Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 4
About half an hour later, the doorbell rang at Yi Qian’s home.
After Yi Qian had said those words earlier, Ye Shuyi hadn’t responded at all, she’d simply hung up the phone.
Unsure of what the other meant and unwilling to take the initiative to call or message for clarification, Yi Qian could only pace back and forth by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, biting her fingertips while eagerly anticipating.
When she finally spotted the familiar car on the community’s main road, Yi Qian unconsciously bit down hard on her fingertip.
“Ouch~”
She blew on the sore spot, then hurried back to the living room to turn on the TV. Flipping through channels with the remote as if carefully selecting a program, her eyes kept darting toward the window.
Seeing Ye Shuyi step out of the car, Yi Qian immediately straightened her posture, staring fixedly at the screen while turning down the volume.
Ding dong~
The doorbell chimed. Yi Qian turned off the TV, only to notice her somewhat disheveled appearance reflected in the black screen. She quickly adjusted her clothes and hair before the screen like a student preparing to meet the principal. Satisfied with her appearance, she rushed to the entryway, took a deep breath, and finally opened the door.
Ye Shuyi still wore yesterday’s white scarf, her delicate lower face nearly buried in the fabric. Her nose was slightly red, and when she lifted her eyelids to look at Yi Qian, she resembled a drowsy kitten that hadn’t gotten enough hibernation. The snowflakes clinging to her hair added an aloofness to the kitten, giving off a “don’t mess with me or I’ll scratch your face” vibe.
Yi Qian unconsciously held her breath.
After several seconds of eye contact, the kitten averted her gaze and spoke haughtily: “Let’s go when you’re ready.” With that, she turned to leave.
Once Yi Qian got in the car, Ye Shuyi said while steering: “I explained your situation to the director. When we get there, mind your attitude apologize properly and speak respectfully. Of course, you don’t have to listen to me, after all.” This job means nothing to you anyway.
“I’ll listen to you,” Yi Qian agreed before Ye Shuyi could finish.
Surprised by the immediate compliance, Ye Shuyi glanced sideways to see Yi Qian looking out the window, her exposed earlobes slightly red whether from shyness or the car’s heater was unclear.
“But I have one condition,” Yi Qian suddenly added.
Ye Shuyi had known it couldn’t be that simple. But as her manager, smoothing relations with the crew was her responsibility. Checking the rearview mirror, she said calmly, “Go on.”
Yi Qian looked forward, stealing a sidelong glance at the person beside her before speaking rapidly: “You have to stay on set later.”
Though spoken quickly and not entirely clearly, Ye Shuyi understood perfectly.
Truthfully, this condition completely surprised her. Given Yi Qian’s impatient attitude yesterday, she’d assumed the other wanted nothing to do with her.
Noticing those increasingly red earlobes in the mirror, a mischievous thought occurred. Feigning incomprehension, she asked, “What did you say?”
Yi Qian deliberately spoke quickly and slurred her words, thinking it was natural the other person hadn’t caught what she said. Just as she was about to repeat herself, she caught sight of a faint smile curling at the corners of the driver’s lips in the rearview mirror. In that instant, it felt like a snowflake had drifted onto the nape of her neck, a sudden chill that jolted her awake. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled and asked, “Agent Ye didn’t catch what I said?”
Ye Shuyi replied with perfect seriousness, “No, you spoke too fast, and your articulation wasn’t clear. After acting in so many productions, hasn’t any director ever corrected your enunciation?”
“How do you know how many productions I’ve been in?” Yi Qian looked at her with amused interest. “Have you been secretly following me?”
Meeting her gaze briefly in the rearview mirror, Ye Shuyi responded smoothly, “As an agent, having a thorough understanding of my artist is fundamental.”
Yi Qian arched a brow slightly, her tone leisurely. “Fine, then I’ll speak slower this time.” She leaned closer toward Ye Shuyi, whispering by her ear, “I said, I hope Agent Ye will supervise her artist’s work on set later.”
The warm breath against her ear sent a tickling sensation across her skin, making Ye Shuyi instinctively tilt her head toward the window.
Once Yi Qian straightened back into her seat, she watched with keen interest as the other woman’s ears began to flush red. Drawing out her words, she asked, “Does Agent Ye hear me clearly now?”
Ye Shuyi swallowed silently and nodded.
Propping her head on one hand, Yi Qian tilted her head to study Ye Shuyi’s profile, her posture relaxed, her tone languid. “Then may I ask does Agent Ye find this condition reasonable?”
Ye Shuyi kept her eyes fixed ahead, appearing wholly focused on driving. Yet Yi Qian’s gaze felt tangible, branding her skin, making her tense as if any movement might lay something bare.
Yi Qian watched her, her voice light and carefree. “If Agent Ye doesn’t answer, her artist won’t mind staying in this position the whole way.”
Just then, they approached a traffic light. The car gradually slowed to a stop by the roadside. Ye Shuyi turned to meet her eyes directly. Yi Qian’s doe-like eyes held a faint smile, her gaze occasionally drifting across Ye Shuyi’s face. Her delicate, cherry-colored lips parted slightly, as if carefully considering her words, but she remained silent.
For some reason, Yi Qian felt the air around them accelerate, the warmth in the car growing more stifling. She swallowed unconsciously, glancing at the countdown on the traffic light before forcing a composed reminder. “Agent Ye has taken nearly a minute to think. Still undecided?”
Ye Shuyi straightened, her eyes on the last five seconds of the red light. Calmly, she answered, “The condition is reasonable. I accept.”
Yi Qian fought back a smile. As she turned to look out the window, snowflakes danced joyfully outside. Against her will, her lips curved upward today’s snow seemed especially beautiful, the pure white world now painted in vibrant hues.
Upon arriving at the filming location, Yi Qian first went to the director’s room to apologize, then headed to the makeup room to prepare for styling.
There were two main looks to be photographed for the promotional stills: one was a student-style makeup for the school era, and the other was a professional workplace look for the post-graduation phase.
Yi Qian sat at the makeup table getting her makeup done, while Ye Shuyi worked on her tablet in the corner, both occupied with their own tasks. However, the person at the makeup table was far from focused. Within minutes of the makeup artist starting, she had to adjust Yi Qian’s head for the third time, smiling as she reminded her, “Teacher Yi, the person sitting over there won’t just vanish into thin air. If you really want to look, you can do so in the mirror. Our mirror is ultra-HD, and the cleaning staff wipe it eight hundred times a day, you’ll see everything crystal clear.”
Yi Qian raised her eyes and glanced at the makeup artist through the mirror, feigning nonchalance. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I was just admiring the painting on the wall, it’s quite nice.”
The makeup artist looked at Yi Qian’s reflection and nodded cheerfully. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. That lily painting has been hanging there since I started working here three years ago. It’s definitely not going anywhere.”
After hearing this, Yi Qian settled down a bit, obediently fixing her gaze on a spot in the mirror as if carefully examining her makeup.
“Close your eyes.”
When Yi Qian didn’t respond, the makeup artist waved a hand in front of her face and teased, “Asleep, Teacher Yi? Could you please close your eyes? I need to apply your eyeshadow.”
Snapping out of it, Yi Qian obediently shut her eyes. But when she opened them again, she saw Ye Shuyi getting up to leave. The makeup artist swiftly held her down with a knowing smile. “No need to rush, Teacher Yi. Your agent just stepped out to take a call. Her tablet and scarf are still here, she’s not going anywhere.”
Yi Qian cleared her throat, pretending to be composed. “I’m in a hurry. I need to use the restroom.” With that, she stood up and walked out.
The makeup artist called after her, “Teacher Yi, the restroom is at the end of the hallway to the right. Make it quick~”
Once outside, Yi Qian glanced around and spotted Ye Shuyi on the left side of the hallway, still on the phone. She washed her hands in the restroom and, seeing Ye Shuyi still there upon her return, went back inside to continue her makeup session.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, the makeup artist asked, “Teacher Yi, is that beautiful lady the one who pulled you back in the video?”
Yi Qian had never been one to shy away from such topics and nodded in confirmation.
Trying to stay calm despite her excitement, the makeup artist asked, “So she’s your agent, then?”
Yi Qian raised an eyebrow. “How did you know?”
In the past, she had occasionally brought friends to film sets to meet celebrities, and while some had speculated about their relationship, no one had ever outright asked if the other person was her agent let alone with such certainty.
“Oh!” The makeup artist paused in surprise, meeting Yi Qian’s gaze in the mirror with wide eyes. “Teacher Yi, you don’t know yet? The internet has already dug up info on the girl who pulled you back. Gotta say, netizens these days are next-level when it comes to gossip there’s nothing they can’t uncover.”
What she didn’t mention was that she had already joined the ranks of Yi Qian and her agent’s shippers. The chemistry between these two beauties was simply irresistible.
And judging by the full video released late last night, Yi Qian’s actions were nothing short of a grand gesture to protect her partner absolutely perfect for shipping.
Yi Qian took out her phone and opened Weibo. The top trending topic was no longer about her assault incident, but #YiQianNewManager#, followed by another inevitable hashtag that trended every time her new manager appeared in public, #YiQianAndHerManagerLoveHateChapter29 CanThisManagerLast29Days?#
[Though trash Alpha’s manager retention record is only one week max, I bet this one will last half a month. Why? Because last night’s wife-protecting…oops, manager-protecting move was just too damn cool, over]
[Last night’s video showed Yi Qian calling her “wife.” Damn, so the rabbit’s nibbling on home turf now?]
[Think about it just look at how fast Yi Qian’s previous managers quit. Their relationships must’ve been terrible. No way she’d drunkenly call them “wife.”]
[Betting a pack of spicy strips, this manager’s trash Alpha trial period will be one week [sly grin]]
[So this time Yi Qian merged her manager position with her new fling? [wicked laugh]]
[IDGAF, she called her “wife” so my ship is REAL! Sisters, I’ve got the CP name ready, “LeafBlindingYi”!!]
[LeafBlindingYi noun]
“Leaf Blinding Yi…” Yi Qian murmured the ship name fans created for her and Ye Shuyi, curling her lips slightly, it did seem rather fitting.
The makeup artist glanced at Yi Qian, suppressing an involuntary smile as she said casually, “Netizens are quite creative with CP names, aren’t they?”
Yi Qian raised her eyes, her gaze inscrutable as she teased, “You’re not shipping us too, are you?”
The makeup artist immediately shook her head in denial, adhering to the iron rule of never letting shipping behavior reach the subjects, and changed the subject: “Alright, Teacher Yi can go change for the shoot now.”
When Yi Qian emerged from the dressing room in school uniform, Ye Shuyi simultaneously entered through the door after finishing a phone call, dressed in professional attire. The youthful Yi Qian and career-oriented Ye Shuyi their gazes meeting felt like a reunion across different timelines.
With a lazy smirk, Yi Qian approached Ye Shuyi and whispered by her ear, “Stop spacing out. Let’s go out together, the new fling manager of trash Alpha Yi Qian.”
The makeup artist couldn’t hear the whisper, but Yi Qian’s action alone made her dig her fingertips into the armrest in suppressed excitement. She just wanted the two to leave quickly so she could fangirl in private.