After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: This Really Doesn’t Look Good!

What did her outburst have to do with anyone else?

Fu Qingyun thought she could control her? The moment Qiao Sijin’s anger surged, she tried to fling away Fu Qingyun’s fingers from her wrist—
as if she’d been touched by something filthy.

“I don’t need you meddling, Fu Qingyun. Who do you think you are?”

Her eyes were full of hatred—all those years of unspoken resentment seemed to explode at once, unable to be contained any longer.

“And you, Li Ke… why are you with President Fu so late at night?”

She dragged out the words “President Fu,” as if mocking the very title.
Qiao Sijin didn’t want to hear the obvious answer, not even if Li Ke tried to lie to her.

Was she really supposed to accept that one by one, everyone close to her would abandon her just because of Fu Qingyun’s power?

Seeing the sadness in Qiao Sijin’s eyes, Li Ke felt like a criminal caught red-handed. She clutched the kraft envelope tightly and lowered her head, avoiding her gaze.

“It’s not what you think… Boss, there’s nothing between President Fu and me. We just happened to run into each other here… Boss, I’m telling the truth.”

Only by staring at the ground could Li Ke manage to get the words out. She sighed deeply in her heart.
It was over. Her boss was already in a fragile state, and this whole mess had just lit the fuse on a gas tank.

“I came here to see her. It has nothing to do with Li Ke,” Fu Qingyun said, letting go of Qiao Sijin’s sleeve, her fingers curling slightly.

“And you think I’ll believe you?”

“You’ve broken your word again and again—trampling on everything we ever said to each other.”

“Fu Qingyun… you’re really nothing.”

For once, Qiao Sijin stood tall, looking Fu Qingyun in the eye. Her eyes were misty with tears, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Her long hair draped over her shoulders. Though it was she who was being aggressive, it was Fu Qingyun who felt like her chest was being crushed.

In front of her overlapped the image of the Qiao Sijin she used to know—bright and warm like spring sunshine.
So different from the forceful, bl00d-boiling accusations now being hurled at her.

“You’re drunk.”

“I apologize for what happened last time. I wasn’t thinking straight—I acted impulsively, driven by emotion.”

Even though Fu Qingyun herself was on the verge of losing control, she still forced herself to keep calm.

She had never seriously thought about whether to salvage this relationship. After acting on impulse for so long, she’d come to realize she didn’t even understand herself anymore.

And besides… did they ever really have love between them?

Because the moment the contract ended, Qiao Sijin had been able to cut ties cleanly and declare they should never speak again.

“You think I’m drunk now?”

“Then I’ll show you what drunk really looks like, Fu… Qingyun!”

Did this woman really not understand, or was she just pretending to be oblivious?

Qiao Sijin leaned forward, letting herself go.
Truthfully, she wasn’t that drunk.

Otherwise, how could she have marched right up to Li Ke and Fu Qingyun with such clarity and fury?

She felt cold fingers cradling her face—then her lips crashed down.
First it was warm, then wet, tinged with the strong scent of alcohol.

Immediately, Fu Qingyun frowned.

The metallic taste of bl00d spread in her mouth. Qiao Sijin had bitten her—hard—like she was possessed.
And on top of that, she stomped hard on her foot.

Even the pain felt strangely dull.

Watching this unfold, Li Ke nearly passed out. They were… kissing.
Right under the company building!

This… really didn’t look good!

Hadn’t her boss said she was done with President Fu?
So how did things escalate to this again?

Unbelievable. Absolutely outrageous!!

Could they just… take a break? Maybe pause the kissing for a moment?

But Li Ke couldn’t bring herself to interrupt such an intimate scene, so she simply clenched her fist and raised it to her mouth—

Clearing her throat.

“Ahem… Ahem ahem…”

But even when she coughed so hard it felt like her lungs were going to come out, her boss still didn’t budge.

Their noses bumped together, almost painfully. Qiao Sijin refused to let go, seemingly fueled by some inexplicable strength.
In her mind, she kept replaying her earlier conversation with Xu You.

…

“I’m telling you, when someone keeps clinging to you like this, the only way to deal with them is to hit hard—go all in, make her fall for you completely—”

“—then crush her and walk away without looking back.”

“Let her know what being abandoned feels like. Right?”

Xu You had been holding a glass of wine, speaking like an expert.
As a veteran paparazzo, she’d seen it all. Nothing shocked her anymore.

“That’s easy for you to say, Youzi. But it’s not that simple. Like the saying goes—’you can’t force the fish to bite.’ You can’t trap someone unless they’re willing.”

“There has to be genuine desire, right?”

Qiu Zhirou offered a more cautious view. Given how deeply Qiao Sijin had loved Fu Qingyun in the past, she worried Xu You’s strategy would just end up backfiring.

But she didn’t dare say that out loud, afraid Qiao Sijin would get mad and do something reckless again.

“Well, that just depends on how skilled the fisherman is.”

Xu You, slightly tipsy, couldn’t stop herself from saying what she really thought.

“Isn’t our little Sijin the perfect example of what not to do? Back in college, she was practically reeled in like a prize fish.”

Qiao Sijin clearly didn’t appreciate that remark. She pushed the bottle of liquor in front of her toward Xu You, glaring.

“That’s ancient history. No one’s allowed to bring that up anymore.”

Hearing that, Xu You laughed and set her glass back on the table before she spilled it.

“So you do know it was a mistake.”

“Sijin… I don’t think you’ll ever really change. Deep down, you still love Fu Qingyun. Don’t you?”

Straight to the point. Xu You hit the nail on the head—and Qiao Sijin couldn’t say a word in response.

“See? Told you I was right. If you can’t flip the script, Sijin, then you’ll never take back control of your own story.”

“That’s what really matters.”

Mimicking Xu You’s posture, Qiao Sijin set her own glass down on the table and crossed her arms, totally unconvinced.

“Who says I can’t take the lead?”

“I’ve flushed all the foolishness out of my system over the years. No way I’m falling for her again.”

“Someday, I’m going to make Fu Qingyun beg me to stay—and then I’ll kick her to the curb without hesitation.”

It sounded powerful.
Though how much of that was just bravado… well, that remained to be seen.

Xu You simply gave her a silent thumbs-up.

“I wish you luck.”