Chapter 33 - Dinner?

The corridor was empty except for Lin Zixun. Su Qiao didn't ask him what he was doing here, she was starting to get used to him showing up in all sorts of strange places and at bizarre times. Instead of walking off or ignoring him like she might have done in the past, she leaned against the wall, tucking her injured arm behind her as she asked smoothly, "What brings Lin Zong on set? Here to supervise your esteemed company's investments personally? Careful not to tread on your little brother's toes."

She expected Lin Zixun to come up with a witty retort but he seemed a little different today. Despite the lightheartedness he'd greeted her with just now, there was an undercurrent of tension in his gaze as it landed on the arm she was trying to conceal.

Su Qiao couldn't put into words why she didn't want him to see the burn wounds. The suffocating feeling lodged in her chest was unreasonable, made her feel like she was standing at the edge of a precipice and if Lin Zixun so much as showed her even a measure of kindness now, she might crumble into pieces before him.

She couldn't let this happen. The young mistress of the Su Family could afford to be fragile but the disowned shamed daughter could not.

A million excuses to deflect Lin Zixun's concerns came to mind but it turned out that she needn't have bothered coming up with them. Lin Zixun took one long look at her face before schooling his expression back into that careless flippancy of his. He didn't ask about the incident, didn't offer any words of consolation.

"Does Ms Su have dinner plans yet?" he asked, not quite answering her question but not bringing up why he'd chased her all the way to the toilets either. She didn't believe that a dinner invitation had been his original reason. Lin Zixun might be ridiculous but he wasn't so ill-mannered as to treat the traumatic episode that had just occurred to her dismissively. It was only because Su Qiao wanted to pretend that everything was normal that he was indulging her by playing along.

Truthfully, Su Qiao wanted nothing more than to go home, monitor the burns, and have a good nap. She'd just told Lin Zixun that they could discuss any matters between them at a later date, once she was done prioritising her acting career.

But after today's incident, she'd changed her mind. The entertainment industry had murky waters and it was too dangerous for her to wade in adventurously with zero backing to keep her afloat. She knew of talented stars who, at least on the surface, managed to do achieve success with underhanded support. Mo Chen, for instance, was the best representation of this. However, they were far and few in-between. More importantly, they probably didn't have to face the formidable enemies that stood in her way.

"Is Lin Zong inviting me out tonight?" she replied, assessing his face for any shift in his mood that might give away his true intentions. Back when she'd been dating Lin Zizhou, she hadn't had the opportunity to see much of this future brother-in-law of hers. She hadn't cared much then, too preoccupied with her infatuation with her boyfriend to pay anyone any heed. But now, in hindsight, it was unusual. Given Lin Zixun's gregarious personality, she would have expected him to come and befriend his brother's girlfriend and make nice for the sake of a harmonious family life in the future.

But instead, it'd felt like Lin Zixun had gone out of his way to avoid her.

Su Qiao was curious now.

Lin Zixun laughed quietly. He kept a respectful distance from her, hands in his pockets as he cocked his head to one side with a charming grin. "Only if it'll help take Ms Su's mind off things," was his cavalier reply. "A relaxing evening over a meal and some wine, would you care to join me?"

She didn't see why not. If she could find out once and for all why Lin Zixun was suddenly interested in her now, she could figure out an arrangement that suited them both. Preferably one where others would have to think twice before tossing acid at her.

Su Qiao smiled. The raw skin on her arm still burned but it was nothing like the searing of ambition that stirred in her heart. "Since Lin Zong is asking so nicely, I have no reason to decline, do I?"

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"Meixin! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Bai Meixin looked up upon hearing her manager's voice. Her tear-streaked face immediately garnered her an expression of pity. Manager Huang fretted over her swollen eyes and immediately ordered her personal assistants to fetch some ice to help reduce the puffiness of her lower lids.

"No need to worry, of course, you're still beautiful."

She shook her head mutely. This wasn't the time to be worrying about her looks. The incident that had happened in Makeup still haunted her. She had known that popularity in the entertainment industry came along with its fair share of extreme fans but before today, she hadn't realised just how far they could take their fanaticism.

The person who had sneaked onto the set had thrown acid at her big sister. And this person had claimed to be Bai Meixin's fan, here to take revenge for her, just because he had somehow caught wind that Su Qiao had treated her badly.

Bai Meixin did think that Su Qiao was very cold and unfair towards her but that didn't mean she wished such ill upon her! She had never meant for such an unfortunate thing to happen. Luckily, Su Qiao had been sharp enough to notice that fan's strange behaviour, otherwise, the consequences would have been devastating.

A queasy feeling broiled in the pit of Bai Meixin's stomach. "Manager Huang, I—I feel like it's my fault that this happened to Big Sister."

Manager Huang's fondness turned into impatience at once. He sneered. "Your fault? How can it be our Meixin's fault? If that person didn't go around acting like such a big-shot and bullying newbies, who would bother risking jail just to target her?"

His words made sense to Bai Meixin but she couldn't help but feel like something was off in the logic. "But…Big Sister does help me with improving my acting skills…" Although Su Qiao was very strict with her and often scolded her for mistakes, she didn't refuse to assist Bai Meixin as long as they kept the conversation solely professional. Bai Meixin had yet to make leeway with convincing Su Qiao to return home and apologise to everyone. Although she felt like Su Qiao was in the wrong, surely this didn't mean she should have to suffer violence?

But Manager Huang saw things differently. "There's no smoke without fire," he explained, patting Bai Meixin sagely on the arm. "Meixin is still too young to understand the dirtier aspects of the entertainment industry. Do you really think Su Qiao has your best interests at heart whenever she gives you advice? It's just to put on a show in front of the rest of the cast, that's all."

This revelation stung but Bai Meixin could feel Su Qiao's aversion towards her and knew that he had a good point. She didn't blame Su Qiao for being unable to accept a new stepsister in her life but that didn't give Su Qiao the right to lash out at her family! Although Bai Meixin had tried time and again to forgive her, she could feel that Su Qiao's jealousy towards her hadn't lessened at all.

She didn't know what to do. All Bai Meixin wanted was a loving family, a successful career, and a loving husband. These were all things that Su Qiao had had in abundance, why was she so selfish that she could share some of them? As her sister, Bai Meixin had the right to them as well, was even ready to forge strong sisterly bonds with her too.

"Do you really think she brought this upon herself?" she mumbled. As much as it pained Bai Meixin to say it, if Su Qiao had treated her better, she wouldn't have incurred the wrath of Bai Meixin's stans. Even though Bai Meixin wished she didn't have a criminal supporting her and the crazed way he had screamed her name when dragged off by the police had scared her, she still felt a bit sorry knowing that he had been led astray because of her.

Manager Huang scoffed. "How else would your fans know that you're being bullied? Someone on the set must have felt bad for you and spread word of it online."

Bai Meixin chewed on her bottom lip. "This industry is so complicated," she said in a small voice. "I just wanted to work hard, do my best, and compete with Big Sister fairly, why did this have to happen?"

"Don't worry, Big Brother will help you settle everything. You just need to enjoy yourself as much as possible, all right?"

Her small smile was hesitant but grateful. "Okay," she replied obediently. "Thank you."