He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.

After finishing his kiss, Zhan Qingyue, like a lion king proclaiming his territory, confidently and elegantly looked at Song Chu with a half-smile: “Mr. Song, do you have any more questions?”

Seeing Ning Qiuxiu’s shy and demure look, Song Chu couldn’t really have any more doubts.

In the end, Ning Qiuxiu saw Song Chu out.

Song Chu, in a bad mood, walked away quickly, and Ning Qiuxiu had to run a few steps to catch up and blocked his path, showing him something on her phone.

Ning Qiuxiu: “I’m really sick, can you give me some consideration?”

“…” Song Chu, still angry, stopped.

Ning Qiuxiu: “Although today was a big mess, I’m really touched. Thank you for being so nice.”

“Don’t need to give me a good guy card.” Song Chu replied grumpily.

Ning Qiuxiu: “Nonsense, I’m giving you a friend card!”

Song Chu, looking uncomfortable: “Who wants a friend who can’t even be honest?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “Well, kiddo, Mommy loves you.”

Song Chu: “…”

He was really annoyed now.

But shortly after, Ning Qiuxiu received a text message from him.

Song Chu: “Let’s just be friends. Don’t take advantage of me.”

Ning Qiuxiu laughed when she read the message.

No wonder his team gave him a “puppy” image—he really is quite childish and cute.

Thanks to the talisman water, Ning Qiuxiu was finally able to speak the next day.

Although her voice still sounded rough like a heavy smoker’s, she was relieved that she could talk again.

She couldn’t imagine how Zhan Qingyue managed to endure not speaking for so long.

She was feeling better physically.

However, since the illness had made her break out, she had a few angry-looking pimples on her forehead, right at the most noticeable spot.

“……” After so many years without a single pimple, they decided to make an appearance just before her big red carpet event.

It felt like they were conspiring against her.

The one on the upper left of her forehead was particularly large and likely wouldn’t be covered up even with heavy makeup.

At this moment, she really needed a beauty talisman, but she had only studied it halfway before reality took over, and she had forgotten it.

This important item couldn’t be neglected.

Since she was only going for one day, Ning Qiuxiu didn’t bring much—just a backpack, no suitcase needed.

She thought Zhan Qingyue would be difficult about it, so she repeatedly assured him she would only walk the red carpet and come back the next day to rest.

To her surprise, Zhan Qingyue was unexpectedly agreeable.

The reason was: Everyone has to work while sick sometimes.

She wasn’t a child and understood she needed to take care of her health.

The benefit of having an understanding parent (or so it seemed).

Ning Qiuxiu landed at 1 PM, and Qu Hua picked her up at the airport.

Upon seeing the pimples on her forehead, Qu Hua slapped his thigh and said, “Oh, I forgot that you break out in pimples when you have a cold.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t affect things,” Ning Qiuxiu said, even if it did, it couldn’t be fixed now.

“Your voice is so hoarse, too,” Qu Hua covered his eyes. It was a big exposure opportunity, and it was ruined like this.

He was heartbroken, “But it’s alright. Our little Qiuxiu’s looks can still outshine the others even with a few pimples~”

“……” You really know how to flatter without a script.

Qu Hua’s tendency to mindlessly praise her, a habit from his previous boss, hadn’t changed.

Ning Qiuxiu could have had pimples all over her face, and he’d still find a way to praise her beauty as unique.

Since there was still time, they first had a meal, and then Ning Qiuxiu rested at the hotel for over an hour.

By six o’clock, everything was ready—her stylist, makeup artist, and dress were all set.

A car then took her to the event venue.

“Here, little Qiuxiu, have some chocolate to boost your energy~” As they were approaching, Qu Hua handed her a chocolate bar.

Female celebrities don’t eat before walking the red carpet; they only have a small piece of chocolate to keep their energy up and avoid fainting from low blood sugar.

Beauty comes at a price.

Ning Qiuxiu took the chocolate, had a couple of bites, and frowned: “It’s so bitter.”

“Just finish it, you’ll be fine. The bitterness is probably because of your cold.”

Ning Qiuxiu slowly ate the chocolate, and the car arrived at the venue.

Since the timing for each guest on the red carpet is very precise, they arrived just on time to greet the fans waiting outside, let the media take some photos, and then it was her turn to enter.

“Almost time,” Qu Hua checked his phone and extended his hand to her, “Good luck, Qiuxiu~”

Ning Qiuxiu high-fived him, took off her coat, got out of the car, and stepped onto the red carpet.

As soon as she got out, she heard someone shout: “Lord Qiuxiu is here, Lord Qiuxiu is here.”

“……”

Since this was a women’s magazine event, all the guests on the red carpet were female stars.

When her fans called her “Lord Qiuxiu,” some confused fans looked her way, trying to figure out who she was.

When they finally saw her, they couldn’t help but exclaim, “So beautiful.”

Ning Qiuxiu was wearing a black velvet off-shoulder gown with a flowing skirt that sparkled like the Milky Way.

Silver and white beaded flowers spread from her waist downwards, resembling flowers blooming under the stars and moon.

The gown was elegant and sexy, with her long hair styled up and her makeup flawless.

Even with a few noticeable pimples on her forehead, her beauty was still striking.

Knowing fans would be there, she waved to them modestly and said in a hoarse voice, “Hello.”

……. So, is she called “Lord Qiuxiu” because of her particularly deep voice?

Fans who were initially amazed but confused rolled their eyes collectively.

Her own fans, however, asked with concern: “Lord Qiuxiu, what happened to your voice and your face? Are you sick?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be done soon,” Ning Qiuxiu waved her hand at them.

She couldn’t stay here; she had to keep moving forward.

“Go, go, Qiuxiu! You look amazing today!” Her fans cheered her on.

Ning Qiuxiu thanked them with a gesture and walked gracefully towards the entrance of the red carpet.

This was a grand event, and they had even brought in armed police to control access. Uninvited fans and media were not allowed in.

To her surprise, there were several glamorous female stars crowded at the entrance.

Usually, each star’s red carpet time is strictly controlled, and at such large events, the delay shouldn’t exceed three minutes.

This meant there could be only one guest waiting ahead of her.

Seeing the staff in charge of the outer area looking anxious, Ning Qiuxiu guessed there must have been an issue with the red carpet inside, which was causing this congestion.

“Qiuxiu,” she heard a familiar voice and saw Xu Ya.

They hadn’t met since the wrap of their show, “Wandering”.

Xu Ya approached her with a smile.

Ning Qiuxiu returned the smile and said, “Long time no see.”

“Yes, it’s been a while. Wow, you look great tonight.”

“You look beautiful too.”

After exchanging compliments, the two friends shared a smile.

Xu Ya said, “There seems to be a problem inside. We’ve all been delayed, and now they’re planning to let us lesser-known stars go in pairs. If that’s the case, let’s go together when it’s our turn.”

“Sure.”

After a wait, the staff started arranging them into pairs as expected.

Ning Qiuxiu and Xu Ya teamed up.

They were split into three groups, and just as the first group was about to finish walking, there was more commotion outside.

Someone else had arrived.

This time, it was another familiar face.

“Is today our special show for the ‘Wandering’ crew?” When Ji Weilang walked in, Xu Ya smiled and said, “Wow, Weilang looks great. This dress suits you perfectly.”

“Thank you,” Ji Weilang smiled slightly and nodded, “Hello everyone.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

She was feeling very annoyed, mainly because Ji Weilang looked stunning today.

As the leading actress, Ji Weilang’s presence was undeniable, while Ning Qiuxiu, though not lacking in any way, had some unfortunate pimples on her forehead.

The order in which they appeared made the comparison even more glaring!

It was frustrating, but there was nothing she could do.

Soon it was Ning Qiuxiu and Xu Ya’s turn.

Under the spotlight, they walked into the venue hand in hand, moving gracefully.

Although Ning Qiuxiu wasn’t mixed-race, her features were very defined, and the flash couldn’t diminish her striking angles.

At the end of the red carpet was a stage where the female stars had to stand and greet fans and media, striking two poses for photos.

As they climbed the steps, Xu Ya, wearing high-heeled shoes, missed a step and started to fall backwards.

Everything happened so suddenly that the host couldn’t help but scream.

Just when it seemed Xu Ya would make a fool of herself on such an important occasion, Ning Qiuxiu quickly grabbed her waist and managed to stabilize her, keeping her body level with the ground.

“Wow,” the audience was in an uproar.

“Are you okay?” Ning Qiuxiu asked, “Did you hurt your foot?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Xu Ya patted her chest, “That scared me to death. I almost cried!”

It would have been a serious mishap.

Ning Qiuxiu was also shocked but relieved she had prepared for emergencies.

Until they sat down in their guest seats, Xu Ya was still shaken.

However, the incident brought some unexpected benefits as #NingQiuxiuGirlfriendPower# and #XuYaRedCarpetFall# started trending on social media.

Ning Qiuxiu pulled Xu Ya back from almost falling over, and a GIF of the moment was posted online.

Adding to that was her raspy voice when she greeted everyone, which made it seem like she was sick.

This sparked a lot of discussion and quickly became a hot topic on the red carpet.

Ning Qiuxiu, who had hoped to restore her fairy-like image today, thought: “…”

Once a certain image is damaged, it’s like a label that’s hard to remove—by Ning Qiuxiu.

However, this unexpected incident meant that Ji Weiliang, who was expected to dominate the spotlight and top the trending searches with her aura, didn’t make much of an impact.

Ji Weiliang was right next to her, and the half-meter gap between them was filled with her displeasure.

She had been frowning all night, probably already very upset.

Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit satisfied.

So what if her image was a bit rough?

At least she was a topic of conversation, haha.

After finishing the red carpet, Ning Qiuxiu had nothing else to do but wait for the event to end in the guest seating.

Bored, she sneakily checked her phone. When she pulled it out again, she saw a message from Zhan Qingyue.

【Black-hearted Onion: Ran into a photo fraud.】

Photo fraud?!

【Ning Qiuxiu: How dare you! Who’s bare-faced photo did you secretly see, huh?】

【Black-hearted Onion: (Image)】

Ning Qiuxiu opened the image and found it was her red carpet photo…

“…….” This was supposed to be an official photo released by her studio.

She admitted it had been retouched, but it wasn’t a photo fraud, right?

【Ning Qiuxiu: How is this a photo fraud? You’ve seen me without makeup before. Was I not good-looking? Am I worse than any other female star? Answer me honestly!】

【Black-hearted Onion: (Image)】

Zhan Qingyue sent the same photo but with a big red circle drawn on her forehead, as if asking: Where’s the pimple?

“……” How has this straight man not been beaten yet?

Another message popped up from Jingjing.

【Jingjing: Miss Ning, I sent the red carpet photos from your official Weibo to Mr. Zhan. Mr. Zhan was enchanted by your beauty and smiled while looking at them. He said the photos were taken really well, even better than in real life.】

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Look at this reading comprehension deviation!