Oscar-winning Best Actress

The air around Su Hua grew increasingly icy.

Lin Xuan trembled nervously, not daring to say a word.

Su Hua knew Lin Xuan no longer had feelings for Qin Ruoyao. She had Jiang Qing send those things over as an excuse to lock her "A-Xuan" away in a dark room.

Even so, Su Hua couldn’t help but feel jealous.

Her mind replayed the times Lin Xuan had stood up for Qin Ruoyao, even once holding a knife to his own neck, threatening his life just to protect her.

How she wished she could hide A-Xuan away, make him hers and hers alone.

That way, she would be the only woman in his world.

Jiang Qing rubbed her arm.

Was it just her, or was Su Hua not acting anymore—was she genuinely jealous?

Could it be her imagination?

"Hua Bao."

Lin Xuan finally couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the photos, ready to explain each one.

But he realized most of them, along with the love letter, were indefensible.

Only the photo of him and Qin Ruoyao seemingly kissing gave him any room to argue.

"Hua Bao," Lin Xuan said nervously, "my first kiss was with you. I never kissed Qin Ruoyao. Back then, she wouldn’t even look at me—why would she let me kiss her? This photo is just a trick of the angle. You have to believe me."

Su Hua narrowed her eyes dangerously. "So if she had wanted you, you would’ve kissed her?"

Lin Xuan: "…"

Hua Bao’s logic was impossible to follow.

If he agreed, she’d only get more jealous.

If he denied it, she’d think he was lying.

Truthfully, given how pathetically devoted he’d been to Qin Ruoyao before, if she had ever allowed it, he would’ve kissed her without hesitation…

In the end, Lin Xuan chose silence.

"A-Xuan." Su Hua pinned him down on the sofa, her dark eyes swallowing everything in their depths.

"You’re mine."

"If you ever dare to look at another woman, I’ll lock you away… forever. And you’ll only ever see me."

Lin Xuan nodded emphatically, playing along. "That’s right. I’m Hua Bao’s—body and soul."

Jiang Qing had a feeling.

She was about to be force-fed another wave of their sickeningly sweet affection. With no interest in watching further, she quietly slipped out of the living room.

Sigh.

This wasn’t how she’d imagined things going.

She’d expected Su Hua to throw a massive tantrum, but instead, the woman had been… gentle?

Or was it gentleness laced with thorns?

"Body and soul, hm?" Su Hua’s voice was cold. "But A-Xuan’s heart used to belong to Qin Ruoyao. Or have you forgotten how you once defied me for her?"

Lin Xuan: "…"

Great.

Back to Qin Ruoyao again.

Damn it! Whoever sent those things to Night Garden—he’d better not catch them!

"Hua Bao, that’s all in the past. I was blind before, unable to see how good you were to me. Now, you’re the only one I love. Always will be."

"Then A-Xuan better prove it to me." Su Hua chuckled darkly. "Stay with me in Night Garden. No leaving for a while."

Well. The dark room was unavoidable.

"Okay." Lin Xuan nodded.

For now, it was best to just go along with whatever Hua Bao wanted.

Su Hua had been suppressing the violence simmering inside her.

Seeing Lin Xuan agree, her crimson lips crashed onto his, claiming his breath with possessive hunger.

Soon, their positions reversed.

Lin Xuan was on top now, Su Hua beneath him.

The alluring woman wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes brimming with seduction.

"A-Xuan, I’m yours too. Your Hua Bao, and yours alone."

Then, her lips brushed his ear as she whispered two words.

Her.

Lin Xuan: "!!!"

Hua Bao, girls shouldn’t say things like that.

But… why did it send a thrill through him?

Outside, the night was pitch black. Lin Xuan lay in bed, sinking into deep sleep.

Su Hua sat up, the black sheets slipping off her porcelain skin, revealing the marks of passion scattered across her body.

She slid out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and draped the white silk robe over her shoulders.

The satisfied glow on her face, the faint flush at the corners of her eyes, and her usual icy elegance made her breathtakingly enchanting.

Phone in hand, she headed to the study and dialed Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing was in the middle of a sweet dream when her phone rang abruptly.

Jiang Qing: "!!!"

Damn it!

She’d been running around at work all day, collapsed into bed the moment she got home, and now—just as her dream was getting good—she was rudely interrupted.

Her resentment was thicker than a ghost’s. Snatching her phone, she prepared to curse out whoever had called.

Then she saw the caller ID—Demon Boss.

Holy—

It was Su Hua!

Jiang Qing answered immediately, her voice dripping with respect, not a trace of annoyance.

"President Su."

"Contact the mental hospital. Teach Qin Ruoyao a lesson." Su Hua’s voice was icy.

She would’ve preferred to eliminate Qin Ruoyao outright, but A-Xuan seemed to have other plans for her.

For now, she’d settle for making the woman suffer.

"Yes." Jiang Qing complied obediently.

After hanging up, Su Hua returned to bed.

"A-Xuan, stay by my side… always." She murmured.

Jiang Qing stared at her phone, still groggy from sleep, her brain struggling to catch up.

Why had Su Hua called in the middle of the night just to order Qin Ruoyao’s torment?

Then she remembered the photos.

Ah.

Su Hua had clearly let her act slip today—she’d been genuinely jealous. Unable to punish Lin Xuan, she’d taken it out on Qin Ruoyao instead.

Qin Ruoyao: disaster striking out of nowhere.

Tsk tsk.

How tragic.

Jiang Qing couldn’t help but pity the woman.

Qin Ruoyao had crossed paths with Su Hua and Lin Xuan—a pair more ruthless than most.

And they shared one trait: they loved putting on an act in front of each other.