No Escape

Only the two of them remained in the dressing room, the atmosphere strangely quiet.

Listening to the woman’s indifferent tone, Zhou Wenting recalled the events of that night, his expression subtly changing.

Jiang Xiao was right. Despite not liking her and being with her only because of Lin Qianyu, he was still technically her boyfriend. Taking advantage of drunkenness to kiss Lin Qianyu ambiguously was nothing short of scumbag behavior.

Zhou Wenting nodded, his deep black eyes filled with profound apology. “Jiang Xiao, I’m sorry.”

“Tsk~” Jiang Xiao clicked her tongue lightly, interrupting him leisurely. “Is that all you have to say?”

Zhou Wenting’s lips moved, wanting to say more, but he didn’t know where to start.

Jiang Xiao furrowed her brows, disappointment evident on her face. She had thought he might repay her the money owed, but instead, he was wasting time with meaningless words.

Initially, she gave him three days, but he messaged her saying he would give it in a few days. Considering it was challenging to gather fifteen million within three days, and the various entanglements with Zhou Qishen due to the system in recent days, she hadn’t thought much about it.

“If apologies are all you’ve got, there’s no need. Between us, except for financial disputes, we’re done.” Jiang Xiao did not accept his apology, succinctly expressing her thoughts.

After speaking, she wanted to leave directly. She feared that staying longer would lead her to curse at him.

Then that damned system would accuse her of lowering the male lead’s character charm and start condemning her again. It’s not worth it?

Unexpectedly, Zhou Wenting intercepted her once again.

Zhou Wenting held her arm, hesitated to speak, and said, “About that video you mentioned, can you give it to me?”

As long as the video of him and Qianyu was still in Jiang Xiao’s hands, it was like a time bomb that could detonate at any moment. No matter how indifferent he was, since it involved Lin Qianyu, he couldn’t just ignore it.

Jiang Xiao looked at the man she once loved sincerely, and was speechless and wanted to laugh. No wonder he was in such a hurry to apologize to her; turns out he had another agenda. She took a deep breath to suppress the rising blood and said, “Rest assured, as long as you and your people stop bothering me in the future, I won’t use the video against you.”

Even if she wanted to stir up trouble with the video, she would need to have it first.

Zhou Wenting sensed her hidden meaning, but recalling what he had seen not long ago, he suppressed his thoughts and still spoke up, “I will gather the money to give you immediately, and I won’t meet you privately again. But could you please stop making things difficult for Qianyu?”

Jiang Xiao was bewildered by his words and instinctively asked, “Huh? When did I make things difficult for her?”

“Didn’t you and Zhang Jingyao drive Qianyu out of the dressing room? You’re wrapping up today, so why target her again…” Zhou Wenting had just returned from the nanny car with his things when he saw Lin Qianyu sitting outside the dressing room on a small stool doing her makeup.

Previously, Jiang Xiao and Lin Qianyu had a verbal altercation over the use of the dressing room. So this time, he naturally assumed that Jiang Xiao and Zhang Jingyao were bullying Lin Qianyu again, driving her out of the dressing room.

“Drive her out? If you had asked Lin Qianyu beforehand, you wouldn’t have said such foolish things in front of me.”

Jiang Xiao shrugged off his hand, admitting that she had harbored some hostility towards Lin Qianyu before due to suspicions about Zhou Wenting’s relationship with her. But it was at most a verbal warning to assert her authority upon seeing them getting too close, not escalating to personal attacks.

At that time, her best friend Zhang Jingyao had advised her to give Lin Qianyu a hard time, but she had stopped her and did not agree with Zhang Jingyao’s proposal.

Because she knew very well that if a relationship showed signs of a third party getting involved, it was definitely the other half’s fault. So she had argued and gotten angry with Zhou Wenting many times, but when there’s no love, there’s no comfort or sense of security from him.

Now that the facts were laid out, her suspicions were proven right—they had been involved for a long time.

Jiang Xiao didn’t want to say more. No matter how he thought of her, she didn’t care anymore. After all, Zhou Wenting’s heart had always leaned towards Lin Qianyu from beginning to end. Even if she explained, it wouldn’t make a difference.

Coincidentally, at this moment, a staff member came to notify that filming was about to start. Jiang Xiao took this opportunity to leave the dressing room.

The airport was bustling with people coming and going. Despite the hundreds of security guards forming a human wall, the surroundings were still crowded with fans chasing stars and bystanders watching the excitement. Cameras were raised high, clicking away madly, and shouts of artists’ names could be heard from time to time, making it almost chaotic.

It’s no wonder actors need a sense of conviction—they have to perform appropriate emotions in front of so many cameras and audiences, and even speak the lines required. Without some professional qualities, they probably would have burst into laughter long ago.

“Cut!” The director shouted, “Teacher Jiang, your performance today was excellent! You got it in one take!”

Jiang Xiao was pleased to hear this. It meant her scenes were completely finished for the day. She smiled gratefully, “Thank you, Director.”

In the past, all her thoughts were focused on Zhou Wenting. Whenever she saw him and Lin Qianyu shooting intimate scenes, she couldn’t help but feel jealous and envious, wishing she could stick to him all the time. It would be strange if she could focus on acting well.

Zhou Wenting and Lin Qianyu’s scenes still needed to be filmed. Jiang Xiao didn’t plan to linger at the airport. With a bright smile, she thanked the staff for the flowers and cake they had handed her, took a commemorative photo with them, and then walked towards the nanny car with Liang Cheng under the escort of a private bodyguard.

The evening breeze carried a restless feeling as summer approached. Jiang Xiao lazily lay on the seat, freeing herself from the constraints of the mask and hat, feeling considerably refreshed all over.

Her scenes finished earlier than expected. The screen of her phone showed just past 5:40 PM, and she had no other arrangements until tomorrow. She could rest well.

With some free time, Jiang Xiao thought of the marriage proposal Zhou Qishen had mentioned. Clearly, in the book, he remained single until the end. So why did he suddenly come up with the idea of marriage?

Could it be that his thoughts indirectly changed with her awakening? Like a butterfly effect? Well, if she hadn’t actively approached him, none of these things would have happened anyway.

Besides, it had only been one day since the three-day deadline he gave her. She didn’t want to think about it anymore.

“Xiaoxiao, how about eating at this Western restaurant tonight? It just opened, and I had made a reservation before. They called me just now, and I just remembered it’s today. Shall we go try it?” Liang Cheng leaned over, showing Jiang Xiao the restaurant’s photos.

Jiang Xiao glanced casually and nodded, “Sure.”

It took half an hour to drive back to the city. Jiang Xiao leaned against the car window to rest her head and eyes, but as soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep unknowingly. When she was awakened, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Western restaurant.

Glancing at her phone messages before getting off, Jiang Xiao discovered that a few minutes ago, Zhou Wenting had transferred the remaining 15 million to her.

With the money in hand, Jiang Xiao immediately opened WeChat, found Zhou Wenting’s name, deleted and blocked all services in one go, and also deleted and blocked his phone number. Satisfied, she unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Glancing at the sign above her head, Jiang Xiao reached up to press down her tousled hair that the wind had stirred up, and followed Liang Cheng into the highly popular Western restaurant.

It was mealtime, and the restaurant was packed with almost no vacant seats.

After presenting their reservation information, the waiter led them to their reserved table.

Halfway there, Jiang Xiao suddenly stopped, staring blankly at a certain spot, her expression slightly changed.

In the corner on a sofa, a man was sitting there with his eyelids drooping lazily, his expression still relaxed and indifferent. The only difference was that he now wore a pair of thin-rimmed gold glasses on his nose.

Perhaps it wasn’t a formal occasion. He took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the nearby backrest. Not only did he not tie his tie, but he also rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing a slender, pale, and cold-looking forearm with smooth muscle lines and faint visible veins.

Sensing something, he slowly raised his head.

Behind the lenses, his pupils were pitch black, his gaze distant and cold, with a hint of mild surprise as it met hers.

Jiang Xiao’s shoulder line tensed visibly for a moment.

She hadn’t expected to encounter him here.

Jiang Xiao had intended to pretend she hadn’t seen him. After all, she was wearing a mask and a hat, covering herself completely, so it shouldn’t have been possible for anyone to recognize her. However, just as she was about to leave with Liang Cheng, he leaned down and said something to the woman beside him, then walked straight towards her.

Jiang Xiao hadn’t expected that she could still be recognized in her disguise. With no way to retreat or escape, she could only watch as he stopped two steps in front of her.

The man’s tall and broad figure solidly blocked the warm light behind him, casting a shadow over her face.

“I’ll wait for you at the table.” Liang Cheng recognized the man’s identity and tactfully withdrew.

With people coming and going in the aisle, if the two of them stood there, they would surely block the way. Zhou Qishen gestured with his hand, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Jiang Xiao also realized the issue. After a moment of silence, she obediently stepped and followed him to a less crowded place.

In the corner, lush green plants shielded most of the dining guests. The surroundings seemed to leave only the two of them, giving a sense of intimacy as if whispering secrets to each other away from the world.

Jiang Xiao looked up at him and greeted first, “What a coincidence, Mr. Zhou is also here dining with friends?”

“It is quite a coincidence,” Zhou Qishen replied leisurely, “They’re not exactly friends.”

Jiang Xiao: “Oh?”

Zhou Qishen lowered his eyes and explained calmly, “As I mentioned before, there’s pressure from home.”

Jiang Xiao suddenly realized it was a blind date setup.

But soon, Jiang Xiao figured out what was going on. A strange fire surged in her heart, and a cold smile appeared on her lips, “Didn’t you say you’d give me three days to consider? It’s only the second day, and you’re already in a hurry to meet other women?”

Zhou Qishen glanced at the girl’s angry expression, tilted his head slightly, and teased, “I am a businessman. I can’t limit myself to a single choice.”

His casual words inadvertently made Jiang Xiao involuntarily tighten her fingers.

He was right. He was just looking for a marriage partner. With his status and position, countless women would flock to him with just a wave of his hand. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do without her.

Instead, it was she who couldn’t do without him.

Yet clearly, he had breached the agreement.

Thinking of this, a sense of grievance surged up in Jiang Xiao’s heart. Her delicate features were tinged with a hint of melancholy as she frowned and stared at him, “I don’t care. You’re not allowed to see other women! At least not before the agreed time ends.”

Zhou Qishen looked at her calmly, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening slightly, “Why?”

Jiang Xiao stammered, her mouth faster than her brain, “Because… because I intend to marry you.”

Getting the answer he wanted, Zhou Qishen’s lips curved imperceptibly with a smile. After a few breaths of silence, he suddenly felt guilty and kindly reminded, “Ms. Jiang, you have to think it over carefully.”

At this moment, Jiang Xiao realized what she had just said. Her cheeks quickly turned red, and Zhou Qishen effortlessly trapped her with a tactic, easily handing over the latter half of her life.

She wanted to take back what she had just said, but seeing his teasing expression, she knew she couldn’t escape.

***

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