Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 25

Mu Qiuyan had a habit of drinking milk before bed, so when she descended the stairs, she happened to see Gao Mi in a sheer nightgown. Her delicate, beautiful arms rested on the living room windowsill railing as she propped her chin, gazing at Mu Qiuyan with profound eyes.

 

 

Stripped of her usual daytime makeup, her bare face now exuded an exceptionally quiet elegance.

 

 

Mu Qiuyan, wearing plush slippers that revealed her delicate pink ankles, barely glanced at her and merely nodded before heading toward the kitchen.

 

 

“Movie Queen Mu’s attitude remains as cold as ever,” Gao Mi chuckled lightly. A breeze drifted through the window behind her, lifting a lock of chestnut hair.

 

 

Hearing this, Mu Qiuyan cast her a faint glance without responding. She opened the fridge and took out the milk. Her half-up hairstyle lent her a gentle charm, accentuating her long, graceful neck. Her springwater-like eyes remained calm and serene, as if nothing could stir even the slightest ripple in them.

 

 

Her curled lashes, cast in the flickering light, added a touch of quiet docility.

 

 

This was typical of her—she never showed the slightest interest in things she didn’t care about.

 

 

Gao Mi stepped forward, blocking Mu Qiuyan’s path.

 

 

Mu Qiuyan’s expression cooled. “Move.”

 

 

Gao Mi crossed her arms, looking amused. “Getting angry so quickly? That’s not like you.” She tilted her head. “Did I do something to upset you?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan replied, “I always speak this way. If Miss Gao finds it unpleasant, you don’t have to listen. I want to rest—I don’t have time for late-night chats.”

 

 

Gao Mi pressed, “You seem to have quite the grudge against me. Zhu Wen and Wen Mianmian are omegas too, yet you don’t treat them this way.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan frowned. “It has nothing to do with being an omega. I simply don’t like you.”

 

 

Gao Mi stiffened, clearly not expecting such bluntness. Her voice took on a wounded tone. “What did I do to make Movie Queen Mu dislike me?”

 

 

“Instinct,” Mu Qiuyan answered flatly.

 

 

Gao Mi scoffed. “…And here I thought I was your fan. You’re really disappointing me.”

 

 

“I don’t need one more fan like you,” Mu Qiuyan retorted.

 

 

Gao Mi fell silent.

 

 

Though Mu Qiuyan was known for her cold demeanor, she rarely displayed such blunt, “low-EQ” behavior. Most of the time, she found it exhausting to engage in verbal sparring with the media, and only lashed out when something truly intolerable provoked her.

 

 

Gao Mi’s emerald-green nails dug into her palms as she let out a derisive laugh. “Don’t you want to know when I became your fan?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan had no intention of continuing this pointless conversation. She tried to sidestep Gao Mi, only for her wrist to be grabbed.

 

 

“Back in university’s drama club, did you perform in ‘Miss Manteweis’s Night Whispers’?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan was slightly taken aback. That had been her first formal stage performance—during the school’s New Year’s showcase. It was also thanks to that performance, when the video was posted online, that the director of her debut film discovered her and invited her for an audition.

 

 

Gao Mi released her wrist. “Ah, so you really don’t remember.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan frowned. “What?”

 

 

Gao Mi smiled. “I went to S University too.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan didn’t respond, her disinterest palpable.

 

 

Left with no choice, Gao Mi continued on her own. Had the live stream still been running, the audience would have found the scene comical—two people standing there, yet it felt like Gao Mi was performing a one-woman show, talking to herself.

 

 

 

“We were actually classmates, and I often sat behind her. You really don’t remember at all?”

 

 

“Back then, I always saw you two together, so I thought you were a couple. Who would’ve guessed that after all these years, you still aren’t together?”

 

 

Gao Mi wanted to see some change in Mu Qiuyan’s expression—anger, embarrassment—but there was nothing. Her face remained calm from start to finish.

 

 

“She likes you so much. Why won’t you be with her?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan answered succinctly, “Because I don’t like her.”

 

 

She paused, then added, “If you like her, you should go after her instead of wasting time with me.”

 

 

With that, she turned and walked upstairs.

 

 

Her slender waist was cinched by a silk ribbon, and her posture was graceful. The silk robe outlined her straight back, the curve of her shoulders elegant. Even from behind, her beauty was undeniable.

 

 

Gao Mi watched as Mu Qiuyan disappeared around the staircase corner, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

 

 

…

 

 

“So, you really don’t remember her at all?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan nodded. “I genuinely don’t recall much. We barely met or spoke, and I hardly remember Ming Jue, let alone me.”

 

 

Indeed, the original owner had written love letters to Mu Qiuyan every day in college, yet Mu Qiuyan had no memory of it. How much less would she remember a jealous admirer of Ming Jue?

 

 

The room’s air conditioning was set too high, and Mu Qiuyan, feeling hot, slipped a smooth calf out from under the blanket. Ning Yu felt momentarily dazzled by that flash of pale skin.

 

 

She stared for a long time, unable to look away.

 

 

Mu Qiuyan’s ears grew warm under that gaze, and she snapped coldly, “If you keep staring, get out of my room.”

 

 

Ning Yu snapped back to reality, coughing lightly as she averted her eyes. “I was just thinking—why would Gao Mi do this?”

 

 

“You can’t stay serious for three seconds. We’re discussing something important.”

 

 

Ning Yu muttered, “I’m always serious.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan gave her a skeptical look before recalling something and asking icily, “By the way, shouldn’t we settle some things first?”

 

 

This sounded like an interrogation. Ning Yu tensed and played dumb. “We can’t let Gao Mi off the hook. We’ll definitely find a way to deal with her.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan let out a cold laugh, stretching lazily before getting out of bed. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

 

 

Ning Yu reflexively felt a phantom pain in her forehead. As Mu Qiuyan strode toward her with an imposing aura, she nearly bolted from the chair but forced herself to stay composed. “Then what are you talking about?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan smirked. “Playing dumb, huh, little liar?” Her smiling face looked downright terrifying to Ning Yu.

 

 

Unable to hold her ground, Ning Yu stood up from the chair and took a few timid steps back, her entire body screaming “coward.”

 

 

“Peppermint pheromones, was it?” Mu Qiuyan poked Ning Yu’s right shoulder. “Claimed I mistook you for someone else, didn’t you? How about you release your pheromones now, if you dare?”

 

 

Ning Yu winced at the poke, waving her hands frantically. “Uh, releasing pheromones in private is illegal for an alpha toward an omega.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan’s eyes narrowed. “I remember the scent of whiskey pheromones quite vividly, Miss Ning. Care to explain your actions that night?”

 

 

 

Ning Yu brazenly declared, “It really wasn’t me—you’ve got the wrong person. There are countless alphas with whiskey-scented pheromones out there, and I just happen to be one of them. I swear it wasn’t me.”

 

 

She was dead set on denying it. After all, Mu Qiuyan only had some hazy memories and no concrete evidence.

 

 

If she admitted to being the one who drugged Mu Qiuyan, she’d be jumping into the Yellow River with no way to clear her name. Even though she hadn’t actually marked Mu Qiuyan, the act of drugging alone was impossible to explain.

 

 

What other reason could there be besides ill intentions?

 

 

Was she supposed to explain that this Ning Yu wasn’t the same Ning Yu—that she was a transmigrator who not only didn’t take advantage of the situation but even stopped the original owner’s marking plan? That Mu Qiuyan should actually be thanking her?

 

 

Yeah… that was beyond ridiculous. Who would believe that?

 

 

Seeing Ning Yu stubbornly refuse to admit it, Mu Qiuyan grew even more furious. Her usual cold and indifferent demeanor was thrown aside as she just wanted to beat Ning Yu senseless.

 

 

“Fine. Since you’ve forgotten, Miss Ning, I don’t mind helping you remember right now.”

 

 

Ning Yu froze, a sudden chill running down her spine. “H-how are you going to help me remember?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan smiled brilliantly—a rare, dazzling expression—and crooked a finger at her. “Come here, and I’ll tell you.”

 

 

Ning Yu shook her head. “No, I’m not coming over.”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan smirked. “Fine. If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”

 

 

Ning Yu immediately stretched out a hand in protest. “No, no, you stay there too! Let’s… let’s keep a safe distance, okay? Let’s discuss this rationally, peacefully, gently—”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan cut her off. “No!”

 

 

This baby is suffering, but this baby can’t speak her mind!

 

 

Seeing Mu Qiuyan’s expression shift, Ning Yu immediately bolted for the door—but Mu Qiuyan was faster. She grabbed Ning Yu’s wrist, twisted it behind her back, and mercilessly kicked the back of her knee.

 

 

Ning Yu’s legs buckled, and the world spun before her eyes.

 

 

In a familiar landing pose, her forehead smacked against the firm-yet-soft carpet, suffering yet another injury.

 

 

Mu Qiuyan sat firmly on Ning Yu’s back, pinning her to the ground, and lowered her voice to whisper in her ear, “Now, are you going to talk?”

 

 

Ning Yu thought she could endure this much. “They say a beauty’s favor is hard to bear, but I think I can handle it.”

 

 

“Aow!” A sharp pain shot through her waist as Mu Qiuyan pinched the soft flesh there with full force. “That hurts!”

 

 

Tears welled up in Ning Yu’s beautiful eyes, but her pained moans earned her no sympathy from Mu Qiuyan.

 

 

“Let’s see how long you can last,” Mu Qiuyan said coolly, switching to the other side.

 

 

For a while, the room was filled with… unusual sounds.

 

 

“Are you going to talk?! Seems like you haven’t had enough.”

 

 

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, I really don’t know!”

 

 

“You’re so rough—please, don’t treat me like this!”

 

 

“Be gentler! Be gentler! I can’t take it anymore!”

 

 

“Oh? I thought you said you could handle it!”

 

 

……

 

 

Standing outside the door, Jiang Yao’s expression was grave and complicated. In that moment, all sorts of bizarre images flashed through her mind.

 

 

 

Honestly, she only knew that her artist had suffered from glandular hypersensitivity since childhood, but she had no idea the pain from the illness had twisted certain… preferences.

 

 

She hesitated, unsure whether to go in. Would barging in hurt Mu Qiuyan?

 

 

But hearing the increasingly agonized cries from inside, her conscience couldn’t bear it. She decisively knocked on the door—better to rescue that poor soul being “tormented” by Mu Qiuyan first.

 

 

The voice sounded oddly familiar.

 

 

To Ning Yu, who was currently being manhandled, the knocking was nothing short of heavenly salvation.

 

 

“Someone’s outside—let me go!”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan, looking thoroughly displeased, smacked her back hard. “You’re screaming like I’ve actually done something to you! Better hope I never find dirt on you, or you’ll regret it.”

 

 

Radiating menace, Mu Qiuyan had Ning Yu frozen in fear—though inwardly, she was relieved to have narrowly escaped disaster.

 

 

Both breathing unevenly, they got up from the floor. Mu Qiuyan adjusted her disheveled collar and opened the door.

 

 

“Jiang Jie, any updates?”

 

 

Jiang Yao took in Mu Qiuyan’s flushed face, messy hair, and crumpled clothes, her expression shifting repeatedly. Stepping inside, she spotted Ning Yu in a similarly disheveled state.

 

 

“You… you two… You didn’t mention Ning Yu was here on the phone.” She pointed at Ning Yu, then turned to Mu Qiuyan, demanding an explanation.

 

 

Why Ning Yu? Were they together?

 

 

Who made the first move?

 

 

Given the scene just now… was Mu Qiuyan forcing her—

 

 

No, no, that couldn’t be.

 

 

Mu Qiuyan frowned, glancing at Ning Yu, who was clutching her waist with a pained grimace, and pushed Jiang Yao’s hand down. “We’ll talk about her later. Did you find my phone?”

 

 

Suppressing her shock, Jiang Yao switched back to professional mode. “Yes. I tracked it to a trash bin on the first floor. There’s surveillance there—I’ve alerted the hotel. They’ll find the staff member soon. Do you have any suspects?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan nodded. “Check if Gao Mi had any contact with that staff member.”

 

 

Gao Mi? Jiang Yao’s expression darkened. “Understood.”

 

 

“By the way,” Ning Yu stepped forward, “I have a video—Wen Mianmian was following those reporters. Gao Mi was leading them.”

 

 

Jiang Yao was baffled. “What kind of grudge is this? Do you even know her? Why would she go this far?”

 

 

Mu Qiuyan shook her head.

 

 

Ning Yu mused, “Only she knows the real reason.”