Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 48

After the butler left, only the two women remained, facing each other in the rain. Xie Jingcheng hesitated for a moment before speaking. She didn’t mind her grandmother’s anger, nor did she want Song Qingxing to be caught in the middle.

“If you don’t want to go, just tell me,” Xie Jingcheng said. “I won’t let them pressure you.”

In established families, one must adhere to strict rules. It’s not about acting recklessly; that’s the behavior of nouveau riche or parvenus. Only families with shallow roots lack such constraints.

Xie Jingcheng chose to shoulder the burden herself. Even if her grandmother scolded her for being irresponsible toward women, she refused to let Song Qingxing bear unwarranted pressure.

“Forget it,” Song Qingxing said. “Since they already believe it, there’s no harm in going with you.”

Song Qingxing moved closer, taking Xie Jingcheng’s hand. Their shoulders brushed, an unspoken intimacy filling the air.

In the end, Xie Jingcheng and Song Qingxing boarded the private jet together. The Xie Family’s ancestral home wasn’t particularly far from the city, but the flight still took several hours.

Song Qingxing drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke, she found herself being watched by a pair of eyes. The gaze was sincere, yet carried an unnameable, almost obsessive fascination.

“Xie Jingcheng?” Song Qingxing murmured. “What time is it…?”

Groggy, she asked for the time, and Xie Jingcheng’s cool voice drifted over.

“It’s already evening. The plane has landed, and we can take the car now.”

The ball was likely scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Xie Jingcheng had attended such grand events since childhood. Though her enthusiasm had waned as she grew older, she remained intimately familiar with the proceedings.

Time flies, Song Qingxing thought with a sigh as she was helped off the plane. The night wind brushed her face, and her breath seemed to form white mist as she spoke.

Unbelievable, considering it’s supposed to be summer, she mused.

Her chill was short-lived. She quickly boarded the car, where the heater was cranked up, sparing her from the cold.

Unable to sleep in the car, Song Qingxing sat up, pulled out her phone, and began her day as a celebrity.

In the past, she had been aloof—truly aloof. She rarely posted on Weibo, leaving her fans clamoring for updates.

But now, Song Qingxing had changed her ways. How could a star thrive without buzz? So she made it a habit to snap a few glamorous photos each day and post them to charm her fans.

The moment her update went live, Xie Jingcheng’s phone vibrated. Song Qingxing stared at her in surprise, noticing Xie Jingcheng’s ears had inexplicably flushed crimson.

Xie Jingcheng calmly retrieved her phone and unlocked it.

The notification on her screen read: Your special follow has updated.

Song Qingxing: …

Good heavens! So this woman has been secretly crushing on me for ages.

I wonder if Xie Jingcheng ever stares at my photos in the dead of night…

No, I can’t let my imagination run wild like this!

How could a dignified Best Actress ever do something so absurd?!

Song Qingxing could only scold herself for her overactive imagination. Xie Jingcheng’s private account was remarkably clean, containing nothing but content related to Song Qingxing.

But this time, she didn’t want to use her private account. She logged into her main account, marking the first time Xie Jingcheng had liked someone’s post with her official profile.

The feeling was profoundly different.

She no longer needed to hide or remain in the shadows, but could openly express her affection with pride.

After posting the update, Song Qingxing turned off her phone, paying no attention to who liked it.

Little did she know that this simple act would ignite a fierce online debate. Some accused them of using a fake lesbian relationship to promote their new film, while others speculated that their on-screen chemistry might have blossomed into genuine romance.

Regardless of the truth, Song Qingxing would likely be without her phone for the next few days.

The Xie Family estate was a riot of flowers, the air thick with the clinking of glasses and the murmur of conversation.

Soft, flattering light bathed every face.

The Xie Family, a clan of immense wealth and influence, held these gatherings every few months, especially when elders who loved hosting parties were involved.

“Have you heard? Xie Jingcheng is bringing her lover back! Hahaha… how absurd! Who brings their lover to a family gathering?”

One of the men leaned back in his chair, a wine glass in hand, his words thick with alcohol and thinly veiled contempt.

Every member of the Xie Family envied Xie Jingcheng.

Born into the highest echelons of society, a direct descendant whose father headed the Xie Group, she had squandered her advantages by becoming an actress, bringing shame to the family name.

Yet despite their envy, these relatives dared only whisper their criticisms in private. No one would dare voice such sentiments in front of Xie Jingcheng or any member of the direct lineage.

“Even if she’s just a lover, it’s still Song Qingxing. That waist… that ass… they’re something else. I heard Cousin Zhou even tried to keep her, but she didn’t even give him a second glance.”

“Just rolled her eyes and walked away.”

Zhou, still harboring resentment, had initially planned to retaliate against Song Qingxing. However, before long, rumors of a scandal between Xie Jingcheng and Song Qingxing began to circulate.

Even the most arrogant individuals are still worldly beings, incapable of resisting the allure of beauty.

Though these men outwardly scorned Song Qingxing, they secretly envied her. After all, she wasn’t the kind of celebrity whose beauty relied on high-tech makeup or whose natural features were so poor that she became unrecognizable without it.

When made up, she radiated a vibrant, sultry allure; when barefaced, she possessed a pure, innocent charm.

She had the power to awaken every hidden desire in their hearts.

As they were reveling in their gossip, a figure stormed toward them, radiating a menacing aura that seemed capable of devouring them whole.

With a swift kick, she overturned the wine bottle on the table, drenching the unsuspecting young heirs in a chilling cascade of red wine.

“If I ever hear you mocking Jingcheng again, I’ll tear your mouths apart and sew them shut!”

The men looked up to see An Wenqing’s fierce face glaring down at them. Instantly silenced, they feigned deafness and muteness.

Heavens!

Why did this little madam have to show up too?

This is going to be quite a show.

Everyone knew An Wenqing had been relentlessly pursuing Xie Jingcheng. In fact, she was probably the only person in the world who dared to boss around someone as privileged as Xie Jingcheng.

“Still sticking up for others, huh?”

“Even your elder female cousin doesn’t want you anymore.”

A few onlookers, unable to stand it, sneered maliciously. An Wenqing, already in a foul mood, was about to pounce on the speaker and engage in a full-blown brawl.

The atmosphere crackled with tension.

Several peacemakers rushed over, hoping to prevent a fight that would ruin Grandma Xie’s mood.

But just then, two figures approached from a distance.

One was tall and slender, wearing only a gray coat, yet her aura was unparalleled.

That air of being perpetually pampered was something ordinary aristocratic women could never possess. At that moment, Xie Jingcheng was leading Song Qingxing by the hand, guiding her along the wide gravel path.

Her eyes were filled with tenderness.

Oh-ho… Looks like we’re about to witness a full-blown love triangle showdown.

The crowd craned their necks, their hearts ablaze with gossip.