Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 65
by Little PandaAmusing Ourselves to Death
Manager 02
Queen
Xin Lan gazed at the face before her. Shen Yun indeed had the qualities to become famous – her face was delicately charming.
When she first debuted, she was positioned as the sweet type, playing supporting roles as the lively and cute second female lead. Shen Yun wasn’t content with always playing supporting characters and begged the original host to find her leading roles. The original host had no choice and put in great effort to secure her a leading role.
However, at that time, Shen Yun’s acting skills were far from adequate and she couldn’t handle the character properly. The original host spent a fortune hiring teachers to polish Shen Yun’s acting skills and personally spent time coaching her, helping her achieve a fairly good performance in that drama.
One could say Shen Yun’s success was inseparable from the original host’s help. Yet the original host never imagined that after giving her heart and soul, the end result would be so devastating.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Shen Yun felt uneasy under Xin Lan’s direct gaze and forced a smile.
“Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“Of course I do! I have so much to tell you. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you this past month!”
“You know that’s not what I want to hear.”
Xin Lan used her phone to push against Shen Yun’s chest, creating distance between them.
“Could it be that you’re jealous? Hm?”
Shen Yun poked Xin Lan’s hand, making playful faces without showing any nervousness.
“That person just now was the second female lead in our drama. We’re somewhat close, and since filming wrapped up today, we might not see each other again, so she just came in to chat for a bit. I swear, really!”
Shen Yun stared intently at Xin Lan, continuing to act coy and ingratiating.
“If you don’t like it, I won’t associate with her anymore. I’ll delete her WeChat right away and won’t work in the same production as her. Don’t be angry, okay?”
Ling Jiu: A woman’s mouth – lies and deception!
Xin Lan looked into Shen Yun’s eyes and found not a trace of guilt on her face.
She was indeed ruthless – either seasoned with experience or naturally gifted.
“I’m a bit hungry. Wait for me to put on some makeup in my room, then we can go get something to eat together, okay? Just the two of us, no one else – a secret date.”
Shen Yun said coquettishly, her eyes bright.
Ling Jiu: Holy sh*t, damn, this person is too shameless!
Ling Jiu made three exclamations in succession. If she didn’t know what had happened, watching Shen Yun’s performance, she would have believed everything she said.
Xin Lan had no intention of exposing her. The evidence in her hands was useful, but now wasn’t the time to reveal it.
Since Shen Yun wanted to pretend she hadn’t cheated, she would play along.
This time, Xin Lan planned to use the “build up and destroy” strategy. [捧殺 | pěng shā | strategy of praising someone excessively before destroying them].
She would gradually push her up, and when she was at her most complacent, brutally bring her down.
She saw what Shen Yun craved in her eyes: fame, status, and money.
Xin Lan raised her eyebrows slightly and pushed Shen Yun away.
Only then did Shen Yun become flustered, biting her tongue to calm herself.
“If I’ve done something to upset you, just tell me directly, okay? You know I love you the most. I can’t bear you being so cold to me.”
Shen Yun wore a wronged expression, squatting in front of Xin Lan and looking up at her.
In truth, she wasn’t as composed as she appeared on the surface. Xin Lan’s behavior was far too unusual, making her wonder if Xin Lan already knew what had happened in the room earlier.
Her mind was in chaos, but she still clung to the delusion that Xin Lan hadn’t discovered anything.
If Xin Lan was clearly angry or not angry, she could still come up with countermeasures. But she just sat there, reacting differently than usual – seeming to smile but not quite, appearing angry but showing no rage – making one’s heart run cold.
Shen Yun looked like she was about to cry, which would have certainly moved the original host to sympathy.
But Xin Lan felt no sympathy; if Shen Yun really cried, she might even applaud internally.
What’s the hardest thing about matters of the heart for those involved? It’s because of love, because they can’t let go.
But Xin Lan had no mercy for such scum. While scum took advantage of love to commit wrongs, Xin Lan had no love at all.
“Why don’t you think carefully about what you did wrong?”
Xin Lan’s fingertips rubbed the edge of her phone, maintaining her indifferent demeanor.
Her attitude filled Shen Yun with inexplicable panic.
Shen Yun vaguely felt the person before her had changed. The face was the same, but the aura was different.
Previously, Xin Lan had been a capable career woman to the outside world, but after they started dating, she became very gentle and doting towards her. Now, however, Shen Yun couldn’t feel any warmth from Xin Lan, only bone-chilling cold. Being under her gaze for too long made her skin crawl.
“You know I’m rather stupid. Don’t make me guess, okay? If I did something wrong, just tell me directly, and I’ll fix it.”
Shen Yun’s face showed pleading, her eyes gazing at Xin Lan with affection.
Xin Lan thought the original host’s money spent on acting coaches hadn’t been wasted – at least her acting was quite good now.
She claimed to be stupid, but with all those schemes in her head, if she was stupid, then the world must be short of clever people.
Since she wanted to proceed gradually, Xin Lan didn’t plan to break Shen Yun’s composure right away.
After all, as Shen Yun’s manager now, she could still manage to derail her career and ruin her reputation.
“I was here for 15 minutes. Your duration was quite decent.”
Xin Lan said, looking at the watch on her wrist.
“It’s not what you saw. Let me explain.”
Shen Yun’s face turned pale as she hurriedly tried to defend herself.
“Drunk and confused, is that it? Shen Yun, I’m twenty-eight, not eighteen. We’re all adults here, don’t treat me like a fool.”
“Ah Lan, it’s not like that. I only like you. I just drank too much, so… It’s true! Trust me!”
Shen Yun frantically tried to grab Xin Lan’s hand but was shoved away.
The air fell silent for a moment before Shen Yun gritted her teeth and slapped herself.
The slap was loud, clearly showing how much force she used.
The original host would have been immediately shocked and angered – both from concern and because Shen Yun was a celebrity who relied on her face for work, how could she abuse it like this?
“Ah Lan, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done it, but I really… You can hit me, scold me, do whatever you want. Just don’t stay angry, don’t abandon me.”
Shen Yun said cautiously, her face full of pleading.
“Don’t do that. How are you going to attend your scheduled appearances with that face? People might think I hit you. If someone photographs you like this, your fans would tear the company apart.”
Xin Lan remarked coldly, completely unmoved.
Shen Yun could barely maintain her expression. Xin Lan’s behavior frightened her with its unfamiliarity.
In the past, whenever she cried or acted coy, Xin Lan would be helpless against her and grant all her requests.
Yes, she had made a mistake now, but it wasn’t intentional.
It was just a one-time fling with someone she fancied – how could there be any real connection? Why was Xin Lan being like this?
Xin Lan unfastened the watch from her wrist and placed it on the table.
“I came today wanting to see you, to give you a surprise. Instead, you’re the one who surprised me.”
“Don’t… don’t take it off, please?”
Shen Yun bit her lip, her voice trembling.
The watch Xin Lan wore was part of a couple’s set, given to her when they confirmed their relationship – like a token of their love. Xin Lan hadn’t taken it off for years, but now she was removing it.
“Shen Yun, let’s break up.”
Before dealing with Shen Yun, Xin Lan knew she had to end the relationship.
She didn’t want any emotional entanglements with Shen Yun. She only wanted to handle this as a manager dealing with an artist who had wronged her.
“Break up? I don’t agree!”
Shen Yun’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her face. She tried to throw herself at Xin Lan but was frozen in place by her gaze.
“You want to break up with me over this?”
“You think this is a small matter?”
“I was just drunk. I barely know Chen Qing, and I’ll definitely never associate with her again. Xin Lan, please don’t be angry, don’t scare me. I can’t live without you. Think about our past… don’t abandon me, please?”
Shen Yun spoke while crying, looking extremely pitiful.
“So you’re saying if I went out and fooled around with someone without developing feelings, it would be fine?”
Xin Lan asked rhetorically, her lips slightly pursed.
After a long silence, Shen Yun gritted her teeth and said yes.
“Shen Yun, what do you take love for?”
Xin Lan sneered, staring at the continuously weeping woman.
“I’m not discussing this with you – I’m telling you the result.”
Xin Lan stood up, tucking her long hair behind her ear.
“Stop crying.”
She said to the person behind her as she neared the door.
Shen Yun’s heart leaped – she knew Xin Lan still cared about her.
“Your schedule is tight, with an advertisement shoot the day after tomorrow morning. Bring your best condition to face it. I don’t want to see you tomorrow with swollen eyes and face. Shen Yun, I trust your professionalism.”
Xin Lan was eerily calm for someone who just caught their partner cheating and ended the relationship. As she opened the door, Shen Yun grabbed the hem of her clothes.
Xin Lan instinctively pulled away her clothes and turned around, frowning at the tear-stained Shen Yun.
“Is there anything else?”
“Did you plan to dump me all along?”
Shen Yun growled with reddened eyes. How else could she be so calm? Xin Lan must have wanted to get rid of her and was using this as an excuse.
“Did you fall for someone else?”
“Who is it?”
“No one. The day after tomorrow morning is the Yaqiu endorsement. If their director disapproves of your skin condition, I can’t help you.”
Yaqiu was a well-respected makeup brand in the market. The original host had worked hard to secure this endorsement opportunity, though it wasn’t guaranteed as there were other competitors. The brand’s director would make the final decision on who would be their spokesperson.
“Stop changing the subject!”
Shen Yun didn’t want to discuss any endorsements now; her mind was filled with thoughts of Xin Lan breaking up with her.
“Shen Yun, I hope you can recognize that you’re the one who made a mistake. I’m still discussing business matters with you because I don’t want to discuss personal matters.”
“I only made one mistake, why won’t you forgive me! Have you forgotten we said we’d be together forever? Have you forgotten you said you’d always love me? If you really loved me, why aren’t you angry when you see me make a mistake? You’ve already changed your heart, haven’t you? My mistake probably came as a relief, letting you get what you wanted?”
Ling Jiu: What kind of bullsh*t is this?
LP: Re-translated on February 04, 2025
Typical woman trying to turn things around.