Chapter 40: A Right Vixen

Gou Yu had been following Qin Han for a month. Qin Han was one of the hottest young actors in China, a quintessential idol. A child star, very young—only twenty-three this year. Gou Yu had noticed him last year, first through his Weibo, then his Instagram. Among his fans, she’d dug up a few people. They seemed to be his real-life friends, and following them, she’d uncovered the possibility that Qin Han was secretly married. Though fans were more rational now than before, most celebrities still chose to keep their marriages secret for the sake of their rising careers.

Qin Han usually looked arrogant, with a somewhat aloof image. Who’d have thought he’d married this early?

If she could get the goods, it would be a huge story. Over the years, Gou Yu had indeed uncovered plenty of stories, big and small. The big ones got swept by PR; the small ones simply provided exposure for the targets. Gou Yu kept waiting, and finally, her “one-shot-to-fame” opportunity arrived.

Gou Yu flipped through the photos on her DSLR—shots of Qin Han carrying baby supplies, but still no wife and child. Late one night, Gou Yu tapped her partner’s shoulder to take over her shift. She’d bought an entertainment studio, dedicated to gossip and exposés—it was her entire savings. Now it was do or die.

Suddenly, Gou Yu caught something and excitedly raised her camera.

Qin Han was holding hands with a woman—a woman around ten years his senior. According to her gathered intel, it was indeed this one. The woman was ten years older, a finance elite the Qin family had introduced to Qin Han. The woman was stylish and, while looking younger than her age, Qin Han was so young, his face still boyish. Standing together, they didn’t exactly look like a natural pair, but their temperaments complemented each other. Perhaps because they’d had a child, the two even seemed to have a certain marital harmony. The woman was even more cautious than Qin Han. The moment Qin Han held her hand, she pulled away. Qin Han wrapped an arm around her shoulder instead, whispering intimately in her ear. Then they quickly separated.

Gou Yu had long since snapped the shots. Without a smoking gun for several days, she’d gathered plenty of written evidence—Qin Han had several restaurant companies registered under the woman’s cousin. With them this intimate, one could always trace the hidden connections.

Just before school started, Gou Yu photographed the woman taking a child to school. Given Qin Han’s “special” status, a nanny or driver usually handled school runs. Occasionally, the woman would take the child. On those days, Qin Han would sometimes sit in the back of the car in a mask and baseball cap. The critical shot came in the last two days: Gou Yu captured several photos of Qin Han in the car, arm around the woman’s shoulder, kissing her neck.

Plenty of people were following Qin Han; Gou Yu could sense her competitors’ “presence.” They might’ve formed open studio companies, and even if they photographed him, the story would get killed. Gou Yu was different—she was going to use this piece in her hand to fire up her studio’s reputation. Having secured the key photos, Gou Yu headed back to her doghouse, satisfied.

The hallway light seemed to be broken. Just as she stepped out of the elevator, someone pulled her out. The person was a bit tall, lifted her up, and peppered her cheeks with kisses. Gou Yu pushed back, but was kissed into retreat step by step. Fu Xinbai embraced her, breathing against her neck, pausing briefly. “Keys.”

“K-keys.” Kissed into mental paralysis, Gou Yu hurriedly clutched her pocket.

This “guilty as charged” move made Fu Xinbai curl her lips. She deftly snatched the keys from Gou Yu. Using her height advantage, Fu Xinbai bent down to kiss her again. This kiss was gentler than the last. Fu Xinbai licked Gou Yu’s lips and smoothly slipped past her teeth. “How long since you showered? You smell heavy.”

Gou Yu’s face went red. She pushed against Fu Xinbai’s chest. “Then don’t touch me. Get lost.”

Walking through the hallway, she could still hear the glass shards crunching underfoot. “You broke the light?”

“I’ll pay for it.”

Fu Xinbai opened the door easily and hooked the door shut with her long leg. “Now, to attend to you.”

“Who needs you to… mm…”

“I broke something of mine; I have to ‘attend’ to it.” Fu Xinbai laughed softly, kissing Gou Yu’s ear.

Fu Xinbai picked up Gou Yu, making her clamp around her waist, and began kissing her neck. “You naughty thing—you’re not snapping me anymore, so who are you snapping at, hm?”

“Mind your own… business… I’ll snap whoever I… Fu Xinbai! Where are you touching!”

“You only sound like a girl at times like this.” Fu Xinbai mouthed at her chest, her hand wandering.

Gou Yu clamped her legs around Fu Xinbai’s hand, eyes wide. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t stand virgins?”

In the car that time, Gou Yu remembered Fu Xinbai’s words clearly. Fu Xinbai had been a bit drunk but clear-headed. Her fingers had gone in half a knuckle before withdrawing. “So tight… you’re a virgin?”

“…”

“No. Virgins are too troublesome.” Fu Xinbai had propped herself over Gou Yu. Seeing Gou Yu’s relieved expression, her heart stirred. She’d stroked Gou Yu’s cheek and carried her to a hotel. “Actually, we don’t have to go below the belt.”

Gou Yu snapped fully awake, ignoring how many holes were in that sentence.

“Don’t you want to?” Fu Xinbai breathed into her ear. “Last time, you were grinding on my hand.”

“Fu Xinbai! You… you lecher! Shameless!” Gou Yu began struggling. Though she often joked with Xia You, she certainly didn’t want to lose her virginity—especially to that fickle, wanton vixen Fu Xinbai! A vixen, right! Fu Xinbai was the most fox-like person she’d ever seen except for Cheng Jinzhi!

“At times like this, you should cry. Maybe I’d take pity.” Fu Xinbai pressed Gou Yu onto the bed, her fingertips stroking Gou Yu’s chin. “Cherish the jade, pity the fragrance—that’s how TV dramas do it.”

“Screw off!” She knew Fu Xinbai too well. If she cried, Fu Xinbai would only get more excited.

Fu Xinbai laughed, reaching over to Gou Yu’s DSLR. “Let me see what you’ve been up to this past month.”

“Give it back!”

“Can’t even look?”

“No!”

“Oh? It lit up by itself?” Fu Xinbai had only meant to tease her, but when she was about to turn it off, her eyes caught the screen, and her smile froze for a moment. “You photographed Fang Jiahui?”

Seeing Fu Xinbai freeze, Gou Yu was stunned for only a second. She gave a cold laugh and spoke. “Your ex?”

“One of them.” Fu Xinbai’s tone carried a touch of pride. She flicked her hair and sat lightly on Gou Yu’s stomach. Scrolling the camera, she swiped through several shots. “You got her looking old. She’d be pissed if she saw it.”

Gou Yu had a bad feeling. She reached to snatch the camera. Fu Xinbai raised it high, still smiling. “I’m buying your photos.”

“I’m not selling!” Gou Yu was furious.

“This much.” Fu Xinbai held up five fingers, waving them in front of Gou Yu.

Gou Yu snorted. If she broke this story, her net worth would double, okay?

“Five million?”

“Fifty million.” Fu Xinbai said. “Give me your files, and I’ll add another thirty million.”

Okay, hearing the number, Gou Yu hesitated a bit.

“You know Qin Han’s endorsements?” Fu Xinbai slid her finger along Gou Yu’s cheek. “If you leak this, before he even reacts, those roughneck advertisers will come for you first.”

“Our line of work has rules.” Gou Yu said. “Trade story for story. But your money still goes to my card.”

“Little money-grubber.” Fu Xinbai took the camera. “Isn’t it just a young actor’s secret marriage? Tomorrow, I’ll have my secretary send you one.”

Fu Xinbai was true to her word. The next day she sent another story—Li Yao. This one was so secret even Gou Yu hadn’t dug it up. Gou Yu checked her bank alert: money received. This was her first pot of gold; she’d even opened an account at a Swiss bank. Seeing the numbers, Gou Yu didn’t feel much excitement. When she’d threatened to expose Fu Xinbai as a lesbian, Fu Xinbai hadn’t given a damn. But when Gou Yu targeted Fang Jiahui, Fu Xinbai became fiercely protective. It rubbed Gou Yu the wrong way. She’d never seen Fu Xinbai care about anyone. Even with her own husband—when he said he wanted to separate, she actually separated and prepared for divorce without a hint of an attempt to keep him.

Gou Yu slapped her own face. Why think so much? She’d just made eighty million! Eighty million—she could finally trade her doghouse for a bigger doghouse!

Cheng Jinzhi filmed for two days, then went to visit Xia You. Xia You lived in an apartment arranged by the company—three bedrooms, two living rooms, fully furnished.

“This is clearly the treatment for a boss’s wife.” Cheng Jinzhi said. “I’ve never seen a worker live this comfortably.”

Xia You sighed. “Don’t say that. It’s not even certain yet.”

“Back when you were online dating, you were bouncing around happily. Now that you’re together, you’ve lost confidence?” Cheng Jinzhi said.

“It’s not ‘together.’ It’s my unrequited crush.” Xia You said. “What about you? How’s filming going?”

“I’m resting these two days. I’m about to head back to Beijing.”

“Don’t go. Stay at my place for two days.” Xia You said. “After starting the job, I realized I can’t make real friends—just colleagues. When she’s not talking to me, it’s so lonely.”

At that, Cheng Jinzhi stayed, keeping her company. One night, Cheng Jinzhi came down from a dinner and returned to Xia You’s place—only to see two women kissing on the sofa…

What the hell!?