WWSEG – Chapter 7

There was a reason Qi Ke could be so bold. This so-called high-society banquet was hosted by her family, and she had the authority to ask unwelcome guests to leave.

Producer Guo had never been so aggrieved, but fearing he would lose even more face, he huffed heavily and tried to save the situation: “Next time, don’t beg me to come to this kind of gathering!”

Having found his excuse, he didn’t make a clean exit. As he passed Song Yushi, he deliberately knocked over a glass on the table, drenching her in wine.

Song Yushi: “…”

Qi Ke: “…”

Qi Ke had half a mind to send someone to beat up Producer Guo, but that would have to be done secretly, so she held back for the time being. She smiled apologetically at the guests and said, “A minor interruption. Please, continue to enjoy yourselves. Pay it no mind.”

As she spoke, she walked over to Song Yushi. “I’ll take you to change your clothes—” Qi Ke tilted her head. “Oh, Meng Ying.”

Meng Ying rolled her eyes at her. “Our great lead singer Qi has finally noticed me.”

Qi Ke laughed. “You didn’t even tell me you were coming. If I had known, I would have greeted you at the door, right? How have you been? Slacking off somewhere again…”

Song Yushi cleared her throat to make her presence known.

Qi Ke’s voice faltered, as if she had just remembered Song Yushi was still standing there in a mess. She looked at Song Yushi. Song Yushi gave her a mild glare. Suppressing a laugh, she said in a low voice, “Let’s go upstairs.”

Song Yushi hummed in agreement and turned to head upstairs.

The red wine dripped, trickling down the hem of her skirt and soaking into the carpet, like a messy yet beautiful flower in bloom.

“Sigh, it’s all my fault.” In the bedroom, Meng Ying sat on the bed, blaming herself. “I thought Yushi was afraid of offending people, just like me. I wanted to help her, but I ended up making things worse.”

“It wasn’t entirely unhelpful.”

Song Yushi took the clothes Qi Ke handed her—a long dress identical to the one Qi Ke was wearing. She held it up to herself and said seriously, “I’ve already drafted the press release.”

Qi Ke played along. “Qi Ke and Song Yushi in matching evening gowns. Who wore it better?”

Seeing that Meng Ying was still agonizing over it, Song Yushi thought for a moment and added, “If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have confronted him so directly.”

Meng Ying looked up, confused. “But isn’t that a good thing?”

Song Yushi said lightly, “His comprehension is terrible. If I hadn’t confronted him, the news would be out tomorrow.” She paused and said to Qi Ke, “You spin the story.”

Qi Ke continued her train of thought: “Shocking! What film is Hundred Flowers Best Actress so obsessed with that she would take the role for free? According to sources, at a recent banquet, Hundred Flowers Best Actress Song Yushi…”

Meng Ying listened. “…”

Seriously, did you two get professional training from a marketing firm?

The red wine spilled on her dress had dried, leaving a sticky feeling on her skin. Song Yushi went to wash it off. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw that not only were Qi Ke and Meng Ying still there, but they had started chatting. She paused for a moment before reminding them, “…I’m going to change now.”

Meng Ying completely missed the subtext. “So change.”

Song Yushi: “…”

She glanced at Qi Ke, but Qi Ke was looking down, scrolling through her phone, about to show something to Meng Ying.

Song Yushi tried to hold back but couldn’t. “Are you two…”

Meng Ying: “Huh?”

Song Yushi: “…”

Meng Ying froze for a moment before finally realizing what Song Yushi meant. She immediately put on a hurt expression. “Back when we were in the group, we changed together all the time. Now you’re asking me to leave… You’ve grown so distant, waah.”

Song Yushi: “That’s not it… I didn’t mean…”

She was afraid of Meng Ying’s whining and quickly added, “Never mind. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Meng Ying’s mood instantly brightened, as fickle as a summer day. “I knew our bond hadn’t changed one bit.” She propped her chin on her hand and sighed. “You wouldn’t understand. We unpopular idols can only try to stir up nostalgia for our disbanded group’s spirit.”

Song Yushi glanced at Qi Ke again, who also showed no intention of leaving.

Forget it, Song Yushi thought. We’ve touched each other countless times. A few glances are nothing.

Having convinced herself, Song Yushi began to unbutton her dress.

Meng Ying let out a very straight-girl sigh of admiration. “Yushi, you’re so fair! You were the palest in our whole group, weren’t you? Any brighter lighting and you’d be completely washed out in photos. Tsk, tsk, have your breasts gotten…”

“Meng Ying,” Qi Ke, who had been engrossed in her phone, suddenly said.

Meng Ying turned her head. “What is it?”

Qi Ke held her phone out to her. “Look, isn’t this the performance video you were looking for? It’s your fancam from our debut stage.”

Meng Ying gasped. “Wow! It is! How did you find it?”

Qi Ke smiled. A sincere heart works wonders.

She looked up.

Song Yushi had already put on the new dress. The pale purple complimented her skin, making it look luminous, fair, and smooth. Sensing Qi Ke’s gaze, she paused and looked over.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

The completely oblivious Meng Ying let out occasional gasps of admiration as she watched her debut performance.

Song Yushi mouthed silently, “Help me.”

Qi Ke didn’t move, mouthing back, “Beg me.”

Song Yushi: “…”

She opened her mouth. “Meng Ying—”

Qi Ke: “…”

Meng Ying had just looked up when Qi Ke pushed her head back down. She patted Meng Ying’s confused head and said, “It’s nothing. You keep watching.”

Then, gritting her teeth, she walked around the bed to stand in front of Song Yushi and whispered, “Turn around.”

Song Yushi did as she was told and turned around.

A long zipper ran down her back, her slender, straight spine faintly visible, disappearing into the unknown. Qi Ke placed her hands on Song Yushi’s waist and slowly, inch by inch, pulled the zipper up.

As if she were concealing a treasure, Qi Ke felt a secret thrill.

Finally, the zipper reached the top.

Qi Ke released Song Yushi. Before Song Yushi could turn around, Qi Ke was already walking away, speaking to Meng Ying. “Are you done watching? Your debut performance was quite good…”

“I know, right! How did I get so much worse later on!” Meng Ying lamented. “Huh? Qi Ke, why is your face so red?”

Song Yushi: “…”

Qi Ke: “…”

I’m not! I didn’t! You’re seeing things!