"You've passed," said Mu Qing. His face showed no emotion, but inside, he was honestly impressed with Qin Cha's performance.
Qin Cha's eyes lit up and the corners of her lips lifted happily at the confirmation. She stood up and sincerely said, "Thank you, Director Mu."
Mu Qing nodded casually. "You can go now. I'll let you know when we start shooting."
"Okay."
Knowing Mu Qing liked his space, Qin Cha wiped away the tears from her face and left without hesitation.
Being able to act in one of Mu Qing's productions would help her build her name in the entertainment industry. She really hoped this was the start of something good.
Feeling excited, Qin Cha walked out of the room thinking about how she should celebrate, but then she saw him.
The one person she didn't want to see.
She couldn't help but curse silently.
Wasn't Shang Jue some kind of stalker now? Why did he show up wherever she went?
"You came out so fast. That was pretty quick," Shang Jue said in a weird tone, his eyes filled with hostility and his face cold enough to freeze someone.
Qin Cha had no idea what he was trying to say, and she didn't even want to find out. Her good mood instantly vanished the second she laid eyes on him.
Not wanting to waste another second, she turned to walk away.
But the moment she turned around, Shang Jue lost all patience and suddenly picked her up without saying a word, carrying her away with big strides.
"Shang Jue! What are you doing? Are you insane? Put me down!"
Qin Cha struggled like crazy, shocked and furious, but Shang Jue didn't say a thing. He stayed totally calm.
The strength difference between them was just too much, there was no way she could fight him off.
Gritting her teeth, Qin Cha gave up hitting and kicking and pulled out her phone to call her second brother for help.
But before she could even dial, Shang Jue's face darkened and he snatched the phone from her hand, smashing it hard against the wall.
The loud crash made her freeze. She was completely stunned.
Before she could react, Shang Jue kicked open the door at the end of the hallway and kicked it shut behind him.
Li, the assistant who had been standing outside the door, didn't dare to even look. He turned around and walked away like nothing ever happened.
Inside the room, Shang Jue didn't hold back at all. He threw Qin Cha onto the bed and started yanking off his tie.
Seeing what he was doing, Qin Cha's face went pale. She panicked. "Shang Jue, what are you doing?! We already agreed to divorce! If you try anything, that's rape! I swear I'll call the police!"
In the past, Qin Cha had never once resisted him. But now, she kept her distance like he was poison. That only made Shang Jue even more irritated.
His face was icy and full of rage. "I offered you money and you turned it down. You'd rather sell yourself cheap? Didn't you throw away your dignity just to get into this industry?"
He tossed his tie to the side, unbuttoned his shirt roughly, and looked down at her with eyes that seemed to pierce through skin.
"If this is what you want, then fine. As long as you serve me well, I'll give you whatever you want," he said while ripping at her clothes like a madman.
Qin Cha's whole body trembled, and her hands were shaking from how furious she was.
She never thought Shang Jue would actually see her like that. Like she was some cheap woman with no morals who'd do anything to get ahead.
Her eyes turned red. What kind of disgusting man had she liked for three whole years?
Qin Cha bit her lip hard. The pain brought her back to her senses. The tear that had formed in her eye stayed frozen in place.
Smack!
She used all her strength to slap him across the face.
When was the last time someone had dared to hit Shang Jue, the cold, arrogant man who thought he was above everyone else?
His eyes instantly filled with fury, like a wild beast trapped in a cage, ready to tear into her.
Qin Cha's hand felt numb from the impact, but her eyes were colder than ever, full of disgust. "Get out."
Shang Jue stared at her reddened eyes, froze for a second, and suddenly came back to his senses.
She'd just had a miscarriage.
Even if he wanted to touch her, now wasn't the time.
The fire in his chest slowly died down. He suddenly didn't feel like doing anything anymore.
Qin Cha quickly got up and yanked herself away from him, her heart feeling a little lighter.
Thank god... At least he didn't go completely insane and turn into an animal.
But her anger still burned inside her. To make sure something like this never happened again, she sneered, "Three years ago, I was mistaken. I thought you were interesting and tried to buy happiness with money. I didn't expect I was so wrong! Even if you begged me, Shang Jue, I still wouldn't touch you again. If you've got even a little bit of shame, then stop embarrassing yourself here!"
"Qin Cha!" Shang Jue's eyes turned ice-cold.
He wasn't dumb, he could clearly hear the insult in her words. No man would be able to stand being humiliated like that.
But Qin Cha didn't care about his anger at all. She just kept pushing his buttons without fear. "Guys like you should be left for girls who like picking up garbage. As for me? I'm backing away now, so go ahead and keep grossing people out."
Her words hit two birds with one stone, and just thinking about how they both got roasted made her feel a lot better inside. She raised her chin proudly, fixed her clothes, and walked right out the door.
For a man like Shang Jue, someone with a ridiculous amount of pride, being insulted by her like that must've made him want to strangle her on the spot.
With that kind of damage to his ego, he probably wouldn't ever come near her again.
Shang Jue's face stayed dark as he watched her leave, but he didn't go after her.
The anger boiling in his chest stayed there, not fading for a long time.
—
Meanwhile…
Shen Mingyue, who had been abandoned by Shang Jue at the party and wasn't even told to look after anyone, stood there awkwardly, surrounded by strangers.
She had originally planned to show off by attending the event with Shang Jue, proving that she had finally "won" him.
But all her hopes got ruined the second Qin Cha appeared out of nowhere.
Shen Mingyue was furious. In her mind, there was no doubt: Qin Cha had shown up on purpose just to grab Shang Jue's attention again.
She never imagined Qin Cha would be this scheming.
Even though they were already divorced, Shen Mingyue couldn't stand Qin Cha causing more trouble like this.
Her eyes narrowed as she quickly came up with a plan.
Back in the room, Shang Jue was still fuming when he suddenly got a call from Shen Mingyue. As soon as he saw the caller ID, a look of impatience appeared on his face.
"Ah Jue… I'm in so much pain… there's so much blood… please come quickly… I'm really scared, wuwuwu…" Shen Mingyue's shaky voice sobbed through the phone.
Shang Jue's expression changed. He jumped to his feet, frowning. "Where are you?"
"I… I'm at the hospital, Ah Jue. I'm really scared, please hurry, okay?"