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Chapter 38: The Female Lead Appears?

“Xiao Lili, my phone’s about to explode…” Han Chen held his phone, looking hopelessly at Ji Xueli who was getting her makeup done.

Ji Xueli glanced at him and casually suggested, “Just turn it off, or switch SIM cards.”

“What did you say to Uncle and Auntie to make them go off like this?” Han Chen was really curious.

“Nothing much. Anyway, just don’t pick up their calls,” Ji Xueli shook her head. She still wanted some peace for a while.

“Alright then.” Han Chen gave up on asking further.

“Hey, did you guys see the trending news? Movie queen Song Ruo came back from the U.S.! She starred in several major Hollywood films.”

Ji Xueli was scrolling on her phone when she heard voices from outside. Her curiosity was piqued, and she looked up.

“Yeah, and I heard she was personally promoted by the Crown Prince.”

“You mean Prince Duan Qingyu?!”

“Yep, who else in Huacheng would dare be called the Crown Prince?”

These words completely caught Ji Xueli’s attention—Song Ruo? That must be the true female lead finally making her entrance. She had been wondering when the FL would show up.

In these old-style romance plots, the female lead usually returns from abroad as the long-lost white moonlight… but why did this FL go overseas too?

She was genuinely curious now—just what kind of story was she in?

“Lili, since when did you start gossiping too?” Han Chen caught her searching for articles about “Song Ruo and Duan Qingyu” and teased her.

“Can’t I be curious? You’re well-connected—tell me what’s going on with them,” Ji Xueli said.

“I don’t know much either. Everyone just knows Song Ruo was originally signed with START Entertainment, then got scouted by a foreign director and went overseas to film. As for the Crown Prince, well… that’s not someone we can gossip about so freely.” Han Chen spread his hands.

True that…

Ji Xueli exited Weibo and opened her chat with Chengdu (Duan Qingyu’s assistant).

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At the airport, the crowd was thin. Duan Qingyu frowned slightly when he saw a woman wearing a mask and cap walk out from the VIP terminal.

He thought his appearance here was irrational… yet somehow, also inevitable.

“Qingyu!” Song Ruo spotted him right away and couldn’t contain her excitement as she ran over.

She hadn’t expected him to actually come pick her up. She’d once gone against his wishes and insisted on doing that film, which had kept her in the U.S. for two years…

But she had done it because she didn’t want to just be his shadow—she wanted to stand proudly by his side.

“Let’s go,” Duan Qingyu signaled the driver to take her luggage.

“Qingyu, did you watch my movie? What did you think?” Song Ruo stepped closer and linked her arm through his, smiling.

Duan Qingyu looked at her hand on his arm, and for some reason, two opposing voices seemed to rise inside him—one pulling him in, the other urging him to stay clear-headed.

“Haven’t seen it. Been too busy,” he said flatly as he subtly pulled his arm back.

Song Ruo could sense the resentment he still carried, but she didn’t mind. She continued walking beside him: “I’m free these next few days. I’ll come to the company to see you every day.”

Duan Qingyu was about to respond when his phone suddenly rang.

Song Ruo noticed how his expression softened slightly when he saw the name on the screen.

“Duan Qingyu, your race is tomorrow, right? I happen to be free—send me the time and location,” Ji Xueli’s voice came through the speaker.

“Didn’t Chengdu already tell you?” Duan Qingyu asked.

“He did… but I still want you to send it to me,” Ji Xueli said with a playful smile.

She knew Song Ruo was right next to him. Chengdu had told her Duan Qingyu went to pick her up. She had called on purpose, to test where the female lead now stood in Duan Qingyu’s heart.

“I’ll send it to you on WeChat in a bit,” Duan Qingyu replied.

“Alright. Oh, and Chengdu told me to ask—dinner tonight? I wrapped filming early today, perfect timing, right?” Ji Xueli continued.

“What perfect timing? It’s already being served to your mouth,” Duan Qingyu chuckled with a trace of mockery.

Once inside the car, Song Ruo looked at the man still on the call and clenched the fabric of her jacket. That familiar tone with Chengdu… and Duan Qingyu actually joked with her. In the capital circle, who else could it be?

“Got a date with a beauty?” Ji Xueli asked lazily while plucking a petal from a vase.

Duan Qingyu’s lips curled slightly, his tone teasing: “Lili, you’re too smart to keep pretending.”

Lili? Song Ruo’s heart tightened. Could it be Ji Xueli?! But how did she suddenly get involved with Duan Qingyu? Wasn’t she supposed to be into Ji Yanzhou?

“So the Crown Prince wants to ditch me now? That’s heartbreaking,” Ji Xueli sighed dramatically.

Duan Qingyu smiled faintly but didn’t respond.

“Alright then, turn up the volume and hold the phone a bit away,” she said.

Since things were already unraveling, she figured—why not go all out?

Duan Qingyu obediently followed her instructions. He already had a good idea of what she wanted to do, but he still went along with it.

“Don’t forget to come visit me on set. Your clothes are still at my place,” Ji Xueli said casually—just loud enough for the person next to him to hear.

Sure enough, Song Ruo’s face changed, and she immediately looked at Duan Qingyu.

Ji Xueli hung up right after saying that.

“Qingyu, was that… Miss Ji?” Song Ruo forced a smile.

“Yeah, you’ve probably met her before. You two are in the same social circle after all,” Duan Qingyu replied, still wearing a faint smile from earlier.

“I thought she was dating Mr. Ji,” Song Ruo said deliberately.

Duan Qingyu’s lashes lowered slightly. His voice was calm: “I’ll take you home first. I have plans tonight.”

“Then can we have dinner after you’re done?” Song Ruo quickly asked. She had overheard Ji Xueli inviting him for dinner.

“We’ll see,” Duan Qingyu replied, turning to look out the window—clearly done with the conversation.

Song Ruo gritted her teeth. It was all that thing’s fault—saying the female lead had to go abroad to grow. If not for that, how could he have been approached by someone else?

Besides, hadn’t it said Ji Xueli was supposed to end up with Ji Yanzhou in this novel world? How did she suddenly get entangled with Duan Qingyu… and look so close with him?

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