I Conquer the Entertainment Industry with My Medical Skills - Chapter 4

An Ningqing even considerately handed Xie Anran the initiative, her tone detached and aloof. “In two weeks, tell everyone we were just having fun. Say I’m just a minor celebrity, not worthy of someone like you. Someone of your status deserves a woman of equal standing, so you dumped me.”

“Understand?”

“Thank you, Third Miss Xie.”

Though her words were the epitome of humility, An Ningqing spoke with the imperious authority of a queen, issuing commands from her lofty perch.

Xie Anran laughed in exasperation. “An Ningqing, you’ve really crossed the line.”

At the other end of the line, An Ningqing’s lips curved slightly before she hung up.

Xie Anran glared at her black-screened phone, her teeth clenched. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was the one going mad, or if it was that little starlet, An Ningqing.

She hung up on me again?!

We haven’t even declared our love, and she’s already talking about breaking up?!

When she needed me, she used me without hesitation. Now that she’s done with me, she’s kicking me to the curb. Very well, An Ningqing. You win this round.

“Sister Anran, why did you come out? Was it too crowded inside?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhuang Yanxin couldn’t help but take a step back under Xie Anran’s gaze, which was brimming with anger. When she looked again, those beautiful eyes held only their familiar smile. Xie Anran’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she said, “What do you mean? My fiancée is quite clingy. She gets anxious the moment I’m out of her sight. It’s just too noisy inside to take a call.”

“Sister Anran, you and her… you two…”

“Little girls shouldn’t be so nosy.”

With that, Xie Anran turned and went to the restroom.

As soon as the door closed, Xie Anran paced back and forth in the cramped space. Finally, she lowered the toilet seat, squatted on it, and furiously typed a string of words:

Want to end things? Want to break up? Don’t even think about it. From now on, only I have the right to call it quits in this game. You? Forget about it.

No, no, the tone was too harsh.

What if An Ningqing didn’t even care? She could just turn off her phone and be done with it.

Xie Anran didn’t know An Ningqing personally, but she had a strong feeling the woman was capable of such a move.

First, she needed to lure An Ningqing here to play her part in today’s drama. There would be plenty of time later to deal with her properly. Xie Anran quickly deleted all the harsh words she had typed.

You owe me a favor. Repay it now by arriving at this location within twenty minutes, or I’ll start charging interest. Address: XX Road, XX Street, XXXXXXXXX

An Ningqing straightened up immediately upon seeing the message.

She was a woman of her word, especially when it came to fulfilling her promises. Having accepted Xie Anran’s favor yesterday, she was obligated to repay it today.

Even though she desperately didn’t want to go out.

Xie Anran returned to the private room with an air of nonchalance. The others were in a frenzy of revelry, especially the group who had smeared cake everywhere.

She endured, enduring again and again.

Just as she was about to leave, someone remarked, “Why are you back so late? Could it be that Third Miss Xie’s fiancée isn’t coming after all? That’s quite a slap in the face, considering she knows—”

“She’s coming. She’s on her way,” Xie Anran cut in, silencing the venomous tongue. The speaker’s smug expression froze. “She’s coming?! Well, then we’ll just sit down and wait a bit longer.”

Xie Anran sneered. She wouldn’t give these people the satisfaction of seeing her humiliated.

“Alright, Anran just suddenly got engaged without telling you. Why are you all so envious? If you’re that desperate, go find your own fiancées,” Zhuang Qingxin interjected, trying to smooth things over. She pulled Xie Anran down to sit. “Let’s play a few more rounds.”

“Play what?”

Xie Anran went outside to make a phone call, which lasted over half an hour. Bored, the group had started playing Truth or Dare. Two unfamiliar girls were among them, clearly untouched by the harsh realities of the world—probably Zhuang Yanxin’s friends. Xie Anran couldn’t resist checking her phone. “She should be here soon. I’ll play a couple of rounds with you guys.”

Was she just having a run of bad luck?

They played five rounds, and Xie Anran was chosen twice. The first time, she chose Truth.

The questioner, a round-faced girl, asked curiously, “I’ve seen a lot of netizens saying An Ningqing dragged you out to take the blame. They claim someone else was with her in the hotel that night. So, was it all an act, or did you two actually… you know?”

Silence fell over the room.

Xie Anran’s face darkened as she shot to her feet. “What are you implying? That my fiancée is cheating on me?”

“If you don’t explain yourself clearly right now, I’ll make sure you leave here horizontal instead of vertical.”

“Whoa, whoa, Anran, calm down!”

Xie Anran had already been humiliated by An Ningqing, her pent-up anger seeking an outlet. Now, someone had walked right into the line of fire. Zhuang Qingxin and another friend tightly restrained Xie Anran. They had only invited Zhuang Yanxin’s friend to join because there weren’t enough people to play, but this incident had erupted. Zhuang Qingxin glared at the girl. “Get out of here!”

“Waaah, I’m sorry! I misspoke!”

The girl covered her face and fled the room, sobbing.

Zhuang Yanxin rushed over to apologize. “Sister Anran, I’m so sorry. My classmate doesn’t think before she speaks. I apologize on her behalf.”

Zhuang Yanxin grabbed a bottle of wine from the table, popped the cork, and began chugging it. Before she could finish even a third of the bottle, she choked, coughing violently until tears streamed down her face.

Zhuang Qingxin didn’t stop her.

Xie Anran suddenly felt utterly bored. What was I even doing here? “Fine, I’ll let it slide today since it’s Yan Xin’s birthday.”

Zhuang Qingxin breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, alright, is everyone still up for playing? Or should we call it a night?”

Zhuang Yanxin covered her mouth and ran out, whether to vomit or cry, no one knew.

The others paid little attention; they were only here to celebrate Zhuang Qingxin’s birthday anyway.

“Let’s keep playing! Anran is waiting for An Ningqing, right? We’ll wrap things up when Sister Anran arrives, okay?” All eyes turned to Xie Anran. If she called it quits, everyone would head home.

These girls had grown up with Xie Anran. They knew exactly what jokes were acceptable and which were off-limits—unlike that clueless newcomer who’d blurted out such a ridiculous question earlier.

I should probably skip these gatherings with strangers next time.

“Fine, we’ll play until An Ningqing gets here.”

An Ningqing arrived relatively promptly. Xie Anran had said twenty minutes, and she was only about twenty-five minutes late. She hadn’t even bothered to dress up, throwing on a casual outfit that made her look like a fresh-faced college student.

The main reason for her tardiness? Traffic.

The city night was bustling with life, neon lights illuminating speeding cars and strolling crowds. People walked arm in arm, laughing and chatting.

It was a picture of peace and prosperity.

When An Ningqing arrived at her destination, she saw a young girl outside the door, crying with tears streaming down her face. “Yan Xin, I was just curious,” she sobbed. “Sister Anran looks so fierce.”

“Enough. I told you to ask if they were dating, not to pry into other things.”

“Are you blaming me for taking matters into my own hands? But you told me they couldn’t possibly be real. If it’s not real, why did she get so angry about An Ningqing?”

“Stop crying. Wipe your tears.”

An Ningqing walked past them, finding Xie Anran’s room by herself. When she arrived, Xie Anran was playing the second round of what seemed like a targeted game, still reeling from the disastrous first round.

“I choose Truth or Dare.”

“Alright, let’s not make it too hard on Anran today. I’ll just pick one at random. Just complete it.”

Luo Ling knew Xie Anran was in a bad mood and didn’t want to risk making things worse, so she didn’t even look at the paper before handing it to Xie Anran.

This was essentially giving Xie Anran complete control, letting her play however she wanted.

But the paper read: “Find someone nearby and kiss them passionately for one minute.”

Xie Anran: “!?!”

Did I forget to check the auspicious date before going out today?

While others feared Xie Anran, Zhuang Qingxin wasn’t intimidated. Noticing the forced smile on Xie Anran’s face, she leaned in with a teasing tone, “What’s written there? Need some help—” But when she saw the contents of the paper, she instantly recoiled. “This is one favor I definitely can’t help with.”

The others grew curious. “What does it say?”

“Hahaha, Anran, if you can’t do it, just pick someone random!”

“……”

Am I a sow? Or some horny thug? Xie Anran thought. How could I just kiss anyone? We’re all friends here—choosing anyone would be awkward. She had no intention of “eating the grass by her nest.” Deciding she was done playing, she resolved to stubbornly refuse.

Just as she made up her mind, An Ningqing navigated through the crowd and easily found her. Xie Anran’s striking appearance made her impossible to miss: wine-red, seaweed-like hair cascading down her back, a crimson dress that stood out among the crowd, and an aura of aggressive charisma. An Ningqing nudged the heel of Xie Anran’s stiletto with her foot. “I’m here.”

Xie Anran looked up.

An Ningqing caught a flash of predatory glint in her eyes and instinctively recoiled.

But Xie Anran wouldn’t allow it. She reached out, and before An Ningqing could protest, she yanked her into a tight embrace, lowered her head, and unerringly found An Ningqing’s bare lips.

“Mmph.”

An Ningqing’s eyes widened slightly. She quickly tried to push Xie Anran away, but her weakened state made her first attempt fail, only causing Xie Anran to press harder.

Oh-ho!

The onlookers’ eyes widened, some even pulling out their phones to take photos and record short videos.

Standing by the door, Zhuang Yanxin watched the two women locked in a passionate kiss under the bright lights, surrounded by cheering onlookers. This had become their stage, and her fingers dug painfully into her palms.

The sounds of cheers, laughter, and the countdown timer filled Xie Anran’s ears, making her bl00d boil. Excited and with a hint of punishment in her kiss, she swiftly pried open An Ningqing’s tightly closed lips, initiating a chase as swift as the wind.

An Ningqing had never experienced such an intense kiss in her previous life, let alone this one. Lacking experience, she was forced to part her lips, dodging like a deserter. But Xie Anran was relentless, as if she wanted to devour her whole.

Their kiss grew more fervent, the wet sounds of their lips mingling, raising the atmosphere in the room to a fever pitch.

“Time’s up!”

“One minute is over!”

Yet Xie Anran didn’t stop. One hand cradled An Ningqing’s waist while the other gripped the back of her neck, her kiss fierce and demanding. An Ningqing was forced to arch backward, exposing her long, slender neck. Unsatisfied, Xie Anran ended with a mischievous lick of An Ningqing’s lower lip, murmuring, “Baby, you taste so sweet.”