Chapter Two

The man had a very solid chest. As Shu Yao’s hands brushed against it, she could feel the distinct contours of pectorals and abdominal muscles beneath the thin fabric. He carried a faint scent of alcohol, mingled with other pleasant notes.

Falling into his arms, Shu Yao realized just how drunk she truly was. Almost instinctively, her arms wrapped around the man’s waist, and she breathed in his scent—it was nice. Through her haze, she looked up at his face. She couldn’t see clearly, but her intuition told her it was a strikingly handsome one, because when his gaze met hers, Shu Yao felt a long-dormant thrill and joy stir within her body.

The man’s eyes lingered on her face for a long time. Neither could say who made the first move—Shu Yao reached up and draped her arms over his shoulders, while he wrapped one arm around her waist. They kissed in the dim lighting, their movements obscured from the other patrons. As they embraced, her hands roamed over his chest, and his hand traced over her waist. Both let out uncontrollable sounds of desire.

Without much hesitation, they went straight to a hotel room. Once the lights were off, neither could clearly see the other in the darkness, yet they both knew the other had an incredible body. Every move in the dark seemed perfectly attuned to each other’s tastes; their physical chemistry brought them both to the peak of pleasure.

When they woke after that night of indulgence, both saw surprise reflected in the other’s eyes. They quickly came to an agreement—to treat that night as nothing more than a dream, two adults taking what they needed from each other, with no one owing anyone anything. So, they parted ways shortly after, acting as if nothing had happened.

Not long after Shu Yao returned home, her assistant arrived to take her to the set. She remembered to take the morning-after pill, but her hectic schedule and high stress left her muddled. By the time she recalled it, the window for emergency contraception had already passed. Besides, Shu Yao remembered that they had used condoms for most of that night. What were the odds of a coincidence? She soon threw herself back into her busy work and forgot about it.

Then three months passed. One day, after wrapping up work and returning home, Shu Yao suddenly remembered that she hadn’t had her period in three months. Though her cycle was irregular, it had never been delayed this long. Panicking, she naturally thought back to that night of abandon three months ago. She couldn’t believe it, but she wasn’t foolish either—no matter how slim the odds of coincidence, she didn’t dare take the risk.

Shu Yao didn’t tell a soul. She bought a pregnancy test in private and used it—two red lines appeared. She read the instructions over and over, then searched online, and finally had no choice but to accept the fact that she really was pregnant.

Eight years of hard work—setting aside the fact that she was unmarried and pregnant, even if she were a married A-list actress, having a child would be an enormous challenge. Without carefully planning the next six months of work, no actress would dare to have a child unless she was ready to give up her career.

Shu Yao was unsettled for days. At work, she nearly made mistakes several times, only barely managing to complete her tasks through sheer experience. In the end, she still couldn’t bring herself to believe the pregnancy news. She privately contacted a friend outside the industry and booked an appointment at a very private hospital. Her friend arranged everything, and Shu Yao went in full disguise for the examination.

But even the best-laid plans had a flaw—she was still photographed.

Shu Yao couldn’t figure out how she’d been caught. Her private life was very simple. From her debut until now, aside from filming and promotional events, she spent all her time at home. That was why, even after all these years of being this famous, with countless rivals eager to tear her down, they’d never been able to find any dirt on her. So it wasn’t likely that paparazzi had specifically staked out that hospital waiting for her, was it?

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Shu Yao’s head was throbbing; she couldn’t help pressing her fingers to her temple.

Chen Bing had been watching her expression closely. Seeing her pained look now, he softened slightly.

He took a deep breath and eased his tone. “Shu Yao, think carefully. It’s already been—” He glanced at his watch. “—four hours since the pregnancy news broke.”

Shu Yao pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

Chen Bing’s gaze sharpened. “You’re not some newbie fresh off the street anymore. You’ve been in this game for years. I won’t ask how you could make such a rookie mistake—right now, you need to tell me everything from start to finish. I need the complete picture before the company and I can fix this!”

Of course, Shu Yao had already admitted it: this wasn’t just a rumor—she really was pregnant. So what they needed to know now was—how far along was the baby, who was the father, and when had she slept with him?

Chen Bing had been Shu Yao’s agent for seven or eight years. Compared to others, he understood her fairly well. A relationship? It was impossible for Shu Yao to hide a boyfriend from him and the staff around her without anyone knowing. Besides… Chen Bing’s gaze swept over Shu Yao’s face—she wouldn’t gamble with her career.

On that point, Chen Bing was fairly certain.

The paparazzi had photos of Shu Yao at the hospital for a pregnancy-related exam—that was extremely troublesome. Did they have any other damaging photos of her? And what about the man? Who was the man she’d slept with? Would he also take this chance to come out and smear her name?

It was a mess.

Chen Bing frowned and urged her again: “Shu Yao?”

Shu Yao supported her forehead with her hand. After a few seconds, she said quietly, “It was Jiang Zhiyi.”

Chen Bing’s cup clattered to the floor. Shock appeared on his normally calm and composed face.

Shu Yao sighed—she truly did regret it. From the very start of her career, hadn’t her goal been to become a big star, make money, live in a big house, and have more money than she could spend?

What were the pressures and pains compared to the adoration of fans and the benefits the spotlight brought her? She’d endured it all for so many years—why couldn’t she hold out just that one day three months ago?!

Shu Yao was filled with regret. To make matters worse—the man she’d slept with that night was Jiang Zhiyi, the top A-list actor.

Jiang Zhiyi… Shu Yao silently repeated the name.

In today’s entertainment industry, Shu Yao was already the most famous female star of her generation. But Jiang Zhiyi, in terms of both fame and status, was above her.

Classically trained, with exceptional looks, his debut role was a leading part. The box office was average, but he instantly went from a complete newcomer to a name people recognized. Since then, every project Jiang Zhiyi took on was high-quality, with excellent production teams. Even when the director and screenwriter were lesser-known, the scripts were always challenging.

So, although Jiang Zhiyi debuted later than Shu Yao, he rose to fame earlier. Unlike her, who relied on constant filming to maintain her visibility, after his breakthrough, Jiang Zhiyi took on very few projects—but each one was of the highest quality. His brand endorsements were all luxury labels. He had low everyday exposure, yet enjoyed immense popularity, a huge fan base, and great industry recognition.

Though they were both among the hottest A-list stars of the moment, Shu Yao always felt there was a considerable gap between her and Jiang Zhiyi.

She didn’t have the luxury of going a year without filming or making public appearances while still maintaining high popularity and top-tier resources.

She didn’t have Jiang Zhiyi’s confidence and ease.

Chen Bing’s phone kept buzzing. He snapped back to attention, picked up the fallen cup, and answered the call with a grim face. The person on the other end said something that made his expression turn even uglier.

Shu Yao sat in her chair, at a complete loss.

Chen Bing gave a few brief instructions and hung up. He retrieved the cup—luckily, there was carpet underneath, so it hadn’t shattered.

He set the cup on the table, took out a cigarette, and bit down on it without lighting it.

After more than ten seconds of silence, Chen Bing spoke: “That night… you slept with Jiang Zhiyi?”

Shu Yao nodded slowly.

Chen Bing said, “He’s the father?”

Shu Yao took a deep breath. “…Yes.”

Chen Bing knew Shu Yao’s character well—she wasn’t a woman with a messy private life. He’d only asked to confirm the truth, especially since her credibility with him had taken a hit after this fiasco.

Chen Bing fell silent, biting his cigarette, his brow deeply furrowed, his expression growing darker.

Shu Yao grew increasingly uneasy. She sat in her chair, hands clasped together on her knees.

Chen Bing looked up, his eyes bloodshot. “Time, place, details.”

Unable to hide it any longer, Shu Yao hoarsely recounted that night—drinking, accidentally running into Jiang Zhiyi, the two of them going to a hotel. She left out all the explicit details, focusing on the key points: she was drunk, he was drunk, neither recognized the other, and they only discovered each other’s identities when they woke up the next morning.

Chen Bing wasn’t going to ask for the blow-by-blow. After listening to her account, he looked at her with a complex expression.

Shu Yao didn’t know what to say, so she stayed quiet.

Chen Bing tossed aside the cigarette. “Three months ago. Magic Star Bar.”

Shu Yao nodded.

Chen Bing said flatly, “Alright. I’ve got it.”

“That hospital you went to isn’t easy to book, and few actresses go there. How did paparazzi manage to stake you out?” Chen Bing mused. “Not even I knew about your pregnancy—how did the paparazzi know in advance that you’d be going to the hospital for a checkup? And happen to catch you on camera?”

Shu Yao also sensed things were getting complicated. She’d asked her friend outside the industry to make the booking precisely because of the hospital’s privacy and security.

But that wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered was whether the paparazzi had any other photos of her—say, from three months ago?

Though it seemed unlikely, neither she nor Chen Bing could rest easy.

Did the paparazzi have any other dirt on Shu Yao? Or fake dirt they could use? With this real “unmarried pregnancy” bombshell, they could pile on more mud. With a mix of true and false evidence flooding the internet, audiences and fans would sort it out for themselves. Even if Shu Yao’s camp resolved the pregnancy crisis, her public image would still take a serious hit.

For a female star like Shu Yao—with no personal backing and a company that wasn’t particularly powerful—this could cause very serious damage to her acting career.

How serious…?

Neither Shu Yao nor Chen Bing were rookies. Both understood the stakes involved.