Chapter 11

It was truly awful.

Leng Xiang reached out and wiped her eyes. After venting her emotions, she felt much better.

This incident was just an accident. In the end, Jiang Sisi had saved her, and it was she herself who had clung to her. She couldn’t blame anyone else.

As her rationality returned, she analyzed the causes and effects. She felt that Jiang Sisi hadn’t done anything wrong to her. However, knowing this fact rationally didn’t mean she could control her dislike for the woman.

Five or six years ago, she had appeared on Jiang Sisi’s variety show, Welcome to Star.

She had begged Shen Cheng to help her contact the director of the WTS program group. She was willing to clear her schedule specifically for this show, as long as the production team agreed.

She liked and admired Jiang Sisi’s hosting style, but since one was an actress and the other a host, they weren’t close and barely exchanged a few words.

She had hoped to use this opportunity to befriend Jiang Sisi. She went excitedly but returned furious. She canceled her quiet follow of Jiang Sisi and turned from fan to hater.

She figured it was the kind of hatred that would last a lifetime.

The incident that made her unable to even look at Jiang Sisi stemmed from a few years earlier, when she had a falling out with the higher-ups at Excellence Media. They shelved her and secretly hired water armies online to slander her, accusing her of throwing her weight around over a prop incident.

She had been too young back then and carelessly used her real verified Weibo account to respond a few times. It was like throwing a pot of boiling water—once she responded, the entire internet exploded.

Various big V accounts, controlled by different media companies, came out to take sides. Jiang Sisi also said a couple of things, words that Leng Xiang still remembered to this day.

Jiang Sisi caught sight of Leng Xiang’s panties caught in the bedding at the foot of the bed and casually picked them up for her.

They were pink with a little bunny pattern.

Leng Xiang stared at the panties in front of her, her face instantly turning red. She exploded and glared furiously at Jiang Sisi.

Jiang Sisi watched Leng Xiang glaring at her with a flushed face, then glanced at the panties again before realizing what was happening.

Heaven and earth could bear witness—she thought picking up underwear for someone she’d shared a bed with wasn’t a big deal. But she couldn’t deny Leng Xiang’s thin skin, especially since they had bad blood between them. It was only natural for her to get angry and blush.

Jiang Sisi noticed Leng Xiang’s bra still lying on the carpet by the bed. She wanted to pick it up for her but figured that would embarrass her even more.

But if Leng Xiang tried to pick it up herself… she was completely naked under the covers.

Jiang Sisi asked, “Your bra is under the bed. Want me to get it for you?”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Leng Xiang clutched the blanket tightly over her chest, her ear tips turning red.

She was both angry and embarrassed, her hands trembling with fury as she gripped the blanket.

Leng Xiang pointed at the door and glared at her. “Get out.”

Fine, if she didn’t want help picking it up, then no help.

Jiang Sisi said, “Alright, alright. You get it yourself. I’ll go find you some clothes. Wait for me to come back.”

Jiang Sisi started to leave but paused. She turned back, pulled a business card from her wallet, and placed it on the bedside table.

Jiang Sisi said, “I don’t know if you’ll still be here when I get back, so here’s this for now. If anything comes up in the future, you can contact me.”

With that, Jiang Sisi turned and left, her figure disappearing at the entryway.

Leng Xiang pulled the blanket off herself and let out a sigh of relief. She scooted to the edge of the bed and sure enough, saw her bra lying alone on the carpet. She bent down to pick it up, and a wave of soreness and weakness shot through her waist.

She lifted the blanket and carefully examined her body.

Her thighs were bruised purple, her waist bore red pinch marks, and her chest and neck were covered in hickeys that couldn’t be hidden.

Leng Xiang put on her clothes. Her top was fine, but her skirt had a large tear. She simply tore off the entire hem along the rip. She spread out the skirt and inspected it—it could still pass as a short skirt, not too out of place.

She dressed fully and checked if she’d left anything behind, scanning the bed and floor. Suddenly, her gaze landed on the business card Jiang Sisi had just left on the bedside table.

It was a black card with her name and phone number in elegant embossed silver script, and below it, a small line of text.

Variety show host and director, Shiyue Studio.

Shiyue Studio… what kind of ridiculous name was that?

Leng Xiang tore the card to shreds without hesitation, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it casually. The little paper ball landed on the bed and vanished into the bedding.

Leng Xiang stood up. Her legs were still a bit weak, but she could stand. Only then did she remember her phone—it had shut down from a dead battery.

No wonder Shen Cheng hadn’t contacted her.

She stuffed the phone into her pocket and left the room.

As for Jiang Sisi—though they weren’t close and she didn’t like her, Jiang Sisi clearly understood her well enough to know she wouldn’t stay in the room waiting.

Since Jiang Sisi knew she wouldn’t stick around, why should she care?

·

When Jiang Sisi returned, the hotel room was already empty.

The room hadn’t been checked out yet. The bed was a mess, with bloodstains visible on the sheets. Her gaze lingered on that small patch of blood for a moment before she looked away. Then she spotted a crumpled black paper ball on the bed.

It was her business card.

Jiang Sisi had brought back two pieces of clothing and a breakfast. She knew there was an eighty percent chance Leng Xiang wouldn’t stay, but she’d brought it anyway.

With no one in the room, Jiang Sisi sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the piece of dark blue fabric Leng Xiang had torn off.

She could guess how Leng Xiang had left the hotel room. Imagining the long skirt turned into a short one, she thought it probably looked pretty good. She chuckled at the thought.

Jiang Sisi took the elevator downstairs and told the front desk to check out.

The front desk girl looked at her boss, puzzled. “Boss, you’re in a great mood today?”

Jiang Sisi smiled. “That obvious?”

The front desk girl grinned. “You must’ve run into something good?”

Jiang Sisi chatted idly with her a bit longer. She had started out as a director and had been dabbling in hosting for fun these past few years. Now, she was done playing around and had directed a few projects.

Last year, her film Hundred Flowers Bloom had won her Best New Director. This year, she’d spent three months shooting another movie, Youth Tour, and had just returned to B City from the deep mountains yesterday. They hadn’t even held a wrap party yet.

She had planned to rest a bit longer but stopped by Black Pool Bar and encountered this person.

Leng Xiang.

She didn’t have much impression of Leng Xiang. Leng Xiang had been in the industry for nearly ten years, same as her. During Leng Xiang’s peak years, she’d been studying abroad. By the time she returned, Leng Xiang had just won Best Actress and was at the height of her fame.

She had seen Leng Xiang in some movie clips while researching footage. She’d watched the film that won her the award too—it was good, but not good enough.

As an observer, she knew how Leng Xiang had fallen from the peak of her career as an actress. She was vaguely aware of some of Leng Xiang’s recent troubles but hadn’t paid much attention. An actor’s rise or fall always had its reasons.

But after last night, she suddenly took an interest in Leng Xiang.