The Shadow Queen and Her Little Bodyguard (GL) - Chapter 7

After following the film crew to several theaters, Yu Jing finally greeted a visibly exhausted Yi Lanyin amidst thunderous applause at the final screening.

Ever since Yu Jing met Li Zhi, she had always acted like a pampered heiress. Even for hotel room service, she would push Yu Jing to answer the door. She would complain about being tired seven or eight times a night, so seeing her genuinely fatigued now felt strangely out of character.

Once they were settled in the car, Yu Jing turned to look at her.

As dusk approached, Yi Lanyin’s head, as exquisite as a work of art, rested languidly against the passenger window. She held a contact lens case in one hand, blinked twice, and swiftly removed her colored lenses, placing them in the case. Only then did she turn her head, puzzled. What are you staring at? If we don’t leave now, I’ll be late and have to drink a penalty shot.

What am I staring at? At a beautiful woman, of course.

It’s human nature to gaze at beautiful things and people. There’s nothing shameful about it.

Yu Jing turned back to start the car. As they merged onto the highway, she murmured, I bought a bag of hangover candies earlier. Want one now?

Yi Lanyin set down the lens case and immediately reached into the single pocket on Yu Jing’s shirt.

Yu Jing tilted her head, narrowed her eyes, and silently chided her, I’m driving.

Yi Lanyin ignored her, tore open the packaging, popped one candy into her mouth, and carefully tucked the rest into her small purse.

You must be exhausted, Yu Jing said, speaking to herself. You have a red-eye flight tonight. Try to pace yourself and drink less. Otherwise, you’ll look like a swollen pig’s head at tomorrow’s filming ceremony.

Yi Lanyin shot her a sidelong glance, her ethereal, aloof voice dripping with sarcasm as she gritted out, Even if I look like a swollen pig’s head, I’ll still be prettier than you.

Yu Jing burst out laughing, then quickly realized her laughter was inappropriate. She hastily turned her head to salvage the situation. That’s not what I meant! I just meant drinking isn’t good for your health. I can drink for you, as long as you don’t mind me getting talkative when I’m drunk.

Really? Yi Lanyin asked, her tone intrigued.

What? Yu Jing glanced sideways.

You get talkative when you’re drunk? Aren’t you supposed to be immune to alcohol? Have you ever even been drunk? Yi Lanyin seemed genuinely interested, momentarily forgetting their unspoken rule of maintaining distance. She leaned forward, her upper body tilting slightly toward Yu Jing.

Yu Jinghui straightened her posture, admitting she’d been drinking too much. For the past six months, she’d been living like a cavewoman, drawing the curtains and spending her days drinking out of sheer boredom. In the immediate aftermath of Zhou Xiangyun’s departure, she couldn’t even close her eyes to sleep. Alcohol had become her crutch, numbing her nerves and inducing sleep.

Yeah, when I’m drunk, I just want to talk to someone. I’d call people in the middle of the night, and even if they fell asleep, I’d keep rambling.

Yu Jinghui subtly turned the steering wheel, glancing sideways at Yi Lanyin, who had fallen silent beside her. Yi Lanyin was staring down, lost in thought, as if grappling with some incomprehensible physics principle.

The car remained quiet for a while. Just as they were nearing their destination, Yi Lanyin snapped out of her reverie and asked, But if everyone was asleep, why didn’t my phone ever ring?

Yu Jinghui found herself stumped by this roundabout question. Unable to answer, she instinctively countered with another question

If I called you, would you even pick up?

No, Yi Lanyin replied, lifting her chin with renewed confidence.

As the words left her lips, Yu Jinghui pulled the car to a stop. The background music abruptly cut off, mirroring the ambiguous nature of their relationship.

Then next time I’m drunk, I’ll call you, Yu Jinghui said, turning to face her.

Yi Lanyin glanced at her strangely, about to speak when she heard a loud bang bang on the car window. She turned to see Li Jiqing, his expensive porcelain veneers bared in a smirk as he gestured with his lips. Li Jiqing had always possessed a devilishly handsome look—a narrow face, almond-shaped eyes, and thin lips, radiating an ambiguous aura of both charm and menace. When his face darkened like this, it never boded well.

Seeing Yi Lanyin frozen in place, he personally yanked open the car door, his first words Have you seen the trending topics?

Yi Lanyin’s heart sank. As an actress, she naturally craved trending topics—exposure meant more traffic, and more traffic meant more roles. But Yi Lanyin was different. Ever since she’d shed her background role status and begun to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry, she’d only starred in idol dramas historical dramas with colored contacts, modern dramas with varying degrees of realism. What she lacked least was fans. This created a unique ecosystem in her fandom a vast number of haters, each loyal to different true masters.

For Li Jiqing to personally inform her about trending topics at this moment could only mean trouble.

Yi Lanyin hurriedly lowered her head and began scrolling through her phone. After searching the entertainment charts for ages, she found no negative trending topics. Instead, someone had captured a few so-called divine shots from the earlier promotional event, and the hashtag YiLanyinRepublicEraFemmeFatale had climbed to the top of the trending list.

She set down her phone, her expression blank, and looked at Li Jiqing for answers.

Li Jiqing glanced around furtively. Even though they were in a narrow alley behind the restaurant, he was still wary of being photographed and refused to get into Yi Lanyin’s car.

You two come out here, he said.

Me too? Yu Jing asked, leaning out of the driver’s seat, puzzled.

Yes, you too. Otherwise, if we get caught, it’ll be ‘Sister Yi and I caught in a suspected romance’ trending. Li Jiqing took two steps back and waited.

Yi Lanyin was genuinely curious about what could have made Li Jiqing wait for her in person. She patted Yu Jing’s hand and got out of the car first.

Once Yu Jing had joined her, Li Jiqing stepped forward slightly. Pei Jiu has accepted investment from the Li Clan. The old man even gave a rare video interview, saying he believes in the future of the entertainment industry. Investing in Qihang is a new venture for the Li Clan to seize opportunities in the changing times. They’re also actively preparing to establish their own entertainment company. He held up his phone to show Yi Lanyin the news.

Yu Jing didn’t know who Pei Jiu was, nor did she recognize the old man Li Jiqing mentioned. Seeing Yi Lanyin’s furrowed brow, she grew anxious too.

Has Pei Jiu gone mad? Yi Lanyin scrolled through the article on Li Jiqing’s phone, then pushed it away, visibly irritated.

Li Jiqing clutched his phone. Who knows, Sis? You’ve got to hang in there. His devastatingly handsome face wore the look of a rabbit being slaughtered after the hunt.

Yi Lanyin took a deep breath after hearing his words. Just as Yu Jingzheng was anticipating her next remark, she simply murmured, Forget about it. Let’s go inside.

The restaurant specialized in Korean cuisine, renowned for its barbecue. The moment they stepped inside, the savory aroma of grilled meat stirred their appetites. The entire venue had been reserved by the film crew. People streamed in through the front entrance, each bowing slightly as they passed the massive screen positioned at the center of the hall. Yu Jingzheng guessed the screen was likely used for displaying photos and videos during birthday celebrations, or perhaps for nightly entertainment. After all, no one would choose such a place for a wedding.

Currently, someone was passionately clutching a wireless microphone on stage, boasting about the project’s achievements. Yu Jingzheng found this utterly uninteresting. She stuck close to Yi Lanyin until the latter took her seat beside the director. Since Yi Lanyin didn’t bother to arrange a seat for her, Yu Jing found an unoccupied corner table and settled in alone.

Having overheard snippets of Yi Lanyin and Li Jiqing’s conversation earlier, Yu Jing’s curiosity was piqued. As she sank into her chair, she surreptitiously texted Xiao Tao Senior Xiao Tao, do you know who Pei 9 is?

Yu Jing waited, phone in hand, but Xiao Tao didn’t reply. She reluctantly put her phone away and looked up to check on Yi Lanyin. The actress seemed perfectly fine, effortlessly raising a small shot glass of soju to toast the director, showing no sign of the worries Yu Jing knew she was carrying. When Yu Jing glanced back down, she realized her table had been completely filled in just a few seconds by a group of people.

Not recognizing anyone, Yu Jing could only offer an awkward smile. After all, you don’t hit a smiling face, and a smile might help her relax.

But her attempt at friendliness backfired. The woman who had led the group turned to face her directly. I haven’t seen you around before, she said, her gaze sweeping over Yu Jing’s work ID hanging around her neck. Oh, you’re Teacher Yi’s assistant. I thought you were a new actress. Where’s Xiao Tao?

Yu Jing didn’t know who anyone was. The entire table was filled with young women she’d never met before. It was a hot summer day, and most of them were wearing identical crew T-shirts, making it even harder to tell them apart.

She lowered her gaze and replied truthfully, Senior Xiao Tao went back to the company for a meeting.

Mm-hmm, the woman nodded, then smiled at Yu Jing. This is great news for you guys. With new investment, the company will thrive. Who knows, your year-end bonus might even equal your entire annual salary!

Huh? Yu Jing blurted out, then shook her head as if realizing something. I’m not thinking about that—the year’s only halfway over. I’m just curious if this is actually good news for us artists.

Of course! The woman laughed heartily, and others nearby joined in.

Teacher Yi is a major shareholder in the company. Didn’t you know that? After speaking, the woman glanced cautiously at Yu Jing’s employee badge, as if doubting her identity as Yi Lanyin’s staff member.

Yu Jing grew even more puzzled. Yi Lanyin’s reaction didn’t seem like she’d received good news at all.

Her phone buzzed several times. Yu Jing glanced down to check the notifications.

The messages were from Xiao Tao.

A photo showed a tall, well-built man standing before a PowerPoint presentation, speaking.

That’s Pei 9 you mentioned—actually Pei Jiu.

Our company’s big boss.

Sister Yi’s childhood sweetheart.

Diamond bachelor.

Manager of the Nine Electronic Sports Club.

Second Young Master of the Erjin Group

Which of his identities are you asking about?

Yu Jing was overwhelmed by this barrage of information, her mind finally settling on the phrase childhood sweetheart.

The words were typed quickly and written simply, yet they conveyed a wealth of meaning. The Erjin Group was a household name in China, the nation’s leading kitchen and bathroom conglomerate with over ten thousand high-end experience stores worldwide and more than three hundred thousand sales outlets. If President Pei had merely inherited his wealth, that would have been one thing. But the fact that he also owned Nine, one of the country’s top-tier esports clubs—a completely unrelated industry—proved that Pei Jiu was not just a privileged second-generation heir he was a capable and visionary leader in his own right.

If Nine could be interpreted as Jiu, then Zhi might also be Zhi.

Yu Jing didn’t know what she was thinking. Her fingers swiped across the screen, and as if possessed, she found herself opening that photo again.

The man in the picture was handsome, his sharp features framed by silver-rimmed glasses perched on his high, straight nose. He stood tall and poised, a crisp white shirt beneath a navy blue waistcoat. In the lower left corner, a pair of exquisite cufflinks hinted at his innate nobility—the very image of a successful man in the conventional sense.

The person beside her glanced at the corner of her screen. Isn’t that President Pei? she remarked. Lowering her elbow and leaning closer, she feigned a casual conversation with Yu Jing. I’d heard your company’s staff are young and good-looking. Seeing you, I can see it’s true.

Noticing Yu Jing’s tight-lipped silence, the woman continued, I spotted you as soon as I walked in. Since you’re in this industry, have you ever considered acting yourself? With your looks, you’d definitely stand out.

I can’t act, so I don’t, Yu Jing replied, eager to end the conversation.

What does that matter? the woman countered, lowering her voice conspiratorially. Look at the leads in idol dramas—how many of them can actually act? In this industry, if you have someone backing you, you can act. She pressed on, Take Teacher Yi, for example. She finally made it! This is her first time on the big screen, and she’s already grossed over three billion yuan.

It’s different, Yu Jing insisted. In the past, she would have frozen out such an overly familiar person until they lost interest and stopped. But when it came to Yi Lanyin’s acting, she grew serious. Teacher Yi takes her craft very seriously. It’s not like what you’re saying.

Finally, the woman saw a hint of youthful stubbornness in Yu Jing’s expression. She stared intently, as if waiting for an apology.