Chapter 839: Scam Artists are Not Cute! (7)
Chapter 839: Scam Artists are Not Cute! (7)
Yu Sheng made sure Shi Sheng was alright before starting to reprimand Xia Ling. However, Xia Ling seemed indifferent to Yu Sheng’s scolding, showing no signs of remorse.
“Take a look for yourself!” Yu Sheng suddenly pulled out his phone, opened an entertainment news app, and threw it at Xia Ling. “Look at what you’ve done!”
Xia Ling glanced at the phone, nonchalantly responding, “It’s not the first time anyway. One more time or one less time doesn’t matter.”
“Xia Ling!” Yu Sheng’s frustration grew. “Do you still want to stay in this industry? Look at what you’ve become!”
While Xia Ling is furious, Yu Sheng is his agent, witnessing his downfall from glory to his current state.
Xia Ling remained silent for a moment before sneering, “Should I be like An Chen?”
He stood up and headed towards the door, his voice cold. “I’m not him.”
“Xia Ling, stop! Your place is swarmed with paparazzi. Where do you think you’re going?”
Ignoring Yu Sheng’s angry shouts, Xia Ling left the room.
As he closed the door, he noticed the girl who had claimed she was going to school leaning against the wall, looking at him with a faint smile. Her smile dispersed the annoyance in Xia Ling’s heart, yet he still asked gruffly, “Aren’t you supposed to be going to class?”
“Going to class isn’t as important as you,” she replied.
Xia Ling snorted. Just a moment ago, she had betrayed him.
He walked towards the staircase, and Shi Sheng glanced at the elevator. This was the fifteenth floor. Why not take the elevator?
Xia Ling’s figure was quickly disappearing at the staircase, and Shi Sheng could only chase after him. “Wait for me.”
The staircase was quiet, and Xia Ling walked slowly, one hand casually tucked into his pocket.
Shi Sheng caught up with him in a few steps, reaching out to grab the hand that hung by his side.
Xia Ling glanced at her, intending to shake her off, but seeing the smile on her face, he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
Yes, guilt.
And perhaps a hint of inexplicable reluctance.
“Are you unhappy?” Shi Sheng asked, tilting her head.
“No,” he replied.
Shi Sheng chuckled. “With that face of yours, you look like someone owes you a million bucks, and yet you say you’re not unhappy?”
Xia Ling glared at her. “If you’re going to talk, don’t follow me.”
“I won’t say a word.”
Xia Ling led her to the basement, pulling out a car key from his pocket. Shi Sheng’s lips twitched; if she remembered correctly, this was the key Yu Sheng had left on the table when he returned. When did Xia Ling swipe it?
Xia Ling drove straight to a bar, seemingly a regular, as they let him in even though it wasn’t open yet.
In the dimly lit corner, Xia Ling drank one glass after another, while Shi Sheng leaned on her chin, watching him without any intention of stopping him.
“Wanna drink?” Xia Ling suddenly handed the glass to Shi Sheng.
Shi Sheng took a sip, finding it not to her liking, and handed it back to Xia Ling.
“Don’t like it,” she remarked.
Xia Ling chuckled and downed the glass in one gulp, following it with the one Shi Sheng had sipped from.
He didn’t dislike her.
This thought startled Xia Ling, and he ended up drinking several more glasses.
He couldn’t believe he didn’t dislike this girl.
Xia Ling showed no intention of leaving the bar even as it neared opening hours. The place gradually filled up, and Shi Sheng was alarmed by Xia Ling’s aggressive drinking.
She moved closer. “Mr. Xia, if you keep drinking like this, do you believe I’ll take you to bed tonight?”
Xia Ling’s hand holding the glass paused. He lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes hiding the emotions in his eyes. “Do you like me that much?”
“Yes, I like you a lot.”
Xia Ling tightened his grip on the glass, downing the rest of the alcohol. He spoke mockingly, “You don’t know what kind of person I am. How can you like me?”
“And you don’t know what kind of person I am…” Shi Sheng’s voice was drowned out by the deafening music.
She propped her chin on her hand, continuing to watch Xia Ling drink. She had made up her mind; tonight, she would take him to bed.
After all, he was hers, sooner or later.
“Song Mo, what are you doing here?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Song Mo, come with me.”
“Let go of me…”
A quarrel erupted nearby Shi Sheng. She turned to see two people in a tussle: one wearing a mask, pulling at the girl who was desperately trying to break free.
“Song Mo, stop causing trouble!” The man dragged the girl out of the bar, pulling her forcefully.
Just as Shi Sheng diverted her gaze, Xia Ling suddenly stood up and followed the two out of the bar.
Outside the bar, the girl clung to a pillar, refusing to let go. Onlookers passing by cast curious glances in their direction.
“Why do you think you can control me? I’m not going with you.”
“Song Mo!” The man seemed exasperated, reaching out to pry the girl’s hand off. “Let’s talk about it when we get back. Don’t cause a scene here.”
Xia Ling didn’t approach; he just stood at the door, observing.
Song Mo was the female lead’s name, and the man wearing the mask was definitely the male lead.
‘What were these two doing here, tugging at each other like this?’
‘Wasn’t the male lead supposed to be with Yin Baobao at this time?’
Just as Shi Sheng thought of Yin Baobao, she saw a flashy-looking woman, strutting in high heels, hurrying over.
“An Chen, what are you doing here… Song Mo?” Yin Baobao looked surprised as she saw the girl clinging to the pillar.
Song Mo took the opportunity to break free from An Chen’s grip and stepped back a few paces.
Slap!
Song Mo was stunned by the slap, taking a moment to register what happened. Her eyes reddened as she glanced at An Chen.
An Chen was pulling Yin Baobao. “What are you doing, Baobao?”
“Is she still bothering you?” Yin Baobao pointed at Song Mo. “Song Mo, how shameless can you get? I’m right here as his girlfriend, yet you’re trying to seduce Brother Chen.”
“I’m not.” Song Mo gritted her teeth. ‘I hadn’t been pestering An Chen; he came to me!’
“You’re still trying to argue.” Yin Baobao raised her hand to slap Song Mo again.
Just as the slap was about to land on Song Mo’s face, another hand intervened, grabbing Yin Baobao’s wrist.
Yin Baobao looked at the person stopping her, her expression momentarily torn between surprise and panic. ‘How could she be here?’
Ever since she was kidnapped, there had been no word from her. These past few days, she had been on edge, fearing the worst. Who knew she would see her here?
“Xiao Meng, what are you doing here?” Yin Baobao raised a big-sisterly smile. “You haven’t been to class lately. Are you feeling unwell?”
Yin Baobao observed Shi Sheng’s expression. ‘She probably doesn’t know about that incident…’
“My health is fine. Is Sister disappointed?” Shi Sheng released Yin Baobao’s hand, her lips curved in a sly smile.
“Xiao Meng, what are you saying? Of course…” Yin Baobao looked hurt for a moment, then shocked. “You… you spoke?”
“What’s so strange about me speaking? Or does Sister not want me to speak?”
“You aren’t…” Aren’t you supposed to be silent?
Yin Baobao felt uneasy. ‘What if she brings up that incident?’
In the past, when she didn’t speak, it wasn’t as worrying. After all, not speaking was easier to explain than speaking.
Yin Baobao glanced nervously at An Chen. “Xiao Meng, An Chen and I have something to attend to. We’ll talk another day.”
Shi Sheng grinned ominously. “Be careful on your way back, Sister. You might encounter some misfortune.”
Yin Baobao’s uneasiness grew. She grabbed An Chen’s hand and left, casting an apologetic glance at Song Mo.
Song Mo kept her head down, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.
♡ translator’s corner ♡ :
TWO BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS HERE!
First—I now have a Patreon! The first membership tier gives you early access to 1 chapter (for just $1!), and the second gives you early access to 5. Become a patron here if you’d like. It would really help me out, since I’m moving soon, and my boss has been cutting my hours 😦
Second—I made a Discord! Join here if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Or if you just want to chat!
Also, I went back and edited a lot of previous chapters to keep formatting and stylistic choices consistent. After re-reading blobtranslations (shoutout wenhui!), I realized that I was treating inner thoughts as narrations. I think it makes the story flow better, and it feels more personal. It’s not a huge difference, so if you don’t want to go back and re-read, you don’t have to. Future chapters will look a lot more like this one.
Thanks for reading ❤