Mistakenly Married a Substitute Wife, Falling in Love with the Movie Queen - Chapter 17

“Alright,” Sang Baili said, releasing Qi Xi’s slender wrist. She crossed her arms, her voice laced with teasing amusement. “I’m listening to your explanation.”

Shen Shuangjing, her wrist still adjusting to the sudden loss of Sang Baili’s warmth, felt a lingering sensation that refused to fade.

Sang Baili’s eyes sparkled as she slowly rubbed the scratch marks on the web of her hand, feigning deep thought. The coconut candy rolled back and forth in her cheek, creating a small, round bulge beneath the thin skin.

Soon, a faint redness appeared around the web of her hand, but it only enhanced the hand’s beauty. Her fingers were long and slender, the bones perfectly shaped, and the distinct lines of her wrist exuded a sensual allure that made one’s throat tighten.

The elevator reached their floor and automatically opened. No one entered, and the doors closed again.

“The culprit is Wuyun,” Shen Shuangjing declared. “He’s the one responsible.”

Sang Baili glanced at her expression, immediately recognizing her attempt to divert attention.

But she believed that only Shen Shuangjing could resolve the issue. Her gaze shifted silently as she asked, “So, there’s no problem with me contacting Wuyun’s owner, right?”

Their faces were now closer than ever, Shen Shuangjing’s eyes completely filled with Sang Baili’s radiant beauty.

A faint fragrance drifted into her nostrils—whether from a memory or a real scent, she couldn’t tell.

Outmatched by Sang Baili’s logical brilliance, Shen Shuangjing forced a smile, pretending nonchalance. “…No problem at all.”

She forced a pained smile, like a parent summoned to school by the homeroom teacher, prioritizing sincerity over her true feelings.

“I’ll definitely give Wuyun a stern talking-to when we get home. He needs to turn over a new leaf, be a proper cat, and acknowledge his mistakes. Mommies are for pampering, not for taking the blame.”

Sang Baili followed her lead. “So, you’ll make Wuyun admit his mistakes, speak human words, and clear my name?”

Shen Shuangjing shifted her gaze, her voice lacking conviction. “Teaching a cat to speak human… that’s asking a bit much.”

Even animal trainers couldn’t manage that.

Sang Baili brushed a chestnut strand behind her ear, her cherry lips parting slightly. “If it’s too much for the cat, then it’s too much for me. Shen Xiaojing, aren’t you being a little biased?”

The Best Actress award she’d won in her youth hadn’t lost its luster. She effortlessly conjured a pitiful expression, her fox-like eyes tilting upward, their depths misting over with infinite sorrow and bitterness, stirring protective instincts in anyone who looked at her.

The gaze pierced straight into Shen Shuangjing’s heart, her conscience twinging. She realized she hadn’t been fair in managing their two-person-one-cat household, and a wave of tenderness washed over her.

What had her sister done wrong this time?

Shen Shuangjing clenched her fist. “Tonight, I’ll punish that wicked cat properly. You can watch and vent your anger!”

Sang Baili’s lips curved slightly. “Isn’t bullying a little cat a bit much?”

“Absolutely not!” Shen Shuangjing insisted. “Without weathering the storm, how will the little kitty ever see the rainbow?”

Late at night, the room was bathed in the soft glow of wall lamps dimmed to their nighttime setting, casting a starlike shimmer across the interior. In the quiet, only the sound of rapid breathing and soft gasps filled the air, stirring unspoken thoughts.

Sang Baili murmured, “Maybe we should stop.”

Shen Shuangjing’s voice, still breathless, replied, “Is that enough?”

Sang Baili gazed at her for a moment, her cheeks glowing softly, the contrast of pale skin and rosy flush striking. Slightly damp bangs clung to her cheeks, and her eyes, though still bright, held a hint of exhaustion.

Sang Baili tugged at her sleeve. “It’s enough. I think you’re punishing yourself more than Wuyun.”

Shen Shuangjing panted softly, setting the cat wand aside on the floor. She rested her cheek lightly against her bent knee.

“I think you’re right.”

Her original plan had been to make Wuyun chase the wand repeatedly, tiring him out. But her arm ached from waving the wand, while Wuyun remained energetic, flicking his tail as he sauntered back to his bed, his rear pointed defiantly at them.

The sheer contempt radiating from him was unbearable.

Shen Shuangjing covered her face. “My rebellious baby… you’ve broken my heart.”

She couldn’t teach this kitten any manners.

Fine, no punishment then.

Sang Baili sat cross-legged beside her, chuckling softly. “We could get a cat treadmill. Painless education.”

With that, she opened a shopping app on her phone and meticulously selected a fully functional cat treadmill before placing the order.

Shen Shuangjing couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, you’re so strict, Wuyun’s Mommy!”

Sang Baili met her round, almond-shaped eyes. “It’s not really a punishment. I just noticed how much Wuyun loves running around. With this, he can run freely at home without bothering you so much.”

She added, with a self-deprecating tone, “Though not everyone is as indulgent as you.”

Shen Shuangjing wasn’t usually one to pinch pennies, but the amount she spent on Wuyun was visibly extravagant. Her home was stocked with premium cat food and bags of toys. In recent days, Sang Baili had also noticed her switching out Wuyun’s water bowls frequently and diligently scooping his litter, trimming his claws, and preparing his meals.

Her patience and doting care were truly touching, rivaling the legendary devotion of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars—a wife who tirelessly cares for her husband and children around the clock.

Remembering that Shen Shuangjing was now nominally her wife, Sang Baili couldn’t resist asking the classic, thorny question: “If Wuyun and I fell into the water, who would you save?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Sang Baili cringed inwardly. Her brain must have been temporarily hijacked by aliens to utter such a childish thing.

Jealous of a cat?

Besides, the probability of both she and Wuyun falling into the water simultaneously was likely 0.0001%—practically impossible.

But what’s said is said, like water spilled from a cup. She might as well hear Shen Shuangjing’s answer.

Shen Shuangjing remained silent.

Before she could speak, Sang Baili conjured a coconut candy in her palm and said casually, “I’ll give you the candy after you answer.”

Beneath Shen Shuangjing’s raven-black lashes, her almond-shaped eyes glimmered faintly.

Isn’t eating candy late at night bad for you? she thought. But I could put it under my pillow and maybe have a candy-flavored dream.

She scratched her cheek. “I choose Wuyun.”

Sang Baili clenched the candy in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

She had anticipated this. As expected, in Shen Shuangjing’s heart, Wuyun was more important than coconut candy.

After all, how could coconut candy compare to Wuyun, who ate premium cat food?

Distracted, Sang Baili felt a pang of regret for the coconut candy destined for Shen Shuangjing’s mouth. Her naturally smiling lips unconsciously pursed downward.

Shen Shuangjing continued, “I know you can swim. If I weren’t there, you’d still have to rescue our cub from the river.”

Sang Baili paused, not bothering to challenge Shen Shuangjing’s audacity in not only choosing Wuyun but also pushing her luck further.

“How do you know I can swim?” she asked. “I never mentioned it to you.”

Shen Shuangjing smiled, radiant as a morning glow, and said smugly, “I watched your interviews! I know about 60% of you, Sister.”

She didn’t dare claim a perfect score, but she was definitely passing.

Ever since the flower girl at the Civil Affairs Bureau asked if her lover didn’t like flowers, she had been diligently researching Sang Baili.

She watched Sang Baili’s films, read her interviews, and followed financial news about her after she retired from acting to inherit the family business. If Sang Baili had been truthful in her interviews, she knew that Sang Baili could swim, had a sensitive stomach but loved spicy food, had been prone to allergies as a child but rarely experienced them now, and had always adored the magnificent and vibrant roses.

Sang Baili probably hadn’t noticed yet, but the red roses in the vase on the corner cabinet remained perpetually fresh and vibrant, not artificial but replaced with newly purchased blooms before they wilted, all because she remembered Sang Baili’s interview comment about her favorite flower.

If Sang Baili never discovered this, she planned to tell her on the day their agreement ended. Perhaps, moved by the gesture, Sang Baili might even give her a bonus.

Excellent employees never truly work in silence; they always keep track of things for their boss.

Something seemed about to burst open in Sang Baili’s heart, sending a jolt of electricity-like tremors through her entire body.

It made her desperately want to do something, or say something, to release the inexplicable restlessness churning in her chest.

Her gaze, as if no longer recognizing Shen Shuangjing, locked onto her face with tangible intensity.

Those bewitchingly beautiful, dark blue eyes seemed to hold a storm within them.

Sang Baili licked her lower lip. “I can catch Wuyun,” she said. “But I’m going to bring you down with me.”

What she would do after bringing Shen Shuangjing down, she didn’t know. She simply wanted to do it, wanted Shen Shuangjing by her side, with her. That was why she said it.