Okay, I’ll take you.”