Forced to Pretend to Be an A and Marry the Best Actress Omega - Chapter 45

Jiang Lingyu had known for a long time that Xu Mifei possessed a certain quality—even when you knew she was lying, looking into those eyes would make you believe her anyway.

Back then, she hadn’t interacted much with Xu Mifei and didn’t realize the appropriate term for this phenomenon was: falling.

Xu Mifei had eyes that made others fall.

Settling back into the car, Zhao Zhao’s mood was entirely different now. She had just witnessed how, with just a few words, the young CEO Xu had led Jiang Lingyu into the washroom, only for them to emerge clean and refreshed.

How could someone look this good after just washing their face?

Standing beside Lingyu-jie, they formed a picturesque scene, almost as if Xu Mifei had some supernatural ability to smooth over Lingyu-jie’s ruffled temper in such a short time.

Though Lingyu-jie didn’t say it herself, Zhao Zhao could sense the shift in her aura—it had softened.

Even without Hu Huaimeng present to oversee things, Zhao Zhao thoughtfully raised the car’s partition.

Zhao Zhao drove skillfully, and they arrived at their destination ten minutes ahead of schedule.

Entering the civil affairs office, they filled out the paperwork and prepared for their photo.

Even the most seasoned photographer couldn’t help but marvel at the striking beauty of this couple through his lens.

Yet their bodies were slightly stiff, maintaining an oddly rigid formality from the moment they entered—not even holding hands.

Many couples were like this when registering their marriage. After all, it was a significant life moment, and first-timers couldn’t help but feel nervous and excited. That was when the photographer’s guidance became essential.

“…Alright, we also offer official announcement photos here. Now, could the two of you get a little closer? Look at each other—yes, just like that. Miss Xu, maybe move your hand somewhere else?”

Xu Mifei’s arm, pressed against Jiang Lingyu’s, tensed slightly, her palm sweating. But hearing the photographer’s request, she quickly wiped her hand on her pants and gently rested it on Jiang Lingyu’s shoulder.

“The more we cooperate, the sooner we can get the certificate and leave,” Xu Mifei whispered into Jiang Lingyu’s ear. Before she could even apply pressure, Jiang Lingyu leaned toward her of her own accord, offering the camera a perfectly shy smile.

Both the photographer and Zhao Zhao were snapping away—they were just too perfectly matched!

Half of Xu Mifei’s body felt stiff, but from the corner of her eye, she caught the gentle upward curve of Jiang Lingyu’s lips.

The skill of an award-winning actress was undeniable… For a fleeting moment, Xu Mifei felt dazed, as if she and Jiang Lingyu had entered this marriage willingly, their hearts inexplicably filled with something sacred.

Once the photographer finished, Xu Mifei immediately withdrew her hand. The photographer pulled up the images on the spot for them to review. Xu Mifei knew the drill—usually, at a photo studio, they’d ask how you wanted the pictures retouched.

“Just make my wife look good. Thank you,” Xu Mifei said naturally. Beside her, Jiang Lingyu froze slightly. How had she adapted to this term of address so effortlessly?

The photographer laughed. “With faces like yours, who needs retouching? I’ve never seen anyone whose raw photos could rival professionally edited ones. Truly, movie stars! I just wanted you to pick your favorites—we can print them right away and stamp them onto your marriage certificates.”

Xu Mifei nodded and waited while Zhao Zhao eagerly asked the photographer for the original files.

Not long after she and Jiang Lingyu had selected the photos together, the staff brought over two red booklets, congratulating them with beaming smiles.

After both Xu Mifei and Jiang Lingyu had somewhat curiously received their marriage certificates, the staff member suggested, “Would you like to undergo a pheromone compatibility test? Every newlywed couple can take the test after obtaining their marriage certificate. The data will only be accessible to the two of you and the national database.”

Xu Mifei frowned. What kind of ridiculous rule was this?

It made no sense at all.

To only ask whether they wanted a compatibility test after handing over the marriage certificates was like offering a free premarital checkup only after the couple had already signed and stamped the documents.

“No need,” Jiang Lingyu said, knowing the staff’s suggestion would put Xu Mifei in an awkward position. What kind of compatibility could she and Xu Mifei possibly have?

Only after Jiang Lingyu had spoken did Xu Mifei seem to react, smiling at the staff member and saying, “We’re together by choice. No compatibility score will change that. Thank you.”

As the staff member stood there stunned, Xu Mifei casually draped an arm over Jiang Lingyu’s shoulder and led her out, just as she had done before.

“What’s with that staff member? Just wanted to see your compatibility score, huh? Good thing Boss Xu was quick-witted,” Zhao Zhao couldn’t help but complain once they were outside. She vaguely remembered that staff usually only asked such questions at the counter.

Xu Mifei shook her head to indicate it was fine. She was about to lower her hand when she noticed movement in the distance.

The faint flash of a camera in broad daylight, the quiet click of a shutter.

“Someone’s following us. Stay close,” Xu Mifei whispered, giving Jiang Lingyu’s shoulder a light squeeze. She shielded Jiang Lingyu with most of her body as they slowly made their way toward the parking lot.

“…” Jiang Lingyu absentmindedly clutched the marriage certificate in her hand. Such a light weight, yet it carried the vows and bonds of a lifetime between them.

She didn’t care about being photographed. After years in the industry, she had grown accustomed—even numb—to such things. But Xu Mifei was clearly protective of her, her tone and actions all signaling that she was ready to shield Jiang Lingyu at any moment, as if prepared to charge into battle for her.

The tips of Jiang Lingyu’s fingers resting on the marriage certificate felt strangely warm, the heat spreading through her limbs and settling precisely in her heart, making it beat more vigorously than ever before—alive in a way she had never experienced.

Jiang Lingyu moved with Xu Mifei, burying her face against Xu Mifei’s shoulder, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xu Mifei’s profile.

Xu Mifei guided Jiang Lingyu to the car door, exchanging a glance with Zhao Zhao before swiftly moving toward a blind spot where a car was parked. There, she pulled out a half-crouched figure.

Her speed caught the paparazzo off guard. Noticing the expensive camera equipment, Xu Mifei even made sure to steady the lens to prevent damage as she yanked the person out.

“Hey! Let go of me!” the photographer finally reacted, struggling in Xu Mifei’s grip. The voice belonged to a young woman, her face hidden behind a mask.

Zhao Zhao shielded Jiang Lingyu, keeping the car door half-open in case they needed a quick escape. “Do you not realize this is a private outing? Are you some kind of stalker?”

The woman seemed insulted. “Who are you calling a stalker? I’m—”

Xu Mifei yanked off her mask and froze at the sight of her face.

Jiang Lingyu stepped out from behind Zhao Zhao, frowning. “Xiao Ge? What are you doing here?”

Xu Mifei also knew this person. Her online ID was Damascus Pavilion, and she was Jiang Lingyu’s top fan site administrator, responsible for producing many of Jiang Lingyu’s viral “god-tier” photos. She could always be seen at every airport pickup.

Fan site admins and celebrities often have a mutually beneficial relationship, so Jiang Lingyu was no stranger to Damascus Pavilion.

During her all-night search for Jiang Lingyu’s schedules and public appearances, Xu Mifei had come across this girl’s name multiple times.

Fan site admins were the most familiar with celebrities’ itineraries, and while cross-checking, Xu Mifei had even asked Hu Huaimeng to help connect her with Damascus Pavilion when she was unsure about certain details.

To Damascus Pavilion, who only knew her as an “enthusiastic fan wanting to catch up on content” rather than Xu Mifei, her attitude had been very friendly.

Now, Xu Mifei lowered her guard and also let go of Damascus Pavilion’s arm. “You should’ve said so earlier! So, you’re one of us. Why all the sneaking around? Can I see what you just took?”

“…” Having been in this industry for so long, Damascus Pavilion understood that Xu Mifei’s words were a veiled warning.

She could’ve just threatened to smash her camera outright, yet here she was, pretending to want to see the photos.

After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Damascus Pavilion reluctantly opened her photo album, unwilling to risk her brand-new equipment.

Xu Mifei leaned in to look, then raised her head in surprise moments later. “Xiao Ge, right? You’re really good at this! These are way more vivid than what the photographer over there took just now. You’re amazing!”

Her rapid-fire compliments left Damascus Pavilion frozen in place. “…?”

Xu Mifei smiled. “Do you need a few more shots of me and Lingyu together? I just wanted to tell you—you can take photos openly. I know you’re her best fan site admin.”

Damascus Pavilion fell silent. She felt like Xu Mifei was buttering her up, yet she couldn’t find any words to refute her.

Jiang Lingyu had initially thought Xu Mifei was about to lose her temper, but to her surprise, she even recognized this as her fan site admin. Now, she didn’t know what to say either.

As Jiang Lingyu’s fan site admin and biggest fan, Damascus Pavilion’s most hated person was Xu Mifei. Even though Xu Mifei was being nice to her, once she snapped out of it, she was convinced Xu Mifei was just putting on an act in front of Jiang Lingyu.

She yanked her camera back. “Who wants to take photos of you?!” She had originally planned to follow Jiang Lingyu’s event today, but it was canceled last minute, so she came here instead. When she heard the Civil Affairs Bureau had been cleared out, she wanted to see if there was any exclusive scoop.

But who would’ve thought it was her idol and her most hated person going in to get married? She was grinding her teeth in frustration.

Xu Mifei didn’t get angry, just nodded. But then she leaned in slightly closer to Damascus Pavilion.

Damascus Pavilion stiffened.

No matter how much she despised Xu Mifei, she couldn’t deny that Xu Mifei had a strikingly beautiful face. Even without makeup, her features were flawless—she was prime material for god-tier candid shots.

Wasn’t she an alpha? Without makeup, she looked so harmless, her eyelashes perfectly defined, suddenly reminding Damascus Pavilion of the girl she had a crush on in high school… Wait, no! This was Xu Mifei!

“Just remember—the photos you took today of Lingyu and me getting our marriage certificate can’t be leaked before we make it public. It’s for Lingyu’s sake.”

“I don’t need you to tell me! Back off.” Damascus Pavilion’s face flushed red as she glared at Xu Mifei with as much hostility as she could muster. Then she hurried over to Jiang Lingyu to greet her, saying she’d definitely follow her afternoon event before preparing to leave.

Xu Mifei stopped her again.

Damascus Pavilion was about to explode. Was this person ever going to stop? Using all their cunning in this kind of situation?

“I hope you won’t hold such a strong opinion of me, Xiao Ge. There are many things I should thank you for.” Xu Mifei lowered her voice, her gaze sincere. “You’ll come to see that I’m a fan too, just like you—an enthusiastic one.”

Even after Xu Mifei and Jiang Lingyu’s car drove away, Damascus Pavilion still felt something was off. There seemed to be hidden meanings in Xu Mifei’s words.

But the moment she opened her phone, that strange feeling was immediately replaced by indignation.

She saw that the organizers of the two events from earlier had already released statements insinuating that Jiang Lingyu was uncooperative with the schedules. Instantly, she and a few other big fans in the group chat transformed into the fiercest defenders. What kind of weak, self-important little media outlet was this?

In her contacts was a user named Passionate Fan Sister, a new fan verified last night by Jiang Lingyu’s new manager, Sister Meng. She was a wealthy fan who would undoubtedly become a powerful asset to their big fan group!

She had even stayed up all night catching up on all of Jiang Lingyu’s past schedules!

Now that was genuine, that was sincere—a true passionate fan. Not like Xu Mifei, who only knew how to spout empty words.

Xu Mifei and Jiang Lingyu naturally headed back to the villa. When they got out of the car, Xu Mifei caught the hesitant expression on Zhao Zhao’s face.

She followed Jiang Lingyu inside.

“Zhao Zhao seems like she’s been wanting to say something to you. Aren’t you worried?” Xu Mifei checked the time and naturally walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll make pasta and boiled vegetables for lunch—something light since you have an event this afternoon. Is that okay?”

Jiang Lingyu assumed her schedule had been shared by Hu Huaimeng and didn’t pay it much mind, nodding in response. “What she’s worried about has already happened. There’s no use saying anything more.”

It was just about her canceling the schedules at the last minute.

This happened once or twice every year—it was just that today, the backlash was louder.

It would blow over soon enough. Nothing major.

Xu Mifei didn’t press further, focusing on cooking the pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, she glanced at social media and understood why Zhao Zhao was anxious.

Those two media outlets were clever. They had rallied a few companies Jiang Lingyu had previously turned down to form a united front, tearing off all pretenses and actually pushing the topic onto the trending list—though it was still near the bottom.

The water boiled, and Xu Mifei gently dropped the pasta in, then started stir-frying the sauce.

At the same time, she sent a text to Lu Jiguang, instructing her to proceed as planned.

Buzz.

Lu Jiguang’s reply appeared on her phone: I really don’t get you.

Last time, you had people attack yourself. This time, you’re having them attack your wife.

Mifei, are you okay? What exactly are you trying to do?

Xu Mifei leisurely wiped her hands and typed back: The hired trolls understand, and that’s enough.

To really drive the point home, she even sent Lu Jiguang a photo of her and Jiang Lingyu’s marriage certificate, then muted her phone.

She brought out two plates of pasta—Jiang Lingyu’s was a Korean-style spicy cream pasta, while hers was a stir-fried Chinese-style version.

Jiang Lingyu hadn’t expected Xu Mifei’s cooking to suit her taste so well.

When she looked up, Xu Mifei handed her a warm towel at just the right moment.

“I have work to do this afternoon—Team Leader Hu just contacted me.” Xu Mifei waved her phone. “Will you come home after your event?”

Her tone was somewhat probing, afraid Jiang Lingyu might feel uncomfortable. She knew Jiang Lingyu had her own place.

Jiang Lingyu swallowed the small bite of pasta in her mouth and countered, “What do you think the Xu family would do if they found out we were living separately?”

The moment she asked, Xu Mifei’s heart settled.

“They’d make a big deal out of it, so we can’t give them what they want.” She ate heartily, then reached out and placed a thick spare key on the table, sliding it over. “This is the backup key for the digital lock. I’ll help you register your fingerprint before you leave later.”

Her movement of pulling out the key was smooth, as if she had prepared it long ago.

Jiang Lingyu felt that Xu Mifei was like a dazzling halo, slowly leaving traces in her heart.

She was lost in thought until she tasted only the fork in her mouth, realizing she had finished all the pasta.

Suddenly looking up, she found Xu Mifei smiling at her. “If you want more, I can—”

Jiang Lingyu immediately set down her knife and fork to signal she was full, pretending not to see the teasing in Xu Mifei’s eyes.

It was the first time she had seen Xu Mifei cook in front of her, and the first time she had seen Xu Mifei wear such an animated expression.

It was as if, only after they had gotten married, had she truly stepped into Xu Mifei’s life and begun to understand the real her.

Xu Mifei didn’t press further and instead promptly took Jiang Lingyu to register her fingerprint.

Beep. “Congratulations, fingerprint registration successful. User 002. Would you like to rename?”

Xu Mifei spoke up, “We’re married. This is the lady of the house.”

The smart lock responded, “Welcome home, Master. This is your haven. Wishing you a happy newlywed life.”

Xu Mifei patted the smart lock’s interface. “It really is quite smart.”

Even though it was just a mechanical voice, Jiang Lingyu somehow detected warmth and cheerfulness in it. Had Xu Mifei’s pasta scrambled her brain?

“Your cooking…” Jiang Lingyu unconsciously pressed a hand to her flat stomach. “Do you really like pasta?”

“I only found these in the fridge. I originally wanted to make handmade noodles for you.” Xu Mifei rubbed her nose sheepishly. “I heard people say, ‘dumplings when leaving, noodles when returning.’ Coming home means eating noodles.”

Jiang Lingyu had never heard of this saying before. She repeated softly, “…Coming home?”

“Here,” Xu Mifei smiled, her eyes bright enough to illuminate the depths of one’s heart. “Welcome home. This is your haven. Wishing us a happy newlywed life.”