Chapter 21: I, Ling Qiong, Send Money! (21)

Shen Qinchuan must have had a lapse in judgment, because the very next day, he actually came to see her.

Early in the morning, Ling Qiong stepped out only to run right into him, leaving her utterly speechless.

She’d told him not to pester her—why couldn’t he understand?

“Why are you still living here?” Shen Qinchuan’s distaste for the place was obvious.

Did she lack money?

Was there any need to stay somewhere like this?

Ling Qiong shrugged. “Mr. Shen, if I chose to live in the sky, that would be my business, wouldn’t it? It’s not your concern.”

“…”

Evidently, Shen Qinchuan had no desire to argue with her. “Have you given any thought to what I mentioned?”

“You mean helping you fool your grandmother?” Ling Qiong replied.

“Don’t worry, there’ll only be a few times each month when I need your cooperation,” he assured her.

Ling Qiong sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you.”

“???” Shen Qinchuan was puzzled.

With feigned regret, Ling Qiong refused. “It’s just that I’m too kind-hearted. I can’t bring myself to deceive an elderly person. So, Mr. Shen, you’d better find someone else.”

She still needed to romance her paper-thin love interest. If she tried to juggle two boats and capsized, what then?

Her goal was to clear the game perfectly.

With so many NPCs around, it hardly mattered whom she tricked. Sure, the male lead was an easy target, but digging her own grave wasn’t ideal.

A vein throbbed at Shen Qinchuan’s brow. “You think I haven’t tried? My grandmother only recognizes you. State any condition you like.”

“That’s not the reason,” Ling Qiong replied.

“Then what is it?”

“Um…”

“Miss Su.” Lu Wenci appeared from inside the building, a mask covering his face. Spotting Shen Qinchuan, he hesitated, unsure whether to approach.

Without missing a beat, Ling Qiong stepped back and looped her arm through Lu Wenci’s, lifting her face toward Shen Qinchuan. “This is the reason.”

“???” Shen Qinchuan was dumbfounded.

“…” Lu Wenci was at a loss.

He instinctively looked at Shen Qinchuan.

So this was her former fiancé?

In person, he looked even more distinguished than in photos—the very picture of a young noble raised in wealth, every movement exuding refinement.

Lu Wenci couldn’t help feeling a pang of inferiority.

Ling Qiong offered Shen Qinchuan a gentle smile. “Please, Mr. Shen, don’t trouble me anymore. We really aren’t suited for each other.”

“…”

“???” Shen Qinchuan’s mind spun.

Who wanted to be suited with you?

Ling Qiong left with Lu Wenci on her arm, while Shen Qinchuan stood rooted to the spot, stunned by her words: “We really aren’t suited for each other.”

It wasn’t until his assistant called him that Shen Qinchuan, face grim, slid into his car. “Find out who that man was just now.”

The assistant, cowed by his boss’s dark mood, barely dared to breathe and hurried off to do as he was told.

He wasted no time, and soon delivered Lu Wenci’s file to Shen Qinchuan.

As Shen Qinchuan flipped through the dossier, his expression grew darker.

She’d given up the position of Mrs. Shen to mingle with some unknown minor celebrity…

Was she out of her mind?

“This little star is pretty good-looking,” a friend remarked, holding up a photo for comparison. “Really, he’s on par with you. What a face.”

“Get lost!” Shen Qinchuan batted his friend’s hand away.

“Oh, come on, what’s with you?” The friend put the photo down, leaning in. “You don’t even like Su Miaomiao, so why are you so upset?”

“…” Shen Qinchuan had no answer.

The friend waggled his brows. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for her?”

“Fall for her?” Shen Qinchuan immediately denied it. “Impossible. Not in this lifetime.”

“Then what’s there to be angry about? Even if she chose to date a beggar, it’s none of your business.”

“She broke off the engagement in front of everyone,” Shen Qinchuan spat. “Now she’s with someone like that—who is she humiliating?”

Was he, Shen Qinchuan, no match for some third-rate actor?

“So are you still going to ask her for help?”

Shen Qinchuan’s handsome face was cold as ice. “If she wants to throw her life away, what use do I have for her?”

The friend could only sigh and shake his head.

…

After Lu Wenci wrapped filming for that drama, all he could do was wait for the broadcast date.

In the meantime, Chen Fangchuan arranged other work for him. With his lack of fame, none of the opportunities were especially promising.

But when “Splendid World” finally aired, Lu Wenci became an overnight sensation, and a fan club sprang up before dawn.

His character was a highlight—both the role itself and Lu Wenci’s performance captivated the audience.

With his looks, it would be a crime not to become popular.

As Chen Fangchuan had always said, stardom was only a matter of time if he kept working hard.

Lu Wenci, however, felt lost.

He’d been suppressed for so long, he’d nearly forgotten his own strengths.

The sudden fame left even him in disbelief.

With the show’s popularity, his schedule exploded. Chen Fangchuan was taking him everywhere, and he hardly had time to come home.

…

Ling Qiong lounged in her room, watching dramas while hugging a giant watermelon, scooping out the sweetest part from the center.

Lu Wenci, finally home after ages, walked in to find her like this. His gaze flicked to the computer screen, and he felt a surge of awkwardness.

He’d found it embarrassing enough to watch himself act alone—seeing her watch him was even worse.

“Why are you watching this?”

“It’s made to be watched, isn’t it? Why shouldn’t I?” After all, she’d drawn him from the gacha. She had to see how he turned out!

“…”

Lu Wenci glanced at the screen. It was a scene between him and the male lead—he’d been falsely accused and thrown into prison, and the male lead had come to visit.

His prison clothes were filthy, his hair a mess, shackled hand and foot, sitting on the cold ground, his eyes dark as he gazed at the small window in his cell.

Suddenly, Ling Qiong handed him the watermelon. “I’m done.”

Lu Wenci looked away from the screen and down at the fruit she’d thrust into his arms.

Only the center had been eaten; the rest was untouched.

He’d always known about her habit of eating only the heart of the watermelon and leaving the rest for him, thinking it wasteful.

Ling Qiong belatedly asked, “Why are you home?”

“…Brother Chen gave me a day off.”

He’d been so busy lately, his body was wearing down. With a break in his schedule, he’d been told to rest.

Ling Qiong nodded in satisfaction. “Oh, not a bad deal.”

“…”

Seeing how focused she was on the show, Lu Wenci didn’t feel right telling her to stop, nor could he bring himself to sit and watch with her. So, he simply left with the watermelon.

…

After watching two episodes, Ling Qiong picked up her phone to check her social media.

#Blazing Sun Like Song#

This trending topic was fifth on the list, and clicking in, she found nothing but pictures of Lu Wenci.

All sorts of screenshots—moving, still, with captions, without.

In “Splendid World,” Lu Wenci played a calm, steady character, though his name—Xia Lieyang—was anything but.

[I’ve fallen head over heels, what a stunning young man.]

[Started watching out of boredom, but I never expected to stumble upon such a treasure!!]

[This is his first drama—please support him, everyone.]

[The plot is gripping, the cast’s acting top-notch, plus a face that defies the heavens. You can’t go wrong with this show.]

[I suddenly want to become a fangirl.]

Ling Qiong skimmed through the comments about Lu Wenci. For now, it seemed most of his fans were drawn by his looks.

Her eyes flickered as she opened her homepage and tapped into the gallery.

Sure enough, the artwork for the Lieyang card had changed—