After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Xiaojin, You Were Born to Be a Bad Woman

With a snap of her fingers, the night breeze blew in, gently stirring Qiao Sijin’s long hair. She looked at Xu You with a face full of curiosity.

To be honest, this was the first time Xu You felt pressured like this. But seeing those eyes filled with anticipation, she cleared her throat.

“Alright, since you were so honest, I’ll tell you,” she began. “This next point is crucial—you have to be ruthless. No matter how much Fu Qingyun tries to play the pity card in front of you, don’t fall for it.”

“Can you do that?”

Qiao Sijin nodded, showing she understood. Hiding her emotions? Please. She’d been acting for two lifetimes—what couldn’t she fake?

“Second, keep her at a distance. And if you happen to have any annoying suitors hanging around, use them to block her. That’s sure to trigger that ‘superior and aloof’ CEO complex in Fu Qingyun. She’ll start to panic.”

At this, a few names immediately popped into Qiao Sijin’s mind, but she shook her head.

“That doesn’t feel right. Isn’t that kind of… shady? I’m a nice person. I’ve never really done anything bad.”

Finally, Qiu Zhirou managed to chime in. She raised her hand and gave Qiao Sijin a high-five, which Qiao instantly returned.

Clap—a crisp sound. Xu You watched these two goofballs with a restrained smile.

“I support you, Xiaojin. But be warned, karma’s real. Xu You’s already lost all her virtue—she doesn’t care if she gets struck by lightning. But you still need to stay safe.”

“What are you saying?” Xu You huffed. “I’ve done all this and not once have I been hit by lightning!”

“Stop, stop!” she added dramatically. “If you want the wolf, you have to sacrifice the child! What’s wrong with being a bad woman? Bad women are awesome, okay?”

“Xiaojin, I’m telling you—you were born to be a bad woman. If you stay soft-hearted, your whole life’s screwed. You get it?”

“Only bad women have that energy!”

…

Back in her car, Fu Qingyun pulled out the broken necklace from her pocket again and stared at it for a long while, unable to say a word.

How did it come to this?

When did Sijin start to drift further and further away from her?

Or… was it her own rejections that slowly pushed their relationship into this abyss?

“President Fu, do you want to get the necklace repaired?”

“It’d be a shame to waste it.”

Ye Ke, sitting in the driver’s seat, noticed that Fu Qingyun had been staring at the broken chain in her palm, clearly lost in thought.

“Yes. Of course it needs to be repaired.”

“Find the best artisan. I want it… as good as new.”

That’s what she said, but Fu Qingyun knew very well—some things could never go back to how they were, just like this shattered necklace.

“Understood, President Fu.”

Ye Ke sighed inwardly. A damaged thing restored would never truly be like before. And there’s no way President Fu didn’t understand that—she was just lying to herself now.

It was better not to say anything more to upset her.

Closing her palm, Fu Qingyun leaned lazily back in her seat, eyes shutting as memories surged through her mind.

Qiao Sijin’s birthday.

She’d postponed all her meetings, pushed her schedule again and again. Jet lagged and exhausted, she changed flights to make it back in time for Qiao Sijin’s birthday.

By the time she arrived at the apartment building, it was already 11 p.m.

Not too late, she told herself. After parking the car, she grabbed the gift box and took the elevator up.

The gift had been custom-made long ago, crafted by a jeweler to match Qiao Sijin’s tastes.

Hopefully… she would like it?

Fu Qingyun wasn’t sure. But in the past, every gift she gave Qiao Sijin had been met with joy, sometimes even surprise.

She reached the door. Although the fingerprint lock included her own fingerprint, she still politely knocked instead of just walking in.

After just a few seconds, the door opened.

Qiao Sijin had clearly just gotten out of the shower—her hair damp, carrying the floral scent of body wash.

“You’re back, Sis?”

“Come in.”

She took out a pair of slippers from the shoe rack and placed them by Fu Qingyun’s feet.

This apartment had been bought with Qiao Sijin’s own savings—it wasn’t one of the properties gifted to her by Fu Qingyun. Those properties were mentioned in their contract, but Qiao Sijin had never touched them.

“Nice place. You designed it yourself?”

She had asked Fu Qingyun a few times before about interior design, but Fu always gave vague answers. She wasn’t exactly an expert in that field.

To Qiao Sijin, Fu Qingyun’s indifference was frustrating. She even began to reflect: Had she been putting too much pressure on Fu?

So in the days that followed, she stopped messaging her altogether.

“Yeah. I decorated it the way I like.”

“By the way, Sis, did you come back early to celebrate my birthday?”

With her hands behind her back, Qiao Sijin’s heart was pounding. It was her birthday, and it didn’t seem like Fu Qingyun would’ve rushed back otherwise—she was always so busy.

She hadn’t expected much tonight. Her family was likely asleep by now, and had Fu Qingyun not shown up, she’d probably be curled up in bed already.

“Yes. I brought you a birthday present.”

“Open it. See if you like it?”

After changing shoes, Fu Qingyun handed over the gift box. Qiao Sijin had seen it when Fu walked in but hadn’t mentioned it.

“Thank you, Sis.”

“This is actually my first birthday gift this year.”

Since it was so late, she hadn’t received any others yet. Had Fu not shown up, she might not have gotten anything at all today.

“Then I’m honored to be the first.”

Qiao Sijin opened the package. Inside the black velvet box lay a delicate silver necklace, glittering with tiny diamonds, each perfectly cut, reflecting a rainbow of colors.

“It’s too much… Sis, I can’t accept this.”

“Just having you here is enough.”

That’s what she said—but deep down, she really loved the design. It was like it had been crafted just for her.

As if it were born for her.