After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A-Jin… Don’t Leave Me

Thrown into the front passenger seat, Fu Qingyun was still in a daze. Her head leaned against the window, and she could feel someone holding her hand.

Just like in the past.

Whenever she got drunk, Qiao Sijin would be the one to help her sober up, cook hangover soup, pour her tea, even help her change clothes.

She was thoughtful and attentive, but back then, Fu Qingyun had taken it all for granted.

Her long eyelashes rested softly on her eyelids. Her fair cheeks were flushed red, and Fu Qingyun exhaled, the scent of alcohol on her breath.

Tears streamed down her face, a warm drop falling to her chin, slowly cooling.

“A-Jin… don’t leave me.”

It was almost an unconscious murmur—something deeply hidden in her heart. Fu Qingyun herself might not even realize it.

Ning Wuxia had just opened her mouth to speak, but the words were swallowed. The name Fu Qingyun whispered was one she knew all too well.

Of course—it could only be Qiao Sijin. Who else?

“Qingyun, didn’t you once say… you didn’t love her?”

Fu Qingyun never lied, and Ning Wuxia had believed her.

They had grown up together. But after the Ning family declined and lost its former glory, Ning Wuxia tucked away her once-proud heiress airs.

She didn’t dare to be unruly in front of Fu Qingyun.

After all, Fu Qingyun was now the CEO of Nanshan Group, while she was just an ordinary actress.

Since childhood, Ning Wuxia had admired Fu Qingyun. She even treated her as a rival, always secretly competing.

But Fu Qingyun had only ever seen her as a relative’s child—polite, distant, never much to say.

When news of Fu Qingyun and Qiao Sijin first came out, Ning Wuxia had truly been shocked.

So she liked actresses?

“Sorry, Miss Ning. President Fu is drunk. I’ll take her home.”

Ye Ke had been watching the situation from the sidelines, and as soon as Ning Wuxia tried to get into the car, Ye Ke stepped in to stop her.

As Fu Qingyun’s personal assistant, Ye Ke paid close attention to everything about her boss—never allowing opportunists to get close.

Besides, the boss had just suffered a heartbreak. If something went wrong now, she couldn’t guarantee the consequences.

“Alright.”

Ning Wuxia hadn’t had any ulterior motives. She knew Ye Ke was Fu Qingyun’s assistant, and staying any longer would indeed be inappropriate.

“Miss Ye, Qingyun doesn’t have good health and gets headaches. Don’t forget to give her some warm tea.”

Still worried, she added the reminder.

This Fu Qingyun was nothing like the one she remembered from school. Back then, she’d had the refined air of a student, glasses perched on her nose, long black hair falling past her shoulders, quietly holding her books.

Now she was cold, nearly to the point of cruelty.

“Of course. But thank you for your concern, Miss Ning.”

Seriously, her boss had no shortage of admirers. First there was Best Actress Qiao, and now Flower Star Ning.

….

The alarm buzzed loudly by her ear. Qiao Sijin reached out and impatiently slapped the back of her phone.

“Just a bit longer… just one more minute…”

She just needed one more minute of sleep.

Knowing she had an early morning shoot, Qiao Sijin had set multiple alarms—each spaced a few minutes apart—to keep herself from falling into deep sleep again.

By the third alarm, she slapped her forehead. She knew she couldn’t afford to snooze anymore, or she’d be late to the set.

In a panic, she dashed into the bathroom to wash up. No doubt, the scenery in the mountains was refreshing—just breathing the air lifted her spirits.

While brushing her teeth, she looked out the second-floor window. Below lay vast fields of late-season rice.

A fresh breeze drifted in through the open window.

“Boss, I brought your breakfast.”

Li Ke entered with two boxed meals—provided by the crew. Out here in the deep mountains, one couldn’t be picky, but this meal was actually decent. The team had hired several local families to prepare the food with fresh ingredients.

Still, getting up this early made it hard for Qiao Sijin to have an appetite. After half a bowl of porridge, she felt full.

Li Ke didn’t say much. This was the sorrow of being a female celebrity—you couldn’t even eat freely.

She, on the other hand, had added two big spoonfuls of Lao Gan Ma to her porridge. What was plain porridge without some spice to wake you up?

But just as she took a few bites, a knock sounded at the door.

So early—probably a crew member looking for her boss.

Qiao Sijin assumed it was the director and didn’t think twice. She walked over and opened the door.

There stood a young girl in a ceremonial crew uniform, holding a large white plastic bag, which she handed over.

“Sijin-jie, this is an extra stipend from the crew. Please accept it.”

Since when did the crew have this kind of generous benefit? Qiao Sijin found it hard to believe—like the sun had risen in the west or a pie had fallen from the sky.

Still, the girl looked familiar, someone she’d seen among the crew these past few days. So she didn’t overthink it and took the bag with a gentle smile.

“Thank you. That was kind of you.”

The girl seemed surprised by Qiao Sijin’s warmth. Even after years working in the industry, she rarely met big stars as down-to-earth and approachable as Qiao Sijin.

Plenty of child stars in this business were much more arrogant.

“It’s nothing… just doing my job.”

“There are just some daily necessities in there. Oh, and today’s breakfast is inside too.”

With that, the girl’s ears turned red, and she quickly scurried off. Qiao Sijin barely had time to respond before only the girl’s back remained in view.

“The crew’s really this generous? What’s next, poison in the rice?”

Li Ke looked down at her plain porridge suspiciously. Had she been eating in the wrong place? Was there some secret breakfast spot for the chosen ones?

No. That was impossible.

As a professional assistant, she prided herself on knowing exactly where and how the crew ate.

So she hurried over, curiosity piqued, and reached for the bag to see what was inside.

“Why’s your imagination running wild? That girl is from the crew—we came in with her the other day.”

Still, Qiao Sijin admitted she had a point.

People could be unpredictable—it was always safer to be cautious.

So she let go of the bag and placed it on the ground, ready to see what was inside.