After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 55

Chapter 55

Shi Qin was startled, her whole body frozen in place as if under a spell.

Seeing the panic on her face, Qin Zhen sneered as expected, then put her phone away. Looking at the astonished person before her, her eyes were full of contempt.

“Scared?”

A torrent of emotions surged through Shi Qin’s heart—surprise, and also anger. After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, she looked back coldly.

She ignored Qin Zhen’s disdain and retorted, “Was the trending topic your doing?”

Qin Zhen snorted again, rolling her eyes at her impatiently. “What do you mean, ‘my doing’? If you really had nothing wrong, how could someone take such a picture?”

The photos in her phone, including the one from the trending topic before, were indeed taken by Qin Zhen’s people.

But, to be honest, she hadn’t planned on keeping an eye on Shi Qin all day. After all, although she was an eyesore, she didn’t know she would go to such great lengths.

But that day, one of her people happened to recognize Shi Qin’s car and followed it all the way to make some money. Unexpectedly, he really did “get” something in the end.

Qin Zhen hadn’t exposed the photo in her phone, also out of consideration for Zhou Jinsi’s status. After all, Shi Qin was a small-time character, but Zhou Jinsi’s father was a big shot.

She wasn’t so brainless as to go against the CEO of an entertainment company.

Shi Qin had also guessed this. Fortunately, this person still had some reservations about the Zhou family. She didn’t want to drag Zhou Jinsi into this messy circle.

“Do you think you can prove anything with these photos?”

Shi Qin calmed down, knowing that at this moment, Qin Zhen didn’t dare to do anything, just bluffing.

“Even if you expose the photos, I have ways to clarify. But if Zhou Jinsi’s background is dug up…”

She took a step closer to Qin Zhen, staring at her, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

“I’m just a small-time artist. You should know better than me how capitalists operate.”

Zhou Jinsi had mentioned her family during their casual chats.

Shi Qin had thought that her reserved personality was due to family factors, but it wasn’t.

Zhou Jinsi was an only child. From her description, Shi Qin could imagine that the Zhou family not only gave her the love parents should, but also doted on her. Zhou Lin had always intended to cultivate her as his successor.

A child held in the palm of her parents’ hands like a precious jewel. If she were to fall into the mire of public opinion and be criticized, one could imagine how furious the Zhou family would be.

Seeing that her bottom line had been exposed, Qin Zhen lost her composure for a moment. She laughed sarcastically, “Heh, Shi Qin, are you just taking advantage of this, so you’re so reckless?”

“No wonder you couldn’t wait to terminate your contract and step in right after I left Tianyu.”

“Stop.” Shi Qin couldn’t bear it anymore. By now, her drunkenness had mostly sobered up.

She thought to herself, Does this person have some kind of victim complex?

And to think she was the daughter of a capitalist. How could she be so different from Zhou Jinsi, like heaven and earth?

She, Shi Qin, a newcomer who had only debuted for two years, how could she have the brains and guts to go against such a powerful and influential young miss?

It was really a waste of this person’s energy to target her. Pfft!

Shi Qin cursed fiercely in her heart.

“My contract termination is a matter between me and my former company. It has nothing to do with you.”

Qin Zhen sneered again.

She couldn’t stand Shi Qin’s stubborn resilience. She was clearly a snob, so why pretend?

“You latched onto Zhou Jinsi for Tianyu’s resources, didn’t you?”

“I really can’t tell. For a little benefit, you can even pretend to be a lesbian to seduce people. It’s laughable.”

Qin Zhen’s lips curved into a cold smile, her light and airy tone full of contempt.

This time, Shi Qin was truly angry. She suppressed the urge to slap her and said furiously, “Have you said enough!”

Qin Zhen wasn’t afraid of her. She was a few centimeters taller than Shi Qin. At this moment, she bent down slightly and leaned closer to her. “I’m just saying. What can you do to me?”

Shi Qin was silent, her eyes blazing with anger, yet also holding an iceberg-like coldness.

Her drunkenness hadn’t passed yet. At this moment, her chest felt as if it were burning with a fire, making her blood rush, her fists gradually clenching.

“What are you two doing?”

Their confrontation was broken by a newcomer. They both turned to look outside.

Ji Chen walked in with a frown, her complicated gaze shifting between her and Qin Zhen.

The private room had its own exclusive restroom next door. After Qin Zhen left, the two of them hadn’t come back for more than ten minutes. Everyone was a little worried, so Ji Chen took the initiative to go and check.

But just as she reached the door, she heard the sound of them arguing. Seeing Shi Qin on the verge of exploding, she immediately stepped forward to stop them.

Seeing Ji Chen, the anger in Shi Qin’s heart also dissipated a little.

And Qin Zhen just shot a look at the two of them, too lazy to argue with them anymore. She turned and walked away without even giving them a look.

Seeing Qin Zhen walk away, Ji Chen looked at Shi Qin again and asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

Shi Qin shook her head. After arguing with that unreasonable person just now, she wasn’t in a good mood.

Ji Chen could see that too, so she didn’t say much more and silently led her back.

.

This meal was extremely upsetting.

Qin Zhen claimed to have something to do and left early. After the dinner ended, Shi Qin didn’t stay long either. She left alone, got out of the hotel, and got into her own car.

Shi Qin was in a bad mood. She took out a cigarette from her bag, wanting to smoke, but then she caught a glimpse of Mo Li, who was dozing off in the driver’s seat.

Sighing lightly, just as she was about to put the cigarette back, she saw someone knock on her car window.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Ji Chen, Shi Qin thought she might be asking about the argument in the restroom just now.

Ji Chen had sharp eyes. She immediately noticed the cigarette box in Shi Qin’s hand, then glanced at the sleeping Mo Li beside her.

She didn’t state her purpose and chuckled lightly. “If it’s not convenient, you can come and sit in my car.”

Shi Qin saw her gaze fall on the cigarette in her hand, her fingers subconsciously tightening.

But seeing Ji Chen’s gentle face, and with memories of the past surfacing, the guard in her heart was let down. She looked back at the person who was about to start snoring and got out of the car.

“Give me one too.”

After getting in the car, Ji Chen smiled and held out her hand to ask for one.

Shi Qin was taken aback, then handed over the cigarette box.

Seeing how skilled Ji Chen was at lighting a cigarette, she couldn’t help but ask another question, “Does Big Sis smoke often?”

Since the two of them had recognized each other last time, Shi Qin’s address for Ji Chen had reverted to how it was before.

Ji Chen took a drag, her eyes squinting slightly. The smoke exhaled from her red lips. Different from her usual intellectual image, she now had a certain unrestrained and free-spirited beauty.

“Not that often. I’ll have one when I’m stressed at work. Over time, it became a habit.”

Shi Qin moved her lips but ultimately said nothing. She turned to look at the people coming and going outside the window and also silently exhaled smoke.

She knew that Ji Chen probably had questions, but if she didn’t bring it up, Shi Qin wouldn’t take the initiative to speak.

The two of them sat there in silence.

It wasn’t until one cigarette was finished that Ji Chen slowly looked at the person beside her, her gaze holding a longing that was not there before.

“Qinqin.”

“Mhm?” Shi Qin turned to look at her.

Ji Chen’s gaze returned to the cigarette box in her hand. She rubbed it gently and asked, as if unintentionally, “Just now in the restroom, you and Qin Zhen…”

“She said some nasty things. I couldn’t help it.”

Ji Chen’s eyes blinked lightly. After a moment of silence, she looked at Shi Qin again. “Then what she said, what did it mean?”

Shi Qin didn’t know what she was referring to and asked in confusion, “What did she say?”

Her fingers on the cigarette box stopped. She looked into Shi Qin’s eyes. “You and your friend…”

“I also saw that trending topic last time.”

“Qinqin, tell me, is this matter true?”

The air, mixed with the smell of tobacco, became silent and quiet, as if frozen in their eye contact.

Shi Qin didn’t understand Ji Chen’s intention in asking this question. She just frowned, her lips pressed together, not speaking.

And from her long silence, Ji Chen got the answer she didn’t want to know.

Actually, she should have guessed it long ago. But to think that the moment the answer became clear was still so hard to bear.

Ji Chen lowered her eyes, a faint, somewhat lonely smile on her lips.

“Her status is not simple. You and she…” Ji Chen paused, not wanting to admit this fact out loud.

“If her identity is dug up, you will have to endure a lot of criticism.”

Shi Qin knew that Ji Chen had no ill intentions and said faintly, “I’m already being talked about a lot now.”

“In this industry, it’s inevitable to be gossiped about. I’m not afraid, but she shouldn’t be.”

Putting aside those statuses, Zhou Jinsi was just an ordinary person. She shouldn’t become the subject of public gossip.

Hearing the undisguised concern for Zhou Jinsi in Shi Qin’s words, the fingertips of Ji Chen’s hand, holding the cigarette box, tightened again.

She took a deep breath, enduring the fine, ant-like pain crawling through her heart, and said softly again, “Does she know about your past?”

Shi Qin heard that Ji Chen was talking about her time in the welfare institute.

She had grown up in a welfare institute, which also meant that she was an orphan with an unknown identity.

“She doesn’t know yet, but she will one day.”

When she was ready, not just about the welfare institute, she would also tell her the complete truth about her parentage.

After a long time, Ji Chen finally sighed as if in defeat, but still reminded her, unwilling to give up, “Qinqin, sometimes, it’s better to keep some guard up.”

“Some people, you can never see through them.”

She considered herself to be the closest person to Shi Qin, besides her adoptive parents. She didn’t want Shi Qin to offer herself up so unreservedly.

Hearing this, Shi Qin frowned, a little displeased.

“From my understanding of her, she won’t mind this matter.”

“And, I never thought of hiding it forever.”

Ji Chen’s fingers moved. Her lowered gaze lifted again, looking at the dim yellow lights on the road ahead. “What if one day, you find out she’s not sincere?”

Ji Chen had first met this girl at the age of fourteen. That year, she had taken care of this girl like her own sister, leaving a beautiful and pure feeling in her heart.

But after they met again, as they got to know each other day by day, this simple possessiveness gradually changed.

Ji Chen thought, I was clearly the one who met her first. Why, when it comes to feelings, am I still a step behind?

“There won’t be that ‘if.’ If there is, then I’ll accept my fate,” Shi Qin replied, a little petulantly.

“Big Sis, when I was little, I always saw you as my real older sister. Of course… although a long time has passed, but now, and not just now, I hope you will always be my sister.”

Hearing this, an unconcealable disappointment appeared on Ji Chen’s face.

Just one word, “sister,” had drawn an insurmountable distance between the two of them.

Ji Chen was lost in her own world, not even noticing when Shi Qin said goodbye and left.

She looked at the empty seat beside her, then at the half-box of cigarettes Shi Qin had left behind, and sighed helplessly.

Her slender knuckles pulled out another one. The cigarette was placed on her lips, lit, and she took a deep drag, then exhaled.

A cloud of smoke blurred her vision.

Her eyes were half-closed, her gaze hazy as she looked out the car window, but there was no precise focus in her eyes.

The smoke in the car grew thicker and thicker. Ji Chen finally closed her eyes tiredly, covering the deep sadness in their depths.