After the costume photos were finished, Shen Xiaoyu arranged for a driver to take Shi Qiubai home.
Shi Qiubai was somewhat reluctant to leave, "Sister, aren't you coming back with me? After the costume photos are done, it will be a few days before filming starts. You can't just wait here the whole time, can you?"
"I still have some work to finish up. When you come for filming, we'll see each other then."
Over there, Tang Tang was calling her, one call after another, like she was summoning a spirit.
Shen Xiaoyu found it annoying but still waved goodbye to Shi Qiubai.
"I have to go now. When you're home and have free time, memorize your lines. Bye."
She turned and walked quickly toward Su Huan, ignoring Tang Tang, and went straight to the van.
She had made arrangements with other managers, but they were accompanying their artists on set and couldn't return anytime soon.
She planned to go check on them, and coincidentally, the final location shoot for Su Huan's previous movie was right next to where she needed to go.
Since it was on the way, Shen Xiaoyu and Su Huan sat on either side of the van, and when Tang Tang arrived, only the back seat was left.
Tang Tang dawdled, taking forever to get in the car.
Su Huan looked at the time, and without caring about Tang Tang still outside, she slammed the door shut.
"Driver, let's go!"
The driver complied, stepping on the gas pedal and driving away.
Only after they had gone quite far did Su Huan's phone ring.
She answered the call, and Tang Tang's voice filled the quiet van.
"Sister Huan, I haven't gotten in the car yet." Her voice was downcast, seemingly a bit aggrieved.
Su Huan's voice was indifferent, "Didn't notice. Call Qin Miao and have her arrange another car for you."
With that, she hung up.
Shen Xiaoyu glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
Were they... fighting?
But this was good—less trouble, less worry. If Su Huan didn't talk to her, her mood would be better.
"Xiaoyu, let's talk."
"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Shen Xiaoyu said flatly. "I'm a bit tired and want to rest."
She reclined her seat, half-lying with her back to Su Huan, in a posture that refused communication.
But Su Huan wouldn't give up so easily.
She stared at Shen Xiaoyu's back and asked softly, "You don't want to come back as my manager because of Shi Qiubai, right?"
In her mind flashed scenes of Shen Xiaoyu taking care of Shi Qiubai today.
Attentive, considerate, thorough.
But these things originally belonged to her!
"As long as you're willing to come back as my manager, I'll agree to any condition."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu turned her head, looking at her suspiciously, "Any condition?"
The system exploded, [Quick! Host! Take this chance to demand marriage, and your mission will be complete! We can go back!]
[It can't be that simple, right? She hasn't yielded in all these years, and now she agrees just because of a job change?]
Shen Xiaoyu didn't believe it.
Sure enough, the next second, Su Huan's cold voice came through, "Except marriage, I can agree to anything."
[See, I knew this would be the result.]
Shen Xiaoyu closed her eyes, no longer responding to Su Huan beside her.
Su Huan lowered her gaze and also remained silent.
Shen Xiaoyu had only intended to rest but gradually fell asleep in the swaying car.
The person beside her had steady breathing, deep and even.
"Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu?" Su Huan called tentatively, unbuckled her seatbelt, and moved closer, only to find that she was truly asleep.
She leaned in to look at Shen Xiaoyu's sleeping face, the scattered light in her eyes gradually gathering.
Su Huan gently caressed Shen Xiaoyu's cheek, her fingers trembling slightly.
She whispered, "What do I have to do to keep you by my side?"
The sleeping Shen Xiaoyu couldn't answer.
Su Huan restrained herself, withdrew her hand, sat back, and closed her eyes.
When Shen Xiaoyu woke up, it was already dark.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but looking outside, she saw they were at Su Huan's hotel.
The air conditioning in the car was still running, and the driver seemed to be making a phone call outside.
"Miss Shen hasn't woken up yet. Don't worry, I'll wait here until Miss Shen wakes up before going back."
After saying this, the driver hung up the phone.
Shen Xiaoyu reached out and pulled the door handle, and it opened.
The scorching summer air hit her face, making her shiver and want to retreat back into the cool car.
But seeing the driver's sweat-covered head, she stopped herself.
"Driver Zhang, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," she apologized as she got out of the car.
"It's no problem. If I got hot, I could go into the hotel to cool down," Driver Zhang waved his hand. "Have you eaten? Queen Su said she prepared some dinner for you at the hotel. You can go straight up."
Shen Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
If Tang Tang had arranged these things, she wouldn't have been surprised.
Su Huan? When in all these years had Su Huan ever cared if she had eaten or not?
In Su Huan's eyes, she was probably just a robot that neither got hungry nor tired, just programmed to work continuously.
But Shen Xiaoyu didn't say this out loud; after all, family scandals shouldn't be aired publicly.
"Oh, and Queen Su and Miss Tang who arrived later both went to the set. There's a night scene tonight, and I don't know when they'll be back. Queen Su asked you to rest well first."
Shen Xiaoyu nodded, thanked Driver Zhang, and headed toward the hotel.
Passing by the front desk, she learned that Su Huan had already booked a room for her, located right across from Su Huan's room.
Not long after Shen Xiaoyu returned to her room, hotel room service delivered dinner.
Shen Xiaoyu stood by the table, looking at all her favorite foods, and gradually frowned.
[What exactly is Su Huan trying to do?] She was completely confused, [If she had used these tactics on me before, I probably would have given in long ago.]
[It's not too late to give in now,] the system encouraged, [Now that you know Su Huan's room is right across from yours, order a light nightgown from a certain app, then seduce her! Complete the mission directly!]
Shen Xiaoyu rolled her eyes, sat down, and leisurely ate, [It's not like we haven't slept together. When has she ever softened her heart? If she could soften her heart even a little, my mission wouldn't have dragged on until now.]
Ten years!
How many decades does a person have in their life?
So far, a third of her life had been wasted on Su Huan.
Shen Xiaoyu felt somewhat regretful, [If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to pursue her. I could have used these ten years to develop my own career. After my death, people might have at least said 'heaven envies talent.']
[That's true,] the system agreed.
The person and the system chatted casually.
Suddenly, the system's voice became serious.
[Electric shock countdown, ten minutes.]
Shen Xiaoyu's back tensed, "Wait, wait, let me drink something first."
She said this while frantically grabbing the wine bottle from the floor, gulping it down in large mouthfuls.
Get drunk, just get drunk and it won't hurt.
Soon, a bottle of wine went down, and Shen Xiaoyu lay on the table, her head a bit dizzy.
Suddenly she heard a beep from outside, the sound seemingly coming from across the hall.
She staggered to her feet, walked to the door, and put her ear against it, hearing conversations from outside.
"At this hour, Xiaoyu should already be asleep."
It was Tang Tang's voice. She asked in confusion, "Why do you insist on having Xiaoyu as your manager? Isn't it good for us to share one manager? We could even increase our exposure together."
This was a question Shen Xiaoyu also wanted to know.
She pressed her entire body against the door, waiting for Su Huan's answer.
The voice outside paused for a while before sounding again.
It was Su Huan's answer, "What happens between us is none of your business."
Her voice was somewhat cold, with no discernible emotion toward Tang Tang.
Were they arguing?
"I was just asking," Tang Tang said, sounding deflated.
"It's just a company arrangement."
Damn it, she knew this person's mouth never spoke a word of truth!
After saying all that, what more could Tang Tang ask?
Shen Xiaoyu thought angrily.
Sure enough, Tang Tang also said it was no problem.
The atmosphere seemed to become awkward. Tang Tang, who had always been an exception in front of Su Huan, had never experienced such coldness before.
She went straight back to her room, slamming the door.
Now only Su Huan remained.
The system had X-ray vision and gave her timely reports while 'offering advice.'
[Open the door, then pounce on her! Complete the mission directly in bed!]
[Complete my ass in bed. Can a wedding be held in bed?]
[Why not?] The system argued irrationally, [Though it's not a wedding, you can consummate the marriage first!]
Shen Xiaoyu definitely wouldn't listen to the system's ridiculous ideas.
Her heart was now tranquil, so why would she foolishly throw herself at Su Huan again...
There was a beep, and she heard a click. The doorknob that she was pressing turned downward.
As she pushed with her weight, the door opened outward!
Shen Xiaoyu suddenly appeared in front of Su Huan, her ears filled with the system's excited screaming.
[Even if you can't complete the mission and are going to die, at least sleep with the villain! Just **** her directly!]
The latter part was censored due to sensitive words.
Even though she couldn't hear it, Shen Xiaoyu could guess what the system wanted to express.
Under the influence of alcohol, her mind gradually recalled those wild nights they had shared. Her face grew hot, and even her breathing became rapid.
**[Pounce on her! I'll give you the biggest, most powerful assistance! Think about how you've been electrocuted because of her, and still haven't ***]
Shen Xiaoyu gripped the doorknob tightly. The system was still exploding, its shrill, obscene language burning away her reason.
Stimulated by the alcohol, Shen Xiaoyu pulled Su Huan into the room and closed the door with a bang.
Under Su Huan's astonished gaze, Shen Xiaoyu pressed her against the wall, and kisses carrying the scent of alcohol fell like a violent storm.
Su Huan looked at the enlarged pupils before her in disbelief. The familiar scent lingered at the tip of her nose, making her want to draw more from Shen Xiaoyu.
Just as she raised her hand, Shen Xiaoyu caught it, pinning her wrist above her head.
As if to punish her 'restlessness,' Shen Xiaoyu bit Su Huan's lip. The two's breathing gradually became chaotic, and the atmosphere in the room turned ambiguous.
Su Huan finally came to her senses and actively reciprocated the kiss. In the midst of passion, footsteps sounded outside the door, coming near and then fading away.
A moment of clarity flashed in Su Huan's mind. She grabbed Shen Xiaoyu's hand, breathing heavily.
"Don't, someone's there."
Shen Xiaoyu seemed to think of something and deliberately went against her wishes, even purposely kissing her ear.
Su Huan was inwardly angry but couldn't express it. She bit her lip until it turned white, her teary eyes like a moon hidden behind flowing clouds.
The more she was like this, the more Shen Xiaoyu felt a twisted pleasure, forcing her to let out some crying sounds.
"It hurts, be gen-gentler..."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was particularly jarring in the silence.
Shen Xiaoyu smiled lightly, stepped forward to embrace her, and the two entangled all the way to the bed.
Afterward, a tired Su Huan lay on the bed, drowsy.
Shen Xiaoyu sat on the edge of the bed. After the wild encounter, the alcohol had mostly dissipated, along with her lost reason gradually returning.
She straightened her back, her body stiff, not turning to look at the warm figure behind her. She pretended to be composed as she used a hair tie to put up her long hair, then stood and walked toward the bathroom.
Before entering, she spoke coldly.
"You should go back. I want to rest now."