The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds, slicing alternating stripes of light and shadow across the brand-new desk, much like Su Yuqing’s own turbulent thoughts.
The air still held the lingering scent of new furniture — a mixture of paint and wood.
This Independent Agent Office, specially allocated to her by the Xiaozhua Agency as a symbol of her promotion, felt more like an exquisite cage at this moment.
“Sigh…”
A long, heavy sigh escaped her lips.
Propping up her forehead with one hand, Su Yuqing’s gaze fell out of focus on the cheap takeout container in front of her, which had long since stopped steaming.
The greasy appearance of the food made her stomach churn, leaving her with no appetite whatsoever.
The scene that had unfolded in the noisy backstage dressing room more than ten hours ago played over and over in her mind like a silent film she couldn’t turn off.
Zhiai’s glazed, multicolored eyes, filled with a mix of playful threats and a strange sense of possessiveness; that Dark Red Collar emitting the faint scent of old leather, slowly swaying before her eyes; and that whispered sentence, low but piercing to the core… every detail was incredibly vivid, repeatedly flaying her frayed nerves.
Although Zhiai hadn’t actually fastened that collar around her neck in front of everyone — perhaps due to a shred of remaining sanity, or perhaps because she felt such an occasion wasn’t “interesting” enough — an invisible, cold sense of restraint had already taken a firm hold of her.
Su Yuqing could even clearly “feel” a non-existent pressure on her neck. Every breath became difficult, as if an invisible chain were slowly tightening around her throat.
She understood that this was not the end, nor was it even the climax.
It was merely a silent warning, a signal from a “Master,” reminding her to recognize her place.
Zhiai had used fan opinion on stage to push her into the eye of the storm, and then used the collar backstage to reaffirm her private ownership.
Su Yuqing felt like a fly caught in a spiderweb; struggling would only make the silk threads wrap tighter, while that beautiful, dangerous spider leisurely admired her futile efforts.
Just as she was sinking into this suffocating mire of thought, a light and hesitant knock on the door broke the stagnant air of the office, like a pebble dropped into dead water.
Su Yuqing snapped back to reality and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dispel those chaotic and terrifying images.
She quickly adjusted her face into a professional expression that looked as normal as possible, albeit slightly weary.
“Come in.”
The door was pushed open just a crack.
Then, a familiar young junior makeup artist with a neat bob haircut poked her head in.
She wore her usual shy smile and held a takeout box identical to the one on the desk, having already eaten a few bites of it.
“Good afternoon, Senior Yuqing.”
She greeted her softly, her tone carrying a hint of familiar closeness.
Su Yuqing forced a smile in response.
“Yes, good afternoon.”
Actually, before Zhiai had appeared and before Su Yuqing had been “exiled” to the Newcomer Reception Department, the two of them often ate together.
They would share the borderline inedible lunches from the company cafeteria or order cheap takeout like this, complaining about the oddities of work in the breakroom or some deserted corner.
She was one of the few partners in this cold agency Su Yuqing could actually talk to.
However, having lunch together like this in this Independent Agent Office, which symbolized Su Yuqing’s “comeback,” was indeed a first.
The junior makeup artist walked in quietly and sat in the chair opposite Su Yuqing.
She placed her takeout box on the desk but didn’t pick up her chopsticks immediately.
She kept her head down, unconsciously poking at the rice in her box with the tips of her disposable chopsticks, seeming to hesitate.
A subtle silence fell over the office, broken only by the low hum of the air conditioner.
“Um, Senior Yuqing.”
Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up, her gaze flickering as she watched Su Yuqing.
Su Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding quietly spread.
Maintaining her surface composure, she took a sip from the water cup beside her and replied, “Hmm? What is it?”
“That… well, it’s just…”
The junior’s voice dropped even lower, filled with obvious hesitation and embarrassment.
“…Is the stuff between you and Zhiai… is it true…?”
“Huh?”
Su Yuqing’s fingers tightened slightly around the water cup, her knuckles turning white.
She forced a confused expression.
“What stuff?”
She tried to play dumb, hoping to brush it off.
“I mean the stuff between the two of you…!”
The junior seemed to grow anxious, her voice rising slightly before she immediately lowered it again, as if afraid someone outside the door might hear.
“Actually… rumors have been spreading like crazy among the colleagues for a while now. Plus, after Zhiai’s Comeback Performance last night and the things she said on stage…”
She carefully observed Su Yuqing’s expression and continued:
“The things Zhiai said about… about ‘love’ and all that have already started fermenting online… There are all sorts of speculations, and the forums and fan groups have completely exploded…”
“Spreading like crazy? What exactly is spreading like crazy?”
Su Yuqing felt her temples throbbing.
A mixture of absurdity and anger rushed to her head, making it nearly impossible to maintain her calm facade.
“No… what on earth is there to spread!?”
There was a hint of trembling and weakness in her voice that she hadn’t even noticed.
The junior bit her lip as if throwing caution to the wind, and her speaking pace quickened:
“It’s just… everyone is saying that you… because you liked Zhiai too much, you… confessed to her. And then Zhiai didn’t accept at first… and then, Senior, you… you started using some kind of means to ‘force’ Zhiai to accept your… affection…”
Su Yuqing listened quietly, her face devoid of any expression.
She had already set down the water cup, and her hand was now clenched into a tight fist under the desk.
Her nails dug deep into her palm, bringing a sharp sting of pain that helped clear her chaotic mind.
She took a deep breath and spoke in an unusually calm — even terrifyingly calm — tone.
“Don’t stop. Keep going.”
After all, she needed to know exactly how distorted these rumors had become.
“Okay, then… then I’ll keep going, Senior Yuqing.”
The junior seemed encouraged by her calmness, or perhaps her curiosity outweighed her anxiety.
“People are saying that because Zhiai couldn’t stand your constant pestering… and the mental pressure… she decided to go missing before the Sunday night performance to try and hide from you. But… but you tracked her down and continued to pressure her, and maybe… maybe you even threatened her…”
“Mhm, I’m listening. Go on.”
Su Yuqing nodded, signaling for her to continue.
Her heart felt as though it were being gripped by a cold hand, slowly sinking.
“So… so in the end, Zhiai… she reluctantly agreed to start dating you for the time being… just to stabilize you and stop things from getting worse…”
After the junior finished, she carefully studied Su Yuqing, seemingly assessing her reaction.
The office fell into silence once more.
Even the sunlight outside the window seemed to dim slightly.
Su Yuqing remained silent for a long time before she slowly raised her head.
Her gaze met the young girl’s directly, and her voice carried a hint of subtle hoarseness.
“So… everyone in the company… everyone really thinks that…?”
She needed to confirm that this malice wasn’t just a random occurrence.
The junior tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving a cautious answer.
“Hmm~ from what I can see… pretty much. At least… the version I’ve heard is basically like that.”
Su Yuqing looked at her and asked the final question, the one she cared about most at this moment.
“What about you? Do even you… believe that’s true?”
She wanted to know if, amidst these overwhelming rumors, there was even a shred of rational belief in her character.
“Me? Oh, you mean me, Senior~”
The junior paused, and then a more complex expression appeared on her face — one containing concern, sympathy, and perhaps a faint hint of inquiry.
She leaned in a bit closer and lowered her voice, her tone becoming much more sincere.
“Of course I don’t think that~”
She shook her head.
“Otherwise… why would I go out of my way to come here right now, avoid everyone else, and ask you privately, Senior…?”