The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Enthusiastic and Clingy Heiress

Shu Heng’s comprehension was exceptional. The moment Li Jianwei’s words landed, she immediately understood the subtext. Tonight, Teacher Li’s neck needs a rest, which can only mean she’s hinting that I shouldn’t bite her tonight, right? What kind of relationship allows you to bite someone’s neck? Only little couples who sleep in the same bed!

“Teacher Li!” Shu Heng’s excitement was palpable. “Then add a steak! I promise I won’t do anything crazy tonight! I swear!”

A hint of helplessness flashed in Li Jianwei’s eyes. What does ‘I won’t do anything crazy tonight’ mean? Doesn’t the heiress know that she was the one who was thoroughly devoured yesterday?

Shu Heng was well aware, but she didn’t mind. She felt that the experience was fantastic, and she hadn’t lost out at all. Getting to be so close with someone as beautiful as Teacher Li… while she got me, I also got her! Especially that place on Teacher Li, the sensation was fantastic!

…

An Unofficial Couple

As they began to eat, Shu Heng initiated the conversation. “Teacher Li, if we’re keeping our relationship secret, should we avoid leaning into the CP hype?”

Li Jianwei paused, her spoon hovering. “If fans think we’re a good match, it’s fine to indulge them. CP is different from reality, and fans who ship us know that.”

“Oh, so we just have to keep it a secret from people in the industry?” Shu Heng popped a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed slowly. “Then we won’t be able to be on the same show anymore? I just told Sister Qin a few days ago to arrange a joint advertisement for us.”

“A joint advertisement?” Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow.

Shu Heng’s eyes curved into crescents. “I heard what you said, Teacher Li. You don’t like shooting commercials with Zhou Zhao and would rather shoot with me.”

Hearing Shu Heng’s words, Li Jianwei remembered what she had said. At the time, she had said it more to distance herself from Zhou Zhao, not…

“Has a suitable brand already approached you?” Li Jianwei decided to ignore that small detail. While her initial purpose was different, the words themselves had been sincere. The thought of Zhou Zhao trying to take what was hers made it impossible for her to remain calm. She just wanted him to get out of the entertainment industry as soon as possible. Why wait for things to happen when heaven has given me a heads-up about my future? As the saying goes, since Zhou Zhao has such intentions, he is already on a path to his own demise.

“Sister Qin just messaged me. A women’s brand wants two spokespeople. If you don’t mind sharing the screen with me, Teacher Li, we can shoot it together,” Shu Heng said, glancing at her phone. “Sister Qin said that you’re a movie queen, and I’m not yet, so being in the same frame as you would elevate my status in the industry.” Her tone was extremely frank. “But it might also slightly affect your reputation, Teacher Li. There were some paid trolls who spread rumors that I had a sugar daddy, and that you really wanted to meet them. If we work together, that kind of talk is bound to start again.”

Li Jianwei, who actually wanted to meet the heiress, tactically pursed her lips. In a way, the trolls weren’t completely wrong; she just wanted to meet the heiress herself.

“Don’t worry about them. The more popular you are, the more rumors there will be. The more power and fame you have, the more people will try to target you,” Li Jianwei said calmly, looking as if she had plenty of experience with such things.

Shu Heng nodded. “If you don’t mind, Teacher Li, then I’ll reply to Sister Qin?”

Li Jianwei hesitated for a second, debating whether she should be so open about riding on her girlfriend’s coattails, before slowly nodding. “You can have Sister Qin contact my manager. If the brand and the pay are right, we’ll shoot it together.”

“Yay!” Shu Heng cheered softly. “You’re so good to me, Teacher Li.”

“You really like calling me ‘Teacher’?” Li Jianwei asked. “Have you considered changing what you call me? You can just use my name. ‘Teacher Li’ seems a little distant.”

Shu Heng bit her chopsticks, trying hard to come up with a good reason for her little scheme. “It’s a habit. I think it’s safer to call you that. If I change the name, I might have a slip of the tongue in front of other people.” Calling you ‘Teacher Li’ is so much more fun! It makes it feel like I’m with a senior idol. Plus, it can add to the fun when we’re… you know.

Seeing the little scheme in Shu Heng’s eyes, Li Jianwei didn’t press the issue and continued to eat her fried dumpling. It was just a name. The heiress could call her whatever she wanted. She would just consider it a small compensation for her.

…

Confessing to the Manager

“You’re saying what? You and Shu Heng are together?” Sister Lu couldn’t help but sit up straight in her chair after getting a call from her artist. “Li Jianwei, do you remember what you told me just a few days ago? You said you would only play up the CP and not get into a real relationship!”

“Be honest with me, what happened in the past three days to make you change your mind so drastically? Did she get something on you?” Sister Lu’s voice was full of concern.

Sister Lu had brought Li Jianwei up herself. She was the person, besides Li Jianwei, who knew how ambitious she was. What’s more, Li Jianwei was famously afraid of being implicated in scandals and only had a few close friends in the industry. While a relationship wasn’t inherently good or bad, dating someone in the industry would inevitably affect her career.

“Well, you know… we both got drunk last night,” Li Jianwei said, touching her nose guiltily. “Some things happened that required us to define our relationship.” Remembering her confident words from a few days ago, even someone as thick-skinned as Li Jianwei felt a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, Sister Lu. I told Shu Heng that we won’t go public for now,” Li Jianwei added. “But Shu Heng has a joint brand endorsement lined up. Her manager might contact you soon.”

“Are you trying to play with her feelings?” Sister Lu blurted out. “Li Jianwei, you said you wouldn’t be a heartbreaker!”

“Sister Lu, is that really what you think of me?” Li Jianwei countered. “If I were a heartbreaker, I’d have a bunch of people dangling resources in front of me, begging me to be with them!”

Sister Lu: “Then be honest. What’s really going on between you and Shu Heng? Don’t tell me that in less than three days, you suddenly realized you were in love with her and threw all caution to the wind.”

Li Jianwei remained silent, picking at the glass window on the balcony. She couldn’t really explain it. After all, when she accepted the invitation yesterday, she had subconsciously gone to the bathroom to trim her nails. Maybe she had already guessed what would happen subconsciously but hadn’t admitted it due to a strange sense of pride.

“Li Jianwei,” Sister Lu said, her voice growing serious. “Tell me the truth!”

Li Jianwei made a promise: “For now, I feel that building my career is a little more important than a relationship. If there’s a conflict, I won’t give up good opportunities for a little romance.”

Sister Lu: “Can I trust that?”

Even though her manager couldn’t see her, Li Jianwei nodded emphatically. “Of course. I haven’t made enough money yet. Don’t forget I still have a loan to pay off. Sister Lu, haven’t I been investing a lot lately? That’s a sign of my ambition.”

Only after Li Jianwei’s repeated assurances did Sister Lu let it go. However, after hanging up, Sister Lu immediately started drafting a public relations plan. There were two versions: one for if the relationship was unexpectedly exposed by a paparazzo, and another for if her artist went rogue, dumped Shu Heng, and was exposed as a heartbreaker. The latter was less likely, but it was better to be prepared. Li Jianwei was a talent she had nurtured for years, and she couldn’t let a relationship ruin her!

…

The Little Cat Who Can Backflip

Li Jianwei had already promised to go home with Shu Heng to see the cat. Now that they were officially a couple, she had no reason to refuse. When Shu Heng first entered the industry, she lived in a standard apartment provided by her company. She endured it for a while, and as soon as she received her paychecks, she moved into the current villa. She initially rented it, but later, she liked the environment and the quality of her neighbors so much that she bought it with her own money. She then rented it back to herself, still having the company reimburse her for the rent. The goal was to be smart about spending and saving money.

“Teacher Li, look, this is Panda!” Shu Heng said, sliding her hands under the cow-patterned cat’s armpits and lifting him up. Panda cooperated, shaking his tail and meowing in a high-pitched voice when his owner introduced him.

Li Jianwei’s eyes curved as she was immediately captivated by the little cat. “He’s so cute. Can I pet his head?”

“Yes, Panda loves people. He won’t bite you~” Shu Heng was very generous. After Li Jianwei cautiously petted the cat’s belly, Shu Heng put Panda directly into her arms. Shu Heng rubbed the cat’s head vigorously. “Panda, from now on, Teacher Li is also your human. We’ll work together to take care of you.”

Panda: “Meow~”

“Did he understand?” Li Jianwei held Panda, lowering her chin to rub his head.

Panda stretched his neck, and perhaps sensing a familiar scent on Li Jianwei, he gratefully licked her neck.

“Good cat!” Li Jianwei’s eyes lit up. Any cat that was willing to snuggle was a good cat!

“Teacher Li, let’s put Panda down. I’ll have him do a backflip,” Shu Heng said, suddenly jealous, immediately taking the cat back.

“Meow!” Panda seemed to protest, using a paw to press on Shu Heng’s chin.

“Be a good boy, do a backflip for Teacher Li. If you make her happy, I’ll give you a can of wet food.” Shu Heng squeezed the little cat’s paw and then gave him two kisses as a form of comfort.

Panda said nothing, but he nimbly twisted his body, landed on the floor, rubbed against his human’s pants leg as a sign of affection, and then bolted, disappearing from sight. It seemed he had no intention of cooperating with the backflip performance.

“Hehe, maybe Panda’s had enough exercise for the day, so he doesn’t want to move,” Shu Heng said without a hint of embarrassment, her smile still bright. “If you stay here for a few more days, Teacher Li, you’ll definitely see Panda do a backflip.”

Li Jianwei, of course, wouldn’t argue with a cute cat. She simply sat down and asked, “I remember your new drama, Moonlit West, is premiering next month. Won’t you be doing any promotion?”

“Oh, that. Sister Qin already worked it out for me. It’s mostly online promotion, like releasing some behind-the-scenes footage and doing a live broadcast,” Shu Heng said, clinging to Li Jianwei’s arm. “Don’t forget to help me promote it, Teacher Li. You promised me before.” Shu Heng tried her best to look cute, blinking her eyes. “It would be even better if you could watch the show with me and give me pointers on my acting.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget anyone, let alone you.” Li Jianwei’s smile never faded. She looked much more relaxed than usual. “If I have time, I’ll watch the premiere with you.”

“You have to make time. I’m your girlfriend now, Teacher Li. Even though it’s not public, you have to support your girlfriend’s work unconditionally!” Shu Heng insisted.

When she pulled out the girlfriend card, what could Li Jianwei do? She could only raise her hand and promise to watch Moonlit West.

Perhaps sensing that her human was trying to keep Li Jianwei close, Panda didn’t perform a backflip for five straight days. It was only when Li Jianwei was about to leave for work that he suddenly jumped and performed one while she was saying goodbye to Shu Heng.

“Shu Heng, Panda really can do a backflip!” Li Jianwei said in awe. “He’s an amazing little cat.”

“Of course he is. And besides Panda’s backflip, didn’t I also perform one for you?” Shu Heng, who hadn’t gotten a goodbye kiss yet, cupped Li Jianwei’s face. “Teacher Li, please look at me. You’re about to leave your girlfriend!” Shu Heng said with a serious expression. “Is Panda more important than your girlfriend?”

“I’m just shooting a promotional video for a travel agency. I’ll be back in five days at the most,” Li Jianwei said, a little helpless with Shu Heng cupping her face. Why is the heiress even getting jealous of a cat?

“That’s a full five days! One hundred and twenty hours! Seven thousand two hundred minutes!” Shu Heng insisted. “You have to think about me three times a day, no, four times a day, which is one more time than you eat.”

Li Jianwei blinked. No one had ever asked her to do this before. “If I eat a late-night snack, will that make it five times a day?”

Shu Heng nodded. “At least five times!”

Li Jianwei also nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about you.”

“Remember to video call me every night and tell me your schedule. Most importantly, be safe. The promotional video might be in a secluded area…”

Shu Heng’s words poured out again, and she felt like she could never say enough. In the end, it was Li Jianwei who cupped her face and gave her a passionate French kiss, finally allowing her to leave the heiress’s villa.

…

Coming Out to Mom

“Sister Lu, why are you looking at me like that?” Li Jianwei couldn’t help but adjust her posture, then touched her face. She hadn’t put on any makeup yet, so there shouldn’t be any makeup issues.

Sitting next to her, Sister Lu didn’t say anything, just continued to look her up and down. After about half a minute, she finally spoke. “Have you been with Shu Heng for the past few days?”

“Yeah, after the shoot, I went to her place to see her little cat,” Li Jianwei said. “Her cat really can do a backflip.”

Sister Lu: …

“You just went to see a cat do a backflip?” Sister Lu rubbed her twitching eyelid with her thumb. “You didn’t do anything else?”

Li Jianwei shrugged, her tone casual. “The rest was just normal things a couple would do.”

Looking at the noticeably more cheerful Li Jianwei, Sister Lu was speechless. She could only speak vaguely. “Be a little more restrained. Your next shoot in two weeks is for an evening gown, and your back and arms will be exposed. Don’t make the makeup artist’s job difficult.”

This was all Sister Lu could do. She couldn’t directly interfere with her artist’s private life just because she was her manager.

“Don’t worry, Sister Lu. I sent Shu Heng a copy of my schedule for the year. She knows when I have to be on camera,” Li Jianwei said with an easygoing confidence.

After a short chat about her personal life, Sister Lu began to fill Li Jianwei’s empty schedule before they reached their destination.

“The New Year’s Eve gala is finalizing its guest list. We’ve arranged for you to perform the theme song from your award-winning film. You’ll also participate in a small game afterward. That should be fine, right?” Sister Lu pulled out a small notebook and flipped through it.

“How far in advance is the rehearsal?” Li Jianwei asked.

Sister Lu: “They’ll start about two weeks in advance. You won’t be in a duet, so you don’t need to be there for every rehearsal. Just go to the full-run rehearsal a couple of times to get used to your stage positioning.”

“Okay, then I’ll fly over on the 28th and leave the next two days open for them,” Li Jianwei said, opening a newly downloaded app and checking off the days from the 28th to the 31st.

“What’s this? Your planner?” Sister Lu glanced over curiously.

Li Jianwei coughed lightly. “A couple’s schedule-sharing app. It’s so Shu Heng and I can plan our dates in advance.”

Sister Lu: …

Is my artist really putting her career before her relationship? It looks like she’s already starting to become obsessed with love.

“Sister Lu, what about that resource Shu Heng’s manager introduced you to? How’s your evaluation going?” Li Jianwei changed the subject.

“It’s an international clothing brand with a great reputation. You’ll be the first Chinese spokesperson they’ve ever had,” Sister Lu said, getting back to business. “You have to seize this opportunity. I heard the big boss behind the brand has a good personal relationship with the owners of some major international luxury brands. It could get you a lot of connections in the fashion world.”

Li Jianwei nodded, then emphasized, “It’s a resource Shu Heng got for us so we could work together.”

Sister Lu took a deep breath. She couldn’t argue with that. Her artist’s relationship was currently proving to be very valuable.

“Promise me you won’t give me any negative relationship news to deal with in my end-of-year report,” Sister Lu warned.

…

The shoot for the travel promotional video went smoothly. The leaders from her hometown were also very kind. Since the leader was a woman, there was no unpleasant drinking culture, and Li Jianwei was well taken care of. At the end, they even filled her van with local specialties. The leader’s reasoning was unassailable: while Li Jianwei had grown up eating these things, she could give them to her celebrity friends, who might help promote the products and boost the local economy.

The shoot ended a day early, and Li Jianwei took the opportunity to go home for a visit. She rolled up her sleeves and cooked a delicious dinner, surprising her mom and dad when they got home from work.

Li Jianwei’s background was ordinary compared to some of the industry’s second-generation stars. Her mother was a high school math teacher, and her father was a high school physical education teacher. Their relationship was simple, too. They met at school. Their romance began with math lessons on the basketball court and blossomed into her filling in for a homeroom teacher to arrange their self-study sessions. Li Jianwei had clearly inherited her mother’s sharp mind; she was an excellent student and could have gotten into a top university if she hadn’t been so interested in acting.

“Mom, surprise! I’m home! I made your favorite shrimp!” Li Jianwei gave her mom a big hug.

“What about me?” Li Jianwei’s dad complained, holding his car keys.

“Hello, you’ve worked hard. How many classes did you have today?” Li Jianwei asked, still hugging her mom.

“I had three whole classes,” her dad emphasized. “Your mom only had two today!”

“Oh, but Mom’s classes require her to use her brain. You just need to blow a whistle, gather the students, and let them run a couple of laps before giving them free time,” Li Jianwei said indifferently. “Of course, Mom worked harder and needs to eat something good!”

“You, kid. I was the one who spent more time with you when you were little,” her dad said, shaking his head with a smile.

Li Jianwei’s mom patted her daughter’s head, then slapped her husband’s back. “Our daughter has already cooked! What are you standing there for? Go bring the dishes from the kitchen.”

“Right, right, I’m going,” her dad said, scrambling away.

After a harmonious dinner, Li Jianwei’s dad was sent to clean up the dishes and kitchen, while the mother and daughter sat on the couch and chatted. When her mom learned that her daughter had worked with the local tourism bureau to promote their hometown, the wrinkles on her face, caused by dealing with mischievous students, smoothed out as she smiled brightly.

“How long can you stay this time?” her mom asked.

Li Jianwei answered truthfully. “Less than two days. I have to fly back the day after tomorrow.”

Her mom said, “Your schedule is that tight? I thought you said that after winning the award, you’d start focusing on quality over quantity?”

Li Jianwei touched her nose. “Mom, I need to set aside some personal time.”

“Hmm?” Her mom raised an eyebrow. When she saw the guilt in her daughter’s eyes, she knew what was going on. “Are you in a relationship?” Her smile faded, and the oppressive air of a homeroom teacher descended, making Li Jianwei feel a little weak.

Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, Li Jianwei subconsciously lowered her voice. “Yeah, I’m with someone in the industry. She’s a little clingy.”

“Is she older or younger than you? How tall is she? How much does she earn? What do her parents do? Do you have a plan for the future?” her mom asked in a rapid-fire series of questions.

“She’s only a few months different in age from me, about the same height. Her income is probably a little lower than mine, and her parents are likely businesspeople. We don’t have a plan yet; we’ve only been together for a few days,” Li Jianwei answered in one breath.

“The same height as you?” her mom immediately noticed what she was most unhappy about. “Then if you wear heels, he’ll have to wear lifts?”

Li Jianwei blinked. “Um, maybe she can wear heels, too.”

“He, is it a she?” her mom frowned. “You’re dating a female celebrity?”

“Yes, a female celebrity,” Li Jianwei nodded, then reminded her mom. “Mom, remember you were praising that mathematician who solved the century-old problem? Her partner is also a female celebrity.”