After Being Scummed – Chapter 104
by Little PandaExtra Chapter Three: The Golden Time of Youth 9
Zuo Jingyou was the best gift heaven had ever given her!
Zuo Jingyou spent the entire night pressing kisses on Yin Bai, and by the next day, it was only natural that the two of them were together.
Given that Zuo Jingyou had a kissing scene to film the next day, Yin Bai woke up with a long face, thoroughly displeased.
Even after they had washed up, Yin Bai still wore a sullen expression. Zuo Jingyou had no choice but to coax her again and again. Only after she was placated did Zuo Jingyou take her out to the film set.
The scene went exceptionally smoothly; they got it in one take.
After filming, Zuo Jingyou brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth, then had Yin Bai disinfect her. Although Yin Bai was unhappy, she could understand Zuo Jingyou’s predicament. While kissing her, she said fiercely, “You’re not allowed to film scenes like this ever again!”
Zuo Jingyou nibbled on her lip, smiling as she placated her. “This is the only one in this show. There won’t be any more after this.”
Yin Bai was left dizzy from her kisses. A while later, lying in bed with Zuo Jingyou draped over her, she asked, “When you say there won’t be any more… does that mean you’ve wrapped up all the intimacy scenes for this show?”
Zuo Jingyou, nestled on top of her, caressed her face and chuckled. “That’s right, my dear.”
Yin Bai furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Zuo Jingyou. “So you tricked me into coming here just to kiss me before you filmed your intimacy scene?”
Zuo Jingyou didn’t deny it. The corners of her lips curled up slightly as she casually pinched Yin Bai’s cheek. “What else? When it comes to a first kiss, I’d rather give it to the person I like.”
Hearing her say the word “like,” a faint blush crept onto Yin Bai’s face. She raised her arms, hooked them around Zuo Jingyou’s neck, and pulled her down for a gentle kiss.
It was an exceedingly tender kiss, starting from the lips and moving, inch by inch, to the corners of her mouth, her chin, her neck, her collarbones, her heart, and then gradually lower…
Zuo Jingyou had never realized Yin Bai was capable of this. She held Yin Bai’s hand, feeling as though she were a snowflake on a winter’s day that had drifted onto her lips, melting bit by bit between her lips and tongue.
On that cold winter night, she melted into a pool of warm water, sleeping soundly in Yin Bai’s embrace.
Yin Bai stayed with Zuo Jingyou for several days, only leading her back to Haicheng the day before New Year’s Eve.
They returned to their respective homes. During the New Year’s Eve dinner, Zuo Jingyou made a video call to Yin Bai.
Over the call, Yin Bai met Zuo Jingyou’s older sister and mother, greeting them reservedly.
After the greetings were done, Zuo Jingyou chatted with Grandma Yin for a bit before Yin Bai finally took the phone back to her room to talk with Zuo Jingyou.
Zuo Jingyou teased her through the screen. “My dearest Xiao Bai, have you missed me?”
Yin Bai said she had, so Zuo Jingyou tried to entice her, suggesting she come to Hengdian1 to keep her company after the Spring Festival.
Yin Bai agreed, then asked, “Zuo Jingyou, do you really like acting?”
Zuo Jingyou thought about it seriously before replying, “I like it a lot. Right now, besides liking you, acting is probably the thing I like most.”
Yin Bai pursed her lips and asked again, “Then do you want to sign with a company?”
Zuo Jingyou frowned in thought for a moment. “Director He mentioned it to me, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
Yin Bai’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes shining brightly as she gazed at the person she loved. “In that case, Zuo Jingyou, entrust your everything to me.”
“I’ll start a company, I’ll provide you with scripts, and I’ll come provide an escort for your voyage2. How about you let me be a part of your entire future?”
Zuo Jingyou was stunned. It was a long moment before she smiled at Yin Bai and asked, “Alright, but are you saying you’re going to open a company?”
Yin Bai nodded. “Actually, Grandma asked me before if I wanted to intern at the company. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do back then, but now… I think I have a direction.”
“Investing in movies seems interesting. If you’re willing to sign with my company, I guarantee you’ll always be able to play the roles you want to play.”
Zuo Jingyou bit her lip, her gaze deep as she looked at her. “That sounds very tempting… The roles I want to play? If there’s a role with a bed scene, will my girlfriend agree to let me take it?”
Yin Bai had completely forgotten about that. At the sudden mention, her face immediately darkened. She frowned at Zuo Jingyou and said unhappily, “Why bring that up out of nowhere? There are so many good roles, why must you…”
Zuo Jingyou ignored her muttering and just said with a smile, “Just tell me, are you willing to let me act in them or not?”
Yin Bai bit her lip, looking extremely conflicted.
Zuo Jingyou coaxed her patiently. “You’re the one who said it. You’d agree to any role I wanted. You can’t go back on your word.”
With things put that way, what else could Yin Bai say? She spoke through gritted teeth, her reluctance plain. “As long as the script is brilliant and the character has depth, then you can do it!”
Zuo Jingyou broke into a smile. “Good girl, Xiao Bai. I’ll be waiting for your good news, then.”
Yin Bai grumbled for a while, complaining about why she had to mention acting in those kinds of roles when she knew it would make her jealous.
Zuo Jingyou sighed. “I can’t help it; that’s the nature of the job I chose. I hope you can respect and support me, and also trust me enough.”
She said it with such gravity, as if she were about to pull out her own heart and dissect it for Yin Bai to see. “Xiao Bai, I hope we can walk this path together for a long, long time. So, for anything that might make us unhappy, we have to talk it out and compromise with each other, okay?”
Zuo Jingyou had laid her cards on the table so thoroughly that Yin Bai felt if she didn’t agree, she would seem far too petty.
She grunted in assent, saying awkwardly, “Fine. Zuo Jingyou, I’ll support you too.”
But if something made her unhappy, she was still going to make a fuss about it!
The two chatted sweetly late into the night, spending their first New Year together. The next morning, Yin Bai took her proposal and went to find her grandmother in the study.
Relying on the information she had gathered and the effort she had put in over the past half-month, Yin Bai presented her analysis of all the projects she had contacted. With her hard work, she convinced Grandma Yin and secured her first one hundred million in investment.
After that, Yin Bai began establishing her own film and television company, named Galaxy. After hiring an assistant named Jin Xiangyu, she stepped with half a foot into the entertainment industry.
For the latter half of winter break, Yin Bai accompanied her grandmother to numerous forums and summits, meeting with many investment brokers. In the end, she set her sights on a very niche science fiction film, invested nearly a hundred million, and became the movie’s biggest investor.
She was aggressive with her money, and she wasn’t shy about placing her people. After identifying an exceptionally brilliant supporting role in the film, she slotted Zuo Jingyou into the cast.
At that time, Zuo Jingyou was still filming on He Zhiwen’s set and was swamped trying to balance it with her studies.
After getting the news from Yin Bai, Zuo Jingyou didn’t refuse. She joined that film set for half a month and reaped some excellent rewards.
Over the next year, Zuo Jingyou juggled filming and school, making guest appearances in many of Yin Bai’s invested projects. She used her winter and summer breaks to attend short-term acting workshops, and she finally started to look the part of a professional.
Time flew by. A year later, Yin Bai’s company was also running impressively. The television dramas she had invested in all yielded good returns by the end of the year.
April soon arrived. At that year’s Thorn Flower Awards, Director He Zhiwen and Zuo Jingyou emerged as if from the clear blue sky3. With a film telling the story of a group of teenage boys and girls with LHON who, despite gradually losing their sight, strive to live their lives to the fullest, they swept the newcomer awards.
That year, Zuo Jingyou, as a new actress with outstanding skills, officially appeared in the public eye.
In July, the sci-fi movie Yin Bai had invested in became a massive hit, wildly raking in several billion at the box office. As the primary investor, Yin Bai earned until her pots and bowls were full.4
And because Zuo Jingyou had contributed a superb performance in it, her fame grew even further, leading to many offers from directors.
Along with fame came many rumors that were just chasing the wind and clutching at shadows5. By the time she announced her second collaboration with He Zhiwen, a reporter asked if she and the director were dating.
Standing before the cameras of the entire media, Zuo Jingyou was neither obsequious nor arrogant. Her eyes curved as she smiled and replied, “No, Director He and I are just very good friends.”
At the press conference for the new film, Zuo Jingyou dropped another bombshell. “This is the press conference for Director He’s new film, and while I shouldn’t bring up other irrelevant matters, too many people have been asking recently, so I feel it’s better to be clear.”
“As I’ve said before, I am in a relationship. But my partner is not Director He, nor is it any other man. She is a very lovely girl.”
“In short, I hope everyone will stop misunderstanding.”
After Zuo Jingyou’s speech at the press conference, she immediately started trending. For an actress on the rise to publicly announce her relationship and come out at the same time was, it had to be said, incredibly bold.
The incident caused a considerable stir online, and the growth rate of Zuo Jingyou’s fanbase was affected as a result.
Some of the endorsement deals and film roles that had been negotiated were also withdrawn. But Zuo Jingyou remained unhurried, continuing to film her scenes and work diligently.
Yin Bai had never imagined that someone like her, destined to shine brightly in the entertainment world, would so openly declare her own relationship.
After all, an actress who kept to herself and maintained a clean image would skyrocket to fame much faster than one with numerous scandals who was also a lesbian.
Zuo Jingyou’s action inspired Yin Bai. As the person who had received all of her partner’s devotion, she immediately went to gather a huge pile of scripts for Zuo Jingyou to film as her mood dictated.
Soon, it was Yin Bai’s twentieth birthday.
On that day, Grandma Yin threw a grand party at their family’s Galaxy Hotel, inviting friends from all walks of life and formally announcing Yin Bai as her successor.
Zuo Jingyou attended the party as Yin Bai’s girlfriend. They stayed until around midnight before heading back to their hotel suite, hand in hand.
Both were very happy, but not long after they exited the elevator, they encountered an unexpected incident.
Upon hearing a girl’s cry of alarm, Zuo Jingyou quickly looked at Yin Bai. They exchanged a glance, and while one called security, they both headed toward the source of the sound.
With the help of security, they rescued a girl who had nearly been assaulted by a scumbag.
Zuo Jingyou and Yin Bai brought the girl to their suite and poured her a glass of water. Looking at the disheveled girl across from them, who was wrapped in Yin Bai’s suit jacket, Zuo Jingyou asked softly, “What’s your name?”
The girl held the cup with trembling hands, her eyes red. Her voice shook as she said, “Xiao Nian… Miss Zuo, thank you for saving me tonight.”
“I… I will definitely repay you properly!”
Zuo Jingyou looked at the girl’s wretched state and said with great sympathy, “It was the right thing to do. You don’t have to thank me.”
As she spoke, she lifted her gaze to Yin Bai, who was standing not far away, furiously berating someone on the phone. Zuo Jingyou’s lips curved into a soft smile. “If you want to thank someone, thank my girlfriend.”
Xiao Nian followed her gaze. When she saw the foreign-looking girl with a cane, standing by the window and cursing up a storm, a light of gratitude flickered in her eyes.
She bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. “Thank your girlfriend, too. In short, you are both very, very good people.”
After Yin Bai finished her call, the police arrived quickly. The two of them accompanied Xiao Nian to give a statement, and then they had her stay with them.
Zuo Jingyou sensed that Xiao Nian seemed to be in some kind of trouble. Upon asking, she learned that Xiao Nian’s family had gone bankrupt, her father had run off with the money, and her mother was paralyzed after jumping off a building. That was why she had signed what was essentially an indenture contract with her current agency to enter the entertainment industry and pay off her family’s debts.
Zuo Jingyou’s heart ached for the girl. She looked at Yin Bai, her gaze soft and filled with a silent plea: “Please help her.”
Yin Bai thought for a moment before speaking to Xiao Nian. “I can help you. I can acquire your contract and lend you the money to pay off your debts.”
“But for the next ten years, you’ll have to stay at my company and work hard at acting to pay me back. How does that sound?”
Xiao Nian didn’t hesitate, nodding emphatically. “Okay!”
“Thank you for extending a helping hand. I will definitely work hard to earn money and repay this debt!”
After rescuing Xiao Nian together, they brought her into Galaxy Film and Television, and Xiao Nian officially became Zuo Jingyou’s junior sister.
Zuo Jingyou, her heart aching over Xiao Nian’s plight, brought her along to collaborate on several films in the early days.
By the time Zuo Jingyou was 23, she and Xiao Nian starred in a Xianxia6 drama about a master and her junior sister that became a massive hit. Because Zuo Jingyou was a lesbian, many people began to ‘knock’ her and Xiao Nian’s CP.7
The Red and White Rose8 CP slaughtered9 its way across every website that year, which drove Yin Bai absolutely mad!
She was flying with jealousy. Seeing Zuo Jingyou’s admirers grow in number, she prepared to strike first to gain the upper hand10 and get engaged to Zuo Jingyou as soon as possible.
But unexpectedly, Zuo Jingyou struck first to gain the upper hand. On the very day she won the Best Actress crown at the Thorn Flower Awards the following year, she proposed directly to Yin Bai.
Under countless dazzling lights and in front of a multitude of cameras, Zuo Jingyou held her trophy and looked toward Yin Bai, who was hidden in the darkness. With tears in her eyes, she said with a smile, “This decision might be very reckless, but in this moment of receiving this award, I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to get married.”
“My little rose, are you willing to come into the glass case I have made for you? Are you willing to let me cherish you, love you, take care of you for a lifetime, and trust that I can plant you in my heart again and again?”
“If you are willing, then please, come to my planet, and spend the rest of your life with me.”
As her voice fell, applause erupted.
A spotlight hit Yin Bai. Holding back tears, she feigned a sigh and rose to her feet with her cane, walking haltingly toward Zuo Jingyou.
Under the camera’s lens, the youthful and exquisitely beautiful Yin Bai walked like an old woman, limping her way to Zuo Jingyou.
Although her gait was so ungainly and her posture so clumsy as she approached Zuo Jingyou, every single step was exceptionally firm.
Under the strange gazes of everyone present, she arrived before Zuo Jingyou with confidence and poise. She pulled the ring she had prepared from her pocket and said with a hint of helplessness, “You really are so spontaneous with everything you do…”
“Proposing at a time like this… do you even have a ring?”
As she said this, she leaned on her cane and knelt on one knee. Opening the ring box, she looked at Zuo Jingyou and said with a smile, “Let me do it.”
“Zuo Jingyou, are you willing to come to my desert, and for the sake of digging a well, turn my world into an oasis?”
Zuo Jingyou looked at the person before her, at the tears shimmering in her eyes. She raised a hand to cover her mouth as large tears streamed down her face. Crying and laughing, she said, “I am!”
Yin Bai knew she would say those two words. She took out the ring and slid it onto Zuo Jingyou’s trembling finger.
After putting the ring on Zuo Jingyou, she tilted her head up, her own eyes filled with tears, and said with a smile, “Then, please kiss me.”
No more words were needed. The ring now on her finger, Zuo Jingyou leaned down, cupped her face, and kissed her fiercely.
Through a blur of tears, the white lights stretched, and the applause faded into the distance. Yin Bai wrapped her arms around the woman’s slender waist, holding on as firmly as if she were holding her entire world.
Yes, from the moment they first met, she knew that Zuo Jingyou was the one who would come into her world.
And now, Zuo Jingyou had become the world she inhabited, the best gift heaven had ever given her.
If there were ten thousand years, then she would love Zuo Jingyou for ten thousand years, unwavering.
The author has something to say:
Ah, it’s officially finished!!
Also, the audio drama produced by Xiang Dongliu before is also finished. Friends who are interested can go listen to it on Fanjiao11; the quality is truly superb.
Thank you all for your companionship over these past two-plus months. Yin Bai and Teacher Zuo will be together forever.
Next, I’ll be focusing on updating The Substitute. I hope everyone will support it.
I don’t know what else to say. In any case, the mountains are high and the road is long, the green water flows forever12. If fate allows, let’s meet in the next book.
I hope everyone stays healthy and safe!
LP: Xiao Bai and Teacher Zuo’s story is now complete! Thank you all for reading :))
If you have any novel for me to translate, feel free you comment down below!
Re-translated on October 29, 2025
Footnotes
- Hanzi: 横店 Pinyin: Héngdiàn Explanation: A town in Zhejiang province famous for being the location of Hengdian World Studios, one of the largest film studios in the world.
- Hanzi: 保驾护航 Pinyin: bǎo jià hù háng Explanation: An idiom that literally means “to escort the emperor’s carriage and protect the voyage.” It figuratively means to protect, guide, and clear the way for someone.
- Hanzi: 横空出世 Pinyin: héng kōng chū shì Explanation: An idiom meaning to appear suddenly and brilliantly, as if bursting onto the scene from nowhere.
- Hanzi: 盆满钵满 Pinyin: pén mǎn bō mǎn Explanation: An idiom describing making a great fortune; literally, “to fill both basins and bowls to the brim.”
- Hanzi: 捕风捉影 Pinyin: bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng Explanation: An idiom that literally means “to chase the wind and clutch at shadows.” It refers to making groundless accusations or believing in baseless rumors.
- Hanzi: 仙侠 Pinyin: xiānxiá Explanation: A genre of Chinese fantasy, often translated as “immortal heroes,” involving martial arts, magic, and elements from Chinese mythology and Taoism.
- Hanzi: 磕cp Pinyin: kē cp Explanation: Internet slang for “shipping” a couple (CP stands for “couple pairing”). The word “磕” (kē) literally means to knock or crack, like eating sunflower seeds, implying an enjoyable and addictive activity.
- Hanzi: 红白玫瑰 Pinyin: Hóng Bái Méigui Explanation: A popular trope in Chinese media, derived from Eileen Chang’s novel “Red Rose, White Rose.” It describes a man torn between two women: the passionate “red rose” (the lover) and the pure “white rose” (the wife). Here, it’s adapted for a female pairing.
- Hanzi: 屠 Pinyin: tú Explanation: Literally “to slaughter.” In this context, it’s internet slang used to describe something, like a ship or a fandom, completely dominating online discussions and platforms.
- Hanzi: 先下手为强 Pinyin: xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng Explanation: An idiom meaning “he who strikes first gains the advantage” or “the preemptive strike is the strongest.”
- Hanzi: 饭角 Pinyin: Fànjiǎo
- Hanzi: 山高路远, 绿水长流 Pinyin: shān gāo lù yuǎn, lǜ shuǐ cháng liú Explanation: A classic Chinese farewell. The first part implies that the journey ahead is long and arduous, while the second part is a wish for enduring friendship, like a river that never stops flowing. It carries the sentiment of “our paths may diverge, but our bond remains; may we meet again someday.”
Thank you so much for the translation. The setting is standard but this is a really fresh take on the whole entertainment circle genre, and I appreciated the maturity and nuance that the author wrote both characters. Seeing people who are a little older than the norm and can have healthy communication patterns is so refreshing. The story never felt like it was dragging on either, a perfect length.
OH MY GAHDFFD! It’s finisheddd??? I’m crying naurrrrr. This is such a good story Wahhhhh
I feel so happy for them, gosh I wish the college AU was longer and that her assistants would find love and stuff kekeke but the story ended so well I have nothing to be sad abt!
Thank you for translating this awesome novel! I’m looking forward to your other works too!
Thank you so much for the translation. The setting is standard but this is a really fresh take on the whole entertainment circle genre, and I appreciated the maturity and nuance that the author wrote both characters. Seeing people who are a little older than the norm and can have healthy communication patterns is so refreshing. The story never felt like it was dragging on either, a perfect length.
OH MY GAHDFFD! It’s finisheddd??? I’m crying naurrrrr. This is such a good story Wahhhhh
I feel so happy for them, gosh I wish the college AU was longer and that her assistants would find love and stuff kekeke but the story ended so well I have nothing to be sad abt!
Thank you for translating this awesome novel! I’m looking forward to your other works too!
Thank you for finishing this story. I would like to recommend you to translate”come to my office after getting off work”. 😊
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll look into it :)
Thank you for finishing this story. I would like to recommend you to translate“come to my office after getting off work”. 😊
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll look into it :)
This has been wonderful. Thank you for translating it!! If you have time, maybe you’re interested in translating 大佬穿进虐文后 or 穿成炮灰拐跑女配. :>
This has been wonderful. Thank you for translating it!! If you have time, maybe you’re interested in translating 大佬穿进虐文后 or 穿成炮灰拐跑女配. :>
You’re the best authornim👌
Please check out “Come to my office after getting off work” authornim if you have time
I think this novel is lit🔥
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into it :)
You’re the best authornim👌
Please check out “Come to my office after getting off work” authornim if you have time
I think this novel is lit🔥
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into it :)
The novel “Don’t be jealous, I will bend myself” also authornim if you want to translate hehe😁😍
I remember that having a complete translation, it seems to have been removed. Thanks for the rec though :D
The novel “Don’t be jealous, I will bend myself” also authornim if you want to translate hehe😁😍
I remember that having a complete translation, it seems to have been removed. Thanks for the rec though :D
Thank you for translating this (and for for all your other translations)! This extra was quite an enjoyable what-if after the main story.
Thank you for translating this (and for for all your other translations)! This extra was quite an enjoyable what-if after the main story.
Thanks for the good work LP. If you have time can you look into “second hand love letter” it’s a good novel
I’ll make sure to check it out after finishing one of the five ongoing novels right now! Thank you for reading and the suggestion~
Thanks for the good work LP. If you have time can you look into “second hand love letter” it’s a good novel
I’ll make sure to check it out after finishing one of the five ongoing novels right now! Thank you for reading and the suggestion~
Uuuoooghh… TT w TT
Author really cooked hard on the extra chapters. Really checked off the stuff I want and didn't know I want till now in my list. Thank you very much for the translation, Little Panda!
Now off to read Miss Forensics… then come back to Scummed for fluff.