Chapter 44

Fu Ye was stunned. He hadn't expected Song Qingre to lie so brazenly. The image of Song Qingre he'd held in his heart came crashing down—the moon in the sky tilted and fell with a thunderous collapse.

The entire sky darkened.

He furrowed his brow, let out a hiss, his heart aching unbearably. "Qiuqiu, I didn't—"

"My wrist..." Song Qingre's voice was low, cutting off his cry of pain. Her brow furrowed. "Qiuqiu, it hurts."

"I knew something like this would happen. He's never been a good person!" Yan Qingqiu was furious, and unconsciously, her face revealed a deep ache of concern.

Fu Ye was so angry his lungs felt like they would burst. He wanted to go up and slap Song Qingre across the face, to make her shut up and stop spouting nonsense. But Yan Qingqiu's foot came first, striking toward him. "Are you shameless? You even hit a girl?"

Fu Ye kept retreating, unable to defend himself despite having a mouth full of words: "Qiuqiu, listen to me explain. She hit me first! Look, I can't even stand up straight."

Yan Qingqiu scolded him furiously, "So what if she hit you? You wanted her to be your mistress? She was being kind not to beat you to death. She's an artist. Put away all those humiliating tricks of yours. You pathetic piece of trash—do you even deserve her? I'm sorry for your parents that you were born at all. Shameless, shameless!"

She kept cursing, each insult harsher than the last, each kick heavier. Fu Ye didn't want to fight her, so he kept backing away until he had nowhere left to go. His back pressed against the wall, knowing that if he fought back, things would only get more tangled. "That's not how it happened. Listen to me explain. She's misleading you!"

Yan Qingqiu raised her hand to slap him, and Fu Ye instinctively grabbed her wrist to stop her. His grip was instantaneous, and the force of the alpha was too heavy, making Yan Qingqiu wince. Her brow furrowed tightly, her fair cheeks slowly flushing red. He'd squeezed down to the bone. Fu Ye felt a pang of pain for her.

"Let go. Are you going to bully Qiuqiu too?" Song Qingre watched for a long moment, then made her move. Her hand shot out precisely and clamped around Fu Ye's throat. Fu Ye could fully feel her strength now—not soft or gentle, but carrying a genuine intent to kill.

If he didn't let go, he suspected Song Qingre would strangle him without hesitation. She might even be waiting for this moment—to let Yan Qingqiu misunderstand him, then in court she'd play the victim, claiming she was just protecting a fragile omega, acting in self-defense. Fu Ye thought further. To still say Song Qingre was just playing games with him now would be sheer foolishness, self-deception.

He released Yan Qingqiu's hand, but Song Qingre kept her grip for a full three seconds before letting go. Fu Ye hunched over, coughing endlessly, nearly coughing his lungs out. He looked up with reddened eyes at Song Qingre, then quickly shifted his gaze to Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu was terrified of him like this. Deep in her body, there was an innate fear of an alpha. She hid behind Song Qingre, but couldn't resist poking her head out to continue her verbal assault: "Hmph, and you call that love? Two squeezes and you can't take it, letting go of my hand. If I fell into a river someday and said don't let go, don't let go, you'd say your hand hurt and let go. And you still have the nerve to say you love me? Aren't you pathetic?"

Fu Ye couldn't argue back because his throat couldn't draw breath; he was panting heavily. He said between coughs, "Qiuqiu, that's not the same thing."

"I think it is. Qiuqiu, you're very clear-headed. I wish I'd been that clear-headed back then." Song Qingre agreed with Yan Qingqiu, her words landing on Fu Ye's ears like provocation. Yan Qingqiu had initially felt she might be in the wrong, but her back straightened at Song Qingre's words. She thought to herself, when looking for a partner, she absolutely couldn't find someone like Fu Ye—macho, argumentative, refusing to admit his own faults, and even prone to violence, directly grabbing an omega's wrist. A man like that as the male lead... only Luo Xi would be blind enough to like him.

Her gaze at Fu Ye was full of disdain. Just breathing the same air as him was nauseating, let alone this room scattered with cigarette butts everywhere. Her clothes and Song Qingre's expensive outfit were getting reeking of smoke.

"Come on, let's go. Let's not stay here. It reeks of smoke, and my grilled meat is still uneaten." Yan Qingqiu tugged at Song Qingre, wanting to leave.

"Mm..." Song Qingre moved to take her hand but let out a soft hiss. Yan Qingqiu shot her a worried look, and Song Qingre said, "It's just my hand hurts a little."

Yan Qingqiu gently gripped her arm higher up, getting angrier the more she thought about it. "If we can't win against them, we can at least avoid them. From now on, I'll stay far away whenever I see him."

"Should we go to the hospital? I'll take you?"

Their voices grew fainter and fainter. Fu Ye felt like he was the one who should be going to the hospital.

Fu Ye ached terribly. At this point, he had utterly loathed Song Qingre. Love had turned to hate. However obsessed he had once been with Song Qingre, however unattainable she had seemed, that was how intensely he hated her now.

Song Qingre had been toying with his feelings all along. He had been holding back his anger just now, unwilling to fight, which was why he couldn't beat her. If Song Qingre had just been a little kind to him, like before, with feelings and gentleness, he would have been gentle and tender. But no—that bitch Song Qingre had grabbed his throat.

That scene just now was etched into his memory. At first, Yan Qingqiu had been deeply in love with him. Many times when Yan Qingqiu invited him to dinner, he would run into Song Qingre, and then Yan Qingqiu would misunderstand that something was going on between him and Song Qingre. Back then, he still wanted to explain, but every time Song Qingre would say gently, "Qiuqiu, don't misunderstand. There's really nothing between us."

Then Yan Qingqiu's temper would flare up immediately, and without listening to any explanation, she'd start arguing with him. Back then, he always wanted to smooth things over, scolding Yan Qingqiu to stop making a scene. He always tried to protect the weak and docile Song Qingre, because Song Qingre always seemed so forbearing, never speaking ill of Yan Qingqiu, even more tolerant of her than he was. He truly felt for Song Qingre.

Now he thought about it, Song Qingre must have been putting on an act, deliberately stirring up conflict between him and Qiuqiu to achieve her own goals.

Had he really not known anything back then, blindly defending Song Qingre? No, not exactly. There was a period when he was clearly aware that Song Qingre was pretending. She might have been deliberately sowing discord between him and Yan Qingqiu. But Yan Qingqiu loved him too much, was too easily obtained, so she grew tiresome to look at. It was better to enjoy the pride and vanity that Song Qingre brought him.

Song Qingre had never once said she loved him, yet he couldn't let go of the feeling she gave him.

He asked himself honestly: if Song Qingre had really been willing to be his mistress just now, would he have agreed? He would have.

A person knows exactly how despicable they are, but Song Qingre had exposed his despicableness to the light. So she was... a bitch, a damned woman.

Fu Ye closed his eyes, and many images flashed before him.

Yan Qingqiu pointing angrily at Song Qingre, throwing juice at her. "Fu Ye, can't you see she's faking it? Song Qingre is deliberately trying to break us apart. Can't you just look at me properly?"

"Fu Ye, Song Qingre is just stringing you along. She doesn't love you. She's a freak, her heart is vicious. Look at me."

"Why do you always believe her and not me?"

The image of Yan Qingqiu crying with pear-blossom tears flashed by, followed by his own voice: "Yan Qingqiu, can you stop making a scene? She and I just ran into each other. We did nothing. Look at how you've scolded her. Stay away from me. Just looking at you annoys me. You make me lose my appetite!"

Song Qingre stood there quietly, juice dripping down her clothes without moving, letting the various smells spread over her. By the time Fu Ye wanted to find her, she had already left...

Every time he recalled that scene, his heart ached. Now... was Song Qingre hiding somewhere, laughing secretly, laughing mercilessly at his stupidity? How could Song Qingre be such a freak? Qiuqiu had been right all along.

It wasn't that he had suddenly seen through Song Qingre, but rather the feeling Song Qingre gave him was too terrifying. His throat burned and stung, and he couldn't speak even after breathing for a long while.

He used to find Yan Qingqiu annoying, but now recalling her, his heart ached. How had he not seen clearly back then, and let fate turn the tables?

Why had Yan Qingqiu once hated Song Qingre so much, yet now defended her so fiercely? It really seemed like she had become a different person.

Could it be that Song Qingre's methods were just too effective, that she had turned her sights to seducing Yan Qingqiu, and Yan Qingqiu couldn't hold out and fell for it?

Song Qingre certainly knew how to seduce people...

It hurt so much. His heart ached. Closing his eyes, he could still feel the lingering warmth of Yan Qingqiu's love for him. How could her blazing love just scatter so easily?

·

Back at the restaurant, they could still hear Yan Qingqiu's voice.

Yan Qingqiu hadn't left. She was eating with Song Qingre at their original table, her red lips moving as she talked nonstop, while Song Qingre listened attentively with tender eyes.

"So annoying, the meat's all burnt. I have to order another plate, and it's so expensive. And the waiter just now didn't even clean up my stuff or turn off the fire. The egg custard's burned to a honeycomb." Yan Qingqiu used the long chopsticks to pick out the burnt slices of meat one by one.

"What kind of meat slice was that? It was pretty tasty."

Song Qingre asked curiously.

"Let me see..." Yan Qingqiu said, then called the waiter over. "Another plate of beef, and this seafood too, and the fish roe rice."

"Yes."

"And change this pot as well."

The waiter came and went, and the table was covered in delicacies again, quickly resolving Yan Qingqiu's annoyance. She glanced at her phone—good, the fight with Fu Ye hadn't wasted too much time. They still had half an hour to enjoy the food. Otherwise, she'd definitely go back and beat Fu Ye up. That bastard, daring to delay her eating and delay her opera.

Yan Qingqiu rubbed her hands together and asked Song Qingre, "The food at home before was so plain. Can you handle it?"

Song Qingre knew she was talking about the omega meals, but Yan Qingqiu didn't seem to know what she'd been eating. She chattered on with complaints: "This is good, right? If it's good, tell my dad when we get back, say you want to eat this grilled meat every day..."

Song Qingre's eyes sparkled with laughter, and even through the rising smoke, it seemed like something was about to spill over.

Yan Qingqiu's intentions were too obvious. She blushed. "What are you laughing at? I'm just saying..."

"I was just thinking, why don't we bring the pot home too? As long as Qiuqiu—"

Before she could finish, Yan Qingqiu placed the grilled meat on her plate. It smelled so good. Whenever Song Qingre reached for something, Yan Qingqiu would help her without letting her lift a finger. She chattered on with complaints: "You're a painter, can you stop using your hands so much? Hands are important. If you really have to, call someone, shout loudly, or use your feet. Does your hand still hurt?"

Her wrist didn't actually hurt, but under Yan Qingqiu's gentle concern, it became fragile and delicate, as if she really had no strength, as if it really, really hurt.

Song Qingre nodded. "It hurts a little. Thank you, Qiuqiu, for being so gentle with me."

Yan Qingqiu stared at her hand with deep concern. Song Qingre was being so obedient, listening to everything she said, which made Yan Qingqiu unable to resist wanting to show her care. But there were too many people around, so she couldn't feed Song Qingre. She said, "Eat slowly. Switch hands. If you really can't manage, I'll get you a spoon."

Song Qingre picked up a slice of meat and put it in her mouth. Yan Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief seeing her eat.

She asked, "What did you just say? Bring the pot home—as long as I what?"

"As long as Qiuqiu wants it, I'll buy anything for Qiuqiu. Qiuqiu is so good to me. I want to buy things for Qiuqiu." Song Qingre smiled lightly, all the cunning schemes to keep someone by her side dissolving in that moment. She ate the meat Yan Qingqiu had given her. How long had it been since she'd enjoyed a meal so peacefully? It had been a long time since she'd set down her guard and eaten without wariness. Even when they went to restaurants, she would find the most unique seats, showing off that Yan Qingqiu was hers, and warning those around her not to covet an omega who had an alpha.

"Eat up." Speaking so ambiguously—who could handle that?

Yan Qingqiu picked out the best meat for her,

then tore open a cup of yogurt. "Drink this to cut the spice."

The food today wasn't very spicy; it was mostly fragrant. The place she'd found had well-blended sauces.

The two ate their fill, and Song Qingre went to pay. Yan Qingqiu said softly, "Don't do anything silly. I was joking about the pot. I don't actually want one. If I want to buy it, I'll just order it online."

"I know." Song Qingre didn't buy the pot, but she asked for a little gift—a plush toy pot filled with little octopuses and meat rolls that you could tap with a hammer.

Yan Qingqiu walked out holding the pot in both arms, starting to feel silly. Then she saw a little kid holding one too, so she turned to chat with the child. "Wow, you have one too."

The kid's parent shook her head helplessly. "She saw you had one and cried asking the staff for it. So annoying." She gave the kid a light smack on the head.

"Hey, don't hit the head. It'll make them dumb." Yan Qingqiu said seriously. "It's all the shop's fault. They should give a toy to every kid."

The kid nodded vigorously and looked at her mother. "Exactly, exactly. When I have money, I'll buy you toys. Boohoo."

The mother was amused, rubbed the kid's head affectionately, and took him away.

Yan Qingqiu, a grown adult hugging a toy, was really inappropriate. They still had a high-class opera to see later. The two strolled to the theater entrance, where Song Qingre clicked the car key, raised the trunk, and helped her place the toy inside.

Yan Qingqiu peeked into her trunk. Song Qingre lowered the trunk again and asked, "Want to go into the theater and wait?"

There were still over ten minutes before the show started. Yan Qingqiu didn't really want to go in. Her clothes carried the smell of grilled meat and the earlier cigarette smoke, and the mix had ruined the scent of her outfit. Once inside, the smell would spread—imagine the disaster. "Let's stand outside for a bit."

Yan Qingqiu took off her coat, handed it to Song Qingre to hold, and patted it vigorously herself. Song Qingre said, "Want me to spray some perfume on it?"

Yan Qingqiu shook her head. "No... If I spray now, the perfume and the stench will mix together and smell even worse. Besides, I didn't bring any perfume."

Song Qingre said, "I brought some."

Yan Qingqiu hummed, asking her to wait. She patted the coat several times until she couldn't smell anything on it anymore, then borrowed Song Qingre's perfume.

When Song Qingre handed her the bottle, she looked at it several times. Wasn't this the perfume she'd given her last time?

She looked at Song Qingre, who placed it gently in her palm, handling the bottle with care, and said, "You gave me this, so I have to keep it safe. That's why I carry it with me every day."

"..."

Night had fallen, and the two stood close together. The autumn wind blew and made her body cold, but a couple of words from Song Qingre made her whole body warm.

This was really not good. Yan Qingqiu sprayed perfume while her thoughts wandered.

Just now in the smoking room, had Song Qingre called her "wife"?

A slip of the tongue, or deliberate?

Song Qingre straightened up. Yan Qingqiu could feel her warm breath. Even though they'd both been at the grill restaurant, Song Qingre's scent was so clean.

"Can you do mine too?" Song Qingre asked.

"Mm, take off your coat."

Song Qingre took off her coat and handed it over. Yan Qingqiu patted the coat back and forth, sprayed some perfume to mask the smell, then held the coat up and sniffed it. "Much better."

"Let's go in."

The theater was as dim as a movie theater. The two found their seats by the numbers on the tickets. The place was packed with people, and their seats were in the middle with a great view of the stage. The dark red curtain hadn't been raised yet.

Song Qingre turned to her and explained, "The theater belongs to a friend of mine. I asked her to save the best seats for me."

Artists all moved in the same circles, Yan Qingqiu understood. She thought to herself, only that bastard Fu Ye would think of making an artist his mistress. No culture!

After sitting for a while, Yan Qingqiu felt a gaze repeatedly glancing her way. She followed the gaze and could only sense something sinister and clinging.

It must be Fu Ye.

Like a stalker. Disgusting.

The opera started on time. The sets were all props. The opening showed a prince holding a sword, earnestly inviting the mermaid within the painting frame, while in the dark, unlit corners of the stage lay various animals' severed limbs.

The singing was powerful and dramatic, though Yan Qingqiu didn't quite understand the story. She was mostly caught up in the atmosphere.

The prince seduced the mermaid. Day and night, he sang to her, and day and night, he had craftsmen build a beautiful cage for her. When the innocent mermaid surfaced, he grabbed her tail and dragged her out.

The mermaid was imprisoned by the prince day and night, whipped to collect pearls. Whip after whip shattered the dreams of countless young girls. The handsome prince wore a hideous expression. Fortunately, a beautiful princess came secretly every night to bring her medicine, stroking the mermaid's plucked scales and kissing her wounds.

The mermaid gripped the cage bars, and the princess leaned down. The woman's red lips were about to touch when footsteps from outside interrupted them. They parted their lips, their fingers interlaced tightly.

The prince expanded his power, seizing the neighboring kingdom's beautiful princess by force.

The mermaid cut off her hair and offered her voice to the sea in exchange for a sharp blade. She cut through the cage and crawled out, covered in wounds, and gave the golden dagger to the princess.

The princess wept, stroking the mermaid's short hair with her fingers. Then she turned to face the prince's invitation to dance and cut off his head without hesitation.

As she watched, she felt her hand being held, as if saying, don't be afraid.

Yan Qingqiu was merely in awe, not afraid. She found the princess truly amazing—sword up, sword down, cutting off the prince's head without a moment's hesitation. The prince still maintained his kneeling position, and in that instant, he was utterly dead.

But the fingers covering the back of her hand were so warm. Yan Qingqiu wanted to watch the opera, yet she couldn't ignore the heat on the back of her hand.

She felt like she might just be the golden-haired princess.

In the ending, the princess, in her elaborate gown, kissed the mermaid's hand under the moonlight. The mermaid gave the princess one of her tears—a white pearl—to remember her by. They gazed at each other, the mermaid wounded and scarred, the princess's dress stained with blood, as the two women embraced and said a reluctant goodbye.

Then the mermaid disappeared into the silent night. The waves rolled up the beautiful mermaid's purple hair as she dove into the deep sea. The mermaid never looked back. The princess turned, took up the king's scepter, put on the king's jeweled hat, and sat on the throne, looking out at her subjects and her land.

Yan Qingqiu felt a bit melancholy, sensing that the ship she'd just started shipping had gone straight to tragedy.

She glanced around to see if others were moved, so she wouldn't be the only one crying and embarrassing herself. A few sensitive girls had reddened eyes too. The dark red curtain fell, but the song didn't stop. Just as the curtain finished closing, as if rebounding, it opened again. The "princess" wore a sharp expression—more a king than a princess. The light illuminated half of her body. She rested her cheek on her fist, the girl on the throne of power transforming from innocent and pure to a ruler of might. The blood-red gem in the center of the crown had become a white pearl.

Floods surged, and sea winds raged.

The sea seemed to want to devour the kingdom, and the kingdom seemed to want to conquer the sea.

The curtain closed completely. The theater lights dimmed, and it seemed to hear the weeping song of the mermaid and the princess.

This time, it was truly over. There would be no more twists. Yan Qingqiu lowered her head and, under the gradually brightening lights, looked at the ticket stub in her hand. In the picture, the princess was kneeling in the deep sea, arms wrapped around the mermaid's neck, while the mermaid sat on a rock, tears streaming down her face. Earlier, she'd thought it would have been great if they'd had a turning-back kiss then—exciting, deflating that corpse on the shore. Awesome.

The princess's posture allowed her to strangle the mermaid at any moment, and the mermaid could tightly coil around the princess and drag her into the deep sea. Both could kill the other in their own way. Of course, they could also do nothing and let each other go.

Everyone was a villain; they were just being ambiguous at the right moments for their own power, even sacrificing themselves, crossing lines without crossing boundaries.

It was quite stunning. It immediately pushed her tears back.

The actors on stage took their bows, and the audience began to leave. Yan Qingqiu was about to leave too, but Song Qingre didn't move, so she waited along with her. The theater had mostly emptied. If they didn't go soon, only the three of them—including Fu Ye—would be left. Three people, one play; fighting here would be embarrassing.

Fu Ye had been sitting in the back the whole time, refusing to give up. He wanted to see through Song Qingre's intentions, to know just how foolish he was.

Finally, Song Qingre rose from her seat. She let Yan Qingqiu walk in front, but Yan Qingqiu felt she was the more dangerous one, so she deliberately slowed her steps and made Song Qingre go first to protect her.

They didn't argue long over who went first. Song Qingre led the way, and soon Yan Qingqiu realized this wasn't the way out.

Song Qingre said, "Let's go see a friend."

"Oh."

Song Qingre introduced her: some of the actors here held considerable status. Popular artists would specially book theaters to rehearse operas, since this kind of performance tested an actor's expressiveness the most.

They reached the backstage, and as soon as they entered, someone greeted Song Qingre. "Little Re, I thought you weren't coming today. I called for you several times during rehearsal, and you never came to watch." It was the mermaid who had been singing.

The mermaid sat in front of the mirror removing her makeup. The actress was quite beautiful, with a fairytale quality. As she took off her wig, she saw in the mirror that there was someone else standing beside Song Qingre. She leaned in closer to look at the mirror, as if she couldn't believe it, and asked, "Yan Qingqiu?"

Yan Qingqiu nodded from behind and said politely, "Hello. Your performance just now was amazing, and the singing was beautiful too."

"Mm, thank you." The mermaid turned to look at her, then her gaze landed on Song Qingre. The smile that had risen earlier gradually faded as she said, "I received the flowers. Thank you."

"You're welcome. The show was a great success. Why didn't I see Chi Jiao?"

"She went to sign autographs for fans. She's a hot soloist now." Ren Yu said, removing both her earrings. "Want to grab something to eat later? My treat, as thanks for helping with the ticket art. This show sold pretty well."

"No need. We've already eaten. I just came back to say hi." Song Qingre finished speaking and turned to Yan Qingqiu, mouthing silently: Let's go?

Yan Qingqiu returned the look: Okay.

Song Qingre smiled slightly and said, "Then we'll head off. Send me any good shows next time."

"Hey..." Ren Yu scrubbed makeup remover onto her face, but Song Qingre moved too fast and she didn't manage to stop her. Silently, she threw the cotton pad heavily into the trash.

Yan Qingqiu turned to look and saw a bouquet beside her mirror—blue irises paired with pale purple roses and flesh-toned carnations. Her eyes caught the card reading "Song."

When they went out, they ran into the actress who played the princess. Chi Jiao said the same thing Ren Yu had, inviting them to dinner, but Song Qingre declined again. She stood chatting with her for a bit. Originally, the opera had ended at the farewell scene, but afterward, everyone had seen Song Qingre's painting and studied it carefully, adding the final scene. The effect was indeed excellent—very striking.

The conversation was all about art, and Yan Qingqiu could barely follow.

Chi Jiao smiled and asked Yan Qingqiu, "Did Miss Yan enjoy it?"

Yan Qingqiu answered honestly, "I loved your addition at the end." Seeing how sociable she was, Yan Qingqiu asked another question. "Are you all good friends?"

"Mm, sort of. We keep in touch because we're in the same circle. I was surprised when she asked me for tickets. She never used to watch operas." She said this with a teasing glance, looking at Yan Qingqiu's hair. "I didn't expect Miss Yan to accompany Qinger to see it. Hah, you actually look more like a princess than I do."

Yan Qingqiu returned a smile. With that, they left the theater. Song Qingre glanced at Yan Qingqiu and asked, "Boring?"

It was a bit boring, sure. She didn't watch operas often, and every time the singing parts came, she wanted to fast-forward, couldn't quite wait, wasn't used to that kind of artistic expression. "The staging was great. Even someone who doesn't watch operas would be moved by that form of expression. Especially the relationship between the mermaid and the princess—it was amazing..." Yan Qingqiu grew more and more excited as she spoke. "I just saw the two actresses, and I was thinking, what if the princess had stabbed the knife into the mermaid's neck."

"You were staring at the mermaid thinking about that?"

"What else?" Yan Qingqiu retorted. "I think... the princess should have killed the mermaid and gone on to conquer the sea."

Song Qingre pressed her lips together, saying nothing. She walked a few steps, listening to Yan Qingqiu exhale—a light, floating breath with a weight behind it, carrying regret. But regret over what... hard to say. Only she herself probably knew.

"Why can't the mermaid and the princess be together?" Song Qingre's tone was warm, almost seductive. "Maybe they're destined for each other."

Yan Qingqiu said nothing. She felt Song Qingre didn't understand her.

The opera lasted two and a half hours.

They'd stayed inside for more than twenty extra minutes. By now it was 10:40, and a cold wind had risen outside, a chill creeping up.

"Put your coat on." Song Qingre reminded her.

Yan Qingqiu put on her coat. They'd both driven here, so they'd have to drive back separately.

"Hungry? Want me to get you something to eat?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu was still full from earlier and not very hungry, but there was a roadside stall ahead selling hot milk tea. She caught the sweet, milky scent, and Song Qingre went and bought two. They ate them under the maple trees along the path.

"Ridiculously expensive..." Yan Qingqiu muttered inwardly. Ice cream only cost three or four yuan, but this tiny hot milk roll was over ten. Highway robbery!

She looked up at Song Qingre, who was nibbling the crispy cone in small bites, a little cream on her thin lips. She licked it away with her tongue, eating carefully and gently, a smile in her eyes. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind seemed to stop.

Whether it was expensive or not, Yan Qingqiu didn't really care. She was just feeling awkward and wanted to talk.

But seeing Song Qingre like a painting, she could simply admire her with her eyes. No need for words at all.

After eating, they got ready to head home. Yan Qingqiu pulled out her car keys from her bag and was just walking to her car when Song Qingre, toying with her own keys, said, "Qiuqiu, my car seems to be broken. Can I catch a ride with you?"

Yan Qingqiu said generously, "Get in. You drive."

She tossed the keys to Song Qingre, who took the driver's seat. Yan Qingqiu buckled her seatbelt. It was late, and the roads were uncongested—they barely met any traffic. The drive home took half an hour.

"Keep your voice down. Don't wake anyone."

Yan Qingqiu pressed a finger to her lips and whispered.

"Mm."

The car stopped in the courtyard in front of the living room rather than driving into the garage.

Yan Qingqiu carried her plush pot toy and tiptoed upstairs. At her door, she spoke to Song Qingre in a hushed voice.

Song Qingre signaled that she knew, and opened the door for her. "Good night."

Yan Qingqiu had meant to tell her that if the family asked tomorrow, they should say they came back early, but Song Qingre's words made her ears want to sleep, and her whole body felt drunk.

··

The two kept things discreet, and it wasn't until the next day that they discovered Yan Fu had been in a meeting outside and hadn't even come home last night on his business trip.

After breakfast under the butler's watchful gaze, Yan Qingqiu felt pressure building like a pressure cooker, steam puffing out. As she headed out for work, the butler asked from behind, "Miss, will you be coming back tonight?"

Yan Qingqiu wanted to say yes, but she wasn't sure whether Song Qingre would invite her out, and she couldn't figure out the evening plans in broad daylight. She quickly got into Song Qingre's car and asked her to drop her off at the office.

At the office, Yan Qingqiu took a while to calm down. She opened her computer and searched the name "Ren Yu." A flood of results popped up on the screen.

The woman had majored in vocal music, had once been admitted to the National Theater for rehearsals, and frequently performed at Spring Festival galas. She was a highly accomplished person, and her favorite flower was the blue iris.

As she browsed, she propped her chin on her hand and thought of that bouquet. Then she looked at the sunflowers in her own vase and added another name to her thoughts.

The System knew exactly when to show up. It popped out and asked: 【Is this the one Song Qingre is going to marry? She certainly knows how to pick people.】

Yan Qingqiu instantly closed the page and ignored the System.

The System was truly annoying, chattering endlessly, and she couldn't be bothered to reply. Yan Qingqiu sat in the office for a while when Su Xingjie pushed the door open and came in. She looked up with a smile and asked Su Xingjie, "How did it go? Did you wrap it up?"

"Not yet. I'll need a couple more trips. By the way, how's the perfume working out?" Su Xingjie was exhausted, breathing heavily. Yan Qingqiu went over to give her a massage, kneading her shoulders.

"Great, really great. As expected of the number one. I even sprayed some this morning." Yan Qingqiu lifted her wrist to smell it, then brought it to Su Xingjie's nose.

Su Xingjie gave it a serious sniff and nodded slightly. The scent was indeed nice, except mixed in was something that didn't quite smell like an alpha. "I'll go negotiate. We should shoot the ad sometime this week. Qiu Bao, if you weren't so alpha-like and had a pheromone scent, you'd definitely smell good and sweet."

"OK, OK." Yan Qingqiu felt like she could smell a pheromone scent on herself. She'd been using perfume to mask it lately. Then she pulled out yesterday's ticket stub and showed it to her, recommending the opera. "When I have time, I'll take you to see it. It'll blow your mind and spark your inspiration."

Su Xingjie agreed. "Thanks, Qiu Bao."

Then she asked curiously, "What were you just searching so intently?"

Yan Qingqiu didn't lie and answered directly, "Just looking up the actors' info. I wanted to see if they have musicals at other venues. I used to not be interested in this kind of thing, but it turned out to be really good."

"Opera... I just got an idea. Qiu Bao, let me borrow your computer quick..."

Yan Qingqiu went to fetch her laptop. Su Xingjie sat at the side table sketching out a design—a gown with gold tassels, plus a mask design.

When she finished, she had her assistant take it to the designers to refine.

Yan Qingqiu had no classes today, so she didn't need the computer much. She used her phone to look at model videos. Before long, she noticed a file had arrived in her social email inbox. Her inbox was now managed by her assistant.

Besides, her email address had never been made public. She hesitated for a few seconds, glanced at Su Xingjie, then snuck to the back of her desk to open it. She saw an attachment. She thought it over briefly.

Could it be a declaration of war? Would it really be that absurd?

She opened it online, and it wasn't a declaration of war at all.

【1: On December 25th last year, it was Christmas. You invited Song Qingre out. While you two were talking, she deliberately provoked you, and you threw your cappuccino in her face. I happened to see it. Thinking back now, she must have deliberately provoked you to make me angry, playing the victim so I'd think you were the villain.

2: In our sophomore year, I was just drinking a bit more with my buddies. I did plan to call you, but she appeared first, used my phone to answer your call and hung up. When you showed up, she made a white-lotus speech saying I'd asked her to go to a hotel. I never said that. It was all her own doing.

3: On your birthday, I had prepared a gift. She must have thrown it away. Later, she kindly said she understood you and helped me prepare a gift, deliberately letting Luo Xi find out. You and Luo Xi fought, and Luo Xi told you she'd bought it. Looking back now, she'd arranged it all in advance.

4: When we got together, she came to my house on her own. Nothing happened, but her shoe was left at my place. How could a person wear three shoes? Clearly she left it deliberately. I even have surveillance footage of her leaving the shoe.

5: I showed her the design for the engagement ring I gave you. She probably had a matching one custom-made for herself. I didn't know she was showing it off in front of you. Yesterday, I had my secretary ask the shop, and yes, she took the design in to have it made.

6: In the winter before last, I checked the surveillance—she jumped into the pool herself, but she hinted to me that you pushed her.

...

287: She went abroad, but not completely. Every birthday, she made sure to celebrate with me before you did, then hid in my house right before you came looking for me, so you'd find her.

PS: Time is limited. She's done more than just this. I'll copy the videos over to you later. I want to clear up the misunderstanding between us.】

Reading through these one by one made Yan Qingqiu dizzy. Her understanding was about to be overturned. How could Song Qingre's actions be so much like a vicious supporting female role? Or was Fu Ye just mentally unwell, love-unrequited, choosing to play the male supporting character and slandering the female lead in retaliation?

Yan Qingqiu read through it several times. This... her head was spinning...

The System was reading along with her and said: 【You should be on guard.】

Yan Qingqiu thought it over. She downloaded the document. The male lead had gone crazy—why would he send this? To expose the female lead's true face? But if that facade was peeled away, then wasn't Song Qingre the dark moonlight, the dark supporting female?

She felt this speculation was terrifying. If Song Qingre really had done these things, then she might not be just a supporting character.

After hesitating again and again, Yan Qingqiu forwarded it directly to Song Qingre. But thinking more cautiously, she only copied the first section and sent that to Song Qingre.

The status on the other side quickly changed to "typing..." and stayed that way for a long time—a full ten minutes. Then came the reply: 【Fu Ye wrote this?】

Yan Qingqiu tapped her fingers on the screen, typing seriously: 【Don't you have an explanation?】

Before the message could send, Song Qingre replied again: 【He dares to slander me so immorally? I should write one too.】