The Movie Queen Wants to Get Back with Her Ex - Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Caught in the Act
Two days later, just as expected, Si Shao didn’t reach out to Yan Xijing. One of her work partners had a sudden change in plans, rescheduling their meeting to the afternoon.
Coincidentally, Yan Xijing had already changed into her workout clothes and went to meet Xiao Ran at the badminton court as planned.
“We’ve been so busy lately—let’s just sweat it out a bit today. You’ll sleep better tonight.”
“Sure.”
Truth be told, Yan Xijing had no real interest in sports, but since she was already there, she figured she might as well move around a little.
Xiao Ran quickly noticed that Yan Xijing wasn’t into exercising, so he simply served the shuttlecock to her repeatedly, keeping it light. After an hour, Yan Xijing was done.
Xiao Ran opened a bottle of water and handed it to her. “Looks like I picked the wrong place today.”
“Yeah. Aside from physical activity on set, I don’t enjoy sports at all. Next time, if you ask me to play ball again, I’m not coming.”
“Got it. I won’t make the same mistake twice. How about this—let’s go for a massage instead. Time to relax.”
“Sounds good.”
Yan Xijing didn’t want to feel sore the next day while filming, so she agreed. They went for a massage. Although they were in a private room, there were two massage therapists present, so there was nothing ambiguous about the situation. They casually chatted about work.
That evening, the two went out to dinner. And just their luck—right at the entrance of the restaurant, they bumped into Si Shao and her business partner.
When Si Shao saw Yan Xijing, she froze for a moment. She had just finished a meeting and planned to grab a meal before heading home. What she didn’t expect was to run into Yan Xijing here—especially with another man beside her.
“This is my business partner, Zhai Liang. We just finished discussing work and decided to grab a bite. Xiaojing, aren’t you going to introduce the person with you?”
Si Shao’s tone was calm, but Yan Xijing still heard the anger hidden beneath her words. “This is my business partner too—Xiao Ran.”
Si Shao gave a light chuckle. “So, you two are also here discussing business?”
Before Yan Xijing could answer, Zhai Liang cut in, “That’s right—we’re talking business too. President Si, surely you’re not planning to manage even Xiaojing’s work?”
“Did I speak to you?”
Si Shao was used to business negotiations. Even when she was calm, her presence was intimidating. Now, with her patience thin, her eyes grew sharp and cold as she looked at Xiao Ran.
“President Si, are you really that quick to anger? I haven’t even done anything with Xiaojing, and you’re already losing it? With a possessiveness like yours, how does Xiaojing even put up with you?”
Xiao Ran’s tone was blatantly provocative.
But Si Shao didn’t get angry. Though not in the entertainment industry herself, she knew far more about its hidden secrets than most insiders. “Just an illegitimate child who can’t be shown in public. Don’t think that just because you’re being propped up as a celebrity you have the right to act arrogant in front of me. Xiao Ran, do you believe I can ruin your career?”
Xiao Ran had always claimed that he rose to fame on his own merits. As for his background, it was vague. Everyone knew he was from the Xiao family but no one knew whose child he actually was. The Xiao family wasn’t in showbiz, so most didn’t dig further.
Very few knew the truth about Xiao Ran’s identity—Si Shao was one of them. She had a business relationship with Xiao Ran’s second uncle, and the topic had come up in casual conversation.
What Xiao Ran hated most was being called an illegitimate child. Si Shao’s words hit right where it hurt, and his trademark fake smile froze on his face.
“The Xiao family doesn’t want their scandal exposed, so no matter what nonsense you say in front of the cameras, they won’t call you out. But I’m different. I’m not a Xiao. If you want to stay in this business, you’d better behave. Don’t get any ideas that you shouldn’t. Understood?”
Both were top-tier alphas, but not all alphas were equal. Si Shao came from wealth and never shied away from acknowledging it. Xiao Ran, on the other hand, used the Xiao family’s resources while pretending to be self-made, lying repeatedly in interviews. Aside from his strong pheromones, he wasn’t much.
Still, he was a step up from Zhao Zelin—Si Shao admitted that much.
“Enough, Xiaojing. Since you’re already here, join us for dinner.”
With that, Si Shao extended her hand to Yan Xijing. She was furious inside, but this wasn’t the right place to make a scene.
Yan Xijing hesitated for a moment before taking her hand. That hesitation was actually her giving Xiao Ran a chance to speak up—but he didn’t.
Si Shao noticed the hesitation and her fury grew deeper. But she kept her expression neutral and said, “Alright, let’s go eat first. As for you, Xiao Ran—go back to wherever you came from. If you don’t have the guts, don’t entertain ideas you shouldn’t. You’re in the entertainment industry, you should know this better than me.”
With that, she pulled Yan Xijing along with her and Zhai Liang into the restaurant.
Zhai Liang, being a savvy businessman, knew exactly what to say—or not say. He also knew what to pretend not to see. So dinner went smoothly enough.
Afterward, they saw Zhai Liang off, and Si Shao silently dragged Yan Xijing into the car.
Once the doors were shut, she finally asked, “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
“I…” Yan Xijing began, but Si Shao cut her off.
“Xiaojing, if I’ve done something wrong, you can tell me. But you can’t do this. Do you understand?”
Her voice was low and frightening. Yan Xijing, knowing she was in the wrong, couldn’t raise her voice at all. “There’s nothing between us—we haven’t even held hands.”
“But your heart has wandered, Xiaojing. We’re not children. I need a proper answer about this. Don’t you think?”
Yan Xijing felt her face flush at being seen through. “Since you’ve said it like this, I’ll be honest. Yes, my heart did waver—but not because I like him. I just wanted to know what it feels like to be with someone else. We’ve been together since childhood—we know each other too well. Do you think what we have is really love?”
“Then tell me—what is love, in your opinion?”
“I don’t know, Si Shao. I really don’t. That’s why I want to figure it out. I know you won’t accept this. Maybe we should just call off the engagement. After all, we haven’t completed the mark. Once we break up, we can both be free—wouldn’t that make everyone happy?”
The more she said, the darker Si Shao’s expression became. Looking at the sincerity on Yan Xijing’s face, Si Shao suddenly laughed coldly.
“Breaking off the engagement? Not happening. Xiaojing, don’t even think about it.”