Everything was going out of hand. Ye Mingyu was sure of it. She rarely saw Han Yize nor talked to him since that night and while she was aware that something had changed between them, Ye Mingyu was in denial as she refused to believe that she was losing her control over Han Yize.
At first, she only sought the man for protection and influence, but because he'd been spoiling her to no end, Ye Mingyu started to grow fond of Han Yize and wanted to be with him for good.
It wasn't like she didn't try to find out the reason for his sudden cold treatment towards her. Ye Mingyu had observed him for several days, but she couldn't come up with any conclusion. At night, Han Yize would slip into her bedroom and have sex with her, but he would always leave her side before the dawn breaks.
It also didn't help that she couldn't reach Chen Hao and had no idea of his whereabouts. Thankfully, she didn't hand him the cold poison, or else Han Yize would surely throw a fit at her instead.
There was only one vial left in Han Yize's possession and he was still trying to track the Shi family's remaining descendant to get the formula and procure the poison himself. It had been a coincidence that their paths crossed. Ye Mingyu knew that he was a dangerous man, but nevertheless, she would rather take advantage of him than admit defeat against Su Xiaofei.
Su Xiaofei hadn't been seen in public for almost half a year now. There were rumors that the new Madam Lu had fallen pregnant and took a step back to prioritize her family, but Ye Mingyu knew very well that Su Xiaofei was hiding her illness. The poison must have spread and was killing her by now.
Ye Mingyu was waiting for the news of Su Xiaofei's death because Lu Qingfeng refused to give in to her demands months ago. She didn't think it was possible for them to find a way to cure Su Xiaofei.
As Han Yize continued to be preoccupied, barely giving her any attention, Ye Mingyu was once again left to her own devices. She went to the audition that Han Yize arranged for a week ago and hadn't expected that Xiao Rufeng would be there as well.
She forced a smile and greeted her fellow actress. There was no way she would allow Xiao Rufeng to take away the lead role from her for the second time!
"Sister Xiao, what a surprise. I didn't expect that you would be interested in auditioning for this role."
Xiao Rufeng's lips curled into a smile, but her eyes had a glint of simmering rage in them. She would never forgive Ye Mingyu for poisoning her friend and for trying to reveal her relationship with Yan Xiuchen in public.
"Why, of course. You aren't the only one who has a golden thigh to rely on, after all. Which makes me wonder, Sister Ye, who's the better one between our men? But I guess you already know the answer since you still can't get rid of me for the third time."
The smile on Ye Mingyu's face faltered, but she dared not lower her mask. The only person who had seen the real her was Su Xiaofei, but she assumed that Xiao Rufeng was also aware of her true nature by now.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Sister Xiao. What are you trying to imply here?" She lowered her tone and gaze as if Xiao Rufeng was bullying her.
Xiao Rufeng giggled behind her hand then stepped forward, invading Ye Mingyu's space, much to the latter's surprise.
"If you couldn't beat me, what makes you think that you will win against Su Xiaofei? I haven't forgotten what you've done to me at the club and I will surely return the favor to you a hundredfold." She whispered next to Ye Mingyu's ear. She pulled away before Ye Mingyu could say a word.
"Sister Ye is worrying too much. I'm not here to audition for the lead role. I came here to accompany one of our juniors to audition instead." She then gestured to the young woman standing behind her.
"Do your best, alright? We can't let others think that a newbie can beat you to it." Xiao Rufeng said as a parting word, leaving Ye Mingyu seething in rage, fists clenched as she stood by herself.
Xiao Rufeng was smiling at her, but Ye Mingyu felt that it was merely a facade. She could feel that Xiao Rufeng wanted to hurt her badly right then and there.
People murmured behind their hands as they gave Ye Mingyu a mocking look. She wanted to scream right in their faces and tell them that they had no right to mock and ridicule her. Hearing what Xiao Rufeng said earlier made everyone think that Ye Mingyu was a scheming woman.
It wasn't a secret that Xiao Rufeng had beaten Ye Mingyu for the previous lead role and had been involved in a scandal during the filming of their TV series. Ever since Ye Mingyu entered the showbiz industry, most of the news about her was in a bad light and she was always involved in scandals - one way or another.
The resentment in Ye Mingyu's heart grew. Whether Su Xiaofei was around or not, that woman was still able to annoy the hell out of her through Xiao Rufeng. Because of these two, her career had never been smooth sailing since her debut.
She also just recently offended Bai Qingyue, but she had to admit that she underestimated the senior actress when it comes to manipulating the public's opinion towards her.
Ye Mingyu forced herself to calm down and focused on the script she was holding. However, a part of her was confused about what Xiao Rufeng knew about her. It seemed like Han Yize wasn't the only one that had changed, her enemies were also waiting for the right time to retaliate against her.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢