Chapter 16: The Film Empress Who Jumped to Her Death (16)

The gentleness on Bai Qian’s face vanished in an instant.

“Don’t push your luck. This is absolutely impossible. Don’t even think about it.”

Shao Zizhi looked utterly aggrieved. “I only want this! That’s all I want! I don’t lack anything else—I just lack a girlfriend. A girlfriend named Bai Qian!”

“Shut up. We agreed we’d talk about this after you win the award. If I hear you bring it up again, you’ll be sleeping on the sofa for the next week.”

Shao Zizhi glared at her, brimming with resentment. “Bai Qian! You always threaten me with that excuse!”

Bai Qian let out a light scoff. “It’s the only threat that works on you. I’ll give you one last chance. Is there anything else you want?”

“No, no! I just want this!”

“Fine. Happy early birthday, then. That’s it.”

Shao Zizhi’s lovely eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Bai Qian, you’re so mean!”

Bai Qian was about to reply when an abrupt apologetic voice rang out from the courtyard entrance. “Sorry, there was some traffic. I’m late.”

The low male voice wasn’t one she knew well, but it was far from unfamiliar.

Bai Qian’s expression stiffened. She turned toward the sound and saw Zhang Chao, wearing that false mask of gentle charm that screamed scumbag.

One of Shao Liangrong’s friends hurried over to welcome him inside.

“Let me introduce my new boyfriend, Zhang Chao.”

“Hey, no wonder this face looks so familiar. Wasn’t he the lead in that super popular esports drama not long ago?”

“Chao Ci, you sly one! Hiding a handsome guy like this from us!”

Everyone chimed in with teasing banter. From their chatter, Bai Qian pieced together the latest twist in the plot.

Unable to snag Shao Zizhi, the scumbag had set his sights on another mark.

Gazing at the girl—who, like Shao Zizhi, had been spoiled rotten by her family and couldn’t see people for who they really were—Bai Qian wondered if she should nudge Shao Liangrong to give her a friendly warning.

“This scumbag shows up here? Let me go rip off his disgusting mask!”

The young woman, burning with righteous fury, spat the words and made as if to charge straight at him.

Bai Qian stopped her just in time, a mix of exasperation and amusement on her face. “You think barging in like that will do any good? First off, you have no proof. Even if you did, you couldn’t whip it out right here and now. Second, who’s Chao Ci closer to—you or Zhang Chao? Shao Liangrong dropping a casual heads-up as her good friend would land better than you charging in. Third, even if you confront him head-on, you think a guy who’s clawed his way through the entertainment industry for years won’t have some contingency plan?”

“Then what? We just let that scumbag keep ruining lives?”

Coming up with a flawless solution on the spot was no easy task.

Bai Qian fell silent for a moment before replying, “We’ll brainstorm properly when we get back. Zhang Chao’s got backers propping him up. Unless the situation blows up big-time, his current popularity means his investors will shield him.”

The inexperienced young woman fumed in confusion and anger. “Isn’t sexual harassment bad enough?”

Bai Qian sighed and ruffled her hair. “In the entertainment world, that’s practically routine. Easy now. Since he’s Chao Ci’s boyfriend at the moment, he probably didn’t resort to anything too sleazy. Tonight’s Zhao Tong’s birthday—for the birthday girl’s sake, we can’t make a scene, right?”

In reality, Bai Qian was certain the male lead had pulled some underhanded tricks to reel in Chao Ci.

The way Chao Ci gazed at him now was identical to the original plot’s female protagonist—utterly besotted with the scumbag beneath his phony veneer.

To calm the clueless girl, this was all she could say.

Shao Zizhi nodded, absorbing her words. “All right. After tonight, I’ll get someone to dig into this scumbag. I don’t believe he can hide every single skeleton in his closet!”

This time, Bai Qian didn’t object. Wielded wisely, power made for an excellent tool to punish scumbags.

But before they could launch a deep dive into Zhang Chao, the male lead wrote his own exit—by thoroughly pissing off Shao Liangrong.

It was his own damn fault for being so blind. He utterly failed to notice the intimate vibe between Zhao Tong and Shao Liangrong that left no room for outsiders. Seizing the moment when Zhao Tong slipped off alone to the bathroom, he cornered her on the path, fueled by liquid courage.

He wasn’t much of a drinker, apparently; the scumbag wobbled unsteadily, slurring big promises about all the resources at his fingertips, his stellar acting chops, how he could elevate her skills—while his face flushed crimson as he closed in on Zhao Tong.

Just as he lunged to plant a lecherous kiss on the woman’s soft, sweetly scented neck, before she could even react, Shao Liangrong—who had come searching for her—delivered a vicious kick that slammed the repulsive man into the wall.

Shao Liangrong’s status as a red belt in judo was known only to her family and that sleazy scriptwriter who’d been sent to the ICU.

Zhang Chao’s agonized howls pierced through the hallway. The group resting and goofing around upstairs sensed something was wrong and rushed down. There they found the man crumpled in the corner like a discarded rag, twitching uncontrollably from the pain.

Bai Qian glanced at the spot he was clutching and figured the scumbag would never wield an object as a weapon again in his life.

Her thoughts turned to something else. If retribution from those in power wasn’t swift enough, then sometimes a dose of righteous violence was the only justice victims could hope for.

~~~

It was a month later when she saw Shao Liangrong again.

Zhang Chao had sued her for intentional assault, but Shao Liangqing’s friend had taken on the case.

Shao Liangqing was the eldest brother in Shao Liangrong’s story whom she’d never mentioned before—the young master of Shao Enterprises, who had a close friend hailed as the “undefeated legend of the legal world.”

No need to go into the details. Suffice it to say, the bad guy had provoked an irrational rich girl, unearthing all the sordid deeds that capital had previously buried for him. In the end, he got the punishment he deserved.

“Zhao Tong and I are getting married next month. The wedding’s in P Country, and you’re all specially invited.”

Bai Qian spat out her orange juice in a single gulp.

“What the hell? You two are moving way too fast!”

Shao Liangrong wore a faint smile as she accepted the fresh-squeezed apple juice from Shao Zizhi. “I told her I might end up in jail over that incident. She cried all night. The next day, I went to my brother and tricked her into thinking that once I left, I might not be coming home anytime soon. I asked if we could call off our relationship if I ever got out. Truth is, I just wanted to date her, but she was the one who brought up marriage. Of course I said yes. Thanks to that scumbag, I scored myself a wifey. Bai Qian, cheers!”

“Zhao Tong knows you lied to her now. She’s not pissed?”

Shao Liangrong turned her left cheek toward her and pointed to a noticeably swollen spot. “How could she not be? She was furious. This side of my face is still swollen from her slap. But I’ve coaxed her now. How about the four of us grab dinner tonight to celebrate our impending escape from singlehood? Oh, and Sis—you know your little sister here is getting married. When are you and Bai Qian gonna step it up?”

Shao Zizhi let out a cold huff. “Worry about your own business and leave mine alone.”

Unsure what had set her off this time, Shao Liangrong scratched her head and shot Bai Qian a conspiratorial wink, as if to ask whether they’d had a fight.

Bai Qian pretended not to notice. “What about your dad? Did he give his blessing? Didn’t he almost break your legs last time over Zhao Tong?”

“My brother has been single since the womb. Even in his open-crotch pants days, he swore he’d never get married. I told Dad that after Zhao Tong and I tie the knot, we’d adopt a kid and let him become the envy of all his friends by making him a grandfather ahead of the pack. Took a few days of convincing, but he came around.”

Shao Liangrong took a sip of her drink and grinned. “There was another reason, too. I told him that if he didn’t approve of me and Zhao Tong, I’d refuse my brother’s friend’s offer to defend me. I’d just go straight to prison for a few years. He had no choice but to agree.”

Bai Qian: “…”

As expected of Shao Liangrong.

“Alright, I gotta head out. Gotta queue up for that viral dessert for my wifey. Bai Qian, you want some? I can grab extra and drop it off on my way.”

“I—”

“No need. I’ll get it for her.”

Shao Liangrong shrugged. “Fine then. See you tonight. Neither of us can cook, so you and Sis handle the food? We’ll bring the ingredients later.”

“Sure. Oh, and grab a box of strawberries while you’re at it. I’ve got a craving.”

The girl’s expressive face shifted in an instant, mimicking the exact cold expression Shao Zizhi had just leveled at her. “No need. My sis will buy them for you.”

She whipped her head away, only to lock eyes with Shao Zizhi’s icy stare. “I’m going, I’m going! I’ll get the strawberries. WeChat me anything else you want.”

The moment Shao Liangrong was gone, Shao Zizhi did a complete one-eighty.

She burrowed into Bai Qian’s arms like a kitten, looking utterly pitiful. “Wahhh, even Shao Liangrong—so much younger than me—is getting married, and I don’t even have a girlfriend. Bai Qian, you’re so mean to me! Wahhh, how am I supposed to go home for New Year’s like this? Everyone’s gonna make fun of me for being a single dog. It’ll be so embarrassing! Wahhh, I wanna date someone. I wanna date!”

“Get up. Change your clothes. We’re going out.”

The invisible tail behind Shao Zizhi shot straight up in an instant. She stared in disbelief, her eyes wide. “Bai Qian, you’re serious? Don’t misunderstand—I’m not refusing! I’m just so thrilled! But my household registry is back at my place, and it’s the weekend—the Civil Affairs Bureau is closed. How about we head home first to grab it, then tomorrow at eight thirty sharp when they open, we rush in and be the first to register?”

Bai Qian ruthlessly shattered her fantasy.

“Didn’t you offer to queue up for that viral dessert for me? Come on, time to prove yourself.”

“Wahhh, I want to get married too! I want to go to P Country and get married. Please, marry me, Bai Qian. Marry me, pretty please?”

Bai Qian patted the sofa beneath her. “Do you know what this is?”

Shao Zizhi hesitated. “A sofa?”

“Think again.”

“A super expensive imported sofa?”

“Think deeper.”

Shao Zizhi whined pitifully. “Until we’re married, my brain’s not working right! I don’t know, I don’t know! I’d only figure it out after we tie the knot!”

Bai Qian let out a cold snort. “This is the cozy bed that’s going to keep you company for the next two weeks.”

Shao Zizhi: ?

“I told you before—if you brought up that impossible demand one more time, you’d be banned from the bedroom for a week.”

“Then why two weeks now!”

“Marriage doubles the penalty.”

Fuming, Shao Zizhi lunged forward and sank her teeth toward the woman’s lips.

“Bai Qian, I’m going to ravish you whether you like it or not! Tomorrow, I’ll buy a rope and tie you down—dragging you to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate if I have to!”