After Being Scummed – Chapter 1

Chairman Yin, Please Rest Assured, I Saw Nothing Today

On April twenty-first, the fifty-first Thorns Flower Awards took place in Haicheng. Countless lights flashed across the venue, where stars great and small sat in the guest section, gathering into a sea of stars.

Yin Bai sat in the most prominent VIP section, tightening her grip on her cane as she looked coldly toward the stage.

            

At this very moment, on the stage, the young female director Lu Qing, winner of the Best Director Award, cradled her trophy. Under the spotlight and before countless cameras, she briefly finished her acceptance speech.

Right then, she paused, looked toward her production team, and said with tears in her eyes, “Aside from that, I also want to thank my muse, the female lead of 《Last Night at the Small Pavilion 》, Ms. Xiao Nian.”

Hearing this, Yin Bai instinctively turned her head, looking through the crowd toward Xiao Nian. At the same time, a spotlight fell upon Xiao Nian.

            

Xiao Nian wore an off-the-shoulder rose-red evening gown, her dark hair swept up in a cloud-like chignon. She was more beautiful than any bride. Compared to when Yin Bai first met her, Xiao Nian had become more mature, and even more charming.

At the thought, another pang of pain shot through Yin Bai’s heart. She tightened her grip on her cane, relying on it to support herself as she listened on.

Yin Bai turned her head slightly to see Xiao Nian beneath the spotlight, her eyes brimming with tears, looking deeply moved.

            

Lu Qing’s voice echoed clearly from the stage: “She is not only the female lead in my film, but the female lead in my life. She is my muse, my soulmate.”

“So here, in front of everyone, I want to say this with utmost sincerity: Ms. Xiao Nian, I love you!”

As Lu Qing finished speaking, a stir went through the audience. While everyone was still reeling from her bold confession, Lu Qing raised her microphone and threw caution to the wind, shouting even louder, “Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me, Ms. Xiao Nian?”

            

The venue fell silent for a second, then erupted into a storm of even more thunderous applause.

Amidst the cheers, Yin Bai clearly saw Xiao Nian wipe away her tears, rise with a smile, lift her skirt, and run toward Lu Qing on the stage like a bird taking wing.

At that moment, Yin Bai felt that Xiao Nian was like a moth flying into a flame—reckless and irrational, yet incredibly vibrant and beautiful.

            

That was a side of Xiao Nian she had never shown before her, a version that Yin Bai could never possess.

Yin Bai looked up, watching Lu Qing open her arms on stage and pull Xiao Nian into her embrace. The two kissed before countless cameras as a massive wave of cheers crashed over them. In that moment, Yin Bai clearly heard something shatter inside her.

It was her fragile glass heart.

            

It was her fragile glass heart, one she had used to deceive herself for three months before finally being forced to face reality.

Xiao Nian had never loved her. Even though they had been together for nearly seven years, in Xiao Nian’s eyes, she was nothing more than a villainous, money-grubbing financial backer¹ who coveted her body.

It was all over.

            

Yin Bai watched the pair of lovers weeping in each other’s arms on stage. She found that aside from a coldness washing over her, she surprisingly had no other reaction.

Perhaps on the night Xiao Nian came clean to her three months ago, she had already spent all her emotions.

Forget it. Not being loved back was no big deal. Perhaps a person like her simply didn’t deserve to be loved.

            

Yin Bai took one deep look at the stage, engraving Xiao Nian’s current image into her heart. Then she stood up, leaned on her cane, turned her back on the clamorous crowd, and walked into the darkness.

As the noise behind her faded, Yin Bai walked with faltering steps out of the venue and made her way to the underground parking lot.

Her assistant, Zhang Yu, had been waiting there. Seeing her approach, she quickly went to meet her. “Boss, why are you out so early? Are we heading straight to the banquet venue now?”

            

Yin Bai’s eyes were red. She glanced at her but said nothing.

Seeing her bad mood, Zhang Yu carefully said, “I see you’re tired today, Boss. How about I drive you straight home?”

Yin Bai remained silent. The scene of those two lovers embracing in front of everyone replayed in her mind, filling her heart with jealousy and grievance.

            

Seven years! She’d been with Xiao Nian for seven years! During those seven years, she’d given Xiao Nian whatever she wanted, raising her up step-by-step to where she was today. Yet all of it couldn’t compare to a single movie by Lu Qing, and a single sentence: ‘She is my muse!’

Why? Why! She was clearly the first. Clearly, in the beginning, Xiao Nian was her muse, her ‘Little Rose’!

The more Yin Bai thought about it, the angrier she got, a sour bitterness filling her chest with nowhere to go. Huffing, she limped over to her car, raised her cane, and brought it down on the hood of her Maserati, thud, thud, thud, in a flurry of wild blows. “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!”

            

“Dammit! A public proposal! A public proposal!”

“Is being loved by her really that amazing?! You have everything now, so why do you still have to flaunt it in front of me?!”

Startled, Zhang Yu quickly stepped forward to hold Yin Bai back and stop her. “Alright, alright, Boss, calm down. It’s not worth it, it’s really not. If you wreck the car, it’ll cost a fortune to fix.”

            

Yin Bai looked up, glared at her, and snapped fiercely, “I have money!”

Fine, you have money.

Zhang Yu promptly took a step back, gesturing with an open hand. “Please, carry on.”

            

Yin Bai shot her a glare, raised her cane, and went right back to hitting her car hood, thud, thud, thud.

“Dammit, dammit! Dammit, Lu Qing, I hope your movies bomb at the box office! I hope you’re stuck with Xiao Nian for the rest of your life and never find another muse, and that without her, you can never make another movie!”

“Dammit, dammit!”

            

Yin Bai raised her cane, letting out her fury on her car with more heavy thuds. Just then, the sharp-eyed Zhang Yu spotted someone walking toward them. She quickly tugged at Yin Bai’s sleeve, warning her in a low voice, “Boss, Boss!”

Yin Bai turned her head, her eyes red as she glared fiercely at her assistant, cane still raised. What? It’s not like she can’t afford to repair her own car. She’s heartbroken right now, can’t she even let off a little steam?

Zhang Yu quickly whispered, “Someone’s coming over.”

            

Hearing this, Yin Bai quickly looked up in the direction of the newcomer. In the dimly lit parking lot, the crisp tap, tap, tap of high heels rang out, each strike echoing loudly in her ears.

A woman in a fitted, white daffodil evening gown with immaculate makeup was walking toward Yin Bai, an assistant in tow. Yin Bai rested her cane on the ground, and upon recognizing her, her heart skipped a beat.

Of all people, it had to be Zuo Jingyou—Xiao Nian’s archrival in the acting industry! Even worse, Zuo Jingyou was one of the very few people in the circle who had ever caught Xiao Nian and Yin Bai being intimate.

            

The moment Yin Bai saw her, she was reminded of her previous argument with Xiao Nian at a private banquet—specifically, how she had tearfully begged Xiao Nian to stay with her. Ever since Zuo Jingyou had walked in on that scene, she had become the last person Yin Bai ever wanted to see.

Yet, as luck would have it, heaven seemed intent on making her life miserable, as if afraid she wouldn’t die of embarrassment cancer², by letting Zuo Jingyou catch her in yet another mortifying situation.

But having gone through this a few times already, Yin Bai had grown somewhat accustomed to it. She tightened her grip on her cane, pretended not to see Zuo Jingyou, and said to Zhang Yu with a blank face, “Let’s go. We’re heading home.”

            

Zhang Yu quickly opened the car door. Yin Bai leaned on her cane and began making her way toward the back seat. She’d barely taken a step when Zuo Jingyou arrived with her assistant and greeted her, “Chairman Yin? Long time no see.”

Hearing her voice, Yin Bai felt her scalp go numb. Forced to halt, she turned and looked at Zuo Jingyou, squeezing out a professional smile. “Long time no see, Miss Zuo.”

Right now, the corners of Yin Bai’s eyes were flushed crimson and her face was pale, making her look rather disheveled. Seeing her look like a wounded little animal, Zuo Jingyou was slightly surprised. “Chairman Yin, what happened to…”

            

As she spoke, Zuo Jingyou’s gaze drifted to the dented, slightly misshapen hood of the Maserati. She instantly made the connection to the scene of Xiao Nian and Lu Qing embracing on stage earlier, and everything clicked.

Zuo Jingyou wore an apologetic expression. “My apologies, Chairman Yin. I didn’t see anything today.”

With another apologetic nod, Zuo Jingyou added, “I’ll take my leave then. Please drive safely, Chairman Yin.” Having said her piece, she turned and departed, leading away her curious assistant, who was still straining her neck to sneak peeks.

            

She didn’t see anything? What did she mean, she didn’t see anything? That meant she saw it all! She absolutely saw everything!

Yin Bai stood where she was, leaning on her cane as she watched Zuo Jingyou walk away. Only after Zuo Jingyou had disappeared did Yin Bai finally get into the car. She sat in the back seat, clutching her cane with a heavy expression.

Zhang Yu started the ignition and drove her out of the underground parking lot.

            

After they’d been driving for a while, Yin Bai held her cane and awkwardly asked Zhang Yu in the front seat, “Just now… Miss Zuo probably didn’t see anything, right?”

Zhang Yu was caught off guard by the question, and it took her a moment to realize what Yin Bai was asking about. After a brief pause, she replied tentatively, “The lighting in the parking lot was quite dim, so she probably didn’t see…”

Yin Bai agonized over it for a long while before finally leaning against the car window in defeat. With a sigh, she murmured, “Forget it… whatever…” What did it matter whether she saw it or not? After all, Zuo Jingyou had already witnessed her at her absolute worst.

            

Yin Bai felt exhausted. Leaning against the window, she stared at the blurry, ambient neon lights passing by outside. Her mind drifted, and memories of Xiao Nian began to play through her head like a revolving lantern. What eventually surfaced was their very last conversation from three months ago.

It was at a major director’s private banquet. That was the first time she’d lost her composure, dragging Xiao Nian along to the event. In the villa’s back garden, the usually compliant Xiao Nian had ended up in an argument with her.

In the back garden, where the chilly wind howled, Xiao Nian’s voice had been just as cold as the breeze: “Chairman Yin, our relationship was purely contractual, and it already ended last year. I’m grateful to you for supporting my career, and I’ve worked myself to the bone to make money for you, using that wealth to repay the fame and fortune you brought me.”

            

“That was my choice back then, but I don’t want that anymore. I’ve found someone I love now, and I truly want to end this relationship. Even if you blacklist me, shelve me, or use every trick in the book to trap me, I’ll still leave you!”

“Do you understand?”

Xiao Nian’s resolve was absolute. Even though Yin Bai had long known her temperament, she was still deeply hurt. Leaning on her cane, she held Xiao Nian’s hand, feeling a pervasive cold seep through her.

            

Yin Bai tried to hold back, but in the end, she couldn’t help but ask, her eyes shimmering with tears, “I thought… between us, at least… there was a little bit of love…”

Xiao Nian took a deep breath, biting her lip as she looked at her with pity and sympathy. “Yin Bai, I’m grateful to you, truly. But… I’ve never loved you. I can sacrifice everything for my choices—my pride, my soul, my body… none of it matters.”

“But I can’t lie to you, nor can I lie to myself… I simply don’t love you, and I never have.”

            

Xiao Nian reached out and pried her hand away, looking at her quietly. “Let go. If you want to retaliate, just target me. It’s my fault. You’re a good person, but I just can’t return your feelings.”

The moment her hands were empty, Yin Bai’s mind went completely blank, feeling as though she had plunged into an endless abyss.

Panic finally set in. Letting go of her cane, she grabbed at Xiao Nian’s hands with both of her own, clutching her arms as she begged, completely losing her composure. “I know you love Lu Qing. I don’t… I don’t mind if you love her…”

            

“But can you please not leave me?”

“I’ve got money… so much money… You can be with her. I’ll give her the funds to shoot her movies, you can be her female lead, and nothing has to change…”

Yin Bai babbled incoherently, throwing all her dignity to the wind in a desperate, final attempt to keep her. “So can you please… can you please not leave me?”

            

Xiao Nian looked at her quietly, her tear-filled eyes soft with pity. “Don’t do this… Don’t be like this, Yin Bai…”

“You deserve someone better… I don’t love you… I’m not worth it…”

In the end, Xiao Nian pushed Yin Bai’s hands away, leaving her standing there as she walked off without looking back.

            

Yin Bai finally understood her determination. Even though she’d uttered such absurd, laughable words, Xiao Nian remained completely unmoved. No matter what she did now, she couldn’t make her stay.

Standing in place, she watched Xiao Nian walk away, a swell of sour grief trapped in her chest with no way out. She wanted to cry, but she was already too pathetic. She even wanted to spit threats, telling Xiao Nian that if she left, she’d ruin both her and Lu Qing’s careers.

Yet the moment she recalled Xiao Nian’s resolute expression—as if she feared absolutely nothing—Yin Bai immediately lost all her steam.

            

She knew with absolute certainty that no matter what she did, Xiao Nian would never love her.

Yin Bai could only watch helplessly as Xiao Nian drifted further away. It was only after her figure completely vanished from sight that she finally picked up her cane in a fit of rage, swinging it at the surrounding ornamental trees.

“Dammit!”

            

But with that swing, she lost her footing. Her feet slipped, and she fell hard to the ground. As the back of her head hit the ground, her mind went completely blank.

Clutching her cane, she lay sprawled flat on the ground, looking as pathetic as a pancake spread thin across a griddle. Her whole body felt freezing cold, and her heart was a raw, aching mess. Tears pooled and spilled from her eyes. She quickly raised her sleeve to cover her face, trying to hide her miserable state, but the tears only fell faster. Like an abandoned puppy, she began to sob uncontrollably.

In the midst of her self-pity, she failed to notice the sound of high heels quietly drawing near. The moment her sharp ears caught the noise, however, she immediately wiped her tears, braced herself with one hand, and got up from the ground.

            

The entire movement was executed in one seamless motion. Standing disheveled in the dark garden and leaning on her cane, Yin Bai glared fiercely at the newcomer.

The newcomer’s steps faltered. Holding a handkerchief in her hand, the woman met Yin Bai’s gaze through her immaculate makeup, a hint of surprise in her eyes. “Chairman Yin…”

Yin Bai stared back quietly, giving a lukewarm nod. “Mm.” She walked forward on her cane, passing the woman with a frosty expression, using a mask of indifference to hide her agonizing embarrassment.

            

As they brushed past each other, the woman called out to her anyway, “Chairman Yin…”

Yin Bai stopped. She tilted her head toward the woman, her gaze turning even harsher. “Is there something you need, Miss Zuo?”

Seeing her disheveled state, Zuo Jingyou felt a bit of pity and offered her handkerchief. “You should probably wipe yourself down, Chairman Yin… I suggest you don’t head back into the venue just yet. Go to the restroom and clean up first. Your clothes got dirty.”

            

Zuo Jingyou paused, then added in all seriousness, “I’m not one to gossip. I saw absolutely nothing of what happened tonight.”

At that moment, Yin Bai felt her heart skip a beat and sucked in a sharp breath. Clutching her cane tightly, she stared at the beautiful woman before her, feeling like a condemned prisoner who wished for nothing more than to die on the spot.

That had been a truly wretched night.

            

Every time she recalled it, she wished she could simply drop dead.

By the time her memories ended, any sadness Yin Bai felt had been thoroughly strangled by her own sheer embarrassment. She raised her hands to cover her face, her heart filled with regret.

Is it too late to silence her permanently? Probably. Forget it, just let me die!

            

Yin Bai took a deep breath, lowered her hands from her face, and instructed Zhang Yu, “Cancel all my schedules for this month. Have them contact Jin Xiangyu directly for any business collaborations.”

Zhang Yu replied, “Understood.”

Yin Bai felt that this year was perhaps simply an unlucky one for her. Ever since New Year’s, she had either been dumped or caught in embarrassing situations by others. For the rest of this year, she had best avoid going out too often.

            

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The author has something to say:

Starting a new story!

This time, it’s a story about a wealthy spendthrift who is a famous sucker, and someone who is the white moonlight³ of many!

            

Heheheh…

Although the synopsis already had content warnings, I should still mention it in the main text: Teacher Zuo was married before and has a child. Yin Bai really did love Xiao Nian…

This is non-shuangjie⁴, hehe~

            

I hope everyone can support this new story! Thank you!

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