Smack!
Smack, smack, smack!
Ah! Ah!
"Hey! Sister Wan Qing, Xiao Bing was the one who messed up. Why are you hitting me?"
In the hotel room, Xiao Zhu was pinned face-down on the sofa by Zhou Wanqing, who was smacking her bottom.
The red-haired powerhouse was full of fury, while her slightly chubby assistant's bottom rippled with every smack.
"Ow, that hurts!"
Feng Bingbing, lying off to one side, grimaced.
"Sister Bingbing, I'm the one getting hit. Why are you the one crying out in pain?"
The assistant complained miserably.
Feng Bingbing raised her dirty foot and said with a pained expression, "I sprained my ankle."
She wiped the black mud off her foot with her hand, revealing a slightly swollen ankle.
She really had sprained her ankle in the Lost Forest. But she wanted her senior to carry her, and she also didn't want him to worry, so she pretended to be injured.
"Serves you right!"
Zhou Wanqing glared at her, finally let her assistant go, then went into the room and came back with a bottle of medicine, which she handed to Xiao Zhu.
"Rub this on her!"
Xiao Zhu groaned as she got up, rubbing her bottom. She took the bottle with a pitiful look.
"Sister Wan Qing, my bottom's all bruised. I need some medicine too."
"I barely smacked you twice. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Zhou Wanqing raised her hand as if to hit her again. The assistant hurried over to rub medicine on Feng Bingbing instead.
Zhou Wanqing straightened her slightly rumpled short dress, sat down on the sofa, and looked coldly at Feng Bingbing.
"Spill."
Her long red hair fell in waves, and she sat with elegant poise. Her cheeks were a little flushed, partly from anger and partly from rushing back from the police station in a hurry.
"Spill what? Ow!"
Feng Bingbing blinked, looking adorably clueless. Xiao Zhu pressed a little harder as she applied the medicine, and the little vixen let out a shriek.
"Good job!"
Zhou Wanqing gave Xiao Zhu a thumbs-up, then continued interrogating her.
"What did you do tonight? How did you end up like this?"
Feng Bingbing's pant legs were caked with mud, and her clothes were covered in leaves and twigs. Her foot was swollen, too. She looked as if someone had beaten her up.
"Well..."
Feng Bingbing's eyes darted around, and she gave a cheeky grin.
"I suddenly got bored, so I went out for a hike. Then I fell on the mountain."
Zhou Wanqing stared at her in silence.
Xiao Zhu snorted. "Sister Bingbing, a lie that bad might fool me, but no one else."
Feng Bingbing widened her eyes, looking completely innocent. "I really did go up the mountain. Look at the leaves on my clothes. Do you see these kinds of shrubs in the city?"
Zhou Wanqing asked coldly, "With whom?"
"By myself."
"Heh."
Zhou Wanqing sneered. "You snuck away after filming just to go hiking alone in the middle of the night?"
Feng Bingbing nodded repeatedly. "You're absolutely right, Sister Wan Qing!"
"Right about what?!"
Zhou Wanqing couldn't take it anymore. She strode over and slapped Feng Bingbing hard on the thigh.
"If you don't tell me, I'll keep an eye on you twenty-four hours a day from now on. Let's see how you go looking for that senior of yours then!"
"Ow!"
Feng Bingbing's eyes glimmered, mist clouding them. She looked heartbroken.
But Zhou Wanqing wasn't moved in the slightest. Her gaze was icy.
"Fine."
Seeing that acting pitiful wouldn't work, Feng Bingbing stretched and sprawled out on the sofa.
"I actually went for a walk in the mountains with my senior."
My senior said not to let anyone know he was Brother Long.
But he never said I couldn't tell people he was with me tonight.
Heh, tonight I went on a date with my senior. What does Dawei Tianlong have to do with it?
I've done a perfect job of keeping my senior's secret!
"Wow! A date in the mountains at night? That's so exciting!"
Xiao Zhu was stunned. Looking at Feng Bingbing's bedraggled state, she clicked her tongue and sighed.
"No wonder you're so filthy, Sister Bingbing! Senior Lin, honestly—he could've at least laid down a mat before you did it. He was way too eager!"
Zhou Wanqing glared at Xiao Zhu. She immediately shut up and dutifully continued rubbing medicine on Feng Bingbing.
"You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about? Sister Wan Qing, I swear my relationship with my senior is innocent. Well, for now."
Feng Bingbing hurried to explain.
"Have you no shame? That Lin Mu is obviously—"
Zhou Wanqing glanced at Xiao Zhu. Xiao Zhu immediately raised her hand. "Don't worry, Sister Wan Qing. I'm very good at keeping secrets!"
"Sigh."
Zhou Wanqing sighed and considered her words before speaking slowly to Feng Bingbing.
"Bingbing, have you ever considered that maybe Senior Lin doesn't like you the way you like him?"
Feng Bingbing's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"
Zhou Wanqing raised a hand to stop her, then continued. "There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I just didn't want to hurt you. But now, I think you need to face the truth."
When Feng Bingbing fell silent, Zhou Wanqing went on.
"Bingbing, haven't you noticed?
"Every time you chat with your Senior Lin, he finds ways to ask you about things in the entertainment industry.
"And whenever you tell him some of the industry's secrets, they get exposed soon afterward.
"Once or twice might be a coincidence, but every single time..."
Zhou Wanqing watched Feng Bingbing's expression and sighed softly before continuing.
"Bingbing, you've been in the entertainment industry for years. You must have heard that in certain places, an entertainer's private life and scandals can fetch a high price."
Her meaning was clear enough. Zhou Wanqing didn't say anything more.
She believed Feng Bingbing understood.
Bingbing wasn't stupid. She'd just been blinded by love all this time.
Now, she should be able to see Senior Lin for who he really was.
For once, Xiao Zhu didn't chime in either. She silently rubbed medicine onto Feng Bingbing's foot, her touch growing much gentler.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned heavy.
Feng Bingbing kept her head bowed and said nothing.
Zhou Wanqing and Xiao Zhu exchanged a glance. Both of them were ready to comfort Feng Bingbing for the rest of the night.
"Sister Wan Qing."
Feng Bingbing suddenly looked up. Her expression was surprisingly calm, and she was even smiling.
"Actually, I already knew."
Zhou Wanqing froze, not understanding at first. "You knew what?"
Feng Bingbing smiled.
"I know my senior's family isn't well-off. His older sister runs a clothing shop in Hushang, but business has been bad these past few years.
"His younger sister got into Qingbei University, but they don't have the money for her to continue her studies.
"His father is getting old, but he still works night shifts at a factory to earn money.
"So I understand that my senior wants to earn money for his family."
"No, if he wants to earn money for his family, does that mean he can deceive you?" Zhou Wanqing said anxiously.
"But I'm willing to let him deceive me." Feng Bingbing was still smiling. Her smile was sweet and gentle, without a trace of bitterness or reluctance.
"..."
Zhou Wanqing was completely stunned.
Xiao Zhu's mouth fell open, and she stared at Feng Bingbing in disbelief.
"Sister Bingbing, you've gone crazy..."
"I haven't gone crazy."
Feng Bingbing sat up on the sofa and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were as gentle as water, yet as firm as stone.
"I've made up my mind. I just don't want to change it."
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