Chapter 35: The Price of a Secret

Zhao Xue eventually terminated her contract with the company. Her misconduct had severely damaged their corporate image, and she was forced to pay a staggering amount in liquidated damages. Faced with the threat of a lawsuit from Qin Chen’s legal team, she had no choice but to accept her fate.

In a terrifyingly short span of time, Zhao Xue’s world had turned upside down. It was ironic; the person she had always looked down upon was now the nation’s sweetheart, while she had fallen into the abyss. Even the “fish” she thought she was reeling in had woken up from his coma as a completely different man.

She could no longer afford her high-end luxury apartment and was forced to move into a dilapidated, old housing estate. When she arrived at her new door, she found it covered in spray-painted slurs. Within two days of her move, her address had leaked. People came by daily to pull pranks, dump trash, and hurl insults. Calling the police was useless.

This had been her life for a week. Zhao Xue kept her eyes lowered, hiding the chilling indifference that lay beneath her facade of despair.

The real show was just beginning.

That night, Shen Xun arrived at the estate under the cover of darkness. Her polished, radiant appearance felt utterly out of place in such a grimy setting. Despite her current fame, Shen Xun had grown up in places much worse than this. Wearing a mask, she instructed her assistant to wait by the car and hurried toward the building with an urgency she hadn’t even noticed herself.

Qin Chen had sent her a video that afternoon. He told her where Zhao Xue had moved and admitted he was paying people to harass her daily. For some reason, seeing that message had filled Shen Xun with an inexplicable irritation. She had reflexively told him to stop—and then felt like she was losing her mind for doing so.

Shen Xun reached the address. Even having seen the video, the reality was shocking. Piles of stinking trash and black-red paint spelling out “Zhao Xue, go die” covered the entrance.

Shen Xun pursed her lips and knocked on the rusted iron door. There was no answer at first. She knocked again. “It’s Shen Xun.”

A hoarse, ragged voice shouted from inside, “Get lost!”

Shen Xun’s eyes darkened. “Zhao Xue, do you plan on living like this forever?”

The lock clicked. The door opened to reveal Zhao Xue’s pale face. Her eyes were red and swollen, shimmering with fresh tears. She looked like she had just finished a breakdown.

She looked at Shen Xun and sneered, “Are you here to laugh at me?” Her nose and cheeks were flushed red, her voice a mix of forced aggression and deep-seated grievance.

Shen Xun remained expressionless. “Let me in.”

Zhao Xue wiped her face, her voice dripping with resentment. “Why should I? Did you say something to A-Chen? Why else would he treat me like this?”

Shen Xun let out a short, cynical laugh. Still calling him “A-Chen”—how pathetic. “Does it even matter? Zhao Xue, you’re finished.”

The words cut through Zhao Xue like a knife. Tears spilled over again. She raised her hand to slap Shen Xun, but Shen Xun caught her wrist in an iron grip.

“Get out! Just leave!”

Shen Xun didn’t let go. With a sharp tug, she pulled the fragile woman toward her. Zhao Xue stumbled into Shen Xun’s arms, only for her hands to be pinned behind her back. With the doorway clear, Shen Xun pushed her way inside and kicked the door shut.

She threw Zhao Xue aside. Zhao Xue clutched her bruised wrist, staring at Shen Xun with hysterical eyes. “What do you want?! Haven’t you seen enough? Everyone hates me! I can’t even step outside! I’m living like a rat in this hole, and you still won’t let go?” Her voice broke into a sob.

Shen Xun watched her through narrowed eyes. “Zhao Xue, when you drugged me, did you really intend to send me to Zhang Chenggong’s bed?” She thought to herself: If you say no, I might believe you just this once.

Zhao Xue didn’t know what was in Shen Xun’s heart. She gave a cold, jagged laugh. “Yes. I wanted to put you in his bed. I’m at rock bottom anyway; why bother lying?”

Shen Xun closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were as cold as a stagnant pond. She reached into her bag, pulled out a small packet of powder, and held it out. Her voice was like ice.

“Will you take this yourself, or do I have to help you?”

Zhao Xue recognized the drug immediately. she recoiled, horror written across her face. “Shen… Shen Xun, what are you doing?”

“I’m returning the favor,” Shen Xun whispered, stepping closer. “If you won’t take it, I’ll make you.”

Zhao Xue shook her head frantically, covering her mouth, but Shen Xun was faster. She forced Zhao Xue’s jaw open and poured the powder in. It dissolved instantly. There was no going back.

Shen Xun let go and watched as Zhao Xue tried to scramble toward her bedroom. With a mirthless smile, Shen Xun followed her, slipping through the door just before Zhao Xue could slam it shut.

Zhao Xue was shaking like a leaf. “Get out! I took it, what else do you want?!”

The drug worked fast. Zhao Xue’s strength evaporated, and she collapsed onto the floor, wailing. “Why? Why won’t you let me go?”

Shen Xun looked down at her, feeling a strange, dull ache in her chest. She forced herself to ignore it. She picked the trembling woman up and placed her on the bed.

Zhao Xue curled into a ball, trying to hide her face. “Shen Xun, please… just go. Please.” Her voice was a pathetic, muffled plea.

Shen Xun stayed, her gaze heavy and dark. As the drug clouded Zhao Xue’s mind, the heat became unbearable. Her legs began to rub together instinctively. Her eyes, filled with a mix of fury and profound sadness, met Shen Xun’s.

Shen Xun didn’t understand the sadness.

As the heat intensified, Zhao Xue’s resolve crumbled. She began to unbutton her collar, her fingers shaking. “Don’t look at me… please, stop looking.”

Shen Xun suddenly moved, pinning Zhao Xue down. She pulled out her phone and pointed it at her. “Didn’t you say you took photos and videos of me? I’ll take one now. We’re even.”

Zhao Xue’s face went blank for a second before she began to thrash. “Don’t! I was lying, I never filmed you! Please don’t!”

Shen Xun paused for a fraction of a second, then continued. “How do I know you’re not lying now?” The flash went off.

Internally, Zhao Xue asked the System: [Baby, check what kind of photo she took.] System: [She just took a close-up of your face, Host.]

Zhao Xue’s plan was working. No matter how cold Shen Xun acted, she was leaving her own mark on her.

The flash flickered a few more times before Shen Xun tossed the phone aside. She leaned in, her movements deliberate and punishing. Zhao Xue cried out, her voice a repetitive “no,” but Shen Xun didn’t stop.

The heat of the drug made everything a blur. Through her tears, Zhao Xue saw the desire in Shen Xun’s eyes—it felt like the movie and reality were bleeding into one.

Shen Xun’s voice was raspy and detached. “Why look at me like that? It’ll make me think you like me. That would be disgusting.”

Zhao Xue gripped the sheets. There was no romance here, only a cycle of retribution. She knew Shen Xun was getting her revenge, yet her heart felt like it was breaking.

“I hate you, Shen Xun—”

Shen Xun stiffened. “Good. You love Qin Chen, don’t you? But your ‘A-Chen’ loves me.” She was speaking recklessly, driven by an irritation she couldn’t name.

She looked at Zhao Xue’s bitten, swollen lips—lips she had tasted many times on set. They were sweet, addicting. She leaned down and kissed her for real—no cameras, no script. She realized, with terrifying clarity, that she loved kissing this woman. She loved this.

Zhao Xue’s legs wrapped around Shen Xun’s waist. Shen Xun’s kiss was heavy and possessive. She held Zhao Xue’s jaw so she couldn’t bite back. That night, Zhao Xue’s tears never stopped.

At dawn, Shen Xun returned to her van. Her assistant, Xiao Li, woke up as she entered.

“Shen-laoshi, you’re back. Shall we go?”

Shen Xun leaned back and closed her eyes. “Go get some breakfast first, Xiao Li. Then take me home.”

Looking out at the dilapidated building, Shen Xun felt no relief. Zhao Xue was suffering far more than she ever had, yet she felt a weird, haunting anxiety. She sent a message to the contact she had forced Zhao Xue to add the night before.

Shen Xun: If you don’t want your photos online, do as I say.

Two weeks later, Shen Xun was on the set of her new film, Burning Sun. She found herself constantly checking her chat with Zhao Xue. There were no replies. No insults. Nothing.

Finally, having a day off tomorrow, she sent a message.

Shen Xun: Come to Hotel XX in A-City tonight. [Transfer: 10,000 RMB]

Shen Xun had always been protective of her money, having grown up poor. But she didn’t hesitate. She just wanted to see her. She wanted to kiss her—just a kiss.

By the time filming ended, a heavy rain was falling. “Xiao Li, drive faster,” Shen Xun urged.

When they arrived at the hotel, Shen Xun saw a drenched figure huddled by the entrance. The security had refused to let her in. It was Zhao Xue, soaked to the bone.

Shen Xun’s breath hitched. She stepped out of the car, ignoring her assistant’s calls about an umbrella. She walked through the downpour to the shivering woman.

“Zhao… Xue.”

The figure trembled and looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair plastered to her face. She looked like a drowned kitten.

“Is it fun?” Zhao Xue whispered, her voice cracking. “Is it fun to play with me like this?”

Shen Xun reached out to pull her up, but Zhao Xue slapped her hand away. Xiao Li, watching from a distance, was stunned. She had never seen the refined Shen-laoshi look so shaken.

“Are you an idiot?” Shen Xun snapped, her voice harsh to cover her panic. “I told you to come, but didn’t you think to hide from the rain?”

Zhao Xue gripped her fists, her voice muffled by her mask. “Yes, I’m an idiot! I’m the big idiot that everyone gets to bully now!”

She wiped the rain from her eyes and stood up unsteadily, refusing to look at Shen Xun. “Fine. What do you want me for?”

Shen Xun didn’t answer. She grabbed Zhao Xue’s hand and pulled her toward the hotel entrance.

“Go home, Xiao Li,” Shen Xun called back.

Xiao Li watched them disappear into the lobby. A secret, she thought. I’ve definitely stumbled onto a massive secret. Despite Shen Xun’s claim that she liked men, Xiao Li couldn’t help but wonder if she had just seen her boss’s hidden lover.

Oh well, Xiao Li sighed, turning the car around. Time to go home.