After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 50

“Qin Yuantang.” Inside the silent Ning Estate, the high-and-mighty Eldest Princess was addressed by her name for the first time. The palace attendants nearby trembled, kneeling instantly and averting their eyes.

“Leave us,” Qin Yuantang waved her hand casually.

“So, you’ve entered the capital?” Qin Yuantang sat coldly on a stone bench, looking at the visitor. It was Li Songxue, the daughter of Magistrate Li and the true wife of Ning An; she had not actually died. Having studied medicine since childhood, she met Ning An during the war. After Ning An died and Ning Chun took her brother’s place, she had simply announced her own death to go into hiding.

Li Songxue had eventually come to the capital to see the Ning Estate with her own eyes, and that was when she met Qin Yuantang.

“Let it go,” Li Songxue murmured, looking at every brick and tile of the estate. “She’s never coming back.”

Qin Yuantang remained motionless.

“The Ning Family Army has long since disbanded,” Li Songxue said, tilting her head back, struggling to stay calm. With Ning Chun gone, the Ning Family Army had scattered without a commander, no matter how hard Qin Yuantang tried to gather them back.

“Eldest Princess,” Li Songxue said, “she wouldn’t want to see this.”

“Let go of this obsession, Qin Yuantang.” Li Songxue’s words quickly dissipated in the wind, and she vanished as cleanly as if she had never appeared.

There was no one left in the Ning family.

Buried here were many beautiful memories of the two of them—laughter and play—all finally scattered by the wind. The Ning Family Army, protectors of Great Qin for decades, was sealed away in history.

Netizens watching this finale were practically hyperventilating, threatening to send “blades” to the director.

[Too tragic, way too tragic. The Princess got her revenge, but her lover is gone, the Ning Estate is gone, even the Ning Family Army is gone.]

[I’m not satisfied with this ending. Restart!]

[I knew it was coming, but I’m still so sad. Why couldn’t there be a happy ending?]

[I don’t care, I’m going to find the fan editors. “BE” (Bad End) must become “HE” (Happy End)!]

[…]

Simultaneously, more and more fan edits of the drama appeared online. Netizens rewrote the ending to fulfill their dreams. Adhering to the principle of “misery loves company,” they promoted the show to newcomers as a “sweet and doting romance between the Qin Princess and her General,” causing later viewers to cry out that they’d been scammed.

Lin Shuyan became a star thanks to the role of Qin Yuantang. Her period look went viral. While she hadn’t reached household-name status yet, a steady stream of scripts was being delivered to Sister Zheng.

Sister Zheng hesitated before handing all the scripts to Lin Shuyan. If the last time’s clarification was people jumping on the heat of entertainment gossip, this time, they were coming specifically for Lin Shuyan the actress.

Shuyan’s acting in The Princess of Qin was obvious to all. Coupled with the solid foundation of Leaving Home, her acting was stable. With that face, Sister Zheng predicted that her future resources would only get better.

“Because of censorship issues, The Dragon Emperor hasn’t aired yet,” Sister Zheng said thoughtfully. “Now that you’re famous, the crew might increase your promotion. If you see Rong Yu then…”

Pausing, Sister Zheng added, “Your CP fans?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shuyan replied calmly. “Most of them are just shipping for fun. It’ll be fine once I act in a couple more dramas.”

Sister Zheng agreed. It was a good sign that fans shipped the characters more than the real people, thanks to the guidance of both actors.

“And these scripts?”

“Sister Zheng,” Shuyan said, “I understand. I’ll look through them carefully before considering.”

“You can take a longer rest this month,” Sister Zheng reminded her. From the start of filming the second season of The Princess of Qin to its broadcast, Shuyan had barely rested, running between sets, shooting in various locations, and attending fan meetings. Since the Spring Festival was approaching, Sister Zheng pushed away as many commercials and galas as possible.

“Mhm.” Shuyan nodded. After finishing her work, she couldn’t wait to return to Yecheng. By her count, she hadn’t seen A-Xuan in about ten days.

Lin Shuyan had asked Ren Ke in advance and learned that Ren Xuan was attending a school anniversary event today. It was the 60th anniversary of a top-tier middle school in Yecheng—the school Ren Xuan had graduated from.

I shouldn’t get caught like this, Shuyan thought, checking her disguise. It was winter, so wearing layers was perfectly normal and not eye-catching. Fortunately, security wasn’t strict during the anniversary, and Shuyan slipped in easily. The campus was huge. She looked around and eventually stopped at the “Role Model” board.

Sure enough, A-Xuan was there.

Shuyan recognized Ren Xuan almost instantly—middle of the second row out of three. Strangely, while everyone else was facing forward, Ren Xuan seemed to be… Shuyan’s finger rested on the photo behind the glass; she seemed to be looking toward the right.

But there was nothing on the right that should have caught anyone’s attention. Shuyan glanced at it quickly and moved on to the next photo.

“Shuyan!” A light tap on the shoulder nearly scared her out of her wits. She turned around and exclaimed in surprise, “Lin Xuejin?” And who else would be standing there expressionless beside her but her girlfriend, Song Jing?

“Did you forget? I’m from Yecheng too.” Lin Xuejin smiled. Seeing Lin Shuyan clearly put her in a good mood; for some reason, she felt a sense of kinship every time she saw Shuyan.

“This is my alma mater,” Lin Xuejin introduced.

“I,” Shuyan wasn’t from this school, but her mind raced. “I saw the anniversary celebration and couldn’t help but come in out of curiosity. I… I used to want to test into this school.”

“Our school welcomes every studious person,” Lin Xuejin comforted her.

“I’ve heard.” Shuyan didn’t actually need comfort, but she laughed and asked Xuejin about funny stories from the school. Song Jing, standing beside them, checked the time and interrupted.

“Xuejin, it’s time to go see your teacher.”

“I know,” Xuejin replied casually but didn’t turn around. She didn’t see her girlfriend’s expression, but Lin Shuyan saw it clearly.

How could she describe those eyes? Too strange. Shuyan thought that since the first time she met Song Jing, she felt this person was odd. She clearly didn’t know Shuyan, yet her gaze was so complex—resentment, warning, but quickly returning to calm. And today, this person was looking at her with a look she couldn’t decipher.

“This person is our school’s…” Lin Xuejin enthusiastically introduced the people she knew on the board. Thanks to her classmates’ constant chatter, she finally matched the faces to the names.

“Song Jing, come here quickly.” Lin Xuejin suddenly pulled Song Jing to the board. “Look at this person. Doesn’t she look a lot like me?”

She was only focused on her excitement and didn’t notice that Song Jing froze completely upon hearing those words.

“Wait,” Lin Xuejin looked at another photo—a girl playing the violin—and then at Lin Shuyan. “Shuyan, she looks a bit like you, too.”

Lin Xuejin suddenly giggled. “Speaking of which, Shuyan, the two of us look a bit alike too. I wonder if you’ve noticed?”

Shuyan shook her head. Lin Xuejin’s personality was the polar opposite of hers. When they first met, she had envied Xuejin’s brightness; how could they be similar?

“Really.” Lin Xuejin looked at the board and then at Shuyan’s serious face. “I know, beautiful women always have similarities, right?”

She tugged at Song Jing’s sleeve, seeking agreement. Song Jing suddenly pulled her away. “Wait, wait!” Xuejin shouted, looking back. “I didn’t see what that girl’s name was yet! Also, Shu—”

Before she could finish, Shuyan waved her off. Lin Xuejin’s girlfriend probably didn’t want her partner spending too much time with her. How petty, Shuyan thought, not minding it much. She followed Xuejin’s previous line of sight to look at that girl; upon closer inspection, there really was a resemblance.

Especially the photo below of her dancing; Shuyan remembered looking just like that at that age. But she wasn’t as beautiful as the girl in the photo. This girl was confident and graceful, while back then, Shuyan…

Shuyan shook off those distant memories. Things were different now. Since being with A-Xuan, she had changed a lot, no longer the timid girl she once was.

Shuyan wanted to see the girl’s name, but before she could, a crowd of students swarmed over. She quickly backed away and decided to head straight for the school auditorium.

Sitting in a spot where no cameras could reach, Shuyan quickly found Ren Xuan. Her A-Xuan was simply too prominent. Sitting next to her were likely school leaders. Shuyan watched quietly.

A moment later, it was Ren Xuan’s turn to speak.

This was the first time Shuyan had seen Ren Xuan speak in public. Her voice was powerful and resonant, and the students in the stands listened intently. Shuyan listened along.

After the short three-minute speech ended, Shuyan slipped out amidst the thunderous applause. She went to the parking lot and found the Ren family car among the crowd. She knocked on the window; it was a familiar face.

“Miss Lin?” Feng Tao opened the door hurriedly. “President Ren is in the auditorium.”

“I know,” Shuyan nodded. “I just came from there.” There were too many people in the auditorium, so Shuyan hadn’t planned on meeting Ren Xuan inside the school, but she wanted to see her sooner. By her count, this was the most appropriate place.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Feng Tao received a message from Ren Xuan saying she would be at the school gate.

Ren Xuan politely finished her greetings with the school leaders and teachers and walked slowly toward the gate. She hadn’t wanted to come, because the “White Moonlight” of the original Ren Xuan had graduated from this very school.

Yes, the two of them met as children and were alumni of this middle school.

Lately, whether Shuyan was busy or free, Ren Xuan always had endless work. She was avoiding Shuyan. the girl’s feelings were too intense. If she didn’t hide, Ren Xuan held her head in a pained daze—what was she supposed to do?

“President Ren,” Feng Tao’s voice sounded. Ren Xuan pulled the car door open as usual. Suddenly, a scent that didn’t belong here lingered at the tip of her nose. Ren Xuan looked up. Caught off guard—it was Shuyan!

“Surprised?” Shuyan blinked her watery eyes, her whole being radiating joy.

Ren Xuan was frozen. For a split second, she almost confessed everything. Attending the anniversary wasn’t the point; a scene from the book flashed through her mind.

The original Ren Xuan wanted to collect news of the White Moonlight at every moment; in her spare time, she loved going to places where the White Moonlight had stayed. This school was one of them. Here, it was easy for Ren Xuan to evoke those memories buried deep in her mind.

And just now at the ceremony, a teacher had mentioned the White Moonlight’s name.

“You… you’re back?” Ren Xuan struggled to gather her scattered thoughts and focus on Shuyan.

“A-Xuan,” Shuyan’s smile faded slightly. “You seem…”

…not that happy.

“Are you tired?” Ren Xuan asked first. “Must be exhausted. Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?”

“I missed A-Xuan.” Shuyan leaned obediently against Ren Xuan’s lap. “Is A-Xuan still busy lately?”

“Not very busy anymore,” Ren Xuan clenched her fists and said slowly. “It’s almost the end of the year.”

Does that mean A-Xuan can spend more time with me? Shuyan felt a surge of infinite contentment. How wonderful!