Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 7

Once they got onto the bed, the lighting and the atmosphere changed instantly. A soft, dim yellow glow filled the room, carrying a wave of thick, ambiguous tension.

Ruan Youran felt incredibly embarrassed. On the surface, she was giving Chu Nian a shy, coy smile, but internally she was cursing her eight hundred times. In Youran’s eyes, Chu Nian had always been heavily burdened by her “Film Queen” persona. Even back in high school, every raise of her hand or glance from her eyes screamed “dignified,” causing boys and girls alike to fall at her feet. And later? Youran had fallen for it too—only to find out that once they were alone, this “dignified” woman was nothing but a beast in a suit.

Dignified in public, but in private… well.

What is she doing now? Youran thought, rolling her eyes. Is she showing her true colors? There are cameras everywhere; isn’t she afraid the eagle-eyed audience will catch something?

In contrast to “Jianjian,” Film Queen Chu was perfectly composed. She skillfully took a tin of ointment from the drawer and held it in her palm. “Does your leg hurt?”

She knew Ruan Youran too well. Every move Youran made was within Chu Nian’s grasp. When Youran was sleeping yesterday, she had been frowning and whimpering occasionally—a sign that her old ailment was acting up.

If Chu Nian gave her the ointment directly, Youran would definitely refuse and throw a childish tantrum. At a time like this, she had to use the cameras; after all, Chu Nian knew better than anyone how much Youran cared about her public image.

Youran was stunned by the question. “Huh?”

Chu Nian looked at her—mouth agape, eyes wide and dazed like a fool—and laughed. That smile was like a hundred flowers blooming in winter; it made Youran’s heart tremble.

It had been like this since they were kids. Youran always considered herself a person of principle, someone nobody dared to provoke—even her two mothers knew she was a petty person who held grudges. But when it came to Chu Nian… every single time, no matter how much she lost her temper, one smile from Chu Nian would make her abandon all principles.

Youran took a deep breath and asked stiffly, “What are you doing?”

She spoke with righteous indignation, her voice loud and forceful. Director Niu couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. “Jianjian is a real trooper.” Most people wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of seduction from Chu Nian.

Chu Nian, knowing her stubborn nature, opened the ointment. “I’m going to apply some for you.”

Perhaps because she had been pampered since childhood, Youran’s body had always been delicate. Later, she had ignored her family’s objections to enter the entertainment industry. She had suffered quite a bit, including a fall from a horse during a historical drama in her second year of debut. Her leg had healed, but it left a lingering pain. It was fine normally, but in damp weather, it would ache so much she couldn’t sleep. Youran had never been one for enduring pain; back then, she would wail so loudly it was tragic to behold. Chu Nian had no choice but to stay up all night, massaging her leg until she finally drifted off.

Mindful of the cameras, Youran couldn’t make her feelings too obvious. Not wanting to be seen as inferior to Chu Nian, she sat on the bed, propped herself up with her hands, tossed her hair back, and looked at Chu Nian with a flirtatious gaze. “Oh~ go ahead then. I’m so terribly embarrassed.”

That provocative look… that high-pitched, whiny voice…

Chu Nian’s hand shook, and her face suddenly flushed. In the past… whenever Youran used that look and that tone to seduce her, she would… surrender immediately.

The lighting was brilliant. Youran was naturally fair-skinned, and under the flickering lights, her skin looked as smooth as mutton-fat jade—so delicate that one couldn’t help but want to reach out and pinch it.

Chu Nian looked up and caught Youran’s eye. That look… Youran flinched, immediately pulling her leg back and losing her nerve to show off. Others might not read the look, but she saw it clearly. She felt that if she dared to flirt one second more, Chu Nian would cup her foot and kiss it, even with the cameras rolling.

Chu Nian slowly rolled up Youran’s pant leg, tied her hair back professionally, took a bit of ointment, rubbed it between her palms to warm it, and began to massage Youran’s leg gently.

She had learned this technique from Youran’s mother. In the beginning, she wasn’t very skilled. If she didn’t press correctly, Youran would jump and scream in a high-pitched voice: “Are you trying to murder your wife?” “It hurts!” “It’s so painful!” “I hate you, let me go!” All sorts of scandalous, unrepeatable things. Chu Nian would recite the Three Character Classic in her head to stay sane and rational, but… in the end, it usually resulted in an even more scandalous outcome.

The rumpled sheets, the lingering tension, the mess in the room…

Youran was thick-skinned and didn’t care; she felt better, and after the “business” was done, her leg had received VIP service. She would walk out with her head held high. Meanwhile, Chu Nian would be blushing furiously, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into under the knowing gazes of their two mothers.

As the sweet memories of the past flashed before her, Youran sat on the bed, watching Chu Nian seriously massage her leg. Her nose felt sour. She took a deep breath and couldn’t help but mock: “Wow, Film Queen Chu has quite the technique. You must have massaged many people before, right?”

“Yes,” Chu Nian replied without looking up.

Ruan Youran: “…” That one word blocked her completely; Jianjian nearly choked on her own breath.

“Heh, how tender,” Youran continued. “I never dreamed I’d enjoy VVVVIP service from a Film Queen.”

“You are my wife,” Chu Nian said, “so it’s only natural for you to enjoy it.”

The way she used a nasal tone for the word “enjoy” made it sound endlessly suggestive and seductive. Chu Nian’s hands were cool, and at the first touch, Youran instinctively jerked her leg. Chu Nian’s brows furrowed slightly. “Don’t move.”

By reflex, Youran actually didn’t move.

Everyone: “Whoa!”

When Youran realized what happened, she became “angry out of shame.” She couldn’t tell if she was mad at herself or Chu Nian. She was supposed to be a heartbreaker everyone loved, yet why was her first reaction to Chu Nian always as “cowardly” as her mother said?

“Oh, what a shame it’s only for thirty-three days,” Youran said. “Film Queen Chu is so cruel. When the show ends and I’m suddenly divorced after enjoying such sweetness, it’ll be so hard to bear.”

On the surface, they were flirting, but underneath, the blades were sharp. Youran stared fixedly at Chu Nian. They had agreed: the moment filming ended, they would go straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce.

She hated Chu Nian. As much as she once loved her, that was how much she hated her now.

Chu Nian’s hand paused. She looked up at Youran. “If you want it, it could be like this for a lifetime.”

Wow…

Behind the cameras, hearts were fluttering. Everyone covered their mouths to stop themselves from screaming. This CP was too sweet to handle! Even knowing they were acting, they couldn’t help but fall for it.

Everyone was happy except Youran, who looked away and said coldly, “Like what?” She shook her head. “Since ancient times, passion only leaves behind lingering resentment.”

Jianjian had a talent for this: one sentence could drag everyone out of the “pink atmosphere” and throw them into the darkness without warning.

Everyone fell silent. Director Niu, cigarette in her mouth, turned to her assistant and said loudly: “Cut that line later. Just keep the ‘Like what?’ part. It’ll leave the audience in suspense.”

Ruan Youran: “…”

Chu Nian was massaging very seriously. Beads of fragrant sweat appeared on her forehead, and the air was filled with her scent. However… while the observers couldn’t see it, Youran felt it clearly. Chu Nian might be “massaging,” but her technique was laced with an unbearable playfulness.

Youran couldn’t take it anymore. She irritably waved her hand, and with a thud, the ointment fell to the floor.

“Oh, why did it fall?” Youran’s acting was incredibly fake. She leaned over to pick it up, hoping to escape Chu Nian’s grasp.

Chu Nian moved in sync with her. “How could you be so careless?” Her voice was ten thousand times faker than Youran’s. As she reached down, Chu Nian “accidentally” knocked out the only small lamp that was providing “mood lighting.”

The room plunged into darkness.

“AAAAHHH—Why did it go out?!”

“That’s foul play!”

“Turn… turn the lights back on!”

After a frantic scramble, the lights were flicked back on. Everyone rushed to see the two of them, desperate to know what had happened.

What had happened?

The ointment was already back in Chu Nian’s hand. She was sitting upright, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Looking at Ruan Youran, for some reason, her face was bright red, her eyes were watery, and she was biting her lip as she glared at Chu Nian.

Chu Nian met her gaze and tilted the corners of her lips. “Just like that.”

Just like that?! Just like WHAT?!!!

What is the ultimate form of romantic ambiguity? It’s the infinite imagination triggered by what happens when people can’t see!

Why was Jianjian’s face so red?

Why… did the Film Queen’s lips look a bit moist?

Now, it wasn’t just the audience in suspense—the entire directing crew was hanging by a thread.