After a brief moment of surprise, Nan Yue narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Combined with the recent news, it was very likely that Qin Zhao's ability to buy VIP tickets was related to Ye Chenxi.
If so, in addition to being angry, she should also consider whether her relationship with Ye Chenxi should continue.
They weren't even married yet and Ye Chenxi already dared to cheat on her, things would only get worse if they got married.
She did like Ye Chenxi, but not blindly without self-respect. She had her own bottom line.
Nan Yue put away her complicated thoughts and moved her gaze to the stage where the show had already started.
Qin Zhao also finally breathed a sigh of relief. Being stared at by Nan Yue for a few seconds made the hairs on her back stand up.
Currently she had no money or influence. It would be very easy for Nan Yue to deal with her.
As expected, the drama was wonderful. Qin Zhao, who had only come to get close to Nan Yue, got absorbed in it as she watched.
What was annoying was that there were a few loud buffoons in the VIP seats. They seemed afraid no one would hear them and discussed the plot loudly.
Especially the person next to Nan Yue. His voice was so loud it nearly drowned out the actors.
Unconsciously, Nan Yue leaned her body to the right. Without armrests between the seats, her shoulder touched Qin Zhao.
"Sorry," Nan Yue quickly sat up straight.
Qin Zhao noticed Nan Yue's situation and suggested, "Why don't we switch seats?"
Hearing this, Nan Yue looked at Qin Zhao in surprise.
Her impression of Qin Zhao was that she was a vixen who seduced other people's boyfriends. Suddenly feeling Qin Zhao's kindness made her feel uncomfortable.
But she soon realized she was wearing a mask and Qin Zhao probably didn't recognize her.
Since Qin Zhao could steal her boyfriend, what was wrong with her taking a little advantage of Qin Zhao?
So Nan Yue nodded, and the two switched seats.
Sitting in the seat, Nan Yue was enveloped by the warmth Qin Zhao had left behind. A strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
Why did the other person appear here? Was it really a coincidence?
Qin Zhao was also annoyed. Nan Yue had switched seats with her because she disliked others discussing the drama loudly. Qin Zhao shouldn't use the same method to start a conversation with Nan Yue, that would just be asking for trouble.
She could only remain silent, at least leaving Nan Yue with a good impression.
Until the end of the show, neither spoke another word.
When the lights came on, Qin Zhao closed her eyes, blinded by the sudden brightness. When her eyes had adjusted, she found Nan Yue had already left.
In the crowd of departing viewers, she barely caught sight of Nan Yue's back as she walked out the door.
Qin Zhao quickened her pace, wanting to catch up, but soon gave up on the idea.
Even if she caught up to Nan Yue, what would she say?
But at that moment, she noticed another familiar figure.
Wearing a white shirt and black pants, slightly curly short hair, it could be none other than Zhao Feibai!
Qin Zhao thought of the scene in the book where Zhao Feibai had "rescued the beauty" and it seemed to take place tonight.
She decisively followed him out.
After buying a hair tie at the convenience store across from the theater and tying up her hair, Qin Zhao carefully followed Zhao Feibai from not too far behind.
About 500 meters ahead of her was Nan Yue walking in front.
It had to be said, the author didn't care about common sense at all just to move the plot forward for Nan Yue to walk such a long way without a driver picking her up.
After walking a while, Zhao Feibai's phone suddenly rang. He panicked and hurriedly took the phone out of his pocket and muted it.
Seeing his nervous reaction, Qin Zhao found it a bit strange. It was just a phone call, no need for such an exaggerated response. There must be something shady going on.
She saw him redial and said, "System, relay Zhao Feibai's conversation with the person on the other end of the phone in real time."
"You got it."
The system directly streamed the audio of Zhao Feibai's conversation.
Zhao Feibai: "Are you guys in position? She's already headed that way."
Man: "We're here, we're here! My legs are numb from standing so long!"
Zhao Feibai: "Okay, just wait there. Remember, don't hurt her, just scare her a bit."
Man lecherously laughed twice: "A little touching won't hurt, right? I've never seen such a pretty woman before."
Zhao Feibai's tone became cold: "No! If you dare touch her, I'll make you regret it! She's my woman!"
......
Qin Zhao could not bear to listen any further, she felt nauseous.
So the so-called heroic rescues were all an act orchestrated by Zhao Feibai himself!
Hearing a woman's scream, Qin Zhao came to her senses and quickly ran over.
Passing Zhao Feibai, Qin Zhao decisively kicked him. Zhao Feibai fell to the ground in confusion, looking extremely sorry for himself while cursing.
After seeing who had kicked him, he became even more furious and started insulting Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao ignored him and headed for Nan Yue and the thugs Zhao Feibai had hired.
The men had surrounded Nan Yue. Speaking indecently, one of them said, "My buddies and driver are headed this way. You can still get away if you leave now."
Her voice was steady and powerful. She didn't seem frightened at all, leaving the thugs looking at each other.
They hadn't expected this seemingly weak woman to have some guts.
Scarface said, "Nonsense! If you really had bodyguards and a driver, why aren't they waiting for you at the theater entrance? Why'd they let you walk so far?"
Nan Yue remained calm. "What's so strange about that? I dressed down tonight to be low-key. Of course they wouldn't wait at the entrance."
After watching a 4 hour show, stretching my legs feels nice."
The men looked at each other again, still unbelieving. Scarface was about to retort when Nan Yue added, "Who sent you? How much are they paying you? I'll double it. And another million if you tell me who sent you."
One of the grunts couldn't help but blurt out, "Really?!"
Scarface glared at him, but the situation had already changed. The atmosphere was no longer tense.
Nan Yue laughed softly. "Money is the one thing I'm not lacking. Tell me everything you know, I can afford it."
...
A few minutes later, Zhao Feibai's name had been sold out.
Qin Zhao watched the whole thing unfold from the shadows, also feeling conflicted.
She had thought the female lead was fearless, which was why she didn't want to interfere unnecessarily. If not for seeing Nan Yue's reaction now, how could she have imagined Nan Yue was just pretending to be calm?
Nan Yue's eyes instantly turned red as she yelled, "Let's see you get surrounded by a bunch of ugly, smelly men!"
Qin Zhao waved her hands placatingly. "No need for that. But you put on a really good performance just now."
Nan Yue wiped her tears. "So that's why you didn't come out and help me?"
Qin Zhao walked over and gently embraced Nan Yue, saying "Of course not. I just didn't want to interrupt your moment of glory. If they had really hurt you, I would have stepped in."
Being hugged, Nan Yue's body stiffened and she stammered, "You...you..."
Perhaps it was because Qin Zhao's actions were gentle, but Nan Yue gave up on pushing her away. She leaned her head on Qin Zhao's shoulder, sniffling, "I...I really was so scared just now."
Qin Zhao patted her back comfortingly. "Relax, Nan Yue. You did great."
Hearing her own name suddenly, Nan Yue froze. Coming to her senses, she hastily retreated two steps, breaking free of Qin Zhao's embrace. Eyes wide, she questioned, "How do you know it's me?!"
Qin Zhao calmly tidied her clothes. "Your perfume. I smelled it in Ye Chenxi's office before. It's very nice, so I remembered it."
Though a bit contrived, it was the truth.
Nan Yue could not refute it.
After a moment, Nan Yue suddenly let out a cold laugh. "You knew it was me yet still followed me here. Could it be you came to see me make a fool of myself? No wonder you hid in the shadows instead of coming out. Saying you didn't want to disrupt my moment of glory, how laughable!"
Qin Zhao's expression also grew cold, her lips pressed tightly together.
Seeing Qin Zhao's silence, Nan Yue continued her cold ridicule. "What's wrong, nothing to say in your defense?"
At this moment, a man limping along came from not far away.
Qin Zhao stood at the street corner. Zhao Feibai didn't see her, so he asked Nan Yue from afar, "Miss, are you alright?"
Nan Yue's gaze turned to Zhao Feibai, her expression even colder. She already knew tonight's incident was instigated by Zhao Feibai.
Seeing him hypocritically show concern for her now instantly ignited her anger, making her want to rush over and punch Zhao Feibai.
But constrained by her status as a young miss, she didn't make a move.
So she looked to Qin Zhao and said, "Go beat up Zhao Feibai for me. Then I'll forgive you."
Qin Zhao was angry that Nan Yue was slandering her, so of course she wouldn't give Nan Yue any smile. She just said, "Keep dreaming. Anything can happen in dreams."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Feibai walked over, rubbing the bruise on his chin. He asked Nan Yue as if nothing had happened, "Who are you talking to?"
Then he saw Qin Zhao, and his expression drastically changed. There was faint fear in his eyes. He didn't expect the kick Qin Zhao gave him made his face hit the ground, leaving him unable to move for twenty minutes.
The power and destructiveness were simply unheard of.
Qin Zhao glanced coldly at him, scaring Zhao Feibai so much that he immediately knelt on the ground, begging for mercy nonstop. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here. I was just passing by. I'll leave now. Please don't make things difficult for me!"
As Zhao Feibai begged for mercy, he also retreated backwards on his knees, trying to escape.
Seeing all this, Nan Yue realized she had wrongly accused Qin Zhao. Qin Zhao had already taught Zhao Feibai a lesson when the thugs showed up.
Qin Zhao knew about Zhao Feibai being the mastermind behind the scenes even earlier than herself. If she really wanted to watch with indifference, why would she have beaten up Zhao Feibai like this?
Just as Zhao Feibai thought he had retreated to a safe distance and wanted to get up and run away, Qin Zhao's voice came: "Stand still and explain everything clearly before you scram."
So Zhao Feibai could only tell the whole story with a crying face as he returned to stand before the two.
Nan Yue listened with complicated expressions.
"Miss Nan, I like you. I've liked you for a long time, ever since the first time you came to the company to see Ye Chenxi. But I could never find a chance to express myself.
My friends saw me frowning all day and came up with this stupid idea, to set you up together with those people.
But please believe me, I never intended to harm you. Those people were only meant to scare you a bit, and then I would step in to resolve it.
It was just an act, that's all. Please forgive my childish behavior."
As he spoke, Zhao Feibai even looked at Nan Yue with deep affection, mumbling, "It was all because I like you!"
Nan Yue was disgusted by Zhao Feibai's greasy and pretentious expression. She turned her gaze to Qin Zhao's exquisite and cold features, feeling much better.
She took off her mask and breathed in some fresh air, then said expressionlessly, "Liking someone yet using harm to express it. You remind me of elementary school boys who would pull girls' hair just to get their attention. Your affection is immature and cheap."
Such an evaluation made Zhao Feibai's face alternate between red and white. He was so devastated that he lost the energy to refute.
"Don't let me see you again in the future. You only make me feel nauseous."
After Nan Yue finished, she ignored Zhao Feibai who was paralyzed on the ground and pulled Qin Zhao's hand as she walked forward.
Qin Zhao let her pull along.
After walking for over ten minutes, a car slowly drove over and stopped beside the two.
Someone got out of the car, opened the door for Nan Yue, and respectfully invited Nan Yue to get in the car.
Nan Yue said to Qin Zhao, "Let's get in the car first. I'll take you home."
Qin Zhao gave Nan Yue a look, making Nan Yue feel a little guilty and avert her eyes.
The corners of Qin Zhao's lips curved up imperceptibly. She was actually very thankful for this misunderstanding, as it allowed their relationship to progress.
She told the driver an address, and the car started moving.
Inside the car, the two sat quietly, neither speaking first, as if competing to see who would crack first.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense.
After half an hour, Nan Yue finally couldn't stand it and spoke up, "I'm sorry..."
After a long pause, Qin Zhao hmm'ed in response, then asked, "Sorry for what?"
"I shouldn't have misunderstood you." To avoid seeming too passive, Nan Yue quickly added, "You didn't deliberately not help me. You...you're a good person."
Qin Zhao frowned. She hadn't even started chasing yet but was already given the "good person card". This wouldn't do.
Hearing no response from Qin Zhao, Nan Yue thought she was still angry and carefully asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Did I say something wrong?"
After a brief moment of surprise, Nan Yue narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Combined with the recent news, it was very likely that Qin Zhao's ability to buy VIP tickets was related to Ye Chenxi.
If so, in addition to being angry, she should also consider whether her relationship with Ye Chenxi should continue.
They weren't even married yet and Ye Chenxi already dared to cheat on her, things would only get worse if they got married.
She did like Ye Chenxi, but not blindly without self-respect. She had her own bottom line.
Nan Yue put away her complicated thoughts and moved her gaze to the stage where the show had already started.
Qin Zhao also finally breathed a sigh of relief. Being stared at by Nan Yue for a few seconds made the hairs on her back stand up.
Currently she had no money or influence. It would be very easy for Nan Yue to deal with her.
As expected, the drama was wonderful. Qin Zhao, who had only come to get close to Nan Yue, got absorbed in it as she watched.
What was annoying was that there were a few loud buffoons in the VIP seats. They seemed afraid no one would hear them and discussed the plot loudly.
Especially the person next to Nan Yue. His voice was so loud it nearly drowned out the actors.
Unconsciously, Nan Yue leaned her body to the right. Without armrests between the seats, her shoulder touched Qin Zhao.
"Sorry," Nan Yue quickly sat up straight.
Qin Zhao noticed Nan Yue's situation and suggested, "Why don't we switch seats?"
Hearing this, Nan Yue looked at Qin Zhao in surprise.
Her impression of Qin Zhao was that she was a vixen who seduced other people's boyfriends. Suddenly feeling Qin Zhao's kindness made her feel uncomfortable.
But she soon realized she was wearing a mask and Qin Zhao probably didn't recognize her.
Since Qin Zhao could steal her boyfriend, what was wrong with her taking a little advantage of Qin Zhao?
So Nan Yue nodded, and the two switched seats.
Sitting in the seat, Nan Yue was enveloped by the warmth Qin Zhao had left behind. A strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
Why did the other person appear here? Was it really a coincidence?
Qin Zhao was also annoyed. Nan Yue had switched seats with her because she disliked others discussing the drama loudly. Qin Zhao shouldn't use the same method to start a conversation with Nan Yue, that would just be asking for trouble.
She could only remain silent, at least leaving Nan Yue with a good impression.
Until the end of the show, neither spoke another word.
When the lights came on, Qin Zhao closed her eyes, blinded by the sudden brightness. When her eyes had adjusted, she found Nan Yue had already left.
In the crowd of departing viewers, she barely caught sight of Nan Yue's back as she walked out the door.
Qin Zhao quickened her pace, wanting to catch up, but soon gave up on the idea.
Even if she caught up to Nan Yue, what would she say?
But at that moment, she noticed another familiar figure.
Wearing a white shirt and black pants, slightly curly short hair, it could be none other than Zhao Feibai!
Qin Zhao thought of the scene in the book where Zhao Feibai had "rescued the beauty" and it seemed to take place tonight.
She decisively followed him out.
After buying a hair tie at the convenience store across from the theater and tying up her hair, Qin Zhao carefully followed Zhao Feibai from not too far behind.
About 500 meters ahead of her was Nan Yue walking in front.
It had to be said, the author didn't care about common sense at all just to move the plot forward for Nan Yue to walk such a long way without a driver picking her up.
After walking a while, Zhao Feibai's phone suddenly rang. He panicked and hurriedly took the phone out of his pocket and muted it.
Seeing his nervous reaction, Qin Zhao found it a bit strange. It was just a phone call, no need for such an exaggerated response. There must be something shady going on.
She saw him redial and said, "System, relay Zhao Feibai's conversation with the person on the other end of the phone in real time."
"You got it."
The system directly streamed the audio of Zhao Feibai's conversation.
Zhao Feibai: "Are you guys in position? She's already headed that way."
Man: "We're here, we're here! My legs are numb from standing so long!"
Zhao Feibai: "Okay, just wait there. Remember, don't hurt her, just scare her a bit."
Man lecherously laughed twice: "A little touching won't hurt, right? I've never seen such a pretty woman before."
Zhao Feibai's tone became cold: "No! If you dare touch her, I'll make you regret it! She's my woman!"
......
Qin Zhao could not bear to listen any further, she felt nauseous.
So the so-called heroic rescues were all an act orchestrated by Zhao Feibai himself!
Hearing a woman's scream, Qin Zhao came to her senses and quickly ran over.
Passing Zhao Feibai, Qin Zhao decisively kicked him. Zhao Feibai fell to the ground in confusion, looking extremely sorry for himself while cursing.
After seeing who had kicked him, he became even more furious and started insulting Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao ignored him and headed for Nan Yue and the thugs Zhao Feibai had hired.
The men had surrounded Nan Yue. Speaking indecently, one of them said, "My buddies and driver are headed this way. You can still get away if you leave now."
Her voice was steady and powerful. She didn't seem frightened at all, leaving the thugs looking at each other.
They hadn't expected this seemingly weak woman to have some guts.
Scarface said, "Nonsense! If you really had bodyguards and a driver, why aren't they waiting for you at the theater entrance? Why'd they let you walk so far?"
Nan Yue remained calm. "What's so strange about that? I dressed down tonight to be low-key. Of course they wouldn't wait at the entrance."
After watching a 4 hour show, stretching my legs feels nice."
The men looked at each other again, still unbelieving. Scarface was about to retort when Nan Yue added, "Who sent you? How much are they paying you? I'll double it. And another million if you tell me who sent you."
One of the grunts couldn't help but blurt out, "Really?!"
Scarface glared at him, but the situation had already changed. The atmosphere was no longer tense.
Nan Yue laughed softly. "Money is the one thing I'm not lacking. Tell me everything you know, I can afford it."
...
A few minutes later, Zhao Feibai's name had been sold out.
Qin Zhao watched the whole thing unfold from the shadows, also feeling conflicted.
She had thought the female lead was fearless, which was why she didn't want to interfere unnecessarily. If not for seeing Nan Yue's reaction now, how could she have imagined Nan Yue was just pretending to be calm?
Nan Yue's eyes instantly turned red as she yelled, "Let's see you get surrounded by a bunch of ugly, smelly men!"
Qin Zhao waved her hands placatingly. "No need for that. But you put on a really good performance just now."
Nan Yue wiped her tears. "So that's why you didn't come out and help me?"
Qin Zhao walked over and gently embraced Nan Yue, saying "Of course not. I just didn't want to interrupt your moment of glory. If they had really hurt you, I would have stepped in."
Being hugged, Nan Yue's body stiffened and she stammered, "You...you..."
Perhaps it was because Qin Zhao's actions were gentle, but Nan Yue gave up on pushing her away. She leaned her head on Qin Zhao's shoulder, sniffling, "I...I really was so scared just now."
Qin Zhao patted her back comfortingly. "Relax, Nan Yue. You did great."
Hearing her own name suddenly, Nan Yue froze. Coming to her senses, she hastily retreated two steps, breaking free of Qin Zhao's embrace. Eyes wide, she questioned, "How do you know it's me?!"
Qin Zhao calmly tidied her clothes. "Your perfume. I smelled it in Ye Chenxi's office before. It's very nice, so I remembered it."
Though a bit contrived, it was the truth.
Nan Yue could not refute it.
After a moment, Nan Yue suddenly let out a cold laugh. "You knew it was me yet still followed me here. Could it be you came to see me make a fool of myself? No wonder you hid in the shadows instead of coming out. Saying you didn't want to disrupt my moment of glory, how laughable!"
Qin Zhao's expression also grew cold, her lips pressed tightly together.
Seeing Qin Zhao's silence, Nan Yue continued her cold ridicule. "What's wrong, nothing to say in your defense?"
At this moment, a man limping along came from not far away.
Qin Zhao stood at the street corner. Zhao Feibai didn't see her, so he asked Nan Yue from afar, "Miss, are you alright?"
Nan Yue's gaze turned to Zhao Feibai, her expression even colder. She already knew tonight's incident was instigated by Zhao Feibai.
Seeing him hypocritically show concern for her now instantly ignited her anger, making her want to rush over and punch Zhao Feibai.
But constrained by her status as a young miss, she didn't make a move.
So she looked to Qin Zhao and said, "Go beat up Zhao Feibai for me. Then I'll forgive you."
Qin Zhao was angry that Nan Yue was slandering her, so of course she wouldn't give Nan Yue any smile. She just said, "Keep dreaming. Anything can happen in dreams."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Feibai walked over, rubbing the bruise on his chin. He asked Nan Yue as if nothing had happened, "Who are you talking to?"
Then he saw Qin Zhao, and his expression drastically changed. There was faint fear in his eyes. He didn't expect the kick Qin Zhao gave him made his face hit the ground, leaving him unable to move for twenty minutes.
The power and destructiveness were simply unheard of.
Qin Zhao glanced coldly at him, scaring Zhao Feibai so much that he immediately knelt on the ground, begging for mercy nonstop. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here. I was just passing by. I'll leave now. Please don't make things difficult for me!"
As Zhao Feibai begged for mercy, he also retreated backwards on his knees, trying to escape.
Seeing all this, Nan Yue realized she had wrongly accused Qin Zhao. Qin Zhao had already taught Zhao Feibai a lesson when the thugs showed up.
Qin Zhao knew about Zhao Feibai being the mastermind behind the scenes even earlier than herself. If she really wanted to watch with indifference, why would she have beaten up Zhao Feibai like this?
Just as Zhao Feibai thought he had retreated to a safe distance and wanted to get up and run away, Qin Zhao's voice came: "Stand still and explain everything clearly before you scram."
So Zhao Feibai could only tell the whole story with a crying face as he returned to stand before the two.
Nan Yue listened with complicated expressions.
"Miss Nan, I like you. I've liked you for a long time, ever since the first time you came to the company to see Ye Chenxi. But I could never find a chance to express myself.
My friends saw me frowning all day and came up with this stupid idea, to set you up together with those people.
But please believe me, I never intended to harm you. Those people were only meant to scare you a bit, and then I would step in to resolve it.
It was just an act, that's all. Please forgive my childish behavior."
As he spoke, Zhao Feibai even looked at Nan Yue with deep affection, mumbling, "It was all because I like you!"
Nan Yue was disgusted by Zhao Feibai's greasy and pretentious expression. She turned her gaze to Qin Zhao's exquisite and cold features, feeling much better.
She took off her mask and breathed in some fresh air, then said expressionlessly, "Liking someone yet using harm to express it. You remind me of elementary school boys who would pull girls' hair just to get their attention. Your affection is immature and cheap."
Such an evaluation made Zhao Feibai's face alternate between red and white. He was so devastated that he lost the energy to refute.
"Don't let me see you again in the future. You only make me feel nauseous."
After Nan Yue finished, she ignored Zhao Feibai who was paralyzed on the ground and pulled Qin Zhao's hand as she walked forward.
Qin Zhao let her pull along.
After walking for over ten minutes, a car slowly drove over and stopped beside the two.
Someone got out of the car, opened the door for Nan Yue, and respectfully invited Nan Yue to get in the car.
Nan Yue said to Qin Zhao, "Let's get in the car first. I'll take you home."
Qin Zhao gave Nan Yue a look, making Nan Yue feel a little guilty and avert her eyes.
The corners of Qin Zhao's lips curved up imperceptibly. She was actually very thankful for this misunderstanding, as it allowed their relationship to progress.
She told the driver an address, and the car started moving.
Inside the car, the two sat quietly, neither speaking first, as if competing to see who would crack first.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense.
After half an hour, Nan Yue finally couldn't stand it and spoke up, "I'm sorry..."
After a long pause, Qin Zhao hmm'ed in response, then asked, "Sorry for what?"
"I shouldn't have misunderstood you." To avoid seeming too passive, Nan Yue quickly added, "You didn't deliberately not help me. You...you're a good person."
Qin Zhao frowned. She hadn't even started chasing yet but was already given the "good person card". This wouldn't do.
Hearing no response from Qin Zhao, Nan Yue thought she was still angry and carefully asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Did I say something wrong?"
