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After leaving the restaurant, Song Qingyu went to the garden in front of the hotel to wait for Sheng Xingnai.
Perhaps she had caught a cold while filming on set these past few days. The night breeze sent a chill through her, making her head ache. After walking around for a bit, she decided to return to the lobby to wait instead.
Just as she stepped out of the garden, she saw a black Maybach pull up in front of the hotel lobby.
It was Li Huaidong’s car.
Chu Yu was the first to step out from the front passenger seat. He quickly walked over and opened the rear door. Li Huaidong stretched out his long legs and stepped out, striding into the hotel lobby without hesitation.
He didn’t stop at the front desk to check in. Instead, he headed straight for the elevators and went upstairs.
Li Huaidong had just gone upstairs when a black business van pulled up right behind his car. A woman, fully covered in disguise, stepped out.
Even though she wore a hat and a face mask, Song Qingyu recognized her at a glance—it was Shen Mengli.
Without sparing a glance at her surroundings, Shen Mengli walked straight into the lobby and entered the elevator.
What a coincidence.
Li Huaidong had come to the Baihao Hotel, and now Shen Mengli had arrived as well.
One right after the other, their timing was so precise that no one would believe it was just happen in an instance.
But wasn’t Shen Mengli supposed to be getting engaged to her foreign boyfriend? Why was Li Huaidong still entangled with her? Meeting at a hotel so late at night—weren’t they afraid of being caught on camera?
A strange sense of discomfort settled in Song Qingyu’s heart.
“Qingqing!”
Sheng Xingnai came running over from the direction of the restaurant, grabbing Song Qingyu’s hand the moment she reached her. “Hurry, hurry, let’s go!”
“What’s wrong? You and Lu Shiyuan—”
“Don’t mention that guy! He’s absolutely insane.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you in the car.”
Sheng Xingnai’s Mini Cooper was parked in the hotel’s outdoor lot. As soon as they got in, she stepped on the gas, and the tiny car shot out of the hotel driveway.
“Xingnai, what exactly did Lu Shiyuan say to you? You’re running like someone’s out to kill you!”
“He wants to marry me!”
“…What?”
“You heard me right! He wants to marry me! This is the first time we’ve met—I don’t even know how to write the three characters of ‘Lu Shiyuan’—and yet he’s saying he wants to marry me! Are the Lu brothers all this ridiculous?” Sheng Xingnai looked utterly exasperated. “Does he think he’s so handsome that every woman would jump at the chance to marry him?”
Although Song Qingyu had also gone through a flash marriage herself, she was still shocked to hear that Lu Shiyuan had proposed to Sheng Xingnai so suddenly.
“Looks like the Lu brothers are all after a piece of Shengshi Group’s pie.”
“Exactly! Saying he wants to marry me—he’s really just interested in my last name, Sheng.”
“And how did you respond?”
“I straight-up flipped him off and told him that since I like women, no man should even think about getting involved!”
Song Qingyu: “……”
Sheng Xingnai truly lived up to her reputation as a fearless woman!
**
After parting ways with Sheng Xingnai, Song Qingyu returned to Taoyuan.
Li Huaidong still hadn’t come back.
Of course. With someone warm and soft in his arms, there was no way he’d be coming back tonight.
“Young Madam, have you eaten?”
Uncle Kang hadn’t gone to bed yet. Seeing Song Qingyu return, he immediately came forward to greet her.
“I have. You should get some rest, Uncle Kang.”
“Alright.”
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly paused and looked at her. “Young Madam, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?”
Aside from a slight dizziness and the heat in her ears, Song Qingyu felt fine.
“I’m alright.”
“But you really look like you have a fever.”
Uncle Kang quickly fetched the medical kit and took her temperature. Sure enough—38 degrees.
“Young Madam, you really do have a fever. I’ll call the doctor over.”
“There’s no need for that. It’s probably just a cold. A fever reducer should do the trick.”
Song Qingyu found some medicine in the kit, took a pill with a sip of water, and reassured him.
“It’s fine, Uncle Kang. I’ll sweat it out, and I’ll be fine. You should go rest.”
“But—”
“Really, I’m okay.”
“How about I call the Young Master?”
“There’s no need to bother him.” Song Qingyu’s tone carried a hint of defiance.
Uncle Kang hesitated for a moment before finally leaving.
Song Qingyu lay down on the sofa, intending to rest for a while. But as soon as she lay down, she drifted off into sleep.
She dreamt of her childhood—her father playing frisbee with her on the lawn. As the frisbee soared through the air, she lifted her head, only to see a pair of eyes watching her from the second floor of the Lu family’s house. Startled, she nearly lost her balance, but thankfully, her father caught her just in time…
“Dad!”
Song Qingyu jolted awake, her hand instinctively reaching out for something. As she opened her eyes, she saw Uncle Kang standing beside her, holding a cooling patch.
“Young Madam, I was worried about you. I took your temperature again, and your fever still hasn’t gone down. Put this cooling patch on first—the doctor is on the way.”
Song Qingyu nodded.
After a while, the doctor arrived, examined her, prescribed some medication, and reminded her to drink plenty of water.
Song Qingyu obediently drank a large glass of warm water. Sure enough, before long, she broke out in a sweat, and her fever finally subsided.
That night felt unusually long, and as expected, Li Huaidong never returned.
The next morning, Song Qingyu hurried back to the set for makeup.
Unfortunately, today’s schedule included a water scene with the male and female leads.
It was already November, and the temperature had dropped significantly. Having just recovered from a fever the night before, she wasn’t in any condition to be in the water. However, with so many crew members already prepared and both lead actors personally getting into the water, she couldn’t justify backing out. She had no choice but to tough it out.
The moment she jumped in, the icy water pierced through her bones like needles. But according to the script, she had to stay in the water at least ten seconds longer than the male and female leads before she could get out.
The ten seconds in the water felt as agonizingly long as an hour on land. When Song Qingyu finally emerged from the surface, a chilling gaze from the shore sent another shiver down her spine.
It was Li Huaidong.
She had no idea when he had arrived. He stood there in a black overcoat, enveloped in the faint morning mist, his presence so imposing that even from a distance, it was suffocating.
Still dazed, she was pulled onto shore by the crew. The assistant director handed her a towel and said, “Qingyu, go take a hot shower in the rest area. Don’t catch a cold.”
She nodded before asking. “Why is President Li here?”
“He came to visit Director Fan.”
So he was here for Director Fan.
Without sparing Li Huaidong another glance, Song Qingyu turned and ran straight to her private lounge.
The water heater in the lounge had only been installed recently. Since it was her first time showering at the set, Song Qingyu didn’t feel entirely safe, so she locked the door from the inside.
After showering and changing into dry clothes, she stepped out—only to find Li Huaidong leaning casually against her dressing room door.
“What are you doing here? Someone might see you!”
Startled, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside, locking the door again behind them.
Li Huaidong seized the moment, pressing her against the door with his body, trapping her in place.
“What are you doing?” Song Qingyu’s mind was still stuck on the fact that he had spent the night at Baihao Hotel with Shen Mengli. The thought made her inexplicably frustrated.
“Song Qingyu, you just recovered from a fever—why would you still go through with a water scene? Do you really think your paycheck is more important than your health?”
It was the first time he had ever called her full name, his voice laced with undeniable anger.
Her own temper flared. “That’s right. My paycheck is important. A woman needs to save up money—only then can she have the confidence to face whatever storms life throws her way. Men and marriage? They can’t be relied on.”
“You’re taking a jab at me?”
“I’m not. This is just the lesson I learned from my last marriage.”
“I told you, I’m not like Lu Yanchuan.”
“Men are all the same.”
Li Huaidong stared at her in silence for a long moment before coming to a conclusion. “You’re angry.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re upset because I didn’t come home last night?”
“No.”
“I didn’t know you had a fever. If I had—”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything.” Song Qingyu pushed him away. “You’re not my medicine.”
She stepped aside, putting distance between them.
Li Huaidong followed, his voice calm and coaxing.
“Qingqing, whenever I’m away on business trips or attending social events, you never ask. I thought you didn’t care. But if you do, I can start reporting to you from now on.”
“Why start from today? Why not from yesterday?”
“Yesterday?” Li Huaidong immediately caught the implication in her words. “You’re doubting where I was last night?”
“It’s not doubt. I just want to know—where were you?”
“I met with business partners. The meeting ran late, so I stayed at the hotel for the night.”
Song Qingyu pressed her lips together, silently scoffing—what kind of business partner required a hotel meeting? He was lying.
As the tension between them thickened, a knock sounded at the door.
“Ms. Song, are you inside?” It was a crew member.
Song Qingyu shot Li Huaidong a look, signaling him to stay silent before responding, “Yes, I’m here.”
“Ms. Shen Mengli is here to visit the set. She said she wants to apologize for the unpleasantness during the audition last time.”
What a coincidence.
Li Huaidong had just shown up to check on the set, and now Shen Mengli had arrived right after. Were these two somehow bound by an inseparable system? Why was she always wherever he was?
“Ms. Song?”
“You go ahead. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Okay… Oh, Ms. Shen is here.”
Footsteps echoed outside.
Song Qingyu tensed up. Even though she was Li Huaidong’s wife, an inexplicable sense of urgency gripped her, as if she were about to be caught in some scandalous act.
“Ms. Song, are you there? It’s Shen Mengli.” Shen Mengli knocked on the door.
Song Qingyu gestured toward the bathroom and whispered in Li Huaidong’s ear, “Go hide in there for now.”
Li Huaidong remained still.
She knew asking a man like him to hide in the bathroom was ridiculous, but with the crew members still outside, she couldn’t risk anyone seeing him in her private lounge.
“Hurry up.”
She shoved him lightly a couple more times before he finally, with a dark expression, moved into the bathroom.
Song Qingyu took a glance at the exquisitely packaged box of rose tea in Shen Mengli’s hands, her expression indifferent.
“There’s no need, Ms. Shen. That matter is already in the past.”
Shen Mengli maintained her polite smile.
“I know you’re generous and wouldn’t hold a grudge, but I still feel bad. A gift is just a small token of my sincerity. Please, take it.”
Song Qingyu didn’t reach out for it. “Ms. Shen, if you really felt bad, why didn’t you apologize sooner? Why wait until today?”
Shen Mengli’s smile faltered slightly before she quickly regained her composure. “I’ve been busy with my engagement, so I haven’t had the time. But as soon as I was free, I came straight over.”
Engagement.
Song Qingyu’s lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile. “I see. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Shen Mengli replied sweetly, but her eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Song Qingyu remained silent, watching her calmly.
After a moment of awkward silence, Shen Mengli finally said, “Then… if Ms. Song doesn’t mind, let’s forget the past and be friends from now on?”
Song Qingyu chuckled lightly. “We were never enemies to begin with.”
Song Qingyu’s expression remained calm as she met Shen Mengli’s gaze.
“So what if you saw?” she asked lightly.
Shen Mengli sneered. “So what? You’re already divorced from Lu Yanchuan, but you’re still shamelessly clinging to Li Huaidong? Do you really think you can replace me?”
Song Qingyu chuckled softly, a trace of amusement flashing in her eyes. “Ms. Shen, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
“What?” Shen Mengli narrowed her eyes.
Song Qingyu tilted her head slightly and said with a casual smile.
“If I really wanted to ‘cling’ to a man, it wouldn’t be in the way you think. And besides…” She took a step forward, her voice soft but firm. “Are you sure you still have a place to be replaced?”
Shen Mengli’s expression stiffened. “What do you mean?”
Song Qingyu’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You should be busy preparing for your engagement, shouldn’t you? Or is there some other reason you’re so interested in my relationship with Li Huaidong?”
Song Qingyu lowered her gaze, concealing the coldness in her eyes, but the corners of her lips slowly curled into a mocking smile.
“Miss Shen,” her voice was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable sharpness.
“What exactly are you trying to prove? That you were with him last night? Or that you were satisfied?”
Shen Mengli raised her chin slightly, a smug glint in her eyes. “Both, of course.”
Song Qingyu chuckled softly, as if she had just heard something amusing. She lifted her gaze to meet Shen Mengli’s, her expression calm and unreadable. “If you’re so certain of your place in his heart, why did you feel the need to come to me?”
The smile on Shen Mengli’s face faltered for a brief moment.
“A woman’s intuition is sharp, Miss Shen. Are you feeling guilty?” Song Qingyu continued, her tone still unhurried.
Shen Mengli’s face darkened. “Song Qingyu, stop acting so high and mighty.”
“High and mighty?” Song Qingyu let out a light sigh, a hint of impatience flickering in her gaze.
“Miss Shen, are you truly indulging in the affection he gives you, or has he never given you any real promises? If it’s the former, then you can revel in it all you like—there’s no need to flaunt it in front of me.”
She paused briefly, her voice growing even softer, yet each word was as sharp as a blade. “But if it’s the latter, then this little performance of yours today is nothing short of laughable.”
Shen Mengli clenched her fists, her expression turning icy.
For a moment, the air in the dressing room felt eerily still.
Song Qingyu looked at her without saying another word. She had witnessed far too many similar scenes—years ago, Xie Wan’ning had flaunted her affair with just as much arrogance, and now Shen Mengli was merely repeating the same act under a different name.
At that moment, Song Qingyu found it all ridiculous.
Was this marriage really no different from the last one?
“You’re not getting engaged to your foreign boyfriend?” Song Qingyu asked.
“It was fake. Huaidong and I had a little fight, so I put out some false information to provoke him. See? He got jealous.” Shen Mengli smirked in satisfaction.
Song Qingyu felt her heart sink inch by inch.
So, she was right. Li Huaidong was with her only to get back at Shen Mengli.
“Song Qingyu, I’m warning you—stay away from Huaidong, or else—”
“Or else what?”
The door to the lounge suddenly swung open from the inside. Li Huaidong stepped out, his face cold and expressionless.
Song Qingyu froze in place, while Shen Mengli’s expression turned to sheer panic.
“H-Huaidong, what are you doing here?”
“Miss Shen,” Li Huaidong’s gaze lowered slightly, his dark eyes filled with a dangerous, oppressive aura. “In what capacity are you warning Miss Song?”
At this moment, Song Qingyu felt as if he were a volcano on the verge of eruption—his very presence radiated scorching intensity.
Shen Mengli swallowed hard, her throat tightening with fear. She couldn’t muster a single word.
“And,” Li Huaidong’s voice remained low and chilling, “you’re certain that I was with you last night?”
“I…”
Last night, Shen Mengli had secretly followed Li Huaidong to Baihao Hotel, intending to find an opportunity to enter his room. However, she discovered that he was meeting with someone, and the security around his room was tight. That assistant, Chu Yu, had stood guard outside the entire night, making it impossible for her to get close.
Her elaborate lies in front of Song Qingyu were merely an attempt to provoke her, seeking revenge for the humiliation she suffered after falling off the horse at the racetrack.
But who could have predicted that, by some cruel twist of fate, Li Huaidong himself would be inside Song Qingyu’s lounge at this very moment?
“Huaidong…”
“Miss Shen, you’ve called my name so many times—are we truly that close?”
A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Shen Mengli’s face. She didn’t even dare to meet his gaze, her head bowing slightly as she muttered an apology, “President Li, I’m sorry. I misspoke just now.”
“Get out.”
With just a single word from Li Huaidong, Shen Mengli turned pale and bolted out of the room.
Song Qingyu remained standing in place, momentarily bewildered.
The brief exchange between Li Huaidong and Shen Mengli had been packed with revelations, too much for her to process all at once.
“So, last night, you and her…”
“We didn’t meet,” Li Huaidong replied decisively.
Song Qingyu couldn’t help but marvel at Shen Mengli’s acting skills. She had spoken so vividly about something that had never even happened, making it sound utterly convincing.
“Then what exactly is your relationship with her?”
“We have no relationship whatsoever.”
“Really?” Song Qingyu remained doubtful. “But the media has reported scandals about the two of you.”
Li Huaidong lifted his gaze. “You searched for me?”
The rumors about him and Shen Mengli were at least two years old. If she hadn’t deliberately looked it up, there was no way she would have come across them.
Interesting. That meant she was starting to care about him.
“I didn’t,” Song Qingyu quickly turned her head away, denying it outright.
“Then how do you know?”
“I… I heard about it.”
“It’s fake,” Li Huaidong dismissed the rumors without hesitation.
Although he didn’t elaborate, Song Qingyu still felt a quiet sense of relief, as if the stormy days had finally given way to clear skies.
Li Huaidong caught the subtle shift in her expression.
“So this is why you were mad at me? You thought I spent last night with another woman?”
Having her thoughts laid bare, she instantly felt flustered. “Of course not.”
Li Huaidong chuckled, then suddenly leaned in close. “One moment like a wolf, the next like a child—am I really like that in bed? Hmm?”
Song Qingyu’s cheeks flushed warm.
“I don’t remember.”
“Then let’s go home and refresh your memory properly.”
Song Qingyu: “…”