The Movie Queen's Beloved Crybaby Alpha (GL , ABO) - Chapter 7

In the evening, Ning Yunshu returned home from work but didn’t see Ye Qinglan in the living room. Curious, she glanced around Ye Qinglan’s bag and shoes were there, so she must be home.

The doors to both the master bedroom and study were closed, making it unclear whether Ye Qinglan was resting or doing something else.

Not wanting to disturb her, Ning Yunshu quietly changed her shoes. Just then, the study door opened, and Ye Qinglan stepped out.

Upon seeing Ning Yunshu, Ye Qinglan quickly closed the study door behind her, preventing Ning Yunshu from seeing inside.

Though curious, Ning Yunshu respected their agreement and didn’t ask. Instead, she said, “Are you hungry, sis? I’ll make dinner. What would you like?”

“Whatever you decide,” Ye Qinglan replied, her gaze fixed on her.

Being stared at like this made Ning Yunshu slightly uncomfortable. Lately, Ye Qinglan had rarely looked at her so directly, often even avoiding her. Why was she being so bold now?

Ning Yunshu couldn’t help but ask softly, “What’s wrong, sis? Is there something off about me?”

Ye Qinglan was silent for a moment before speaking. “You knew Xiao Wenjin had approached me to act in a film long ago, didn’t you? That’s why, a year ago, you had the branch office negotiate an investment with him, right?”

Ever since Zhou Tiantian had brought her home, Ye Qinglan had shut herself in the study.

What Ning Yunshu didn’t know was that on Ye Qinglan’s desk lay a photo of the two of them taken after they started high school.

Staring at the photo, Ye Qinglan found herself confronting questions she had subconsciously ignored all this time.

The jewelry endorsement from J.S. was clearly Ning Yunshu’s doing. With J.S.’s influence, they could have easily chosen a more established actress. Ye Qinglan was still a newcomer, winning an award didn’t mean she had fully secured her place in the industry. The endorsement was undeniably meant to help her, signaling to the industry that J.S. had their eye on Ye Qinglan.

Ning Yunshu had been helping her or rather, she had started even earlier, back when they were preparing the film. The investment from J.S. was undoubtedly arranged by Ning Yunshu.

But if Ning Yunshu had known about her situation a year ago, why hadn’t she come to find her then? Why wait until now to appear?

Ye Qinglan couldn’t understand what could have kept Ning Yunshu away for so long.

She picked up the photo frame, her fingers lightly tracing their faces in the picture.

Why had she been made to wait seven years without a shred of hope? If only Ning Yunshu had reached out just once during that time, explained there was a reason, she would have been willing to wait.

Why did she have to wait until all hope was lost before Ning Yunshu finally appeared?

She didn’t understand. Only when the sound of the electronic lock opening in the living room reached her did she finally set the frame down and step out of the study.

After avoiding it for so many days, she no longer wanted to keep accepting Ning Yunshu’s kindness while dodging the real questions. Otherwise, even taking the money Ning Yunshu offered would weigh on her conscience.

That was why Ye Qinglan had finally asked the question outright.

Ning Yunshu stood frozen for a moment before lowering her eyes and softly admitting, “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you come to see me back then? Why didn’t you even send me a single message?” Ye Qinglan pressed, holding up her phone as she stared at Ning Yunshu. “You knew perfectly well I haven’t changed my phone number in seven years.”

Ning Yunshu gave a bitter smile, raising her eyes to meet Ye Qinglan’s gaze, her expression filled with sorrow. “I wanted to. Every single day for seven years, I thought about you, wanted to message you, to reach out but I couldn’t. I didn’t dare…”

“Why? What could possibly be so terrible that you couldn’t even contact me?!” Ye Qinglan clenched her phone, her eyes locked onto Ning Yunshu.

“Even just a single message, why did you have to hide for seven years?”

Her voice rose unconsciously, trembling with emotion.

Ning Yunshu took a deep breath and looked at her. “Then… will you give me a chance to explain?”

Ye Qinglan forced herself to calm down. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Ning Yunshu reached up and began unbuttoning her shirt, one button at a time.

“What are you doing?” Ye Qinglan frowned in confusion. “I just asked you to explain.”

“Mm.” Ning Yunshu simply acknowledged, undoing three buttons before pulling aside the fabric over her left shoulder.

There, just below her collarbone and above her heart, was a vicious scar.

Ye Qinglan froze. Then, as Ning Yunshu lifted the hem of her shirt, she saw another equally brutal scar along her side.

Ye Qinglan’s fingers trembled. The placement of these wounds was terrifying, one more dangerous than the other. The one near her shoulder, if it had been just slightly lower, would have struck her heart.

A chilling thought struck her: If the wound had been any deeper, would she have ever seen Ning Yunshu again?

Ning Yunshu fastened her buttons again, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to take Ye Qinglan’s hand.

The warmth of her touch seemed to reassure her, I’m still here. Don’t be afraid.

Ye Qinglan’s voice shook. “What happened? How did you get hurt like this? Who?”

“Qinglan.” Ning Yunshu called her name softly, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile. “It’s over now. I didn’t show you this to make you sad. I just wanted you to understand back then, I couldn’t even protect myself. So how could I risk letting anyone know about you? I was afraid they’d be ruthless enough to come after you.”

“Who did this?” Ye Qinglan demanded.

Ning Yunshu smiled faintly. “My uncles.”

Ye Qinglan looked stunned. “But they’re your own flesh and bl00d!”

“Sometimes, when absolute power is at stake, family can be the ones who want you dead the most.” Ning Yunshu tugged her hand lightly, guiding her to sit on the sofa.

“Let’s sit. I’ll tell you everything.”

Ye Qinglan’s expression was complicated, so Ning Yunshu continued. “Back then, my grandfather was critically ill. He called our family back to Australia. He had three sons, my eldest uncle, who was arrogant and incompetent, always acting like he deserved everything as the firstborn. My second uncle was cunning, but he relied on underhanded schemes. My grandfather never liked either of them, but his health was failing. The family needed an heir, so he chose my father.”

Ning Yunshu then gave a self-deprecating smile. “No, it wasn’t about choosing my father. The person he selected was me. He knew full well my father disliked business, he was just an artist who loved painting. So he forced us to make a choice. My father had been rebellious his whole life, but with the old man having only a few years left, he couldn’t bring himself to defy him anymore.”

“I couldn’t bear to see my father in such a difficult position, so I accepted. When my two uncles found out, they obviously disagreed. But with the old man still around, they didn’t dare act openly. He confiscated my cards and passport, kept me by his side for training, and forbade me from contacting anyone familiar here. Even in private, I was under surveillance. At the time, I didn’t understand, but I had no way to resist.”

She lowered her eyes, her voice filled with resignation. “Later, I realized why he did it. He wasn’t just protecting me, he was protecting the people around me too.”

“The old man passed away shortly after I graduated from university. Once he was gone, the entire family changed. My uncles, who had been scheming in the shadows, started targeting me openly. When it was confirmed I was the primary heir, they completely turned against me. Slander, assassination attempts, it never stopped. I even took two bullets. I had no choice but to deal with them first to ensure they wouldn’t resort to desperate measures against the people I cared about most. By the time I finally sent my more troublesome uncle to prison, it had already been a year.”

Listening to her recount everything so calmly, Ye Qinglan could hardly imagine how Ning Yunshu had endured such a high-pressure environment for so long.

“By then, I could finally breathe. That’s when I heard about your film project. But with my eldest uncle still around, I didn’t dare come see you directly. Though he wasn’t as cunning, my second uncle had corrupted him too, and I couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t follow in his footsteps. So I kept hiding, biding my time. It wasn’t until this year, when he completely lost any chance of competing with me, that I finally felt safe enough to return to attend your celebration banquet.”

“I’m sorry, sister. I know I made you wait all these years without any hope. If you resent or hate me, I’ll accept it. And thank you for still being willing to talk to me now.” Ning Yunshu looked up at Ye Qinglan, her gaze filled with undisguised affection.

“This is enough. I’ll make up for the hurt I caused you these past seven years. Everything I’ve done was just to ease my own conscience. I don’t want to use my past as leverage for your forgiveness, and I hope you won’t choose to forgive me outright after hearing all this. I don’t deserve it.”

“Ning Yunshu…” Ye Qinglan bit her lip, struggling to maintain her composure.

“You idiot!”

Ning Yunshu laughed, but tears streamed down uncontrollably.

“Fine, call me an idiot. As long as I get to see you again.”

Her words dissolved into sobs.

“I was really… really afraid I’d never see you again. And I was terrified… terrified you’d never want anything to do with me for the rest of your life.”

Seeing her like this, how could Ye Qinglan feel any better? She tilted her head back, sniffing hard to keep from crying.

“Ning Yunshu.”

“Yes, I’m here,” Ning Yunshu replied between hiccups.

“Don’t cry.” Ye Qinglan reached out, using her fingertip to wipe away the tears on Ning Yunshu’s face.

Ning Yunshu was flustered by the unexpected kindness and quickly grabbed a tissue nearby. “I… I understand.”

“After all this time, you’re still such a crybaby,” Ye Qinglan murmured, gazing at her with a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry, I lost my composure…”

Ye Qinglan didn’t respond to that, only saying, “I’m hungry.”

Ning Yunshu immediately scrambled to her feet. “Then, then I’ll go prepare dinner. Just wait a little, Sister…”

With that, she fled toward the kitchen as if escaping.

Watching her retreating figure, Ye Qinglan spoke again.

“Ning Yunshu, I still haven’t forgiven you.”

Ning Yunshu didn’t turn back, only replying softly.

“Okay.”