The Cold Queen is My Exclusive Little Snack - Chapter 28

This was the first time Zuo Xingning had seen Chu Shiyin angry.

The kiss descended like an airtight seal, as if Chu Shiyin wanted to devour her whole.

Helpless, Zuo Xingning could only endure.

The hand supporting her legs would occasionally tighten, lifting her slightly. Forced to arch her slender back, she had no choice but to press herself closer to Chu Shiyin’s lips.

Her lips burned from the biting, undoubtedly swollen, but she dared not pull away. The moment Chu Shiyin sensed her resistance, her grip would loosen.

Without support, Zuo Xingning’s weak limbs could barely hold her up. She could only squeeze out whimpers between their lips, her arms and legs tightening around Chu Shiyin as the kiss intensified.

Having learned her lesson twice, Zuo Xingning no longer dared to struggle. She parted her petal-like lips in futile surrender, allowing herself to be taken.

When the kiss finally ended, Chu Shiyin said nothing, still holding her. Zuo Xingning, however, was breathless and exhausted, her legs weak and her waist aching.

Fortunately, Chu Shiyin’s anger had dissipated.

They settled onto the sofa, their lips finally parting. Zuo Xingning leaned against Chu Shiyin’s shoulder, panting softly with her eyes closed.

During the kiss, her scattered hair had blocked out the light. Her eyes, still adjusting to the room’s brightness, blinked sharply when she opened them. Tears welled in the corners of her reddened eyes, clinging to her lashes—a clear sign of how thoroughly she had been dominated.

Chu Shiyin wanted to tease her even more mercilessly.

Zuo Xingning’s bulky coat had long been discarded, leaving her in just a thin sweater that clung to her frame. Chu Shiyin could feel the sharp ridges of her bones beneath the fabric.

She’s afraid of the cold, but she still wears so little.

Chu Shiyin’s fingertips traced two slow circles along Zuo Xingning’s spine, finally coming to rest at the base. She pulled her closer, warning, “There won’t be a next time.”

“There won’t be,” Zuo Xingning murmured, nuzzling Chu Shiyin’s cheek. “I swear, there absolutely won’t be a next time!”

Her voice was soft and fluttery, like a kitten’s mew, tickling Chu Shiyin’s heart.

“What time is your shoot tomorrow?” Chu Shiyin asked.

“So early! Battle-worn makeup takes forever. I have to be on set by four in the morning.”

Chu Shiyin hummed in acknowledgment, withdrawing her hand from beneath Zuo Xingning’s hem.

Oblivious, Zuo Xingning continued, “These past few days have been packed with reshoots. One minute I’m acting out joy, anger, and sorrow at thin air, the next I’m playing a ruthless assassin. I’m practically having a mental breakdown.”

Chu Shiyin stroked her hair, and Zuo Xingning leaned into the touch. “But I have no scenes on the morning after tomorrow! Jiejie, will you be free then?”

The day after tomorrow was Chu Shiyin’s birthday. It would be their first birthday together.

Chu Shiyin desperately wanted to nod, but the adult world rarely allows for such whims.

“I have rehearsals with the other actors tomorrow and the day after. I won’t have any free time.”

The play’s premiere was scheduled for the day before her birthday—such unfortunate timing.

“Oh,” Zuo Xingning’s eyes dimmed as she buried her face in Chu Shiyin’s hair, her voice muffled. “It’s so rare for us to be in the same city. What a shame.”

“In the future…”

Chu Shiyin started to speak, then unconsciously paused.

She disliked talking about the future—a vague and elusive concept.

“Next year, then,” Chu Shiyin rephrased. “There will be other chances next year.”

“Next year is next year, and this year is this year. Every year that passes is one less we have,” Zuo Xingning recited like a tongue-twister. “Damn it!”

What was even harder to accept than being denied hope was having it offered only to be shattered.

Zuo Xingning sulked, clinging to Chu Shiyin and humming irritably. The latter chuckled, the lingering melancholy in her heart completely dispelled by the younger woman’s antics.

“Alright, get up now,” Chu Shiyin patted her twice, urging her. “It’s getting late. Get dressed, and I’ll take you back to your hotel.”

“Okay—”

Zuo Xingning pecked Chu Shiyin’s neck twice before getting up to grab her coat. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and froze.

“Jiejie, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

“What is it?” Chu Shiyin asked, not paying much attention as she slipped on her shoes and reached for the door. Her hand was halfway there when Zuo Xingning grabbed it.

“The investor I sent to the hospital is surnamed Liu. His name is…”

Zuo Xingning gave the name, then shook Chu Shiyin’s hand proudly, as if seeking praise. “That arrogant man boasted about all the terrible things he’d done—maybe he was trying to intimidate me. Anyway, I recorded everything and gave it to the police.”

“Since Zhongli Yan is involved in this incident, the police won’t cover it up. He’s definitely going to jail.”

“Jiejie,” Zuo Xingning said, her eyes sparkling, “I’ve avenged you.”

“……”

Chu Shiyin’s expression hardened.

She had never mentioned this old incident to anyone except Yu Siya and Meng Zhi, who had helped her back then.

Zuo Xingning could only have heard about it today, tonight, directly from the perpetrator himself.

“Thank you,” Chu Shiyin sighed, pulling Zuo Xingning into a tight embrace.

Hearing that “thank you,” Zuo Xingning’s tail, which she had just managed to suppress, threatened to wag again. In the next instant, someone bit her earlobe.

“But there absolutely cannot be a next time.”

“…Okay.”

The next morning, as dawn approached, Zuo Xingning braved the biting wind and climbed into her nanny van.

She was in excellent spirits today. After two days of grueling rehearsals, she had finally mastered the scene, and both she and Director Guo Wenxin were immensely pleased with her progress.

Seeing her improvement, Guo Wenxin immediately succumbed to her perfectionist tendencies. She pulled Zuo Xingning aside to discuss reshooting a few earlier scenes where her expressions hadn’t quite captured the character’s essence.

The scenes she pointed out were all from the early “Gu Rong” sequences, where Zuo Xingning had struggled to convey the character’s murderous intent.

Zuo Xingning herself had never been satisfied with those takes, so she eagerly agreed to the reshoots. With their mutual understanding, Guo Wenxin finally released her to rest.

Lizi followed Zuo Xingning into the nanny van, handing her the breakfast she had kept warm in a thermal box. Even then, Lizi’s eyes remained fixed on her.

In the confined space, the intensity of Lizi’s gaze was palpable.

Whatever Yu Siya had said to Lizi last night, the girl’s eyes hadn’t left Zuo Xingning for the past few hours. If this continued, Zuo Xingning feared Lizi might develop dry eye syndrome.

Feeling a chill run down her spine under Lizi’s unwavering stare, Zuo Xingning hastily swallowed a few bites of breakfast, pulled down her eye mask, and declared she needed to rest. Only then did Lizi finally avert her gaze.

Waking up early, Zuo Xingning lay wrapped in a blanket for a while, slowly drifting back to sleep. When she finally woke up, the film crew was in complete chaos.

Lizi stayed in the nanny van the whole time, but that didn’t stop her from gathering information. As soon as Zuo Xingning woke up, she filled her in on everything.

First, Xu Yang hadn’t arrived on set. Several calls went unanswered, and the director, growing concerned, sent someone to check her hotel room, only to discover she hadn’t returned at all the previous night!

With their leading actress missing, the crew was in a panic. Soon, someone came to ask Lizi if she knew anything about Zuo Xingning and Xu Yang leaving together the day before.

Lizi dared not tell the truth, claiming they had only shared a meal and parted ways afterward.

Without any leads, they continued trying to call Xu Yang. It wasn’t until after 7 AM that her agent finally answered, bluntly stating that Xu Yang had been arrested and that they were free to terminate her contract or whatever.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wenxin nearly fainted from shock.

Having the third female lead quit halfway through filming was already bad enough. How could something like this—an actress being arrested mid-shoot—even happen?!

“I heard Director Guo’s face turned white with anger, and he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath,” Lizi recounted vividly. “They must be scrambling to find a replacement for Xu Yang right now.”

Xu Yang’s character had limited screen time, but every scene was a direct confrontation with the male lead. Reshoots would require the female lead’s cooperation, but while she might be willing, her schedule might not allow it.

With filming nearing completion, this sudden setback cast a pall over the entire crew.

And the gloom extended beyond the set.

Knock, knock.

Zuo Xingning turned to see a dejected face pressed against the car window.

“Zuo Xingning—” Jiang Shuqing climbed into the van and yanked half of Xingning’s blanket away. “It’s so boring here! There’s nothing to do.”

Zuo Xingning shifted over. “Didn’t you finish your recording? If you’re bored, why not go home?”

“Go home for what?” Jiang Shuqing retorted irritably. “I finally managed to wait until that guy got called back to the company. I’m not about to walk right into his trap.”

That guy? That must be Zhongli Yan.

Zuo Xingning blinked. “After we parted ways yesterday, did she say anything to you?”

“Yeah, she did,” Jiang Shuqing replied, her expression awkward. She snorted. “Out of nowhere, she dragged me into the freezing wind to reminisce about our childhood. Showing off her perfect memory, I guess? So annoying. I couldn’t care less about her pointless ramblings.”

“After that, I went back to the hotel. Soon after, I got a message from her saying there was an emergency at the company and she had to fly back overnight.”

“Tsk, President Zhongli is really busy,” Jiang Shuqing clicked her tongue. “Even confessing her feelings is this difficult.”

Zuo Xingning shook her head. “What about you? Aren’t you going back?”

“I’ll wait until I get another gig,” Jiang Shuqing said, hugging her knees. “I’m so bored lately I’m practically getting bedsores.”

They hadn’t been chatting for long when someone knocked on the car door again, this time looking for Zuo Xingning.

After telling Jiang Shuqing not to wander off, Zuo Xingning followed the production assistant to meet the director.

When she opened the door, she found three people sitting formally in the small room: Guo Wenxin, the assistant director, and the head screenwriter.

It turned out that after Guo Wenxin nearly fainted from anger, the assistant director had finally gotten through to Xu Yang’s phone—only to have a police officer answer.

The investigation into last night’s incident was still ongoing, and no clear answers could be given regarding Xu Yang’s charges or whether she would face jail time.

The police revealed little crucial information, but Guo Wenxin and the others were seasoned veterans. By piecing together what they already knew, they quickly deduced that Zuo Xingning, who had left with Xu Yang last night, must know something.

They had called her in to ask about Xu Yang’s alleged crime. If it was just a misunderstanding, Xu Yang might be released in a couple of days, minimizing the delay to the production schedule.

Unfortunately, this was merely wishful thinking.

After a few more drinks, President Liu spilled everything. Zuo Xingning was already Xu Yang’s third “prey.”

No matter what, Xu Yang couldn’t escape prison.

When Guo Wenxin asked for details, Zuo Xingning answered truthfully, “I can’t disclose the specifics, but it’s definitely not a misunderstanding. Considering the potential backlash after airing, I recommend recasting.”

Guo Wenxin had anticipated this outcome. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she told the assistant director, “Tell Xiao Li to start casting again… Ugh, casting, casting! Who looks for actors when we’re almost done filming?!”

After a series of exasperated sighs and complaints, she remembered Zuo Xingning was still standing there. She waved her hand dismissively. “Go back for now. With the set in such chaos, I doubt anyone’s in the mood to work properly. Take the day off; we’ll resume tomorrow.”

Zuo Xingning nodded and left.

After dozing off briefly, she wasn’t sleepy anymore. With nothing to do at the hotel, why not visit Chu Shiyin’s rehearsal?

Exactly! She couldn’t make the official performance, but watching the rehearsal would be just as good. She could even bring Jiang Shuqing along to keep her from hogging the blanket in the nanny van.

Still, if today’s scenes were pushed to tomorrow, the filming schedule would be even tighter, meaning another late night. Tomorrow, tomorrow…

Zuo Xingning’s pupils contracted, and she froze in her tracks.

Tomorrow is Chu Shiyin’s birthday!

She whirled around and practically flew to Gu Wenxin’s side. “Director, if we find a replacement for Xu Yang today, can we resume filming?”

Gu Wenxin: “We could, but finding a suitable actor this quickly is impossible. They’re not just waiting around on set…”

“But she is!” Zuo Xingning interrupted. “Do you know Jiang Shuqing, the idol who visited me on set?”

“You mean her…” Gu Wenxin recalled vaguely. “Her figure and appearance are fine, but has she ever acted before?”

“I don’t think so.”

Gu Wenxin’s expression turned thoughtful. Zuo Xingning pressed on, undeterred: “I’m not recommending her lightly. Trust me, Jiang Shuqing is perfect for this role.”

For any other role, Zuo Xingning wouldn’t dare make such a bold claim. But Xu Yang’s character was…

A haughty young lady from a prestigious sect.