Chapter 63

"Huh?" Yan Qingqiu stared blankly at her. It took a moment for the words to sink in. She wasn't going to eat those supplements, of course—they were way too strong!

Her face flushed red as she scrambled backward on the bed.

"Are you kidding me?! I—I bought those for Fu Ye! Didn't you say you'd cover his medical bills and send him supplements? I just grabbed them on impulse!"

Song Qingre propped her chin on her hand, eyes sparkling like stars, and wore an expression of sudden realization. "Oh... so that's how it is."

"What else would it be?" Yan Qingqiu's voice trembled. "You're so smart, how did you not figure that out? Don't play dumb with me."

Song Qingre's eyes dimmed slightly, looking genuinely hurt. "You kept saying I wasn't good enough, that I couldn't even last a single night. That left some psychological scars. I felt like I'd never performed well, that I didn't deserve to be an alpha. So I thought you were giving them to me. But then you said I was good, so I thought maybe they were for yourself. That logic makes sense, doesn't it?"

But that logic is killing me.

Her tone was impossibly soft, devastatingly so—a single sentence knocked Yan Qingqiu senseless.

Song Qingre had her cornered completely. Yan Qingqiu couldn't even muster the energy to be angry. "You're just spouting nonsense. This is—this is just you trying to make me angry."

"I'm sorry. I was wrong," Song Qingre apologized.

Yan Qingqiu choked on her words. She remembered how the netizens had sharp eyes and immediately called Song Qingre 'tea.' Now she could finally taste that fragrant, mellow tea herself. It wasn't off-putting; in fact, it made her want Song Qingre to be even softer. Her heart pounded wildly, and she couldn't bear to be harsh with her.

"And now you're acting all wronged, when you bit my gland so hard I'm the one who got hurt? I didn't even complain," Yan Qingqiu said coldly. "Today's my first day as an omega, you know."

"I'm sorry." Song Qingre looked at her, eyes filled with guilt. "Then what do you want me to do? How can I make it up to you?"

Song Qingre leaned by the bedside and asked her.

Yan Qingqiu was also lying on the bed, and she couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness. She wanted to punish this artist, to drag her down into something vulgar.

But here she was, all banged up, and her mind was still wandering to such thoughts—that was practically asking for trouble. *Yan Qingqiu, behave yourself. Don't go and get yourself killed.*

The two locked eyes. Yan Qingqiu couldn't quite describe the feeling—like being a bear that fell into a honey jar, desperately trying to climb out, only to find the walls coated in sweet, sticky honey, slipping back every time. She licked her lips, then bit them. "Let me pinch your cheek."

"Pinch away." Song Qingre offered her face.

Yan Qingqiu didn't hold back. Her fingers found Song Qingre's cheek; there wasn't much flesh on it, and she could feel the bone beneath her touch. "Feels different."

"You've pinched someone else's before?" Song Qingre asked.

"I've pinched my own." No, why did she say that? She just blurted it out. She had—or rather, this body had—pinched this face before, and it always felt different. Like it used to be softer.

*Did I pinch her when she was a kid?*

Yan Qingqiu wanted to ask, her finger lingering on Song Qingre's cheek, poking at it gently. "You're still soft."

"Song Qingre, tell me about our childhood."

Song Qingre didn't answer right away. Instead, she asked, "Haven't you been having Dong Shu write you updates?"

"!" Yan Qingqiu stared at her in shock, eyes widening slightly, a tiny glint of light reflecting in them like a little lightbulb. "How did you know? I told Dong Shu to keep it a secret!"

"I saw you," Song Qingre said. "A few times, you'd be at your desk reading so intently that you didn't notice me walk by. And several times, you were sobbing, crying your heart out."

"Ah... yeah." Yan Qingqiu had cried multiple times, she admitted. She waited for Song Qingre to ask why she was reading it, but Song Qingre didn't push further.

She seemed used to it, not suspecting anything about Yan Qingqiu's motives.

"Just curious—why did you stop reading?" Song Qingre said.

Yan Qingqiu blinked. "Because later..." It got too angsty, so she told the butler to stop writing.

Because after that, it was her being unreasonable and obsessed with Fu Ye. Yan Qingqiu was afraid the plot would get too painful, so she didn't dare continue. She felt like the ship was heading for a sad ending.

And besides... now, whenever she read about Song Qingre and Miss Yan's past, it made her unhappy. It felt like she wasn't doing her duty as a transmigrator, an outsider to this world.

*Because I've fallen for her.*

No beating around the bush—it was a straight, simple fall.

Yan Qingqiu changed the subject, squinting at Song Qingre. "Are you spying on me? Like, did you secretly install surveillance cameras in my house and keep an eye on me 24/7?"

As soon as she said it, she felt Song Qingre's demeanor freeze for an instant—clearly caught off guard. "Did you do something like that?"

Villains always seemed to love doing that.

"Why would you think that?" Song Qingre frowned slightly, but she masked it well. It was impossible to tell if she had or hadn't.

"I read it in novels and saw it on TV."

"Do you think I'd do that?" Song Qingre asked.

"Kind of yes, kind of no." Yan Qingqiu said.

Song Qingre smiled. "Don't watch too much TV."

"Fine, I'll trust you."

Yan Qingqiu had deduced Song Qingre was a villain, but she still didn't know what exactly she was villainous about. Villainous toward her? That seemed unlikely.

Toward Fu Ye, then?

From that perspective, the plot was: Song Qingre liked 'Miss Yan,' but 'Miss Yan' was possessed by a transmigrator who was obsessed with Fu Ye, creating a love triangle.

Because of the plot, Song Qingre became the villain in the triangle, her deliberate or accidental interference messing up the romance, preventing the male and female leads from getting together.

So Yan Qingqiu probably knew why she was brought here. The previous transmigrator couldn't get the male lead to let go of Song Qingre's hand, and the female lead couldn't win the male lead, so the romance line fell apart completely. Then she was brought in.

It wasn't some 'open world' system like it claimed—not a game starting from the beginner village. She was taking over the save file of a player who never got past the tutorial.

The worst part was that the System had specifically restricted her, forcing her to complete tasks or die.

Yan Qingqiu shifted over, making room for Song Qingre to come to bed. Song Qingre climbed up and lay quietly behind her. Yan Qingqiu stayed on her stomach, not making a point of looking at Song Qingre.

Song Qingre lay behind her. Outside, the wind seemed to pick up, howling loudly. Song Qingre tugged the blanket up, covering them both snugly.

She didn't know what time it was, but lying in one position for too long had made her body stiff.

Song Qingre shifted, her warm body pressing against Yan Qingqiu's back. She whispered softly in Yan Qingqiu's ear, "Qiu Qiu, sometimes I'm not that great."

Yan Qingqiu hadn't actually been asleep; she'd been quietly fiddling with her fingers. After a moment, she turned over and wrapped her arms around Song Qingre, hitching a leg up to drape over her. "Don't say that about yourself. You're wonderful."

"And you've got a great body too." Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but pinch her waist. Song Qingre felt soft under her touch. Maybe she did need supplements—not for yang energy, but yin. The mere scent of Song Qingre was enough to make her lose control.

"Let's sleep. I'm about to pass out."

They both closed their eyes.

The night seemed to end there, their breathing slowly evening out as silence enveloped them.

In truth, they were both faking it.

Song Qingre looked down at Yan Qingqiu, confirming she was 'asleep,' then carefully lifted Yan Qingqiu's arm and leg off her. She got out of bed and stood in the corner, phone in hand, sending messages.

She deliberately chose a spot with her back to Yan Qingqiu, so she couldn't see what she was doing.

Yan Qingqiu's lashes fluttered as she watched the faint glow of the phone screen reflecting on the wall, scattered and indistinct. She kept still, pretending not to notice.

By the time Song Qingre returned, her eyes were already closed, as if she'd drifted off into a peaceful dream, sleeping soundly.

In the morning, Song Qingre had to go to her studio—some friends wanted to meet with her, probably about the Fu family matter. They all wanted to help, saying every little bit counts.

Song Qingre woke up early and got dressed. Yan Qingqiu was awake too, but it was cold, so she stayed curled up in bed, watching Song Qingre.

Song Qingre asked her, "What do you want to eat? I'll go get it for you."

"Just heat up the chicken soup the butler sent yesterday. I'll have that. I tried a sip yesterday and it was good." Yan Qingqiu wasn't picky. It was freezing this early, and she didn't want to run around outside.

"No way, it's been sitting out overnight." Song Qingre texted the butler to ask if he'd made chicken soup that morning. If not, she'd call a restaurant to order. She then grabbed a hot water bottle, filled it, and tucked it under the covers for Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu held it with both hands. It was really warm.

Outside, the cold wind howled, and the little potted plant on the windowsill got bent over by the gust. Her phone buzzed with a high-wind warning and rain alert. Song Qingre looked outside, but only pulled the curtain open—she didn't open the window for air.

She switched on the exhaust fan in the room.

Yan Qingqiu sniffed. "It got cold all of a sudden. Be careful on your way to the office—it's freezing out there. Feels like it might snow soon."

The butler replied, saying he'd had the head chef keep the soup simmering and he'd bring it over himself. He also asked what Yan Qingqiu wanted to eat.

Song Qingre handed the phone to Yan Qingqiu so she could tell him herself.

Yan Qingqiu held down the voice message button. "I want some xiaolongbao and some spicy soup. Also craving a bit of white fungus. Can you make me some fried chicken? And I want hotpot with beef too, and some pizza. Can you make all that for me?"

The butler replied: "Yes, I'll make small portions of everything, but you need to follow a proper diet. No overeating."

Yan Qingqiu finished and handed the phone back to Song Qingre, urging her to put on more clothes. Then she told her not to leave yet—it was too cold outside, so she should eat something warm before heading to the studio.

The butler arrived early, and Song Qingre stayed for breakfast.

The butler stayed behind to keep Yan Qingqiu company.

Yan Qingqiu turned on the TV and sat in bed, eating breakfast while watching.

Because her leg was still bothering her, Song Qingre had also arranged for a caregiver to come massage it. The woman stood by the bed, kneading her leg.

The show on TV was pretty mediocre—celebrities these days all looked like they were stamped from the same mold. The agents picking artists didn't have the same eye as Su Xingjie picking models. She flipped through a few channels until she landed on a drama so cheesy it was painful, but the caregiver was watching it with great interest.

After breakfast, Song Qingre was about to leave when the doctor walked in. Song Qingre stood by the door, listening to what she had to say.

The doctor removed the bandage from the back of Yan Qingqiu's neck. A cold draft hit her gland, and she flinched. Her breathing turned heavy, each breath like she couldn't get enough air.

"How is it, doctor?" Song Qingre asked with concern.

The butler came over too. There was a visible scar next to the gland.

After examining her, the doctor re-bandaged it and said, "The gland is fine. Slowly, it'll take one to two months to heal. Faster, maybe one to two weeks. During that time, she won't have much sensation in the gland."

She then pulled out a file and handed it to Song Qingre, who stepped forward to take it.

The doctor said, "Yan Qingqiu's test results are back. She's indeed differentiated into an SSS-level omega. Her primary pheromone is cedar, with mixed notes of pepper, vetiver, and citrus. When you went through her heat, she absorbed your citrus pheromone, raising her level a bit further. Last time, you injected too much pheromone, and her gland couldn't handle it—it essentially burst from the bite. You'll need to be more careful going forward."

Song Qingre looked down at the paper in her hand.

In other words, they'd had too many rounds, packed her too full of pheromones, and neither of them had any sense of moderation. They kept injecting more even when she was already past her limit, until the poor little thing blew up.

The butler was still sitting right there, and Yan Qingqiu felt so embarrassed she wanted the floor to swallow her. She stared blankly at the TV in front of her.

"What's this document?" Song Qingre asked.

The doctor explained, "It's a secondary gender identification certificate. You should take it to get registered as soon as possible. For an omega who's undergone secondary differentiation to SSS level, the state has special protective laws. Yan Qingqiu's current ID is no longer valid. Actually, I checked her ID, and it seems to have been wrong from the start—she was a beta before differentiation, not an alpha."

"Okay." Song Qingre thanked her. After the doctor left, Song Qingre followed her out.

Once Song Qingre was gone, Yan Qingqiu was left with the butler and the caregiver by her bedside. It was mortifying—she should've just gone with Song Qingre to the studio.

She pulled out her phone to check the trending topics. The Fu family was in trouble now. The tide had turned completely from yesterday to today. Yesterday was all about gossip; today it was full-on execution, with people tagging official accounts to investigate.

She tapped into one of the trending hashtags and saw a ton of big accounts reposting and commenting in support of Song Qingre.

National Museum Director: 【A few months ago, Qingre stayed up late helping restore several important artifacts. We were all very grateful and offered to do some publicity for her, but she refused.】

X Painter: 【If it weren't for Miss Song's support in promoting my paintings, I'd probably be a pile of ashes by now. If Song Qingre can't paint anymore, if she gets suppressed, then this world might as well be destroyed. What's the point of art then? Ridiculous.】

These were accounts with massive followings, and there were others whose names she didn't recognize.

But the netizens seemed to know.

【Even Li Zhefang, an old painter who never uses social media, came out to speak for her. You can tell they really look down on the Fu family's attitude.】

【The Fu family underestimated Song Qingre's influence. She's just low-key; it doesn't mean her art isn't loved. Her fans aren't just clueless netizens like us—they're also official entities. CCTV even did a special segment on her before.】

【Honestly, I'm really worried about the Fu family. Fu Ye has already been messed up, and they still go picking a fight with Song Qingre? That's like an egg hitting a rock. They clearly can't win against her. If I were the Fu family, I'd immediately look into Song Qingre's assets and see who's backing her. If it comes to that, you just swallow your pride! Why go out of your way to provoke someone?! No, you see, just say her name a few times!】

【Whoa, the Fu family is screwed. The art world is ganging up on them! Even the National Museum has called them out. Capitalists are trying to squeeze artists to death! Song Qingre is a famous painter—she gets glowing reviews both domestically and internationally. She even restored artifacts for free! She's amazing!】

【Breaking news! Both domestic and international media are blasting the Fu family now. Damn, even Global Report is running headlines like 'The Death of Art: How Sad When Artists Have to Bow Their Heads.' Painters from all over are rallying for her. She's got serious pull!】

【Has anyone listened to the leaked recording from the insider? The Fu family actually said they'd use the media to destroy Song Qingre, and something about 'if the painter is guilty, the art should be boycotted too.' Are they trying to let capital run the whole world?! The Fu family is terrifying. Someone tell the authorities to investigate ASAP! Does our ABO law mean nothing?!】

In just one night, the world had flipped completely.

Many artists had posted in support of Song Qingre. After she became famous, she often helped them—promoting their work when she held exhibitions, and especially with the ER fashion show, genuinely pulling up her peers and dedicating herself to the art she loved.

Museums directly took a stance, and several prominent figures posted, expressing their outrage at the Fu family's tactics: "Shameless."

The Fu family was reeling—they still didn't know who they'd offended.

They scrambled to buy off social media accounts, which happily took the money at first. But when the story blew up and state media officially called them out, those accounts went blind, lashing out at everyone. They got banned and deleted in seconds. Not just official entities—even passersby were frowning, and even stray dogs walked past shaking their heads.

The butler next to her was also watching. He switched the TV to the news, and some local stations were discussing the matter.

Whether it'd make it onto the evening national news remained to be seen. If that happened, the Fu family would likely face a serious crackdown.

She'd never really noticed before, but Yan Qingqiu realized just how highly regarded Song Qingre was. She was just modest about it.

About half an hour later, the Yan Group reposted the museum's Weibo with a comment: 【Thank you, Miss Song, for helping us design our product covers when the Fu family was maliciously targeting us and we were on the brink of bankruptcy.】

ER: 【Thank you, Miss Song, for stepping in when we had models poached and leading a team to help us put on the fashion show.】

Several other major corporations also expressed their gratitude.

The Fu family had put out some nonsensical clarification earlier, but it was now slapped with the label "false information," and their account had been mass-reported so much they couldn't post anything.

"Do you think Song Qingre is smart?" Yan Qingqiu looked from her phone to the butler.

The butler looked from the news to her and nodded. "Very smart."

The butler added, "Don't you feel like you've been caught in a trap, Miss?"

"I do." Yan Qingqiu's cheeks felt a little warm.

She thought about it carefully. This was such a big deal, and yet the System hadn't made a sound all day. Just yesterday it was offering her rewards.

She still had the memories related to Su Xingjie from yesterday. Could it be that the System only deleted memories between her and Song Qingre?

Or had the System failed to notice she'd gained a new set of memories?

And now that Song Qingre was gone, why... didn't the System come out to talk to her, to discuss that 70% personality requirement thing?

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but chuckle out loud. She asked the System: 【Aren't you embarrassed? I'm just asking—the male lead is about to lose his gland. What are you going to do about it?】

Yan Qingqiu leaned back against the headboard and said, 【He deserves it!】

They tried to cheat the chicken and ended up losing the bait!

She deliberately opened the logistics tracking on her phone—the package had been delivered today. Who knows how furious they were on the other side.

Hahaha.

Her tactic worked. She soon heard the System let out a cold snort, practically grinding its teeth.

The System said, 【Host, don't get too cocky. You'll regret this soon.】

It said it in such a sinister tone that Yan Qingqiu panicked for a second. But then she shrugged it off—she was already mentally prepared anyway.

And she'd... hinted at it to Song Qingre too.

Hmph.

System: 【Soon you'll see just how messed up Song Qingre is.】

【When it counts, she'll scare you to death.】

*Laughing my ass off—I'm not afraid of being broke, so I'm not scared of being scared to death by this System.*

Yan Qingqiu received a few messages from other people. Ye Sichun said she'd come visit tomorrow. If Ye Sichun came, Luo Xi would probably tag along. Not only would Luo Xi tease her endlessly and ask how she got hurt, but the two of them would end up arguing in the hospital, and she'd do something embarrassing. Her heart couldn't take it, so she decisively declined.

After sending the message, she felt a twinge of regret and withdrew it.

She sent Ye Sichun a message: 【Has Luo Xi gone to visit her brother? If she has, can you get her to send me a video... I want to see.】

Ye Sichun knew her too well: 【What did you do now?】

Yan Qingqiu: 【Please, you always call me princess! Help your princess out with a little favor.】

Ye Sichun: 【.】

Ye Sichun, who was in the middle of doing someone's hair, fell into silence. If Song Qingre ever saw this, she'd be as good as dead.

Ye Sichun took off her gloves and quickly messaged back before the two-minute window passed: 【Withdraw that message and I'll consider helping.】

··

In the afternoon, Su Xingjie sent her a message.

【Qiu Bao, the show's over. I'm giving you a month off. After that, you don't need to come back to the company. Anything you need me to bring? I'll grab it when I come see you this afternoon.】

It was an ER tradition: after a show, models got a break, with their endorsements managed by their agents. Models could go out and enjoy themselves, and the company gave them a little bonus for it.

ER had great benefits, though some people didn't appreciate them.

Yan Qingqiu knew exactly why Su Xingjie was doing this, though. Su Xingjie was going to clean house—lock the door and beat the dogs. The unruly strays would either be properly trained or kicked out to fend for themselves.

She didn't need them anymore.

As for sending Yan Qingqiu off on vacation, it was mostly so she wouldn't be upset. With her gland injured, it wasn't a good time for her to be dealing with company drama.

Yan Qingqiu didn't have anything she needed, so she told her not to bring anything.

When Su Xingjie arrived, she was carrying fruit in both hands. A phone dangled from her wrist, its case black with white text that read: "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS."

She set down the fruit, then the phone, and said, "Thanks, Qiu Qiu."

It was something Yan Qingqiu had specially given her. Yan Qingqiu asked, "How is it? Works well?"

Su Xingjie nodded, smiling as she sat down. "Hardly anyone's bothered me today. I've been bored out of my mind."

Those people at the company usually only came to her with trivial nonsense anyway.

Su Xingjie arranged the fruit, putting the longans on top.

Yan Qingqiu was curious about what was happening at the company. "How did the Fu Sang thing turn out? Did she manage to terminate her contract?"

Su Xingjie peeled a longan and handed it to her. The juice quickly stained Su Xingjie's fingers. "We're in the process. Since ER initiated the termination, I still need to sort out the endorsements I gave her. But it's almost done."

"Is Qiang Wei coming back?" Yan Qingqiu asked curiously.

After the ER show was a success, it gained a lot of buzz, with media all over the world reposting it. For the seven days and nights of her 'harmonious' time with Song Qingre, Yan Qingqiu didn't know how many stages she'd gone through—she'd had to look it up on her phone afterward. Reviews outside said the show had broken the record for highest viewership of any ER show in years.

A lot of people were asking if Qiang Wei was going to make a comeback.

"No." Su Xingjie shook her head.

"...Oh." Yan Qingqiu thought for a moment, then asked, "But then why is everyone saying it was Qiang Wei's doing, that she deliberately drove the company's models away just to stage a comeback?"

That narrative was everywhere—Yan Qingqiu had seen it dozens of times.

"They're talking nonsense. I still trust Qiang Wei. Fu Sang didn't come to you blabbing, did she?"

"No, she didn't. I blocked her outright!"

Though honestly, they'd never even been friends. Back when Fu Sang's agent was making nice, Yan Qingqiu had added the agent's account.

Yan Qingqiu said, "Qiang Wei likes you. You knew that, right?"

Su Xingjie nodded. "Isn't the whole company aware?"

"You knew!" Yan Qingqiu was surprised.

"Mm. It's hardly a secret."

"And it's not awkward between you two?"

"Why would it be?" Su Xingjie said matter-of-factly. "She's never confessed. She doesn't say it, I don't reject it, and we're still good colleagues. The company gossips, but we just keep things as they are. No one calls it out." Su Xingjie let out a sigh, a deep one.

She mused, "Honestly, I hope she never confesses. She's a great partner, but if she did, things would get awkward between us. And if she got pushed too far and tried to deny liking me to clear the air, I'd feel guilty. I really don't like getting too entangled emotionally in the workplace."

Yan Qingqiu could sense her sadness and looked at her with sympathy. "What about Fu Sang? Does she like you?"

"I don't think so. When I was mentoring her, she made it clear in subtle ways that she wasn't into women and had no interest in dating. I even assigned her a few male beta assistants, but she said they weren't attentive enough, so I set her up with some of the more mature, steady senior staff."

"She's quite a piece of work." Yan Qingqiu commented. "Still, I always felt like she liked you, with how possessive she was. Is that just from spending so much time with you?"

Yan Qingqiu asked because she also didn't want to admit she'd misjudged things earlier—she was still convinced Fu Sang was behind the whole mess.

Though afterwards, she'd started to suspect Qiang Wei, who was almost too nice to Su Xingjie. Now that she knew Qiang Wei liked her, it all made sense.

Yan Qingqiu pulled back the blanket, inviting Su Xingjie to join her on the bed to watch TV. Su Xingjie sat down beside her, and Yan Qingqiu made her take off her shoes too, covering her legs with the warm quilt. It was especially cold today.

They ate and watched together, cozy and warm. Yan Qingqiu was curious, always prying for gossip about who else liked Su Xingjie.

Su Xingjie said there were a few other models who had confessed to her.

"People say she's been with me a long time, but actually, she hasn't. She joined the company three years ago, and I've been mentoring her for about a year now. She blew up this spring, but only because I dug up materials, hyped her up, and pushed her to a higher tier to boost her status. It's possible she's afraid of getting sidelined, so she's been pulling little schemes behind the scenes."

"She got popular this spring?" Yan Qingqiu asked, frowning. "She wasn't famous at all before?"

"Average. Her sales ability was never impressive—she couldn't even match Qiang Wei in her decline. Since her numbers were mediocre, I eventually had Alice take over Qiang Wei's position. Then Alice ran off a while ago. I checked—there really is some capital behind them, funding them to start their own company. But it hasn't launched yet, probably because the money dried up. Can you guess why?"

"The capital must be Fu Ye. Now that he's fallen, they'd have a better chance of winning the lottery than seeing that money." Yan Qingqiu laughed. They deserved it.

Su Xingjie smiled too. "Now I'm just waiting to see what happens. With no funding, they'll get restless, and I'll see how it plays out."

When they left, ER hadn't charged them much in termination fees. That didn't mean she was soft-hearted. Su Xingjie showed Yan Qingqiu her phone—she'd posted on Moments. Yan Qingqiu glanced over and then scrolled through her own. "Why can't I see it?"

"I only showed it to a select circle, to give them a taste of their own medicine."

The post had a list of names with a caption: 【ER will have no further business dealings with them. I hope our partners learn from our mistake and don't fall for the same tricks. People can be vicious.】

Su Xingjie said, "Someone should be leaking this to the media today. Might even hit the trending list."

"Good. Serves them right." Yan Qingqiu supported her. They finished off a box of longans, and Su Xingjie asked what else she wanted. Yan Qingqiu pointed at the sealed spicy snacks from yesterday, and they put on gloves and shared some.

Yan Qingqiu was curious about a few more things. "Did you know her before? Does she seem familiar to you? Was she into you back then? There's something off about how she treats you."

Su Xingjie shook her head. "Look at her—she's mixed race. Back when we were studying, she was developing her career overseas. How would we have met? When I joined the company, I was just a designer. We had zero connection."

Su Xingjie firmly denied ever knowing Fu Sang before, and brushed off the idea that Fu Sang had a crush on her. "She's too proud. Do you think she'd fall for a little designer like me? Besides, we never even met. The only models I had back then were Moli and Qiang Wei."

"So they've been with you the whole time. You've got great people skills, Xing Xing—they're still with you now. The ones who left were never good enough for you."

At first, Su Xingjie had been pretty hurt, feeling like all her kindness had been wasted on dogs. Hearing it from Yan Qingqiu made her feel better.

"Director Su, you've got real charm."

Yan Qingqiu's words made Su Xingjie blush, looking almost like the shy, lovely girl from her memories. She couldn't help teasing her again, "Director Su, that's not some kink of yours, is it?"

"Huh?" Su Xingjie pressed her lips together, trying to suppress a laugh but failing. "I don't think so. Other people call me that and I don't react. It's just that when you said it the first time, I couldn't stop laughing."

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help pestering her endlessly. With Su Xingjie around, the hospital room was anything but boring. Around three or four in the afternoon, Su Xingjie dozed off for a bit, then woke up, kept Yan Qingqiu company through dinner, and only left after making sure she'd eaten.

About an hour after Su Xingjie left, Song Qingre returned, pushing the door open with a chill clinging to her. It was raining outside, and her hair was soaked.

Yan Qingqiu saw her come in and wiped her mouth. "Done with everything?"

"Mm." The room was toasty warm, so Song Qingre took off her coat, placed something on the bedsheet, then glanced at the spot beside her. The sheet was rumpled, clearly showing signs of someone lying there.

Yan Qingqiu opened the bag. Inside was a red sweater, vibrantly colored. She held it up and pressed it to her cheek, rubbing it. "So soft."

"If your gland feels cold, you can wrap this around a bit."

Yan Qingqiu nodded in agreement. Song Qingre glanced at her stomach and said in surprise, "Why's it so big?"

Yan Qingqiu figured she was being inappropriate. "It's food, what else would it be?"

"Then you need to stop eating. You're stuffed like that."

Yan Qingqiu ignored her, afraid she'd say she was pregnant. She opened the thermos beside her. Inside was hot soup and rice. Song Qingre went to wash her hands.

Yan Qingqiu fished around in the thermos, pulled out a chicken leg, and handed it to her. Song Qingre took a bowl to catch it.

Song Qingre had been working hard for seven days and seven nights, then caring for her in the hospital. After seeing how impressive her resume was that morning, Yan Qingqiu was worried she'd injure her hands and wouldn't be able to paint anymore.

Song Qingre thanked her.

It was late after dinner, and Song Qingre took off her jacket to go shower. She'd just hung up her clothes when—

*Thump.*

Yan Qingqiu felt something fall out. Without thinking, she reached over to pick it up.

It was a reddish-brown booklet with the words: Household Register.

Yan Qingqiu looked at Song Qingre, the book clutched in her hand. "Yours or mine?"

"Yours." Song Qingre glanced at it casually.

"..."

Yan Qingqiu lowered her head, her mouth opening and closing, not knowing what to say. Then her face suddenly went pale.

Song Qingre looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Yan Qingqiu clutched the booklet and headed for the bathroom.

Song Qingre followed her. "What's the matter?"

"Stomach ache." Yan Qingqiu let out a couple of groans, clutching her stomach as she went inside. She sat on the toilet and started flipping through her household register.

"I'll call the doctor." Song Qingre called from outside.

"Just some medicine. I probably just ate too much and mixed too many things. Stomach inflammation."

Song Qingre called the nurse in anyway. Yan Qingqiu came out, an item tucked under her arm. The doctor examined her and confirmed it was just acute gastroenteritis, gave her a few pills, and said, "Quite a troublemaker, aren't you."

Song Qingre brought her hot water to take the medicine.

Yan Qingqiu sat on the bed, not daring to say much. Song Qingre reached out her hand, gesturing to the register tucked under Yan Qingqiu's leg.

"Qiu Qiu, you understand, right?"

Yan Qingqiu pretended not to. She said, "Actually, I was craving the osmanthus cake earlier, but I couldn't eat anymore. That's why I didn't have any."

Song Qingre looked at her helplessly.

Yan Qingqiu lay down, and Song Qingre gently massaged her stomach. "I just got greedy today."

In the morning, her father had come to visit, and she couldn't resist eating extra. In the afternoon, Su Xingjie came, and she'd eaten without thinking again. "I wanted to save room for the osmanthus cake with you."

"Okay." Song Qingre said, "I'll come back and have it with you when I'm done. Just try to eat less during the day. If you really can't control yourself, then I'll just have to take you to the studio with me."

"I don't need that. Don't bother."

Song Qingre asked, "How did you get through being sick before?"

Yan Qingqiu said, "I was healthy before. I rarely got sick."

Song Qingre sat on the edge of the bed, her voice soft by Yan Qingqiu's ear.

"I remember when Qiu Qiu was little, one winter she got sick. She played in the snow all day in thick clothes, and then that night she had a fever. She called me up mysteriously, saying she'd differentiated and was turning into an alpha, and made me come over right away. When I got there, her fever was 39 degrees, nearly 40. I took her to the hospital. The next day, when she heard she was just sick and hadn't differentiated, she was pretty disappointed."

Yan Qingqiu thought, *Yeah, that is a shame. If she'd differentiated back then, she wouldn't be suffering now.*

Song Qingre paused for a long moment, then said, "All those years I wasn't in the country... how did you get through being sick?"

Yan Qingqiu stared at the ceiling. After a pause, she said, "I was really healthy. Once, I had a cold. I wasn't hungry and spent ages scrolling through delivery apps without finding anything appetizing. Everything was overpriced too, so I skipped it and just lay in bed all day. The next morning, I got up and made myself some congee."

"Do you want congee tomorrow?"

"No."

Back then, when she had that cold, everything tasted bland. Even congee tasted sour.

Song Qingre patted her shoulder, her hands warm as she massaged Yan Qingqiu's stomach again. "Seems like the years I wasn't there, Qiu Qiu didn't have it easy either."

*Is Song Qingre hinting at something?*

*Yeah, in the place you never went, there were four seasons—spring with swallows returning, autumn with leaves falling, and a scorching summer like when I first arrived here. It's just missing a winter with you by my side.*

*There, winter only brings snow, a vast expanse of white. Pedestrians hurry past, and yet there's always someone missing.*

Yan Qingqiu asked Song Qingre to come to bed. Song Qingre was caught off guard. "What? You don't think I ate too many supplements and got diarrhea, do you?"

"This is a hospital." Song Qingre looked at the bed and smoothed out the wrinkles where the previous occupant had lain.

The lights went out. Yan Qingqiu's hand emerged from under the blanket, slowly placing the household register on the nightstand before slipping back under the covers.

The night passed quickly. After taking the medicine, her stomach hurt much less. The next day, she recovered but wasn't fully back to normal.

When she woke, Song Qingre was already awake. Yan Qingqiu smelled something delicious.

Song Qingre brought the thermos over.

She opened it. Yan Qingqiu was ready to complain about eating congee again, but it smelled wonderful.

It was chicken congee. *She must have remembered me saying the congee tasted sour and made this for me.*

Yan Qingqiu ate, her stomach feeling much better, though there was still a slight ache.

After she finished, Song Qingre took the dishes to wash. *Thud.* Something fell on the floor. Yan Qingqiu instinctively bent to help pick it up. This time, it was the same red booklet.

"..."

*Don't pick up things on the ground.*

*She fell for the same trick twice.*

Yan Qingqiu felt it burn in her hands. She frowned. "You—why are you always so careless with my household register! I'll just keep it myself! Not giving it to you!"

She made a show of patting the dust off the register and wiping it down, then flipped it open a page—and quickly snapped it shut. The name on it: Song Qingre.

Song Qingre smiled gently. "Isn't it to change your secondary gender? Let's set a time to do that, and get married while we're at it. If you want to hold on to it, you can keep it safe from now on."